Starry night on the Beach (with Federales) was inspired by an experience I had with my wife, Kerstin, and several other friends while camping on a beach in Mexico. After an enjoyable night around the campfire, we were awakened in our tents by loud voices asking us to present ourselves outside. I had the misfortune of being both the only person in our party who could not speak Spanish with any degree of skill as well as being the only person who actually came out of our tents. I was greeted by five or six haphazardly uniformed, machinegun-bearing Federales who interrogated me quite seriously for a minute or two and then, to my relief, jogged off toward their jeeps laughing. "Starry Night on the Beach (with Federales)" attempts to capture the contrasting atmospheres of our relaxing evening by the campfire and the surprise meeting with the Federales.

Playing Tip: For the tremolo sections, practice the right hand by itself on open strings.

Listen to Starry Night on the Beach (with Federales)