Joni Mitchell and the Dulcimer

Who was Joni Mitchell?

Born on November 7, 1943 as Roberta Joan Anderson, Joni Mitchell is a highly influential Canadian singer-songwriter, painter, and poet. Mitchell is known for her distinctive voice, poetic lyrics, and innovative approach to music composition.

Throughout her career, Mitchell received numerous awards including multiple Grammy Awards. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Her musical work traverses various genres – including folk, rock, jazz, and pop – and she is often celebrated for her introspective and deeply personal songwriting.

Mitchell’s debut album, Song to a Seagull, was released in 1968. However, it was her subsequent albums, particularly Clouds (1969) and Ladies of the Canyon (1970), that brought her critical acclaim and commercial success. Joni’s fourth album, Blue (1971), is often regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Did Joni Mitchell Play the Dulcimer?

Yes, Joni Mitchell played the mountain dulcimer.

Joni first introduced the dulcimer in songs on her fourth album Blue (1971). Known for its raw emotional depth and complex arrangements, Blue is regarded by many music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Joni Mitchell’s First Dulcimer

Mitchell purchased her first dulcimer at the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival from Joellen Lapidus, a luthier from Los Angeles who Mitchell once described as “a dynamite girl who lives in California”. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding California woods, Lapidus designed a dulcimer for Mitchell that was visually gorgeous.

Unfortunately Mitchell’s first dulcimer was accidentally damaged. And so Joni went back to Joellen to request another dulcimer. It was this second dulcimer, called the Princess Dulcimer, that Mitchell used to record her poignant album Blue.

The Princess Dulcimer was even more beautiful than Joni’s first dulcimer. Its body shape combined an upside-down teardrop on top of a heart with head stock resembling a flying bird. Sound holes were also added with accents representing mythical birds. It was a true work of art.

Below is a short history of Joni Mitchell and the dulcimer. Please consider liking and subscribing to the channel.

Dulcimer on Joni Mitchell’s Album Blue

Over fifty years since its release, Blue remains one of the most influential albums in music history.

In 2020, Blue was rated the third greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone‘s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” At that time, this was the highest entry ever by a female artist. Young musicians continue to draw inspiration from Mitchell’s honest, yet vulnerable style.

“I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes,” Mitchell once said of the album. “I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world.”

That perfectly sums up the album.

At the time, however, few fans had heard of a mountain dulcimer. But its soft sounds fit perfectly for the melancholic and self-reflective nature of the album. The dulcimer was featured prominently on 4 tracks on Blue – “All I Want,” “Carey,” “California” and “A Case of You.”

The open tuning nature of the dulcimer was appealing to Mitchell, and allowed her to express creativity when it came to song writing. In fact, Mitchell was known to use 50+ different tunings on the dulcimer throughout her career.

Mitchell’s Later Dulcimers

Following the commercial success of Blue, Joni toured with the Princess Dulcimer all over the world. During this time, Mitchell and Lapidus stayed close in touch.

In the late ’70s, Lapidus built Joni a third mountain dulcimer called the Jester. This version featured a whimsical head stop design as well as other visually stunning features.

According to Lapidus, Mitchell used a variety of great dulcimer techniques that she borrowed from her guitar playing. These included lift and harmonics, as well as various offbeat rhythms that worked beautifully on the album. Mitchell also used the slap technique effectively on three of her four songs on Blue.

Joellen and Lapidus Music

A master luthier, Lapidus continues producing fine dulcimers today with Lapidus Music – albeit in limited numbers. She continues to masterfully combine musical craftsmanship and art into heirloom quality instruments.

In addition to building dulcimers for Mitchell, Joellen also built dulcimers for other musicians in the 70s era as well. These musicians include David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Wendy Waldman, Garth Hudson from The Band, and others.

Joellen currently teaches dulcimer playing in Los Angeles and runs the Los Angeles Urban/Mountain Dulcimer Club.

A Brief History of the Mountain Dulcimer

The history of the mountain dulcimer is not definitive; however, most historians suggest it arrived to the US with German immigrants.

The original German scheitholt was converted to a dulcimer by reducing the number of strings from nine to 3-5 and by using a larger sound box. Over time, dulcimer builders have experimented with different shapes, sound-hole patterns and strings. 

When played (typically on the lap), the dulcimer exudes soft, sweet sounds.  Indeed, the instrument’s name is derived from a Greek word that means “sweet song.”

Joni Mitchell and the Dulcimer – Final Words

While Mitchell loved the dulcimer, she was not the first or last musician to embrace this instrument. 

For example, Jean Ritchie inspired some of Mitchell’s original songs as well as Bob Dylan and Shirley Collins.  Brian Jones also played the dulcimer on the Rolling Stones’ album Aftermath in 1966, and later in 1994 Jeff Buckley played the dulcimer on “Dream Brother,” on his album, Grace.

But let’s face it, no one truly embraced the dulcimer quite like Mitchell did.