Tag Archives: Elixir HD Light

LIVE 173 • Dragonfly Over Water

Liveacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, dragonfly over water, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Line Audio CM4, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, Taylor 312ce

Similar to Sound and Solace, this improvisation was based on exploring ideas and textures, approaching familiar shapes and runs from a new angle. Here, the focus is on treble string melodies floating over a drone from some of the lower strings. Sometimes it’s important to try something a little different, to expand on familiar territory and explore new approaches, to record an improvisation and see what happens. Hope you enjoy.

LIVE 159 • Punahele – Ray Kane Slack Key Cover (Longer Version)

Live, Slack Keyacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, Elixir HD Light, Fred Kelly thumbpicks, g wahine tuning, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, ki ho’alu, nahenahe, nanakuli, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, old style slack key, open tunings, peaceful guitar music, punahele, Ray Kane, Raymond Kane, real old style, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, Slack Key, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, tranquil song

Here is another, slightly longer version I recorded of the classic Ray Kane slack key song “Punahele.” According to the Dancing Cat liner notes, Punahele (“favorite” or “pet”) came to Ray “one night in 1938 at Zablan’s Beach in Nanakuli. ‘Back in those days there were no cars, it was pitch black. So I sit there in the dark in the nice cool breeze and I hear the waves bouncing on the sand and see the moonlight flicker on the water. It inspired me, something so nice. So mellow. That’s what gave me my inspiration.’” Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, Gotoh 510 tuners, strings are Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone.

LIVE 172 • Bron~Yr~Aur (312ce)

Classic Rock, Liveacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, Line Audio CM4, nick borho, open C6, open tunings, peaceful guitar, Physical Graffiti, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, Taylor 312ce, Welsh Countryside

Bron-Yr-Aur is probably my favorite Led Zeppelin acoustic song. Written by Jimmy Page about a tranquil cottage in the Welsh countryside, the song is meditative and bucolic; it always puts me in a different place whenever I hear it or play it. This version was recorded on my Taylor 312ce.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 169 • Welsh Dragonfly (312ce)

Live, Open Tuningsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, dragonfly, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, Line Audio CM4, nick borho, open C6, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, Taylor 312ce, taylor grand concert, wales, welsh, Welsh Countryside, welsh dragonfly

Welsh Dragonfly was born one day from ideas improvised after listing to some of Led Zeppelin’s ‘acoustic’ songs. I’ve long liked the story of Page and Plant retreating to a tranquil cottage in the Welsh countryside with acoustic guitars in tow to find inspiration in the bucolic atmosphere and write some new music. As for the ‘dragonfly’ part of the title, I’ve often been inspired by seeing dragonflies hovering around various places over the years, and indeed they’re striking creatures… I’m also a fan of Art Nouveau and reminded of the Tiffany dragonfly lamp design, a touchstone representation that stands out in my mind at the moment. Anyway, this is a song that makes me feel relaxed and peaceful when I play it. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 165 • Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór (Taylor 312ce)

Fingerstyle, Liveacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, celtic fingerstyle, celtic guitar, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Line Audio CM4, nick borho, Open D, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, Taylor 312ce

Here is another version of my arrangement of Si Bheag, Si Mhor, composed by famous 17th century bard Turlough O’Carolan. While some of my prior recordings of this song were down tempo, this is a more up tempo version with a snappier feel. I think the song works well both ways to be honest, one of the many interesting things about it. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 158 • Warm & Cozy (Original Fingerstyle, 312ce)

Liveacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Neumann TLM 103, nick borho, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, Taylor 312ce, warm n cozy

Today’s song is “Warm and Cozy,” a fingerstyle improvisation I filmed while trying a new recording set up one day. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 103 microphone.

LIVE 157 • Meditation on Which Will (Nick Drake Guitar Part)

Classic Rock, Liveacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, Double Drop D tuning, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Neumann TLM 103, nick borho, Nick Drake, Nick Drake cover, peaceful guitar, Pink Moon, relaxing guitar, Taylor 312ce, taylor grand concert, which will

Nick Drake’s guitar parts (and music in general) seem to live in their own magical realm that we can tap into whenever listening to an album like Pink Moon. I was trying a new recording set up one day and decided to see how it would sound playing my version of the guitar part from “Which Will,” which is not really meant as a note-for-note copy of the original guitar part. Rather, I wanted to do a sort of meditation on the part and just enjoy the mellow vibes that Drake’s music always impart to me. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 312ce (Sapele/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 103 microphone.

LIVE 108 • Wonderful Tonight Remix

Classic Rock, Fingerstyle, Liveacoustic guitar, apogee one, blue sky guitar, Elixir HD Light, Eric Clapton, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, honolulu, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, Pattie Boyd, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, st louis heights, Taylor 400 series, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, Taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Here is a remix of my fingerstyle rendition of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Eric wrote the song about his then-wife Pattie Boyd, who had already inspired great songs from Eric and previous husband George Harrison. This song has been the theme to many a high school prom, and its simple yet tasteful melody has held up over the years. In keeping with that, my arrangement here is fairly straight forward: it doesn’t move around the neck very much or have any unusual chord voicings. Hope you enjoy it.

Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone in Honolulu, Hawaii 4/27/15.

LIVE 083 • Wonderful Tonight (Alternate Take)

Acoustic, Classic Rock, Liveacoustic guitar, apogee one, Elixir HD Light, Eric Clapton, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, love, Neumann TLM 102, Pattie Boyd, peace, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, Taylor 400 series, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, Taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Here is an alternate take of my fingerstyle rendition of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Eric wrote the song about his then-wife Pattie Boyd, who had already inspired great songs from Eric and previous husband George Harrison. This song has been the theme to many a high school prom, and its simple yet tasteful melody has held up over the years. In keeping with that, my arrangement here is fairly straight forward: it doesn’t move around the neck very much or have any unusual chord voicings. Hope you enjoy it.

Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone in Honolulu, Hawaii 4/27/15.

LIVE 049 • Long Mountain Rag

Fingerstyle, Liveacoustic guitar, Alternate Tuning, apogee one, big island, double drop d, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, guitar rag, Hawaii, john hardy preamp, Ki Ho'alu, kihoalu, long mountain, love, mauna loa, Neumann TLM 102, peace, rosewood taylor, Slack Key, Taylor 400 series, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, Taylor guitars, thumbpicks

Long Mountain Rag was named in honor of Mauna Loa (Hawaiian for “Long Mountain”), the Big Island of Hawaii’s largest mountain and also the largest active (though not erupting as of this post) volcano on Earth. Measured from its base on the ocean floor, Mauna Loa is the second tallest mountain in the world, topped only by neighboring Mauna Kea (whose peak is 120 feet higher). Long Mountain Rag was influenced by both Bluegrass and Slack Key musical styles. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, Gotoh 510 tuners, strings are Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and an Ear Trumpet Labs Edwina microphone.

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Slack Key and Fingerstyle Guitar

Tag Archives: Elixir HD Light

LIVE 173 • Dragonfly Over Water

LIVE 159 • Punahele – Ray Kane Slack Key Cover (Longer Version)

LIVE 172 • Bron~Yr~Aur (312ce)

LIVE 169 • Welsh Dragonfly (312ce)

LIVE 165 • Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór (Taylor 312ce)

LIVE 158 • Warm & Cozy (Original Fingerstyle, 312ce)

LIVE 157 • Meditation on Which Will (Nick Drake Guitar Part)

LIVE 108 • Wonderful Tonight Remix

LIVE 083 • Wonderful Tonight (Alternate Take)

LIVE 049 • Long Mountain Rag