– for Hammered Dulcimer Players    (taught by Janis)

 Which end is up . . . . . . on a hammered dulcimer?  

This class is for those that really don’t know which end is up (or down) on a hammered dulcimer.  Basics of getting started will be covered— If you don’t have a dulcimer, and would like to give it a try, let me know and I can make a loaner available for this class.

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together

Sometimes new or newer players have a hard time putting things together in a cohesive arrangement. This class will explore ways to make that happen.

Pulling Rabbits Out of Hats . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . .  and other inventive ways to make your limited repertoire grow. We will work on some great multipurpose tunes.      

Wrap up a Christmas Tune

It is never too early (or late) in the year to learn Christmas music.   We will learn a Christmas Carol and some ways to dress it up and make it sparkle in time for the holidays.

Sunday Best    

We will learn a familiar gospel tune, discuss arrangement options, and add some beautiful embellishments as class time permits.

The Possum’s Tail is Bare

An old time tune that has not been played much in dulcimer circles–come and learn the tune and I will briefly share the fable that is related to it.

Playing Well With Others

This class is about the art of playing well with others. This is NOT about an anything-goes-jam,   but different techniques of musicianship while playing together as a group.

Willafjord

This is a Shetland tune that originated from Greenland and was brought back from the whaling expeditions. A really fun tune to learn and to play.  (The “j” in Willafjord is pronounced as a “y”.)

Playing by ear

Playing by ear tips will be shared and a guitar player (my husband) will play rhythm for us.  How to “follow” a guitar player in a jam will be demonstrated.

 Down Home Rag             

Down Home Rag is a fun tune to play. We will learn the basic tune and then branch off into several different ways to embellish various parts of the song (including syncopation).

Embellishing a Slow and Pretty Tune

Simple ways to “fancy up” a slower tune to make it more beautiful without covering up the melody.

Divide and Conquer

We will explore some neat tricks to adding embellishments to portions of songs, using the “Divide and Conquer” approach. Dividing a song into phrases allows for the easier addition of embellishments as well as ways to use those embellishments in other tunes that you already play.

Polish your Performance

We will discuss ways to turn a simple piece of music into your own arrangement and suggestions for polishing your music- whether you are playing for just yourself or an audience.

From the Melody to Embellishments and Back (without getting lost)

Okay – so you know some melodies . . . . . and you have learned a few embellishments. . . . . . . . I will demonstrate some tips of how to put them together effectively without losing your place.

Polka Party!

We will learn a well-known polka and maybe one that is not so common.

Back of the Moon

This is an original tune that I wrote a few years ago on a snow day. A fun tune to play written in E minor.

Luck of the Irish

We will learn a fun Irish tune to add to your repertoire.

Certified Healthcare Musician

This is an introductory workshop where I will give a general overview of a Healthcare Musician and demonstrate how you might use different types of music with different situations. All questions are welcome !