Here’s a snappy take of my arrangement of the Harrison classic Here Comes the Sun. It’s a bright, happy tune that sounds great on acoustic guitar. Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor 912ce (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD Light strings) and a Neumann TLM 103 microphone.
Irish Well Wishes is an improvisation inspired by my love of Ireland and the Irish people. When I recorded this, I had recently been reflecting on my visit to Ireland years ago; the beauty of the land and the warmth of the Irish people is often talked about and portrayed in various films, etc., but actually traveling there I found it really did meet and exceed expectations (and yes, it really was ‘that green’). Also, at the time of recording this, I had been listening to a fair amount of Tony McManus and Martin Simpson – all of this gave rise to the improvisation here around some pieces of melody from Danny Boy and various other Celtic guitar ideas. Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor K22ce (solid koa grand concert with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone. Music by Nick Borho, all rights reserved.
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.
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.
Here is an alternate take of The Bantry Girl’s Lament, a traditional Celtic song which dates back to the early 1800’s. The arrangement is based on Martin Simpson’s version from his fine album “Leaves of Life.” While Martin used a Drop D tuning for the song (or rather its equivalent on Baritone guitar), I play it here in open G6: (D-G-D-G-B-E). To me, this is a peaceful, meditative song that gives pause. Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor 912ce (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD Light strings) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone.
Acacia Improv is an outtake of some improvisation done one day while I was recording “Acacia Just Noticed.” That song as well as this short little improv were meant to highlight the koa guitar’s warm low-mid tone with a touch of sparkle in the treble register, to bring out the characteristic warmth and sweetness of the wood. Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor K22ce (solid koa grand concert with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 103 microphone.
Acacia Just Noticed came to me one day while improvising on my koa guitar. Once aged a little, koa (part of the Acacia family, thus the titular play on words) imparts a warm low-mid tone with a touch of sparkle. Sometimes, depending on how you’re playing, koa can be a little thin and bright, but here I’m playing without a pick and using part of the pads of my fingers to soften things up – especially useful with some of the snappy parts here. Along with that, I feel like the the two sections of this song are played in registers that particularly lend themselves to bringing out warmth and sweetness of koa. The overall combination of these elements melds together in a way that I felt made the wood shine through, thus the nod in the title. Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor K22ce (solid koa grand concert with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.
After the Solstice and its harmonic laden chorus came to me one day after a winter solstice. It’s a quiet, peaceful time of year where the days are gradually getting longer and your mind turns to the hope of a new cycle. (I think it’s also fine for the already long days of summer too though.) Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor 912ce (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD Light strings) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone.
One of the classic George Harrison songs from the Abbey Road album, Here Comes the Sun is a bright, happy tune that sounds great on acoustic guitar. This is an alternate take of my fingerstyle arrangement of the song. Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) and a Neumann TLM 102 microphone in Honolulu, Hawai’i .
Here is another version of the Ray Kane classic “Keiki Slack Key” I recorded on my Taylor 412ce-R steel string guitar. Keiki Slack Key (not to be confused with the Sonny Chillingworth song of the same name) is one of the first slack key songs I transcribed, and has stayed on my setlists ever since. To me, Ray Kane is probably the best example of an ‘old style’ slack key player, and his tracks are always nahenahe. Hope you enjoy.
Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze HD gauge set) a Neumann TLM 102 microphone in Honolulu, Hawai’i.