Guitar Emporium

Downshifting was a trendy term in the late 1980's early 90's for moving out of expensive areas into less expensive areas to benefit from moving away from the rat race. I keep doing this - hence the (again) . I dallied with a 12 string guitar for a while - which I enjoyed . I think this is the only recording I ever made with it . Support the show

A lament for the situation of covid - in the first place - but also many of the day to day grievances.  Support the show

The term for us is finally over , alot of people charge around sitting in traffic in a mad dash to start relaxing .... It doesn't bear thinking about... In the town where I live the clock chimes are traditional and every 1/4 hour - I'm a light sleeper and I enjoy listening to the chimes at night : the minutes slip by... Support the show

The latest configuration of Daybreak was on May 29th "The Light Grows" . This version is from 2015 a recording I've now found called "Lights in the Mist ". The piece was originally a guitar tune "Daybreak" from a recording called St. Aidans Dance, dating from 2005. When I had a go at the folk thing I added words. They now sound a bit strange - but I used to walk...

Phrygian goes back to 2002 - I was working with a midi guitar - the Godin Multiac  with a Roland GR33 synthesiser. I had a fascination with the modes - how they worked and the different sound you could obtain from them. This is taken from one of two Cd's I made - Once Bitten....... ( the second one was called .....Twice Shy ) .  Support the show

This was put together in 2015 - I've re-worked it since. I hadn't heard this version for a while. Its about any "..ism" - We are all of the same material - the same clay , the same skin and bone. No-one person has a greater value than any other etc.etc .... I know I still go on about it ( rather too much sometimes ) Support the show

Defined in the dictionary as " to take an action that is going to cause a lot of trouble for you" - the usual ironic view of the world . The young - keen to get on a ladder ( any ladder these days poor souls ) take on so many things that historically older generations have valued so much -but are really just sideshows - there to distract us from sorting things out for ourselves Support t...

Written for a school play - as an interlude between scenes - about 2005/6 Support the show

Not the time first turned up as part of the Folk Set in about 2013. The Band version. Support the show

Slightly strange objective here: I'm trying to put much less onto a track and try to keep it interesting. Support the show

Tony - was a great flute player, sax player and Northumbrian Pipe Player - who I worked with briefly in about 2006/2007 . This was composed in F major to give him plenty of scope to improvise - which he was brilliant at . Support the show

A dark piece from about 2015 - the wrong end of relationships - always sad , sometimes bitter and vengeful. This is also a peculiar link. I've always been fascinated by Paul McCartneys "Blackbird". The tune "Nightjar' was intended as a rather gentle "Blackbird" type tune. Apart from not being able to write melodies like McCartney - "Nighjar" is just not...

Some of the time between 2019 and 2022 is hard to believe - what was true or fake news. One character shone through.. Support the show

Chopins 24 Preludes for piano set a bench mark for other instruments. the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce did the same for the guitar composing 24 Preludes working through all the the keys. Miguel Alcazar Edited them and published them for Tecla editions in the 1980's.  This is Prelude No.5 - in D major.  Support the show

Essentially a backing track for Rob to use as a work out for his tuned hand drum. Hopefully he is going to record an improvisation against the track - it will return later. Support the show

Intended as a chill out piece for those suffering under the extreme heat of parts of Europe and America. It uses the E Dorian mode - again and again ... and again  Support the show

We've been travelling by boat recently - a big boat - not the migrant crossing type. It just makes it clear how brave the people are who take these crossings and risk everything. Support the show

Thers's a load of them out there. I don't do social media - not that I wouldn't if I could understand it - but the personal stuff is just way too hurtful. It also applies to every gender out there - just amazing how cruel we can be to each other. And then there's all the other conspiracy theories -- its endless, Support the show

Holiday time - thank Goodness. Then suddenly I'm acting as if the world is coming to an end and I have to finish EVERYTHING before I go . Just enjoy it for God's sake . Support the show

This could be misconstrued as a song about communicable disease. Its not - I didn't realise how ambiguous it was until I'd finished it. Its about the feeling of discomfort when you can't work out why things aren't quite right.... Support the show

My knowledge of the Spanish Civil War is similar to the English Civil War - a bit vague and inaccurate. I do know that there were many children of jailed or killed Republicans who disappeared - a bit like the missing children in Ukraine. I'm trying to read up on it - it just seems one of the most horrendous consequences of conflict. Support the show

The latin tunes just fit the summer so well-  take another one - an improvised melody around this Bossa Nova Support the show

Vals Triste - today we start making out way back from the wreck of the house we called home for a while. Its 3 years since we were there - and I hope its not as long before we return once more.  Support the show

A Northumbrian Folk Song - up there with You Shall have a Fishy - " When the Boat Comes In " .. Bassoon - features at the end .  Support the show

The flamenco guitar travelled to Latin America - like so much of Spain's culture. This is a collection of themes around a flamenco idea. Support the show