Notes on My Notes

Meditation

2019-04-11T12:06:00.001-07:00

Taken from Jules Massanet's Thais a French opera from the late 19th century, Meditaton has long been one of my favorite pieces. I first performed it for guitar and piano with John Danke playing the accompaniment part and leaving me to enjoy the lyrical violin melody. This is the first time I've performed it for solo guitar, a lovely arrangement by Jason Waldron. I recorded about eight complete takes, but in the end liked the 3rd the best. It is slightly subdued but with a nice overall flow. The combination of impressionist harmonies and the lyical lowing melody make for an other worldly experience. Like a bright light shining through a thick fog. I hope you enjoy it!

Listen on SoundCloud.com: Meditation by Jules Massenet, performed by William Wilson, guitar

Classical Guitar Music for Reading and Studying

2015-09-24T11:20:00.006-07:00

Classical Guitar Music for Reading and Studying
William Wilson, guitar

My latest album, Classical Guitar Music for Reading and Studying, is my first "ensemble" album. To date all my albums have been mostly solo guitar, with a few additions here and there. My last four albums have been all solo playing. On the other hand Music for Reading, is all ensemble playing and includes pieces for two, three, and four guitars. All but two pieces I arranged from the original score (of the other two one was originally for two guitars and one was written for any instrument).

The album was recorded in my home studio using a new style of recording. For years I have favored condenser mics (Neumann KM 184s) which provide a squeaky clean and bright sound. I've always struggled with this. Though the clarity is good, it lacks warmth and emphasizes noises like string squeaks. Starting with my Christmas album I've been experimenting with ribbon mics. In particular the AEA R84. For that album I used two AEAs and two Neumanns (yes that's 4 mics for one guitar). For Music for Reading I used only one AEA, and I'm really liking the sound! The ribbon gives the guitar such warmth and squeaks seem to fade into the distance.

The music selections are some of my favorites from classical music repertoire. The album includes the following:

Handel Water Music: Two movements from the first suite in F and two from the second in D. I had played an arrangement of Handel's music years ago and again recently with the Encinitas Guitar Orchestra. Originally played on barges for the king they make a bold opening to the album.

Delibés Lakme: Flower Duet: One of the most famous opera duets, though I'd never heard it on guitar. I think all the running lines and parallels between the two voices work great. The first of three opera selections I included, no doubt inspired by my wife soprano Mary Ann Carr.

Selections from Bach's Anna Magdalena Notebook: I've always been a big fan of Classical Guitar LPs. Recently I acquired two Segovia LPs The Intimate Guitar. He includes many of Bach's little minuets for solo guitar on them which are lovely. This inspired me to include my own version of them, but for two guitars. Also included is the Musette, to which I added some pizzicato, all are very fun.

Offenbach Tales from Hoffmann: Barcarolle: I first became acquainted with this piece from the great film La Vita é Bella though it is originally from the opera Tales from Hoffmann. It has a beautiful melody and rolls along in a 6/8 meter. A Barcarolle is a boat song so the rolling nature of it makes perfect sense. I love this melody so much I make all my young students learn it and share the original with them whenever possible. My own version is for four guitars. One for each of the original vocal parts and the orchestral part split among the other two.

Giuliani Polonaise Concertante: This is the only piece on the album that was originally for the guitar. It's a standard in guitar duo repertoire. It's very playful and fits the theme of the album perfectly I think.

Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro: "Duettino" Sull 'Aria: Yet another duet from an opera also appearing in a recent movie. This time the opera is Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and the movie was Shawshank Redemption.

Telemann Sechs Kanonische Sonaten, Sonata I: Perhaps the funnest piece (certainly to play!) Telemann's canons consist of one line of music played in canon by two players. Think Row, row, row your boat on steroids. I included all three movements of his first sonata. It can be hard to tell but its just one melody played twice and off by one measure. And no I didn't just record myself once and copy and paste it, that would be cheating!

Beethoven Symphony No. 6: I. Allego ma non troppo I've always loved Beethoven's sixth symphony, the "Pastoral." The first movement is labeled as "'Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside." It's beautiful Beethoven without the angst.

Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: This was the piece that started the whole project. It's been recorded many times before though I haven't heard it for two guitars (That doesn't mean it hasn't been done) Hopefully my recording brings something fresh to these timeless melodies!

The album is available on iTunes / Apple Music at https://itun.es/us/MKBj- , and by the time you read this most likely on Spotify and elsewhere. Here is a sample for you to enjoy right now:

Christmas Miniatures

2014-12-02T17:08:00.001-08:00

For seven years I had the good fortune of performing Christmas music at Sea World in San Diego, CA. Before Shamu's Christmas show I would perform Classical Guitar renditions of Christmas tunes. Not songs about snow, but actual Christmas music. Each year I would play about 20 or so shows. I added a few songs each season and got to really love my set.

This year I decided it was time I recorded the set. I sat down to record the other night with the goal of recording one or two songs by the end of the night. Two hours later I had recorded about 25 songs! All those years of performing the pieces had stuck with me, even though I hadn't played many of them in two years time they had stuck with me. After I finished my set I decided to record a few new pieces, just for fun. These were tunes I had never played before, just sight reading. And of those about 5 came out really great, with interesting arrangements.

If you'd like to hear the recording here's a sample, What Child is This?. And the full album is up at iTunes: O Little Town of Bethlehem: Christmas Miniatures for Guitar. Enjoy!

Classical Guitar Music for Sleep and Relaxation

2013-02-15T14:49:00.002-08:00

I'm excited to announce the release of my latest album, Music for Sleep and Relaxation. This album is a collection of solo guitar pieces, many are arrangements of famous melodies such as Debussy's Clair de Lune and the Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata. There are many "Sleep" albums already out there, so why another one? My problem with many of them is that they are so full of synthesized sounds and sound effects they sound like a trip to outer space. A sleep album to me means more than just synths and slow tempos, it means songs of comfort. If you can't sleep, it's often because you are stressed, worried, etc. So my album contains melodies that are familiar and comforting. I hope you enjoy it!

Available as a download at: iTunes , Amazon.
Or as a physical CD.

Track List:

1. El Noi De La Mare - Anonymous - 2:14
2. Gymnopédie No. 1 - Erik Satie - 2:51
3. Clair De Lune - Claude Debussy - 3:48
4. Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel - 3:39
5. Lascia Ch'io Pianga - G.F. Handel - 2:02
6 Largo from "New World Symphony" - Antonin Dvorak - 2:08
7. Españoleta - Gaspar Sanz - 2:05
8. Gymnopédie No. 2 - Erik Satie - 2:23
9. Estudio No. 5 - Fernando Sor - 2:41
10. Sheep May Safely Graze - J.S. Bach - 3:53
11. Largo from "Xerxes"- G.F. Handel - 2:11
12. Romanza - Anonymous - 2:46
13. Arioso - J.S. Bach - 2:27
14. Gymnopédie No. 3 - Erik Satie - 2:03
15. Wachet Auf - J.S. Bach - 2:24
16. Estudio No. 1 - Fernando Sor - 1:46
17. Adagio from "Pathetique Sonata" - L.V. Beethoven - 3:05

Don Wilson and El Noi de la Mare

2012-12-18T15:27:00.001-08:00

Growing up I had many guitar heroes: my teacher Peter Pupping, who is the reason I am a guitarist today, and Tom Griesgraber, now one of the world's great Chapman Stick players. And of course I looked up to all the greats: John Williams, Christopher Parkening, Julian Bream, Pepe Romero, Pat Metheny, just to name a few. And then there was Don Wilson.
I met Don at the Mira Costa College guitar ensemble. He was in his 60s, retired, and devoted to both his guitar and his boogie board. He used to keep track of his practice and the number of waves he had caught that day on his pocket calendar. His playing was all heart and all music. I can still hear his singing (sometimes grunting) as he performed. I have many happy memories of riding together to concerts as well as his stories of Aaron Shearer (with whom he backpacked). Don famously said "Playing the guitar is like walking ten dogs. Usually everything goes along fine, but every once in a while you go past a fire hydrant, and watch out!"
The piece I remember Don playing most vividly is El Noi de la Mare. Made famous by Andrés Segovia, El Noi de la Mare is a Catalonian Christmas song. Don honed his version to perfection. Borrowing a little from this or that guitarist and adding his own touches until it was a masterpiece. So, it is with much humility that I present my own recording of this great piece, inspired by the master, Don Wilson. Don, I hope you like it!

Dia De Los Muertos - Original Nuevo Flamenco Piece

2012-10-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

With Halloween just around the corner I decided to release my original piece, Dia de los Muertos. It's a Nuevo Flamenco style piece in D minor with a slightly eerie quality. I thought it was a perfect fit for the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead (The popular celebration of the Catholic All Soul's Day dedicated to praying for the deceased) Like the song, it's a little "creepy," but hopefully beautiful.

I wrote and recorded the song in about four hours. I was feeling sick that day, and didn't feel like doing any "real work." First I put down the drum track. This was followed with the synth parts and bass line. Next I layer down the electric guitar parts. There are two electric parts, both with distortion, one which occurs every bridge (aka chorus), and one which only comes in the final time, with giant distorted power chords! After that I recorded the rhythm guitar track on my classical guitar. The whole backing track was now complete, but I still didn't have a melody!

Every song I write comes together a little differently. Sometimes a melody comes first, sometimes chords, or a little background lick. With Dia de los Muertos, the melody grew out of many improvisations against the completed backing track. The final melody and lead part were about the fifth take I did. And it's pretty much recorded straight through (Meaning that I didn't do a lot of editing). I was particularly happy with the way the solo builds and the energy of the piece increases towards the end. Hope you like it, and Happy Halloween!

Estudio No. 5 by F. Sor

2012-09-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

When performing I'm often asked "What do you think about while you play?" The answer varies. Usually I'm singing the melody in my head as I play. But, alongside that I'm thinking all kinds of things, from "What should I have for breakfast tomorrow?" to "What is the meaning of life?"

I bring this up because when I was recording my version of Sor's Estudio No. 5 I was particularly moved by the sad story of Leiby Kletzk, the Hacidic boy recently murdered in New York. Something about that tragedy and the sadness of this piece will be forever linked for me. It was a difficult and emotional recording session, but in the end I felt like I said something.

How is mankind capable of such beauty and such ugliness?

Notes:

0:00 - Piece begins. A slow arpeggio study in B minor.
0:17 - Repeat of first section, slightly faster, building.
0:35 - Second section begins.
0:50 - Bigger, moves out of B minor eventually coming to rest on a big F# chord (The dominant).
1:06 - Return to B minor, recalls opening.
1:20 - Crescendo with climax at 1:25
1:36 - Repeat of second section. Starts in ponticello.
2:20 - Final crescendo, then dies away.

Claire de Lune - Debussy on Guitar - Free Recording

2012-08-23T17:33:00.004-07:00

I never get tired of hearing Debussy's Claire de Lune. I've heard it on piano, for violin, and on my son's Baby Einstein movies! I still love it. It's a great piece, full of interesting harmonic changes and soaring melodies.

0:00 - The piece begins with the main theme, a flowing, wandering melody that slowly makes it's way down the major scale.

0:50 - This is followed with a rhythmic section which alternates with dramatic bass notes.

1:23 - Next a stormy melody which begins a modulation to a distant key (the chromatic mediant for those of you keeping score!)

2:00 - The climax of the piece comes at the completion of the modulation. Listen for the highest note of the piece followed with a beautiful two octave descending scale.

2:05 - A return to the earlier “stormy melody,” this time in a mellower mood.

2:30 - Now a return to the original flowing melody. Starting to wind down.

3:20 - The coda, hints of the earlier modulation (the chromatic mediant) and a gentle ending on the tonic chord.

Encima de las Nubes - Nuevo Flamenco - Free Recording

2012-08-06T15:47:00.001-07:00

Continuing in my series of original "Nuevo Flamenco" tunes is Encima de las Nubes (Above the Clouds). The title comes from pilot Syd Logan who heard the piece and invited me to play it during a flight. It is written in the Jazz Minor Mode called Dorian. The rhythm comes from Allan Phillips, Venezuelan keyboardist and composer. He taught it to me during a recording session, and I fell in love with it, almost nothing happens on the downbeat, which gives it a real lift.

New on this track is the electric guitar. I felt the sustain of the electric guitar, combined with its ability to bend a note gave me the additional freedom necessary to create "soaring" lines, fitting of a piece called Encima de las Nubes. Enjoy!

Andando Na Chuva - Nuevo Flamenco - Free Recording

2012-07-14T23:43:00.000-07:00

Andando Na Chuva - "Walking in the rain" was originally titled Jam No. 1 with Gerlando, as the first time I played it was with percussionist Gerlando Compilati at the SD Museum of Art. Happily it was renamed by guitarist / harmonica player Syd Logan, who thought it reminded him of a walk in a gentle rain in Rio. When you listen to the piece the main motif has a gentle descent which does sound a little like raindrops. Also at about 2 minutes into the piece you can hear chords being played by the vibes, which sounds a little like water dripping.

I borrowed the main chord progression from the end of Hey Jude, by the Beatles. The jam part at the end of Hey Jude has always been one of my favorites. My tune, Andando Na Chuva, is in Mixolydian mode which has a happy bluesy quality to it. The bridge briefly travels to the related minor, but circles back to G. Rhythmically Andando Na Chuva is a Nuevo Flamenco tune. That part I didn't get from the Beatles :-) Hope you like it!

Sleeper's Awake

2012-07-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

Currently I'm working on a project of Classical guitar music for relaxation. I started by brainstorming beautiful relaxing pieces by classical composers. Handel, Sor, Bach, and Debussy just to name a few. One piece I included was Bach's Wachet Auf. In case your German is rusty, it translates to "Hey, Wake Up." Perfect song for a relaxation album! I think I'll stick with the German title.

Here's my recording of Wachet Auf, which is surprisingly relaxing...despite it's title.

Sheep May Safely Graze: Free Recording

2012-06-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Growing up, one of my favorite pieces was Christopher Parkening's version of Sheep May Safely Graze. It's an amazing version of Bach's classic taken from Cantata No. 208. It requires extraordinary technical mastery of the guitar. I don't think it's possible to improve on Parkening's masterpiece.

And yet, here I am re-recording it! (Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery) When I set out to record it myself I wanted to look at it from a new perspective. My version is more meditative and explores the rich low resonances of the guitar. I was looking for warm comforting sounds, and trying to reflect the text of the original Cantata which reads:

(English): Sheep may safely graze where a good shepherd watches. Where rulers govern well we may feel peace and rest and what makes countries happy (German): Schafe können sicher weiden, Wo ein guter Hirte wacht. Wo Regenten wohl regieren, Kann man Ruh und Friede spüren Und was Länder glücklich macht.

Give it a listen, and feel free to share!

Santiago - Nuevo Flamenco - Free Recording

2012-06-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Recently, I sat down to write some new music; I was performing with percussionist Gerlando Compilati and wanted to have something new and fun to play. In just two short evenings I managed to write seven new tunes! They were inspired by many of my favorite artists. Here is a partial list:

1) Miles Davis - I am a huge fan of his Kind of Blue album. It's a collection of "modal" tunes, where each tune explores a different mode. (Modes are different scales, like major and minor but with more variety.) In my collection each tune explores one of the seven modes of the major scale.

2) Astor Piazzolla - The last CD I recorded was a collection of Tango music by Astor Piazzolla (and some by Alberto Ginastera). Many of his rhythms are included on my new tunes.

3) Allan Phillips - San Diego Musician Allan Phillips produced the last CD my band recorded, Café Pacificó by the Peter Pupping Band. I "borrowed" a few rhythms from him as well.

The first tune I recorded is titled Santiago. It's written in the Phrygian Mode (The Spanish Scale), but the rhythm was inspired by Piazzolla's Libertango. You can listen to it below. I hope you enjoy it, please share it if you do!

Malagueña Video

2012-05-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

For this video I put together some classic photos from Spain. They capture the mood of the piece I think. I just love old photos. In this age of fast moving technology and instant gratification, it's good to stop and think about how things were. Hope you enjoy them and my version of the Spanish classic Malagueña.

Free Recording - Lascia Ch'io Pianga for Classical Guitar

2012-05-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

How many people actually listen to the words of their favorite songs? I didn't, until..the Lascia Ch'io Pianga incident.

It was several years ago, I was preparing to play for a Catholic Wedding. My wife was singing (she's a classically trained Soprano) and was also helping me pick the appropriate music. The musical selections were chosen mostly by the bride, but with our input. Everything was going swell, I was on the phone playing examples and the bride seemed very pleased. Then we got to the music for the groom and groomsmen to enter. I drew a blank. "How about a Renaissance piece?" I played a few bars. Hmmm, no luck. Then it hit me. Lascia Ch'io Pianga! It is one of my all time favorites. I played it for her, she loved it! Success. I started telling her all about it, how it was a famous Handel aria, and it was called Lascia Ch'io Pianga, which means...Well that I didn't know. I turned to my wife who was listening in. She started gesturing wildly at me, making that cut off motion with her hand back and forth across her neck. "What?" I said. Still not getting it I asked again, "Honey, what does Lascia Ch'io Pianga mean?" More wild gesturing, did she not like the song? This went on a few minutes. My wife at this point realizes that I'm not going to give up until I get an answer.

"It means 'Let me weep over my cruel fate'."

"Oh."

I relayed it to the bride. No response. I tried to cover, I mean I'm doing an instrumental version, who really knows the words? It hit me like a ton of bricks, you should know the words to the pieces you are playing! I mean what if this was an Italian family, all lovers of Opera! (In fact this happened to me years later while playing the piece. When will I learn!)

Would you believe that she actually went with the song?

Despite the title, it's an amazing piece. I recorded my version and included it below. Please feel free to share it. Enjoy!

Translation of Lyrics:

Let me weep over my cruel fate, And that I long for freedom! And that I long, and that I long for freedom! Let me weep over my cruel fate, And that I long for freedom!

Romanza - Free Recording for Guitar

2012-05-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Romanza is one of the Spanish guitar's most well known pieces. Yet, it's origins are shrouded in mystery. No one is quite sure of it's author (some say F. Sor, others Daniel Fortea who wrote Malagueña). It's not even sure that it's actually Spanish! The earliest sheet music comes from Argentina towards the beginning of the 20th century. That said, It most closely resembles a 19th century Spanish song in style. It starts in a melencholy "E" minor, moves to "E" major and then returns to finish in "E" minor.

My recording was made at a medium tempo. Many players take it very slow, which I find a bit too romantic. Others take a faster approach (Yamashita for instance), which I find just a little rushed. I hope you enjoy my recording, please feel free to share it.

Malagueña - Free Recording for Spanish Guitar

2012-05-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

No two versions of Malagueña are alike. What makes the piece so much fun is how every player puts their own stamp on it. The rhythm and the key melodies remain the same, but the introduction and other material are the guitarsits' chance to shine. Although it was originally written for piano, it is now one of the most famous pieces for Spanish Guitar.

My own version of Malagueña (see below) contains some of the best loved techniques of the Spanish Guitar. Tremolo is a technique where the player repeats notes over and over so that it sounds like one single continuous sustained note. Listen for it at 1:08 and 2:08. Rasgeado is the way flamenco players strum the guitar. It has a strong pop to it that gives it an aggressive sound. Listen for it at 1:47 and 3:05. Also I make use of harmonics. Harmonics are a bell like sound that are produced by lightly touching the string in certain key spots. Listen for my use of harmonics at 1:55.

Please feel free to download my version of Malagueña for Spanish Guitar. I hope you enjoy it! Next up a beautiful Spanish Guitar piece, Romanza. Stay tuned!

Air on a G String - Free Recording for Guitar

2012-04-25T14:57:00.001-07:00

Photo by Made Underground

When my wife walked down the aisle it was to Bach's Air on a G String. So naturally when I set out to record some new tracks to share with wedding couples it was the first one I chose. Originally Air was written for orchestra, the version I play is arranged for guitar by Jason Walrdon (used by permission).

One really interesting thing about recording Bach's Air is that it was the first Bach piece ever recorded! It was recorded by Russian cellist Aleksandr Verzhbilovich way back in 1902. (I wonder if it's on iTunes....) Any way here is my version of it. Please feel free to download it for personal use. Hope you enjoy it!