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(Updated 2-14-11) I Want to Visit Your Club or Small Group
(Make sure you scroll down. This is a long page that tells all.)
It doesn't matter how big or small your group is, what tuning your group uses, if they're into traditional or modern, or what level your group is. I have a range of schedules and workshop titles that can be customized to meet the needs of any group. With my visit comes my dedication to giving you everything I've got. Don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like a visit.
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Possible Schedules
These are only suggested as starting points. I’m up for just about anything. I love jamming, teaching, and performing. If you’ve got an idea on how you could make the most of my visit, I’m all ears. The larger the group, the more likely I’ll want the event to be on a Saturday or Sunday. I’ve sometimes spent two to three days with the same group.
One club in Indiana wanted to do something on a weekday. The group was made up of both retired morning types who didn’t want to be out past dark and a group that wouldn’t be able to do anything until evening because of their day jobs. I ended up giving the same workshop twice, once in the morning and once in the evening.
(Feel free to alter to meet your needs. I'm up for anything.)
All-Day Schedule
10:00 - 11:00 - Beginner Workshop
11:15 - 12:15 - Experienced Beginner into Intermediate Workshop
12:15 - 1:30 - Lunch
1:30 - 2:00 - Mini-Concert
2:15 - 3:15 - Intermediate Workshop
3:30 - 4:30 - Experienced Intermediate Workshop
OR
10:00 - 11:00 - Beginner Workshop
11:15 - 12:15 - Experienced Beginner into Intermediate Workshop
12:15 - 1:30 - Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 - Intermediate Workshop
2:45 - 3:45 - Experienced Intermediate Workshop
4:30 - 5:30 - Concert
Half-Day Schedule
1:00 - 2:00 - Beginner Workshop (or Intermediate)
2:15 - 2:45 - Mini-Concert
3:00 - 4:00 - Intermediate Workshop (or Upper Intermediate)
Morning Session
8:00 - 9:00 - Workshop
9:15 - 9:45 - Mini-Concert
Evening Session
6:30 - 7:30 - Workshop
7:45 - 8:45 - Mini-Concert
Master Class
This kind of class, while usually upper-intermediate to advanced, can be tailored to any level and usually runs 3 to 8 hours. I address specific needs and cover anything requested.
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Pricing
I don't charge a minimum. Even if your group is just three people, as long as I place it between two other gigs on my tour, it’s profitable for me in more ways than one. Don’t let small numbers keep me from visiting.
I’m flexible in how I charge. There’s no one-size-fits-all. Typically, when multiple workshops of 60 minutes are involved, I charge:
$20 for One Workshop
$35 for Two
$45 for Three or More
I adjust the prices a little for workshops over 60 minutes minutes. A six hour intensive like the Master Class is usually about $50 a person.
For concerts, depending on the nature of the event, I might include it for workshop attendees while charging non-participants $8 a seat. I make deals for large families. (Mom, Dad, and 6 kids, for example.) Some venues request a passing of the hat. It all depends.
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Location
Sometimes a living room or front porch is appropriate. Church class rooms, fellowship halls, and sanctuaries can be great. One of my favorite venues was a used book store. As long as there’s enough room for the participants, I’m game. I travel with a small sound system. If you can provide the sound system, that’s even better. For a small house concert, I normally play unamplified.
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Housing
Have an unused cabin on the beach or an RV next to your house? I’m interested! Have an empty lawn chair on a back porch? That works too. While I’m always prepared to foot the bill at a nearby economical motel, I love talking, eating, and jamming with folks in the mountain dulcimer community.
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Workshop Descriptions
While these classes are generally for the DAD tuning, I can also teach them for the DAA tuning. If there’s something you want to learn you don’t see here or if you’d like me to modify what I see here to fit your needs, just let me know.
All-Level Workshops:
Learn to Read Hands
Will dispell misconceptions people have about learning from the page, watching others, and listening. Great musicians make use of these techniques continually. The ideas presented in this workshop make all my other workshops easier to follow.
Dulcimer Orchestra
Whether for duets or large groups, there's standard ways for each individual to make their group sound brilliant. We'll cover and practice BACKUP (chording, chord chops, and bass lines), MELODY (in three octaves and with tremolo), HARMONY (a simple approach), and all the ways to arrange this stuff to keep your audiences smiling. For music we'll use a fiddle tune, an old-time song, and a hymn. Regardless of your level, there's something here for you to learn and do.
Waltzes
Favorite waltzes arranged for group playing including melodies, harmonies, and backup chords in three octaves. Your listeners will feel like dancing!
Chord College
How to Use chords in Backup, Arranging, and Improvisation - DAD - No Capo - It looks like you have to memorize tons of chords and you don't have any idea how to use them? This system makes the task easier, quicker, and more applicable. The goal is to know where and how to play all major and minor chords available on the mountain dulcimer. If you've had trouble with this in the past, try this class. There’s not a lot of music theory talk, just practical ways to learn and use the stuff.
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Pure Beginner Workshops:
(If you’re wondering, these classes are for folks who have never played, on up to those who might have a tune or two under their belt. You don’t need to know much to take these classes.)
A Good Beginning
Learn the basics of holding, tuning, strumming, fretting, and playing the mountain dulcimer from a player who knows how to save you a lot of time and frustration. Start making music right away.
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Experienced Beginner Workshops:
Foundational Techniques for Beginning Dulcimer Players
We’ll cover stringing, tuning, stumming, fretting, and chording. I’ll give you some tips on developing good timing and learning tunes. You’ll also get some shortcuts to knowing all the chords you’ll need. Expect a fiddle tune and a hymn.
Rounds for Beginners
We’ll start by getting playable tunes happening, good strums and all. We’ll even play the same melodies in a couple different places on the fingerboard. When we’re ready, we’ll start playing in a round. This is one of the easiest ways to sound really beautiful. It’s also one of the best ways to get used to playing in a group where there’s different parts going on.
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Intermediate Workshops:
Cowboy Classics and Fiddle Favorites
For the first half, I'll share with you chord melody arrangements of two classic cowboy folk songs. For the second, we'll work through two old-time fiddle standards you should know but probably don't. Fingering tips and tricks to make harder tunes easier will also be covered.
Introduction to Fingerpicking
I’ll show you how to use three right-hand fingers to pluck the strings in a way similar to what you’ve heard from James Taylor’s guitar picking. The tunes and exercises I’ve selected were picked to put a smile on your face. Tunes can include hymns, waltzes, Irish airs, and other slow melodies.
Introduction to Chord Melody Style
Begin the process of being able to put a chord with each melody note. We’ll start with one song that will GREATLY simplify your ability to play chord-melody style on all future songs. Scared of a bunch of numbers? I’ll show you the way around all that.
Introduction to Flatpicking
While strumming involves hitting two or more strings at the same time, flatpicking is all about “strumming” one string at a time. We’ll start with common jam tunes that fall entirely on the melody string. I’ll then show you how to play these same melodies using all three strings and no frets higher than the 3rd.
Medieval French Diatonic Dance Music
DAD – Capo
There's a musical movement in France where large groups of musicians gather with ancient instruments like pipes and hurdy-gurdy to play dance tunes that either are Medieval French melodies or sound like Medieval French melodies. They fit perfectly on the mountain dulcimer. I've been following this tradition for a while and I can't wait to share it with you.
Traditional Noter-Style
This is the heart of our instrument. Don’t have a noter? Any small piece of wood will do. Popsicle sticks are ideal. I’ll show you left-hand sliding techniques that make great use of our diatonic fretting as we work through a number of traditional fiddle tunes, hymns, and old-time songs. We might even try a couple different tunings if the class is up for it.
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Upper Intermediate Workshops:
(These classes can also be geared for Advanced students.)
Fingerpicking
These right hand techniques make the mountain dulcimer sound like a harp. I’ll show how to fret and pluck cleanly the melody only. I’ll then show you how to add filler picking to enhance and support the melody. We’ll finally get to adding chords and playing the melody in different octaves. My method doesn’t involve memorizing a bunch of patterns. Tunes can include hymns, waltzes, Irish airs, and other slow melodies.
Flatpicked Fiddle Tunes
Note-for-note versions of standard jam tunes can be played across the three strings usually using no frets higher than 3. I’ll show you how to combine flatpicking and strumming to create a fiery sound that will excite you as much as your listener.
Embellishing Tunes Part I, II, and III (usually three different classes - sometimes combined into one or two)
- Exactly How to Embellish Tunes with Rhythm - Intermediate - A whole bunch of specific rhythm tricks you can use to make the things you already know more fun to play and listen to. Will cover filler strums, dotted rhythms, sycopation, and more.
- Exactly How to Embellish Tunes with Melody - Experienced Intermediate - I rarely learn hard versions of tunes anymore. I mostly work towards learning a simple version. I then use a handful of specific techniques to turn the simple melody into something fancy. I'll show you exactly how to train yourself to do the same. We'll use a number of tune fragments to get you going.
- Exactly How to Embellish Tunes with Harmony - Experienced Intermediate Into Advanced - What chords should you use? How do you know where to put them? I'll show you the whole picture and prepare you to teach yourself at home everything you need to know to make harmony interesting in your arrangements and performances. I won't be talking a lot of theory. These techniques are practical and can be applied immediatly to what you already know.
Chord-Melody Style
I don’t use chord-melody style all the time. I don’t drone all the time. I’m usually somewhere in-between. We’ll start with one song that will GREATLY simplify your ability to play chord-melody style on all future songs. I’ll next show you my approach for using chord-melody style at just the right moments in a performance. Expect a number of common melodies.
Arranging Using Arpeggios
Whether you’re arranging on paper, in your mind, or on the spot, these arpeggios and chord shapes will help you find exactly the right chord to fit any melody note. They’ll also help you find just the right melody note for any chord. Save time and frustration with these techniques. I’ll bring a couple tunes with blank tab to allow each student to arrange their own way.
Exercises, Sequences and Patterns for Left and Right-Hand Practice
These exercises will get both hands in shape for all kinds of great music. Practicing them every day will take your playing to new heights. Topics include thumb and non-thumb fingerings, chord fingerings, chord patterns, scales, finger replacements, using open strings to extend scales, sliding, strumming, flatpicking, crosspicking, fingerpicking, harmonics, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and more.
Introdution to Four-Equidistant Fingerpicking
I was drawn deeper into the world of dulcimer by David Schnaufer’s four-equidistant fingerpicking arrangements and compositions. I was later blown away by other four-string players including Jerry Rockwell, Lorraine Lee Hammond, Leo Kretzner, and others. After studying this style for many years, I’m finally ready to start sharing my findings with others. We’ll cover tunings, right-hand fingerpicking, chord shapes, harp scales, and more.
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Advanced Workshops:
Bluegrassey Flatpicking and Crosspicking
Capo Required
Sometimes I want to play a tune going across the strings using no frets higher than 3. I’ll show you how many tunes can be played this way. I’ll also introduce you to some crosspicking concepts you can insert into your basic strummed versions. Everything covered in this class is a great boost towards making your music more accurate, passionate, and fancy. Fancy playing isn’t everything, but wouldn’t you like to?
Rogue Irish Workshop
Want to play in an Irish session? Me too. I want to share with you what I've been working on. I'll bring a jig, hornpipe, reel, and air. We'll spend a good bit of time getting the right rhythms and ornaments for these tune types. (Cuts, Rolls, Lilt, Lift, Swing etc...)
Four-String Merle Travis/Chet Atkins Alternating Bass Technique
With the four-equidistant DADD and DGBD tunings, I'll use a number of Ragtime and Blues arrangements to show you how to sound like Merle Travis and Chet Atkins. It's a classic technique also used by many fingerstyle acoustic Blues players where you play an alternating bass figure while also playing melody and chords. There is usually at least two things going on at the same time. Using only the fret layout of a standard dulcimer, you won't believe what's possible with these techniques. This is also an excellent opportunity to understand exactly what syncopation is and how to make any melody syncopated or not.
Jazz/Swing Chording for Three-String Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer
I will show you how to play any Jazz chord in any key. The voicings I use are the exact three-note left-handed rootless voicings popular with Jazz pianists since at least the sixties. I will also cover some root voicings that are especially useful in solo playing. This class is for folks with three-string chromatically fretted mountain dulcimers tuned DAD. This means, in addition to the frets you normally see, using the 0.5, 1.5, 3.5, and 4.5 frets. If you don't have this kind of dulcimer, contact me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
and I’ll tell you where you can get a cardboard chromatic for $60 or suggest builders who are glad to make you a chromatic.
Master Class
(Usually an additional class a day before or after the main event lasting anywhere from 3 to 8 hours.)
This class is especially for those players who want to move from playing others' arrangements to creating music of their own. A number of techniques and approaches will be covered. Topics include transposing and arranging, coming up with your own melodies, pros and cons of various capo positions, simplifying and spicing up a melody, creating and using cool riffs, fills, and endings, playing from the heart, how to play what you hear in your head, bonding with your audience, and more. (If you're coming to this class, please consider bringing a couple tunes, arrangements, or recordings that represent music you'd like to make your own. I'll show you my approach and help you discover and/or refine your approach.)
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Biographical Information
For a high-resolution promotional image, visit my BIO page.
Brief:
Stephen has been playing the mountain dulcimer since 1991. He has toured with David Schnaufer, performed with orchestras around the country, and been a featured performer in Japan. Since 1996, he has taught and performed at festivals and dulcimer clubs in Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Pensacola, Houston, and many places in-between. "I want to play all styles of music on the mountain dulcimer. I also want to help my fellow dulcimer players pursue their musical desires, whatever they might be, with the least amount of time-wasting detours." Most recently, he has been teaching hundreds of students around the world via http://dulcimerschool.com.
Long:
Stephen Seifert's teaching and playing has made him a favorite with dulcimer players all over the country since 1991. In that time, he's been a featured performer at hundreds of dulcimer festivals and other music events including Kentucky Music Week in Bardstown, KY, Mountain Dulcimer Week in Cullowhee, NC, the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, WV, the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR, Stringalong near Milwaukee, WI, the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS and The tono American Music Festival, in Tono, Japan.
Stephen has been a dulcimer soloist with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, now known as Orchestra Nashville, since 1996 and is featured on their Warner Classical recording of Connie Ellisor and David Schnaufer's Blackberry Winter, a concerto for mountain dulcimer and string orchestra. The piece continues to be in regular rotation on many classical stations around the U.S. (The recording album is titled "Conversations in Silence" and can be sampled and purchased on iTunes.) Stephen most recently performed this piece with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra.
Stephen was Adjunct Instructor of Mountain Dulcimer with David Schnaufer at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music from 1997 to 2001. He also taught, performed, and recorded with Mr. Schnaufer as a duo throughout the country. Stephen has authored ten books, four CDs, and 16 instructional videos.
Most recently, he has been teaching hundreds of students around the world via http://dulcimerschool.com.
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