Musician

The word ‘piano’ is a bit of an umbrella term since it can be used to refer to grand pianos, upright pianos, electric pianos and digital pianos, all of which generate sound in different ways. Want to know how? Just read on!

If you want to be a successful band, you can’t overlook the groove. It’s what every musician should always be after and, although the groove can be elusive and mythical, there are various tips, tricks and tools that can help you catch it. So in the famous words of Sam Cooke: get in the groove and let the good times roll.

Keyboard instruments can really help thicken up and enrich the sound of a band and inject some diversity. But, being the key player in a band isn’t always easy. Standing behind a keyboard, how can you pull the best out of yourself? In this blog, we gain the wisdom of a seasoned professional and take a short tour of all of the most stage-worthy keyboards, digital pianos, Hammond organs, vintage models, synthesizers and even accordions you could play with.

Professional pianist and founder of the Institut de Musique de Paris, Celine Gaurier-Joubert has been teaching piano lessons for over twenty years. Throughout her career, she’s already shown hundreds of students the ropes and, in this article, she’ll be sharing some of her expertise so you can be a better student, build a good relationship with your teacher and make the most of your piano lessons.

While there’s nothing wrong with singing lines from a piece of paper or a tablet, there’s a lot to be said for singing the lyrics off the top of your head, especially since memorising the words is not as hard as you might think. It’s just a matter of knowing the right tricks and putting in the hours.

Guestblogger Wietse Hendriks lays down the ins and outs of the drum solo. Where does the drum solo come from? Are there different kinds of solos? And, how can you build a great solo that delivers maximum impact? Here, Wietse puts the drummer in the spotlight and explains how to get the most out of every second of your solos.

Pop music would be unthinkable without vocals coating in at least some effects. In fact, pretty much any recorded music – vocals included – will come packed with effects these days. If you’re a vocalist and want your voice to sound more up-to-date and want to be able to really slice through the sound of the rest of the band, then vocal effects are a must. In this blog, we take a look at the mass of options available to the modern vocalist – from the common compressor, equaliser and reverb to special effects like tremolos, distortions and harmonizers. Try something new and give your live and recorded vocals some proper impact.

Scientists are discovering more and more about how the human brain works, and if you’re a musician that ever-increasing knowledge can be put to good use. Using vocalists for our little case study, in this blog, we’ll focus on ways musicians can use the power of repetition to reach the next level in their development.

Playing guitar with a tube amplifier at max power without the neighbours complaining – is it even possible? Well, yes. The only problem with playing through a tube amp is that it needs to be hooked up to a speaker cabinet before you flip it on. If you don’t, you risk doing irreparable damage to your amp. That’s because tube amps require a ‘load’, and that’s exactly where the loadbox comes in to replace your loud cab. Read on to learn how to use one and what it can do.

Most drummers and percussionists will have come across them: ‘low-volume’ cymbals – also-known-as ‘mute’ cymbals. The big names as well as smaller names have released their own take on the low-volume cymbal, but what exactly are they and what can and can’t you do with them? Why would you even need a set of low-volume cymbals? In this blog, we lay it all out for you. What Are Low-Volume Cymbals? Here’s a short and sweet summary: low-volume cymbals often have a perforated design which, in some cases, reduces the volume by up to 80% when compared to normal cymbals. Low-volume cymbals are usually made of some kind of special alloy to keep the structure strong while offering the same rebound and playing feel as normal cymbals and, just like normal cymbals, low-volume cymbals come in a range of different colours, so you can finish off your kit with your own […]

When it comes to optimising playing ease and upping the speed, most guitarists will look for a model with a ‘fast neck’. But what exactly is a ‘fast neck’? And does ‘fast’ mean the same thing for everyone? In this blog, we look at the effect that the nut width, the fretboard radius, the scale length and even the finish, the frets and neck profile can have on the feel of an electric guitar, so you can fully arm yourself with the knowledge you need to take things up a few gears.

Ever spotted a set of ‘Send and Return’ ports round the back of a guitar amp and wondered what they’re for? These jack ports make up the effects loop, which is an infinitely useful feature when you’re trying to make external guitar effects sound as good as possible. In this article, we’ll tell you exactly which effects you should incorporate into your FX loop and why.