Martin Lloyd Howard’s latest solo guitar work, Selene, is a quiet, luminous meditation that speaks without words. Rooted in classical tradition yet guided by contemporary sensitivity, the piece stands as a refined expression of atmosphere, restraint, and emotional clarity. Rather than chasing complexity for its own sake, Selene focuses on tone, space, and feeling, inviting the listener into a nocturnal world shaped by light, shadow, and reflection.
Based in Reigate, England, Martin Lloyd Howard is a guitarist whose musical identity has been shaped by both discipline and curiosity. Trained originally in the classical tradition, he has gradually expanded his language to include folk, blues, and rock, working fluidly across electric, steel-string acoustic, slide, and nylon-string guitars. At the center of his sound is a fifty-year-old, hand-built classical guitar whose warm yet crystalline character gives his music an unmistakable voice. That instrument is not merely a tool, but a collaborator, one that carries time, history, and nuance in every note.
Selene is an original solo classical guitar composition written in G minor, an uncommon key for the instrument. This choice alone reflects Howard’s quiet willingness to step outside convention in the service of expression. The piece was inspired by a moonscape painting created by his wife and takes its name from Selene, the ancient Greek goddess of the moon. That visual origin is deeply embedded in the music. The composition unfolds like moonlight itself, pale, bright, and constantly shifting, while gentle harmonic movement suggests clouds drifting slowly across the night sky.
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| Martin Lloyd Howard Invites Listeners Into Moonlit Stillness With Solo Guitar Piece “Selene” |
What makes Selene particularly compelling is its balance between classical form and emotional accessibility. Howard’s intention is not to create music that feels academic or distant, but to help fill what he perceives as a gap in the modern landscape for original nylon-string guitar works that feel both contemporary and inviting. The piece never overstates its purpose. Instead, it allows silence, decay, and resonance to play an active role, encouraging stillness and attention in a world that rarely slows down.
Beyond his solo work, Martin Lloyd Howard has built a reputation as a versatile instrumental composer and collaborator. He has worked with several artists over the years, including Mark Johnson, leader of the Kent-based band The Midnight River Crew, contributing his distinctive guitar voice to ensemble settings while continuing to refine his own instrumental language.
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| Martin Lloyd Howard Invites Listeners Into Moonlit Stillness With Solo Guitar Piece “Selene” |
Selene feels like an extension of Howard’s broader artistic philosophy: music as reflection rather than spectacle. It does not demand attention; it earns it. The piece invites listeners to pause, breathe, and reconnect with something quieter and more internal. In doing so, it offers not just a song, but a space shaped by moonlight, memory, and intention.