Category Archives: Museums

For the Musician

Positive Grid Spark Amplifier

Traditional gig amplifiers are large, heavy and donʻt sound that good at low volume. Over the years I have spent a lot of time and a lot of money looking for a good practice amp that can produce great sound at low volume. Voila!

The Positive Grid Spark amp fits the bill perfectly. It is small but powerful and sounds great at any volume. It has a basket full of amp models and effects and can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker. Everything can be controlled from the free app. And at 40w it can be used for jamming and some small gigs.

Check out this Guitar Player Review

Back
Top Control Panel
AUDIO SPECIFICATIONS

FREQUENCY RANGE
20-20,000 Hz

STEREO/MONO
Stereo

MAXIMUM SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL
116 dB SPL @1m

CABINET PRINCIPLE
Bass-reflex

POWER AMPLIFIERS
40 Watt Class D Amplifier

SPEAKERS
Two – 4″ Custom Designed Speakers

TOTAL IMPEDANCE
4 ohms

CONTROLS AND CONNECTIVITY

TOP PANEL CONTROLS
Amp Type
Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Master, Mod, Delay, Reverb
Output Volume
Music Volume
Four Programmable Preset Buttons
Tap/Tuner Button

REAR PANEL
USB Port
AUX in
DC in

ONBOARD EFFECTS
33 Amp Models
43 Effects
(Noise Gate, Compressor, Distortion, Modulation/EQ, Delay, Reverb)

WIRED CONNECTIVITY
1/4″ Guitar Input
1/8″ Aux Input
1/8″ Headphone

WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth Audio

USB AUDIO
USB Interface for Recording
1 In x 2 Out

PHYSICAL UNIT

DIMENSIONS
350 x 180 x 190 mm
(13.78 x 7.08 x 7.48 in)

WEIGHT
5.2 kg
11.46 lb

COVERING
Black Textured Vinyl
Pearl Textured Vinyl

GRILLE CLOTH
Custom Black/Brown

HANDLE
Removable Faux Leather Handle

This amp makes a great addition to your musical tool box.

JP

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Henry Kapono & Friends

One of the many draws to the Hawaiian Islands for us has always been the beautiful and inspirational music. Hawaii’s unique and varied sounds embody the aloha spirit

So of course, we jumped at the chance to see in person an array of Hawaii’s greatest musicians at the concert titled “Henry Kapono & Friends” held at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.

These concerts are part of Henry’s passion to perpetuate his love of local music and musicians. In addition to the Island-wide concerts, Henry has established the Henry Kapono Foundation to support music programs for keiki (children), and provide career guidance and performance opportunities for emerging musicians, as he states on his site.

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Kalani Pe’a

So what’s new in Hawaiian music?  Kalani Pe’a, is what’s new. This Grammy winning artist takes Hawaiian music and some pop covers, adds some unusual chords and progressions and creates something beautiful and different.

Kelani Pea
Kalani Pe’a

Usually when going to listen to Hawaiian artists perform, I expect great musicians, maybe sitting, playing and talking story. Kalani, however, adds a touch of Broadway to his performance. His stage presence is amazing, and the Hawaiian language just flows effortlessly made more beautiful by his powerful voice. The backup musicians, vocalists and hula dancers that perform on stage with him just make his performance that much better. Each of them an outstanding talent in their own right.

Maui Arts
At The Maui Arts and Cultural Center

One of the things we were looking forward to when we moved back to Maui was the wealth of great talent. Little did we know that we would be living next door to this amazing Grammy winning artist.

Aloha nui

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Contemporary Hawaiian Music

Contemporary Hawaiian Music, Hawaiian Pop and Jawaiian have their roots, arguably, in the 1970’s, and have become a big part of the ever growing music scene in Hawaii and on the mainland . Listen to some of the artists below from then and now and then click on the links to their sites for more information about them and many more great Hawaiian artists.

Aloha

Olomana
Jerry Santos and Kamuela Kimokeo
Anuhea
Anuhea
The Green
The Green
Peace
Maluhia

 

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Jake Shimabukuro

Ukulele Virtuoso

If you haven’t heard of Jake Shimabukuro, well then, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jake came to prominence in 2006 with his heart pounding rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” performed in Central Park.

We discovered Jake at the Phoenix Musical Instrument Museum while wandering through the stringed instrument exhibit where his performance was being shown on a large video screen.  And as fate would have it, we soon got to see him perform live on Maui at The Maui Cultural Center. Rock-n-Roll ukulele. Amazing!

Jake is to the ukulele what Eric Clapton is to the guitar!

If you get a chance to see him, don’t pass up the opportunity. Here is his official website and touring schedule:  jakeshimabukuro.com

Spread the aloha!

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Musical Instrument Museum

The Tools of Music

Entrance
Guitars Only

Without a doubt,  The MIM is one of the crown jewels of Phoenix. There are so many instruments and costumes to see and experience from around the world that it is impossible to see them all in one day. We were only able to experience two of the exhibit halls on our visit. We chose the USA Gallery and the Artists Gallery.

Steinway I
A Steinway

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the best displays is of the Steinway Piano Factory. You can enjoy a wonderful video and see first hand, a breakdown  of all the major component parts of a Steinway.

Steinway II
Steinway Pianos

There was also a wonderful exhibit of the manufacturing process for Martin Guitars and an extensive exhibit of Fender musical instruments.

Martin
Martin Guitars
Fender Musical Instruments
Fender Musical Instruments

 

Johns Piano
John Lennon’s Piano

Downstairs in the Artists Gallery Hall is the piano on which John Lennon wrote the iconic song “Imagine”. Other great displays included Women in Jazz, Country artists, Hip Hop artists, Pop stars and so much more.

And, of course, there is the gift shop featuring a wide variety of music related items and jewelry from around the world.

The Cafe Allegro  serves a variety of international dishes, snacks and beverages.

If you live in Arizona or are visiting, The MIM is a must!

Hope you can see it.

Peace!

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