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MUSIC THERAPY WITH A PINCH OF BUTTERSCOTCH

Music therapy isn’t something I made up to fill the space, though it’s something I’d do. Instead, it’s an academic field and a self-help thing. The part about self-help needs an assist though. ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help’ is a common reminder from experts. Ask for help? Yes, ask for help. But first […]

BAR RAG REPORT: HIGHER EDUCATION AND MORE

This Bar Rag Report is brought to you from the the last bar stool on the left. It’s the best perch to see and hear about the events of the day. And then some.

MUSIC FRIENDS STARTER KIT

Music friends find each other, but they need to be playing. Otherwise you’d never know if they are musical, or just like talking about it. Yesterday I spent time with one of my music heroes in the studio. I say hero because he can do things that seem impossible, like creating music from scratch, recording […]

GUITAR GLUT: CRACK THE CODE TO FIND THE SOUND

The guitar glut includes too many guitars and too many names. I’m looking at you, Fender. How many names can you call the same thing. It seems simple enough. To the uninitiated there are two guitars in the world: big acoustics and smaller electrics with big sound. That’s like saying there are only two metals: […]

EMOTIONAL RESCUE? BUDDY, IT’S JUST A GUITAR

An emotional rescue always happens at the same time. Guaranteed. First, we go through some things, then some more things. Just to keep it interesting, we go through even more things. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good, sometimes in between. I’m focusing on ‘sometimes in between.’ Why? As a constantly adjusting guy in a constantly […]

GUITAR RELATIONSHIPS? IT’S NOT THAT COMPLICATED

Guitar relationships are like any other. Some are better than others, and we remember them all. The best part about guitar relationships? They last a lifetime. Can’t say that about every relationship, unless there’s a guitar link. There’s something about music creating the ties that bind. But where does it start? By making something that […]

PLAY MUSIC ON THE PORCH DAY HEALTH WARNING

“Take a stroll and listen to people play music on their porch,” they say. Sounds inviting to me. But what ‘they’ don’t say are the dangers of hearing others play music in such an inviting place as a front porch.

USEFUL NOISE WHEN SKIP A ROPE IS THE SOUND OF COMFORT

The sound of useful noise is a comfort. Some find it in a guitar, others in a piano, still more in the song they sing in the shower. No one sings Skip A Rope for comfort. It’s a mean song that’s beginning to sound like a new national anthem. Hit the link to hear it. […]

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION MEANS KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Have you ever tried reaching people, but instead of responding, they lay around like a bunch of logs? Effective communication says there’s two reasons for this: One, they might be logs, and two, you need to work on your presentation. Check carefully to know which is which.

GUITAR SEARCH NEVER ENDS, BUT IF IT DID …

Every guitar search starts in the same place: sound. How does it sound the first time played? In different rooms? What’s it sound like when you thump the flat top? What does it feel like in your hands from fret to pick? Look until you can’t look anymore, or just get the same guitar Bruce […]