For brass musicians looking to discover new sounds, mutes may be the way to go. They change the instrument’s sound by reducing airflow, altering the volume, and changing the resonance. Typically made of copper, aluminum, or brass, mutes can be placed either in the interior, or on the exterior of the instrument.
As high quality woods become rarer and their use is called into question because of environmental concerns, alternatives are growing in popularity. Manufacturers began using plastics and hard rubber to make woodwind instruments decades ago. Today these techniques are widely accepted.
Here’s a great advantage of playing an electric guitar: simply swap the pickups, and you can completely change the sound and response of your instrument.
Although similar in principle, there are several internal and external differences between concertinas and accordions. The most obvious is the way the buttons are played.
The Alexander Technique is a method of learning that addresses inefficient habits of movement and patterns of accumulated tension that interfere with your innate ability to move easily.
By day, an account executive for a fast-growing video content production agency, and by night a bass player and lead vocalist, Cathy Beck says, “I’ve been a ‘weekend warrior’ for most of my music career.” She claims music is in her DNA thanks to a great uncle who plays upright bass, grandmother who played the […]
If you want to add something special (and perhaps a bit pricy) to your or your loved one’s holiday gift list, here are some limited edition and collector’s series instruments that are sure to please. Their rarity is their appeal. “This guitar is beautiful and rare—just like you.” “There are only 500 other violins like […]
A guide to capos. Often, a capo is used to transpose a song up a whole or half-step. This helps to accommodate a singer’s range when a guitarist provides the accompaniment. It can also make the fingering of certain chords easier.
In performance, mistakes can be debilitating if you let them be. But unless it causes a real train-wreck onstage, they are far from harmful.
Playing the bugle requires more than lips and lungs. Playing piano requires more than nimble fingers. Really, playing any instrument at all requires sound mind and body. If you want to play well, you’ve got to take care of yourself—and I mean your whole self. Exercise is important, and so is diet. Whether you’re trying to memorize a song or your tendonitis is flaring up from too much guitar playing, there’s an herb or vitamin for that. Here are just a few of the areas you can begin improving after a visit to your local health food store.