ISBN 9781513459127. 8.75x11.75 inches.

With over 70 fiddle tunes arranged for Appalachian dulcimer, this book includes both common session tunes that everyone should know and a handful of obscure gems. The tunes include a representative collection of what people are playing in the current old-time music scene. The author has indicated the source of the tune when known, plus notes on achieving the proper feel and playing style.Although a few of the arrangements are real finger-twisters, most are well within the reach of the intermediate dulcimer player. Some tunes are written for old-time noter style playing, some are best fretted with your fingers. All of the arrangements include suggested chords for guitar or other instruments. One or two include lyrics; most do not.Old-time tunes tend to be played in fiddle-friendly keys like D, G, A (major and minor), and C. Although you can play in most of those keys out of DAD tuning, the music really comes alive when you re-tune and let those drones ring. Tunings include DAA, DAD, DGD, AAA and more. The author includes notes on how to re-tune your dulcimer, as well as alternative tunings for some of the tunes.The author says, This book represents the fruits of over fifty years spent chasing down a good tune.Includes access to online audio of all of the tunes played on solo dulcimer.

ISBN 9781610654562. This book was written as a basic guide and source book for all dulcimer players, from the absolute novice to the most advanced picker. With its 53 songs in various modes and tunings, The Complete Dulcimer Handbook is meant to be used as a songbook, a lesson plan book, and a step-by-step guide from beginner to intermediate or advanced level. The author\'s basic premise is that, given this instrument\'s relatively brief pedagogical history, \"There are no right or wrong ways to play the mountain dulcimer, only harder or easier means of reaching the same ends\". The stereo audio recording features the author\'s outstanding performance of 17 tunes from the book. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781619119352.

Put some aloha into your playing with Hawaiian & Polynesian Music for Appalachian Dulcimer! More than just a repertoire collection of classic Pacific island melodies, this book includes the history and background stories of the individual tunes and a brief language pronunciation guide. In addition, the author provides humorous and insightful observations on interpretation, fingerstyle technique, and Hawaiian slack-key guitar style as applied to the mountain dulcimer. Written in standard notation and tablature for the 3-course dulcimer with the 6+ or 6 1/2 fret, these fingerstyle arrangements are for intermediate to advanced mountain dulcimer players who are looking for a challenge and want to try something new. These arrangements sound best played fingerstyle, and make use of polyphony, harmonics, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and the sweet chords beloved by Island musicians.Some selections like aAloha aOea are instantly recognizable, while others such as aWehiwehi aOea or aPauoa Liko ka Lehuaa may be unfamiliar outside of Hawaii. Includes access to online audio of all 22 examples and melodies in DAD, CGC and DGD tunings. To help the student master these arrangements, the author provides detailed performance notes for each tune. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781610656733. This instruction book for beginning lap dulcimer in DAD tuning is unique in two ways. First, it instructs the beginning student in the increasingly popular DAD tuning. Secondly, the author, a classroom music teacher, has carefully and systematically layered the lessons to guide the student through familiar songs while teaching skills and musical concepts. This not only enables the student to enjoy the lap dulcimer but also enhances total music understanding and participation. The accompanying audio provides instructional dialogue and demonstrations of the techniques and songs included in the book. Additional hints and exercises are presented in an inviting and encouraging conversational text. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781619113367. This book and companion audio offer an in-depth look at how to add accompaniment and embellishments to melodies on the hammered dulcimer. The material covered in this book illustrates how to enhance simple melodies to showcase their inherent musicality. Full of illustrations, examples, preparatory exercises and easy-to-play arrangements, this book is sure to bring new character to your playing. It begins by explaining, in simple terms, how and why harmony works and teaches the solutions to the common exceptions you will encounter. By the end, you will be able to apply the four most common methods dulcimer players use to add accompaniments to melodies. Note-for-note transcriptions of fully arranged songs from the author's own repertoire are also included. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781610655774. This book presents fretted dulcimer arrangements of 58 Stephen Collins Foster classics. Each song is written as a melody line in standard notation with dulcimer tablature beneath plus complete lyrics, historical notes, and suggested guitar chords. Cover graphics from the original nineteenth century sheet music publications lend grace and authenticity, and songwriters and music historians will find much interest in this book. The tunings used are DAD, DAA, DGD, and DAA#D. Intended for experienced beginners to intermediate players, many of these pieces require a 6 1/2 fret dulcimer and a capo. The author includes an insightful essay on the life of Stephen Foster (1826-1864)-a gifted, once successful songwriter whose career decisions and abuse of alcohol lead to personal financial disaster, a broken family, and an early death. His legacy is a treasury of songs reflecting the social issues and romantic illusions of his time. Contains both well-known and lesser known tunes in notation and tablature. Includes access to online audio that contains 33 of the book's 58 tunes.

ISBN 9781619118027.

Standard notation and a simple alpha-numerical tablature system are used to present this unusual collection of pre-18th Century tunes for the standard 12/11-course hammered dulcimer. Creating a hybrid of folk and classical elements, Carol Koenig has expanded the repertoire of the hammered dulcimer with melodies from France, Spain, England, and Scotland. The tunes are first presented in a simple melodic statement, then in a more complex harmonized version. The author insists that it is not necessary to be an outstanding sight reader to make beautiful music on the hammered dulcimer, or with this book.

ISBN 9781609745004.

Author Bonnie Carol learned first hand about soulful Latin American music as she grew up along the Texas-Mexico border. In this book, she takes familiar and obscure Latin American tunes and pieces influenced by Latin music and arranges them for hammered dulcimer, and in some cases fretted dulcimer (with tablature) as well. She draws from a repertoire including Argentinean tangos, Andean panpipe music, Mexican mariachi music, Central American marimba music, and music of the Chicano culture of the Southwest.

ISBN 9781513454986.

This collection for mountain dulcimer players includes two dozen wedding pieces in DAD tuning derived from the folk traditions of the British Isles and Americas Appalachian community. The melodies appear in both dulcimer tablature and music notation with suggested backup chords. Arrangements for a second dulcimer player are also included. An original song entitled Many Butterflies is provided as a wedding gift from author Madeline MacNeil! Haste to the Wedding, and the marrying couple then asks each other to Give Me Your Hand.