“Surrey Bells” is an instrumental piece which has been carefully crafted making use of the expressive potential of two guitars. It was released on 21st September 2026 and develops a clear musical idea, that of church bells echoing across the English countryside—through the use of space, resonance and interaction. The recording was done at home with a Tanglewood steel-string guitar and additional tracks were overdubbed; the whole composition is written in DADGAD tuning, which gives the guitars a full and resonant quality. Instead of just playing a melody, Howard creates an atmosphere that comes across as open and reflective.
What makes “Surrey Bells” special is the way its two guitar parts are arranged. One of the guitars is given a distant, echoey effect whereas the other has a more immediate sound, so that it seems as if two sets of bells are responding to one another from opposite sides of a rural Surrey valley. It is this call-and-response idea that gives the piece its feeling of distance and sense of place. Because the parts are separated, each guitar can have its own musical space while at the same time staying part of the overall music, which results in a sense of depth that is engaging.
The way the text is written and the way it is played are appropriate to the imagery associated with the piece. “Surrey Bells” was developed as part of a series designed to evoke landscapes, images, and moods, and the arrangement remains closely aligned with this aim. The bright winter morning imagined by Howard is conveyed by the open and resonant character of the two guitars, and the contrast between a sense of proximity and distance gives the piece its special atmosphere. Although the composition has a meditative quality it does not become static, thanks to the interaction between the guitars which provides the movement.
By maintaining a clear focus on its concept, “Surrey Bells” enables the guitar parts to build up the atmosphere rather than merely describe it. The choice to employ two guitars is fundamental to the piece, the way in which the two guitars interact giving rise to the depth and space needed for the imagined bells to ‘ring out’. The combination of DADGAD tuning, the similar way in which it is played and the natural approach to performance all flow together seamlessly, producing an instrumental piece that draws the listener into a definite place and time. It is a considered composition in which the texture, the space and the interaction between the guitars convey the narrative.
