| FREE Downloads |
Feel free to download, listen and watch the stuff below. It's a potpourri of me :)
Playing umm... everything.. over the past bunch of years...
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| Acoustic Guitar |
She Said
Not Alone
The Past
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| Unity Square |
Sneaky
Happy Thing
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| Cümbüs |
May 2006 Noodle
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| Piano |
Vittorio (Part I)
Vittorio (Part II)
Vittorio (Part III)
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| Random Stuff |
Testing the Microphone
I Am Bored
Legend of Zelda
Bass Guitar Thing
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| Bass Guitar |
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Bass Guitar was my first love. When I started highschool in Massapequa (Long Island New York), there were all of
these garage bands. My initial friends were all the dirt bags, metal heads, etc. I decided to play bass because
EVERYONE played the guitar. Turns out, if your a bass player who doesn't suck, you can get into a band :) My first
band ever was called "Deathwish". Yep... We played Metalica and Megadeth songs, and of course Black Sabbath and originals.
My band after Deathwish was called "Prophecy". We played some Zeppelin songs and Ozzy Ozbourne and originals. During
this same time, I joined the Saint Rose Church Youth Group. After a year or so, the old bass player left and I stepped in.
I played every Sunday at a teen rock mass from when I was 15 years old until about 19 or 20 years old. The band from the youth group
would occasionally play other gigs... man... I forget the band name :) Anyhoo...
On April 1st 1999 I met Paige and joined Paige 23. Paige is an amazing songwriter and I really
enjoy playing our songs. I've been in this band for about 6 years now.
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| Acoustic Guitar |
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When I was in college at SUNY Stony Brook, I picked up an acoustic guitar. I'm still
playing the same Yamaha F150 acoustic. I love this thing. I originally picked up acoustic guitar to help me recognize chords
that guitarists were playing (for when I was playing in youth group), and ... I also wanted to play Indigo Girls songs. I didn't do much
with original music with the acoustic until a bunch of years ago. I was in a relationship that brought out tons of feelings/emotions and stuff.
I setup my computer and microphones so I could easily record everything I thought of. I ended up making an album of just me playing acoustic.
I've found writing lyrics to be pretty much impossible so I stuck with instrumentals.
Click [here] to purchase from iTunes... or go to iTunes and search for Carmine Guida
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| Mandolin |
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I'm not exactly sure what motivated me to pick up the mandolin. I think I wanted to learn another stringed instrument.
I think I started this after graduating college, however, I didn't really get into it until I moved to the city.
When I first moved to the city on September 1st 2001. I packed my car with stuff... but left alot of instruments home for
another trip in. I realized I couldn't go a couple of weeks without ANY instruments to play, so I went down to a store and picked up
a cheapie mandolin ($99!). I would go down to Union Square all the time and jam out with this guy Christia, an amazing
percussionist from Chile. We'd play all the time and recorded some of our favorite jams. I also played some Mandolin on the Paige 23
Let Yourself Fall album.
One of my favorite jams with Christian called "Sneaky" can be downloaded here.
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| Piano |
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Somewhere... in the middle of all this, I play some piano. Well not really... I just kinda play around with the piano
for myself... It's the one instrument I really don't go out and perform with ever... There is something very personal about it.
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| Djembe |
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Djembe was my first percussion instrument. When I first moved to the city, I didn't have a lot (or any) friends here. I ended up picking up a small djembe
and going to drum circles. I used to love going, everone is contributing a little piece to an amazing layer of sound.
Skill level is un-important, just good energry from good people.
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| Doumbek |
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Doumbek is my life now. People ask how does an Italian guy originally from Long Island living in Manhattan end up getting into playing
Middle Eastern music for a living... here's the story:
I have these 2 friends
Kittarina and Willow.
I first saw them bellydancing in FALO (Fantasy and Legends Organization) at Springfest and gatherings. I used to bring my djembe to play music for fun
and one day they said to me, "You should learn some middle eastern rhythms so you can play for us." (or something like that).
One day when some friends of mine were visiting me, I took them down to Tribal Soundz
world music store. Raquy was teaching a class there. I ended up calling Raquy the next day
and I started taking her beginner class.
After I took class for a while, I started going on Raquy's retreats, as well as attending Tayyar's folktours camp where I learned from Karim Nagi and Seido Salifoski.
I started playing at Le Figaro every week and getting my own gigs doing everything from playing Renesaince Faires to personal parties to charity events, etc.
Now I'm performing/teaching/traveling...
I love my life :)
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| Oud |
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I discovered the Oud while playing Doumbek. The Oud has a beautiful tone to it. It's the guitar of the Middle East.
The oud is my newest challenge. Along with it comes it's fretlessness as well as the system of Maqams (modes). It takes a lifetime
to learn and master, but every accomplishment with this mystical instrument feels amazing.
I've been super lucky to get the opportunity to take oud lessons from real masters... Basam Saba, Haig Manoukian and Ara Dinkjian.
A while ago, I set the little banner on my cell phone to say... Practice!
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| Cümbüs |
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It's not a banjo! :)
It's not a jiffy pop maker :)
It's pronounced joombush...
I picked up this instrument in the Summer of 2005 at folk tours camp from Anatolia Imports.
It has this crazy resonating/growling sound that just plain kicks ass. The Cümbüs was invented in the 20s/30s by Zeynel Abidin in Turkey it is based on the oud... fretless, but with a body based on the american banjo.
I have mine tuned way up (I just like it that way).
I'm using my beautiful Cümbüs at my gigs now. It's great to mix up the traditional Oud sound with the more modern sound of this 12 string monster.
If you want some hot Cümbüs/Hurdy Gurdy/Beatbox action, check out my band Djinn
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