b'A STRUMMINGGOOD TIMEW henEricClaptonreceivedhisfirst acousticguitaratage13,hedeemed theGermanmademodeltoohardto playandlostinterest.Itwasntuntiltwoyears later that he tried again, this time more determined to stick with it. His skills really started developing, though,whenhebeganplayingandperforming with another guitarist Dave Brock in the taverns of Surrey England. This partnership eventually led to the Yardbirds and his rise to stardom.While stardom wasnt the intent of either of our two acoustic string groups formed recently byresident pickersseveral longtime playerstheir desire to learn and improve with fellow resident strummers follows in Claptons footsteps. Known as the Strummers in the Dell (ukulele) and the Jammers (guitar, bass & ukulele), these two groups at Shannondell are growing and having a blast playing together, learning songs, evenperforming on stage. I played guitar in my college hippie days. I always loved music from the late 60sgroups likeJefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, and the Stones, says Brian, the Jammers organizer.He goes on, I changed over to the bass about10 years ago and soon began playing in a jazz andLeft to right: the Jammers take the stage in the Performing Arts Theater, more Jammers following a true pickers lead, a Strummer finds it hard not to smile while playing, picking their way through You Are My Sunshine. 6'