First, a contribution from a friend of Randy's -- the four handed guitar solo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4BYMvVvMg0
Then a bit of unadulterated 10 string guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2BOApUvFpw&NR=1
In any event, WAGS at the Inn at Lucky Mud this Sunday afternoon!
See you there!
Greetings, WAGSters,
1. We had a great time at our latest session January 20
at the Inn at Lucky Mud. Sunrise reviewed some of the songs he played at his
1/19 concert, and we sampled leftovers from the party.
2. Next meeting Jan. 30 at Joyce Orr's, 284 Greenwood. We're going to try at least one weekend session per month and will try to get the schedule firmed up.
3. WAGS members agreed to perform a concert March 15 at the River Rat Tavern in Cathlamet. Stay tuned for more details.
4. We had a great time December 23 when Bob Nelson and company played at Lucky Mud. They requested a copy of Spanish Flang Dang, and a pdf of that piece, should anyone want to attempt, is here Download spanish_flang_dang.pdf .
5. Bob also talked about the Seattle Folklore Society and
its website:
seafolklore.org. Check it out: You'll find information,
photos, history, resources and links and so on.
Members of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society converged at the Downtown Coffee Shop Saturday, November 24, to put on a program after Cathlamet's Holiday Lighting Festival.
Randy Williams led off with with a set of folk songs. New
member Dale Costich followed with another folk and blues set. Rick Nelson threw
in a 
rumba and some flamenco. Sunrise Fletcher led a blues jam, and novice
Joyce Orr gave us a folk song. Doug Sheresh followed with some bluesy numbers,
and Sunrise closed the show with four songs off a CD he has produced. We ended
with a raucous version of Feliz Navidad and headed to the River Rat for dinner.
We have another convergence this Wednesday, November 28,
7 p.m. at Lucky Mud. We convene again the following Wednesday, December 5, at
Joyce and Bob Orr's house on Greenwood Road.
---
The first meeting of WAGS at the Pioneer Community Church building was focused on discrete bits of education in guitar playing. Rick first took us down the wild and woolly path of playing Rumba-style...it seems simple enough (hah!) with just a tap, upstroke with the fingertips, downstroke with the fingertips, upstroke with the thumb, and then repeat...nothing to it, right? (hah!) Give it a go, then once you have your rhythm down, try changing between chords while maintaining the rhythm, then try doing it at a fast pace.
But, don't take my word for it, grab Rick's instructions and try it! Download Rick's Basic Rumba Techniques.pdf
Randy took us down another path, providing the chords (& lyrics) to "Hotel California", and walking us through the chords he is using (many bar chords instead of the open chord versions). A bit challenging but fun, and once we had the chord pattern down he started demonstrating the related lead riffs to go with it.
Beyond that point we went off on various tangents (movable jazz chords with up and down sliding notes), and random bits of fingering techniques.
This next week WAGS meeting will be at Rob and Diane Stockhouse's pavilion (59 West Bernie, on Puget Island) -- (the same location as the Two Islands Farmers Market that is held every Friday afternoon, but another 100 feet further back...) Send me email if you have questions on how to get there [Wednesday, July 25th, 7-9pm].
"A great night of music!"
"The best WAGS meeting ever!"
"A wonderful range of different guitar styles!"
These and many other comments were voiced by WAGS members following the meeting on May 9th (and I couldn't agree more! This was a wonderful and inspiring evening of music and guitar talent on display!).
This meeting was the largest to date, with eleven musicians in attendance, and each reflecting a bit of their own style and presentations of guitar music.
The meeting was kicked into gear by Sunrise Fletcher quiet (but efficient) aural summoning in playing Mr. Bojangles, beckoning all to join in, with a very pretty set of (8 part?) harmonies complementing Sunrise's clear resonant vocals and tight guitar accompaniment.
This WAGS meeting was graced by the attendance a new member (Mike McAvoy) and a couple of out-of-town folks, namely the renowned Maggie Savage (a legend in Pacific NW folk music since the 1950s) and Alex Docker's son Alex who lives in England but flew in and enchanted all of us with renditions of Celtic classical guitar that were ethereal, beautiful, and left us wanting more (and more, and more...). In fact, later in the evening, even after Alex had put away his guitar, we managed to convince him to pull it out and play a bit more. (p.s. Alex said he was open to us having WAGS meetings at his place in England--now all we have to do is figure out the commute!).
Alex Docker (the elder, living in Cathlamet) who also plays facinating Celtic melodies in non-standard tunings (such as DADGAD) with such reasonant Celtic tonalities that they impart a sense of the magical--you can almost see the leprechauns chasing the faeries, nixies, pixeies, and sprites. Alex's multiplicity of tunings (he talked about 2 or 3 others in addition to DADGAD) provided an meliflous enticement for us all to stray into alternative tunings (Hey Alex, perhaps we can get you to do a short workshop on such alternative tunings and how you play in them?)
Andrew Emlen, drawing upon his experiences in Mexico, where his guitar repertoire was internationally enhanced and expanded, expertly played and sang an endearing Mexican song in Spanish to the crowd's demonstrative appreciation.
As members of Willapa Hills in attendance, Sunrise, Andrew, and Kerrie consented to combine their oh-so-melodious harmonies with their dexterous fingerwork in chording and companion lead riffs in performing one of the sweetest songs on their CD (and one of my favorites) "All My Trials". (p.s. The Willapa Hills CD is available for sale at the Inn at Lucky Mud, or directly from Andrew Emlen or Kerrie McNally).
Rising to the inspiration, Jerry Ledke's fingers flew in an impressive fusion of Dylan-esque folk and Cajun Blues, a down-home creation that would make any student of American blues styles proud. (Jerry, you've got to show me how to play that!).
Contributing to the diversity as well as our appreciation of the deep art of flamenco, Rick Nelson intrigued, charmed, and baffled us with several tight and exceptionally pretty flamenco songs that I can neither name nor play (yet--but someday I hope to!)
Randy Williams both entertained and amazed us with several songs from the American popular music scene in the last few decades (though I suppose it isn't exactly correct to label the Beatles as 'American', even though their music seriously pervaded our musical and cultural consciousness--however we can lay claim to Eric Clapton and others). Irrespective of country of origin, Randy's impeccable fretboard work and precise delivery brings home the stylings of the original artist, and ensorceled us into a musical reverie where we all found ourselves singing along.
After such a amazing demonstration of style(s) and skill, and with such an international flavor (Andalusian flamenco, Celtic classical, and Mexican folk), it was a challenge to come up with what to play next. When Maggie asked me what my favorite song was, Paul Simon's American Tune came to mind--I hope that I did it justice!
The next meeting of WAGS (May 30th, Wednesday 7pm) will be held at the Inn at Lucky Mud.
Hope to see you there!
In the last week of April, the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society meeting was treated to a featured performance by one of our newer members, and our ranks grew a bit with the addition of another local guitarist bringing a bit of a European flair.
Our newest member, Alex Docker, played a number of oh-so-sweet Irish melodies utilizing an alternative tuning that gave the musical pieces a touch of Gaelic feel to the sound (Alex, care to post the tuning you were using here?)
Before we started the featured performance of the evening, each guitarist in attendance took a turn to play a song or so, demonstrating once again the impressive overall range and scope of guitar styles wielded by WAGS members.
As is our way here at WAGS, we regularly ask one of our members to do a featured performance, taking 30-45 minutes to do a set -- sometimes with a bit of description as to the history and styles, sometimes with more music and less talk, playing a only lightly interrupted sequence of songs. Tonight's featured performer was Glen Bristow (nephew of Rick, guitarist in his own right), whose writing, progressions, and fingerings amply demonstrated his own enticingly eclectic and innovative approach.
Glen's engaging performance highlighted his diverse exposure to musical genres, leveraging licks and chord patterns from multiple styles, blending classical and jazz influences that melded into some serious rock with an intense underlying drive to it.
Songs varied from some instrumental expositions, a country style song (complete with lost love angst), to expressive rock-styled constructions whose complexity was complemented by Glen's dexterity with the fingerings and chord patterns.
Glen's integration of familiar blues, jazz, rock, and folk riffs with his original compositions brought a fresh appeal with complexity and innovation. It seems with each new member of WAGS we add dimension and scope to the styles of guitar being played at our meetings, and Glen was a wonderful example of this -- interesting, exciting, and refreshingly divergent! If you haven't heard Glen play yet, you will just have to come to wAGS to hear him play...I guarantee that you won't be bored!
The next WAGS meeting has been moved to May 9th (instead of the traditional 1st Wednesday May 2nd) to make the logistics work a bit better for all involved.
See you there!
The meeting of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society was another open (read "unstructured") evening on April 4th.
We met, we played, we romped, we frolicked, we had a good time.
Ok, ok, so there was a lot more to it than that--we are graced by such an abundance of talent, it sometimes gets hard to come up with adequate descriptions without being totally redundant with previous posts.
As a partial reflection on this scrumptious smorgasbord of musical skill and experience, I would mention Rick with his range of expertise and repertoire of flamenco and jazz progressions, Sunrise with his extensive scope from years of professional performances playing rhythm and lead guitar and singing his expressive vocals, Randy playing impeccable classical melodies (with bits of Clapton et. al. thrown in), Jerry doing some fine picking of contemporary and folk songs, Andrew's exhaustive knowledge of traditional music, multi-instrument skills, and pristine vocal stylin's, Kerrie's sweet melodious renditions (of everything she sings), etc. etc. etc. I could go on and on (and sometimes do) but you probably get the idea.
If you haven't been at WAGS listening and or playing, you have indeed been missing out... *grin*
Once again the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society was fortuned to be hosted by the wonderful folks at the Inn at Lucky Mud, relaxing in the warm, comfortable, and acoustically bright main room right off the foyer. Pluck a string, play a riff, unfetter your fingers a bit, and you can hear every tone clearly.
As the first to arrive this evening, I had a chance to talk with a resident musical savant (and one of the professional musicians in the group) Sunrise Fletcher, babbling and bantering a bit about styles, scales, and other scintillating subjects of a musical sort.
Our scheduled featured performance was delayed due to life's logistical liquidity (ok, ok, so I'm stretching my alliterations a bit here), but we hope to see the much anticipated Glen Bristow debut in the near future.
The songs rather rotated around, providing each of us an excuse to trot out any tried-and-true or even transitory demonstration of digital dexterity. The manual manipulation of melodious mastery was interspersed with technical discussions of the relationships between chord changes and scalar structures--bits of which went over my head (but in a good way, in that it helps my understanding of the underlying music/guitar theory grow to encompass new dimensions of jazz, flamenco, and classical). At any rate, it was yet another wonderful evening of guitar, music, theory, and bits O' frivolity.
Our duly (s)elected president (perhaps "drafted" would be more accurate) Rick Nelson came up with a *theme* (blues) for this upcoming meeting on Wednesday the 4th of April (at 7pm, the usual time, at the Inn at Lucky Mud). For Wednesday night's gathering, everyone should bring a blues tune or three.
Hope to see you there!
This first WAGS meeting of March blew in blustery, like the weather outside--squalls of classical, gusts of flamenco, a drizzle of blues, and followed by rhythmic downpours of innovative guitar from all around the room.
The evening was a bit relaxed and informal--a warm and inviting environment with friendly folks and a meandering cat (Lily) taking up residence on perfectly good laps that weren't doing anything else...
...this evening, the responsibility for guitar recital rotated, circuitously cycling through the circle of genuinely grand guitarists, gratifying the entire audience with ambient artistry--a seriously sumptuous set of auditory sensations...
Ok, ok, so we really had a bit of fun, each guitarist taking a turn or two, some singing songs familiar enough that many joined in, some playing fascinating instrumental arrangements, as well as some tidbits from singer/songwriters in the group demonstrating personally developed instrumentals and vocals.
This was yet another marvelous meeting at the wonderfully warm and welcoming environment of the Inn at Lucky Mud, and many thanks to our hosts Sunrise and Jessica Fletcher for supporting our musical madness and minor mayhem!
The upcoming featured performer for the March 28th meeting is Glen Bristow. While he cites his uncle Rick as one of his sources of inspiration, his guitar style exudes an eclectic energy derived from a wide range of musical styles and artists. For those who have been fortunate enough to be at the last couple of meetings, we've been treated to a number of exciting examples of Glen's enticing guitar work, and thus know that this upcoming performance is one not to be missed!
See you there!
Tonight's attractions included the featured performance of the flamenco stylings of Rick Nelson.
Rick's ease of playing belies the finesse of the fantastical left hand fingerings and flamboyant right hand strums and tremelos -- the auditory complexity is complemented by the visual display of manual dexterity.
Rick's performance provided a set of fascinating combinations of a specific flamenco piece with the background history and stories relating the sub-genre or style of playing (such as variant time signatures or alternative start points within the time signature).
I can wax poetic about Rick's playing, but you all know how delightful of an experience it is, so instead of my usual alliterative digression I'll point you toward some resources and an explanation of some of the terms that Rick uses when describing elements of the flamenco he is playing.
Flamenco FAQ for Classical Guitarists
For a bit of the Flamenco culture...
A brief on the flamenco dance...
A Flamenco site with even more resources...
The Flamenco Information Page
Flamenco World - a diverse site
Explanations of some flamenco terminology
What is flamenco?
What is cante?
What is toque?
What is baile?
What are palos?
What is compás?
What is quejío?
What is ole?
What is falseta?
What is tercio?
What is escobilla?
What is desplante?
What is copla?
What is ayeo?
What is marcaje?
What is zambomba?
What is soniquete?
The February 7th meeting of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society had a workshop orientation, albeit an informal one, focusing on the theme of "Tips, Tricks, and Licks".
This evolving educational evening was well-launched by the jazz progressions played by Rick Nelson--a delightful demonstration deviating from the well-known major chords, and extending into enthralling (if slightly esoteric) 6ths, 9ths, and diminished chords up and down the fretboard.
Ok, ok, merely more of my hyperbolic blather *grin*, but you don't have to take my word for it...try this:
For the 1st chord,
For the 2nd chord,
...alternate between the two chords leaving the 3rd finger in place
For the 3rd chord,
For the 4th chord,
...alternate between the two chords, then switch back to the first 2 chords
Nice sound...and there is more to the progression, but you'll have to get Rick to explain it more detail... *smile* In addition to the work on the progression, Rick provided a bit of the background theory and music industry history in the development of such jazz guitar progressions.
Well, this fine beginning to the evening was enhanced by Andrew Emlen's demonstrations and explanations of third-hand and 3-string capos and their uses to re-key songs, create specialized sound or support specialized tunings, and to ease the ability to play familiar fingerings in unfamiliar keys.
The evening just kept getting better, as Randy Williams then took us on a tour of the Travis alternating-bass finger-picking style, and bits of classical influences in the placement and use of the first three fingers on the right hand to pick the corresponding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings. His tutorial method made the manipulation easy, as he started us slowly with just doing the alternating base with the thumb while performing basic chord changes, and then gradually increased the complexity by adding in the interspersed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings.
The time flew by way too quickly--I could have easily spent additional hours absorbing and learning more techniques, theory, and details of coaxing my guitar to do more and more...
At the end of the evening, we managed to convince Rick to be the next featured performer at the next WAGS meeting--that is, February 28th 7pm, prepare for the melodious maneuvers of the flying flamenco fingers of Rick Nelson!
Hope to see you there!
Tonight's meeting of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society was not held at its usual location (the Inn at Lucky Mud) due to the Innkeepers being on a well-deserved vacation, but instead was hosted at abode of Andrew and Audrey Emlen.
An unusual and fun evening of melodious mayhem, as WAGS had its first 'theme night' for the music to be performed. Tonight's theme was "Cowboy Songs", with each guitarist challenged to come up with a couple of (at least 2) cowboy songs to play. However, there was a caveat--that no song could be played twice--i.e. if someone else played a cowboy song that you had planned on playing, you had to come up with a different cowboy song to play.
Well, this was more of a challenge for some of us than for others. Some folks knew more than a few cowboy songs (and in multiple languages), whereas others (such as this writer) had to struggle a bit more to learn and play two cowboy songs (and dearly hope that no one else played them first).
With no small amount of musical dexterity, feats of memory, and at least one linguistic stumble (ok, so you try singing "play the drum slowly, and play the fife lowly" repeatedly without messing it up...*grin*) the songs were all received by an appreciative, if somewhat boisterous, audience.
In the comfort of the hospitality of Andrew and Audrey, and the genuine warmth of WAGS members, the evening of the thematic cowboy ballads and sundry tunes was a enjoyable experience and a wonderful time was had by all.
We always encourage guitar players living in Wahkiakum (or just passing through) to join in the WAGS festivities occurring at 7pm on the first and last Wednesday of every month. The focus for the next meeting on February 7th will be focused on "Tip, Tricks, and Licks"--an informal workshop evening where we'll be working to further our understanding of guitar theory and enhance our skills.
The last of the initial round of the featured performer series started off tonight's meeting of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society.
Our latest member, Randy Williams, was the evenings featured performer, packing the house with all of the WAGS members in attendance.
Randy's early influences included the (then) nascent folk protest genre, and the musical strains and social commentary of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez particularily caught his attention and interest. His mellodious renditions of several songs of this era evoked memories from all, and wafting harmonies from Kerry nicely contributed to the reflection and nostalgia.
A bit later in his musical development, Randy's talents were further enhanced by education in classical guitar, and it has had a pervasive effect on his playing style, with each song played with meticulous fingerpicking and a fluency with simultaneously picking out melody lines.
Randy's guitar playing was also influenced by the Beatles, and he elucidated his extensive experiential familiarity by playing a mellisonant medley of Beatles songs, including an instrumental (and particularly sweet) version of Yesterday.
This mellifluous recital was characterized in grazioso strains rather than the expressionism of other styles, flowing gracefully from the neoclassical to the nocturne, using tonal ornaments and partials to elaborate on the melodic line.
For those of us not using an online musical dictionary (like I did for the paragraph above), the range of the material and the wonderfully resonant melodies and fluid delivery of the songs were a marvelous auditory treat.
After the featured performance completed to the resolutely resounding appreciative audience acclaim, every member of WAGS took a turn or two to play or sing (sometimes both) a song. Little bits of free form jamming interspersed with the occasional harmonies, instrumental strains of flamenco wafting from Ricks new (& pretty) guitar, and the genuine warmth of acoustical comraderie strummed the evening to a close.
The next meeting of WAGs on January 31st will be held at the home of Andrew and Audrey Emlen (starting at 7pm of course). The 'twack' of the musical gauntlet was heard as Andrew requested each of us to bring a couple of "cowboy songs" to sing on the 31st.
Better bring a few cowboy songs with you, as the rule for this round robin is, each player in the round has to sing a new cowboy song--thus if someone sings a cowboy song that you had planned, you have to come up with a different one...
So c'mon down to Andrew's (on Wednesday the 31st) for a musical cowpoke bonanza--it ought to be quite a hoot!
A music filled month for the WAGS members and audiences--in addition to the usual round-robin exchange of songs, we've had two featured performers, and there will be a another featured performer coming up this week.
Tonight's meeting of the eclectic ensemble of gregarious guitarists began, as so many do, with a bit of jamming and a few individual songs.
After a little while, the featured performer, Andrew Emlen, inherited the limelight and took us on a musical journey back to his early experiences with musical instruments and how he was introduced to guitar.
To those who know Andrew, you probably won't be surprised to learn that the cello was his first serious foray into playing a musical instrument. Guitar came later, at a point where working on a boat in Alaska, he figured that a cello wasn't too practical there, but he felt the need to play something. It turned out that his skipper had a guitar, knew a few chords, and had a small book of folk songs.
By the time he got off the boat, he knew a dozen or so chords and a little bit of finger-picking. Borrowing his brother's guitar, he started picking up new songs, particularly a few by Bob Dylan.
He drew inspiration from his Spanish teacher, learning quite a number of songs in Spanish, playing a few songs from Mexico on his classical guitar that he assiduously bartered for in Guadalajara (during his time as a student at the University of Guadalajara). His finger-picking style for these songs also prompted a bit of discussion, as his authentic renditions of song, tone, and style were inspiring. Complete with a bit of the background of the songs, and the culture they came from, kept the audience enchanted.
Afterward, he set out to learn most any song, especially songs that were popular and often requested, and in doing so discovered a real affinity for the songs people liked to sing and the instruments they played them on.
In an effort to expand his repertoire of picking patterns and licks, Andrew's early musical influences also incorporated the stylings of James Taylor, and bringing us further into the story he played "You've got a friend" (with the rest of us quietly joining in...).
A brief review of some of Andrew's own songwriting started him playing and singing a song written (in the best tradition of songwriters everywhere) for an early love that was departing...(but a love that was not to be...).
Then with a bit of background as to how the song came about, he played a song he later wrote for his "love that was to be" (Audrey), once again capturing his audience's attention and emotions alike.
Amidst the appreciative and repeated bouts of applause (and much to our collective chagrin) Andrew retired from center stage, at which point numerous inquiries about fingering and picking styles were dexterously fielded. (p.s. You can hear some of Andrew's playing with the Willapa Hills group on their CD -- contact Andrew or The Inn at Lucky Mud to get the CD).
One of our newest members, Randy Williams, will be our next featured performer, and based on various scheduling factors (and Randy's willingness), this will be occurring next Wednesday (Jan 3rd). We've all enjoyed his playing and singing in these past couple meetings, thus having Randy in the spotlight will be a another evening not to miss!
The December 6th meeting of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society started off with a rousing rendition of Feliz Navidad let by the intrepid Sunrise Fletcher with multi-language vocals by Andrew Emlem.
After a few songs, the night's featured performer, singer / songwriter / guitarist Jerry Ledke took the proverbial stage, and between his intriguing storytelling and flying fingers, led us on a tour of his musical influences.
Some of Jerry's earliest influences included Elvis Presley and later Bob Dylan, not only inspiring styles of guitar playing, but also in styles of songwriting (especially Dylan). In addition to Jerry's remarkable storytelling, taking us all on an illuminating journey back to previous decades, he elucidated the underlying context for the melodious songs that he has written. In his music, Jerry's striking finger-picking style augemented the delightful tonalities in his songs, his music reflecting experiences in his life and the insights gleaned from them.
Following the wonderful performance by Jerry Ledke (and subsequent thuderous applause), a round-robin exchange of music ensued, with each member playing a single song. With the addition of a new member, the breadth of skills and styles broadened the existing diverse range of styles, and a fascinating sequence of music was played, much to the entertainment and appreciation of all WAGS members and audience.
The evening ended with a bit of a jam session, including amusing strains of blues, folk, jazz, and pop.
The upcoming meeting of WAGS on December 27th includes a featured performer, highlighting the talents and eclectic repetoire of Andrew Emlem! So if you haven't made plans to be there, Wednesday night, December 27th, 7pm at the Inn at Lucky Mud, then make your plans now!
Hope to see you there.
Due to the ice on the road and snow making the driveway at the Lucky Mud 'difficult' to traverse, members decided to postpone the WAGS meeting until next week.
As a result, our featured performance by Jerry Ledke will also be postponed until our meeting on December 6th.
Everyone stay safe and warm and we can all look forward to Jerry's acoustic guitar stylings next Wednesday.
A belated posting of the Nov 1st meeting of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society, that esoteric entourage of eccentric enthusiasts of eclectic and ephemeral strains of the sounds of strumming strings stimulating the senses...but I alliteratively digress...
As this evening's entertainments did not include a featured performer (only the Wednesday at the end of the month has an featured performer) a lax but enjoyable and educational evening unfolded, starting with a bit of flamenco by Rick followed by discussion of the chording progressions and transitions (and some of the ensuing music theory I was even able to comprehend!).
As is commonly the case, Sunrise then branched off of that foundation, adding music theory building blocks (with chord progression and song examples) as it relates to jazz guitar, and the kinds of alterations in chord sequences that are called for in jazz.
Tis a fascinating thing, this guitar-based music, as there are implications for keys, chord progressions, and the very notes played, that relate to the guitar-style you are playing.
The next meeting is on November 29th, and as is usual for our end of month meetings, we have a special focus--this month's featured performance is the marvelous fingerpicking of Jerry Ledke! As one of the WAGS members whose musical skills include songwriting, if we're lucky we may even be treated to some of his original songs. If you haven't yet had a chance to listen to him, then this is an opportunity you won't want to miss--come on down to the Inn at Lucky Mud this Wednesday night (at 7pm) to enjoy a bit of our usually frivolous guitar frolicking and Jerry Ledke as the featured performer!
Hope to see you there!
Tonight's meeting of the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitar Society got off to a great start with new guitarists in attendance, providing even further range and musical talent to the already eclectic ensemble.
A casual jam session, led by the reknowned Andrew Emlen's flying fingers, kicked of the evening's musical festivities with a bang. After a few songs, the group was eager to move on to the main event.
The evening truly got underway with the unfolding rendition of the musical history of our featured performer, Kerrie McNally, talking about the early years that started with some initial (but short-lived) country influences, followed by the nascent performances as a duo at the PTA, and extending into later guitar-rooted ecclesiastical contributions.
Her fingerpicking of the 12-string provided a harmonious and compelling foundation for the poignant tonalities of her singing, wafting strains of soulful renditions that pulled at everyone's heartstrings and left a tear in the eye of Sunrise, our esteemed host.
In more recent years her repertoire extended into songs from multiple genres, from old folk songs delivered with a searing plantiveness (listen to All My Trials on the Willapa Hills CD for a clear example of this -- if you don't have a copy of the CD yet, just call Jessice or Sunrise at The Inn at Lucky Mud to get one), to newer sounds that blend the strains of Pop and Country, and other songs that exist within or between genres beyond my humble ability to classify.
The set of songs and the background context associated with each provided a compelling story and insight in the development of such a marvelous musical talent.
Later in the evening, a more round-robin approach ensued, with various songs and styles played, with some wonderful songs and sounds illuminating from Andrew's 12-string, fine and fancy fingerpickin' by Jerry Ledke, and elucidating lead riffs emanating from Sunrise's melodic refrains...
This Wednesday night's meeting of our eclectic enthusiasts of 'everything guitar' was a little different from our 'Oh-so-structured' meetings of the past. Tonight was a marvelous mayhem of minstrel madness, with fingers frolicking fantastically on 6 and 12 stringed instruments blending many strains of genuine guitar gregariousness...
...Ok, so enough of the not always adept alliteration, yet this evening's synergy of guitar and vocals was entertaining, relaxing, and as always, more than a little educational, thus inspiring a bit of friendly frivolity (and had you waiting for that 3rd word starting with F, right? *grin*).
This was one of our play, sing, and learn new stuff nights--each person was encouraged to play a song and demonstrate the fingering, chording, picking, and/or strumming styles they were using. Songs that were new to some members of the group had been printed, with words and chording represented so that it was easy for everyone to follow along.
The song playing rotated, in a kind of song circle style, with one person leading the song and others playing along counterpoint, rhythm, and lead riffs and singing the melody and harmony lines to go with it (or in my case, attempts at harmony lines to go with... *grin*).
This upcoming meeting will be the end-of-the-month gathering and thus we will have a new featured performer, a player/singer that has dazzled audiences and friends alike with her resonant renditions of traditional folk and contemporary songs--that's right, on the 25th of October, WAGS featured performer with be Kerrie McNally! Reserve your seats now, as it is likely to be yet another sold-out audience! (*smile*)
This meeting of the WAGS was another resounding success--in addition to learning new songs and new techniques, it was a wonderful time of playing music enjoyed by all. Feel free to invite the acoustic guitar players that you know to join us in this, admittedly self-indulgent, endeavor!
Also, keep your calendars open for the upcoming concert of one of the Pacific Northwest's own folk balladeers, Bob Nelson, who has been performing folk music regionally for the last 50+ years. Bob will be coming down here from Everett on the 12th of November to sing an unusual set of traditional folk songs. The concert will begin at 3pm and will be followed by a traditional hootenany--i.e. everyone is invited to bring their folk instruments, play and sing, and of course bring food and drink as the hoot portion of the evening includes a potluck dinner. Reserve your tickets for this event with the wonderful proprieters of the Inn at Lucky Mud (360 795 8770).
Tonight's meeting of the WAGS began with a rousing, if impromptu, blues jam session...and a great bit of fun it was, taking turns with playing rhythm lines and lead riffs.
Once again, we had a great turnout, with a vast majority of members in attendance and participating in the musical mayhem. Even with our well attended events *grin*, there is a standing invitation for other Wahkiakum County acoustic guitar players to join us in sharing in this educational and enjoyable enterprise!
Each member took a turn or two to play a tune or sing a few bars or a few minutes, including original works by Jerry Ledke and recital of Utah Philips' "Orphan Train".
The featured performer this month was Sunrise Fletcher who delighted the audience with stories of his early days learning to play and sing, starting with the tenor banjo. He provided an interesting and valuable insight into the transitions in the musical culture of the northeast coast during his early and formative years of learning to play and perform.
Sunrise demonstrated some of the early banjo techniques and songs he learned, and describing the use of the banjo as partly rhythm instrument and partially melodic, providing both the on beat and syncopated rhythm but also being used to pick out melody lines. He talked a bit about his first banjo teacher just kinda getting him started but quickly feeling constrained by the limits of the curriculum. Fortunately, his mother was able to connect him with a banjo player that had a professional range of experience and technique (and had recently moved into the area) who was able to help Sunrise take the next steps beyond the basic picking of a few chord into the realm of the underlying musical theory behind the chord construction and relationship to scales used for picking out melodic and complementary lead lines.
In a traditional style of old wandering bards, Sunrise cast wide his progressive net of stories adorned with illuminating banjo and guitar progressions, songs, and hot licks as he chronicled his journey through an eclectic world of musical styles and traipsing through life as a musical performer, sometimes as a solo street busker, other times on stage, playing with a band. This unique concert with its storytelling background flavor took us all through an insightful review of the development of the American music scene from the late 50's to the present day, earmarked with dovetailing recitations of original material and innovative covers.
Following this performance with many features, a number of chording progressions were shared, a riff or two explained, and then we were played out by a rendition of "Wayfaring Stranger" beautifully sung by Kerrie McNally.
If you weren't there folks, you missed somethin' -- t'was a fine evening, all in all, an evening that I, for one, am very glad to not have missed... :)
See y'all next week!
The sixth meeting of the local guitar enthusiasts began with a bit of random exploration and sharing of chording employed in the play...nothing serious was attempted or accomplished, yet it was entertaining and fun... *smile*
Once our esteemed leader made his entrance, however, the humor began in earnest, with the Communications Director (moi) being satirically roasted for the delay in posting last weeks meeting notes. The excuse of being out of town to attend a Hoot (i.e. a Hootenany) of old time American Folk music (with a concommitant description of the entertaining and sometimes ribald eclectic assortment of guitarists in attendance) was only held in minor derision--as the Hoot may have been a fun and educational event (and it was!) but remained a paltry excuse for posting delays.
All such sh*t-giving aside, however, tonight's musical fare was varied and strayed from one style to the next without as much as "how do you do" to the previous style--yet within each song time was taken to talk about the specifics of the chords being used and the notes being played, with everyone joining in trying out the fingering of each of the chords. This was just fabulous! Throughout the entire evening the focus was as much of a workshop as it was a chance to jam a little with a number of very different songs and styles played--an erstwhile rendition of Tom Leher's "National Brotherhood Week" was followed on with a more modern somewhat wide-ranging jazz-ish song by Sunrise that walked through a number of scales and keys without slowing down a bit...even when he slowed it down and stepped in through it still made for some interesting (and difficult) progressions!
This bit of fascinating complexity was followed on by flamenco styled melodies from Rick, with fingerings and strumming styles that baffle the mortal mind (ok, so at least this author's mortal mind was baffled!). Never-you-mind the mythical ability to bend his wrist and to strum/pluck the strings in multiple directions at once, Rick walked us through the process, leaving us all attempting (with only a little success) to replicate his flamenco strumming technique.
During this workshop/jam session extravaganza, a variety of songs were shared, including a new instrumental piece Doug is developing, as well as several alluring original works by Jerry Ledke.
This sort of round robin switching between guitarist, style, song, and technique continued throughout the evening, and with each new song played further discussion on the specific chording and progression techniques followed.
Earlier in the evening we discussed a change in the "featured performer" scheduling, with only the last Wednesday of each month having a featured performer, and the first Wednesday of each month being more focused on sharing songs, techniques, progressions, and other information of interest.
There was a brief discussion of WAGS hosting a house concert at the Inn at Lucky Mud with regional artists and other acts of interest. Look to this web site for postings of such upcoming events!
Overall, the evening was immensely educational and gratifying, providing each person with multiple opportunities to review techniques and styles used by the other guitarists.
While this was a wonderful evening, light on structure, but replete with tips, tricks, techniques, progressions, and yes, even a bit of theory (gasp), we all have the singing strings and vocal stylings of Sunrise Fletcher to look forward to at the end of the month (Sept 27th). See y'all there!
[...this weeks missive starts with apologies for the delay in posting, as life happened (as it so often does) and disrupting the timely update of this journal...]
Another 20% increase in membership greeted the WAGS participants in the fifth bi-monthly meeting...and the growing enjoyment folks are having is keeping step with the growing membership, with each new member bringing additional talent and musical flavors!
The evening began with a brief session exchanging information and insights into playing various guitar styles. One of our members opined a preference for having a jam session after the featured performer's recital...as is commonly the ways of things, the idea (not so formal as a 'motion') was carried by unanimous consent. As a result the featured performance was started early in the evening, with Doug Sheresh providing a bit of background about the musical environment which got him started down the wizened path of folk songs, blues, jazz, and other ne'r do well pastimes.
Our journey through the mildly abstruse musical tangent this evening began with a simple step, a folk-style ballad reflecting the pangs and pains of a new romatic flame that the vagarities of a inconsiderate world was to snuff out without qualm or chance of redemption.
The next few songs displayed the evolution of song writing style, from simpler chording in major keys, and the intertwining of harmonious verses and discordant chorus (or vice versa), to the coalescing of dissonant themes blending chordal conspiracies with reflective vocal tonalities (and the explanations of the songs were about this obscure as well *grin*)
After the featured recital we started a jam session, with all members joining in playing and singing a number of songs, with the melodies well voiced by Kerrie's beautifully resonant tones, and supported with quiet harmonies and counterpoint pieces played on guitar.
Toward the end of the evening, another impromptu vote was held to elect the next poor soul charted with the 'featured performer' responsibility...much to his (faked) chagrin, Sunrise Fletcher was appointed to next fill this illustrious role.
A great time was again had by all--hope to see y'all at the next meeting.
The fourth bi-monthly meeting of the acoustical guitar enthusiasts was a resounding success with a 25% increase in membership and a threefold increase in audience! (*grin*)
After the standard tips, licks, and picks educational time at the beginning, each of the members played a little and talked a bit about the styles they liked to play (with off-the-cuff demonstrations of specific techniques).
One new area of discussion involved exploration of the interplay between the sounds played on the guitar and the vocal sounds produced during singing...there is a coalescing of harmonies, melodies, and dissonances created in the symbiotic interchange between guitar and voice dynamics.
The highlight of the evening was in the fascinating (and educational) recital of tonight's featured performer Rick Nelson. Prior to playing his set, Rick provided a bit of background about the development of flamenco in the Andalusia region of Spain, citing its roots in the interplay of Spanish, Gypsy, Islamic, and Sephardic cultures in existence at the time of the re-conquest of the region during the reign of Queen Isabella in 1492.
Rick explored a set of fandangos--a specific subgenre of flamenco (his strong duende evident in his musical artistry)--and one malagueñas, a free form derivative of the fandango (click here for a glossary of flamenco terms).
Apparently there is a whole history behind which style of playing was developed by which subgroup--and according to other subgroups, it is just not being played the *right* ways (sound familiar? at least no one started wars over it!) Seemingly, back to (& before?) Queen Isabelle, these Spanish guitar playing *traditionalists* were at odds with *activists* that flaunted the not-so-codified rules which led to an unchecked competition of stylistic inventiveness, where guitarists continually tried to outdo the others. Even more disconcerting to the traditionalists were the French Gypsy guitarists that leveraged the Spanish flamenco styles and added a more emphatic delivery to the quieter flamenco of the Spanish....
...or, at least this is what I recall from the stories Rick told as he played a amazing set of songs--any errors in the above representation are solely the responsibility of this author's comprehension and memory--and frankly, I was enchanted and distracted by the music he was playing...the complex fingering of his left hand was only overshadowed by the legerdemain of his right hand... Words (well, at least my words) fail to describe the adroit dexterity he displayed with casual ease...watching and listening to Rick play is just something you have to experience to understand...
The featured performer for the next meeting is Doug Sheresh, who was elected over his (badly feigned) pretense of disinterest, and will include a collection of instrumental and sung original compositions.
Overall everyone had a great time and are looking forward to using the insights and energy gained from the meeting. Local acoustic guitarists are encouraged to come and participate in this evolving eclectic ensemble of genuine gregarious guitarists. [ 7pm on the first and last Wednesday of each month at the Inn at Lucky Mud--See the first post for dates. ]
The third gathering of irreverent mages of music was a resounding success, with a full complement of gregarious guitarists in attendance (a marvelous audience sat in sometimes rapt, and other times bemused, attention).
Tonight's celebration of acoustic guitar featured an exploration of styles, with each member talking a little about their own journey in choosing the type(s) of guitar and style(s) of playing. Each guitarist's description was interspersed with demonstrations of fingering, picking, and strumming used in their favored style(s).
Throughout the evening, the differences in styles presented invited comparison and contrast--for example, some of the styles emphasized melody lines being picked with the thumb (on the low strings) with accompaniment being supplied by the fingers, others focused on melody lines picked with fingers (on the high strings) and the base line accompaniment provided by the thumb, and yet further elaborations were demonstrated bridging both with the melody line played in the mid range.
As the final order of business, in recognition of our shared appreciation and enjoyment of playing acoustic guitar, by unanimous consent the members voted to change the name the Wahkiakum Acoustic Guitars Society (and yes, that is WAGS for short).
All in all it was a very enjoyable and educational evening for all, leaving us looking forward to next week, where our Featured Performer will be Rick Nelson, our illustrious president and fiery flamenco aficionado.
We invite Wahkiakum guitarists to join us in this twice monthly celebration of the acoustic guitar (and of the eclectic set of styles that people that love to play on them).
The first two meetings of the Wahkiakum Guitar Society (WGS) have been a resounding success with a substantial majority of members in attendance at both the June 28th and July 5th gatherings... *grin*
In addition to establishing an initial approach modeled on the Portland Guitar Society, with the first 15-20 minutes being dedicated to exchanging 'tips, picks, and licks', followed by each member have 5-15 minutes to play (depending upon # of members in attendance), and concluding with a featured member's performance (for 30 minutes or so).
Members have universally (*smile*) expressed an interest in developing a group to learn, explore, demonstrate, and exchange guitar styles, methods, information and enthusiasm with like-minded guitar players.
For those new members and those whose memory banks may be a little intermittent...the WGS meets the first and last Wednesday night of each month at 7pm currently at the Inn at Lucky Mud (and many thanks to the wonderful proprieters of the Inn at Lucky Mud for providing space to meet). To make it easy on all of us 'guitar artists' for whom translating first and last Wednesdays to actual dates may not be a native skill, this means that, for 2006, the WGS will be meeting on:
There is an open invitation to all acoustical guitar players to come and share your guitar styles and meet other local guitarists. Hope to see you there.
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