Articles written by Marcy Paulson

Most collectors keep their stashes of rare and vintage musical instruments more or less private, but Gregg Miner found a way to share his with the world.

Jan 25, 2011 - Marcy Paulson

Professional tracks don't need to cost a fortune. Home recording studios and the right audio equipment may surprise you.

Jan 25, 2011 - Marcy Paulson

Gregg Miner: A Christmas Collection features 100 musical instruments from familiar Martins and Gibsons to the world's strangest vintage musical hybrids.

Jan 25, 2011 - Marcy Paulson

One hundred rare and exotic musical instruments, two incredible CDs, one talented musician -- and all of this in fewer than five years. How did it happen?

Jan 25, 2011 - Marcy Paulson

Gregg Miner's 100 exotic and vintage musical instruments unite to create one of the holiday season's most uniquely enjoyable albums--an acoustic inspiration

Jan 25, 2011 - Marcy Paulson

Find out what keeps people around the world interested in simple one-string instruments like the dan bau, duxianqin, ektara, ichigenkin, and diddley bow.

Nov 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Now that you've made a one-string diddley bow, you'll want to try it out. Here are techniques to get you started on this fascinating musical instrument.

Nov 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

With these instructions, you can make a great sounding musical instrument called the diddley bow and be playing the blues in no time.

Nov 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

In this introduction to the diddley bow, you'll learn the origins of this little known musical instrument and its place in early blues music.

Nov 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Musicians can use these guidelines and simple rhythmic patterns to start practicing washboard percussion.

Oct 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

There are several ways musicians hold and strike their washboards. Here are tips to help you find the techniques which suit you best.

Oct 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Musicians can customize their washboards with these plans for adding cans, bells, horns, and a wood block.

Oct 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Antique washboards have a musical history, but aren't always easy to find. Here are ideas for musicians tracking them down for some lively percussion.

Oct 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Here's how some of the features found in PG Music's audio composition software, Band-in-a-Box 2010.5 help musicians improve their musical improvisation.

Sep 26, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Whether song writers have a melody to polish or a chord progression needing a tune, the composition software, Band-in-a-Box, offers inspiration a nudge.

Sep 26, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Mastery of a musical instrument takes hours and hours of practice. Band-in-a-Box can't change that, but it can make those hours more fun and productive.

Sep 26, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Authentic sound, intuitive layout, and an extensive array of features score two thumbs up for PG Music's audio composition software, Band-in-a-Box.

Sep 26, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Musicians have strong opinions on foot tapping. Here are tips for trying Quebecois Podorythmie or clogging at jam sessions without creating dissonance.

Aug 31, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Rhythm is key to dance music, and percussive foot tapping is one way folk and trad musicians become more conscious of the drive behind their tunes.

Aug 31, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Fiddlers and musicians who want to add percussive foot tapping to their music have to start somewhere. Here are exercises to get feet moving.

Aug 31, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

French Canadian fiddlers do more than tap their toes to the rhythm. Here's an introduction to the lively Quebecois foot percussion known as podorythmie.

Aug 31, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Cross tuning a mandolin to GDGD, sometimes called sawmill tuning, offers a full and old-time sound for mandolin tunes in the key of G.

Jul 22, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Experimenting with alternate tunings such as GDGB, ADAE, or AEAE can allow musicians to find the rich drones so popular in old time fiddling.

Jul 20, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Crafting exotic guitar picks from bone, horn, or fossilized ivory only requires a hand saw, file, and sandpaper. Each material offers a unique voice.

Jul 20, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Musicians can create their own custom guitar plectrums of any shape or thickness from scratch. All they'll need is a little milk and some vinegar.

Jul 9, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Wood, metal, bone, and gem stone guitar picks, are still used today. Plectrum material greatly affects an instrument's tone and a player's technique.

Jun 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

There are thin, medium, thick, and even extra-thick guitar picks. Here are guidelines to help musicians explore which plectra best suits their style.

Jun 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Various instruments, playing styles, and tone preferences demand a variety of guitar picks. Here are guidelines to point players in the right direction.

Jun 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Choosing a guitar plectrum requires experimentation. Here are facts on the variety of picks and on what their differences mean to a musician's playing.

Jun 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Musicians have access to over 50,000 tunes thanks to ABC notation and the web. Understanding the code isn't necessary, but it's simple and comes in handy.

May 28, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Trad musicians will unlock a world of possibilities by learning the basics of the Internet's most popular text-based music notation known as ABC.

May 28, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

ABC isn't the only text-based music notation, but it is the most popular. Check out its humble beginnings and its applications for trad musicians today.

May 28, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Most folk or trad musicians who have a computer are bound to come across tunes in ABC notation. Here's how they can put those jumbles of letters to use.

May 28, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

There's always room in the backpack for a blues harp, and when better to learn harmonica than a camping trip? Here are three campfire tunes to get started.

Apr 15, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Backpacker guitars are highly portable, but for those who want a more guitar-like guitar, the Baby Taylor is a fine choice.

Apr 15, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

A review on the streamlined Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar and how its unique body shape affects portability, playability, and tone.

Apr 15, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Crafters go green by folding recycled materials to create trendy purses, handbags, and wallets. Anyone can do it!

Mar 30, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Instead of tossing old clothes out after spring cleaning, crafters can use this free knitting pattern to recycle those rags into chic knit handbags.

Mar 21, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

A worn out wardrobe can be knit into chic rag purses and knit rugs. Here's how crafters recycle their spring cleaning cast offs into fun knitting projects.

Mar 21, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Musicians eagerly await the new line of Flaxwood Guitars which promise to be environmentally friendly and kind to budgets as well.

Mar 20, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

U.S. legislation protects endangered tonewoods. All wood products, including musical instruments, must be declared and have proper documentation at customs.

Mar 20, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Flaxwood Guitars turned to sustainable instrument making today in hopes that the world's endangered tonewoods will be there tomorrow.

Mar 20, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

With exotic tonewoods on the brink of extinction, guitar makers and individual musicians each have a role in ensuring future instrument making is sustainable.

Mar 20, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Finding a playable Jew's harp isn't as simple as a trip to the music store. Here are tips to help musicians separate the musical toys from the musical instruments.

Mar 20, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Handmade musical instruments cost far more than factory-made models. Here's how one instrument maker survives in a market flooded with inexpensive imports.

Feb 27, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Jew's harps seem so simple, but accentuating the harmonics of a jaw harps fundamental note can allow musicians to play a lot more than just rhythm.

Feb 27, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

With just a few tips and moments of practice, a musician can make music on a jaw harp. Here's how to get acquainted with one of the world's oldest musical instruments

Feb 27, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Instrument maker, Ron Berry, offers insight into the fascinating origins of the Jew's harps called dan moi from Vietnam.

Feb 27, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

Instrument maker, Ron Berry, compares Vietnamese mouth harps, known as dan moi, to their European cousin, the jaw harp.

Feb 27, 2010 - Marcy Paulson

In this bagpipe practice chanter lesson for beginners, musicians regulate breath pressure to get the best sound from a practice chanter reed.

Jan 31, 2010 - Marcy Paulson