Making Music Magazine

Product & Industry News for the Week of Aug. 30

From a press release: “The Percussion Marketing Council and all our members are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of drumming legend Charlie Watts. Charlie made playing drums joyful and contagious. While the places he played got super-sized, he stayed true to a simple four-piece drum kit. His dedication to his instrument and his […]

How Zazen Informs My Music

My Zen Background I was initially drawn into the idea of Zen when I went to the Toledo [Ohio] Museum of Art in 2017. That was when I saw a collection of ancient miniature statues from Asia. I was particularly drawn to a Tibetan Buddha, with a gorgeous copper-green patina. It took almost three years […]

Does Music Have a Future in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan?

The unexpectedly rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military forces and subsequent fall of that country’s government to the Taliban do not bode well for Afghanistan’s future. Many aspects of life that we in the “west” take for granted – such as the freedoms of expression and religion, and women’s rights for just a few examples – […]

Chemically Treated Wood Apparently Makes A Great-Sounding Violin

Product & Industry News for the Week of Aug. 23

Award-Winning Indie Artist Talks Songwriting, How to Make Great Videos

Alto Key, an independent London-based artist who makes indie/alt-pop music, is a musician whose work has the power to uplift your spirits, punch you in the gut, and squeeze a tear from your heart. He is also delightfully and hilariously funny on his various social media channels, and boasts over 6.7 million likes and 375,000 […]

Pick the Winter 2021 Community Video Contest Winner!

We’ve chosen our favorites, now it’s your turn. Pick your favorite artist or group from our Winter 2021 Community Video Contest winners and decide who will get a special feature story and video interview on Making Music! Vote now through February 19. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the voting link. The artists […]

Community Video: Porsia Camille — Can’t Say the Same

Porsia Camille is a passionate singer and songwriter who started singing before speaking. She grew up in her dad’s home studio, where she was introduced to the writing and recording life. She spent years practicing her craft in school choir, as well as honor choirs as her favorite practice, singing classical and musical theatre. Her […]

Community Video: The Wilderness — If I Have to Die

Community Video: altre di B — Salgado

Product & Industry News for the Week of Aug. 16

SAE Institute is looking for people with a passion for audio. “The audio industry is one of the most exciting yet challenging sectors of the creative media business and offers a wide range of employment opportunities for talented, passionate people like you,” SAE said in a recent press release. “The right education can be a […]

Tying It Together: Defining the Difference Between Ties and Slurs

The difference between tied notes and slurred notes in music can cause confusion—which is not surprising, since they are both noted the exact same way! Both slurs and ties are indicated with arc-shaped lines placed either above a grouping of notes (if the notes’ stems are pointing down) or below a grouping of notes (if the stems are pointing up).

9 Tips to Avoid A Hoarse Voice During the Holidays

The holiday season is a time for numerous music events, late nights, and celebrations. Here are 9 tips to avoid a hoarse voice during the holidays:

Music Sudoku for Kids

How to Read Music

The Process Einstein Used to Stimulate Creativity and Why it Worked

Take a Virtual Tour of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum

Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum has been closed to the public for over a month. In an effort to continue reaching bluegrass fans all over the world, the Hall of Fame has produced a virtual tour led by Executive Director Chris Joslin. Within the Hall of […]

The NAMM Show 2020 Adventures

The NAMM Show 2020 was held January 16-19, 2020 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Here are some photos from our time at the show.

It’s Almost Time for The NAMM Show 2020…

It’s January, which means that it’s time to prepare for the annual NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show—the world’s most comprehensive gathering of musical instruments, gear, and experts. The NAMM Show, held each January in Southern California, unites over 115,000 registrants from 130 countries. This is a conference where almost every music instrument or […]

Make Music Winter Returns Nationwide on December 21

Free Participatory Musical Parades Showcasing a Wide Variety of Genres and Styles to Kick Off Winter in Over 30 U.S. Cities Make Music Winter, a free, outdoor music-making celebration on the winter solstice, returns this year on Saturday, Dec. 21, with participatory musical parades and performances and events in more than 30 U.S. cities. The […]

Earth Celebration: 3 Days of Drumming

Earth Celebration is a huge drum festival hosted by the globetrotting drum group Kodo. This year’s festival will be held August 16-18 on Sado Island.

Product & Industry News for the Week of Aug. 9

August 9, 2021

Neunaber Audio of Orange, Ca. has released Illumine, the company’s latest reverb pedal. In a press release, the company said its new “reverb machine” includes “17 studio-quality reverbs, 50 presets, MIDI and powerful expression control, [and] comes in a low-power, pedalboard-friendly package with top jacks.” The Illumine reverb pedal is available online at https://neunaber.net/illumine. Gibson […]

How To … Practice & Rehearse

August 19, 2021

First off, let’s define these two terms: Practicing is what individuals do; rehearsing is what groups do. Individuals should always practice in between their group rehearsals. Practice Nobody gets better at playing their particular instrument without practice. No one. Even prodigies must practice. Following are a few pointers that may help you practice more successfully. […]

Product & Industry News for the Week of Aug. 30

August 30, 2021

Product & Industry News for the Week of Aug. 23

August 23, 2021

KRK Systems has released its new studio-quality headphones, the KNS 6402 and the KNS 8402. In a press release, the company said, “Building on its renowned KNS 6400 and 8400 headphone models, KRK enhances the durability and comfort of its headphone offerings with these updated models. Delivering an accurate listening experience in a high-performance package, […]

Product & Industry News for the Week of Aug. 16

August 16, 2021

Chemically Treated Wood Apparently Makes A Great-Sounding Violin

August 24, 2021

A recent article posted on the science website Phys.org offered some interesting research on how famous violin builders Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppi Guarneri “del Gesu” were able to create instruments of such incredible sound quality more than two centuries ago. Turns out, it was not necessarily the luthiers’ skill in building their instruments that gave […]