Category: Play

  • Into the Great Wide Open: Tom Petty Gave Us Everything He Had

    Tom Petty, the iconic American songwriter and guitarist music icon, whose hits like “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin’” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” have blown the lid off rock music’s canon, died unexpectedly on October 2 at the age of 66. He was found unresponsive in his home after a cardiac arrest and could not…

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  • What Are Hanon Exercises and Why Should Keyboard Players Practice Them?

    What Are Hanon Exercises and Why Should Keyboard Players Practice Them?

    Hanon exercises are the source of much debate in the keyboard community. Some teachers love them, and others think they’re useless. Students seem to universally dislike them, at least when they are starting out. It’s not hard to see why; they’re repetitive, they don’t sound cool, and it can be hard to see the practical application.…

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  • Bang for Your Buck in a Box: A Rainbow of Great Guitar Pedals Under $200

    Bang for Your Buck in a Box: A Rainbow of Great Guitar Pedals Under $200

    With the explosion of boutique guitar pedal manufacturers in recent years, there’s never been a better time to get that certain sound under your stage toes. But it’s also in the nature of specialty pedals to be, well, specialized. In addition to being less versatile, they also tend to be a bit more expensive. Here…

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  • Learn to Use a Digital Pedalboard Alongside Kaki King

    Learn to Use a Digital Pedalboard Alongside Kaki King

    New course announcement! Today, we’re launching a brand-new, free course with one of our absolute favorite guitarists on the planet (we are not alone), Kaki King, and no, it’s not a course in guitar shreddery. In this course, Digital Pedalboards with Kaki King, we take a deep dive into how and why she uses the Apple MainStage 3…

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  • Allegro! Exploring the Legacy and Technique of the Great Django Reinhardt

    Allegro! Exploring the Legacy and Technique of the Great Django Reinhardt

    + Welcome to Soundfly! We help curious musicians meet their goals with creative online courses. Whatever you want to learn, whenever you need to learn it. Subscribe now to start learning on the ’Fly. A fire roars with life on a cool summer night somewhere in the north of France, possibly even just over the Belgian border. Music drifts into the night…

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  • In Case of Nuclear Apocalypse, Here Are the Top 5 Bands in North Korea Right Now

    In Case of Nuclear Apocalypse, Here Are the Top 5 Bands in North Korea Right Now

    The news has been dominated this month by the announcement that North Korea has developed the capacity to reach U.S. soil with a nuclear missile — a development to which our own supreme leader has responded with the grace and tact of a tantrumming two-year old. Given the dumpster fire that is the current state of our…

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  • Now It’s Our Turn to Say ‘Adiós’

    Now It’s Our Turn to Say ‘Adiós’

    Just two months after releasing his 64th studio album entitled Adiós, it’s the world who now has to bid farewell to Glen Campbell. A true titan of the fast-changing music industry, Campbell, who passed away on August 8, 2017, was a bonafide crossover sensation who released over 70 albums over the span of his career, appeared on…

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  • Dorothy Ashby Was One Fierce Lady Pioneer of Jazz Harp

    Dorothy Ashby Was One Fierce Lady Pioneer of Jazz Harp

    + Welcome to Soundfly! We help curious musicians meet their goals with creative online courses. Whatever you want to learn, whenever you need to learn it. Subscribe now to start learning on the ’Fly. A few years ago, I had one of the most powerful live music experiences of my life when I went to see Stevie Wonder on his Songs in…

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  • ‘Yakety Sax’ — Making Gruesome Violence and Real Drama Zany Since 1963

    ‘Yakety Sax’ — Making Gruesome Violence and Real Drama Zany Since 1963

    After becoming a hit as the “‘Benny Hill’ Theme,” “Yakety Sax” experienced a renaissance turning dramatic web videos into funny ones.

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  • Tone Timeline: Using Delay as a Secondary Instrument

    Tone Timeline: Using Delay as a Secondary Instrument

    When it comes to playing an instrument, especially in a live setting, there are hundreds of different sounds you can create through the use of effects pedals. One of the most popular and versatile effects is delay. Dozens of major brands have produced stompboxes with settings and delay variations such as analog, digital, tape, tap…

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