Tag Archives: Line Audio CM4

Bron~Yr~Aur (312ce)

Bron-Yr-Aur is probably my favorite Led Zeppelin acoustic song.  Written by Jimmy Page about a tranquil cottage in the Welsh countryside, the song is meditative and bucolic; it always puts me in a different place whenever I hear it or play it.  This version was recorded on my Taylor 312ce.

Welsh Dragonfly (312ce)

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.

Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór (Taylor 312ce)

Here is another version of my arrangement of Si Bheag, Si Mhor, composed by famous 17th century bard Turlough O’Carolan.  While some of my prior recordings of this song were down tempo, this is a more up tempo version with a snappier feel.  I think the song works well both ways to be honest, one of the many interesting things about it.  Hope you enjoy.

Acacia Just Noticed (K22ce)

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.

Fair Wind (912ce)

Here is a more recent version of my song “Fair Wind.”  The song is named for a boat of the same name that ran snorkel / dive cruises to Kealakekua Bay out of Keauhou Bay – still does – and my parents took me and my friends for a cruise on it for a number of my birthdays.

Rumble (Link Wray, Solo Ukulele)

The restless crowd.  The slit in the speaker cone.  The distortion.  The rock glory.  One of the most influential guitar songs ever, the story of Link Wray’s “Rumble” is the stuff of legend.  I’ve always loved the song, and have covered it on guitar (and taught it as a guitar teacher), but something made me want to try it on uke to see if some of the attitude would still filter through – regardless of the instrument.  I think it does.  Hope you enjoy.

 

Fair Wind (K22ce)

Here is an early version of my song “Fair Wind,” recorded not long after I wrote it.  There is a boat of the same name that ran snorkel / dive cruises to Kealakekua Bay out of Keauhou Bay – still does – and my parents took me and my friends for a cruise on it for a number of my birthdays.