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hammered dulcimer

New Celtic Backing Track added to the Library!

Backing Track Off She Goes

We are excited to announce a new Ensemble Backing Track in the Celtic vein.  

Off She Goes is a single jig, and we have (3) three different courses to teach this tune:

1.  Hammered Dulcimer

2.  Mountain Dulcimer in DAA Tuning (in two octaves)

3.  Mountain Dulcimer in DAd Tuning (in two octaves)

We have just added an ENSEMBLE Backing Track for you to play along with.  The Ensemble is composed of rhythm guitar, mountain and hammered dulcimers and bodhran (Irish Drum).  Both dulcimers demonstr…

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The 7 Stages of Performance Anxiety


Shopping is generally assumed to be a cathartic process that most people, especially women, tend to enjoy. The feel-good term “retail therapy” has come to mean that when life hands you a lemon, you should go shopping. In other words, if you go on a shopping spree, that will make you feel better.  But I’m not your normal woman. I don’t like to shop. I only shop out of necessity. Absolute necessity. So when I found an article titled “The 7 Stages of Shopping Anxiety,” it caught my eye. It seemed…

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Rhythm & Timing

If you want to become a good musician, it’s necessary to develop your ear for rhythm and timing. Musicians often have problems with their rhythm and timing because they don’t match the level of their skills with the complexity of composition they chose to play. If you fall in this category, here are some things you can do to improve.

  • Count out loud. Amazing Grace is written in ¾ time. In other words, when you play it, you will count 1 – 2 – 3, 1 – 2 – 3 etc. But I have written a hammered du…

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Mark Alan Wade teaches Arranging in January Live Workshop

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Mark Alan Wade is the featured instructor for our January Live Workshop at 5 pm MST on Thursday, Jan 20th.

Concert-Ready O’Carolan

We learn by doing, so rather than talking about arranging, let’s do some arranging! I have prepared for you a great arrangement of a tune by O’Carolan that used all of the tactics I teach in arranging. We will learn how to put it all together, and more importantly, discuss why the arrangement elements are there and what they do for the listener. I’ll keep the pla…

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Breakin' Up Christmas

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Breakin' Up Christmas is an Old Time Fiddle tune in the key of A that was played on the Twelfth Night of the Christmas as an energetic completion of the celebration of the season, leading into Epiphany.

We are excited to have (2) Different Courses by Steve Eulberg teaching this tune on DulcimerCrossing:

Hammered Dulcimer

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Mountain Dulcimer

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       Baritone Mountain Dulcimer AEa tuning (and Standard Mountain Dulcimer in DAd tuning with Capo, and Standard in DAA and EAA Tunings)

       Gala…

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DulcimerCrossing Teachers at the QuaranTUNE 6 in February

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Registration for the 6th QuaranTUNE Dulcimer festival (Feb 306, 2022) opened last night. DulcimerCrossing is pleased to be a festival sponsor, once again, and even more pleased that several of our instructors are teaching workshops there:

Aubrey Atwater (Mountain Dulcimer)

Carmen Amrein *NEW (Hammered Dulcimer)

Elaine & Larry Conger (Bass and Standard Mountain Dulcimer)

Matthew Dickerson (Hammered Dulcimer)

Steve Eulberg (Mountain and Hammered Dulcimer)

Deborah DJ Hamouris (Standard and Ba…

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4 Things 2 Practice

Do you know the most important question that you can ask as a dulcimer student? I believe it is, “What should I be practicing?” That’s right! How you answer this question will determine your progress and enjoyment in making music. So I am sharing a solid plan on what to practice on your dulcimer (or any instrument, really) every day to become a well-rounded musician. This plan centers around 4 practice pillars:

  1. Technique
  2. Tunes
  3. Memorization
  4. Playing by Ear

If you’re looking for a practice…

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Slow But Steady in 2022



Sometimes, my motivation level feels kind of like a roller coaster ride. Because of my busy schedule and work obligations, I feel a constant pressure to stay busy. I keep thinking I should be doing something, anything, to be productive all the time. Some days it’s not a problem. I’m “up” and feel like I can conquer the world and learn 100 new tunes in one sitting. I enjoy getting things done and scratching items off my to-do list.

Other days, I don’t even want to pick up my hammers, and my ba…

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Joy, Joy, Joy



Christmas is that time of the year when we welcome joy and good cheer into our homes, when we sing carols, wear our holiday clothes and celebrate with our friends and relatives. And finally here it is, Christmas time again, and I’m sure you have probably finished your shopping, hung the outdoor lights, and decorated the Christmas tree.

For myself, this is the time of year when I am constantly playing Christmas music. I have written many of my own arrangements, but you’ll also catch me orderin…

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Be an Encourager



We all go through rough patches at different times in life. And times have been tough for all of us during 2021, because of COVID restrictions and even losing friends and relatives to the virus. I was thinking about how, when a family member or a close friend is going through a tough time, it’s not always easy to know what to say or how to support them.

Then I started thinking about my friends in the dulcimer community. Some of them are going through a tough time musically. They have gotten d…

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