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Hernando Today

Hammering Out Some Ancient Tunes

Hernando Today photo by BOB EAST III

Liz Gates demonstrates a mountain dulcimer, one of the many folk music instruments in her collection.

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TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: August 8, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - When she and her husband moved to the top of Laurel Mountain, that was when Liz Gates first took up mountain music.

It wasn't the kind of mountain music most people know. She went way back. Long before anyone had ever heard of a ski lift - or even a snow shovel.

She learned how to play the Appalachian dulcimer, which has roots in the 17th century.

Gates also picked up the psaltry, dulci-jo and hammered dulcimer. Her repertoire is vast.

She had her instruments set up in her living room, which looked a lot like a musical museum exhibit.

"I love this sound," as she lightly moved the bow along the psaltry strings like a violin. "I could play it forever."

Gates' fascination with ancient instruments began late in life. Her husband had retired and the couple moved from Pittsburgh to the mountains of rural Pennsylvania. She loved the view and the atmosphere and wanted to enrich the experience - so she learned to play some of the instruments that would later inspire some of the region's most memorable folk music.

"It was very cold," she later said. "You had to go through nine miles of snow just to get off the mountain. We finally said, 'That's it.'"

The couple moved to Silverthorn in 2000.

Today, Gates teaches the instrument to students of all ages. She once taught the mountain dulcimer to a 4-year-old pupil, although she would not like to relive that experience. The girl couldn't read numbers before pounding her first strings.

"Now, she plays like perfection," Gates said of her student, who recently turned 7.

Her one-story home is constantly filled with the reverberating sounds from her classic string instruments, but her husband, Ken, isn't complaining.

"It's very pleasant," he said when asked whether he tires of hearing his wife practice.

Gates was relieved and laughed when she heard his answer.

"I often have to take my instruments to the bedroom and close the door," she joked. "I'm always in competition with the television."

It is difficult moving the hammered dulcimer (also known as a santur) from room to room. The 20-pound instrument was founded in Persia in the 12th century and later was brought to Western Europe during the Crusades.

The instrument was unknown in the United States until about 40 years ago, but still has never caught on, even among the most hardcore folk musicians. There likely are several reasons, Gates said. It is shaped like a trapezoid and is 2 by 3 feet, making it hard to carry through doorways.

There are 60 to 90 strings on the instrument - depending on its size - and is sensitive to weather changes. It must be tuned regularly.

It has few minor keys and its scales are arranged both horizontally and vertically.

Gates showed how well she could play it. She used two small "hammers" made out of bamboo and played a flawless rendition of the "Westphalia Waltz."

"It's a nice, light, dancing sound," she said after she was finished.

The instrument is popular throughout Asia and Europe. Some hammers are made out of metal or whale bones.

Gates also broke out the dulcimer banjo - or dulci-jo. She placed the instrument on her lap - like a slide guitar - and played a few measures from Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land."

"I don't know which ones I like the best," she said. "I love all these instruments."

Gates, who has three grown children, loves to teach. She is lobbying hard to have some of them introduced to the local schools.

"Whenever I do these programs, I think the history part of it is the most important, more than the music," she said.

In the meantime, Gates plays with a local folk group and with other musicians at First United Methodist Church in Brooksville.

By learning the songs and instruments from other countries in other areas, it has enhanced her appreciation for American roots music. It can be traced back to everything from Celtic sounds to African beats.

"That's what makes it so beautiful," she said of the music's cultural mix. "It's a blend of music from Ireland, England, Scotland and from Africa. That's why we have the most beautiful folk music in the world."

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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