N. Oregon Coast's Tenor Guitar Gathering in Astoria Highlighted by Trolley Sing-Along

Published 05/26/22 at 6:25 AM PST
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Astoria, Oregon) – The north Oregon coast town of Astoria and its hills will quite literally be alive with the sound of guitar music in a variety of genres, as the 12th Annual Tenor Guitar Gathering settles in again on June 3 – 4. This time it is live once more and not a digital presentation as the last two years of the pandemic dictated.

It's two days of tenor guitarists performing acoustic jazz, blues, classical, Americana, mountain music / folk and a variety of other things in between. There will be workshops, jam sessions and concerts on that Friday and Saturday, with just about all of it happening in Astoria's Charlene Larson Center for Performing Arts.

The highlight of this unique north Oregon coast endeavor is the annual sing-along on Astoria's trolley. The nearly 100-year-old roving antique will be filled with tenor guitars, banjos, mandolins, and assorted instruments on Friday morning. The public loves this chance to interact directly with the musicians.

Anyone, from people just curious to learn about the instrument, to beginner players, to professionals, have come from all over the country to learn, take classes, jam, and listen to world class musicians during two evening concerts, which are open to the public.

More information will be released as it is confirmed. See tenorguitargathering.info

A roundup of the lineup:

Myshkin Warbler: Intuitive songwriting workshop. Learn how to play with techniques that help you get limber with rhythm, lyric, and melody, opening creative taps, letting ideas flow, and beginning to shape them into songs. Bring pen and paper.

Grant Flick: Improvisation Q & A. They'll be be looking at different ways to improvise in multiple styles on the tenor guitar. This workshop is designed to help you make music in whatever setting you find yourself in. They'll explore ways to keep your playing fresh and find new discoveries in your music. There will be lots of playing, focused on material participants are curious about. Flick be playing in CGDA/GDAE, but all tunings and skill levels welcome.

John Halovanic: Introduction to Harmonicas. This workshop will feature a view into different harmonicas such as chromatic, chord and bass along with diatonic and others with a basic understanding of what each instrument is designed for. Each attendee (the first 25) will receive a diatonic harmonica in the key of G, and workshop songs and sheet music.

Tyler Jackson: Take your playing to the next level - Tyler shares tips for getting better at soloing, timing and chord melody. Handouts will be provided. Tyler will be using a CGDA tenor but the concepts work on any tuning.

John Lawlor: How to play easy alternative chords to standard songs – CGDA tuning. “Pick a song you like to play and maybe I can show you some other interesting chords to add in it that you might like,” Lawlor said. Bring your phone in case you want to record the session to practice at home.”

Tim May: Chicago tuning (DGBE). How to create solos: tremolos, neighbor notes, double stops, cross picking, minor blues, major blues and more. Hands-on, lots of playing.

Alison Helzer: Learn to play waltzes on the tenor guitar. This workshop will teach two waltzes on tenor guitar in GDAE tuning. Both melody leads and accompanying techniques will be covered. The workshop is intended for beginning level players. I will cover Josefin’s Waltz and Chihiro’s Waltz. Both tab and sheet music will be provided.

Jean Mann: Ukulele. Exploring multiple strum/plucking patterns, 3/4 and 4/4 time. General ukulele chord-playing skills helpful.

Matt Weiner: Intro to the Double Bass. Never played a bass, or barely played one? This is for you. In this overview they'll go through all the basics of playing the bass. Holding the bass. Right and left hand techniques. Getting pizzicato, arco and slap sound. Questions and tangents welcomed.

EZ Marc Poschman: Convert a Squier Mini Stratocaster to a tenor guitar. Convert a small Fender guitar that has the right scale length for tenors into a tenor. These guitars are built for juvenile players and are inexpensive but fully functional. You'll find out how to narrow the neck and give the dimensions for the nut, neck, and bridge and string spacing. He'll demonstrate his and pass it around. MORE ASTORIA BELOW

Hotels in Astoria - Where to eat - Astoria Maps and Virtual Tours

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted