I have just returned from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Spent some time in Tofino on "The Wild Side" (Pacific Coast) and wrote a tune inspired by the sandy flats at low tide.
I'm playing it on the newest of my homemade instruments. This is a Gourd Body Dulcijo with Nylon strings this time giving it a very mellow tone. I like it; what do you think?
As always, please download these tunes for free. All I ask is for you to tell me where you are and what you're doing. Fair Trade?

Season's greetings to all you ezFolks out there,
dadgad

Well, Friends, it hardly seems like a year since getting this website going, but here we are.
I've been "blown away" by the response; 3,000 Visits, 11,000 Listens, 800 Downloads. This really encourages me to keep on the roll.
I like to imagine where the downloaded tunes are playing : a fishing boat in Newfoundland, a pickup truck in New Mexico, earbuds in New York City, a caravan in New South Wales?
Please enjoy the tunes, download 'em, learn 'em, play 'em. It would be fantastic if you left a message in the Guestbook as to where you live and where you actually listen to the tunes; a small price for free downloads, eh? (Je suis Canadian)

Take it ezFolks,
dadgad

Thanks for dropping in. I bought a dulcijo in August 2006 and play the hang out of it. In addition, I play the fiddle, mandolin, mountain dulcimer and bouzouki.

Although I have played in a variety of bands I am currently trying to learn audio recording at home. I use a Mac and find Audacity to be a very good (free) audio editor for multi-tracking. On these tunes I play all the instruments. That way everyone (usually) shows up for practice and most of the time we get along. I post these tunes for your enjoyment and as a way of hearing my own recordings. I've written most of these tunes while noodling around on the Dulcijo or my four string banjo so feel free to swipe any of them you like. Learn 'em, play 'em, pass 'em on. That's what it's all about, eh? [by the way, I'm Canadian]. Drop a line,eh?

All the best, dadgad

After a number of weeks putting the pieces together I have finished my first handmade instrument, a goal I have had for sometime. I don't know what to call it. It is unique with a Dulcijo neck made from a cherry tree I cut down 15 years ago ( I cannot tell a lie) and a walnut fingerboard. These are finished with three coats of Tung Oil. The head is stretched goat skin from India. I've used Grover tuners for the long strings and a 5 Star - 5th string tuner for the short one. The pot is a hand-worked gourd from Guatamala, supplied by Northern Dipper Gourd Farm in Cookstown, Ontario, with wood burned rose flowers (coloured with red leather dye) and vine finished under four coats of spray laquer.

Lots of hours were rewarded by an instrument that actually plays pretty well and sounds pretty good.
Judge for yourself. The first tune recorded is one I wrote for Peter and Susan Singleton, great neighbours and Pete is a wizard in a tool shop. Thanks for your help!!
Check out "Singleton's Vice", "April's Fool" , "Molly Come Bye", "The Gathering" and "Snowdrop" in the Songs Section and let me know what you think. There are also some pics in The Gallery.

Take it "ezFolks"