Everyone Gets to Play
A few weeks back I woke up earlier than the rest of the house. I decided to use the “extra” time as a moment to look at my phone note where I keep ideas that might inspire a “story”. In this case, four days prior I had an idea. Those brief notes form the basis… Continue reading There is but One Bus
Here is another piece that I wrote in 2017, but have only published years later. It is another exploration in G, but this time it is expressed on my Yamaha nylon string Silent Guitar (SLG11N). We have created a new category called “Somewhat Undercooked” for pieces like this; they needed a little more work, but… Continue reading Resting
I wrote these three pieces in February 2017. Since then they have sat on the desktop on my computer “awaiting further decision”. Six and a half years later, it’s time to put them out there. I had thought I might consider the ideas and then make one piece out of the three, but I would… Continue reading Heart – Acoustic explorations in G
I wrote this piece of music around May 2022. Similar to my “Hope in the Midst” piece, I composed the steel string acoustic part and played it in using my Guild. I then more or less improvised the nylon string part (Yamaha Silent guitar). Both parts are one take, so they are not perfect. The… Continue reading The Sun Will Rise
I started writing this song all the way back in September 2022. I can’t really remember how it happened. Usually I pick up my acoustic guitar and along comes a “rumour of worship”. In this case, I sensed it was a kind of “song” or perhaps a “piece” of music. I recorded my Guild acoustic… Continue reading Hope in the Midst
The day before my birthday this year I had a moment to do some journaling. Some of you may note that we haven’t been very active on this website for a looooong time. That’s for a lot of reasons, all of which push in the opposite direction to journalling moments. Despite the struggle to find… Continue reading Unfettered Grace – A Poem
I actually wrote this piece some time back and meant to go back and finish it off. Any which way, it will now be used in an original production that a friend of mine has written for the school where I have the privilege of teaching. Bethany and Ian fixed up some of the rough… Continue reading Calling My Name
This song was written in the first year that we came to New Zealand but took longer to finally get recorded! It captured some of my feelings around leaving ‘old familiar places, faces’ and the fact that ‘now we’re worlds apart, learning to trust our hearts’. However, we all have life to live, dreams to… Continue reading Reach for the Sky
My son was working on a song that required this really cool tuning, CGCGCE. I was doodling around and ended up working on a theme around a few hymns. I kept working on it and eventually played through a mixing desk with some creative reverb. What you hear is one of the many versions that I… Continue reading Hymn Songs – When I survey & Be Thou My Vision
Hymn Songs - When I survey & Be Thou My Vision - mp3 format [ 5:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
A couple of years ago a friend of mine wrote a stunning play called ‘The Manhattan Taproom’, for the school where we both teach. It was a play about young women who make a journey to New York to make it in the artistic world in some form or another, be it as a musician,… Continue reading Caught in-between