Matt! You took my right to that 'bright and shining place'. I felt as though I were standing in the desert watching the morning sun rise and seeing the colors come alive. Gorgeous!
Oh, I love this so much. THANK YOU. I found my way here from NatureStack, (and I also heard you on Death and Birds, which was wonderful). What a delightful surprise to see my natal home featured here. I love in the PNW now, but am a third generation Tucsonian- the mountains and saguaros were the backdrop and nursemaids of my childhood. I can't say how beautiful it was to sit in the desert with your song in my ear this morning.
thank you, Kendall! so glad our paths could cross - it sounds like we've been on similar trajectories (I am usually PNW based but born and raised in Tucson). even though I have found that I prefer lush forests, oceans, and seasons, there is so much beauty in the desert we grew up in, and as I get older I'm developing an even deeper appreciation for it. thank you again.
Oh, how wonderful to meet someone with a similar geographic trajectory. I agree that while the PNW has my heart, there is always a part of me that longs for the desert- especially the sky and the distinct purple color of the Catalinas. I really am loving your music, btw. I listened to several tracks over and over while writing my last poem and it opened me up in new and beautiful ways. thank you again.
Matt, thank you, for sharing this beauty, your beauty. It supported my own creative work, becoming additive. Your poetry reading, accompanied by the soft music and bird song, was transportive. Closing my eyes, I was temporarily in another place. The way you composed this actually elevated the poem to another dimension, a place where it could be felt and, in a sense, inhabited. Thank you.
thank you for this very thoughtful comment, Nicole — I'm so happy that this post could transport you for a moment. it really means so much to me to hear this.
Beautifully reminiscent of the Sonoran desert of the far too few times I’ve experienced it. Quick Q from your theory classroom: what is “open tuning”. Is it guitar specific (asks the cellist)? Thank you.
thank you! and yes, good question — my understanding is that open tuning is more or less a guitar thing. cellists tend to stick to their standard tuning, which I think is already perfect 5ths (CGDA?), which tends to sound really lovely when played openly (as in, played without any specific fingering on the fingerboard).
when I tune my guitar to an open tuning, it attempts to do the same thing, I believe — so, in open D tuning, I can create a few more naturally "good" sounding intervals ( as in, perfect 5ths) when played open (D/A, as well as G/D). in these tunings, the guitar just rings out differently, especially for open D, where I'm lowering the overall register (dropping my lowest string down a full step), which created a richness I love.
in open D and open E, when I strum all the open strings I get a D major or E major chord, respectively, which sound very bright and lush compared to standard tuning. not sure if that makes sense, but hopefully helps some!
thank you, Matthew! you know, my guitar has a fairly distinct sound as it is, but i think the "dimensions" you're picking up on are probably the result of my amateur recording/mixing efforts. anyway, thank you for listening!
What a perfect time to receive your gift this morning. While I have never stood in a desert or laid eyes on Aguaro national park, I wanted to tell you , I am sitting on my deck this morning in the far north of the state of Vermont, lovingly called the NEK ( Northeast Kingdom) . The sun is just rising over the mountain behind our camp, highlighting the tips of rolling waves in gold on a glacial lake called Crystal. The sky is a blue cream. Though almost completely opposite of a desert scene, You guitar song in E major, is a wonderful accompaniment to this
ah yes, the NEK! it sounds so wonderful up there — while I've been to Vermont before, I've only ever been as far north as Montpellier. i can only imagine the beauty before you from your camp. thank you so much for listening, Lor, as always. it means the world to me.
We moved to VT in the early 80s , I don’t know what took us so long , but when we finally drove an hour and 40 north from the Burlington area, it was a whole other world. And Burlington is a funky city with dramatic views of the Adirondack Mountains across another gorgeous lake, its tributaries weaving their way up through the Canadian border. The NEK, deep pristine glacial lakes surrounded by mountain and forest. Definitely one of those magical spots. Put it on your bucket list if you ever head this way again. And if it is in the season of camp, you have my email address!
Matt! You took my right to that 'bright and shining place'. I felt as though I were standing in the desert watching the morning sun rise and seeing the colors come alive. Gorgeous!
Blessings and MUCH LOVE,
~Wendy💜
Such a beautiful song! I love it.
thank you, Stephen!
Oh, I love this so much. THANK YOU. I found my way here from NatureStack, (and I also heard you on Death and Birds, which was wonderful). What a delightful surprise to see my natal home featured here. I love in the PNW now, but am a third generation Tucsonian- the mountains and saguaros were the backdrop and nursemaids of my childhood. I can't say how beautiful it was to sit in the desert with your song in my ear this morning.
thank you, Kendall! so glad our paths could cross - it sounds like we've been on similar trajectories (I am usually PNW based but born and raised in Tucson). even though I have found that I prefer lush forests, oceans, and seasons, there is so much beauty in the desert we grew up in, and as I get older I'm developing an even deeper appreciation for it. thank you again.
Oh, how wonderful to meet someone with a similar geographic trajectory. I agree that while the PNW has my heart, there is always a part of me that longs for the desert- especially the sky and the distinct purple color of the Catalinas. I really am loving your music, btw. I listened to several tracks over and over while writing my last poem and it opened me up in new and beautiful ways. thank you again.
oh yes - "the distinct purple of the Catalinas" - so true! and thank you so much for the kind words, and for listening. it means so much.
When I started listening to this I was feeling that awful combination of tense x exhausted, and now I'm all floppy and gooey. Thank you, Matt 💛
🫠🫠🫠 i'm so glad, Chloe - that means it's working as intended. thank you so much!
Gorgeous, man. Simply gorgeous.
shoot, thank you x 11million - appreciate it, Nathan
Beautiful! I feel like I’m back among the Saguaros.
thank you for listening!
Beautiful. Thank you for this island of sanity amid the madness out there on this No Kings Day
thank you so much for listening, Mary. wishing you peace in these turbulent times.
This. Big open-hearted hope-filled beauty of a song. Open E, open desert sky. My tightened chest opens. Thank you.
so thoughtful of you, Jiling — thank you.
Saving grace, that’s what Fogchaser is.
wow, thank you. that really means the world.
Matt, thank you, for sharing this beauty, your beauty. It supported my own creative work, becoming additive. Your poetry reading, accompanied by the soft music and bird song, was transportive. Closing my eyes, I was temporarily in another place. The way you composed this actually elevated the poem to another dimension, a place where it could be felt and, in a sense, inhabited. Thank you.
thank you for this very thoughtful comment, Nicole — I'm so happy that this post could transport you for a moment. it really means so much to me to hear this.
Beautifully reminiscent of the Sonoran desert of the far too few times I’ve experienced it. Quick Q from your theory classroom: what is “open tuning”. Is it guitar specific (asks the cellist)? Thank you.
thank you! and yes, good question — my understanding is that open tuning is more or less a guitar thing. cellists tend to stick to their standard tuning, which I think is already perfect 5ths (CGDA?), which tends to sound really lovely when played openly (as in, played without any specific fingering on the fingerboard).
when I tune my guitar to an open tuning, it attempts to do the same thing, I believe — so, in open D tuning, I can create a few more naturally "good" sounding intervals ( as in, perfect 5ths) when played open (D/A, as well as G/D). in these tunings, the guitar just rings out differently, especially for open D, where I'm lowering the overall register (dropping my lowest string down a full step), which created a richness I love.
in open D and open E, when I strum all the open strings I get a D major or E major chord, respectively, which sound very bright and lush compared to standard tuning. not sure if that makes sense, but hopefully helps some!
Very clear explanation—thanks!
Gorgeous piece of guitar! Got me feeling a bit sappy. Thanks for sharing!
thank you! sappy is what I aim for, so, I'm really glad to hear that. thank you for listening!
Gorgeous. I'm really loving the sounds you're getting on your acoustic. So dimensional!
thank you, Matthew! you know, my guitar has a fairly distinct sound as it is, but i think the "dimensions" you're picking up on are probably the result of my amateur recording/mixing efforts. anyway, thank you for listening!
Whatever you're doing, I love it!
So beautiful! Could listen to a full album length of this…
that is very kind, Sabrina — and some excellent motivation to keep on going.
Lovely as usual. Like others have said, it's a great start to the day!
great to hear from you, Kevin — and thank you! very grateful to you for listening.
What a perfect time to receive your gift this morning. While I have never stood in a desert or laid eyes on Aguaro national park, I wanted to tell you , I am sitting on my deck this morning in the far north of the state of Vermont, lovingly called the NEK ( Northeast Kingdom) . The sun is just rising over the mountain behind our camp, highlighting the tips of rolling waves in gold on a glacial lake called Crystal. The sky is a blue cream. Though almost completely opposite of a desert scene, You guitar song in E major, is a wonderful accompaniment to this
“…bright and shining place”.
ah yes, the NEK! it sounds so wonderful up there — while I've been to Vermont before, I've only ever been as far north as Montpellier. i can only imagine the beauty before you from your camp. thank you so much for listening, Lor, as always. it means the world to me.
We moved to VT in the early 80s , I don’t know what took us so long , but when we finally drove an hour and 40 north from the Burlington area, it was a whole other world. And Burlington is a funky city with dramatic views of the Adirondack Mountains across another gorgeous lake, its tributaries weaving their way up through the Canadian border. The NEK, deep pristine glacial lakes surrounded by mountain and forest. Definitely one of those magical spots. Put it on your bucket list if you ever head this way again. And if it is in the season of camp, you have my email address!
will do! thank you!