Take advantage of modern technology and transform your practice or solo performances into a one-man band. There is a cycle involved in every art form–inspiration, creation, and sharing. What many musicians enjoy the most about making music is the last phase of the cycle–the performance. The satisfaction of involving an audience in the music making […]
Category: Instruments
How to Prevent and Treat Arthritis in Musicians
One out of five Americans suffers from some sort of arthritis, or chronic joint pain, so it is not surprising that there are many musicians affected.
Guitar Meet-Up Groups
Wouldn’t it be great to have a friendly, nonjudgmental and noncompetitive environment where you can share your ideas and love of music? The Guitar Church in Western Canada and the Guitar League of Syracuse, New York, have been hard at work to create just that: a safe haven for closet pickers and pros alike to […]
Make Your Own Percussion Instruments
A few years back, while giving a presentation on homemade musical instruments at the University of Washington, Dr. Craig Woodson created a masenqo—a single stringed violin from Ethiopia—out of dental floss, a Styrofoam box, a plastic tube, and some chopsticks. “There was an Ethiopian woman in the audience, and she got up and walked out of the room,” he remembers. “I thought, oh my gosh, I’ve insulted this woman! But then she came back in and her eyes were wet with tears, and she said to me, ‘I had no idea when you started to play that very simple instrument, that it would take me home.’”
Playing in Amateur Piano Competitions
Nela Rubinstein was married for 50 years to one of the greatest pianists of all time, Arthur Rubinstein, but in the years after his death, her attention shifted to amateur pianists. Her husband had sometimes remarked that those who played piano for the fun of it were just as deserving of the stage as he […]
Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
It’s not “the summer of ’69” anymore and playing ’til your fingers bleed isn’t the greatest idea, no matter how sentimental it sounds. Taking care of your hands and wrists is important to get the most out of your music. Any musician who practices regularly can attest that overuse of the hand muscles can cause […]
Beginner’s Guide to Double Bass Drum Pedal
Considered the “heart of the drum kit,” the bass, or kick, drum is used to mark time in almost all styles of popular music, including pop, rock, and jazz. The appearance and functionality of this modern-day kit dates back to 1909, when drum manufacturer William F. Ludwig invented a practical bass drum foot pedal. Though […]
Pro Vocal Techniques
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 […]
Actor Greg Grunberg Drums for Charity
Not many people can say portraying a superhero is their full-time job. Greg Grunberg, an actor on the critically acclaimed NBC series Heroes, spends his days playing likable cop Matt Parkman, an average Joe who wakes up one day to find he has the ability to read minds.
How to Make Drums from Junk
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 […]