Category: Student Tips

Fender vs. Gibson: How Scale Length & String Gauge Affect Playability

Music & Arts’ resident guitar guru, Alan Day, shares a pro tip that will help beginning electric guitarists choose the perfect set of strings based on scale length.

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Tales From the Repair Shop: Guitars & More

Arizona-based master technician Malinda Stratton shares a few of her recent repair adventures — including a Gibson L-50 restoration and an extra-tricky guitarrón fix. 

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Clarinet Masters: Essential Listening Guide for Students

Anat Cohen and Paquito D’Rivera, two of the world’s top jazz clarinetists, reflect on the recordings that transformed their musical journeys — and have the power to transform yours as well.

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Jazz Saxophone Reed Guide: Pro Tips

Four great saxophonists in modern and contemporary jazz — Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Lakecia Benjamin and Miguel Zenón — offer expert advice based on decades of selecting, preparing and storing reeds.

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Music & Artists: Béla Fleck

The world-renowned banjo master offers beginner tips as well as insight into his Gold Tone Mastertone “Bluegrass Heart” banjo.  

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Upright Bass vs. Electric Bass

Upright vs. Electric Bass: An Educator’s Guide

Two of the greatest bass players on the planet, John Patitucci and Linda May Han Oh, share stories and strategies to help students and teachers navigate the electric-acoustic divide. Plus: Gear advice and accessories picks.   For bassists, life typically begins in one of two ways: on upright, through school orchestra programs, or on electric, […]

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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: Big Bad Master Class

As Yamaha clinicians, the swing-revival aces take their fun-loving approach to schools across the country. Glen “The Kid” Marhevka, featured trumpet soloist and lead clinician, reflects on music education and how the retro-swing movement changed the perception of band kids.   When trumpeter and educator Glen “The Kid” Marhevka looks back on all the shows […]

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Student Pianist Performance

Fight Stage Fright! Essential Tips for Harnessing Performance Anxiety

Music & Arts teacher and rising country star Carli Kennedy on how students can turn their nerves and self-doubt into positive performance energy.   Growing up in Canada, the singer-songwriter Carli Kennedy absorbed all kinds of crucial musical information, including rigorous classical training. But one invaluable lesson escaped every one of her esteemed teachers: How […]

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Band Student

A Band Director’s Guide to Choosing Concert Repertoire

Veteran educators share important and practical considerations for music selection. No two band programs are alike, and there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for choosing music. Yet there are certain overarching topics and themes that steer those decisions and build a foundation for brilliant student performances. In this primer, experienced band directors from across the country, spanning […]

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Bobby Sanabria

Bobby Sanabria’s Secrets of the Clave

One of Latin jazz’s greatest bandleaders offers tips for unlocking the foundation of Afro-Caribbean music. Many musicians who play “Latin jazz” or other styles born out of the Afro-Caribbean/Latin American experience grew up with those styles and internalized their rhythms—particularly the core five-stroke pattern known as the clave. They didn’t just learn the music, they […]

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