Musical Instruments

How to Identify the Parts of a Banjo

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Each part of a musical instrument has either a structural purpose or a sound purpose. On the banjo, as with any stringed instrument, the vibration of the strings is what makes the sound but the other parts of the instrument modulate the exact ... more »

How to Identify the Parts of a Bass Guitar

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The bass guitar is a wonderful instrument that creates a rich and deep sound. It is an essential instrument in many different types of bands such as rock bands, country bands and rap bands. The bass is the instrument that helps maintain the beat ... more »

How to Identify the Parts of a Cello

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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To play the cello, you first need to know all the parts. The cello is not as large as a bass and is much larger than the violin. It has four strings that you play while you are sitting with the cello in an upright position between your knees. The ... more »

How to Improve a Sense of Rhythm

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Whether you are a singer or instrumental musician, or simply just want to improve your feel for music, you may wish you had a better sense of rhythm. Follow these steps to help you "feel" music, instead of just hear it or play it. You will need a ... more »

How to Improve Tone When Playing a Brass Instrument

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Playing with the proper tone can mean the difference between winning a place in the orchestra or band, or sitting in the audience on opening night. Even when you master all the harmonies, scales and audition material, a bad tone can be a deal ... more »

How to Improvise During a Multi-Rig Synthesizer Performance

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Improvising during a multi-rig synthesizer performance presents a challenge. Instead of focusing on just one set of keys and pedals, you're often up against two or more, forcing you to consider many more elements of your performance than usual. ... more »

How to Improvise on a Three-Chord Blues Progression

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It's relatively easy to improvise on the standard blues chord progression. An E-A-B major chord progression is the perfect backbone for a truly harmonious and nuanced guitar sound. Using a few guidelines will help you know how to enhance the ... more »

How to Improvise on Guitar

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Improvising on a musical instrument often means branching out from specific conventional melody structures. For guitar, musicians use the fretboard to create basic chords and melodies, and to do more advanced "improv" work. Here are some ways to ... more »

How to Improvise on Jazz Saxophone

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One of the elemental aspects of jazz is improvisation, which is melodic inspiration used to create a new vibe to the music. Saxophone players need a good ear for what blends with the music. If you improvise too much, you loose the original thread ... more »

How to Improvise on the French Horn

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While improvisation is often a skill that musicians associate with jazz players, anyone can learn to improvise. Classical musicians often find it an exciting and creative way to engage with music and get new ideas for interpretation. French horn ... more »

How to Improvise on the Keyboard

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Improvisation is an important technique for any keyboard player to know. Even classical pianists have been heard creating their own preludes and fugues on the spot, which certainly reveals something about the value of improvisation. Learning to ... more »

How to Improvise on the Piano

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Learning to improvise on the piano means more than sitting down at the instrument and tapping out random notes. There's a method behind all that seeming chaos. You must first learn the fundamentals of music by practice, and then you can discover ... more »

How to Improvise on the Piano

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Traditional piano instruction generally fails to challenge students to express their creativity and individuality through the instrument. For those who prefer to learn through experimentation rather than the study of others' work, improvisation ... more »

How to Increase Finger Dexterity For Trumpet Playing

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A classic and instantly recognizable brass sound, the trumpet is also one of the most challenging to learn because all of the fingering is done with just three fingers. Playing the trumpet requires excellent breath control and great finger dexterity... more »

How to Increase Speed and Finger Strength on Guitar

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There are a lot of suggestions out there for improving your speed and finger strength on the guitar, but a lot of it boils down to some essential techniques and lots and lots of practice. You have to sit down with the guitar enough so that it ... more »

How to Increase Trumpet Playing Endurance

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As a trumpet player, it is important to work out and build up the muscles you use to play your instrument, often called your chops. Here are some exercises that will help you build up your chops and increase your playing endurance... more »

How to Insert the Guitar String Into a Tuning Post

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If you love to strum a few chords on your guitar, then you know it is all about the strings. Without them, you wouldn't be able to produce a sound. Well if your guitar string suddenly snaps, don't fret. Here is how to insert the guitar string ... more »

How to Inspect a Baritone Saxophone

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The purchase of a new or used baritone saxophone is exciting for the lucky musician buying it. Brand new instruments from a music store will probably come with everything you need and will not require an additional inspection. For used ... more »

How to Install Frets on an Electric Guitar

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There are many times when a new fret must be installed on a guitar. The guitar may have lost a fret, or the existing frets may be worn. There are also those who enjoy making their own guitars. To install a new guitar fret, many people use a fret ... more »

How to Insure Musical Instruments

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

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You finally splurged on that baby grand piano you've always wanted, or your child has outgrown his trumpet and his teacher recommends a new, more expensive model. You need to make sure your insurance company covers these valuable instruments ... more »

How to Invent Guitar Tunings

By AlanK

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Stringed instruments have been with us since ancient times, evolving in many cultures all over the world. Spain's contribution to this noble lineage was the guitar, which eventually became the engine of Western culture's pop music. It seems as if ... more »

How to Join a High School Band

By sportchick707

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Ever wanted to join your high school's marching or concert band and didn't know how? Here's your step-by-step guide on approaching this hidden talent!.. more »

How to Keep Time on Drums

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Drummers have one job, marking time. If they can't keep the beat, the band can't follow. Many beginning kit drummers mistakenly believe the kick drum keeps the beat, but they would be mistaken. The best tool for marking time is the high hat... more »

How to Keep Time on Tambourines

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Keeping time with the tambourine requires the player to either strike their body with the tambourine or strike the tambourine with their hand to keep time. The tambourine can also be shaken to keep time. As a percussion instrument, the tambourine ... more »

How to Know Basic Harp Mechanics

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Harps are stringed instruments that pre-date recorded history. The most accepted history for the harp stems from the hunters bow. By plucking the string of their bows, hunters created the first harp music. Harps vary in size and form depending on ... more »

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