DianeB

@rbauer1 Here's the Live Lesson on modes from February 5, 2019. The PDF is attached below. Modes An Easier Way.pdf

If you simply must scratch that itch after the Gathering and can't wait for the Fingerstyle Retreat -- and you're the adventurous type -- this might be for you: Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp 2021: August 29 - September 4.

When I read last year that the Songbirds guitar museum in Chattanooga was closing, I wondered if would ever return. The exhibits were a labor of love and only the live performances kept it afloat. Recently the Songbirds Foundation announced their plans for reimagining the space with reopening this fall. It appears to me that the vault will be preserved, but many of the guitars on display would have to be moved out to make room for new interactive exhibits designed to attract a younger clientele. Here's the new (as of 2023) web site.

For Gibson fans seeking a religious experience, the answer to your prayers awaits at Cummins Station in Nashville, a short walk from Music City Center:

We’re less than 7 weeks out, so I will pass along some advice from the past and the latest developments I’m aware of. If this will be your first Guitar Gathering, I recommend reading the threads from 2019 and prior years. I’ll repeat myself a bit here. The Conference: In every room, we’ll be surrounded by rows of chairs. An acoustic is probably more versatile for the workshops and jams. If you want to play your electric in the student showcase, there will be cables, amps, microphones, and a professional audio system. The main room will be locked and secure when we’re not there, so you can leave your gear. Make sure your guitar cases are well labeled; there will be a hundred black cases lying around -- in a black room. Other than the obvious (picks, tuner) I recommend bringing: pencils and a small notepad, business cards, a folding guitar stand, and cash for lunch, Greg Voros' setups, and other incidentals. I also pack sticky notes, staff paper (theory geek), my chord block stamper, foot rest and a small seat cushion. Trevecca has music stands. If you have a specific brand of strings you want Greg to use, bring them with you, otherwise he will use D'Addarios and you might not have a choice of gauge. Steve will have items from his GG store on display for sale. Trevecca: At this writing, Trevecca will not have food service on campus. Steve says their contract does not permit outside caterers or food trucks, and he is still exploring our options for lunch. The Trevecca website presently indicates “normal campus operations” but exactly what this will mean for us in July is unclear. There is no on-campus housing this year. The conference is held in the Jackson music building at the back of the campus. It has ample, secure visitor parking. Get your bearings with the campus virtual tour. A few scenes of the Jackson building are near the end of the video. Housing: Steve has secured a conference rate of $105/night at the Holiday Inn Express Brentwood about 15 minutes away. Express-style breakfast is included. Use the conference code of GGC when you book online, or call the hotel directly at (615) 221-5001. I just called, and there are plenty of rooms in our block, but I recommend making reservations ASAP, because we will be in town during Summer NAMM and hotel occupancy could be high. There are also a number of other hotel options nearby. Be aware that Nashville can be hot and humid in mid-July, and the Jackson building can be quite cool. In Town: NAMM has canceled the public day, Saturday, for Covid concerns. Sorry, gear hounds. So Steve will probably devote Saturday morning to the Student Showcase, a tour, or perhaps something else. That afternoon I plan to attend the songwriters’ show at 3rd and Lindsley. Tickets are also available for Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry, which will be at full capacity. A few weeks in advance, Steve will e-mail the registrants with a survey asking: Do you want to reserve a setup with Greg? Can you help with logistics (ride sharing, for example)? Do you want to play in the student showcase? I expect Steve will soon announce a GG 2021 Facebook Group for registrants. So, this is what I have as of May 29, and things can change. Stay tuned. (And in tune!)

@Sandman 136 Welcome to the course and the forum! Learning guitar means asking your fingers to do many unfamiliar things. The third and fourth fingers are generally the weakest, least independent, and the least practiced at precise positioning. It takes time and lots of repetition. I would not linger in Session 1 for more than a couple of weeks, assuming you spend some time with it every day. Those moves will be reinforced, as others have noted above. The idea here is to simply get acquainted with what's to come. Check out Steve's Roadside Assistance videos for the course which are now on YouTube. I can also recommend some sources of encouragement and sound advice here. Best wishes for your new guitar journey!

@SRV The old Learn and Master web site was taken offline over a year ago. It was not maintained and at the end, was overrun with spam. Legacy has removed all the old links on their own pages. We transferred as much content as we could when Steve launched this new site three years ago. If there's something in particular you're looking for, let us know and maybe we can point it to you here.

Here's a clear explanation of augmented chords and how they function. It's not guitar-oriented, so if these are new to you, start with F+ at xxx221 (xx3221 for the purists) and go up the fretboard.

That price should be in exponential notation. 🤔

@William Nelson You’re welcome, William. I confess that this was as esoteric to me as imaginary numbers until I needed it in my theory class. Our homework was to write some progressions in major and minor keys to practice the various cadences. I would draft them out first in pencil, then enter them in Finale, and hit playback. Eewww, what’s wrong, I thought, it sounds flat in places. An hour later, lightbulb: pigeonhead, you forgot to use harmonic minor. So I’d go back and sharpen all the sevenths — can’t do it in the key signature -- that’s how it works. After that, I’d write “HM: #7” in the margin where things went minor. Mistakes are good teachers.

When composing in a minor key, the natural minor creates both harmonic and melodic problems. In the Common Practice Period, composers solved these by altering the scale. The natural minor of C is Am, and this leads to a whole step interval between the seventh and tonic (namely, G to A), which means no tension in the leading tone. They addressed this by raising the seventh by a half step (now G# to A), creating the harmonic minor scale and a dominant V. Thus A harmonic minor is A B C D E F G# A, and the chords built upon this are i ii(o) III+ iv V VI vii(o) i. But this created a new problem in the melodic lines: an augmented second between the sixth and seventh scale degrees. Augmented seconds are difficult to sing. So they also raised the sixth scale degree by a half step (going up in melody), so singers have only half and whole steps. No change was necessary going down. This is the melodic minor scale. Harmonic and melodic minor exist to create authentic cadences (V-I). So, to play in A minor, the chords in the key are Am, Bdim, C+, Dm, EM, FM, G#dim. The V and vii(o) function as dominants.

@Elizabeth S. Hi, Elizabeth, and welcome to the Guitar Gathering family! If you would like to know what to expect at this year's gathering, this thread about 2019 should give you a good idea, along with the itinerary (attached below). One difference in the schedule is that with NAMM on Saturday morning this year, the Student Showcase will probably be Friday afternoon. And because Trevecca won't be offering lunch service in the student center, we'll be on our own unless Steve works out a catering arrangement. Guitar Gathering 2019 Itinerary 5-27.pdf