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the travelers' guide to unusual musics: help

The Travelers' Guide should work with with most web browsers. However, Javascript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) must be supported and turned on for most functions to work. Other extensions (Java, Flash, etc.) are not required.

If Javascript is on and you have trouble using the site with your web browser, or if you do not have access to a web browser with support for Javascript, please contact me at the address at the bottom of this page.

Please note that there are known problems with Netscape 4 and Javascript/CSS, particularly on the Macintosh. However, the Guide should work well enough with this version.

You can browse through the sites in the Travelers' Guide from the Guide's index page. There are a number of tools to help search through the entries.

The "Sort By:" tabs at the top of the table let you change the order of the displayed sites. Click on a column header, such as City or Type to redisplay the entries, sorted alphabetically by the field you chose.

The search bar at the top of the page allows you to filter out particular sites. Select a field from the "Only show entries where:" menu. Then enter some text to match into the "contains" box. Press the "Filter List" button at the right of the Sort Bar to redisplay the entries. Note that partial matches are okay; for example, selecting City from the menu and entering "Bo" into the box would find sites in Boston, Boise, etc. However, the match is case-sensitive; for example, entering "yo" would match Tokyo but not New York.

To see full details about a site, including address, contact information, and other visitors' comments, click on the "Details" button to the right of the site listing. This will take you to a page with full details about the site. You can add your own comments or submit corrections from this detailed page.

To return to the main list from a site detail page, press the "Done" button at the bottom.

The number of unusual and visit-worthy musical sites is enormous and always growing. The Guide thus relies on visitor participation to help document as much of this exciting world as possible. Please enter places that you know of in your own area, or places you have found on your travels, so other people can share in your discoveries.

To enter a new site, click the "Add a New Entry" button on the index page, just below the Sort Bar. This will display a form for the required information.

Not all fields are required; however, please be as thorough as possible. Most of the fields should be self-explanatory. Some of the more Guide-specific ones are described below.

Before you enter a site, please see the About This Site page for an idea of what sites are appropriate. Also check to make sure the site isn't already entered under an alternate name.

Types

The Types field has very specific options. Please choose the correct type for your site:

• Museum/Public Collection: any publicly accessible collection of instruments or music. Both free sites and those that charge for admission are appropriate. (If the collection doesn't have its own web site, please note any admission charge in the description.)
  
  
• Private Collection: a collection that is available for viewing by appointment or other special arrangement. Please don't add personal collections unless you actively desire visitors.
  
  
• Store: a retail store that features rare or unusual instruments or music. Some stores rival museums for variety, and some musical travelers look for unusual purchases. However, please limit these entries to special cases, and refrain from entering normal instrument or record stores, to avoid overloading the Guide with commercial sites.
  
  
• Studio: a studio, workshop, factory, etc. of a performer, instrument builder, or other musical type, that allows visitors. Please note in the description if an appointment or advanced warning is required.
  
  
• Installation/Performance Space: a public installation, such as a musical sculpture, or a performance space that features rare or unusual music or instruments. As with stores, please refrain from entering otherwise well-known commercial establishments.
  
  
• Other: Given the vast range of musical ideas, this category is bound to be needed...

Keywords

Please choose as many keywords as are appropriate for the new site; these keywords greatly facilitate searching for sites. The list of keywords is somewhat arbitrary, and suggestions for new ones are most welcome; please contact me at the address below.

Submission Process

In order to protect the site from malicious "hacking" or simple confusion, your submitted entry will go into a queue to be reviewed and approved. If needed, I will fill out additional information. I reserve the right to edit or reject an entry if it doesn't meet the standards of the Guide. However, in most cases I expect to approve the entry within a day.

Editing the information about a site is very similar to entering a new site. Start by viewing the details about a site. Click on the Edit This Site Information button at the bottom to get the site form. See the section above on Entering New Sites for more information on this form.

Please only edit a site if the information is incorrect. If you want to comment on the site, use the comment feature described below.

The Travelers' Guide will is intended to be a collaboration with the community. Input from visitors and maintainers of sites are encouraged to add comments. To enter a comment for a particular site, go to its details page as described above. Press the "Add Comment" button. Enter your name, email address (optional), and comment, then press the "Submit" button. If you change your mind about adding a comment, just press the "Cancel" button.

In order to protect the site from malicious "hacking" or simple confusion, your submitted comment will go into a queue to be reviewed and approved. I will not edit the comment in any way; it will simply be approved or rejected. If you enter an email address and I feel that your comment should be rejected, I will attempt to contact you first.

Please note that I will not accept comments without a name. I also encourage providing an email address. Email addresses will not be shared or used for any purpose apart from the display of the comment in the Guide.

I try to ensure the accuracy and fairness of the content. However, if you find factual errors or have other problems with the information, please help me to keep the site correct and up to date. See the instructions above on Correcting Site Information. If you have submitted corrections and still find problems, please contact me at the address below.

If you have further questions, problems, comments, or ideas for features, or just want to talk about unusual musics, places, or activities, then please send me email at <bossert@suddensound.com>.