Tag Archives: Taylor 912ce

Naupaka Slack Key

Songsacoustic guitar, beach naupaka, big island, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, half flowers, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, kailua kona, Kamakahonu beach, ki ho’alu, King Kamehameha Hotel, Kohala beaches, Kona beaches, Kona pier, KTA grocery, lilikoi man, nahenahe, naupaka berries, naupaka plant, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, ohana and friends, open tunings, passionfruit, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, slack key, Taylor 912ce

Here is a full length version of Naupaka Slack Key, a song that pays tribute to ‘beach’ naupaka, a cheerful bush that can be found near many beaches in Hawai’i. While the story of separated lovers embodied in the ‘half flowers’ of beach and ‘mountain’ naupaka is poignant, I often think of the little white berries bobbing around in the water at such places as Kamakahonu beach near the King Kamehameha Hotel in Kailua-Kona where I used to swim as a keiki. Not long ago, an old friend reminded me of the ‘lilikoi man’ who used to walk by the beach there selling passionfruit from a KTA shopping bag for a quarter. As kids, we would build sand castles, explore the nearby pier, and take small fishing nets to catch little minnow-sized fish for our beach bucket filled with seawater (which we would return to the ocean not long after). Anyway, the naupaka plant was often nearby during those childhood hours (small kid time, as they say) spent at various Kona and Kohala beaches – mellow and relaxing days with ohana and friends. Hope you enjoy.

Iris (912ce, alt take)

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, guitar harmonics, guitar instrumental, Iris, lush harmonics, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

Here’s an alternate take 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 had previously recorded this with) which I thought would pair well with the cascade of harmonics in this song. Hope you enjoy.

Note: this is my original fingerstyle song titled Iris; no relation to the Goo Goo Dolls song by the same name though that is cool too. 🙂

Slack Key Bach (Bourrée in Open A Taro Patch)

Songsacoustic guitar, Bach Bouree, Bach cello suites, blue sky guitar, classical music, fingerstyle guitar, guitar instrumental, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, Kapiolani Park, ki ho’alu, Monkeypod trees, nahenahe, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open G, open tunings, Pablo Casals, Paki Ave, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert, yoga

I went through a phase a few years back where I was regularly listening to the Pablo Casals recordings of the Bach cello suites. They were on the USB stick with music I had in my car, and for some reason the memory of listening to them that stands out is that of making my way home from Kapiolani Park after yoga class. Driving along Paki Avenue, listening to the mellow cello suites as the moon was coming out, looking up through the sunroof of my Honda at the moonlight filtering through the intricate silhouettes created by the canopy of Monkeypod trees lining the avenue, an amazing textured design.

Recently, I decided to arrange part II of the Bourrée from Bach’s Cello Suite 4 (BWV 1010) in Taro Patch tuning. Rather than the usual Open G, I used a capo on the 2nd fret to play the piece in Open A which helped make some of the stretches a little easier. This arrangement is based on Stanley Yates’s excellent arrangements of the cello suites for guitar (Mel Bay). In further adapting it for Taro Patch, I decided to use various fingerings and add some harmonics in place of fretted notes – things that one wouldn’t normally do, but which were part of the fun of playing this piece in an open tuning. Hope you enjoy.

Greensleeves

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, Christmas Guitar instrumental, fingerstyle guitar, Greensleeves, guitar instrumental, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert, What Child Is This

Here is an arrangement of Greensleeves I did back when I was teaching guitar full time. The arrangement was meant for intermediate to advanced students, and is both a little challenging and fun to play. Greensleeves (a/k/a What Child is This?) is often thought of as a Christmas classic, but the song actually originated as a love ballad in late 1500’s England. The tune quickly became a staple of popular culture, even to the point of Shakespeare seeming to have a bit of fun with the song’s widespread prevalence in The Merry Wives of Windsor. And the tune remains well known, even to this day. Hope you enjoy.

“Let the sky rain potatoes, let it thunder to the tune of ‘Greensleeves’…”
— William Shakespeare, via Falstaff, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Act V, Scene 5)

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.

The Bantry Girl’s Lament (alt take)

Songsacoustic guitar, bantry girls lament, blue sky guitar, celtic guitar, fingerstyle guitar, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

Here is an alternate take of The Bantry Girl’s Lament, a traditional Celtic song which dates back to the early 1800’s. The arrangement is based on Martin Simpson’s version from his fine album “Leaves of Life.” While Martin used a Drop D tuning for the song (or rather its equivalent on Baritone guitar), I play it here in open G6: (D-G-D-G-B-E). To me, this is a peaceful, meditative song that gives pause. Hope you enjoy.

After the Solstice (Early Take)

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, guitar harmonics, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open tunings, original fingerstyle, peaceful guitar, playing a melody with harmonics, relaxing guitar, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

After the Solstice and its harmonic laden chorus came to me one day after a winter solstice. It’s a quiet, peaceful time of year where the days are gradually getting longer and your mind turns to the hope of a new cycle. (I think it’s also fine for the already long days of summer too though.) Hope you enjoy.

Fair Wind (912ce)

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, fair wind cruise, fingerstyle guitar, Kealakekua Bay, Keauhou Bay, Line Audio CM4, nick borho, Open D, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

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.

Sound and Solace (Original Fingerstyle)

Songsacoustic guitar, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, fingerstyle improv, Neumann TLM 103, nick borho, Open D, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

This song was born of my desire to improvise around some familiar ideas and possibly discover some new ones. Using familiar shapes and runs, perhaps I would come to appreciate them from a new angle, or juxtapose them in a way that I hadn’t before. I wanted to explore textures, try to accent some of the notes in a different way, give the strings a staccato strum or two, play some lush harmonics. Sometimes rather than trying to come up with something totally new, you want to explore the familiar ground of existing templates, maybe change them just a little – not to the point they’re unrecognizable, but to explore how they can be tweaked and see if it suits.

In addition to trying out some musical ideas, I wanted to see how they would sound with a microphone I hadn’t used lately, recording with a different sound. The mic I chose sounds crisp, picking up all the harmonic details and giving clear note separation. It’s quiet, and also good at gathering room ambiance. The bass is not as bold and the mid-scooped rosewood sound isn’t as prominent as another mic I had been using lately, but this mic would provide a nice, hi-fi, detailed sound – one I might now want to explore even more. Anyway, sometimes it’s important to try something a little different with your sound, to record an improvisation and see what happens. Hope you enjoy.

Nick Borho

Slack Key & Fingerstyle Guitar