Muzikant

The venerable experts of Bax Music could offer up a thousand-and-one fascinating facts about the drum kit, but since no one has time for that, we’ve hand-picked just five!

It’s hard to name the one person who first thought up the guitar, but here, we’re going to try anyway. To give a good answer to the question “Who invented the guitar?” we first need to know the difference between an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar.

The first question you’re going to ask yourself when picking out a guitar or bass amplifier is: “Do I need a combo or a stack?” In short: a combo is an all-in-one solution that literally combines an amplifier and a speaker in one box, while a stack literally ‘stacks’ a separate amplifier head on top of a speaker cabinet. In this quick blog, we’ll look at the bonuses and pitfalls of both options so you can make the most informed decision.

If you’re looking for an all-rounder of a combo amplifier that delivers outstanding sound but you’re not sure if you should go for the smaller, 50 Watt edition of the Boss Katana MKII or go bigger with the 100 Watt edition – but then, what about the EX edition of the 50 Watt? In this blog, we cover the ins and outs of all three models.

Rock-‘n-roll… it’s not just a genre, it’s a lifestyle, it’s the sound of one of the most influential eras in music history and it’s… a parallel universe? Who knows? Venerable guestblogger, Teo from Chordify does know one thing for sure: how to play classic rock-’n-roll. And here, in three simple steps, he explains the basics.

Making music doesn’t have to be limited to playing off a piece of paper or committing a library of songs to memory. Ask any jazz musician – in their line of work, almost every melody is conceived on the spot. Genius? You bet, but that’s not to say that less experienced musicians can’t or shouldn’t improvise, so read on and learn how it’s done.

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.