You Can Teach Yourself Hammered Dulcimer

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 performance notes 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, findingclear, 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 quaint woodcuts, engravings, and pen and ink drawings. Includes access to an online 85-minute video and audio containing 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.

CONTENTS

• Dedication
• About The Author
• Introduction
• Dulcimer Layout or: Where The Notes Are
• Hammers
• Bridges
• Marked Bridges
• Tuning Your Dulcimer
• The Dulcimer Stand
• Playing In Comfort
• Playing In Rhythm: Counting Off
• Playing Tunes
• Alternating Hammers
• Hammering Patterns
• Are You Sleeping?
• Duplicated Notes On The Dulcimer
• Mapping Your Way Through "O Susanna"
• O Susanna
• Exploring Four Keys
• Hammering Exercises In The Key Of G .
• Hammering Exercises In The Key Of D .
• Learning Scales And String Courses
• Learning More Notes In The Key Of D .
• Practice Tune: Golden Slippers
• Duplicated Notes And Repeated Hammers
• Home On The Range
• More Hammering Patterns
• Arkansas Traveler
• Vertical And Horizontal Moves, Repeat Signs
• Liberty
• Hornpipes, Transitional Notes, And Another Repeat
• Harvest Home
• A Useful Note On The Bass Bridge
• Annie Laurie
• Practice Tune: No Place Like Home
• Intervals
• Intervals: Exercises
• Playing A Tune Using Interval Harmonies
• Deck The Halls
• Chords
• Back-Up Chords
• Playing Chords By Shapes
• Learning Chords
• Chord Arpeggios
• Auld Lang Syne
• F On the Bass Bridge, Bounces, Rolls, Fermatas.
• My Own House
• Triplets And More Interval Harmony Playing
• The Lark In The Clear Air
• Horizontal Bass Bridge/Treble Bridge Moves
• Amazing Grace
• Review: Hornpipes, Triplets, Transitional Notes.
• Off To California
• Drone Harmony
• Soldier's Joy
• Minor Keys
• The Parting Glass
• Star Of The County Down
• Practice Tune: Simple Gifts
• Modulation
• Flop-Eared Mule
• Musical Form And Another Modulation
• Over The Waterfall
• Another Modulation And 3rd Interval Harmony
• The Ash Grove
• O'Carolan, Planxties, Walking Harmony Bass Line
• Planxty Fanny Po'er
• The Key Of A, Adapting Music To The Dulcimer, Jigs
• The Hundred Pipers
• Santa Lucia
• Playing Music With Style
• Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
• In Closing