DianeB

@mrp777 During this week's broadcast (July 16), Steve said there was a technical problem at YouTube's end, and that he expected it to be available within a few days at the usual location.

I lo-o-o-ve my Fishman Loudbox Mini, paired with an L R Baggs Anthem pickup in my Guild dreadnought. It has a second channel for a vocal microphone. I'm a chemist, so this is very scientific data, Ron @matonanjin 😉

@ChrisJ032Chris, this is sure to elicit a spirited response! My first recommendation for you is Steve’s video on how to set up an electric guitar pedalboard. You’ll probably find a tuner convenient from the outset. I like my TC Electronics PolyTune; it’s now in its 3rd iteration. Beyond tuning, it gets really subjective and depends on what and how you want to play. My second pedal was a Ditto looper to help in practicing. There are several models but the basic version has been fine for me. Around the time I was preparing for my first outing with my band, Steve had stocked a supply of the CAL MK.4.23 clean boost, which he swears by. I found out why. If you’ll be playing in an ensemble, consider a signal booster like this. I added a compressor, and put the four on a Pedaltrain Nano with a OneSpot power supply and patch cables. It’s good for me, for now; the delays and distortion and other effects can wait. As Steve advises, go one pedal at a time, and try them out as you go. It's part of the fun!

@ChrisJ032 Chris, I'm not sure what you mean by "Dm alt form" in this context (D major with 2-3-4?). As Steve explains on the next page, from the D2/C# (= Asus4/C# here) you can hold that second string D with your third finger, let the open E ring, and reach for the fifth string C# with your pinky.

Wow. 😮 Those infernal electrons will come off just about anything!

@ChrisJ032 Chris, if you're looking at page 96, that 4 means the C# (root) on the 4th fret of the fifth string. All of those numbers in the tablature are fret positions.

Epilog After an extra week of visiting friends and family, I’m back home. Thanks for reading and for your kind words and support. I hope you enjoyed my little dispatches as much I as I did scratching them out at night. As a postscript, I want to share perhaps the most vital lesson imparted to us at the gathering. It came near the end, during the student showcase, from my dear friend Reg. I must paraphrase, but in essence he said: Take your music to someone. Take it to the elderly, to children, to the infirm, to the lonely. Someone needs your music and your personal touch. Don’t wait until you think you’re good enough; that day might never come. Joy awaits. Go. Play. Live.

It is Saturday. For me, it's the most emotional day of Gathering week. One last drive to campus on a gorgeous summer morning. I parked and pulled my electric guitar case from the car. "Okay, Judi," I said, patting her case. "You're back in Nashville, where I found you. Let's do what we came to do." Another scheduling glitch, another quick key change. Our guest workshop leader had to cancel at the very last minute. In his place, Steve walked us through his chart of All the Chords You Need to Know. It can't be an easy trick to offer 80 students of all skill levels a useful takeaway, but he pulls it off, every time. Perhaps it slipped his mind -- I doubt it -- but Steve didn't announce the dates for next year. Now for the real fun: the Student Showcase, when our fellow students take the stage and show us what they've got. They give it their all and it's pure joy to watch and listen. We had classical, folk, traditional, novelty, sacred, and someone even slipped in a country rocker. Pat brought some of her jam mates to the stage to lead the house in a play along finale. Steve and Paulette, beaming with pride, bade us farewell. Soon the room was a cacophony of sliding chairs, snapping cases, and goodbyes. We signed Steve's Memory Book, traded phone numbers, shook hands and hugged each other to the door. I opened the back of the car and made room for Judi. "You were great, baby," I said, giving her another pat. I sat behind the wheel, and let the tears run for a minute. A couple of tissues later, I drove off, waving so long -- for now -- to Trevecca. And my guitar brothers and sisters were the final day.

Today's theme was improvisation. A few days before we started, Steve's plans for a tour of the Gibson factory fell through, so he had to scramble for a morning program. He arranged for a visit to Curb Studio and a return to historic Columbia Studio B and the Quonset Hut. We listened to stories from our raconteur host, who was an engineer in its heyday. Yes indeed, Patsy Cline stood right there on 'Crazy'. Goosebumps. Our schedule crimped, we had to dash back to Trevecca in time for lunch and our afternoon workshops. For me, it was more on chord substitutions with Steve. The entire congregation reassembled for a session on improvising over "Stand By Me" with Steve and Dino Pastin. Our UK delegation contributed a great little solo line and our boys cooked up a fun lesson on the fly. Finally, we all piled on stage, guitars in hand, for the group picture. We adjourned early to a have a little down time. Fatigue is showing on some of us. A large contingent hit 3rd and Lindsley for Jack Pearson's Birthday Bash. Terrific. But Dave, Keith, Collin and I bailed out before the finale; we were fading. If only we could take the weekend off and start it up again Monday, but no, the finish line approaches. And the ii-V-I and the hallowed ground were the third day.

Of all the theories about who founded Nashville, my favorite is that it was the early explorer Nash Rambler. Oh, the Gathering? Just two days in and we're getting punchy already. It was an early start for me, finding a quiet spot to review theory a few minutes. I'm sure to be tested this afternoon. Steve led off with a workshop on basic fingerstyle patterns. I hope Collin was able to keep up. We covered some things my tutor has worked with me on, so I was happy. This morning's masterclass was led by Van Larkins, the Aussie fingerstyle wizard. My classmates and I have been impressed by how accessible and explanatory these sessions are. Russ and Van had tips for players of all levels. Looking ahead, Steve announced there were 7 spaces remaining for this year's Fall Fingerstyle Retreat. After lunch, Debra and I sat to bask in the warm sunshine and chat on this beautiful, mild summer day. It was a blissful change from the oppressive heat of the past two years, and we were both relieved to talk about something other than music for ten minutes. "Diane! What are you doing here?" Steve teased as I arrived for the advanced theory class. "You can spell chords!" "I still need help," I said, pulling up a chair. He filled up the board with seventh chords. "Finally, there's the fully diminished seventh. Now," he began, as Andy entered, "Andy! What's so special about this chord?" They grinned at each other. Steve had his back to me. Silence. I let the question hang in the air for: one, two, three-- "All the intervals are the same," I answered. Steve wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. Tim Calhoun brought a new topic to us: home recording. He explained that now most recordings in town are tracked individually in home studios. The artists pass sound files around via Dropbox, and someone like Tim polishes the mix until it's ready to master. One the plus side, you can cut and paste the best bits together. On the minus side, the artists aren't in the same room and can't play off each other in person. Afterwards he led the afternoon blues jam. Greg was cooking. I should take a minute here to mention the sessions that I didn't attend because I can't be in three rooms at the same time. Greg Voros had his guitar setup and maintenance class, and Pat Lindgren led the beginners jam, which was very popular. Kim McLean taught a well received class in songwriting. Jonathan Allen led a session in hymns and worship music, while Rebecca Frazier led the bluegrass/flatpicking jam. Meanwhile, Collin has been teaching fingerstyle, Mel Deal is back for the jazzers, and Paulette Krenz is teaching basic music theory and replenishing our supply of guitar socks. This afternoon wrapped with Steve's Lesson on listening for I-IV-V changes. Tonight it was Hattie B's chicken for dinner, and Johnny Hiland and his band for the evening concert. You can only feel good in the company of Johnny. And when he plays, you have to hold on to something; it's dizzying. He had a new tune tonight, different from anything I'd heard him play before. And Thom Bresh stopped by for "Nine Pound Hammer". As we said goodnight after the show, I had the simple joy of thanking each member of the band. And Johnny. And Thom. Sometimes I can't believe my luck. And the secondary dominant and the chicken picker were the second day.

Timothy Krenz took up his post in the back at the video camera. Paulette handed the latest arrivals their totes and name tags. Steve checked his audio on stage. The rehearsal hall buzzed with the chatter of introductions: where are you from, what do you play? So many new people, I thought, it's wonderful, but where did they all come fr-- "Diane?" "Yes?" A new face. White lanyard. I squinted to read his name tag. "I'm Eric. 'Sonicfreq' on the forum," he explained, smiling. "Oh my gosh! You're that Eric!" "Thank you for answering my questions about the Gathering. You were very helpful." On stage a familiar Brent Mason Tele sounded the starting bell to Gathering Number 10, and with Steve's good morning, we were off and running. Our morning workout: improving your strumming. Next up, a masterclass by fingerstyle artist Russ Barenberg. He had something to offer everyone, from beginner to advanced. My take away was "pay attention to pick direction". After lunch in the student center we divided up for our workshops. I went to Collin's fingerstyle class and the blues sessions with Mike Pachelli. Collin buried me quickly (!) but in Mike's blues jam we took turns soloing with his drummer and bass player, and our classmates comping for us. That was too cool. Greg, Ian, Barbara and I had an early dinner at M. L. Rose's and returned to Trevecca in time to relax a while. I had the loft to myself to practice a bit, then listened in as Greg and Ian rehearsed their showcase duet. Our evening concert was an Acoustic Night: Collin Hill, Van Larkins, Phil Keaggy, and Russ Barenberg -- sweet, dazzling, poignant, percussive, jaw dropping. And the thumbpick and the flatted fifth were the first day.