Just Days: To Val!

Saturday, August 23, 2014, was the official day that I was certified by Dwain and "granted the rightand privilege to build Standard Teardrop dulcimers on the mold exclusively inherited from Walter P. Martin, Master Luthier of Sunhearth Folk Instruments. Mr. Runge is further authorized to use all devices, emblems and designs, excluding any Bear Meadow marks, learned during his apprenticeship." What?! That is right folks, I've made it up the first step of this part of my journey to build instruments. I have three left to go.

So I am done for this second session, too. But Mark, you query, why are you done with the second session and just receiving acknowledgement of your first session? Because the sessions finish according to the completion of the instrument being built during that session. And as you know I'm done with the first--and cannot wait to show it off this week in KY at The 2nd Annual Homer Ledford Dulcimer Festival.

I've been playing the heck out of it, I broke my first string, and it is a sweet little instrument that stays in tune and sounds great. But I still have nightmares that it is going to rattle apart as soon as someone plays it.

I've been spending a lot of time, I've had some down time since the session ended, so I've been playing music on whatever instrument people are presenting to me. Of course by people I mean Gretchen and Jim. Gretchen has a tampura, and I played that for a while one night. It was fun, and it has a really nice voice. I'm sure I was doing it all wrong, but nobody was there to complain.

I don't know if I told you about Jim and his Martin guitars, but he has some--some really nice ones! He has a '51 that was born just down the road from him that same year. He has a '53, which is so pretty, and its voice is so smooth and rich. This one is my favorite of his collection. But the others are really as pretty, but they are different flavors of Martins.

The '53 is a 00, so it is a good size. I actually like the size of the '51, which is a 0, better, but overall the '53 wins out. He has a Woody Guthrie 000 18 that is remarkably pretty and sounds great. He just got one back from Martin yesterday because he had some work done to it, and it booms like a cannon that shoots beautiful music! Jim is really happy with the design changes that he made to that one. And today he gets another that is made out of sinker mahogany, and I bet it will sound as good in person as it did through the recording that was sent to Jim.

When did I learn to play the guitar, you ask. Well I don't know how to play the guitar. But I certainly strum the heck out of it and move my fingers as if they know where they are going. Sometimes it sounds really pretty and at other times it sounds just bad. But part of me breaking out of the confinement of my past is to play more freely. If my authenticity and exuberance offends, well, that is not a problem on my end.

There are a bunch of interesting things about Jim that make me glad he is my neighbor while I'm here. He knows about tools and doing some repairs on his Martins. So we can talk tools and shop, and I can share with him what I'm doing in the dulcimer building world. Sure, he doesn't quite get it when I say that I had to cut .030 of an inch worth of bone to get my instrument's intonation right on, but he does understand intonation. And he is impressed when I show him what I'm doing, like my scroll carved peghead.

On the last day of our session I asked Dwain to take me back to the wood store so that I can go through wood stuff with him again because I plan on connecting with a wood dealer in Maryville or Knoxville. It was timely because Dwain needs more walnut to make fretboards.

We went through the entire store twice, as they had walnut scattered about in various forms of dress. But there was only one small piece that was acceptable. It was really nice to watch Dwain dissect the piece in his head to determine the cost of each fretboard. There was a second piece of wood, but the cost per fretboard was $10 greater than the piece he selected. Lesson grasped!

I was talking to Dwain about making strings, so he showed me his operation. And I got to practice making a few strings so that I have an extra set to take with me. As part of my dulcimer business I plan on making and selling strings and whatever else I can.

Rochester is a great city, and I'm really glad that I've found such a warm and friendly community because there is enough pressure on me to do well in my studies to have to stress over location and logistics. I walk and run here, a lot. I bike eight miles every day. And people are always friendly. I've not felt ill at ease once. But I'ver heard from those who live here the horror stories about the winter. So I'm sure glad that I'll be done in the fall.

Today I'm going to run, do laundry, pack and read. I'm not planning anything major. But I will be reflecting on my second month here and on how much I've learned. I'm so excited to get to TN to live--not that I want this to end because I really don't. But I want so much to share my craft with others. Val and I have great plans to do music and instrument building workshops. We want to grow in our community as persons with something to say and not something to sell.

"Let these presents show that Mark Runge has acquitted himelf with distinction in the Initiate Apprenticeship, the selection, preparation and usage of the basic tools and materials of the art of lutherie.

Furthermore, Mr. Runge has demonstrated, through the construction of an Appalachian dulcimer, all the qualities necessary to the art and craft of making stringed musical instruments of the highest quality, fulfilling all requirements and instructions attendant on the duties, responsibilities and artistic judgement of inititate luthier.

Mark Runge, in recognition of this achievement, is hereby granted the approval of Dwain Wilder, Luthier at Bear Meadow, to excersize his art as he may henceforth. Specifically, he is granted the rightand privilege to build Standard Teardrop dulcimers on the mold exclusively inherited from Walter P. Martin, Master Luthier of Sunhearth Folk Instruments. Mr. Runge is further authorized to use all devices, emblems and designs, excluding any Bear Meadow marks, learned during his apprenticeship.

Mark Runge is hereby accorded the full faith and confidence of Bear Meadow in the pursuit of lutherie in his own right

by my hand and seal this twenty-third day of August,

A Dwain Wilder, Luthier"