Taylor Made Music

Dry winter weather or environments can cause serious damage to acoustic guitars, in the form of cracks in the wood. This damage may require expensive repairs or reduce the sound quality of your fine instrument.

One way to supply additional humidity to your guitar is through a device known as a guitar humidifier. These devices are designed to release humidity inside the guitar through the sound-hole. Sound-hole humidifiers all utilize some type of water reservoir with an absorbent medium such as a sponge, water absorbent floral foam or absorbent polymer. The medium is then surrounded by some type of cover which holds the water absorbent medium in place and restricts the flow of water evaporation from the medium. To get inside your guitar, they slip between your guitar strings and are held in place there. Depending upon the brand of humidifier you purchase, it may or may not touch the wood inside your guitar. Dampit is designed to lie inside your guitar, while Planet Waves and Oasis are completely suspended from the strings.

Water holding capacity and the restrictiveness of the outer cover are the greatest factors in determining how often you will need to refill the device. Needless to say, you can’t stick a quart container of water inside your guitar, but there are several humidifiers that will hold an ounce (30 cc’s) or more such as Oasis or Planet Waves. If your guitar needs several cc’s per day of water vapor, a humidifier that holds only 5-10 cc’s will need to be refilled every few days.

Planet Waves and Dampit utilize holes in the outside membrane to release water vapor. Oasis uses a fabric which allows the water vapor, but not the water, to pass through the material to keep your guitar humidified. One downside to evaporation holes is the risk of water leakage. Very careful handling can minimize, but not eliminate this risk. Oasis is a water-tight, sealed unit which eliminates the risk of water leakage.

When to refill your humidifier is one of the great mysteries which have been solved by Oasis. Since Oasis is a flexible sealed container, is shrinks as the water inside of it evaporates through the fabric. When Oasis begins to look like a prune, you need to refill it.

All of the sound-hole humidifiers work. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. As with any new product you purchase, please read the directions carefully before use.

David Hepple is the inventor of the Oasis Guitar Humidifier. Since the age of 13, he has played either a nylon stringed classical or flat top steel stringed guitar. For the past 14 years, he has been an active volunteer with the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society, serving as President from 1999 to 2003 and now as treasurer. Prior to being President, he booked the organization’s concert series.

Custom drums are specifically designed to fit your musical needs and go with your specifications. Typical drum kits come pre-constructed with a snare drum, at least one cymbal, bass drum, and toms. But, what if you want control over the types of drums that go in your kit? Custom drums are the perfect option for you. When you purchase custom drums, chances are you a serious drummer with specific musical tastes.

Handmade Custom Drums

Building a drum set made entirely of handmade custom drums can be rewarding. Handmade drums tend to have a more complex and interesting sound than generically manufactured one. To find handmade custom drums, look for companies or people that specialize in this craft. You can locate the companies online or obtain information using word of mouth. Having drums custom made for you by hand allows you the unique opportunity of providing your own specifications to develop a one of a kind percussion instrument.

Custom Drums for the Handicapped

Besides that, custom drums can also be created to accommodate drummers who are handicapped. The drummer from Def Lepard, for example, has only one arm. His custom drum set includes more foot pedals to compensate for his missing arm. You can also find custom drums that use different materials or have different sounds.

Making Your Own Custom Drums

Another option is that you can make your own custom drums. Before you start doing this, keep in mind that people who make drums by hand are incredibly skilled. The slight abnormality can alter the sound and integrity of the instrument. If you are series about making your own custom drums, it is best to take lessons, especially if you are a serious player.

Final Thoughts

Having your own custom drums and custom drum set can make you stand out from other players. Your own custom drums can help you develop your own unique sound and style. Though handmade and custom made drums are usually more expensive than regular drum sets, they are definitely worth it.

Drums provides detailed information on Drums, Drum Sets, Steel Drums, Custom Drums and more. Drums is affiliated with Electronic Drum Sets.

Buying a digital piano could be a very delicate attempt, especially if you have no idea about pianos in the first place. This article is written to help you out how to choose the best digital piano.

For starters, digital piano is different from an “acoustic” piano in many ways. A digital piano is a copy of what the “acoustic or original piano is. However, instead of strings and hammers, it uses “digitally sampled” sounds, amplifiers and speakers. It was made to imitate the real sound of that of the original piano. Many people now prefer digital pianos. It is because of its portability, low-to-almost non-maintenance, volume adjuster and various voices.

What you need to know in buying a digital piano is how closely it resembles the “acoustical piano” in terms of the sound, and its total piano-like feel. Do the keys move under your fingers almost the same as the acoustical piano keys do? Sometimes, most digital pianos have damaged spring action on the keys thus they could affect the tone of the piano. Always see to it, when you are in a hunt for a good digital piano, you should bring a good set of headphones. It is one of the advantages the digital piano has compared to an acoustical piano. When a player wants to play loud but his surroundings are opposed to the noise it could bring, he could only attach the headphones and play as loud as his heart desires without causing another’s eardrums to bash but his own. Other than that, the headphones could help distinguish faint defects that the speakers couldn’t detect. Do not hesitate to try as many brands as you like to compare and choose which sounds better. It is not in the brand or price range that the piano is considered good. It actually depends on the buyer whether he feels good about the sound of the digital piano he chooses.

Do not forget to check out the range of the tone. Does the tone change when you turn up the volume? And what about when you turn it down? The digital piano should be consistent in its tone no matter how low or high the volume is. Also check out the sound as it ends. Does it linger too long or fades easily? If there is an acoustical piano nearby, do try comparing the sound as you play a note and then a chord. Check out the time lapse of the sound as it ends and sense for repeating patterns or loops.

Check out where the notes come from when you play a scale or chord successively. The trebles should be coming from the right side and the bass should be coming from the left side.

Try holding down the sustain pedal and play the two low C’s to check out the polyphony or the harmony of the notes. It is good if you can distinguish the two low C’s played simultaneously. Most not-so-good quality digital pianos would cut off one tone while being played. Poor quality digital pianos drop both notes prematurely.

Is the digital piano user-friendly? Check out the design and see if you can understand the lay-out of the model. Check out the buttons and if they are functional. Be sure that the “special-effects” buttons are not that close to the keyboard or you might accidentally hit one and then change the entire settings of your piano while you’re playing.

Check the manual for other fine-tuning facilities. Some digital pianos come with other special effects such as alternate tunings, variable harmonics and adjustable decay (fading) lengths. These effects can be very useful when you play with a group. You wouldn’t necessarily go to lengthy process in adjusting to the level of the group.

Most digital pianos offer various tones and voices to have diversity in voice effects. Some have whistles, echoes, guitars, and other non-piano voices. If you are used to playing the piano and using pressed-pedal for sustain, it might become a hindrance to you if the digital piano you got has an “on-off” pedaling.

Also, other accessories such as amplifiers and speakers must be compatible with the brand or model you have. The digital piano you purchased may be a good quality but when attached with an incompatible amplifier or bigger sound boxes, the sound projected may not be very good.

Lastly, if you doubt your capability to choose for yourself a good piano, ask a friend who plays piano, or even better yet, a professional to help you determine a sound-quality digital piano. However, you must not rely totally on what they say. It is because what is good for them may not be good for you. Buy a digital piano that you are going to be comfortable playing with.

About The Author

The Writer, Ismael D. Tabije, runs the website http://pianos.e-mart4all.com that markets a wide choice of high-quality digital pianos and accessories at the lowest prices in the online market. Brands sold include Casio, Yamaha, Korg, Kurzweil and Roland. The website also features interesting piano articles about piano humor, trivia, myths and facts and even piano lessons and instructions

Children in piano lessons need opportunities to perform, but all of these don’t need to involve a formal recital with kids dressed in their Sunday best and all their relatives present. Piano recital parties can be rather spontaneous events that allow children to enjoy sharing their music with other kids in a relaxed way. Here’s a great piano party idea that kids love because it’s just for students! If you’re a parent, share this idea with your child’s piano teacher and offer to be a helper at this fun event.

The Mini Harvest Recital – The Fall Harvest Mini Recital is a piano party just for students to share the progress they have made with other kids. Emphasize the harvest recital as a time for students to practice sharing their talent and the fruit of their hard work with others. Decorate with pumpkins, scarecrows and fall leaves.

Begin the recital with a scavenger hunt. Give each student a paper treat bag and let them find candy and small toys hidden around the piano room.

After the scavenger hunt let students enjoy their treats while they play their songs for each other on the piano. The songs students play for this recital can be the pieces they have currently been playing in their lesson books. Remember the idea is to create a piano community and to let kids learn to share their music with others in a relaxed way that will break down any walls of worry that students often have about performing. There is no need for formal seating since parents won’t be there. Just put some big quilts to make a cozy place on the floor where the children to sit while they are waiting their turn to play.

After the students have played their pieces have enough board games on hand for everyone to grab a partner and get to know each other better. They don’t have to be games that every can play at once. You can have Chess, Checkers, Boggle, Musical Bingo, Chutes and Ladders, whatever you think your students would enjoy. Remember the games don’t all have to be about music, they just need to support your child’s or your student’s musical experience.

Remember to take some photos of this fun event and put them in a special piano party memory book. If you are a parent helping at this event you could offer to help the teacher make a memory book to have available at formal recitals so all the students can show their parents how much fun they had at their piano party.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child – right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

Bending strings is used to give the guitar a more personalized and harmonic quality. The technique is used mostly by lead guitar players but is also applied in all styles of playing. String bending and vibrato techniques are two large components in making up a guitar player’s style. The combination of these skills more or less defines a considerable part of what makes your playing different than the next guy.

Bending the strings far enough to reach a desired pitch is the goal. One of the keys is to use three fingers to bend the string, instead of just one finger. Use your third finger on the fret you’re bending and place your first and second fingers on the frets behind it, and use the strength of all three fingers when you do a bend.

Fret the note on the 7th fret of the third string with your third finger. Your other finger should follow on the 6th and 5th fret. Our goal is to bend this note up one step (the equivalent of two frets) and then release the note to its original pitch. Before you do your first bend hit the note on the 9th fret, this will be your reference note. When you do your bend the goal is to make the tone of your bend “reach” the tone of the reference note. Repeat: hit your reference note, then immediately jump to the correct position and play a bend until to can consistently match the reference note.

The length you hold the bend, how quickly you release it and any vibrato you add to the bend will define a large part of playing your style. It’s good to just have fun and try doing a number of bends and releases to hear all the different sounds you can generate. Try bending the note before you strike it so you just hear the release, or try using a wide or narrow vibrato so act character and color to your bends.

Be patient you haven’t used these muscles before, and is will take time to strengthen. Keep practicing, and you’ll get the hang of it eventually.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to Buy Guitar and learn Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

“How do I buy a violin, (or fiddle)?”

That question has risen to the top of the fiddle FAQ list, even above “What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle?”

This is an account of how Richard Blackwell, my student, actually purchased a violin.

He had been using a good quality student violin on loan from his sister. He was ready to upgrade to a better quality violin when his sister asked for her violin to be returned.

A violin was already on its way to him from a shop in Philadelphia, when he scheduled an appointment with a violin dealer in Plant City, Florida. Royce Burt, the part-time dealer had a good inventory of instruments ranging in price from about $500 to $8000.

He has a regular job as an accountant and does this other business part-time from his home. Aubrey Haney, a prominent Nashville session fiddler, buys violins from him when he is in Tampa visiting his folks.

Richard brought me along to hear the violins with him and also to play them. Many players recommend having an other violinist (or fiddler) with you when trying out instruments. Violins often sound quite different right under the ear, as compared to a few feet away.

He also had his current instrument with him to keep the base line of comparison.

This turned out to be a very good move.

When we got there we went right into the violin room. Royce began to hand Richard violins, making just a few comments about them. I kept Richard moving from violin to violin, not getting hung up on any one instrument. Then he would circle back and retry ones he had played earlier.

In between I played them and made comments about their sound and appearance. There was one that I found really intriguing, with a certain mystery quality to its sound. I wanted to keep playing it until I solved the mystery.

At one point Richard seemed to hit an indecisive stall in the process. It was at this point that he pulled out the fiddle he’s been playing. The comparison made Royce’s violins stand out. He could hear the superior quality of tone immediately.

That gave him fresh encouragement as to his inclination. And he was drawn to one violin in particular. It was a truly fine instrument suitable for a professional player.

By this time it had come down to choice of two fiddles. Going back and forth settled the matter. Even though the one he chose was much more expensive, he made his decision. He knows he has a violin that won’t let him down as his ability improves.

There is one thing about Florida that you should know. Land may be pricey, but moveable goods are not. Almost everything costs less here than it does up north or out west. Royce’s prices are on the low end of the spectrum.

When Richard was clearly gravitating towards the one he chose, Royce reminded him of his complete satisfaction guarantee. I don’t believe I would buy a violin without such a guarantee.

Richard left with a violin he really liked. He also knew that he would be receiving on trial one more instrument to compare to it. That trial violin did not displace his choice.

This is not the only way to find a better violin to play. You might know a fiddler who has more than one violin and would be ready to let one go.

In some cases you might even be able to take the violin home for a week or so.

You could find a sleeper in an estate sale. Or, even a yard sale.

When it comes to trying out violins, there are three factors from Richard’s experience that are key in making a wise choice.

1. Take someone with you who can also play, as well as listen. If you can find someone knowledgeable, that’s ideal.

2. Take your current instrument with you. At some point, take it out and compare it to the violin or violins you have been playing.

3. Make your evaluation in a stress free, no pressure setting.

If the dealer brings out a violin exclaiming, “I have just the violin for you!” and he proceeds to rip off a few cadenzas, then hands it to you, make a quick exit. I was with one of my students when a “respected” dealer pulled this stunt.

Noticing how echoey the room was, I asked him if he practiced in this room. He said he didn’t.

You should also play the candidate violins in a room with normal acoustics. That’s another aspect of stress free environment.

One last point may be: know what your budget is. Don’t sell the cow to get a violin. There are more violins down the road.

Elan Chalford, MM.
Learn How to Play Fiddle without Reading Music

The major pentatonic is similar to the minor pentatonic: The intervals for a major pentatonic are 1 2 3 5 6 1. The C major scale includes C D E G A C. The difference between the major and minor scale is the minor scale has a flatten 3rd interval. The following is the most common generic box shape for the pentatonic major scale:

e|—|-O-|—|-o-|—|
B|—|-o-|—|-o-|—|
G|-o-|—|-o-|—|—|
D|-o-|—|—|-O-|—|
A|-o-|—|—|-o-|—|
E|—|-O-|—|-o-|—|

The major pentatonic sounds happier and are not used as extensively in rock and blues as the minor version of the scale. They sound good over major chords, and power chords. Sometimes the minor and major scales are used in the same song, with the major scale used for the chorus, and the minor for the verse.

There are no hard and fast rules when in comes to scales and soloing. It’s a matter of style and personal choice, as long as it sounds good, go for it. But you will find that if you use these simple scale forms in conjunction with an appropriate chord progression this will sound good more often.

A chord progression based on the A minor chord will sound good with A minor pentatonic and a C major chord will sound good with C major scale. For information on chord progressions please go to the section at our web site on chord progressions.

Bill McRea is the publisher of The
Guitar Warehouse and Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

The type of strings used on a violin has a great effect on the sound of the instrument. Different kinds of strings can have different tones and sound quality. Also, strings made of some materials stay in tune longer and often last longer than others. The three most common types of violin strings are all metal strings, synthetic core strings, and gut strings.

All metal, or steel core strings are known for their volume and their pure, clear tone. They have great pitch stability and stay in tune even after they are first put on the violin. Many country, bluegrass, and jazz players prefer to use steel core violin strings because their simple and direct sound does not have the complex overtones found on some other sets of strings. Steel core strings are the easiest to play and are popular among beginning and intermediate level players. One criticism of steel core violin strings is that they can have a slightly thin or metallic sound that is not well suited to classical music.

Synthetic core strings are usually made of a type of nylon called perlon. They have a thick, rich sound that is subtler than steel core strings. New synthetic core strings have less pitch stability than steel core strings and take a day or two to properly stretch out and stay in tune. Once they have stabilized, they do not need to be tuned often and have a good, consistent tone.

Gut core strings are known for having the warmest, most complex sound of any violin strings. Most classical players and soloists prefer gut core strings for their rich overtones. Gut core strings are not recommended for beginners or intermediate players because they are much harder to keep in tune and can have an instable pitch.

Each type of violin string has its own advantages and disadvantages. On kind of string is not necessarily better than the others, people who play different types of music on the violin prefer different strings.

Violins Info provides detailed information about antique and electric violins, violin music, sheet music, strings, and shops; violin makers and repair; and explanations of how to play the violin and a short history of the violin. Violins Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.

Different styles of music have different “sounds.” We can all pretty much agree on that point. For example, Jazz uses seventh chords almost exclusively. This, and the kind of chord progressions used in Jazz gives it its unique flavor. But what about new age music? Does it have it’s own special ingredients? Yes it does.

Now, there are no hard and fast rules here but for the most part, new age music is a consonant music. That is, there is little or noharshness going on in the music. No Saxes wailing and what not. Having said that we can eliminate most of the tense jazz chords and their voicing. So what are we left with? Mostly Major and minor chords based on the regular scales and the modes. The chord progressions are simpler and usually start on the l chord. No ll-V-l progressions here.

What about melody? In jazz, we have a soloist who usually plays a lot of chromatic notes. This is rare in new age music because it would create dissonance. New age melodies tend to be softer and more on the spiritual side. Solos, if there are any, are not so much concerned with the expression of the self than they are with letting the music express itself. A subtle but very important distinction. Jazz players may have some ego invested in their performance. New age musicians learn to let the music play them. They learn to become a channel for the music itself allowing it to speak through them. Of course, I’m not saying that this can’t happen in Jazz, but, just watch a Jazz performer and you’ll see what I mean.

Last but not least is rhythm. Let’s do a comparison/contrast between Jazz and New Age music. Jazz has a definite discernible rhythm. It is what makes Jazz Jazz. New age music can have a pattern or an underlying rhythm to the music. It can be used to create trance like states in the listener. Drums are usually a part of Jazz music. Percussion is mostly absent from the New Age sound simply because it would not add to the atmosphere most New Age musicians create. Timing is very important to the Jazz musician. The soloist has the freedom to play whatever he wants as long as he maintains the meter and stays in time. New Age music is more elastic in that timing is there, but is not a master of the player. The New Age player can disregard time altogether. Just listen to Zen flute music as a good example of this.

Now, what does all this mean for the aspiring New Age musician? A couple of good things. It means that there is a definite new age “sound” out there. That it is here to stay and that people like and need to hear it. And it means that there are some guidelines out there for what defines the meaning of New Age music.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

Native Americans are eager to share their ancestry with their families and friends. One of the ways they do this is through their music, particularly through the music of the Native American flute. They want to ensure that their children have a strong link with their ancient culture, and music is an excellent way to teach non-Native Americans about this culture as well.

Mothers of small children often find that Native American flute music is very soothing for their babies. It seems to have a tranquil and calming effect on children. Songs played on the Native American flute can be introduced during naptime and before bedtime to calm children down. The music often puts children to sleep within just a few minutes. Experts have also recommended Native American flute music to families with small babies that have a hard time getting to sleep.

This music also represents an excellent tool for calming down a baby in situations where there may be difficult transitions for such young children, such as when many visitors come to the home. It is often difficult for small babies to adjust to the confusion and noise created by a large number of people at special occasions, and playing Native American flute music can help to calm a baby down in these circumstances.

The music of the Native American flute is very soft, and it creates a wonderful, soothing background for many situations. It is just the sound for keeping babies calm when there are a lot of people in the environment. Babies seem to focus on the flute sounds instead of on the loud noises generated by crowds. Having flute music playing in a room makes it easier for them to adjust to visitors.

Of course, adults will also enjoy the music of the Native American flute. It is easy to find interesting and unique Native American flute music on the Internet, since many online stores offer selections of alternative music. It is also possible to purchase Native American flutes and sheet music. Several vendors offer musical compositions for the flute, and they sell Native American flutes as well.

Native American flute music is an excellent way to learn about and enjoy the special features of Native American culture. And since songs are often linked to memories, this music offers a good way to preserve the memory of special times.

To discover more about music, musicians and playing music go to http://music-advice.com