Steve will be teaching Hammered and Mountain Dulcimer Workshops. HAMMERED Novice: WHAT I WISH I KNEW WHEN I STARTED This class features the Map of the Dulcimer, playing in the “box”, playing horizontally, where are my doubled notes, where are the “weird” notes, principles of hammering and learning songs. With all of these conceptual and hands-on tools in one’s belt, students will be equipped to make significant progress in their comfort and skill in playing the dulcimer. PDF Handouts provided.
Intermediate: HAND SEPARATION GYMNASIUM We'll explore several exercises that can help us gain comfort, accuracy and agility in developing and honing our hands playing different things at the same time. These exercises can be incorporated into your daily practice, preparing us for Hand Independence, on the way to Hand Interdependence. PDF Handouts provided.
Upper Intermediate: PLAYING BLUES ON THE HAMMERED DULCIMER Once told I couldn’t play blues on the hammered dulcimer because everything sounded “too pretty,” I found ways to easily access both chords and scales (pentatonic minor and blues scales) on a standard, 5th-tuned dulcimer. So we CAN play our blues into the corner for awhile! After a review of the basics, we’ll go deeper. PDF Handouts provided.
Intermediate: 3 Jigs Dance into A Pub: Celtic Exploration
Using different tune types from Celtic Repertoire (a Single Jig, a Double Jig and a Slip Jig), we‛ll explore their commonalities, distinctions, and some confusions, in order to develop and hone a skillset that can acquire and play these tunes in a shorter time. We‛ll touch on typical ornamentation as well. PDF Handouts provided.
MOUNTAIN Novice: PLAYING TRADITIONAL NOTER STYLE in DAA and DAd tunings We will be playing in the traditional style, featuring noter technique The old “slidy” sound with drones is balm for my soul and a lovely and accessible way to play the music in our souls on the instrument of our choice. Both DAA and DAd tunings will be used side-by-side. You may stay in your tuning of choice or change as you wish. A Noter (or noter finger/thumb) is required. PDF Handouts provided.
Upper Intermediate: “OPERATOR”-Jim Croce FINGERSTYLE (DAd TUNING) Many years ago Ingrid Croce gave me permission to teach another of my arrangements of Jim’s timeless classics. This arrangement combines the artistry of Maury Muehlheisen and Jim Croce’s duet arrangement of this tune in DAd tuning. Fingerstyle skills are honed and applied. PDF Handouts provided.
Upper Intermediate: “TIME IN A BOTTLE” FINGERSTYLE (DAC TUNING) Many years ago Ingrid Croce gave me permission to teach my arrangement of Jim’s timeless classic. This minor-major tune lays very nicely on a dulcimer tuned DAC and lets us further develop our fingerstyle skills and play in two different octaves (including the “expensive frets”). PDF Handouts provided.
Advanced: 1-3-5 TUNING FOR PLAYING JAZZ AND MORE (FAC Tuning) The diatonic dulcimer is very versatile and when tuned to an open chord (1-3-5) is quite chromatic in its possibilities. AND, when we tune to FAC, we are playing in the keys of the music found in fake books (like the REAL book) so we can join those jams and sessions, too! Students will learn how to decode “fancy” chords, and play swing rhythm. PDF Handouts provided.
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