Making music and friends

Rich Furlong, the president of the On Top of the World Dulcimer Club, talks about two different styles of dulcimers, a regular dulcimer, bottom, and a banjammer dulcimer, top, as members of the On Top of the World Dulcimer Club perform for people in The Arbors at On Top of the World in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

Have you ever gone to a concert to hear dulcimers, psaltery or banjammer instruments?

Probably most have not.

These instruments are not commonly used in most of today’s orchestras and bands. There are no drums, keyboards or brass instruments. As a matter of fact, the ancient instruments are not played by notes, they are played by numbers, explained Rich Furlong, president of the On Top of the World Dulcimer Club.

Dulcimers and psalteries are ancient instruments, dating back perhaps 5,000 years, with origins in the Near East. The dulcimer was known as a santouri in Greece and as a santur in India. It is related to the much older psaltery and spread across North Africa and then Europe, according to online information of the Smithsonian Institute. These instruments are referenced in Biblical times and writings, too.

In the 1800s, the modern mountain dulcimer originated in the Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia and Kentucky, with Scottish and Irish immigrants to the United States. The meaning of the word dulcimer is “sweet sound” and, indeed, the OTOW Dulcimer Club does produce a sweet sound, with members of the group playing various types of dulcimers, a psaltery, a guitar, a fiddle, a bass guitar, two mandolins and two banjammers, which are played like a dulcimer but sound like a banjo.

At a concert at OTOW last week, 14 members gathered to blend their music in slow, melodic tunes and some faster tunes, many of which were very recognizable and to which the audience was invited to sing along. The concert was sponsored by the OTOW Global Diversity Asian Social Club.

Furlong said everyone who is a resident at OTOW can join the group and even with no musical experience can learn to play the dulcimer. There are two beginners’ classes currently being taught in club members’ homes.

“You do have to have some basic musical understanding, though,” he said, adding, “it is an easy instrument to play, because you don’t have to read notes.”

Furlong explained that there is a schematic of the fret board with numbers along the lines. A player can press the number on the board to get a note. Furlong has taught a class of the history of the dulcimer at the Master the Possibilities learning center at OTOW. The psaltery is a form of dulcimer and can be played by plucking or using a bow.

Furlong said the group started 13 or 14 years ago. Kerie Dawkins is vice president. Patricia Gift is “gig manager” and a soloist. She announced each number the group played.

“We are a group of seasoned, beginner-level musicians who enjoy playing their dulcimers, guitars, fiddles, mandolins and psaltery,” Furlong said. “This group brings people together. It is important for senior citizens to get out and have the opportunity to socialize with others. We are all friends. Nobody’s a professional, so there is no competition. This is a great bunch of people.”

Furlong calls himself a “snowbird from New Jersey.” He moved here in 2010. He came to visit Florida because he wanted better winters. In New Jersey, he was a middle school history teacher and then a high school guidance counselor before retirement. He plays clarinet in the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band and likes hiking, biking, kayaking and jogging.

“The central Florida cost of living seems better than in other areas in the state. I have no regrets in moving to Ocala and the OTOW community,” he said.

The Dulcimer Club plays gigs outside of OTWO, such as at local nursing homes, churches and various civic organizations.

“We will work for food,” Furlong said with a smile.

To learn more about the club, contact Gift at pamgift@earthlink.net or (717) 798-4085.