Daniel Crommie's Page

I first saw a picture of a dulcimer - Joni Mitchell playing it in fact - on the inside foldout of the David Crosby album "If I Could Only Remember My Name" in 1971. I was intrigued by this mysteriously shaped instrument, so much so that I sought out the Joni Mitchell "Blue" album for a listen. Having given up on trying to be the next guitar hero this seemed like it just might be the key to my musical ambitions. A couple of years later my father built me a dulcimer of my own design, more or less teardrop-shaped with a very 70's decorative touch - a marijuana leaf on the mahogany plywood back. The frets were made of steel wire from a grocery store display. I later had another dulcimer custom-made for me with six strings in a violin shape - again made of plywood - this time walnut. In 1975 I made my solid body electric dulcimer, violinish - shaped and consisting of solid oak, an incense cedar fretboard, Humbucker pickup and machine heads. This instrument was upgraded five years later by my pal Jamie Haggerty who made a new modified fretboard of maple & rosewood, new Schaller machine heads and a good (mandolin) tail piece. In 1980 I purchased a very unique (and inexpensive) dulcimer kit that I modified into a medieval Buche - five strings on a very narrow tapered body. It has friction pegs and violin fine-tuners. I used this dulcimer exclusively for my acoustic work from then until 2006 when I received a new Blue Lion six-string dulcimer which I use now for recording and performance due to it's ability to project and blend with other acoustic instruments when not amplified. It is quite lovely with maple sides & back, spruce top, cherry & rosewood fretboard and custom nearly chromatic fret arrangement which allows me to play in different keys without retuning. I use the same fret layout with the electric Dulcimer & Buche as well. The electric six-string dulcimer can be heard on several of the tracks that are in my player, most notably "Sidewinder" and "Shaky House". The Buche is featured on "Monkey Puzzle" and "Cool Drink From A Poison Well". I also have a Mid Missouri Mandolin, Trinity College Octave Mandolin, 2 Balalaikas (3 & 6 stringed), Psaltery, Bowed Psaltery, Bandurria and numerous flutes.