Making Music Magazine | Connecting the world through music.

La Guitarra – A Comprehensive Study of Classical Guitar Technique and Guide to Performing

Tuscany Publications presents a revised and expanded edition of Pepe Romero’s Guitar Style and Technique (1982), which had been out of print for some time. New features include sections on tremolo, flamenco, concert performance, additional finger gymnastics, and a Romero photo album. It contains all of the music from the earlier version and several new […]

Gretsch Electromatic Lap Steel

The Gretsch Electromatic Lap Steel produces the unmistakably rich tones of an electric Hawaiian guitar. Sleek and smooth, it features a solid mahogany slab body, chrome-covered single-coil pickup, chrome-plated strings-thru-body bridge, silver plastic deco control plate and variously shaped fingerboard position markers (circle, triangle, square, diamond).

Own Your Tone! A Practical Guide to Electric Guitar Tone

Guitar tone is the sound or timbre of the guitar which could mean the effects that are being used, what pickup selection is being used, is it played with a plectrum or fingerpicked, and many other factors. You could say that the sound difference between an acoustic guitar and electric guitar is due to the difference in tone. Or the difference between Kirk Hammett’s distorted guitars in Metallica and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits’s clean to lightly overdriven sound is due to differences in tone.

Want to be a better guitarist? Check out Steve Vai’s Guitar Workout

Travel Acoustic: Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus

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

The Wilderness is the next big band you haven’t heard. However, the fans are talking about their over 400 live shows across the USA and Canada in the last four years alone. The Wilderness is an indie rock sextet based in Kingston, ON that has a massive and mighty sound — a propulsive and potent […]

Community Video: altre di B — Salgado

Community Video: J.C. Andersen — I Go Out

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

This 100% reproducible collection of Music Soduko for Kids has 64 Sudoku puzzles (18 four-square, 20 easy six-square and 28 medium six-square) and offers students a fun gateway into music learning. The symbols and characters used are drawn from a variety of music subject areas such as notes and dynamics, to letters representing instruments, composers […]

How to Read Music

The Process Einstein Used to Stimulate Creativity and Why it Worked

Multi-Purpose Beginning Band Tool

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.

La Guitarra – A Comprehensive Study of Classical Guitar Technique and Guide to Performing

March 5, 2021

Want to be a better guitarist? Check out Steve Vai’s Guitar Workout

March 3, 2021

Since its appearance in Guitar World in 1990, Vai’s intensive guitar regimen has been the Holy Grail for serious players. Here is the lesson that shaped a generation of guitarists. Vai sat down with guitarist/transcriber Dave Whitehill and outlined his practice routine for the January 1990 issue of Guitar World. Never before had a guitarist […]

Gretsch Electromatic Lap Steel

March 4, 2021

Travel Acoustic: Taylor GS Mini-e Koa Plus

March 2, 2021

If you’re looking for a compact acoustic guitar with a big voice and a stunning visual appeal to match, check out Taylor Guitars’ GS Mini-e Koa Plus. Built with back and sides of layered Hawaiian koa with a solid koa top, this model’s clear, articulate sound is right at home whether you’re practicing on the […]

Mic Stand Cable Hanger Tray

February 15, 2021

The new microphone stand cable hanger and organizer from Gator Frameworks provides convenient, accessible storage for audio and computer cables in a compact size. Features include: Hanging design prevents potential damage to cables from over-coiling and kinks 5/8-27 female threads attach directly to standard mic stand 32 cable slots with alternating-size spaces from 5-9mm features […]