NAMM and Making Music Magazine Forecast Hottest Musical Must-Haves
Many of this year’s best-selling items are likely to be fretted instruments, including acoustic guitars, which saw sales rise 15 percent last year, according to data from Music Trades. The ukulele renaissance continues (thank you, Bruno Mars) with a wider variety of sizes and styles, which helped push last year’s sales up 54 percent. As the uke trend enters its second phase, the demand for portable, fun-for-all instruments is carrying over to similar categories. Stores are stocking a new class of compact guitars for easy travel at beginner-friendly pricing, and banjos, which are gaining popularity in step with string-heavy bands such as Mumford and Sons.
In addition, keyboards, especially digital models, offer compact convenience and concert sound at affordable prices. New technology has given both professional and aspiring musicians unprecedented abilities to make and manipulate music, spurring sales for items such as digital DJ controllers (up 54 percent) that incorporate the processing power of iPods and iPads to achieve pro effects within any aspiring DJ’s reach.
“It’s never too early or too late to learn how to play music and instruments are perfect gifts for anyone on your holiday list, no matter what age or level of experience,” said Antoinette Follet, editor-in-chief, Making Music magazine. “They’re the type of gifts that keep on giving because they’re also an investment in the lifelong appreciation of music.”
“Sales of acoustic guitars, ukuleles and even DJ machines are gaining ground because they answer a need for personal enjoyment,” said Pete Gamber, educational representative for Music & Arts, a national chain of musical instrument stores. “Most people who buy a ukulele or a DJ machine don’t buy it because they’re starting a rock band; it’s something they’re doing at home or for family parties.”
NAMM and Making Music magazine’s holiday gift guide promises unique and memorable gifts for everyone, from the amateur to aficionado.
Hot Holiday Gift Ideas for Musicians |
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Unique UkesOhana offers solid mahogany models with beautiful abalone inlays, tortoise shell binding and the finish of a fine musical instrument. |
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iO Dock IIThe iO Dock is back and more capable than ever. The updated iO Dock II picks up where the original left off by unlocking the power of the iPad to provide professional recording capabilities in a simple-to-use design. Just slide your Lightning or 30-pin iPad into the dock and open your favorite iOS recording app to start creating. |
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Strings On-the-GoCompact design defines these guitars. They are extra portable for traveling, easy for kids to play, or just a comfortable option for cradling on the couch at home, but with full sound. |
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Radical DJ GeariDJ Live is a compact software controller for iPad, iPhone and iPod that lets all kinds of music lovers be a DJ, using their own music library. |
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Neat BeatsPercussion manufacturer Meinl makes an especially exotic cajón, the Ergo-Shape String Cajon, featuring a curved bubinga-wood front plate that’s more comfortable on the drummer’s hands. |
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Banjo ResurgenceThe Deering Banjo Company’s new Rare Bird Alert Goodtime banjo is inspired by Steve Martin’s Grammy-nominated CD, “Rare Bird Alert,” and features bird-adorned peg heads. |
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Cool KeysYamaha P-95 Digital Piano has dynamic, high-quality sound via its Advanced Wave Memory sampling system, creating the realism of an acoustic instrument. The Graded Hammer Standard keyboard provides natural piano touch response. |
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…For Music Students |
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ION Audio Tabletop Electronic Drum SetFifty drum, cymbal, percussion, and other sounds help you practice meaningfully. The built-in learning features include a follow-the-lights exercise, which helps simplify beats for you, and 50 play-along patterns. |
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Daisy Rock Pixie Acoustic-ElectricDaisy Rock’s exclusive “Slim & Narrow” neck design makes it easier for girls with smaller hands to play the guitar. Lightweight construction makes the guitar easier to manage and more comfortable to play. www.daisyrock.com/products/acoustic-electric/pixie-acoustic-electric/pixie-acoustic-electric |
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Remo Gathering DrumCan be played with the hands, sticks or mallets. Kids enjoy playing this big drum solo style but have the most fun when other kids (big kids too) join in the fun, inventing cool rhythm patterns all on their own. |
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Roland VT-12 Vocal TrainerFrom music school to home, from recording studio to backstage dressing room, the pocket-sized VT-12 is your ultimate traveling vocal coach. With a variety of built-in exercises and warm-ups for improving your vocal skills, the VT-12 provides real-time analysis of your pitch while you sing so you can visualize your progress. |
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Woodwind & Brasswind Gemeinhardt Model 3 FluteThe Model 3 Flute features Gemeinhardt’s exclusive four-post foot joint construction for especially strong flutes, as well as a unique embouchure hole design, proportioned tone holes, and pad cups to ensure even response and extraordinary tone throughout all registers. Other features include an inline or offset G key, a triple-coated silver-plated finish, and a Y-arm mechanism. |
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Vater Slick Nut Skull– Same features as the original Slick Nut but with a molded Skull body design. Glows in the dark. A quick release cymbal fastener that also features an anti-theft device. Simply hold in button, put on cymbal stand rod and release button. Reduces Set up/teardown time, easy tension adjustment, works with any size cymbal, even X-Hats. |
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Dean Guitars Baby ML Electric GuitarA trimmed-down, lightweight body for rapid motion is married to screamin’ Dean hi-output pickups and a lightning-fast, full-scale neck to create a lean and mean sound machine. Radical body style and black hardware give it looks to kill for. |
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Hohner Student MelodicaThe Student 32 melodica features 32 keys, with a range of more than 21/2 full octaves for both soprano and alto. Ideal for all players, from beginner to professional, this melodica’s keyboard starts with the F below middle C. Comes complete with mouthpiece and custom Hohner case. |
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Stocking Stuffers |
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Chromatic Watch Company WatchesThese unique, quality timepieces are fun reminders of music theory. Chromatic, Circle of Fourths, and Circle of Fifth models are available for men and women. |
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Kids Musical Band DrumsetThe perfect toy drumset for your budding little drummer. Tthis set-up is similar to that of a real drum set with two solid wood drums and soft drumheads. It includes a metal cymbal and a ribbed “rhythm stick” percussion accessory. Watch their face light up when they open this gift! Recommended for ages 3 and up. |
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Personalized Guitar PickPersonalized gifts make the best gifts! This beautiful Personalized Guitar Pick is the perfect gift for the guitar player in your life. Whether they’re a rocker, a metal head, or a country music fan, they’ll love this solid sterling silver guitar pick with their engraved name. Not just a display piece, this is a real pick that can be used for “making music.” Ideal for the career musician or anyone who plays a stringed instrument requiring a pick. |
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Vater Professional Drumming GlovesVater’s gloves feature synthetic leather with a breathable mesh backing and elasticated panels on the sides of the fingers. This combination provides the drummer great flexibility, fit and improved ventilation to assure maximum comfort while performing. Vater’s gloves improve grip and protect hands from blisters without compromising natural feel and sensitivity. |
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Lampcraft Super GigLightSee the music clearly, end eyestrain and stop struggling to see the notes. Lampcraft’s battery powered Super GigLight lets you play anywhere, anytime — free from the restrictions of power cords. Perform outdoors, rehearse in dimly lit rooms, use in the pit and avoid tangled cords! |
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Ernie Ball Everlast Coated Acoustic StringsEverlast Coated Acoustic Strings use groundbreaking nanotechnology that repels unwanted moisture and oils that negatively impact your tone. 1,000 times thinner than any other string coating on the market, the treatment is applied to both the inner hex core and outer wrap wire to provide ultimate protection without compromising tone or feel. |
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Levy’s Saxophone StrapsLevy’s saxophone straps vary from narrow and lightweight to wide and padded. All are length-adjustable to fit different types of saxophones. |
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Planet Waves Full Frequency Ear PlugsThese full frequency earplugs allow you to enjoy listening and playing music while safeguarding your hearing from the damaging effects of extended exposure to loud sounds. |
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Dunlop StringsUtilizing only the finest materials in combination with their propriety core to wrap ratio, Dunlop Strings offer players a quick break-in period, long life, and a balanced string-to-string response. |
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Mini Original Super-Sensitive RosinMade with high quality natural resin encased in a sturdy finished wood block with an easy to open slide box. Available for violin, viola, and cello. |
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Meisel Peg WrenchPeg wrench for violin, viola, and cello. Helps turn pegs on your instrument or peg shaver, and may even save your fingers! |
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ChopSaver Lip BalmInvented by a professional trumpet player to address the lip care needs of brass and woodwind players, ChopSaver is now enjoyed by everyone. |
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Groove Masters Percussion Frog GuiroPlayed by scraping the beater up and down the back of the frog, this finely crafted wooden guiro produces a unique ratchet-like sound. And the bigger the frog, the bigger the sound! |
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Planet Waves Guitar StrapsThese comfortable Tubular guitar straps are adjustable (35 inches to 59.5 inches) and feature strong, secure leather ends. They come in many iconic themes and unique patterns and artwork. |
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Dunlop Pick HolderEver drop your pick on stage? It’s not a problem anymore. This spring-loaded, sleek, black pick holder keeps a replacement handy. |
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Even More Gifts! |
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Roland TD-11KV Drum KitEnhanced with SuperNATURAL power, the TD-11KV V-Drums V-Compact Series brings a more natural and realistic playing experience to drummers of any skill level and budget. Affordable and easy to use, this new electronic kit is perfect for a variety of applications, including practice, teaching, recording, live performance, and more. |
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Schecter Guitar Research Synyster Custom Electric GuitarThe Schecter Synyster Standard guitar is loaded with signature appointments designed by Synyster Gates, guitarist of the band Avenged Sevenfold. The Synyster Standard gives you a set neck design with a mahogany neck and body along with a original Floyd Rose tremolo system and Seymour Duncan Custom Invader pickups. The signature Synyster inlays on the neck and the silver strips on the body of the guitar give you a shocking new look that is sure to turn heads! |
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Casio Privia PX-130The Casio digital piano comes with a Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer-action keyboard, built-in USB/MIDI interface, four dynamic layers of stereo piano samples integrated with proprietary Linear Morphing System. Its Acoustic Resonance DSP allows it to simulate the sound of open strings. |
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Samson Zoom H1 Handy RecorderThe H1 Handy Recorder has Zoom’s renowned recording technology and studio-quality microphones in our easiest, most portable device ever. |
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Fishman Fission Bass Powerchord FX PedalFission Bass Powerchord FX Pedal lets any bassist lay down beds of power by adding stacked harmonies over their bass lines. Through an intuitive set of controls and footswitches, several combinations of octaves, 4th and 5th above the root note combine to produce powerchords or octave-up effects. |
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RS Berkeley FLU668 Signature Series FlugelhornComplete with lacquer finish, .433″ bore, 6″ handspun brass bell, monel valves, hand lapped pistons, moveable mouthpiece receiver, 3rd valve slide trigger, includes a custom mouthpiece and zipper case with shoulder strap. |
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Gator Cases G-TourGator has added road-safe ATA cases to it’s popular G-TOUR line specifically designed to fit the latest most popular ‘Lunchbox’ style guitar amp heads. This new line provides the top-notch quality and protection with thick plywood construction and a tough PVC exterior. The interior is lined with Specialized EVA foam padding to safely house your head unit. |
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Vic Firth Essentials Stick BagWhen less is more, this is the stick bag for you! Cleverly designed to hold 4-5 implements such as sticks, brushes, rutes and mallets—the essentials! The bag features a hook-and-strap system for secure suspension from the floor tom or snare. The straps fit neatly into the bag when not in use. An internal pocket and elastic drum key loop make the bag complete! Crafted in durable, water-resistant nylon. |
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