Guitar Emporium
Episodes
1564 episodes
St Swithins Day ..and the rain came down
The vagaries of the English weather - after the heatwaves comes the rain - and boy do we complain about it,From the CD released on September 1st - The Thucydides Trap - one of 10 tracks featured on the recording. Click on support the sho...
The Interview
The Interview - as companies choose more prospective candidates through the use of AI - what was so wrong about the old interview system ?Loads of things - bias towards certain groups, bias against others, judgements being made by some t...
There ain’t no money in poverty
Thucydides Trap is the title of the Guitar Emporium CD release on 1st September. For more information on the 10 tracks please click on "support the show".This is taken from the album and is meant to be an ironic reference to ...
Keeping it all at Bay
During the recent hot weather in the UK getting the dog out and walked had to be done early (not exactly a world problem - but what you would call a 1st world minor inconvenience).At first light every weekend over the July / August "Wood...
Thucydides trap
Thucydides Trap is the title of the Guitar Emporium CD release on 1st September. For more information on the 10 tracks please click on "support the show".The tune was written in response to China's reference to the USA during...
Tycket to Ryde
No - its not a version of a Beatles song. Its not even about a ticket to Ride ..BUT it is about a ticket to YARMOUTH on the Isle of Wight. I had to go there for work this week but no disrespect to Yarmouth (its a lovely little place ) bu...
PHASES 5.Lullaby for Dads
The fifth tune taken from PHASES was a tune written with my Dad in mind. Towards the end of his life he would get very tired and sleep quite a lot. I started doing that - as we got to have a young family growing around us - and the days were en...
PHASES 4.St Aidans Dance
PHASES was recorded in the early 2000's when I was trying to put together projects that took me away from the classical guitar - not because I didn't like the classical guitar - but the playing just wasn't making any money !St.Aidans Dan...
PHASES 3. Daybreak
The 3rd track from the early 2000's recording "PHASES" . This version was with a talented young trumpet player, Henry, in mind.
PHASES 2.Margharita
The 2nd of 5 recordings taken from a midi guitar album done in the early 2000's . Although its nothing like his music the Venezuelan Waltzes of Antonio Lauro are the main influence here.
PHASES . 1. Bossa
This week 5 tracks from a recording made in the early 2000's using a Godin Multiac midi guitar - the CD which resulted was called "PHASES"The Bossa I've returned to a number of times - but this is the original idea.
Going forward …
A phrase I'm not so terribly fond of - very often followed by something very negative along the lines of - don't do this or that or whatever.... The two drummers in this piece could never work in reality - I'm not even sure they work in this re...
ON THE BOAT 4. Homewards
So the 6 day trip to northern Spain comes to an end 60 hours of 140 odd hours "On the boat" . Get in the car - off the ferry - M27 west - road closures in New Forest due to fires - and home.
ON THE BOAT 3.After the eclipse
The big story was the total eclipse in Northern Spain on 13th August & the 95% eclipse in the UK.I was on the Brittany Ferries boat Salamanca in the Bay of Biscay at the time. We were duly issued with our eclipse glasses and it was s...
ON THE BOAT 2.Put the bins out
The second track from my travels to Northern Spain. Due to the heat in the UK rubbish disposal has become a bit of an issue . So good on yer Jack - you got the bin out before the refuse guys got there - THANKYOU.
ON THE BOAT 1. Outbound
ON THE BOAT - not my boat but Salamanca - Brittany Ferries gas powered ferry. Caught the 10pm Friday night from Portsmouth arrived in Santander at 8am Sunday.Last visit to Northern Spain for a while. House and horreos just about sold - s...
Get it got it good
As in Ready, Steady Go - which is a TV show well before my time It ran until 1968.The show went out early on Friday evenings with the line "The weekend starts here!", and was introduced by
No pockets in a shroud
I met a lovely 80 year old welsh lady this week - she'd had a hard life most certainly - but wasn't having any of it - and certainly had no self pity whatsoeverShe'd made money over the years and had money perhaps wrongfully taken away f...
Twenty Ways upon the Bells - Thomas Robinson
Twenty Ways Upon the Bells - Thomas Robinson - A lute duet with a ground bass accompaniment repeating its way through the tune with bell like imitations overlaid by the top part - Grade 5 in the UK ABRSM guitar exams at the moment
Autovia del Cantabrico "Transcantábrica"
Its nearly 2 years since I was out in Spain - where, in many respects, I'd still like to be. I travelled from Luarca to catch the ferry from Santander back to Portsmouth on Wednesday 12th getting back last night .The wiki bit...
The 3 White Alpacas
The CD and digital download "Creatures" was released on 1st August with this, and many other tunes, on the recording. Click on Support the Show for more details.This was put up not long ago - when I first saw this Alpaca it w...
Holed up
This began as "Hold up" as in delayed but is really about being "Holed up" - that is hiding from stuff..I've likened it to having car problems - only because at the time, in November 2023, the winter was just getting started and I was ha...