Still at it-- Joyce and I had a wonderful time playing at the Tucson Folk Festival in May ‘06, and it was as good as it gets– playing to thousands of people in the park on an impossibly warm and dry evening. We never get nights like that in Maine. I am still playing my graphite dragonfly-inspired Chrysalis guitar, and enjoying it more than ever after 8 years. (Photo: Rob MacKay)

Celebrating 30 Years Of Sleeping Til Noon
This is my 14th annual newsletter, and though it is pretty foggy when I look backwards, I am pretty sure this is the year I should celebrate 30 years as a modern minstrel. 1976 is when I bought my first PA system and embarked on a life of playing gigs. I still use one of the Shure mikes I bought that year. My “lucky mike”-- though of course it might actually be unlucky... I had played street music, parties, and some coffeehouse cameos, but I think 1976 was the first year I played a significant number of paying gigs.
In folk music, retirement is pretty much not an option, so maybe I will buy myself a gold watch & chain to thank myself for 30 years of service, loyalty and hard work. I am probably approaching a million travel miles (not counting air miles) and I am somewhere around the 5000-6000 gigs mark. Maybe that qualifies me for “Elite” or “Platinum” status. Now that I have a 1-year-old son it is pretty clear that I will not be retiring soon, though I did stay home more this year than usual to be with him. There is also the possibility that my wife Joyce’s career will take off, or that little Otto, who is showing great interest in music, might be able to put some meat on the table ahead of schedule with his little guitar. I have put way too many pics of him in this newsletter, and not enough funny road signs, but he is really cute and I suspect you might forgive me, at least until he can make his own newsletter or blog.

Chordally yours,

Harvey Reid

Internet radio is still growing and expanding as a great way to discover new music but so is satellite, and Sirius and XM have folk & bluegrass channels that play some interesting non-mainstream music.

If only the music sounded better. When I compared it in a car to a CD, it sounded pretty pale. But it is one of the only ways to discover new music these days and is still a good thing.

<-- Could Not Resist... mugging for this shot on a hot & dusty August day as we pulled into Dodge City on a tour through Kansas. Joyce put on her gunfighter face as she fired the camera, and here is mine.

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I am using a new stage amp: the Fishman Loudbox 100

It's an incredible piece of gear, small, inexpensive & travels well.

Strongly recommended for stage use and also house concerts, schools, parties or weddings when you have a voice &amp; guitar to amplify. Perfect for amateurs or pros.

Au Pere?

Let us know if you have any children, friends or relatives who might want to do an au pere thing, and maybe come along with Joyce & me to a festival or on a tour, watch Otto, and see some of the world. Might be extra good if they want to learn more about music.

The Guitar Book

Available December 1 2006

I don’t read or write music, and I am a busy guy, so making a book of my guitar music has been slow going, but is finally done. I spent a lot of hours working face-to-face with my friend (and fellow partial capo user) Jeff Hickey, and the result is a 58-page book of precise arrangements of 14 guitar pieces, that show exactly how I play them. It’s called Capo Inventions, and all the music uses a 3-string partial capo. It is written in both TAB and standard notation, and includes a CD. There are a lot of “liner notes” and comments, and I have included many fingerings and right hand instructions.
I pioneered the use of the partial capo and was the first to write and record music for it, and for 30 years have used it frequently in my music. The most commonly used partial capo is the 3-string or Esus, so I chose a selection of original and traditional pieces that illustrate the kinds of things I like to use it for, in 3 different configurations. A few of the pieces are real finger-busters, but there are a number of novice and intermediate-level things also.

Read more about this book

THE SONGS
Skye Boat Song, Highwire Hornpipe, Windy Grave , Hard Times, The Unknown Soldier, Suite: For the Duchess, The Arkansas Traveler, The Minstrel Boy, Red in the Sky, Prelude to the Minstrel’s Dream, Norway Suite: Parts 1 &2, Star Island Jig, Macallan’s Jig.
$19.95 + $3 shipping

ORDER THE "CAPO INVENTIONS" BOOK

Road sign of the year-->

Taken while driving-- the rear of a truck I passed. I like the 2nd one: “Please don’t tell...”