More Tools for Your Musical Toolbox

This class has both in-person and online options that meet simultaneously. To meet on Zoom, select the online option and an invitation to a recurring Zoom meeting will be included in the orientation email sent upon checkout.

This class is for novice and intermediate level mountain dulcimer students. We’ll take a deep dive each week on a variety of playing techniques and repertoire.

• Week 1: Waltzes - We’ll learn a beautiful waltz and practice strumming in ¾ time.
• Week 2: Flatpicking - You’ll learn effective ways to pick individual strings when playing chords and melodies.
• Week 3: Fingerpicking - We’ll practice fingerpicking to arpeggiate chords and sweeten melodies.
• Week 4: Writing Your Own Harmonies - You’ll learn to add harmony and everyone will want to play with you!
• Week 5: Call and Response - We’ll explore this technique in tunes to add variety and spontaneity to your playing.
• Week 6: Color Chords - Learn some cool chord substitutions to brighten or darken familiar melodies.
• Week 7: Ballads - We’ll dip our toes into the genre of traditional story songs with haunting melodies.
• Week 8: Intros and Endings - You’ll explore easy ways to start and end tunes in jams, performances or just sitting on your porch.

Prerequisites: Students should be familiar with basic mountain dulcimer playing skills in DAd tuning such as basic rhythmic strumming, and be able to play a handful of old time tunes either by ear or using tablature.

Note: Most of the repertoire for this session will be taught by ear. Dulcimer tab will be provided as a resource for challenging tunes and techniques.