David Barrett prefers to tell stories instrumentally.

The composer-guitarist captures defining moments and memories on his latest instrumental folk album, Guitar Stories From the Midwest.

“It’s not a coincidence I call it Guitar Stories because most of them for me have a plot to the story,” said Barrett, who’s based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Most of them grew out of a baby being born, a forlorn moment, or a whimsical time. They start from a place and go somewhere.”

The album’s 14 songs celebrate going to the circus, attending a family wedding, traveling on a train to Chicago, enjoying a sunrise, playing soccer in a park, and relishing notable places in Michigan.

“For me, whether it be a song or a composition, I always say, ‘A good song is one you want to hear again,’” said Barrett, who also composes on the piano. “If you’re not taken somewhere, then you’re playing a typewriter.”

Barrett’s cinematic and inspirational guitarwork invites listeners to embark on past and present adventures in their mind’s eye.

“It starts with a heartbeat, and hopefully, you carry that heartbeat and take people somewhere,” he said. “If I do that, it’s a good day in the neighborhood.”

To learn more, I spoke with Barrett about his background and latest album.

Q: How did your musical journey start?

A: I went off to school to play basketball at Albion College, and I brought a guitar along—that’s where I really picked up that instrument. I also had been playing the organ and piano all along.

Q: What artists initially inspired you?

A: I think it was Paul Simon. I got gobsmacked the first time I heard “Kathy’s Song” by Simon & Garfunkel. I thought, “Who is this guy?” And then Jimmy Webb, the songwriter, was instrumental to me. He’s a pianist, and he’s brilliant. He wrote “Wichita Lineman,” “Up, Up and Away,” and “MacArthur Park.”

It was also the folk-pop [sound] with James Taylor, and then I got into fingerstyle guitar and Leo Kottke. I did some shows with him. The way to approach the instrument was my window into guitar playing, including Gamble Rogers.

Q: How did writing the NCAA basketball anthem, “One Shining Moment,” jumpstart your career as a composer?

A: I had been writing, particularly composing, all sorts of things—piano pieces and a little bit of orchestral stuff. The gigs I was playing, they weren’t interested in that, but I did it anyway. I had written “One Shining Moment” just for my own sake.

After “One Shining Moment,” I started getting scores, and then in those scores, I played a lot of guitar—just acoustic fingerstyle. And then I realized I had a whole slew of instrumentals. CBS later asked, “Do you have anything else?”, and I started writing themes for CBS. All of the songs I had already written were compositions I’d already done, and so all of a sudden, that part of my world broadened wildly, but not because I became worse or better; I had an opportunity to drag them out of the sock drawer. It’s been a grand surprise.

In fact, I just got a call [recently] to do a PBS score, and I thought, “Oh, good!”, because I’ve already written all these instrumentals. I write them because I have a guitar in my hand, and the next thing I know, I say to my lovely wife, “I’ll be busy all afternoon working on them.”

Q: Do you plan to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “One Shining Moment” in 2026?

A: I think we may either celebrate it next year or the year after. And part of the reason for that is the following year [the March Madness Final Four] will be in Detroit. I think they’ll be banging the drum. I’ve been approached by some people about it. I think the NCAA and CBS would be interested, but I’ll let that unfold.

Q: Do you prefer to write on the guitar or the piano?

A: Now, when I write, no matter what the gig is—whether it be a PBS score or whatever—it’s a dance between the guitar and the piano. I write differently on the piano than I do on the guitar, but I have access to both. Particularly when I’m scoring films, it’s invaluable [to have both].

Q: What prompted you to release The Fever Diaries in 1997?

A: I was touring with Art Garfunkel at that time, and I needed something. I sat down in a studio for a small amount of time with a guitar [to record the album]. Even though I had written “One Shining Moment,” it’s hard to do that as an opening act. I just did an acoustic record, and there are some songs that I’m pleased with on that record. It was made for touring, so I could take up one guitar and play the record.

Q: How did Guitar Stories From the Midwest become a soundtrack for your life and the people around you?

A: Most of the songs were written about something that had occurred to me. On this record, there was a song, which I recently cut [from it], called “Young Sarah.” That was for a friend of mine who had his first baby. I was on the road, went into a tile bathroom, and wrote it as a gift for my friend. Thirty years later, it still sounds good, and it’s worth playing because it grew out of this emotional experience on my part.

Q: The album features renditions of “Ode to Joy — ‘Tis the Gift Be Simple” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Why did you cover these songs and bookend them on the album?

A: The first one, that being “Ode to Joy” and “‘Tis the Gift to Be Simple,” I learned to play in open G tuning. Before a show, I was sitting there and started monkeying with those melodies. They’re magnificent pieces of music orchestrally, and they fit my guitar in the melodic sense that I have and the harmony that I’m using.

To think that song, [Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”], is drifting through one century after another, is still amazing. My little version of it is meant to be a reflection of that. The same thing with [Aaron] Copeland’s version of “‘Tis the Gift Be Simple.” I’m a huge Copeland fan, so I tried to interpret it through that lens, and I still adore playing it. And then “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is just me having fun.

Q: “Swan Song” hints at finding closure and ending a life chapter. What inspired the song’s peaceful and somber sound?

A: I had lost someone dear to me, and I was reflecting that mood.

Q: “Love, Love” expresses gratitude for a new beginning. How did you capture that essence in the song?

A: With “Love, Love,” I started it, and then I had heart surgery. And when I came out of heart surgery, I remembered the B section somehow. When I got out of the car with a robe around me, I sat down with the guitar, and sure enough, it fit the A section. My noodle has been working on it when I was knocked out. That grew out of a real sense of [feeling] glad to be alive, and hopefully, it’s a reflection of that.

Q: “Wedding at the Mill” signifies the union of two people. How did a family wedding spark this song?

A: My [eldest] daughter was getting married, and I wrote that song to be played over the speakers at her wedding. She walked down the aisle to it—it’s a celebration.

Q: “My Michigan” pays tribute to our state and its natural beauty. What was it like to work on that song for the documentary, Michigan: An American Portrait?

A: I’m from Michigan, and I love Michigan. My extended family has a little cottage on the Straits [of Mackinac]. The gentleman who helped me with the score is Brian Brill. We both said, “Let us be worthy of the subject.” In this case, we were trying to do an homage to the place that raised us.

Q: “Virginia Park” has an invigorating and expansive sound. How did spending time in the Ann Arbor park inspire the song?

A: I thought it would be appropriate for the guitar instrumental record. [The park] was where I taught my daughters how to play soccer. I was a soccer player, and they both were very good at it. I’d take them out to Virginia Park here in Ann Arbor, and I was trying to capture their busy little feet with my guitar. You’ll hear me double-picking the bass … and that was my way of talking about their busy little feet. 

Q: Tell me about the recording process for Guitar Stories From the Midwest. How did the songs come together across different studios?

A: There have been four different places. One would be the studio where I was working on scores, and that’s in Chelsea. Another place was Big Sky [Recording], and another one was Solid Sound [Recording Company]. That’s where I recorded “One Shining Moment.”

With “Love, Love,” I cut it with a friend of mine, who’s been my audio engineer for 40 years and has a little place in Ypsi. I’m really pleased with what he got on “Love, Love.” The four essential places [where] I recorded [the songs], hopefully, they glue together sonically.

For “From Time to Time,” I was living in Chicago, producing at the time, and as a consequence, people from the Chicago Symphony [Orchestra] wanted my attention. One evening, we [asked] them to come into the studio. That was years ago, and that [grew] out of actually getting the symphony in there to [record].

Q: Who are some of your key collaborators on the album?

A: I have a lot of people, like working with Brian [Brill] in Chelsea and Doug Howell in Hawaii. We’re all a family of friends; we just know each other. I know them in a way that you can’t if you just meet them at a cocktail party.

I [also] have a dear friend, David Mosher, and he’s a consummate acoustic musician. He plays [mandolin] on “My Michigan,” and it’s also David playing mandolin on “Wolverine Limited.” My friends are not “look-at-me” kind of guys. Everyone does their job and wears white socks.

Q: You’ve been working with visual artist/singer-songwriter Jan Krist on videos for several children’s songs. How did you come to work with her?

A: I’m a big fan of Jan Krist; she’s a great songwriter. It turns out, she’s also a great [visual] artist. Jan certainly speaks to the nature of the songs, where there’s a certain whimsy. We talk about respecting innocence [in those songs], and we’re working on a couple more.

I think she connects with that part of what I do. I range from innocence to dread. When you have children, you raise them, and if you’re keeping your eyes open, there’s a certain innocence that is worth writing about that way. Jan feels the same way, and the next thing I know, she started putting pen to paper.

Q: What’s up next for you in 2026?

A: I’ll write more things; I can promise you that. I have a guy who wants me to write a score like I did for “My Michigan.” I’ll be doing another score and writing music. I wrote something many, many years ago that [a woman artist] has an opportunity to present to Hallmark. She’s a brilliant singer, and I’m going to be helping her finish this song that I co-wrote. I’ll be producing people.