Back in the Summer of 1997,
I bought this guitar magazine, (Total Guitar, issue #32)
with Jimi Hendrix on the cover in a psychedelic photo.

It’s got great lessons,
reviews and articles about
what’s new in the world of guitar music and such.
I still have it to this day.

But as I read along,
I found this technique lesson by Mr. Steve Fairclough,
who was the Takamine Guitar demonstrator,
and wrote this competition piece for the TG Bath Festival, called Marian’s Dance.

He suggested some techniques on how to play it and win the event.

I didn’t really dream about winning any competition nor did it even cross my mind.
Well, plus the fact that I live on the other side of the Atlantic,
thousands of miles away in another continent.

Still, I wanted to learn it and give it a try.

Needless to say, I fell in love with the music,
learned his piece,
and tried to add some of my own interpretation.

It’s one of those music melodies that only come out at certain moments,
at a certain time,
at a certain feeling,
at a certain instant.

One time,
one take,
Done.

Anyway.
I told you that story,
to tell you this story.

A couple of days ago,
I got an email from the “Feedback” section on this site.

It’s from Mr. Fairclough,
and he said, (and I quote)

Hey Ty!,
I like what you did with Marians dance!
Keep it up!!

Best Regards,
Steve Fairclough.

—
How cool is that?
He came across this site and heard my own version of his music.

I wanted to write him back right away,
but I was debating if it was really him,
or someone was playing a sick joke on me.

But then again, I didn’t care!
I wrote him back and thanked him
for taking the time to check out this site,
and I told him it was truly an honour.

I also thanked him for making that music
easy enough for me to play.

Then I asked him if I could mention it here
that he heard me play and wrote me.

And he replied,
“No problem, my friend.”

So, here I am writing this down,
sharing it with you.

And you know what?
Even though it has been nine(9) years since that guitar competition,

I feel like I won first prize!

Music, really “does” connect everyone.

Listen to my version of it.

Marian’s Dance

And Check out Mr. Fairclough’s website here —> stevefairclough.co.uk

I’m not making this up.

Here’s a screenshot of his message.