This piece has a special spot in my heart for being the first tarot inspired piece I wrote. At the time I wrote the first version on September 6 of 2015, The Hermit was appearing frequently in my tarot readings.

 

In November of 2019 I rewrote this piece for solo guitar. Below is my description of the original composition. When I decided to write this for solo guitar I tapped into the same feelings as I had in 2015.

​

(2015)

I remember sitting on the floor of my apartment right in front of my amp with my guitar around 9pm. I had all the lights off and the blinds open so I could see the street lights. Before playing anything, I tried to imagine myself as the Hermit standing in the snow holding the lantern with the grey cloak wrapped around me. I tried to experience the scene, feel the isolation, feel the yearning for self discovery. I had this feeling of needing to walk and be somewhere else. This idea of walking and being on a journey stuck with me. This is where the constant bass rhythm of the song came from. It symbolizes that time is constant and alternatively the Hermit continuously walks to find his higher purpose. I like having chords that share similar notes or only one note changes at a time. The chord progression reflects this. The A section of the piece is the search or quest for a higher purpose. The B section is the climax or discovery. I use a more "standard" progression of of Bbm7 to Eb7 (ii V) and Abm7 Db7 Gb7 (ii V I) to represent purpose. But, we go back to the A section again because I believe the journey to enlightenment or finding your purpose is constant and never completed. 

 

Instrumentation - The solitude of the Hermit is represented by the sax. Sax is the only melodic improviser and reflects the Hermit's solo journey. The guitar represents time as a constant and the Hermit continuously walking.