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Biography and Workshop Information
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 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) |
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Click to hear a clip of Bianco Fiore. |
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Click to hear a clip of Durango. |
Click to hear a clip of Canarios. |
Dulcimer inThe Mix
Download Only. A collection of Neal's dulcimer tracks on other Gourd Music recordings. |
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Click to hear a clip of Emma's Waltz. |
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Listen to Neal's music on Soundcloud: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hear Neal being interviewed on
The Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast. |
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Neal Live At The Pickin' Porch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Workshops Offered by Neal Hellman - Click here to see some of Neal's dulcimer arrangemets. 1) Scottish Tunes & Ballads:(Intermediate). 2) Music of the World for Mountain Dulcimer:(Intermediate). Featuring arrangements from Neal's latest book of arrangements for Hal Leonard Publishing. 3) American Tunes & Ballads: (Intermediate). 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. 6) Swedish & Finnish Music on the Dulcimer: (Intermediate-Advanced). 7) Italian Laude & Early Music For The Dulcimer: (Intermediate) |
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