Killer Technique: Hammered Dulcimer is a book that uniquely focuses on improving the everyday elements of dulcimer playing. Some mundane fundamentals of technique may seem mindless and appear to need no attention. In reality though, even the most basic essentials of dulcimer playing can hold us back without careful examination and precision. This book does just that! The author, himself a National Hammered Dulcimer Champion and music professor, draws on over twenty years of experience in playing and teaching to share his recipe for success. The material focuses on dulcimer-specific skills and drills them in effective and engaging new ways. Targeted areas include dexterity, aim, flow, commonly used percussion rudiments, chords, arpeggios, and chord suffixes. Each exercise is carefully designed to isolate the targeted skill, provide instruction for its most efficient execution, and help you acquire new and improved muscle memory in the least amount of repetitions. Admittedly, working on technique can seem like a chore. This book takes the work out of it and presents the exercises in fresh new ways so you get the most out of them in the least amount of time. Dr. Wade's biggest technique secret revealed in this book is his use of varying rhythms to re-engage the brain and to acquire new and lasting muscle memory. The exercises are not only fun to master but also incredibly effective! It's all about efficiency–not just going through the motions!

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, finding clear, musical directions through what at first must seem like a maze of strings. All tunes are in standard notation. the book's 87 pages are illustrated with photos as well as quaint woodcuts, engravings, and pen and ink drawings.

Beginning and Intermediate players who have developed a repertoire of melodies will be walked step by step through the process of arranging their tunes. Lessons provide a detailed explanation and numerous examples of root position chords and their inversions on the 12-11 and larger sized hammered dulcimer. Simple tunes are provided for the reader to incorporate newly acquired knowledge of chord theory. Descriptions of bounces, triplets, doubling, counter melodies, arpeggios, scale runs, extended chords, etc. are included as well as opportunities to create arrangements utilizing these techniques.

This book was written to aid the dulcimer player in playing as a backup musician. It provides the tools necessary for musicians who are seeking to go beyond simple melody lines. the majority of chords diagrammed are those most commonly used, and those whose notes are clustered on the instrument in six repeated shapes. Diagrams are shown for the 15/14 dulcimer.

These 20 favorite English Christmas carols are arranged for a standard 15/14 hammered dulcimer but will easily transfer to the standard 12/11 instrument. Chord symbols have been provided to allow an accompaniment instrument and will also facilitate the player in adding further embellishments and/or variations to the tunes. The standard notation provided will help the player to learn the songs quickly; however, listening to the recording will prove to be an invaluable aid to the "by ear" player as well as to the player who wishes to gain new ideas for arrangements using additional instruments. In addition, lyrics are provided for the player who may wish to accompany a vocal arrangement. For the beginning to advanced player. (The CD with this book is not the same as the Green Hill "An Old English Christmas" CD - 97012CD.)

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, preparatoryexercises 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 playersuse to add accompaniments to melodies. Note-for-note transcriptions of fully arranged songs from the author's own repertoire are also included

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.