Maureen Sellers

If you’ve had that dulcimer for a while or have desired to play one but never had the opportunity then this is the class for you!  You’ll be playing songs and tunes in no time.  Come, join the fun!  Instruments available.

Jeff Furman

(Class One) “Enhancing Your Strum”  This workshop will focus on improving the fluidity of your strumming and getting more rhythm variations with your right hand.  (Class Two) “Enhancing Your Left Hand”  We’ll cover multiple left hand techniques to help improve the sound of your playing:  what are they; how to do them effectively and efficiently; lots of exercises, practice to help you master them.

Dave Haas

Learn how to play more smoothly and confidently.  Learn left and right hand techniques, how to play backup chords, and become more confident playing in a jam session.  All new material.  (DAD)

Bing Futch

“I Got Those Mountain Dulcimer Blues”  Woke up this mornin’, all my dulcimer played was the blues;  Woke up this mornin’, all my dulcimer played was the blues;  I’ll give you chords, scales, licks and rhythms;  For playin’ the blues, you’ll want to use!

Stephen Seifert

“Alternating Bass for Fingerpickers”  The goal here is to keep an alternating bass line happening while playing the melody and chords at the same time.  First, we’ll go through short exercises for your right hand.  Then we’ll play through a number of tunes, learning to syncopate on the spot.  Time will be spent on right and left hand muting and damping.

Hammered Dulcimer

Rick Thum

Basic beginning skills will be taught in this fun class including tunes and embellishments.  Don’t be afraid, we’ll get you playing right away!  Loaner instruments available.

Ruth Smith

(Class One) “Learn Jam Tunes”  We’ll learn some tunes that are popular in jam sessions!  We’ll also begin working on simple chords so you can play along in a jam even if you haven’t yet learned the melody.   (Class Two) “Beginning Repertoire/Arranging”  Now you can play a few melodies, so let’s start developing your bag of tricks for arranging, using a favorite Celtic tune.

Guy George

“Repertoire – Tunes, Tunes, Tunes!”  We’ll learn a variety of Guy’s favorite tunes and arrangements with harmony and back-up parts.  New material!

Doug Berch

“The Finer Points of Playing the Hammered Dulcimer”  These will include tone production with the hammers, using sustain and space in your arrangements, how posture and ergonomics affect your playing, finding and developing your own unique style of playing and much more!

Jeff Furman

“Building Dulcimer Skills”  This two-part workshop will provide the building blocks of your playing which will enhance your enjoyment of the dulcimer.

Maureen Sellers

You know where the frets are, how to strum and tune – now what?  We’ll add some chords to songs, learn to jam with two secret weapons – guaranteed Jam Power!

Bing Futch

Get to really know your dulcimer and what you can do with it.  These classes will cover the basics of picks, strums, strings, tuning, scales, reading and understanding tablature, and more! 

Stephen Seifert

“Playable Medieval, Elizabethan, and Renaissance Style Music”  We’ll start in and mostly use DAD.  Bring a capo.   I’ll walk you through Medieval melodies, Elizabethan lute pieces, and tunes from the Massif Central region of France.  Sound hard?  They’re not.  We’ll cover strumming, finger picking, and fingering helpful in playing this  music.

Dave Haas

Learn how to play beautiful melodies using advanced arpeggio techniques, add variation to your play, create song arrangements, and incorporate artificial  harmonics.  All new material.  DAD

Hammered Dulcimer

Doug Berch

We’ll learn some of the finer points of getting and keeping your hammered dulcimer in tune, gaining more control of the hammers, hammering technique, tips for learning where the notes are (without cheat sheets!).  We’ll also learn tunes by ear, building repertoire and more! 

Ruth Smith

(Class Three)  “Tune-based Exercises”  Technique exercises don’t have to be dull.  Have fun and be productive as we practice musical phrases used in many common tunes and, before you know it, you’ve learned a new tune!  (Class Four)  “Intermediate Repertoire/Arranging”  Develop a more elaborate arrangement using chord notes, fill/run notes, counter-melodies, etc., with a focus on techniques that make your music more expressive.

Rick Thum

 Let’s learn Front Porch Waltz!  As time permits, we’ll also learn more tunes with advanced techniques. 

PENNY WHISTLE

Guy George

We’ll start with the basics and hold on from there in this class for all levels from beginning and up!  We’ll take our skills as far as we can go!  Guy will have whistles available for you to purchase if you need one.

Dave Haas

Learn how to strum, fret the dulcimer, read dulcimer tab, play backup chords, and participate in a jam session – all while learning great songs you already know!  DAD

Stephen Seifert

“Foundational Techniques”  DAD  We’ll review stringing, tuning, holding, strumming, fretting the dulcimer.  Then we’ll cover a number of effective ways to learn tunes you might know and a few jam tunes you need to know.

Doug Berch

We’ll be expanding on the basic skills of playing including tips for getting and playing in tune, fingering techniques (hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides), a variety of strumming patterns, the basics of finger picking and more!

Maureen Sellers

We’ll work on beginnings, middles and endings to make your repertoire pop!  Learn use of a chord progression to extend a song, use deceptive cadence and other tricks to take a song from ordinary to extraordinary.

Jeff Furman

(Class Five)  “Tasteful Backup” or “How To Play Well With Others”  This workshop will explore concepts and techniques on the mountain dulcimer for tastefully backing up a variety of musical styles and instruments.  Please bring a CAPO.  (Class Six)  “Fiddling With a CAPO” or “You Paid For The Whole Dulcimer, You Might As Well Use It!”  This workshop will be a technique and repertoire class for getting more familiarity and comfort playing your dulcimer further up the fretboard.  We will explore the use of the capo and learn some new G and A tunes along the way.

Hammered Dulcimer

Ruth Smith

(Class Five)  “Beginning Repertoire”  Learn a tune, plus practice tips, techniques, and exercises to help you find your way around the instrument and learn music more quickly.  (Class Six)  “More Beginning Repertoire”  We’ll learn more tunes and have time to clear up any questions you have about playing.  Also:  Hammers – how to choose and use, and tuning basics and hints – things I wish someone would have told me!

Rick Thum

“Jam Skills”  Learn how to find chords and chord progressions, and how to relate to embellishments.  These skills will unlock your dulcimer!

Guy George

“Island Rhythms”  Caribbean tunes and island rhythm back up parts!  Fun tunes and new techniques to heat up the winter!

Native American flute

Bing Futch

Learn breath control, fingering and scales, ornaments and effects, tablature reading and how to create your own personal music.  We’ll go over basics for new players and review for those with some playing experience.  You’ll need a 6-hole F# flute to take this class.  Contact Bing for flute selections ahead of time.

Stephen Seifert

“String Side Up Bunch”  New player?  In 90 minutes I will have you playing a tune or two, show you how to tune your dulcimer and get you started on the right path toward good strumming.  This class is for people who are true beginners on the instrument.

Maureen Sellers

Simplifying tab to suit you.  Memorization help and fretting help in this class.  These skills create a great foundation for zooming ahead with your playing!

Jeff Furman

“Celtic Airs”  We’ll learn several beautiful and pleasing melodies from Ireland and Scotland.  We will also cover techniques to help you play them with feeling.

Dave Haas

Add variation to your playing by moving the melody and chords to different positions on the fret board.  Techniques and fingerings that facilitate smooth playing of fast and slow songs will be covered.  All new material.  DAD

Bing Futch

“Finger Picking Fun”  Pick melodies across the strings and learn the secrets of playing “inside the box” with scale exercises and a focus on pick direction, finger placement with pick/strum techniques.  We’ll work on some challenging fiddle tunes to add to your repertoire.

Hammered Dulcimer

Rick Thum

Taking beginning skills to the next level as we explore playing techniques, styles of music, and adding some tunes to your repertoire.

Guy George

“Spruce Up Your Playing” Learn easy backup chord progressions, easy improvisation techniques.

Doug Berch

The emphasis will be on understanding chords and harmony and how they apply to the dulcimer, techniques for playing both fast and slow tunes, adding flourishes and pizzazz to your tunes, and other techniques to bring your playing up to the next level.

Ruth Smith

“From Heart to Hands”  Learn various techniques used to accentuate the beauty in melody lines and emphasize the underlying theme of the music.  Repertoire will be expressive, lyrical music (a slow air, waltz, or lament).