When I was about 13, I developed a deep fascination with Appalachia. I became interested partially because my mother had been born in Appalachian Kentucky, and I had started to ask her more and more questions about her childhood. She was born during the Depression, had lived on a farm and had 11 siblings. She told me lots of stories about farm life, one-room school houses, and so on. I found it endlessly fascinating. She hadn't talked a lot about growing up until then, because it was hard and often painful, but she finally indulged my questions. Another reason I had become so curious about the culture and way of life was because a friend's mother was deep into Appalachian studies at the time, for her Masters' degree. She lent me all of the Foxfire books and let me listen to a lot of field recordings and interviews she had conducted. She would often play dulcimer for me during my visits, which she had learned from books and albums by Jean Ritchie. I asked her to play me some of those records. I had never heard anything like it before, and it really opened my ears and my way of thinking about how people make music. I thought it was beautiful. So I begged her to teach me the dulcimer.
Now her daughter, my friend, was really puzzled as to why I was interested in all of this. Probably because she had grown up hearing about Appalachia all her life!
Thinking back on that time now, I realize how patient my friend's mother was, but on the other hand, I know she enjoyed talking about it with somebody who was interested. I never became anywhere near proficient, but I did learn a few songs. It does tickle me that one of the millions of tiny pieces of arcane knowledge rolling around in my brain is the ability to play The Parson's Farewell on the dulcimer.
I have a writer friend now, also from near where my mother was born, and he has a truckload of Appalachian music. I think I'm going to ask if I can borrow some of his Jean Ritchie albums. It would be great to hear them again.