End Quote: Partial to Guitar

I love the subtlety and tonal range
of the acoustic guitar.
~ Dan Fogelberg

My chronicle begins before I was even born . . .

On my parents’ first date, 50 years ago, my dad took my mom to hear Andres Segovia in concert in New Orleans. Though my parents’ love for music was evident in their filling our home with both recorded and live expressions, I wasn’t drawn to the sound of the guitar until my high school years.

At that point it would be hard to say whether or not it was the guitar or the guitarist that first attracted me. I seemed to gravitate toward guys who played well. The ideal date? Give me strings! Acoustic, please.

Enter classical guitar. My junior or senior year in college, I had the privilege of hearing Julian Bream live at the university theater. I don’t recall ever having been literally on the edge of my seat before that night, and I spent the entire evening trying to see how he was getting so much sound out of so seemingly little movement. I just knew he had a third hand in there somewhere. Oh, he was smooth.

Within a few years following that concert, I listened to a recording of Christopher Parkening playing Bach. Wish list? Years later, I finally was given the opportunity to hear him perform with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. Up close! I could actually see his fingers without opera glasses. ;-)

During that decade, the sound of an acoustic guitar became my primary musical love. I would have given anything to have the skill to even approximate what I was hearing.

More? Yes, more. Hugs to a dear friend for introducing me to the music of Doyle Dykes and fingerstyle guitar! I have my favorites, but even my least favorite song still makes me appreciate the techniques of this man. It just doesn’t sound like he’s playing a single guitar. Amazing.

Once fingerstyle guitar was indentified for me, I began to recognize it in the music of others . . . what fun. Dan Crary, Stephen Bennett, Andy McKee, Don Ross, and others. Just play for me, okay?