Dulcimer Dynasties

• November 25, 2024
• by David Bennett

Galax, Virginia is called the “World Capital of Old Time Mountain Music” and the annual Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention is said to be the world’s oldest and largest of its kind. Since 1935 its stated purpose has been to “make it possible for people of today to hear and enjoy the tunes of yesterday,” and was dedicated “to keep alive and perpetuate the old times, and traditions of the country and mountain music, native to our section of the country.”

I am kickstarting this article by sharing several of the “dynasties” in dulcimer history. The Melton/Russell families were one of the earliest in dulcimer history and hail from the Galax area in Virginia. Ruth Melton (1917-1980), at the of age 18 won first place in the dulcimer contest at the first and second Galax Old Fiddler’s Conventions starting in 1935. Ruth won many more of the Old Fiddler’s Convention dulcimer competitions throughout the years.

Ruth’s father, Jacob Fredrick Melton (1893-1967), learned to play dulcimer from his mother, Maggie Melton (1874-1960). Ruth was married to Roscoe Russell (1917-1993), a noted maker and player of the Galax-style dulcimers who won the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention dulcimer contest in 1976. Their daughter, Bonnie, won the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention dulcimer contest when she was fourteen.

Now let’s fast forward to another family with 130 years of history in prominent dulcimer lineage!

During the 88th Annual Old Fiddlers Convention which was held in August 2024 in Galax, Virginia, Kendra Ward placed first, for the third year in a row in the dulcimer competition, playing traditional noter/drone/Galax style. When I asked her what she played she said, “it was an old fiddle tune from western North Carolina called ‘Puncheon Floor.’ I played it forever on the hammered dulcimer and realized that it makes a great mountain dulcimer tune.”

This was certainly an honor for Kendra, but her biggest surprise came at the end of the Convention when she also garnered the prestigious “Best All-Around Performer” award. This is given to the ONE contestant from all the instrumental categories with the highest total score. This is the first time in the 88-year history of the Convention that a dulcimer player has won this top prize.

Kendra has been a well-respected hammered dulcimer player since the early 1970’s. Although she is completely self-taught herself, Kendra’s workshops and classes have given many current professional players their start. Her first instruction book, “The Hammered Dulcimer Handbook,” was published in 1989 and was one of the first books published for the instrument. She, with her husband, Bob Bence, have toured this country and internationally with their music for over 40 years.

Although she is primarily known as a hammered dulcimer player and teacher, Kendra is the third generation of her family to play the mountain dulcimer, having played traditional noter/drone style since the age of four. She learned to play from her grandmother, Lillie (1882-1972) who was given a dulcimer in 1894 by her father, James McGhee. Lillie learned to play this dulcimer and the clawhammer banjo when she was just a teenager. Kendra is lucky to still have this dulcimer and the banjo that her grandmother played.

Lillie taught Kendra’s father, Kenneth Ward (1907-1994) how to play the dulcimer, and Kenneth made a dulcimer in 1925 when he was just 16 years old. Kenneth also learned to play clawhammer style banjo and fiddle, and played fiddle and dulcimer for dances in the 1930’s.

Kenneth married Kendra’s mother, Martha (1920-2009), a native of Strange Creek, WV, in 1940. Music was a very important aspect of their lives, and Kenneth quickly taught Martha to play the dulcimer. Martha already played piano and accordion, so she swiftly adapted to the dulcimer and began accompanying Kenneth. Kenneth made a “courting dulcimer” in 1975 so he and Martha could play together on one instrument. A courting dulcimer is an instrument with one body and two fingerboards, arranged so that two individuals can sit across from one another and play the same instrument.

The courting dulcimer Kenneth constructed was designed with two distinct sides. The melody side was tuned to the G Ionian scale (G-D-D). The other side was optimized for playing chords, and was tuned G-B-D. Kendra says, “We never knew anyone that used G-B-D tuning. That was something Dad invented to make things easier for Mom.” The Ward family usually played in the key of G. This was to accommodate banjo players who commonly tuned to that key. Martha would play chords to accompany Kenneth who played the melody. Kendra would frequently play harmony on the courting dulcimer with her dad, while Martha would accompany them on the pump organ or accordion.

Kendra recalls the last, best time she played the courting dulcimer with her mom, “Mom was in a nursing home and was getting forgetful. It was Mother’s Day, 2009. Mom asked if Bob and I would come up and play some music with her. Of course, we said yes!

I played the melody and mom played chords on the courting dulcimer while Bob played backup on the guitar. After a little while mom said she was tired and could not remember the chords. She said, ‘get over here Bob, and play the chords while I strum!’ All three of us played for hours, I played the melody, Bob fingered the chords, and mom strummed to the rhythm, all three of us playing on the courting dulcimer that dad made. It was last time I ever played music with mom!”

Today Kendra and Bob play this same courting dulcimer in almost all of their concerts. It pays homage to Kendra’s love and dedication to her family, to her musical inheritance, and to her dulcimer heritage.

Throughout most of Kendra’s early life her entire family played music. Her aunts, uncles, cousins, and neighbors all played music. They played traditional Appalachian fiddle tunes, gospel and bluegrass. They got together every Saturday night and played. It was the highlight of everyone’s week! Kendra’s dad formed a regional band called “Morgan Raiders” and they frequently performed in the local area with the mountain dulcimer as the lead instrument, accompanied by guitars, banjos, and accordion. They were a band for many years.

Kendra wrote a story about her father as part of a class assignment for a college journalism course which was published in the Dulcimer Players News in the fall of 1982. She has been immersed in dulcimers for as long as she can remember.

Both Kendra’s grandmother and her father called the instrument they played the ‘dulcerine” instead of “dulcimer.” They played traditional style dulcerine, and placed the instrument on a table or a stool in front of them where they sat. They never played with the instrument on their laps, because that made it much more difficult to use the higher notes on the fretboard when playing fast fiddle tunes. They noted the dulcerine with a clothespin, and strummed with a flexible metal corset stave. The corset stave eliminated pick noise, gave their playing more volume, and never wore out like the turkey quills that it replaced. Kendra still plays this same way today.

Kendra and her husband, Bob Bence, a former improvisational/stand-up comedian and a longtime musician, have been performing together full time for over 40 years. They have performed on stage with numerous high-profile artists, including The Statler Brothers, Debbie Reynolds, Bill Monroe, Alison Krauss, John Hartford, David Holt, and many others. They have toured extensively across the United States and are highly regarded internationally, with a particularly strong following in England, Scotland, Wales, and Germany, as well as in a few other countries.

Kendra has a true passion for playing, but she especially loves teaching others. She has the skills, temperament, and experience to make her a highly effective teacher. She has written many books on how to play the hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, and psaltery.

As a native and lifelong resident of the Appalachian region, Kendra Ward has been immersed in the tradition of the dulcimer since childhood and has a unique perspective on its history. Following in the footsteps of Jean Richie and Anne Grimes, she is recognized as a leading historian and folklorist with a comprehensive understanding of the culture of Appalachian people and the dulcimers they played. Her background is deeply rooted in the tradition of the dulcimer, and she is one of only a few pre-revival dulcimer players who remain active today.

She believes that the curriculum of every dulcimer festival should include vital information such as the history of the dulcimer, its traditional style of playing, and the culture of the people who originated it. Without this content, the dulcimer dynasties that have been instrumental in shaping the dulcimer as we know it will be forgotten, and their contributions to this instrument that we all love will be lost forever.

It is to be hoped that players like Kendra will inspire new dulcimer dynasties to keep traditional old-time dulcimer playing alive.

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