If you’ve heard of Daniel Ho, it’s most likely from his recent concerts and recordings of Hawaiian music on ukulele
Category: Making Music
Philadephia Percussionist Brings Fresh Perspective to Revolutionary-era Fife-and-Drum Tune
Pandemic-Inspired Musical Project Brings Together World-Class Percussion And Brass Musicians Just a few weeks ago, on Independence Day 2020, a group of world-class percussion and brass musicians released a new arrangement of a Revolutionary War-era fife-and-drum tune, “The Downfall of Paris.” While the project started as a fun musical project during quarantine, it ended up […]
Banjos, Banjos and More Banjos!
A brief history of banjos The banjo derives from various African instruments that arrived here via the West Indies in slavery days. The original five-string banjo had no frets, the horizontal position markers that tell the player where to place his/her left hand fingers. There are reports of slaves playing banjos on Thomas Jefferson’s plantation, […]
Mike Meiers – Ukulele in a Commercial Music / Sync Licensing Production
Mike Meiers — songwriter, producer, and guitar coach — goes ukulele in his latest video for Making Music. Here, he talks about a variety of considerations for ukulele being utilized in a commercial music / sync licensing production scenario. Grab your ukulele and check out Mike’s video for specific explanations, examples, and tips!
Throwback Thursday: Pickin’ and Grinnin’
Bluegrass traces its roots to British folk music and African American gospel and blues…
Toe Tappin’ with a Nine-Piece Banjo Band
The Banjo Racketeers are a nine-piece band from the San Francisco Bay Area performing on various sizes of banjos. They are big fans of old 78 records and music from the ’20s and ’30s — and of Making Music magazine. “We’re a nine-piece banjo band from the San Francisco Bay Area, playing our fun hokey music […]
10 Tips to Increase Your Playing Speed
The ability to play at speed (at least some/relative speed) is an important part of guitar playing. Even if you don’t want to be a modern-rock-virtuoso-shredder playing a million notes per click at an ungodly BPM, continuously improving your playing speed is essential for other reasons. So often a guitarist who isn’t considered “a fast […]
Folk Songs – Strum Together: Ukulele, Baritone Ukulele, Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo
The Strum Together series by Hal Leonard enables players of five different instruments – or any combination of them – to “strum together” on 70 great songs. This new, easy-to-use format features melody, lyrics, and chord diagrams for five popular folk instruments: standard ukulele, baritone ukulele, guitar, mandolin, and banjo. This collection of Folk songs, […]
Banjoist Cynthia Sayer: Four Strings and the Truth
Multi-award-winning instrumentalist/vocalist/bandleader Cynthia Sayer is acclaimed by musicians, critics, and fans alike as the top 4-string banjoist in the world today. Praised for her “drive and virtuosity” by the New York Times, Cynthia enchants audiences with her electrifying, swing-based performances and captivating stage presence wherever she appears.
Cordoba Flamed Mahogany Ukulele
The Cordoba 15CFM ukulele adds exotic flamed mahogany and striking color options to Cordoba’s all-time best selling ukulele, the 15CM. The all-flamed mahogany construction provides a full, rich sound and appointments like an abalone rosette and black body binding set these instruments apart from other models in their price range. Additional features include silver tuners […]