Live Musician Central » Drum Gear

Musician Gift Suggestions – Swirlygig Chrome Mic Stand Drink Holder

Matt Rushton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:53 +0000

Swirlygig Chrome Drink Holder

How many times have you reached for your drink at a gig only to find it kicked over on the floor? I’ve spilled so many drinks over the years it’s amazing I haven’t been electrocuted! That’s why today I’m suggesting the Swirlygig Chrome Mic Stand Drink Holder for yourself or as a gift for anyone who plays in a live band.

I’ve spilled drinks down my amplifier and I’ve spilled them right into plug bars. Let me tell you the light show from the exploding plug bar was cool but it sucked when the power went out because of a spilled drink. The Swirlygig drink holder will hang right on your mic stand keeping your drink within easy reach while keeping it away from your valuable amplifier and electrical outlets.

The Swirlygig drink holder is big enough to hold glasses, cans or bottles. It will hang off any piece of inch or half-inch tubing so you will have some hanging options around the practice area too. It will hang off the leg of a bar stool as well which is great when you’re practicing your guitar or playing a gig seated on a bar stool. So pick up a Swirlygig drink holder today and start enjoying the convenience of having your drink within easy reach!

Hydrator Mic Stand Cup Holder Can Drink Holder Black
US $16.62
Auction Ends: Monday Sep-20-2010 13:07:54 PDT
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COOLIE CADDIE PERFECT MIC STAND DRINK CUP HOLDER ~WORKS
US $19.95
Auction Ends: Thursday Sep-23-2010 10:22:32 PDT
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*NEW* K&M Drink Holder for mic/cymbal stand cup TALLER
US $35.78
Auction Ends: Thursday Sep-23-2010 21:35:35 PDT
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MSA5050 ONSTAGE MIC STAND DRINK HOLDER
US $14.00
Auction Ends: Friday Sep-24-2010 11:31:11 PDT
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Musician Gift Suggestions – Swirlygig Chrome Mic Stand Drink Holder

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Make Equipment Hauling A Breeze With A Mini Cart

Matt Rushton — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:01:32 +0000

Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart

One of the biggest things I dread about playing in a live band is hauling equipment in and out of the gig venue. I have hauled more equipment up stairs and ramps than I care to remember. I always hoped I would get rich enough one day to afford my own roadies to haul my equipment. That’s only happened a couple of times so it’s usually me that has to carry my gear in.

That’s why today I’m recommending to you an excellent mini cart designed to fold extremely small for stowing in your vehicle yet is still strong enough to have a hauling capacity of 500 pounds. This cart is called the Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart and it’s a real back saver for all you live musicians out there.

There are a ton of great features built in to this excellent cart. Some of my favorite are the fact that it folds so small and can easily fit in my car when I haul equipment. I like it’s multiple configurations and the two I use most are the stair climbing configuration and the four wheeled rolling cart configuration.

When the cart is set for climbing stairs it looks like a standard hand truck and the stair climbing sliders make it easy to haul a load of equipment up stairs. When I set the cart with 4 wheels on the ground in Gurney mode I can load all my guitar equipment on it and haul everything into the venue in one trip. It’s perfect when there’s a ramp leading to the load-in door.

The cart has an variable size platform that will expand or contract depending on your personal equipment hauling needs. The two big wheels are filled with air so they absorb shock really well helping to protect your expensive equipment.

I really can’t say enough about this cart, you just have to get one to realize how much easier hauling all of your equipment will be with a cart!

Rock n Roller R6 Mini CartLoad-ins and load-outs are undoubtedly the worst part of the gig. Either you’re sweating before you play or dreading the number of trips you’ll have to make after the gig through narrow corridors, cellars, and staircases, or the length of several football fields. Rock n Roller’s R6 Mini Cart makes load-in a breeze! Instantly transforming into any of 8 configurations, the R6 now features G-Force wheels—high-tech polymer hubs, pneumatic tires with tubes, and roller bearings. They are 40% lighter than the old steel hubs and come in hot colors. The R6 carries up to 500lbs. on a 2-rail frame that extends from 28″ to 42-1/2″ in length with 24″ (front/rear) foldable sides. It rolls on 8″ x 2-1/2″ rear wheels and 4″ x 1″ front swivel casters (w/o brakes). Weighing 25 lbs., the R6 carries huge loads but folds small to fit in the trunk of a compact car.R6 configurations: Storage-Transport, Short Furniture Dolly, Short Platform Cart, Short Hi-Stacker, Long Hi-Stacker, Long Platform Cart, Long Furniture Dolly, And 2-Wheel Handtruck. Applications: Guitar/bass equipment, small drums, small PA’s, DJ, photo/video, general use

New RR10 Rock N Roller Multi Cart Hand Truck Kart New
US $149.95
Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-14-2010 8:54:13 PDT
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Rock n Roller Carpeted Shelf for R8, R10, and R12 Carts
US $59.99
Auction Ends: Wednesday Sep-15-2010 11:34:58 PDT
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New RR8 Rock N Roller Multi Cart Hand Truck Kart RR-08
US $139.95
Auction Ends: Friday Sep-17-2010 11:44:35 PDT
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New RR12 Rock N Roller Multi Cart Hand Truck Kart New
US $199.95
Auction Ends: Friday Sep-17-2010 11:44:37 PDT
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Rock n Roller Multi Cart 8 in 1 R10
US $169.99
Auction Ends: Monday Sep-20-2010 9:25:25 PDT
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Make Equipment Hauling A Breeze With A Mini Cart

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How A Handy Pocket Metronome Can Increase Your Playing Speed And Accuracy

Matt Rushton — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:00:24 +0000

Seiko DM70 Pocket Metronome

Playing in a live band can be very challenging rhythmically because the thing that really makes a live band sound great is keeping the rhythm and groove happening. It’s so important to practice to some sort of rhythm when you work on your instrument whether it be keyboards, guitar, bass or drums. I’ve written about practicing to a beat and not a metronome and I still feel that practicing to a beat is the best way to get good at playing rhythmically. Practicing to different types of beats will teach you to play in a musical groove. With that being said, there are times when you want to practice with a plain old metronome.

The main reason for practicing to a metronome is to increase your playing accuracy. You want to be able to play notes and phrases as cleanly and clearly as possible when you play. The best way to practice your accuracy is to have a metronome keeping a simple, steady pulse. You simply pick a tempo, set the metronome and start playing whatever you want to work on with the metronome. Start at a slow tempo until you can play each note cleanly, on the beat and then speed the tempo up. The second goal after accuracy is increasing your playing speed. Everyone wants to fly through the scales but they sound bad when they’re not played accurately. Once your accuracy is good with the metronome, speed it up. This formula is simple, time tested and it works!!

I have a metronome on my computer but I always start checking my e-mail, or reading about becoming a better musician. I’m going to suggest that you purchase a credit card sized, Seiko DM70 pocket metronome today. They’re handy and you can keep them in your practice area as well as taking them along with your instrument wherever you go. Having the handy metronome I am able to leave the computer off and really focus on my playing and nothing else.

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How A Handy Pocket Metronome Can Increase Your Playing Speed And Accuracy

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Music123 Sale, 15% Off Your Entire Order

Matt Rushton — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:00:22 +0000

**This Offer Has Expired** Check out other great offers from Music123!

From now until November 26 you can get 15% off your entire order at Music123. Music123 is an online music store that caters to every type of musician whether you play live or just like to record. I’ve always had good experiences ordering from Music123. Here’s an experience I had recently when I ordered a product. I had ordered several different types of guitar picks to experiment with including the Jellifish Chorus Guitar Pick. Somehow, the Jellifish got crushed during shipping and all the wires on it got bent. I called Music123 and they sent me out a brand new one, completely free without making me return the damaged one. Now that’s customer service! So make sure you check out the great sale and excellent products at Music123.

Now is the perfect time to get your big ticket items for Christmas. These top items sell out regularly and can be hard to get closer the Christmas. I recommend these top selling products from Music123:

Roland TD-9SX V-Tour Electronic Drum Set StandardAdvanced TD-9 module with expressive new sounds, real-audio songs and patterns. Comfortable mesh-head tom and snare pads with rim triggering. Three-way triggering for ride cymbal. Scope function with graphical LCD display. USB host for audio-file (.wav) playback. Special cable for easy pad connections. Sturdy drum rack (MDS-9) with newly designed ball-clamps for the snare and cymbal arms and a new hi-hat mount for maximum flexibility. The TD-9SX components include:. 1 TD-9 Percussion Sound Module with multi-pin cable harness and module mount. 1 PD-105BK Mesh Pad. 3 PD-85BK Mesh Pads. 1 KD-8 Kick Pad. 1 CY-5 Dual-Trigger Cymbal Pad. 1 CY-8 Dual-Trigger Cymbal Pad. 1 CY-12R/C V-Cymbal Ride/Crash Pad. 1 FD-8 Hi-Hat Control Pedal. Drum set rack. Clamps and arms for both the pads and cymbals. Bass pedal not included.

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Music123 Sale, 15% Off Your Entire Order

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Save Money On Accessories With Coupon Code From Music123

Matt Rushton — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:00:26 +0000

Save 15% On Hearos Ear Plugs

There’s a couple of really good deals going on at Music123 that I wanted to make you aware of. Right now all the accessories ship free on orders over $49. That’s half the usual amount to get free shipping. You usually have to order $99 to get free shipping but for the accessories you only have to order $49 worth of stuff to get free shipping.

Second, there’s a great coupon code that you can use to get a 15% discount on all accessories. You can save a bunch of money by entering this coupon code during checkout when ordering accessories. Just click this link: 15% Off All Accessories with Coupon Code: B2S15 at Music123.com That’s a great deal and it’s not going to last forever. So if you’re a live musician, now is the perfect time to pick up some much needed accessories for you and your band.

Here’s a list of links to accessories that you can buy using the 15% discount code.

Horizon Concert Series 24-Channel/4-Return Stage Snake Standard

Mogami Gold High-Definition Neutrik 1/4″ Straight Instrument Cable 18 Foot

Mogami Silver Series Microphone Cable 50 Foot

Nova 12-Pair Hickory Drumsticks Wood Rock

Roc-N-Soc NRX Nitro Rider Drum Throne Black

Furman PM-8 II Power Conditioner with Digital Volt And Current Meters Standard

Yamaha Portable Keyboard Survival Kit B Standard

Drum One Shield Two Drum Shield Standard

Fingerease Guitar String Lubricant Standard

Fender Instrument Care Kit by Meguiar’s Standard

Big Bends Nut Sauce Tuning Lubricant Standard

Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker Pickup Black

EBow PlusEbow Electronic Bow for Guitar Standard

Clayton Acetal Standard Guitar Picks .80MM 1 Dozen

Dean Markley 2556 Blue Steel Regular Gauge Electric Guitar Strings Standard

M-Audio SP-2 Sustain Pedal Standard

That’s just a small sampling of the types of accessories that you can get right now at Music123. With the combined discounts of 15% off the price of the accessory and free shipping on orders over $49.00 you can save a bundle. So make sure you get in on the sale while you still can!

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Save Money On Accessories With Coupon Code From Music123

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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Percussion Controller

Matt Rushton — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:00:08 +0000

Roland Handsonic HPD-10

Today I’d like to introduce you to the Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Percussion Controller. This is really an amazing instrument. The Handsonic is a drum controller meant to be played with your hands. It has 10 highly sensitive individual pads that have both pressure and positional sensitivity. That means you’ll get different sounds when you hit the pad hard, soft or closer to the edges of the individual pads. The Handsonic has 400 high-quality instrument sounds built in including congas, bongos, tabla, djembe and cajon.

One of the coolest features of the Roland HPD-10 is the D Beam controller. The D Beam sends out a beam of infrared light which reflects off your hand or any other solid surface you put in front of it. This in turn triggers various sounds and effects. The D Beam is distance sensitive so you can change sounds by moving your hand closer to, or farther away from the D Beam. It’s very similar to how the classic Theremin works.

Roland has a reputation for having very sensitive control pads and the Handsonic’s touch pads will respond to your lightest touch or sharpest slap. It also has a built-in rhythm coach which includes several different features to improve your rhythm and drumming skills. There’s Pad Follow which will display a pattern of pads for you to hit on the LCD and then test you to see if you can follow the pattern. The Rhythm Coach also has Time Check which will display how closely your are hitting on the beat. The Rhythm Coach will also teach you how to play new rhythms. I don’t know about you but when it comes to drum rhythms, I can always learn more.

So check out the Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Percussion Controller today. Here’s a video demonstrating some of the capabilities of this awesome drum controller.

Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Percussion ControllerThe Roland HandSonic 10 is more affordable and streamlined than its big brother the HPD-15 (441917 – see customer products box), yet it offers the same great pad response that made the original HandSonic so popular, along with some sensational features and a fresh sound set. New Sounds & PatternsAn all-new collection of sounds has been created for the HandSonic 10; approximately 400 high-quality instruments are onboard. All of the percussive essentials have been included — congas, bongos, tabla, djembe, cajon, etc. — as well as melodic percussion, drum kit, special effects, and more.Sensitive SurfaceWhether you’re laying down the most delicate finger rolls or the sharpest slaps, the HandSonic 10’s playing surface can handle anything you give it. The comfortable round surface is divided into ten individual pads with pressure- and positional-sensitivity. The popular D Beam is also included for dramatic triggering. Strike a virtual gong with your head, throw your fist into a crash cymbal, wiggle your fingers over a perfect chime gliss — you get the picture.Rhythm CoachFlaunting your chops on the stage or in the studio is the fun part, but behind the scenes it’s practice that gets you the gigs in the first place. For this purpose, Roland has equipped the HandSonic 10 with a Rhythm Coach. This virtual trainer provides exercises to improve your timing, consistency, and endurance.I/O OptionsWhile the HandSonic 10 is primarily a hand percussion instrument, users can add a Roland kick pad (optional) via the external trigger input, or add a Roland V-Pad. The input is dual-trigger compatible for double the triggering power via an optional PCS-31L Y-cable.

Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Digital Percussion HPD10
US $525.00
Auction Ends: Friday Sep-10-2010 9:03:54 PDT
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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Percussion Controller HPD10
US $649.00
Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-12-2010 14:39:24 PDT
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9V AC power adapter for Roland Handsonic HPD-10 HPD10
US $12.99
Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-14-2010 1:44:05 PDT
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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Percussion Controller
US $649.00
Auction Ends: Thursday Sep-16-2010 10:24:56 PDT
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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic 10 Hand Sonic HPD10 Drum Pad
US $455.00
Auction Ends: Thursday Sep-16-2010 16:19:45 PDT
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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Hand HPD10 Drum Pad B-Stock
US $584.10
Auction Ends: Saturday Sep-18-2010 15:10:54 PDT
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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic 10 Hand HPD10 Drum Pad B-Stock
US $584.10
Auction Ends: Saturday Sep-18-2010 15:25:47 PDT
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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic 10 Hand Sonic HPD10 Drum Pad U
US $527.29
Auction Ends: Friday Sep-24-2010 15:06:37 PDT
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ROLAND HPD-10 HPD10 HANDSONIC PERCUSSION CONTROLLER
US $479.00
Auction Ends: Saturday Oct-02-2010 11:04:39 PDT
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ROLAND HPD-10 HPD10 HANDSONIC PERCUSSION CONTROLLER
US $595.00
Auction Ends: Saturday Oct-02-2010 13:09:11 PDT
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Roland HPD-10 Handsonic Percussion Controller

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Back To School For Drummers

Matt Rushton — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:00:02 +0000

Remo Practice Pad

My son is a drummer and every year we have to replenish his supply of back-to-school drumming items. If you have any kids in a percussion program I figured I’d save you some time searching for those essential back-to-school items that your student may need.

Our list for this year included SD1 General Sticks, SD2 General Sticks, Stick Bag and a Practice Pad. Here are some links to the essentials for your percussion student.

I have found all the links to buy the above products…

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Back To School For Drummers

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Why You Need A Sound Level SPL Meter

Matt Rushton — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:00:24 +0000

Get A Good SPL Meter

First off, let me say that I love my music loud! As I mentioned in an earlier post I take protecting my hearing very seriously so I like to know exactly how loud things are. Today I’m going to talk about Sound Level Meters or SPL Meters. They’re also known as Decibel Meters and are very useful in many situations.

An SPL Meter is usually a small handheld device that is used to measure the Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) of a sound wave in an acoustic environment. They basically have a microphone built onto the electonic measuring device that will then give you a metered display of your sound pressure levels measured in decibels. There are very inexpensive models starting at around $49 that have a digital or analog meter attached to the SPL device. You can get an SPL Meter loaded with feature for around $250. For basic SPL readings the cheaper SPL Meters will work just fine. Here are a 3 SPL Meters for you to check out with an assortment of features and prices:
Galaxy CM-130 Check Mate SPL Meter Digital Readout $49.99

Nady ASM-2 Analog SPL Meter Analog Readout $59.95

Galaxy CM-150 Check Mate SPL Meter Digital Full-Featured $224.99

I have the Nady ASM-2 Analog SPL Meter and it works perfectly for me. It will measure SPL’s from 50-126 dB’s. It has A and C weightings. The difference between A and C weightings is the range of frequencies that are measured. I use C weighting which measures frequencies between 32-10,000 Hz which contain most of the frequencies in live music.

I use the SPL Meter to check volume levels at shows that my band plays. It’s always nice to have a SPL Meter on hand to measure balance between the different instruments during soundcheck. It’s also nice to be able to show the club owners what decibel level you’re playing at in case you’re asked to turn your band up or down. It takes the subjectivity out of volume levels and gives everyone a solid number to work from. If a club owner says you’re too loud and you measure 90 dB’s you can turn down and show the owner that you’re now running at 80 dB’s. A lot of that is meaningless to club owners so what I usually do is measure the sounde level of the room without the band playing at all. It’s usually around 60-70 dB’s which is the volume level of a normal conversation. Then you can tell the club owner that at 85 dB’s you’re only playing 15 dB’s louder than a regular room anyway. Here’s a great chart comparing Decibel Loudness: Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart.

I’ve also had problems with the neighbors complaining about my band practices (always gotta be one…). Luckily I had my SPL Meter when the police came out and I was able to show them that we were well within city codes for dB Level limits.

I use my SPL Meter to set the surround sound volume levels in my home theater as well. I am able to get perfectly even speaker output from all speakers by using my SPL Meter and adjusting my surround amplifier volume levels.

For drummers and SPL Meter can really help you learn to conrol your dynamics. You get instant feedback on your actual volume level while playing. It was a real revelation for my drummer when I showed him how big a drums dynamic range was using my SPL Meter. Using a SPL Meter while your practicing can really help you develop your touch on the drums.

As you can see there are a lot of uses for a SPL Meter and they’re cheap enough that you really should have one in your sound equipment collection. So buy one today!

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Why You Need A Sound Level SPL Meter

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Take Care Of Your Hearing With Musicians Earplugs

Matt Rushton — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:19 +0000

Pete Townshend - Rock Induced Deafness

One of the most important pieces of advice I can give to young musicians is simply to take good care of your hearing. I was diagnosed with a hearing loss when I was 16 years old and had only been playing in a band a couple of years. I was still pretty careless with my hearing for much of my early career. Finally the hearing specialists started telling me I needed hearing aids. That got my attention and I’ve been very careful with my hearing the last 15 years or so.

The best thing I’ve done for my hearing is to get a pair of custom molded, sonic filter type earplugs made specially for musicians. I have the Westone ES49 Custom Fit Earplugs. Mine are a light tan color and are barely visible from the audience. They sound fantastic and because they are custom molded to my ear they’re extremely comfortable.

Here’s how Musicians Earplugs are different from everyday earplugs. Regular earplugs block sound by baffling the entire ear canal with whatever material they’re made of. The problem we run into with regular earplugs as musicians are twofold. First, they block frequencies unevenly so you lose all the high frequencies and most of the high-mid frequencies. That leaves you with way too much bass and it sounds completely unnatural, especially to a trained musician. Second, regular earplugs take the sound level down too far and you can’t hear what’s going on around you enough to play or sing. Musicians earplugs on the other hand have a hollow center that is filled with a sonic filter. What the filter does is bring all frequencies down a preset db level and they bring all frequencies down evenly. So the music still sounds natural, it’s just at a lower volume level. The filters I use bring the music down 15db. I could use 9db,or 25db if I wanted to as they are interchangeable with the molds. The 15db reduction is perfect for my hearing.

To get these type of earplugs you have to go to an audiologist and have them make molds of your ear canal. They then send the molds to Westone and they make a pair of custom earplugs that fit your ear canal. They are by far the most comfortable plugs you will ever wear.

I use my earplugs when I’m playing and using live floor monitors. I use them when I’m at concerts or out listening to other bands. I have had regular hearing tests and I haven’t lost any more hearing than an average person of my years since I’ve been using them. It’s nice to come home from a gig and not have my ears ringing at the end of the night. I wish I could give you a happy ending but my ears have developed a new problem with sound pressure levels. Once sound pressure gets to a certain level, my left ear will cut out, crackle and sound like radio static. My ear Dr. says it’s a condition called recruitment where the good nerves try to compensate for the bad ones resulting in my hearing static. It’s not pleasant and I don’t wish it on anyone. That’s why I’m telling you to protect your most important asset, your hearing!

If you would like to try some sonic filters just to see how they work you can try a pair of these:
Hearos High Fidelity Ear Filters. They work on the same principle as the custom fit earplugs I have but they are a generic fit. They aren’t as comfortable though and you will be aware of their presence. But they’re better than nothing! Don’t end up like Pete Townsend and not be able to hear your grandchildren when they speak.

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Take Care Of Your Hearing With Musicians Earplugs

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Learn Songs The Easy Way, Tascam MP-GT1

Matt Rushton — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:00:51 +0000

Tascam MP-GT1 Portable MP3 Guitar Trainer

When I was first learning how to play songs by ear from the original recordings it was a huge struggle for me. I was trained to read music from a young age and playing by ear was a whole new world for me. I remember sitting on my bed and working on a song for several hours before I finally had it down. The hardest thing of all was learining how to play the guitar solos. The notes flew by so fast that I couldn’t begin to pick them out.

I still remember the feeling of elation when I learned to play my first guitar solo note-for-note along with the record. That solo was on “Lady” by Little River Band. Years later my band got to open for Little River Band and I was able to tell the guitar player his solo was the first guitar solo I had ever learned. It was sweet!

Later on I got an old reel-to-reel tape recorder that would let me play songs back at half speed. This would slow the guitar solos way down but also drop them an octave in pitch and the note articulation would become all muddy. I used to wish there was some way to slow down the song while retaining the pitch and note articulation. Well, today that dream is realized in some great offerings from Tascam. Let me tell you a little about the Tascam MP-GT1 and the Tascam CD-GT1mkII Guitar Trainers.

First, the main difference between these two trainers is simply that the GT1 is an MP3 player and the GT1mkII is a portable CD player. So depending on which medium you want to use, CD or MP3, there is a Tascam Guitar Trainer that’s right for you.

Both of these trainers feature the ability to slow down the tempo of the song up to %50 without altering the pitch. Thus allowing you to easily learn high speed solos note for note. Not only can you slow down the guitar parts, you can also change the pitch of the song if you want to learn it in a different key. That makes it nice since a lot of songs are recorded in different guitar tunings. You will be able to change the pitch to match standard guitar tuning so you won’t have to re-tune to learn a song. You can even eliminate the guitar part from the original recording allowing you to play along with all the backing parts. That will make you good very quickly.

Tascam takes things even further by giving you built in guitar and vocal effects for your instrument or microphone. You will also get a built in tuner and metronome. The looping feature will let you loop a section of the song, such as the solo, over and over so you can keep working on it at different speeds until you have it down. There is a headphone output as well as a line output to hook the trainer up to speakers.

The Tascam Guitar Trainers are also extremely useful for drummers who need to slow down complex drum patterns and fills so they can learn them. You can hear the drums a lot better a half-speed. Again, the fact that the drums stay at the same pitch make it a lot easier to hear them.

SIngers and vocalists can really benefit by slowing down the speed when learning complicated vocal phrases. It’s really hard to copy the great singers note improvisation because they slide through the notes so quickly.

Keyboard players can use the Tascam Guitar Trainers the same way guitarists do. Now keyboard players can learn the Jordan Rudess solos at half speed too!

For the low price of these Tascam Guitar Trainers you just can’t go wrong. They will make your life a lot easier when it comes to learning new songs and practicing songs you already know.

TASCAM MP-GT1 Portable MP3 Guitar TrainerTASCAM’s MP-GT1 is the first MP3 player designed for musicians. Based on the award-winning CD-GT1mkII, this fun mobile guitar trainer includes enough memory to store up to 240 songs. Guitar parts can be slowed down, looped and even eliminated to help you learn new riffs. Play back MP3s using Variable Speed Audition, which slows down the speed without changing the pitch, and sections can be seamlessly looped while practicing tricky passages. Songs can even be pitched up or down to match the tuning of your guitar, so you don’t have to re-tune for every song.The guitar input lets you rock along with thick overdrive and multi-effects, including a guitar canceler so you can play along with your favorite bands. A tuner, metronome, and rechargeable battery are also built-in. All of this is packed into an MP3 player smaller than a stomp box, so stuff it in your backpack, gig bag or back pocket and hit the road.The MP-GT1 uses a high-speed USB connection to load up MP3s and charge the built-in battery. Zip through your MP3 collection using a data wheel, dedicated buttons and a graphical LCD display. A rechargeable 9-hour lithium ion battery is built into the unit, and an optional power supply is also available.

TASCAM CD-GT1mkII Portable CD Guitar TrainerThe TASCAM CD-GT1mkII Portable CD Guitar Trainer is the ultimate training and jamming tool for guitarists, vocalists, and other musicians. Take any favorite CD, plug your guitar directly into the CD-GT1’s 1/4″ input, put on some headphones, set the volume, and start rocking! Vocalists can do the same with a mic. The Slow Speed Audition feature lets you learn licks note-for-note by slowing down the CD up to 50% without changing the pitch. You can also increase the tempo in steps until you match the original performance. Added features include a guitar-cancelling function, built-in metronome, and oscillators for tuning, and split monitoring.Advanced players can use the CD-GT1’s pitch and speed controls to audition various keys and tempi for CDs they’ve burned of their own music. The CD-GT1 has 57 great-sounding, customizable effects including distortion, delay, chorus, and more. There’s also a nice selection of vocal reverbs and processed sounds so you can sing along with rockers, hip-hoppers, divas, and everything in-between! You can set seamless in-out loop points with the CD-GT1 so that it plays the same passage over and over again so you can nail phrases. Use the footswitch input to start playing the CD from any designated point or to scroll through effects. You can listen on headphones, or use its line output to plug in speakers. The CD-GT1 even provides a chromatic tuner and operates on batteries to take your show on the road. Optional AC power supply. (See accessory box on this page.)

Get the full experience at www.livemusiciancentral.com

Learn Songs The Easy Way, Tascam MP-GT1

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