Build a Mountain Dulcimer (7-12)

Build a Mountain Dulcimer

This four week class is designed for all students, 8 through adult. No prior musical experience is required. Participants build their own instruments, discover how dulcimers produce sound, learn how to string and maintain them, and begin playing simple melodies. After this class is over, they are free to continue exploring the dulcimer using the follow-up, instruction book.

The mountain (lap) dulcimer is a friendly instrument. It is one of the simplest melody instruments to build, and most people can learn to play simple tunes on it with ease. A big advantage of the dulcimer lies in its folk tuning. It is possible to finger the melody on a single string, and hear a rich, harmonic sound from strumming across all the strings. Since this instrument sits in your lap, you can watch your hands work, a big advantage over guitars, and other instruments designed to hang over your shoulders. Dulcimers are also designed with a simple fretting system, so that the scale is instantly accessible, making it much easier to pick out melodies.

About the Instrument: Excellent, sweet tone; sturdy design Simple assembly All materials provided High quality, sealed, cardboard soundbox 3-string design simplifies playing technique

About the Class (4 meetings, 90 minutes each) Small groups (10 students) Maintaining the dulcimer and replacing strings Exploration of how sound is produced Improvisation using simple strumming techniques Discovery of simple folk tunes

Times and Dates: Session 1 (5/20-6/11) Section A Monday Section B Tuesday 6:00-7:30 5/11, 5/18, 5/25, 6/1 4:30-6:00 5/12, 5/19, 5/26, 6/2 Session 2 (9/12-9/13) Section C Saturday and Sunday 10:00-1:00

Cost: $260 (includes all materials to build a dulcimer, as well as a follow-up song and instruction book). $130 deposit due immediately to hold spot. Balance ($130) due at first class.