"Randal's View!"

"This Week in Fingerstyle"  by  Daryl Shawn ! December 30, 2019 by  Randal L Meek "www.randalsview.blog"   "The most exciting playlist on Spotify" reloaded again for a great Monday morning! "This Week in Fingerstyle" curated by  Daryl Shawn ! Daryl does all the selecting of the tunes, I just make a few comments. Put your headphones on or AirPods in and disappear into these wonderful sounds as we check out what gems Daryl found for us this week on this last monday of the decade! First up is "Cheap Thrills" by Cim Frode! Wow, what a great way to end the decade! This one has some cool surprises for you. Cim is just fantastic as always! "Somewhere in Paris" by Henrik Janson adds some strings and it fits right in for a New Year's celebration anywhere! Movie theme for sure! Love it! "Warmth" by Agustin Amigo! His newest and part of the "Slow and Peaceful Guitar" album that Agu...

"This Week in Fingerstyle"  by  Daryl Shawn ! December 23, 2019 by  Randal L Meek "www.randalsview.blog"   "The most exciting playlist on Spotify" reloaded again for a great Monday morning! "This Week in Fingerstyle" curated by  Daryl Shawn ! Daryl does all the selecting of the tunes, I just make a few comments. Put your headphones on or AirPods in and disappear into these wonderful sounds! First up is "Bouchon" by Brique a Braq ! Derek Mount is an incredibly talented artist and this piece comes from the just-released "Woodworks, Vol. 1" on the Sonder House Label. Even on a compilation album of some of the best guitarists on the fingerstyle scene today, "Bouchon" stands out as one of my favorites on the album! With a simple two beat oscillating start it opens up and develops with different voicings, but keeps it simple and satisfying in a folky, western shuffle style. Derek reminds us that ...

"This Week in Fingerstyle"  by  Daryl Shawn ! December 17, 2019 by  Randal L Meek "www.randalsview.blog" (1 day late because of my first-ever studio session yesterday) "The most exciting playlist on Spotify" reloaded again for a great Monday morning! "This Week in Fingerstyle" curated by  Daryl Shawn ! Daryl does all the selecting of the tunes, I just make a few comments. Put your headphones on or AirPods in and disappear into these wonderful sounds! First up is " Basil Wahn 's" take on the Celtic traditional "Si Bheag Si Mhor". Often written "Sheebeg & Sheemore" it means "The Big Hill and The Little Hill", how cool a name is that?  Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) was o ne of Ireland's best and most prolific melodic composers who wrote his music for the Harp. Now a treasure trove of beautiful melodies that translate well to the modern altered tunings of the guitar...

“Good Light To Go By” by Vin Downes 2020 I’m feeling like “king of the world” as one of four individuals on the planet lucky enough to have been sent a “pre-release” version of Vin Downes’ album “Good Light To Go By”, and from the first few notes I virtually melt into my seat and the words that come to mind are “absolute beauty, serenity and peace through sound!” Looking at the notes on the page, the tablature is not unusually difficult, but oh the sweet sound produced from those notes on a page! Vin is not “good”, Vin is exquisitely “great”! The lead piece, “Falling Into Place”, is played in “Open D5” and has a quality that ranks it with some of the best guitar ever played!  The melody is a “soft happy blissful” and leaves no doubt that this album is one of the best of the last few decades. The recording at legendary “Imaginary Road Studios” provides an unsurpassed quality in the sound that almost stuns with its depth and clarity capturing every nuance to t...

"Artistry Tuesday" Featuring  Andy Salvanos December 10, 2019 by  Randal L Meek "www.randalsview.blog" If you've ever wandered the streets of Adelaide, AU, you may have been captivated by the siren call of a musical instrument that you can't quite place, somewhere between a guitar and a base, but not really either. An enchanting call that draws you to find the source before it disappears on the wind. If you were lucky enough to trace the source you may have already found Andy Salvanos and his Chapman Stick! Some musicians are larger than life, and in his own way, Andy Salvanos is one of those musicians. A true gentleman with a dry, comforting wit, articulate, with just a touch of self-deprecation, Andy is a world ambassador for the unusual and compelling Chapman Stick. Growing up in a musical household, his mother was a classical pianist, Andy learned to read music around age 6-7, and then pursued sports. An invite to play bass redi...

"This Week in Fingerstyle"  by  Daryl Shawn ! December 9, 2019 by  Randal L Meek "www.randalsview.blog" "The most exciting playlist on Spotify" reloaded again for a great Monday morning! "This Week in Fingerstyle" curated by  Daryl Shawn ! Daryl does all the selecting of the tunes, I just make a few comments. Put your headphones on or AirPods in and disappear into these wonderful sounds! First up is "Serenade" by one of today's finest and most prolific fingerstyle artists! This one is brand new on the Sonder House compilation album "Woodworks Vol. 1" and it is signature Agustin Amigo : sweet, lush, with a melody that sweeps you up and carries you away in arms of pure joy! It just doesn't get any better than what Agustin is producing on a weekly basis. If you want to lower your blood pressure naturally, either get a loving dog or turn on the sounds of Agustin Amigo! Unbelievably delicious! ...

"This Week in Fingerstyle"  by  Daryl Shawn ! December 2, 2019 by  Randal L Meek "www.randalsview.blog" "The most exciting playlist on Spotify" reloaded again for a great Monday morning! "This Week in Fingerstyle" curated by  Daryl Shawn ! Daryl does all the selecting of the tunes, I just make a few comments. Put your headphones on or AirPods in and disappear into these wonderful sounds! First up is "Winwin" by the incredible Jürg Kindle ! In today's "zero sum gain" world this really upbeat piece brings us back to center creating a feeling of pure goodness and an "everybody wins" musical environment. If you are feeling even slightly down or tired of negativity, this song will lift you up! Another "win" for Jürg & for us, the lucky audience! "Komorebi" by Daria Semikina is a deep-feelings piece with intensity and creativity like an ever changing waterfall endi...