Recalling
from memory, this whole project started
from this one little acoustic piece. It
was going to be my first sonata for guitar.
It's origin was something that was labored
over for months. The opening bars were inspired
by listening to the opening movement of
Tchaikosky's serenade for strings. I had
wanted to make something beautiful for sometime
now and thought I had the confidence to
complete such a task. Then one day driving
with my friend, she played a song that she
reminded her of me. She asked me, "
What song reminds you of me?" I arrogantly
responded, " I would rather make a
song, than pass off someone's else work!"
She said, "Okay, make one for me!"
The rest is history! Enough though that
song never made it to this page as of late,
though the future may yield something, it
started with that damn sonata!
Prelude-
This piece has a special place in my heart.
The song was done in one take with my friend
Jerry Giles. It happened on a boring Thursday
afternoon, and I had a fever from hell but
my friend insisted we get together and jam.
So I put my illness behind me and invited
him over to play. I asked him to make an
ambient background of stings and I was going
to solo of it. Only thing was, neither he
nor I had any intention on what path take
after the keyboard played the opening. Inspiration
and spontaneity drove this piece and I played
like I never did before behind Jerry's strings.
Many comment this is their favorite piece,
but technically it lacks a in a few areas.
The simple art of staying in tune was ignored
in "Prelude." Hell, I still have
a hard time, two years later, playing in
tune with other musicians. Yet, I still
comment I did a decent job, because I had
no idea where it was going. I just played,
and occasionally when Jerry shifted in keys,
so did I. Other complaints are with the
keyboards, talk to Jerry Giles on that one!
Finally, my playing went off into "la
la land" a few times, but that is the
very nature of creating.
Mondo
Lead- There is very little music merit
in this piece for it was recorded way too
high! Even the playback is distorted! I
blame that on myself for not watching the
recording level on the tape deck! I released
this solo fragment of rock song because
at the time I was getting criticism of playing
too pretty. My masochism consumed me back
then, now I realize that being able to play
elegantly is a compliment. It should be
noted that- Yes, I was mad when I made recorded
the take. I recorded it on the night I returned
from out of town and had not played my guitar
for two days.
Chords-
People ask, "Why I bother to keep such
a simple piece on the net." I respond,
"To demonstrate that something simple
is how it all starts." Once again I
was catering to my friends that commented
that I was playing all notes and no rhythm.
Or metaphorically speaking, all icing and
no cake! So I thought something without
notes should be included. Hence, the name
chords. I do have a copy of chords with
a solo in the middle but you have ask me
for it! Also, I wanted something that had
an old rock feel to it.
TRIOS-
These days all I seem to listen to exclusively
is classical music. My ultimate goal as
a composer, still to this day, is having
the technical skills to produce classical
guitar work. Unfortunately, I still have
a long way to go! I cannot comment again
the difficulties that counterpoint can produce
an artist with limited music reading abilities.
The trios were my first work on a large
scale with my four channel mixer, mainly
because nobody was interested in playing
a classical trio. So I decided to have three
guitars instead of the traditional piano,
strings, and bass. A side note, the trio
I was a rejected movement of my guitar sonata!
Trio II was a theme that I played for fun
playing the bass and treble parts simultaneously,
but did not work when I transposed it to
piano. Which subsequently suffered more
from my inapt playing. Trio II has been
removed from the server until further notice.
Themes-
This is the last release on my web page
and my favorite. My skills as a guitar player
are shown without effects, distortion, reverb,
or anything! It was just me and my acoustic
guitar. I call it "themes" because
it is a melody of several different directions
I was going at the time. I have been hard
pressed to surpass that one, I was on fire
that day! Most do not like this piece on
first listen, but after several more it
begins to make sense. I encourage everyone
to this listen to this first.
After
my mixer died, I gave up composing anything
that requires more than one instrument at
the moment. The future will have more releases
as they happen. I am strongly considering
something to be released soon because I
have updated this site extensively. Come
on, I am an artist, I have to vent creatively!
