Suthorn Village | Echoes of Wisdom | Fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2026-09-22 | Suthorn Village | Echoes of Wisdom | Fingerstyle guitarCan You Feel The Love Tonight | Disney Fingerstyle GuitarJohn Tracey2023-02-01 | Here's an arrangement of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from Disney's "The Lion King", which I came up with in 2020 to be played at our friends' wedding.
I'm playing my new custom Avalon nylon-string guitar here - suits the piece very well, I think!
Guitar: @AvalonGuitars Avalon Ard-Rí A7-338CNMichael Kerr & John Tracey | Buckets of Rain (Bob Dylan)John Tracey2022-10-10 | A lockdown collaboration @MichaelKerrBlackEyes and I created in 2020, here's "Buckets of Rain" by Bob Dylan.My top 5 Tommy Emmanuel licks || Onscreen TAB lessonsJohn Tracey2022-10-03 | My top 5 favourite Tommy Emmanuel licks, from Chet Atkins rolls to the blistering Guitar Boogie run. Grab your guitar and play along, onscreen TAB included!
The guitar I'm using: @AvalonGuitars Ard-Rí L2-310
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0:00 – Intro
0:25 – Lick 1: Chet Atkins roll from "Blue Moon" 1:52 – Lick 2: A minor pentatonic run from "Classical Gas"/"House of the Rising Sun" 4:04 – Lick 3: Main run from "The Hunt" 7:50 – Lick 4: Ending lick from "Cannonball Rag" 11:49 – Lick 5: Solo run from "Guitar Boogie" 16:52 – Don't deathgrip your pick!
21:55 – OutroWhat if Zelda sounded Irish?John Tracey2022-09-26 | Full performance on @JohnTraceyMusic!What if the Legend of Zelda sounded Irish? [Romance in the Air theme from Skyward Sword]John Tracey2022-09-25 | Here's my Irish folk-ish arrangement of the beautiful "Romance in the Air" theme from the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword soundtrack, composed by Hajime Wakai/Shiho Fujii/Mahito Yokota/Takeshi Hama. It's such a shame that this piece is only used at the start of the game; we only really get to hear it briefly.
Instruments used:
Guitar || @AvalonGuitars Ard-Rí L2-310 Banjo || @DeeringBanjoCo Phoenix Bass || @HarleyBentonOfficial BeatbassWhy I play these guitars || Maton and Avalon guitar reviewsJohn Tracey2022-09-03 | My first vlog about the acoustic guitars I play most often, which are @matonguitarsand @AvalonGuitars:
Maton Custom Shop "JT" model Avalon Ard-Rí L2-310 Maton TE1
I paid for all of these guitars with my own money, I am not endorsed by any of the companies mentioned and I am not being paid by anyone to review them. This is purely for enjoyment!
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0:00 – Intro
1:07 – Maton Custom Shop 1:38 – Tonewoods 3:52 – AP5 Pro system 5:13 – Plek system service 5:44 – Maton Custom Shop sound demo 1 6:23 – Maton Custom Shop sound demo 2
12:16 – Maton TE1 12:42 – Tonewoods 13:20 – 'CGP' inlay 13:41 – AP5 Pro vs AP5 original 14:46 – Maton TE1 sound demo 1 15:24 – Maton TE1 sound demo 2 15:50 – OutroCannonball Rag (live)John Tracey2022-08-05 | Footage shot by @fiveelementphotography7956 in Brussels, Belgium, in Autumn 2021. Here's a live version of Cannonball Rag by Merle Travis, played on my @matonguitars Custom Shop model.
The audio is a blend from Anthony's camera shotgun mic, and the direct signal from my guitar's AP5 Pro pickup into the in-house PA.Down By The Glenside // Irish Ways and Irish Laws (Irish fingerstyle guitar)John Tracey2022-08-02 | I'm not sure if you can really call this an arrangement; it's almost entirely improvised, but maybe some day I'll nail down a full arrangement.
I'm playing 2 hauntingly beautiful melodies of historic Irish rebellion, "Down By The Glenside" (also known as "The Bold Fenian Men"), and "Irish Ways and Irish Laws" in drop C# tuning, to get a bit more of a drone sound going.
Played on my old @matonguitars TE1 dreadnought, recorded on my Zoom H4n recorder.Return To Form | John Tracey | original fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2022-07-31 | A new original composition of mine called 'Return To Form', which will appear on my next album (coming soon)!
It's a "boom-chick" ragtime-style piece inspired by many of my musical heroes, including Koji Kondo, Tommy Emmanuel, Randy Newman. There are 2 key changes in the piece to really ramp up the nonsense too - enjoy!El Vaquero (Tommy Emmanuel) | John TraceyJohn Tracey2022-07-30 | Here's my performance of Tommy Emmanuel's version of "El Vaquero" originally by Chet Atkins and Wayne Moss, on my @matonguitars Custom Shop model.
Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Zoom H4n recorder (onboard mics)Blazin fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2022-07-29 | A snippet of my solo version of "Dueling Banjos" on my phenomenal @matonguitars Custom Shop model, played in Brussels, Belgium.Citrus Coast | Hybrid picking guitar | John TraceyJohn Tracey2022-07-25 | My original song 'Citrus Coast' inspired by the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Recorded in 2021 on my Avalon Ard-Rí acoustic guitar using the 'hybrid picking' technique, in which you use a combination of a plectrum and fingers.Raglan Road | Irish fingerstyle guitar | John TraceyJohn Tracey2022-07-23 | A performance from 2021 of my arrangement of the Irish song "Raglan Road" or "Fáinne Geal an Lae".
Guitar: Avalon Ard-RíDangerous To Go Alone | Fingerstyle guitar | John TraceyJohn Tracey2022-07-20 | The title track of my 2018 album, explained and performed. Recorded back in 2021.
Guitar: Avalon Ard-RíWhen You Wish Upon A Star | John Tracey | Disney fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2022-07-19 | Recorded in spring 2021 on my Avalon Ard-Rí acoustic. The arrangement has changed and developed over the years. Even now, I play it differently since the time of this recording!King of the Swingers | Acoustic fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2022-07-15 | A quick and very unrehearsed acoustic performance of "King of the Swingers" from the "Jungle Book", along with @NeilOBri.
Filmed in summer 2020 in Kerry, Ireland, by the superb @fiveelementphotography7956. Unofficially sponsored by Beamish.
"I'm not surprised you feel that way, you spent 4 days mainlining stout."A Voice Beyond The Verge | John Tracey | Live performance in BrusselsJohn Tracey2022-01-31 | A new original song called "A Voice Beyond The Verge", performed for the first time in front of an audience in November 2021 in Brussels city centre. Big thanks to Anthony O Connor // Five Element Photography for the recording!
Guitar: Maton Custom Shop "JT Traditional" Audio: Live feed from camera + direct feed from mixing deskDo You Hear Footsteps?John Tracey2021-12-23 | A little preview of a track that will be on my next album, coming in 2022! This is an original song, inspired by the magic of Christmas in childhood. I think we all heard Santa on the roof at one point.
An gcluineann tú coiscéimeanna?
Guitar: Avalon Ard-Rí Recorded with Zoom H4NIf You Ever Had To Leave Me | OriginalJohn Tracey2021-12-21 | An abridged version of a new song, "If You Ever Had To Leave Me", which will be released on my new album, coming soon!
Videography by Anthony O Connor ("Anthoneedles" on YouTube @anthoneedles), shot in a corridor in Brussels. Anto heard the natural reverb in the corridor and said "we have to record something here", so we did this.
Guitar: Avalon Ard-RíHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas | Fingerstyle GuitarJohn Tracey2021-12-18 | The timeless Christmas song made famous by Judy Garland in "Meet Me In St Louis" (1944). Here's my arrangement for fingerstyle guitar, influenced by Ted Greene's gorgeous jazz chord/melody arrangement.
Guitar: Avalon Ard-Rí Recorded with Zoom H4NSamhain - Irish traditional jig (original)John Tracey2021-06-09 | Something a bit different to solo acoustic guitar music! Here's an original Irish jig I composed in late 2020 called "Samhain".
Samhain is a medieval Gaelic festival historically celebrated on 31 October/1 November in Ireland, Scotland and Isle of Man to mark the end of the harvest season.
If any trad musicians out there like the tune and fancy learning it, give me a shout and I can give you the sheet music. Just don't be going and claiming it as your own, now ;)The Legend of Zelda theme | Fingerstyle guitar soloJohn Tracey2021-03-04 | Here's my small contribution to Zelda's 35th anniversary - my solo fingerstyle acoustic guitar arrangement of this legendary piece. In the key of B major, no less!
The year 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of my favourite game series, The Legend of Zelda. Koji Kondo wrote the theme (while under huge pressure to meet the looming release deadline) for the original Legend of Zelda game in 1986. It's become one of the most iconic pieces in video game history. Koji Kondo continues to inspire so many fans and musicians around the world, including me.
(This goes without saying - this is my own arrangement of the piece but I do not own the original music!)Ill Be Home For Christmas - acoustic guitar and vocals - the best Christmas songJohn Tracey2020-12-21 | I'll Be Home For Christmas - acoustic guitar and vocals - John Tracey - Christmas songs and traditional carols. Played on my Maton Custom Shop acoustic guitar.God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Christmas carol acoustic guitar soloJohn Tracey2020-12-02 | TAB available to purchase and download! Contact me via johntraceymusic.com/contact
Here's my fingerstyle guitar arrangement of the Christmas carol "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" played on my Avalon Guitars jumbo. It lends itself very well to the 'boom-chick' Travis rhythm!
Audio: Zoom H4n amzn.to/36v1U53The Maestros Request (original song) on Avalon Ard-Rí L2-310John Tracey2020-09-23 | An original piece I wrote in late 2019 for my father's 60th birthday. I'm playing my beautiful new locally-made Avalon spruce/amazaque guitar here, it's an absolute gem. Check them out: http://www.avalonguitars.com
Guitar: Avalon Ard-Rí L2-310 Mic: Rode M5Cannonball Rag (live in 2019) | John Tracey | Crescent Arts CentreJohn Tracey2020-06-01 | Off-stage footage thanks to Gavin Ferris (facebook.com/gavinferrisofficial). This is Merle Travis' mighty "Cannonball Rag"Bill Harts || Neil Ó Briain & John Tracey || Irish traditional guitarJohn Tracey2020-04-21 | @NeilOBri (the guitarist on the left!) and me on the right, performing the Irish traditional tune Bill Hart's.
Video recorded at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiach in Belfast, Ireland.
Guitars used: Lowden F35c (Neil) and Maton JT Custom Shop (John) Audio: Zoom H4n (room mic + guitar inputs) Camera: Nikon D5300How to play Edelweiss | TAB | Fingerstyle Guitar Tutorial | Larrys Lockdown LessonsJohn Tracey2020-04-05 | After many requests for a tutorial/tab for my arrangement of "Edelweiss", it's finally here! Thank you to all those who asked for a tutorial.
Download the free tab here: drive.google.com/file/d/1uwOXRkSBWXIFR5dG8fwyJCYwT-rABGCMRaglan Road | Fingerstyle Guitar Tutorial | Larrys Lockdown LessonsJohn Tracey2020-03-24 | Here's the first episode of Larry's Lockdown Lessons, my arrangement of "Raglan Road" for solo acoustic guitar. This is a fairly tricky one, more for intermediate/advanced players. I'll walk you through everything note-for-note. Get your guitar, pour your coffee and get working!
Guitar: Maton Custom Shop Banjo: Clearwater Banjo-Guitar Audio: Rode paired mics, Zoom H4nAn Pasáiste (Irish jig) || Neil Ó Briain and John Tracey || Irish traditional guitarJohn Tracey2020-03-08 | "An Pasáiste" is an Irish traditional jig composed by @NeilOBri (the guitarist on the left!), named after his hometown in Co. Cork, Ireland. I've added the rhythm and harmony parts.
Video recorded at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiach in Belfast, Ireland.
Guitars used: Lowden F35c (Neil) and Maton JT Custom Shop (John) Audio: Zoom H4n (room mic + guitar inputs) Camera: Nikon D5300Just Waves | John Tracey | Acoustic guitar soloJohn Tracey2020-02-21 | Here's a fresh recording of one of my songs, "Just Waves" which was on my 2018 solo album 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘛𝘰 𝘎𝘰 𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.
This piece was inspired by the 6/8 rhythm of Irish traditional jigs and by the great composer Koji Kondo - the man who wrote the Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda theme songs!
Guitar: Maton Guitars Custom Shop "JT Custom" Mic: RØDE Microphones Strings: Elixir Strings Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze (Light) Plectrum: Jim Dunlop Guitar Products PrimetoneTwo Out Of Three Aint Bad (Meat Loaf) - Solo fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2020-02-20 | Meat Loaf's 1977 gem, 'Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad', now in solo fingerstyle guitar flavour!
Guitar: Maton Guitars Custom Shop 'JT Custom' Strings: Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze (Light) Camera: Nikon D5300 Mic: Rode M5Town Hall Shuffle (Tommy Emmanuel and Phil Emmanuel arrangement) - rhythm and lead guitarJohn Tracey2020-01-29 | "...FOUR!"
The Emmanuel Brothers' arrangement of Joe Maphis' "Town Hall Shuffle". Yee-haw!
Guitar: Maton EBG808 Nashville Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Rode M5Edelweiss | The Sound of Music (fingerstyle guitar)John Tracey2020-01-05 | TUTORIAL & TAB HERE: youtube.com/watch?v=s82KrT0bL6E
A solo fingerstyle guitar arrangement of Edelweiss / Edelweiß I've played around with for years, complete with the vocal harmony lines. Decided it was time to finally record it.
A beautiful song by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein for "The Sound of Music" (1959) inspired by the Edelweiß, a flower popular in Austria. Apparently this was the last song Hammerstein ever wrote lyrics for before his death in 1960. A fitting piece for your final exit.
Guitar: Maton Custom Shop "JT Custom Traditional" Capo: G7th Performance 2 Strings: Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze (Light) Thumbpick: Dunlop Medium Mics: Rode M5Irish and Australian song medley - solo fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2020-01-03 | My own medley of traditional Irish and Aussie folk songs played on my Maton Custom Shop guitar, the "JT Custom Traditional". Couldn't think of a better way to showcase it as an Irishman playing an Aussie guitar!
SONGS PLAYED: Along the Road to Gundagai, I'll Tell Me Ma, Star of the County Down, Waltzing Matilda, The Foggy Dew, Whiskey in the Jar
Guitar: Maton Custom Shop "JT Custom Traditional" model [https://maton.com.au/product/maton-custom]
Camera: Nikon D5300 [nikon.co.uk/en_GB/product/digital-cameras/slr/consumer/d5300]Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day (solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar)John Tracey2019-12-09 | The cheesiest of all the Christmas pop songs, Wizzard's catchy 1973 song now in fingerstyle guitar flavour.
Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day for solo acoustic fingerstyle guitar
This was recorded with: Maton TE1 (Tommy Emmanuel model) guitar Elixir Nanoweb strings Rode M5 microphones Nikon D5300 cameraSí Bheag Sí Mhór (Turlough OCarolan) - John Tracey & Neil Ó BriainJohn Tracey2019-09-20 | I teamed up with fellow Irish guitarist Neil Ó Briain (Co. Cork) to bring you our fingerstyle duet of Turlough O'Carolan's masterful harp piece, "Sí Bheag Sí Mhór".
Neil usually plays Eastman and Lowden guitars, but we're playing two of my Matons here (we're in my house, my rules!) - the EBG808C Nashville and TE1. Both strung with Elixir Strings.
Check out Neil's YouTube channel here: youtube.com/user/neilomusicJohn Tracey - Learning The Ropes (original fingerstyle guitar)John Tracey2019-09-12 | I've recently joined the Irish language department in BBC Northern Ireland (BBC Gaeilge) as a radio presenter with my own show, 'Ceoltóirí Faoi Chaibidil' (Irish for 'Exploring Musicians'). I got to write my own intro music for the show, and this is it!
Guitar: Maton EBG808C Nashville Strings: Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze (light gauge) Thumbpick: Dunlop (M) Audio: Rode M5 matched stereo pair Camera: Nikon D5300John Tracey - October Girls (original) on Maton EBG808 NashvilleJohn Tracey2019-09-10 | A new composition I've been meaning to record for a while, here's the YouTube début! I wrote this for my mum and sister, who are both October girls by birth.
Featuring my new Maton EBG808C Nashville, very sweet and punchy wee guitar.
Guitar: EBG808C Nashville Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Rode M5 matched pair Strings: Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze (Light) Thumbpick: Dunlop MRaglan Road (Fáinne Geal an Lae) - Irish acoustic fingerstyle guitarJohn Tracey2018-08-22 | Here's my fingerstyle arrangement of the timeless, hauntingly beautiful Irish folk song "Raglan Road", made famous by Luke Kelly of the Dubliners.
Luke Kelly brought this well-known version of Raglan Road to the fore when he put the words of Patrick Kavanagh's poem "On Raglan Road" to the traditional air "Fáinne Geal an Lae" (which incidentally translates to "the dawning of the day", words which are also found in Kavanagh's poem).
Guitar: Maton EBG808 Artist (2007) Strings: Santa Cruz Parabolic Strings (low tension) Tuning: Drop D Thumbpick: Dunlop (medium) Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Zoom H4n internal micsJohn Tracey interview and performance - NVTV Northern Vision (N Irish public television)John Tracey2018-08-09 | SUBTITLES AVAILABLE - if you find the Belfast accent a bit hard to decipher! Click "English (Ireland)" to access the subtitles.
Here's my interview and performance segments from my slot on NVTV's Big Music Show with presenter Robin Elliott. NVTV is a public television station for Belfast.
I perform my songs 'Dangerous To Go Alone' and 'Just Waves' for the top and the tail of the interview. Enjoy!
Dangerous To Go Alone: 00:00 Interview: 02:31 Just Waves: 07:57
http://www.johntraceymusic.comStruttin - Jerry Reed (Maton AP5 Pro direct input demo)John Tracey2018-07-25 | One of the quintessential acoustic fingerstyle songs, here's Jerry Reed's "Struttin'". I love this piece of music, it's a stroke of genius.
I recorded this directly from the AP5 Pro pickup in the Maton SRS808C - I haven't added any EQ in post whatsoever, just a subtle reverb effect. This gives you a great idea of what modern Maton guitars sound like directly through an amp or a PA with no tweaking - they're phenomenal! The AP5 Pro settings I used were:
Mic: Max Piezo: Max Treble: Max Bass: Max Mids: 12 o'clock Freqency: 12 o'clock
:: Gear featured :: Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Zoom H4n (direct input from guitar) Guitar: Maton SRS808C Cable: David Laboga Thumbpick: Dunlop 'M'Mombasa (Tommy Emmanuel) - Ivo Vollering and John TraceyJohn Tracey2018-07-23 | From Berlin to Belfast! Ivo Vollering and I got together recently and jammed while he was here in Ireland. We both love Tommy Emmanuel's "Mombasa" so we rolled the camera and caught a very impromptu jam of this song.
Here we're using my Maton SRS808C (John) and Maton EBG808 Artist (Ivo) guitars, both unplugged and unaltered. Ivo's Martin backpacker travel guitar is on the sofa too!John Tracey and Tommy Emmanuel - King of The Swingers (Disney Jungle Book medley)John Tracey2018-05-26 | I had the amazing opportunity of performing onstage with Tommy Emmanuel at his recent Guitar Camp in Scotland.
I chose to play a mash-up arrangement of mine of some Disney tunes - starting with a bit of 'When You Wish Upon A Star' into 'King of The Swingers' and 'The Bare Necessities'. Tommy plays a great improvised solo during it too!Billy Joel - My Life (acoustic fingerstyle guitar, Maton TE1 AP5 pickup demo)John Tracey2018-05-09 | My own (slightly condensed) fingerstyle guitar arrangement of "My Life" by Billy Joel. Great tune!
This video also serves to demo the sound of the plugged-in Maton AP5 pickup (aka "AP5 Original") on this Maton TE1 from 2010. The guitar is plugged directly into my audio interface with a jack cable and that's it. Some reverb added in post. No external microphone.
The AP5 original pickup in this guitar was the standard system in Maton's electro-acoustic guitars for many years, and it predates the current AP5 Pro system that Maton are now using across most of their models. This original AP5 has no built-in microphone, it's simply an undersaddle piezo/preamp system. Sounds pretty good to me, especially live!
Acoustic guitar: Maton TE1 Tuning: Drop D Thumbpick: Dunlop white medium Strings: Santa Cruz Parabolic (low tension) Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Zoom H4n Cable: David Laboga Gold Perfection SeriesThe Beatles - Get Back (acoustic cover)John Tracey2018-05-07 | My own acoustic arrangement of The Beatles' 1970 classic "Get Back", complete with backing vocals! Your mama's waiting for you, wearing her high-heel shoes...👠
For my fellow guitar geeks out there, the tuning I'm using is Db-Gb-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb. 🤓
Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Zoom H4nTom Waits - San Diego Serenade - John Tracey (acoustic cover)John Tracey2018-03-16 | Here's a stripped back acoustic version of Tom Wait's brilliant song, "San Diego Serenade". I've taken inspiration from Curtis Stigers' arrangement of the song from the "Real Emotional" album.The Belfast Hornpipe - Irish traditional guitar ☘️John Tracey2018-03-03 | This is a trad tune I learned a long time ago (15+ years!) on Irish tenor banjo. It's named after my hometown of Belfast. Here's my acoustic guitar version, complete with acoustic rhythm section recorded separately. Hup!
Camera: Nikon D5300 Audio: Zoom H4nJohn Tracey - Citrus Coast (original fingerstyle guitar)John Tracey2018-02-19 | This is the third video shot by Roadie TV in Belfast, it's a live performance of my own original song "Citrus Coast", inspired by the beautiful Amalfi Coast in Italy.