New Commissioning Program “Just Songs” Amplifies Voices of Emerging Songwriters The program, which offers an incubation process, reflects YPC’s goal of continuing to provide choristers and alumni with resources and support as they establish their own successful careers. Just Songs (Unplugged) is a compilation of acoustic solo works, with lyrical themes centered around social issues, created by YPC alumni as an inspiration for the organization’s young choristers. This winter, the artists will work with YPC’s choral members, grades 3-10, to perform Just Songs (Amplified), a set of new choral arrangements of the original songs,
The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health Written by a bass player for bass players, The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health, in two volumes, is designed to point out common and not-so-common problems that the musician may encounter during practice or performing situations. These books, written by Dr. Randy Kertz, a regular contributor to Making Music and creator […]
NAMM Show 2021: Product Spotlight on the Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone Yamaha recently introduced the YDS-150 Digital Saxophone, a first-of-its-kind instrument that allows saxophonists of all levels and those new to playing a wind instrument to create great sounding music from the very start. The YDS-150 effectively emulates an authentic saxophone experience digitally—from the sound and key layout to feedback from the instrument—while maintaining the sense […]
World’s Smallest Guitar/Bass Multi-Tool GrooveTech Tools has released its newest guitar and bass multi-tool, the Mini-Multi. Based on the premise that some players don’t adjust truss rods using a multi-tool, GrooveTech concentrated on action, tremolo systems, intonation, pickup height, and most other adjustments on guitars and basses. The Mini-Multi consolidates 14 tools into a body that’s less than three […]
Recording Acoustic Guitar in Stereo for Beginners Chuck Schiele takes you through the beginning steps on how to record an acoustic guitar in stereo. Part one is a general overview for beginners on the basic thinking and process of recording, what a signal chain is, and a thing or two about microphones and mic’ing technique.
Gideon Waxman’s Ultimate Guide to Buying Cymbals Cymbals play an integral part of a drummer’s set up, and they are a significant investment. With a cymbal purchase, you will have to be completely confident that sound is right for you and your music. They cannot be altered or tuned in the way that drums can. So it’s imperative to invest in cymbals that will compliment the styles of music you play! In this guide I aim to provide as much information as I can about cymbals to help educate you on how to choose the perfect cymbals that are right for you, and what you need to consider when looking to invest in new cymbals.
Tracy Silverman: Defying Dogma with Electric Violin (Interview part 2) The first thing violinist Tracy Silverman did was to earn his degree from Julliard. The second thing he did when he graduated was to throw it all out the window and join a rock band…
NAMM Show 2021: Yamaha Announces New DGX-670 Digital Piano During the 2021 NAMM Show, Yamaha unveiled the DGX-670, a new digital piano featuring a modern, attractive aesthetic and a simplified user interface. The new “Portable Grand” ensemble instrument is a full, 88-note weighted action keyboard with exceptional playability, superb sound and visual appeal, making it ideal for beginners and accomplished pianists alike. It replaces […]
New Commissioning Program “Just Songs” Amplifies Voices of Emerging Songwriters The program, which offers an incubation process, reflects YPC’s goal of continuing to provide choristers and alumni with resources and support as they establish their own successful careers. Just Songs (Unplugged) is a compilation of acoustic solo works, with lyrical themes centered around social issues, created by YPC alumni as an inspiration for the organization’s young choristers. This winter, the artists will work with YPC’s choral members, grades 3-10, to perform Just Songs (Amplified), a set of new choral arrangements of the original songs,
The Harp: A Global Story of Music, Man, and Medicine In simplest terms, the harp is a plucked string instrument where the plane of the strings is perpendicular to the soundboard.
Mic Stand Cable Hanger Tray 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 […]
Sennheiser MD 435 Wired Microphone The Sennheiser MD 435 provides every voice the same tonal qualities and characteristics made familiar with the MD 9235. Its high-quality aluminum-copper voice coil refines high frequencies with detailed transparency and highlights even the finest nuances. Even subtle vocals can be heard and accentuated effortlessly in the mix. The MD 435 may be sensitive when […]
Korg SoundLink MW-2408/ MW-1608 hybrid analog/digital mixer Korg has collaborated with the legendary mixer design team of Greg Mackie and Peter Watts to create hybrid/analog mixing consoles that make creative mixing easy. Both the 24- and 16-channel models give you instant analog control for live mixing with stunning sound quality and musician-friendly features — paired with the power of high-quality digital. FEATURES: […]
D’Addario Loknob — Lock in Your Sound Dial and lock in your sound settings with D’Addario’s easy-to-install Loknob. Once in place, simply rotate the knob to click into the sound you need. For larger sound adjustments, lift the knob, rotate to your desired sound, then release. Loknob retrofits to most amplifiers, effects pedals, instruments, and live/studio gear. Available in two sizes and […]
ProSoCoustic Wave Pro Series Acoustic Panels Take Control of Your Room Announced at the 2021 NAMM Show: The ProSoCoustic Wave Pro Series offers a unique blend of absorption and diffusion in one product. Their unique diffusor pattern inside each panel allows greater absorption efficiency in the same amount of space. Wave Pro panels also include convenient machine screw inserts that provide […]
Paul Abbott’s Zen Approach to Mastering – Part 3 Paul Abbott is an audio mastering engineer, musician, and owner of ZenMastering (located in San Diego, CA). Paul established ZenMastering in the late 1990s — at a time when there were very few high-end independent mastering studios. Since then, Paul has mastered over 1,000 projects for clients throughout the United States and around the world, ranging from up-and-coming indie bands to award-winning artists and labels.
Distortion Packs a Punch! Amps Explained with Christopher Ames; Part 2 Making Music Mag visited with Christopher Ames at Guitar Center where he shares practical insights about distortion with the help of and Orange amplifier, a Marshall amplifier and a Les Paul.
The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health Written by a bass player for bass players, The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health, in two volumes, is designed to point out common and not-so-common problems that the musician may encounter during practice or performing situations. These books, written by Dr. Randy Kertz, a regular contributor to Making Music and creator […]
HaMelekh (for High Voice and Piano) HaMelekh, by Jonathan Leshnoff, is a setting of two chapters from Heichalos Rabasi, an ancient Jewish mystical text almost 2,000 years old, that detail the approach to the presence of the Divine. Each space is a different room (heychal). The first movement set by the composer, Oso Odom, expresses both the fear and trembling of […]
Passions of Bloom A Passion for Solo Voices, Chorus (SATB) and Orchestra Martin Bresnick’s Passions of Bloom for solo voices, chorus (SATB) and orchestra is based on the writings of Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickinson. It was composed in honor of Professor Harold Bloom and the love of literature he has instilled in generations of devoted […]
Rufus and Rita: A Children’s Opera (Piano-Vocal score) Rufus and Rita, by Lauren Bernofsky, is an adorable, light-hearted opera about a girl and her zany dog, commissioned by Reimagining Opera for Kids for in-school performances. The libretto features several forks in the road where the audience votes on what should happen next. The opera is scored for four singers of any […]
Sing from Your Core: The Vocal Body Sing from Your Core addresses singers of all kinds, from professionals to amateurs. It is about empowerment. The voice is different from any other instrument because it is a part of your body – emanating from your core. You are the instrument. The core principle of this book by Jole Berlage-Buccellati is that joyful and […]
Alfred’s Teach Yourself to Sing Everything You Need to Know to Start Singing Now Alfreds Teach Yourself to Sing, by Karen Farnum Surmani, will open up a new world of musical knowledge. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about equipment used by singers, vocal health, and getting acquainted with reading music. You will then move right along to breathing, […]
Dave Sanborn, Legendary Saxophonist, Presents the First Season of His New Show “Sanborn Sessions” Dave Sanborn, the veteran saxophonist, and six-time Grammy Award winner, has announced he will soon present the first episode of his new music show, Sanborn Sessions. The new series is hosted by Sanborn and features a diverse roster of accomplished artists from a variety of genres and generations. In its initial season, Sanborn welcomes Kandace Springs, […]
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).
Musical Theory: Give It a Rest! Just like notes, rests have precise rhythms; every type of note value has a corresponding rest with the same time value. And although there is no sound, in order to play with rhythmic accuracy, rests must be carefully counted. The following chart breaks down the types of rests you are most likely to find in music…
Clip ‘n Save: Stepping Up and Stepping Down: Augmented and Diminished Intervals n our “Intro to Intervals,” we learned how to recognize major, minor, and perfect intervals—first, recognizing the distance between the two notes on the staff and then counting the precise number of steps between the two pitches. In addition to major, minor, and perfect, there are two other interval qualities that can come into play: augmented and diminished…
A complete history of Tom Petty in Los Angeles When Tom Petty arrived in Los Angeles in 1974 in search of a record deal for his band Mudcrutch, the Gainesville, Florida native found one almost immediately. While he thought he had found exactly what he was looking for in L.A., it would take years for Petty and his subsequent band, the Heartbreakers, to break […]
Victor Wooten’s Music and Nature Camps Bass, Featured Article, Instruments, Musician Profiles June 22, 2020June 22, 2020 Freddy Villano 1 Comment
Taiko Drumming: Healthy Exercise for Music Makers Drums, Featured Article, Health, Instruments May 26, 2020May 4, 2020 Freddy Villano 0 Comments
Ukuleles that Aren’t Ukuleles Instruments, Other Instruments, Products July 30, 2019July 30, 2019 Freddy Villano 0 Comments
Roland Meinl: The Man Behind Meinl Percussion Drums, History, Instruments June 1, 2019June 5, 2019 Freddy Villano 0 Comments
America’s Capo: The Story of Kyser Capos Featured Article, Guitar, Products March 7, 2019March 29, 2019 Freddy Villano 0 Comments
How to Choose The Proper Keyboard Featured Article, Keyboards June 5, 2015July 22, 2015 Freddy Villano 2 Comments
Portable PA Systems & Their Components Featured Article April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 Freddy Villano 1 Comment
Fishman: The Man behind Acoustic Instrument Amplification Featured Article Sidebar, Guitar, Live Sound, Musician Profiles March 30, 2015May 31, 2019 Freddy Villano 0 Comments
Unique Guitar Techniques Featured Article, Guitar February 23, 2015February 23, 2015 Freddy Villano 0 Comments
Alex Skolnick: A Genre-Defying Guitar Hero Featured Article, Guitar January 1, 2015February 5, 2015 Freddy Villano 1 Comment
