H.A.N.D.S. of Illinois

Gebhard Woods Dulcimer & Traditional Music Festival is sponsored by H.A.N.D.S. of Illinois.

H.A.N.D.S. stands for Hammers and Noters Dulcimer Society of Illinois, Inc. It refers to the Board of Directors and Festival Committee, who are responsible for planning and running the festival. Founded in 1988, HANDS is dedicated to preserving and promoting dulcimer music. It is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization registered with the State of Illinois.

"Hammers" refers to the mallets (hammers) used by hammered dulcimer players for striking the strings, thus setting sound waves in motion. The "noter" is a small dowel or rounded, sometimes decoratively turned on a lathe, piece of wood, 5 or 6 inches in length, moved up and down the fret board of a mountain dulcimer to change the pitch of the melody strings. This is the origin of it all. It remains a relevant reference and a description of the instruments played by most members of the Board and Festival Committee, and built by some members.