me

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Background :

I'm originally from Ontario, Canada. My family heritage includes many that have played music and this is true of me as well. When I was a young kid, my dad bought a few accordion lessons for me but I quickly lost interest in polkas after listening to my 3 uncles play their guitars at family get-togethers. One uncle played exceptionally well in the style of Chet Atkins and was also hip to Lenny Breau as well as other premier guitarists. Listening to him play is what originally sparked my interest in guitar. Very shortly thereafter, I asked my parents for a guitar and my dad bought me a student-model called a "Stella Harmony" ... and after picking a few notes music became a new world to explore. Playing hockey was also a big part of my early years and I remember many evenings watching Hockey Night In Canada too... I can still hear that classic theme music! Our family eventually moved to the USA and dad bought me a good acoustic guitar and then later an electric guitar with an amplifier. I spent countless hours learning and making music on those two guitars and still own them both today.

Over the years I have enjoyed playing different styles of guitar but have always got an big kick out of playing the Chet Atkins style. Lately, I have focused primarily on playing solo fingerstyle guitar. It's great to learn a new tune and figure out how to play the melody against a base line simultaneously with some precision and continuity. After this is accomplished, the next thing I usually do is to further develop the tune by introducing some personal expression and drive it around a bit. My first CD ( Guitarioso ) was released in 2004 and my 2nd CD ( Sacred Hymns ) was released in 2006. The songs that I enjoy playing the most are the traditional Christian hymns from the 1800s and earlier, a variety of popular standards, and of course... my own original compositions. I've always enjoyed the great gift of music that God has given to me. Consider... are not the trees that are used in the making of most musical instruments ( pianos, violins, cellos, guitars included ) just a part of His vast creation?  Col 1:16.

In addition to playing, I have always enjoyed modifying guitars to suit my personal tastes and thus the technical aspect of this instrument has been a great passion of mine.

Musical influences past & present :

Chet Atkins, Leo Kottke, Gordon Lightfoot, Doc Watson, John McLaughlin, Joe Pass, Lenny Breau, Randy Bachman, Robin Trower, Danny Gatton, Christopher Parkening, J.S. Bach, William Boyce, Frederic Chopin, Silvius Leopold Weiss, The Cambridge Singers - Dir John Rutter, The Phoenix Chamber Choir, King's College Choir of Cambridge, and other various traditional classical and baroque period music. 

Afilliation :

ASCAP  -  American Society of Composers Authors Publishers



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Copyright 2003-2011 by Dave Wodnicki
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