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Spencer Elliott   "Carousel"   (original composition)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHVuZy7J2dM

Some more of Spencer's smooth style, and beautiful use of harmonics. His technique is pretty much flawless, which shows in his relaxed style and warm, fluid playing.

NOTE: Alternate tunings are commonplace in this genre, making much of it hard to learn by just watching. For those that wish to work on this one, the tuning for "Carousel" is C-G-D-G-A#-D. A multi-scale guitar is almost a necessity for this tuning, as the low "C - G" strings in particular sound awful on a regular scale guitar.

Good info, CG ... thanks!

I've often wondered if nylon strings could be replace with another material. There's a clear line called PVDF  (i.e., flourocarbon) which is used alternatively to nylon as a leader material for sport fishing. PVDF has less stretch and higher tensile strength, so it should tune up and settle in better.

Jon Gomm    "Wukan Motorcycle Kid"    (original composition)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--r3EdSICdM&t=0s

Today being September 11th, it's a day to remember heroes ... both the living and the fallen. Many heroes are unknown and unsung, yet they've made a critical and crucial difference in the lives of others, who may or may not even know about it. This song pays tribute to just such a hero, as told about in Jon's own words:

"I wrote it for playing on tour in China earlier this year. I needed something to bridge the musical gap between what I do and what most people over there are used to hearing. And also I wanted to have something with some relevant purpose. So this tune is about the Wukan Uprising of 2011.

Wukan is a village in rural China. The government seized some farmland, owned by local families, and sold it off to developers. The local people weren't too happy about that, so they held a peaceful sit-in protest. Sadly the government sent in the scary secret police guys, who arrested one of the protest leaders (a local craftsman and father), and he died the next day in police custody from "a heart attack".

(His name was Xue Jinbo, and he died 2 years ago to the day the video was released, last week.)

After that the protests got more vigorous and the police were rounding people up off the streets at night. When I saw it on the TV news, they were interviewing this kid who'd been riding round the village at night on his little motorbike, looking out for secret police down back alleys. And if he saw one, he'd shout a warning to the other villagers through his megaphone, then speed off, with bullets whistling past his ears. Which is represented in the last minute or so of the song.

So this song is for that courageous kid, wherever he is."

Amazing dancing fingers on the piano. Albert was an iconic figure in the Chicago blues scene after the war, and it's easy to hear why.

Good sounding group you got there, Russell. I agree about the settings, and can't imagine playing without a little bit of chorus + a little bit of phaser in the path ... just more full sounding, as you say.

Or ... don't listen to the radio at all!

There's enough content on YouTube to last a lifetime, and I've set up some pull-down menus in my browser, where I've saved concerts or albums I like. Sometimes one will be taken down, but there's always another version. If one wishes to convert YouTube music to MP3s, that can be done with one of several on-line converters (http://convert2mp3.net/en/) so they can be saved on your computer, burned to a CD, or loaded on your MP3 player.
NOTE: These services state that they are legal, or I wouldn't even suggest it.

There are also several great streaming services available, where the listener can determine their own content. Free services like Jango (http://www.jango.com/) let you determine the genre you like ... and away you go.

Hi Bruce, and welcome to Chordie!

Sounds like you got a heck of a deal on a decent guitar ... congratulations. I'm assuming you keyed the guitar's Serial No. into the provided space, but didn't get clear info back.  Beyond that, I don't know how else the actual year of manufacture could be determined. Here's another resource that may be useful:

http://www.guitardaterproject.org/yamaha.aspx

Again, a hearty welcome, and we hope to see / read you often in the forums. When you get time, perhaps you wouldn't mind sharing a brief bio with us, your musical tastes, etc. We have a very eclectic bunch here, but everyone's very supportive and we've all improved from each others' help.

Lots of terrific info in your post, John ... thank you.

This ongoing info exchange is a big part of what makes Chordie such a valuable resource. We're all on a journey of continuous improvement, and every bit of knowledge shared helps us all get better.

I've been intrigued by the whole concept of alternate tunings, especially the popular DADGAD which caters well to Celtic music. You mention baritone tuning (B E A D F# B) on a 6-string. Do you use an extended scale guitar for this? (27" scale length, or more). I tuned a guitar to DADGAD as an experiment, and the bottom E string almost sounded a bit "floppy" due to the lessened tension. I'd be very interested in your experiences with these tunings, and the types of guitars you use.

Thanks again!

Led Zeppelin's   "Stairway to Heaven"   (arranged & performed by Andy McKee)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8t0mKCaz5I

Here's an entertaining take on this classic tune. I've got an idea that the "No Stairway" policy in many music stores would be set aside for this version. My wife and I are going to see Mr McKee in concert on Sept 24th (along with fingerstylist Don Ross) and expect to be entertained and inspired simultaneously.

Hello, CG ...

Although my classical guitar isn't my primary, there are some songs which just sound better on it. For example, I find that songs which were originally written for piano are better to play on the classical and not a steel string. "Superman's Song" (Crash Test Dummies) and "Down to You" (Joni Mitchell) come to mind readily. Other songs I like to play on the nylon strings are "High Hopes" (Pink Floyd), "Blood on the Rooftops" and "Ripples" (Genesis), "Mad World" (Tears for Fears), etc. I guess it all boils down to the song itself, and sometimes the mood I'm in.

I can't read music and don't know more than rudimentary stuff about scales, so haven't ventured into classical music ... which I love to listen to. I probably have a few years left on my calendar, so who knows?

Another great choice ... his playing style reminds a lot of Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top).