Calling all Gen Exers who loved their hair metal, you will know this song. I loved White Lion (mainly Vito Bratta’s playing) and like every band worth their hairspray, they had their power ballad.

When the Children Cry

You couldn’t turn on MTV or listen to the radio for any extended period of time and not hear this song. Was a popular request from friends when I would break out the guitar. Thirty plus years later, I still knew the chords and lyrics. One day I was playing along with it on Pandora and noticed that the melody was strong enough to maybe be an instrumental. In order to arrange a solo acoustic guitar song, a strong recognizable melody is must.

The beginnings of the arrangement

More noodling away and I had a rough draft; a basic structure of what I wanted this song to be. Keeping it simple and then adding embellishments here and there. The arrangement was coming into focus. Now this was the first time I attempted arranging a complete song so it was slow going. Almost four months of messing around, taking a break, trying different types of fingerings, etc… This song was a ear worm for many weeks after I posted it on my YouTube channel.

Recording and getting the right take

Lots of attempts to record. Many times, I almost had it only to mess up the end and have to start all over. I wanted to get it perfect. But one can find themself never releasing anything because it “wasn’t perfect” Eventually, I did find a suitable take that I liked and uploaded it into the ether. I’m proud to share this with you all and I’m happy with how it turned out.

What’s Next? My next arrangement slated for the next week or so is “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots. Great song, great melody and really fun to play. Can’t wait for you to hear it.

Related Articles:

• Arranging for fingerstyle guitar.

It’s highschool, the early 90’s and we have some free time during our music/choir class. My best friend an I would bust out our guitars and jam to whatever we felt like. Some songs were just made up others were the pop songs of the time. I remember playing “Tears in Heaven” quite a bit and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” for my friends. Brings back good memories of my Jr and Sr year in HS. But there was one song that was our the top request, especially the girls. If you played guitar in the early 90’s ,this was a must. Can you guess it?! It’s an essential part of the GenX guitarist repertoire.

As I wrote in the video description, if I had a dollar for everytime…. HA! But not complaining at all. It was a blast and fond memories of my early guitar and musical endeavours.

Question: What GenX classics do you remember that were staples back in the day and what are the “More than Words” songs of today that all guitarists need to know?

My brother was my hero:

He would tell me stories about his time playing in bands and how it felt great when the people in the crowd would start dancing. It was a sign you had won them over and the night is going to go well. My band, “Alias Smith and Jones,” played a gig the other night and when some couples started to dance to what we were playing, I felt my brother strongly. So strong, I barely kept it together.

My brother passed away almost two years ago and he was my inspiration for playing the guitar. I remember watching him go to gigs, loading his gear all dressed up (this was the 80’s mind you. It’s not a coincidence that I wanted to do the same. Took me a little bit longer get on stage but when I did, he was my biggest fan. I would call him after every gig and we would talk about it and dissect it like a professional football player goes over game tape. We now had this in common and it was no longer him telling me stories but us both going back and forth. I relished having those conversations with him. Now that has been taken away from me and I struggle coping with his death.

Healing since my brothers death

The conversations still occur but now it’s a one way deal, but I talk with him everyday. I swear I could feel him last night and for a brief instance we were sharing that moment when the couples were dancing. Like I said, it took everything I had to not break down but once i composed myself, I smiled and relished in the time we had to talk about playing guitar and being in a band. Life will never be the same and I’m not sure how to heal or how to cope but I will. Billy Bob Thornton said it best when he said that you never really get over a siblings death, your “half happy and half sad” at anytime. But a he said, if that’s the burden of honoring him, I gladly take it. on.

My brother was and always will be my inspiration and everytime I see someone dance to live music, I think of him; Love my big brother and I’m grateful he got to see me play and I miss him dearly.

If you have followed Guitar Musings in the past, you have probably stopped reading the blog because there hasn’t been a post in months.  This has been for a number of reasons; some personal and others professional. Anyway, I’m trying to get myself back on track;  with my playing and my writing.  

Surround Yourself:

I have found that, even though I play for many hours, I don’t practice.  I’m just noodling on the guitar but not learning or polishing my craft.  Some of that has to do with me being a bit lazy/uninspired and not knowing what to do.  That is why I signed up for lessons with a local teacher and am completely excited for my first lesson.  I have heard great entrepreneurs say that if you want to keep the energy of your new venture going, surround yourself with other entrepreneurs.   Doing this will keep the energy up and you will be more likely to succeed.  I’m doing the same by surrounding myself with other guitar players.  Just the thought of playing on a regular basis has gotten my creative juices flowing.  I can’t wait.

Are you surrounding yourself with other players to keep you going?  Reading this blog or going to a guitar related forum isn’t the same.  We need to have the contact of other musicians.  Whether it’s a lesson, jamming with friends or just going to a concert, try feeding your guitar soul a bit and the music will begin to flow.

The Concert:

Dougie’s performance was a pleasure to witness.  He performed songs like “Singing Land,” “She Will Find Me” and “Caledonia, to name a few.  He also performed a new piece that he recently finished, new enough to have the lyrics taped to the side of his guitar.  Inspired by the loss of some friends the past year, this song (he didn’t give the name), was touching and made me fondly think of loved ones I have lost.  I hope he includes this on his next release,  so I can find out what the name is.

As Dougie said, this wasn’t a concert where you sit, cross your arms and just listen.  He wanted us to be a part of the evening as well.  Dougie engaged the audience; sometimes making us laugh and many times, having us sing along with the chorus.  He wasn’t shy about letting us know when we were off beat or out of tune.  It was all in good fun though.  It was fun, we became part of the concert and this was the beauty of his performance.

After the show, Dougie stuck around, signed my CD I just bought and chatted with us for a quite a few minutes.  I have to admit, I was in awe being in the presence of one of my songwriting heroes so I didn’t say much but just took it in.  It was a please to listen to him sing an then chat for a few minutes and If you ever get a chance to see him in concert, buy a ticket and go.  You will not be sorry.

PS – Gear:

Dougie only played one guitar; his signature model made by Moon Guitars.  Simple and beautiful.  I didn’t see any effects. It was just him and the music; perfect!

Links:

Dougie’s Home Page

Moon Guitars

Dougie’s signature guitar

Get Dougie’s Music

Bruce’s Set

• Slow Down Fast
• Pacing The Cage
• Interview with host Nick Forster
• (Joan Osborne Played Her Set)
• If a Tree Falls
• Beautiful Creatures
• Jerusalem Poker
• The City is Hungry

Bruce walks out on stage with a new hairstyle; grown long and pulled  back to a pony tail, samurai style.  He made a joke that he needed to put a bone in his hair to complete the look.  Bruce played two small sets with an interview placed in the middle.   Nick Forster (etown host) asked Bruce questions about his accomplishments, influences and intentions regarding songwriting.  A common theme in Bruce’s answers was that he didn’t want to look back but just live in the moment.  He said, at one point, his greatest achievement was being on “this stage at this time.”

His performance of Jerusalem Poker was incredible.  It never ceases to amaze me how he can keep that thumb going while he plays the ridiculously hard solo for that song.  His last selection was a new piece called “The City is Hungry.”  He mentioned that it was inspired by New York City where has spent quite a bit of time visiting his girlfriend.

Even though this was a shorter performance that I’m used to, Bruce was in great form and I can’t wait to see him for the “Slice of Life Tour.”

P.S.  I went to this concert only to see Bruce but I have to say that Joan Osborne blew my mind.  Her voice is so strong and her tone is spine tingling.  She put on a great show and I look forward seeing her live again.  Loved her performance so much I bought Relish and Little Wild One the next day.

Links:

• http://cockburnproject.net
• http://etown.org
• http://www.kingkoncert.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=2245

Below is a clip from The Unanswered Question – Six Talks at Harvard by Leonard Bernstein.  In this clip Bernstein discusses what might Beethoven might have been feeling or what story he might want to convey when writing the piece featured on the clip.  After watching this, I had a different/deeper appreciation for the music.  So I ask you, what feeling are you trying to convey when you write a song?  More to that, what feelings do you think a songwriter is sharing when you play his/her song?  Think about that next time you play, you might find a new, maybe better way to approach a song.

Highlights include:

• Studio footage of Bruce working with Andy Milne and Dapp Theory in his pursuit of overcoming writers block.
• Concert footage from when her got his first break to the Breakfast at New Orleans, Dinner at Timbuktu tour.
• Witnessing the birth of  “Postcards from Cambodia”  from “You’ve Never Seen Everything.”  He was working through the lyrics and music for this song and tried out the chorus for the first time on camera.  Truly moving to watch.

If you are an aspiring song writer or just someone who loves the music of Bruce Cockburn, this documentary is highly recommended.  From interviews with friends and family and words from Bruce himself, you will learn just a bit more about this modern day troubadour.

List of Cockburn Tabs: (updated Sept 2025)

Sunwheel Dance:  I’m not a fan of ASCII tab but it’s fairly accurate/close to the version I have in my “All the Diamonds” songbook.  This version has you tune to open E(EBEG#BE) but I believe it’s tuned to open D (DADF#AD).  Both with the capo on the second fret.  The song is surprisingly easy to learn but incredibly hard to master, especially at the correct tempo.

• Pacing the Cage:  I couldn’t not find a free tab that was worth mentioning but I did find two versions that you can pay for.  Both are very accurate and are in a tab/standard notation form.
  Version 1: $5.50 to download from musicnotes.com
  Version 2: $3.95 to download from freehandmusic.com
• Foxglove:  Tuned to open C, this is transcribed to power tab and is almost identical to my “All the Diamonds” songbook.
• Wondering Where The Lions Are:  ASCII tab again but gives you the main motive pretty accurately which is pretty much 90% of the song.
• Dear Dancing Round a Broken Mirror and Water Into Wine:  Very good transcriptions, one in Powertab.  You will have to subscribe to the Bruce Cockburn musicians group in Yahoo groups and the tab can be found in the files sections.  Many other good tabs and ideas that will set you in the right direction in learning other Bruce’s songs.
• Also found the All the Diamonds Songbook on Amazon.  Expensive but if you really really want it, it’s there. However, I would recommend the following site: Granata Music. Better priced and a small biz you can support. I ordered a replacement one for me and it came pretty quickly.
• Since the writing of this post, I have found that Songsterr has some great transcriptions of Bruce’s work. Really nice that it syncs to the original recording (with paid sub). I highly recommend either version, it has helped me a great deal.

Playlist of Cockburn covers on my YouTube Channel.

Haven’t had much time to play this past week because I decided to paint the room I practice in.  I needed change.  The nice thing about tooling around the house is that I turn on the iPod and jam on some tunes.  I’ve had Colin Hay’s “Man at Work” CD on my mind a lot lately, so it’s my next in my “what’s in my CD collection” recommendation list.

If you are a fan of the 80’s, you are probably familiar with Colin Hay and his  band Men at Work.  With songs like “Overkill,”  “Down Under” and “Who Could it be Now,”  I remember watching them on MTV back in the day when MTV actually played music videos.   The 80’s were over and Colin Hay seemed to have disappeared.

Maybe Not…

A couple of years ago, I was watching an episode of Scrubs and Hay played an acoustic version of “Overkill” and it was amazing and much better than the 80’s version.  Which leads to the  “Man at Work” release which such acoustic versions of some of the 80’s Men at Work classics like “Overkill” (my favorite) and “Down Under”.  He also has some new stuff that is reflective and thought provoking like e “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” and “Beautiful World.”  If you don’t have this, you won’t be sorry if you get it.  These are also great to learn to play and sing along.  I’m working on “Overkill” and “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” myself.

9.13.08:  For those of you that are trying to figure out “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin,”  the song is in standard tuning, played in G with the capo at the 4th fret.  Most of the song is C-Maj – D-Maj to G-Maj.

I first discovered Manzer guitars about five years ago I saw Bruce Cockburn in Boulder, Colorado.  I have heard many times that when it comes to guitars, we listen with our eyes.  Let’s just say that with a Manzer guitar your eyes won’t be disappointed.  They are beautiful!  The tone is exquisite and a joy to listen to.  I also helps that  Bruce really knows how to make it sing.  Other notable Manzer lovers are Pat Methany and Carlos Santana.  Methany owns the famous Pikasso(Pictured right),  which is an intimidating instrument to look at it, let alone play it.  As you can see, the craftsmanship on these guitars are first rate and with such high quality of guitars made, the popularity and demand increases.

When I first dreamt about owning a Manzer, there was about a 12 month waiting list because she only makes about 15 guitars a year.  Next thing you know, it’s an eighteen months and today, the waiting list is closed so she can “catch up.”   One day, I was tooling around on the Internet and stumbled on the Dream Guitars site.  I noticed that they had a Manzer in the used list.  For grins, I checked it out and see how much it would cost.  $17,000!  Now you know why it’s only a dream.  Whether or not this is a ridiculous price or not is best left for a different post.  You can bet that you will not see a post about my new Manzer unless I get the winning lotto numbers.

So what is your dream guitar?  Is it attainable or will it always be a dream?

Links:

Manzer Guitars

Dream Guitars Manzer Listing

To my dismay, Dave Carter left this world six years ago today and only months after I was lucky enough to discover this treasure. I was disappointed and saddened that I would never see him live or hear any new music. Thankfully, Tracy and a strong community of Dave Carter fans have faithfully kept his music alive for all to hear. So today, like many Dave Carter fans, it is with a heavy heart that I will listen to all my Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer CD’s and celebrate the life of a true American treasure.

Dave Carter
August 13, 1952 – July 19, 2002

Learn More About The Music of Dave Carter:

http://www.daveandtracy.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Carter

http://www.tracygrammer.com/

http://members.aol.com/rongrittz/daveandtracy.htm

My first selection is Bruce Cockburn’s “Speechless.”  I chose Bruce because it was his playing that inspired me to study fingerstyle guitar  with his signature alternating bass lines with that unwavering thumb and his melodies continue to make my draw drop.  Speechless came out in 2005 and is a collection of his instrumentals throughout his almost 40 year career.  I think every song on this release is wonderful but here are some of my favorites.

• Rouler Sa Bosse: He has been performing this live quite a bit now.  Took me over a year to get that sucker down.
• Sunrise on the Mississippi: Great blues tune. A great example of how his thumb is independent from his entire body. Make you feel like you’re on the front porch down south  with some of the old greats.
• Deep Lake: Slow meditative song that reminds me of a trip I took to the English River in Canada.
• Water Into Wine and Sunwheel Dance: Both of these songs are perfect examples of his mastery of fingerstyle guitar. There is so much happening in these songs, you sometimes wonder if there is someone playing with him.
• Mistress of Storms: Another “thumb” song but he adds vibes to this for a more jazzy feel.  If you can get a hold of him doing this live, get it!  His improv is incredible.

Links of Interest:

Cockburn Project

Rounder Records

So what does this have to do with guitar?  I’m contemplating whether or not I should bring that six string addiction.  On one hand, I need the rest to let my hands recover but being at the peaks brings out some really good playing, especially when I’m with my father-in-law, who has a library of incredible music to listen to the whole weekend.

I guess there are worse things to be pondering over.  More than likely, I’ll be talking it…AHHHHHHH, who am I kidding.  Writing this post, convinced me to bring it.  I’m already leaving my laptop behind, I can’t deny myself both of my vices.

See ya Sunday!

Links:

YouTube Video on Chinese Blogger Jailed for blogging criticisms against his government.

Acoustic Guitar Blog’s take on “Bloggers Unite”

Bloggers Unite web page