Rainmaker For Hammered Dulcimer and Sundry Instruments

This is a cover/arrangement of classic song by the band Traffic. Technically, it is only a cover of the first half of that song, since it turned into jazzy jam in the second half . Paul and I used to play hammered dulcimer together in the early 90s, and we always enjoyed this tune, as it occupied a fine line between folk, classical, and jazz.


In updating this for the 21st century Paul pulled together the dulcimer, druma and bass parts., I'm responsible for adding some more harmony and color through guitar, harp, frame drum and an effects pedal that turned my harp into something that sounds like a flute. ALso, that really twangy electric tremolo comes from my hammered dulcimer running through an effects pedal.


For the video, we decided the most fitting narrative for the music would be the history of the Dust Bowl- the greatest man made ecological disaster in the history of the United States. Several great documentaries helped to tell this story , from the classic "The Plow that Broke the Plains" in 1936 to Ken Burns in 2012.

hammered dulcimerharptraffic