Open Stage Performance

Here's Nathaniel's version of "Black Mountain Rag," peformed during the Open Stage at the Swannanoa Gathering.

Wonderful Learning at Swannanoa

Nathaniel is halfway through Dulcimer Week at the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. The Gathering consists of an entire week of classes, jams and concerts on a mountain farm college campus, with an abundance of delightful spots for practicing and jamming. Nathaniel, who has gotten to attend through a Youth Scholarship, is taking all of his classes from 2006 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion, Jeff Hames, and the morning "experienced skills" class only has one other student. Tonight, Nathaniel will play "Black Mountain Rag" during the Open Stage performance.

Yesterday, Nathaniel and his dad visited a great dulcimer shop, Song of the Wood, in Black Mountain, NC, which is only 6 miles from the campus. The folks who run the shop are wonderfully friendly and helpful, Nathaniel had a fine time playing several different McSpadden dulcimers while he was in the shop. He also picked up a cherry capo to match the head on his new dulcimer.

New Bag of Tricks

To many, Nathaniel's brand new dulcimer (which he saved for and bought on his own) might just look like one more dulcimer. But for Nathaniel it opens brand new opportunities because of the notes he can hit with the 1 1/2 and 8 1/2 frets that were added to this spruce and cherry McSpadden. Nathaniel ordered his new dulcimer from Jeff Hames, who Nathaniel will be learning from all week at the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, NC.