The Theory of Everything The Theory of Everything (2014) is a  biographical romantic drama film set at the University of Cambridge. It details the life of the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. The exquisite music, by the late Johann Johannsson, won the Golden Globe for best […]

Aniron I saw The Lord of the Rings movies years ago and thought they were breathtaking. I recall The Hobbit films more recently, and they were equally as good. Both series of films have spectacular music by composer, Howard Shore. This piece is actually called […]

Intro by The xx Within my lifestyle as a guitar teacher and guitar blogger, nothing is more apparent to me, then people’s lack of self-confidence, or perceived status, as a guitarist. I’m not immune either. However, it’s important to realize that it’s often your identity […]

The Haunting of Bly Manor This performance is musical suite comprising the central themes from The Haunting of Bly Manor. The Newton Brothers (Andy Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart) have really outdone themselves in dramatic fashion. As with its predecessor (The Haunting of Hill House) […]

Everything In Its Right Place It’s hard to believe that Radiohead’s Kid-A was released exactly 24 years ago. The record is still one of the most futuristic albums you’ll ever hear. The opening track, “Everything In Its Right Place”, was also used as the opening of […]

The Last of the Mohicans While the film and soundtrack are timeless — the music production was fairly chaotic for The Last of the Mohicans. Director Michael Mann had initially requested that Trevor Jones (composer) provide an electronic score for the film. That surprises me […]

The Ludlows Legends of the Fall (1994) is a sweeping epic that chronicles the lives of the Ludlow family in early 20th century Montana. Colonel William Ludlow, a disillusioned former U.S. Army officer, has retreated to the wilderness with his three sons: Alfred, the responsible […]

Healing Katniss In a dystopian future, The Hungers Games (2012) tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, who is forced to compete in an elaborate televised fight to the death, consisting of adolescent contestants from the 12 Districts of Panem. “Healing Katniss” is arguably the best […]

Sign of the Times Harry Styles’ moonshot is much like Robbie Williams’ ascension in the early 2000’s: former British “boy-band” member goes solo, combining songwriting chops with sensational stage presence and charisma. The American version of this story would be Justin Timberlake. Songwriting craftsmanship is […]

Cover Me Up Cover Me Up was the song that first introduced me to incredible singer/songwriter Jason Isbell. Forget the writing – the raw honesty of the song, and power of Isbell’s voice is what captured me. It’s just brutal in every good sense of […]

Longing This arrangement combines both Longing and Longing (Redemptions) from The Last of Us Part II soundtrack. The latter of which is played on a Ronroco (a tiny, 5 string Andean guitar) that Gustavo Santaolalla employs throughout his soundtracks. Both pieces comprise his trademark minimalism; […]

Rue’s Farewell Rue’s Farewell is one of my favorites from James Newton Howard. I created my own arrangement; adding the orchestration – in addition to the actual guitar part from the original piece. The Hunger Games were a great series of movies, and the music […]