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Practical Music Theory for Dulcimers

Tuesdays 11 am MST Beginning January 18th, 2022.

 

    I use theory to brush my teeth twice a day and to turn my gas barbecue grill on and off!  Music Theory is how we remember things from one song to the next, so we don't have to learn everything from scratch each time we sit down to play!

    My arranging teacher said, "I'm going to teach you the rules so you'll know when to break them and why!" [I thought:  "I can work with this!] That is why we want to focus on theory so it can help us in our practice: our playing of (and with) music.

A step-by-step over 6-weeks progressive approach yields the "stickiest" learning.

Screen to Screen Zoom Class, a PDF resources .mp3 files for priming the pump and reinforcement, archive videos of classes each week.

11 am MST = 10 am PST = 12 pm CST = 1 pm EST = 6 pm UTC

How does Music Work?

There are things that sound good to us, things that sound wonky, things that are delicious and things that are distasteful.  We have been learning these things by ear since before we were born.  Let's pay close attention to what we already know and gain some vocabulary and facility to drill deeper for some richer understanding, and find the path into the things we don't yet know.

How does Music Work on my Dulcimer?

This course is aimed for the players of both Hammered Dulcimer and various tunings of Mountain Dulcimer.  Both are "modal" instruments by design, so naturally modal music is quickly and easily played on them.  But within the modes are several resources to play beyond their original design.  We'll explore how and why this makes sense and how it can unlock the tunes that have puzzles for us.

Exploring our options

Once we have a clear vocabulary and the beginnings of a coherent structure for understanding both how music works, and how it works on our dulcimers, we will use these tools to learn, decode, play with and arrange the other songs and tunes we want to play.

Steve Eulberg has a life-time of practical experience in music

Learning arranging and ear training from Dave Wheeler at the Conservatory of Music at Capital University,  he earned a Master of Music Education from Boston University with a goal of teaching traditional music on traditional instruments.

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Sign up for 6 weeks of intensive learning from the comfort of your own home.

You get:

  • A weekly live 50-60 minute class taught by Steve
  • Practice assignments each week
  • Handouts provided as .pdf files
  • Video archives of each lesson
  • Interaction with other students

You need:

  • The desire and commitment to learn and grow as a mountain or hammered dulcimer player
  • An internet connected device equipped with a webcam and microphone (most laptops, tablets, and smart phones work).
  • An email address

How it works:

When you register, you will receive access  to the Class Resources page which will have the link to join a Zoom meeting. Click that link to attend the class each week. Zoom allows everyone to see each other throughout the class, so you can play along with Steve as he teaches. Student microphones will be muted unless they are asking a question, so you will only hear Steve’s audio. The entire class will be recorded and sent to all registered students, along with handouts for the following week, at the conclusion of each class. 

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  • Dulcimer Crossing

    “Steve's enthusiasm, professionalism, knowledge and effective teaching style make all of his classes very enjoyable and worthwhile.”

  • Dulcimer Crossing

    “Steve is a wonderful Instructor - welcomes questions and takes the time to answer in a manner that everyone can use to better their playing experience.”

  • Dulcimer Crossing

    “Steve is a master musician and a master teacher who teaches the basics but also challenges even advanced players. He is patient and encouraging and approaches music with a great sense of humor.”

  • Dulcimer Crossing

    “Truly inspiring, and face it, it's pretty hard to inspire someone to want to practice, lol.”