Guest Blogs

Boss pedals are probably the most popular in the game and are a piece of gear we’ve all had on our pedalboards at least at some point in our guitar journey. Their wide range of different effects, all in colorful cases, paired with the professional quality that characterizes the brand has earned them a deserved spot in guitar-head culture. In this article, Ramiro Somosierra from GearAficionado will tell you everything you need to know about the Waza Craft line, Boss’ take on boutique pedals.

Booth monitors – also called booth monitor speakers – are speakers set up in the DJ booth so the artist is actually able to hear the sound that’s being sent out to the crowd. Here, Guestblogger, Amar Amlani (DiceDJ) explains why booth monitors are so essential and what you need to look out for when setting them up and using them.

Since there are various kinds of violin strings available, you might be wondering which ones are the best for you. In a nutshell, it fully depends on your demands in terms of sound, playability, lifespan and price, so read on and learn more.

Digital sheet music. YouTube lessons. Guitar tab sites. Today, it’s easier than ever to learn to play a new song you’ve just discovered. This is incredibly convenient of course, especially for beginner musicians. But it also has a downside. Having access to all those great resources has made it easier than ever to neglect an important skill: figuring out music by ear. StringKick founder Just Rijna explains how learning music by ear will help you to grow as a musician.

Amsterdam Dance Event, known as ADE, is one of the busiest and most interesting weeks of the year for dance music industry professionals. People from all over the world gather in Amsterdam for one week to discuss the upcoming year and to make their upcoming plans. It’s a true spectacle and celebration of dance music, and one of the most important weeks of the year for our community. The conference is a lot of fun, but it’s also a very valuable way of growing your network.

Looking for the perfect DAW for electronic music production? Guest-blogger and home-studio-coach Ben Van Essen highlights some of the most popular options on the table and helps you pick out the software pack that suits your needs.

In this article, guest author Aleah Fitzwater will walk you through the ins and outs of how to play, and purchase the hammer (or ‘hammered’) dulcimer.

A well-tuned violin forms the base of good intonation! If just one of the strings is even slightly too sharp or flat, then every note you play will sound slightly out of tune and the balance of your sound will be off, meaning you won’t be able to hit the right notes or play a melody that you can immediately recognise. Ultimately, it’ll make playing your violin a miserable experience. Being able to tune up is an essential skill for any violinist, so here, Guestblogger and professional violinist, Nicolas Penel offers a clear guide to bring your violin up to perfect pitch.

While many people associate the flute with classical pieces, such as the Bach Partita in A Minor, or the Mozart flute duets, you’d be surprised how often this woodwind instrument has infiltrated the world of rock. In this article, guest blogger Aleah Fitzwater will lead you through how the flute made its way into jazz, and then rock and roll, as well as some of the instrument’s biggest moments in rock history.

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!

If you want to make a living from music – partly or entirely – then it’s worth having a good think about where exactly the money is going to come from. Almost every professional musician and music-maker has multiple sources of income, which in business-speak is referred to as a ‘revenue model’. To help you build yours, Guestblogger, Maaike lines up ten possible money-making options for your consideration.

Ukulele posture is not something that a player can master instantly. Most players will have to slowly work on their posture over many months and years to ensure that they can play the most effectively and healthily, and each player will have their own ways of doing things. Below, guest blogger Matthew Quilliam explains how he approaches holding each size of ukulele, taking into account what he uses each scale length for.