Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Hammered Dulcimer Book/CD Set [Paperback]

Madeline MacNeil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 1999

Every aspect of the hammered dulcimer and its playing techniques is covered in this comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand text. A masterful teacher, Madeline MacNeil exceeds the expectations of a beginner's book, providing a firm foundation for the development of a total musician while maintaining an engaging, informal tone throughout. With detailed discussions on dulcimer layout, hammers, tuning, and stands plus extensive performance notes on every tune, this book is a valuable asset to the beginning through intermediate player. From Oh Suzanna to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Madeline shows the novice dulcimer player how to "map your way through" a new piece of music, finding clear, musical directions through what at first must seem like a maze of strings. All tunes are in standard notation. The book's 87 pages are illustrated with photos as well as quaint woodcuts, engravings, and pen and ink drawings. The CD in the You Can Teach Yourself Hammered Dulcimer book/CD package is a play-along recording of all of the tunes in the corresponding book. Each tune is counted-off and played at a moderate tempo on solo hammered dulcimer for easy play-along.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Madeline Macneil is well known for her talents as a singer and performer on the hammered and fretted dulcimers. She is equally well known for the warmth and generosity with which she shares her music and encourages others to play and sing. The silver-haired woman with the golden voice has won the admiration of countless fans across the country, performing in concerts and festivals throughout the United States. Maddie's twenty-five years as a professional musician have produced many recordings as well as two books for Mel Bay Publications. She arranged the music for Ralph Lee Smith's book from Mel Bay, Songs of the Wilderness Road. Maddie publishes Dulcimer Player News, which reaches dulcimer enthusiasts throughout the United States and in many other countries. Her recordings include All Through the Night, A Place Apart, The Lone Wild Bird, The Crowning of the Year, and Heart's Ease, which won an Indie from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (February 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786648503
• ISBN-13: 978-0786648504
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dulcimer for Dummies, February 17, 2010

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B. M. Covi (US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Hammered Dulcimer Book/CD Set (Paperback)

This is a very basic teaching tool, meant for both people who read music and those who do not. It takes you from the most basic features about the instrument and helps you to learn how to play the instrument without forming bad habits along the way. Easy to follow and allows for fairly quick playing. Of course, the more you practice...