Tag Archives: acoustic guitar

Welsh Dragonfly (812ce)

Songs50th Anniversary 812ce, acoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, dragonfly, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Sinker Redwood tone, Taylor 812ce LTD, welsh dragonfly, Whales

Here is another version of my song Welsh Dragonfly, which was written after listening to some of the ‘acoustic’ music born out of Led Zeppelin’s retreat to the Welsh countryside. That music had an atmosphere at once both ethereal and bucolic, a vibe I try to tap into myself from time to time. This version of Welsh Dragonfly was recorded on a guitar with rosewood back & sides and a redwood top – the rosewood’s scooped midrange provides a nice separation between the bass and treble parts, fitting well with this arrangement. The redwood top mellows out the song a little – evening out the volume dynamics (adding sustain at times), and producing a warm sound. This song makes me feel relaxed and peaceful when I play it. Hope you enjoy.

Spooner Slack Key (First Take)

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, Hawaiian koa, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, koa taylor, Neumann TLM 103, nick borho, open tunings open G, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, slack key, taro patch, taylor grand concert, Taylor K22ce

Spooner Slack Key was born out of an idea improvised between recording takes of another song. I decided to record an improvised version of the song as a demo to remember the idea – resulting in this ‘first & only’ take (so far) – then resumed working on the other song I was recording at the time. When listening back to the original recording recently, I like the energy and decided to post it. Hope you enjoy.

Here Comes the Sun (912ce)

SongsAbbey Road, acoustic guitar, beatles fingerstyle, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, George Harrison, Here Comes the Sun, Neumann TLM 103, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, rosewood taylor guitar, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

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.

Welsh Dragonfly (912ce)

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, dragonfly, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Line Audio CM4, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, rosewood taylor guitar, Taylor 912ce

Here is another version of my song Welsh Dragonfly, which was written after listening to some of the ‘acoustic’ music born out of Led Zeppelin’s retreat to the Welsh countryside. That music had an atmosphere at once both ethereal and bucolic, a vibe I try to tap into myself from time to time. This version of Welsh Dragonfly was recorded on a rosewood and spruce guitar – the rosewood’s scooped midrange provides a nice separation between the bass and treble parts, fitting well with this arrangement. This song makes me feel relaxed and peaceful when I play it. Hope you enjoy.

Dragonfly at Dawn (Improv)

Songs50th Anniversary 812ce, acoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, dragonfly, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, improv, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Sinker Redwood tone, Taylor 812ce LTD

Dragonfly at Dawn is part of what has become a small group of improvisations (dubbed Dragonfly Songs) exploring related ideas and textures. This improv serves as a meditation of sorts, with a recurring set of phases floating over a drone from the lower strings. It also feels like a contemplative interlude between some of the other improvisations in the group. Hope you enjoy.

Dragonfly in the Rain (Improv, 812ce)

Songs50th Anniversary 812ce, acoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Sinker Redwood tone, Taylor 812ce LTD

Recorded during a thunderstorm, this improvisation expands upon some of the ideas and textures from my song Welsh Dragonfly. This recording and some other, related recordings made on different guitars and at different times, have formed into a small group I’ve dubbed Dragonfly Songs. Sometimes it’s good to further explore familiar musical terrain and approach existing themes from a new angle. Hope you enjoy.

Butterflies (Original Fingerstyle)

Songsacoustic guitar, awesome little song, blue sky guitar, butterflies, fingerstyle guitar, nick borho, original fingerstyle guitar, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, signs music has changed your life

Today’s song from the vaults is called “Butterflies.” It’s a meditative song with a mellow, ethereal quality suitable to the title. Butterflies is a track from a project I had called Signs Music Has Changed Your Life. Hope you enjoy.

Home Abroad (Slide Guitar, Low Reverb Mix)

Songsacoustic guitar, awake again, big island, blue sky guitar, blues guitar, Elixir Polyweb, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Hawaii, Holualoa, kailua kona, kona coffee, ksm141, nick borho, Open D, open tunings, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, shure, slide guitar, taylor 310ce

Here is a remix of “Home Abroad,” a slide guitar song which was recorded as part of my Awake Again album project. While revisiting that project and remixing the album (a playlist of the full album is also available on the ‘music’ page), I had two different ideas for how I wanted to approach the mix for this song – basically a ‘wet’ mix which is featured on the remixed album, and a more ‘dry mix’ with a little less reverb that I decided to release here as a bonus track of sorts. Though the wet mix was a better fit for the album, I also like the directness of the dry mix.

Straight Ahead Blues (310ce)

Songsacoustic blues, acoustic fingerstyle blues, acoustic guitar, big island, blue sky guitar, Elixir Polyweb, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Hawaii, Holualoa, kona coffee, kona coffee farm, ksm141, nick borho, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, shure, taylor 310ce

Here is another take of “Straight Ahead Blues,” also known as “New Blues,” which was recorded as part of my Awake Again album project. While revisiting that project and remixing the album (a playlist of the full album is also available on the ‘music’ page), I came across some alternate takes of a couple of songs that I thought it would be fun to publish; this is one of those songs. At the time I recorded this song, I was listening to the Clapton Unplugged album quite a bit, and experimenting with various blues ideas. Hope you enjoy.

Dragonfly Over Water

Songsacoustic 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.

Nick Borho

Slack Key & Fingerstyle Guitar