A couple of emails these past months asked, totally in passing, about whether I might be hosting one (or more) Guitar Noise Seminars this coming year. While in the middle of the book deadlines, I really wasn’t thinking about it, but as the deadlines are being met and will (hopefully) be over by the first part of April, maybe it’s time to be putting some thought into the idea.
As I mention in the January 15 issue of Guitar Noise News, it’s certainly possible to look into scheduling maybe one or two for this spring, say possibly early May or early June.
Since a lot of our readers have been asking about it, I thought a good topic for this year’s seminars might be “playing with others in small groups†and it would make perfect sense for the first seminar (or the first few) look at how to work as part of a guitar duet. We could have the people attending the seminar learn about how to arrange pieces for two guitars. We would take specific songs (brought by the participants) and explore how best to work up a second guitar part that would best befit the second player’s skills and abilities.
Guitar Noise Seminars are usually held at my home in western Massachusetts (about two-and-a-half hours from New York City and two-and-a-half hours from Boston) and probably be on a Saturday, starting around nine-thirty in the morning and lasting until four-thirty and I will be providing lunch for all. If it’s possible (and if the participants are interested), I can try to arrange for a public performance at a local venue for that evening. I’m also still working out the cost, but I’m hoping to have it be around $125 for the day, and that would include lunch and beverages.
If this appeals to you, drop me an email (dhodgeguitar@aol.com) and let me know. I’d prefer to keep the groups small, between five to eight people. If there is enough interest and we can work out when people would like to come, then it’s possible to hold them on several weekends so that we can accommodate as many folks as possible. And if there is enough interest we could also see about having them in the late summer and throughout the fall months.
Plus, and this would take more planning on everyone’s part, if there were enough interest in someone else’s neck of the woods, it might be possible to schedule a seminar somewhere else in the world. We’d have to work out travel arrangements and such, but who knows? With some planning it could certainly be done.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Peace
February 21st, 2010 @ 8:39 pm
re:seminars
Have you ever considered giving seminars on the west coast? Would certainly be interested.
February 21st, 2010 @ 9:01 pm
Hi David
The trick would be having enough people interested. Not to sound mercenary, but I would have to pay for my travel out there plus for the expense of running it. Some of operating costs can certainly be worked out (the last time I held one in Chicago it took place at the home of a former student of mine), so it would probably be a matter of logistics (in terms of schedule) and travel.
This isn’t to say “no,” it’s simply to say, “possibly, but there would be organizational work involved.” Right at the moment, I am in no position to even think about it until I get my desk cleared of the current deadlines.
So let’s keep in touch about it, okay?
Peace