The Wandering Boxman: An Accordionist’s Journey
Walking along life’s dusty road, with its many twists and turns, I often pause to take in the view, resting a moment and noticing how quickly the scenery can change. In just a short stretch, everything can look entirely different from before. The landscape ever changing as we keep moving forward. It would feel odd - perhaps even disheartening - if, no matter how far we travelled and toiled under the hot summer sun, the view stayed exactly the same. The thought alone feels uncomfortably like an endless, barren desert.
The accordion is a remarkable instrument, one that opens the door to countless adventures. Like the air in its bellows, the more we put in, the more we can draw out. Years of practice, study, and creativity bring new discoveries, each adding richness and excitement along the way. That’s what I’ve aimed to do over the decades - understand my accordion more fully than before. Maybe, through these writings, I hope to share a bit of inspiration with my friendly readers, offering ideas that might resonate. The road I’ve walked with the accordion has been full of lessons. It’s taken me across this land, through European countries, and deep into the Indian subcontinent. Along the way, I’ve met many extraordinary people.
Growing up in the Scottish Highlands, I was surrounded by rich traditions that have inspired me to write all kinds of compositions - traditional, classical, and even contemporary works. Over time, I’ve discovered music in the most unexpected places, far from the rolling hills and sweeping glens I call home.
This marks just the start of an adventure, with so much more to explore as the journey continues. There are countless stories, melodies, and discoveries still waiting to be shared. So let's begins with a small recording I made here at home in the high valley, a piece originally composed for piano by the German Romantic composer Robert Schumann (1810 to 1856), titled 'Of Foreign Lands and People'. I arranged it for accordion, and I’m quite pleased with how this little recording turned out.
