song: Omission
artist: Julian Lage
album: Speak to Me (2024)
writer: Julian Lage

steel-string acoustic guitar, lead: Julian Lage

(electric guitar, backing: Julian Lage)
(double bass + electric bass: Jorge Roeder)
(drums: Dave King)
(acoustic piano: Patrick Warren)

This is a complete transcription of the lead acoustic guitar on “Omission”. This is relatively simple composition of two simple themes in E Major, except for the lead guitar arrangement: The melody is pitched, unusually, in the baritone register and it also functions as a rhythmic instrument. For a rhythmically interested guitarist, this is such a joy to strum along to. Enjoy!

Check out Julian Lage’s note on this song, on his Instagram post announcing the song.

“ There was a lot of songs that kind of emerged that I, frankly, though were unfinished or maybe not ready. A song like “Omission” from the recorded is one like that, where I thought: “oh, it’s just a theme; there’s not enough”. And I would show that to [producer Joe Henry] in the weeks leading up, and he’d say, “I beg to differ; there’s plenty there”. And what he was go good at keeping in mind was that the weight of responsibility didn’t solely lie on what my part was. So I could write a smaller piece of music, but leave room for keyboards, piano, woodwinds, and all of a sudden, it became something far greater than just my own contribution, which was the point, you know. ”
– Julian Lage, interview with Doug Jayne (5 March 2024)