This month...a new free arrangement, some publishing news, guitar lessons, writing, and some recommendations.
Free Piece
Something different this month...
Recently, I had the Rolling Stones song "No Expectations" stuck In my ear. It's one of my favorite Stones songs from their 1968 release "Beggars Banquet". It's acoustic, laid back, earthy, and has a simple, catchy melody . It's already in the key of E Major, so it's a perfect song to arrange for solo guitar.
When I arrange a song like this, the most important thing to me is to service the melody and feel of the song....not to make it about the guitar. There aren't a lot of repeated notes in the melody, which makes it great for arranging. Pop/Rock songs that have lots of repeated notes in the melody tend to sound really stiff and square when played on the guitar. Not every song lends itself well to a solo instrumental arrangement.
I arranged three verses of the tune and gave each one a slight variation without deviating to far from the vocal melody. The introduction and interludes mimic the strummed guitar on the recording. I hope you enjoy playing it.
Guitar Chamber Music Press published my piece for guitar quartet titled "A Year to Remember".
I wrote this piece for my Bayonne High School Honors Ensemble, and they gave the premiere performance at our spring recital. Here is the video of that performance...
I recently submitted a new guitar trio, as well as two short solos for publication. I hope to see those available in the coming weeks. You can purchase my Guitar Chamber Music Press publications here. All pieces come in standard notation only.
Guitar Chamber Music Press is a fantastic resource for classical and fingerstyle guitar music by some of todays best composers for the instrument. Please consider supporting this wonderful publishing company.
Guitar Lessons
I have a little time this summer to teach some lessons via Zoom or Skype. If you are looking to improve your acoustic fingerstyle playing, learn classical guitar, learn some of my tunes, or work on reading/writing music, shoot me an email at vin@vindownes.com.
Writing
I posted a video of myself playing a new short piece on my social media platforms recently, and someone asked if I was still writing new music. That make me chuckle. The answer is yes...more than ever.
I am trying to write at least two pieces a week. The pieces will fit into three different project categories I have going at the moment...a collection of short pieces akin to mini soundtracks for imagined scenes, a collection of my arrangements of Irish airs, and solo/ensemble pieces for classical guitar publication.
I also have a few collaborations in the works with other musicians. Hopefully I will get some recording done over the summer for future releases.
I am writing every single day. I love the process.
I love all of Patti Smith's writing. In this book, Smith lets you into to see her own creative process. It reads as casually as a conversation over a cup of coffee. If you haven't read any of her books, you are in for a treat. Pick any one of them.
During one of the first conversations I had with Kelly Joe Phelps, I asked him what he was reading. He recommended I read Nine Horses by the poet Billy Collins. Since that conversation, I have read all of Collins' books, and this remains my favorite one.
Collins has a way of making the most mundane things and situations in life stunningly profound, heartbreakingly sad, or flat out hilarious. I would recommend reading all of his books, but Nine Horses is a great place to start.
This Is Us by Slava and Leonard Grigoryan contains 18 original pieces that were inspired by historical Australian objects. You can listen the brothers talk about how they were inspired to compose the music in this interview.
This is an amazing collection of music. The Grigoryan brothers are brilliant composers and performers. Check out all of their work, which ranges from classical, to world music, to jazz. All killer.
Simon's new record contains one 33 minute suite of music made up of seven songs intricately woven together. The accompaniment is primarily made up of Simon's stunning acoustic guitar playing. Throw in some microtonal bells (Harry Partch's Cloud-Chamber Bowls), a bass harmonica, and at the very end, Edie Brickell joins her husband to sing the final lines. (Anyone who knows me, knows how happy I was to hear that.)
This is a hauntingly beautiful album where Simon is thinking out loud about the end of his life. He sings about his mortality, faith, gratitude, and regrets. I love this record more each time I listen to it.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading these. There are 14 days of school left as I write this. Oh, how I cannot wait for summer break.
The best way to support what I do is directly through my website, where I have downloads, CDs, and sheet music/TABs for sale. Streaming on any platform is always appreciated as well.
