My 3-guitar arrangement of a track by the great Wishbone Ash.

The accoustic section is played on my Contreras II classical guitar and the twin electrics are a Fender Strat (ably played by my friend Andy) and a Jackson Performer PS-2 (played by me).

Candlelight

Tricky thing is to keep this slow. The temptation is to pick up the pace. I played around with the reverb to try to get the right feel - but the problem comes with the string "scrapes" (the sound you get on when moving fingers along a steel-wound string). Sorry about the click at the start too, dont know where that came from!

This was played on my Contreras II classical and recorded with Cakewalk through a Sure SM57 mic.

Gymnopedie No1

This is my arrangement of Richie Blackmore's Weiss Heim which was the B-Side to Rainbow's All Night Long in the UK in the late 70's. 

My setup is very simple and low-key. I play a Jackson Performer PS-2 through a Tech-21 with effects supplied by a Yamaha GW-21 multi-effects pedal. I also used a Fender Jazz bass through a Marshall B65. The drums, keyboards are courtesy of Cakewalk as is the mixing.

Weiss Heim

My quick rendition of Gary Ryan's very lovely Birds Flew Over The Spire. It can be found on his Visions and Vistas album.

Come and see us play music from Bach to Beatles on Thursday 6 November in New Brighton (http://liverpoolguitar.org/)

This was played on my Contreras II classical guitar and recorded with Adobe Audition through Zoom H2N recorder (a highly recommended high-quality, low-cost gizmo for standalone surround-sound or stereo recording, or as a USB mic!).

Birds Flew Over The Spire

My rendition of Numen by Andrew York. An unusual classical guitar piece, it is played with a capo at the 3rd fret and with the G-string tuned down to F sharp (a traditional lute tuning).

The piece was played on my Contreras II classical and recorded with Cakewalk through a Sure SM57 mic.

Numen

This is the final track in Gary Ryan's Scenes from the Wild West collection (though it is the second of mine to be uploaded). The Wild West would not be complete without some Indians (sorry to all native Americans, but it was always "Cowboys and Indians" when I was a boy). There's no doubt that this atmospheric track conjures up teepees, Indian drums and peace pipes. I triumph of composition. The drumming effect is achieved using a tamboura technique - striking the strings with the RH thumb in a hammering fashion (instead of the usual picking or strumming).

This was played on my Contreras II classical and recorded with Adobe Audition through Zoom H2N recorder (a highly recommended high-quality, low-cost gizmo for standalone surround-sound or stereo recording, or as a USB mic!).

Smoke Rising

This is, I'm afraid, the rather dodgily-played first track in Gary Ryan's Scenes from the Wild West collection. Despite my dodgy guitar work, however, I hope you get the sense of taking a ride on that Railroad train. Setting off slowly at first, then picking up speed as, smoke billowing, it heads across the plains. Finally we leave the train and it disappears into the distance with it whistle blowing. This piece is quite tricky to play in parts, but I'll have another go at it at some point and replace this poor version. Meanwhile listen to Gary playing it on Spotify or get the album to hear how it *should* sound!

This was played on my Contreras II classical and recorded with Adobe Audition through Zoom H2N recorder (a highly recommended high-quality, low-cost gizmo for standalone surround-sound or stereo recording, or as a USB mic!).

Railroad

From Gary Ryan's Scences from the Wild West collection. What wild west scene would be complete without the hoe-down! So here it is, complete with squealing pigs and approaching horses. The score does actually read "slide RH nail of thumb along (6) string (to resemble a pig)".  This is my version of a great track, regularly played by the likes of Craig Ogden and of course Gary himself!

This was played on my Contreras II classical and recorded with Adobe Audition through Zoom H2N recorder (a highly recommended high-quality, low-cost gizmo for standalone surround-sound or stereo recording, or as a USB mic!).

Rondo Rodeo

Dredlocked is a quartet piece, the first movement of the Harumi Suite by Andrew York and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. I've laid down all 4 parts to simulate a quartet of players.

This was played on my Contreras II classical and recorded with Adobe Audition through Zoom H2N recorder (a highly recommended high-quality, low-cost gizmo for standalone surround-sound or stereo recording, or as a USB mic!).

Dredlocked

Amateur guitarist and treasurer/member of the Liverpool Guitar Society, a society set up to promote the classical guitar on Merseyside. We play classical guitar recitals in various formations (solo, quartet, full guitar orchestra) in and around the Liverpool and Wirral area.

Stephen-Gaskell

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