We’ve all heard the term “thinking outside of the box” along with a variety of other similar terms that essentially translate to the same thing with the bottom line being to disregard that which is familiar and comfortable and to look at things from a different perspective.

This of course can be applied to just about any facet of life and most certainly is applicable to the guitar. I though long and hard about this trying to come up with a novel way to put myself in a position where the standard rules did not apply and I would be forced to “play outside of the box.” Finally it came to me. I had been planning a trip to Russia for some time now and I thought, “Do I have the nerve and confidence to perform for an audience that is completely alien to me?” As I sat in my comfortable chair looking at the familiar décor of my room, I said to myself, no problem. I made a call and arranged myself a couple of solo guitar shows that coincided with my trip.

The time came for me to pack my bags and guitar, hop on a plane and head for the land I was taught to fear as a young man. Yes indeed “small town boy” was headed for what was once deemed as the “evil empire.” I landed in Moscow, met my lovely wife and headed for my destination city, Magnitogorsk a city of about a half million. After a few days of getting acclimated to the time difference (10 hours ahead of EST) the day came for my first show. I got to the club early and met with the owner and went over our agreement. Everything was fine ...until I sat down to warm up a bit and realized this is not my comfortable chair and where was the familiar décor of my room? It then dawned on me, I was in a place where I virtually knew no one and could barely communicate. That little voice in my head said “look what you’ve gotten yourself into.” I was way past the point of no return so I sat down and prepared to begin. The first thing I noticed was the absence of idle chatter, glasses clanking, and the usual noises that come with a room full of people. There would be none of that. These people were here to listen to me and nothing else. I really wished there were some sort of molecular dispersion device I could use on myself to quietly vanish. At this moment I realized I was about as far from the “box” as one could get.

I started my first set and almost immediately I knew I was accepted by the audience. As the evening went on I saw all of the barriers between myself and the audience disappear. We had a common bond and that was music. By the end of the evening I had chatted with just about everyone there with the help of wife’s interpretive skills and the little bit of Russian I knew. Never had I been so appreciated at a performance as I had this evening. There is really something to be said about “playing outside of the box.”

Editor's Note: You can see Jamie on YouTube