‘Dulcimer man’ brings out the inner musician in many

Dean Eades is the dulcimer man. Over the course of four decades, he has made thousands of the musical instruments and taught all ages to play the simple stringed device.

He conducts a two-hour session where he teaches people to play. “We bring a dulcimer for each participant along with a pick and noter (something like a dowel), music sheets and a history of the instrument,” he said. “People will learn six to 12 songs or hymns during the training time.”

Eades spent 46 years serving churches as a minister of music. His interest in dulcimers began in 1973, and he continues to make them and teach others how to play them. “I had been a church musician for 17 years and could not play an instrument,” he said. “I discovered how easy it was to play a dulcimer — with two fingers! I then built one to use as a teaching tool with older children’s choirs. Thousands [of students] later, I’m still at it.”

Dean Eades - dulcimers 2

Eades teaches young students to play a simple tune on the dulcimer.

The dulcimer is a stringed instrument that is believed to have originated in the Appalachian region of the United States. It typically has three or four strings, although two are called drone strings and provide a simple harmony. Dulcimers today can vary from two to 12 strings. Many are now imported from China, but craftsmen like Eades continue to build them. The dulcimer is regarded as one of the easiest instruments to learn.

Eades says he has used his classes to show people “how God can use anyone to reach people with the gospel — without pressure.”

Looking back on his 59 years of church ministry and dulcimer workshops, he says, “God has blessed all these years, often in spite of my efforts. A life-changing event happened for me in the summer of 1972 after attending Music Week at Glorieta [Baptist Conference Center in New Mexico]. Simply put, I learned to sign the sheet and let God fill in the agenda. Everything took on a peace and new direction after that.”

This July, his dulcimer sessions will be offered at White Oak Conference Center. He has been an artist-in-residence in South Carolina public schools since 1990 and has conducted workshops in many churches across the state as well as at Glorieta, Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center, Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and other conferences, retreats, and camp venues. He does not have a record of the number of sessions he has led over the years, but he “averaged maybe 20 a year in the first 10 years, and then it grew.”

To schedule a session for senior adult groups or for children in fifth grade and above, or for community and church outreach projects, contact Eades by phone at 864-882-7791 or email him at hhdulcimer@aol.com.

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