About Denise Martin's Virtual Hammered Dulcimer Lessons
These lessons developed by Denise Martin • Updated 12/30/05

Designed for Beginners

To get the most from these lessons, I recommend you first acquaint yourself with the basics of your instrument and accessories.

You should already have at least some knowledge of:
  • the parts of the instrument and what they're called
  • the basic layout of your own instrument: general note placement and bridge markings
  • good playing posture and ergonomic set-up
  • how to hold the hammers, and the basics of proper striking technique
  • how to tune the instrument and get it in tune
If you're uncertain about your competence in the above, you can still watch the lesson movies and learn something, but you may not be ready to actually play along.

What these lessons can do for you 

These beginner lessons are designed to help you begin finding your way around the instrument, and to begin developing logical hammering patterns. If you are an experienced player, you probably will not learn anything new here yet. However, I am hoping to develop more advanced virtual lessons in the future, for learning specific tunes.