Whamdiddle is Seattle Hammered Dulcimer performer and luthier Rick Fogel. Rick, a physicist by schooling, is also an innovator of dulcimer designs, a hard rock sculptor, avid outdoorsman, and one of the country's only makers of “Bones”, a rhythm instrument from antiquity. On this site you'll be able to browse and purchase Bones, Handmade Hammered Dulcimers and accessories, unique hammers and rock sculptures, Hammer Dulcimer CDs and booklets, and download information essential for any Hammered Dulcimer player and/or builder.

•  Rick will be busking in La Conner WA 98257 on many weekends.  If you are going to be in town please call or write to get his schedule.
• Rick will be teaching a bones workshop at Folklife, Saturday May 27 at 12 noon in the Rhythm Tent.
• Rick will be teaching beginning hammer dulcimer at Folklife, Saturday May 27 at 2 pm in the Armory Loft.  I am inviting all hammer dulcimer players to bring instruments so we can have jam and show everyone how much fun the hammer dulcimer can be.
• Rick will be playing hammer dulcimer and/or singing bass on Saturday, June 3, 2017, 2:00pm for "How Does Your Garden Grow?". This is a concert by The Issaquah Singers of songs about things found in the garden: "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "Plant a Radish," "Honeysuckle Rose," "The Earth's Been Good to Me" and more. The concert will be held at the Sammamish Presbyterian Church, 22522 NE Inglewood Hill Rd, Sammamish, WA 98074. Admission is by donation.
• Rick will be performing on hammer dulcimer at the Couth Buzzard on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 from 7 to 8pm. Couth Buzzard Books, 8310 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 · (206) 436-2960 www.buonobuzzard.com

• POCKET ROCKS **Talisman** $10 each with Certificate

  Uses include Art piece, Ashtray, Bartering, Boiling stone, Comfort, Conversation object, File fingernails w/ edge, Flip (heads or tails), Good luck, Hammer, Hold a drop of perfume, Hold very small objects, Juggling, Meditation object, Paperweight, Play underhand catch, Power object, Striking matches on edge, Throw in pool then retrieve, Throwing, and Warmth.   Rocks are found and sculpted with love.
   

• FINGER-BOW-HAMMERS   These finger-bow-hammers were inspired by Korey Johnson and the playing of Michael Masley (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJRJS3HSl6M). They are made of wood, black Mongolian horsehair, plastic, thread, and guitar finger picks. They each weigh about .56 ounces (16 grams) and are 8.5 inches (21.6 cm) long. To order please send an email or call. You can pay with a check, credit card or I can send a PayPal invoice. The price is $70 per pair with rosin included. Shipping is $4.00 within the USA. I can usually ship within two weeks if I do not have any in stock when you order.

  

• I have a new poster and leaflet to describe my instruments. You can print it by downloading it to a travel drive and taking it to a copy shop that can do 11” x 17” copies.

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•  Artist Statement:                           CIRCULAR BREATHING

We show our innermost feelings with every breath, and I am excited to have this opportunity to display a few things for which I breathe. Whether performing my own music on ancient instruments that I have redesigned and built, or creating rock sculptures from stones I have found while traveling, I thrive on the spontaneity of the moments when my music is a little better than usual, or I find an attractive stone, or create a beautiful shape. The best air for breathing happens when an audience picks up on these feelings, gets a glimpse into my excitement, and then feeds this enthusiasm back to me. Then I breathe deeper and feel more creative, and thus a circle is formed.                                                           Rick Fogel March 2012

Also Available by special order (Please call or write):
 

• DVD of Building a Hammer Dulcimer by Rick Fogel. NHK Japan and KCTS 9 Seattle produced it, and the DVD shows me building a Five-Octave Hammer Dulcimer in my old shop in Greenwood (Seattle WA). Also included is a special feature of a slide show of the actual filming. This 20-minuet video shows most of the steps in building a hammer dulcimer in detail. See if you can find the misquote by the narrator (Alice Ikeda). The cost is $12 postage paid. Contact me to order.
• Cards and Fiddlesticks can now be ordered directly at ETSY.com (search for Whamdiddle).
• Whamdiddle Fiddlesticks.

• I now have note cards for any occasion. Each card has a unique combination of woods and chip carvings and is signed with my signature “W”. A copper binding wire holds two blank, folded sheets of writing paper inside. The cards are 5” by 7” and the wood centerpiece is at least 1” square.   The card itself is a gift. The recipient can frame the card as a miniature art piece or reuse it by replacing the interior writing paper. Each card is numbered with the month and year in was made. 
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• New hammer design available with secondary percussive head design. View our hammers.
• Only at Whamdiddle, the Hammer/Bow, for subtle “bowing” effects. Hammer/Bow sound clip
• Rick's latest solo Hammered Dulcimer CD, “Golliwog’s Gymnopedies.” Listen/Buy  Here are two reviews of my latest CD Gollywog’s Gymnopedia. One is by Chris Lunn in Ancient Victorys and the other is by Dan Landrum in the Dulcimer Players News.
• A booklet of all the sheet music for the new CD "Golliwog's Gymnopedies" is now available for $10 postpaid.
• The Whamdiddle Flapdoodle is a reference list for hammer dulcimer players in the Northwest.
• New “one-of-a-kind” Bone laminations of various exotic hardwoods have been posted.
• I now offer custom chrisicola inlay of up to seven letters on bones. Put your name or initials on your bones for $4 per letter.
• Sculptures "Rocky Lake" and "Olivine Dish" have been sold.