Accent on Music - Guitar Seminar

2005 Accent on Music Guitar Seminar
August 1-7, 2005 - Portland, Oregon

2005 Seminar Wrap Up
By Mark Hanson

The 2005 Accent On Music Fingerstyle Guitar Seminar was a great success. Instructors Tommy Emmanuel and Doug Smith joined me for a great week of picking, teaching, and camaraderie.

The week started with a Monday evening barbecue at Lewis & Clark College, the site of the event. After a pleasant meal in the courtyard of the student union, Tommy, Doug and I presented a mini-concert for the attendees. Tunes in our jam included trios of "Bye Bye Blues" from Les Paul, "Avalon," "Mercy Mercy Mercy," and "Jerry's Breakdown." We each played a solo as well, with Tommy blazing through "Drive Time," Doug playing "August 23rd," and me playing my arrangement of the jazz standard "Angel Eyes."

Tuesday morning the classes began with a group class conducted by Tommy. He talked about time and rhythm being the most important aspect of playing music. He suggested listening to James Taylor and Paul Simon's bands for the greatest grooves - largely because of drummer Steve Gadd.

Then we broke into our small groups for meetings throughout the day with each teacher. I taught my groups how to play my arrangement of Josef Zawinul's "Mercy Mercy Mercy" that Cannonball Adderly originally recorded - later made into a pop hit by the Buckinghams.

Tuesday evening folk/blues artist Mary Flower sang and played her fingerstyle blues for us, and regaled us with funny stories.

"Mark and Doug have set a new standard for duet guitar playing."
Tommy Emmanuel, Aug 6, 2005.

That was Tommy's quote after hearing Doug Smith and me play the first set at our seminar-ending concert in Portland on August 6. Pretty cool! -- Mark

Doug taught the full group class on Wednesday morning, discussing his approach to composing for the guitar. Included were insights into his tunes "Renewal" and "Sunday Sonata" plus how he arrived at his arrangement of "Jingle Bells." It was very instructive about his creative process. During the small classes I taught folks my arrangement of "You Don't Know Me."

Thursday morning I taught the group class. It was a step-by-step introduction to understanding chord substitution. I came up with a new jazzy fingerstyle arrangement of "Blue Moon" as an example of how a tune can progress from a G-Em-Am-D tune to something like Gmaj7-Bm7-Am7-F7(#11)-Em9. It was enlightening for most folks. As on the other days, the small classes provided the students with much insight, and the opportunity to ask individual questions of the three instructors.

The student recitals began on Thursday evening. Many folks prepared for it by taken Greta's performance workshop. We were proud of the folks who put Greta's suggestions into practice. They handled the anxiety of performance quite well!

Doug and I taught our 'tapping' monster tune "Dyerville Giant" from our "Power of Two" CD at the Friday morning group class. That was great fun. Tommy, Doug and I scooted over to KBOO radio at noon on Friday to play live to advertise the Saturday concert. The on-air session was great, with a bit of humor in the middle: Jade, the DJ, asked Tommy if he "liked" Chet Atkins! Tommy was very gracious, saying yes, and that he also appreciates any good player. At that point I described to Jade the Chet Atkins CGP honor that Chet bestowed on only a handful of people during his lifetime, Tommy being one.

Mark Hanson, Tommy Emmanuel and Doug Smith (l-r) - Photo courtesy of Ric Kasanov

Tommy Emmanuel, Mark Hanson and Doug Smith "drove the crowd mild" (as Tommy would joke) at Portland State University's Lincoln Hall on August 6, 2005. The concert was the culmination of the 2005 Accent On Music Guitar Seminar in Portland, Oregon.

Friday afternoon classes were low-key, having crammed heads full of information all week. The day wrapped up the student recital, including many scintillating duets between students and teachers. Everyone had a great time.

Portland jazz guitarist John Stowell presented an educational hour on Saturday morning. His approach to picking includes attaching a flatpick to his index finger that stays attached when he lets go of it with his thumb to pick notes fingerstyle. Then he can grab it again for fast single-note passages with the pick. No one had ever seen anything like it. John worked it to great effect.

The Saturday evening concert was an energetic extravaganza at Lincoln Performance Hall on the campus of Portland State University in downtown Portland. About 450 enthusiastic people - led by the seminarians - filled up the hall.

Doug and I opened the evening with our duo gig. We started with our blazing duet version of Jorma Kaukonen"s "Embryonic Journey." My Irish/Scandinavian jig "Ryan Time (Again)" was next, followed by "Nights in White Satin." Our next tune, "Power of Two" floored Tommy, who had not heard us perform as a duo. He loved the antiphonal sections of the tune where Doug and I play the notes of a passage back and forth. Pretty cool in headphones!

We received a standing ovation after our final tune "Dyerville Giant."

Tommy did his normal mind-boggling set to repeated standing ovations, starting out by "warming up" (more like blowing them away!) the crowd with "Rio" and "Cannonball Rag." He was joined by Lizzie Hawkins for several numbers in the middle of the set. Doug and I joined him for "Avalon," my tune "Key to the Kingdom," and "Jerry's Breakdown" to end the evening.

Mark Hanson - Photo courtesy of Ric Kasanov

During the first set of the August 6 concert in Portland, Mark Hanson and Doug Smith presented duo material from their "Power of Two" CD. Mark and Doug also eached play a solo: Mark playing his solo arrangement of "Angel Eyes." Doug playing his original "Revewal."

Sunday morning Greta and I met the seminarians at their dorm, as they munched on a continental breakfast and waited for their van to take them back to the airport.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that a great time was had by all!

--Mark Hanson
August 21, 2005

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