Guitar Emporium

Whatever events change our lives - the one thing to be certain of is - you can't go back Support the show

I was trying to recall ( without listening to it ) the underlying riff in Peter Gabriel's tune "Sledgehammer" - with out much success.  It seems I can't escape Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint. - There is a sort of Chic baseline in the 3rd movement and the riff at the end comes back to a vague recollection of how he built different lines up. Support the show

This is my most inane song so far - and I, bizarrely, seem to have developed an American accent - particularly in the first verse.  My eating tastes have changed hugely as I get huger - so I'm trying to enjoy alternatives to the over eating habits of times gone by.. The day starts with .. Coffee and 1 Croissant  Support the show

No idea what this is about. Something wound me up at work and I felt aggrieved by the injustice of it all ( you may well have heard this before from me ...) Support the show

Continuing on the slightly despairing theme - I will move on from this at some point - So many times its so easy to manoeuvre in a situation where its almost impossible to work a successful or even acceptable way to resolve things... Support the show

The christening of our first grandchild has just happened - his Dad was also a smiler - so wanting to please. I'm not particularly religious or sentimental - but this was something else. Love the little fella.. Support the show

One of my favourite nights of the year - 5th November. Its been eclipsed by Halloween and maybe its politically not so encouraged these days - after all it was a conspiracy to blow up parliament. I think all of the public bonfires are on Saturday the 4th this year - but it was the ones in your back garden that were really fun - Health and Safety ? - can't remember that. Support the show

This extract from the overture of Handels Messiah is part of a bigger project to record the whole of the Overture coming up to Christmas ( not the whole of the Messiah I hasten to add ). Support the show

Quite alot of downbeat tunes recently. This is a bit more optimistic - just reflecting on a new world order. Its undoubtedly shifting away from the West in general - but whether we see the major changes in my life time - I somehow doubt.  Support the show

This is a piece influenced by the Kora playing of the Mali kora player Toumani Diabete.  I fist heard his music on a recording called "Kaira" recorded by Lucy Duran ( an ethnomusicologist ) - I had to check that - in 1988.  He's made many recordings with other artists - and they are all worth a listen.   Support the show

I think everyone I know has been left High and Dry at some point in their life - either in relationship or in dealings with other people. Thats how it works - our expectations of people are often too high. Support the show

I fundamentally don't get it - Halloween that is . Until I read up about it I just thought it was gimmick dreamt up by some marketing guru. It is apparently a Celtic festival extending back into the times when the New Year began in November after the harvest. It was believed to be a time when the world of ghosts met the world of the living - I'm not good at that stuff so todays tune is a...

The underlying theme here comes from a Fantasia by Alonso Mudarra - a Renaissance vihuela composer. The full title of the piece is "Fantasia which imititates the harp in the style of Ludovico " Ludovico was a well known harpist of the period.  This tune was put together on a Sunday evening - not my best time of the week  It depicts the Sunday evening feeling before Monday morning and all...

Spring Forward / Fall Back - until recently ( embarrassingly on some occasions ) I have never got the clock change thing quite right. The clocks went back at 2am this morning. I still don't get it right - the last verse of this tune shows how wrong I am . Oh well. Support the show

The whole fake news thing  is very confusing for someone brought up to believe everything that you read in the papers. I know nothing . Support the show

This was a play around with key changes and a little of minor against major sounds - they never quite end up how you intended. Support the show

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The Israel/Hamas conflict goes on and Joe Biden is in there having a go - good for you Mr President. Support the show

There quite a lot of individuals who believe the planet revolves around their needs - they are just too good not to want to help ... This song is for them.. Support the show

I am uneasy about retirement. I 'm not there yet - but people are starting to ask me " when are you retiring ? " . That means one of two things EITHER they want to get rid of me at work OR I look so old they think I should retire.  I have absolutely no desire to stop being a general nuisance and irritation to everyone for a good few years yet.  Support the show

The chord sequence is influenced a little by John Dowlands music . A composition characteristic was to to drop a tone in key changes . I think I went the other way on this one. Always Doleful - what a word Doleful - Melancholy Support the show

Its all a bit despairing at the moment - but I hope by the time this episode comes out things will look a little more optimistic. ... you can but hope . Support the show

The ultimatum given by Israel for 1m people to move south has been in place over this weekend ( the 14th /15th October ) as the world watches in dismay. By the time this episode comes out we'll know the outcome. It doesn't bear thinking about. Support the show

After yesterdays despairing tune "On the Other Hand" this is a bit flippant - and I'm not sure its right to be flippant at times like these.  But maybe treat it like any other dispute- talk about it - nothing is resolved by killing people. Support the show

My knowledge of Israel/Hamas conflict is lamentable and my understanding of the situation even worse. The slaughter, the loss of life and the life changing injuries ( horrible phrase ) is horrendous. Support the show