Once Beautiful

Years ago I played hammered dulcimer.  My first instrument was a Dusty Strings, a good instrument, a standard model suitable for the beginner and the advanced player.  And it served me well--I began to bond with it as is our nature to bond with the tool through which our soul finds expression.

But after a few years, prowling through a musical instrument shop, I discovered a MasterWorks and found myself falling in love again.  I thought its design was beautiful and its sound quality delightful, so I brought it home with me, sold the Dusty Strings and didn't look back.

After years of playing, of meeting other hammered dulcimer players, of hearing a bunch of other makes, my MasterWorks began to sound pretentious and look clunky.  I began to appreciate the crisp, simple tone quality of the Dusty Strings and resent the MasterWorks'  full-bodied resonance and thick, rounded design.  So off I went in another search.  I did find my instrument and even though it was larger and a much broader range of notes, it was reminiscent of the Dusty Strings.

And today I'm thinking:  what if I'd stuck with the Dusty Strings?

Have a happy Friday,
Dianne