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The Milestones Gallery focuses on specific innovators who have shaped American popular music, from the 1940s to the present
(click image for larger view).

More fun with Funk Blast (click image for larger view).

One can imagine that with this kind of isolation, museum patrons could completely lose themselves in the iso booth. To keep the crowds flowing, however, Digital Harmony—the company that created the MIDI Toolbox—designed a timer: When a visitor enters a soundproof room, the countdown begins. Once the allotted time is up, MIDI cuts the audio, thereby notifying the visitor that his/her time in rock heaven is over. This benefits other visitors, as well, as they can quickly assess how long their wait will be before it’s their turn to play! We really should have had these things on the school playground when I was a kid.

Short lessons on how to play a particular instrument are given inside each booth. For example, some rooms contain modified electric Optech guitars with LEDs on the fretboard to facilitate proper finger positioning, and an interactive sound and visual tutorial guides the lesson. This is a great system for players of any experience level. For those of us who already know how to play, another guitar with an amp is available in the rooms so

The Northwest Passage gallery, showing a progression from Quincy Jones’ Seattle days in the 1940s to handwritten song lyrics by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, circa 1988 (click for larger view).

visitors can strap on and start jamming with various genres of prerecorded music. Both guitars are active, allowing for two to play together, if desired.

We audio engineers will gravitate toward the mixing room, which features a Mackie console, JBL Control 28s and a flat-screen computer. An interactive video display teaches recording through a simple, yet visually stimulating, tutorial on how recording consoles work. Of course, if you already know how to drive a console, you can get right to the mix—the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” in its original 8-track glory!

When the day is done and your MEG has been returned, any bookmarks you have loaded can be saved to EMP’s Web site for further exploration in either the Compaq Digital Lab or via the Web utilizing your ticket number. EMPlive.com is an extension of the Project to the rest of the world and accesses even more information about particular display items, as well as full-length songs and digital photos of items from the various collections.

All said, the Experience Music Project provides a multitude of unique and exciting experiences for everyone from the novice to the expert. Kids love it, teens love it, even Grandma will love it—well, maybe. Visit the Web site to see what awaits you.

See Side Bar: Some Collection Highlights.

Scott Colburn is secretly producing some of the best music Seattle has to offer. Check out his Web site at www.gravel voice.com.

Reprinted with permission from

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