The Dusty Blog

Join us this summer for Folk Harp Boot Camp with Harper Tasche and a free introduction to the hammered dulcimer with Dusty Strings co-founder Ray Mooers.

The scents of spring are starting to waft through our damp Seattle air, and our thoughts are turning to harp festivals! There are many wonderful harp-focused gatherings planned for this year, and we sadly cannot attend them all, so we're here to give you an update on where we'll be and when.

Get the lowdown on which harps we'll be bringing to the 2016 summer festivals! The American Harp Society conference is in Atlanta from June 30th - July 3rd, and the Somerset Folk Harp Conference is in Parsippany, NJ from July 21st - 24th. We hope to see you there!

Join us October 7-9, 2016 for the 12th Harp Seattle festival! Workshops for all playing levels will be presented by internationally renowned harpists Park Stickney, Kim Robertson, Maeve Gilchrist and Nicholas Carter, with additional presentations by local Seattle harpists. And don't miss these fabulous performers in concert on October 7th and 8th at Dusty Strings!

We just returned from the Southeastern Harp Weekend in Asheville, NC and thought we'd share some photos of the experience from a harp-maker's perspective. We came home exhausted, but with hearts full of smiles and stories form the harpists we met, and heads full of ideas and inspiration from our fellow builders.

The vendor hall at the Southeastern Harp Weekend in Asheville, NC is one of the biggest concentrations of harps, harp music and harp accessories in the country. If you're in the market for a harp or a Christmas present for a harpist in your life, you can browse the vendor hall for free without registering for the festival. Read about the harps and accessories Dusty Strings will be bringing.

The complete list of harps that will be at the Dusty Strings booth at the 2015 Somerset Folk Harp Festival.

Whether you're new to the hammered dulcimer and not quite sure how to start, or you haven't played in a while and could use a dose of inspiration, or you play all the time and can think of nothing better than to hang out and jam with other dulcimer players for a weekend, the Spring Fling (Hammered Dulcimer) Rendezvous could be exactly what you need! Head to Sandy, Oregon and join dozens of Northwest dulcimer players (and a few from farther afield) for a weekend of workshops, jam sessions, family-style dinners and general dulcimeraderie.

We just got back from the Southeastern Harp Weekend in Asheville, NC and thought we'd share some photos of the experience from a vendor's point of view.

Here's a preview of the Dusty Strings harps you can see at the 2014 Southeastern Harp Weekend, including our new concert gut Boulevard and a special curly maple harp.