instruments

All about musical instruments, their tunes, and the people that play them.

The Battle of the Axes
If you were to ask any guitarist this question, I can guarantee the answer would be subjective. It’s like asking someone which person they fancy as not everyone finds the same traits appealing.
By Phill Ross8 years ago in Beat
How To Conquer the Major Scale
When learning scales, it is best to break down each pattern into smaller segments. Breaking down two octave scales is best when they are approached by a lower and higher register (as shown above).
By Steven Swift8 years ago in Beat
Juniors Gone Wild
I have spent a good portion of my mid- to late-twenties trying to find the right sound for me. At the time I was in an all-original band that did play covers to pay the bills. So needing something versatile but yet still sounded good and unique was keeping me quite frustrated in the search for that "holy grail" of Amplifier/Guitar tones. I had switched earlier on in my career (age 21-22) from solid-state amps to the tried and true tube amps.
By Mark Darnell8 years ago in Beat
The Musical Evolution of a Webmaster
Hello everyone! Welcome to another article here on Vocal. Today, I'd like to talk about my music experience, and what types of music I’m in to.
By Jared Rimer8 years ago in Beat
6 Tips to Become Great at Piano
Want to be great at piano? Use these tips to improve your skill! 1. Plan how much dedication you want. Dedicate yourself to your goals and find unchanging reasons to continue piano. Being good at piano is achieved through consistent persistence at accumulating many skills. The second most important facet to success in piano is a sense of purpose or underlying goal. The first is genetics. To keep something in the long-term it must have an unchanging reason to exist.
By Jesse Guerrero8 years ago in Beat
Why Study Music?
As a six-year-old boy growing up in a working-class area of London, I watched my parents deliver a massive object into the house which was called a piano. I wondered what my parents were going to do with this "thing." The questions that came into my mind were "are they going to take lessons themselves?"
By Gregory Eze9 years ago in Beat
5 Reasons Why Musicologists Are Important
"Musicology? What's musicology?" If I had a nickel for every time I heard that question, I'd have quite a bit of money by now.
By Mary Golden9 years ago in Beat
Crown CM700
*Pros: Small, Smooth Sound, Priced right! They sound like a "million dollars". *Cons: These mic's are now obsolete. And very little support is out there for them, if you need them to be serviced.
By Mark Darnell9 years ago in Beat
Fender Toronado: Not to Be Confused With Grandma's GM Oldsmobile
This is not to be confused with your Grandma’s old boat of a car, the GM Oldsmobile Toronado! This is a guitar folks. This is one breed of guitar that has both confused and interested me at the same time. When it first came out a few years ago, it caught my eye because it, at first glance, looked like an alternate version of the Jazz Master. But let me say straight up that a Jazz Master it is not... and to be fair, nor was it intended to be.
By Mark Darnell9 years ago in Beat
New Modern Blues Artists You Should Be Listening To
So we're heading in a new direction - gone are the bubble gum factory of the processed beats with no feeling, music recycling and four chord madness. The rise of hipster left wing veganism has yes, gentrified areas of London which maybe should have been left untouched by independent slow roasted coffee shops and rising house prices but it has pushed people back into the glory of real music. It's cool now to like good music and be individual which means (hooray!) we have people going out and searching for music. With streaming services like Spotify making this easier for the masses, it's the people who are going out of their way that are finding the truly rare and supremely talented musicians who are out their grinding for dollars and pounds with a shit amp on the street.
By THE BEAR9 years ago in Beat
The Value Of Classical Music
Every modern piece of music whether it be rhythm and blues, jazz, to pop, behind the lyrics and melodies can all can be traced back to the classics. Every piece of music for centuries now has been interpreted and integrated with classical overtones. Even today's rap and rock and roll all have classical overtures that are blended in. Without the great composers like Bach, Hayden, or Mozart most of today's music probably wouldn't exist.
By Dr. Williams9 years ago in Beat
The Rolling Stones: A Retrospective
For more than 50 years, The Rolling Stones have been the mainstays and stewards of the Rock n’ Roll universe. Founded in 1962, this English band transformed the music world, sold hundreds of millions copies of their albums, and have sold out countless arenas, stadiums, and concert halls. The original grouping of Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitar), Brian Jones (guitar), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano) together help lead the emergence of Rock n’ Roll as the pre-eminent form of Western music during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Legendary and famous albums such as Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), and Exile on Main Street (1972) helped cement their legacy as ranking among the greatest live acts in Rock n’ Roll history.
By Ben W9 years ago in Beat