Keyboardist
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Our shared obsession for vintage instruments is as timeless as the gear itself. From the Rhodes, Hammond and Wurlitzer to the Yamaha CP series, the Clavinet and the Mellotron, the signature sound of these old-school units can be heard in countless chart-toppers, which goes to show just how big of a mainstay these revered keyboards are.
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Guestblogger Celine Gaurier-Joubert is the founder of the Institut de Musique de Paris and has a wealth of experience teaching adults to play the piano. During her career, she has met hundreds of enthusiastic students who, just after a couple of months of lessons, have given up on their dream to play the piano. In this blog, Celine reveals why so many adults give up and why it’s far better to just keep at it!
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The Hammond is to the organ what the Hoover is to the vacuum cleaner. A household name, this timeless instrument is indivisible from classic rock and modern pop, whether it’s a vintage model or a modern digital Hammond, and decades before it even made the rock hall-of-fame, it was a mainstay of blues and jazz. Despite the fact that playing one means lugging a 100-kilo chunk of hardware from gig to gig, we find out exactly why this instrument is as much a legend as the musicians that have played it. Welcome to your definitive guide to the Hammond organ. Enjoy!
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Believe it or not, the accordion is perhaps the most played instrument in the entire world, especially when you take the entire accordion-family into account. The truth is, the accordion is not just a mainstay of folk music but has managed to penetrate as far as the pop world. With that in mind, let’s get to know this one-of-a-kind instrument.
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Unfortunately, there comes a time when everything breaks, and the same is definitely true of music gear, whether it’s speakers, valve amplifiers, or your electric guitar or bass. In the worst case, you’ll need to get it fixed by a professional, but there are some smaller, more simple repairs that you can actually carry out yourself. With a voltmeter, a soldering iron and a little solder on your side, you can get more done than you might think.
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Whether caused by a bad habit or a passionate performance, the injuries related to being a musician can range from a gradually niggling and continuous beep in one ear, to chronic and unbearable wrist pain. If you want to play comfortably for the rest of your life, then it’s more than worth learning to listen to your body, practise some good-old self care, and avoid long-term injury, hearing damage, and dreaded RSI!
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When you hear the word piano, most people may still think of an acoustic upright or a big majestic grand piano. But for decades already, digital pianos have been on the rise and they’re only getting better. Also known as electric pianos, what are the main differences between digital and acoustic pianos, and which one would suit you best? In this blog, I hope to help you find out.
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So, you play keyboard and you’d like to sing along. But is it even possible to plug a microphone directly into your keyboard? That depends entirely on your keyboard, but even if it does have a microphone input there are still a few things to bear in mind or look out for.
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In this blog, we’re going to talk about playing the blues, show you which ingredients are needed to play typical blues-flavoured sounds on a piano or guitar, and take an in-depth look at blue notes, blues scales, blues-style chord progressions (including that well-known 12-bar blues), straight-versus-swing blues and various other important topics.
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A question we’re often asked is, ‘how do you connect a keyboard or digital piano to a mixer or keyboard amplifier?’ Maybe you’re preparing for your first ever live gig, maybe you’re figuring out how to make home-studio recordings, or your sonic instrument of choice needs more volume if it’s going to compete with your drummer in the rehearsal room. If you’re not familiar with them, the sheer number of different ways of connecting up your gear can be a little overwhelming. But luckily, it’s all pretty straightforward once you know how.
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Say you’ve got a keyboard or digital piano and want to hook it up to a tablet or smartphone and see what it can do alongside the many sound-generating and tweaking apps out there. In this blog, we will find out if your keyboard or piano will be compatible, what kind of software you’ll need, and more!
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It’s highly likely that you have no memory of ever having to learn to … sit down. But if you’re a pianist, the way that you sit at your piano is more important than you might think. When combined with your knowledge of technique and theory, a correct playing posture can make a world of difference to your playing, and is really easy to learn. And, if you maintain the correct posture, then you’ll also avoid any future back problems. In this blog, I explain how you can improve your piano playing, by simply learning to sit down!