Ooooooh pretty.










I bet they was expensive.

Multibillionaire Paul Allen lifted a Dale Chihuly glass guitar above his head and smashed it to smithereens, opening his $240 million-Experience Music Project museum of American popular music. "Let the experience begin!" Mr. Allen shouted as confetti and streamers fluttered down.

The normally reclusive Mr. Allen spoke for about five minutes — one of his longest public speeches —to welcome a crowd of several hun- dred at the grand opening outside. Mr. Allen, a musician since childhood, originally conceived of the museum as homage to his idol, guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. As cofounder of Microsoft Corp. with Bill Gates, Mr. Allen has the money.—
an estimated $28 billion - to make his dreams come true. The museum's scope has since expanded to cover all of pop music, from soul to country, hip-hop to techno-rock.

The museum — a unique hands-on blend of artifacts, video arcade, nightclub, music, class and amusement park - is opening, with a three-day bash featuring dozens of performers, including James Brown, Beck, Eminem, and Alanis Morissette. Its goal is to illuminate the path of creativity, perhaps even provide touchstones for emerging talent, Mr. Allen said.

"When people realize what it is - as it evolves, it's going to be a pretty spectacular thing," said Mr. Gehry, the world renowned architect who designed the curvy, colorful building.
It's a model for how to reawaken the arts for young people."
The 71-year-old Los Angeles-based architect dismissed reports that he doesn'tlike rock and roll. "Some of my; best friends are rock-and-roll people. It's just my age," he said.

The crowd that gathered to watch the opening remarked on the building — likened by some to a colorful pile of rubble or a blob of Jell-0 — in the shadow of Seattle's landmark Space Needle.
"At first I thought it was awful, but I was walking around a couple weeks ago and now I think it's pretty," said Rita Jones, 67. Differs agreed. "When it was first going up, I had
my doubts, but now you step inside and it's incredible," said John Pleas, 34, who described the building as - "a big spaceship."

Among the features that captured the attention of visitors to the museum is a colorful, two-story sculpture made entirely of guitars, which looks as if the instruments are exploding from the floor.

Dear Mr. Kringle:

It is good to be in the Holiday season once again. I am looking forward to relaxing and being
with my family this year, but I also know this is a busy time of the year, especially for you.
This year I am not going to ask for a three page list of things, just a few of the bigger,
more important things. I have started taking guitar lessons recently,and bought an electric
guitar over the summer. An electric guitar, however, is only good for certain kinds of music,
that is why I would like an acoustical guitar with a pick-up so it will plug into an amp. I am
also nearing the age of 16, so I would like to have a savings account started for my first car.
One other thing, I would like to have a TV in my room because our other TVs always seem to be
in use. Thank you for taking time to read my letter out of the many you receive this time of year. I know you will do your best to locate these items and get them to me. I appreciate your effort.

Cordially,
Daniel Meyer

"I guess I'd have to say that rock 'n' roll is the one thing that meant the end for the accordion," store owner Ratuenberg says. "Kids want to play guitars and drums."

The accordion might have faded from popularity, but not at the Allegro Music Co., where it remains as popular as ever. Students, mostly adults, take accordion lessons at the store, although more students take guitar and drum lessons. It's the guitars and drums that have become the best selling instruments at Allegro, but it's also those instruments that have allowed Allegro Music to remain competitive in a crowded marketplace, Rautenberg said.
"When I went into business, there were three or four music stores in the area, and now there are about 25," he said. Even so, Rautenberg said he has an advantage over the others because he owns the building he's in, he has no employees other than music teachers, and his overhead is small compared to the big stores. While it's still adults who concentrate on the accordion, it's kids who come in for drum and guitar lessons. "Usually mom and dad bring the kids in and talk about lessons and buying instruments," he said.

So as not to put people in over their head before they're ready, drum students start lessons with a rubber pad and a set of sticks. Then, if they want to continue, they buy a single drum, such as a snare, or an entire set Drum sets, depending on their quality, can range from a few
hundred dollars up into the thousands. The same thing goes for guitars, which have a wide range
in price. Accordions can range from $250 up to $7,000 depending on the amount of custom work involved, Rautenberg said. But an accordion is an instrument that might be kept for a
lifetime, he said.

While guitars, drums and accordions dominate the store, there are other instruments, too.
Rautenberg sells flutes, trumpets, saxophones, several types of harmonicas, banjos and accessories for all of the instruments. Rautenberg said he likes to think of Allegro as "the biggest little music store in the area."

Several years ago, through a
chance encounter by one of his
staff, some jerk learned of John Dopyera,
son of the John Dopyera who
invented resonators. The younger
Dopyera and his wife, Margaret,
were longtime Syracuse residents
who moved to western Pennsylvania,
near Erie, in ihe early
1990s. Vanco introduced himself,
and soon the two were collaborating
on an exhibit.

The elder Dopyera was a first-generaiion
immigrant who came
to California from Slovakia
around 1907. In Europe, the family
had been millers and instrument-
makers, the latter being
typical of millers when they
weren't grinding grain.
In California, Dopyera and a
brother. Rudy, were making banjos
when a customer approached
with an idea for a louder guitar.
An unworkable idea, it turned
out. So the brothers came up
with their own idea. Earlier guitars
were of wood; the wood
body vibrates, amplifying the
sound.
The Dopyeras made metalbodied
guitars. The body itself
doesn't vibrate. The amplification
comes from an aluminum
cone, a resonator, concealed in
Ihe body. The resulting guitar is
roughly three times louder than a
traditional acoustic guitar.
With financial partners, the
Dopyeras founded the National
Guitar Co. and enjoyed several
years of brisk business. The allsteel
guitars were expensive, but
professional musicians considered
the instrument worth it. Traditional
guitars were rhythm instruments.
With a National, guitarists could move from rear stage forward. They could make
themselves heard. In the early 1930s, the Dopyeras
and National .split, and it was
years before the family would reacquire
the company. In the interim,
the brothers came out with
another resonator guitar, with an
inexpensive plywood body and a
more effective resonator. They
sold these through ihc Dobro Co.
Dobros, as the guitars became genetically
known, pleased both the pocketbook
and the ear and soon grew
popular with pros and amateurs
alike.