There was a large portion of my musical life where all I wanted to do was play the electric guitar. Most of my performing and recording as a young adult was done with my faithful Strat. Over the past 10 years I have been so focused on my ‘ukulele playing that I pick up an electric just when I want to play quietly in the evenings with headphones. Oh the joys of apartment living #SeaAtoll Seeing sooo many great electric guitarist this year I was reminded of just how much I missed the tone of a solid body instrument going into a slightly overdriven tube amp. So I borrowed a tiny little Crate from my Dad and recently been plugging in during the day. It feels soooo good to play louder into the room and it viscerally shocks me to my early years trying to make it as a musician. That young me is so full of hope and yet so foolish. He wants to do well but has no means how; monolithic and an idealist. Now I have come to love the feeling of change ♾️ Earlier this year I was chatting with Larry Wyatt about guitars at the Port Townsend Uke Fest and how my next incident of GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) would be in the direction of a Tele. The guy is so nice he says he’s got an extra collecting dust and he would set it up to let me try to see how I feel about it. So big mahalo to Larry for helping tip the tide into playing more guitar 🎸 I love the PNW music community ❤️ So here are some noodles in Bm on said Tele and amp. Still working on audiating on while having fun along the way. There is still much adventuring to be had 🧙‍♂️ This is your friendly PSA to remember why you do what you do and to keep in perifery how far you have come. I truly believe we are all more capable than we know and recollecting triumphs of the past help create strength for the future ❤️

No Rancho Fundo (🍲) - Ary Barroso Wrapping up the year with some introspection and practice. Been doing a lot of planning for 2025 and making sure I balance my days with music making. Lots of shows to be listed soon and I absolutely can not wait to share them with you. Local and afar, 2025 is looking to be filled with music! Until then I do have a few shows in Seattle before the end of the year. All are trios with my friend Marco de Carvalho: 11/15 - The Pink Door - 7pm 11/30 - C&P Coffee - 10:30am 12/13 - The Pink Door - 7pm One of my favorite tunes we play is called No Rancho Fundo by Ary Barroso. Lately we start the tune with just the 'ukulele and Marco singing. Then a slight pause and enter the low end and percussive drive. It has been so much fun listening to our sound evolve over the years and invigorating to think how it will continue to grow. So enjoy some noodling on No Rancho Fundo and I hope the world of music finds you well 🎼 Let's keep making the world a beautiful place 🌏

A Warm Hug This is what I think a warm hug sounds like 🫂 Sending you love ❤️

My Cherie Amour - Stevie Wonder Just woke up from a looong nap after a looong stretch of music making. Since this year began I have had the privilege of teaching at an ‘ukulele retreat, 4 ‘ukulele festivals, 2 summer camps, and all the while doing private instruction and gigging in Seattle with my dear friend Marco de Carvalho. While there is still much of the year left to be had and even more beautiful music yet to be made, coming home from PSGW marked an indelible line in my heart. As I hear the city swirl around me, my heart is full and yet I feel melancholy wash over me. I already miss making music with my friends. One of the songs of the week for me was My Cherie Amor. I’ve loved the tune since I was a kid and it has always had a special place in my heart. Got to perform it with a student last week and ended up having most of the camp sing along the La La La parts with harmonies. I can see the sea of smiling faces and it warms my heart to no end. I believe that music should be made for no other reason than love and here we were getting to live a very honest example of it. Just thinking about it makes me weep. So I hang on to the after glow of experiencing great beauty and let it flow through me. A song as great of this just asks you to be earnest and it will do all the work for you. I was reminded this week just how powerful art is. My body feels run down but my spirit feels stronger than ever. I feel fortified yet yielding to the serendipity of life. The world is a beautiful place if you let it be ❤️and sometimes in order to see it it’s best to just become love itself ❤️ Keep on being beautiful folks ✌️

Sometimes I cant help but feel content living in certain corners of my mind. Despite my best efforts there is a serenity that washes over me and a rebirth that brings assurance to life’s uncertainties. Anxiety has always been a friend misunderstood. So as I pack to head out for a wonderful week at PSGW I spend a few moments with the little guy to sit in that space. Taking a few different ukes to experiment with jamming over the week and the little mango made the cut. I enjoy finding context for the voice of the ‘ukulele that feels earnest and genuine. The question I always like to ask is: What is unique about the voice of the ‘ukulele? Returning to a soprano is always a good place to invigorate those thoughts. So having fun with chords and trying to work out highlighting strings in a melodic way while keeping the roll going. Hope you enjoy the noodling and find the places in your mind the provide an unshakeable peace. These are the pillars to a good well being ✌️

You Leave Me Breathless - Frederick K. Hollander Woke up with a headache and decided to soothe myself with some ballads as the ibuprofen kicks in. Still trying to copy that Ellis Larkins sound in a bit of a minimalist way. I like the idea of something feeling lush yet relatively empty. I think the wonderful harmony creates enough of a story to keep the motion. Yet so quaintly resolves which next to grand and dramatic lyrics makes for a lovely treat of a song 😊 🎶 I’m filled with melodies but at a lost for words 🎶 Music soothe the savage beast 😪

I dont know how many times I’ve played this song but it’s still fun for me. More often than not it can be how you interact with the material that’s important than the material itself 🎶 Attempted to sing every melody note that was in my head, even when it fell apart 🤣 just glad I was able to hop back on the bike 🚴‍♂️ Have fun, play music ✌️

I’m Through With Love - Up tempo Version 🏎️💨 Getting ready to head to NM tomorrow and practicing tunes in between teaching and packing. I’m always fascinated by the power of a fresh mind. I think it’s easy to let the dust of everyday life cloud the reality that things only truly happen once. To me it’s part of the pursuit of the artistic mind to find this headspace and create from there. I’ve been playing this tune for years now and at this point it’s a well acquainted friend to a handful of heartbreaks. “I’ve locked my heart, I keep my feelings there. Said I’ve stocked my heart like an icy Frigidaire.” How can you not love it? I am here for the sappy ❤️ This combination mixed in with a fresh cup of coffee and last night’s half a cinnamon roll brought forth this goofy and fun version of I’m Through With Love. Having fun with the rhythm and surfing the chords over the solo 🌊 The passage of time is one of life’s greatest flavors. It takes time to synthesize ⏳ Play it again friends 🎶

I just love chords so much 🎶 Trying out noodling over some new ideas 💡 Feels like the sun rising in a different way 🌄 C - Em7 - Fmaj7 - G7 C - Em7 - Fmaj7 - G7 Cmaj7 - Cm7 - Abmaj7 - Dbmaj7 Cmaj7 - Cm7 - Abmaj7 - Dbmaj7 Cmaj7 - Cm7 - Abmaj7 - Dbmaj7 Cmaj7 - Dm7b5 - Abmaj7 -G7sus4 C 😁 Keep calm and noodle on 🍜