Mrs. Mecomber’s Scrapbook

Heads up, I found another website offering free music. It’s Musopen.com. I like it. I wish they had more of a selection. The music is public domain, so it’s free to download, and free to listen. I love the music player interface– it does not open up a new media player. I can’t tell you how much I hate using Windows Media Player! Grr! This is just a little button you push and the music begins! I like it. The music is all classical, and they have a large selection of composers, but i think they need to widen their selection of pieces. Maybe they will.

The kids and I listen to classical music as we work on school lessons, so it’s great to have variety (and it’s free!).

Isn’t it cool to interface musical instruments and technology? My husband is a musician (and guitar freak). He says that versatility is “in,” and so are “alternate tunings.” He flipped when he saw someone combining the two.

He’s rather excited about this new development from Fender guitars with their VG Stratocaster.

It’s an interesting concept– with the turn of a knob, you can have instant, alternate tunings. I’m impressed that you can even get 12-string guitars sounds from this model.

Before, and with “regular” guitars, you have had to manually turn the keys at the headstock to tune the instrument as you wanted. This is why at concerts you sometimes have seen a squadron of guitars behind the singers, and why the guitarists are always changing guitars. Different tunings for different tunes.

I prefer the sound of nylon strings and classical piece anyday, but my husband is what I call a Guitarzan and is up on all the latest guitar news. Outside of the invention of the electric guitar in 1936, it seems guitar makers have been slow to introduce high technology into their instruments. Looks like, the times they are a-changin’!