Harp Guitar Gathering IV, Naples, FL: Schedule of Events

Friday, September 29, 2006

Evening: Informal gathering at the Quality Inn & Suites, Naples

Check in, then out for dinner...
	Gregg, Steve Bissell, Nate Blaustein, John Doan, Nate Hagen, Michael Schreiner, Benoît, Frank Doucette, Dan LaVoie, Mike Doolin, Andy McKee, Larry Berwald, Brad Hoyt, Matt Thomas, Joe Morgan, Bruce Labadie
Then we all went to Andy's gig (no, Andy could not get off work even for our arrival!).

Then back to the hotel for impromptu playing for one another...

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Norris Center: 755 8^th Ave. S. Naples, Florida

9:00 - 10:00 AM

Registration and continental breakfast

10:00 - 11:00 AM

Harp Guitar Players Workshop: Composition and performance techniques explained and demonstrated by top harp guitarists. Performers included Steve Bennett, Andy Wahlberg, John Doan, Stacy Hobbs and Andy McKee.

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Bob Hartman Lecture on Larson Harp Guitars
The grandson of Larson Brothers Harp Guitar Company’s co-founder gives talk on the history of the Larson Guitar company.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM	Lunch Break
Benoît, Larry B, Sue and Rich Mermer (Bob Hartman in back)	Everyone caught chewing! From right: Linda & Stephen Bennett, Gregg, Joe Morgan, Matt Thomas in lower right	Frank Doucette, Dan LaVoie, Bill Dutcher (incognito)	Andy McKee, Eric Hartshorn, Daniel Schippers, from Bochum, Germany (friend of Steve Sedgwick's)

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM	Luthiers Lecture: Harp Guitar construction and design, with (L-R): Rich Mermer (Florida), Benoît Meulle-Stef (Belgium), William Eaton (Arizona), Eddie Vila (Florida), Steve Sedgwick (England), Mike Doolin (Oregon)

Brand new electric creations by William and Mike were the highlight this year - both are unbelievable!

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	Tim Donahue Workshop: Performance and lecture by the innovative Harp Guitarist from Japan.
You had to be there. Like no other harp guitar you've seen or heard.

3:00 PM - 4 :00 PM	New Composer’s Workshop: New pieces for the Harp Guitar performed by the composers. Artists included: Matt Thomas, Norm LeDonne, Nate Blaustein, Kip Martin, Larry Berwald, and Nate Hagen.


Matt Thomas	Norm LeDonne	Nate Blaustein	Kip Martin	Larry Berwald	Nate Hagen

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM	Harp Guitar Forms: From Altpeter to Zimmerman: Lecture by Gregg Miner, editor of Harpguitars.net

7:30 PM	Concert
Muriel Anderson	Stephen Bennett	Larry Berwald	John Doan

Tim Donahue

Mike Doolin

Bill Dutcher

William Eaton

Stacy Hobbs

Dan LaVoie

Kip Martin

Andy McKee

Gregg Miner

Andy Wahlberg

This year saw an increase in old and new harp guitar duo combinations...
The ever popular "Dandy!"	Miner and Berwald go Hawaiian	Bill Dutcher with Andy Wahlberg	Stephen Bennett and Matt Thomas

And our traditional "The Water is Wide" finale, which gained a vocal verse this year by Muriel...

11:00 PM - ?	After hours at Quality Inn
The fun started in the foyer when Rich Mermer showed Larry and I (privately) his new koa baritone Weissenborn copy. I was trying to figure it out (it was in "F") when Andy came in and started playing, and really put me through my paces! Much to my embarrassment, we drew a rather large crowd.

We then joined everyone in the meeting room, where we played, talked, ate and partied into the wee hours...


	Neal Rudy, with his Harry Fleischman harp guitar

And always the last to leave...

Sunday, October 1st, 2006

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	Amplification and acoustical enhancement techniques: Pickups, amps recording methods discussion. Hosted by Andy Wahlberg.

		Stephen Bennett, William Eaton, Mike Doolin, Stacy Hobbs, and Bill Dutcher gave everyone their wisdom and tips from several decades of combined experience.

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Tablature and Notation Standardization: Workshop with player technique and discussion.
We started with out results from last year - then brainstormed and argued for another hour.

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

New Players, continued...


Matt Thomas	Steve Bissell	Nancy Conescu	Bruce Labadie

2:00 PM

Concert (Saturday and Sunday photos may be mixed up)

6:00 PM - ?

Barbecue and party at the home of Andy and Kitty Wahlberg


Your hosts, Kitty and Andy Wahlberg	This was the PG-13 part...

Monday, October 2nd, 2006

Last Goodbyes...

Joe Morgan on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico.

Frank and I stopped here for a half hour just before we had to drive to the airport to L.A. Just stood in the warm water up to our knees and basked in the gorgeous ambience. Paradise! It kicks our Pacific Ocean's ass.


From Linda Morgan: Going....	Going...	Gone.