Hot Music & Instruments Posts
How To: Do basic fingerstyle exercises to practice fingerpicking
In this video, we learn how to practice fingerpicking with basic fingerstyle exercises. First, position your fingers so the third is picking the thinnest, the second is picking the second, and the third is picking the third. The thumb should be picking the thickest string on the guitar. Now, start to pick going from your thumb down to the bottom finger. You may have to look at your fingers as you go down, but once you have practiced this, you will get a feel of how to play. When you fingerpic...
How To: Play Oasis "Wonderwall" on acoustic guitar
In this video, we learn how to play Oasis "Wonderwall" on acoustic guitar. The intro starts with B minor 7, G, D suspended 4, and A 7 suspended four. You will play this twice to get the introduction complete. After this, you will play C at 9, and D suspended 4 to get the second verse of the song. Continue to repeat these patterns until you reach the chorus, which will have a different sound to it than the rest of the song. After you have completed learning the movement of your fingers for the...
How To: Play "Space Oddity" by David Bowie on the guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "Space Oddity" by David Bowie. For the chorus, you will play an F minor 7, then an E minor. For the verse, you will play a C 2, then E minor, A minor, and A minor 7. Continue to play through the song using different chords and strings to get the different sounds in the song to sound correct. Once you get through the entire song, play through from beginning to end without stopping. After you have this down, you can add in the lyrics to get them to sound righ...
How To: Play "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith on electric guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith on electric guitar. Start out using the E blue scale with your first finger on the fifth fret of the E string. Using half steps, go to 5,6,7 and 7 on the A string. From here, hammer onto the seventh, then continue to do this process to finish the intro. After this you will do the boogie verse, which will be a C power chord, then place your pinkie on the 12th fret on the a string. Continue to play the notes throughout the song, a...
How To: Play guitar using proper technique on the fretboard
In this video, we learn how to play guitar using the proper technique on the fretboard. While playing on the fretboard, the speed and movement should be equal. Your fingers should be close to the fretboard at all times, not far away from it. When you play riffs, pick the notes that will make the music sound seamless and beautiful. All the sounds should flow together perfectly. Once you learn these basic tools, you should pick some easy sounds and practice them so you get the idea of how your ...
How To: Play super fast runs on an electric guitar
In this tutorial, we learn how to play super fast runs on an electric guitar. You will be playing the notes at the very tip of the pick, going up and down as fast as you can. First, do the notes E, B, G, D, A, and E while on the third, sixth, ninth, fifteenth, eighteenth, and twenty-first frets. Next, play the E, B, and G notes on the third fret while hammering on the sixth string a couple of times. Continue to practice these, hearing the difference between each of the different chords. When ...
How To: Play "Penny Lane" by The Beatles
In this video, we learn how to play "Penny Lane" by The Beatles. The keys you will play at first are: B, D#, F#, B/D#, F#, and B. There is a style you have to employ to get this to work on the piano. Each note is played separately when you do it on the piano, so don't combine the notes together as you are playing. Make sure you are keeping the notes in sharps. The next notes are: B, D#, F#, A#, D#, F#, and A#, From here, the next ones are the same except with a G# at the end. Continue to play...
How To: Play the old spiritual song "Morning Has Broken" on guitar
In this video, we learn how to play the old spiritual "Morning has broken" on guitar. Start with D, then G, A, F#, B, G7, C, F, and C when you first begin the song. Then, play D on the different frets so you are getting different sounds each time you touch the strings. As you continue to play through the song, learn the different strings individually so you know how to play them properly. Play the song in sections before you group all of them together. When finished, you will have one complet...
How To: Do rhythm changes in C while playing bass
In this video, we learn how to play bass: Rhythm changes in C. A lot of times this tune is played very quickly, but playing slow can sound very nice as well. When you play slow you can see and hear exactly what the note is supposed to be like. There is more time in between the notes when you play slowly, so you have to have a lot of control over your hands and chords. When doing rhythm changes, make sure to feel the groove as you are going so you can feel you are in key with the rest of the m...
How To: Do chord voicing and comping while playing jazz guitar
In this video, we learn how to play jazz guitar: Chord voicing and comping. Guitar comping is more pianistic in approach than it used to be. You can play different chords, moving them up a notch to get a different noise out of them. You will have to learn the finger placements and how to spell the chords, but they will sound great when you play them. You will get the same chord voicing with the different chords, it will just be moving upwards or downwards in the noise. As you continue to lear...
How To: Play "Help" by The Beatles (Noel Gallagher) on guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "Help" by The Beatles (Noel Gallagher) on guitar. First, play A for the intro, then A major 7, F# minor, D, G, A, the start the second part. The second part is simply just repeating the first part. Make sure your guitar is tuned so these sound soft while you are playing them. Continue to play these chords through the versus of the song while singing the lyrics to the song. When you get to the chorus, you will have to change the chords slightly and make sure...
How To: Mix your song in Studio One
In this video, we learn how to mix your song in Studio One. First, press the F3 button to show all the instruments you have and then you can click on those to change the settings of how your music sounds. Create different noises and change the beat delay to create a unique sound. After this, you can change the one, beat, volume, bass, and anything else you want to in your song. You can use the compressor to change effects, then adjust any other settings that you would like! When finished, sav...
How To: Play "Candy Says" by Velvet Underground on guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "Candy Says" by Velvet Underground on guitar. Start off by tuning down the guitar one step for all the strings. Start to play the introduction chords, doing small sections then piecing them together. The chords are E, G sharp minor, G, and C sharp for the chorus. Once you get past the first chorus, start with the middle of the song and add in the lyrics as you sing the song. Continue to play the rest of the song adding in the other chorus parts, then when y...
How To: Choose the right drum heads and tune your drum set
Getting the right sound from your drum set is important for any drummer. This video shows you how to choose the right head for the sound you want to get from your drum set and attach them to the drum. You're also shown how to tune your drum set to get the sound precisely how you want it.
How To: Tune a drum head on a drum set
Tune a drum? It's possible! Every drummer has a specific way they want their drum set to sound. And the way a drum sounds depends on how the drum head has been adjusted. This video demonstrates how to tune your drum and make it sound exactly the way you want it.
How To: Make an dubstep "wub wub" bass beat on your computer in FL Studio
Dubstep is the music of the moment in the global underground electronic music scene, and producers from all types of music are incorporating it into their tracks. One of it's distinctive features is the "wub wub" style of bass track that dubstep producers favor, and it can improve all kinds of songs. This video will show you how to get a really good "wub wub" bass effect in FL Studio for use in all your Dubstep and fusion tracks.
How To: Use the vocoder effect in FL studio to make and record cool vocal effects
FL Studio is a very powerful piece of audio production software, and it of course incorporates everyone favorite old-school voice distortion device: the Vocoder. This video will show you how to create a really cool vocoder effect in FL Studio, allowing you to zazz up the vocals on any track you're producing with that Zapp & Roger electrofuck edge.
How To: Refinish the faceplate for an electric guitar
Make your electric guitar look precisely the way you want it! This video shows you how to sand down your guitar and then add your choice of varnish or finish to the neck and body. Restore a dinged and nicked guitar to rock star quality!
How To: Play your first tone or note on the flute
You've just received your first flute! Now how to play it? This video starts by demonstrates the correct way to handle your flute and separate the mouthpiece from the body of the instrument. Then you're shown the proper technique for blowing into the mouth piece to get your first music tone or note. It's just like a whistle!
How To: Play music on a wooden, Native American style flute
Have you ever wanted to play tribal music? If you have a wooden Native American flute (tuned to the key of G), this video demonstrates the right fingering pattern to play a beautiful and easy melody on your musical instrument.
How To: Play the drums like a rock star
Have you always wanted to be the drummer in a famous rock and roll band, but you're still just a beginner? This tutorial starts from the very beginning and shows you how to play the drums, starting with a basic, versatile beat. The tutorials gradually increase, until, at the end, you'll be a rock star on the drums.
How To: Play the song "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry on piano with sheet music
Katy Perry is a certified sensation, and if she inspires you to play the piano then she's done at least one good thing today. This video will teach you how to play her single "Teenage Dream" from the eponymous album. You can even check out the sheet music at the creators websites here.
How To: Play the song "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top on electric guitar
"Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top was the great anti-metal anthem of the 1980's, and it's enduring appeal is undeniably. There's just something about the combination of beards and southern rock... Anyway, whether you have an impressive beard or not, this video will teach you how to play the lead, rhythm, and solo parts to "Sharp Dressed Man" on electric guitar.
How To: Craft a Native American flute out of elderberry
You can play beautiful, traditional music on an elderberry flute, just how the Native Americans have done since ancient times. Crafting a flute out of elderberry wood is a quick and easy project.
How To: Play the hit song "Cooler than Me" by Mike Posner on acoustic guitar
Every summer a few feel-good songs come out that just beg to be bumped at maximum volume rolling in the ride, getting ready for action. The Mike Posner tune "Cooler than Me" definitely is that, especially when you play it on that most summery of instruments the acoustic guitar. This video will teach you how to do just that. It's pretty simple, so why not learn it?
How To: Create enharmonic changes and invert them on the piano
An enharmonic equivalent doesn't sound like fun, but in fact the term is fancy jargon for a rather simple concept: it is the duplicate of a note, key signature, or interval that is spelled differently. So two notes are enharmonic if they have the same pitch but are named differently. At least, this is the basis for enharmonic equivalents.
How To: Play the rock/blues scale on the guitar with tabs
You know your piano player friends who practice their basic piano scales daily even though they're already well advanced and can play Rachmaninoff like no one's business? It may seem absurd to need to do such simple practicing at all, but scale exercises are the best thing you can do to keep those fingers sharp and fast when playing a song.
How To: Play compound intervals and invert them on the piano
In this piano music theory lesson you'll go over something of a more advanced piece of music theory: compound intervals.
How To: Play "That's the Way I Like It" by KC & The Sunshine Band on bass
Practice makes perfect, right? And practicing challenging songs will make your bass strumming perfect faster. Take the song "That's the Way I Like It" by KC & The Sunshine Band, for instance. It has a great melody and harmony, and with only two sections is also relatively easy to play.
How To: Play the bass line in "Good Times" by Bernard Edwards
Bass players definitely don't get as much love as guitar players when it comes to glory and mainstream music popularity. After all, the base is the low-sounding, harmonizing complement to the lead guitar's riffs, offering a nice contrast but getting obscured in the process.
How To: Play Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line" intro on the acoustic guitar
Before Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her performance as June Carter, Johnny Cash's lifelong love, and before Joaquin Phoenix ever channeled his inner rock star to play the man himself, there was the one and only Johnny Cash.
How To: Play Colbie Callait's "I Never Told You" on the acoustic guitar
Colbie Callait's new single "I Never Told You" is a song about regret that anyone can relate to. In the song, Callait sings about a past relationship in which she failed to tell her lover just how much he meant to her. The song is bittersweet and soulful without being too mushy.
How To: Write heavy metal music with songwriting tips
System of a Down. Motley Crue. No matter who you are, a heavy metal song is almost instantaneously recognizable, with bands as diverse as System of a Down and Motley Crue banging out deep, distorted guitar riffs and emphatic beats. The muscal genre of heavy metal is a headache for adults and a form of rebellion for kids, which is why you'll always seen teens rebelling by blaring this music on full volume.
How To: Play "Summertime" by George Gershwin on the ukulele
Want to play "Summertime" from George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess on the ukulele? Learn how with this free video ukulele lesson from Ukulele Mike. Whether you play the ukulele or bass kazoo, there is no better way to improve your chops than by learning to play your favorite songs. Not only is it more fun and much easier than running drills or memorizing a chord book by wrote, it's obviously also a wonderful way to build your repertory of songs. For more information, and to get started playing t...
How To: Get started playing the trumpet
If you want to get really good at playing the trumpet, it stands to reason that you start with the basics. Happily, the Internet is awash in high-quality tutorials like this one, which presents an overview of how to get started. For more information, including a step-by-step overview, watch this free video trumpet tutorial.
How To: Use a capo on an acoustic guitar to change the key of open chords
If you want to get really good at playing the guitar, it stands to reason that you learn how to use a capo. Happily, the Internet is awash in high-quality tutorials like this one, which presents an overview of how to shop for a guitar. For more information, including a step-by-step overview, watch this free video guitar tutorial.
How To: String or restring a ukulele with a tie bridge
In this clip, you'll learn how to string up a uke with a standard tie-style bridge. If you want to get really good at playing the ukulele, it stands to reason that your instrument will need strings on it. Happily, the Internet is awash in high-quality video lessons like this one from the folks at Hawaii Music Supply. For more information, including a step-by-step overview, watch this free video ukulele tutorial.
How To: Play "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" like Jake Shimabukuro on the ukulele
Want to play "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison of the Beatles on the ukulele? Learn how with this free video ukulele lesson, which will teach you how to play the song in the manner of ukulele wunderkind Jake Shimabukuro. Whether you play the ukulele or bass kazoo, there is no better way to improve your chops than by learning to play your favorite songs. Not only is it more fun and much easier than running drills or memorizing a chord book by wrote, it's obviously also a wonder...
How To: Play the "Overworld" theme from Super Marios Bros. on the ukulele
Want to play the main theme from Super Mario Brothers on the ukulele? Learn how with this free video ukulele lesson from Ukulele Underground. Whether you play the ukulele or bass kazoo, there is no better way to improve your chops than by learning to play your favorite songs. Not only is it more fun and much easier than running drills or memorizing a chord book by wrote, it's obviously also a wonderful way to build your repertory of songs. For more information, and to get started playing the ...
How To: Play "Waiting for the World to Change" by John Mayer on the ukulele
Want to play "Waiting for the World to Change" by John Mayer on the ukulele? Learn how with this free video ukulele lesson. Whether you play the ukulele or bass kazoo, there is no better way to improve your chops than by learning to play your favorite songs. Not only is it more fun and much easier than running drills or memorizing a chord book by wrote, it's obviously also a wonderful way to build your repertory of songs. For more information, and to get started playing "Waiting for the World...