Sam Edelston

assumed for 30 years he couldn’t do much interesting with just 3 strings. When he finally tried it, he did just what “The Folk” of yore did: Songs that were familiar to him. In his case, mostly popular music from the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. When “Mellow Yellow” and “Bang a Gong” popped out of his dulcimer one day, he had an epiphany and became an evangelist for the instrument. He has earned a reputation for his creative arrangements that make songs sound like they might have been written for the dulcimer. Sam now believes that mountain dulcimer is a more logical first stringed instrument than guitar, and that millions of kids should be begging for one for their next birthday.

Quotes about Sam’s teaching: “As zany as Sam is, he is a patient, knowledgeable, caring teacher. Also experienced, smart, creative, etc.” “You really rocked my boat when you opened up the door to play all kinds of rock on the dulcimer!” And from Nancy Barker, director of Kentucky Music Week, "You gotta have a class with Sam." He lives in Connecticut and chairs Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival. He is honored to be featured at MDMF. www.SamTheMusicMan.com