Guitar / Bass Amplifier Info & Education

Stage fright, or performance anxiety, is so common it’s actually rare to find a person who doesn’t have at least a little of it. Even being a professional performer doesn’t necessarily cure a person of it, and believe it or not, it can come and go in even the most confident performers. The good news is, it’s something that most anyone can handle.

So, without dwelling too much on it, let’s jump right into some tips for dealing with and preventing stage fright.

Since guitarists use amps, and so do many keyboard players, you might overlook the need for a direct box. But a direct box is a tool along the lines of cables, pics, sustain pedals, and tuners – an essential accessory. If you don’t have one in your toolkit, you should probably find one. If you don’t know what a direct box is, we’ll talk about that first.

Music is a funny business. It can be one of the toughest ways to make money, yet instruments, PA gear, and recording equipment can be notoriously expensive. Plus, it seems the amount of gear you need to put together a great record or an awesome show gets to be more and more every year.

Go into a typical commercial or home recording studio or band rehearsal space, and you’re liable to lay eyes on thousands upon thousands of dollars of value.

But what if you don’t have the scratch to accumulate that much gear? You’ll have to make the most of what you've got. It turns out this is very doable.

Here are a few tips for making the most out of not much gear.

There are no artists who don’t suffer from writer’s block occasionally. It may seem that some don’t, because they consistently generate great work, but they’re human too. In reality, professional songwriters simply have tools they can use to get out of a slump, and to prevent writer’s block in the first place.

With concert venues closed, tours cancelled, and live music in general in an unprecedented slump due to COVID-19 restrictions, it’s not a secret that live musicians are struggling. Especially if playing out is your main or only source of income, you’ll need an alternative, at least for a while, so we’ve gathered up a list of some of the best ways a musician can make money without going out.