Several years ago I had the opportunity to hear Tommy Emmanuel play guitar, at a music festival in my area.  His performance was definitely a highlight, for me and many others.  I'd had no idea it was possible for a person to play guitar in such amazing ways, until listening to him.

For some Christmas cheer, here is Tommy Emmanuel along with John Knowles--both are fingerstyle virtuosos--practicing their version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."  It is evident these guitarists are having a great time playing this short piece.

  Tommy Emmanuel is from Australia.  He has been performing music for most of his life, beginning playing in a family band, the "Emmanuel Quartet," at age 6.  Later he worked in a variety of bands, and as a studio musician, before deciding to begin a solo career.

John Knowles, a Texan, majored in physics and math in college, becoming a research lab scientist.  But he had always loved music, playing accordion and ukelele as a child, and then guitar as a teenager.  After 2 years in science he switched careers, becoming a guitar teacher.   He is the author of the "Fingerstyle Quarterly"-- a publication with guitar music pieces in tab format along with recordings to hear, for guitarists.

Both Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles are among only 5 musicians who have been awarded an honorary CGP (Certified Guitar Player) title from Chet Atkins, one of the most influential country-western guitarists of the 20th century.

It was Christmas, and I was opening a package.  It was rectangular-shaped, and felt firm.  As I got past the wrappings, I was elated to find not one, but six George Winston CD's!  That was one of the best presents ever, and one I am still enjoying today.  

My first time to hear George Winston piano had been a couple of years earlier, with a  CD called December, loaned from a friend.  I was amazed and delighted with the music on it, and my children enjoyed hearing it, too.  It was lively and rhythmical at times, beautifully smooth and comforting at other times.

And this piano music is still one of my first choices to listen to, when looking for instrumental music to hear while working on artwork or just wanting beautiful sounds in the background while doing anything.

I recently did some research on George Winston, and found out some interesting things I hadn't known:  
About 95% of the pieces he plays are by other composers, though he does arrange pieces.  
He composes about 1 - 2 songs a year.
He is constantly touring and doing live performances.  
He also plays solo guitar and solo harmonica, in addition to solo piano.  
His type of piano music is NOT classical-- it is called "folk piano."
He has never played piano music by classical European composers.
He didn't start playing a keyboard instrument until he was 18, and started with the organ because he liked the music of "The Doors."
His inspiration to begin playing piano was hearing recordings from the '20's and '30's, of "stride piano" ("Fats" Waller and Teddy Wilson).
He recorded his first album in 1972, when he was 25 and had been playing piano for just one year.

One of the piano recordings he is most well-known for is Linus and Lucy-- The Music of Vince Guaraldi, released in 1996, which has some familiar piano solos from the "Peanuts" TV specials on it.  But he has created a steady stream of recordings over the past 35 years, with 10 solo piano full albums and several EP's.  His EP's are benefit albums, with proceeds going to various causes such as 9-11 survivors, Hurricane Relief and cancer research.

Since summer has just ended, I thought it would be fitting to put a song from his Summer album here-- it is called "Living in the Country" and was originally a guitar piece by Pete Seeger, composed around 1956.  George also used a second song as the intro for his piano arrangement of "Living in the Country"-- it is a traditional Irish song, "Do You Love an Apple?"  There are no other pictures with this video;  just the nice yellowish one below, but there is no need for pictures-- just listening is enchanting in itself.  

What do you think?  Does it sound like summer to you?  It is certainly bright and lively.  If you enjoyed hearing this piece,  there's lots more where it came from . . .

​You can investigate George Winston's website at www.GeorgeWinston.com and hear other recordings from this album or other albums, as well as order the mp3 files or CD's (I suggest giving yourself an early Christmas present).

     It was Leonardo Da Vinci's idea, way back in the early Renaissance, just before Colombus crossed the ocean to the Americas  .  .  .

    Just some simple sketches, with no technical details      . . . but the idea was clearly there-- a keyboard instrument that creates the sound of a stringed instrument.

    About 100 years after DaVinci's sketches, German instrument maker Hans Haiden built an instrument that was very similar to DaVinci's idea.  It was not directly based on DaVinci's sketches, but it did make the sound of a stringed instrument through a keyboard.   However, this instrument's popularity was short-lived, and no models remain today.  It wasn't until close to 400 years later, in 2012, that Da Vinci's interesting and beautiful musical idea would be constructed and listened to.

    Although the spark was DaVinci's creativity, the actual enactment of this invention required a great deal of technical know-how combined with master craftsmanship.  This work was the special project of a Polish pianist and instrument maker, Slawomir Zubrzycki, who spent four years building the new instrument-- called a "viola organista"-- beginning in 2009.

     Though it looks like a piano, the sound that comes out is that of a viola de gamba.  This is a stringed instrument developed in Spain in the late 1400's, and used in both renaissance and baroque music.  Also known as a "viol," it looks similar to a cello, but has a slightly different shape (flat back, sloping shoulders) and has 5 to 7 strings (instead of 4, in the violin family), and frets.

     The Italian word "viola de gamba" means "violin of the leg," because these instruments were held upright between the legs of the musician.  The modern violin family (which came later, in Italy in the 1500's) is called "viola de braccia"-- "violin of the arm"-- although only the smallest members of this family are held near the arm.

     Well, this new "viola-organista," built by Zubrzycki, has the distinct sound of a viola de gamba-- when its lower and middle keys of the keyboard are played-- and also has the sound of an organ-- when the upper keys are played.

     The announcement of this new instrument, and its first public recital, was made in October 2013, in Poland, during the International Royal Cracow Piano Festival.  Since then, Slawomir Zubrzycki has been transporting his instrument to various locations in Europe, for concerts.

     Would you like to hear this musical invention?  You can both see and hear it, in the introductory video below:

     What do you think?  Does it seem strange to hear a stringed instrument sound coming from a keyboard?  Well, maybe not today . . .  with the use of electronics, a "piano" can mimic all kinds of instruments .  But the viola-organista is not electronic, and it is a very unique and interesting creation in the acoustic music family of instruments.

     In my opinion, it's awesome to see this new-and-old viola organista;  the product of several people's combined creative energies, over about 500 years.  It certainly looks and sounds wonderful.  Kudos to Slawomier Zubrzycki!

My finger was throbbing.  I had accidentally slammed it in a door, and now-- OW!  Ice was the immediate treatment,  and that was very COLD-- but it did somewhat numb the pain and reduce inflammation.  

Enter my teen son . . . I am so thankful he came to the rescue with Vitamin String Quartet!  Yes, soothing, wonderful instrumental music -- the likes of which I'd never heard before!  As I was soaking in the beautiful sounds, I asked him what music group this was, and he told me it was "Vitamin String Quartet."

This was my introduction to a collection of well loved, currently popular instrumental music-- and I think VSQ is very aptly named . . . it was music that was like a vitamin, bringing health and wellness!

Though they were new to me, I now know that in general, Vitamin String Quartet is very widely known; maybe that's because they don't play just any sort of string quartet music . . . instead of typical chamber music, renditions of popular songs in pop, rock, and misc. other genres are arranged and produced, in classical music style.  It isn't just one certain group of players . . . various musicians play on different albums that are all produced by VSQ.  And it isn't usually an actual quartet . . .  for example, on a tribute album for Coldplay, there were 10 instrumental performers, playing various instruments-- however, there WERE four instruments: cello, violin, viola, and bass. There were also 3 arrangers, 3 producers, and 6 composers, plus an engineer and graphic designer; so this is a large, collaborative effort.

Most of the VSQ videos available on the internet have only the album cover . . . but I did find a couple that are interesting to watch as well as listen to.  Here is one with a ballet dancer, dancing to a string quartet version of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus's song, "Your Guardian Angel":

And here is a pretty zany video showing lots of things going BACKWARDS,  accompanied by the Vitamin String Quartet playing their arrangement of  "Pressing On," tribute to Relient K.

One thing I noticed in listening to several VSQ songs in a row, while my finger was getting iced, is that the sound is both soothing and interesting.  And in comparison to the original pop/rock/other original songs,  this strings only sound has a softer effect even when the music is dramatic and tense; it takes the "edginess" off just a bit.

Are you getting enough vitamins?  How about vitamin M (for music)?  Here is the website for the Vitamin String Quartet: http://www.vitaminstringquartet.com/  You're sure to find a large assortment of instrumental vitamins.

"Trust" -- this piece of music makes my heart smile, as does the word itself.

Originally composed as part of the soundtrack to a short film,  this piece really shines as a solo.  It was created by The Walla Recovery, an indie folk quartet from Texas.  Members are Brandon Reynolds (percussion),  Jonathan Kaylor (cello, guitar),  Justin Luningham (bass, cello), and singer-songwriter Zack Smith (guitar, vocals).  

The music is pleasant and warm, with bright bell sounds punctuating a strings background.
This vibrant piece can be heard on Bandcamp; here is a link to listen:   TRUST

The Walla Recovery  has  4 albums -- "Trust" is the final track in their short instrumental album, Consonance. Their Christmas album,  A Star, A Star  is a work that has been added to each year since 2009; there are now 9 tracks available for download.  These include a very nice instrumental medly of "Carol of the Bells/The Holly and The Ivy."  I Especially like their indie folk version of "We Three Kings."  Another album is folk with cello ("chamber-folk"), called With Trembling.  And they have a  CD collection of  rewritten hymns, called O Bless the Lord, My Soul.

If you enjoyed hearing "Trust," You will most likely find the entire Consonance album to be wonderful.  It has 7 short tracks (4 of them are less than a minute long, and the entire set is 8 minutes).

Besides creating and recording music, The Walla Recovery plays at music festivals, churches, and other venues; they are an active and productive indie folk quartet.

They offer downloads, CD's, and a free sampler download, on their newly designed website: www.thewallarecovery.com

There is an instrument that is unique to Armenia; it is made with apricot wood, along with a reed plant that grows along the Arax River.  It looks something like a recorder, except for the reed mouthpiece.  And the sound it makes is rich and warm.  Playing it requires cheeks full of air, and circular breathing.  

This is the "duduk" (DOO-dook); it's name comes from a Turkish word for "pipe." It is played in Armenia for social and cultural events, usually with one duduk player making a drone sound and another playing a melody.

It is an ancient instrument, known to be used in Armenia at least since the reign of Armenia's king "Tigram the Great," 95 - 55 BC.

Its distinct sound has been sought for use in some Western films-- the sound of Mr. Timnus playing his "flute" in The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion. the Witch and the Wardrobe  was  created with a duduk.  

The sound of the duduk has been compared to sounds of the oboe, clarinet, and saxophone.  But really, it doesn't mimic any of these-- because the sound it makes can only be made by the duduk.

Would you like to hear it?

Here is a lovely duet composition with duduk and guitar,  played in this Youtube video by Vigen Hovsepyan and Vahan Ghalechyan:

It looks like playing this instrument takes a lot of concentration; and for a slender and small instrument, it is quite powerful in its audio output.  I like the sound of the guitar along with the duduk.

I usually think of them as helicopters.  Another name for these little whirling seed pods is "whirlybirds."  And in the spring, they are lying all around on our front lawn.  We have a huge old maple tree,  and these little winged things fly out of it, and gracefully float -- with some spinning -- to the ground below.  At left is a picture of one in my hand, and several more that have already landed in the grass.

And the song I am featuring here in this post is  one that demonstrates the  dancing, whirling nature of these floating whirlybirds.

It is a piano piece composed by Therese Michaud, a pianist and composer whose work is sparkling with energy and imagination.
Terese has this "WhirlyBird" song on her MySpace page, here: https://myspace.com/theresemichaud/music/song/whirlybird-80718287-88912793

She is an artist who lives nearby, and I love to hear her play-- her compositions are amazing and wonderful (whether she's playing in person or you listen through a recording).  

Therese has two CD's available, and is working on a third ("WhirlyBird" will be on it).  Her CD's -- as well as individual downloads-- can be found on CD Baby:  http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ThereseMichaud

Our yard is getting full of whirlybirds . . . and when I see them flying or scattered all around, I like to think of Therese's piano piece -- full of motion-- and imagine what it would be like to be a seed helicopter and whirl in the spring wind . . .

Get on your dancing shoes!  It's time for Benny Goodman and the era of early swing!

I had the opportunity to start learning ballroom dancing a few years ago, and began with the waltz.  Once my husband and I learned how to avoid stepping on each other's toes for that, it was really very fun; but I think I liked doing swing dancing even better.  We had to stop our lessons, and didn't get very proficient, but I can see why going out to swing dances was so popular.  Some of the young people today are learning swing, too, because it's a social dance that is exhilarating and yet somewhat "organized" -- instead of just "moving to the beat" however you want, there are certain steps to know.


Benny Goodman is famous for his outstanding clarinet playing and for his role as a bandleader during the beginning of swing; he was known as the "King of Swing."  He grew up in Chicago, a city that was a hotspot for jazz in the early 20th century.  His immigrant parents were very poor, but they encouraged Benny and his siblings to be diligent in their studies,  and also to pursue playing a musical instrument-- in his case, the clarinet. 

Besides taking lessons at his local synagogue and through a settlement house that helped immigrant families, Benny listened to clarinet music on records, and practiced copying it back.  He was quite proficient in playing by age 9, and at 12 years old he played an act at a local Vaudeville theater house.  By 13 years old he was playing with a teen jazz band, then at 14 he quit school so he could pursue a full-time music career as a jazz clarinetist.  At 19 (1928), after several years in jazz bands, he made his first solo record.   By 24 he was signed to Columbia Records, to play jazz music, and the next year he started his own band. He called his band an "orchestra" when it was a "big band" with lots of instrumentalists.  At various times he also had bands of 4 (quartet), 5 (quintet) or 6 (sextet).

Benny is known for his attitude of inclusion towards African Americans; he worked with and hired many black musicians at a time when segregation was still common.  He also learned jazz arrangements from them.  He and his band members had the honor of being the first jazz musicians to play at Carnegie Hall (1938).

Here is a musical piece from 1939, "Shivers."  It is played by Benny Goodman's Sextet-- which at that time included Charlie Christian, known for introducing the music world to electric guitar solos.    Please note:  the photo doesn't change on this video; there is nothing to watch-- so just be prepared to get up and dance to this swing music, even if you don't know any swing steps.

After swing's heyday was over (in the late 1940's), Benny expanded his music performances to include playing classical music with orchestras.  He also did some tours playing swing music in foreign countries-- Asia (1967-57), Western Europe (1958-59), and even the Soviet Union (1962) .  He lived most of his life in New York City, and died at 77, in 1986.

There's just something fun about a ukelele.  Maybe it's the lighter sound of four strings.  Or maybe it's the phrase used for tuning, that most ukelele players know-- it sounds better with music, but the words are "My dog has fleas . . . and so does yours . . ."

Whatever it is, I came across this fine-- and fun-- piece of ukelele playing, and would like to share it with you.  The music artist is Darren J Claxton, from Derbyshire, Britain.  Darren also has some blues and folkish vocal pieces, and has an EP recording of 5 songs on iTunes and Amazon.  The title of this ukelele instrumental piece is "Smiling Eyes."  Darren is a multi-instrumentalist and includes percussion in this uke song, too.  I enjoyed hearing the rhythms as well as the ukelele; Darren has put in a variety of percussive sounds.

It is a lively tune; Get ready to dance, and turn this on (click on the link, in other words . . .)

                                                                                         SMILING  EYES

The ukelele was the first stringed instrument I began to play, back when I was about 8 years old, with a little sporano uke.  I have fond memories of plinking out sounds and learning a few chords.  My old sporano uke is long gone, but I do have a baritone, and sometimes pull it out.  How about you-- are you a ukelelian?

Listen to this short piano song to the end.  It will make you smile.  Could be a good antidote to the doldrums in this season change, as we are returning to a colder and darker part of the year.

It feels jazzy, and reminded me of ragtime.  Not sure why it's called "Slide," but maybe because of the way some of the notes seem to slide quickly together.  Or  . . . because of the happy feeling the music brings, kind of like climbing up and going down a slide?

This piece is by artist and composer Adrian Webster, a self-taught musician from the UK.  Adrian has recorded two albums of piano music with a great variety of moods and melodies, and individual song downloads are available at http://www.crusaderbeach.com.

When you hear him play it's hard to believe he never took piano lessons.  His family kept their upright piano in his bedroom, and he says that "for me it was like having another toy to enjoy for hours on end," and through his delight in this ever-present instrument, he developed his own style of playing piano mostly by experiment and discovery.

Note to parents--
Want to raise the next musical genius?  Follow these simple steps:
1 -  make sure there's room in your child's bedroom for a piano, and move it in there sometime when he/she is    still a tiny tot
2 - no piano lessons
3 - hmmm . . . not sure -- you may have no control over what happens in step three

I'm glad Adrian Webster did have a piano in his bedroom . . .  so we could hear songs like this one (and have something to help with the gloomy weather) --

Did you enjoy this piano song?  Please share this post and spread the good cheer.