This week the sun has finally come back to Northern California but I am sorry for those in the MidWest with the big storms that have been rolling through. As we get into St. Patrick’s Day weekend I have been working on a couple traditional Irish tunes but only one made its appearance this week, Down By The Salley Gardens. I started this week’s video with a run through of it, along with the next one I have under construction, The Star Of The County Down. That one has proved more difficult than I thought, mostly with decisions to be made on the key, harmony, and rhythmic feel. I hope to do a few different versions and have part of it early next week.

I talked a bit about some of the obstacles I let enter the equation as I am considering more complicated instrumentals but that is the direction I am leaning toward in the next few weeks. I played a bit of some of the contenders, and also another old Irish tune I like, The Blacksmith. At the end I ran through a pretty abstract version of Windy And Warm, as I noticed how fun my Santa Cruz guitar is to play after its major repair.

The new lessons this week included Take Five, Down By The Salley Gardens, See See Rider by Mississippi John Hurt, and Jimi Hendrix’s Castles Made Of Sand, along with a Student Review for Cavi, who was working on Sleight Of Hand.

I’ve also included a few links down below to interesting stuff I came across this week.