I just returned from NAAM 2010…

NAAM, (The National Association of Music Merchants) is the longest running trade show in the United States and is attended by thousands of musical instrument and product retailers and manufacturers from around the world.

As a guitar blogger, my focus was clearly to check out the latest guitars, amps and guitar gear.

That said, I was quickly reminded of the mission of NAAM which is:

To unify, lead and strengthen the global music products industry and increase active participation in music making.

The crowd of over 80,000 registered attendees clearly illustrated the mass appeal of “music making“. At any given moment you could see young teens ripping out riffs on the newest Ibanez electrics while just a few isles away a man who reminded me of my grandfather was tickling the ivories of the latest Roland synth. It was cooler than cool.

From guitars and amps to fiddles and pianos, from trumpets and flutes to sound boards and drums.. virtually every type of musical instrument and accessory was on display by their passionate manufacturers who were ready to discuss their product offerings.

World-renowned artists were there. Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, Vince Gill, Yoko Ono, Gene Simmons, Peter Frampton and Orianthi are only a few of the dozens and dozens of musical icons that roamed the halls.

The NAMM show was informative… and VERY inspiring. Over the next few weeks, I will have a lot to write about. And I can hardly wait!

UPDATE: Just after writing this post, I found this link on YouTube. Not my favorite song, but the video is a total reminder of what I saw this week…

Thanks “gh05trider9“!  Check it out…