Muzikant

So, you play keyboard and you’d like to sing along. But is it even possible to plug a microphone directly into your keyboard? That depends entirely on your keyboard, but even if it does have a microphone input there are still a few things to bear in mind or look out for.

The way you play your instrument has got just as much to do with the overall sound as the wood that it’s made of and the strings that it has. There are a lot of fundamental things that new players often miss when trying to find a good sound and today, guest blogger Matthew Quilliam shows us five subtle but effective ways to improve your overall tone when playing your ukulele.

If you’re a drummer, then there’s at least one drum that you can never do without: the snare. While you might be familiar with the array of different percussive sounds you can get out of a snare, if you’re a beginner, you might not necessarily know how to access all of them. Even a small adjustment in your playing can make a snare drum sound completely different, and here, I’ll offer up some essential tips that will help you get to know your snare a little better.

The fretless bass is actually pretty rare in the bass world, since most bassists simply prefer fretted models. Listen to the bass of any current hits and you’re likely to be listening to a fretted bass. But there’s no doubt that the fretless bass packs unique character and there are plenty of devotees out there that refuse to play anything else. So, what’s the deal with the fretless bass – what are the good bits? And what are the not-so-good bits?

Granted, the ideal drum kit set-up is highly personal. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few guidelines that you need to follow. To help you find a comfortable, practical and most of all style-matching set-up, I’m going to show you a couple of different takes on the standard drum kit configuration!

Whether it’s a single-coil or a humbucker, practically all electric guitar pickups and bass pickups are equipped with a magnet that captures the vibrations of the strings. While magnets don’t boast any sonic properties of their own, the specific type of magnet inside any guitar or bass pickup certainly helps to shape the overall sound of the instrument. Since most pickups feature either an alnico or a ceramic magnet, I’m going to highlight the differences between both and tell you how the well-known Alnico V models compare to Alnico II variants.

If you’ve already decided that you want to start drumming, the next logical step is to get yourself a drum kit. Faced with what might be one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make, what do you go for? An acoustic drum kit or an electronic drum kit? electronic kits sound way better than they used to, but you can’t go wrong with an acoustic kit, right? In this blog, we’ll go over all of the pros and cons to help you get a better idea of what might work best for you.

Whether you’re getting a shop-fresh model or a more played-in hand-me-down, no bass guitar ever comes perfectly set up specifically for you. We’ve all got a unique style and preferences to match, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In this blog, guest-blogger and bassist Cor Vos presents a basic guide to setting up a bass guitar. It’s completely beginner-friendly too, meaning we’re not covering more in-depth tweaks like pickup swaps and nut-filing. Depending on your bass, all you’re going to need is a good ol’ hex-key and a phillips head screwdriver. Let’s get started!

Throwing in solid drum fills can be pretty difficult for beginners. Some go too fast while others over-complicate things – two habits that are hard to kick without the help of a drum teacher. In addition, not being able to time your fills right can be extremely frustrating, whether you’re rehearsing or just jamming, and not just for you, but for any musicians you’re playing with as well as anyone listening. So, in this blog, I’m going to teach you various simple drum fills and show you some very useful tips!

In this blog, we dive deeper into how harmony works by looking at the chords commonly used in jazz and pop: the ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths, and all of their variations. Each of these magic chords can be built by simply stacking more thirds onto a seventh.

If you want your acoustic or electric guitar or bass to sound and feel as good as it possibly can, you can’t overlook the importance of proper maintenance. In this article, guest-blogger Dean explains how to nourish your instrument, how to keep the humidity in check and why the right room temperature is crucial.

If you’ve already made it this far, then you’re probably already the proud owner of your very own cajon. You’ve seen or heard a cajon afficionado spitting beats and thought, “I can do that!” But now that you’re sitting astride your brand new percussion box, it’s already looking a little more complication than you first thought. Not to worry! Everyone starts somewhere, and since you’re here, this is where you’re going to start! In this friendly little blog, we’ll guide you through three awesome cajon beats that you can use as a foundation to expand your cajon-based skills. No theoretical knoweldge or the ability to read music required!