Texoma craftsman shares his love of dulcimers
BENNINGTON, Okla. -- For some people, love is a feeling,.
But for Russell Cook, it's music.
"There's such joy and passion and love from making music," he said, and his instrument of choice is a hammer dulcimer. "I am not just in love with the dulcimer, I appreciate making it so much.
And so what started as a hobby turned into a business for Cook -- Master Works, which offers a variety of unique hand-crafted stringed instruments with prices ranging from $300 to more than $3,000.
"We make more dulcimers here at Master Works than another place on the planet," he said.
Creating a dulcimer is no easy task. It starts with wood which is cut, carved, glued and sanded.
After adding strings and a glossy finish, it becomes a vessel for beautiful music.
"Whenever people start sharing their music with each other, what happens is, there's a communal love," said Annette Lindsey of the Red River Dulcimer Club.