How to install a Violin Finger Guide Fret Sticker : A Step-by-Step Guide
Unlock the full potential of your violin sessions with the Music 4 Humans Violin Fret Finger Guide Sticker. Designed for beginners and intermediate players alike, this innovative sticker simplifies learning by showing exactly where to place your fingers, bridging the gap left by the absence of frets on traditional violins. Follow our guide to install your sticker and dive into violin tabs and tutorials with ease. Get your sticker here and elevate your playing today!
Why Don’t Violins Have Frets?
Unlike guitars, violins don’t come with frets. This design allows for a wide range of expressive techniques, such as vibrato and glissando, giving the violin its unique voice. However, this can pose a challenge for learners, making it difficult to find the correct finger placement. That’s where the Music 4 Humans Violin Fret Finger Guide Sticker comes in, providing a visual aid to help you learn where to place your fingers on the fingerboard.
Installing Your Violin Fret Finger Guide Sticker in Three Simple Steps
Step 1: Prepare Your Violin – Ensure your violin is ready before applying the sticker. Clean the fingerboard, neck, and strings to remove any dirt or oil. For an even smoother installation, consider loosening the strings slightly. This optional step makes it easier to slide the sticker underneath the strings without any hassle.
Step 2: Position the Sticker – Carefully peel the sticker from its backing, starting at any corner. With the strings slightly loosened (if you opted for this step), slide the sticker sideways under the strings near the bridge. Then, rotate the sticker so that the black lines align with the edges of your fingerboard and slide it up the fingerboard until it hits the nut of the instrument.
Step 3: Secure the Sticker – Once the sticker is in the right position, gently press it down, smoothing out any bubbles or wrinkles. Start from the center and work your way outwards to ensure it adheres smoothly to the fingerboard. Don’t forget to food the extra edges to the sides of your fingerboard. Then, if you’ve loosened them, tighten the strings back to their standard tuning.
Conclusion
The Music 4 Humans Violin Fret Finger Guide Sticker is your gateway to mastering the violin. It not only aids in learning but also enhances your ability to follow along with our tutorials and read violin tabs effectively. With this guide, you’re now ready to install your sticker and embark on a more informed musical journey.
Remember, patience and practice are key to mastering any instrument. With the help of our finger guide sticker, you’re one step closer to playing the violin with confidence and precision.
Music 4 Humans
February 6
2 years ago
How to avoid drumming injuries?
Playing an instrument requires both mental and physical strength. As someone aspiring to learn an instrument, you may face common injuries which with the right techniques can be avoided. Pain caused due to such injuries will only become an obstacle while learning to play an instrument. Due to the physical exertion, while drumming, players are prone to injuries which can sometimes lead to problems in the long run. If you wish to become a professional drummer, you need to take care of your physical capabilities and try to prevent such injuries before it’s too late. We will look at some of the common injuries that may occur while drumming and ways to avoid them.
Aches in fingers
Fingers play a key role when playing the drums. If you grip the stick too tight while playing, it can cause pain in the joint of your thumb. In the traditional grip, you mainly use the thumb to power the stick. Another common concern is soreness in your index finger. Try not to hold the stick too tight. Changing grips often can help to deal with drumming injuries.
Wrist-pain
Wrists help with the movement of the stick while playing the drums. Some players use their fingers more than their wrists and some of them use their wrists more than their fingers. Many players face pain in their wrists due to moving them in an unnatural way while playing the drums. Always practice warm-ups and loosen yourself up.
Pain in your arms
You may experience pain in your forearm due to overusing your forearm and elbow to power the stick. Not using your wrists and fingers to power the stick and depending completely on your forearms will cause pain to your forearms. Also, move your wrists in a way that your palms will be somewhat facing downwards. You should be able to power the stick through your wrists, fingers, and forearms and not just your forearms.
Some drummers experience pain in their upper arms due to overuse. Upper arms should be used to strike the right part of the drum.
Backaches
Maintaining a good posture while learning to play the drums is extremely important. A slouched position can create a backache. Always try to keep a relaxed posture while playing.
Shoulder tension
Lack of good technique while playing the drums can lead to shoulder tension. If you feel pain in your shoulders, try improving your finger, wrist, and forearm technique.
Leg pain
If you are playing the drums with the heel-down technique, you may experience pain in your lower leg. Use foot pedals and make sure your foot is constantly in contact with the pedal.
If you are playing the drums with the heel-up technique, you may experience pain in your upper leg. Again using foot pedals can be helpful.
Other common drumming injuries are blisters which are bubbles within the upper layers of the skin. They are filled with fluid and are caused due to friction. Slowly these blisters can turn into calluses if you keep ignoring them. Relaxing your grip can help avoid such drumming injuries.
Ways to avoid drumming injuries
Here are some of the general ways in which you can avoid injuries while playing the drums.
Changing your grip
As we have already discussed, the most common reason for pain and aches while drumming is the lack of good grip technique. So to avoid injuries in the long run, try changing your grip.
You may think that you are facing hand injuries due to hitting too hard. Most of the time, this is not true. Changing your grip can really help when learning the drums.
Avoid drumming injuries by doing warm-ups
Always start your practice sessions with warm-ups. If you are experiencing hand injuries often, it’s advisable to look into your warm-up routine and change it accordingly.
Cool down after a performance
It’s essential to cool down after a gig, especially after performing for long hours. Sometimes, you may not have the time. A couple of quick wrist and hand stretches are all you need. Ice packs or ice baths after an intense performance can also help.
Take rest to prevent drumming injuries
Rest is important for every drummer. A person with an overworked brain or who is sleep deprived is more prone to hand injuries drumming.
Listen to your body
If you are trying to make a career out of your drumming then don’t overexert yourself and don’t try to play through the pain. This will only worsen it and cause long-term injuries. Your body is trying to tell you something. Take time to listen to it and make sure to address it at an early stage.
If you are experiencing hand injuries or aches in the various parts of the body as discussed above, take time to examine it properly and find out why you are facing it. Then work accordingly to avoid it. If needed it is advisable to go and see a physician based on the intensity of the injury. Most injuries can be dealt with by changing grips and doing stretches. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to massage the sore areas. Also, keep yourself fit and take plenty of water.
At Music4humans, you can learn various music courses through online music lessons taught by skilled music instructors from all around the world. Schedule an online music lesson today!
Music 4 Humans
January 13
2 years ago
How to memorize a piece of music faster?
Watching great musicians perform on stage is truly inspirational. As aspiring musicians, we tend to observe and appreciate their technique. You may have noticed that many great musicians play from memory. To be able to memorize a piece of music quickly and play it with confidence in front of a large audience is admirable.
Memorizing music is the key to growing in your musical learning journey. It allows you to understand the composition better. With a proper understanding of the structure and the patterns, you will be able to improvise when needed and play your piece with confidence. If you wish to become a successful musician or a professional at playing an instrument, start by memorizing music. As a beginner, you may find it hard to memorize a piece of music quickly. So here are four steps to memorize a piece of music.
Familiarize the piece
The best way to begin learning a musical piece is by starting to familiarize it. You don’t need your instrument for this. Just start by listening to it multiple times and try to understand how the composition flows. This will help when memorizing music.
Understand the song structure and form
When you are familiarizing the musical piece, try to learn its structure and form, the way the music changes, and the patterns. If you know how to read music, read it multiple times and try to grasp the essentials.
Start memorizing
After understanding the piece, the next step is to start memorizing it. Start whenever you are comfortable. There may be a certain area in the piece which may have caught your attention or a part that you may recognize. Start memorizing this area. Since it’s appealing to you, it will be easier to memorize.
Learn it in parts and put it together
Break the musical piece into different parts. When memorizing a part, make sure you understand it in-depth, learn it well, and explore it properly. An additional tip would be to break the musical piece into parts based on emotions or through ways in which you can relate to each part. Practice each part separately. After that, put it all together and make sure the flow of the composition is good. Keep practicing it until you have memorized it completely. You should be able to play the piece of music confidently from your memory.
When you memorize a piece of music, you understand the music enough to be able to confidently perform it in front of a large audience. If you are playing in a band, memorizing musical pieces can be helpful.
Let’s look at additional tips that would help you memorize a piece of music faster.
Tips to memorize a piece of music quickly
Try singing
When trying to play the guitar or violin or any instrument for a piece of music and attempting to memorize the piece, try singing aloud. Focus on the rhythmic patterns, durations, etc.
Develop muscle memory
Keep playing it multiple times so that you develop muscle memory. Once you do that, trust your muscle memory. Muscle memory helps to memorize a piece of music and also helps when performing. Developing muscle memory will help you not overthink the technique and get worried when performing in front of an audience. It helps to give you a certain amount of confidence during your performance.
Use different tempos
When practicing, it is advisable to do it at different tempos. This will make you more connected to the musical piece and can help you memorize it faster.
Use it often to memorize a piece of music
It is advisable to keep using it often so that you don’t forget it. Especially try to keep using the key areas. This is an easy way to help you memorize it faster.
Always have it in your head
You should be able to sing the musical piece in your head. You can run it in your head whenever you get some free time. If you are trying to play the instrument for a musical piece, try visualizing the finger technique and hand movement for the entire piece of music.
Memorizing a piece of music can help you when you are learning music or if you are learning to play an instrument. Always remember to practice a musical piece in an effort to know and understand the piece rather than just memorize it.
When learning music or when learning to play an instrument, trying to play different compositions and memorizing the composition to play to an audience can help you become a better artist. If you are looking to learn music through an online platform, Music4humans is an excellent platform that offers a wide variety of online music courses and online instrument lessons that are taught by skilled music instructors from all around the world. Check out the various music courses at Music4humans and start learning today.
Stage fear and anxiety before a performance are common among upcoming music artists. If you are still an aspiring musician and if you are concerned about performing in front of a large audience, you’re not alone. Many music artists have gone through stage fear and have been able to overcome it through determination and strengthening their skills. If you are trying to learn an instrument or if you are learning to sing, remember that performances are unavoidable. Performing in front of a large audience is going to build your confidence and help you grow as an artist. The good news is there are plenty of ways to prepare yourself before a musical performance. Let’s look at some ways-
Lots and lots of practice
If you are learning music or learning to play an instrument, practice is key. There is no shortcut for this. You need to invest adequate time every day and practice your craft. When you have a performance coming up, rehearse your piece plenty of times before the show. Don’t overwork. Just practice your musical piece regularly and effectively. Regular practice, especially if you are a beginner trying to learn an instrument or song, will give you the confidence to perform in front of a large audience
Extra practice concerning areas. Focus on areas that you find difficult or which you feel you are not confident about. You can practice these areas even on the day of your performance to gain a bit more confidence. Just make sure you don’t overdo and strain yourself.
Create the musical performance ambiance
Try creating the environment that you are going to be performing in and practice in that environment. Think about how you are going to position yourself. You can even use a similar venue. Imagine yourself to be performing in front of an audience and expressing yourself the way you plan to express yourself during your performance. Creating a musical performance ambiance during your rehearsals can help you gain confidence and give you a sense of familiarity with the performance environment.
Be technically sound
Learn your technique well. If you wish to progress in your music learning journey, start with the technique. Perfect your basics and keep correcting your technique. Being technically sound will help you play with confidence. As a beginner trying to learn music, you may be worried about making mistakes or you may be concerned about other unfortunate events that may occur during your big performance. If any mistakes do happen during your performance, technical expertise will help you overcome them.
If you are looking to gain more expertise in music or if you want guidance in your instrument training, check out the various courses and the different music instructors available at Music4humans. Book your first session and start refining your craft today!
Have mental presence
As a performer, you need to leave all your day-to-day stresses and problems aside and concentrate on your performance. Prepare your mind for the performance. You can try meditation which can help you gain focus during the performance.
Enjoy your musical performance
Tension, pressure, and stress can create stage fear. When you are out on the stage, remember to have fun. Relax your mind and calm down. Just remember that you have practiced enough and you are absolutely capable of performing your best.
Learn how to overcome mistakes
We may wish for our performances to be completely flawless. However, mistakes do happen and unpredictable things do occur. Even to the best and the most famous musicians, mistakes have occurred. It’s all about how you deal with it at that moment. The best way to overcome it is to try and prepare yourself for such circumstances. For example, if you are going to play the guitar, think about the various mistakes that could occur and how you plan to counter them. You can try to position yourself in different ways during your practice sessions.
Take ample rest before your musical performance
Rest is important for any musician. A strained mind and a weak physique are going to affect your performance. Without rest, your mind and body do not function as well as they normally should. Especially before the day of your performance, you need adequate rest. You need mental and physical strength to give the best performance.
If you have time during the day of the performance, play the musical piece a couple of times so that it won’t seem like fresh music during your actual performance. Don’t overdo it and strain yourself before your musical performance.
The right guidance in your musical training can help you become a professional musician. Music4humans brings together the most skilled and professional online music teachers from all around the world to give you the best guidance in a variety of music courses. Look for the right teacher at Music4humans, who can help you become a better artist.
Music 4 Humans
December 10
2 years ago
How to become a professional guitarist?
Learning guitar as a hobby during your free time can be fun and relaxing. However, pursuing guitar as a career and becoming a professional guitarist is a different ball game altogether. Becoming a professional guitarist from an amateur one takes time, dedication, and a lot of patience. Do you want to take your guitar-playing skills to the next level? Do you want to start earning money and gaining recognition with it? Here are some ways to get you started-
Get the right guitar.
As a professional guitarist, your instrument and its accessories are essential assets. Make sure your instrument sounds good. You need not spend too much money purchasing a guitar and its accessories. However, ensure that you are buying good-quality gear that does not break or would sound wrong.
Learn the technique well
Gaining knowledge and learning to execute that knowledge is crucial when playing an Instrument. Figure out your weaknesses and start working on them. If you need help strengthening your weaknesses and want to learn the techniques better, find a good private guitar teacher and enroll yourself in guitar lessons. Nowadays, there are plenty of online music courses where you can learn guitar from skilled guitar teachers from anywhere around the world. Check out the various guitar teachers at Music4humans, and start refining your techniques!
Practice a lot
This goes without saying for enhancing any skill. However, if you plan to make guitar playing your profession, you must practice much more than you usually do. You may have an inborn talent, or playing the guitar might come to you quickly, but it is always a good idea to strengthen your foundation and consistently work on the basic techniques. Quality practice is needed to grow as a professional. There may be days when you feel lazy and want to skip your practice session. Don’t. Keep a schedule and stick to it.
Find your style
There are many music genres. Start listening to all the genres and discover each genre’s uniqueness. Pick a genre that connects with you and make yourself better at it. You will start finding your unique playing style when you keep practicing that genre.
Market yourself effectively
In this internet era, there are plenty of ways to market yourself. These days social media has become a powerful marketing tool. Learn to use it—post about your events on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Make a website for yourself and increase your fanbase by posting about your upcoming events. As an aspiring musician, it is essential to get noticed. There may be times when you need to play for free to get yourself a fanbase. But, on the other hand, it may be worth it.
Grow your network
An extensive network in the music field will help you gain more opportunities. So always try to grow your network. Be easy to work with. This will make you approachable. Try finding your local music community. This will help you find local gigs, and gradually you can grow your network and fanbase.
Be open to performing at various events.
If you want to make money as a professional guitarist, you must perform at different events. This will also help you grow your network and fanbase. In addition, you need to listen and learn to play different kinds of music, including styles that you may not be very passionate about. Playing diverse styles will help you get accepted and receive more opportunities to earn money. So, at least during your initial struggles, keep a broad mind about how you would like to make it as a guitarist.
Teach guitar lessons
Most of us start our guitar learning journey aspiring to be rock stars one day. However, the journey can be very challenging. An excellent way to keep yourself in form and earn money while you try to reach your goal is to become a guitar instructor. This day job should not require extra hours, allowing you to use your spare time to practice and enhance your guitar-playing skills.
Play in a band
Playing in a band can help you gain recognition and can also help you grow as a guitarist. Especially if you join a function band, you can play in various weddings, parties, and other events, giving you good exposure. You can even join an entertainment agency. Playing in a band can help you build your connectivity and grow your network.
Finally, even after you become a professional, you need to keep learning your craft. Knowledge and practice will help you play the guitar with comfort and ease.
Apart from guitar lessons, various music courses are available at Music4humans. You can learn the course of your choice from highly skilled and experienced music teachers from around the world in the comfort of your home. So schedule an online music lesson today!
Music 4 Humans
December 3
2 years ago
How to achieve the right cello posture?
Cellists often face back problems. This is mainly due to a lack of good instrument posture. A balanced posture will allow you to learn the technique better. Learning to play the cello and becoming an advanced-level player takes dedication and hours of practice. Maintaining the right cello posture will help you avoid injuries and will also help you practice and play the cello better. Here are tips to help you achieve the right cello posture-
Sitting position
A proper sitting position will help you avoid back injuries. Find a chair that suits your needs. Your feet should sit comfortably on the ground while sitting on the chair. Bend your knees a little at the waist.
Sit up straight without slouching. Relax your shoulders. Make sure your neck is level with your spine. Keep your back a few inches away from the chair’s back.
Cello positioning
The cello’s body should rest on your chest and ensure the endpin is pointing towards the ground. Position the cello so that it is resting on your left thigh. Your right knee can be free. This will allow you to play more comfortably.
Your left hand should be placed in the middle of the strings.
Feet positioning
Keep your feet flat. They should be kept shoulder-width apart.
Holding the bow
Hold the bow with the thumb and the first two fingers of your right hand. Make sure you apply even pressure when drawing the bow across the string.
Relax your face
Keep your face relaxed without clenching your jaw. This will help you loosen your body and keep the other parts of your body relaxed.
Above are tips for maintaining a good posture while playing the cello in a sitting position. Apart from this, we will also discuss how to achieve a good posture while playing the cello in a standing position and the use of posture pegs.
Playing the cello in a standing position.
Many cellists prefer to play the cello in a sitting position because it is easier to support the instrument’s weight in this position and also because they can achieve proper hand position while sitting. However, some cellists like to play some songs in the standing position. To achieve a proper cello standing position, position the cello under your chin. Place your left hand on the neck to vibrate the strings, and use the right hand to hold the bow.
Posture pegs
Posture pegs are made of plastic or wood. They help keep the cello in one place and help you achieve the right cello posture. You will be able to play the cello better and avoid unnecessary strain.
Always try to practice using a mirror. This will help you find your faults and correct them immediately. You will become more conscious of your posture and playing technique when you use a mirror. Consciously correcting your mistakes will help you gain perfection.
Quality practice is crucial when learning a skill. This goes for the cello too. Don’t skip practice. Consciously practice as per your schedule. Try to find your mistakes using a mirror or using a cello instructor and start working on them. This will help enhance the quality of your practice sessions, which will help you learn your craft better.
Having the right posture is one of the most basic requirements when playing an instrument. Bad habits are easily acquired but are hard to change. Try to build good healthy habits at an earlier stage of your training so that they can help you throughout your journey.
Some basic reminders that can help you when playing the cello are-
1. Finding the right chair with the right height is essential.
2. Sit in a balanced position when playing the cello.
3. Relax your body and keep the natural curve of the spine.
4. Always lengthen your spine while playing.
In closing
The above tips and reminders will certainly help you achieve the right cello posture. However, with a private cello instructor who can guide you throughout your journey, you can learn to play the cello more effectively. At Music4humans, you can find skilled private cello instructors who can help you with your journey. Find your cello teacher and schedule an online music lesson today.
Nowadays, online learning has become a popular choice to enhance one’s skills as it can be scheduled around their existing routine and can be pursued from anywhere around the world. This allows students to learn from the best teachers. Music4humans is a fantastic platform that offers instrument lessons and numerous other music courses, such as music theory, songwriting, music production, etc., taught by experienced music instructors from around the world. Check out the various courses and the available teachers at Music4humans.
Music 4 Humans
November 10
2 years ago
Intro To Rockstar – Free Guitar Lessons
Rod Ferreira and Music 4 Humans invite you to Intro to Rockstar Free Guitar Lessons! Let’s learn a few tunes on the guitar while having a blast and understanding the instrument’s essential techniques.
Click on this link or the image below to reserve your spot today! GET YOUR FREE TICKET
Session 01: The Guitar Essentials
It is essential to know the guitar parts, name the musical notes, understand primary rhythms, and how to apply them to our playing. In this lesson, we will learn how to Tune our guitars, the proper finger placement, hold the pick, and get started with our first song!
Session 02: Reading and Learning Music
We must first understand a few things to learn how to play the guitar. Therefore, this second lesson will focus on reading tablatures, and understanding sounds, chords, strumming patterns, and coordination exercises. All those skills will help us progress on the second part of our first song!
Session 3: Rocking Your Second Song
The guitar is a pretty complex instrument. To master it, we will play strumming games, learn a whole step and a half step, read our second chord, discover happy versus sad sounds, learn to fingerpick, and finally, how to play your second song!
About Rod Ferreira
I do what I can to ensure everybody is ready to become a great guitar player and have fun while learning what they want to know! My program focuses on fixing the “bad habits” that some students may have in a brief period of time. My lessons are individualized and will teach you everything you may have missed from when you first started playing guitar.
The guitar can a bit hard to master. You can take the help of a private guitar teacher, who can guide you throughout your guitar learning journey and even correct you whenever necessary. Start perfecting your skill and book a guitar lesson today!
Music4humans is an online music learning platform that offers various music courses from experienced music teachers worldwide. Schedule a music lesson online today!
Music 4 Humans
October 31
2 years ago
Tips to help you compose an amazing movie score
Can you imagine iconic movies like Jurassic Park or Star Wars without their theme music? Never! A film score is what brings out the mood of the movie. It is composed based on the storyline. It is an original piece that is made specifically to fit the movie. Composing a movie score is not easy, since it has a lot of elements that need to be placed perfectly so that it matches the emotions in a movie script.
A composer’s goal is to create a unique, unforgettable, and impactful piece. However, not all composers accomplish to do so. Here are some great tips that can help you compose an amazing movie score.
Keep noting down your ideas
Always carry a diary with you. Start noting down all your ideas. Some may work out, some may not. It doesn’t matter. Just keep writing it all down. The goal is to keep developing the music for the required movie. You can play around with ideas and see which works and which doesn’t. You can highlight the ones that may work out. Don’t remove any ideas from your diary. You will realize that at times when you feel stuck and out of ideas, you can revisit these old ideas. Some of them may actually work out or may inspire you to create something original.
Always follow the story
Most failed film scores usually tend to take diversions from the storyline. It is always important to know your story well and make sure your score is specifically designed for it. When you watch the movie for the first time along with the director to decide on the music for it, try to feel the various emotions throughout the movie and make notes of the different places which can be enhanced with music. You can choose some important scenes in the movie and try to create your score around these areas.
When it comes to dialogues, make sure the music does not interfere with and ruin the dialogues in the movie. The film score should complement the dialogues.
Follow the director’s vision
Before beginning to compose, you need to sit and discuss with your director what kind of music they are looking for. Some may have adequate musical knowledge and some may not. Either way, try to find out their vision and how they feel the music should be. Here’s an example- try finding the tempo that the director prefers. This will give you a small idea about the kind of emotion they require.
Lack of good communication with your director can result in misunderstandings and the project may end up as a failure. Thus it is important to communicate with your director and understand their feelings towards the movie and the music that you plan to compose.
Your film score should follow the right pace
By pace, we mean the tempo. Your score’s tempo needs to match the scene. It is important to use the right tempo for every scene.
Create and follow a sound palette
Creating sound palettes for movies can help to convey to your audience from an early stage what kind of world they are about to enter when they watch the movie. The music should connect to the elements of the movie such as colors, lights, and people. As a composer, you need to observe these elements carefully. Get the essence of it all and get inspired to create a sound palette for the movie.
Compose movie score according to your budget
Always consider the budget. You may receive a certain payment for the entire work that you need to do. Keep a track of your budget and expenses while making the score. During your initial days as a composer, when you are still trying to get projects, you may work on low-budget or short movies. You need to compose a piece that can be executed easily within the given budget and which will be impactful at the same time.
Know your crew
It’s always good to know the people you are going to work closely with. As a composer, you may work with music editors, music supervisors, etc. Know the other people in the department. Also, know their roles and how they can help you during the process. A good rapport with your team is a good foundation for success.
Although luck plays a role in bringing you success and fame in the music field, there is no denying that hard work pays off in due time. The best way to be successful is to work sincerely and passionately. Always try to improve your skill by learning your craft better. Nowadays, thanks to the internet and technology, learning a skill has become easier. Want to learn to be a good composer? Check out the various teachers at Music4humans who can teach you various aspects of music composition.
Music4humans offers various courses taught by skilled music teachers through music lessons online. Take a look at the different courses. Schedule a music lesson online today!
Music 4 Humans
October 26
2 years ago
The Music 4 Humans Podcast | Leyla Sneary |
The Music 4 Humans Podcast | Leyla Sneary |
In this episode of The Music 4 Humans Podcast, Leyla Sneary and Louis discuss how music has impacted her life and what it takes to pursue your dreams in the music world.
Leyla Sneary is a British Indian bassist and Instagram influencer. The talented 21-year-old artist started playing bass guitar in 2020 during the pandemic. She has had an impressive start in her professional music endeavor. Sneary has quickly made a name for herself by making her talent shine with her unique bass performance videos on Instagram. The skillful bassist shares her inspiring learning journey with her growing 40k followers on Instagram @leylamusic.
Despite not having formal music training, she is deeply passionate about the instrument. As a self-taught musician, she completely understands the struggle of navigating through copious amounts of online information. Her goal is that music is made accessible to all regardless of age or experience.
The official Music 4 Humans Podcast. We interview and discuss the world of music with the world’s best musicians, influencers, entrepreneurs, and educators. The fun parts and the harder ones! Schedule a music lesson online today 🎶🔥
Music 4 Humans
October 12
2 years ago
DJing- A beginner’s guide
A Disc Jockey, more commonly known as a DJ is someone who plays recorded music for audiences. The term ‘disc jockey’ is a combination of ‘disc’ which refers to the vinyl records that are shaped like discs and ‘jockey’ which refers to the person who operates the machine. The concept of DJing evolved from radio station announcers or hosts who would play pre-recorded music on their radio shows. They used to spin the records in turntables. Nowadays, a DJ is usually the one who creates a seamless music mix that they play in clubs, festivals and parties. Some DJs still use turntables. Most of them have shifted to digital software.
Types of DJ
These days we can find different types of DJs. Knowing the different types can help you decide what kind of DJ you would like to become.
Radio DJ
Radio DJs have existed for a long time. They play songs from CDs, vinyl records, etc. on air. They also entertain their audience by making announcements and chatting with callers in between the songs.
Club DJ
A club DJ usually works at one or more dance clubs depending on the needs of the club. Their goal is to keep the people moving on the dance floor. They usually start their career by playing at house parties. Along with playing at dance clubs, some of them also play at promotional events.
DJ producer
DJ producer creates music from the music collection or recordings that they already have and either give live performances or they may even stream it through online platforms.
Mobile DJ
A mobile DJ performs at various events such as weddings, receptions, school dances, anniversaries, etc. They usually play popular songs or current hits to which the guests can dance. They carry their DJ equipment along with video systems, speakers, etc.
Turntablist
Turntablist uses turntables and a mixer to create new and interesting beats and sounds.
How to start DJing?
Now that you have an idea of the different types of DJs, the next question is how to start your DJing career. Check out the below list of things that you need to do to become a DJ.
Learn the skills
As a DJ, you need to know some skills like beatmatching, EQing, etc. Thanks to the internet and the numerous tutorials that are easily available, you can start learning the basic skills that you require to become a DJ. However, a better way to study any music course would be under the guidance of a teacher. Nowadays, online music courses are gaining popularity as they can be accessed from the comfort of your home and also as you can choose your convenient schedule. Learn DJing from skilled musicinstructors at Music4humans who take online lessons for all skill levels.
Get the right equipment
Some of the equipment that a DJ requires are a laptop, DJ mixer or DJ controller, turntable, etc.
Learn about the various software
You need to know the various software used by DJs. Some of them include Native Instruments Traktor Pro, Serato DJ Pro, Ableton Live, Pioneer DJ Rekordbox, Mixxx, etc.
Create your music collection
As a DJ you need a vast music library. You can create a collection with either CDs and records or digitally. It depends mostly on the kind of medium you want to use. You could spin vinyl records or be a digital DJ. Mostly club DJs opt for spinning vinyl records as they sound better. As a digital DJ, you can create a larger music library. So if you want to keep touring and playing at different events and parties, then you can opt for the digital medium. Where can you download music digitally? SoundCloud, Beatport, Traxsource, Direct Music Service, Juno Download, etc. are some good resources.
Create your network
Keep building connections within the industry. Try connecting with people who can help you find gigs. With the right connections and a wide network, you can become very successful as a DJ.
Make yourself unique
DJing is a very competitive field, where you need to put yourself out there to get noticed and gain popularity. Uniquely brand yourself. Create an identity for yourself to set yourself apart from your competition. Use social media to spread your potential.
What is so special about DJing?
It is the ability to connect with your audience and give them a unique experience.
To succeed as a DJ, you must remember that the kind of music you choose and how you play it for your audience should be different and intriguing.
Want to learn more about music?
Music4humans is an excellent platform that offers various online music courses taught by professional private music instructors from all around the world. Schedule a music lesson online today!