MUSIC BOOKS:Lois’ instructional repertoire books for the mountain dulcimer are published by Mel Bay Publications and Backyard Music. They are clearly and intelligently explained and arranged, helping the dulcimer player to understand and master the instrument’s friendly and varied voices.
Lois’s New Book and CD!
"Cajun Favorites for the Mountain Dulcimer" A lively collection of traditional Louisiana Cajun dance tunes - two-steps and waltzes - suitable for advanced beginner through experienced dulcimer players. The music is in dulcimer tablature, with chords and notation that can be played by other instruments as well. A CD inside the book demonstrates all the music. 27 pieces with extra embellished versions of many include:Jolie Blon, Gran Texas (Jambalaya), Mardi Gras Dance, Allons à Lafayette, The Back Door, Bayou Teche Two-Step, Bayou Pon Pon, Bosco Stomp, Chez Seychelles, Dans la Louisiane, Eunice Two-Step, Abe’s Waltz, J’ai Passé Devant ta Porte, and more… $20.00 for book & CD + Postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item
"The Classroom Dulcimer" (beginner’s book) Lois’s book for new players. An excellent primer for children, and an easy way for adults to begin. How to tune, play notes, chords and harmonies. Features Lois’s approach to strumming and counting time. Songs: Groundhog, Hot Cross Buns, Skip to My Lou, Boil Them Cabbage Down, Waterbound, Old Dan Tucker, It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More, What-Cha Gonna Do With the Baby?, Goodbye Liza Jane, Shame Shame on the Johnson Boys, Old Yeller Dog, Goin Down to Town, The Merry Green Fields of Ireland, Rock & Roll Riff 1, Rock & Roll Riff 2, My Paddle, Goddesses, Shady Grove, Old Joe Clark, The Seasons Round.Begins in DAA (Ionian) tuning, and then teaches DAD (Mixolydian) tuning and DAC (Aeolian) tuning. $15.95 + Postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item (quantity discounts available on classroom sets)
“I recommend this book for this age group … or any age group. The explanations are clear and simple, the introduction to rhythm and strumming are just about perfect. Lois has taught THOUSANDS of children to play during her school residencies and this book is the result of that experience.” … Wayne Seymour, well-known NC educator and string band musician. BOOKS FOR DOWNLOAD:"Anthology for the Fretted Dulcimer" and "Dulcimer Fiddle Tunes" books are available for download at: http://www.melbay.com/authors.asp?author=199
Please Note: Books below in blue are currently out of print, but Mel Bay Publications plans to release them sometime in 2008. Thank you for your patience and check back here for announcements of re-issue.
"American Fiddle Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer" (appropriate for advanced beginners through experienced players) Lois’ outstanding repertoire and technique book contains all the music from her Dulcimer Jubilee! CD in notation, dulcimer tablature with chords. Designed as a follow-up to Lois’s Dulcimer Fiddle Tunes book. Shows tunings, advice on jamming with other instruments, how to find core tunes, improvisation techniques, fingering advice, memorization, building speed, note articulation, kick-offs and tags, and playing in a string band. Music: Barlow Knife, Boatmen, Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine, Bonaparte’s Retreat, Breakin’ up Christmas, Chinese Breakdown, Cluck Old Hen, Cotton-Eyed Joe, Dixie, Down Yonder, Dubuque, Dutch Girl, Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss, Forked Deer, Hangman’s Reel, John Brown’s Dream, Julie Ann Johnson, Little Billy Wilson, Magpie, Midnight on the Water, Rock the Cradle Joe, Sail Away Ladies, Sandy Boys, Single Footin’ Horse, Southern Aristocracy, Spotted Pony, Sugar Hill, Tombigbee River, Turkey in the Straw, Westphalia Waltz, Year of Jubilo, The Yellow Rose of Texas
“Recommended as the primary mountain dulcimer resource for fiddle tunes.” - Bonnie Carol, legendary dulcimer player.
Companion recording to American Fiddle Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer book (Dulcimer Jubilee) is available from Lois Hornbostel but not from Mel Bay (currently available in audiocassette for $10 postage-paid).
"Anthology for the Fretted Dulcimer" (appropriate for advanced beginners to experienced players) Powerhouse book of 64 playing techniques and arrangements of many styles of music bagpipe music, bluegrass, blues, church music, rounds, Christmas, classical, contemporary, country, cowboy, dance tunes, duets, fiddle tunes, jazz, jigs, lullabies, lute music, morris dance music, polkas, polskas, ragtime, railroad, rock’n'roll, sea chanteys, slow airs, tango, waltzes, zither music. Special music played on the mountain dulcimers Swedish cousin, the hummel. Each musical piece teaches a new dulcimer playing technique, like balalaika strumming, clawhammer, bowing, harp techniques, noter-style playing, playing accidentals, grace notes, bending strings, harmonics, scale run techniques, tremolo, triplets, ritardando, fermata. Phrasing and dynamics, key changes, the original NBC tuning, reverse tunings, memorization, many chording techniques, and playing with other instruments. Includes guest arrangements by other notable dulcimer players.
“I think Anthology for the Fretted Dulcimer is one of the best resources I’ve ever seen.” - Kenneth Bloom: teacher, multi-instrumentalist & builder.
"The Irish Dulcimer" (appropriate for intermediate through experienced players) The classic mountain dulcimer collection of Irish jigs, hornpipes, reels, polkas, harp tunes & songs learned from Irish musicians in New York City. Tablature, notation, chords, technique instruction. Music: As I Roved Out, Behind the Haystack, The Blarney Pilgrim, The Castle of Dromore, Celtic Melodies, The Cruiscin Lan, Denis Murphy’s Slide, The Foggy Dew, Give Me Your Hand, The Harvest Home, Haste to the Wedding, The Humours of Whiskey, The Kesh Jig, Londonderry Air, Love Will You Marry Me, Merrily Kiss the Quaker, The Merry Blacksmith, Mick McGuire, Miss McLeod’s Reel, Ned of the Hill, O’Carolan’s Receipt for Drinking, The Parting Glass, Planxty Fanny Power, Planxty Irwin, Planxty Morgan Magan, Port Lairge, The Rights of Man, The Road to Lisdoonvarna, Spanish Lady, Strop the Razor, Summertime Summertime.
"Dulcimer Duets, Rounds & Ensembles" (appropriate for advanced beginners through experienced players) Lois wrote this book to offer more to dulcimer clubs and groups than unison melody playing. All of the arrangements blend melody and harmony parts for mountain dulcimers. Suitable for beginner through experienced players. Playing techniques, tablature, notation & chords. This book’s 34 group ensembles include old favorites like All Through the Night, Alouette, Amazing Grace, The Ash Grove, Boil Them Cabbage Down, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Flow Gently Sweet Afton, Hamilton’s Waltz, Hard Times Come Again No More, The Holly Bears a Berry, Jubilate Deo, Long Long Ago, The Minstrel Boy, Old Joe Clark, The Old Kentucky Home, Pretty Polly, Rosin the Bow, Shady Grove, Simple Gifts, Where the Soul Never Dies, White Coral Bells.
"Dulcimer Fiddle Tunes" (appropriate for advanced beginners through experienced players)40 favorite fiddle tunes from the old-time, British, and Cajun musical traditions in dulcimer tablature with chords & technique instruction. Tunes: Angelina Baker, The Arkansas Traveler, The Bold Fenian Men, Bonnie Charlie, The Boys of Blue Hill, Buffalo Gals, Cindy, Cold Frosty Morning, Cotton-Eyed Joe, Cumberland Gap, The Eighth of January, Fisher’s Hornpipe, Flop-Eared Mule, The Flowers of Edinburgh, Golden Slippers, Green Grow the Rushes, O!, Ida Red, Indian on a Stump, Keel Row, Kinlock of Kinlock, Liza Jane, Mississippi Sawyer, Nine Hundred Miles, Off to California, Over the Waterfall, Ragtime Annie, The Rakes of Kildare, Red Haired Boy, Red Wing, St. Anne’s Reel, Sally Ann, Sandy River Belle, Soldier’s Joy, The South Wind, The Star of the County Down, Staten Island Hornpipe, Uncle Joe, West Fork Girls, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Wind that Shakes the Barley.
Companion recording to Dulcimer Fiddle Tunes book is available from Lois Hornbostel but not from Mel Bay (currently available in audiocassette for $10 postage-paid).60 minutes. Play-along. Tunes demonstrated at a moderate speed. Tune to the cassette and play along as Lois first plays the melody and then the back-up so you can play the lead! RECORDINGS:New Recording! “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas” More than seasonal music, this recording is an exciting showcase of many different mountain dulcimer playing styles performed by well known dulcimer players. Features Lois playing “Il Est Né le Divin Enfant,” plus other players on: In Dulci Jubilo, In the Bleak Midwinter, White Christmas, Mary’s Boy Child, Frosty the Snowman, ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime/Hush, My Babe, Away in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard on High, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Down in Yon Forest, O Holy Night, Coventry Carol, Little Drummer Boy, I Wonder as I Wander, Silent Night, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. $15.00 + Postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item.
“Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer, Vol. 1” This classic compilation features nineteen of the finest players in the country in solo and ensemble instrumental selections ranging from traditional and contemporary, to jazz, classical, original, and Celtic melodies. Features Lois playing “Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes”/”Give Me Your Hand,” plus other players on: Muddy River Suite, Resignation/Goin’ to Boston, Song of Polly, Gypsy Wind, The Extra Drops of Brandy, Droning Mrs. Gobier/Old Christmas for Dulcimer, Misty Mountain Morning/Amazing Grace, The Humours of Glenridge, Time After Time, Stormy Weather, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine, Liza Jane, Emma’s song, Greensleeves/Scarborough Fair, Canarios, Soor Plooms, Si Beg Si Mor. $15.00 + Postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item.
“Dulcimer Celebrations!” This recording has been called a tour de force of outstanding dulcimer playing and is indeed a celebration of the versatility of the instrument. It is made up of memorable “live” performances from the concerts of the prestigious Western Carolina University Mountain Dulcimer Week. It has more than 60 minutes of traditional Appalachian, Celtic, world music, swing, blues and jazz. Selections: Sail Away Ladies (Phyllis & Jim Gaskins), The Wind and Rain (Howie Mitchell), The Extra Drops of Brandy (Leo Kretzner, Ron Ewing & Jerry Rockwell), Pretty Saro/Saro in the Wildwood (Leo Kretzner), Spanish Fandango (Janita Baker & Karen Mueller), Chickens Are a-Crowin’ (Ralph Lee Smith & Madeline MacNeil), Old Joe Clark (Don Pedi, Lloyd Wright, Bill Taylor & Jim Miller), Groundhog (The Trantham Family), Tune from St. Andrews (Kenneth Bloom, J. Baker, L. Hornbostel & W. Seymour), There Was a Woman from Slab City (Mike Anderson), The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond (Flora MacDonald Gammon), It is Well With My Soul (Linda Brockinton), Sweet Georgia Brown (Wayne Seymour & K. Bloom), Polly Swallow (Lois Hornbostel, K. Bloom, J. Baker & W. Seymour), Walkin’ Blues (Leo Kretzner), Georgia on My Mind (Bill Taylor & Jim Miller), Isalei/Aloha oe (Mark Nelson, Deb Porter & K. Bloom), Baby Elephant Walk (Stephen Seifert, J. Miller & B. Taylor), You Take My Breath Away (Madeline MacNeil). CD $15.00 + Postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item.
“Faces” This lush, melodic and rhythmic recording by autoharpist Carole Outwater contains two mountain dulcimer/autoharp duets with Lois: the O’Carolan harp tune “Blind Mary”and the Cajun mazurka “Chez Seychelles.” Lois also plays dulcimer with Carole and the Carolina Gator Gumbo Band on “Florida Blues,” “Jolie Blon,” and “Personne Pole Danser Avec Moi.” Other selections include: Coleman’s March, Ookpik Waltz, Richland Woman Blues, Polly Swallow, Hewlett, Morgan Magan, Four Marys, Miss Rowan Davies, The Silver-Tongue Devil and I, Western Country/Whiskey Before Breakfast/Angelina Baker, and Si Bheag Si Mohr. CD $15.00 + Postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item.
“Old-Time Journey” International Autoharp Champion Mike Fenton from England has produced this recording over 20 years’ time. It features his wonderful playing and that of many of his favorite old-time musicians. Lois and Mike blend mountain dulcimer and autoharp on his exquisite waltz “Polly Swallow.” Rare recordings of old-time musicians from Galax, VA area and legendary autoharpers. CD $15.00 + postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item.
“Into the Bayou” Delightful Cajun and Creole dance music from the Carolina Gator Gumbo Band (Charlotte, NC’s 2000 ‘Acoustic Band of the Year’). Lively good-time Cajun and Creole music. Lois plays, with autoharper Carole Outwater and guitarist Don Cowan, the great Cajun waltz “Valse du Nord et du Sud” by Pierre Diagle, Al Berard & Erroll Verret. CD $15.00 + Postage & packaging $2.50, with $1.00 for each additional item. Please Note: The CDs below in blue are currently out of stock, but we will have copies in stock soon. Thank you for your patience and check back here for announcements about them.
“Dulcimer Jubilee!” 32 traditional American fiddle tunes played rip-roarin’, whimsical and sweet. Dulcimers up front, accompanied variously by guitar, banjo and other stringed instruments. With Kenneth Bloom and Jeff Furman. All selections are found in Lois’ book,
"American Fiddle Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer" Selections: Year of Jubilo/Down Yonder, Cotton-Eyed Joe/Breakin’ up Christmas, Dixie, Boatmen/Sandy Boys, Dubuque/Single Footin’ Horse/Spotted Pony, Tombigbee River/Westphalia Waltz, Little Billy Wilson/Hangman’s Reel, Southern Aristocracy/Sail Away Ladies, Sugar Hill/Cluck Old Hen/Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss, Midnight on the Water, Barlow Knife/Turkey in the Straw, Julie Anne Johnson/Rock the Cradle Joe, John Brown’s Dream, Bonaparte’s Retreat/Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine, Chinese Breakdown, Dutch Girl/Magpie, Yellow Rose of Texas/Forked Deer.
“Lois’s playing sparkles with spirit and drive and she easily communicates the fun she’s having with these tunes … in addition to being outstanding listening.” … DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS
“I find ‘Dulcimer Jubilee’ thoroughly delightful. The energy, selection, mix and arrangements are superb!”… Karen Mueller
“Entirely instrumental, and really masterful. I played her version of ‘Dixie,’ which is one of the finest I’ve ever heard.” … Carolyn Adams, DJ — WDIY “Unlimited Possibilities” radio show Copies of “Dulcimer Jubilee!” are currently available in audiocassette format for $10 postpaid.
“Dulcimer Enchantment” The sweet, lyrical sounds of the mountain dulcimer that originally enchanted Lois and many others. Traditional music from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales & Appalachia. The dulcimer is up front, accompanied by delicate string accompaniments by Jerry Rockwell, Janet Hastings Furman and Jeff Furman. Selections: Celtic Melodies, Chickens Are a-Crowin’/Old Man at the Mill, Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes/Give Me Your Hand, Loudon’s Bonny Woods and Braes/Red Is the Rose, Ned of the Hill, The Munster Cloak, The Blarney Pilgrim, Lark in the Clear Air/Lagan Love, The Minstrel Boy, The Ash Grove, Avenging and Bright/Childgrove, The Humours of Whiskey, Little Billy Wilson.
“Lois understands and beautifully expresses the emotions of each piece and conveys its subtle varieties to the listener.” … Cyntia Smith, Aeolus Music Ordering Instructions
Mail Ordering CDs: Please include $2.50 packaging & shipping for the first recording. For additional recordings or books in your order include $1 each. Items in blue are not currently available but will be re-stocked; please check back.
Mail Ordering Books:Please include $2.50 packaging & shipping for the first book. For additional recordings or books in your order include $1 each. Items in blue are not currently available but will be re-stocked; please check back.
Send check or money order (with both your ‘snail mail’ and e-mail addresses) to: Lois Hornbostel
P. O. Box 907
Bryson City, NC 28713
Thank you!
|