Song Books for Mountain Dulcimers

Cajun Favorites for Mountain Dulcimer by Lois Hornbostel
This collection of sweet waltzes and lively two-steps presents an exciting new repertoire for mountain dulcimer players, with playing techniques for authentic style. A CD of all the music is included, and the notation and chords in standard keys can also be used for other instruments. This music suits the mountain dulcimer well because it comes from the Cajun accordion, which has the same simple diatonic scale. The easy melodies and chord progressions in this repertoire can be played by less experienced dulcimer players, while the tips on improvisation and embellished versions offer creativity for more experienced players. Music includes "Jolie Blon," "Mardi Gras Dance," "J'ai Passé Devant ta Porte," "Allons à Lafayette," "Madame Sosthéne," "The Back Door." 72 pages.
BOOK (98402BCD) ~~$19.95~~ $18.95

Dulcimer Jam by Bonnie Carol
Dulcimer Jam takes common and obscure tunes heard in jam sessions and arranges them for hammered dulcimer, fretted (mountain) dulcimer (with tablature), and other instruments to play in a jam session setting. 88 pages. Song List: Frere Jacques; Dear Friends, Dear Friends; Ode to Joy; O How Lovely is the Evening; Joy to the World; Scotland the Brave; Loch Lomond; Wayfaring Stranger; Amazing Grace; Dona Nobis Pacem; Simple Gifts; On the Carpenter's Porch; Farewell to Tarwathie; Mairi's Wedding; Red Haired Boy; Eight More Miles to Louisville; Golden Slippers; O My Little Darling; Greensleaves; The Wee Reel; The Parting Glass; Si Beag, Si Mor; Drink to Me Only; Dolores Waltz; The Road to Lisddonvarna; Far Away; King of the Fairies; Irish Washerwoman; Dark Island; Bonny Portmore; Westphalia Waltz; Tommy Bhetty's Waltz; Gravel Walks; Inis Oirr; Inishere; Ashokan Farewell; Miss Rowan Davies.
BOOK (20432) ~~$14.95~~ $14.20

La Musica by Bonnie Carol
Author Bonnie Carol learned first hand about soulful Latin American music as she grew up along the Texas-Mexico border. In this book, she takes familiar and obscure Latin American tunes and pieces influenced by Latin music and arranges them for hammered dulcimer, and in some cases fretted (mountain) dulcimer (with tablature) as well. She draws from a repertoire including Argentinean tangos, Andean panpipe music, Mexican mariachi music, Central American marimba music, and music of the Chicano culture of the Southwest. 80 pages. Song List: Dulce Cancion; Himno de la Alegria; Somos el Barco; De Colores; Flor de Canela; Rio, Rio; El Vendedor; Alma, Corazon; El Condor Pasa; Ojos Azules; Cuzco; Cielito Lindo; Las Mananitas; Celtic Caribe; La Mora Limpia; El Zanatillo; Sabor a Mi; Adios Muchachos; La Cumparsita; Djangotango; Tango to the Finnish; Jesusita en Chihuahua; Juarez; Viva Seguin; Dicha Eterna; El Chupon.
BOOK (20433) ~~$14.95~~ $14.20

Favorite Old Time American Songs for Dulcimer by Mark Nelson
This giant book features over 100 of America's favorite folk songs, expertly arranged for the Appalachaian dulicmer. Children's songs, work songs, old Anglo-American ballads, songs of strife and freedom, love songs and much, much more are all gathered here in arrangements suitable for the beginning and intermediate player. The songs come from all over – old books and sheet music, transcriptions from field recordings, but mostly from the singing of countless folks in kitchens and festival hallways, street corners and concert stages. Songs include "Poor Wayfaring Stranger," "Tenting Tonight," "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down," "Oh, Death," "Careless Love," and many, many more. Tunings used include D-A-D and D-A-A, as well as C-G-C and C-G-G and several modal tunings. All are playable on any three- or four-stringed dulcimer. Some use a 6 1/2 fret. Includes information on reading music and TAB, notes on transposing, and a useful index of songs by tuning. In standard notation and TAB, with guitar chords.
BOOK (97189) ~~$24.95~~ $23.70

Lullabies and Other Lilting Melodies for Dulcimer by Lorinda Jones
This compilation of tunes is designed to soothe the savage beast. The contents of the book are divided, almost equally, under the headings of Lullabies, Classical Selections, and Folk Melodies. All are arranged for the mountain dulcimer in 1-5-8 (Mixolydian tuning), except for one in 1-4-8 (Reversed Ionian tuning). Along with the tablature notation, traditional music notation indicates the melody, suggested chords, and lyrics for many of the songs. An intermediate player should feel comfortable with the music, as the songs are written for both strumming and some finger picking patterns, and do utilize chords on all 3 strings.
BOOK (20103) ~~$8.95~~ $8.50

Celtic Songs & Slow Airs for Mountain Dulcimer by Neal Hellman
In folk tradition, stories of love lost, betrayal, jealousy, conflict, emigration, and the supernatural are often immortalized in songs of many traditions, demonstrating that singing has been a universal vehicle for the human condition. The criteria for this wonderful collection of prose and melodies is from Celtic traditions that have been with us for hundreds of years. These compositions have been arranged so that each will work both as an air and as a song. All of the selections in the book appear on the companion CD. 104 pages. Beginner-Intermediate
BOOK/CD (99700BCD) ~~$22.95~~ $21.80

The Celtic Collection by Lorinda Jones
A collection of songs, jigs, hornpipes, airs, polkas, and marches from the Celtic lands of Scotland, Ireland, and England. The songs are arranged for mountain dulcimer primarily in 1-5-8 (Mixolydian) tuning, along with a few tunes in 1-5-5 (Ionian) tuning. The arrangements make use of the capo, as well as playing tunes in Em and Bm, and include a Part II for a suggested harmony on selected songs.. The book is accompanied by a CD recording of each tune. Song titles include: George Brabazon, Off She Goes, Irish Lamentation, Keel Row, Water Is Wide, Loch Lomond, Foggy Dew, and many more. Intermediate playing level suggested.
BOOK/CD (20104BCD) ~~$17.95~~ $17.05

Dulcimer a la Mode arranged by Lorinda Jones
Dulcimer a La Mode takes the mystery of out modal tuning and playing for the mountain dulcimer player by presenting four common tunings (DAA, DAG, DAD, and DAC) with instructions for tuning, finding the scales and chords, and learning traditional tunes in each of the four modes. This book will encourage players to retune their instrument and learn more of its versatility. Each tune is presented as a melody with a drone in the mode indicated with strumming and rhythm guides. For most tunes, an optional arrangement or accompaniment is also provided using more complex chords and reflecting more traditional Western harmony. As a further learning tool, the accompanying CD allows the listener to play along with the song as presented in the book.
BOOK/CD (20105BCD) ~~$19.95~~ $18.95

Folk Songs of Old Kentucky Selected and arranged by Ralph Lee Smith with Madeline MacNeil
This book provides 20 beautiful Anglo-American folk songs, field-collected by two remarkable real-life "song catchers," Josephine McGill and Loraine Wyman, in the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky in 1914 and 1916. Josephine and Loraine, the latter accompanied by Howard Brockway, a composer and arranger, were among the first persons to search for folk songs in the Southern Appalachians. The musical adventurers traveled hundreds of miles on horseback and on foot through an inaccessible world to which radios, roads and cars had not yet come. They made friends in isolated log cabins, and transcribed some 200 song treasures, some of which they published in complex arrangements in books that are now out of print and rare. This book contains a selection of the songs, presented with simplified musical notation, guitar chords, and dulcimer tablature. It also includes glowing accounts of their mountain adventures, published by Josephine and Howard in long-forgotten publications; a must for all lovers of American folk music.
BOOK (98423) ~~$14.95~~ $14.20

Basic Dulcimer Solos by Mara Washburn
Beginner. This book introduces simplified techniques of chording and fingerpicking. Directional arrows are shown for correct strumming, along with chords for guitar or banjo accompaniment. 64 pp. Song list: This Little Light of Mine; I Gave My Love a Cherry; Soldier, Soldier; Handsome Molly; Good Old Colony Days; All Through the Night; At the Foot of Yonder Mountain; When I Was Single; Jim-Along Joie; Fire's Burning; The Rakes of Mallow; Bon Soir; Sur le POnt d'Avignon; Botany Bay; Click Go the Shears; Kum Bahur Atzel; Molly Malone; This Old Hammer; A La Rurra; Suliram; Nina Nina; Chairs to Mend; Make New Friends; Hanukah; Kalanta; Stille Nacht; O Tannenbaum; Tarrier Song; Old Man at the Mill; Scarborough Fair; The Bonny Miner Lad; Haul Away Joe; Astrapsen i Antoli; Az Der Rebbe Tanzt; Hye Pada Pada; Beaux Yeux; Shalom Haverim; Miren Cuantas Luces; Harrsion Twon; Over the waterfall; Goin' to Boston; Soldier's Joy; This Old Man; Cedar Mountain; Sarasponda; South Australia, and Kumbayah.
BOOK (95469) ~~$9.95~~ $9.45

The Best Dulcimer Method Yet by Albert Gamse
A wide variety of easy to play songs --- 139 familiar ones. Beginner.
BOOK (10252) ~~$9.95~~ $9.45

Complete Book of Celtic Music for Appalachian Dulcimer by Mark Nelson
The author's knowledge and love of Celtic music is evident through his choice of tunes for this comprehensive book. Harp music, the piper's repertoire, and fiddle tunes from Ireland, Scotland, and Breton are all well-represented here, and a thorough historical foundation is carefully laid. Mark provides samples of Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, Strathspeys, Polkas, Mazurkas, Slides, Marches, Piobaireachds, Set Dances, Airs, Planxties, Country Dances, Morris Dances, as well as music from Breton in northwestern France. 167 pp. Illustrated with Celtic border and graphic designs.
BOOK/CD SET (95530BCD) ~~$29.95~~ $28.45

A Dulcimer Christmas by Bud and Donna Ford
23 tunes for beginner to intermediate. Song list: Silent Night, Joy To The World, Go Tell it on the Mountain, Lo, How A Rose, Angels We Have Heard on High Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Away in the Manger, Angels from the Realms of Glory, O Come, All Ye Faithful, O Come, O Come Immanuel, Cherry Tree Carol, The First Noel The Holly and the Ivy, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Good King Wenceslas, I Saw Three Ships, O Christmas Tree, Bring a Torch Jeannette Isabella, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells, The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Deck the Halls
BOOK (93816) ~~$6.95~~ $6.60

The Dulcimer Hymn Book by Bud and Donna Ford
37 tunes for late beginner to intermediate. Written in notation and tablature with chords. Suggested guitar chords. Dulcimer chord diagrams are also shown. 72 pp. Song list: Praise Ye the Lord!; For the Beauty of the Earth; Holy, Holy, Holy; Hymn of Joy; on Jordan's Stormy Banks; O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee; I Love to Tell the Story; Nearer, My God, to thee; Jesus Calls Us; Leaning on the Everlasting Arms; Amazing Grace; There is Power In the Blood; Rock of Ages; O Worship the King; Fairest Lord Jesus; Come Thou Fount; Sweet By and By; Shall We Gather at the River?; Silent Night; Joy to the World; How Firm a Foundation; Sweet Hour of Prayer; Blest Be the Tie that Binds; Sweet the Time Exceeding Sweet; Faith of Our Fathers; Praise to the Lord the Almighty; This God is the God We Adore; God Be with You Till We Meet Again; Doxology; All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name!; A Mighty Fortress; Abide with Me; O God Our Help in Ages Past; The Lord's My Shepherd; Bound for the Promised Land; When Jesus Left His Fathers Throne; Wondrous Love
BOOK (93622) ~~$10.95~~ $10.40

Fingerpicking Dulcimer by Janita Baker
Beginning to advanced fingerpicking style of playing. Information for left and right hand techniques. Accompanying CD played at a moderate pace as a learning tool. Written in notation and tablature. Song list: In Christ There is No East or West; House of the Rising Sun; Country Gardens; Londonderry Air; Ode to Joy; Grandfather's Clock; All Through the Night; Trumpet Voluntary; Medley: The Minstrel Boy/ Scotland the Brave; Spanish Fandango; Minuet in G Major; Greensleaves; Andante; Fur Elise; My Old Kentucky Home; Aura Lee, Rondo; Careless Love; Bink's Waltz; The Entertainer; The Ragtime Dance; The Old Piano Rolls Blues
BOOK/CD (99537BCD) ~~$22.95~~ $21.80

Hits of the Beatles by Neal Hellman
Written in notation and tablature. The songs range from easy to difficult. Playing tips given for each arrangement. In DAD and DGD tunings. One song requires 4 equidistant string arrangement. One song arranged for 2 dulcimers. Special guest arrangements by: Lorraine Lee, Leo Kretzner, Steve Isom, Phyllis Dunne and Shelley Stevens. 63 pages. Song list: All My Loving; All Together Now; And I Love Her; Eleanor Rigby; Golden Slumbers; Here Comes The Sun; Hey Jude, I Feel Fine; I Will; It's All Too Much; It's Only Love; Let It Be; Michelle; Norwegian Wood; Nowhere Man; Ob-La-Di, Ob La Da; Rain; She's Leaving Home; Tell Me What You See; Yellow Submarine; You've Got To Hide Your Love Away; and Yesterday.
BOOK (699294) ~~$7.95~~ $7.55

Music of the Shakers for Mountain Dulcimer by Neal Hellman
Simple and unpretentious, the diatonic music of the Shakers lies well on the mountain dulcimer. The lyrics to these songs offer a universal message of love and understanding, often with a joyous sense of humor. The author provides historical insights and program notes for the 30 tunes included here. This delightful, informative book is illustrated with photos of craft work and period print reproductions depicting the Shaker way of life. Written in standard notation and dulcimer tablature. Most songs in DAD; other tunings CAD, DGD. A few tunes require a capo. 80 pp. Song list: Back Manner Tune (no. 1); Back Manner Tune (no. 2); Father James's Song; I Will Bow and Be Simple; Lovely Love; Mother Ann's Song; My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down; Now My Dear Companions; O Lord Protect They Chosen Flock; Simple Gifts (2 versions); F.M.'s March; Holy Order Tune; The Humble Heart; I Want To Gather Down; I Will Walk With My Children; Love Is Little; Mother Has Come With Her Beautiful Song; Pleasant Walk; Tree of Life; The Ancients Song of Mourning; The Burning Day; By Freedom Invited; Canterbury Solemn Song; Come Life, Shaker Life; Like Pretty Birds; Music on The Mountain; 'Parting Glass' March; O Little Children; The Savior's Watchword; Shuffling Song; South Union March (No. 22); and Noggin of Love.
BOOK (96468) ~~$14.95~~ $14.20

O'Carolan Harp Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer by Shelley Stevens
Turlough O'Carolan is the most revered of all Irish harpers and composers. This collection, expertly transcribed in notation and tablature, presents 30 beloved O'Carolan melodies featuring a uniquely Irish collection of moods and meditations. The arrangements are designed for the intermediate to advanced player, performing on a dulcimer with a 6 ½ fret. The book also includes playing tips and a biographical sketch of Turlough O'Carolan. The cassette is a split-track solo recording of dulcimer with guitar and contains all 30 of the tunes included in the book. This recording can be used to play along with the guitar accompaniment, for listening to the dulcimer part only or for pure entertainment. 40 pp.
BOOK (94885) ~~$8.95~~ $8.50

Simply Gospel Book 1 by Maureen Sellers
A collection of spirituals, hymns and old-time gospel songs for beginner to intermediate, some require a capo. Sellers explains capo use and how to improvise if you don't have one. Uses DAD tuning. Written in notation and tablature with suggested chords. Song list: Almost Persuaded; Angel Band; Battle Hymn of the Republic; Blessed Assurance; Do Lord Remember Me; Go Down Moses; The Hallelujah Side; Happy Land; The Haven of Rest; I Feel Like Traveling On; In the Bleak Midwinter; Angels Hover Round; Leaning on Everlasting Arms; Jesus Won't You Come By Here; We're Floating Down the Stream of Time; The Lily of the Valley; There is a Balm of Gilead; Where We'll Never Grow Old; There's A Land That's Fairer Than Day; This World is Not My Home; Sweet Hour of Prayer; What a Friend We Have in Jesus; When the Roll is Called Up Yonder; This is My Father's World.
BOOK (MS3) ~~$15.00~~ $14.25

Simply Gospel Book 2 by Maureen Sellers
A collection of spirituals, hymns and old-time gospel songs for beginner to intermediate, some require a capo. Sellers explains capo use and how to improvise if you don't have one. Uses DAD tuning. Written in notation and tablature with suggested chords. Song list: Down Came an Angel; Have Thine Own Way; He's Got the Whole World in His Hands; Jacob's Ladder; Holy Man; In the Garden; I Shall Not Be Moved; I Will Arise and Go to Jesus; Just As I Am; Life's Railway to Heaven; Little Moses, Love Lifted Me; Michael, Row the Boat Ashore; Old-Time Religion; Rock of Ages; The Royal Telephone; Send the Light; Shall We Gather at the River?; Shout On, Pray On; Steal Away; The Unclouded Day; Were You There?; and Where the Soul of Man Never Dies.
BOOK (MS4) ~~$15.00~~ $14.25

Simply Gospel Book 3 by Maureen Sellers
A collection of spirituals, hymns and old-time gospel songs for beginner to intermediate, some require a capo. Sellers explains capo use and how to improvise if you don't have one. Uses DAD tuning. Written in notation and tablature with suggested chords. Song list: Anchored in Jesus; Are You Washed in the Blood?; Blessed Quietness; Church in the Wildwood; The Comforter Has Gone; Give Me the Roses Now; Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing; Glory, Glory; Going Over Jordan; Holy, Holy, Holy; I Believe in Being Ready; I Must Tell Jesus; Jesus is Calling: Jesus Loves Me; I've Got Peace Like a River; Just Over the Glory Land; My Wedding Prayer; Pass Me Not; There is a Fountain; Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; The Promised Land; Who Will Be the Driver; and Nothing But the Blood.
BOOK (MS6) ~~$15.00~~ $14.25

Simply Duets by Maureen Sellers
Songs for 2 or more players. Some fingerpicking. Uses DAD tuning. Written in notation and tablature with suggested chords. All The Good Times: America, The Beautiful; Annie Laurie; Auld Lang Syne; Aura Lee; Blessed Quiteness; Blind Mary; Dixie; Down In The Valley; Down In The Garden; Down The Brae; Fire Song; Get Up And Bar The Door; Goin’ Home; Good Old Man; I’ll Give My Love An Apple; I’ve Got Peace Like A River; Lavender’s Blue; Midnight Garden; My Dear Old Buffalo Boy; New River Train; Ode To Joy; Paper Of Pins; Sabbath Home; Shenandoah; Soul’s Sweet Home; Southwind; Spanish Is A Loving Tongue; There’s A Hole In The Bucket, There’s A Long, Long Trail; True Lover’s Farewell; Waltzing Matilda; Water Is Wide; and more..
BOOK (MS7) ~~$20.00~~ $19.00

Simply Christmas by Maureen Sellers
A collection of holiday songs and tunes. Words and chords for many songs. 31 tunes. Uses DAD tuning. Some common songs and some more obscure pieces. Silent Night; Away in a Manger; Abbots Bromley Horn Dance Tune; Angles We Have Heard On High; Brightest and Best; Children Go Where I Send Thee; The First Noel; Here We Come A Wassailing; Wind Through the Olive Trees; Jingle Bells; In the Bleak Midwinter; In the Valley; Breakin' Up Christmas; Good King Wenceslas; Hush, My Babe; Auld Lang Syne; My Dreydl; The Holly Bears a Berry; Child of God; Friendly Beasts; Go Tell It On the Mountain; I Wonder As I Wander; O, Holy Night; Still, Still, Still; Up On the Housetop; We Wish You a Merry Christmas; Jolly Old Saint Nicholas; Lo, How a Rose; Now is Born the Divine Christ Child.
BOOK (MS8) ~~$15.00~~ $14.25

Songs and Tunes of the Wilderness Road by Ralph Lee Smith with Madeline MacNeil
This collection of traditional music for the mountain dulcimer seeks to reunite the instrument with the people, the music, and the world from which it came. It tells the story of the Wilderness Road, a trail through the Appalachian Mountains from Gate City, Virginia, to Fort Boonesboro, Kentucky, blazed by Daniel Boone, and links it to the history and heritage of the mountain dulcimer. Numerous photographs and maps help tell the story, and each tune in the book includes a historical anecdote describing its origin. This book is a must for anyone interested in the history of the Appalachian Mountain region and its music. The sixteen tunes in this book are written in notation and tablature for the standard three-course mountain dulcimer (without the 6½ or 1½ fret in the fretboard), with chord symbols and complete lyrics. A knowledge of simple chording techniques is all that is needed to play the tunes. The tunings used are Ionian (DAA), Aeolian (DAC), and Dorian (DAG). 79 pages.
BOOK ( 96747) ~~$14.95~~ $14.20

Songs Of The Civil War by Maureen Sellers
21 tunes
BOOK (MS1) ~~$15.00~~ $14.25

Southern Mountain Dulcimer by Wayne Erbsen
16 tunes each written out 3 times for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Written in notation and tablature. Each song has a history and a page of chord structure to follow. In addition, Erbsen explores the history and instruments of southern mountain music. Song list: Arkansas Traveler; Chicken Reel; Cluck Old Hen; Fisher's Hornpipe; Hogeye; John Henry; leather Britches; Little Rosewood Casket; Mississippi Sawyer; Old Spinning Wheel; Red Rocking Chair; Shady Grove; Soldier's Joy; State of Arkansas; Uncle Joe; and When You and I Were Young, Maggie.

Sweet Hour of Prayer by Mark Tindle
DAD arrangements written separately for the traditional 3 string dulcimer and for 4 equidistant string dulcimer. The 4 string arrangements are more challenging and are intended for the intermediate to accomplished player. Written in dulcimer tablature. Sweet Hour of Prayer; A Mighty Fortress Is Our God; He Hideth My Soul; Sing Them Over Again to Me; I Love to Tell the Story; For the Beauty of the Earth; Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee; Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almight; All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name; This Is My Father's World; He Leadeth Me; Crown Him With Many Crowns; In the Garden; How Great Thou Art; Christ the Lord is Risen Today; God Be With You Till We Meet Again; The Savior is Waiting. Check out Mark's new Christmas CD Gift of Hope.

BOOK (MT101B) ~~$20.00~~ $19.00

The Wonderful World of DAA by Madeline MacNeil
Spotted Pony; Lodging on the Cold Ground; Be Thou My Vision; All Through the Night; Un Canadien Errant; Grandfather's Clock; Southwind; Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes; The Shucking of the Corn; Will Ye Gang to Kelvingrove; Flower Carol; The Ash Grove; Lovely Nancy; The Water is Wide; Beach Spring; If All the World Were Paper; Auld Lang Syne; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
BOOK/CD (98753BCD) ~~$17.95~~ $17.05

SONG BOOKS FOR MOUNTAIN DULCIMER