Musical Instruments

This is often referred to as the Keith Richards tuning, since he made it so popular. Others just call it one of the easiest ways to learn how to play guitar. The reason is that in open G tuning,...

If you have a grand piano, you know how dusty and dirty it can get under the lid. There are several things you can do on your own to clean inside the grand piano lid and keep it clean.

Learning to restring an electric guitar can be daunting, but with a bit of experience can be easily accomplished. Restringing on your own will save time and money, and will help you become...

Taking care of your acoustic guitar is essential to having a good sounding instrument. According to Ringmusic.com, the pleasant sound of new strings is often undermined by environmental factors...

Profile is a popular brand of value-priced tuners for electronic guitar and bass. Included in the Profile line are several clip-on tuners, a surface mount stick-on unit and a higher-end foot-pedal...

Nylon string is a safe, harmonic and humane replacement for the gut strings harvested from animals that used to adorn string instruments. Most nylon guitar strings come pre-cut to fit particular...

A Les Paul style guitar is one of the easier versions to restring. Unlike the Stratocaster, the Les Paul has everything you need easily accessible on the top of the guitar. Changing the strings is...

The Starcaster electric guitar is a model in the classic Fender lineup designed for beginning players. Fender strings are made with a bullet tip for quick installation through the back of the...

Of all of the instruments in the string family, the violin is one of the most beautiful. An antique violin is a rare and lucky find. If the violin you have is damaged, there are steps you can take...

Every budding guitarist wonders what the difference is between steel or nylon strings. While there are several distinctions, including the type of guitar on which they are installed, choosing...

Changing a single guitar string on an acoustic guitar is not big deal. However, changing out all six strings is another matter. If the method employed to remove and replace a set of strings is...

Changing strings on an Epiphone Firebird is not terribly different from most guitars. It does have a few distinct features that are important to know. New strings on a guitar give new life to it's...

Changing nylon guitar strings is a bit more challenging for the beginner than changing steel strings. The lack of secured ends, difficulty in bending nylon string material, and extended stretching...

Anyone who plays guitar should have a metal or plastic box to keep all their guitar stuff in. This is a breakdown of what I keep in mine. Just because I say to purchase this or that item, it is...

There are many tonal advantages of using metal finger picks when playing the guitar. Compared to your fingertips, metal picks produce a brighter, louder, punchier sound, and less force will be...

The cajon is a Spanish percussion instrument, a sort of box drum. It is comprised of a resonating box with a thin wooden striking head called a tapa. Most cajons also have a set of snares running...

Changing your acoustic guitar strings regularly is one of the most important things you can do to ensure you're always getting the best sound out of your guitar. Your guitar will not only sound...

A grand piano is a major investment, and it needs proper care to remain in good condition. It's a good idea to deeply clean your piano several times a year and do a brief spiffing once a day; the...

The soundpost in a string instrument is a spruce dowel that sits inside the instrument and connects the top of the instrument with the bottom so that the sound will resonate throughout the entire...

Changing a violin string is a useful and necessary skill for every violinist, novice to expert. Even if a string isn't broken, replacing it can enhance the sound, playability and enjoyment of your...

One talent that can really boost self confidence and impress others is to learn to play acoustic guitar. Few talents prove to appeal more to all types of people than being able to pull out a...

Rosin is essential to the care and performance of violin bows. The sticky powder made from hardened pine sap allows the bow to "grab" the strings of a violin and make them vibrate. Choose the...

The Floyd Rose Tremolo is affected by two opposite forces: string tension and spring tension. The strings create a force that will pull up on the floating bridge, while the bridge's springs...

Guitar strings can be adjusted to improve two main factors, intonation and string action. Intonation is a string's ability to stay in tune over the length of the neck, while action refers to the...

First and foremost, the fine tuning of one's guitar is the difference between racket and music to the ears. Even the most advanced of guitarists are no match for an out of tune machine. But at one...

Playing slide guitar like the pros takes lots of practice, but getting started is pretty easy. First, you need a slide. Any glass, metal, or rigid plastic tube will do for starters--a bottle neck,...

With this video, you can learn basic finger style guitar if you have a working knowledge of open chords. Finger picking is fun and easy! Give it a try.

Selecting an acoustic guitar for you child or yourself to begin guitar lessons can be a daunting task after seeing all of those guitars hanging on the walls of a music store! Where do you begin? ...

If you change you guitar strings frequently or have several guitars, buying guitar strings in bulk can save you time and money. Not only do many retailers provide a discount for bulk purchases of...

Putting a whammy bar, or tremolo bar, on a guitar is a simple task that will allow you to bend notes. When a whammy bar is installed on a guitar you can pull the bar toward the neck, thus...

Bow rosin is a vital element of playing the violin. Made from processed pine tar and proprietary ingredients, which differ according to the manufacturer, rosin allows the smooth bow-hair to grip...

Learning a musical instrument at a young age is something many people wish they had done, as it is a great way to express ourselves and be creative. Often associated with famous musicians, the...

Because new violins are shipped without bridges installed, and because violin bridges sometimes break or wear out, violinists sometimes need to replace a bridge. The job requires careful...

Violins are capable of creating genres of music from bluegrass to classical. In order for a violin to produce the best sound quality possible, all parts of the violin must be installed to...

Learning to play songs on the ukulele can be a fun and rewarding experience. Unlike the guitar or piano, the ukulele's small size and four strings make it a relatively easy instrument to learn and...

First Act makes several high-quality beginner's guitars that feature string-through-body construction, which adds sustain to the notes and makes for a strong anchoring point for the string itself....

One of the questions I hear most often from people fairly new on guitar is "How can I change the tone of my guitar, or come up with a better sound? Hopefully this will at least help answer...

Stringing a double lock guitar can be a challenge. By following the proper steps and remembering to adjust the fine tuners before beginning, you can quickly and easily change the strings.

Tuning a Floyd Rose floating bridge on a Jackson guitar can be more difficult than working with a fixed bridge. The strings are tuned the conventional way and then, by using the second set of fine...

More than a century old, Oscar Schmidt autoharps are among the most recognizable autoharps in the music world. The autoharp is a perennial favorite among players in the folk and Americana genres...

Learning the strings on a violin is very simple and shouldn't take long due to there only being four or sometimes five strings altogether. Memorize violin strings with help from an experienced...

When teaching yourself to play a violin, remember that the bow should be perfectly straight when sliding it across the strings. Discover how to learn the violin on your own with proper technique...

The banjo is a fun, up-tempo instrument found frequently in bluegrass and country music, and even used in slapstick comedy music skits. There are several kinds of banjos, but the playing...

Open guitar chords are mainly played on the first three frets of the guitar. They are called open because strings that aren't being fretted (pressed to a fret by your finger) are...

Open guitar chords are mainly played on the first three frets of the guitar. They are called open because strings that aren't being fretted (pressed to a fret by your finger) are...

Open guitar chords are mainly played on the first three frets of the guitar. They are called open because strings that aren't being fretted (pressed to a fret by your finger) are...

Musical instruments can be extremely expensive, especially if you are investing in something you are not sure whether you will pursue in the long run. Building your own instruments, such as a...

The fiddle is a wonderful stringed instrument. It contains four strings, each of which is a different pitch. The pitches are a musical 5th away from each other. The lowest string is a G, followed...

The violin is a fine instrument for adults to learn, even if they have no prior musical background. Although the violin is traditionally used primarily in classical music, the instrument has seen...

Open guitar chords are mainly played on the first three frets of the guitar. They are called open because strings that aren't being fretted (pressed to a fret by your finger) are...