At a very young age it was clear that Dahl had a particular aptitude for working with instruments. In 1910 he moved to Minneapolis to study under H.P. Blakkestead’s instruction through the Blakkestead Music Company. Dahl follows models of Stradivari and Guarneri instruments as closely as possible. His masterful precision is best represented through the sound holes, the scroll, and the purfling on his instruments.