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Live Songwriting - Part 2 - Getting Started

Alright, so I've bounced the idea around and have a rough plan for how the song might unfold. Now comes the tricky part. How do I get this abstract concept into some sort of musical shape? To this point I…Read more

Live Songwriting - Part 1 - The Song Idea

This is something I've never done before and I don't know that I've heard of anyone else doing it either. I've always wondered how people go about writing songs and suddenly realized that this is a great opportunity to show…Read more

Christmas Wrap Up & Hello There Tasmania!


As 2014 hurtles towards its end I can't help feeling that this has been an amazing year for me. In many ways it has been the best and worst year ever. It will always be the year in which I…Read more

Song Writing Competitions - The Dark Truth!

The Rabbit In The Spotlight - Performing 'Fighting In France' at Maldon
Why, oh why do we enter song writing contests?There you are, sitting nervously on a wooden bench in an old country hall with all the other contestants waiting…

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In Praise of the Humble Felt Pick

View from the train window between Sydney and Newcastle


When I was younger I spent a decade or so working in music shops selling all sorts of musical goodies to an unsuspecting public. 
One thing I don't think I ever…Read more
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Musical Archaeology - A Memory Shared 

I've always bee something of a nostalgist. Even as a young boy I can remember a hankering for days gone by and as a young song writer I rarely ventured into the 20th century. I have no idea why really…Read more

So you want to be a guitar maker!

I thought I'd digress from my usual course today ("What?" I hear you cry. "You flop all over the shop as it is! Usual course my #*#x***.......!") by musing a bit on a different aspect of my life - luthierie…Read more

Happy Birthday Jackie! 

My little sister is having a significant birthday today. Jackie has been a huge influence in my musical life. She was always there in the early days and was a member of my first band  'Four Hand Reel' for a…Read more

Happy Father's Day ... 

Happy Father's Day one and all. Yes, I really mean it!
Growing up my family didn't celebrate father's day or mother's day. They were seen (quite rightly I believe) as a cynical cash grab by retailers trying to create business…Read more