Dulcimer chorus makes a joyful noise
Whether the sound is a soft, haunting strumming or an upbeat, up-tempo twang, the sound of dulcimers in harmony can be heard at least once a month in Pittsburg.
The Northeast Texas Dulcimer Chorus meets from 9 to noon on the first Saturday of each month at the First Baptist Church annex building. Because September’s first Saturday fall on Labor Day weekend, the chorus will meet from 9 to noon Saturday, Aug. 29.
Members hail from Pittsburg, Tyler, Longview, Mount Vernon, Texarkana, Mount Pleasant and all points between.
The club started meeting in 1997 and has picked up more than 50 members over the years. Janice Marsh of Pittsburg has been playing the dulcimer since 1996 after a chance encounter with the fretted string instrument on a senior citizen’s retreat.
“I went on the retreat and carried my mother and an elderly neighbor. The only classes they had were for seniors like picking the right nursing home and estate planning,” Ms. Marsh said. “I was in my 40s, so I could have stayed in my room by myself or found something to do. They had a class on making a dulcimer.”
The rest, as they say, is history according to Ms. Marsh. She acquired a real dulcimer upon returning home and has been playing ever since. She even wears a tiny silver dulcimer around her neck as a reminder of the instrument she has come to love.
Because the dulcimer has a lower volume than many stringed instruments, it is ideal for playing in a small, intimate setting.
“It’s just a real sweet, soothing musical instrument,” Ms. Marsh said. “It’s called the sweet stringed instrument and you can play it whatever your mood is – fast or slow. I always compare it to Almond Joy – sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to play fast and sometimes you don’t.”
The Dulcimer Chorus doesn’t travel much during the year, but does play at the occasional festival. Libraries, hospitals, nursing homes and banks are just a few of the venues the group has visited during its Marathon Day.
By Tori Lyle, news@campcountynow.com -- To continue reading this article, purchase the print edition of The Pittsburg Gazette or go to our online e-edition at:http://www.etypeservices.com/
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