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GUITAR SEARCH NEVER ENDS, BUT IF IT DID …

June 13, 2019 by

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 […]

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REAL THIRD PLACE LIVING SPACE

May 7, 2019 by

For a brief time I was an athlete with potential. I’d learned how to not get pinned in wrestling, how to lose by decision, how to win by decision, and finally how to stall to victory. It’s the last one people like referees didn’t understand. They hated it, told me to stay on the mat, […]

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THIRD PLACE RANKING BEHIND HOME, WORK

May 6, 2019 by

Third place in sports is hard to celebrate, while third place in what passes for normal life is something to cheer for. At least that’s the idea. I celebrate third place in sports, the bronze medal, because only two others took things further. A third place in public life needs gold certification if you decide […]

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FOREVER YOUNG LASTS FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

April 28, 2019 by

A song like Forever Young is a nice thing until something sears it right into your brain instead of bouncing off your ear, turning the dial, and moving on. Forever Young is such a song for millions. It’s the song for every parent who has seen their kid move from stage to stage, from rolling […]

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PROMOTE AMERICAN FUTURE WITH AN AXE

April 14, 2019 by

Without getting into the details, I’ve somehow collected about fifteen axes. I’ve become an axe repository. Along with axes for wood, I’ve found six guitars around the house. I claim one. ‘Why the axes,’ I wonder when I add them all up. Then it came to me. America was built with an axe of one […]

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MUSIC, BEER, HELP BRAIN FUNCTION? SCIENCE SAYS YES

April 10, 2019 by

If math is the universal language, then music rules the galaxy. Play music and things happen upstairs. What better place to check it out than a visit to Be Brain Fit. They show a lot of mental positives with music. “Like what?” you ask.

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PLAYLIST SONG BREAKDOWN: DISCUSS

March 28, 2019 by

70’s kids heard classic rock when it was new. And we’ve heard it ever since, song after song after song. Like many 70’s kids I took a guitar lesson and forgot about it. My big song was Down In The Valley. I learned it in Jansen Music in Pony Village, North Bend Oregon. When I […]

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MUSIC PLAYS YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU PLAY MUSIC

March 8, 2019 by

Music asks this question: Can you count to four? One. Two. Three. Four. Like that. Over and over the count goes on like a mantra. One Two Three Four Is there anything more?

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PORTLAND JAZZ FAN? WHO KNEW

March 6, 2019 by

Last night I saw Mel Brown at The Vault and it was stellar. Portland jazz has a new fan. Make that three new fans. Jazz is easy, right? No it’s not. It’s key changes, tempo, and timing. And practice. Mel Brown has been a Portland jazz anchor; his group has a regular gig at the […]

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GAGA EFFECT: REDEMPTION, ACCEPTANCE

February 25, 2019 by

Gaga Effect? I remember friends from junior high who seemed on a different path than the rest of us. They showed up for a year or two, made best friends with everyone, and held hands with a boy who looked perfect with them. Then they left. Something happened and they packed up and headed out […]

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