Kendra

[Dick Glasgow]

WELCOME ;D

Hello Kendra & welcome to the Dulcimer Player's Forum.

We are all delighted that you are now a member and we look forward to your contributions to the discussions here.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your music & your Dulcimers.

Then, why not hop over to our Where are you? poll and click on your own area!

Cheers
'Ptarmigan'

[kendra]

Howdy folks,

I am excited to get to participate in this dulcimer forum.

My name is Kendra Ward-Bence and I started playing the dulcimer when I was 4 years old. I learned to play from my father, Kenneth, and my grandmother, Lillie. Grandma was given a dulcimer in the 1890's and I still have that instrument.

I am also very proud to add that there are field recordings of Dad and Grandma playing their dulcimers (although we did not know they were called dulcimers: we called them dulcerines) from the 1950's housed in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. One song on that recording that my Dad sang was a song his Scottish great-grandma sang to him as a child. This song was traced, unchanged the way he sang it, back to 1500 England!

I have been a full-time dulcimer player since about 1983 (although I did play of course prior to that with my family band, etc.) and was joined with my husband Bob Bence in 1984. Together we have recorded around 10 albums (some are now out of print), written several hammered dulcimer teaching books, recorded several dulcimer DVD's, hammered & mountain, and developed a course of study for the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, which was the basis for my first hammered dulcimer book that was written in 1985.

My playing style is unlike most other dulcimer players because I did not grow up playing with dulcimer players other than my family. My influences was old-time, Appalachian fiddle tunes, and bluegrass, and I tend to play that music with an improvisational style and strong rhythm. My musical goals include keeping that tradition alive and well and to be true to my music and how I play.

I have also written several tunes "within the traditional" style, including many waltzes, lot's of reels, and even a "crooked" tune. One of my greatest compliments came from a letter that Derek Bell (the Chieftan's) wrote to me from his home after listening to one of our CD's that I gave him. He said that he would have thought all the tunes were traditional until he read the liner notes and saw that a couple were written by me. He said they were so much"of the tradition" that he was pleasantly surprised. (it took me a long time to come down from that high! haha)

Hopefully we will be back in Great Britian sometime soon and we can actually meet some of the Forum members and players there and have some fun playing together.

Thanks,

Kendra Ward

Kendra Ward-Bence
1513 Upcreek Road
Bidwell, OH 45614
Voice: [phone], Fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]
web site: www.dulcimertimes.com

[Dick Glasgow]

WOW! What an intro Kendra.

It's going to be impossible for anyone to top that! It earned you a Karma point straight away!

I'm delighted & honoured you decided to join our little gang here.

Can't wait to hear you playing live on this side of the pond, one day.

Cheers
Dick