Tag: electric dulcimer

Two New Releases on Bandcamp!

As I write this, it is still Bandcamp Friday, where the site forgoes their cut of the sales, so we artists get more today. For the pricing, I set it to “pay what you want, including zero” which always seems to work out very well.

Most of my output on Bandcamp has been EP releases, with 4 to 6 tracks, but this time I made more of a full album…….11 tracks, taken from older unreleased singles, and some brand-new tunes as well. All in all, this project has been time-consuming, but I’m really pleased with the final mixes and the overall flow of the music.

https://jerryrockwell.bandcamp.com/album/one-shiny-morning

And now for a completely different release! This wonderful EP from the amazing Butch Ross, has a track I’m featured on. This was a long time in the incubator, marinating in Butch’s creative juices. I can’t exactly remember what dry tracks I sent him originally, I only know that he did a spectacular job of transforming the living daylight out of whatever I did!! The other tracks are very powerful too, so be sure to check out the whole EP.

https://butchross.bandcamp.com/album/whats-going-on

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

Baritone Dulcimer Solo in AEAA Tuning | F# Aeolian Tablature

Here is a recent solo I recorded on my baritone dulcimer in AEAA tuning. This is very similar to the tablature I gave for B Aeolian in the last post, except for the fact that it is a 4th lower in F# Aeolian, and the last chord in the last measure is a G chord. In the F# version here, that same chord would be D.

And here is another take at a quicker pace:

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

Relaxing Dulcimer Tunes

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6m5omBqEX7RkVCGF1F5qHc?si=-KJD8DMORBSRotpLOKLRAw

This playlist on Spotify has a good sampling of my recent recordings of electric and acoustic dulcimer. Most of this music is extremely relaxing and soothing: great for winding down, chilling out, meditating, or even sleeping!

If you like this playlist, I have some huge playlists on Spotify featuring some of the finest acoustic guitarists on the planet, along with some folks who play other string instruments, like harp, hammered dulcimer, and even Chapman Stick!!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4nP9Y0YtF9prGlShavLuDJ?si=8Ss904s0Skuat6V_t4fVgQ