instruments
All about musical instruments, their tunes, and the people that play them.
1972 Was It a Good Year?
Was 1972 a special year for the Telecaster guitar? That question we will cover in detail and you can decide. However, Fender did come out with several new designs, making the Telecaster available with more options than ever before, coming out with new options like alder or ash bodies (depending on finish), “C”-shape maple necks, bullet truss rods, vintage hard-tail strings, through-body bridges, three-bolt neck plates with Fender's special “micro-tilt,” and with one “Wide Range” humbucking neck pickup (special design), and a traditional single-coil bridge pickup. These were some great new twists on the legendary, groundbreaking Telecaster guitar. Or were they?
By Mark Darnell7 years ago in Beat
Teaching Yourself How to Play Guitar
Have you ever tried to pick up a guitar and learn how to play it without taking lessons, made a little progress, got stuck, and then quit altogether? If you answered yes (or even no) to this question, this article might be for you.
By Victor Gurrola8 years ago in Beat
Health Benefits of Playing the Drums
Drums are one of the oldest musical instruments in history, and are used in almost every single musical genre out there. Metalcore bands wouldn't sound the same without amazing drum beats balancing out the growl of a singer. Electronica wouldn't exist without drums. Even classical music requires the finesse of a good drum player.
By Iggy Paulsen8 years ago in Beat
How To Pick Up Clarinet at Any Age
Music has a tremendous influence on everything in life, from entertainment to mental health. That said, learning how to play an instrument for the first time may be daunting. Whether you have kids starting in band or you are in your 70s, here are the basics you should know about picking up the clarinet.
By Lorraine Woiak8 years ago in Beat
Quick Tips for Playing the Guitar in Tune
Train Your Ears. Tune the Gears. A musical instrument that is not in tune, is not a musical instrument so much as it is a "instrument of noise." Memorize your tones. Try not to rely on a tuner. Choose a song that is burned into your brain that you know has its guitars tuned to standard tuning (A440). Your brain can use this pitch memory to tune your instrument. Of course you can choose any pitch as a reference point, A440 is commonly used in the industry.
By Saturn Axis8 years ago in Beat
Opinion: The Fall of Gibson Guitars
According to a recent report in the Nashville Post, Gibson Guitars faces a $375 million (£268 million) deadline for a debt repayment in less than six months’ time. A further $145 million worth of loans are due to mature immediately, if those notes are not refinanced or repaid by late July, Gibson guitars may well go bankrupt. It’s CFO recently resigned.
By Jez Sullivan8 years ago in Beat
Fender Richie Kotzen Signature Strat
As this is my first missive on here, we best delve into a bit of backstory regarding my love of Fender Japan's Richie Kotzen signature guitars. In my younger days, I grew up playing Ibanez & Yamaha Super-strats. I loved fast necks, big fat frets, Floyd Rose trems, etc.
By Jez Sullivan8 years ago in Beat
Stayed Motivated and Play Guitar
Passion for doing anything is rooted in enjoyment and fun. You must enjoy what you are doing to keep motivated. Playing the blues is no different. You need to tap into what makes it fun. Blues was the first musical genre I got into. Muddy Waters was the first musician I had heard through my dad.
By Millington Lockwood8 years ago in Beat
Did Piano Really Change My Life That Much?
Hi. My name is Marshall, and I started playing piano with my grandmother when I was just 7-and-a-half years old. Summer of 2003. Almost 14 years later, I sit here writing this story on how it changed my life for the better- and how playing an instrument will do the same for you.
By Marshall Thomas8 years ago in Beat
