Muziker Blog | page 2

The djembe is a West African hand drum you can play a first rhythm on straight out of the box. We go through the four decisions that drive both price and sound: size, head, shell material and tuning system.

Viktor from the band Fvck_Kvlt, also known as DJ VKTRD, built an entire beat on a single groovebox. We wrote his process up as ten steps, from picking a sample through drums and bass to the recording.

A cajon is a box you sit on and play at the same time. We go through how it works, what it is made of, what size you need and which brands and models are worth a look.

Heavy metal was not born in America but in Birmingham. In 1965 a press in a sheet metal factory took the tips of two fingers off seventeen year old Tony Iommi's right hand. Doctors told him he was finished with the guitar. He made thimbles from a washing-up liquid bottle, strung banjo strings and tuned down. These are the ten albums British metal stands on.

Changing a head is not a workshop job but routine maintenance you can do at home with a single key. We go through the whole process, from taking the drum apart and cleaning the bearing edge to tuning in a cross pattern.

Restringing is the one bit of maintenance you will keep doing for as long as you play. We walk through the whole thing from slackening the first string to the final tune-up, separately for acoustic, electric and classical guitars.

August was a rich month for new gear. Two names the whole world had been waiting for arrived, along with three brands we never carried before and a new generation of Yamaha mixers. These are ten pieces from August you should know about.

Most people know the classical guitar as the first one they learned on. It is also called a Spanish guitar and music schools still start on it. We go through what size a child and an adult need, and which strings you are allowed to fit.

You have the kit and the sticks, and the whole thing still sounds cheap. Nine times out of ten the cymbals are to blame. They are the most expensive pieces of metal a drummer buys and the first thing an audience hears.

Bridge, fret, pickup. You read these words in every guitar tutorial, but nobody ever explained them properly. Here is a clear guide to the parts of a guitar, from headstock to body.