Pianist Yuko Mabuchi – From Classical Student to Jazz Virtuoso “Creating music on the moment was what drew me to jazz.” ~Yuko Mabuchi Yuko Mabuchi started playing classical piano at age four, in her hometown of Fukui, Japan. As a teenager, she was fascinated by American R&B, hip-hop and blues. After hearing the music of some of the jazz greats, she fell in love with […]
What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body Techniques on how to gain greater fluidity of movement while playing to improve the quality of the experience are offered in this manual for serious piano players. What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body by Thomas Carson Mark encourages musicians to develop a broader understanding of the involvement of the entire body in […]
Six Lessons for Playing Funk Bass – with Dan Hawkins of the music. You need great timing, feel, pocket, and technique to play it well. Here are six video lessons that will get you grooving in no time….
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.
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.
What’s in a Name: Is it a Violin or a Fiddle? Ask any violinist if there’s a difference between a violin and a fiddle, and they will say, “If I had a nickel every time somebody asked that!”
Adjustable Padded Piano Bench The Neewer NW-007 Adjustable Deluxe Padded Piano Bench is a leather backless stool with storage compartment, solid hard wood construction, and offers a load capacity up to 250 pounds/110 kilograms. Large storage box: A large built-in storage compartment under the seat is designed to hold several music books, and it can provide convenience for your […]
Rovner Products Seeks to Relieve PPE Shortage in Maryland with Donations Although Rovner Products’ production department had been idle since the end of March due to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s COVID-19 state mandate closing all non-essential businesses, in late April some of the company’s manufacturing equipment was redeployed. “In March, stories of desperate medical workers were all over the news, and we were horrified. We realized […]
How to Prepare Your Voice for a Live Performance By Stefanie August In my numerous years of working as a nightclub and theater vocalist, I always had to keep my voice strong and focused. We singers must be able to keep from sounding winded while singing, especially if we are dancing or playing an instrument. Below are some best practices for strengthening one’s voice […]
Where Did the Banjo Come From? Here’s a Timeline of Its History The banjo has evolved from its African roots, first as a minstrel instrument, and later as a jazz, bluegrass, and folk staple. At the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, you can see more than 300 banjos – the largest public display in the world. The timeline below includes just a few.
Adjustable Padded Piano Bench The Neewer NW-007 Adjustable Deluxe Padded Piano Bench is a leather backless stool with storage compartment, solid hard wood construction, and offers a load capacity up to 250 pounds/110 kilograms. Large storage box: A large built-in storage compartment under the seat is designed to hold several music books, and it can provide convenience for your […]
On-Stage LED Piano Lamp With a wide lamp head that evenly illuminates sheet music or keys and a sleek, low-profile design that preserves stage optics, this LED piano lamp is an ideal keyboard light. The lamp head is supported by an adjustable gooseneck that facilitates effective light positioning. To accommodate a variety of applications, the power switch toggles between […]
Kawai MP11SE Digital Piano The stand-out feature of the Kawai MP11SE digital piano is its first-rate Grand Feel wooden-key keyboard action, which faithfully recreates the natural motion and feel of an acoustic piano. The intuitive panel interface with independent sound sections and effects, and a wide selection of realistic electric piano and subsidiary sounds make the MP11SE a great […]
Konig & Meyer 18997 Keyboard Stand This Konig & Meyer 18997 Keyboard X-stand made of aluminum is lightweight and yet extremely stable. The arrangement of the double-braced stand tubes provides noticeably more stability and safety. The ergonomic clamping lever allows a quick and easy mounting or folding in no time at all. The sturdy metal joint is finely interlocked and adjustable […]
Making Music Product Spotlight: The Mute Caddy with Jeff Stockham Take a look at The Mute Caddy‘s newest product: the Longoria model. It weighs in at under 10 ounces, has no moving parts — just slides onto the ledge of your music stand, can accommodate up to four mutes plus three mouthpieces and a pencil, and even fits most drink cups in place of a […]
Win a Pair of JBL Reference Monitors Enter below to win a pair of JBL 104-BT Compact Desktop Reference Monitors with Bluetooth The giveaway is free to enter and runs until July 24. JBL 104-BT compact reference monitors with Bluetooth, the newest models in the 1 Series line, draw from seven decades of JBL Professional engineering. They’re perfect for recording musicians, producers, […]
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.
Blues Piano: The Complete Guide Ever wanted to play the blues, but weren’t sure where to start? Blues Piano The complete guide with audio by Mark Harrison will teach you the basic skills you need. From comping to soloing, you’ll learn the theory, the tools, and even the tricks that the pros use. And, you get seven complete tunes to […]
What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body Techniques on how to gain greater fluidity of movement while playing to improve the quality of the experience are offered in this manual for serious piano players. What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body by Thomas Carson Mark encourages musicians to develop a broader understanding of the involvement of the entire body in […]
Berklee Jazz Standards for Solo Piano Berklee Jazz Standards for Solo Piano includes 12 arrangements by various arrangers for solo jazz piano of standard jazz tunes. These arrangements are fun to play, musically suitable for performance, and support the Berklee piano curriculum and other activities (e.g., auditions). They are organized by performance level, with examples from Levels 1 through 4, so […]
The Circle of Fifths for Piano Learn and Apply Music Theory for Piano & Keyboard The Circle of Fifths is the ancient “Rosetta Stone” of music theory, that not only tells you which notes are in any key, but also contains the secret of how every scale is built and how scales relates to each other. The Circle of Fifths for […]
Beautiful Art Songs for Solo Piano This 32-page book by pianist, composer, and educator Lee Evans consists of beautiful art songs (lieder) by famous classical composers, music set to poetry for piano and voice, but here presented in piano solo arrangements to be played purely instrumentally. Composers whose songs are featured in this first of three volumes in this projected three-book […]
Coordinate Movement for Pianists: Anatomy, Technique, and Wellness Principles What movements, then, produce the most desirable sounds at the piano? Drawing from experience in the fields of piano instruction, medicine, and Body Mapping, author Lisa Marsh presents a detailed discussion — complete with anatomical drawings and music examples — about the types of movement that contribute to a healthy, fluid, and versatile piano technique. […]
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, […]
Going the Distance: Intro to Intervals To confidently identify intervals, you’ll first need to master your understanding whole-steps and half-steps—also known as tones and semi-tones. A half-step (semi-tone) is two different notes with the smallest possible distance between them—for example, B up to C, or E down to Eb. Think of two frets right next to each other on a guitar, or two keys (including the black keys) right next to each other on the piano. A whole-step (tone) is made up of two half-steps—for example, B up to C#, or E down to D…
Clip N’ Save: Understanding Enharmonics Enharmonics are notes that sound at the same pitch but have a different name, such as F# and Gb. Here are a few tips on understanding enharmonics.
Clip N’ Save: Types of Cadences Cadences are chord progressions that either break up or conclude a particular section or piece of music. Here are a few different types of cadences.
Piano History: What are the different types of pianos? The piano was invented around 1700 in Italy by harpsichord maker Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori, who worked with the Florentine Court of the Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici. Cristofori named his invention gravicèmbalo col piano e forte, which means “harpsichord with loud and soft.” It was later shortened to “fortepiano” and finally to just “piano.” […]
Throwback Thursday: Pickin’ and Grinnin’ Featured Article, Making Music, Music Tips July 16, 2020July 16, 2020 Jon 0 Comments
