About the BDC

The Bellingham Dulcimer Club - aka the BDC - met for the first time in March, 2009. There was about a dozen players at this first meeting. Since that first meeting, more than 50-folks have attended Club meetings at one time or another.  The Club is a not-for-profit social group which provides an opportunity for folks to get together to play old tunes, learn new ones, and share our common interest in this uniquely American folk instrument. Club activities include the following:
  • Below is a photograph of where, beginning in October, 2011, Bellingham Dulcimer Club meetings have been held on the 2nd Saturday afternoon of most* months.  Club  meetings are in the Flex Room on the 2nd floor of the facility, which is at 1207 Ellsworth Street, between H and I Streets in the Lettered Street Neighborhood of Bellingham, WA.  New and newer players are encouraged to show up at 1:30PM for meetings. All others are welcome to join us after 2:00PM.  Although the primary focus of these meetings is the mountain dulcimer, all acoustic instruments are welcome! So far, other instruments have included guitar, fiddle and auto harp – and, of course, singing voice!
                                     
*NOTE:  If unsure as to whether a meeting is scheduled for a particular month, please click the "Contacting the BDC" tab above to E-Mail a Club member for up-to-date information.                                    
  • The Club shares its music, on a voluntary basis, with the community-at-large. Club members welcome the opportunity to perform at scheduled play dates at local parks, libraries, hospices, convalescent hospitals, retirement facilities and the like. 
    As a general rule, most of the tunes that we play are in the key of D, which we play in a D-Mixolydian (Dadd) tuning.  However, using capo's while tuned in D-Mixolydian, we also play in the keys of Em, G and A.

    Visitors are always welcome to our meetings.  If you have a tune – or tunes – you would like to share with us, that would be great! If possible, we would appreciate copies of tab of such new tunes. Please make sure the material is not copyright protected or you have permission from the copyright holder to share with the club.