Guitar Emporium

Regression was a part of the maths studies I did a very very long time ago. Finding relationships between variables. I tried applying it to musical ideas and got very confused. The tune has, in the end, resolved itself from the original idea in about 1986 to a re-recording in 2022. I hear you say " can't you make it any better than that ? " Nope - is the reply.  Support the show

This tune benefits from the mastering that buzzsprout offer as an add on - I've had it for a while but not when this tune came up. Support the show

The piece I loaded up had some problems - not all associated with my playing .. This replaces the study in G minor - I'll check out what went wrong on that and put it up again sometime. A Sunday morning piece- Dr Jekyll and the other bloke - a piece with two slightly contrasting sections - done to death Support the show

I recorded a collection of pieces in the late 1990's at the recording studio in Shaftesbury School Arts Centre. John Pickard very kindly did the technical stuff for me. This recording kept appearing for a while. Support the show

Digital effects are great - but I grew up with analogue stuff and I still like the old pedals. My old friend is offloading his gear on me and this tune is a self-indulgent piece of nonsense using a Boss Super Chorus CH1 pedal - a real Friday afternoon piece. I know - I know I repeat the riff 5 times in the piece in under 4 minutes ! Happy weekend. If you play it - play it loud... Support the show

This is meant to be ironic. Young people are told to wait in line and accept all kinds of rubbish and prepare for the mediocrity so many of us except without question - don't let the side down - Do the right thing . I disagree completely - Find your own way - take no notice of all those so called adults leading you down a path that is completely worn out. Support the show

From a CD Can't Stop in 2008/2009...  Support the show

Facade is that conscious or maybe subconscious barrier/presentation we all put up when we're trying to show a picture of ourselves that you want others to believe. I'm sure you've been there - and if your haven't perhaps I'm nuttier than I thought I was.. Support the show

David Cameron and George Osborne were a British comedy duo that largely escaped under the radar in relation to blame they share for austerity, inequality, and low growth in the UK. They had this marvellously irrelevant smoke screen called Big Society which they used to cover their tracks. Like Levelling Up it never happened - in fact I think the country suffered almost as much social disruption un...

My wife found the lyrics and tune to this piece in her mums house in Bamburgh Northumberland. I put a melody to it. Rob and I played it at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival. It didn't go down all that well. Apparently it is sung as a comedy song at Festivals on the east coast where the audience throw water at the performers. My ignorance - Grace Darlings life was rather sad after the rescue and sh...

This is the title song of a CD from 2009 I think. The premise of this tune is that I'd hit a certain age and I either gave up and accepted that I'd gone as far as I could or kept going. Realistically I was never going to stop. Support the show

A piece generated from listening to quite a bit of West African music and Ali Farkre Toure and Toumani Diabete. Its more a use of the spirit of the music rather than any specific idea. I thought it worked at the time - about 2009/2011. I played it with Clive at Towsey folk festival in maybe 2013/2014. Support the show

Days Gone By was a recording from 2011 - some issues with balance but the first version of a tune I looked at over a couple of years Support the show

The piece is from a live version Rob and I did in 2013 as part of a live CD recording. The piece uses a chord sequence from Emilio Pujols guitar method - a Galician Folk Song. Support the show

I'm paying long outstanding debts to Spain where we lived briefly before covid drove us back to the UK. I'm nearly there but inorder to transfer a relatively small amount my bank want to do a biometric scan. Take a hike ... Support the show

The old way of paying - when you worked a weekend or holiday - that was your reward.  Now slipping out of use in a rigmarole of shifts and zero hours contracts. Come on sort it out. Support the show

In our part of the world the end of summer was marked by some quite heavy storms. Not exactly of biblical proportions - but so -  I exaggerate. Support the show

I've just been repairing a Hamer "Slammer" electric guitar - really nice little instrument - twin hum buckers for those remotely interested - like an inexpensive Gibson SG without the price tag. Support the show

This is a take on Cat Stevens song Father & Son. I haven't taken the musical idea but really the thought that Fathers ( and children ) so rarely get it right. I like to think I got it OK as a Dad but I certainly didn't as a Son. Support the show

The song became much more reflective later on - but this was its original idea- based on a plea for young children to get to sleep . 2012  a CD called Days Gone By ....available at all good charity shops and occasionally on eBay... A really rough noisy recording - apologies Support the show

I've never go much on the class room creep - even from school days - unfortunately they carry themselves over into adult life- Bosses Man or indeed any gender you want - we're all capable of it . Support the show

I was experimenting with percussion and wanted to use more adventurous beats to support songs. This was a song to the boys who were finding their way at the time . Support the show

About 2012 - a CD with some instrumental and some songs. Oracion was original recorded fro a CD of Latin American music in about 2005 but I was hopeful we could put percussion with it and use it in the folk " set " - It worked for a bit. Support the show

London - Wednesday ; Birmingham - Thursday - .. Although I live in the West Country I'm a real suburban boy - generally terrified by big cities . Still am - but I was nicely surprised by Pleasant Place in Islington. All seemed very harmonious. Support the show

In 2013 Rob and I got booked to play at Shrewsbury Folk Festival - a big booking for us. Rob really liked this song but I left it out of the set - not sure why . One of those rare recordings with Rob on cajon and singing ! Support the show