Apertura Apertura is the opening song of Walter Salles’ The Motorcycle Diaries —  a 2004 biopic about a then 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara, who would years later become internationally known as Che Guevara. The film recounts the 1952 expedition by Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado […]

Finch Finch on Apple + was a beautiful and highly entertaining movie: In a post-apocalyptic world, Finch (Tom Hanks) knowing that his health is slowly failing, builds a robot to take of his dog after he passes. The robot was played by the delightfully weird, […]

Dona Nobis Pacem Dona Nobis Pacem (grant us peace, latin) is a gorgeous piece of music by composer, Max Richter. This piece is from the hit HBO series, The Leftovers; a series about a global cataclysm where 140 million people suddenly disappear without a trace. […]

The Music of the Night My Dad was a massive fan of the arts — specifically music and poetry. As an early adolescent (in the late 80’s) my family belonged to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. I was fortunate to see every Broadway show you can […]

Fantastic Beasts The Fantastic Beasts movies — as with the Harry Potter predecessors — seem to be set in winter more often then not. For that reason, I think of the films, and the music by James Newton Howard, as seasonal. To me, it only […]

Johann Johannsson Jóhann Jóhannsson was an extraordinary Icelandic composer. For a period of time, he lead the modern post-classical movement — which is identified with experimental, minimalist, and electronic music. He passed away in February 2018 at the age of 48. Jóhann is best known […]

Comptine d’un autre été, l’après midi Comptine d’un autre été, l’après midi (Nursery rhyme from another summer, the afternoon) is a piece of music by composer, Yann Tiersen. As the principle song from Amelie, it’s by far his most popular song at 326 million plays […]

Harry in Winter The fourth installment in the Harry Potter series, Goblet of Fire, marked a significant shift in tone and theme. Composer Patrick Doyle took over from John Williams, bringing a fresh, Celtic-infused soundscape. The standout piece is Harry in Winter, a haunting and […]

The Last Duel This is the central theme from The Last Duel. This motif is manifested on quite a few tracks from the soundtrack by, Harry Gregson Williams. The song ‘Managing the Estate’ is specifically what I used to create this guitar arrangement. ‘The Last […]

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol — also known as Tidings of Comfort and Joy. It is one of the oldest carols, dating back to the 16th century. I was inspired by Loreena McKennitt’s ethereal […]

Abby and Owen This motif is an unreleased track from The Last Of Us Part II by Gustavo Santaolalla. It’s relatively easy to play and works as a perfectly as an etude (a composition built on a technical motive — but played for its artistic […]

Hurt Hurt was originally written and performed by Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor). It was actually a pivotal NIN song long before the seminal Johnny Cash cover. [The dissonant note in my intro is an ode to the NIN original.] In a similar but reverse […]