~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Acoustic Guitar Wire

From Acoustic Guitar Magazine
www.acousticguitar.com

September 2003 Issue 21
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Wire
2. News and Notes
3. New at Acoustic Guitar Central
4. Elixer Special Offer
5. Strummer Bummer Resolved
6. Sail on the Inaugural Acoustic Guitar Cruise
7. Win a Set of Dean Markley Strings
8. On the Web: Selling Your CD Online
9. Highlights from Upcoming Issues of Acoustic Guitar
10. Washburn PR200S Giveaway
11. Special Acoustic Guitar Subscription Offer
12. Great Books from String Letter Publishing
13. Win a Free CD!
14. Gig From Hell
15. A.G. Wire Archives
16. Contact and Unsubscribe Info

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WELCOME TO THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR WIRE NO. 21

Summer's on the wane but we're not. In addition to putting
together the latest issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine and a
new volume of Play Guitar! (on newsstands September 16),
your stalwart editors have been staving off the dog days by
rounding up the latest acoustic music news, special offers,
giveaways, helpful tips, and information about new releases
from String Letter Publishing for this edition of A.G. Wire,
the digitally-delivered newsletter 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
email, just cut and paste the URLs into your Web browser.
Please note: some email programs have problems reading URLs
that wrap onto a second line. You may have to cut and paste
the wrapped portion of the URL into your Web browser in
order for the URL to work properly.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEWS AND NOTES

The 4th Annual Great Midwest Guitar Show takes place
September 26-28 at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis,
Missouri. In addition to the guitar exhibit, workshops, and
jams, guitarists Larry Coryell and Leo Kottke will perform
in concert. For details go to:
http://www.sheldonconcerthall.org

IBMA's World of Bluegrass week takes place September 29-
October 5 in Louisville, Kentucky. Highlights include the
annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, a fan fest, and
performances by Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Doyle Lawson
and Quicksilver, J.D. Crowe and the New South, and scores
more. For more information go to:
http://www.ibma.org

The Second Annual Puget Sound Stringed Instrument Exhibit
fills up Renton Technical College, October 4-5. Builders from the Pacific
Northwest states as well as British Columbia will display
their guitars, mandolins, violins, and other stringed
instruments. For further information check out the sponsor's
website:
http://www.seattleluthiers.org.

'Heartworn Highways,' director James Szalapski's previously
hard-to-find 1975 documentary tracking such then relatively
obscure Nashville outsiders as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt,
Rodney Crowell, and Steve Earle, has been re-edited,
remastered, and reissued on DVD by Catfish Entertainment:
http://www.navarre.com

Get in touch with your inner Bill Monroe with bluegrass
veteran Peter Rowan's new instructional DVD and video, 'Lead
Singing and Rhythm Guitar: Finding Your Bluegrass Voice':
http://www.homespuntapes.com

The deadline for submissions to the John Lennon Songwriting
Contest is September 28. At stake is more than $225,000 in
prizes going to 120 winners in twelve musical categories.
The winners will be announced at NAMM Summer Session, 2004.
The site for more information is:
http://www.jlsc.com/

TALK AMONG YOURSELVES!

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/ag130/happs130.html

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

Excerpts from the October issue of Acoustic Guitar
magazine--on newsstands now--are available online. In the
Q&A-based cover story by Paul Zollo, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey
Buckingham talks about his solo career, his guitar playing,
and his never-say-die, platinum-gilded band's latest album
'Say You Will.'

The October issue also includes David Hamburger's feature on
new directions in slide guitar as represented by Canadian
musicians Kevin Breit, Don Rooke, and Steve Dawson, and an
in-depth look at college-level guitar courses. As always,
there's plenty of music to learn, including F-Mac's
"Peacekeeper" and Reverend Gary Davis' "He Stole Away," plus
Private Lessons on playing basic fingerstyle bossa nova and
crafting your first solos. You can also check out some
exotic vintage stencil-painted guitars, read the latest
gear, DVD, CD, and book reviews, and glean insights from the
pros in the Q&A and What They Play sections. As soon as
you're done with this, click on over to
http://www.acousticguitar.com

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 his two-part "What chord Names Mean,"
just one of the invaluable lessons your can find at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/lessons.shtml

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 personal 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. Save yourself time and hassle by coming on
over to http://www.acousticguitar.com/Subs/index.html

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ELIXIR SPECIAL OFFER

While supplies last, get a terrific deal on 10 sets of
Elixir Strings plus a Premium PT1 Intellitouch Tuner for a
bundled price of $135.00 plus $5.95 shipping & handling
(USA). You can mix and match six-string acoustic guitar,
resonator guitar, electric guitar, banjo, and mandolin sets.
Elixir Strings and Intellitouch PT1 Tuners were both winners
of the prestigious Acoustic Guitar Magazine "Players Choice
Awards." List price on the tuner alone is $69.95. You'll get
10 Elixir sets plus an Intellitouch PT1 Tuner for only
$135.00!
http://www.juststrings.com/specials.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STRUMMER BUMMER RESOLVED

Ever get tangled up in tablature? Acoustic Guitar reader
Albert Fantozzi did when he was working on the A.G.
transcription of Doc Watson's arrangement of "Rolling in My
Sweet Baby's Arms" (June). So he asked: "Does an up arrow
indicate an upstroke or does it mean strum from the bass
strings to the treble strings, and what do I strum--the most
recent chord listed above the staff or the most recent set
of notes played?" And here's how A.G. music editor Andrew
DuBrock responded:

The reason those strum arrows are confusing is because music
notation and tablature have the high notes on top while the
higher strings on the guitar are on the bottom (closer to
the floor). Those arrows pointing up are actually referring
to downstrokes; they're pointing from the lower strings to
the higher strings, but the motion of strumming from the
lower strings to the higher strings is a downstroke. Simply
put, an up arrow is a downstroke, and a down arrow is an
upstroke. Yup, it's wacky.

As a general rule, any strums indicated after a tabbed-out
chord refer to that chord; when the chord changes, I will
tab out the new chord. I prefer to lay it out this way
because when every strum is tabbed out, the transcription
looks confusing and readers can get hung up on exactly which
strings to strike. My approach to tab allows you to focus on
the chords and rhythms rather than worry about hitting the
precise middle three strings of a particular chord.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CRUISE THE CARIBBEAN WITH ACOUSTIC GUITAR!

The gangplank's still down and there's time to board the
inaugural Acoustic Guitar Cruise, November 1-8. Join the
Editor and Publisher of Acoustic Guitar Magazine and such
special guests as fingerstyle guitarist Peppino D'Agostino,
A.G. education editor David Hamburger, Homespun Tapes
founder Happy Traum,
and master guitar maker Bob Taylor for a relaxing week
onboard the luxurious Norwegian Wind. Hang with fellow
guitar
enthusiasts, learn new licks, share favorite songs, and
forge
lasting friendships while cruising from Miami to ports
of call in the western Caribbean.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WIN A FREE SET OF DEAN MARKLEY'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 Markley.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ON THE WEB: SELLING YOUR CD ONLINE

More and more independent musicians are reaping the benefits
of e-commerce without having to set up their own websites.
They're tapping such online resources as Amazon.com
(http://www.amazon.com), CD Baby (http://www.cdbaby.com),
CDStreet (http://www.cdstreet.com) and Planet CD
(http://www.planetcd.com). These businesses allow you to
take
advantage of their Web expertise and back-office business
support so you still have time to focus on your music. Their
membership and setup fees vary greatly, as do the degrees to
which you can personalize your online presence. In the
October issue of Acoustic Guitar, Russell Letson lays out
the differences between these four Web retailers and
explores the ramifications of Internet marketing. It's all
in his On the Web article "Shop Around: Choosing an online
store to sell your CDs."

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HIGHLIGHTS FROM UPCOMING ISSUES OF ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE

Our November issue, which hits newsstands October 7, will
include:

-- A review of a dozen impressive dreadnoughts priced below
$1,000.

-- An in-depth interview with bluesy songwriter Chris
Smither.

-- A profile of fingerstyle guitarist Michael Gulezian,
reviews of new books about C.F. Martin and his guitars,
music from songwriter Erin McKeown, and advice on how to
protect your guitars from theft and damage.

In December we interview fingerstyle master Alex de Grassi,
survey the burgeoning New York folk-jazz scene, and profile
Blue Highway's prolific Dobro picker Rob Ickes.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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. It's built with a solid cedar top, rosewood
back and sides, mahogany neck, and rosewood fingerboard. The
grand prize also includes a GC65A guitar case and two sets
of Vinci Long Play polymer-coated 864 light strings, for a
total value of $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/ag129washburngive.html

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW AVAILABLE FROM STRING LETTER PUBLISHING

The Acoustic Guitar Method Chord Book, by David Hamburger.

A.G.'s education editor has fashioned a must-have resource
for guitarists seeking to bolster their chord vocabulary.
This supplementary chord book for the Acoustic Guitar Method
series starts with a user-friendly explanation of what
chords are and how they are named, then presents chords in
all 12 keys, offering both open-position and closed-position
voicings for each common chord type. It also includes info
on barre chords, using a capo, and much more. Check it out
at
http://www.stringletter.com/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=14

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 may have to put new
filters on our email inbox because we're getting spammed
with drummer-pounding and banjoist-bashing humor.) We'll award a
new prize with each edition.

That said, this month's winner is John Porter from Bristol,
England, who sent us this "gig from hell" story with its own
drummer-joke subplot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This happened to my band Big Girls Blues. We were playing at
a small venue in Bristol and had to set up right back in the
corner of the room. There was no stage. The place was packed
and we had no chance of moving until the gig was over. As
you know, all drummers are mad, and our drummer got so
animated, arms flailing, head banging, etc., he fell off the
back of his stool and out into the street through the fire
exit door, which then swung back shut. He could not get back
through the door, so he went around to the front entrance,
but the doorman, not believing his story, would not let him
in; as he said, "You can't be with the band, I can hear them
playing." We had to play the last hour without drums, what a
nightmare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
friends. Other reproduction in whole or in part in any form
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~