Day One: Workshop Paul Driessen and Jim ten Boske
This time the Twenthe Guitar Festival started on Ascension Day, a national holiday with the pleasant tradition of the 'early morning walk' with a crateful of beer on the carrier.
Consequently it was quiet on the streets of Enschede when we arrived. My lovely wife Erna had offered to drive us there, which was a fortunate thing since the municipality of Enschede exploits every fallow piece of (parking) ground in town, charging 2 euros per hour from 7 PM to 8 AM. I guess they are trying to raise some money for the new Music Quarter.
No checking-in procedure this year in the Concordia Theatre, so alas... :-(( This year no warm official welcome by Sanne of the Duo NIHZ! Fortunately the complete organisation was there for guidance in case of somebody getting lost.
Jim ten Boske and Paul Driessen were there for a workshop in improvisation. Jim is composer, guitar teacher and lecturer Entertainment Music on the Twenthe Conservatory (now called Artez Conservatory). He is quite able to combine classical musical theory with and apply it to improvised music, jazz and entertainment music. Paul has stage experience with many musical styles and improvisation on the guitar. He plays in a duo with a violin and fiddle player, together (I was there with one of their concerts) they bring a bright collection of jazz, bluegrass and folk.
They gave a workshop with guitar close at hand. It was great fun. Jim and Paul provided a basis with a simple chord progression and a number of improvisation patterns. Finally it was our turn: everybody got an opportunity to apply his/her knowledge, going round the circle of guitarists, one as a soloist, the rest playing the accompanying chords in various ways.
One of the participants was quite surprised: "I did not know that many guitars sounded so well together!"