Rocking the month of October

Catherine Kruse Evergreen reporter

On the corner of Northeast Kamiaken and Olsen Street rests downtown Pullman’s Atom Heart Music, a place to find instruments, CDs, books and musical knowledge.

“We have had 8-year-olds to a woman in her 60s come for lessons,” said employee Gabrielle Schilling. “While acoustic guitars are our most popular thing to sell, we do have people who ask about other instruments.”

For the month of October, Atom Heart Music will be putting on Rocktober. Every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the shop will offer free clinics for people to learn about guitars, drums, PA systems, and the general works to forming a band. This is the first time clinics like this have been offered.

The instructors specialize in guitar, drums, violin, and piano.

“The clinic is a place to get free answers to a lot of frequently asked questions about guitars,” said Vic Hudak, co-owner of the store. “It’s about maintenance and upkeep, troubleshooting as opposed to just showing how to play.”

During the clinic, people will be taught how to tune, string, and play different instruments. Last Saturday, tips and techniques about bass guitars with a guest bass instructor, Jonathan Matteson, were offered. Matteson has been playing bass since 2000 and is currently a sophomore at WSU.

“I wanted to get them to think of different ways to generate sound and play music,” said Matteson. “Rocktober is a good way to give away free instruction to the community.

During the clinic, Matteson modeled how to strike and hold the instrument. He also had his laptop to play drum and electric guitar accompaniments to better illustrate how the bass blends with other instruments and glues the music together.

He also described the clinics as a place for inspiration, so people who are exploring different instruments can gain insight in what it takes to play them. He also believes these clinics are good places for one-on-one learning, emphasizing the differences between going to a teacher to learn an instrument and learning to play off the internet.

“Education increases appreciation, which makes stakeholders,” Matteson said.

One of the participants of the bass clinic was Dara Higgs, a student at WSU who recently took up the bass. She described the store as having a nice ambiance and the clinics as being “awesome.”

For those wondering how to find the right instrument, Matteson and Higgs both offer similar advice. Higgs said to listen to songs you like, be it rock, country, rap, etc. Matteson also suggests listening to how the instrument sounds with other instruments and by itself.

There is no age limit for Rocktober Saturdays, but Atom Heart Music requests an RSVP on Facebook so they know how many people to expect. Visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/AtomHeartMusic to RSVP.

This Saturday, the clinic is “Sticks-n-Kicks” with percussion instructor Chris Parkman.

Atom Heart Music is open Mon – Fri from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.