I’ve been doing a fair bit of writing recently, but not much in the way of uploading. Unless it’s for a commission or particular project, I tend to create a few pieces – either on the guitar, just on the computer, or mixing live and virtual instruments – and let them stew for some time to see if I think they’re worth sharing a bit further down the line. Whilst it can be satisfying (or horrifying) to return to something later on, sounding different to fresh ears, it has the effect of making my output seem wanting. In an attempt to break the habit, I recorded myself playing this solo guitar piece I wrote today.
With the recent sad loss of guitar magician Allan Holdsworth, I have been listening to a lot of his work (as well as his solo/trio catalogue I heartily recommend his releases with Soft Machine and U.K.) and trying out some of the more testing chord voicings that he so famously favoured and, listening back to this piece, it’s clearly worked its way into my writing here. As a nod to the music often left unfinished or unheard, I give you ‘Loose Ends’.
Alex Cottrell 