Every aspect of the Hammered Dulcimer and its playing techniques is covered in this comprehensive yet easy-to-understand text. A masterful teacher Madeline MacNeil exceeds the expectations of a beginner's book providing a firm foundation for the development of a total musician while maintaining an engaging informal tone throughout. With detailed discussions on Dulcimer layout hammers tuning and stands plus extensive performancenotes on every tune this book is a valuable asset to the beginning through intermediate player.From Oh Suzanna to Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring Madeline shows the novice Dulcimer player how to'map your way through' a new piece of music finding clear musical directions through what at first must seem like a maze of strings.All tunes are in standard notation. The book is illustrated with photos as well as quaintwoodcuts engravings and pen and ink drawings. The companion 85-minute video and audio contains essential basic information on playing the Hammered Dulcimer--such as tuning major and minor keys duplicated notes repeated notes modulations walking bass lines chromatic notes drone harmony back-up chords interval harmony and more! Also contains Madeline MacNeil's Hammered Dulcimer solos on 25 tunes. Audio and video downloads are availableonline.

This book and accompanying 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 toshowcase 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. Audio download available online.