Stealing Grooves? Plagiarism or Coincidence?

by Dictionary Scoop    They say that bad artists imitate, but it takes a great artist to make something new out of the work of others.    In the world of music, the thin line between inspiration and plagiarism is often full of controversy, even when the similarities were not intended.    Whether it’s a …

Device Helps Blind Musicians Communicate

by Katie Geleff CBC Radio    A PhD student in Ottawa has developed a device that allows blind and low-vision students to feel music cues, replacing the need to see them.     Instead of having to follow a conductor’s baton, or a teacher’s hand gestures during a lesson, music learners can receive instruction through a …

Get Off My Lawn And Give Me The Old Songs!

by Kevin Burton    Look out kids, there may be science behind my old-man curmudgeonality.    It seems newer songs are really not like the songs of old.    Furthermore, technology is partially to blame.    I’m having a good day!   “If you feel curmudgeonly for thinking ‘They don’t make hits like they used …

Lennon’s 1972 Peace Overture To McCartney

by Kevin Burton    How would music history be different, had an invitation sent in 1972 been received favorably?    The acrimony surrounding the Beatles’ breakup was not as fevered as Beatlemania itself – nothing else in music has ever been – but it was white hot.    But some two years after the split, John …

Joni Mitchell’s Masterpiece, “Both Sides Now”

by Kevin Burton    Turning on the radio is like opening a musical fire hydrant. The product comes at you fast and   furious.     When I was young I lacked the discernment to understand that some of the musical water being spewed out by that hydrant was more nourishing than some of the other.    …

Bonnie Raitt Supports A Free Press, Journalism

by Kevin Burton    I love Bonnie Raitt more this week than I did before, and that’s saying something.    Raitt announced Monday that proceeds from her Sept. 23 concert in Carmel By The Sea, California, will go to support investigative journalism and protect a free press.    “Special guest Roy Rogers will support the …

I Love A Rainy Night And I Like Eddie Rabbitt

by Kevin Burton    If you’re like most people, when you think of a nice day, you’re thinking about picnic weather, right?     Well I’m not like most people.    My nice days have a soundtrack to them. I am a son of the Midwest. What you call spring and summer, I call tornado season.  …

What Do Cats And Jazz Have In Common?

by Dictionary Scoop    Are you a cool cat? Or a groovy alligator? The Age of Jazz had a vast cultural influence on both American music and culture, but one of its most curious aspects was “jive talk”” the quirky jargon it birthed.    Largely influenced by jazz singer Cab Calloway – who authored at least two dictionaries …

Amazing Facts About Musical Instruments

by interestingfacts.com     Each musical instrument has its own amazing facts and stories. Here are astounding facts from the world of musical devices, both familiar and unusual. 1-The Piano Defies Classification    What type of musical instrument is a piano? When a piano is played, each key controls a hammer that strikes a tuned string …

Mary Wells Disappeared After “My Guy”

by Kevin Burton    In my alternate Motown universe there is a lot more Martha Reeves and a lot less Diana Ross. There is also at least a little more Mary Wells.    It’s Wells we focus on today. Sixty years ago, Wells’ “My Guy” became the first Motown record to hit number one on …