Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Banjos and ukuleles may look similar, but in reality they are very different instruments. Find out if you can tune a banjo like a ukulele with help from the second-generation owner of the Appalachian Bluegrass Shoppe in this free video clip.
Strumming is a technique used to play a variety of different stringed instruments. Find out if you can strum a mandolin with help from the second-generation owner of the Appalachian Bluegrass Shoppe in this free video clip.
You can identify a mandolin by looking for a number of key visual characteristics. Learn how to identify mandolins with help from the second-generation owner of the Appalachian Bluegrass Shoppe in this free video clip.
"Banho-Kazooie" is a video game for the Nintendo-64 video game platform. A version of this game was also later released on the XBox 360 platform. The Inferno Land is a themed area available in the third level of "Banjo-Kazooie." This level, known as "Witchyworld," is a run-down theme park that has four main areas: "The Space Zone," "The Haunted Zone," "Wild West Zone" and "Area 51." The Inferno is located inside of "The Haunted Zone." To open the door to the Inferno Land, use the van located outside the entrance.
Located near Wumba's Wigwam in Pine Grove, the Grenade Eggs in Banjo-Tooie are the most powerful eggs found throughout the game, because they act just like bombs. They can be used to blow up walls, cash registers, cages -- anything that needs to be destroyed for you to succeed. They are also extremely effective when used against enemies and can defeat bosses with their explosive might. The game allows you to carry 25 of them at any time, but they can be harmful to Banjo if he's standing too close to them when in use.
Decorating your ukulele is a great, fun way to put your stamp on your own instrument. Decorate your ukulele with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Tuning a kid's ukulele means that you'll probably be tuning a soprano ukulele. Find out about tuning a kid's ukulele with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Not every song on the ukulele involves difficult or expert-level chords. Play a song on the ukulele with simple chords with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Fingering chords on the ukulele involves very specific hand movements on very specific parts of the instrument. Finger the ukulele with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
A reggae ukulele strum might not be the easiest strum you ever try on your instrument. Do a reggae ukulele strum with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Tuning the strings on a ukulele is something that you have to do in a very particular way. Get a guide for tuning the strings of a ukulele with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
There are four different main sizes of ukulele available today. Learn about the different ukulele sizes with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Fixing a popped ukulele string can be accomplished in a couple of different ways. Fix a popped ukulele string with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
A tenor ukulele is a little larger than your typical soprano ukulele. Find out how to string a tenor ukulele with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Strumming the ukulele freely involves some very specific hand movements. Find out how to strum the ukulele freely with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Tuning a ukulele like a mandolin requires you to keep a few very specific things in mind. Learn about tuning a ukulele like a mandolin with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Fretting a chord on a fingerboard on a ukulele is something that you have to do in a very particular way. Fret a fingerboard on a ukulele with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Playing the tenor ukulele is very much like playing any other type of ukulele. Play the tenor ukulele with help from a critically acclaimed musician in this free video clip.
Displaying a viola allows it to become a talking point in your home when you're not playing it. Display a viola with help from a professional singer and violinist in this free video clip.
Changing the intensity on a string instrument can be accomplished in a very specific way. Change the intensity on a string instrument with help from a professional singer and violinist in this free video clip.
Sizing a viola bow is something that requires you to take a few specific things in mind. Learn whether or not you have the right size viola bow with help from a professional singer and violinist in this free video clip.
Doing a flat on the viola is something that you can teach yourself to do in just a few moments. Do a flat on the viola with help from a professional singer and violinist in this free video clip.
The tightness of a viola bow is very important, especially in regards to the notes you're trying to play. Learn about how tight a viola bow should be with help from a professional singer and violinist in this free video clip.
When tuning a viola you should always do so in a very specific key. Find out what key you're supposed to tune the viola in with help from a professional singer in this free video clip.
Nylgut strings solve the dilemma that banjo players have of choosing between synthetic strings made from nylon and natural strings made from sheep or cow gut. Nylgut strings from Aquila, a company that sells strings online and at stores in the United States and Canada, are synthetic and Aquila claims that they sound as good as gut strings.
Making your mandolin as unique as you can includes braiding your own mandolin strap. The mandolin, an eight-string instrument of the lute family, contains a strap that helps balance the weight as well as prevent you from holding the neck of the instrument with your left hand. Instead of buying one of these straps, make it yourself, using thin leather strands to braid your mandolin strap.
"Banjo-Tooie," the sequel to the 1998 Nintendo 64 game, "Banjo-Kazooie," features plenty of hidden items and collectibles. These hidden items include three secret eggs. Each egg rewards you with a different prize, such as a new ability, cheat code or hidden character. Find the eggs and take them to Heggy the hen for your prize.
Viola odorata is an heirloom plant -- not a hybrid -- and is better known by its common name, sweet violet. It has purple flowers and grows only about 4 to 6 inches high, which makes it an excellent choice for a ground cover. Adopt a good fertilizing schedule to help your violas grow and flower well to fill a space more quickly.
The cello is designed in a manner that allows for bowing with either the left or the right hand. Bowing involves the methods and techniques used to bow the cello such as "at the frog," "loure" and "spiccato" playing. Traditionally, the right hand will hold the bow while the left hand manipulates the string. Unless you plan to play only as a hobbyist, there is no advantage to bowing cello with the left hand. In fact, a left-handed cellist has an advantage since it takes more dexterity to finger notes than it does to bow. The left-handed cellist uses his…
A viola's strings hold its musical power. Regular restringing of a viola is essential to realize the potential of both the instrument and its player. The simple yet precise process demands repeated practice to master it. Musical expertise, along with the type of viola, determines which strings are best. Modern violas traditionally use metal strings, while European gut strings work best for older instruments and advanced musicians. No matter the strings, a viola should be restrung a week before a major event, so that the strings have time to settle.
You might be the type of person who has tried your hand at the guitar, accordion, flute or didgeridoo and haven't found an instrument that fits. The 15-string lap harp requires little know-how or instruction and can be picked up and experimented with easily. This lap harp is also known as a plucked psaltery instrument. It has a trapezoidal shape and 15 strings, and is most often tuned to one key, such as "G."
The PT10 Mini tuner is a lightweight, compact clip-on instrument tuner for electric guitars, acoustic guitars, violins, banjos and other string instruments. It weighs less than 2 ounces and runs on a CR2032 coin cell battery. The PT10 does not use wires or a microphone to hear the instrument you are tuning; it feels the note through vibrations. This means the PT10 is accurate even when you have distracting background noises in the room. The backlit LCD screen makes the PT10 easy to read even in low light environments.
In "Banjo-Kazooie," players encounter giant snapping flowers called Bear Snares throughout Click Clock Wood. Bear Snares guard items such as notes and feathers, and they snap viciously when you attempt to obtain their treasures. While Bear Snares are stationary and easily avoidable, they grow in size as the seasons progress and become increasingly more dangerous. They are also immune to all of your attacks. The only way to kill Bear Snares is to enter Click Clock Wood during the winter and let the cold destroy them.
“Banjo-Tooie” is an action-adventure platform game published by Rare and Nintendo in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 console game system. This sequel to “Banjo-Kazooie” revives the original antagonist, Gruntilda, and requires you to challenge her to a trivia game in her fortress. Along the way, you encounter a range of different landscapes and areas, including Jolly Roger's Lagoon, where you find a treasure chest that contains an item that lets you play only one character at a time.
The VB language has two ways to concatenate, or merge, strings in your customized software. The "StringBuilder" class improves performance and memory allocation for string concatenation, so programmers are urged to use this library of functions instead of the old string manipulation functions. The StringBuilder class builds the string, lets you concatenate with other strings and displays results to the reader.
"Banjo-Tooie" for the Nintendo 64 has dozens of areas that can be difficult to reach. You can see a large cheese wedge off in the distance during the Cloud Cuckooland level, but you won't be able to reach it until you find one of the two hidden seeds. Once you have a seed, you'll gain easy access to the cheese wedge, and once you're inside of it, you'll be able to collect the Jiggy for that area.
In "Banjo-Tooie," players control the bear-like Banjo on his quest to stop the evil Gruntilda from returning to his world. One of his close friends is a mole named Bottles. Typically, Bottles sells items to Banjo, but by using an Action Replay or GameShark, players can cause Bottles to turn evil. Once he's evil, a second player can use him to control monsters and attack Banjo with them. Evil Bottles is available only on the Nintendo 64 version of the game.
A harp can provide gentle tones and soft melodies to a piece of music, but the instrument has the drawback of being somewhat difficult to tune due to the sheer quantity of strings it possesses. Like any stringed instrument, a harp requires regular attention to keep those notes on key, so you'll need to learn how to tune it if you want it sounding its best. With equipment available at any music store, your harp will be ready for its next performance in no time.
Teach kids all about stringed instruments, such as guitars, harps and banjos with these easy-to-create string instruments. With a little bit of adult supervision and assistance, these stringed instruments will come to life quickly and are perfect for a rainy day or anytime.
Mitutoyo produces advanced measurement tools, which are often essential for people working within the construction industry and using parameters of a matter of millimeters. With electronic measuring machines of such fine margins, some issues can occur that need attention. Complex internal problems should be fixed only by an expert, but there are steps you can take to troubleshoot your Mitutoyo yourself.
The harp is an ancient instrument seen throughout history in Greek artwork and Egyptian hieroglyphs. During the renaissance, the harp was used in formal training and was considered courtly music, while the Celtic people used the harp in folk music. However, the harp had limited scale range and fell out of favor, until new innovations increased note possibilities. Modern harps are available in a variety of sizes that determine the style and playing method.
Frailing and tremolo are both techniques used on the tenor banjo to play various types of casual music. Flailing is also commonly referred to as "beating the banjo" and "rapping." Proper posture, hand position and knowing how to use these techniques will effectively help you get the best sound out of your tenor banjo. These techniques take time to learn, but with consistent daily practice you can develop your strumming ability.
Making a lyre harp requires some craftsmanship and a significant commitment to planning and organizing the structure of the harp. For the most part, you can use any structure you like, but the most common lyre harps consist of a triangle-shaped brace attached to a wooden base that supports the instrument. This activity should not be completed by a complete novice woodworker and if you have any doubts about your abilities, ask for help from someone more experienced in making instruments.
Tone woods play a crucial part in the overall sound quality of a stringed instrument. Certain woods are able to better facilitate the transmitting of vibrated sound (when a string is plucked) from one part of the instrument to the other. Because of their inherent properties, rosewood and maple are both traditional choices for fretboard construction. Both types offer the sturdiness that will hold up to frequent playing, but many players and string instrument makers (known as "luthiers") believe that these two woods impart different tonal qualities when the instrument is played.
Banjos are four- or five-string instruments that are typically used in country, bluegrass, folk and Irish music. Historically, banjos were also used in traditional African music. It is important to tune your banjo regularly to ensure that it always sounds its best. The process can be difficult for beginners, but it is critical for producing quality sound. With some practice, most banjo players can learn how to tune their instrument with ease.
Fingerpicking, or playing fingerstyle, is a way to play a stringed instrument with your fingers instead of with a pick or other type of plectrum. It uses a combination of a bass line and melody line that are played simultaneously to create a rich, full sound. While mandolins are not played fingerstyle as commonly as are guitars and banjos, it can be done, and this unique way of playing the instrument is ever-increasing in its popularity among mandolin players.
The neck of the mandolin determines the feel and playability of the instrument. A well-balanced neck with a smooth, level surface makes fretting the note much easier. If you’re not happy with the neck of your mandolin, but like the current sound, you can improve the way the instrument plays by building your own. This gives you a customized instrument that is built to your own specs.
Mandolines, with an "e," are not the same as the musical instrument. Rather, they're the flat vegetable slicers familiar from late-night infomercials, with one or more razor-sharp blades mounted into a flat metal or plastic platform. Professional models are made of stainless steel and carry a heavy price tag, while lower-end versions are cheaply made with plastic platforms and blades of poor steel. Mid-range models such as the Swissmar Borner are less versatile than the professional models, but their blades are of good quality and seldom require sharpening. This is good, because the V-shaped blades are tricky to hone.
Keeping your banjo’s fretboard in good shape is the key to maintaining the highest possible level of acoustic quality. If the fretboard itself becomes damaged or if the metal frets on the board become worn or damaged, these flaws can affect the quality of sound created by the banjo. Repairing the fretboard is a labor-intensive job, but the end results are well worth it if you intend on keeping your banjo for years to come.
The banjo has become a popular instrument in bluegrass, folk and country music prevalent across the United States and abroad. Mechanically, the banjo is very similar to other instruments in the string family, such as the guitar, violin and cello. The strings of the banjo operate in identical fashion to the strings on virtually every other string instrument. Restringing a banjo is a quick and easy process that can be accomplished without much effort.
