"Wish You Were Here" - Pink Floyd Instrumental Guitar with Lyrics

Uptown Funk (Bruno Mars/Mark Ronson) - Electric Guitar/Mini-Korg Instrum...

"Here Without You" - Three Doors Down Guitar Cover (Official)

A Short Diary of the Making of a  Cover Song

Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" - An Acoustic Guitar Instrumental

Soundcloud Link:

"Stay With Me" - An Acoustic Guitar Instrumental Cover

This is what I'd call a solo guitar work in three parts. Hmmm...seems a bit contradictory. If it is, it is fine with me. This is an off the cuff improvisation of sorts in three parts. I played and recorded them all in under 15 minutes. It is a creation that was intended to give only the spirit of the original by Sam Smith.  A very simple constuction in the work makes for a very interesting process. In that, you have to make the limited musical material interesting. With a basic harmony guitar and two melody tracks on top, I'm happy with the result. Not overbearng like I tend to be with the electric, I held firm to a more simplistic approach. Although, I couldn't resist getting some fire in there at times. I mean, I am a guitar player:)

The song consists of three main chords and an occasional fourth at the turnaround of the progression. The song is basically in a minor using a typical i-IV-vi progression. The turnaround is the creative point at which you make the decision usually on the fly. I didn't make a big deal of that but concentrated on the melodic content, especially the harmonies.  The Yamaha nylon (based on Rodrigo y Gabriela model) pulled through.  Maybe a little thin at times but overall okay. At least nothing that can't be tweaked a bit more later. Eventually, I will make sure to mic the acoustic guitars more than not. Overall, it's a better choice. 

A future classic this song will be. Long after its pop success and it's already over-exposed soundwaves begin to fade, it will surely rise again and remain one of the classic love songs of all time.

MarkJefferyCampayno
www.markgtr.com

Review of Madness in Little Rooms by Anurag Mishra

Anurag Mishra: Madness in Little Rooms

http://anurag.bandcamp.com/album/madness-in-little-rooms

   In this day of incessant electronica, it is comforting to know that a single musician and an acoustic guitar are able to cut through the din of software madness. 

Anurag Mishra, who hails from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India has produced a collection of wonderful vignettes that is a six-string diary of sorts. A commentary on life with melody and harmony that need no words. The words for Anurag, are in the notes. 

   The ability of the solo guitar to communicate is without question. It’s been doing that forever. In the hands of Anurag Mishra it becomes his very soul. Perfection? No. Anurag is not seeking that in this collection. Perfection is unattainable in life so why would the music reflect such unreality? This offering is different...his music is real. Sometimes dark, sometimes hopeful, sometimes jazzy, sometimes classical, it’s life in a descriptive display of notes and moods that will resonate with some aspect of your past, present, and future. 

 Anurag occasionally adds accompanying layers to his works. However, they are placed so perfectly in the mix that they literally become part of the guitar. They are swallowed up by the what I can only describe as a mystical soundscape of necessity. Without them the song would not hold up, with them the song is perfect.  

   One of the most gorgeous pieces of the 14 song collection is “Drawn to the Friction”. The work consists of a beautiful set of arpeggiated chords surrounded by a slow and melodic cello background. This work will leave your reminiscing about something you thought you left behind long ago. 

   The beauty in Anurag’s compositions is the way he controls his chord textures. Rarely does he strum full chords. It’s as though he finds no use for them in his search for the emotions he is describing. “Finding Hope” is a journey into what we all seek, a respite from the stress of life’s never ending assault on our search for peace.

   Even more evocative is the background noise that many of the tracks contain. The noise of the street only adds to the incredible vibe Anurag has produced with this release. Only a confident and forward thinking musician would ever allow such sounds on a recording. Mix that with a raw acoustic guitar and a creative imagination and you have a place to go where the music understands you. This is a must have for all who appreciate great solo guitar music. 

-Mark Jeffery Campayno

Mark's Website

"INNER LIFE" - ACOUSTIC GUITAR ORIGINAL

"No One Here By That Name" - Original Song

"No Sleep Until I'm in Your Arms" - Original Song

"A Message to Malachi" - Nylon String Guitar Original

"The Universe Lives in Her Eyes" - Original Song (Official Video Version)

Are You Weak Down the Middle? The Loss of Power in a Power Age.

Bands...here's a perpetual problem that can wreck havoc with your sound and effectiveness. Being weak down the middle. Meaning...your drummer and bassist are either not in sync, are inexperienced, or are just average players. What can you do? Like it or not, music is becoming more and more dependent on a strong, and I mean strong beat. If you are missing that critical element you may risk falling behind your peers. 

Without that strong low end you lose your ability to hit your audience with the power that they desire. Back to how to fix this problem. How about the band U2? No one would deny that they have been extremely successful. However, they are a bit weak down the middle right? Nothing against Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen personally, they just don't have the punch that's needed to make u2 a powerhouse. But alas, along comes The Edge and Bono and bam! Problem solved. 

The Edge's unique and creative guitar style creates a tidal wave of sound and takes up a lot of space, which tends to mask the lack of punch from the foundation of the band. Throw in Bono's powerful vocals and soaring melodic lines and you have the solution. However, not everyone can call upon that kind of talent to fix a weak backbeat. 

Most, if not all of you are familiar with Van Halen. That's a very curious but understandable situation. Rarely if ever, does anyone talk about Michael Anthony's bass playing. Why? Because you can't hear it! His bass is obscured by Eddie's "Brown Sound" Guitar and brother Alex's wall of drums...not to mention the vocals of either David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar. In their situation the bass was basically neutered! If it were not for Michael's incredible vocal harmonies I swear they could have played without him. 

Okay, so then what? Can your drummer and bassist practice more, take lessons, or hit harder? Sure, but what if they just don't have the potential? Well, like it or not you better think about lightening up your music a bit. Trying to play music with a thunderous attack is not going to work and will if anything, make your band look bad. 

The worst-case scenario is to remove them and find stronger players. It's done all the time. And sometimes these players move on to a situation where they flourish! 

In the end, it's your decision. Do you want a kick a.. band or one that is just average or worse? If you are in this position think of the time you put into your music. Is it worth the risk?

-Mark Jeffery Campayno has worked in, with, and around bands for more than 30 years. Mark has a both a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Music Education. He has won numerous teaching awards and has taught upwards of 2,500  young students in his 11 years in Northern Virginia. Mark also directs and coordinates bands for Loudoun County's Annual YouthFest Music Festival. He currently owns and operates Musicians-Inc in Sterling, Virginia. Mark also directs the guitar program at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Virginia. Broad Run is in the Loudoun County Public School System. 

Review of "All the Shades of Darkened Light"

via All the Shades of Darkened Light by Free Spirit on iTunes.

-Review by Mark Jeffery Campayno

Just when you thought that technological innovations in music had eliminated the need, or even the will to look back at the past, a band from Seinäjoki, Finland, Free Spirit releases it's sophomore effort, "All the Shades of Darkened Light". This 11 song collection opens up with blazing guitar riffs that evoke everything that serious rock fans have been missing for decades.

Can it be that eighties melodic hard rock is still relevant? I must admit, even I had doubts. With clarity, precision, and eighties bravado, "All the Shades of Darkened Light" serves notice that high energy and good old hair metal swag can still rock hard.

Melodic Hard Rock is a tough taskmaster. With so many musical elements to produce not to mention the risk involved, it's refreshing to see a band pull it off with such ease. The first track, "Through the Night" will have you fully engaged as the band has set the course. There's no turning back now. With blazing anthems and refurbished vocal hooks filling each track from beginning to end there's hardly a place to catch your breath. But, if you yearn for the days of big hair, perfectly processed guitars, and fist in the air rock bravado, prepare yourself to be transformed. Yes, the decade of decadence and excess lives on!

Guitar solos? Yes, and they are imaginative and impeccably played. Marko Haapamäki and Vesa Yli-Mäenpää churn out riffs that cut through the already-dense musical landscape with arpeggiated melodies and harmonized flights-of-fancy that strike to the soul of what guitar used to be. Used to be that is, before the Seattle revolution all but muted such perceived excess. Here excess is not on display. The solo sections are measured, balanced, and exquisite.

Vocalist, Sami Alho possesses all the nuance and flair of a hard rock leading man. Passionate, controlled, and soulful, he easily soars over the layered harmonies, guitar accents, and big drums. But of course that is part and partial of what the eighties were all about. The foundational blueprint of what Free Spirit is as a unit gives a bigness to this recording that is often missed when attempting to recreate the past. The band's rhythm section is tough and ready with Sami Hämäläinen on bass, Pasi Koivumäki on drums, and Timo Alho on keyboards. They are on point with a groove that infuses the music with a harmonic pallet that is unique and tight.

 Want proof? Try "Silence", a heartbreaking tune reminiscent of the great hard rock ballads of the past.  Using all their powers, the boys come through big on this one with a moving performance full of arpeggiated passages, gorgeous guitar breaks, and pleading vocals.

 "Storyline" wraps up the release as the 11th track. This summation in hard rock gets to the heart of what Free Spirit is all about. A hint of Def Leppard appears in the main riff, the vocals harmonize perfectly, and everything is just perfect.

Thankfully, Free Spirit is no one trick pony. There's plenty of variation in their material and one can easily make the necessary connection between the past and the present.  Hmmm...guys? Why not an even twelve next time?

Sami Alho - VocalsVesa Yli-Mäenpää - guitars & backing vocalsMarko Haapamäki - guitars & backing vocalsSami Hämäläinen - bassPasi Koivumäki - drumsTimo Alho - keyboards

Free Spirit Music and Website:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/free-spirit/id79913251

http://freespiritrock.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MaLw5NBiEU

How to Play "Let Her Go"  Passenger (Official Acoustic Guitar Tutorial)
Performed, Produced, and Instructed by Mark Jeffery Campayno
All production done on site at Musicians-inc/SRNOVA Sterling, Virginia USA
www.musicians-inc.com

http://passengermusic.com/

So it's a typical Wednesday afternoon late in the school day. The students are insisting on learning "Let Her Go" by Passenger. A little tinge of fear grips me. Oh s..., if I remember correctly that song is harder than most in the genre. It will be a nightmare trying to teach it to a group of freshman guitar players.

So, what shall I do? Well, I sat down in front of the music, which was lit up before me on a large white promethean board. I took a deep breath and I ...stopped. Wait, this song is based, unfortunately tight in first position. Not only that, it's capoed on fret 7 of all places. Double not only that, it's got the dreaded F chord throughout!! Triple not only that, there's a G chord riff that is a major pain in the...well...you know.

Suddenly a flash of guitar experience flowed into my brain as I blurted out "Tune the 6th string up to F!" Well, the rest is history...that is after you watch the video!

Thank you for your patience with the longer teaching session. This is surely not an easy song, but it is a forward-mover for intermediate to advanced players. It will push you and it will refine your technique. Accept the challenge. Come on. Do it.

As for me, I'm not incredibly fond of the song itself but I must give credit to Mike Rosenberg for the great guitar part, which is as clever as all get out! Actually, fine, I'm sure the song would grow on my if I gave it a chance. Sorry Mike. It's actually quite good.

Thank you as always!
Mark


Hometown - Brighton and Hove
Genres - Alternative Pop, Rock, folk
"Let Her Go"
Released 24 July 2012
(see release history)
Format Digital download
Recorded Linear Recording, Sydney, March 2011
Genre Folk rock, indie pop, acoustic
Length 4:13 (Album Version)
3:37 (Radio Edit)
Label Embassy of Music, Black Crow, Sony (distribution), Nettwerk, Warner Bros. Records (US)
Writer(s) Mike Rosenberg
Producer(s) Mike Rosenberg, Chris Vallejo

"Latina Exotica" - An Original Composition.

Written and Produced by Mark Jeffery Campayno
using Reaper and Garageband Software, a 1995
American Fender Stratocaster, and a Fender Mustang III
Amplifier.

This work is descriptive of the beauty of far away lands that entice all of us at one time or another. Basic GarageBand track with two solo guitar tracks that I mixed together.

 I used my 1996 Fender American Stratocaster with a Fender Mustang III Amplifier into a MacBook Pro using Reaper Software.

Obviously, there is some harmonic minor action here of course along with a carefully placed multi-modal approach that I've developed by listening and absorbing many musical influences.

I hope you take a couple minutes and let the music take you to another land far away from the stress of your everyday life.

Markhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Ul2Q8l9IQ

"YOU WANT MY GROOVE TOO?" - Official Video Version

"Do It Again" - Steely Dan (Official Instrumental Guitar Cover) (+playl...

"Mozart's Modern Revenge" Original Composition

"Counting Stars" One Republic - Guitar Lesson (Capo and Non-Capo) (+play...

LESSONS: Soloing Techniques (playlist)

LESSONS: Soloing Techniques (playlist)

YouTube/Google Changes Okay

Dear Google/YouTube,
I think I understand your rationale behind the recent changes in format.
You know, I see it as a brilliant move. 
So far so good and congratulations on taking care of a couple problems 
that were very much contributing to much negative publicity for you and
much pain and suffering for many others. 
I had a feeling you'd come through!
Mark