Seattle Music Museum Plans To Exhibit Hendrix And Clapton Guitars

Seattle's Experience Music Project, an interactive music museum and archive, will display its Jimi Hendrix collection, Seattle grunge scene artifacts and the guitar that Eric Clapton played on "Layla" when the museum opens on June 23.

Hendrix artifacts include guitars, costumes and notebooks of lyrics acquired by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, one of the backers of the museum. Fans of Seattle grunge can learn about the history of the Screaming Trees, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and other bands, whose handwritten lyrics will be on display. Clapton's ''Brownie'' guitar, a 1956 Fender Stratocaster, will be shown in the Milestones gallery. The museum will also present Grandmaster Flash's turntables and the archives of rock critic and Bob Dylan biographer Robert Shelton.

Museum visitors will be able to watch videotaped oral histories of 120 jazz, blues, country, rock 'n' roll, punk and funk musicians--such as Bootsy Collins' recollection of how the James Brown band came up with "Sex Machine.'' Short oral history segments by Collins, Exene Cervenka, Ice T and the Crystal Method are now available on the "Revolutions'' section of the museum's website. Other musicians who have contributed to the oral history project are John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal and Chet Atkins.

In recent months, musicians such as Herbie Hancock have filmed concert performances for the "Artist's Journey" exhibit, an interactive ride into a ''virtual'' concert on six giants screens and motion platform.

The museum's website gives weekly guitar lessons (which are archived) and plans to let musicians jam online in real time.

The museum will hold an opening day celebration of live concerts. Acts have not been announced.