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31/3/2026 0 Comments #4 John 5 - Sugar Foot RagThis virtuosic showpiece is a melting pot of old-time rag, country, bluegrass and metal.
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Made famous as the theme for the film The Deer hunter (1978), Cavatina was written by Stanley Myers, with input from John Williams, one of the most renowned classical guitarists of all time. When I first heard it on the radio as a teenager I immediately went out to the library, got the sheet music and took it home to start learning it. This marked the transition from something I did mainly because my parents encouraged me, to something I truly wanted to pursue for myself. It features a hauntingly beautiful melody over simple arpeggios - I love the space given to this melody, with notes written out for longer than the guitar is able to sustain them. Major 7th chords appear throughout, giving the music its characteristic feeling of nostalgia, while the slightly more unsettled middle section provides the perfect contrast before returning to the opening material. There are versions of this piece for solo guitar, most famously by John Williams (who in fact recorded the melody separately), as a song with lyrics, and guitars and orchestra, such as this from the Carisma Guitar Duo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7SvBtJuh3Y. Below, is the John Williams version with orchestra. A blend of jazz, flamenco and world music, this piece really hits hard emotionally. It showcases Forcione's mastery of the guitar, with lightning fast slurs which are a hallmark of his style. The piece unfolds in three sections. The first features some exquisite melodies in a minor key, with a beautiful moment halfway through as the tonality shifts to the relative major and then the subdominant. After a brief dreamlike interlude, it moves into a middle section built around an improvisation over the same chords as the opening, before the return of the main theme. A big shout out to the cellist and percussionist, incredible talents that bring such integral components of the piece. This is a truly epic song, with a beautiful 8 bar guitar line (first heard at 38 seconds) that functions as the main focal point of the song, yet is never played the same twice. I love the dynamic range - moments of serenity and moments of madness! The dense production is incredible too - I’m still hearing new things many listens later. |
Jack DaviesAs I wondered the streets near my old home in Birmingham I always loved reading the 'Dad Joke of the Week' which someone wrote on a whiteboard outside their house. It was such a good idea! So I thought I'd do the same, but with a guitar-related theme - thus, 'Guitar Song of the Week', which has now begun! As the name suggests, each week I'll put up one of my favourite guitar tunes - it could be classical, blues, metal, anything, but will be by more underground/lesser known artists, and will always be something I think is worth hearing. I'll update this blog with each track, and add my thoughts on each. Suggestions are very much welcome (a suggestion box is coming soon). Archives
May 2026
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