Music Production Search Results

How To: Get Siri to Play Music for You on Spotify—Without Jailbreaking Your iPhone

While Siri's integration with the iPhone is becoming increasingly substantial, restrictions with the intelligent personal assistant are apparent when it comes to third-party apps like Google Maps, Netflix, and Spotify (unless your iPhone is jailbroken, of course). As an avid Spotify user, it's distressing that I can't use Siri to navigate through the music streaming service's extensive library. In the car, I use Spotify about 90% of the time and it can become increasingly frustrating to chang...

How To: Build Your Own Internet Radio Player, AKA Pandora's Box

Growing up, my family would get together in the living room every Saturday night and gather around my mom's old boombox radio and listen to Disco Saturday Night on 104.3 FM from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. (the show ended in 2008 after 14 years of consecutive shows). The old ladies in the picture below are the best representation of these nights that I could find. Now, the radio is all but dead (just like the old ladies above) in this world of music streaming services and torrenting. All of our music is...

How To: 3 Music Player Apps That Put Your iPhone's Built-in Music App to Shame

The stock music player on the iPhone hasn't changed much since its inception. Sure, with the recent iOS 6 update the design became sleeker, but it's not really what you'd expect from a top of the line smartphone. And when I say "MEH," it isn't directed towards the Kendrick Lamar album (which is awesome). It's the layout of the application, the lack of gesture control, and the sometimes tedious job of shuffling through certain albums and artists.

How To: DIY Pulsating Light Rod Speakers That Dance to Your Music

If you've found your speakers to be lacking in the visuals department, this is just the mod for you. Using 3" PVC, you can turn your speakers into light-up glow rods that pulse to the beat of your music. You'll need some electrical skills and experience soldering to get this one together, but otherwise it's not all that complicated. The main components you are going to need are speaker drivers, PVC pipes, LEDs, and the necessary cabling for those devices. The device works best with higher vol...

How To: Use ReDrum to load a .wav sample into Reason 4

So, you've got a copy of Reason 4 now huh? Congratulations, you own one of the most powerful music-making tools on Earth. It is infinitely complicated though, and getting started can be tough. Watch this video to learn how to load a .wav sample into Reason 4 using ReDrum, something you're going to be doing a lot of as you produce your tracks.

How To: Do sweep picking and connect arpeggios on the guitar

Sweep picking is that thing them younguns are into these days, trying to become the next Steve Vai or Eric Johnson, and you have to admit, it is pretty cool if you can use it right. (like anything in guitar and music in general) If you'd like to learn the basics check out this video on how to do basic sweep picking over a I, IV, V progression and connect the arpeggios together!

How To: Read basic rhythms on a chart for the guitar

In almost all charts and forms of sheet music, the composer will more than likely have added rhythmic dictation to the staff, a specific rhythm that he wants you to play over the progression using the chord. In this video you will get a breakdown of basic rhythmic dictation of a quarter note, eighth note and more on top of how to read these in notation format!

How To: String or restring a ukulele with a tie bridge

In this clip, you'll learn how to string up a uke with a standard tie-style bridge. If you want to get really good at playing the ukulele, it stands to reason that your instrument will need strings on it. Happily, the Internet is awash in high-quality video lessons like this one from the folks at Hawaii Music Supply. For more information, including a step-by-step overview, watch this free video ukulele tutorial.

How To: Play arpeggios on the guitar as a beginner

In this free video guitar lesson, you'll learn how to incorporate simple arpeggios into your guitar playing. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one.

How To: Use a melodic-percussive strumming style on guitar

In this free video guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play guitar with a melodic/percussive strumming style reminiscent of old Neil Young. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one.

How To: Use a sleep timer with iTunes on a Mac

Like to fall asleep to music from your iTunes library but wish that your iTunes library would also go to sleep after a set interval of time? It can be done! And this free video tutorial from Tekzilla will show you how. Learn how to use the free iTunes Sleep Timer application with this video guide.