PodcastDirectory.com's listings of the Bill Breitsprecher's Guitar Music Podcasts

VIDEO/MP4: Takin' Name (Traditional African American Spiritual - vocals by Bill Breitsprecher, iPod/Zune)

In honor of African American History Month, I have recorded this old-time spiritual. It goes back to at least the 1890s and is probably much older. It is performed under different names, "The Angel of Death," "There's a Man Goin' Round", "There's a Man", and just plain "Takin' Names (title as I learned it). Various people have recorded it over the years, including Josh White, though many know it from a Peter, Paul, and Mary release. It's a haunting melody with chords that absolutely ri ...

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Here's another Chistmas song - this is my favorite Christmas song. I remember singing it in 3rd or 4th grade and this arrangement contains some of the harmonies and countermelodies I remember. I don't get around to playing it every year, but always cherish the few weeks I am sharing it during the holiday season. The video features Watertown Wisconsin's Christmas Train Display at the Specialty Market Mall (December 22, 2009).

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A beautiful song from the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Someday My Prince Will Come has become a jazz standard with an upbeat jazz-waltz feel that makes it swing. It is one of my favorite songs to play. Here I share it on guitar with my jazz trio: piano, bass, and drums - thanks guys! (November 2009).

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It's almost time for the annual fall classic - Major League Baseball's World Series. In honor of this great American tradition, I have put together a music video for Take Me Out To The Ballgame. Sit back, think about spring training, opening day, the All-Star game, and the dog days of summer. Baseball can be a lot of fun and I had a lot of fun putting this video together (October 2009).

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Due to positive responses, I put together another homage to pay tribute to a famous guitar player that has influenced my outlook on the instrument, Chuck Berry. He was the first inductee into the Rock-And-Roll Hall of Fame and his music still inspires generations of players. This video is based on my favorite Berry-style guitar licks - enjoy! (September 2009).

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The "quiet Beatle," George Harrison, was always one of my favorite musicians. He inspired me to learn to play guitar. I recorded an instrumental version of his song, "Something" as a personal memorial to his life and work. His family reports that his last words were "love one another." I remember him as a great guitar player and person that cared about humanity.(August 2009).

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Happy 4th of July! This is an American classic, by Woody Guthrie that I have been playing since I was a kid. I still enjoy it today, don't do much "Travis picking" anymore, but it is a fun sound that I don't want to forget.(July 2009).

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Written by Gershwin and Duke for the Broadway show Ziegfeld Follies, 1936. Its a comedy, first sung by Bob Hope to Eve Arden, about a man that cannot "get started" with the woman he loves. Today, its a classic jazz standard.(June 2009).

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More acoustic guitar - wouldn't call this one of my "best" pieces, but the song I enjoy sharing the most. I wrote it a couple of years ago when I accepted a library media position in a lower elementary school - all Kindergarten through second-grade. What a happy and joyous place! Since then, I have added a third verse and incorporated more of a swing feel (I may have featured a early version on this feed last year). Here I sing it with some 4-year-old Kindergarten students - this is ju ...

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I got some positive comments about the accoustic guitar I was playing on last month's podcast -- Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Here's another accoustic song for Easter, from the Broadway musical, Jesus Christ - Superstar. I created this instrumental guitar arrangement to celebrate a beautiful song about Mary Magdalene's love for Jesus. To me, it is also song about my acceptance and faith. (April 2009).

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Ok - this one is just for fun - a music video I made to share with young children the week of Dr. Seuss's birthday, March 2nd. Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote great books that have inspired many generations of readers. Join me and some of my bear friends as we celebrate Dr. Seuss's life and books while wishing him a happy birthday! (March 2009).

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I like jazz standards from the 1920's - music from the jazz-age sounds great on guitar. My arrangements bring in some blues influences too. This video features some clips of Felix the Cat that are now in the public domain. (February 2009).

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While most recognize this song as "Angie" from the Simon and Garfunkle "Sounds of Silence" album, it was written as ANJI by Davey Graham in 1962. I present it hear with a timeline of important historical event s in the U.S. from 1960-1965. (January 2009).

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A couple of years ago, I realized that my instrumental arrangement of Silent Night was similar to how I play Rock-A-Bye-Baby. A medley was born! I enjoy playing the former each holiday season and the latter all year around. Together, they are even more fun. (December 21, 2008).

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One of the most beautiful melodies of all time, this song dates back to at least the 1600s. During the holiday season, I play it to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus. The rest of the year, it is "Greensleeves." (December 1, 2008).

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A couple of years ago, I realized that my instrumental arrangement of Silent Night was similar to how I play Rock-A-Bye-Baby. A medley was born! I enjoy playing the former each holiday season and the latter all year around. Together, they are even more fun. (December 8, 2008).

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Yes, it's a little early, but November and Thanksgiving does kick off the holiday season. This is one of my favorite instrumentals - it just "fits" on a jazz-guitar. In many ways, this song is a lot like Over the Rainbow, another song I enjoy sharing. Each Christmas season, I have fun "dusting off" my arrangement and playing it until the holidays are over for another year. (Nov 2008).

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This instrumental arrangement of a favorite American song honoring this nation combines walking bass lines, melodies, harmonies, and chords. I created the guitar piece and video to celebrate the Fourth of July, 2008. Perhaps the best thing about being a musician is sharing the joy of holidays with favorite songs. (July 2008).

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I worked out this solo guitar arrangement of an all-time jazz favorite while sitting on the shores of Green Lake, admiring the deep blue water and sky. The video features images that reflect the mood and feelings I had at the time and what this song means to me. (Aug 2008).

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Halloween is a celebration, a time for black cats, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, and goblins. It a time for fun. Its a time to boogie with skeletons. Don't believe me? Talk a look yourself. Lot's of magical things happen this time of year. This is one of my favorite songs. I wrote it as a tribute to some of the great Chicago blues guitarists I used to see years ago at Biddy Mulligans. Oh yeah, I missed the SEPT 08 update - sorry, too busy with the new school year(Oct 2008).

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