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December 3, 2007
From Jim in Florida
You stepped into a well established band 10 years ago. Any slight case of the nerves? By the way Your sound fits very well with the boys. Thanks for the tunes, tell the others also. Peace/Love.
Steve Morse   
Actually, the discussion that we were going to have 4 shows together to see how we all liked it began about 14 years ago!  13 since we played together on that first trial.  I have played onstage my whole life, and I don't usually get a case of the nerves, but I do get excited before each and every show.  Sometimes, 2 hours before a show, you just can't imagine how you're going to find the energy because of not enough sleep or something, but then as you arrive backstage, there is always that rush of adrenaline and anticipation.  I think it's a good thing, and it shows that each performance means something to you.  My biggest case of being nervous, though, was playing classical guitar, solo, for my instructors and the student body of the music school at my senior recital.  There was no precedent for that in my life, and all of the sudden, I had the most difficult gig ever.  Second place to that was playing solo classical at Carnegie Hall.....I wanted to do it, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous before that one.  My key to handling that was to say to myself (onstage), "why do you play guitar?  Oh yeah, because you enjoy it!"  So then I tell myself, "Now stop watching your fingers play, and make some music that you feel and enjoy!".

From H. Schuyler in California
How about giving us an in depth look at one of your signature sextuplets licks that have amazed us all since “Free Fall?”
Steve Morse   
OK, this would be easier using some graphic software, but right now I'm typing on a laptop.  So, a typical use for the sextuplet grouping would be as pickup notes.  In this case, the last note would be the main note that is held, and would be on the downbeat of the bar, with the sextuplet before it starting on the 4 of the bar before.
     In the key of A, the notes are:
     1st finger, D string, 7th fret
     3rd finger, D string, 10th fret
     4th finger, D string, 11th fret
     1st finger, G string, 7th fret
     2nd finger, G string, 8th fret
     3rd finger, G string, 9th fret
     4th finger, B string, 10th fret