I’m happy to report that my replacement Masterworks Dulciforte arrived just in time for my recording project to begin. A big thanks to Masterworks for turning that around so quickly!
Fortunately, I was able to practice on the “broken” dulcimer—not only getting comfortable with it, but even re-learning some of my hammering patterns. With the low bass notes moved to the right-hand side, it’s been a bit of an adjustment. As I had been told (and hoped), that new placement has really opened things up. I’m able to use those low notes more smoothly now, weaving them into both new tunes and some of my existing ones. Honestly, it’s been hard to step away from the instrument.
As the year has moved along, so has this big recording project. I never quite realized how much time, energy, and collaboration it would take to bring something like this together—but I have to say, I’ve been enjoying every step of the process. With over 60 hours of recording so far, most of the tracks are in the can, with just a few pieces left to finish. We should be able to knock those out in early May.
It’s looking like the album will include 11 tracks, covering a wide range of feels and styles—a mix of my original tunes, some old-timey pieces, and a couple of covers. It’s opened up a whole new creative avenue for me, one I hadn’t really explored before. Now we’re moving into the mixing phase, bringing all the parts together, which is proving to be just as exciting as the recording itself.
My hope is to wrap up recording, mixing, and mastering in time to send everything off for duplication—and have copies ready for this summer’s gigs and festivals. That said, the real goal is to get it right—to capture the sounds I’ve been hearing in my head, brought to life by the talented musicians and technicians working on this project. There are still plenty of hours ahead, but with each step, I can feel the excitement building toward an album I’ll truly be proud of.