School's Out (& In)

Remember how you felt as a kid when school was about to adjourn for the summer? What was the last thing you anticipated that filled you with that intensity of delight?

Next Monday I'm headed for a week long guitar camp in upstate New York led by the amazing Robben Ford. And unlike the National Guitar Workshop experience I had in 2001 - while still working full time - because my time has been my own for the last six and a half years, my confidence about my playing is at an all time high. Also, a goal I announced here on the day before my 62nd birthday - getting my solo jazz guitar repertoire up to three hundred songs - is now over 2/3 complete. So in addition to feeling confident, I'm feeling more prepared than I did in 2001, thanks to almost five years of focused concentration living inside these timeless songs.

Being guided by Robben Ford, having my guitar in my hands for five straight days, being around so many other guitarists - many of whom, I'm certain, will be awesome - I'm vibrating, not unlike how I felt as the end of June approached during childhood. Though I'm taking my laptop, the jam sessions, the nighttime concerts, and the ad hoc interactions with other guitarists will take priority over blogging. If I do publish any posts next week, be prepared for unadulterated gushing. Now, cue the Alice Cooper.