Welcome to the June 2008
issue of Dulcimer Sessions®!
The Mel Bay family of dulcimer books contains outstanding resources for a wide variety of music styles. You'll see what I mean when you visit www.baysidepress.com then click on Dulcimer in the left margin. Click on Hammered Dulcimer or Mountain Dulcimer and check out the "All" line for a delightful browse!
This issue contains the following articles and music for your enjoyment:
- As an author of books for mountain dulcimer I have long enjoyed the "chess game" of arranging music on the diatonic frets and 3 or 4 strings of this instrument. Peter Tommerup explains how it's done in Fun With Arranging for the Mountain Dulcimer. These skills are part of musicianship and empower mountain dulcimer players who used to have to ask, "Do you have the tab for...?" The article contains "Maggie Brown's Favorite," an 18th century Celtic tune, played in DGD tuning, along with how Peter arranged it. Peter is preparing a second article to follow this that shows how you can vary elements of arranging to make the music even more your own and play a tune differently each time.
- Betty Smith's article, Ballads on the Mountain Dulcimer, represents an important tradition and use of the mountain dulcimer, with the wonderful ballad "The False Knight in the Road" in DAA tuning. Includes a sound file of Betty singing and playing mountain dulcimer.
Hammered dulcimer players will find musical notation in the above music
- 2007 National Hammered Dulcimer Champion Stephen Humphries offers a lovely bossa nova for hammered dulcimer. "Happy Dog Bossa" was composed by Stephen and Dan Landrum, and it is arranged as a duet. Stephen gives playing tips to help get the feeling of the music on sound file that's included.
- "Cooley's Reel" is a spirited and rhythmic tune that's a favorite in Irish jam sessions. It's a clearcut arrangement for hammered dulcimer from the new Mel Bay collection Maggie's Big Book of Celtic Tunes.
Many thanks to our June issue authors. I invite hammered and mountain dulcimer players to submit articles to me for possible inclusion in future issues of Dulcimer Sessions. We also welcome requests for new subjects from visitors to this website.
For more great music for mountain and hammered dulcimers from Mel Bay, make sure to visit: www.baysidepress.com
Don't forget to view previous articles in our Back Issues. You'll find 28 more issues!
Enjoy! See you in our August 1, 2008 issue.
Lois Hornbostel, Editor
Dulcimer Sessions
loisdulc@verizon.net
Website: www.LoisHornbostel.com
View Lois Hornbostel's Biography
