A 2nd Generation Dulcimer Player is Born!

[Anita Franklin-Snyder]

For any of you reading this post, it is 3:54 AM, Sunday morning and I can't sleep. Guess this is what happens when you drink too much coffee too late in the day.

Will I be crashing around 9 AM? Not hardly...this is the Grandparents Weekend for our family. We have our 9 yr old granddaughter visiting with us. This means 72 hours of nonstop, chatter, activity and lots of tickles hugs and laughs! I don't have time for a crash nap with Hannah in the house!

Our little Hannah loves music.  When I say "loves music" I mean she LOOOOOOVES it! If she isn't plugged into her iPod she wants the radio on. If she can't plug in or tune in she is singing or humming to herself. With a child like this around I felt it was my duty to introduce her to my lovely dulci, Blossom.

Just a few minutes of strumming Blossom and Hannah was hooked!

Fortunately, I still have my little teardrop First Act dulcimer that is for right handed play. I took it down off the wall, gave it a quick tuning and began showing Hannah how to play noter style.  Within about 10 minutes I had her playing Amazing Grace. The kid is a natural!

I showed her how I was putting Scripture verses to music and writing the fret numbers by the words to help others follow the melody. She thought the whole process simply amazing and wanted learn everything at once. This kid is a sponge when it comes to learning something new.

Hannah was soaking up everything she could about playing the dulcimer...from me. I have to say that having her undivided attention was pretty amazing ...we were sharing a music inspired "Kodak moment." For the first time, Hannah and I were both totally in tune with the music and with each other...wow. I could really get used to this...

Once Hannah started playing there was no stopping her...seriously. She took the dulcimer to bed with her. Saturday morning she informed me she had stayed up and practiced. She even wrote her own song! When we went to Sabbath fellowship that morning we took both dulcimers. She performed Amazing Grace for us and sang us the song she had wrote just hours before.  On our way home, she sat in the back seat and played almost the entire trip. When she did stop playing, I turned around in my seat to check on her. She had fallen asleep...still had the dulcimer on her lap with her hands over the fret board...toooo cute!

Hannah has a birthday coming up in March. Guess what she wants? Guess who is going to buy her one? =D  Nini Anita will make sure that Hannah gets to play the dulcimer anytime she likes!  I would love for the two of us to play "sweet song" duets together. I know my time as a "Cool G-ma" will be short. Kids grow ups so quick, especially when you don't get to see them often. I am going to take every advantage to find common ground...gonna need that relationship real estate to build on as the years go by.  Plus...

Nothing could be better then strummin' through life together!

Amen!

 

[John E. Wood]

Thank you Anita. I'm a great-grandfather many times over and have made dulcimers for several of the grandchildren. It's rewarding to see them take an interest in something besides "modern" music. I grew up on jazz and big band in the 30's and 40's but wound up liking everything from classical to rock and roll. Keep your relationship going with your granddaughter. Best wishes.

[Patty from Virginia]

Anita, that's great. Take every opportunity to make those memories. I'm sure your granddaughter is going to love that dulcimer

[Kimberly M.]

That is so sweet! I'm glad you get to share the love of the dulcimer with your granddaughter. Someday you'll have to post a video of the two of you playing a duet!!

[Carrie Barnes]

Anita, thanks for sharing this, and had me smiling a mile wide! From small seeds................!!

[Wayne Anderson]

Awesome, Anita thank you for sharing this.

[R N Lackey]

Such a nice story.  Glad you both could have such a wonderful experience.