Wanda Degen mountain dulcimer workshops

For those interested in picking up the mountain dulcimer or expanding their knowledge of the instrument, musician and educator Wanda Degen will lead three workshops 11 a.m. to noon, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 16) at Elderly Instruments, where she taught music lessons for more than 45 years.

The first workshop will be an introduction to the mountain dulcimer for beginners. Topics covered will include how to tune the dulcimer, strumming techniques and the unique setup of its fretboard. Participants will learn simple songs both by ear and with tablature.

The second workshop, “Sweet Sounds for the Holidays,” is recommended for intermediate players. Participants will learn to play 15 holiday songs in four different tunings and three different keys. The arrangements include some fingerpicking, some flatpicking and some traditional strumming.

The final workshop will be a mountain dulcimer sampler, recommended for intermediate players. Participants will play a sampling of tunes from the Appalachian, Celtic and folk repertoires.

Degen describes herself as a “handout-heavy” instructor, and all attendees will leave with plenty of material to continue exploring and learning from.

To register for each of the workshops, visit elderly.com/events or call (517) 372-7880.