An Evening With Sgt Bones

A Tuning the Air Journal

Wednesday September 15, 2010 – An Evening With Sgt Bones

Was called upon by Sgt Bones, my current favorite guitar-circle-related band, to give them some feedback on the state of their repertoire.

It was a lot of fun. I have spent a large part of the last 25 years working with guitar circles at the beginner level, where simply making it through a piece with all of the notes in the right place is a legitimate reason for celebration. Happily, this is a group that is moving into the next stage of the process. The notes are there. What is necessary for them lies in the realm of Quality; musical choices, phrasing, breathing and performing. Part of the challenge is to let go of the concerns of the first phase; to trust that the notes will be there in the right place, and to attend to other matters.

They ran their set: 49 Notes, a circulation in G Harmonic Minor, Eye of the Needle, Lament, and Big Rock Candy Mountain. I just listened, watched, and took it in, making occasional notes to myself. Melvin kibitzed. Afterward, we talked a little about where they are, and then I walked through the pieces one at a time, consulting my internal notes, and trying out a few ideas. Almost everything we worked with had to do with trusting that the work they have done thus far will not fail them, and to move into matters of playing as a group. Much of this was not new news to them, clearly, but perhaps hearing it from a fresh corner helped to drive it home. And with any luck I may have been able to clear up one or two questions of detail on the performance of these pieces.

A good way to spend an evening.

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