Watch any rock documentary and you’ll see a theme emerge somewhere early in the band’s career: If we want to make it, we gotta start writing our own songs! But how exactly do you get started with songwriting? Should you …
Making Your Gigs Successful
Congrats on getting the gig! Now it’s time to throw all you can at promoting it and making it run smoothly. (Not there yet? Check out How to Get Your First Gigs for more info.) Marketing & Promotion Marketing and …
How to Get Your First Gigs
Now that you’ve spent some time dialing in your tone, it’s time to take it out of the garage and on to the stage. Many first timers find the whole process of getting gigs intimidating, but it doesn’t have to …
Returning to the Guitar: 10 Tips to Help You Stick With It
Picking up the guitar after a long hiatus is like getting back in shape after you haven’t worked out in months. This is especially true if you’d been pretty serious before, because the difference in your ability might be painful. …
Using Guitar Pedals With a Fiddle
If it has an electric signal, you can put effects on it. It’s really that simple. For real-world inspiration on adding effects to fiddle we met up with fiddle player Connor Vance of the Dustbowl Revival a genre-defying band where …
Guitars for Women, with Review of the St. Vincent Guitar
You can’t flip through a guitar magazine without noticing lots of ads for the St. Vincent model Ernie Ball guitar. The guitar, which was designed by St. Vincent (AKA Annie Clark), has a striking and unusual body shape. That should …
Why You Should Use an Amp Stand
Why do you need an amp stand? For starters, you don’t hear through your legs. An amp stand aims the sound at your ears, so you can hear what you’re playing.
All About Guitar Tonewoods with Helpful Charts
Tonewoods are a complex business, but it’s difficult to shop for guitars without understanding the basics. The wood(s) used to make a guitar will have a direct impact on its tone, weight, price, and most other characteristics.
Should You Keep Those Silica Packets in Your Guitar Case?
I asked my luthier friend, “What’s one thing you wish more people understood about maintaining their guitars?” His answer was surprisingly simple: Get those silica packets out of your guitar case! They will draw out moisture and cause significant damage …
5 Ways Musicians Can Protect Their Hearing
Did you know that being a professional musician increases the chances of hearing loss? It’s true. In 2014, a German study found that professional musicians were four times more likely to report noise-induced hearing loss than others. Here are just …