Hammered Fiddle Tunes

A wonderful collection for traditional American fiddle tunes arranged for the 12/11 hammered dulcimer. A working knowledge of the instrument is helpful in learning the techniques in this book. Selections include: Home Sweet Home; the Meeting House; Missouri; Soldier's Joy; Ragtime Annie; Blackberry Blossom; and more. Written in standard notation only.

A unique collection of 66 fiddle tunes illustrating the major regional styles found across America and Canada. This book contains rare vintage photographs, player's biographical profiles, historical and performance notes, bowing indications, and information on cross-tunings and the American institution of fiddle contests. the authors have collaborated brilliantly on this labor of love to produce a definitive volume of tunes transcribed from recordings by many of the best fiddlers in North America. Exemplary tunes are included from the Northeast, Southeast and Western regions, plus various widespread ethnic styles including Cajun, Irish, Scandinavian, Klezmer, and Eastern European styles.

Includes a wealth of fiddling lore and illustrations; a guide to buying a fiddle and bow; tips on learning and playing the fiddle; over 800 listings of books, records, fiddling and bluegrass organizations, fiddling schools and camps, violin making supplies, films, etc.; information about fiddle contests.

Getting Into Hammered Dulcimer is designed as a crash course for hammered dulcimer enthusiasts of ALL experience levels. The fourteen song titles, in standard notation, offer a variety of styles and are presented in the following format; 1. Basic Melody, 2. Embellished/Variation and 3. Back-up Chords/Accompaniment. Additional topics include layout of the hammered dulcimer, tips for tuning, basic theory, major/relative minor scales, chords charts, and playing modulations. The companion CD is recorded to offer three tracks for each selection; 1. Basic melody, 2. Embellished Melody/Variation and 3. Back-up accompaniment.

This sizeable collection of hammered dulcimer tunes brings together over 225 old-time and Celtic traditional tunes that are commonly heard at gatherings of old-time musicians. This is music that has been passed down vocally, or learned by ear instrumentally, and derived from countries where many of our ancestors originated. Trying to separate American and Celtic traditional music is an impossible task, as so many of the tunes we consider our own are adapted versions of tunes passed on to us from other countries and would fit into either category. This book therefore features favorite selections from both American and Celtic traditions. These instrumental arrangements are written in standard notation only with chord symbols.

Ken Kolodner's book presents transcriptions with detailed bowings in tandem with three recorded versions of 35 Appalachian fiddle tunes ranging from some very common and easy tunes (for more beginning players) but also quite a few less typically played tunes. All transcriptions are based on festival versions of the tunes, meaning the versions are those most commonly encountered at jams and festivals. the book includes a clearly written description of old time style focusing on default bowing systems designed to develop rhythmic bowing. Ideas presented include Nashville shuffle, 3-1 bowing, bow rocking, ghost bows, anticipations, left-hand ornamentation, drones, chording, dissonances, altered tunings, the concept of swing, tips on learning by ear and more.The tunes are played three times each for nearly 150 minutes of recording: (1.) very slowly and simply; (2.) at a modest tempo and but with double-stops, drones and other ornaments; and (3.) up-to-tempo. While this effort was designed for fiddlers, the recordings should serve as an excellent source for non-fiddlers at all levels who desire to build their repertoire and practice learning tunes by ear. the book and accompanying MP3 disc are appropriate for any level of player. the difficulty of the tunes ranges from simple to relatively complex. Similarly, the bowing techniques include the simplest ideas to relatively difficult. the three recorded speeds make the learning and processing of the tunes appropriate for all levels of players wishing to improve their ear training.•

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 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!