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album release

A selection of new works for guqin and xiao which explore the intersection of contemplative sound worlds from the East and West.

Wherein the traditional technical and harmonic limits of each instrument are expanded through the use of new tunings and and performance styles.

Available on limited edition cassette, CD, and soon to be released on vinyl. Visit the bandcamp page for more information and to purchase.

To listen online, use the embedded bandcamp player and support independent artists!

Also available on all major streaming services:

Amazon Music Apple Music Spotify YouTube Music

stop motion films

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silhouette films shot frame by frame with paper-cutout puppets and backgrounds

with new music for flutes, strings, and percussion

press play to watch

at the foot of winter’s mountain

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session work

Cover of the "Crossroads" core rulebook featuring a warrior with flowy hair holding a sword, surrounded by hands offering various magical objects against a black background.
A person appears to be hanging upside down underwater among fish and aquatic plant life. The scene is branded with the title 'Towers of Aghasma' at the bottom.
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Instrumental performances for film and game soundtracks,

Featuring world flutes, strings, percussion, banjos and more.

Learn More

The sound palette of my music is created by various folk and classical instruments from around the world - all compositions are fully human-composed and human-performed.

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instruments

listen

  • Close-up of a nyckelharpa resting on a wooden chair in a cozy, dimly lit room with candles, a small drum, and various furniture in the background.

    Nyckelharpa

    A medieval string sound hailing from Scandinavia, the harpa creates a strident, pure tone, often with drones like a kind of stringed bagpipe.

    I play harpa on video games and movies, create and record new compositions and teach private lessons on it.

    More about nyckelharpa
  • Close-up of colorful bamboo flutes (xiao)

    Xiao

    The quintessential vertical bamboo flute originating in ancient China. This instrument can play almost any style of flute music from around the world.

    I compose, perform, play sessions and make recordings for xiao. I am also so happy to teach lessons on this beautiful instrument.

    More about xiao
  • a Chinese zither called the guqin

    Guqin

    All about meditiation, contemplation, and expansive awareness, the guqin is the grandfather of stringed instruments. It creates the sonic atmosphere of my album Heart of the Hidden One.

    Listen to the album
  • A close-up of a banjo with a dark fretboard and a floral inlay, set against a black background.

    Banjo

    America’s instrument can play just about any style of music. My music features many types of banjos, from tiny banjolins to cello banjo to baritione. I play clawhammer and finger style on nylon and steel string - there’s even a bowed variety.

    I compose new music for banjo, play in recording sessions and on stage, and I teach lessons. Contact me to set up any of the above.

    More about banjo
  • Chris Rippey playing traditional instruments against a black background: a morin khuur, daf, guzheng, and oud.

    More Instruments

    Many are the instruments in my studio, including

    viola da gamba • suling • daf • tar • guzheng • guqin • dizi • oud • guitars • ukulele • morin khuur • whistles • fretted cello • udu • assorted percussion

    You will hear many of them on my compositions and all are available to be played in recording sessions.

    About Session work
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lessons

In the studio at St. Stephen’s Epsicopal Church in Longmont, or online via zoom.

Collection of stringed musical instruments including banjos and a guitar displayed on stands.

Learn to play clawhammer, old-time, bluegrass, and any other genre you like. Get a solid foundation of technique and open up the fingerboard to exploration.

Close-up of two bamboo flute heads (xiao) with black holes, with a blurred light-colored background.

Learn the best practices to play xiao for a lifetime - breathing, piper’s grip, phrasing, tone, scales, scales and modes, and music of all varieties and origins.

Close-up of a nyckelharpa with multiple strings and a wooden key box.

Learn to bow with ease and fluency, navigate the keys without looking, play global music, and hold the instrument ergonomically, so that you can practice without pain.