Toby Hay - New Music for the 12 String Guitar

The Red Kite guitar, named after the bird of prey indigenous to the part of Wales Toby lives, was made from Madagascar Ebony and Engelmann Spruce and was set up to play in unique tunings. It was decorated with a mother-of-pearl inlay Red Kite design on the fretboard.

Toby composed eleven instrumental studies and an arrangement of Auld Lang Syne on The Red Kite under the collective title New Music for the 12 String Guitar. In the pieces, Toby explores the rich array of textures and tones of the the 12 string guitar, challenging his playing and pushing to its limits what the instrument could really do.

He took to the tranquil surroundings of Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Wiltshire, where he recorded the project’s 12 pieces in the wood room. With no additional musicians, and no overdubs, edits or effects, the recordings fully demonstrate Toby’s exceptional playing and composition skills. We think he’s made the perfect 12 string guitar record.