Tag: guitar

A Guitar Christmas, John Williams, Villancico de Navidad

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I have a had a blast sharing some different styles of guitar based holiday music with everyone over the past week. Hopefully, you all found at least one new piece out of the bunch. I did! The Jimi Hendrix medley is a new one to me.

This last one is performed by legendary classical guitarist, John Williams and written by Agustin Barrios. It’s not a recognizable Christmas tune like the previous posts. It is a beautiful classical piece.

Previous, A Guitar Christmas posts.

Wishing you all the best holiday! Enjoy!

A Guitar Christmas, Gary Hoey, Deck the Halls

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Ho Ho Hoey!

Gary made a name for himself with his Ho Ho Hoey Christmas recordings. I have to say I had mixed feelings on Mr. Hoey in his early days. As great a player as he is, he never truly inspired me the way Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and other players did. I didn’t find him as original or unique.

Over the years I have come to really like and respect his playing. He is a great studio guitarist/composer and has carved a serious niche for himself. He writes for NASCAR, MLB and other high-caliber entertainment genres.

He is also featured on many videos. I was lucky enough to have one of my songs, “Sunny & 70,” follow one of his on a surf movie a few years ago, “Sea Level Pressure.”

This version of Deck the Halls is in typical Hoey fashion. Takes a melody and adds his own spin to it. This piece is a little heavier than some of his others but worth a listen, Enjoy!

A Guitar Christmas- Al Di Meola, Carol of the Bells

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For those of you who don’t know about Al Di Meola,  you are missing out especially if you are a guitar aficionado. Di Meola’s style is a blending of Latin influences with jazz fusion. He is known for blistering solo work and has collaborated with a wide variety of musicians. These partnerships range from rock/metal guitarists Steve Vai and Joe Satriani to fusion jazz master Chick Corea.  From  flamenco giant Paco De Lucia to pop singer songwriter Paul Simon.

Happy holidays, hope you enjoy the guitar inspired Christmas music.

Guitar, Wine & Relaxation…a Black Friday Alternative, A San Diego Guitarists Performance Blog

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Once again, I had the pleasure of performing at Orfila Vineyards and Winery in Escondido. This time the day after Thanksgiving.  I really didn’t know what kind of crowd to expect. Would everyone stay home? Be burned out? Turkey hangover? Shopping?

Well, the first sign it was going to be a nice crowd was there was no parking except the overflow. Walking up with my gear, it was packed. That always gets the musician juices flowing. But, it was also nice to see folks using their ‘Black Friday’ to relax. Even better they were supporting some locals over the big box chain stores. Including Orfila, myself and local jewelry maker Katy of KD Custom Jewelry, who’s always a pleasure to work with. Darn Good Food Truck was also there, but, I was so busy I never got a chance to go see what they were all about, sure they were ‘darn good’ though.

With the holiday season upon us, I only have one more scheduled public performance and you guessed it…I will be at Orfila on Dec. 2…3:00 to 5:30 PM. If you haven’t been to Orfila yet it is a must. There is truly something in this valley overlooking the vineyards that always  makes for a great relaxing day. If you are planning any events or weddings definitely take a look here!

Some photos of the day!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thank you all for following my blog! I appreciate all of you who follow and chat about my favorite subject…..MUSIC!

Thank you to all my wedding and performance clients, fellow musicians and students….it is a pleasure to share music with all of you!

Happy Birthday Joe Walsh, 65, Life’s Been Good

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I remember being a little kid listening to Joe Walsh’s, “Life’s Been Good.” It was the coolest song ever at the time. Cool guitar riffs(yes I was hooked on guitar even as a kid) and funny lyrics. I have mentioned before in my blogs that I am not much of lyrics guy, but, c’mon what little kid doesn’t laugh with their friends over lines like, ‘I have a mansion forget the price …Ain’t never been there they tell me it’s nice.’  Actually, the tune has held its own for 34 years now….so it wasn’t just for kids.

I will always think of Joe Walsh, as mentioned above, as a combination of iconic rock guitar riffs and a silly side, including some of his performance faces…he took the ‘guitar face’ to new heights. To me he is the redeeming musician in the Eagles. His stylistic rock licks lifted the Eagles from country band to Rock Supergroup status. His mark is most notably etched on tunes like Life in the Fast Lane, The Long Run, In the City and his shared guitar work on the epic Hotel California solo.

Joe’s been at his career for just under 50 years now. He has achieved legendary success as a member of The James Gang, The Eagles and his solo gig.

Here is to Life ‘Being’ Good for years to come…keep rocking Joe!

Getting Married in Yosemite

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Here is an idea for the couple looking to try something different for their wedding. Could you imagine standing in the middle of the Yosemite Valley to take your vows with El Capitan and Half Dome peaks in the background as your altar?

Living and playing music in Southern California is amazing! I get to play guitar for weddings and events at some of the most beautiful and historic venues in the world regularly. That said, it would be a thrill to play guitar for a wedding in Yosemite!

Better yet, why not at the top of Half Dome itself?

Let me know if you need any help with your wedding music..wherever your venue is being held.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…

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Well it’s definitely that time already in the music teaching biz!

If you are like me, you know it is way too early for Christmas music, at least for listening. However, with student performances and CD recording projects coming up SOON it has been my experience that the day after Halloween needs to be the official start of practicing holiday music.

Gotta love the Frank Sinatra Christmas Songbook…has NOTHING to do with him other than the picture on the cover.

 

For those looking for music I strongly recommend the FJH series of Methods and Xmas books. I’ve been using them for 7 plus years now. Their books are a bit more contemporary than the ol’ standards. My students laugh cause I know what page every song is on….they test me but they never trick me.

Tips on practicing for the holidays…

-Don’t bite off more than you can chew! Pick one or two songs with arrangements at your skill level. Learn those and then dive into another. If you start too many at one time you might burn out and lose your steam.

-Practice at least one song you play the notes or tab and a couple with just chords. People love to sing their favorites this time of the year and you can strum away and accompany them.

-Have fun!! Making music with others is a blast. Be confident, but, don’t take it too seriously!

BONUS TIP: Unless you are really comfortable sight-reading make copies of the songs you intend to play and leave the book at home! If you have the book people WILL start to browse and make requests which can be an uncomfortable situation for beginners.

Good luck with the guitar this holiday season!

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Guitar for your holiday events

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