Skip to main content

Articles Tagged As How-to

How to Hide the Wires in Your Home Theater

Win the clutter war with these handy tips.

A Guitarist’s Guide to Chord Substitutions, Part 1: Diatonics

Harmonic and melodic expansion for the creative guitarist.

A Bassist’s Guide to Turnarounds

Take it back to the top.

How to Choose Your First Bass

There’s never been a better time to jump into the low end.

How to Choose Your First Guitar

Looking to find the instrument that’s right for you? Here’s what you need to know.

Seven Ways to Become a Better Guitar Player

Setting your sights on higher ground.

What’s the Best Piano for Your Room?

A guide to selecting optimum piano size.

How to Shop for Wireless Headphones

Find the best headphones for your lifestyle.

Buying Your First Drum Set

Here’s what you need to know before you start shopping.

How to Construct Walking Basslines

Learn to move from chord to chord with confidence.

A Bassist’s Guide to Playing Jazz, Part 2

More tips for mastering this challenging genre.

Essential Guitar Maintenance

Healthy habits to adopt for your guitar.

A Bassist’s Guide to Playing Jazz, Part 1

Tips for mastering this challenging genre.

The Art of Using a Capo

A guitar player’s best friend.

How To Build a Pedalboard for Bass

Place your bass effects pedals in the right order for the sound you’re after.

Taking Your Guitar on the Road

Traveling with a CSF-TA TransAcoustic.

Seven Great Songs to Play on the Saxophone This Summer

Here’s our curated selection for soprano, alto and tenor saxophones.

Alternate Bass Tunings

It’s a great way to get fresh new sounds.

How to Play Shuffles on Bass

Tips and techniques to help you master this essential groove.

How to Play Bass Guitar Harmonics

Add sparkle to your basslines with these bell-like tones.

How to Restring a Violin

It’s not as hard as you may think.

Bass Picking-Hand Placement and Technique

Location, location, location.

Mastering Syncopation

Learn to navigate through tricky two-handed rhythms.

How to Rehearse More Productively with Your Band

Maximize the efficiency of your band rehearsals.

Dynamic Bass Playing

Bring subtlety and swagger to all the right places.

How to Play Bass Guitar On (Or Around) The Beat

Learn to be best friends with drummers, click tracks and metronomes.

Elevate Your Guitar Playing in 30 Days

The stairway to musical ascension.

Writing Songs from Bass Lines

How to craft a complete song from your riffs.

The Basics Of Piano Keyboard Fingering

Here’s how to make your playing smooth and fluid.

How to Care for Your Drums

Follow these guidelines to keep your drum kit looking good and sounding great.

How to Get Started Recording Bass at Home

Studio tips for those about to rock.

Bass Soloing 101

Step out in style.

Basic Piano Chords for Beginners, Part 2

How to recognize and play the basic chords in popular songs.

Five Simple Steps for Maintaining Your Piano

Keeping your piano in tip-top shape.

How Music Supports Core Academia

Providing a lifetime of benefits.

Basic Piano Chords for Beginners, Part 1

Learn the four most common chord types.

Top Tips for Playing in Your First Band

Here’s what you need to know when joining your first band, orchestra or musical group.

The Highs and Lows of Life On Tour

What to expect and how to prepare.

How to Get Started as an Audiophile

Making the transition from casual listener to serious audio buff.

The Art of Bass Fills

How to add the right embellishments in the right place and at the right time.

How to Become a Great Session Drummer

Tips for being successful in the studio, both on and off the kit.

Bass Fingering 101

Choosing where to play the notes.

How to Harmonize a Melody Line

Enhance your melodies with additional notes.

The Singing Drummer

Yamaha Artist Jimmy Keegan on how to vocalize while keeping the beat.

How to Get Your Child Started On Keyboard

How and when to get your child involved in learning to play music.

10 Things Every Guitarist Should Know

Playing the guitar is more than just being a guitar player.

10 Cool Piano and Keyboard Blues Licks

Get your blues playing going with these great riffs.

Learn to Play the Blues on Piano and Keyboard

Explore the various forms that the blues takes.

Getting Your Bass Into the Groove

Secrets of finding (and staying in) the pocket.

Exercises to Strengthen the Fourth and Fifth Fingers

Learn how to better control these problematic digits.

The Importance of Roots, Fifths and Octaves in Bass Playing

How to play the crucial notes … and have fun doing it.

How to Transform a Lead Sheet Into a Performance

Only given the melody and chords? No problem.

Secrets to a Successful Jam Session

Explore creative ideas with no pressure to be perfect.

How Sheet Music Can Improve Your Playing Skills

It’s more than just a way to play your favorite songs.

Authentic Bass Playing

How to adapt your style to different musical genres.

A Guide to Home Studio Monitors

How to choose and set up an accurate monitoring system.

How To Play Guitar Double-Stops

These chord fragments can bring a new aspect to your playing.

How to Play Octaves on Piano and Keyboard

Here’s the correct technique to avoid straining your hand or arm.

10 Spooky Guitar Sounds

Make your guitar sound scary this Halloween.

Constructing Basic Guitar Chords, Part 2

Enhancing harmonic flavorings by adding chord extensions.

Eight Great Tips for Learning Violin

How to develop good habits for a lifetime of playing enjoyment.

Exploring Latin Rhythms

Add authentic accompaniment for bossa nova, samba, salsa and more.

How To Play Latin Percussive Guitar

Videos to help you learn Latin percussive rhythms.

Five Tips to Get the Best Audio on Outdoor Movie Night

How to make your backyard theater sound more like an indoor cinema.

10 Great Arpeggios for Left and Right Hand

Add these colorful and unique runs to your playing vocabulary.

How to Use Keyboard Pedals

Learn how to incorporate pedals into your performance.

The Yamaha Disklavier ENSPIRE™ Essentials Kit

What’s inside, and what to do next.

5 Tips for Playing 5-String Bass

Here’s how that extra string can make you a better player.

The Basics of Stride Piano

How to adapt this classic style to your keyboard playing.

How to Turn Off Motion Smoothing on Your TV

Improve the quality of movies with the press of a button.

Five Tips For Playing Rock and Roll Piano

Learn how to play in the style of this classic genre.

Layering Digital Keyboard Sounds

Exploring the best sound combinations.

How to Play Electric Piano, Clavinet and Organ Sounds

Here are the best ways to adapt your playing style to these three types of sounds.

How (and Why) to Set the Volume Limiter on Your iPhone®

Help preserve your hearing in a few easy steps.

How to Cast Oculus Quest to Your TV With Sound

Everyone can get in on the virtual action.

How to Create Flowing Keyboard Accompaniments

Learn how to create arpeggiated backings.

Top Five DIY Home Audio Projects to Consider This Year

Enhance your entertainment experience in 2022.

Navigating a Score

Learn to follow the road map of a written piece of music.

What are MIDI Songs?

Add a whole new dimension to your digital keyboard.

Tips for Recording Acoustic Guitar

How to capture the sound of acoustic guitar … and make it the star of the session.

A Guide to Effects Settings for Acoustic Guitars

Enhance the sonic potential of your guitar by adding effects.

How to Clean Earbuds and Headphones

A step-by-step guide to getting rid of dirt, dust and grime.