Musician

“Hello, my name is Michiel and I have G.A.S.” The room replies with the depleted enthusiasm that comes with saying a line for the hundredth time: “Hello Michiel…” Guestblogger Michiel Buisman talks openly about a well-known affliction within the music community: the compulsion to keep buying new gear and musical instruments that you don’t really need. This compulsion has a name: Gear Acquisition Syndrome. So what exactly is it, why does it happen and what kind of forms can it take?

Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Nirvana: is there anyone who doesn’t know them? That they all made incredible music is indisputable, but here, Guestblogger Joris van Dijk reveals that these rock legends did far more than just that. The albums that these artists have dropped over the years represent a sort of overview of the rock family tree and all of the influences that lie at its roots. Joris attempts to show this in the space of just seven classic and influential rock albums – which span every time period, from ‘60s psychedelic rock and ‘70s punk to ‘90s alt-rock.

Almost every guitarist on Earth started their journey with a six-string guitar, usually sticking to standard E, A, D, G, B, E tuning. But while some guitarists are more than satisfied with just six strings, others prefer to get a bit more extreme by bumping things up to seven. And it’s happening more and more. So, what makes seven-string guitars so great?

Whether you sing in a choir, a rock band or your bedroom, it’s crucial that you keep your vocal cords in good shape, even if you’re singing just for fun. Guest-blogger Fabienne Kervella shares five simple tips for good vocal health.

Recently picked up your first acoustic guitar? Then it’s worth knowing that you can make more of your six-string when it comes to the sound, the tuning stability and even key changes. Here are three simple yet massively effective tips.

Guestblogger and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Hubee explains the setup he uses when he performs as part of the acoustic duo The Tickets on YouTube. To his mind, the trick is to simply use the resources that you already have around you: so your backdrop can be your own living room or another good room; you can use the instruments and microphones that you always use on stage anyway; and you can film everything on just your phone, a tablet or an action camera that’s able to film in HD (1080p) – so that’s most models these days. Next to that, you’ll need your laptop and some kind of recording software, some simple video editing software, some monitor speakers and, last but not least, an audio interface so everything can be coupled up.

The whole spectrum of Latin genres and beats, including salsa, merengue and calypso would be nothing without the percussion that drives the groove. Latin percussion isn’t just limited to Latin American music but has reached out into pretty much every other genre going. In this blog, we take a look at the percussive instruments that make Latin percussion what it is.

The combo can be undeniably awesome: drums and percussion joining forces in one band. In principle any and every style and genre will benefit from even a little bit of percussion, but to achieve it, drummers and percussionists need to work like a well-oiled machine. All going well, you get something deeper and more interesting, whether you’re a jazz band, an indie band, or a party band.

These days, bands have to do almost everything for themselves: getting the right gear, writing the right music, setting up some good lighting, all of the admin and even organising the shows. When it comes to designing stage decor, it can be a bit of an afterthought – if it’s thought about at all. But placing the music in a visual context can immediately get the audience in the right vibe even before you’ve played a note. Here, we get four solid stage-dressing tips from one of the professionals.

Flipping back through the tomes of music history, the so-called ‘British invasion’ has happened more than once. In the ‘60s, of course, we exported the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In the early 2000s, it was names like Coldplay, Adele and Sam Smith who managed to break beyond the shores of our wee islands. But in the ‘90s, emerging from buzz-words like ‘Cool Britannia’, we had Britpop – which, if you believed the music rags of the time, was dominated by two giants of guitar-driven pop: Blur and Oasis. Here, Guestbloggers Nick and Martin have a quick look at the short-lived but oh-so impacting phenomenon that was Britpop.

What would you say if I told you twenty years? Granted, most manufacturers ‘only’ offer a few years of warranty, but anyone who’s ever owned a digital piano from one of the big-name brands will know that a fifteen to twenty year lifespan isn’t unusual. What about maintenance, you ask?

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?