My Zen Background I was initially drawn into the idea of Zen when I went to the Toledo [Ohio] Museum of Art in 2017. That was when I saw a collection of ancient miniature statues from Asia. I was particularly drawn to a Tibetan Buddha, with a gorgeous copper-green patina. It took almost three years […]
The unexpectedly rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military forces and subsequent fall of that country’s government to the Taliban do not bode well for Afghanistan’s future. Many aspects of life that we in the “west” take for granted – such as the freedoms of expression and religion, and women’s rights for just a few examples – […]
A recent article posted on the science website Phys.org offered some interesting research on how famous violin builders Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppi Guarneri “del Gesu” were able to create instruments of such incredible sound quality more than two centuries ago. Turns out, it was not necessarily the luthiers’ skill in building their instruments that gave […]
KRK Systems has released its new studio-quality headphones, the KNS 6402 and the KNS 8402. In a press release, the company said, “Building on its renowned KNS 6400 and 8400 headphone models, KRK enhances the durability and comfort of its headphone offerings with these updated models. Delivering an accurate listening experience in a high-performance package, […]
The mbira is a wooden and metal musical instrument which comes from the culture of the Shona people of the southern African nations of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The Shona have played mbiras for at least 1,000 years. Erica Azim, mbira player, teacher, and founder of The Mbira Organization (mbira.org), explained that in Shona culture the […]
First off, let’s define these two terms: Practicing is what individuals do; rehearsing is what groups do. Individuals should always practice in between their group rehearsals. Practice Nobody gets better at playing their particular instrument without practice. No one. Even prodigies must practice. Following are a few pointers that may help you practice more successfully. […]
The Saraswati veena is a plucked, stringed musical instrument from India whose origins date back to around 1700 BCE. This veena (also spelled vina), a member of the lute family, as are the chitra, vichitra, and rudra veenas. Dr. Tara Rajendran is a classically trained veena player (as well as a medical doctor – please […]
When she was only four years old, Dr. Tara Rajendran watched as her grandmother suffered from and eventually succumbed to leukemia. While certainly sad at this loss, she was taken, even at such a tender age, by how her grandmother seemed to feel less anxiety and pain whenever Carnatic music, the classical music of her […]
SAE Institute is looking for people with a passion for audio. “The audio industry is one of the most exciting yet challenging sectors of the creative media business and offers a wide range of employment opportunities for talented, passionate people like you,” SAE said in a recent press release. “The right education can be a […]
Neunaber Audio of Orange, Ca. has released Illumine, the company’s latest reverb pedal. In a press release, the company said its new “reverb machine” includes “17 studio-quality reverbs, 50 presets, MIDI and powerful expression control, [and] comes in a low-power, pedalboard-friendly package with top jacks.” The Illumine reverb pedal is available online at https://neunaber.net/illumine. Gibson […]