DianeB
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Posts posted by DianeB
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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.
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Between Knoxville and Cumberland County, Interstate 40 West drops like a bobsled run for several hundred feet through the mountain ridges south of Oak Ridge. In bad weather it can be excruciating. But today, on a brilliant clear morning with the sun at my back, it was exhilarating. On a Harley? It would have been a religious experience.
I arrived at Trevecca early enough to help Steve and his assistant Jordan wrangle the stage units into place. Paulette and Timothy set up the store and the reception table. Dave White unloaded the boxes with our registration kits -- about 80 of them, nice nylon shoulder bags holding our schedules and a few goodies -- and I scanned the name tags. Most, maybe three fourths, are first timers. Canada and the U.K. are well represented. Even Australia.
By 3:00 the watermelon was in the platters and the ice in the buckets as folks started to arrive. It's so good to see familiar faces: Mark, Andy, Steve, Pat, Dwayne, Keith, Justin. There's Ian, from England, just done touring Memphis! We set up our guitar show and tell display on the stage: a dozen instruments with a brief printed story to go along.
Most of the gang is still traveling; only about a third of the group arrived today. We wrapped at 5:00 to take the night off. So much for the pickup notes. Tomorrow it's full tempo. And I have a song to practice. Hoo boy, here we go.
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Ssshhh! Don’t blow my cover. It’s Monday night, and I’m spying at Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamp at Maryville College, south of Knoxville. I’m at the evening concert in the gym and I’ve got a man on the inside. Special Agent D9 is from back home. He’s embedded, and I’m disguised as a volleyball coach. We must thwart their diabolical plot to kidnap all the k’s in the English language. My god, I’m totally surrounded by flatpickers. Not a whammy bar in sight, but so far, so good. Wait, what’s that? Someone’s pointing this way from the stage! I hear shouts: “There’s a Krenzie in the audience! A Krenzie? Where? In the back row! There she is! Get her! Get her!…”
… ”Owwww! Diane! Wake up! The show’s about to start!”
Uhh, what? Oh, Chuck, it’s just you. They were about to get me.
"Huh? Who was about to get you?"
Never mind. Ever heard of Walter Mitty?
Deadline approaches, so here I am in my Knoxville hotel, bleary-eyed from 600 rainy miles (in two days) and now 3 hours of stunning acoustic Americana at the Kaufman Kamp with my pal Chuck. Today was their first day. Never mind my imagination, they are a great bunch of guitar nuts like us. Tomorrow afternoon we get under way with a welcome session and guitar show and tell display. I don't know how many are registered, but my impression from the Gathering Facebook page is that we have a lot of first timers. That's good.
Just 200 more miles to go. And I gain an hour. Yeah! I'm having another cinnamon danish. This week is only going to get better.
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I agree with Doug. All but impossible to say. It depends on what you want to learn, how proficient you want to be, if you have other instruction, and so on. My advice as a guitar student and retired educator is: forget about "how long". It will take as long as it takes, and that varies a lot with individuals. Focus on the process, not the product. It's a long, endless road in seeking mastery. Enjoy the steps.
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Nice. He pays homage without impersonation. I'm with Lionel: "Just do it some more." 👍
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Nice! Thanks, Neil. I liked his line about Steinbeck and Michener! 📚
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@Twalumba, welcome to our guitar family! You will find others here at every level of skill and experience. We share a love of guitar music and an abiding respect for Steve, who is both unfailingly encouraging and forthright about what we need to do. As you start out, you might be interested in a reading list and some resources for study that I compiled. Ask questions, no matter how basic they might seem. Seek out others: a nearby college or nonprofit may operate a community music school where you can find a good instructor. There is just no substitute for having a pair of trained eyes and ears on you as you learn. There may be a Meetup guitar group near you where you can play with others. Enjoy!
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It’s almost time! For the benefit of our first timers, I’m updating some posts I made last year about this time.
• At Trevecca:
Enter at the main entrance on 333 Murfreesboro Pike and continue on the driveway past the roundabout to the rear of campus. Signs will direct you. The music building will be on the left with ample parking in the rear. Use the rear entrance at the far left. If you prefer, you can enter from the back of the campus.
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: a couple of pencils and a small notebook, business cards, a folding guitar stand, and cash for lunch, Greg’s setups, and other incidentals. I also bring a pad of sticky notes, my chord block stamper, my foot rest and a compact seat cushion. I think you can leave your music stand at home; Trevecca has some. Steve will have his store set up; he stocks a dandy collapsible music stand. If you have a specific set of strings you want Greg to use in restringing, bring them with you, otherwise he will use D'Addarios.
Go to the 2019 Guitar Gathering Facebook page and register. Steve will approve you.
Trevecca has a very nice food service with coffee shops and a dining hall only a short walk from the music building. So lunch is easy ($5.30, all you can eat), but bring cash in case they have issues with their card reader again. Steve will soon e-mail registrants with a survey asking: Do you want to reserve a setup with Greg Voros? Can you help with logistics (ride sharing, for example)? Do you want to play in the student showcase?
• Around Nashville:
There are many delightful music-related and historical sights in the Nashville area. A good place to start your planning is the official visitor’s web site, visitmusiccity.com.
If you’re a fan of country music, then visits to the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame are in order. I recommend allowing some time to escape the city and enjoy the Tennessee countryside; it is beautiful. Weather permitting, of course: it can be hot and humid in June, and summer thunderstorms are fairly common.
After the Saturday morning session, Steve and Greg will probably start packing up their gear as we say our goodbyes and everyone goes their way. Saturday night presents a good opportunity to enjoy the show at the Grand Ole Opry. Austin Jenckes is the headliner that night; you can expect a variety of singers and musicians in the show.
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@Rambler, Johnny’s appearance on June 13 with his band will be a performance, not a lesson. This event is part of the Guitar Gathering conference. Seating is very limited. It is possible that a few tickets will be made available for non-conference attendees, but that depends on the number of registrants and other constraints. Steve will advise later.
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@cdevaux, I used to wonder abut the relation of the chord to the melody as well. The “House” exercise is designed for practicing the right hand pattern with the chords, as accompaniment. The melody line is to be played or sung separately. As Doug says, there comes a time for extracting a melody line from the pitches within a chord, known as chord melody (a little more on the same).
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@Mustafa, may I add my welcome to the Guitar Gathering family! My friend Neil has offered wise advice. Yes, you are in a challenging situation at the moment, and my heart goes out to you. Life can pull us in different directions at once. You wrote: “Now I can not even pick the guitar and I feel it is a waste of time, I feel that instead of spending hours practicing I should do something useful to other people. I am out of motivation and sometimes I feel that it is immoral to waste time practicing guitar for hours.” Congratulations, you have the courage to admit what many of us, myself included — even accomplished musicians! — have felt at times.
It’s what you wrote at the beginning that matters: “I love guitar so much and I used to practice many hours a day.” Now, let’s get rid of that useless “used to” and we have: “I love guitar so much.”
Here’s where I concede my space to author Richard Pressman (The War of Art). I've never seen it expressed any better:
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”
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Early arrivals bulletin #2: the bill for Tuesday evening June 11 at 3rd and Lindsley is "The Piano Men: the Music of Elton John and Billy Joel,” featuring Nashville-based pianists Micah Snow (Charles Esten, Maggie Rose) and Chris Smallwood (RAIN, Alton Brown) and four accompanists. Doors open at 6:00, show 7:30. General admission tickets only, $10.00, seating is first come first served. Once Steve sets up the gathering Facebook page, we can see who wants to go and order our tickets in blocks, which speeds up entry.
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I'm with Dave: pick up right where you left off, and give your fingertips a couple of weeks to toughen up. Aim to put in a few minutes every day. Welcome back!
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2 hours ago, Opie said:
Well, now you can take me back off the list. The tumor has returned to my neck, and Monday I'll be getting a complete laryngectomy. This will lay me up for 4-6 weeks...wiping out my ability to travel to Nashville this year. Someone take some good videos for me to watch!
I'll try to keep my status updated on my blog at http://massivelyuninformed.me/
I'm so sorry to hear that, Opie. We will miss you. That's your picture of me over there on the side. I'll keep my fingers crossed that all turns out well for you.
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Karl, that is one gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. Congratulations, we have a new luthier in the house. 👍
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@ChrisJ032 Yes, Chris, it's in 3/4, so we might better say: T-1-2-3-2-1 (p-i-m-a-m-i).
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Hi, @Stefan , way to go! Session 7 is a big step. The answer to your question really depends on where you want to go on guitar. But I would advise: yes, unequivocally, learn all 12 scales. The flats, sharps, and key signatures. Give it a couple of minutes every day until, as Steve says, you can say them as fast as you can write them, even as you start on Session 8. The payoffs are big. Knowing the scales will demystify intervals and prepare you for spelling any chord in the book. And when you practice all those scales, as in Steve's major scales workout, the fretboard begins to open up. You start seeing notes instead of dots. Go for it.
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Early arrivals take note: Tuesday evening, June 11 at the Station Inn, 7:00 pm: Doyle & Debbie; 9:30 pm: The Wheelhouse Rousers. The calendar for 3rd and Lindsley is filling up, but nothing as of today for June 11. I could go for another round of Mandy Barnett. ❤️ She'll be back May 25.
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Eric (@Sonicfreq), the normal hours at Gruhn's are Monday through Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. If we assume that Steve follows the same timetable as last year, your best window is probably Tuesday afternoon June 11. There will be an early registration Tuesday at Trevecca from about 3:00 - 4:30, but that's optional. Nothing will be scheduled for the group as a whole on Tuesday evening. Typically after early registration we carpool to dinner and hit Third and Lindsley or the Station Inn if there's a good show. Then it will likely be nonstop until 4:30 Friday afternoon. We will probably wrap up around noon on Saturday, which might give you another window for Gruhn's, depending on when you have to get to the airport. There is also a remote chance that Steve might conduct a live lesson that week from Gruhn's, but I consider that unlikely because (1) now the number of attendees exceeds the capacity of the store and (2) it's not on the live lesson schedule. In mid May we can expect Steve's e-mail with the final schedule of events, an invitation to play in the student showcase, and sign up for guitar setups with Greg Voros. Our posts from last year's gathering are here, which should give you an idea of what to expect.
PS / Oops, sorry, I linked to the fingerstyle retreat; the gathering posts are here.
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A reminder: the early registration discount ends April 14. Here are the workshop presenters Steve has lined up so far:
Guitar Care and Maintenance: Greg Voros
Songwriting: Kim McLean
Jazz Guitar: Mel Deal
Blues Guitar: Mike Pachelli
Fingerstyle Guitar: Collin Hill
Improvisation: Dino Pastin -
Let’s hear from those who have volunteered their guitar skills in some form of service: teaching children, seniors, or vets, entertaining the infirm, elderly, or incarcerated, in worship, charity work, or the like. Don’t be modest; inspire us with your stories. How did you get started? What did you learn?
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@William Nelson Hi, William, you’re in for a great time, whatever your background in music theory. Last year there were two workshops on theory. The basic one, led by Paulette Krenz, assumed no prior knowledge. Steve led the advanced one, which assumed some knowledge of notation, chord construction, and progressions. Each was about an hour for two successive days. These ran concurrently with two other workshops on other topics, such as songwriting or a blues jam. They all seemed well received, so I would expect Steve to plan something similar this time. We only have time to dip our toes in the water for any subject. The instructors and artists are all aware that the attendees span a wide range of knowledge and skill.
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Beautifully played, Mike: steady, textured, nuanced, and a sweet landing. Amen.
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Well done, Cliff! 👍 I took about 7 months on session 4. Give my regards to Pat; I wish I could be there. 🤦♀️
News From the 2019 Gathering
in Past Guitar Gathering Conferences
Posted
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.