Dear Musicians, One way in which gigs on cruise ships are different from gigs on land is that you’ll have to travel far with your gear. If you take lots of it, you will almost certainly be charged big bucks by the airlines and you’ll run the risk that they’ll damage it. Regardless of the [...]

Dear musicians, I’m always on the lookout for gear that either makes it easier or more fun to perform on the road, and I’ve come across a gadget that definitely delivers. TC Electronics has introduced it’s new guitar and bass tuner “PolyTune“. It’s called that because it let’s you strum all of your strings at [...]

This is making me wanna learn a new instrument…

Playing in time is one of the fundamental aspects of musical technique. When playing with others in a group, having a great sense of time is even more critical, especially if you are laying down the foundation of a band’s groove on the bass or the drums. Bands playing in certain genres with strict, regimented [...]

It’s happened to almost any professional musician – you plug in at a new venue and are treated to a wall of noise and hum from your amps and speakers. It’s frustrating, and of course the sound engineers on site are rarely willing to admit that their building is feeding you dirty power, no matter [...]

Hardware effects have ruled the guitar universe for a very long time. Since the late 60’s, guitarists have been experimenting with devices that promise to alter the signal coming from their instrument into something wonderful and unique – or at least, loud and obnoxious. This has lead to an entire industry devoted to producing stomp [...]

Anyone who has every performed a live gig knows how much of a beating equipment can take, especially if you are playing night after night. Most musicians consider their instruments to be precious extensions of their own bodies, and treat them almost like children – wiping them down after use, wrapping them in soft cloth [...]

Us musicians work hard at acquiring the necessary tools we need to be able to express ourselves properly through music. Once we acquire these tools it would be a shame to lose them. This is where my beloved friend the iPhone comes in (again). The iPhone lets you download applications from the “appstore” that add [...]

On July 25th, 2007 we mentioned that announcement of the new Bass Musician Magazine and we want to point to it one more time because we think the excellent articles deserve a second mention. Bass players can use the articles to further their technical as well as creative skills and remain up-to-date on the latest [...]

Dear Musicians, You’ve passed an audition and got a job on a cruise line and now you’re faced with the problem of getting your instruments to the ship. Now, in most cases this is not very problematic, but for saxophone players this can be quite tricky.

Quick tip #6: Actively seek out difficult challengesDon’t be afraid to tackle the aspects of your playing you believe you can’t master. Setting the bar higher will accelerate your learning curve.

This week’s Quick Tip is: Quick Tip #4: Put Your Ego Aside