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The Acoustic Guitar Wire

From Acoustic Guitar Magazine
www.acousticguitar.com

August 2003 Issue 20
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1. Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Wire
2. News and Notes
3. New at Acoustic Guitar Central
4. Bridging the Gaps
5. Sail on the Inaugural Acoustic Guitar Cruise
6. Win a Set of Dean Markely Strings
7. On the Web: Zoning in on Bluegrass and Peddling Indie
Songs
8. Highlights from Upcoming Issues of Acoustic Guitar
9. Washburn PR200S Giveaway
10. Special Acoustic Guitar Subscription Offer
11. Great Books from String Letter Publishing
12. Win a Free CD!
13. Gig From Hell
14. A.G. Wire Archives
15. Contact and Unsubscribe Info

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WELCOME TO THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR WIRE NO. 20

Time flies when you're having fun, like adjusting to new
editorial roles, coordinating scintillating new issues of
Acoustic Guitar, and putting together the new volume of Play
Guitar! (coming to a newsstand near you in September).
That's what we've been up to while you've been waiting for
this edition of A.G. Wire, your digitally-delivered update
of the latest acoustic music news, special offers,giveaways,
helpful tips, and previews of new releases from String
Letter Publishing--brought to you by Acoustic Guitar
magazine.

This newsletter is best viewed in 10-point Courier. Our
hyperlinks are formatted to be "hot" in most email programs.
If your software doesn't support click-through linking from
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If you have received a forwarded copy of this newsletter and
would like to subscribe, fill out our online form:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/agwire/entry.html

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NEWS AND NOTES

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will be the featured
performers/instructors at the first Rocky Mountain Guitar
Camp, August 10-16, nestled in Wyoming's Snowy Range
Mountains (30 minutes west of Laramie). Find out about the
music, classes, rustic-gourmet meals, and the Persiad meteor
showers at
http://outreach.uwyo.edu/conferences/guitarcamp

Plunge into the blues at the Summer Delta Workshop in the
Berkshires, August 10-12, at the Race Brook Lodge in
Sheffield, Massachusetts. Catfish Keith will teach
fingerpicked songs in standard and dropped-D tunings and
bottleneck slide fundamentals based on the music of Blind
Willie Johnson, Bukka White, and Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Scott Ainslie will sink a hook into the songs of Robert
Johnson and the Mississippi Delta. For more details go to
http://www.webnash.com

It's fantasy camp for aspiring guitar makers! During the
week of August 11-15, fifteen adults will get the chance to
build three-dimensional models of the guitars of their
dreams, working alongside some of the best acoustic guitar
makers in the world, including Dale Unger of American
Archtop Guitars. It's presented by C.F. Martin and Company,
and takes place at Northampton Community
College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The details can be found
at
http://www.northampton.edu/News/Martin+Guitar+Workshop.htm

Christine Lavin, Ellis Paul, and Bob Franke are among the
instructors at the first annual Indie Pride Song Camp,
August 18-22, at Delta Lake in pastoral Rome, New York,
sponsored by Independent Songwriter Web-Magazine. Find the
registration form and details about workshops, concerts,
networking, and recreation at
http://www.independentsongwriter.com

August 15 is the deadline for sending in CD or cassette
entries for the amateurs-only Open Strings Guitar
Competition. Five finalists will be invited to perform at
the Open Strings Guitar Festival, October 4-5, in Osnabrück,
Germany. The grand prize winner--soloist or group--will have
a CD produced by and released on Acoustic Music Records.
Application details are available at
http://www.open-strings.de

TALK IT UP!
Guitar Talk is the online discussion forum at the Acoustic
Guitar Central website. For the past year or two, folks who
have been meeting in cyberspace to chat have been gathering
to play music together in real time. Read about the events
and post your own in the Gigs, Workshops, and Gatherings
forum of Guitar Talk.
http://www.acousticguitar.com/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi

For more news and events, check out our online listings:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag129/happs129.html

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NEW AT ACOUSTIC GUITAR CENTRAL
http://www.acousticguitar.com

Excerpts from the September issue of Acoustic Guitar
magazine--now on newsstands--are available online. Read
about Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, his long
fruitful career, and his newest CD 'You've Never Seen
Everything.' The September issue also includes profiles of
A.G.'s 2003 Homegrown Award winners: Jessica Papkoff,
Roberto Dalla Vecchia, and the band Dick Smith; eight
cutting-edge fingerstyle guitarists explaining how they
develop their ideas into finished compositions; Andrew
DuBrock reviewing new guitar notation software; a Song Craft
spotlight on alt-country veteran Chuck Prophet; CD and book
reviews; and insights from the pros in the Q&A and What They
Play sections. Find out more at
http://www.acousticguitar.com

The Acoustic Guitar Online Store is open! It offers
clickable shopping for authentic Acoustic Guitar apparel
(including caps and shirts) and accessories (travel
tumblers, duffle bags, designer key chain/bottle openers,
and more). As a Grand Opening Special we're offering a free
ceramic mug with any $30 purchase. Window shop and buy at
http://www.acousticguitaronlinestore.com.

Acoustic Guitar magazine subscribers, now you can take care
of all your subscription needs online. Our website has been
upgraded to include easy access to your account. You can pay
your bill, renew, give a gift, and change your address all
online. And of course, new subscribers can sign up online,
too. Come to http://www.acousticguitar.com/Subs/index.html
and save yourself time and hassle.

Confused by chord names like A7b13#9 or even Dm6? A.G.
education editor David Hamburger breaks them down and makes
them crystal clear in "What chord Names Mean," just one of
the invaluable lessons your can find at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/lessons.shtml

Get more every month when you subscribe to Acoustic Guitar
magazine.
http://www.acousticguitar.com/Subs/index.html
or call toll-free (800) 827-6837.

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BRIDGING THE GAPS

Here's a practice tip from Ben Habert that can help you play
more smoothly through those difficult passages of music. It
comes from the latest fact-filled edition of Q&A, found in
the September issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine:

Difficult passages have a way of "fracturing" a piece of
music. At worst, they keep you from playing it from start to
finish. Isolating and reworking these fractured sections can
glue the piece together, allowing you to eventually master
it. The best exercises are buried in your repertoire. Here’s
how you can turn difficult passages into custom exercises.
First, identify the difficult passages. Draw a star above
the troublesome notes. Then, start your passage a few notes
before the star and end it a few notes after. This gives you
a lead-in and lead-out to join the material on either side.
Second, to make this difficult section solid, break it into
manageable movements. Play the passage with your left hand
only. Removing your right hand lets you focus your attention
on the left. Play the passage several times in this fashion.
Third, weave a sock or polish cloth through the strings
between your right and left hands. This will muffle the
sound. Play the passage with both hands. With muffled
strings, your ear can not judge accuracy. Instead, you will
develop your visual and tactile knowledge. Repeat the
section several times with the strings muffled.
Finally, remove the cloth from the strings and play the
passage a few times. Move your hand position up a fret and
play the section a fret out of position (leave the open
strings open but add a fret to each note). Continue moving
your hand another fret up until you reach the topmost
comfortable position. Then move back down the neck, a fret
lower each time. The result should sound awful, again
forcing your attention to your fingers. Repeat the passage
or passages with these exercises for a few days and then
attempt the entire piece. It should now be glued together,
and you’ll know difficult sections just as well as--or
better than--the easy ones.

For more tips, advice, and answers to questions about
guitars, gear, and history, visit the Q&A section at
http://www.acousticguitar.com

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SAIL ON THE INAUGURAL ACOUSTIC GUITAR CRUISE!

It's not too late to sign up for a relaxing Acoustic
Guitar vacation, November 1-8, 2003. Join the Editor and
Publisher of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and such special
guests as fingerstyle guitarist Peppino D'Agostino, teacher
David Hamburger, Homespun Tapes founder Happy Traum, and
master guitar maker Bob Taylor, onboard the Norwegian Cruise
Line's luxurious Norwegian Wind as it cruises from Miami to
ports of call in the western Caribbean. Mix with fellow
guitar enthusiasts, catch up on your rays, learn some licks,
share some songs, and make some lasting connections.

For more information, visit
http://www.acousticguitarcruise.com
or call the Cruise Authority, toll-free, at (800) 707-1634.

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WIN A FREE SET OF DEAN MARKELY'S NEW ALCHEMY STRINGS!

You can always find lively, opinionated, and informative
discussion about guitars, players, and
acoustic music in the Guitar Talk forums. Register to
participate and automatically get a chance to win a free set
of new Alchemy strings from Dean Markely.

Get the details when you sign up today at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi

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ON THE WEB: ZONING IN ON BLUEGRASS AND PEDDLING INDIE SONGS

The BluegrassZone offers up-to-the-minute roots music news,
CD reviews, playing tips, artist profiles, and loads of Bill
Monroe-related information and merchandise, with more
features (like luthier links) on the way.
http://www.thebluegrasszone.com

SongPeddler allows independent artists to bypass record
labels and reap the proceeds from Internet music downloads.
Consumers can either download single songs (for a fee) or
order custom burned and packaged CDs.
http://www.songpeddler.com

Get more every month when you subscribe to Acoustic Guitar.
http://www.acousticguitar.com/Subs/index.html
or call toll-free (800) 827-6837.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM UPCOMING ISSUES OF ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE

Our October issue hits newsstands September 2. Highlights
include:

-- An in-depth interview with Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey
Buckingham.

-- New directions in Canadian slide guitar, as represented
by Kevin Breit, Don Rooke, and Steve Dawson.

-- Guitar U. Where you can study guitar at the college
level.

-- Plus, how to sell your CDs online and how to play
Reverend Gary Davis' "He Stole Away."

In November Teja Gerken reviews solid-top guitars in the
$600-$1,000 range and reveals the coolest gear from the
summer NAMM convention. Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers interviews
Chris Smither.

Don't miss out on any of these great features! Subscribe to
Acoustic Guitar today. Sign up online at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/Subs/index.html
or call toll-free (800) 827-6837.

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ENTER TO WIN A WASHBURN PR200S GUITAR

A lucky grand prize winner will be picking and strumming a
WASHBURN PR200S, the top of the line of Washburn's Prairie
State series, built with a solid cedar top, rosewood back
and sides, mahogany neck, and rosewood fingerboard, plus a
GC65A guitar case and two sets of Vinci Long Play polymer-
coated 864 light strings, worth $1,689.70. Other prizes
include a Washburn J28S12DL 12-string, a Washburn EA 18
acoustic-electric guitar, and a Washburn Rover travel
guitar. To enter the contest and see the grand prize
package, go to
http://www.acousticguitar.com/giveaway2/ag129_washburn/ag129
washburngive.html

To meet some of our previous giveaway winners, go to
http://acousticguitar.com/giveaway2/winners/index.html

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SUBSCRIBE TO ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Would you like to preview a complimentary issue of Acoustic
Guitar? To send for your FREE TRIAL ISSUE, just click the
link below. If you like it and decide to continue, pay just
$19.95 for eight issues and save 50% off the cover price. If
for any reason you decide not to continue, simply write
"Cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing. The FREE TRIAL
ISSUE is yours to keep, no matter what.

Subscribe now!
http://www.acousticguitar.com/Subs/index.html

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NOW AVAILABLE FROM STRING LETTER PUBLISHING

Peter Penhallow's CHILDREN'S SONGS FOR BEGINNING GUITAR

A supplement to the Acoustic Guitar Method, this terrific
book/CD pack teaches 15 beloved children's tunes, including
"Frog Went A-Courtin'," "Hop Along Peter," "I've Been
Working on the Railroad," "Midnight Special," "Oh! Susanna,"
and more. On the enclosed CD, Penhallow (String Letter
Publishing's stalwart office manager) plays each song twice,
once slowly and once up to tempo. Check it out at
http://www.stringletter.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=12

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WIN A FREE CD!

Humor us--and win! We're giving away a free CD of acoustic
guitar music to the contributor of the best music joke or
gig story each month. To enter, simply send your favorite
music joke or anecdote about a gig from hell to
mailto:jokes@stringletter.com. Be sure to include a mailing
address in case you win. We'll award a new prize with each
edition.

This month's winner is Tom Payton from Lafayette, Indiana,
who sent us this "gig from hell" story.

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In the late '70s I was booked to play a coffeehouse in
suburban Chicago. This was a place I had been many
times before, and I was quite surprised to find a much
larger crowd than usual on this particular night.
Imagine my surprise when I was introduced and a number
of people began leaving before I played a single note.
It seems the Illinois Entertainer magazine had
mispelled my name by one letter in the coffehouse's
performer listing. My name: Tom Payton. Their listing:
Tom Paxton. This was a real downer for me and I
suppose for the people who thought they were going to
see Tom Paxton. Yes, it was a downer, and it happened
in the suburb called Downers Grove.

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Back issues of the A.G. Wire are available online at:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/wire_archive/index.shtml

To subscribe to the A.G. Wire, go to
http://www.acousticguitar.com/wire_archive/index.shtml

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Send news, comments, and requests:
mailto:agwire@stringletter.com
Copyright (c) 2003 String Letter Publishing. All Rights
Reserved. You are welcome to forward this email to your
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or medium without express written permission of String
Letter Publishing is prohibited. Acoustic Guitar Wire and
the respective logos are trademarks of String Letter
Publishing.

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