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The Acoustic Guitar Wire

From Acoustic Guitar Magazine
www.acousticguitar.com

October 2003 Issue 22

This issue is sponsored by www.juststrings.com
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1. Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Wire
2. Last Call for the Inaugural Acoustic Guitar Cruise
3. Elixir Special Offer from www.juststrings.com
4. Guild F-512 Giveaway
5. New at Acoustic Guitar Central
6. Win a Set of Dean Markley Strings
7. News and Notes
8. Brace Yourself?
9. On the Web: Acoustic Connections, KFAT radio, free music
10. Highlights from Upcoming Issues of Acoustic Guitar
11. Special Acoustic Guitar Subscription Offer
12. Great Books from String Letter Publishing
13. Win a Free CD!
14. Job Creation
15. A.G. Wire Archives
16. Contact and Unsubscribe Info

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WELCOME TO THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR WIRE NO. 22

As autumn leaves drift by your window, the editors of
Acoustic Guitar magazine bring you the latest acoustic music
news, special offers, giveaways, helpful tips, and
information about new releases from String Letter Publishing
in this edition of A.G. Wire.

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

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LAST CALL FOR THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR CARIBBEAN CRUISE!

Procrastinators unite! The ship pulls anchor and embarks in
a matter of weeks for the inaugural Acoustic Guitar Cruise,
November 1-8. The Editor and Publisher of Acoustic Guitar
Magazine will be onboard the luxurious Norwegian Wind, along
with fingerstyle guitarist Peppino D'Agostino, A.G.
education editor David Hamburger, Homespun Tapes founder
Happy Traum, and master guitar maker Bob Taylor. You can be
too if you rush on over to
http://www.acousticguitarcruise.com
or call the Cruise Authority, toll-free, at (800) 707-1634.

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ELIXIR SPECIAL OFFER
A special offer from www.juststrings.com

While supplies last, get a terrific deal on ten sets of
Elixir Strings plus a Premium PT1 Intellitouch Tuner for a
bundled price of $135.00 plus $5.95 shipping and 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

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ENTER TO WIN A GUILD F-512 GUITAR

A lucky grand prize winner will soon be strumming and
picking a Guild F-512 jumbo 12-string acoustic guitar.
Boasting solid rosewood back and sides, a solid AAA Sitka
spruce top, an ebony fingerboard detailed with abalone and
mother-of-pearl block position inlays, and Guild's famous G-
shield headstock inlay, the F-512 also features a double
truss rod system, Guild's time-proven jumbo bracing pattern,
and gold Grover Rotomatic tuning machines. With a Fishman
Acoustic Matrix Natural I under-saddle pickup system,
preamp, and deluxe archtop case, the total retail value is
$2,999.00.

The second prize winner will be the proud owner of a Guild
F-50R jumbo acoustic six-string, one of the original Guild
flattops introduced in the 1950s, featuring rosewood back
and sides, "X" bracing pattern, and rosewood bridge. With
the same Fishman pickup system and an archtop case the
package is valued at $2,899.99.

To enter the contest and see the grand prize package, go to
http://www.acousticguitar.com/giveaway2/ag132guildgive/ag132
guildgive.html

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

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

Have you fallen under the lilting sway of Brazilian bossa
nova legends Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, or Luis
Bonfa? Now you can the master the basics of this sensuous
style. Geoff Stewart breaks down the samba-derived form?
rhythm?* and brings you up to tempo in "Bossa Nova Basics"
at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/BossaNova/1.html
Find lots more great lessons at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/lessons.shtml

It's more than a magazine! Authentic Acoustic Guitar apparel
(including caps and shirts) and accessories (travel
tumblers, duffle bags, designer key chain/bottle openers,
and more) are available at the Acoustic Guitar Online Store.
Our Grand Opening Special continues with the offer of a free
key chain with any $30 purchase. Browse, click, and buy at
http://www.acousticguitaronlinestore.com.

These excerpts from the November issue of Acoustic Guitar
magazine--on newsstands now--are available online.
-- Teja Gerken reviews 12 dreadnoughts priced below $1,000
and surveys the new gear previewed at the summer NAMM
convention.
-- Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers interviews singer-songwriter and
guitarist extraordinaire Chris Smither.
-- Duck Baker reviews a new CD of Merle Travis playing
acoustic guitar in concert in 1959.

The November issue also includes reviews of two new books
about 19th century guitar-making pioneer C.F. Martin and his
company's 20th and 21st century special-edition guitars;
words and music to Smither's "Train Home" and Erin McKeown's
"An Innocent Fiction"; Steven Stone's primer on steel
strings and advice on protecting your guitar from theft and
damage; and new lessons on open-string leads and fingerstyle
jazz arranging.
http://www.acousticguitar.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.

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TALK IT UP AND WIN A FREE SET OF DEAN MARKLEY ALCHEMY
STRINGS!

You can always find lively, opinionated, and informative
discussion about guitars, players, and acoustic music at
Guitar Talk, home of the online discussion forums at
Acoustic Guitar Central. Chat about Gear, Players, Playing
guitar, and more, and check up on and post your own events
in the Gigs, Workshops, and Gatherings forum.

And when you register to participate, you 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

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NEWS AND NOTES

Teen phenom Julian Lage and jazz/world fusion
experimentalists Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot provide the
guitar highlights of the San Francisco Jazz Festival,
October 23-November 9. You'll find the full schedule with
venue and ticket information at
http://www.sfjazz.com.

The annual Harp Guitar Gathering takes place November 1-2 in
Williamsburg, Virginia. Register at
http://www.harpguitar.com

Former A.G. editor and current senior writer Jeffrey Pepper
Rodgers’ book 'The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A
Troubadour’s Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording, and
Business' has been published by Backbeat Books. Full of
advice and encouragement for both aspiring troubadours and
those looking to polish their craft and career, Rodgers
draws on interviews (many of which were first published in
Acoustic Guitar) with seasoned artists like Joni Mitchell,
Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, James Taylor, Arlo Guthrie, Richie
Havens, Chrissie Hynde, Jewel, Jerry Garcia, and Ani
DiFranco.
http://www.backbeatbooks.com

A.G. gear editor Teja Gerken has just completed his role as
project coordinator and primary author for a book put out by
German publisher G.C. Carstensen Verlag. Titled 'Akustische
Gitarren,' the volume offers "everything about construction
and history" of all kinds of acoustic guitars, and also
features contributions from A.G. contributors Frank Ford,
Richard Johnston, and Michael Simmons.
http://www.gccarstensen.com

For more news and events, check out our online listings:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag130/happs130.html

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BRACE YOURSELF?

So what do you do with your pinky as your other fingers are
occupied with picking and plucking? That's what A.G. reader
Thomas Ippolito wanted to know when he wrote, "I enjoyed
your article on Tracy Chapman (April 2003). She says she had
to break a lot of bad habits, including using her little
finger as a brace. On the issue’s front cover, lo and
behold, she is doing just that. I do the same. Is this
really a bad habit?"

A.G. gear editor Teja Gerken offers this advice:
Anchoring your little finger on the guitar’s top is one of
those things that really isn’t right or wrong. Many players
do it when fingerpicking (as it looks like Chapman is doing
in the cover photo), and flatpickers sometimes rest their
pinky on the top or pickguard while playing single-note
lines. The advantage is more stability for the picking hand;
the potential drawbacks are restricting picking hand
movement and unintentionally damping the guitar’s sound. In
my own playing, I never rest my pinky on the top while
playing fingerstyle, although I sometimes rest either my
pinky or ring finger on the first string if I’m playing on
the lower strings only, and I often use a pinky anchor when
flatpicking. Experiment for yourself and find the technique
that works best for you, although beginners may want to try
to avoid using any fingers as an anchor.

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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ON THE WEB

If you surf on over to the Bridge Guitar Reviews website you
can easily click your way to Henk te Veldhuis’ updated, no-
frills, links-laden Acoustic Connections and Acoustic Spirit
Portal pages, listing scores of guitar and accessory makers,
record labels, magazines, acoustic guitarists, and more.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~guitars

Northern California roots music fans may fondly remember
KFAT radio, the funky Gilroy station that broadcast a free-
form format of country, blues, old-time, bluegrass,
Hawaiian, and other music (as well as comedy) from 1975 to
1983. Now it’s back for audiences worldwide to enjoy,
streaming on the Internet and billing itself as "the only
dead radio station you can listen to on your computer."
http://www.kfat.com

It's free and it's simple--occasionally updated classical
sheet music (in .pdf files) for classical pieces by the
likes of Puccini, Castellacci, Vyssotsky, and Mertz, plus
carols for the holiday season, all at
http://www.tuscanyguitar.com/tuscany/lagnappe.htm

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 December issue, which hits newsstands November 4, will
include:

-- An interview with fingerstyle wizard Alex de Grassi.

-- A survey of the new wave of New York-based folk-jazz
guitarists including Brandon Ross and Doug Wamble.

-- Profiles of Dobro ace Rob Ickes and luthier Roy Noble.

-- A report from the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, a new song
by Pete Yorn, and much more.

In January we interview classical guitar master David
Russell and folk-blues queen Rory Block, and Charles Vega
updates us all on Spanish luthiers.

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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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

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

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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 Taavi Mote from Sherman Oaks,
California, who sent in this joke that has nothing directly
to do with drummers, bassists, or banjo pickers.

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JOB CREATION

At a recording session of a well-funded, successful
Broadway musical, a studio musician looked around in
amazement as he saw a full orchestra filling the studio to
capacity.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, "this must be putting two keyboard
players out of work!"

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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
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.

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