I wrote this tune in memory of Miss Rowan Matheson some 21 years ago, when I was in my early twenties. She was not long in this world before being called to the endless light of Heaven. I'd been giving her dad accordion lessons back in the day,
I've been mulling this over for a while now, and I'd like to share the details of a technique that's been tickling me - a small, effective colour worth keeping in your palette and using sparingly in contemporary writing or improvisation. It's an
Late enough for the house to start speaking in its own quiet way. Everyone was asleep. It creaked in the cool night air. Shadows grew bold in the corners of the living room, while the spinet-piano sat silently, ivories bared, uneasy in the stillness. On its lid a splendid
I’ve often felt compelled to write music about the place I call home. I guess you tend to write about what you know, and as a Highlander, I’ve found the tranquil corners of this land endlessly inspiring, a wellspring from which my accordion can draw music. I’m
A few years back, while taking a short online course in contemporary composition with Cardiff University, I composed a series of six miniature pieces for accordion, inspired by the folklore of The Brahan Seer, a legendary figure of old from the Scottish Highlands. Known in Gaelic as Coinneach Odhar, or
There are moments when hunger strikes, but everything on hand seems dull and uninspiring. You dig into the store cupboard, pushing aside the usual suspects until your fingers brush against a hidden gem, perhaps a slightly dusty tin of creamy rice pudding or pear halves suspended in sweet juice. Turning
Walking along life’s dusty road, with its many twists and turns, I often pause to take in the view, resting a moment and noticing how quickly the scenery can change. In just a short stretch, everything can look entirely different from before. The landscape ever changing as we keep