You might have noticed that my posting has been extremely light these past few weeks. 

Here are my excuses;

1.  Family –Getting the mom and dad moved/settled into their new digs a few doors down from my house.  Plus lots of relatives visiting = too much activity around the house! 

2.  Piano Boot Camp –Every summer we have a weeklong piano daycamp for beginning to advancing players from elementary to high school grades.  I’m doing the late intermediate coaching this year and we’re doing jazz/blues pieces.  It’s funny how these students learn to depend on printed music so much that they recoil in terror when anyone says “improvise”.     On second thought,  it’s actually sad.

3.  Footloose is the summer musical and I’m playing 2nd guitar.  Actually, I should be playing 2nd guitar, but the changes come so fast that I’m playing the part on a synthesizer.  In fact, we’re using 4 synths in the show because:

a.  The instrument changes come so fast that it’s impossible to make the changes without some sort of Variax-style guitar that lets you switch from electric to acoustic to banjo in a matter of seconds.

b.  We didn’t have students with the sightreading chops to handle the book, even if they did own the instruments.   I could play 90% of it, but when the key goes to F# major, (and it does), I crash and burn like the aspiring amateur guitarist that I am.  That’s something I don’t feel comfortable doing in public anymore.  Hey,  –at least it pays the bills.  I’m not too proud to take a shortcut here or there!

So, that’s the news here… how’s life at your end of the world?