Only Ghosts

Free download of this performance on SoundCloud.

This song is also available on all streaming and music services including:

Spotify

and Apple

I wrote and recorded Only Ghosts in 2016. At that point, I was in the infancy of my sound design implementation. I’m still learning, but I’m much better at working my music software — dialing in the right reverb, EQ, and mastering. Additionally, I wanted to update this piece with a little more heart and sentimentality.

I’m still massively inspired by The Haunting of Bly Manor score. That music (and series) allowed me to grasp that Only Ghosts is actually a gothic love song. I think of instrumental music in terms of an unspecific journey — designed to elicit an emotional narrative. I added a section an end section to Only Ghosts which better resolves the song’s story.

The sound editing for this latest iteration of Only Ghosts is decidedly Lo-fi: an imperfect production quality that brings you closer to the guitar. You’ll hear the hiss of mic gain with the highs and lows filtered out. I’m obsessed with getting Lo-fi editing right. I love the intimate sound that composer’s Stephan Moccio and Dustin O’Halloran get with their piano performances. You can even hear the pressing of the keys.

You might also like to play…

The Haunting of Bly Manor | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

Unsolved Mysteries: theme | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

Doctor Sleep: The Overlook | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

Gear used

For this piece, I used my Cordoba GK Studio guitar. You can find a current list of my gear here.

My music

You can find my personal music on Spotify, Apple, and all streaming services:

Evan on Spotify

Evan on Apple

The Intellimusica Spotify Playlist: Ethereal and Cinematic Music
(This playlist is curated and updated by me. It’s music that I’ve played and intend to play on Intellimusica. It flows beautifully — and additionally works as music for focus, meditation, and self-reflection.)

How to play Only Ghosts | fingerstyle guitar

The guitar tab for this piece is beautifully written across three pages. I recommend this piece for intermediate guitar players and up. Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:

You’ll essentially play straight through all 3 sheets twice without repeats. My order of play, in accordance with the guitar tab, looks like this:

Verse, Chorus, End

Verse, Chorus, End

Only Ghosts – Evan Handyside (ambient, contemporary guitar)

Only Ghosts is played in standard tuning.