The ukulele (spelled ‘ukulele’ in English) is a small, four-string musical instrument fitted with nylon strings. You’ll recognise it by its bright, cheerful sound. Most of the time, you play chords on it—and those are relatively easy to learn thanks to the ukulele’s compact size and the small number of strings. Originally, you’d mainly come across ukuleles in folk music, but these days they also regularly show up in pop bands and as an accompaniment instrument for singers. In this article, you’ll read about ukulele history, tuning, types and much more.

In this blog, we’re not answering the question “what is a Les Paul?”, but who was Les Paul? Guitarist and inventor Les Paul (1915 – 2009) made an important contribution to the development of the electric guitar (the famous Gibson Les Paul) and to popular music, both musically and technically.

Diction, pronunciation and articulation are often overlooked topics in the singing world. But that doesn’t make them any less important. In fact, they’re the foundation of good singing and a strong performance. Here’s how that works!

The wind controller, or wind synth, is a synthesiser for wind players who want to pluck, hammer and bow. Saxophonist Louis Gerrits knows all about it. There’s always work for the wind controller, he says. Mind you, the real controller isn’t the instrument, but the player.

Experiencing and conveying the lyrics is essential for a strong vocal performance. The basic principles are fairly quick to explain, but in practice it can be very labour-intensive. You can also look at lyric delivery in a broader context—think performance and the way you, as a singer, position yourself in ‘artistic life’. Singer Ellen Evers has a very clear vision on that.

Buddy Rich (1917-1987) is regarded by many as the greatest drummer of all time. Either way, he’s a true drum legend and is often seen as one of the key pioneers of technical drumming. Buddy’s roots are in jazz, but his drum techniques have made their way into every genre.

Managers: are they even still a thing in the music industry? And what exactly is their role? But just as important: what is the artist’s role? A lot of artists and bands don’t know when the right time is to start working with a manager. Usually, they still need to practise much harder and gig more often before it makes sense to bring in management. On top of that, musicians often jump in far too quickly when they’re approached. Manager and lecturer Martijn Crama shares his advice!

When you’re watching a band play live on stage, it’s easy to forget that it’s the light tech who’s made sure that everything and everyone is clearly visible. And yes, light technicians do way more than simply flick the lights on. Pay special attention to the lighting the next time you’re at a venue and you’ll notice how the lights dynamically react to the sound. In this blog, our lighting gear expert Floris explains what it takes to become a light tech, followed by an interview with a professional in the field.

By its very nature, music can be a noisy phenomenon which is exactly why any live venue, pub, rehearsal room and recording studio will always need good isolation. For the average musician, playing at full volume in their own home just isn’t an option – there are nagging neighbours to think about. Is it a problem that can be solved once and for all? You’ve heard that some good isolation will keep the noise in and keep your neighbours sweet, but before you start collecting egg boxes, it’s worth learning a little bit about the theory behind sound isolation. Your first lesson: egg boxes make for terrible sound proofing.

As a band, whether it’s conscious or not, you develop your own unique character and image, which not only gives your music some colour and identity but your gigs as well. Some well styled photos can do wonders when it comes to putting your band in the spotlight and presenting the right image, but how do you go about making a good set of photos?

Know the deal? I’d be surprised if you didn’t: another rejection letter in your inbox in response to your latest gig-fishing email. It seems that the majority of the bands that are sending out their bio and demo to venues receive a ‘no’ – if they receive a reply at all.

Are backing vocalists simply failed lead singers? That’s a hard no for Marjolein Spijkers, who’s one of the most requested backing singers in the Netherlands. For thirteen seasons, she sang on the popular Dutch TV show ‘Ik Hou Van Holland’, and she was one of the original Frogettes (backing vocalists for big-name Dutch singer, René Froger). She has also performed at big venues, including the Amsterdam Arena, and knows exactly what is asked of a professional backing vocalist. Comparing the job to being part of the brass section,, Marjolein believes that “backing vocals are an integral part of any live show.”