This is an improvised funky thing I just recorded on the spot. I love the sound of my empty apartment... Donīt blame me for plagiarizing Satrianiīs "Cool 9" in the first solo, thatīs just what got into my head while trying the new equipment. I kept it because I sort of liked it and this way I may not forget it. I hope to fix it in the future using the main theme...

Funky... (MP3 file) - improvised (something from Joe Satriani suddenly came in...)

These MP3 files are material recorded in Kiel, Germany. The recording is with a single microphone in the studio, playing altogether during a rehearsal in May 2000. We spontaneously turned the recorder on and we didn't regret it!

The fellows are:

Toker Doganoglu: drums
Tilman Fuss: bass guitar
Christos Koulovatianos: guitar

Toker and I met Tilman Fuss in a jamming session in Kiel (the club was called "Raucherei"), in October 1999. We really liked his approach on the bass from the moment he got on the stage to play with us. Despite the fact that the three of us were all terribly busy, we managed to be meeting almost every two weeks at a studio next to "Tucholsky" and "Hinterhoff" in Kiel, during the first six months of 2000. I really miss our jamming and our debates on whether a piece of music was "funky" rather than "jazzy" or just "cheap hard rock..." I used a 100Watt-Marshall tube amp head, ī82 model, that was available in the studio. Except from the Marshall pre-amp built-in overdrive, my Fender was directly plugged in, so the sound is on the "heavy" side.

On to the MP3's:

Out in the sun - music by Christos, bass solo by Tilman, drums solo by Toker
Night life - music by Tilman and solo by Christos
Highway - music by Christos

This piece of music was written by a great guitarist and musician from Thessaloniki, Sotiris Gogos, in 1991. His nickname is "GG" either due to the two G's in his last name, but most likely because he is an outstandingly "Great Guitarist (abbrev.= GG)". He showed the main theme to me and I added a little solo. I personally love his music. He would have performed it perfectly, but, as always, he forgives me for my sloppiness. I am hoping for a repost when my playing and my recording equipment improve. If you would like to try it, the transcription in pdf is here, but a few details must be fixed.

GG's Boogie (mp3 file) - music by Sotiris Gogos (main theme) and solo by Christos

This piece of music was taught to me by Panos Tsakiroglou (Lehras), in 1990, in Thessaloniki. Panos was Sotirisī first guitar teacher and old guitarist of "Northwind" in the early 80īs. I donīt know who wrote this piece of music, but I always enjoy playing it from time to time. Recording in 1996, in the U.S.

Blues of a Friend - music by unknown

This is a piece I wrote spontaneously while being awake late at night in Vancouver in April 2000, watching people walking on the street from my hotel window. I was running a program on my laptop that needed frequent monitoring while adjusting to the jet lag.

City People - music by Christos

This is a home recording from my teenage years. It was material that was recorded in order to be improved but I never made time for it...

Always there... - music by Christos

This is a warmup that I recorded right before I started practicing in July 1995 in Rochester, USA. There is a bit of Yngwie Malmsteen and Marty Friedman style and some arpeggios of mine.

Warmup - Improvisations at home

I play this in order to relax for doing proofs.

The Proof - music by Christos

Composed after a long walk in Kiel, Germany, March 2000.

Wandering Wondering... - music by Christos

This nice piece of neoclassical music, from Vinnie Mooreīs album "Time Odyssey" (1988), is excellent for practicing scales and alternate/sweep picking. Itīs a test recording at my new apartment in Nicosia, Cyprus, in October 2000 (it used to be a quiet neighborhood before I arrived)... Part of the reverb comes from the fact that I havenīt fully furnished my apartment yet... I apologize for the louzy electronic drums (my sampler is on the cheap side), and, of course, donīt expect to hear Vinnieīs outstandingly accurate playing... I donīt have the chance to practice that much anymore, but I promise to post some exercises for picking in the near future, that might help you (hopefully me as well) get closer to Vinnieīs playing. Oh, and Iīve never bothered to learn his solo. I hope youīll enjoy the rest of it!

Morning Star - music by Vinnie Moore (without Vinnieīs solo)

Who hasnīt grown up with this piece of music? I butchered only the first solo.

Surfing with the Alien - music by Joe Satriani

Spirit (recorded in 1992 for Jason Becker)