The title says it all: "Dirt Simple." This book and companion 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 companion audio. Includes access to online audio containing each song 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 audio are a year's worth of private lessons in one concise package!

Dirt Simple Hammered Dulcimer

The Anatomy of the Hammered Dulcimer..........................................................................................5

Accessories................................................................................................................................................6

Tuning Accessories and Hammers................................................................................................7

Hammers..........................................................................................................................................7

Replacement Strings and Kit.........................................................................................................7

Tuning Your Dulcimer............................................................................................................................9

Final Tuning Tips.............................................................................................................................10

How to Care For Your Dulcimer.........................................................................................................11

Replacing Strings...................................................................................................................................11

When to Replace Them...............................................................................................................11

How to Replace Strings................................................................................................................11

Stand Height and Angle........................................................................................................................12

Hammer Grip.........................................................................................................................................13

Ready to Play!.........................................................................................................................................14

Imaginary Scale Boxes.................................................................................................................14

Finding the Notes in the Key of D.......................................................................................................15

Finding Note Names On Paper............................................................................................................16

Notes on Lines................................................................................................................................16

Notes on Spaces...........................................................................................................................16

Finding The Note Names On Your Dulcimer....................................................................................17

Review: D Scale Box and Its Notation.................................................................................................18

Rhythm Notation Explained................................................................................................................19

Note Durations................................................................................................................................19

Other Notation........................................................................................................................19

Rests................................................................................................................................................20

Counting Rhythms.........................................................................................................................21

16th Notes and Triplets...........................................................................................................21

Mixed Rhythms........................................................................................................................22

Dotted Notes.................................................................................................................................22

Other Meters...........................................................................................................................................22

Rhythm and Hammer Lead..................................................................................................................23

What We Can Learn From Percussionists...................................................................................23

What I Teach and Why: Dominant Hand Lead.........................................................................23

Dominant Hand Lead...................................................................................................................24

Practice Examples........................................................................................................................25

Dotted Notes.................................................................................................................................25

Quick Tips To Easy Dominant Hand Lead...................................................................................26

Your First Notes!....................................................................................................................................27

Boil dem Cabbage.......................................................................................................................27

London Bridge is Falling Down.....................................................................................................27

Shortenin’ Bread............................................................................................................................28

Soldier’s Joy...................................................................................................................................28

Cripple Creek................................................................................................................................29

Tips to Learning Tunes Faster..............................................................................................................29

Recognizing Patterns....................................................................................................................29

Cincinnati Hornpipe......................................................................................................................30

Exploring the Upper D Scale................................................................................................................30

Right Hand Right Side / Left Hand Left Side...............................................................................30

Golden Slippers in Upper D..........................................................................................................31

Golden Slippers in Middle D.........................................................................................................31

Hand Independence..............................................................................................................................32

Spring, from Four Seasons............................................................................................................32

Woodchopper’s Reel...................................................................................................................33

Pentatonic Scales....................................................................................................................................34

Amazing Grace.............................................................................................................................35

Angeline the Baker.......................................................................................................................35

Redwing.........................................................................................................................................36

Midnight On The Water................................................................................................................37

Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine....................................................................................................38

Boys of Bluehill................................................................................................................................39

Liberty Reel....................................................................................................................................40

New Note: Cn..........................................................................................................................................41

Old Joe Clark.................................................................................................................................41

Chanter’s Tune..............................................................................................................................42

Tunes in the Key of G............................................................................................................................43

G Major Scale Box.........................................................................................................................43

The Girl I Left Behind Me...............................................................................................................43

Right Hand / Right Side Rule Review................................................................................................44

Gallopede.....................................................................................................................................44

Syncopation.............................................................................................................................................45

Stone’s Rag....................................................................................................................................45

Cold Frosty Morning......................................................................................................................46

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing............................................................................................47

Leather Britches.............................................................................................................................48

Notation Versus Tradition....................................................................................................................49

Silver Spear.....................................................................................................................................49

Repetition................................................................................................................................................50

Arkansas Traveler..........................................................................................................................50

Flop-Eared Mule............................................................................................................................51

Glossary...................................................................................................................................................52

Alphabetical Index of Tunes.................................................................................................................54