Hi All,

One morning about fifty years ago, I woke up with the idea in my head for this tune.
I picked up my acoustic guitar and recorded it onto a stereo cassette - remember those?
In those days, it was just a single guitar piece.
In the intervening time I've played this tune countless times, but never re-recorded
it until now. This time I used Powertracks and four tracks - one each for the
guitar, bass, legato strings and the spiccato strings.

The acoustic was a Taylor which a friend had brought in for me to service and re-string.
I thought that whilst I'd got it I might as well try it out, but the new strings having
just been fitted, were a bit bright and buzzy at times and this was picked up by the
Neuman U87 mic which Floyd covets. The bass is my old Jazz bass and the strings are MIDI
and Edirol Orchestral.

So, here it is and it's only a minute and a half, so not a long listen if you have the time.

ONE MORNING

Hope you're all keeping well and staying safe.

ROG

It's a cool tune. Beautiful melody. I wish the stuff I was writing decades back was worth recording now but, sadly, it was pretty pathetic and best left in the past.

Hello ROG,

A very nice melody you made, ages ago. In spite how Guitarhacker judge about his own melodies from the past, I always think it is a pitty you leave your melodies/joy die. Just because there must be better ones. Of course there are, but who knows what you can make from your old melodies. And that brings me to your 'old' song. The guitar in it is recorded pretty well(you played it, didn't you?). Clear sound, littlebit gritty, but very nice. I think you can do more with it, not leave it 1,5 minute. But that's how I think of this, as you have noticed.

One tiny remark about 'the band': I think if you used real tracks to fill this melody it would have sparkled more, like a tiny star...
But don't mind this too much, I far away ;-)

Hans

Love the sound of that Taylor! Lovely melody, supported well by the other instruments.

Enjoyed!

Good choice using the Taylor while you had it, ROG. I'm with Herb on that wishing "the stuff I was writing decades back was worth recording now..." A drummer friend of mine that I wrote with back then claims that we wrote 5,000 surfer songs, but I claim we wrote one 5,000 times. Great tune and well played!!

ROG,

A nice piece. The guitar sounds good. And I really like the way it and the strings join together.

It would be a cool experiment to see if you could reproduce the guitar part using the Ample Sound guitar!

Enjoyed.

fj

Beautiful melody, taking my mind to times when music was played at kings' castles. I was just thinking how this would sound with the instruments of that time, like lute, harpsichord, harp... anyway, I enjoyed your acoustic playing.

Janne

Wow what a beautiful song. Your acoustic was so delicate and precise. I also got a medieval vibe from the song. Did trigger the imagination of past English history. Well done.

We were immediately struck by the beauty of the tone and melody and felt some sense of familiarity with it...then we noted Scott's mention of the medieval vibe and, yep, that was it. A bit of a feeling of lovely countrysides with perhaps a castle in the far distance.

Glad he brought that guitar in for service and even more so that you decided to put it to good use.

You worked the bass and strings in so nicely.

And the clarity of the mix is wonderful.

Janice said the tune would be a good way to start your morning.

Kudos!

J&B

Glad you finally got the chance to get this recorded and shared!

Very good sounding guitar. Enjoyed listening!

Will

Rog

Lovely playing (on a borrowed Taylor - sounds like a song) an an appealing arrangement.

Very pretty.

Peter

Sweet - worth developing further.

This is a real good example of how we can remind ourselves that, even early on, we came up with good stuff. I really enjoyed it--I have to see if I can find my recorder to play along with it!!!

Hi Herb,
Many thanks for the review. Your comment made me smile - I've written my fair share of dross in the
past as well. I love your latest though!
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Hans,
I did extend it at one time, because it got used as an examination piece, but this is the original short version.
I would have tried real tracks, but the guitar was recorded without a click track, so I could vary the tempo in places.
Using real tracks would have involved a complicated tempo map, so I took the easy way out and used MIDI.
Many thanks for looking in and for the review.
Cheers,
ROG.

ROG, This is some exquisite playing with lot's of feeling. The recording of the Taylor sounds excellent. The ring of familiarity to the beautiful melody makes it very accesable and easy to listen to. Very nicely done, Tom

Hi ROG
Lovely melody and refined playing on that great sounding guitar.
Regards,
Leon

Hi Dave,
I can't remember which Taylor model it was, but it was certainly nice to play.
Many thanks thanks for the listen and review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Marty,
Yes, was sad to have to hand the Taylor back.
Many thanks for the review - made me chuckle.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Floyd,
Many thanks for the kind words.
I've got the Ample Guitar VST now and it's really interesting.
I did at one time write out a score for this track, because it got used
quite extensively as an examination piece. If I can find a copy then I'll
certainly have a go at typing it in. The only problem I can see is the
tempo map - the live version constantly varies the tempo, but I'll see how
it goes. If I get anything worthwhile I'll send you a PM.
Thanks again for introducing me to the Ample Sound stuff.
Cheers,
ROG.

Rog, that guitar sounds great. Your bass playing is also very good as were the string parts you so expertly added. The mix was just perfect.

I would like to hear this with a nylon string guitar and a double bass. I'd bet that would sound super.

Excellent chops and musicianship in this song.

Hi ROG ...

Some previously commented using the word "delicate". That's exactly what I was thinking as I listened twice. Actually, a delicate fragility that remains strong in delivery. Such a soothing listen. I enjoyed this from beginning to end. I'm in awe of the wonderful and tender sound you got with so few tracks.

Wishing you the very best. Please stay safe ...

Alan

I can't decide if this wonderful piece is Magnificently Medieval or Medievally magnificent. Either way, it is a minute and a half of bliss.
Speaking Medievally, methinks the beautiful guitar sound has as much to do with the craftsman as the tool.
One small point, it sounds like there is slight clipping at 28 and 38 seconds.
Thanks for sharing this.
Mike

Hi Janne,
There isn't a lot of music written especially for classical guitar, so we tend to adapt harpsichord
pieces by people like Scarlatti, who is one of my influences along with Domenico Aberti. Maybe this
is why this piece made you think of a harpsichord, as well as the other earlier instruments.
Many thanks for the listen and review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Scott,
Yes, it has a feel of the music which might have been played at the court of Henry V111.
I do like the music from that period.
Thanks for all the nice comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi there J&B,
You're both very kind with your comments.
I've always liked and played music in the Baroque style and I'm pleased that it's
found favour with you too.
Many thanks for the listen and review - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG.

Beautiful piece. It's something I'd expect to hear traipsing about the grounds of Warwick Castle.

Excellent work!

Thanks, David.
It took fifty years, but I managed it in the end!
Cheers,
ROG.

Many thanks, Will.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Peter,
It was a nice guitar - looking forward to it coming in for service next time!
Many thanks for the review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Many thanks, Ray.
I may look at developing it in the future, but it took fifty years
to get this far, so don't hold your breath!
Cheers,
ROG.

Cool instrumental ROG!!! The guitar sounds absolutely beautiful to me!! And, the arrangement is perfect....compliments the guitar but doesn't compete with it. VERY NICE!!! Take care. Greg

Ok... Let me jump back in.

I would like to know specifics on the recording of the Taylor acoustic.

What kind of mic?
Position of the mic in relation to the guitar body/ sound hole?
What processing was used.... EQ shelving, compression, etc.

The guitar is good. Exceptionally well recorded. It's nice and full, you can hear the ring of the strings and the resonance of the wood.

Well done sir. Do tell.

Hi Tano,
Pleased you enjoyed it and yes, a bit of recorder would fit in there just fine!
Many thanks for the review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Tom,
I always value your opinion and I'm pleased that you liked this one.
Many thanks for looking in - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Leon,
That's very kind of you.
Many thanks for the listen and review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Mario,
Thank you very much for those kind words.
I agree about the nylon string version, but you might have to play the double bass - I had
to play one in the school jazz band and hated the instrument. It had an action you could drive
a bus under and to get any volume out of it you had to play so hard it made your fingers bleed.
Perhaps it wasn't the best example!
Cheers,
ROG.

ROG,

Very pretty acoustic instrumental. The guitar work is a treat to listen to—mighty fine playing, right there. Glad you finally found the time to re-record it—definitely worth the listen. Thanks for sharing!

Best regards,

Deej

Hi Alan,
You're always very kind with your praise, old friend - you make me blush!
It was good to get back to basics with four tracks - like being back in the
Porta-Studio days. It's surprising how much stuff we did back in those days
with so few tracks and it's a good discipline to practice again.
Many thanks for the kind review and all the best to you and Di.
Take care and stay safe,
ROG.

Hi Mike,
You have good ears and yes, there is a bit of clipping on the guitar track.
As I said in the OP, I used a friend's Taylor whilst I had it in to service just
before lock-down and I recorded the track just to test out the guitar. I never expected
to do anything with the track - it was just one take and I never really checked it properly.
Some five months later I decided to add the other instruments and that's when I noticed
the clipping, but by that time I didn't have the guitar to re-do the track!
Anyway, many thanks for the kind review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Ezekiel,
Yes, I've been to Warwick Castle - it's an amazing place and I would love to play some guitar
in one of the great rooms, with those fabulous acoustics. It's a bit of a distance from where
you are though - have you made the journey over here at all?
Pleased you approved of the track and many thanks for the comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

My all-time favorite band is Jethro Tull. A couple of my favorites JT songs are short numbers on the Aqualung album. I find them sweet and complete. And those are apt descriptions for this piece. It was a brief but emotionally rich journey with a well played lovely melody and a well-arranged and mixed harmony. A very pleasant listen indeed.

ROG,
A very pretty melody with interesting changes. Tender and lyrical- very very good!

Robert

Rog,
Beautiful tune. Very well done, I just wish the orchestral Midi had more realistic tone.
Enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Hi Greg,
Many thanks for the kind review - much appreciated.
It really was a nice guitar to play, just a pity it didn't belong to me!
Cheers,
ROG.

Herb, old friend, you're a man who has produced some great recordings on here and
you obviously know what you're doing, so your compliments are received with much respect.
First of all, this was a nice guitar. I've played lots of Taylor guitars and this had to be
the nicest, even though it wasn't one of the most expensive.
Secondly, the mic was a Neumann U87. If you're not familiar with this model, just Google it.
They cost a stupid amount of money (£2k+), but I've had this for around forty years using it
commercially and when we sold the studio about twenty five years ago I just had to keep it.
There are a lot of good mics around, but nothing sounds quite like a Neumann U87.
Thirdly, the mic placement and I know I have a different take on this to most established techniques.
I've seen lots of different ways that people mic-up acoustic guitars, some with multiple mic set-ups
and nearly all of them involve a mic up to the sound hole. My view is that if you want to listen to
someone playing an acoustic guitar, you don't walk up and stick your ear next to the sound hole. Instead,
you stand back to get the full sound, so this is how I place my mic. Exactly how far back depends on the
room - I want to be far enough back to let the sound spread out from the guitar, but unless the room
acoustics are really good I don't want to pick up too much ambience. I'm usually between three to six feet
away, at the same height as the guitar and using a cardioid pattern.
Lastly, there was there was no compression, because I wanted to be able to control the dynamics by what
I was playing. There was no EQ either, because the combination of the Taylor and the Neumann did it
all for me! The only effect on the guitar was a touch of the Harrison Gverb+ reverb plugin.
So, I hope this answers your questions and it wasn't a disappointment. By all means join in again if there's
anything I can expand on.
Take care and stay safe,
ROG.

Hi Deej,
Many thanks for the listen and kind review - much appreciated.
ROG.

Hi Tangmo,
Yes, I'm also a fan of Jethro Tull. In fact, I was Ian Anderson's neighbour back in
the days when I lived on the Isle of Skye.
Many thanks for the listen and the positive comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Robert,
Thanks for the kind words - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Misha,
Thank you very much for the review.
The Edirol Orchestral was excellent in it's day, but probably getting
to be "old tech" by now. Maybe I should invest in something more up to date.
Cheers,
ROG.

Nice!!!

Many thanks for the listen.
ROG.