GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY – pt. I
++++++++++ 6:05 PM ++++++++++
My seatbelt is fastened, my tray is in the upright position, and I am ready for takeoff! I’m headed to Statesboro, Georgia, to play the guitar solo for “Chaos Theory” with Georgia Southern University. Daniel Pittman is the director down there – a true advocate of BCM and a heck of a nice guy. He has sent me an itinerary for the next four days, as thorough as it is thoughtful. After a hectic day at work and the train ride out to the airport, it’s nice to be able to just sit for a moment…
Everything should be ready to go. I’ve brought my newly-assembled pedalboard with me, so that I can get just about any guitar sound I could possibly desire. This pedalboard is basically 6 or 7 different electronic contraptions, covered in dials and switches, and looks like it was wired together by a mad scientist – it takes quite a while to clear airport security with it, let me tell ya… just two days ago, I took a spectacular digger on a friend’s icy steps and cracked the frame in half! (I also managed to bang myself up quite nicely in the process) Fortunately, the board had a lifetime warranty (“indestructible”… yeah, right!?!), and the folks who sold it to me were cool enough to replace it when I told them I was going “on the road” to perform an electric guitar concerto written for wind orchestra…
++++++++++ 9:15 PM ++++++++++
I’ve got a little time to kill during my layover in Atlanta, so I grab a quick bite to eat, and settle down at a secluded spot near the gate to practice. There’s been no time at all today, so with the half-hour I have now, I focus on finger exercises and a few of the trickier spots in the piece. It’s very handy in these situations that simply unplugging one of the world’s loudest instruments renders it almost inaudible…
++++++++++ 11:15 PM ++++++++++
I’m greeted at the Savannah Airport by the director, Daniel Pittman (often referred to by his friends as “DP”). He’s been cool enough to rent a luxury car for the week, so the drives to and fro will be easy and comfortable. We talk about the schedule this week, some concerns with “Chaos Theory”, and about some of the other music that DP’s excited about in the upcoming concert(s). This week is LOADED with them…
I arrive at the bed and breakfast in Statesboro at around midnight. I meet the proprietor, Helen Cannon, who is a minor celebrity in the BCM circle – Newman stayed here for a week last fall and thinks that Helen is the greatest. Soon after arriving, I slip upstairs, call Nicki, double-check tomorrow’s itinerary, and go to b-e-d.
My seatbelt is fastened, my tray is in the upright position, and I am ready for takeoff! I’m headed to Statesboro, Georgia, to play the guitar solo for “Chaos Theory” with Georgia Southern University. Daniel Pittman is the director down there – a true advocate of BCM and a heck of a nice guy. He has sent me an itinerary for the next four days, as thorough as it is thoughtful. After a hectic day at work and the train ride out to the airport, it’s nice to be able to just sit for a moment…
Everything should be ready to go. I’ve brought my newly-assembled pedalboard with me, so that I can get just about any guitar sound I could possibly desire. This pedalboard is basically 6 or 7 different electronic contraptions, covered in dials and switches, and looks like it was wired together by a mad scientist – it takes quite a while to clear airport security with it, let me tell ya… just two days ago, I took a spectacular digger on a friend’s icy steps and cracked the frame in half! (I also managed to bang myself up quite nicely in the process) Fortunately, the board had a lifetime warranty (“indestructible”… yeah, right!?!), and the folks who sold it to me were cool enough to replace it when I told them I was going “on the road” to perform an electric guitar concerto written for wind orchestra…
++++++++++ 9:15 PM ++++++++++
I’ve got a little time to kill during my layover in Atlanta, so I grab a quick bite to eat, and settle down at a secluded spot near the gate to practice. There’s been no time at all today, so with the half-hour I have now, I focus on finger exercises and a few of the trickier spots in the piece. It’s very handy in these situations that simply unplugging one of the world’s loudest instruments renders it almost inaudible…
++++++++++ 11:15 PM ++++++++++
I’m greeted at the Savannah Airport by the director, Daniel Pittman (often referred to by his friends as “DP”). He’s been cool enough to rent a luxury car for the week, so the drives to and fro will be easy and comfortable. We talk about the schedule this week, some concerns with “Chaos Theory”, and about some of the other music that DP’s excited about in the upcoming concert(s). This week is LOADED with them…
I arrive at the bed and breakfast in Statesboro at around midnight. I meet the proprietor, Helen Cannon, who is a minor celebrity in the BCM circle – Newman stayed here for a week last fall and thinks that Helen is the greatest. Soon after arriving, I slip upstairs, call Nicki, double-check tomorrow’s itinerary, and go to b-e-d.
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