Different hammered dulcimer books serve different purposes and reflect different author's theories and techniques. I won't attempt to review the books in this list, but I will attempt to categorize them, indicate relative sizes, and refer you to some online reviews. This list was compiled from various sources, including my own collection. Some of the books listed may be out of print or between printings and hard to find, and some may be available in new editions under new names. For sources and prices, check the links below or check with the stores on the stores page. For Kitchen Musician Books just click.
Kendra Ward Bence
Hammered Dulcimer Handbook - 86 pages
Maddie MacNeil
You Can Teach Yourself Hammered Dulcimer - 87 pages at Roots and Branches, also from Mel Bay
Phillip Mason
Hammered Dulcimer Instruction Book - 44 pages
The Hammered Dulcimer Companion - 83 pages
Linda Foley and Sara Johnson
Square One - A Hammer Dulcimer Book for Absolute Beginners - 16 pages, also
Square One, Book Two - Exercises for Hammered Dulcimer
Ed Hale
700 West D Street
North Little Rock AR 72116
501/753-9259
Notes on the Hammered Dulcimer - 133 pages
Peter Pickow
Hammered Dulcimer - 111 pages
Lucille Reilly
Striking Out- and Winning - 188 pages
The Hammered Dulcimer A-Chording to Lucille Reilly -large
Maggie Sansone - Maggie's Big Book of Celtic Tunes is a new book from Maggie's Music
Gail Schwandt
427 N. Line Street
Chesaning MI 48616
517/845-6240
Dulcimer Essentials (or All the Things You Need to Know Sooner or Later) 12 pages
Linda Lowe Thompson Dulcimer Books
Linda Lowe Thompson
309 Pennsylvania
Denton TX 76205
940-387-4001 - Tunes for Hammered Dulcimer:Instruction Manual for Beginners - 42 pages
Hammered Dulcimer Notebook - 155 pages
Karen Ashbrook
PO BOX 8310
Silver Spring, MD 20907 - Playing the Hammered Dulcimer in the Irish Tradition - 87 pages, and "Hills of Erin," a transcription of Karen's CD of the same name
Lilah Gillett
Easy Chord Playing Method for Hammered Dulcimer - Books 1, 2 (54 pages) and 3 (100+ tunes)
David James
916 Emerson Ave.
South Bend IN 46615
219/288-4326
Hammering and Plucking
(Techniques for Advanced Playing of Irish and American Tunes) - 37 pages
David Kettlewell
All the Tunes that Ever there Were
(An Introduction to the Dulcimer in the British Isles) - 72 pages
Judi Morningstar
Aunt Lu's Guide to Dulcimer Tunes - 45 pages
Kendra Ward Bence
The Old Time Religion - 30 Hymns - 62 pages
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - 30 carols and holiday favorites
Tina Bergmann
458 W. Hines Hill Rd
Hudson OH 44236
216 650-0972
A Collection of Tunes for the Hammered Dulcimer - 21 tunes, 26 pages
Some standard (and some obscure) fiddle tunes, plus jigs, rags, a Swedish Hambo , a polka and some beautiful and unusual waltzes
Carrie Crompton
Hammer Dulcimer Solos - Books 1 and 2 ; Early Music for 3 string dulcimer, Renaissance Dulcimer, Come Let Us Be Merry
Kitchen Musician - Books 1-17
Carole Koenig
Hammered Dulcimer Classics - 54 pages
Barb Levine
Buffalo Stage Road
About 50 tunes, including many by the author
Judi Morningstar
Designer Music - Original Music - 60 pages (includes March of St. Timothy)
The Ruffwater Fakebook - large - 169 tunes
Maggie Sansone
Hammer Dulcimer Tunebook
Sounds of the Season: Hammer Dulcimer Solos - 26 pages
Mist and Stone - 48 pages
Dance Upon the Shore - by Maggie Sansone transcribed, compiled, and edited by Maureen Wysham and Geoff Wysham
Some of Maggie's books are available in sets with her CDs.
An Index to Printed Sources of Folk Dance Tunes from the United States and British Isles
Dorothy Grossman
1031 E. Breckenridge Street
Louisville KY 40204 - 319 pages - Alphabetical list of tunes by name from Aaachee's Reel to Zoe's Reel with references to tunebooks, plus over twelve pages of duclimr, fiddle and other tunebook listings. Index includes about four bars of the melody line for each tune.
Index to Tunes for Hammered Dulcimer
Anita Baker Sherman
6234 Flodden Drive
Memphis TN 38119. This is a pretty complete index of dulcimer books available in the US, with listings of Books Indexed (and where to get them), Tunes arranged alphabetically by title, listing books and page numbers, and an index of Christmas music, with references to dulcimer books and page numbers.