Maryville, TN

Here is a day in the life of a guitar camper at Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamp. Steve Kaufman is the three-time National Flatpkicking Champion. The only one in the history of the award. Other guitarists have won it twice, but no one has won it three times.

Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. and is served through 9:00 a.m. The late serving time is to accommodate all of the pickers who stayed out too late the night before picking and grinning into the wee hours. The lodging and food is decent for college campus fare. It is ample and satisfying. Maryville College, by the way, is one of the small liberal arts college gems of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The campus, which dates back to 1819, is stately with architecturally attractive buildings that cannot be mistaken for anything other than halls of learning. The campus is a half hour outside of Knoxville with a commanding view of the Smoky Mountains on the near horizon.

After breakfast, there is a morning jam session in a breezeway between the campus' Fine Arts Center and Music Hall. It is a sight to behold. Literally, dozens of groups of banjos, fiddles, guitars, and mandolins playing one tune.

There are two formal classes each day, both of which are two hours. One is from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon. The other is from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The classes have ranged from the highly theoretical and technical to the very practical. My head and hands hurt. But it is a blissful pain. Before dinner, the jam sessions resume.

Each evening there is a concert in the chapel. The instructors are the performers. The concerts have ranged from traditional folk to bluegrass to acoustic jazz to Texas swing. My favorite instructors so far have been Beppe Gambetta of Genoa, Italy (I had a small master class -- eight students only -- with him. I added a link to his site for fans of the acoustic guitar) and Adam Granger. Granger is the guitarist for The Guys All Star Shoe Band of Priarie Home Companion Fame. He, of course, is from Minneapolis. After the concert, which ends ordinarily at 10:30 p.m., as you might well imagine, there are more jam sessions.

The campers are from all over the country with a smattering of persons from Europe and Asia. The ages range from middle school into the twilight years.

I have learned enough over this week to keep me busy at the guitar for a decade or more.

I appreciate the occasional posts by some of you who have been following my narrative. Please know that I read them.

That's it for the moment. Peace.