I am a 43-year-old man with a full-time job I love and a full-time family I love the most. Since I was a kid, I have also always loved playing music. As I got older and busier, I played less often. Time to sit down and play felt scarce. Eventually I got a stand to keep my guitar out and easily accessible. That helped some, and reminded me how much I love to play. So I decided to give myself a challenge of making short songs in the short amounts of time available, rather than just playing randomly. That really helped. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, sometimes at home, sometimes in a parking lot, ideas would come out. I started video recording them on my phone and putting them on my Instagram account for a little motivation and feedback. So a maximum of 60 seconds per song. Over time, more and more came. After awhile, I had a lot. This collection is sixty of my favorite of those 60-second songs, made in small bursts of time over the past few years. The aim was never perfection, the aim was simply to play. And I am. 

Mostly original tracks, all fingerstyle, with some interpretations of songs that mean something to me. Open and slack key tunings, and a tiny bit of standard. Played on one steel string, one classical, one Weissenborn, and one 1/2 size nylon I keep in my trunk.

*Cover drawing by Nate Denver, who’s book of fifty 50-word poems inspired the collection. Love and thanks to Trina, Miya and Aila for always listening.

6. Cancion Mixteca(Ry Cooder)

Mark Whiteley