John Doan: News

This June 12-14, 2009 there will be the second annual harp guitar retreat at the Oregon home of John and Deirdra Doan. It is an intimate stress-free environment with all levels of players encouraged and accepted for an educational seminar.

The event emphasizes instruction and inspiration for those wanting to improve their harp guitar playing skills in a hands-on environment. Instruction will address playing harp guitars with sub-basses only as well as harp guitars with sub-basses and super-trebles. There will be several harp guitars available to use if you don't have a harp guitar or would have trouble bringing one to the seminar (see below a listing of instruments available). There will be private and group lessons, intimate concerts, and lots of kick back and practice time to suit your interests.

Instruction: Instruction will include a three hour daily group session and a half hour private session. John Doan will perform a private evening concert on Friday and a House Concert open to the public on Saturday.

Location: Spend a weekend on retreat at the home of John and Deirdra Doan nestled near the summit of Croisan Ridge in Oregon's mid-Willamette Valley. The location is simply breathtaking which explains why Oregon is a very popular summer vacation destination. The 180 degree westerly views of green rugged forests, sprawling farmlands, and distant coastal mountains will serve as a backdrop to the morning and afternoon private and group sessions which will focus on harp guitar fingerboard and string theory, performance issues, music composition, and just having fun. All lodging and meals are on site and included with registration. The site is approximately one hour from the Portland International Airport with local bus and train service fifteen minutes away in Salem. There is a bus service direct from the airport to downtown Salem where you can be picked up or you can elect to rent a car for greater freedom to explore the area.

Testimonials: "Thanks again for such a great time. I came away feeling inspired. Thanks for all of the time you spent preparing the materials and working patiently with us. I have good memories of a musically life-changing weekend. I feel like I really understand the harp guitar in a new and authentic way."

Thanks,
Steve

"I really enjoyed participating in your harp-guitar workshop. I found it stimulating, informative and challenging and I have a new perspective of the instrument as distinct from the six-stringed guitar requiring a different technique musically and physically. In addition to the personal attention I delighted in the warm social interaction, the humor and stories which illuminated your experience and knowledge and animated technical details to integrate the whole body of music theory and performance practice. The concerts were such a bonus framing your work in a more formal context as a contrast to our workshop sessions. You had an ambitious scope to the workshop and I think you largely covered it. Now if I could just get my fingers to do what my mind is hearing . .

Thanks again,
January

To see photos of the 2008 Harp Guitar Retreat click here.

Instruments available on site: There will be four harp guitars on site for your use if you do not have one of your own to bring to the seminar. These include a 6 sub-bass 1906 Gibson harp guitar; a six sub-bass Dyer harp guitar;; a 5 sub-bass and 7 super-treble knutsen harp guitar; and a 6 sub-bass and 8 super-treble Sullivan/Elliot harp guitar.

Incidental Activities: There is plenty of hiking trails, tax free shopping, local wine tasting, on site hot tub, trampoline, and wireless internet. The site is central and about one hour away from the Oregon Coast, the high desert of Bend, and the cities of Portland and Eugene. In between classes and private lessons there will be time to just relax, practice, read, explore the area, or casually visit with other harp guitarists.

Space is limited: Retreats are limited from five to eight participants and their guests. Spouses, friends, or family attend at a reduced rate. If needed an additional weekend retreat will be scheduled to accommodate more participants.

Participants Fee: $650
Includes four nights stay, three group classes and three private sessions, meals, evening presentations, and various incidentals to include numerous handouts.

Additional guests Fee: $250
Includes four nights stay, meals, evening presentations, and various incidentals.

For more information call or write:
John@johndoan.com
503-364-4787
PO Box 5081, Salem, OR 97304

I recently had a peak experience performing on the harp guitar and wanted to tell you all about it. I was asked by Dan Crary (a giant in the flatpicking world) to be in his production titled "Primal Twang - the Legacy of the Guitar" that took place Sept. 8-10 in San Diego. It was wonderfully produced by Adams Entertainment. The program consisted of a series of concerts that were videoed by numerous cameras; an ongoing multimedia presentation on a huge overhead screen reviewing guitars and their players from across the centuries; Dan brilliantly moderating this history with cameos of his own backed by a stage band of amazing guitar aces (Dennis Caplinger who can anything effortlessly, Jon Walmsley who stole the show several times, Fred Benedetti and George Svoboda were all over their guitars with flamenco, classical, etc, and Raul Reynoso whose jazz styling was tops); and last but by no means least, featuring a virtual who's who in the guitar world throughout the program. Needless to say most all shows were sold out!

The guitarists featured along with Dan Crary were the legendary Doc and Richard Watson, Mason Williams, Beppe Gambetta, Andrew York, Peter Sprague, Eric Johnson, Doyle Dykes, Albert Lee, and yours truly. The concerts themselves were tremendous with special lighting, smoke machines, and three twelve foot banners to either side of the stage displaying famous guitars one of which was a Dyer style #8 harp guitar. Imagine hearing the story of the guitar's history and the harp guitar is prominently represented and pictured on one of the six banners!

Dan had Billy Oskay produce several of his albums and was blown away by the award winning productions I had recorded with Billy. We had talked off and on over the years and last December he came by my house in Oregon to talk about harp guitars. What was suppose to be an hour look at harp guitars turned into an entire day! Dan plans to order a custom built harp guitar in the near future. All I can say is watch out when he does! He had been so impressed with the instrument that he wrote it into his production and asked me if I would come and play a few numbers to show it off. He also featured Beppe Gambetta on harp guitar the first night and he was truly amazing!

What really overwhelmed me was all the playing that was happening back stage and in the dressing rooms. I shared a dressing room with Mason Williams who is already a big fan of the harp guitar (he came to HGGIII in Salem last year). After one of my sets I came downstairs to put the harp guitar away and saw Doc and Richard Watson alone in their dressing room. I introduced myself and mentioned that Doc should try my twenty-string harp guitar sometime and he said that he would really like to do that. So I brought him the instrument and he instantly began to find his way around all the strings. He was playing up a storm on the guitar while finding a bass or super-treble to blend into the menagerie of notes filling the room. A couple of times he stopped to ask "where do you get one of these things?" Richard appeared to wait patiently for Grandpa to finish his harp guitar breakdown so he could get his hands on it. Moments later Richard kept saying "I am going to get one of these things" in between various scales and assorted arpeggios. I asked if I could play them a tune to show off some of the possibilities of the instrument and Richard reluctantly loosened his grip and handed it back to me. I played "Old Church" (a collection of hymns) and when I finished Doc turned to me and said,"Why, I can't tell you where I have been for the last few minutes. That is some beautiful music and one great instrument you've got there." While all this was happening one of the film crew had ventured in and filmed some of Doc playing the harp guitar. I am looking into trying to get a copy of the footage.

Eric Johnson is a fabulous guitarist that takes lead playing to another level. He was very interested in the harp guitar and enjoyed some of its expanded range and resonance. He says that he occasionally does acoustic sets and was thinking about how cool the harp guitar might be for that. He appeared lost to this world as he put it through its paces. We got a picture taken when we were wailing on a duet together on one harp guitar! All the players were not only great players but great people as well. Andew York, Peter Spraque, Doyle Dykes, and Albert Lee were also very supportive of the harp guitar and the music I played.

Because the event was about the history of the guitar I also brought a star studded three necked harpolyre to the event and played a piece written for the instrument by Fernando Sor. This was the first time this music has been heard in public for over 175 years! The audience seemed very moved by it and the harp guitar so much so that I was almost out of CD's by the second night. What I played was so different than the others that lots of people came up to me to tell me of their enthusiasm for the music. They all wanted to know more about how is it tuned, what is it's history, and more about my music and recordings.

All in all, this was a great program. Look for "Primal Twang" to be available in 2007 on DVD and possibly aired on PBS. Also a tour of the live show is in the works for next year. I will keep you posted about concert locations and broadcast air times.

For photos go to http://johndoan.com/photos-group-45.html

I hosted an International Harp Guitar Festival (Sept. 3-4) at Willamette University where I am a professor of music. the event managed to attract a large crowd consisting of many students, faculty and staff, and members of the community nearly filling Hudson Hall for the evening concert.

We had just over 71 people attending the workshops and presentations from 4 countries and 14 states. Over a dozen harp guitarists came to perform (and I might add mystified the audience with their playing), an equal number of noted luthiers discussed their latest designs, along with three published scholars who made presentations of their research. The stage in Hudson was an absolute spectacle displaying 65 antique to modern harp guitars (a display the first of it's kind). This was largely due to the temporary loan of two crates of rare instruments shipped up from Los Angeles from the Miner Museum.

It is a humble group that I suspect will grow in numbers in the coming years as this development of the modern guitar continues to evolve. There are already plans of having a follow up event to be held in Naples, Florida November 2006. I will keep you posted about future events.

For comments and photos about this amazing event go to http://www.harpguitars.net/hgg/hgg3/hgg3_report.htm

To see pictures of event workshops and concerts go to http://www.harpguitars.net/hgg/hgg3/hgg3_schedule.htm