Every songwriter I know keeps a guitar out and ready to be played at a moment’s notice. It’s the one they pick away at while watching television, or a quick distraction before running out the door. It’s usually not their best guitar, and certainly not the one that is best cared for, but it holds a special place and is usually the one being played when inspiration strikes.
For me, that guitar is a 2005 Canadian made La Patrie Etude nylon string that I picked up at a swap shop for next to nothing. The guitar has some battle wounds but it rings like a bell, and is easily the guitar I play more than any other instrument in my collection. It’s the guitar I was playing when I wrote what turned out to be my second instrumental in this project.
‘Sleeping Molly‘ was born out of a lazy Friday night on the couch with my beagle, Molly, fast asleep beside me on the couch. The song is in a modified open-G tuning (D G D F# B D) and is capoed on the first fret. The song is in 3/4 time, which lends the melody a waltz-like feel.
I recorded the parts in my spare room and fleshed out the arrangement with a counter melody on my SK-1 keyboard and an 18″ china cymbal played with mallets. My friend Chris Braydon lent his talents to the song with a beautiful accompaniment on another nylon string guitar (with only five strings). As always, Sean Boyer mixed the song.
I hope you enjoy!
Sleeping Molly
(to download, right click and select “save as”)
Note: This song is also available in both .WAV and FLAC formats. If you’d like a copy in either format, please write to clintoncca@gmail.com
(As always, I’d like to thank Sean Boyer for his assistance with the mix and Chris Braydon for his contributions)