Tag Archives: rosewood taylor

Wonderful Tonight – Remix

Songsacoustic guitar, apogee one, blue sky guitar, Elixir HD Light, Eric Clapton, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, honolulu, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, Pattie Boyd, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, st louis heights, Taylor 400 series, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Here is a remix of my fingerstyle rendition of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Eric wrote the song about his then-wife Pattie Boyd, who had already inspired great songs from Eric and previous husband George Harrison. This song has been the theme to many a high school prom, and its simple yet tasteful melody has held up over the years. In keeping with that, my arrangement here is fairly straight forward: it doesn’t move around the neck very much or have any unusual chord voicings. Hope you enjoy it.

Momentum (912ce)

Songsblue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, momentum, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, rosewood taylor, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

Momentum is an original I’ve been playing for a while. Over the years, I have added different bridges and changed the intro at times, but at its core the song remains the same. This version has a new bridge and was recorded on my Taylor 912ce.

Iris (912ce)

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open tunings, original fingerstyle, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, rosewood taylor, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

Here’s a version of my song Iris recorded on the 912ce. Iris has a lot of harmonics, which creates a light, chimey atmosphere. The 912 has a lot of resonance, echo and bloom (even moreso than the 412ce I previously recorded this with) which I thought would pair well with the cascade of harmonics in this song. Hope you enjoy.

Fronds in the Wind Wai’alae Beach Park in Kahala

Songsblue sky guitar, diamond head, east oahu, Hawaii, kahala, kaimuki, ki ho’alu, nick borho, open G, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, waialae beach park

Here’s a recording of my slack key song Fronds in the Wind at Wai’alae Beach Park in Kahala. Appropriately, it was a windy day, but nice and the park was not super crowded. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Taylor 412ce LTD (Rosewood/Spruce, with Elixir strings, ES1) direct through a Boss DD-2 delay pedal, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mino’aka – Keola Beamer

Songsblue sky guitar, Hawaii, keola beamer, ki ho’alu, nick borho, rosewood taylor, slack key, soliloquy, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

Mino’aka (Smile) is a short, sweet song from slack key master Keola Beamer’s Soliloquy album. Soliloquy is one of my favorite Dancing Cat era albums from Keola and a highly recommended listen. Keola’s book is one of the first I picked up when I really delved into the slack key style years ago, and this was one of my favorite songs featured in the book. In fact, I also recommend Keola’s book for beginner to intermediate fingerstyle players who are looking to learn some slack key. Although the version I recorded here is at a slightly faster tempo, I hope it still captures the original’s relaxed feel. Hope you enjoy.

Wonderful Tonight (Alternate Take)

Songsacoustic guitar, apogee one, Elixir HD Light, Eric Clapton, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, love, Neumann TLM 102, Pattie Boyd, peace, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, Taylor 400 series, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Here is an alternate take of my fingerstyle rendition of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Eric wrote the song about his then-wife Pattie Boyd, who had already inspired great songs from Eric and previous husband George Harrison. This song has been the theme to many a high school prom, and its simple yet tasteful melody has held up over the years. In keeping with that, my arrangement here is fairly straight forward: it doesn’t move around the neck very much or have any unusual chord voicings. Hope you enjoy it.

Recorded in Honolulu, Hawaii 4/27/15.

Jonquils of Spring

Songsacoustic guitar, altered tunings, apogee one, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, john hardy preamp, love, Neumann TLM 102, original fingertyle, peace, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, Taylor 900 series, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

An improvised portrait, Jonquils of Spring features a melody outlined with harmonics and played with a slightly wobbly tempo. A cool sunny spring day helped bring out the mood, and relatively fresh set of strings helped bring out the chimes. Hope you enjoy.

Keiki Slack Key on Steel String

Songsacoustic guitar, altered tunings, apogee one, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, Hawaii, ki ho’alu, love, nahenahe, Neumann TLM 102, open G, open tunings, peace, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 400 series, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Not long ago, I posted a nylon string version of the Ray Kane classic “Keiki Slack Key.” Here is a similar version recorded around the same time, but on steel string guitar. Keiki Slack Key (not to be confused with the Sonny Chillingworth song of the same name) is one of the first slack key songs I transcribed, and has stayed on my setlists ever since. To me, Ray Kane is probably the best example of an ‘old style’ slack key player, and his tracks are always nahenahe. I never got to take a lesson from Ray, though I did get to speak to him and his wife Elodia on the phone once, not long before he passed – a cherished memory. Hope you enjoy.

At Dawn – My Morning Jacket

Songsacoustic guitar, altered tunings, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, jim james, love, mmj, my morning jacket, open tunings, peace, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, Taylor 400 series, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Today’s song from the vaults is a cover of My Morning Jacket’s “At Dawn.” The song and its eponymous album came to me at a formative period, becoming both anthem and inspiration for pursing musical goals in life. Sometimes you wonder if music guides you in a certain direction, finds you at the right moment, or if you attract it when you need change and encouragement. There’s a Nick Drake style intro not on the original cut, but it seemed to work. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Honolulu, 9/20/14.

Punahele – Ray Kane

Songsacoustic guitar, altered tuning, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, g wahine tuning, Hawaii, ki ho’alu, nanakuli, open tunings, peaceful guitar music, punahele, Ray Kane, Raymond Kane, relaxing music, rosewood taylor, slack key, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Here is another Ray Kane cover – this time his classic song Punahele. According to the Dancing Cat liner notes, Punahele (“favorite” or “pet”) came to Ray “one night in 1938 at Zablan’s Beach in Nanakuli. ‘Back in those days there were no cars, it was pitch black. So I sit there in the dark in the nice cool breeze and I hear the waves bouncing on the sand and see the moonlight flicker on the water. It inspired me, something so nice. So mellow. That’s what gave me my inspiration.’”
Similar to other songs Ray composed on the beach (Keiki Slack Key for example), this mellow laid back songs exemplifies Ray’s nahenahe approach that to me represents the archetype of ‘old style’ slack key. Like Keiki Slack Key, Punahele is one of the first slack key songs I learned, and has stayed on my setlists ever since. I recently improvised a few new licks into the song, and recorded a half dozen takes – some 5-6 minutes long. I think this short three and a quarter minute version gets the point across though. Hope you enjoy.

Nick Borho

Slack Key & Fingerstyle Guitar