Connecting Songwriters Throughout Northeast Ohio |
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The Reprise:
Enough's Enough! Don Henson, Founder
Fifteen years. Fifteen! More than that actually now that we're into the new one. And I've had it. Up to here! Past"here" if you really need to know.
Hearding cats is easier.
Rocket science is easier.
If I had known what I know now fifteen years ago when I invited songwriters into my home I'd have bolted the door, nailed boards over the doorway, turned out the lights and hid in the basement. Sheesh. What a run.
Between coming up with minutes for the Board meetings and trying to get people to actually serve in Board positions, to running the meetings, dealing with venues, catering to the whims of"sensitive" creative types it's just all too much. Way too much for one man to endure. And I did it for fifteen - did I mention it was that long? - years. Fifteen.
And you know what has been the hardest, most thankless task of them all? No, not lugging the whiteboard around. Not reminding everyone to turn off their cell phones. It's not even sitting through depressing song after depressing song. It's this: trying - without a single bit of thanks - to convince these songwriters that their songs would be so much better if only they'd include a bridge. |
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Look, I don't care if the melody is bland or even insipid. I don't care in the chorus uses the same chords as the verse. I don't even care if it's a direct ripoff of someone else's song as long as there is a bridge. The rest doesn't matter if there isn't anything to connect all the parts of the tune you wrote this afternoon, forgot to print lyrics for to bring to the meeting and can't remember the opening chord if there isn't a bridge.
So that's it. Enough. Sure, I'll hang around. I'll show up for meetings. I might even offer a suggestion on your song. And if it's missing a bridge I can guarantee I'll have something to say and I can guarantee you won't like it. |
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Board Meeting Minutes Bob Sammon
At our last meeting of the Songwriter Summit Board of Directors the members discussed the following items and implemented the following programs.
- Treasuary Report - Don reported that the bank account contains (REDACTED) at the moment and that those funds will be distributed to the members of the board in the form of PayPal deposits to their accounts.
- Membership Committee Report - At this point Songwriter Summit is composed of (REDACTED) full time, full paid up members. Dues have been collected from (REDACTED) members and transferred to the PayPal accounts mentioned in the Treasury Report.
- Marketing Committee Report - This committee has schedule it's own meeting at (REDACTED) Bar and Grille on (REDACTED) and plans to use any leftover treasury funds to cover the cost of the meeting prior to the official motion to disband the committee.
- Workshop Committee Report - This committee was disbanded months ago but no one informed the members. They have been meeting once a week without authorization of the Board and as a result their PayPal accounts have been suspended.
- New Business:
- Order more coffee for meeting
- Move to adjourn
- Second motion to adjourn
- Vote on motion
- Motion passes
- Meeting adjourns to (REDACTED)
The Board of Directors meets regularly at (REDACTED) and starts precisely at (REDACTED) PM. Please feel free to join us for a first hand look at your Board in action. |
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2 Girls Cafe Updates Menu In Honor of
Songwriter Summit The management and staff of 2 Girls Cafe and Bakery - the no longer new home of Songwriter Summit meetings - have announced that they are changing some of their menu offerings to reflect the importance of our being part of their monthly business. The items that are being renamed in our honor are listed below. Please consider one or more of these fine offerings on your next visit.
WRAPS & SANDWICHES (served with chips)
First Timer Wrap (Chicken Wrap) $8.25
Honors the new songwriter presenting a song for the very first time.
Slow roasted chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, black bean corn salsa; in a white wrap
Hot Licks Wrap (Spicy Chicken Wrap) $8.25
For those members who just have to show off their guitar skills between verses.
Slow roasted pulled chicken tossed in buffalo ranch sauce, lettuce, tomatoes; served in a white wrap
Real Songwriters Don't Eat Veggies Wrap (Veggie Supreme Wrap) $7.50
For our Vegan friends.
Lettuce, baby spinach, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, corn & black bean salsa; in a sun-dried tomato wrap.
Egg On My Face Sandwich (Egg Salad Sandwich) $7.50
Forget your lyric on stage? This one's for you.
Creamy egg salad topped with lettuce and tomato; on a toasted ciabatta roll
Chicken Not That Kind Of Pot Pie (Chicken Pot Pie) served with a side salad $9.25
What you do on your own time is your business.
Flaky top & bottom crust filled with creamy all white meat chicken and vegetables
Chicken Not That Kind Of Pot Pie ONLY (no salad) $7.95
The entire SMALLER BITES section of the menu has been dedicated to one of our members.
JON DAVID MILLERS
1⁄2 Chicken or Egg Salad Sandwich on Texas toast $5.50
1⁄2 BLT on Texas toast $5.45
1⁄2 Turkey bacon ranch on toasted multigrain $5.95
1⁄2 Ham (or Turkey) & Swiss on rye $5.45
1⁄2 order of Chicken & Noodles (with biscuit) $4.75
We thank the good folks at 2 Girls for this honor. The new menu goes into effect on April 1st. |
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Workshop Announced: Great Highland Bagpipes |
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Using Bagpipes To Accompany Your Vocals Songwriter Summit is pleased to announce that the first workshop of the 2019 season has been scheduled for April 1st as part of our regular monthly meeting."The 'pipes are a highly underrated instrument," according to outgoing president Don Henson,"and we figured that it was high time to introduce our members to the advantages of adding the sonic qualities of this highly respected instrument."
The workshop will be led by prospective new member Kevin Palm, a legendary local piper with credits that include playing with Dulahan in Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton. In addition, he has backed up local singer/songwriters in concerts and shows throughout Northeast Ohio."I'm really excited about bringing the subltle intricacies of the pipes to Songwriter Summit," Kevin said,"because I believe that their delicate intonation can add exactly the right mood to everything from a lullaby to a love balad to a protest song call-to-arms."
The Bridge asked Kevin to outline his program for the workshop. Kevin then give us this synopsis.
- Assembling the pipes
- Tuning the pipes (optional)
- Tuning a guitar to the pipes without breaking a string
- Transposing your music to the key of the pipes
- Inflating the bag
- Alternate ways of inflating the bag
- Drones: why they matter
- Other uses for the chanter
- Defending your choice of instrumentation |
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"Sometimes I listen to the night wind wafting across the field behind the house and I imagine that there is a piper playing softly far, far away...or someone slaughtering a pig."
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The workshop fee will be $10 and will be collected at the start of the meeting. The fee includes a full color chart of the parts of the bagpipes, a detailed illustration of the chanter indicating the notes it can produce, a 20 minute solo of"Danny Boy" played by Kevin and one set of disposable industrial ear protectors.
Please note that Songwriter Summit is not responsible for hearing loss incurred during the workshop or any drop in popularity once you incorporate the pipes into your act. If this workshop is a success then next month we plan to offer our popular seminar on Banjo/Accordion duets. |
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A Unique New Sound For Your Guitar A few months back you might recall that we ran an article by David Palomo on Nashville - or high strung - tuning. David had demonstrated the sound during one of our monthly meetings and then explained the process of setting up the guitar to achieve this unique sound. This month we're going to look at DulSim tuning and how it can be a boon to your performance.
First developed in 1953 by famed Nashville season player Righty"Two Fingers" McGill, DulSim allows the player to simulate the tonal range of the dulcimer on a much more sophisticated instrument. Country music legend has it that"Two Fingers" got his name either from only having two fingers on his left hand or always having two fingers of Jack at his side while playing. There are currently no photographs documenting either belief so the reader is left to ponder if he was incapable of playing normal chords on a six-string or if he was just too drunk to manage a C-F-G progression.
As the following images illustrate, DulSim tuning, at it's most basic, involves just three strings. After removing all the strings from a guitar, the low E string is replaced by the high E string and tuned to D. Once that is accomplished the B string is moved to the A string position and is, indeed, tuned to A. Finally, the G string is moved to the position usually occupied by the D string and tuned to D. Some argue that the D string could just be left in place but that runs counter to the way that McGill conceived the original setup. More on that in a moment. |
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"Normal Guitar Tuning Showing All Six Strings"
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| STEP 1: Remove all the strings from your guitar and then replace them as illustrated. |
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"Low E = High E
A Becomes B
D replaced by G"
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In this configuration the guitar is played by strumming all three strings and playing individual notes with one finger of the left hand. One note of caution. Unlike the true dulcimer that has frets missing in certain half note positions it is possible to play notes that do not fit the tuning. These notes must be avoided to keep from sounding like a complete DulSim novice. Removing the offending frets is entirely optional but beyond the scope of this introductory tutorial.
Once you have mastered the three-string DulSim you're ready to move on to the more intricate - and thus more highly respected - four string mode. |
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| STEP 2: Go to Guitar Center and buy an additional G string. Place it in the normal G string position and tune it to D as shown. |
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In this configuration you are still playing melody on the high D string but you have added an additional drone to reinforce the low end of the instrument. This particular tuning is favored by most session players because it makes up for the overall lack of character the tuning brings to something like a Martin D-41.
Finally, the ultimate variation of the DulSim setup is the one advocated by Righty himself as the"right" tuning for outdoor venues and noisy Country bars. If you plan to use this setup when you go to Guitar Center in STEP 2 pick up yet another G string. |
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"Add yet another D string"
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| And there you have it. The full concert setup for DulSim on a six-string guitar. We hope you enjoy the experience and look forward to the exciting songs you are able to create as you explore the sonic possibilities of your"new" instrument. |
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Internet Find of the Month |
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Respect: For Talent At The Virtuoso Level |
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The Officers and Board Of Directors Wish Each and Every One of You an Absolutely Hilarious April 1st. |
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Grace Notes Our Next Meeting | Our next meeting will be held at 2 Girls Cafe & Bakery, 3707 Darrow Road in Stow Ohio at 7 PM on April 1st. If you are presenting a song please bring 30 copies for distribution to the other attendees. Copies will be returned to you at the end of the meeting. You do not need to be a member to attend a meeting or bring us a song. |
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Pass It On | Know someone who might enjoy our newsletter? Feel free to forward it to them. Thanks. |
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Visit Our Website | While you’re browsing the web drop in on our site for member lists, open mic suggestions, and so much more. You can find it right here. |
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| Did You Miss An Issue? | Need back issues of The Bridge? You'll find them here. |
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Let Us Know What You Think | What would you like to see us cover in The Bridge? Would you be interested in writing for us once in a while? Do you have an event you’d like to have published to share with our membership and the others who read our publication each month? If so just drop us a note. Like what you see? Catch a mistake? Let us know. We’ve set up a special email address that goes directly to those responsible for compiling this newsletter each month. It’s the best way to get in touch with us. We look forward to your input, comments and suggestions. |
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Officers And Board Members
Bob Sammon
Member At Large |
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Ken Moody-Arndt
Vice President |
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Mike Urban
Member At Large |
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Dave Waldeck
Recording Secretary |
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Larry Davis
Member At Large |
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David Palomo
Member At Large |
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T. B. Announced, Jr.
Member At Large |
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© 2018, 2019 Summit County Songwriters Circle dba Songwriter Summit, All Rights Reserved |
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