December 1, 2017
By Scott Schwertfeger, Guitar instructor in Burke, VA The modern, nylon string “classical” guitar is an amazing instrument and vehicle for music expression. It comes from a long line of distant cousins, including the Lute, Vihuela, Renaissance Guitar, and Baroque Guitar. Since the first construct of the modern design in 1859 by Antonio de Torres […]
November 24, 2017
Cordoba focuses on traditional craftsmanship and innovation, which they have been able to balance by producing nylon string guitars and ukuleles that appeal to both beginner students and professional musicians. Cordoba continues to stay innovative with its three guitars inspired by the new Disney•Pixar film “Coco.” Renier Fee, Director of Marketing at Music & Arts, […]
October 26, 2017
Disney’s much anticipated new movie Coco tells the story of Miguel who, despite having music in his soul, is prohibited from following his passion. Miguel’s family has inexplicably shunned music for generations, but Miguel can think of nothing but his musical aspirations and his desire to follow in the footsteps of the great performer, Ernesto […]
October 12, 2017
The sound of a guitar, like other instruments, will only be as good as the condition of its various parts. If your strings need to be changed or the nut is old, your sound probably won’t be as crisp and clear as it was when your guitar was brand new. If you purchased a used […]
July 28, 2017
If you’ve ever seen a country music band perform live, you might have noticed someone playing what looks like a small guitar. That instrument is, in fact, a mandolin. The mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family. It generally has four courses of doubled metal strings, for a total of eight strings, that […]
July 26, 2017
What’s the best type of guitar? No matter what grade levels you teach, the best guitar for classroom use is the classic or nylon-stringed guitar. The strings are much easier on the fingers than steel-stringed guitars. Note that three of the six nylon strings appear to be metal, but they have a nylon-filament core. What’s […]
July 18, 2017
Becoming a good guitar teacher requires the perfect combination of education, intuition, and practice, and a big part of being a good teacher is knowing what NOT to do. When you avoid common guitar teaching mistakes, from overloading your students to not tracking progress, not only do you become a better teacher, but your students […]
July 16, 2017
Whether you’re buying your first guitar or your tenth, shopping for your next electric or acoustic guitar is always a super exciting thing. Just as you research cars before you buy one, the same due diligence should be applied to musical instruments. From browsing online reviews to asking your friends for their opinion, you can […]
July 14, 2017
Every guitarist loves pedals, and most have at least a handful in their collection. When you’re first venturing into distortion and other pedal effects, it can be difficult to know exactly where to begin. At the end of the day, most guitar pedals look alike–so what makes them so different? While distortion and overdrive have […]
July 10, 2017
Whether it’s a brand new guitar or a hand-me-down, getting your very first guitar is a very exciting time in your life. As soon as you pick up your new guitar and start to play around with it you’ll want to learn everything–notes, chords, scales, and slides–as fast as you can. In your excitement to […]
