Headwater Melodies by splendid acoustics

Album art by Cee

This album is a collection of songs I've made through acoustic guitar, often fingerstyle with a 2nd guitar recording to add a melody to the song. Sometimes another instrument is added, for example Saxophone by my friend Wanda.
I record guitar from my bedroom and "mix" in the Audacity program; simple things like volume control and snipping audio tracks, so minimal production. Often background noises make their way in, like my computer fans or sounds from outside my window. I aim for a very raw sound so everything is live instrumentation straight to a desktop microphone. I hope to make soothing and relaxing music that also has a happy vibe. And I try to get some appreciation into the outdoors here into the music. I recommend listening to these songs with headphones on an outdoors walk, or anything other activity while soaking in nice natural views.

This is my first album release after uploading primarily to youtube for many years.
The album is a collection of those youtube uploads, featuring three new songs.

Here are some notes per track if you're curious:

1 Tern
Guitar with some down-pitched Recorder.
A 20$ thrift store guitar I bought while on vacation is featured around 1:49.
After restringing it and adding a new tuning key to the G string, it still sounds a bit off.
Despite not preferring how it sounds for recordings, while paired with my normal acoustic guitar I find they sound nice together.
This was one of the first songs (that wasn't a cover) that I committed actual "production" to, such as actually making a melody rather than just improvising one all at once.

2 Spring for the Tufted Titmouse
I recorded this with my window open, featuring a noisy car at 0:23.
A Tufted-titmouse can be heard calling outside near the tail end of the song.
My palm-muting technique isn't exactly skillful but at least it carries a beat across.

3 Appensyl
Featuring Wand_am on Saxophone
This was the next song I made after "Tern", so I was now confident in adding a melody to this fingerstyle progression I had originally made some time ago.
I sent Wanda the song and what I had recorded to see if sax could be added. It came out really nicely especially the ending melody. Wanda did some freestyle/improv, but for the final ending melody, I told her to match it note-for-note and I really like how the two instruments meet together at the end of the song.

4 Heron's Day off (on the computer)
An improvised guitar recording from 2020.
This track features some computer-mouse clicks that must have made it in to the recording somehow.
I was going to remove them but could not find the original, old, project file.
Debating adding this to the "Old Stuff and Extras" album because of that flaw, I figured it fits very well with the vibe, and I used the title to convey chilling at home.

5 March Marsh Marigold
Guitar with some Melodica, Featuring Wand_am on Saxophone
I had bought a Melodica late 2023 and really wanted to see how it played with guitar.
This was of of the latest songs I recorded, March 2024, and inspired me to finally put an album together.
This originally was going to have two melodicas, one normal one and then another one down-pitched an octave.
But Wanda ended up taking over the latter, great work and it sounded more natural.

6 Cherry Donuts
Featuring Steel Drum by Cee
Cee had been playing around with a steel-drum and sent me a quick recording.
After looping the recording, I figured it was a good exercise to try adding guitar over something I wasn't familiar with. And this was the result.

7 Red-winged Blackbird Ceremony
The latest track I recorded. Just for this album. A bit rushed maybe? But I am satisfied with the product.
The base guitar chord/picking was something I came up with around 2022. This features more melodica.

8. Floating Through the Narrows
Featuring Steel Drum by Cee
This was the 2nd recording that Cee sent me. I repeated the exercise and ended up making a bit of a longer song.

9 Aimless Autumn Adventure
From around 2019.
Like most uploads from back then, this song is mostly improvised over whatever guitar progression I thought sounded neat. This almost went to "Old Stuff and Extras" but I really liked how this one sounded.

10 This is Wanda's Song
Featuring Wand_am on Saxophone.
This was one of the first times I collaborated with Wanda.
I had originally sent a guitar recording of a chord progression in fingerstyle, and asked Wanda if she was interested in improvising over it.
Unlike the other tracks featuring Wanda on this album, her sax leads the whole song. Hence the song's title ;)

11 The stones of the dry creek sit and wait for the next rain (And I can leave whenever I want)
This was one of, if not the, first guitar song I ever made. There is not 2nd guitar playing, and is just one guitar recorded.
At the time, I took inspiration from the fingerpicking style in "Bookends Theme" by Simon & Garfunkel.
While learning that cover I tried to use the same 'double-pinch' fingerpicking technique on other chords.
I really liked how it sounded with the standard D major fingering, especially slow and letting it ring.
I had ideas of starting the album with a short snippet of this song, similarly how Bookends Theme works on it's album.
But I settled on just leaving it as the closing track for this and not taking away from how much I love "Tern"
This track ends with me walking out of the room, closing the door;
A bit of an inspiration from Hakita's ULTRAKILL Act transitions,where he recorded himself changing disc in a playstation.
This felt especially fitting with how this album features a lot of "background" noise in my bedroom and surrounding environment.
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Thanks for listening :)
I appreciate feedback and comments so feel free to reach out to me.

I started making my own songs after focusing on amateur fingerstyle covers for some years. Most of my songs feature a chord progression and a 2nd guitar track leading a melody. Occasionally some other flavors added ontop. But overall go for a very basic raw recording feel.
Im self-taught and practiced as a hobby through college. I play less these days but like writing a song here and there.