Originally published March 12, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified March 12, 2007 at 2:01 AM
Interface
Jamming like Jimi? Get close with eMedia
A weekly column profiling companies and personalities. This week: eMedia Music.
What: eMedia Music, Seattle
Who: Adrian Burton, founder, president
Employees: 12
Fretware: The company offers software that teach people how to play the most popular and social of all modern instruments, the guitar. "No other instrument is as approachable or as ubiquitous," Burton said.
Financials: Burton. 38, said the company has $3 million in annual revenues and has been profitable for several years.
String fever: eMedia offers guitar training on two levels, with specialized products for keyboards, bass, rock guitar and blues guitar. It is about to expand into another level of difficulty with a violin program.
Master class: The idea for user-friendly musical software came to Burton while he worked at Microsoft's multimedia publishing division, and he decided to teach himself to play guitar. Good teachers were hard to find. Software, he reasoned, didn't have to suffer musical foolishness. One can repeat a passage as many times as needed without the "instructor" losing patience.
See me, tune me: eMusic software shows students where to put their fingers and how it should sound. It slows down to make the lessons more comprehensible and augments instructions with an animated fret board.
The best guitarist? Burton cites Jimi Hendrix's passion and his ability to connect with the audience. And while no software can teach someone with no natural talent to play like Jimi, "it will get you a lot closer than you might get otherwise," Burton said
Free Fallin': There is a time when people can't learn any more from a program and need to fly on their own. "We teach improvisation," Burton said. "Originality and creativity is up to the student. But if they don't have the tools to be creative, like the ability to play scales, it will be much harder."
— Charles Bermant
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Flood fears dampen business, home sales
Microsoft finance chief Chris Liddell resigns
Brighter Fed forecast helps market pare losses
Banks earn $2.8B in 3Q; FDIC says dangers persist
A Bing deal for Microsoft, News Corp.?

New Beginnings Christian Fellowship
Coming in this Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine: Pastor Braxton's mission is to preach a message that appeals to everyone.
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
6.5 kw Kohler gas generator - $599
Alto Saxophone - $400
ATV POLARIS TRAILBLAZER - $1800
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
events for Tuesday, Nov. 24
- November happy hours and Thanksgiving weekend...
- Seattle Premium Outlets Midnight Madness Sale...
- Two-week opening at Midori Inc.
- Fall/Winter Sale at Clover
editors' picks
- Independent bookstores
- Vintage, consignment and used clothing
- Local jewelry designers
- Neighborhood shopping
- Two men in Everett shoot each other early today
- Steve Kelley | Next Seahawks GM should be Mike Holmgren
- Mariners Blog | Jose Lopez appears to be on his way out
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Amazon, Wal-Mart escalate Web price war
- As glam as he wants to be: Adam Lambert's real debut
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Bellevue Blog | Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
- Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
- Husky Men's Basketball Blog | An interview with Enes Kanter's coach
- Illegal workers quietly let go
441 - Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
248 - Jose Lopez appears to be on his way out
227 - Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
198 - Next Seahawks GM should be Mike Holmgren
147 - Washington State coach Paul Wulff says he's excited about Cougars' future
137 - Hate crimes against gays, religious groups up, FBI says
81 - Some fans at Fort Bragg see themselves in Sarah Palin
81 - Man shoots self at Westlake Center
66 - Teen pimp found guilty of human trafficking
55
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Nicole Brodeur | Homeless woman bent on giving
- Portland cafe's specialty: medical-marijuana tokes
- Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
- Hutch gets $10M from Bezos family for immunotherapy research
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'




