A collection of original classical guitar compositions, dedicated to the memory of James Smith, with companion manuscript of compositions transcribed in both classical notation and tab.

13 MP3 Songs in this album (52:03) !
Related styles: Classical: Contemporary, Easy Listening: Instrumental Pop, Featuring Guitar

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Details:
Reluctant Farewell to a Dear Heart is a labor of love that I composed for classical or finger-picking guitar in memory of my dear friend and mentor, James Smith. The recording is a companion to the transcribed music to eleven of the songs, plus a couple of extras that I thought you would enjoy. James was a professor at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, and my unlikely association with him changed my life and the direction of my musical motivation. When he came to Colorado to visit his mother I was blessed to be an object of his passion for teaching. I drank in every minute with an understanding of the precious gift that I'd been given. He insisted that I write down what I composed from my ear and heart, and the results are in the notes of these songs. We lost James to a brain tumor in 2010, and in these songs his memory will live on, for I would never have written them if not for him and his passion for pushing. Though they are a collection, I would like to think that each stands on its own and is something special that guitarists will love playing for years to come and that you will love listening to again and again. Each carries a very special message from me to you.