Dopamine, Philosophy and Flamenco ♫♪

Happy Easter! Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend and stuffing yourself full of chocolate. Remember, on Easter Sunday, all chocolate magically becomes calorie-free. This is an immutable law of physics.

Also, it means that The Music Spot will be closed on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday - but we will be back on Tuesday, and full of chocolatey energy!

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Speaking of chocolatey energy, did you ever notice that when a song comes on that you really love, you seem to just feel all warm and fuzzy all of a sudden? That's a real thing - that's the dopamine being released by your brain in recognition of a sound that you love, and the anticipation of the peak of the song that your brain knows you will enjoy.

Recent studies show that the feel-good chemical released from the brain explains why music has always been so closely related to emotion. Music from your childhood can trigger happy feelings and memories, and listening to certain songs during certain times in your life can cause them to become associated in your mind. Music has always been a huge part of human history, and historical events always seem to have their own sound track - try to think of the flower power movement in the sixties without swaying away to The Byrds! So the next time you want to get in touch with your emotions, or you just feel like a little pick-me-up, try to remember what your favourite song was from your childhood, something that might remind you of happy times with your family, and chuck that up on Spotify. Sit back and smile!

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Music that makes you smile has always, to me, involved a Classical Guitar. From Maria Von Trapp to Spanish Flamenco, this kind of music just relaxes the soul. This is one beautiful instrument with many possibilities. No wonder it's the go-to choice for beginning Guitar students!

Year after year young (and young-at-heart!) people wanting to begin the adventure of playing Guitar come into our store to grab a Valencia Guitar. While the majority later switch to steel-string acoustics, many do go on to study Classical Guitar music, and graduate to something like the Valencia 304 series or this beautiful Katoh. The possibilities are endless! We have many different styles of Classical Guitar instore, so come in and try one for yourself today!

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I promised you better Friday Funnies, and the boys are refusing to help me, so I just have to do the best I can on my own:

I have no doubt you can do better than that, so please help out by emailing your music jokes in asap!! I'm drowning here!!

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Have a great long weekend, stay safe on the roads, don't make yourselves too sick from the chocolate, and we will see you bright eyed and bushy tailed next week!

Classical Guitar Week at The Music Spot

Music Creates Confidence, and Fender Creates Music

First up, lemme start with this week's Double Deals, because we have some schweeet pieces here.

You'll remember the Double Deals we introduced last week: The instruments are already heavily discounted, and on top of that you get the choice of either a $30 voucher to use on your next visit, or a Gift Box of goodies valued far above $30.

This week we have a Line 6 Spider IV 30W Modelling Combo Amp on sale for $369, a Line 6 DL4 Delay Stompbox on sale for $479, a Line 6 G50 Relay System on sale for $599, and a Line 6 G10 Guitar System on sale for $359. Our Gift Box includes such goodies as a cable, tuner, Gutar polish, and much more. You'll have to come in to see for yourself!

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What do we want to learn about this week? How about How To Have More Confidence - that's always something we could use. And the answer is, of course - Music.

Learning to play a musical instrument can help you build confidence. When you learn new skills you will feel a sense of accomplishment, and performing for others who appreciate your talent is a definite boost to your self esteem.

Music teacher and performer Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen notes that music improves the confidence of many of her students. "They find that once they can develop a skill by themselves that they can get better and better."

And when you see yourself improving, you will feel on top of the world.

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This week is Fender Acoustic Week at The Music Spot, and alongside the awesome Fender Acoustics we stock, we also got some pretty exciting brand-newbies in.

First up we have the California Player Malibu in Arctic Gold. This is a gorgeous new smaller style short scale Acoustic with a traditional Fender style headstock, perfect for anyone after a smaller body for comfort. Gloss metallic solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides give it a sound as exciting as it's looks.

Then we have the classic Paramount PM2 Standard Parlour Guitar.  It is packed with new innovations while remaining true to Fender's acoustic roots. It features a solid mahogany top, mahogany laminated back and sides and rosewood fingerboard.

After that is another newbie, the California Player Newporter in Rustic Copper. This is a medium sized Guitar with a balanced voice that's both articulate and powerful, perfect for performing. The metallic finish gives it a warm feel, bringing to mind a campfire singalong in the bush. All we need is the damper!

Finally there's the California Player Malibu in Aqua Splash. This is the same model as the Arctic Gold, but in a beautiful blue-green colour reminiscient of the waters of the Coral Sea. Affordable fun you can take anywhere!

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And for your Friday Funny? We've had to cross borders for this one:

Yes yes I know, I'm on my bike!

Catch you next week!

Fender Acoustic Guitars

Double Dealin' and Rollin' with the Homies

Someone had some super juice for breakfast this week and came up with a brilliant idea: what if we make two awesome deals, and give people the choice as to which one they wanna take?

So let me introduce to you, not Billy Shears, but The Music Spot's new Weekly Double Deal!

This Week's Double Deals: Choose your instrument, and choose either the box of goodies at the front, or a $30 voucher

This really is a great idea. First up, we have these great instruments already discounted, and then you get to choose your bonus: either a $30 voucher to use on ANYTHING YOU LIKE on your next visit, OR this amazing Gift Box of goodies (which is actually worth a lot more than $30). The sale items and Gift Box items will change every week, so keep checking back or you might miss something amazing.




In this week's Interest Section, we examine how playing music can have a huge, positive impact on your social life.

Playing music is not just about impressing the girls

Maestro Eduardo Marturet is a conductor and a composer, and the musical director for the Miami Symphony Orchestra. In his spare time he also runs a program for young artists in South Florida, so he's in a good position to observe the effects of music on young people's lives and social skills.

He states "Socially, children who become involved in a musical group or ensemble learn important life skills, such as how to relate to others, how to work as a team and appreciate the rewards that come from working together, and the development of leadership skills and discipline."

This is something we at The Music Spot see year after year, as we assist our local schools with their Instrumental Music Programs. It's amazing the difference music can make to a child's life, and not just children - it doesn't matter if you're in your 40s and decide to learn an instrument for the first time, it will introduce you to social situations that you would not otherwise be involved in.

Music. It's good for you - get involved!



Our Favourite Items in the shop this week are our Ibanez Acoustic Guitars.

It's Ibanez Acoustic Week at The Music Spot!

We have some great deals, like this AE305 NT Acoustic. It's simply gorgeous and now under $1000. Or if your budget doesn't extend that far, how about this Open Pore PC12MHE in Mahogany - beautiful body, great tone! Or if you want something truly special, try this AVN6 DTS Artwood Acoustic. Classic grand concert style body with a distinctive distressed finish. And there are lots more - Ibanez makes guitars to suit every player and every budget, so come down and let us help you find yours!



For this week's Friday Funny, well if we're talking about Double Dealing and such, you know there's gonna be haters (Hayders?)

Hey it's hard to come up with a music joke week after week alright?

Well that's it for another week folks, catch you next time!

Ibanez Acoustic Guitars

Taylor Guitars, Drums on Sale and a Good Sleep afterwards

Christmas is a distant memory, New Years has all washed away, the kids are back at school and we have all settled into our quiet routines. You know what this needs? DRUMS!

We've decided to liven up the place by having a HUGE Drum Clearance Sale, and you will find some AMAZING deals on all things drums!

when you see it..

We have heavily reduced all our Drum Kits, made some great deals on Shell Packs & Hardware packages, and heavily reduced all our DW Hardware as well. So don't worry about entertaining yourself next time the power goes out - make some noise with these!



Drumming is an incredibly physical activity, great for excercise, but you'd wanna make sure you get a good night's sleep before going on stage. And you want to know a secret to getting the best sleep? Unsuprisingly, it's music! Specifically, Delta Waves.

Music can have a strong influence on the brain

So far in our series on the effects of Music in our lives, we have looked at how it can relax animals, and how it can make us smarter by exercising different parts of our brain, even after we've finished playing. But did you know you can also tap into the incredible power of music to help you get a good night's sleep, when you've been spending way too much time reading Buzzfeed on a bright blue screen?

The answer is Delta Waves. These are what the brain naturally produces when in the deepest part of sleep, the part where the body is healed and rejuvenated, and the part which makes you feel awake and refreshed when you wake up. You can enhance your brain's own production of delta waves by deep meditation, which can be hard to do, or by listening to special tracks that can assist you with relaxation on a deep neural level. Search Binaural Beats on YouTube, or you can try my personal favourite sleeping track, 8 hours of delta waves right here.



Now that we are all refreshed, let's check out what's happening in the store this week. We are going from awesome to awesome in our Acoustic Guitar Month, by swinging right into Taylor Week.

Some of our favourite Taylor Guitars!

We have a great collection of Taylor Guitars instore, and the best part is, they're all on sale!

I chatted to Phil about why he loves Taylor Guitars: 

"Taylor is awesome because they are an eco-conscious company with a sustainable timber production mill in Cameroon. Their attention to detail from manufacturing to finishing guitars is second to none. They have some of the best innovative designs and products, and the highest reputation for quality control and customer service. I have a GS Mini, a small compact guitar, but it sounds huge and is so easy to play. Definitely a winner model!"

And while we're getting excited about our sweet Guitars, let's not forget our Friday Funny:

Imho it might be safest to be a Guitar player anyway, just in case ;)

Have a great week peeps and we will catch up next Friday!

Drum Sale March 2018

Taylor Guitars - all on sale!

True Australian Made Quality - for Brain Power

Can you believe it's March already?? Wasn't it just New Years last week? Well either way the good news is that tomorrow brings around our monthly SaturdayImpactDay, so you can start the new month off right by helping out families in Cambodia get access to clean water.

We here in Queensland have had more water than we know what to do with lately, so it can be hard for us to imagine not having enough - or even just not having access to anything clean enough to drink. But we know that through B1G1 100% of our donations go directly to families that need our help, and that just gives us yet another reason why we love our job here at The Music Spot :)

Just in case you needed another excuse to play your Guitar (or another encouragement to start learning!), we've decided this week to look at some fascinating studies into the effects of playing Guitar on the human brain. 

This brain loves a good Strat

It's well documented that music, and in particular playing a musical instrument, is good for your brain development. It helps kids cope better with other subjects at school, and encourages them to form social bonds through learning and playing with others. But did you know that even when you're not playing, your brain is still the better for your having spent those few minutes this morning strumming on your Strat?

According to a recent study at Cambridge University, musicians have mastered a more efficient way of learning, due to the way they learned music: people who play an instrument are able to see concepts and problems as shapes, and engage the more creative parts of the brain in understanding and solving them. Most don't realise this is even happening, it's just a happy side effect of years of training yourself to be creative and expressive through your love of music. So even when you're not playing, you are still working out your brain, and building those beneficial grey matter muscles!

March is Acoustic Guitar month at The Music Spot, and we are kicking the new month off by celebrating our beautiful Maton Acoustics.

Maton has long been one of our favourite brands, due to the exquisite quality of workmanship, and all-Australian timbers and manufacturing. These instruments make beautiful music, and it's always exciting every time one of these goes to a new home, imagining the amazing sounds that are going to be created.

On our Feature Wall we have the Heritage Model ECW80, the M Series Acoustic Electric, the Bluegrass Acoustic Electric, and the beautiful Custom Shop Solid Bunya top with Blackwood Back 7 Sides model. All great deals on great guitars.

Choose a Maton and you will never go wrong!

We had a little trouble coming up with a Friday Funny this week..

Have a great week and keep making beautiful music!