Album Notes

Steve Schneider, described as a master of the hammered dulcimer, is known for his energetic yet relaxed playing, sensitive and thoughtful approach, and innovative style. The dulcimer has been a part of his life since 1984, and he continues to use it for recording, teaching, performing, music therapy, and composing.

Steve's hammered dulcimer credentials include playing on movie sound tracks, radio and tv commercials, and documentaries. He is the first hammered dulcimer player on Broadway, playing in the award-winning musical, The Secret Garden, from 1991 to 1993.

With a Master's degree in music therapy, independent studies in Dalcroze Eurythmics and piano, and an intuitive sense of the process of learning, Steve is both a master performer and a gifted teacher. He has performed and taught at festivals from coast to coast, and he teaches hammered dulcimer and piano privately in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

Originally from NYC, you can hear the influence of all kinds of music in Steve's playing. He continues to explore new repertoire for the hammered dulcimer, and specializes in a softer yet still virtuosic approach to the instrument.

Paul Oorts is a master guitarist and multi-instrumentalist from Silver Spring, MD. Paul and Steve share a love of music from many and varied sources, and are in the process of creating a Latin music recording as a follow-up to Momentum. Paul is the musical partner of and is husband of hammered dulcimer artist Karen Ashbrook.

Steve is the director of the Northern Lights Hammered Dulcimer Retreat, a week-long workshop for advanced students in Ontario, Canada. He has three recordings on his Salient MusicWorks label and has produced one music book, "The Music of Tuesday's Child," a companion to his first recording, Tuesday's Child, for the hammered dulcimer.

Momentum is the culmination of Steve's collaboration with Paul Oorts, a long-time friend and musical conspirator. A reviewer in Dulcimer Players News writes: "Hearing either of these two alone is a treat; hearing them together is about as good as it gets."