The fun begins at home as you choose the proper venue
for your summer music adventure. These online listings include
over 100 different summer study programs for the eager guitarist, so
finding the right one shouldn’t be too tough. Each camp has a unique
philosophy and each facility a different atmosphere, so you need to
define your musical and recreational goals in advance. The workshop
listings, which start below, are divided into those devoted to playing
and those devoted to building and repair, and cross-referenced by regional
location.
Some programs are run like boot camps for pickers, with
schedules full to bursting and little or no free time. Others offer
a more leisurely pace, with ample time for informal jamming, ad hoc
workshops, and napping. Experienced players—and those looking for
more of a vacation—might enjoy the latter, less structured environment
more than novices or those shy about initiating new musical interactions.
There are camps dedicated to virtually any musical idiom
you can imagine: classical, blues, bluegrass, songwriting, Celtic, Balkan,
Brazilian. If your tastes tend to run to a specific style, this type
of special-interest camp might be just the ticket. If your interests
are more catholic, one of the broader programs might be more fun.
Be clear about whether the camp offers instruction for
a variety of instruments or just guitar. You might want to consider
a camp at which the guitar is part of a larger mosaic of musical styles
and influences. At such venues you will encounter loads of intriguing
sessions, less competition from other guitarists, and unparalleled opportunities
to learn about the guitar in new contexts.
Once you’ve chosen your camp and sent in your deposit
to ensure your registration (many camps sell out quickly), some early
preparation will help you make the most of your experience. If you are
a bit rusty, play your guitar for a few minutes every day starting a
month or more before camp begins. Blisters have a decidedly dulling
effect on one’s appetite to make music, so an easy regimen of short
but frequent picking sessions will get your calluses in shape for summer.
Several weeks before you depart, make sure that your ax
is in good repair. Some camps have on-site luthiers, but their resources
are limited, and you don’t want to squander valuable picking time waiting
to get your guitar back. That buzzing B string might be easy to ignore
at home, but it will be a real irritant when you are playing your guitar
all day long for a week. At the very least, change your strings.
Packing for music camp can be tricky. Some folks seem
comfortable arriving with nothing more than their guitar, the clothes
on their back, and a change of strings. Others stuff all the comforts
of home into a camper van. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy insists
that the towel is the critical tool for the savvy traveler. I’d second
that opinion, but I’d add two other essentials: a bag of earplugs and
an electronic tuner. The universal irritant at every camp I’ve attended
is noise pollution. Earplugs can do wonders for shutting out that impassioned
"Rocky Top" at 3 a.m., and they will help reduce the roar
of late-night snorfeling from the next bunk, too. Tuning by ear is a
great skill to develop, but with hundreds of guitar strings drifting
sharp and flat all week, the electronic arbitration of a tuning machine
works wonders. Also remember to pack some spare strings, a week’s supply
of your preferred picks, a capo, strap, footstool, and other necessities.
You might also need some clothes, bedding, and camping gear. Facilities
and amenities vary tremendously, so heed the camp’s list of suggested
things to bring.
If you play other instruments, bring them along too, no
matter what the program. A mandolin or bass is almost always a welcome
addition to a song circle with a dozen guitars strumming away. Check
with the program directors before packing your Strat, however. Some
camps have a very strict "no electric instruments" policy.
A good tape recorder is a handy tool in most music classes,
and class tapes can help you remember lessons later in the year. Some
workshops even offer the opportunity to make priceless recordings of
living masters. But don’t let your taping get in the way of learning
"in the moment." When something is happening before your eyes,
ears, and fingers, there is no substitute for paying attention.
The first day of camp typically involves choosing your
curriculum for the week. The instructors will demonstrate their subject
matter and flash their chops a bit, and you will probably have an opportunity
to chat with them about the course material, difficulty level, and so
forth. Keep an open mind when picking classes. Schedule conflicts, changes
in workshop topics, and last-minute shifts in faculty might present
opportunities to learn something completely new and unexpected.
If your program offers instruction in a variety of instruments,
consider the possibilities of crossing boundaries with or without your
instrument. Unless your specific aim is to improve your guitar technique,
you can often learn a lot by taking a class beyond the pale of the familiar
six-string. I learned more about music in a marimba workshop one summer
than I ever did studying guitar, and one of my best students in a mandolin
class was playing the Irish harp. In my guitar classes, students often
take the opportunity to experiment on the bass or bouzouki for a week,
and I like to encourage that kind of cross-fertilization.
With no camp counselors enforcing lights out and running
bed checks, it’s easy to burn the candle at both ends and then gnaw
it right in two with classes all day and jamming all night. Pay attention
to your body and your emotional state, and don’t worry if sometime midweek
you decide that you hate music and that you want to burn your guitar
and move back in with your mother. This side effect of "too much
fun" will pass, and soon you will enter a kind of euphoria where
you want to stay at camp forever, feel compelled to hug everyone you
meet, and make extravagant vows to learn every song, tune, and lick
you heard all week. This too will pass, although officemates and family
members will undoubtedly tire of your camp high long before it wears
off.
Excerpted
from
Acoustic Guitar
magazine, April 2000, No. 88.
Read
Only
at Camp, a dozen tales of fun and adventure.
