PERFORMANCE NOTES:
Using a digitech JamMan looper this is a small section of a much longer loop. It had the perfect vibe for the video footage I used.
I played the loops on my 2004 Taylor Koa Acoustic Guitar.
A reflective moment of music in a beautiful location.
There’s nothing like a trip out in nature to bring you back to reality. Especially in a time where everything seems to be on the verge of complete chaos. That feeling that you get when nature reminds you that hope is eternal.
The footage I used here was from a trip to Great Falls National Park located about 35 minutes outside of Washington DC.
Even with the thunderous sound of the water in the foreground I was able to hear music that echoed the moments.
A mini-composition using electric guitar and a plug-in, “Shadows” is an example of how I like to use guitar effects to create musical soundscapes. It’s a great way to come up with some original ideas that are impossible to get using regular guitar sounds. Heavenly guitar vibes can be produced using recording technology and effects in creative ways.
For “Shadows”, I used the guitar plug-in, Valhalla Shimmer. It is a very flexible tool and is easy to use.
So, some of you may be asking, “What is a plug-in?” Here is a great definition:
It’s a great time to be a guitarist as technological advances have upped our sonic possibilities. This leads to beautiful and breathtaking explorations on the instrument.
This is one example using the guitar plug-in, Shimmer, by Vahallah. There are a variety of settings available and experimentation will lead you to dreamy and colorful harmonies.
In this day of incessant electronica, it is comforting to know that a single musician and an acoustic guitar are able to cut through the din of software excess.
Anurag Mishra, who hails from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India has produced a collection of wonderful vignettes. Call it an sacoustic diary of sorts. A commentary on life with melody, harmony and the sounds of real life. No text is needed as Anurag’s instruments are descriptive enough with each note evoking an exoticism overflowing with meaning and purpose.
The ability of the solo guitar to communicate is without question. It’s been doing that forever. In the hands of Anurag Mishra, it becomes his very soul. Perfection? No. Anurag is not seeking that in this collection. Perfection is unattainable in life so why would the music reflect such unreality? This offering is different…his music is real. Sometimes dark, sometimes hopeful, sometimes jazzy, sometimes classically conservative, it’s life in a descriptively displayed in a way that will resonate with your past, present, and future.
Anurag occasionally adds accompanying layers to his works. However, they are placed so perfectly in the mix that they literally become one. They merge together in what I can only describe as a mystical soundscape of necessity.
One of the most gorgeous pieces of the 14 song collection is “Drawn to the Friction”. The work consists of a beautiful set of arpeggiated chords surrounded by a slow and melodic cello background. This work will leave your reminiscing about something you thought you left behind long ago.
The beauty in Anurag’s compositions is the way he controls his chord textures. Rarely does he strum full chords. It’s as though he finds no use for them in his search for the emotions he is describing. “Finding Hope” is a journey into what we all seek, a respite from the stress of life’s never ending assault on our search for peace.
Even more evocative is the background noise that many of the tracks contain. The noise of the street only adds to the incredible vibe Anurag has produced with this release.
Only a confident and forward thinking musician would ever allow such sounds on a recording. Mix that with a raw acoustic guitar and a creative imagination and you have a place to go where the music understands you. This is a must have for all who appreciate great solo guitar music.
The inspiration for this original song came from a random visit over the weekend to a very old but glorious mansion. Glorious in its past and not its present state.
Now, it is mostly vacant and is slowing crumbling away. But, it has a very interesting story behind it, which keeps it alive waiting for someone to save it. This music is more or less dedicated to it. The moods captured by the harmonies speak to the essence of this once mighty structure.
One thing is clear, while we move through each day and sometimes forget our priorities and what really matters in life, time surely remembers everything.
A composition on nylon string guitar, this work gives a glimpse of how intimate and personal the classical guitar style can be. Not classical music of course, but just the style and vibe of music that is close to the player and listener. Close to the player because of the way one plays. The fingers are in direct contact with the strings, which brings forth a sound that is unique and expressive.
This work was created from about three differing improvised ideas. I built upon them only a little, and combined them into a composition that contains both fire and reflection. I like the way it develops and moves to a climatic moment with a short flamenco-like flurry, and then settles down and fade with harmonics. This is music that comes from within. Music that has come from life experience.
Videography by Mark Jeffery Campayno
Recorded and edited at Blue Room Productions
Herndon, Virginia USA
Produced, Performed, and Written by Mark Jeffery Campayno
Music Recorded at Musicians-inc/StudioRock of Northern Virginia
Herndon, Virginia USA
“Sunday Memories” – Original Guitar Instrumental
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Saint Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church: http://www.nealjconway.com/dailymass/stdominics.html
Pictures:
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Heritage United Methodist Church, Ligonier (Pa):
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PERFORMANCE NOTES:
This was an ode of sorts to the past. Memories of Sundays. Sundays have been both uplifting and pessimistic for as long as I can remember. A heavily reflective day for me the questioning of “what is life” is always there. It is a day where I gauge where my life is at that moment, and where it’s taking me in the future.
I found this church while chaperoning a field trip to Washington, DC. As I sat in a Subway restaurant watching over eight ninth-grade boys who refused to pay the high price of food at the museum, I looked out the window there it was. The steeple. It seemed to be a sign of sorts. Towering into the sky on that sunny but cool March day, it was for that moment mine. It brought with it, many other memories. Those are mine to keep.
This was my Black Martin acoustic guitar plugged into my Scarlett Solo and my 2013 MacBook Pro using Reaper Software. The plugin I used was the Valhalla Shimmer. It’s truly an amazing reverb plug-in.
There is no doubt that love can test and limit one’s ability to reason.
A wonderful description of this song comes from a friend of mine who wrote:
“…its like you are emerging from something very deep, but at the end there is a sense of peace or acceptance……really beautiful…..”
She is right. We can become angry over these situations and lose our sense of reality. Dwelling on the wasted years, the misunderstanding, and the frustration can be distracting and counterproductive to your mental and physical health.
The sense of peace she descbribes can soften the memories of being pushed aside for others. It will enable you to look at things with a more balanced perspective, seeing that both had a hand in the fall of the relationship.
Eventually, we move on becoming more forgiving eventually realizing that it was necessary so as not to be seen as vindictive or destructive to self or others. This is an area that many times gets overlooked: How are you seen by others when you are going through the trauma of a broken relationship? You may be surprised.
There can be no doubt that the darkness can be crippling affecting every aspect of your life. But, you will wake up one day and decided, finally, to reach down and find your balance. Then and only then will you wonder why you spent even one second in self-pity.
MarkGTR Instrumental Guitar Music 