the Long Tail

[Chris "Citrus" Sauthoff]

I just read an amazing article about Jeff Coffin in the International Musician Magazine!

He is the Sax player for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones as well as the Dave Mathews band.

here is this little quote that was really inspiring to me

"What I’m trying to do when I teach is to have the long tail, which means that, once I leave, I want to leave something with them that they are not only going to remember, but carry with them,” Coffin explains. “I want them to have an experience of discovery, and because they discover it, they own it, and it becomes a part of their experience.”

I really relate to that. I still get flashes of memory as I play the guitar or the Sitar. The flashes are of people showing me things or teaching me things. They are the seeds that were planted as far back as 20 years ago that have only now begun to show up in my playing.....it's amazing. I still have to send messages to my mentors saying..."remember that time you woke me up at 4 am in Chicago and played that song for me back in 97? Well I figured it out last night! Thanks (Boogie,Byrd,Hampton,Shider,Bennie Cowan,D.N. Shukla and more)!"

Talk about a LONG TAIL! ha..

and to think that now those lessons are being passed on to the students I have the great privilege to teach at Swallow Hill Music Association.

I get thrills when I see the lightbulbs go on, when I hear the finger exercises and scales being played without prompting, when I think that you go home and play guitar and enjoy your life with a little help from yours truly.

[Kathleen Hickey]

I wish I could thank my piano teacher, who went to her reward many years ago. She taught me to read music and tried to pound theory into my head. I'm using so much of what she taught me in this class. Chris, I hear your voice every time I pick up my guitar.

[Molly Livaudais]

Yep, sounds like a tiger tail to me. Reminds me of Tigger tapping you on the shoulder, except here he would be reminding me to practice. And do finger exercises.