Dec. 17, 2019: "This Week in Fingerstyle!"

"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 one 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 Turlough O'Carolan's tunes are a right of passage for Celtic guitarists and fingerstyle artists in general. "Si Bheag Si Mhor" is one of his most beloved tunes dating back 300 years, and Basil serves up a poignant, and sweet take on this favorite. Think about the history of this song: 300 years!!! And even more amazing, most of O'Carolan's tunes were never written down in his lifetime, so they survived by being passed along from player to player through 300 years! Basil's rendition is beautiful and full with a fluidity that allows the guitar to sing. An-mhaith, Basil!

Calum Graham's fingerstyle version of Coldplay's "The Scientist" will thrill you whether you play guitar or not, and if you are a "picker" you will be tempted to venture into "covers" even if you have stuck with "original works" up to now. What a brilliant piece of music! 

"Oh What a Night" is Glenn Roth & Tim Thompson's version of the 1963 Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons hit, and "Oh what a version!" Even it you say you don't dance, you will be swaying & swinging to this classic! Great job Glenn & Tim!!!

"Snow Globe" by Matteo Palmer is perfect for the season: sweet and melancholic with an unmistakable "holiday time" feel. This is "sit in front of the fireplace with a drink of your choice and remember all the holidays past while making new memories music"! Beautiful!

"Danza de la Paloma enamorada (Argentina)" reminds us that Jürg Kindle of Switzerland is one of today's great talents and can play anything (and seemingly everything) with perfection! This one kindles passion and romance one step at a time as if bringing two dancers from across the room, to an introduction, in to a dance, and finally to a passionate embrace as they collapse consumed in the intoxicating sounds of romance! Bravo Jürg!

"A Night in Montreal" by Gionata Prinzo is modern to its core with a steady exhilarating beat and a crescendo at the halfway point that kicks off the real percussion! This one works every aspect of music and modern fingerstyle in a  complex way that leaves you exhausted but begging for more! Fantastic Gionata!

"On a Cold Quiet Night" by Alan Shoesmith is nylon string sweetness and a little romance that evokes beautiful images of hearth & home. Alan hits the sweet spot with this one! Love this one Alan! 

"Days". "This Week in Fingerstyle" by Daryl Shawn is so great because Daryl manages to find these artists, like Sebastian Winskog, who I have somehow never heard of despite their 20M+ 2019 streams on Spotify! Thank you Daryl! "Day" is another in the long list of pieces by today's Swedish artists that just explodes with beauty! If the 60's had a "British Invasion" in music, 2019 has a wonderful "Swedish Invasion" going on in the world of fingerstyle guitar! 

"Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" is another from Daryl Shawn's own just-released "Holly Days, Vol.1" and it is sensational! While most artists of today play in altered tunings, Daryl remains a die-hard of standard tuning and consequently manages a unique sound that is, in my opinion, far more difficult to master and gives his recordings a more "traditional sound". With a song like "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming", which satisfies both the "Christmas Carol" & "Hymn" criteria, this traditional sound brings a truly reverent feeling where the glitz and commercialism of the holidays fade away and our better selves feel that pull back to things that really matter. Absolutely stunningly beautiful Daryl!

"Silent Night" by Roberto Dalla Vecchia is gorgeous! With an unusual phrasing to this ubiquitous classic, Roberto has created a version for the ages! This one should find a home on every Holiday playlist (and I just added it to mine). 

And that completes the new top ten for this week! You will now find all the past "This Week in Fingerstyle" music following this week's new ten so you can enjoy all that this wonderful playlist has brought to the world of fingerstyle! Enjoy!

Daryl Shawn, thank you again for making my Monday mornings a very special and exciting part of every week!

And that's it for another "This Week in Fingerstyle" by Daryl Shawn who every week puts together "the most exciting playlist on Spotify"!

Remember to "Follow/Heart/Like" the playlist that Daryl Shawn so painstakingly creates every week!

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