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Beginner Hammer Dulcimer: This class teaches tunes used in the club's jam sessions. This is not a "How-to-Play" class, but the tunes are presented in their simplest form so that they can be played by players with very little experience. Helpful playing techniques and hammering patterns will be presented each month.

Taught by carolyn Arrington for the months of June, July & August 2006. The cirriculum is Peggy Carter's book, designed just for NHCDS classes, you WILL learn the basics of playing the HD.

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Beginner Autoharp: Teaches tunes used in the club's jam sessions and outside plays. This is not a "How-to-Play" class, but the club's regular jam tunes are presented on a beginner level, with suggestions and techniques for more experienced players included. Tunes from the club's newest CD will be emphasized.

Taught by Craig Harrel for June and August 2006, with Michele Koester "filling in" for July, teaching out of Charles Whitmer's book/cirriculum. You will learn playing technique to go with the tunes.

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Beginner ONE Mt. Dulcimer: For Brand New Players. Designed to be completed in three sessions, players will learn how to read dulcimer tablature, (with dulcimer tuned to DAA), how to use the frets to play simple melodies, most of which are in the club's regular repertoire. Right hand skills are emphasized to help the players develop a steady, rhythmical strum before moving into more advanced tunes. Learning strumming techniques right from the beginning will prepare the player for the club's jam sessions and outside plays. Players will learn several different strumming styles.

Dan Harper will teach June 2006 with an "Introduction to the Mountain Dulcimer" theme. After June, we will Begin our DAA cirriculum from Peggy Carter's NHCDS book. (Books available at meetings at $5 each)

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Beginner TOO Mt. Dulcimer: For beginners with very little playing experience.
This class will emphasize left hand strategies, and is designed to be completed in six sessions. Players will tune to DAD with emphasis on being able to tune! and learn to read tablature for this tuning. Reading tablature is an essential skill, even if the player already reads music. Since the dulcimer can be tuned to play in a variety of tunings, the tablature lets the player relate the fretboard to the tune, no matter which tuning is used. Left Hand strategies are emphasized, particularly.... playing chords in DAD, and learning to use the bass and middle strings for the melody. You will also learn how to read rythmn and to use it for strumming techniques.

Books for this Class are available at meetings at $5 each, written by Peggy Carter for NHCDS.

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Novice Mt. Dulcimer: Left hand strategies will be extended to include finger picking, cross picking and flat-picking. Music will be chosen from the club's repertoire, plus some other interesting tunes not yet included in the club's regular jam sessions. You will learn PLENTY in this class (the transistion between an advanced beginner and intermediate), such as the skills already mentioned as well as how to get "up to SPEED" to play in the fast jams!

This is perhaps your most important step and you could remain in this class longer than the previous ones.....there is MUCH to learn here as once you graduate from Novice, there is little teaching of technique and alot more teaching of the more advanced tunes that we play.

Your new Music Director as of June 2006, Suzanne Campling (Also your friendly web master;) will teach this class for the summer 2006.

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Intermediate Mt. Dulcimer: Many different styles and various left and right-hand strategies will be used to learn tunes from the club's regular jam sessions. Tunes from the club's newest CD will be emphasized. This class will be on-going, and NOT progressively more difficult. You will learn the more advanced tunes that NHCDS plays as well as pick up some new techniques (hammer-on's, pull-off's, etc)

*June 2006 Intermediate class is invited to join Reperitoire Class to learn some new tunes, brought to you by Peggy Carter! Those not wishing to learn something new may create their own mini-jam.

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Repertoire Class: This class will present new tunes each month that have not yet been incorporated into the club's regular jam sessions and outside plays.
Members who attend festivals and bring back new tunes are encouraged to share these by volunteering to teach the repertoire class one month. The new tunes will be posted on the website here for you to download and add to your repertoire. Some may not be ones that everyone will love, but all will be available to members. All music to be taught in Rep. class should be in both staff notation and MD tabs (preferably on the same piece of music/page). And, this music should be submitted to Suzanne Campling BEFORE class time so that she may place it on the web:)

June 2006 will be taught by Peggy Carter. Intermediate class to join in.

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