Dave Francis - "Shooting Star" from Water Bear on Vimeo.

Shooting Star – Holiday Single

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Season’s greetings friends. My offering to you is one that is truly special to me, and there is a story to be told. The cinematography for this video was done by my very talented friend Nate Shoutis. To see more of his work, and some of our collaborative efforts for fun, and money follow him on Vimeo HERE. We live in different areas of the country so most of our collaboration is done online, but last October Nate asked me to compose something for a holiday video we planned to shoot when he passed through Missoula. I wrote this piece, “Shooting Star”. If you are interested in adding the single to your music collection, or sending it as a gift, it’s on iTunes HERE I did not mention last year that this musical piece was a tribute to my late mother. She passed in October 2011 very suddenly from a brain aneurysm. The great unknown on the other side of life always leaves those of us living with lots of questions about what might be out there. I don’t mean for this post to delve into my spiritual beliefs other than to share a cool story that gives me hope…

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December 17, 2014
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Learn about wild Salmon!

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This is a short film that I was contracted to score by Alaska Fish and Game. Bristol Bay Alaska is the world’s largest salmon fishery, and truly a great example of how to manage the harvest of wild species without depleting resources. It’s ingenuity, and commitment to the long term future of this precious natural resource sets the standard globally for how consumable species should be managed. ADF&G’s hope is that spreading the word about their practices, and management will help other major fishing operations follow their lead, and be proactive in maintaining the world’s fish populations for posterity. This is IMPORTANT stuff, and I was honored to be able to provide the music to move the message along. If you are interested in adding the score to your own music library it is available on iTunes by clicking HERE. The piece is called Anadromous, which refers to a species born in fresh water that spends it’s life in the sea before returning to it’s birth grounds to spawn, and perish. How insane is that? Thank you for likes and shares!

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December 17, 2014
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Alpackalypse 2014 from Water Bear on Vimeo.

The Alpackalypse is Nigh

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Yaaahooooo! For your enjoyment this long weekend, please watch and have a listen to this promotional video for Alpacka rafts newest creation the Alpackalypse. Alpacka has been the leader in the inflatable kayak industry leader for years. The biggest advantage to an inflatable kayak is that you don’t have to carry a rigid boat around with you on whatever adventure you are undertaking. My great friend Nate Shoutis (Water Bear) shot, narrated, and edited this beautiful video. I created the music using an Ableton push. There is no guitar involved whatsoever; this is pure electronic goodness used to propel the scenery along. I recommend viewing (whether it’s the first or 7th time) on the largest screen and speakers you own. The biggest tool that lesser known film-makers and musicians have at their disposal these days is the help of their friends spreading the word. Vimeo hosts this video, and our employers track the traffic it receives. Please help spread the word by liking, and sharing this video so that we can continue bringing these great projects home, and putting food on our tables. If you have a vimeo account and can click the “heart” button, or leave us a comment…

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November 26, 2014
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Dave Francis – Eleanor Rigby for Solo Baritone Guitar

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\\\\\\Ah, look at all the lonely people (and crushed cars!)/////// Howdy. Today’s offering from Guitarborist is really, um… let’s say unique. In my life, I have not always been the biggest fan of this song by the Beatles. I started looking at the score for it after a student requested the song as learning material. My whole opinion changed radically, as I was again reminded how visionary and groundbreaking the Beatles were. For those of you with a little music know how, the majority of the 1st and 3rd beats in this song have melodic ties. This works really well for fingerstyle arranging because you can pop bass notes in the middle and make it sound sweet! So anyway, after a little while working, I finished my arrangement of this song. I liked it enough to make a recording, and decided that I liked it best on my baritone guitar. A baritone guitar still has six strings, and plays like a regular guitar, however it is tuned much lower and effectively sounds like a hybrid between a guitar and a bass. For this reason I would suggest viewing this through speakers with some BASS. Trust me it will sound a…

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October 6, 2014
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Dave Francis – Rylynn

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\\\\\\TUMENI NOTES////// This piece is really special to me. Andy McKee is one of the finest and most innovative guitar players composing today, and probably will be viewed highly in the guitar pantheon after most of us have turned to dust. He does everything very well, and writes very technical and difficult pieces of music that are also incredibly beautiful. Andy McKee is absolutely worth tons of listens if you don’t know his playing. Rylynn is one of my favorites. I don’t know that my playing does it justice, but I definitely tried very hard to make it sound pleasant. By anyone’s standards this is really HARD to play, and utilizes a crazy tuning, a capo made for a banjo, slap harmonics, and approximately 9,467 notes weaved into a catchy and soulful melody. I also want to thank all of my friends in social media who help spread the word about my playing, and teaching. The Guitarborist page has seen really incredible growth lately, and that has everything to do with YOU friends passing videos along. It’s really neat getting comments from people I’ve never met on the other side of the world who have generous things to say about…

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September 15, 2014
Love8

Dave Francis – Carolan’s Draught

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\\\\\TAKE A 2 MINUTE GUITAR BREAK///// This tune is super fun! Turlough O’Carolan was a blind Irish harper in the late 16 and early 1700’s, and is considered by many to be Ireland’s national composer. He traveled Europe extensively for 50 years wowing audiences and always insisting on being payed in coin (a wise choice for a blind man). His works transfer nicely to the guitar tuning DADGAD, and have a very ethereal, harplike quality when transposed onto my favorite instrument. Should this melody delight you ears it’s pretty cool to investigate some other string versions of this piece of music. Thanks for watching, and spreading the word about my music and teaching. If you like this pass it on->->->->->->->->

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August 28, 2014
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http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/hometowns/quick-draw-missoula-guitar-instructor-passes-down-his-passion-for/article_5465db24-2be9-11e4-ae91-0019bb2963f4.html
August 25, 2014
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Dave Francis – “Jill’s Song”

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******GU!T@R GOODIE$******** Today’s special is a cover by funky fingerstyle guitarist Adam Rafferty. Fan’s of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and all things funky/or guitar should absolutely know this monster player. He has been a guitar hero of mine for years, and he was one of the first musicians to reach prominence through youtube. Check him out at adamrafferty.com Students of mine will remember (or one day be exposed to) his arrangements, especially around the holidays (he has a yule tide guitar album that should be on everyone’s playlist in December). This is a cover of his gorgeous piece “Jill’s Song”, right after uploading this I received a really positive email from the composer, and he shared it on his social media timelines. It was a real honor for me to receive recognition from one of my heroes. As a musical instructor I try to provide students of my studio with very positive reinforcement when it’s earned, and feeling the other side of that relationship really gave me a boost even though he may not have been aware that I’ve learned from his style and technique for years. If you’ve read my post this far please allow up to…

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August 6, 2014
Love5

Dave Francis – “Bron-Yr-Aur”

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Gu!t@r!*********If viewing this on facebook you must follow the link. Facebook is belligerently not allowing thumbnails.********Gu!t@r! When I was 14 I was heavily involved in “helping” friends to see the value in joining Columbia House, and BMG music services. Being from a fairly isolated small town, I did not have much exposure to my adult passion, fingerstyle guitar. Part of the deal with bringing new customers into the record club fold was a 4 album referral fee. One of my wisest uses of this promotion was acquiring the Led Zeppelin four disc box, which included Jimmy Page’s classic solo guitar piece “Bron-Yr-Aur”. It was a piece I obsessed over for years and probably the first that I sat down and played over 100 times trying to nail the nuances and difficult tricks. It was a huge lesson to me in perseverance, and even after having it under my fingers for a decade it still sounds fresh, and beautiful to me. It also has the side effect of helping my tomato, and blueberry plants flourish.

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July 24, 2014
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Inappropriate Comedy – Creed – My Sacrifice – Original Hip Hop Cover

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This song contains dual “F” -bombs. Be warned. My brother Sam is a hilarious individual. He sings a great cover of the song “My Sacrifice” by Creed. One evening I asked him to sing the song karaoke style in my studio. He did just that and it was good. Months later I took the recording and for comedic value remixed it with a 90’s hip/hop sound. I am very amused by the results. Thank you to Sam for allowing this to happen. If you are interested in a free copy (that I make zero dollars distributing) please leave a comment in the news section for this song. As an administrator I will see your email address (it is unpublished and will remain so) and I’ll send a file your way. Thanks for visiting www.guitarborist.com

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July 22, 2014
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