Top 5 Musical Instruments You Need Laying Around Your Home

Being a musician for over 40 years I decided to compile my list of the top 5 musical instruments that I would have in my around the house collection.

Musical instruments are great to have readily available at your home. This is a great way for your kids to decide to pick up an instrument or when you have inspiration you can grab one or when you have a party there's instruments there for folks to play! Even if you don't know how to play each instrument then what better way to open the door to the possibility of learning an instrument?

1. Drums - Hand Drums are great for around the house. Not too loud and anyone can play them. Bongos, Djembe, congas, egg shakers, cajons, bells and any other percussion instrument you can think of! Not too loud and always playable. If you have a large house or separate room then a drumset is always  an option.

2. Acoustic Guitar - Acoustic guitars are a necessity. Leave it out on a stand readily available to pick up and play.


3. Piano or Electric Keyboard - If you have room for an acoustic piano that's great! If not, an electronic keyboard is always good. They are small and fairly inexpensive. A band in a box.
Keyboards
4. Ukulele - Ukulele's are small and inexpensive. They are easily played by anyone who knows a chord or two.
Ukuleles
5. Bass Guitar - Acoustic/Electric bass or electric bass with a small amp. As a musician I  find a bass guitar essential to have around my house. I like to compose a bass line and build on a song from there.
Bass Guitars
So, there you have it. 5 Essential musical instruments you need laying around your house. They will enhance your life and if you have children they will enhance the lives of your children. They will also also add life to any party! Carry on!

The Making of Kendrick Lamar's Damn. Number One Album

Article by David Browne Originally from Rolling Stone magazine.

When it came to a new Kendrick Lamar track called "Lust," producer DJ Dahi thought work had been wrapped. After all, he'd heard an early incarnation built around BadBadNotGood, the Canadian jazz-fusion band, and then watched as the track went through change after change over two months. "It's a little unorthodox in the way it flows and changes," says Dahi (a.k.a. Dacoury Natche), the L.A. producer whose work was showcased on Lamar's "Money Trees" in 2012. "When you first hear it, you don't know why it's this or that, but it's really musical. That was the standard – to have the other records have a taste of that." But when Lamar's Damn. dropped on April 14th, Dahi finally heard the finished take – and was surprised again. "I hadn't even heard the third verse," he says. "And I was in there almost every day. With Kendrick, nothing is done until it's done. He waits until the last minute when the album has to be turned in."

Based on conversations with some of the many contributors to Damn., Dahi's story isn't the exception. One of the year's most lauded and analyzed albums – currently sitting atop the Billboard chart for the second week in a row – with a range of musical, political and emotional textures that will leave fans peeling back its layers for months to come, Damn. features a huge cast: guest artists Bono, Rihanna, James Blake, Kid Capri and bassist Thundercat, along with a wide-ranging list of co-producers (from Lamar regulars like Sounwave and Dahi to Greg Kurstin, best known for Adele's "Hello"). Given all those contributors, not to mention the pressure of following up 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly, Damn. was constantly morphing and changing. As Dahi says, "If you missed a day, you missed a whole new idea."

Inspiration arrived from many sources. During a trip to New York last August, Lamar and some of his creative posse spent a day listening almost exclusively to Frank Ocean's Blonde, which had just dropped on iTunes. A jam session led by Sounwave and Dahi followed, eventually resulting in the slinky "Yah." Lamar and Bono had been talking about collaborating in one form or another for a while, but finally Bono sent in a slew of song ideas and vocals that Lamar and some of his producers picked apart until they found just the right moments, then built a track around it. (Article Continues Below)

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Lamar, his label A&R man and some of the producers would regularly trade intensive texts about revising songs, especially if they played one for friends or taste makers who weren't feeling it. Some cuts, like "Pride," were in the works for over a year. "Element" went through as many as 25 different versions. "It was one of the most important songs on the album," says Dahi. "It was a statement of his place in the game."

Typical for this project, Blake's piano part on that song arrived late in the process, subtly altering the song's tone. Even the contributors didn't always know if or what they would be contributing. Take R&B singer-songwriter Zacari Pacaldo, known simply as Zacari, who was invited to play some of his own upcoming album for Lamar. Last fall, Zacari visited the home-base studio in Santa Monica where Lamar was working and found Lamar recording vocals on a couch, microphones at the ready. "It was really comfortable," Zacari says. "You never got a 'not welcoming' vibe from his camp." As a way to exchange ideas, Lamar played Zacari "DNA" along with a few tracks that didn't make Damn. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, he's going crazy,'" revels Zacari. "He would record the beat and then redo the whole beat multiple times." (Like others, Zacari declines comment on whether he had to sign a non-disclosure agreement while visiting the studio.) "I went in there not knowing what would happen," Zacari says. "I knew I wanted to play him some of my music and hear what he thought." During one track, Lamar quieted down, listened intently, and said, "Yo, send me that." The track was "Love," inspired by a turbulent relationship in Zacari's life. Returning to the studio later, just weeks before Damn. dropped, Lamar played Zacari a surprise: the new incarnation of "Love," with Zacari's beats and hook supplemented by added Lamar production and his own singing and rhyming replacing Zacari's parts in the verses. "He filled in the spaces perfectly," Zacari says. "He sang over the hook, so it's almost a call-and-response between us. It was an unusual process for sure, but I love what he did with it." As for why Lamar chose that track, Zacari can only guess. "He's really in love [Lamar is engaged to Whitney Alford], so it could be nothing more than that." "It was really comfortable. You never got a 'not welcoming' vibe from his camp." –Zacari

That newly emotional side of Lamar also came through when he reached out to Anna Wise, the Brooklyn-based pop artist featured on two earlier Lamar cuts, "These Walls" and "Real." Wise recently released two enchanting records, The Feminine: Act I and The Feminine: Act II, but her contribution to "Pride" on Damn. emerged when she and producer Stave Lacy laid down a vocal part – "Maybe I wasn't there, maybe I wasn't there" – that Lacy then played for Lamar. "He reached out super-excited about it and wanted to understand my point of view in the lyric," Wise says. As with DJ Dahi, Wise didn't experience the final results of her input until Damn. was made public and she finally heard "Pride." "It's going to sound corny, but I started crying," she says. "He's singing my harmonies. I'm proud of him sounding so damn beautiful on that track, hearing him be so emotional." Wise thinks it isn't accidental that Lamar opened up more on his album: "The songs are upfront and more accessible. He must have known, somewhere in his brain that it was the right idea to go a little less out [there] on this record."

Although Damn. is less than three weeks old, the work for Lamar continues. Dahi says he and Lamar were in touch again after Lamar appeared at a certain brand-name festival. "We got on text and I said, 'Great show at Coachella,'" Dahi says, "and he wrote back,
'What's next?'"

Make A Living As A Musician

It's a tough world out there if you're a musician making a living at your craft. And you should go for it! Although it can be tough your passion is what counts in this world. That old saying, "in the end you can't take it with you", may seem obvious and somewhat trite but it's true. If you own 100 houses with gold plated walls it makes no difference if your heart is not happy and your passion isn't satisfied.

If you do decide to make a living with your music then it's a good idea to think outside the box. In order to generate more income you may need to start playing some solo gigs, sans band. That way you can keep all the money! But if you don't sing, don't have a drummer and only play one instrument it's tough finding decent paying gigs. Most venues hiring entertainment want a full sound with at least one instrument and some vocals.

I have a good friend who is a guitar player but was having a tough time getting gigs. He didn't sing and played only acoustic guitar. He then had an idea! He figured if he taught himself to sing, even if it was mediocre, it would help him get more gigs. so, that's just what he did. Although his singing isn't the "best" it works and he did start receiving more gigs! He then thought, "what else could I add?" He recently had seen a guitarist using a STOMP BOX. A stomp box is a small wood box with a pick up inside which when stepped on it generates a great bass drum/wood block tone. He started playing gigs with his new Stomp Box and lo and behold the audience enjoyed his music more than ever. Now he can essentially be a one man band. He plays guitar, sings and plays a drum part.

Adding his voice and using his feet to provide rhythm was a fairly simple learning curve and by doing so he generated 3 times the amount of gigs! Now instead of generating 500 per month through gigging he was able to earn $1500.00 per month! That's quite a raise just from adding two simple things into his act.

Snark Tuner Review - On Sale Now

 Snark Tuner on Sale Now at Amazon

I've tried quite a number of clip-on tuners, and by far the best is the Snark Clip-On Chromatic Guitar Tuner. I've also had many guitar players in my musician circles use various clip on tuners and Snark worked the best.

FEATURE & PERFORMANCE
What make Snark Tuner stand out from other clip-on is not only its funky look, but also its great feature and performance. This tuner comes in 2 models, SN1 (blue) and SN2 (red). The difference is SN2 has a microphone option, allowing it to pick up notes without being clipped onto your musical instrument. The design is simple and brilliant. The clip is nicely padded in order not to damage your instrument’s head stock.
The display one the Snark Tuner can be rotated 360 degrees to dial in a position just right for your eyes. The display is easily read even in bright sunlight. I had a daytime gig in the bright sun and had no problem reading the LED on Snark. It clearly and accurately shows the note and whether it’s sharp or flat.

Product Features

Full color display Display rotates 360 degrees for easy viewing “Stay put” clip Tap tempo metronome Flat tuning / transpose Pitch calibration (415 – 466Hz) High sensitivity vibration sensor Features extended frequency range for all instruments Choose internal mic or vibration sensor Read more

The Good

Very responsive and accurate 360 degrees rotation for reading from each angle Good and inexpensive!

The Bad

The look might be a minus to certain people

Drummers iPad or Tablet Mount for Rim - Get into Tech

ChargerCity Drum Stand Rim Lock on Clip Mount for w/Apple iPad Air Mini Pro (9.7) Samsung Galaxy Tab LG G Pad HD HDX Microsoft Surface Google Nexus Tablets.

At $29.95 this is a great deal! I've recently begun to use a metronome with my band to keep the boys in check. I bought a cheapo mount for my iPhone and mounted to my hi hat stand. Lo and behold it broke after 2 gigs! I also have a lot of information programmed into my iPad, pre-programmed loops for certain songs, etc. Leaving my iPad on the stage floor isn't safe. This Charger City holder mounts directly onto your  drum rim and is a sturdy well constructed holder. 

Works great and is easily adjustable for height and rotation. If you need a mount or want to get started in the electronic age...this is a great way to do it. You can even use it for your song lists. Really a nice tool. Check it out below or click here

How to Earn More as a Musician

It's a tough world out there if you're a musician making a living at your craft. And you should go for it! Although it can be tough your passion is what counts in this world. That old saying, "in the end you can't take it with you", may seem obvious and somewhat trite but it's true. If you own 100 houses with gold plated walls it makes no difference if your heart is not happy and your passion isn't satisfied.

If you do decide to make a living with your music then it's a good idea to think outside the box. In order to generate more income you may need to start playing some solo gigs, sans band. That way you can keep all the money! But if you don't sing, don't have a drummer and only play one instrument it's tough finding decent paying gigs. Most venues hiring entertainment want a full sound with at least one instrument and some vocals.

I have a good friend who is a guitar player but was having a tough time getting gigs. He didn't sing and played only acoustic guitar. He then had an idea! He figured if he taught himself to sing, even if it was mediocre, it would help him get more gigs. so, that's just what he did. Although his singing isn't the "best" it works and he did start receiving more gigs! He then thought, "what else could I add?" He recently had seen a guitarist using a STOMP BOX. A stomp box is a small wood box with a pick up inside which when stepped on it generates a great bass drum/wood block tone. He started playing gigs with his new Stomp Box and lo and behold the audience enjoyed his music more than ever. Now he can essentially be a one man band. He plays guitar, sings and plays a drum part.

Adding his voice and using his feet to provide rhythm was a fairly simple learning curve and by doing so he generated 3 times the amount of gigs! Now instead of generating 500 per month through gigging he was able to earn $1500.00 per month! That's quite a raise just from adding two simple things into his act.

Music - The Needed Therapy

In this age of of political turmoil tempers on both sides run high. The "I'm right, you're wrong" state of mind easily kicks in and were off and running in combat. Moments of coming together, no matter what our views of the outside world are, promote an understanding and connection. We are all made of the same stuff and in the end all go back to the same stuff, there is always common ground to be found no matter how difficult it might seem. The perfect way to find common ground is through music. Not just listening but playing music together. You don't have to be a trained musician! Our society has separated music from the people by pigeon holing us into categories. Musician, non musician, etc. Good News!

ANYONE CAN PLAY MUSIC!

Pick up a drum. Pick up a guitar and learn two chords. Some of the best songs are only two or three chords. Anyone, really, anyone can play music. And we don't have to have the same political views! Music creates the perfect opportunity to come together and ultimately create a better world. Cheers! Happy Creating!

Sheet Music for All Instruments. Download Direct from Site.

I've just introduced a sheet music and score download site. Download thousands of scores for all instruments. Accordion, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards, Harp, Vocal....anything you want you'll probably find it here. From AC/DC to Bach. DOWNLOAD SHEET MUSIC - CLICK HERE https://bensonmusicshop.sheetmusicdirect.us has your score! Check em out. FREE TRIAL for downloads. Get soundtrack scores from Beauty and the Beast or Rock Group sheet music from AC/DC Here or The Beatles music. Classical scores for your Orchestra or school band Search by Artist or genre. Search by instrument too! Have fun! Remember, music will change your reality! Gary Benson - Bensonmusicshop.com