Just started learning the guitar, bass, drums or any other musical instrument? Then you’ve made a wise decision! Making music is a ton of fun, and it only gets better when you play in a band. If you can’t find a band that plays your style, then you can always start your own using the tips we’re about to share.

Maybe your first booking was at your friend’s or your cousin’s wedding and it was such a success that you want to go professional. More and more couples are getting wed to a live-performed soundtrack, which only increases your chances of getting some gigs booked during the wedding season. Here, Guestblogger and professional wedding musician Kevin Okkema shares his tips to help you get more requests.

Ego-trippers can be found in every corner of the world and, as musicians, maybe we’re the biggest offenders around (at least secretly… admit it). Launching into a nutty drum break or a show-boating guitar solo can sometimes feel irresistible – but while it might feel good, it might not actually work in your favour. Here, Guestblogger, drummer and founder of Let it Rock music school Jemy Gijsman explains why being a good musician doesn’t automatically mean that you’re a good band mate.

Acoustic drum kits definitely have plenty of charm on their own, but the same applies to electronic kits. The basic idea of a hybrid drum kit is to combine all the best bits of an acoustic drum kit with the best bits of an electronic drum kit or percussion pads, giving you the very best of both worlds. There are a few ways to build a hybrid kit, whether it’s using triggers, adding a set of sample or percussion pads, or by adding a drum module. In this blog, we’ll take a look at what’s possible and what you can get when building your own hybrid kit.

The Bax Music Helpdesk gets asked a lot of questions about everything and anything, and some them can be pretty nuts, but one of the most common questions is how to tune up a mixer, a set of speakers and an amplifier so they all work in harmony with each other and, above all, you give you stonking good sound. To help all you music-devotees get more out of your system, our canny experts explain everything in one neat blog.

Guest-blogger Marc de Jonge is here to talk about relic’ing: the artificial aging of guitars and basses to give them a weathered, played-in look and feel. There are various ways to go about relic’ing an instrument, and Marc has several tips for everyone who’s thinking about giving it a try. It’s definitely something that takes guts, an eye for detail, and a little artistry.

No matter how good you are at mixing and mastering, the quality of the original recording will always largely determine the final result. Guest-blogger Freek Roffel from Freaky Studio is here to share five tips that can help you get the recording stage right, where preparation is key.

For up-and-coming musicians, a music video is a great way to promote a new single. But how do you do it when your budget is limited? There are actually examples of great music videos that were shot using an iPhone or digital camera out there, but to pull it off, you need to know the basics of filming. Music video director Zeno Groenewegen is here to explain how you can achieve pro-grade results in twelve steps.

In the world of wind instruments, an ensemble can take many different forms, but if you’re not an insider, you’re unlikely to know the difference between a harmonic ensemble, a fanfare ensemble and a brass band. All of them are different types of ensembles, but what exactly is the difference?

The drum machine had its real break-through back in the eighties but never really lost momentum. New models are frequently released while older models are regularly reissued and priced more generously than the original hardware. Curious about how legendary bits of kit like the TR-808 and the LM-1 came to exist? Read on!

Ever played a gig where the band that performed before you overextended their set, leaving you just a few minutes to set up your drum kit? It’s a nightmare for most drummers, if not an impossible challenge. Thankfully, there are various ways to optimise your kit and prepare it for a speedy set-up when you’re in a hurry.

The sound tech is arguably the most underappreciated person involved in a music production. For musicians, however, it’s incredibly important to keep these tireless hired-hands close, since they play a significant role when it comes to the room and stage sound. It’s not for nothing that sound techs are often referred to as the extra band member. Nowadays, there are plenty of courses you can enrol in and study to become a sound engineer, but what does it actually take to get good at the job? Time to ask a sound tech!