Flowing strings: the Motion of "Rapids" by Martin Lloyd Howard.

"Rapids" is a mellow, guitar-dominated music score that represents how water naturally flows and how creativity flows quietly.

Martin Lloyd Howard has been playing classical-style guitar for many years, having played both electric and acoustic guitar styles; he writes music on his guitar in solo or ensemble settings. He continues to use a 50-year-old handmade classical-style guitar. Besides the high technical nature of his playing, he can tell a story through his music. Martin collaborates frequently with other musicians (e.g. Mark Johnson - The Midnight River Crew) to create additional guitar-based works that are both instrumental and collaborative. Howard’s music blends technicality with lots of precision and melodic storytelling. He creates such amazing tracks, which are both accessible and musically rich.

This piece for solo guitar, named 'Rapid', is an exciting musical experience which takes a technical exercise and transforms it into a melodic experience.

Three aspects compose the piece: arpeggio playing, melodic line changes and proper fingering technique. Together, these elements form a sense of continual movement and flow like water rushing through rapids before turning into still waters and flowing down the river. As there are no vocals in “Rapid”, all emotion in a single track, he mesmerises you with the beautiful guitar playing with dynamic variations in the musical style of phrasing to make the spirit of emotional movement without big, loud dynamic changes, opening the way to the whole work. Technically, the track is very good and will give you a soothing relief; however, it also results in an overall quiet and relaxing (almost hypnotic) mood. Great music without words that shows musicianship as well as how routine drill can be changed into expressive storytelling.