[Page 1: A - C] [Page 2: D - G]
[Page 3: H - L]
[Page 4: M - O] [Page 5: P - S] [Page 6: T - Z]
All notes, lyrics, etc. are copyrighted by their respective owners; reprinted here with permission.
1) Help! (John Lennon and Paul McCartney) - [disc 4, track 9]
 | Guitars: Acoustic - Robertson OM-20SE and Guild F512. Electric - Rickenbacker 330, Danelectro Baritone, SX Goldtop Les Paul with P-90 pickups, and DeArmond Pilot Deluxe bass. |
| Strings: Elixirs on Robertson and Guild |
| Tuning: Standard, played in key of E |
| Sonic capture devices: GT AM51 condenser mic on acoustics, vocal and Ampeg R-212 amp |
| Sonic recording devices: Darla24 sound card and Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 software |
Why I chose this song: I wanted to do a Beatles song, and the words seemed appropriate to me at this time in my life.
2) All My Life (Rick Marciniec) - [disc 6, track 13]
| Guitars: Taylor 414 (Ovangkol/spruce), Goodall Aloha Mahogany GC, Yamaha FG331 high string, Fender P-Bass Special |
| Strings: Elixirs on Taylor and Goodall |
| Tuning: Standard in A (Taylor); standard in E, capo 5 (Goodall) |
| Sonic capture devices: Rode NT-1 condenser mic |
| Sonic recording devices: Darla24 sound card and Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 software |
I wrote this song on my Rickenbacker 370/12RM in 1990, at a time when I was feeling very lonely. I decided that a cure for my loneliness would be to write a song for my future wife, although I hadn't met her yet. It's basically a wishful daydream which came true.
Lyrics:
As the sun sinks low in the early summer sky
My eyes are filled with loneliness and longing for my bride
But the sun will rise to illumine a brighter day
When at last I hold her in my arms and say the words I long to say[Chorus:]
All my life I've waited for your love
All my dreams were dreamt for you
All my days I've hungered for your touch
I've waited for you, love, all my lifeBut for now I'll sing of a love that's yet to be
And I will wait for her, I'm waiting patiently
We will go on to live a life of love
But until that time these thoughts of mine will have to be enough[Repeat chorus]
URL: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/147/rick_marciniec.html
Would You Like to Play Guitar? ("Swinging on a Star" melody - new lyrics: Pat Donohue; words: Johnny Burke; music: Jimmy Van Heusen) - [disc 2, track 13]
This is a cover of a tune I picked up from a CD called Summit Meeting, by a loose collaboration of four guitarists who refer to themselves (when together -- they also perform independently) as The Acoustic Guitar Summit. Doug Smith performed the song on the CD.
Isa Lei / Aloha `Oe ( Fijian trad. / Queen Lili`uokalani) - [disc 3, track 13]
| Guitar: 1996 Walnut Breedlove |
| Strings: Light Elixirs |
| Tuning: Leonard's C (CGDGBD) with capo at second fret (key of D) |
| Recording devices: I recorded this on a Sony MiniDisc portable recorder with a Sony One-Point stereo microphone. I didn't figure out how to move it to my PC in time (I put it off too long) and so it's just the way it was recorded. |
The song is a simple medley of "Isa Lei" and "Aloha `Oe." These are both songs of parting, and so are a bit sad (even though Queen Lili`uokalani thought her song wasn't sad). They've been paired together by many artists. I only included the chorus of "Aloha `Oe," which is the best-known part. I don't know why "Isa Lei" isn't better known; perhaps because it is from Fiji rather than Hawaii.
I became interested in slack key by chance. I liked Hawaiian music and so I ordered Keola Beamer's book on slack key on a whim. His first lesson is "Isa Lei," and it blew me away. My arrangement resembles his; it will take a long time for me to think of "Isa Lei" in any other way. He plays his version in a different tuning than mine, and he does more with less notes.
E-mail: marzullo [at] cs.ucsd [dot] edu
Just Like You Said (Gerard Monsonego) - [disc 4, track 11]
| Guitar: Norman B20-12 12-string |
| Strings: Elixir lights except .010s replaced by .012/1st and .011/2nd |
| Tuning: DADGAD |
| Sonic capture devices: Two Rode NT-5s mics for guitar; Rodes and Neumann TLM-103GT for vocal |
| Sonic recording devices: Tascam TMD-4000 board; recorded to Tascam MX-2424 |
| Recorded at Concept Recording (http://www.liquidlewis.com/concept/) and engineered by Jarad Pesner |
Lyrics for "Just Like You Said":
The hours of another day drift away
Now that the words come more easily,
I need to say
That to respect you is not enough
'Cause I wouldn't be here without your touch
So between us there's no need to bluff
That we're so toughThat first morning, when I woke up
And you were there
Making silly faces just to watch me laugh
I knew you cared
And although your dream came true
How could you know what I'd put you through
Still, my best friends are both of you
Just like you said...
After a ten-year hiatus from playing and songwriting, I picked up the guitar again at the beginning of 2001 and got my old chops back over the course of a year. In February of 2002, I finally felt confident enough to perform in public again at a Sunday night jam at Bar Avanti in Montreal, hosted by my ex-keyboard player Edwin (Blondell) and the Bedouins (they play blues and R&B -- the band name doesn't reflect their choice of material). I did a short solo acoustic set and got a much warmer response than I thought I deserved (sound familiar?).
Anyway, I decided to start writing again, and tuned to DADGAD -- which I'd never tried before -- and started fingerpicking an arrangement of "A Hard Day's Night" until I had enough material to start writing my own song. Then I decided to write this song for my parents since I'm fortunate at 47 to still have them both. It was a lot of work, but between wanting to make them proud and showing off on jam night, I pushed myself way beyond my previous level of playing. RMMGA kept me focused on guitar during breaks in practice. I was overdoing it, and the advice I found on RSI (warming up, fingertip grooves, etc.) helped immeasurably.
Just one more thing: 12 years ago, I wrote around two dozen songs in the basement of my residence at the time. This spring (2002), Edwin (see above) invited me to practice my original material with his band at a friend's place. I picked him up, and the address he gave me was my old place. The basement where I wrote all those songs is now a great little studio and this song was recorded there.
--Gerry Mason (my name is Gerard Monsonego but I use Gerry Mason as my stage name)
El Noi de la Mare (trad., arr. Brian McCarthy) - [disc 1, track 10]
| Guitar: Alan Carruth classical |
| Strings: D'Addario J45 |
| Sonic capture: Two AKG C2000B mics |
| Recording devices: Mackie 1202VLZ mixer; recorded to CD-R. |
"El Noi de la Mare" is a traditional Catalan Christmas carol. This is my own arrangement.
1) Jig (Lance McCollum) - [disc 2, track 1]
| Guitar: McCollum Grand Auditorium (Brazilian/Italian spruce) |
| Strings: D'Addario bluegrass |
| Tuning: DADGAD |
| Sonic capture devices: L. R. Baggs Prototype ribbon pickup, run into a Rane AP13 preamp; matched pair of Microtek Gefell mics, run into a Millennia HV3 preamp. |
| Recording details: Mixed in Pro Tools with Digi 001; some chorus and reverb wave plug-ins. |
This is a song I've been working on for a number of years. Finally got something down.
2) Summer Moon (Lance McCollum) - [disc 5, track 15]
| Guitar: McCollum Grand Auditorium (Brazilian/Italian spruce) |
| Strings: D'Addario bluegrass |
| Tuning: DADGAD |
| Sonic capture devices: Matched pair of Microtek Gefell mics, run into a Millennia HV3 preamp. |
| Recording details: Mixed in Pro Tools with Digi 001; slight amount of reverb. |
This is another song I've been playing with for a while. My wife decided on the title based on a picture she likes. I think this really captures the sound of my guitars. I actually play it better now than when it was recorded -- so check back on RMMGA CD-IV!
E-mail: mccollum [at] mccollumguitars [dot] com
URL: http://www.mccollumguitars.com
Dear Prudence (John Lennon and Paul McCartney) - [disc 3, track 7]
| Guitar: Larrivee OM-10 |
| Strings: DR "Rare" phosphor bronze, medium gauge (12-54) |
| Tuning: Standard |
| Sonic capture devices: Guitar - L. R. Baggs Ribbon Transducer and Marshall MX2000. Vocals - Marshall MX2000. |
| Other goodies used: ProTone finger picks |
| Sonic recording devices: Frontier Design "Tango24" and "Dakota" A/D-D/A converters, Event Project Studio 8 monitors, Cakewalk Sonar 2.0 XL digital audio software, IK Multimedia T-RackS24 mastering software. |
| Recording details: Produced, mixed, mastered, engineered, etc. completely on my own (Push the button, play the song!). This song was recorded in one take, with no overdubs. It sounded pretty good for a "once-off" song, but I decided at the very end of the day to add a few overdubs of vocals for the last verse (to make it more "Beatle-esque"). Other than the vocal harmonies, everything else was done in one setting. |
In a thread on RMMGA, several people were talking about how simple and yet complex some of the Beatles tunes could be (this was just shortly after the death of George Harrison). Many people were also talking about how they enjoyed playing Beatles tunes, and how well received they always were. So, I pulled this one out of my early song list and tried it. I have always liked this song for its simple, repeating, almost drone-like quality.
Thanks to my wife, Kathy, for letting me spend a very nice Saturday afternoon inside with my guitar, when we were supposed to be playing tennis together!
E-mail: jim [at] mccrain [dot] net
URL: http://www.theclimb.com
1) Great Long Time (Mark McDonald) - [disc 2, track 8]
| Guitar: 1999 Martin 000-28EC |
| Tuning: Standard |
| Other instruments: harmonica |
| Recorded live in the Banquet Studios, Santa Rosa, CA in April of 2002 for the album Great Long Time. |
This is one of my favorite songs and it seems that I do it a little differently every time I perform it live. That keeps it interesting and fresh for me and hopefully conveys that message to my audience.
There are no overdubs and precious little editing. The guitar part is based on a progression I have done for years (hence the name "Great Long Time") but the harmonica part was just added a couple of years ago. The harmonica part is played in "first position" which is not how I normally play harmonica, being basically a blues player, but it certainly works well for this song.
2) Porch Pie (Mark McDonald) - [disc 5, track 13]
| Guitar: 2000 National Reso-Phonic Style "O" resonator guitar |
| Tuning: Open G |
| Recorded live in the Banquet Studios, Santa Rosa, CA in April of 2002 for the album Great Long Time. |
The first day I brought the National guitar home, I sat down and this song just happened. It has actually changed very little since that first evening. The tuning is open G and I use a chrome slide. I find that this particular guitar is very bright and liquid, as opposed to a rougher sound of many of the vintage type "O"s that I have played. It seems to really lend itself to melodic fingerstyle playing that is spiced with languid slide accents. At least that is what it seems to be telling me. I always enjoy playing this song and I certainly hope people like listening.
| Guitar: Martin 00-21GE 12-fret slothead |
| Strings: Gibson G1040ML medium light (11-51) stainless steel flatwound electric strings. Thanks to Jim Page of RMMGA for that recommendation. |
| Sonic capture: One Shure SM57 mic and one Marshall studio mic |
| Recorded and mastered by Mike Bowes at BIG MIC Studios, Mechanicsville, Virginia - (804) 569-1200 |
1) Don't Think Twice (Bob Dylan) - [disc 2, track 21]
My favorite versions of "Don't Think Twice" are by Peter Paul & Mary, and by Joan Baez with Bob Dylan.
2) Early Morning Rain (Gordon Lightfoot) - [disc 5, track 20]
My favorite versions of "Early Morning Rain" are by Peter Paul & Mary, and by New Hampshire folksinger Bill Staines.
E-mail: Shamrock99 [at] mindspring [dot] com -- or -- oldslothead [at] hotmail [dot] com
1) Le Mans (El McMeen) - [disc 1, track 6]
© (P) 2002 El McMeen. All rights reserved for all countries.
| Guitar: Martin OM-28V |
| Tuning: CGDGAD, capoed at the 2nd fret |
This original tune had a racing feel to it, hence the name.
2) Greensleeves (trad., arr. El McMeen) - [disc 4, track 18]
Guitar arrangement © (P) 2002 El McMeen 2002. All rights reserved for all countries.
| Guitar: Martin OM-28V |
| Tuning: CGDGAD, capoed at the 4th fret |
1) Simple Gifts / Arcadia (American trad. / Stan Milam) - [disc 1, track 19]
| Guitar: Koa Kinscherff High Noon |
| Strings: Elixir Nanoweb light |
| Tuning: Standard, key of G |
| Sonic capture: Highlander IP/2 pickup |
| Recording engineer: Jim McCrain, Walrus Sound Productions |
This piece is a medley of an old Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts," and an original which I call "Arcadia."
I have always loved the melody for "Simple Gifts" and when I found the music in a beginner guitar book, I thought I would try my hand at arranging it for fingerstyle. My approach was to use the bass to fill in holes and move from chord to chord.
I am a "word hound" -- I love to search out the true meaning of a word. "Arcadia" came to me as a "Word of the Day," and it means "A place of rural happiness, contentment, and simple pleasures." I was mesmerized by the meaning of this word and wanted to capture what it meant to me in music. A couple of weeks later, the music just spilled out of my guitar in one of those rare creative moments. I wrote most of it just in time to play for my dying mother. Mom was the first person to let me know I was doing something right on the guitar many, many years ago, and for her this music is dedicated.
2) Chasing My Sun Away (Stan Milam) - [disc 5, track 7]
| Guitar: Martin D12-1 (12-string) |
| Strings: Elixir Nanoweb light |
| Tuning: Standard, key of D |
| Sonic capture: Pick-Up The World #27 pickup |
| Recording engineer: Jim McCrain, Walrus Sound Production |
This is a love song that I wrote many, many years ago when I was a senior in high school. It amuses me that I had no serious relationship at the time. I suppose I was writing it for my future wife, whoever she turned out to be. However, I got great mileage out it for the next several years as I dated different women! :-)
The song depicts me looking for someone that I cannot find because the sun is shining in my eyes. However, she just "appears" and chases the sun away, leaving the lovers to consummate their love in the dark. Very romantic stuff for a 18-year-old kid with copious amounts of hormones coursing through his body!
1) Resolution Boogie (Andy Most) - [disc 3, track 21]
| Guitar: Taylor 612C |
| Tuning: CGDGAD |
| Sonic capture: Sunrise pickup, internal Crown mini condenser, Raven Labs PMB-1. Probably not the most acoustic of sounds. |
| Recorded on a Mac at my house. |
Solo acoustic guitar thing in CGDGAD tuning. I indirectly blame El McMeen & the good folks at RMMGA for turning me on to this tuning.
2) There Will Come a Day (Debbie Wade and Julie Wade) - [disc 6, track 5]
Performed by Andy Most (guitar), Steve Holland (drums), David Spicher (upright bass), Chas Williams (ShoBro) & last but not least, the lovely & talented writers of this song - Sisters Wade: Debbie (vocals & Gibson F5 mando) and Julie (vocals).
| Guitar: Bourgeois Festival D |
| Recorded at Grey House Studio by Wendy Robinette & mixed with Greg Jennings at The Laundry Room. |
A few tracks of myself on a Bourgeois Festival D acoustic.
Fiddler's Dram / Whiskey Before Breakfast (trad. / trad., arr. Normal Blake) - [disc 4, track 8]
| Guitar: Bourgeois Country Boy |
| Strings: Bluegrass gauge |
| Recorded to computer with cheap Radio Shack microphone on Sept. 26, 2002 -- couple mistakes, but no time to re-record. |
Kevin O'Donovan resides in East Hartford, Connecticut.
E-mail: kevino [at] attbi [dot] com
[Page 1: A - C] [Page 2: D - G]
[Page 3: H - L]
[Page 4: M - O] [Page 5: P - S] [Page 6: T - Z]
Liner notes compiled & edited by J. Y. Whang