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Interestingly, in this particular gig, a fair number of people were actually listening to what we were doing, moreso than the professional folk singer who was there for much of her performance. The ladies in front were actually making requests, I talked with the singer about performing and her take on this is that for something like this, the music is something of a backdrop for dining and imbibing guests. I too have been in many environments in eateries or pubs where conversation is the norm and the music is a social additive, whether it is live or some piped in source. So the object is to entertain, if folks wish to listen, but to not be too intrusive with your volumes as to disturb those that wish to carry on their normal dining/drinking habits. The final answer to your question is , no...I did not find the background noise distracting as I was concentrating on playing and singing with minimal flaws, and concentrating on what my bandmates were playing to keep the songs intact and fluid. The nerves dissipate once the playing begins. Greg Good luck on your jam.

This would be real treat for me, Ian. I have always been a fan boy of yours! Hope it happens someday. Thanks all for the encouragement. I am becoming (slowly) more comfortable stepping out in public performance and it always helps when folks offer positive support. The forum is a great family and a wonderful place to share our experience, knowledge and learning. I greatly appreciate it. Greg

Very cool. He was playing a Pensa Suhr guitar back then for any guitar nerds that may be interested. We are working on this in my rock/blues band...it is hard to recreate his spanky plucking style tonally. Very unique finger pickings style. Greg

Happy birthday Ian..have a great day! Greg

Missed this the first time around. Thx. The student becomes the teacher....must be an educator!? Greg

Yea that's me Wim. Ha...not a chance but sure enjoying the ride. And you own the respect and inspiration for all of us here.... Thanks for the kind comments friends. Six and Diane can confirm the exhilaration and sense of achievement that public performance provides. We played for 40 minutes only but when we finished one of the ladies seen in the video reminded me with the comment,"Your living the dream now" , in my retirement. Yes I am. Greg

My son used his iPad to record the songs. Lots of background noise, bright sunshine light through the door opening, but these are 2 of the 8 songs we did. Both are Allman Brothers songs, Melissa, and Soulshine. We did Peaceful Easy Feeling (Eagles), Guitars and Cadillacs (Dwight Yokum), Dead Flowers ( Rolling Stone version), Yesterdays Wine (Merle Haggard, George Jones, Willie Nelson hybrid), Mainstreet (Bob Seeger) and Might As Well Get Stoned (Chris Stapleton)-this one did not come through with audio for some reason. Again, the quality is not good but hopefully we don't sound too bad for any interested and curious forum folks here. Lots of fun. Greg

Got it in, not perfect but barbeque friendly for the 50 or so there. The folk singer (lead singer for a group called Corner in the Portland area) was complimentary as well and she is a gifted vocalist. Many guests were very complimentary on our achievement as well. All in all , very gratifying and fun. For only 7 practices, I was happy we pulled it off. I will try to upload an ipad video, though the quality is less than ideal. Greg

Yes indeed, Happy Birthday! Hope it is a great one. Greg

Here we go again. A few weeks ago, I began a little acoustic/ light electric guitar trio-no bass, no drums- to put together an Americana-type group. Two weeks in, I met with my financial advisors and after our quarterly review, they shared the plan for their annual client BBQ at a local park. Food, beverages and a folk singer this year. I mentioned my upstart trio and they invited us to do a performance at the event Working without a solid rhythm section is difficult. I have a gift ( probably my only, outside my wife) in my head of a built-in metronome. I am not a great musician, but I am "rhythmic". I usually am relied on to drive the rhythm section in my larger band, directing the solid drummer and bassman that we have. Much different dynamics in the trio, and I was beginning to believe we weren't going to be able to pull it together. Further, I am the primary vocalist, a difference from my other ensemble. Learning the songs, lyrically, singing , playing and driving the rhythm were a steep challenge for me. At last we seemed to coalesce in our last few practices. To throw a monkey wrench in, Wed., my back went out and it appeared gloomy whether I could even perform this Sat. Today I have made some reasonable recovery. Gig on. Tomorrow is our test. The folk singer just returned from Nashville with her indie group, after recording their 3rd EP. We are her intermission act. Gulp..... Greg

Awesome man. Sorry I missed your posting of this on Wednesday. I wish you could have seen the smile on my face as I watched you perform in the video. I thought your stage charisma was great and if there were errors in anything, I didn't see them. Very, very impressive. My only regret.... I wasn't there to give you a standing ovation. A star is born!? Encore! Encore! ? Greg

Thanks Six. I have been favoring my thicker necked John Page tele lately. Time will tell as I haven't played marathon practices or gigs since July 4th. I think the proper thumb/wrist position Steve mentioned also has a significant value in helping to resolve problems. I struggle with this because of some complications after my left thumb surgery 3 years ago with residual thumb pain but I will continue to focus on improving at this. I do many different voicings when I play generally...I generally minimize barre cords (unless the song requires it in certain cover songs) in our group play as they are frankly overkill with multiple instruments in play. Open strings and 3-4 note voicings are my preferences now. I have pulled out my paraffin bath setup for occasional pre and post play-dip the hands like candles. I really hate to think about giving up my thinner necked Suhrs, Tom Andersons and PRS's but I will give this some reflection should I adapt to the thicker neck styles. I do know Cap has been jonesing for a nice traditional Suhr Tele. Mine comes with a few knicks and belt scratch though....? Great for band playing! ? Greg

What a difficult setback Randy. I had to set the guitar aside for 3 months after my most recent thumb surgery so I am well aware of the feeling of loss of opportunity to play. That said, I dug into some of my instructional literature and tried to fill the gap with some better understanding of music and some refreshing of what I had forgotten, as it applied to playing guitar. Maybe this is also a time to start listening to new music that you haven't been exposed to or to visit some venues to observe other performers for visual ideas and creativity. Don't despair , your return is just a small distance away hopefully. Get well soon, I hope, the music will always be there waiting for you to return to. Greg

Yahoo! Congrats on the retirement...life begins anew. Have fun with the future and this new beauty. Greg

I really like the acoustic demo. I also really liked your final production . I hope I wasn't misinterpreted on my original comments. I have personally been moving my musical muse in a quieter and more "spatial " style so forgive me if my thoughts were perceived as anything negative. I was follower of the folk/rock era of the 60's and 70's, hence the slight shift in my interests from the being a rocker type to chasing the melodic and lyrical side of things , less production so to speak. I have always been impressed with your creative side as well as your great skills and vocal command (not to mention your production and mixing skills) and I would be a bit surprised if anyone in the songwriting forums would ever find criticism in anything you might have posted. I am and always will be a CapM fan. Keep "em coming. Greg

Great pursuit of artistic boundary pushing. Nice theme and vocals as well. As Diane suggested, somewhat busy with all the guitar work, technically well done of course. Lots of work went into this. It would be interesting to contrast to your folk approach. Thanks for sharing. Greg

A major moment in your musical journey. Congrats. Your performances are inspirational for me and others here on the forum. I hope you continue to share your gifts to us and to others as you move on in your musical development. Thanks for sharing here. Greg

I use these also, adequate for my needs, sound quality pretty good for the cost. Greg

Excellent Six String. You look very comfortable and enjoying the moment. We were all rooting for you and you are the "player"! Great stuff! Nice video too! Greg Sorry John, red shoes rock!!?

A Fishman Loudbox Artist 120. Traded in my Marshall S50D for a significant upgrade. I saw Tom Bresh use one the these Fishmans last year at The Gathering, don't know if it was the Artist or the mini, but it was an awesome little guy regardless. I have not used my Marshall for 9 years until about 2 months ago when I began prepping for the Americana gig coming up. The Marshall is a fine amp but the Fishman is (as was accurately described to me) like listening to a nice TV, then listening to that nice TV with a great sound bar. Also the wattage of the Artist vrs the Mini or Marshall provides options for future use in larger venues.Technology has made great advances in digital amp technology in 9 years since my Marshall purchase. Additional amp features of the Artist are just frosting on the cake. I'm stoked. Time to get my fingerstyling jump started. Greg

Great to see and hear Diane! Playing outdoors is a Jekyll and Hyde experience. Everything sounds a bit difference as sound seems to evaporate outside, and everything that was perfect indoors seems off in the new environment. That said, the band sounded very well adapted to the scenario and it seems that everyone was having a great time and playing very well. I personally would be interested in your sound setup as well as your personal guitar signal setup as well. Congrats and keep on rockin'! Nice video taping a s well. The Uncommon Ground is officially launched. Greg

Great discussion! I have recently been fitted with hearing aids, so I am very much in tune with what loud can do to your hearing. 3 years ago, I had a hearing test whereby my left ear exhibited profound high frequency loss and the right ear was very mild in that range of loss. My recent test demonstrated profound loss in both ears. In that 3 year span, I played in a group in which the other guitarist was blisteringly loud and I was positioned to our drummers direct left so he could watch my rhythm play to help guide the bottom end. I attribute both of those factors to having destroyed the right inner ear cilia responsive to high freguency. My BIL is very loud with the sticks. That said, the volume was so loud overall, I had to turn up my high watt amp (just to hear it), after trying lower wattage amps and being unable to hear them ( even when positioned closely and directly in front of it), because of the overall noise level. I left practices deafened, finally getting custom earplugs, but the damage was done. I am now working on a light electric/acoustic trio (still working with a reorganized bigger band also) and the difference is amazing. We hear each other ( with 3 guitars!) and leave practice without hearing normal and unimpaired. In my big full band ( 2 guitars) I am now far removed from my amp and less concerned about hearing my rhythm as I can clearly follow the bass lines of our bassist and the lead guitarist( a different player than the past) is tasteful and has figured out how to dial in the correct lead volumes. If anything, he was too quiet to begin with, a rarity with my previous band experiences. It is a pleasure to play in sync with members who can figure out dynamics. The recent street crowd on the 4th gig was very complimentary on our volumes. It is always a work in progress however. Best of luck on this TPF. Save your ears! Greg

I think we have the same chord book!!! And a songbook with the Yellow Rose of Texas and Aura Lee....? Greg

I would like that. Brothers in Arms-incredibly moving as a song and I would agree, much greater as a solo. One of my all time favorites. Vegas is one of the best places to see any bands, cover or otherwise. I need to get back there someday...it has been a while. Greg

Incredible Mark. Great tone on your instrument, very sweet , and wonderful mix. I really enjoyed this contribution. Greg