Tag: music

Enjoy Mountain Music on the Pickin' Porch at Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop

Posted on October 31, 2018 by - Activities, Blog, Townsend

There’s more to the Smokies than just industry and the great outdoors. Cultural traditions brought to the Smokies by different waves of immigrants and frontier settlers have taken on lives of their own in the mountain hollows that dot the region, and they continue to provide great entertainment to locals and visitors alike.
In particular, the music of Appalachia and the Smokies has its own rich history, one that’s kept alive today in Blount County and especially at the Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop. Read on to learn more about it, as well as how you can get a taste of it for yourself right in Blount County.

Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop Dates Back to the 18th Century

Immigrants from Ireland and what is now called the United Kingdom first settled in the mountain foothills of the southeastern U.S. in the late 18th century, bringing their traditional ballads and dance music (typically fast-paced violin or “fiddle” music) with them. Here, these traditions intersected with others, like banjo-playing, which came up from farther down South. Banjo playing was actually first documented in Knoxville in 1798, so it’s been a part of the region’s legacy for quite some time.
The dulcimer was also a major part of this tradition. Interestingly enough, although the first Appalachian dulcimer was played by Scots-Irish immigrants, there’s no record of anything like the dulcimer in Scotland or Ireland. The instrument itself seems to be a true Southern original, much like the Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop.

Visit Wood-N-Strings to See Dulcimers in Action

Anyone is welcome to come down to Wood-N-Strings in Townsend, Tennessee, which is not a just a shop, but a destination in its own right for fans of the region’s traditional music. The shop offers CDs and books about traditional music, as well as different kinds of dulcimers and other instruments like banjos, lap harps, and even some steel drums. Owners Mike and Connie Clemmer are happy to introduce anyone interested to the virtues of the dulcimer and the joy of playing an instrument that’s relatively easy to learn, and yet provides tremendous satisfaction to both players and audiences.

Check Out the Pickin’ Porch

If it’s summertime, it’s pickin’ time at Wood-N-Strings. Connie and Mike Clemmer play host to local and traveling musicians on their Pickin’ Porch at Wood-N-Strings every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday at 7 PM, from May through September. Bring your lawn chairs and relax at their woodsy riverside location, while musicians share their talents and commitment to preserving tradition just for the love of it.
When winter rolls around, that doesn’t mean there’s no pickin’ left to enjoy. TheWood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop has a section of the website dedicated to sharing videos from past Pickin’ Porch evenings, so you can still listen to old and new favorites long after the camping chairs have been folded up for the season.

Learn About Appalachian Music and Instruments from the Experts: Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop

Posted on June 8, 2018 by - Activities, Blog

In the Smokies region, history is all around you. Some might think that this history mostly just involves all the historic buildings in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and nearby, but there’s also an important musical legacy available to all who are curious, and there are two experts in Townsend with tons of knowledge on the subject. Connie and Mike Clemmer own the Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop and keep an Appalachian musical tradition alive around the world with their handmade dulcimers.
Decades of Knowledge
Mike first began building dulcimers as a hobby in 1976, and eventually he and Connie opened up their shop. Each dulcimer takes weeks to build, using local woods like walnut, sassafras, butternut, cherry, or wormy chestnut, and customers can custom-order their own dulcimer with the soundhole pattern design that suits them.
Plenty of Innovation
Mike invented an instrument called the Ban-Jammer, his own banjo-dulcimer hybrid. Known for its distinct sound, ease of playability, and high-quality construction, the Ban-Jammer is tons of fun for musicians looking for an authentic Eastern Tennessee sound. Mike also created, upon request, a dulcimer called the “Baby Grand,” an extra-large dulcimer with a deep and resonant sound.
Besides both hammered and mountain dulcimers, the shop also offers banjos, guitars, harps, psaltries, lap harps, bohdrans, and even some steel drums and djembes, as well as a huge selection of books and CDs relevant to the Appalachian music scene.
Music for Everyone
Mike famously says, “If you can count to twelve without taking off your shoes, you can play a dulcimer.” That may be true, but musicians still need an audience! At Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop, Mike and Connie host free concerts on the “Pickin’ Porch” every Saturday evening, May through September, and all are welcome to bring their camping chairs, relax and enjoy the music and the scenery of the shop’s woodsy location.
Mike and Connie also release their own CDs of mountain music. They actually have a book and CD combo, called Simple Faith & Homestead, that includes 2 CDs and tablature, so that listeners can actually learn to play the songs, whether in time along with the CDs, or on their own.
Fans of the music can also check out the resources they’ve gathered online, especially hours of free videos of their Saturday evening concerts, and clips from Tennessee Home and Farm, Tennessee Crossroads, a PBS special, and other clips that include tours of the shop or interesting facts about dulcimers and Appalachian music.
Come on Down and Visit
Mike and Connie invite everyone to visit them and learn more about the dulcimer and dulcimer music. The shop is open from 10 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Saturday, at 7645 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend. More information, including an online shop (yes, they ship instruments!) is available on their website. Check them out, and whether you’re new to Appalachian music or an expert, you’re guaranteed to learn something before you leave!

Learn Why Appalachian Folk Music is Still Being Played in the Smokies

Posted on September 21, 2018 by - Activities, Blog, Smoky Mountains

No matter where you go in the Smoky Mountains, you are sure to hear someone playing Appalachian folk music. It might be coming from one of the many bars, clubs, restaurants, venues, or even on the street corners. What’s funny about this particular genre of music is that no matter what your personal preference in music might be, you can’t help but stop to listen to the banjo and fiddle combinations (along with a vocalist in some instances). Before long, you will likely find your foot tapping along with the tune as the music swells in your soul.
Multiple Influences
The music favored for decades in Appalachia is thought to have its roots in English, Irish, and Scottish ballads and hymns, and later in African-American blues. Over time, this unique blend of vocals, fiddles, and banjos led to the development of other forms of music, including blues and country. Along with the fiddles and banjos, you might also find guitars and the fretted dulcimer being played.
Among the many well-known artists who are known to have been influenced by or played Appalachian music are country stars like Earl Scruggs, Dolly Parton, and Loretta Lynn. But country music artists are not the only ones to be influenced by this form of music. Legends like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Statler Brothers, even Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead) have all play songs from Appalachian music or have rewritten them to suit their musical style.
Appalachian Music Will Never Die
There is an old saying that goes “Rock and roll will never die,” but the same can be said of Appalachian music. With a history dating back centuries, instead of waning in popularity, this beautiful music seems to be growing in popularity. Maybe this simply represents a change in tastes, or perhaps more people have become interested in the roots of the music they prefer and suddenly find themselves lost in the sound of the banjo and fiddle together.
Like many other popular forms of “old-school” music, there are numerous Appalachian music festivals all along the Appalachian mountain range from the Appalachian String Band Music Festival held annually in Clifftop, WV to the Museum of Appalachia’s Tennessee Fall Homecoming that takes place in Clinton, TN every year.
Why do people still love this form of music? There are millions of reasons, but for many, it is the simplicity of the music, the stories told, and the ability to sit back and relax while you take in the melodies. For others, listening to Appalachian music is a great way to get back to the roots of so many different varieties of music being played today.
In the early days, Appalachian folk music was considered to be a great way to bring the entire community together. People would sit on the front porch or stoop, in the town square, or around a big fire just to listen to the music, dance to it, and enjoy the spirit of camaraderie that came with it. Today, it has a similar effect on anyone listening to it; they want to get together to celebrate the music with others, share in the stories, and be washed clean of their normal lives, if only for a few minutes.
 
Take a few minutes out of your busy day to stop and listen to the many wonderful local musicians on “The Peaceful Side of the Smokies,” in Blount County, who truly love the music they play.