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Pluck: The Extraordinary Life and Times of David Schnaufer
America’s past holds a secret for people who long for joy in their lives. Young people in the sixties and seventies used it to fuel their passion and find kindred spirits. David Schnaufer was one of them; he learned the secret when he discovered the mountain dulcimer, America’s first original folk instrument, one that caused more derision than respect among those in the music business.
Schnaufer exploded onto the nineteen-eighties Nashville music scene in one of the most astonishing success stories ever to happen in Music City. His passion for the dulcimer and its music led him to become a world-class musician who recorded with everyone from Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler to Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris; from John McEuen and Sandy Bull to Allison Krauss and Linda Ronstadt. Yet, his famous friends and collaborators weren't even the most interesting aspect of his life. This free spirit became an award-winning performer, songwriter, instrument designer and builder, teacher, rock star, actor, producer, historian, the world’s first dulcimer professor and a figure beloved by countless people around the world. Pluck dives deep to reveal how he did it with his passion for playing the dulcimer
None of it came easy, however. David’s struggle to define a life on his own terms is revealed through themes of family heritage and aspirations, identity and coming of age, suffering and perseverance, human connections across time and space, love, reconciliation, the circle of life and gratitude. In our current difficult times, David Schnaufer brings a breath of fresh air and hope through his belief that the dulcimer and its music have an infinite capacity to ensure a lifetime of enchantment for anyone who has ever doubted he or she could play an instrument.
Schnaufer exploded onto the nineteen-eighties Nashville music scene in one of the most astonishing success stories ever to happen in Music City. His passion for the dulcimer and its music led him to become a world-class musician who recorded with everyone from Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler to Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris; from John McEuen and Sandy Bull to Allison Krauss and Linda Ronstadt. Yet, his famous friends and collaborators weren't even the most interesting aspect of his life. This free spirit became an award-winning performer, songwriter, instrument designer and builder, teacher, rock star, actor, producer, historian, the world’s first dulcimer professor and a figure beloved by countless people around the world. Pluck dives deep to reveal how he did it with his passion for playing the dulcimer
None of it came easy, however. David’s struggle to define a life on his own terms is revealed through themes of family heritage and aspirations, identity and coming of age, suffering and perseverance, human connections across time and space, love, reconciliation, the circle of life and gratitude. In our current difficult times, David Schnaufer brings a breath of fresh air and hope through his belief that the dulcimer and its music have an infinite capacity to ensure a lifetime of enchantment for anyone who has ever doubted he or she could play an instrument.
- GenresMusic
637 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 2, 2023
A Must-read for Dulcimer Players
What a great book ! Couldn't put it down. David Schnaufer was an extraordinary player and from Linda Paulus' book, had an extraordinary life. I already had two of his CDs - Dulcimer Player Deluxe and Tennessee Music Box, so when I saw the book had come out, I knew I had to read it. And Paulus didn't disappoint. Every dulcimer player should read it, to learn more about dulcimer world, and learn about the major players in addition to David. And I recommend getting some of his cd's. I would read at night, then play his music the next day.
I really liked Paulus' writing style too. The chapters were titled as Movements (a term you hear in connection to symphonic music). Schnaufer had quite a few health problems and died at a young age, so when he was nearing the end of his life, Linda's chapter was Final Movement - Journeys End. The chapters were short and sometimes shared what was going on with other players in dulcimer world at the same time as a particular stage in Schnaufer's life. The other technique she used was to give good explanations of technical stuff related to the dulcimer or the way David played, or tuned his dulcimer that were quite helpful, and would definitely be helpful to the beginner player.
A bonus for me in reading the book was knowing many of the places in Nashville, TN where David moved to for the second part of his career. I graduated from Belmont University in 1969 which was near where David lived; on my first date with my wife, we went to the Pancake Pantry (where David spent a lot of time); and bought my first guitar at Cotten Music Store (where David bought strings for his dulcimer.
So thank you, Linda Paulus, for a great book about a great musician and person.
What a great book ! Couldn't put it down. David Schnaufer was an extraordinary player and from Linda Paulus' book, had an extraordinary life. I already had two of his CDs - Dulcimer Player Deluxe and Tennessee Music Box, so when I saw the book had come out, I knew I had to read it. And Paulus didn't disappoint. Every dulcimer player should read it, to learn more about dulcimer world, and learn about the major players in addition to David. And I recommend getting some of his cd's. I would read at night, then play his music the next day.
I really liked Paulus' writing style too. The chapters were titled as Movements (a term you hear in connection to symphonic music). Schnaufer had quite a few health problems and died at a young age, so when he was nearing the end of his life, Linda's chapter was Final Movement - Journeys End. The chapters were short and sometimes shared what was going on with other players in dulcimer world at the same time as a particular stage in Schnaufer's life. The other technique she used was to give good explanations of technical stuff related to the dulcimer or the way David played, or tuned his dulcimer that were quite helpful, and would definitely be helpful to the beginner player.
A bonus for me in reading the book was knowing many of the places in Nashville, TN where David moved to for the second part of his career. I graduated from Belmont University in 1969 which was near where David lived; on my first date with my wife, we went to the Pancake Pantry (where David spent a lot of time); and bought my first guitar at Cotten Music Store (where David bought strings for his dulcimer.
So thank you, Linda Paulus, for a great book about a great musician and person.
March 16, 2022
I had a hard time putting this one down. It's a big book, and I read it in 4 sessions, even though I don't usually go for non-fiction. This book was about someone I've met, and my dad knew pretty well. I loved the chronological overlapping stories, and that the knowledge of music and the cultural anthropology that was so important to David is relayed. If you know the dulcimer, this is a great read for you. If you DON'T know the dulcimer, this is a wonderful introduction to the only truly American instrument.
Details and discography make it easy to look up recordings too.
Details and discography make it easy to look up recordings too.
January 18, 2023
There are some grammatical errors and rough edits, but this is the story of a remarkable human being and musician. He was a kind and generous man who loved dulcimers and people.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews