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Tag Archive for: Al Petteway

In the coming weeks you’ll be seeing some big changes around here. Our entire website is receiving a very special makeover.

We have always been proud of our site, and regularly receive favorable comments from our many devoted clients — but recently Paul decided we should upgrade our look and make our website easier and faster to navigate. Our goal is to bring you more current and useful information, to better aid you in your quest to find your own Dream Guitar.

Paul Heumiller, the Mastermind behind Dream Guitars

Paul Heumiller, the Mastermind behind Dream Guitars.

Some visitor may not realize it, but Dream Guitars was the first guitar website to feature quality audio recordings of every instrument. We were also the first guitar website to create demonstrative movies for your audio and visual pleasure. All of those innovations will still be here — but we’re adding a lot more exciting content too.

For one, we will be offering many more free lessons with the great Al Petteway. Some websites charge for a service like this, but at Dream Guitars we put the music first. We want you to come to us for all of your musical needs, to spend some time looking at beautiful guitars, and maybe learn a song or two.

Also, look for more frequently updated blog content. We have re-dedicated ourselves to bringing you the inside scoop. Our blog aims to go behind the scenes of Dream Guitars and to feature exclusive information that you’ll find nowhere else.

Dream Guitars new website offers faster navigation and ease of use.

Dream Guitars new website offers faster navigation and ease of use.

Probably the biggest addition to our site is the phenomenal new Listening Studio. Once again Dream Guitars is innovating, and creating a resource unlike any other on the web. You can read much more about it in next weeks blog posts, but the general idea is this:

Dream Guitars exciting new Listening Studio! Zero in on your tone!

Dream Guitars exciting new Listening Studio! Zero in on your tone!

We’ve taken the thousands of high quality audio clips we’ve amassed over the years, and have created a library, where you can search for guitars, by builder, model, wood type — and various other parameters, and create a personalized listening room to audition instruments and compare their tones by any parameter you choose.

The look of the coming website reflects where Dream Guitars is at today. We work hard to be the number one source for acoustic guitar information on the web, and that means always looking for new ways to bring you the best, most reliable information available.

Please send us your feedback. We want to hear your opinions on our new look. This site is for you, our valued clients. So make yourself at home, and enjoy the new content — and as always — don’t hesitate to give us a call if there is anything we can do for you.

Here Al demonstrates his radical new extended technique to Tony McManus.

Here Al demonstrates his radical new extended playing technique to Tony McManus. (Not recommended for beginners!)

Since 1991, Warren Wilson College has hosted The Swannanoa Gathering. For those who haven’t heard of it before, The Swannanoa Gathering is a series of week-long workshops , where attendees can learn about  and participate in a multitude of different folk arts.

Of course our favorite part of the Gathering is Guitar Week — which this year runs from July 25 through the 31st. Boasting an incredible staff of world class musicians and teachers, Guitar Week has something for every eager acoustic guitarist.

Our very own Al Petteway, who is the coordinator of Guitar Week, is doing an exciting series of classes called “Standard Tuning As An Open Tuning”. His classes are always very fun and extremely informative. Al Petteway also selects the rest of Swannanoa’s  instructors to ensure that the quality of instruction is at the highest possible level.

Tony McMannus doing what he does best.

Tony McManus doing what he does best.

Other notable luminaries lending there talents include the incredible Tony McManus, Vicki Genfan, Adam Rafferty, and Robin Bullock. They offer everything from courses on Celtic Flatpicking, to Acoustic Guitar: Percussive & Rhythmic Techniques. Truly something for everyone.

Dream Guitars will be there in full force too — showing off, what else, the best guitars in the world! We welcome everyone to come and visit us, and play the amazing creations we showing off.

We love to get out of the shop and rub elbows with our fellow musicians — to be part of the community, and to help foster guitar awareness whenever we can.  I hope to see you there.  It’s going to be a great time!