Category Archives: Thoughts

Thoughts, ideas, insights, stories, experiences.

What I learn when I teach

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

I taught a workshop yesterday for a theatre full of music students at a college outside of London. The workshop consisted of me performing tunes, explaining my musical approach, illustrating it with representative examples on the guitar, and fielding questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Music business, Teaching, Thoughts | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

The value of identifying your values

Posted on December 4, 2011 by

I was asked a few months ago by Pat Strother of Strother Communications to name my three core values as an artist, musician and composer. He was looking for a three-word distillation of the guiding principles that motivate me to … Continue reading →

Posted in Composing, Creativity, Performing, Thoughts | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

The romance of commercial air travel

Posted on November 8, 2011 by

Remembering the distant sound of a single engine airplane passing overhead when I was a little boy growing up in a small town in upstate New York. It was the sound of possibility, travel, adventure and the wider world. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Thoughts, Touring, Travel | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Do you want to be original?

Posted on November 4, 2011 by

Somebody called me crazy in a guitar blog recently, referring to the integrated percussive guitar style I invented. It made me smile. I took it as a compliment. To me, “crazy” means things like refreshing, innovative, ahead of its time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Creativity, Guitar, Literature, Music, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Surfing your stress

Posted on August 9, 2011 by

I hate deadlines. They cause stress. Stress is uncomfortable and unpleasant. But I have to admit, stress and deadlines have been a huge part of discovering the most valuable things about myself. Life without them would be unthinkable, not to … Continue reading →

Posted in Health and Well-Being, Thoughts, Touring, Travel | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Compositions can evolve technically

Posted on July 4, 2011 by

While checking the accuracy of a transcription of one of my tunes today, I ran into a familiar problem: I now play the tune slightly differently than I did when I first wrote and recorded it. In order to avoid … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Music, Thoughts | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The wedding gig

Posted on July 3, 2011 by

I just played a wedding gig at a small hotel in Troon, Scotland. The performance was a surprise for the groom, who was an avid guitar player and facebook friend. I rarely play at weddings, but this was an exception … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Thoughts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Listening to My First Album

Posted on September 2, 2009 by

Wednesday, 2 September 2009 In honor of its 30th anniversary, my very first recorded album, ACOUSTIC GUITAR, released in 1979, is now available for download. ACOUSTIC GUITAR contains ten original tunes and was a self-produced and self-financed project. There were … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Thoughts | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Mistakes Can Be Opportunities

Posted on July 15, 2009 by

Wednesday, 15 July 2009 A few weeks ago I went hill-walking on the outskirts of the Scottish town where I live. My goal was to climb to the top of a well-known hill forming part of the coastal headlands that … Continue reading →

Posted in Outdoors, Thoughts | Leave a comment

My Blue Tractor

Posted on July 14, 2009 by

Tuesday, 14 July 2009 I bought a blue toy tractor the other day. Something about it spoke to me from the shop window. I now realize it is my metaphor for this album project…and my creative process. Tractors are about … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Thoughts | Leave a comment