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The Dynamic Dulcimer
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: March 2023
Lady and The Tramps brings Appalachia’s signature sound to this corner of the mountains.
During PorchFest and other festivals and activities on the Plateau, one might hear melodic, soulful, and often upbeat sounds emanating from three dulcimers as Lady and The Tramps play them. “Lady” is Sally DeLawter, while the two “Tramps” are John Hawk and Phil Myers.
The group plays an instrument that has German, Scottish, Irish, and British roots, yet Appalachian people have made dulcimer songs their own by interweaving folk ballads and original tunes.
The three Macon County retirees were each originally drawn to the music of the long, fretted, three-to-four string instrument in diverse ways – but the main reason they now play a dulcimer is because the music that can be achieved enchanted them.
DeLawter had sung in choirs, but had never played an instrument, primarily because a birth defect caused her left hand to be crippled.
After hearing the dulcimer played, however, she was determined to learn to play it herself. Her husband handily switched the strings so, as DeLawter noted, “I could push down on the strings with my good right hand and strum with my left.”
Initially, DeLawter practiced daily, sometimes for hours. She learned to play by reading tablature music, which basically means notating sheet music so that learning to read musical notes is not necessary.
“I had always wanted to make music, and the dulcimer gave me the opportunity to do that,” she said. “It quickly became a part of me, and the music just flows out.”
Hawk had never heard of a dulcimer or seen one played until he and his wife visited Pigeon Forge [Tenn.] and listened to famous dulcimer player, Bill Taylor. His wife recognized her husband’s fascination and purchased a dulcimer for him the next Christmas.
“I learned how to play and just got better and better,” he said. “Once I really started playing, I really took off with the music.”
Myers first heard the instrument played in the Appalachian Mountains. “I loved how it sounded and decided to look into it,” he said. “I ordered one online in 2003, right around my 50th birthday. I was used to fretting from playing guitar [in high school], so I immediately took to the dulcimer.”
For all three players, the dulcimer has become a natural extension of their hands. A few years ago, DeLawter, Hawk, and Myers established an official trio and offer their talents to the public.
“The way we play is free form,” said Hawk. “It’s not too structured. We don’t all play the same thing the same way. But it all works and blends and sounds beautiful.”
