Category: Bandcamp

New EP at bandcamp!

This EP is partly a retrospective, with three tracks going back to 2019 and 2020 (Canterbury Lullaby, Jenny’s New Dreamscape, and The Light Always Comes), and two fairly recent tracks from earlier this year (Allison’s Infinite Round I, and Firefly Duet).

The three earlier tracks were remixed and remastered, and this took a lot more time than any other production in recent memory. I have taken advantage of the new mastering assistant in my Logic Pro Digital Audio Workstation, and I have made some progress in my audio engineering – particularly with getting levels balanced and consistent.

Most of these tunes have two or three tracks of electric dulcimer, with some standard DAD tuning, and some baritone AEAA tuning (Allison’s Infinite Round is tuned a whole step up to B-F#-B-B).

https://jerryrockwell.bandcamp.com/album/canterbury-lullaby-ep

New EP on Bandcamp! Exploring More of the Acoustic Sounds from the Dulcimer

I’ve been very busy in the last three or four months with producing these tracks in my home studio. I don’t remember a time in the past where I was so dedicated to getting a collection of tunes out, and getting everything sounding right.

I went into 2025 with a surge of interest in recording my own handcrafted dulcimers acoustically, using just a decent quality condenser mic. Much of my recording over the past decade has been with magnetic humbucking pickups — usually placed over the strings with device that hold the pickups securely. These pickups do a great job of amplifying the dulcimer, and they work incredibly well with the immersive and ambient reverb plug-ins I use with Logic Pro software. The downside is that they make the dulcimer sound VERY similar to an electric guitar.

Two tracks on this new EP that use mostly just acoustic dulcimer and acoustic guitar are the opening track “Allison’s Infinite Round I” and track 5 “Safe Passage Round II.” I think you will hear a difference in these tracks: to me, I notice the increased dynamic range of the dulcimer and acoustic guitar. There is also a fragility or delicacy in the tone, though there is also a certain kind of acoustical power that really kicks, particularly on the high-end.

https://jerryrockwell.bandcamp.com/album/safe-passage-to-green-fields

Brand New EP at Bandcamp!

This is East Beach on Lake Erie in Lorain, Ohio. "Twilight At East Beach" is the title of my EP on Bandcamp

It has certainly been many moons since I released anything on bandcamp, but I’ve been working diligently on some more meditative dulcimer instrumentals, and I have a 4-tune EP ready now……just in time for “Bandcamp Fridays” (where the platform forgoes their share of revenue on the first Friday of most months).

These are some tracks that took more time for me to get exactly the right production, and I’m learning a lot about audio engineering with each track.

“Kate’s Waltz” is a 3/4 time version of my original “Kate’s Tune” which first appeared on my Singing Messenger album, way back in 2016. It is based on a mixolydian chord progression which was generated by a harmonized descending mixolydian mode. I have used this for many other titles, including “Blue Ridge Dream” (also in 3/4), “November’s Waltz” (from the early years of my Patreon lessons), and also the last track on this EP “Continuous Lines 218.”

“Magic Mountain Sanctuary” is a continuation of my “Magic Mountain Solitude” tracks, and I’m tuned a half step up from my usual DAD tuning – to Eb – Bb – Eb. The chords are a stretched out version of the “cabbage chords” (well-known to many dulcimer players!), and there is an arpeggiated keyboard track in the background to set the groove.

The title track “Twilight At East Beach” is inspired by a beautiful beach on Lake Erie, in Lorain, Ohio, not too far from Cleveland. This one is actually in the key of F and uses an 8-bar progression I constructed from joining two 4-chord loops. These days, I usually play in the key of F by tuning CGC and keying off of the F chord as the center, but not using a capo. This track has a few synth pads to create a backdrop for the very high-pitched dulcimer melodies.

Anyway, here you go if you want to check it out. Thanks for listening!

Twilight At East Beach EP

New EP Release!

I have a brand new 7-track album of meditative instrumentals on my dulcimer, available at bandcamp. This collection is focused mostly on my baritone dulcimer (tuned AEAA in 4-string equidistant spacing). Some of the selections are out here on bandcamp before their official release dates: Mystic Light Meditation, and Lullaby for Kate.

Along with the extra warmth and richness of the acoustic/electric baritone, these are more ambient and immersive productions than most of my recent output. They should be great for meditation, yoga, daydreaming, or just getting some restful sleep.

https://jerryrockwell.bandcamp.com/album/rainy-day-dreaming

New EP on Bandcamp!

Here is a brand new EP for you at Bandcamp, where I have finally recorded some of my best takes of two pentatonic originals that go back a few years: Five Tones of Wonder, and Koehler’s Pond Meditation. There’s also some brand-new recordings of a few Celtic traditional tunes that have been great fun. These recordings have a bit more color and harmony than usual, and in the case of Ballinderry, I have revamped the tune into a kind of minimalistic, but jazzy round (even though it does not work as a traditional round in its original form). Another Irish tune in this collection is the ever-popular waltz South Wind. Red Is The Rose is a Scots melody attributed to Robert Burns.

Five Restful Tunes for Dulcimer EP

And here is a free pdf tablature download for 4 out of 5 of the tunes here (I don’t have anything in tablature yet on this new South Wind):

FourOfFiveRestfulTunesDownload