Review of Tom and Missy Strother's March In Ohio

Bruce W. Ford

Tom and Missy are active members on the EverythingDulcimer.com discussion group, so it's very gratifying to see them publish their first CD. This team knows a lot about mountain dulcimers and music in general, and now we know they play VERY well.

The Strother's didn't bother tackling songs in D and the DAd tuning for their first album. None of that. They experiment in this CD, something I probably wouldn't have the nerve to do. There are interesting keys for MD such as Em even G, and tunings, such as DGd (Banks of the Ohio), and AAd (Amazing Grace).

All this non-D work adds a richness to these mostly familiar songs that is refreshing, and is further proof of the versatility of the mountain dulcimer. For instance, most have probably heard Wayfaring Stranger many times, but in Em, it's a striking song...and you might fall in love with it again. Westfalia Waltz in G brings it up in pitch and is lovely.

Instrument-wise, the CD features mountain dulcimer (bass, and normal), but there is banjimer, tenor recorder, penny whistle and bodhrán to round out the mix. All instruments are played by Tom and Missy. I like the simplicity of the instrumentation because you can really hear the dulcimers without them getting lost in the crowd.

I recommend this CD as an addition to your collection. If you have any interest in expanding to minor keys and alternative tunings, consider this CD a primer. If you want a collection of songs that showcase the mountain dulcimer, this is it. This CD is suitable for learning from (the tempos are great), or for listening to at home as background music.

Here's the song list:

To get your hands on this fine album click here!