The class consisted of a few kids of mixed levels in a summer program. I got to present to them a brief history of the guitar, starting with the lyres of ancient Greece, to Lutes and Vihuelas and Baroque Guitars to the modern instruments.

Although I played for them several different types of music – classical, blues, jazz, classic rock and modern rock – I get the feeling they enjoyed the modern rock the most. I can’t say I’m surprised! Who doesn’t like Metallica anyway?

After demonstrating that for them I got to give the class a quick guitar lesson. I was fortunate to have brought a spare guitar of my own to compliment the small army of guitars brought in by the teacher and her aide. We strummed through some Beatles and Green Day, and I have to say, they did great!

All in all I had a great time there and I hope to see them again. If any of you kids wind up reading this, thanks for having me in your class, great job listening and FANTASTIC job playing with me! Also, major thanks for the card you made me. I really appreciate it!!!

We’re really excited to have these recordings in hand, and are looking forward to bringing our sound to various venues and special events throughout the Bay Area. If you’d like to inquire about adding us to your special event, please contact me.

You can listen to the recordings on my Listen page.

I decided that we would record two pieces that evening, and a third on a different evening. The two pieces I selected were Torija from Federico Moereno-Torroba’s Castles of Spain suite as well as the timeless and universally appreciated Lagrima by Francisco Tarrega.

The challenges presented in recording these pieces were both technical and artistic in nature. For starters, the weather here in the Bay Area was out of control – stormy, raining, then sunny for a moment, then back to torrential rains and so on – and moving in and out of this weather was to the detriment of the guitar staying in tune.

From a technique standpoint, it goes without saying that recording an un-effected solo instrument is highly unforgiving. Even the slightest nuances and tiniest errors are not left out of the picture. Suffice it to say, I heard many positive things in my playing as well as minor annoyances that I hadn’t caught before. Correcting some of these tiny “errors” required an even more focused attention to detail.

From an artistic standpoint, my goal was to capture the emotion of these two pieces through nuanced and emotive playing. In particular I strove to bring attention to the beauty and elegance of each note in Torija, a piece named after the majestic Castle of Torija. With Lagrima I wanted to make the piece my own. After watching many examples of people playing this piece on YouTube, I realized that my interpretation is somewhat unique. The priority was to breathe life into the piece by giving the melody a real shape and contour. (Speaking of YouTube, check out Per-Olov Kindgren’s version of Largrima. The best I’ve seen so far – truly beautiful).

The third piece will be recorded later on. I’m debating between recording Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Prelude No. 1 or Lily Afshar’s arrangement of the traditional Persian song Gol-e-Gandome. Who knows, maybe if I’m feeling hot I’ll do both.

So listen to the recordings and comment below to let me know what you think and how I did!

Mason

p.s. I laid down some jazz guitar and voice tracks with Lisa Schultz on vocals the other night. Keep your ears peeled!

Halo makes a wide range of AMAZING instruments, from “normal” guitars to crazy carved bodies to 10-string behemoths! If you have a moment, check out some Halo guitars and basses.

Mason

Our set includes some of the all-time classics like A Foggy Day, ‘Round Midnight, and They Can’t Take that Away. The crowd and the staff there were really appreciative and I genuinely felt that they were all excited that we’d be coming back on Friday, January 29th. Oh yea, did I mention we were invited back to play on Friday, Januray 29th, 2010? Well, we were. We’ll be there from 6pm-8:30pm, so come check us (and Sangria’s!) out.

I was also treated to – no joke here – the BEST sangria I’ve ever had. You have to try it. Let’s just say the place lives up to its name.

Mason

I met with the owners today and checked out the facility, and I have to say that I was impressed. Anyone who takes lessons there is truly blessed to be able to play in one of the many exceptionally large and beautiful teaching studios there.

I’ve heard nothing but great things about the school and the people there, so suffice it to say I am greatly looking forward to meeting my newest pupils at the Veksler Academy.

-Mason

Currently I have availability at The Music Tree on Thursdays and Fridays. I may open Saturday mornings up if there is significant interest. You can learn more about my teaching or contact me for more information by clicking those links.

-Mason