Bobs theory that ‘insatiable curiosity is the fountain of youth’ is true! I’ve been tapping into my own curiosity and those dizzy spells are starting to go away. Also I think my eyesight is improving.

I was familiar with most of the chords and voicings from Bob’s afternoon class, but the rhythmic ideas boggled my mind. I’ve started working my way thru a book called “A Rhythmic Vocabulary.” It’s a method book that guides one thru Afro-Cuban rhythms based on 3 and 4, and eventually gets into 3 over 4. Then there’s a book called “African Rhythm and African Sensibility” by John Chernoff. I dying to read that but I’ve promised myself to finish the other book first. I’ve been using Bob’s strum and slap technique and I plan to build upon it. I’ll be going back to his videos when I find time, especially his Caribbean Guitar video. Thanks Bob, for the heavy inspiration.

Thanks to Woody’s morning class, I can now play steady versions of a few Rev. Davis tunes. I’m starting to think about variations. From his class I learned to think of the bass and melody as two separate animals. My listening to the music of RGD and Joseph Spence is on a new level. So, not only am I learning from Woody himself, but also from the masters who came before. Thanks Woody for opening doors and being such a strong spirit.

I can play all of the songs from Woodys morning class but have not yet memorized them all. That will be my next step. I have analysed all of the songs and realize that each one has certain techniques that are needed to play acoustic blues. This really shows how great of a teacher Woody is. He makes each new technique simple and fun.

I regret to say that what I learned in Martins class has yet to be applied. I haven't been writing as many songs lately but when I get back to it I know that I will use his song writing techniques. I also don't play out of standard tuning that often but the Malagasy tune I learned is in open g so that is a start. I have played in open tunings in the past but just figured out what sounded good without analysing it musically so that I know what I am doing. Maybe a few Zepplin pieces in the as well. Actually one of Martins ideas is being applied now. Martin believes that style is a limitation. He's right. I now play many styles and guitars during the same practice session.

I am still taking flamenco lessons. This is really helping to improve my right and left hand techniques. Some of the pieces I attempt are simply impossible to play. But somehow I manage to work them out over a few weeks time and make them sound pretty good. My rasgeudo is sounding good, my tapping, tremelo, accents, and right hand thumb techniques are improving. Best of all I sound like a spainard!

I am teaching guitar as well. I have a new jazz student tonight. This has been something I have always avoided in the past. Because I have been too busy thinking about what "I" want to learn and maybe didn't feel that I had what it took to teach somebody to do what we do. I am really enjoying it now. I teach electric blues, rock, r&b, soul and jazz. Basically "pop" guitar. It helps me to continue to play different styles, is quite rewarding, and pays for my car!

To top all of this off my bed time reading is Mark Levins "The Jazz Theory Book". I recommend it if you want to learn jazz and blues theory. It is a little dry but what the heck.

I had set a goal to do some open mics by years end and I may make it yet. I need to start playing out more but I am in the middle of a huge change in style and technique so my song list is a little sparse. I want to do solo gigs so the list of songs that I played with bands needs to be relearned and I refuse to play in the acousitic folk style so basically I have alot of work to do to reach the ultimate goal of being just like Bob. He's my idol. I love you Bob and can't wait to see you again! ;-)

Seriously though I only recommend this regement to the completely obsessed or the broken hearted.

I've been practicing 1-3 hrs after work every night that I'm not playing a gig. The one Hawaiian workshop, and a short lesson with Orville inspired me to aquire a 1928 style 2 tricone squareneck and Bob's Hawaiian video (and all the old Hawaiian albumns I could find), and play! I alternate between the lap steel, and my regular tricone. Trying to work up enough repetoire to carry a 2-3 hr gig with some variety. Fingerstyle blues, jazz, calypsos...lap steel Hawaiian, and blues, and some country (just to be annoying!). So much to learn...so little time to play (darn day job gets in the way!).

I had no idea what to expect and I came home with a burning desire to play what I heard all week from teachers and students. Not just the techniques, but the tunes. Then throw in open tunings, slide, double thumbing. I knew I'd have some work to do back home!

Since IGS, I have found a routine that allows me to make steady progress, even with my hectic life. I have two little ones, 2 dogs, a house, etc... At first I got up at 6am and played for an hour, but as the weeks went past I just needed more. Now I get up at 5am every day, even weekends, and I play and write for about 3 hours before I have to work. I've also added a Martin backpacker to my file cabinet at work and I play it when I can.

I've also had the great fortune of being able to continue taking lessons with Woody and everytime I meet with him I am inspired by his beautiful music and total harmony with the instrument. I feel like I am making great strides in playing and writing and I am certainly enjoying the ride!!

I usually do my playing late at night after the kids get to bed and after I calm down. I'm sure the brain works better in the morning though.

After IGS my playing changed in that I got my slide over from my third to my fourth finger and my guitar spends more time balanced on my left leg rather than sitting on my right leg.

Most of my guitars are now tuned to open C most of the time.
Most of the guitars in the guitar shops in Freiburg have also been tuned to open C.
What a sweet tuning. It is easy to play in C minor as well.

When I go busking now I "Play like I just don't give a damm." a la Bob Brozmann.
It realy works. I play sitting down and start off with a Charlie Patton pattern.
Well, not a Charlie Patton pattern, um rather the Charlie Patton pattern that I
got from Bob Brozmann. Then into a sort of bluesie/reggae a la Corey Harris for a couple of
dozen bars or longer,-- Bang change to Tango in C minor. I got the chords from Paul Shneyer
who got them in one of Bob's afternoon class as a Calypso progression and I bent the
Timbre & the key around to suit my needs/ends and all that with unexpected turnarounds
thrown in here and there.

If someone stops who looks as if he might like jazz
I can throw in that tune that most people
think was written by an Erronious Monk. Play it through once on the top two strings only
& repeat with full bass and a very nice drop indeed is on its way.

I'm trying to get clean hokum groove going with the slide in open C but ai ain't got it yet.
Then a quick retune to G and an all blues/slide don't give a damm trip around the fingerboard.

That fills 30 minutes or so.
Encore ? Why not ! "Nobody knows you when you're down and out"
I'm not joking. In open G tuning but played in C from the 5th fret.
It's the first thing that I taught myself with the slide.

We are not allowed to play longer that 30 minutes in one place in Freiburg.
And then that between 11.00 & 12.00 in the morning & 16.30 - 18.00 in the evening.

I have a bit of trouble remembering how I played before IGS New York !

As for Bob's afternoon material, I've gone through the tapes many times. I have been playing around with the rhythm ideas that we learned, but was kind of stuck with where to go next. I look forward to checking out the books you refer to in your posting, Kurt. Fortunately there's a lot of material on the tapes so I have more to work on, particularly the swing progressions.

I came home from IGS totally inspired and ran into a couple of brick walls: 1) my life, where a flurry of job stress and the stress of moving really put a crimp in my guitar playing, and 2) the resistance of my band mates to my flurry of new ideas.

You see, I play bass in a startup classic-rock cover band. I had no experience when I joined (on guitar), and it seemed like the right thing at the time. Now, I wanted to try polyrhythms and calypso and endless hot blues jams, and they just weren't into it.

I reached a compromise with them and myself, because they're a good bunch (and six hours a week on bass is GREAT exercise). Most of our rehearsals I'm with the program of polishing the chestnuts we do (oh yes, Mustang Sally and Kansas City and Love Potion Number 9 and countless other bar-band staples), and one rehearsal a month I get to run things. I'm going to play them the "deconstructed jam session" tape and bend their heads a little, see if I can channel some Brozmaniac energy into our little combo.

on other fronts, I've taken three songs from Woody's morning class (Oh Glory, Sally, Weeping Willow) and am working through them every time I practice. I'm now back to playing at least a few minutes a day, and I'm trying to get unconscious and muscle-memorized on them so I can start playing around with them like Woody says. I'm making good progress. I also play a couple of the Brozman ideas every time (Lazy Blues, the Calypsos, the swing jazz stuff, the Patton "deep water" riff. Once that's up to speed I'm going to grab my Martin Simpson "Smoke and Mirrors" book (I've already worn thin the CD) and, uh, "borrow" some ideas.

I'm going to take Martin's class next year, I think, because songwriting is a direction I really want to go in. I'm going to push myself to have an original to play in the student concert next year. Ooops, now I've said it, that means I have to do it.

I didn't quite realize, when we started camp, how strong the philosophical ideas would permeate our whole community. What a fun, open-minded, SMART bunch of folks you all are. For me, a very gratifying moment was watching the jams which took place after the deconstructed jams. It was so rewarding to see the rapid diffusion of our simple ideas about jamming methods and manners--which boil down to this simple formula:

LISTENING + RESPECT + be NICE + PLAY PARTS - EGO = GOOD MUSIC, FUN, AND FELLOWSHIP!

And so now when I give workshops around the world, i am not shy about promoting this type of attitude in between the notes and beats!
So thanks to you all. Woody and I dreamed of doing a guitar camp in our own way, by musicians for musicians, and are really happy with the way our community has shaped up to be thus far. Next year will be even better.