In 1930, at the very dawn of sound on film, Evgeny Sholpo invented the Variophone — or “Automated Paper Sound with soundtracks in both transversal and intensive form.” It was, in simpler terms, a photoelectric audio synthesizer that made use of a film projector and spinning cardboard discs with sound waves cut into them in various patterns. When amplified, the device could turn the patterns into sounds. It also created abstract spiral animation, both were way ahead of their time.
The SB55 is light and easy to play, with a supple, smooth 12″ fretboard radius. Controls include a no-load Tone pot, giving it the sound of a three-way/two-pickup guitar with a twist of the knob. At 5, it rolls out a nice neck pickup sound; at 9, it’s a perfect middle-position sound. And when you want that last nudge over the cliff, you turn to 10, at which point the tone is disconnected and it’s straight volume to pickup.
This huge instrument can play a full octave below the standard double bass and create sound down to 16 Hz, at the lowest threshold of human hearing and into the realm of what’s called infrasound. The octobass is so large that players have to stand on a platform, and use special keys on the side of the instrument to change the strings’ pitch since the neck is far too high to reach!
Some instruments require tuning. Some don’t. The concert ukulele is one of those instruments that requires regular tuning. As such, tuning is a great skill to learn, and it’s an important steppingstone onto developing a better ear (i.e., ear training). This guide, will answer common questions and show you step-by-step how to get your concert ukulele in tune.
"Written for the guitarist who has been playing for a while, but is seriously hampered by the feeling that they don't know what they're doing. Guitar EncycloMedia provides the perfect solution to this problem by efficiently presenting the theoretical basis of music in a way that is clear, easily applied, and does not require the reading of staff notes or TAB." - Randy Roos, Associate Professor of Guitar, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.
Dramatically improve your playing by easily learning all the chords, scales, arpeggios and modes necessary to improvise something uniquely different every time with every song. With over 323 pages, Guitar EncycloMedia offers total fretboard knowledge in one book. It is as essential as your instrument!
Order Guitar EncycloMedia now through June 3, 2022 to receive FREE SHIPPING! Only available from the 12 Tone Music store. No coupon code needed. Domestic orders only. Money back guarantee.
"Bass EncycloMedia is filled with practical and highly musical techniques and information that will benefit bass players of any style and ability level, especially those who have passed beyond the 'beginner' stage. This is a great addition to the library of every bass player. I am very impressed! " - Dr. Robert Cutietta, Dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
Dramatically improve your playing by easily learning all the chords, scales, arpeggios and modes necessary to improvise something uniquely different every time with every song. With over 323 pages, Bass EncycloMedia offers total fretboard knowledge in one book. It is as essential as your instrument!
Order Bass EncycloMedia now through June 3, 2022 to receive FREE SHIPPING! Only available from the 12 Tone Music store. No coupon code needed. Domestic orders only. Money back guarantee.
Earlier this year, Martin announced its No Limits Challenge competition. The contest saw eight YouTube guitar stars going head-to-head in a series of live performances. The winners of each round were decided by viewer/reader votes, and after some truly inspiring displays of acoustic virtuosity the victor finally emerged…
How good do demos need to be? To effectively answer this question, you need to identify the purpose of your demo recording. Let’s look at what constitutes the “perfect demo” for different presentation scenarios.
In 2020, TC Electronic unleashed the impressively configured Plethora X5. Now, in a bid to rival smaller units of the same nature, they have debuted a downsized, pedalboard-friendly iteration of its celebrated pedal: the Plethora X3. The X3 lets users curate, save and switch between up to 127 individual 'pedalboards created with TC’s comprehensive TonePrint pedal range.
Emily had a deep and intense harmonic sense. She had advanced knowledge of chords and how they worked. That, combined with years of listening and transcribing, gave her formidable ears and chops, particularly when playing over changes.
