MASTER WORKSHOP CHEAT SHEET
Stephen Seifert
BEGINNER / NOVICE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER
A Beginner Kit for Brand New Mountain Dulcimer Players
You’ll get a sheet of starter strum patterns, simple tablature for three essential jam tunes, and a page of beginner backup chords to make sure you can have fun playing alone or with others. I think you’re going to love Down the River, Pretty Betty Martin, and Rock the Cradle Joe.
I Remember What It Was Like to Be a Beginner
This class is for absolute beginners who want a calm, encouraging start on the mountain dulcimer. We’ll focus on the basics that really matter early on: holding the instrument, simple left-hand movement, right-hand technique, and making clean, musical sounds right away. I’ll share common beginner challenges, what actually helps, and what doesn’t need to be worried about yet. This is a supportive hour designed to help you start well and feel confident moving forward.
Beginner Mountain Dulcimer - Fun First Tunes, I
Ready to finally play the dulcimer instead of just thinking about it? In this welcoming four-week class we’ll learn a handful of easy, joyful tunes together — both by ear and with my simple bare-bones tablature that helps you see what your ears are hearing. We’ll work on accurate and interesting strumming, clean fretting, and that wonderful “I-can-really-do-this” feeling.
Novice Mountain Dulcimer - Tunes and Techniques, I
You know the basics. Now it’s time to grow. This class bridges the gap between beginner and intermediate by teaching some of the most playable jam tunes around. We’ll keep things relaxed but purposeful — using ear training plus simple tab to lock melodies in your memory fast. Each week focuses on essential strategies for growing essential right and left-hand techniques.
Mountain Dulcimer A to Z Just for Novice Players
If you’ve been playing just a short while and want to build confidence, this series is for you. We’ll review the basics throughout the course, then add new skills step by step while learning a mix of classic dulcimer tunes. Expect to work on steady strumming, smooth fingering, and simple techniques that make your playing more musical. Along the way, you’ll add hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and ornaments; learn to play melody against drones; and use chords in the easiest positions. We’ll also explore backup playing for jam sessions. You’ll get better at reading tablature and memorizing tunes. Each week includes guided practice, review videos, and printed tablature so you can keep learning between classes.
Really Get Down Twelve Tunes and Improve Your Technique
Beginners often come to me wanting a better strum and stronger left-hand fingering strategies. Most would rather play simple things well, with confidence and variety, than play fancy things poorly. They want to learn how to use backup chords. More than anything, they want to walk away with a solid set of good tunes.
I’ll help you build a strong technical foundation you can rely on, whether you decide later to get fancier or keep things simple. My goal is to show you how to truly enjoy playing your dulcimer, both for yourself and for others.
Strong Foundational Skills and Fun Tunes
At this point, you should be having fun! We’ll take our time working through the essential techniques and tunes for beginning to intermediate players. I’ll bring a selection of my favorites, and you'll need to bring a capo.
LEARNING TUNES / TAB / EAR TRAINING
PRACTICE LAB: Get Better at Both Reading Tablature and Learning by Ear
To play well with others, or even by yourself, you don’t have to choose between reading tablature and learning by ear. You will probably be stronger in one than the other, but I believe you’ll have the best experience as a musician if you spend time developing both, no matter where you’re starting from.
Each week, we’ll spend the first thirty minutes practicing how to read rhythms, melodies, and chords. The last thirty minutes will focus on how to learn by ear. I’ll show you a clear, systematic approach to both, but most of our time will be spent in guided, hands-on practice.
Progressive Ear Training and Sight-Reading LAB – Non-Level Specific
This six-week series is designed to systematically build your ability to both read dulcimer tablature and improve your ability to play by ear. The progressive approach means starting super simple and gradually building, step by step, toward more complex material. Each week, the first 30 minutes are call-and-response ear training. The last 30 minutes are sight-reading at a steady pace we’ll do together. Expect helpful tips along the way, but the focus will be learning by doing. I’ll keep you on track the whole way. Perfect for novice and intermediate players, but open to all levels who want to improve these essential musical skills.
Learn Like Grandma and Grandpa Did
I’m going to show you how a lot of folks learned to play in the old days. People are STILL learning this way. Whether you prefer reading tablature, playing by ear, or just making things up, these hand reading, listening, and know-what’s-probably-coming tips speed up getting new tunes in your head and under your fingers. This is not a lecture class. You’ll learn by doing the whole hour. Expect a good number of tunes.
Three Tried-and-True Methods to Learn Tunes
There's three main ways folks learn tunes: by ear, watching hands, and reading the paper. It's a mistake to only use the one way that works best for you. I'm going to not only show you a lot about how each method works, I'm also going to show you how to integrate the three approaches. They work best when you use them together.
CHORDS / BACKUP / CHORD-MELODY
Fastest Way to Know Chords All Over the Dulcimer
This system allows you to quickly learn all your major and minor chord shapes. Use these movable chord shapes to play backup, chord-melody, and cool licks. It works with any fingering style. Bring a capo.
Fastest Way to Know Chords All Over the Mountain Dulcimer
My system helps you learn major and minor chords all over the fingerboard. Use these movable chord shapes to play backup, play melody and chords at the same time, and come up with your own intros, endings, licks, and riffs.
Chord College: Learn All Your Major and Minor Chord Shapes
This is the FASTEST way I know to master all the major and minor chord shapes you’ll need for backup, chord-melody, and creating licks. We'll cover all main fingering styles. Taken this class before? You’ve probably grown since then. Come back and do it again for additional insights!
How to Learn the Three Main Chord Shapes AND What to Do with Them
We'll start with the three main chord shapes and how to learn them. We'll also look at all the ways I use these chord shapes for backup, chord-melody, and adding fancy stuff to tunes.
Minimal Chord-Melody and Improvised Arrangements
Learn a minimal approach for fitting easy chords with melodies. I learned this from my mentor David Schnaufer and it’s a great middle point between drone-melody playing and three-finger chord-melody.
Easiest Way to Play Melody and Chords at the Same Time
Chord-melody style is typically about playing melody and chords at the same time, often using three-string movable chord shapes. It’s a lot to get used to. Before you go there, try this much easier method I learned from my mentor, David Schnaufer. I call it minimal chord melody style. It involves always having at least one open string. It’s easy on the hands and sounds great. We’ll spend the whole hour playing to make sure you have it down.
Play Backup Using Every Kind of Bass Dulcimer
This intermediate-level class explores practical backup techniques for a variety of bass dulcimers, including octave-lower, two-octaves-lower, and even standard dulcimers used in a bass role. We’ll look at common setups and ways to support melody players with solid rhythm, clean and simple bass lines, and good musical choices. The focus is on listening, groove, and knowing when to play less, helping you become a reliable and musical backup player.
Bass Backup on Any Dulcimer
Bass backup really adds to a jam or performance whether played on a guitar or an upright bass. Why not do the same thing with a dulcimer? Whether you bring a double-bass dulcimer, a bass dulcimer, or a regular dulcimer, I'll show you how to use just the right bass notes and runs to match the chords of common jam tunes and songs. We'll cover all the common keys and chord progressions.
Sound Like a Dulcimer Orchestra
Using one piece of music, I’ll show you how to play the melody in different octaves, generate simple harmonies on the spot, strum with accuracy and variety, and play backup chords. We’ll also do some chopping and tremolo like the mandolin players do. You and your friends can sound like an orchestra, and just from one page.
FINGERPICKING
Upper-Intermediate Mountain Dulcimer – Fingerpicking Focus, I
We’ll focus on fingerpicking techniques that make whatever you play sound rich and expressive. You’ll learn relaxed right-hand patterns, tone control, and smooth transitions. Expect one or two arrangements per class. I really want to help you play the same tune three times without it sounding the same all three times. This is beautiful music.
Intro to Fingerpicking for Intermediate Dulcimer Players
We’ll start with simple, beautiful arrangements that teach the basic fingerpicking moves: plucking, pinches, brushes, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and more. Some of the best fingerpicking is simple. Once you have a firm foundation, you can build from there.
Learn to Fingerpick Cleanly and Beautifully
We'll start by going over all the basics of fingerpicking as we play through a couple simple tunes. I want to show you exactly how to play cleanly and expressively. We'll end by working through some fancier techniques and arrangements.
Get Better at Fingerpicking with Some of My Favorite Slow Songs
I’ll use a number of beautiful arrangements to help you grow as a fingerpicker. Expect solid work on developing good tone, which fingers to use on both hands, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and more.
Upper-Level Finger-Picking Tunes and Techniques
This class is for players who are already finger-picking. We'll spend time on both reading and playing through arrangements as well as how to somewhat generate fingerpicking "arrangements" on the spot. Expect some good melodies, beautiful chord progressions, and plenty of technique tips.
FLATPICKING / PICK-STRUM / CROSSPICKING
Intermediate Mountain Dulcimer - Pick-Strum Jam Favorites, I
We’ll take reliable jam tunes and use them to build interesting pick-strum arrangements. Develop better right-hand control, and a sound that’s a beautiful blend of picking and strumming. You’ll see exactly how to place a melody across the strings. Expect plenty of examples. This is FUN!
Learn the Pick-Strum Style with a Couple of Tunes a Day
We’ll cover a couple of arrangements each day as I show you how to combine picking and strumming. Imagine having a strong strum that always brings in just the right amount of flatpicking and crosspicking. I’ll show you how.
Practical Flat-Picking for Jam Tune Favorites
I'll show you how to develop solid practical flat-picked versions of all your favorite jam tunes. We'll work through two or three each session. If you've been playing your melodies mostly on the melody string, get ready to fully understand how to move them ACROSS the strings. This eventually results in efficient ways to play the fancy stuff.
My Approach to Flat-Picking Jam Standards
We'll start with some flatpicking exercises to make sure your playing is clean, powerful, and effective. Then we'll look at my approach to converting melody-string jam tunes into across-the-strings flatpicked versions. We'll finish by practicing a hybrid approach that combines strumming with flatpicking. Expect a good number of tunes and tune fragments for working this stuff out.
The Flatpicking Techniques I Use to Make Any Tune Sound Awesome
I'll start by making sure your strum is in good shape. I'll show you my strum-pick style. We'll work through a couple simple tunes. I'll next show you how to create fun and playable flatpicked arrangements of the strummed tunes you already know. We'll end with a couple fancy flatpicked favorites of mine as well as a couple exercises to strengthen all the right moves.
Add Bluegrass Crosspicking Patterns to Tunes You Already Know
Bluegrass players use crosspicking patterns to make tunes sound full, rolling, and exciting. I’ll show you how to add these patterns to tunes you already know. This is a great way to build right-hand control, add variety, and make your arrangements sound more complete.
REPERTOIRE / GENRE WORKSHOPS
Old Irish Songs and a Few Good Jigs
Irish music works beautifully on the mountain dulcimer. We’ve got just the right notes, and the instrument naturally fits the keys and modes this music requires.
We’ll work through several slower melodies and medium-speed jigs, usually about two songs/tunes each session. Along the way, I’ll show you a variety of right- and left-hand techniques to help you get it all flowing comfortably and confidently.
Put on something green and come join me!
Slow Expressive Irish Aires for Strummers and Fingerpickers
These Irish-Gaelic titled melodies come from a long tradition of unaccompanied singers. You don’t march through them. You shape each phrase with rubato, stretching and compressing time, adding hesitation, and moving between soft and strong dynamics to tug at your listener’s heart. Whether you prefer a pick or fingerpicking, I’ll show you ways to bring out their lush, beautiful sound on the mountain dulcimer.
Irish Slow and Medium Tempo Songs with a Pick
This intermediate workshop focuses on strumming and picking Irish-style songs on the mountain dulcimer. In Irish music, songs are lyric-based pieces at medium or slower tempos, distinct from dance tunes like reels or jigs. We’ll work on right-hand technique, basic ornaments, and expressive approaches that suit this repertoire, along with practical ways to play the same song a little differently each time. You’ll gain clearer ideas about tone, flow, and musical feel.
English Folk Ballads
I’ll share with you three tunes I picked up from English books and recordings over the years: “Lark in the Morning,” “All Things are Quite Silent,” and “The Blacksmith.” If you get a chance, listen to the band Steeleye Span play these. They’ve been around for a long time and they heavily feature a dulcimer player. - Bring a capo.
German Folk Music Favorites
These are well-known songs with beautiful and playable melodies. Besides helping you get them down, I’m going to show some tricks I’ve gleaned from studying this music, tricks to make the simple much more interesting. Tunes include “Kein schöner Land,” “Im schönsten Wiesengrunde,” “Und jetzt gang i ans Peters Brünnele,” “Nun will der Lenz uns grüßen,” and “Tief im Böhmerwald.”
Scottish Classics: Loch Lomond, Parting Glass & Auld Lang Syne
Learn to play Scottish classics Loch Lomond, The Parting Glass, and Auld Lang Syne using a pick or simple fingerpicking. Each tune will have two arrangements: a straightforward version and a fancy version. Along the way, I’ll share right- and left-hand techniques I use for cleaner, more interesting playing.
Classic Scottish Songs with Drones, Chords, and Ornaments
Learn to strum, strum-pick, flat-pick, and cross-pick my arrangements of these timeless Scottish tunes: “Loch Lomond”, “The Parting Glass”, and “Auld Lang Syne” on mountain dulcimer. These arrangements feature drones, rich chords, and tasteful ornaments for a full good-feeling sound. - Bring a Capo
Central France Dance Tunes
Explore ancient-sounding traditional dance tunes from Central France, especially bourrées that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. These rhythmic melodies were passed down through generations and played on hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes at village gatherings. I'll help you with fingerings and how to create subtle variations to keep your playing fun and fresh. Bring a capo.
Appalachian Fiddle Tunes I've Been Loving Lately
These tunes have been turning up in jams more and more the last bunch of years. You need some new tunes, and I'm sure some of these will scratch your itch. We'll do one or two a day.
Old-Time Fiddle Tunes I’ve Been Loving Lately
These tunes have been turning up in jams more and more over the last bunch of years. You need some new ones, and I'm sure some of these will scratch your itch. Bring a capo. While this is mostly a repertoire class, expect a good bit of advice on how to improve your technique. Tunes include “Blackberry Blossom,” “Greasy Coat,” “Quince Dillon’s High D,” and “Train on the Mountain.”
Appalachian Modal Fiddle Tunes in the Key of A
When I first heard this style of playing, it pulled me in deep. These archaic tunes use ancient scales that work really well on the dulcimer. We'll work on Greasy Coat, Yew Piney Mountain, and Elzic's Farewell. This will be a great study in using slides and wise fingering. Bring a capo.
Two GREAT Banjo & Fiddle Tunes: The Cuckoo and Moonlight
For a preview of the first tune, search YouTube for “Clarence Ashley - The Cuckoo.” The music starts after the interview. For the second, search “Moonlight” by Don Pedi or Walt Koken. I learned Moonlight from Don, who I believe learned it from Bruce Greene. The arrangements I’ll share are my own take on two of the coolest tunes I’ve ever played.
The Folk Music We Grew Up With
Three of my grade school music teachers used American and world folk songs in their lessons. You've probably had bits and pieces of these tunes floating in your ear for years. I’m keeping these arrangements fun and playable, and we’ll go through quite a few. We’ll also focus on left- and right-hand techniques, including strumming, fingering, and chords. Bring a capo.
Christmas Repertoire for Novice & Intermediate Dulcimer Players, I
Let’s get ready for the holidays the best way possible — with tunes everyone will recognize and love.
You’ll learn a handful of Christmas classics you can share with folks over the holidays. I’ll also share with you tips on how to play them well. Let’s celebrate as we prepare!
Easy Hymns
These are some of my favorite hymns, and they’re not hard to play. DAD tuning.
BLUES
Blues for Dulcimers with a 1½ Fret
There is so much great blues music to enjoy, and the dulcimer can do a lot more of it than most people realize. Our focus will be on playing backup and taking solos while following the 12-measure form.
You’ll learn some really groovy chords, and I’ll show you which groups of notes work best for creating short melodic ideas across the strings. I’ll share some classic melodies that follow this same form. We’ll also work on subtle micro-bends to bring more authenticity to your playing. You will sound and feel cool.
I’ve taught one- and two-hour classes on this material before, but that has never been enough time to really do the subject justice. With six sessions, I know I can show you some fun and useful tools you’ll enjoy using for years to come.
Blues Backup and Lead Playing
When I play the blues on the mountain dulcimer, I typically play in A, E, and D. For each of these keys, I'll show you ALL my chord backup strategies. I'll also show you for each key the best ways to playing a lead including pentatonics and bending. I've recently spent a lot of time notating my entire approach, so expect some good handouts.
ARRANGING / VARIATION / PERFORMANCE
Keep Your Music Fresh and Fun
Too keep me and my audiences entertained, I use a whole bag of very doable tricks to play any tune a bunch of different ways. I play a tune on the bass string. I play it high to sound like a mandolin. I play it across the strings to sound like a guitar. I play it with a drone or with chords. I make melodies fancier. I add intros, licks, and endings. We'll apply all these concepts to at least three basic tunes.
Make Tunes You Already Know More Interesting
A good player does not have to play a tune the same way every time through. In this class, we’ll take some melodies you know and explore ways to add variety without losing the tune. We’ll try different octaves, simple fills, tasteful chords, little licks, intros, endings, and ways to move between melody-drone playing and minimal chord-melody. This is practical arranging in the way I actually use it: learning musical choices you can make on the spot.
Create Cool Licks for Tunes You Know with L, Slant & X-Slant
These shapes show you where the safe notes are, making it easy to come up with licks that fit the chords of tunes you already know. Using L, slant, and X-slant shapes as guides, you’ll learn how to create intros, endings, and fill-in licks that sound natural and musical. This is a practical shortcut to adding variety and expression to your playing.
Exactly How to Use Cool Licks to Make Your Playing Unique
We’ll work with the three most common chord shapes and use them to generate all kinds of cool licks to spice up everything you play. This is exactly how I do it. DAD tuning.
Dulcimer Solos
Here’s my approach to performing a tune: I start with a simple, recognizable statement, then vary it by changing octaves and adding subtle enhancements. I introduce something surprising before returning to the original idea with a cool ending. In this two-hour class, I'll break down my process note-for-note for both a slow and a fast piece, providing tablature and tips on how to create your own variations.
Build Impressive Arrangements for Performance and Competition
We’ll look at what makes an arrangement sound polished and memorable: clear melody, strong rhythm, tasteful chords, well-placed licks, octave changes, intros, endings, and moments of surprise. This class is for players who want to understand how to build arrangements that really communicate.
Essential Ways to Make Fancy Music Easier to Play
With so many ways to play the same tune, make sure your first way is simple and strong. We'll work through a bunch of examples with an eye towards seeing the essential and shedding the complex. You'll end up with a small stack of playable, reasonable, and good sounding music. The techniques you learn here will serve you well the rest of your days. When I first learn a tune, I always start simple. I'll show you how I do it.
ADVANCED / UPPER-LEVEL TECHNIQUE
Advanced Mountain Dulcimer Tunes, I
This repertoire class is for players who are ready for upper-level arrangements and techniques. I’ve got some great tunes to share, and I’ll be sure to cover the techniques required to play them well. We’ll work on strumming, flat-picking, and a little fingerpicking.
Using Chord Shapes, Arpeggios, and Scales to Create Strong Arrangements
We’ll review the three main chord shapes—L, Slant, and Extended Slant—then turn them into arpeggios. We’ll spend the rest of the week adding upper neighbors, lower neighbors, and passing tones using scales to create intros, licks, and endings for your favorite tunes. I'll show you a bunch of fingering concepts to help you do all this with clarity and confidence.
Thinking in Layers: Chords, Arpeggios, and Scales
This two-hour advanced workshop is for players who want a more flexible way to navigate the fingerboard. We’ll explore musical layers, starting with chord shapes and building outward to arpeggios, pentatonic scales, and full seven-note scales that sit right on top of those shapes. This approach supports improvising, creating your own arrangements, and reshaping existing ones, helping you see the fingerboard as a connected musical system.
Vivaldi-Style Workout for Smart Right- and Left-Hand Technique
I asked composer Conni Ellisor to write a piece for me and full orchestra that was Bach-like. Because of the dulcimer’s diatonic nature, she leaned toward a Vivaldi style. I performed it with orchestra, and it pushed me to rethink both right- and left-hand technique. We’ll use it as a focused workout to maximize control, efficiency, and speed. It’s also a piece I still use all the time as a warm-up.
Speed Building Exercises Using Cool Arrangements
Each day, we’ll train for reasonably fast tempos using time-tested right- and left-hand techniques from Old-Time and Bluegrass traditions. To keep it fun, I’ll bring a collection of fantastic fiddle tune arrangements from various traditions. Bring a capo.
DAVID SCHNAUFER / SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS
David Schnaufer’s Forked Deer - Get One Good Tune Down
David Schnaufer is my favorite dulcimer player. Performing and teaching with him around the country put music in me I’ll carry with me the rest of my life. I want to show you his arrangement of this great old-time fiddle tune along with a bunch of his techniques to make it come alive.
My Favorite David Schnaufer Arrangements
David Schnaufer was my mentor. He's still my favorite player. I'll share with you a bunch of his arrangements along with the techniques you'll need to make it all happen. These seriously cool pieces forever changed the way I think, hear, and play music. Bring a capo.
The Music of David Schnaufer – One Easy and One Challenging
We’ll close with two arrangements celebrating the music and teaching style of my mentor, Texas dulcimer master David Schnaufer. You’ll learn two of his classic tunes while applying many ideas covered in this intensive.
David Schnaufer's arrangement of “Santa Anna’s Retreat”
Learn David Schnaufer's arrangement of “Santa Anna’s Retreat”. (EAD tuning) David won the first Winfield competition playing this tune!
David Schnaufer’s Composition “Morning Birds” for Four-Equidistant Dulcimer
Learn David Schnaufer’s composition “Morning Birds”. using four equidistant strings tuned DADD, capo 4.
All the Ways I Play Wildwood Flower
Wildwood Flower is one of my favorite playgrounds. I’ll show you at least 5 ways I do it. Plenty of tab for this one. Take these lessons to other tunes.
Whiskey Before Breakfast: My YouTube Performance Note-for-Note
I’ll walk you through 9 pages of a note-for-note transcription of what has become my most famous performance. This YouTube video of “Whiskey Before Breakfast” has about 1.8 million views. In it, I play through the tune 3 times, all over the fingerboard, using a bunch of different advanced techniques. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly I’m doing on a fast tune, this is your chance to find out.
Down Yonder
We'll learn two arrangements of "Down Yonder" and use them to explore right-hand picking patterns, strumming, left-hand fingering, chord shapes, intros, endings, and more.
From Simple to Showy: Three Takes on “Down Yonder”
I first heard Down Yonder played by Willie Nelson’s sister on his classic Red Headed Stranger album. Later, I was amazed to hear how David Schnaufer and Chet Atkins brought it to life in their own styles. In this workshop, I’ll show you several arrangements and all the licks to dress them up with chord-melody, runs, and riffs. Expect a good bit of work on left-hand fingerings and right-hand picking technique.
SPECIAL SETUPS / EXTRA FRETS / TUNINGS
Tunes and Techniques for Four-String Equidistant Dulcimer
You’ve got some good experience under your belt, and you’re ready to try some new things with your dulcimer. Maybe you’re already playing this way and want to get a lot better. Either way, I’m going to show you everything I love about this special string setup.
If you didn’t know, most dulcimers are already have a nut with extra slots just in case you want to switch to four-string equidistant spacing. The main tuning that I, and many others, use is DAdd, from bass to melody. With evenly spaced strings, you can comfortably play full four-note chords.
I have a lot to share, including techniques and arrangements. I especially enjoy turning pre-existing three-string arrangements into four-string versions. This is a magical tuning, and I’m looking forward to helping you level up.
Great Tunes & Techniques for Four-String Equidistant Dulcimer
This upper-intermediate workshop is for four-string equidistant mountain dulcimer players who want to deepen their technique and understanding. We’ll explore practical fingering approaches, how the string layout shapes musical choices, and ways to adapt common three-string chord shapes to four strings. We’ll work with one uptempo strummed tune and one slower fingerpicked song.
The Complete Guide to Playing with a One-and-a-Half Fret
You've got this extra fret. Now what? It's GREAT for backup chords, sprucing up your melodies in simple ways, and playing slightly more sophisticated chord-melody arrangements. I'll show you everything I know.
Fully Use Your 1½ Fret: Scales, Chords, Licks, and Tunes
You decided to get a one-and-a-half fret, and you’d like to make the most of it. Using three to four arrangements, I’ll show you what’s cool about this extra fret: melodies, chords, and licks. (I’ve taught a similar class in the past, but this approach is a bit different, and I’m using different arrangements.)
Playable Fancy Tunes in the 1-3-5 Tuning
Tuning D-F#-A opens up a lot of new possibilities. It's easy to get major chords, minor chords, the blues scale, lots of interesting pentatonic patterns, and more. We'll play through some cool tunes, exercises, and a bunch of blues.
CAPO / TUNINGS / KEYS
Why and How to Use Your Capo
Capos are necessary and fun. We'll start with what makes a good capo, how to put it on, and how to use it to get a lot of cool music out of the dulcimer. I'll bring a handful of my favorite capo tunes. DAD/DGD tuning. Bring a capo.
Three Capo Tunes and Plenty of Capo Tips
Capos help you get to all kinds of great tunes that don’t lay out so easily in the open tuning. I’ll teach you three fun tunes and everything you need to make them work.
Six Tunes in Different Keys Using Common Tunings and a Capo
Accomplished dulcimer players have been using these tunings and capo positions since the early days of the dulcimer revival. In this two-hour class, we’ll explore five to seven arrangements that showcase the strengths of each setting. Let me demonstrate just how cool these tunes can be. There's all kinds of cool dulcimer music in print from the 80s and 90s making use of this stuff!
CHROMATIC MOUNTAIN DULCIMER
Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer 101: Foundations
This ONLINE ZOOM class is about learning the basics of how the chromatic dulcimer works. To go along with each day’s topics, we’ll walk through one cool arrangement making use of the same new ideas. I don’t want to cover too much too fast, and I want to make sure we make everything practical. Each session is 60 minutes long with question/answer after.
Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer 201: Explorations
This ONLINE ZOOM class is about building on the basics presented in 101 and moving into more intermediate territory. To go along with each day’s topics, we’ll walk through one cool arrangement making use of the same new ideas. It’s important to me we give these ideas legs. It’s not enough to study this stuff; we need to make it all musically practical.
Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer 301: Mastery
Building on 101 and 201, this ONLINE ZOOM class covers the most advanced concepts. To go along with each day’s topics, we’ll walk through one cool arrangement making use of the same new ideas. When I get together with non-dulcimer playing musicians, this is a lot of the stuff I use to survive. I want to show you how these same ideas can help you function well in all kinds of musical situations.
Backup All Kinds of Styles with Your Chromatic
Chromatic mountain dulcimer backup really spices up a jam or performance. It's also a good way to learn more about how music works so you can sit in with just about anyone anywhere. I'll show you how to use chords, chops, two-string mando tremolo, and bass runs to match the chord progressions of common jam tunes and songs. We'll cover a number of keys as we focus on playing more and talking less. Genres include old-time, bluegrass, country, blues, jazz, and more.
INTENSIVES / LONG-FORM DULCIMER COURSES
Mountain Dulcimer A to Z In-Person Three-Day Intensive
Every workshop I host is like a living, evolving piece of music. If you've joined me before, know that each session is a fresh rendition, harmonizing the foundational teachings with new insights. Over time, I've refined and retuned my approach, always striving to resonate more deeply with learners. While we'll revisit some cherished classic concepts and melodies, you can also anticipate enhanced interpretations and entirely new topics. Think of it as revisiting a favorite song, only to discover new layers and nuances. So whether it's your first workshop or your fifth, there's always something fresh to inspire your musical journey.
Mountain Dulcimer A to Z Just for Intermediate Players
For players who already have a foundation in playing the dulcimer and are ready to go further. Each week we’ll dig into arrangements that combine melody with chords, expand chord shapes across the fretboard, and strengthen rhythm and strum. You’ll refine hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides to make them more fluid, and begin developing your fingerpicking skills. Expect a solid introduction to some flatpicking concepts. Tunes will be both familiar and fresh, chosen to push your skills in the best way. You’ll get clear instruction, review videos, and tablature, plus plenty of time to play during class.
Mountain Dulcimer A to Z Just for Upper-Level Players
This series is for upper-intermediate and advanced level players who are ready to polish their sound and tackle more challenging repertoire and techniques. We’ll dive into advanced arranging techniques, phrasing, and expressive playing while building a strong set of tunes you’ll want to keep. Expect to work on richer chord voicings, flatpicking, and crosspicking. You’ll practice moving melodies across octaves, building variations, arranging, and improvising. Other skills include upper-level fingerpicking, creating polished intros, endings, and transitions, and developing stage-ready tone and presence. Each class includes demonstrations, guided practice, and detailed handouts, along with review videos so you can dig deeper between sessions.
Two-Day Intensive with Stephen Seifert
If you already play dulcimer and want to go deeper, come join me for two days of real progress, good music, and serious fun.
We’ll work side-by-side as we focus on the techniques that make the difference — strumming, flat-picking, finger-picking, and blending both simple and fancy chording into your playing. I’ll show you clear, efficient left-hand fingerings for both thumb-and-non-thumb players, and we’ll make music that’s not only good — it’s fun to play for and with others.
You’ll receive tablature for everything we do, and you’re welcome to video record my demonstrations so you can keep learning and reinforcing at your own pace. Expect a friendly, focused environment and lots of great music.
SOFTWARE / TABLATURE
Tabledit Essentials – Creating Mountain Dulcimer Tablature
If you’ve ever wanted to make your own clean, readable dulcimer tab — I can help. Over four weeks, we’ll cover everything from basic setup to professional formatting, step by step.
You’ll learn how to enter notes, lyrics, chord symbols, and create printable tabs that look and play great. We’ll also explore Tabledit’s playback tools so you can hear your arrangements before you share them. Plus a lot more.
UKULELE
Songs of Old Hawaii
Over six sessions, I’ll share some of my favorite classic songs about Hawaii from the 1920s and 1930s. Many were written in Hawaii.
We’ll work on chording and strumming for sure, and we’ll sometimes do a little chord-melody (melody and chords at the same time). Expect to learn one, and sometimes two, songs each week.
If you’re ready for a little musical vacation, I’ve got you covered. Meet me over on the Beach at Waikiki!
Ukulele Chord-Melody for Novice Players
Travel with me to Hawaii! I love playing chords and melody at the same time on the ukulele. We’ll use two favorites from old Hawaii throughout. Using beginner chords, you’ll play along with my melody. Next, you’ll take the melody while I play chords. Finally, you’ll combine both in a simple, pleasing way.
Beginner Ukulele – Folk Songs & Strums, I
If you’ve always wanted to play ukulele but didn’t know where to start, this 4-week class will get you strumming confidently right away. We’ll play familiar folk songs while learning easy chords, smooth changes, and clear rhythm approaches for the right hand. You’ll learn to hear the beat, keep steady time, and play chords to music people actually recognize. (We’ll MOSTLY play chords in this class. We do just a LITTLE melody playing, but not much.)
Each session includes play-along practice, exercises, and step-by-step guidance. No pressure — just a comfortable pace and a supportive group of learners discovering how simple and joyful this little instrument can be.
Novice Ukulele – Beyond the Basics, I
You know your basic chords, you want to learn more, but more than anything, you want to be better at using them with a great right hand. In this four-week class, we’ll add new strumming patterns and chord variations to give your playing style and depth. Each week includes at least one great tune, sometimes more. (Much of this class is chord work, but we will do a little melody playing.)
We’ll keep things lighthearted but structured, helping you sound more confident whether you’re playing alone or with others.
Ukulele A to Z for Novice & Intermediate Players
If you know a few chords and strums on the ukulele but want to go further, this series will give you a solid foundation and the confidence to play songs well. Over six weeks, we’ll cover steady strumming patterns, the most useful chord shapes, and simple melody playing. You’ll also learn how to transpose songs to easier keys and add expression through variation. Expect folk classics, sing-alongs, and a few surprises from pop, rock, and jazz—always broken down into clear, doable steps. Each session includes guided practice, review videos, and printed materials so you can keep improving between classes.
IRISH WHISTLE / PENNYWHISTLE
Irish Whistle Airs, Polkas, and Jigs
Whether you have just a little experience on the whistle or can already play a handful of Irish tunes in two or three keys, I can help you get better.
We’ll spend some time working on clean octave and register jumps, scales, arpeggios, and basic ornaments, but most of our time will be devoted to learning complete tunes that you will eventually be able to play from memory. I’m not concerned with pushing everything up to top speed. We’re going to focus on quality.
I love Ireland, Irish music, and the Irish whistle. I’ve learned a lot about this tradition over the years, and I’m looking forward to sharing what I know with you.
Novice Irish Whistle – Airs, Polkas, Jigs, Hornpipes & Reels, I
The Irish whistle is one of the simplest and most beautiful instruments you’ll ever play. In this class, we’ll explore five classic tune types using a learn-by-ear approach supported by clear recordings and sheet music. You’ll gain control over breathing, rhythm, and phrasing while beginning your journey with traditional ornamentation like cuts, rolls, and slides.
This is a friendly, structured introduction that keeps things musical and relaxed. You’ll finish with several complete tunes and the confidence to keep going on your own.
HARMONICA
Beginner Harmonica – Folk Songs People Know, I
This class is all about instant fun. No experience needed — just bring a D harmonica and I’ll show you how to make real music right away. We’ll learn simple folk favorites everyone recognizes, working by ear with just enough visual cues to help you follow along but also using sheet music/tablature.
You’ll get comfortable with producing single notes, all while learning short tunes that sound great.
Novice Harmonica – Jam Tunes for Folk Musicians, I
Already play a little harmonica and want to go further? This class helps you turn the songs you love into confident jam-ready music. We’ll learn traditional folk and jam tunes you can use. I’ll teach mostly by ear, but you’ll also receive sheet music/tablature and a simple reference sheet showing key melody notes and harmonica holes.
Each week builds on the last, giving you both tunes and real technique you’ll keep using. Whether you play solo, in a group, or around a campfire, you’ll come away sounding smoother, more musical, and more expressive.
Beginning Old-Time Harmonica
Whether you’re a brand-new player or someone with just a little experience, I’ll show you how to play favorite folk melodies on a key of D harmonica (I recommend a Hohner Special 20 in D or Low D). Once everyone is comfortable with single notes, I’ll show you how to play melody and chords at the same time. I’ll cover everything you need to know to enjoy this tiny giant of an instrument.