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Having taught myself the keyboard, I began to learn the guitar seriously
after a chance meeting with a guitarist on the internet. The internet has
afforded many such chance happenings, one of which was my Ebay
purchase of a bouzouki which
sparked my interest in weird and wonderful instruments.
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I began writing music on my BBC Micro using a Music 5000
and Music 2000 MIDI interface.
When I got my PC I began using programs called trackers. These utilised samples
played at different speeds to create music. I used
WhackerTracker and then
FastTracker 2.
I have since moved back to MIDI sequencing using Cakewalk also sequencing
acoustic instruments, outputting to MP3.
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I record all my instruments directly onto my computer via a couple of small
notepad mixers. My guitars have pickups, but for other instruments I use
the Microvox microphone system.
Unfortunately my old computer was particularly noisy, and often got a backing part
in many of the recordings. I now have a QuietPC system.
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The following music is free to download. I am not professional, and am only an
interested amateur, so don't expect too much!! They are listed here in order of format then year (newest first).
Please let me have feedback, if you have any. Click the title of the track
to download it.
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Florence | MP3 | 1.28Mb | 2003 |
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This tune was written after a business trip to Italy. The hubbub of the streets of Florence inspired the busy finger picking tune.
Instruments Used:
Guitar: Takamine EG560C
Effects: SBLive!, Zoom 504II, (compressed in SoundForge).
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Polish Polka | MP3 | 1.57Mb | 2003 |
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This traditional polish tune is published in Chris Haigh's Fiddling Around The World book, and is intended to be played on a violin. Being completely inept at the violin, I used the domra as the lead instrument instead, as it's often used in similar roles in Russian gypsy music. Rather than use an accordion and double bass, the backing is done on a single guitar.
Instruments Used:
Melody: (mezzo-soprano)Domra
Backing: Takamine EG560C
Effects: SBLive!
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Flower Power | MP3 | 3.16Mb | 2002 |
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Nothing to do with the 70s, this tune is the first rock music I produced as I was teaching myself guitar. To that end, the guitar lead isn't exhilirating, but we all had to start somewhere.
Instruments Used:
Electric Guitar: Hohner HS-35
Bass & Percussion: Alesis S4+
Guitar Effects: Boss DS-1, through a Zoom 504II & SBLive!
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Ice | MP3 | 3.08Mb | 2002 |
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This tune is a relaxing wash of pads.
Instruments Used:
Pads/Percussion: Sound Blaster Live!
Bleepy Pad: Alesis S4+
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Reggae Rock | MP3 | 0.84Mb | 2002 |
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In a brave attempt to enter a new style, I managed to rather blunder my attempt at reggae, and ended up with something that resembled rock, with a reggae twist, hence the name. It's also rather short and a bit crap.
Instruments Used:
Electric Guitar: Fender Stratocaster
Bass: Ibanez SDGR1000
Percussion/Organ: Yamaha SW1000XG
Effects: Tech21 SansAmp, Zoom 504II, SBLive!
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I Can See Clearly | MP3 | 1.50Mb | 2001 |
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A short, instrumental cover of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly", for a presentation I was involved with at university.
Instruments Used:
Guitar: Takamine EG560C
Percussion: Gremlin Bodhrán
Guitar Effects: Zoom 504II, SBLive!
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MIDI Gating Example | MP3 | 0.54Mb | 1999 |
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This short, upbeat dance tune was an example to a friend at university how to achieve gating (the premature cutting off of a sound) with MIDI. I wrote a gater in CAL (Cakewalk Audio Language) to achieve the stuttering, repeat gating on the pad. There's also gating on the drum track. I've unfortunately lost the CAL gater.
Instruments used:
Everything: Yamaha SW60XG
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Wonderful Star | MP3 | 2.75Mb | 0 |
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Tune written for my girlfriend.
Instruments Used:
Acoustic Guitar: Takamine EG560C
Electric Guitar: Fender Stratocaster
Bass Guitar: Ibanez SDGR1000
Piano: Sound Blaster Live! (soundfont)
Everything else: Yamaha SW1000XG
Guitar Effects: Tech21 SansAmp (Tweed), through Zoom 504II
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