For those of you who just attended your first IGS, I'd be obliged if y'all could complete the following:

1. If I had it to do all over again, I'd have...

Brought something (second guitar? extra mini-disks? batteries? toothpaste?)

Stayed up later? Went to bed earlier? Signed up for a bunch of different instructors? Stuck with the same teacher the whole week?

Bring plenty of mini-disks, tapes, and batteries. Charge up every night. Earplugs are recommended. You never know when you might want to catch 40 winks, and jams can happen anywhere. (Snoring too!)

I limited myself to 3 guitars, which was about right. 1 dreadnought - 1 reso - 1 parlor. (The parlor was great when I didn't want to lug the heavy lumber.) Pack plenty of strings.

Best advice - just be there. Spread out. Soak up everything you can. Keep an ear and ear open for 'magic moments.' Challenge yourself. Turn off any 'self-conciousness,' or as Bob calls it, your 'give a shitter.' Don't be shy or afraid to make mistakes. Everyone at IGS is with you. You're in for a real experience. Enjoy yourself!

Also, there are so many great answers to so many different kinds of questions available I have taken to noting down my questions and confusions as I go along during the year: including guitar choices, string choices and guages, compositional ideas, PA systems, pickups, artists styles, particular songs, tunings, etc. etc. A lot of these are answered on the forum, but many need a direct demonstration - I particularly remember Martin Simpson showing me some of the secrets of Blind Willie Johnson's playing. This year I decided to learn some Barbecue Bob tunes and Woody Mann directed me to Kyle to teach me Yo-Yo blues directly.

[This message has been edited by Adrian Freed (edited 08-07-2001).]

Assume that you will play in the student concert regardless of skill level. No one will force you but it's one of the great experiences you can have there. Really try to decide what you will do and if you want to play with other students or teachers.

It tends to be high anxiety yet fun distraction/attraction for me and knowing what you want to do ahead of time is a big help. Why? Becuase you will get tired from a tremendous amount of input even if you get enough sleep (you won't) and being tired/exhausted makes it much harder to make decisions. What do I want to play? With who? Should I practice for it now or go to this other class or jam or sleep or etc..

Like Bobbie I promise myself that next year I will arrive preprared! So far I'm 0 for 2.

David

Another item I was very happy with is the gig bag (soft shell case) I bought for my guitars. I have high quality hard shell cases but for the travel between your bedroom and classes, etc. It's nice to not lug the extra weight of the case while still keeping your guitar protected.

1. I had never played guitar in public, but figured that IGS would be the most receptive audience. It was.

2. I played a song that I knew all the lyrics to (I brought some pages of lyrics with me to IGS, just in case I wanted to do something different). I had Orville Johnson back me up, because I knew I couldn't sing and play at the same time. I played the solo and some fills - and Orville's accompaniment made me sound ten times better than I would have otherwise.

3. Because I knew the song, Orville and I only had to run through it once or twice before the performance (another advantage of having a professional providing support).

4. I brought an OLD (1993) minidisc recorder with poor battery life and stereo-only recording (74 minutes max). I should have popped for a new one.

5. I do listen to my minidiscs on an occasional basis - I'm glad I went through the trouble to record them.

6. The most enjoyable after-hours jam sessions involved three or more people - it seems more collaborative to me than two. So grab a couple people and play.

7. Earplugs were helpful.