No athlete would think about starting a run, playing soccer, or climbing into a kayak without first warming up. Warming up muscles and joints, which means literally making them warm, increasing blood flow to them, and stretching them out, is crucial to avoid or heal an injury. Musicians must do the same. Drummers especially need […]
There aren’t too many hard and fast rules when it comes to singing. Most singers can feel and hear their problem spots. “If your voice feels good and sounds good, it probably is good. If it feels bad and sounds good, something is wrong,” says Jeannette LoVetri, director of The Voice Workshop in New York […]
Many of us have a song inside our heads, whether it’s just a vague idea, a memorable hook, a catchy melody, or the whole package. No matter if you are starting from scratch or writing words for a particular tune, this article offers tips on lyric writing.
Sure, it may look harder to play than a big-rig is to drive, but armed with the right knowledge, it’s completely within the realm of possibility for almost any musician to figure out the basics and start playing pedal steel guitar.
If you’re a singer, chances are there is that one performer who you want to sound like. It could be anyone from Andrea Bocelli or Charlotte Church to Janis Joplin, Barbra Streisand, or Freddie Mercury. Perhaps there’s a certain style you hear and love, regardless of the singer. Some singers are drawn to classical sounds […]
Percussionist Donald Knaack, 61, is a firm believer that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Always looking for new percussion instruments, dumpster diver Knaack finds his nest egg of sound in the most unlikely of places: junkyards, local maintenance departments, factories, and refuse from community farms, restaurants, and stores. Make Your Own Drum Kit […]