MainStage Mondays: Layering Instruments
Combining sounds together make them thicker and more interesting. Fortunately for us, MainStage does this in a super easy way. Here’s how to layer a piano and a pad sound over the top of each other:
Read MoreCombining sounds together make them thicker and more interesting. Fortunately for us, MainStage does this in a super easy way. Here’s how to layer a piano and a pad sound over the top of each other:
Read MoreClassical music is hard, particularly Bach’s Inventions. Here’s 30 things I’m learning from working up his music again:
Read MoreTwo years ago today, I started a blog about my life as a musician. All I knew was that I wanted to share my thoughts about music, and more importantly, I wanted to help people.
Read MoreWe own music equipment to serve a means, not to be an end in itself. Here are 7 ways to make your performances more about your music and less about fiddling with your equipment:
• Practice pressing buttons. The quicker you are at getting the sound you want, the less you have to worry about twisting knobs during the performance.
• Pre-prep everything. Don't wait to the last second to put together your equipment – test everything at home, so it's not a distraction at the venue.
• Buy intiutive equipment . If your live rig is difficult to work with, get rid of it. Speed is everything when you're making on the fly tweaks.
• Buy quality equipment. Settling for cheap may be easier in the short term, but paying a few extra dollars for something that won't constantly need fixing saves time and a lot of headaches.
• Don't switch equipment too often. It's tempting to always buy the latest and greatest, but having equipment on stage that you're comfortable with is often more important than having all the latest bells and whistles.
• Practice using your equipment at home. Don't just program at home – set up your equipment just like you'll be using it at the venue, and practice with it frequently.
• Simplify, simplify. The fewer cables, software instruments, and keyboards you have on stage, the less likely you are to have a problem with one of them.
I’m no designer (and I’ve got evidence to back that up), but there’s some simple things most musicians miss when creating a website that anyone should know. Here’s my top 10:
Read MoreI love new music gear. There’s nothing like the feel of a brand-spanking new instrument in your hand, full of possibilities. There’s just one small catch- I’m not filthy rich. Here are 6 ways I’m getting the gear I need to be successful in Nashville:
Read MoreThis past weekend I played a show where I wasn’t sure exactly what patches I would need for which songs. To get around this, I came up with a way to select presets using my keyboard. Here’s how to do it:
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