As performing musicians, the importance of having a monitor mix that lets us hear what we need to during a performance cannot be understated. Despite often not being the ones directly in control of this mix, here are a number of things we can do as musicians to ensure we get the mix that we’re...
Surely you remember the first time you recorded your own voice. Upon listening back, you must have been shocked to sound so different. You were probably in disbelief that such a strange voice like that could belong to you. Once you got over the shock, though, you came to a realization: your voice...
Testing and feedback is the process of getting your music into presentable form, trying it out on your most likely fans, and making necessary improvements before committing your time and money manufacturing, distributing, and promoting it. Without market research, you could easily spend thousands...
To make “Perfect Illusion,” her explosive new single released September 8th, Lady Gaga sat at a piano in Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California, with producer Mark Ronson and songwriter Kevin Parker of Tame Impala flanking her in La-Z-Boys. “They hashed out the lyrics for hours...
Stevie Nicks says that one of her favorite things to do is light a candle, sit at the desk in her Los Angeles home and write poetry. Ms. Nicks, the rock ’n’ roll mystic who constitutes one-fifth of Fleetwood Mac’s classic lineup and wrote several of its most beloved hits (including “Dreams”...
It seems as if everyone is in a band these days. We all have that work buddy who plays in a Billy Joel tribute band on Tuesday nights at your favorite daiquiri shop and that former classmate from college who’s still pushing that mixtape (way too) hard. In a world where everyone has a musical...
For any band, practice time is the most crucial time for shaping your sound. Yet most bands even serious ones – don’t rehearse properly; it shouldn’t take a band three hours to get through two songs, but more often than not, that’s what happens. The thing is, we’re all busy people, and...
Musicians have to wear many hats in order to have a successful career in the current music industry. Even going on a small, five-city tour requires an artist to become a booking agent, a PR manager, an interviewee, and obviously, a musician. But there are also roles we don’t think of – a mechanic,...
Anyone who is a musician knows it’s an eight-day-a-week job, one that is never done if you’re doing it right. But that right there is a prescription for disaster. No friends, no life, and even possibly, no career. It’s all about balance, planning, strategizing, setting goals, and...
We all have bad habits. they are a part of everyone’s personal and professional lives. What’s virtue without vice, right? However, as a musician, there are certain bad habits that have to be broken, since they can stunt or stall your career. Here are some not-so-obvious bad habits that...
Alice in Chains singer William DuVall has stated that critics of Axl Rose joining AC/DC were forced to “eat their words” after footage from his shows with the band appeared online. When it was announced that Axl was joining the band, fan reaction was largely negative. The fan site AC/DC...
Trends in pop music come and go, and it seems that the latest to arrive is the so-called ‘Millennial Whoop’. In the recent video posted by Arnaud Druot, this shocking new musical pandemic is confirmed. The Whoop has burrowed deep into the minds of songwriters, singers and producers everywhere,...
Ritchie Blackmore‘s “return to rock” shows with a revamped Rainbow lineup were a bit of a disappointment for fans who’d hoped to see Blackmore reunite with some of his former bandmates — but according to Glenn Hughes, Blackmore attempted to get at least one familiar face onstage.
“He...
You might not be the world’s greatest singer – or even the best in your street – but that doesn’t mean you can’t put your god-given voice to good use as a sonic element in your tracks. With these ten tips, we’ll give you plenty of ideas for things you can do with...
Beyoncé isn’t the only artist who channeled a recent rocky patch in her private life into an ambitious multimedia project. In April, Florence and the Machine released The Odyssey, a 47-minute film featuring songs from last year’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful an attempt, according...
