For promotional photos of Neal, click here.
Neal Hellman is a nationally acclaimed performer, teacher, and recording artist specializing in the mountain dulcimer. For over 40 years, he has been a leading voice in acoustic music, with a career spanning performance, composition, education, and production.
His recordings on the Gourd Music label include Emma’s Waltz, Autumn in the Valley, Dream of the Manatee
(with Joe Weed), and Oktober County. Neal co-composed the award-winning score for Princess Furball, a children's video by Weston Woods, and his original compositions appear in several Ken Burns documentaries, including
Not for Ourselves Alone, Horatio’s Drive, The National Parks, The Dust Bowl and American Buffalo.
A prolific author, Neal has written numerous dulcimer instruction books, such as Celtic Songs & Slow Airs for Mountain Dulcimer, The Hal Leonard Dulcimer Method, and Mountain Dulcimer Arrangements from Both Sides of the Atlantic.
As founder and director of Gourd Music, he has produced over 50 albums, shaping a signature sound rooted in richly textured acoustic arrangements. His production credits include Simple Gifts, Tender Shepherd, The World Turned Upside Down, and Jefferson’s Fiddle.
In the theater world, Neal has served as music director and arranger for productions including The Grapes of Wrath (2009), A Musical Celebration of the Life and Times of John Steinbeck (2013), The Weir (2022), and The Shakespeare Gala (2025)
Click to hear a clip of Bianco Fiore.
Click to hear a clip of Durango.
Click to hear a clip of Canarios.
Download Only.
A collection of Neal's dulcimer tracks on other Gourd Music recordings.
Click to hear a clip of Emma's Waltz.
The Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast.
1) Scottish Tunes & Ballads:(Intermediate).
Tunes include: The Last Time I Came O’er the Moor, Leaving Lismore, The Heroes of St. Valory, and Waterloo Hornpipe
Ballads: Skye Boat Song, Farewell to Tarwathie, Will Ye No Come Back Again?, and Ye Banks & Braes.
2) Music of the World for Mountain Dulcimer:(Intermediate). Featuring arrangements from Neal's latest book of arrangements for Hal Leonard Publishing.
Including: Arirang (Korea), Tourdion and Belle qui tiens ma vie (France), Längdance (Sweden), Ojos azules (Andes), Roselil' og hendes moder (Denmark) and additional arrangements from Ireland, Russia and The Netherlands. Students should be able to perform basic embellishment techniques (hammers, pulls and slides).
3) American Tunes & Ballads: (Intermediate).
This new workshop will feature arrangements from Neal’s latest book of dulcimer arrangements. Tunes include Colored Aristocracy, Fiddlin’ Bagpipes, Silly Bill and Gary Owen. The workshop will also feature ballads collected in the Southern Appalachians and a few American songs: Pretty Saro, Wayfaring Stranger, Johnny Has Gone for A Soldier, Slumber My Darling, I Shall Rise and When Adam Was Created.
4) Shaker Music for the Dulcimer: (Intermediate) The American Shakers made music an integral part of their daily lives and worship, from lively dance tunes and marches to reverent hymns. Selections include pieces as played on dulcimer from the albums Simple Gifts and Tree of Life: Love is Little, Tree of Life, Back Manner Tunes, I Will Walk With My Children, etc. The wonderful thing about Shaker music is that it has roots both in Europe (Celtic, English, Scottish) and Appalachia. The technique involved in arranging and playing these compositions will be covered as well as the repertoire.
5) Aeolian Mode for Beginners: (Beginner) Students will tune to the Aeolian mode of D (D-A-C where D is the bass string). This is both a simple and rewarding workshop, especially for beginners. Students will be taught basic melodies as well as how to utilize the dulcimer to back up the voice. Selections include The Praties, Kojo no Tuski, Goddesses, Breton Tune and Nonesuch.
6) Swedish & Finnish Music on the Dulcimer: (Intermediate-Advanced).
Two of the Swedish compositions will be in D-A-C and the melody will be played on one string. However they will require an ability to execute hammers, pull offs, and slides quickly and succinctly. We will explore the traditional Swedish pipe tune Sackpiplat, a contemporary Swedish tune Konvulsionslaten by Anders Norudde.
Also from Sweden we will learn the beautiful ballad Lordagsvisa (D-A-D but the tune is in Bm). From Finland we will learn a popular waltz: Emma’s Waltz (D-A-D capo on 1st fret). These have a wonderful feel to them a represent quite a departure from the traditional Irish and American tunes.
7) Italian Laude & Early Music For The Dulcimer: (Intermediate)
Ancient and Renaissance music of Italy and France for the dulcimer. Slow Airs, Laudas (Church Music of the 12th Century), dance music such as El Tutu, Tourdion, Dance by Mouret and Bianca Fiore and airs such as Lauda di Maria Maddelena, Voi ch'amate lo Criatore and just for fun Bach’s Minuet in G.
