What's music got to do with engineering? Turns out, quite a bit. Neural science says brain exercise that playing a musical instrument provides really jazzes your ability to solve problems in general, organize thoughts, and keeps your think-box in tip-top condition.

So what's the catch? Like a lot of things, a little a lot is the key. If you're one of those that have learned to play an instrument at an early age, you're more likely to keep it up. The combo of reading music, the motor skills to get the right notes out, and the musicality of understanding what you're playing pumps the brain just like an athlete pumping iron for bodybuilding. Your best approach is to play every day a little and build on what you know. Keep your instrument out in plain sight and keep actively pursuing more knowledge and variations and a theme, so to speak.

In the Victorian days, nearly every house had a piano. These days, playing the guitar is more apropos. What if you don't have a history of playing music on anything. Well, you might be facing a fading memory and cognitive function later in life. Can you jump in anyway? Sure. It's just going to demand more motivation and commitment that you never planned into your daily schedule before. You could start with a ukulele group. How about a drum circle! I would recommend taking up the guitar. If you don't sing, that's a point against you. If you do sing, church choirs are at least a start. If you did play a band instrument, join a community band or orchestra. They are usually very forgiving while you build up your chops.

If you're interested in guitar, I have a video series at "Guitar Clinic with John Wolf" on YouTube that goes over why the guitar is strung the way it is, the system of chords every guitar player uses, and the music theory behind how all this works. Might as well start exercising your brain before your attic collects too much dust. Problem is...with cost of everything increasing without limit, I had to put this clinic under a rock.

Here's what you do if you want to engineer a guitar, learn how to play it, and get your music brain lit on fire. Go to the end of this website and look for the yellow button labeled Xanadu. (If you want to navigate back to the the main site, there is a return button at the end of the music pages or just fly away)