A friend of mine said to me not so long ago, "Ben, you are a decent singer. But you are a great guitarist."
This stuck with me more than he had probably intended. It got me thinking of what could be if I focused solely on guitar for a while. That line of thinking has coincided with my layman's attempt at being a classical guitarist and a newly heightened interest in classical music.
So about three months ago I started composing for the guitar. Without the addition of vocal parts, the need for all of the parts to come out of one instrument has led me to brainstorm new approaches to the instrument. Not just new to me- but I think new to the guitar altogether. One thing folks who know my performances may notice is that I'll be sitting down while I play the pieces. I don't know why I've always felt like I had to stand. I'm tall enough sitting in a chair. But the real reason behind this is that my leg stabilizes the guitar. And these new pieces do require a very steady guitar.
I mentioned my budding interest in classical. This isn't to say I wasn't familiar with some of the classical repertoire to begin with. I played trombone in the orchestra in high school, and I've flirted with the classical guitar since my youth.
This new music is by no means classical. But the ornate nature of that music is applied. I continue to delve deeper into composition for the guitar, and I am becoming a better guitarist in the process.
I have 8 new instrumentals to date. I'll need a few more for an album, but I am beginning recording this week so I don't forget the pieces bouncing around in my head as I type this. Sooner or later I'll probably get around to transcribing the pieces, but right now they live only as sound and fingerings committed to memory.
Anyone who happens to read this, please let me know what format you would like my next album to be in. I've heard there is a resurgence of vinyl, so I was considering that.
Thanks for reading.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
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