I was given a nice mountain dulcimer and my girlfriend wants to learn to play it. Can one of you recomend the best book or web site for her to learn from?
Thanks, Tansy
Tansy - can you stand a bit of “self promotion”?
Tom and I have taught beginning mountain dulcimer for a number of years, and we taught over 100 people at one of our local dulcimer club.
From those classes we designed a “beginner” book, in conjunction with Dave Lynch (harpmaker on this board) of Sweet Woods Instruments.
The book/CD combination gives one the basic building blocks of playing the instrument, left and right hand techniques, learning a song by ear, and playing from TAB.
You can order a “hard copy” of the book, or get it as email attachments. And we accept Pay Pal.
If interested:
http://www.strothers.com/beginnersbook.htm
Also have your friend take a look at the following website:
http://www.everythingdulcimer.com
You’ll see quite a few familiar “faces” there!!
thank you Missy, I new I could count on my chiffer friends, we’ll be ordering your book soon, very reasonable I might ad. Tis a nice sounding dulcimer, it’s made by Flat Creek Dulcimer Shoppe in Hardy, Ar.
Built in "89. It’s as new. I just put new strings on it, high class tuners too.
thanks again, Tansy 
Tansy, the best thing to do is for you to learn first, then buy your girlfriend her own, cause you won’t want to give it up… 
j/k
Anyway, I have been including a copy of that beginners book with all of my student dulcimers for quite awhile now, and have had quite a few people order one to pass on to friends who have gotten a dulcimer and not known what to do next.
And you have to check out everythingdulcimer. That is probably the premier dulcimer website, and it has a forum like this too…
and if your friend (or you) needs a new dulcimer, you need to check out harpmaker’s instruments. Yes, we host him on our website…
http://www.strothers.com/sweet_woods.htm
(ok, Dave, I think we are done patting each other on the back!!!)
I just ordered the book and CD. I already play a good finger style guitar and read music and tab, so I hope to be able to help her a bit.
There’s nothin’ wrong with pluging a good product, especially if one of the “family” made it. I would rather buy from one of yall than blindly from some internet stranger.