Mountain and Hammer Dulcimer
Books, Tapes, CDs and Videos

Bits and Pieces

This is a CD made by eight women. There is a variety of music with the HD, MD, autoharp, bowed psaltery, penny whistle, spoons, egg shaker, guitar and vocals.

Song List:
Mississippi Sawyer/Fly Around -- Shepherd's Wife Waltz -- Nearer My God to Thee (vocals) -- Going Down to Cairo/Liza Jane -- Strums -- You've Been that Friend to me (vocals) -- Columbus Stockade Blues -- Simple Gifts-featuring the HD's -- Waterbound (vocals) -- Holy Manna (bowed psaltery duet) -- Honey Moon Waltz/I'll be all smiles tonight -- Building on a Rock (vocals) -- Rosin the Bow -- Hard Times -- Black Mt. Rag -- Sunshine in the Shadows (vocals) -- Spanish Hymn -- Amazing Grace -- Battle Cry of Freedom -- Who will Sing for Me (vocals) -- Send the Light -- Nelly Bly -- Keel Row

South Meets East

This Cd mixes East Indian folk music and folk music from the Cumberland Plateau with dulcimer and sitar. Joe added pure mountain folk music and East Indian vocals featuring Anoose Taj separately to show how the East Indian and American folk music method have similar ways of expression. This CD is an eclectic journey that took almost two years to complete and is intended as a labor of love for the music and musicians that influenced Joe's music style.

"Your music and your spirit enrich us."
-- Lois Hornbostel

Traditional Mountain Dulcimer

Level 1: Includes tab and one cassette. An easy and immediately playable introduction to the mountain dulcimer for anyone, regardless of prior musical experience. 7 songs.

Singing Family of the Cumberlands

Jean's account of growing up in her large family in the mountains of Kentucky, with some of the family songs, is now available in hardback (cloth) and paperback editions. This very special book has been in print since its first appearance in 1955, with Oxford University Press, and has been beloved by countless people of all ages since that time.

Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians

Originally published by Oak Publications has been re-issued by the University of Kentucky Press. It contains 81 songs, ballads, play party games, work songs, and hymns from the singing of the Ritchie family of Perry County, Kentucky, including four that are newly added for the second edition. For each song there is a brief history telling how it came into the family repertoire.

In addition to the original foreword by folklorist Alan Lomax, there is a foreword to the second edition by Ron Pen, Professor of Music and Appalachian Studies, University of Kentucky. This edition also contains an audiography and videography for those interested in obtaining recorded versions of the songs.

Traditional Mountain Dulcimer

Level 1: Includes tab and one cassette.
An easy and immediately playable introduction to the mountain dulcimer for anyone, regardless of prior musical experience. 7 songs.

The Dulcimer Book

A clear instruction method on how to tune and play the dulcimer. Includes the words and music of 16 traditional songs such as Go Tell Aunt Rhodie, Old Joe Clark, and Pretty Polly, plus tuning instructions for six modes. Chapters on playing countermelody, fingerpicking, singing with the dulcimer, and much more. Fascinating historical notes, rare photographs, discography and bibliography are included.

The Andy Robinson Band

A combination of original tunes by Andy Robinson, backed by Babs Parent, Scott Colby and Doug Robinson, using mountain dulcimer, drums, spoons, bottleneck dobro, electric slide guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, bass and miscellaneous percussion.

Song List:
Flyin' in Her Dreams -- Scarecrow -- I'm in Love with Your Sister -- LA in the Rain -- Asleep and Awake -- God Loves a Joke -- Fool in Love -- I Play the Dulcimer -- Nameless Beach -- Rock too Hard -- Miserable

"This was my best surprise purchase this year! In Andy's hands the mountain dulcimer takes on many different characters: electric, dobro-like, dreamy, rock and blues. He's joined by Babs Parent (Vocals), Scott Colby (dobro, slide guitar & vocals), Thom Britt (fretless bass, vocals), Doug Robinson (keyboards, drums, bass & percussion) & Mitchell Delevie (Percussion). He wrote or co-wrote all these tunes & his songwriting makes you laugh and lets the daily burdens fall away. I'm in Love with your Sister, God Loves A Joke, I Play the Dulcimer, & Nameless Beach are my favorites. Get this one as soon as you can--you won't be sorry!"
--Steve Eulburg
--Owl Mountain Music

Exotic America

The new album of eclectic instrumental music by Andy Robinson.

Song List:
Moving Mountains -- The Bridges are Burning -- 95 Tears -- Conversations -- Exotic America -- Penguin -- The Different World Song -- After the Fires -- Children's Games -- Nameless Parade -- Let There be Night -- Avenue V

The Blackbird and the Beggarman

A recorded collection of Celtic and Celtic-influenced instrumentals featuring the mountain dulcimer. The dulcimer arrangements correspond tot he tracks on the recording. In dulcimer tab and standard notation done in a variety of creative tunings.

Song List:
The Mist-Covered Mountains -- The Rough, Heathery Hill -- The Blackbird -- The Little Beggerman -- The Girl I Left Behind Me -- Balquidder Lasses -- Lament for 9 Bridge -- Beside the Anner -- Kimiad -- The Serving Girl's Holiday -- The Cabbages -- Song of the Chanter -- Balinderry -- Ned of the Hill -- Brown's Trace Revisited -- The Touchstone -- Red is the Rose -- The Winter It is Past -- The Fair and Charming Eileen O'Carroll

Favorite American Folktunes

CD ........$15.00

Jerry's primary objective in recording this album was to have fun making old familiar tunes sound new, but not so different as to be unrecognizable. The result is a fun collection familiar enough to be relaxing, yet unconventional enough to make you really notice what you're listening to. There are new levels of complexity to discover every time you listen to it. It's also an excellent tool for introducing young ears to some of the most important pieces in the American folk repertoire.

A Handfull of Tunes

The Rojas are a family band consisting of Jorge Rojas on mountain dulcimer, fiddle viola, guitar, mandolin, bodhran, and percussion; Angela Rojas on hammered dulcimer, and daughters Angela, Laura, and Julia on vocals, guitar, and whistle, respectively. "A Handful of Tunes" contains music that ranges from traditional Mexican tunes, Celtic, and old-time to contemporary waltzes. All but one cut are instrumental and feature Angela's hammered dulcimer. Jorge plays mountain dulcimer on half of the fourteen cuts.
-- Neal Walters
-- Dulcimer Players News

Song List:
Swallow Tail Jig -- Will the Circle Be Unbroken/Angeline the Baker -- Andante -- Old Joe Clark/Gray Cat/Lisa Jane -- Caspian Lake -- Hard Times Come Again No More -- I'll Fly Away -- Pretty Peggy -- Si Bheag Si Mohr -- Harvest Home -- Amazing Grace -- Emiy's Waltz -- Perfidia/Pagina Blanca/El Reloj -- La LLorona/La Malaguena

Hearthside Dulcimer

For chromatic dulcimer. The songs are all "Golden Oldies", and the book is called "Hearthside Dulcimer" because they are all singalongs. Furthermore, all songs are in public domain, for free and unrestricted use.

The titles and dates of publication for each song are as follows:

Sweet and Low (1863) -- Beautiful Dreamer(1864) -- Sweet Genevieve (1869) -- America, the Beautiful (1888) -- On the Banks of the Wabash -- Far Away (1899) -- Mighty Like a Rose (1901) -- Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider (1903) -- My Gal Sal (1905) -- Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie (1905) -- Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1910) -- Waiting For the Robert E. Lee (1912) -- Moonlight Bay (1912) -- Peg O' My Heart (1913) -- That's An Irish Lullaby (1913) -- By the Beautiful Sea (1914) -- Pretty Baby (1916) -- The Bells of Saint Mary's (1917) -- Smiles (1917) -- Alice Blue Gown (1919) -- Let the Rest of the World Go By (1919)

A Dulcimer For All Seasons

My basic manual on the chromatic dulcimer explains how it was developed,and lists the key elements which make it work, including:

1) optional fretboard markings to make it easy to find the new chromatic frets
2) how to tune it to find an unbelievable abundance of chords, and
3) descriptions of how to play it as a modal instrument in any key or mode without retuning!

A limited selection of tablature examples are included.

Leaves of Yesterday

A book of music and tablature for the chromatic dulcimer, consisting of 20 songs all in public domain.

The songs included are:

Love's Old Sweet Song (1884) -- Till We Meet Again (1918) -- Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine (1908) -- Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1913) -- Memories (1915) -- Beautiful Ohio (1918) -- Habañera (1875) -- In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (1905) -- The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1912) -- For Me and My Gal (1917) -- The World Is Waiting For the Sunrise (1919) -- When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1912) -- Shine On, Harvest Moon (1908) -- Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908) -- Poor Butterfly (1916) -- Glow Worm (1907) -- I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen (1876) -- The Old Rugged Cross (1913) -- Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? (1902) -- A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody (1919)

Yankee Doodle Dulcimer

This book contains a collection of 25 songs that are reminiscent of the growth and development of America, from the early Colonial days through the end of the nineteenth century. This is the same period in which the mountain dulcimer gradually took root and evolved in Southern Appalachia.

The songs and their histories appear in the following order:

Greensleeves -- Thanksgiving Prayer -- The Girl I Left Behind -- Yankee Doodle -- Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be? -- Wayfaring Stranger -- Annie Laurie -- Flow Gently Sweet Afton -- Old Rosin the Beau -- Cindy -- On Top of Old Smoky -- Blue-Tail Fly -- Nellie Bly -- Juanita -- E-ri-e Canal -- Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair --Abide With Me -- Battle Hymn of the Republic -- In the Gloaming -- Carry Me Back to Old Virginny -- The Kerry Dance -- My Darling Clementine -- In the Good Old Summer Time -- Toyland -- Yankee Doodle Boy

Various tunings are used, including DAd, DAA, DGd, DAc and DF#A. The arrangements are all for the diatonic dulcimer, and permit optional playing styles (either drones or chords)

Love's Old Sweet Songs

A book of music notation & tablature for the diatonic dulcimer tuned 1-3-5 (I-III-V).

The book contains songs from the Golden Era of American music (late 1800's through 1919). All songs are in public domain for unrestricted use. In addition to the arrangements themselves, instructional information is included about how to tune to DF#A, where to find musical scales, all about common chords patterns and where the different chords are located. Each music selection has a sheet describing its history and special features, plus hints for playing. It is spiral-bound to lie flat, with attractive, reinforced covers, front and back. Most songs are illustrated. This book is the very first of its kind, anywhere!!!

Song List:
After the Ball (1892) -- America the Beautiful (1905) -- Just a Closer Walk with Thee -- Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1910) -- Let the Rest of the World Go By (1919) -- Love's Old Sweet Song (1884) -- Mighty Like A Rose (1901) -- Moonlight Bay (1912) -- My Gal Sal (1905) -- My Melancholy Baby (1912) -- Peg O' My Heart (1913) -- Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody (A) (1919) -- Rose of Tralee (The) (1845) -- School Days (1907) -- Shine On, Harvest Moon (1908) -- Sweet Genevieve (1869) -- Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie (1905) -- Waltz Me Around Again, Willie (1906) -- When You Wore a Tulip (1914) -- Yankee Doodle Boy (1904)