An exciting collection of music for the hammered dulcimer as heard on Maggie Sansone's acclaimed recording A Celtic Fair. America's premier hammered dulcimer recording artist and player, Maggie has created a perfect collection for all levels of playing, including both a beginning melody-only version and challenging intermediate versions with variations, ornaments, flams and bass runs. Two early music pieces included present the melody and a version for duet and quartet with bass line. the music is drawn from jigs, reels and airs from Ireland, Scotland and Brittany, France and Renaissance dance manuscripts. the sheet music is presented as the basic melody with chords and many of the tunes include a variety of advanced techniques (ornamentation, flams, rolls, use of bass lines, use of unusual modes and scales and interesting chord substitution) to add spice to the arrangements and challenge the player to reach towards the next level of advanced performance. Audio CD 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.

The title says it all: "Dirt Simple." This book and accompanying online audio are designed for a rank beginner who knows nothing about the hammered dulcimer, providing them the tools to make music right away. Starting with the fundamentals of how to hold hammers and tune the instrument, it delves deeper into mastery with posture, stand height/angle, and replacing strings to set up the beginner for a lifetime of good habits. Every concept introduced is simultaneously presented with illustrations and songs that demonstrate and reinforce. Whether the student reads music or plays by ear, the result is the same - music making right from the beginning! Dr. Mark Alan Wade is an experienced teacher with an undergraduate degree in music education and years of public school teaching experience. Now teaching music theory and dulcimer at Denison University, Dr. Wade offers a unique perspective on teaching hammered dulcimer and has three students who have also won the National Hammered Dulcimer Contest as evidence of his master teaching. It's all about the music! Dirt Simple Hammered Dulcimer is written so that the carefully selected tunes are the true teacher. Hands-on learning is made easy with the accompanying audio. Each song is played slowly for students to learn by ear in addition to reading notation. This also allows for the students to hear style traits such as swing, that aren't easily conveyed in written notation. With 29 songs, this book and online audio available for download are a year's worth of private lessons in one concise package!

The tunes in this collection were chosen from Peggy Carter’s half-century of performing, teaching, and arranging music for the hammered dulcimer. This anthology contains 60 tunes arranged especially for novice to intermediate-level players of the 12/11 dulcimer, including suggestions for note reading, hammering patterns and embellishments. Playing the dulcimer is not effortless, but it should be fun! The title tune, “Dulcimer Frolic,” is a family heirloom originally written for mandolin by Peggy’s grandfather in the early 1920s; transcribed for hammered dulcimer, the tune really lives up to its name. In fact, every tune in the collection is designed for fun and frolic. Some have lyrics, some are presented as bare-bones melodies, and some are embellished. You’ll find that these arrangements bring out the best in all of them.

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!

The Scottish Songbook for Hammered Dulcimer is a collection of standard tunes from Scotland. It is accessible to all levels of players, including both a beginning melody-only version and an intermediate arranged version for each song. In addition, each tune has guitar chords notated and lyrics where applicable. Standard notation only.

A set of 14 folk tunes arranged for acoustic instruments and suitable for ensembles ranging from duos to small orchestras. Each tune has three written parts – melody, countermelody, and bass line – as well as chords shown beneath the melody line. In addition to technical tips, there is a video performance of each tune by Moonrakers, played at a steady pace. Suitable for intermediate/advanced players.