The Fifth Course

Over on the guitar discussion board I moderate, http://santacruzguitarplayers.com, I started a group project. I supplied the basic tracks of a song (percussion, guitar, voice) I had written and demo'd with GarageBand on my Mac. I asked the folks on the board if they might contribute some lead instrument ideas.

I was having difficulty getting a lead instrument track down on a demo for a song I had written, called "Big Valley." The idea arose from realizing I could ask my friends for help with ideas about how to approach this portion of the song. I offered the song for download and let everyone know I would post their contributions to the same site.

Part of the draw is indeed the public nature of the contributions. They add interest and build community. I don't think the project would be successful if I hoarded the results.

Those results are coming in now and the contributions are wonderful. Full of ideas I had not considered and great playing. Slide guitar, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, Jazz improvs, fingerpicking, washboards and found percussion, etc. I'm even anticipating a harmony or a backing vocal from a forum member in Germany!

Come visit the Santa Cruz Guitar Players Forum and check out the group project thread. Heck, subscribe and contribute your own licks to the tune!

Daniel