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• a free piece
• new album update
• Windham Hill Winter Solstice 40th Anniversary album
• recommendations
Free Piece
This summer has been hectic. I've been practicing for the recording sessions for my new solo album, then traveling up to New Hampshire to do those recording sessions, learning music for my first season performing with the NJGO (New Jersey Guitar Orchestra), composing music for the 2027 New Jersey Guitar Orchestra Youth Ensemble, and on top of all that, we are having major renovations done in our house and across the street in our son's house.
I may be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Lol…
So…in lieu of a new piece this month, here is the notation/TABs for “Sun on the West River”. I composed this one a few years ago for a contest Acoustic Guitar Player Magazine was running called the “Will Ackerman Tuning Challenge”. The premise of the contest was to compose a short piece of music using one of Will's tunings. In this case, the tuning was F C Eb Ab C Eb. (I am capo 2 in this video performance.)
This is a fairly easy tune for the left hand, but the challenge is in the right hand. The goal is to work on fluid, expressive playing in the right hand while bringing out the melody.
I released this piece as a single in 2023. (For the single recording, I believe I lowered this tuning a whole step to Eb Bb Db Gb Bb Db.)
The title refers to the beautiful West River which runs right down the road from where Will lives in Vermont.
Last week, I went up to Tom Eaton's Sound & Substance studio to finish up a new solo album. I recorded 9 pieces back in May (which included a seven movement suite), and last week I recorded 7 more pieces to round out the album.
These 16 pieces are heavily inspired by my love of classical, jazz, and folk music. I am continually trying to push my writing to new places and find new colors. I am really proud of this music, and I am looking forward to putting it out there.
I hope to release this album in the early fall. This will most likely be a digital release only (streaming & downloads). Although I love having something tangible like a CD or a vinyl album, it's just not financially worth for me it anymore.
I made a little vlog of the recording session. If you didn't catch this very serious look behind the scenes, you can watch it here.
On the second day in the studio, Tom and I worked on some music for our next release. We are both excited to continue making music as a duo. Hopefully we'll have something to release in 2027. If you haven't heard our recent duo album “Until the Light Was Gone”, you can listen here.
Windham Hill Winter Solstice 40th Anniversary Album
Many people have asked me if I wrote and recorded a solo to submit for this Windham Hill Winter Solstice Anniversary Album. I did record a tune back in May, but I chose not to submit the piece for consideration. I decided to save it for my own upcoming album.
That being said, Tom Eaton and I did put together a duet to submit just before the deadline. It was fun to write and record something so quickly, without really having too much time for planning. We sent tracks back and forth via email trying to compliment each others parts, and we wound up with a really beautiful tune that Tom mixed and sent off. 🤞🏻
I know that the producers received a ton of submissions, so the album is guaranteed to be absolutely amazing.
Recommendations
Here some of what I've been listening to and reading…
That's all for July/August…
As I write this, the Pirates have picked up Luke Weaver, Tyler Yates, and Lake Bachar to help our failing bullpen. We are currently at .500…which is a miracle at this point of the season. I am still praying to the baseball gods for an 82-80 winning season. Forget playoffs. Just give me one winning season.
I'll have more news about my upcoming solo album in my September newsletter, as well as news on some other projects in the works. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.
