Posted by Christopher on May 05, 1999 at 15:30:59:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Sumner Erickson,anyone heard about him? posted by John Surface on May 05, 1999 at 14:51:45:
It's not the kind of thing that's that easy to pin down. I wouldn't have studied with him if it were. Like all excellent teachers, he uses the necessary means to address players on an individual basis. I can tell you that we did some body work, talked about awareness a lot, defined relationships involved in the act of playing, and a whole lot of other things. I have a feeling that he might be better for the experienced player than for a beginner, but I was no beginner when I went to Pittsburgh, so I don't really know.
I don't mean to sound evasive; we just worked in many different ways on many different things. I feel quite fortunate to have had the chance to work with Sumner.
BTW, his brother Roky was one of the seminal figures in the Psychedelic Rock scene, and Sumner has been writing his own pop songs lately, and I think he's starting to play out with them.