Music that entered my life — and what came back out.
I’ve collected music for most of my life.
CDs. A few records. Songs learned badly, songs learned properly, songs played hundreds of times, songs taught to other people, songs performed in rooms full of people — and songs of my own.
This isn’t meant to be a definitive collection of great music.
It’s the music that found its way into my life.
Put something on.
Five corners of the room
Pick something up. Each part of the studio opens into its own space — some ready to explore now, others taking shape.
The records and CDs that shaped my listening.
Organised not by genre, but by what the music did. Selecting a record will one day open what I heard in it, what it taught me, and where it entered my life.
145 records from Barry’s own collection — and still growing.Use the arrows to browse the cabinet; select any cover to see it up close.
Songs I’ve picked up along the way.
Some I’ve played hundreds of times.
Some I’ve taught.
Some I’ve performed.
Some still catch me out.
They all ended up here somehow.
An ever-growing repertoire — 235 songs and counting
3 Doors Down1 song
4 Non Blondes1 song
Learning one of these? Head to Learn — the repertoire and the lessons draw on the same songs.
Eventually, some of the music came back out.
The recording and writing side of the room. This is where Barry’s own songs live — the story behind each one, and the audio you can play.
Pick Up These Lessons
Barry De Jager
December 2020 · Produced by Adrian 'Zag' Zagoritis
Light of Hope
Barry De Jager
April 2021 · Produced by Harry Nicholson
Original song from "Together, We Will Get Through This"
My Seun As Offer
Barry De Jager
2024
Written by Barry De Jager
Recorded by Johan Van Dyk
I'll Think Of You Instead
Barry De Jager
2024 · Produced by Adrian 'Zag' Zagoritis
Written by Barry De Jager
A song of love, distance & no regret.
Precious Little Thing
Barry De Jager
2023
Written by Barry De Jager
Written in 2012 for Felicia — a song about love, movement and the uninhibited joy of watching someone you love simply be themselves.
Learning music isn’t only about where to put your fingers.
It’s learning how to listen. In time, Barry will take a recording and walk you through it — the kind of questions that change what you hear.
Guided listening will connect to Learn. The interactive audio walkthroughs are still to come.
Put Something On
What am I missing?
In time, the conversation around each record will start with
Conversation about music — not scoring it.
Music entered my life long before I understood what it was doing there.
I’m still listening.