Nina Zanetti

Nina Zanetti is the 2008 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. She comes to the mountain dulcimer from a diverse musical background, including choral music, violin, viola, piano, and shape note singing. She plays regularly at churches, historic sites, and community events. She is a sought-after dulcimer instructor and has taught workshops at in-person festivals throughout the country, including Western Carolina University, John C. Campbell Folk School, Kentucky Music Week, as well as for online festival, such as Quarantunes. Nina is especially fond of the “softer side of dulcimer”. She has produced several books of solo arrangements for mountain dulcimer and has co-authored four books of duet/ensemble arrangements (the Tunes for Two or More series, with Beth Lassi.) She has a strong interest in American folk hymns, many of which appear in her tablature book Glories Immortal: A Collection of Hymns from America’s Past and in a book of Shaker music (co-authored with Bill Collins), The Humble Heart. Her other musical love is Early Music, featured in her tablature book, Heart’s Ease. Nina is featured on Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas (CD) and has also recorded a CD of solos and duets with Bill Collins (The Sum of the Parts), as well as a solo CD, Beside Still Waters. Her newest CD, Winter’s Light and companion book Winter Variations celebrate the quiet joys and consolations of the winter season. www.ninazanetti.com


				Nina Zanetti
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	Folk Hymns from America's Past - Advanced Beginner (D-A-D) Favorite hymns from early in American history often have simple harmonies and captivating tunes that sound great on mountain dulcimer. We’ll learn hymns from a variety of historical traditions, including selections from the Sacred Harp (shape note) tradition, early American hymn writers, spirituals, and/or Shaker music. We’ll also learn a bit about the musical traditions that the tunes come from, and we’ll explore ways of playing the tunes that are expressive and that evoke the style of the tradition.
			The Softer Side of Dulcimer - Intermediate and Up (D-A-D) “Dulcimer” means “sweet music”. In this workshop, we will explore both right- and left-hand techniques that can help us achieve a sweet sound and musical expression in our playing. We’ll review a gentle finger-picking style that can produce a “softer”, dreamy sound; and we’ll look at left-hand skills that help create a fluid, song-like quality in our playing. As we learn some lovely tunes, we’ll explore how expression, phrasing, and dynamics can make our playing both soothing and musically captivating.
			Three String Choir - Advanced This is truly an advanced workshop, in which I share my approach to arranging in which I treat the dulcimer as an ensemble unto itself: that is, each string is a different voice and can be given its own part, much as in a choir, where, say, the altos and tenors have moving inner parts. Frequently people are puzzled by this aspect of my arrangements and tab, so it's a good chance to explain a little about how that works; plus something a little unusual (I think) in the dulcimer world to see the instrument this way.
		Nina Zanetti is the 2008 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. She comes to the mountain dulcimer from a diverse musical background, including choral music, violin, viola, piano, and shape note singing. She plays regularly at churches, historic sites, and community events. She is a sought-after dulcimer instructor and has taught workshops at in-person festivals throughout the country, including Western Carolina University, John C. Campbell Folk School, Kentucky Music Week, as well as for online festival, such as Quarantunes. Nina is especially fond of the “softer side of dulcimer”. She has produced several books of solo arrangements for mountain dulcimer and has co-authored four books of duet/ensemble arrangements (the Tunes for Two or More series, with Beth Lassi.) She has a strong interest in American folk hymns, many of which appear in her tablature book Glories Immortal: A Collection of Hymns from America’s Past and in a book of Shaker music (co-authored with Bill Collins), The Humble Heart. Her other musical love is Early Music, featured in her tablature book, Heart’s Ease. Nina is featured on Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas (CD) and has also recorded a CD of solos and duets with Bill Collins (The Sum of the Parts), as well as a solo CD, Beside Still Waters. Her newest CD, Winter’s Light and companion book Winter Variations celebrate the quiet joys and consolations of the winter season. www.ninazanetti.com