I was just going through the materials I have left over from my residency at HVCRC and I found this observation from one of the boys there that was so keen that I had written it down.

“The chords are our palette, the guitar is our paintbrush, and music is the picture.”

To be fair, I used the word palette in introducing the series of chords we were working with, but he extrapolated on the metaphor without hesitation. Nice observation for a troubled 12 year-old don’t you think?

I just finished reading Bill Strickland’s memoir Make the Impossible Possible: One Man’s Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary.

Strickland is the founder and CEO of Manchester Craftsman’s Guild and Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, PA and although I’ve been there many times (and even worked there briefly while college) I’ve never really had a full understanding and appreciation for what the place was all about. Finally hearing the story of how Strickland used his passion, intuition and will to turn his dreams into a concrete reality that would positively impact the entire community is truly inspiring. It’s also a fantastic testimony to the practical role of art and beauty in all of our lives.

Check out the book and I think you’ll end up seeing your world a bit differently. For the short(er) version of the story watch the following video of Bill Strickland at TED with live accompaniment by Herbie Hancock. The second video shows more about what MCG is all about.

I first picked up the guitar in the Spring of 1984. Only a year earlier Ned Steinberger unveiled his line of guitars at the Chicago NAMM show, so it’s no wonder I’ve always loved them. They were bringing something new and fresh to the scene just as I was entering it, and some of my favorite musicians were starting to perform with these eye-catching guitars and basses as well. Over the years I’ve always wanted a Steinberger guitar both because of it’s compact size and it’s innovative design, but other guitars always seemed to make their way into the collection first. Finally, I decided to check out one of the new Steinberger Synapse models being carried by Musician’s Friend.

Because there is already a great deal of information on the web about the Synapse guitars I’d just like to outline the features I still had questions and concerns about before ordering, and the experiences I’ve had with the guitar so far.

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