Part 1 of learning to pick melodies on the autoharp. We'll cover right-hand pinch technique, basic chord theory, and chord techniques. The ability to read music is helpful but not required.

Part 2 of learning to pick melodies. It's necessary to have attended Part 1 to join in. This will be a continuation of melody picking techniques. The ability to read music is helpful but not necessary.

Would you like to experiment with developing an open chording technique on your autoharp? It's not just for melody playing nor only for diatonic harps. We will work on open chording techniques that are ideal for both accompaniment strumming and for melody picking.

We'll be teaching a selection of traditional ballads from the Southern Mountains arranged for the mountain dulcimer.

Enjoy fine selections from your friendly Autoharp & Dulcimer teachers!

One last chance to sing, play, and dance along!

In this workshop, we explore common folk hymns such as Simple Gifts, Brother James Air, and Be Thou My Vision. We will discuss different ways of approaching these tunes. We will start with the basic tune and add embellishments and chords. Sharing of ideas among participants will be encouraged.

Hammered Dulcimer in the Key of C with Heidi. Our hammering patterns change for the key of C. We'll explore 2 octaves with Bunessan (Morning Has Broken melody). We'll be including the fill of chords with the melody.

Getting started can be daunting! This session will cover tuning, basic scales, and chords. We'll also learn a tune that will teach you many of the skills needed for playing the Hammered Dulcimer.

Hammered Dulcimer chording with Heidi. We will explore the notes that make up simple chords and various hammering patterns. We'll apply these chords to familiar fiddle tunes.

Getting along in a jam session is seemingly #1 on everybody's short list of "skills I would like to possess". Obviously, a musical ear is important, but what's between your ears is even more important. There are patterns to discern if you both look and listen carefully. We'll show you how!

In this workshop, we will explore different ways of playing scales and chords using some common patterns inherent to the hammered dulcimer’s layout. Campers will learn how to better utilize redundant notes to make sticking patterns easier and faster to play. We will also explore chord pattern possibilities that are sometimes overlooked. If there is time, we will also explore some of the common modes and understand how knowing them can help find better sticking patterns.

This year's staff will be singing, strumming, and hammering for you followed by the incomparable Norm Williams leading us in an open all-instrument jam. Norm will kick us off, but we encourage you to step up and lead one of your favorite tunes.

Old Time Songs and Fiddle Tunes for the intermediate player. Suggested techniques applied to a variety of songs from authentic sources arranged for the dulcimer. There will be singing!

Old Time Songs for Beginners. Have fun while developing a strong foundation for playing Old Time Music. Beginners will learn some tips for playing drone-style melodies.

This class is a good repertoire builder. We'll learn some old-time songs and tunes that are great for strummers and melody pickers alike. This will be an enjoyable hour for all!

We'll be teaching traditional songs and tunes in a few of our favorite minor keys.

Folks often get stuck when even thinking about playing with others. Questions like, "How do I play with other instruments?," "What if they play in a key other than D?," "What if I don't know the tune?," or "I'm not good enough to keep up!" In this workshop, we'll discuss and explore ways to make playing with others less uncomfortable and offer ways to make it more enjoyable. We'll discuss, demonstrate, and produce some basic techniques to improve your hearing, visual cues, and ways to "fit in" whether in an informal jam or in a musical ensemble/band/etc. Come join us! Mountain Dulcimers should be tuned to the key of D.

An informal chat and sing-along session. At our one (and only) on-site Gathering in 2019, The Rise Up Singing class was really popular. We'll sing some songs (we encourage you to lead a song of your choice). This session is also an excellent place to ask questions about autoharps & dulcimers!

Tunes in G You Should Know. Key of G--DGD Tuning. DGD is a great tuning for playing traditional songs. It lends itself to Melody-Drone playing and is fun. The tunes we will use will be fiddle tunes, waltzes, and maybe a ballad or two. We will also discuss playing in the key of G, using a capo, and the advantages of each approach. If you've never played in this tuning, we'll talk about the process of re-tuning from DAD and answer questions that you might have.

We'll take a number of simple waltzes and work on both the rhythm and melodies, working to get a nice groove and lilt. For those who took the waltz class last year, rest assured all the material will be brand new.