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A few months ago, I wrote a Dear Musician entitled Involuntary Musical Imagery. In that article I referenced “earworms” of music that can make their way into your head and stay there, seemingly, long enough to drive you crazy. Ironically, sometimes I experience music so good that this earworm becomes an insatiable need to binge listen (or, in this case, watch) the music over and over again. Thanks to technology, YouTube recommended a video to me; and, like a sucker, I was drawn in. However, in this case, I was overwhelmingly shocked by what I experienced.

I love this time of year! The days start to cool down, the leaves start to fall <SCRREEECH!!!> Who am I kidding? Here in Nashville, Tennessee, it’s been hovering in the upper 90’s since August and hasn’t let up—yet! This heat makes a man’s brain cook, and, in doing so, prompts a virtual stew of thoughts. As we do hope for cooler weather, and we are moving into full-blown fall, let me take a moment to say thank you for the fantastic response to the new platform at Harmony Central. People who haven't participated in years are returning to the forums. Having the forums simply wo

This is the final article following the chain of costs associated with how a piece of music gear gets to its retail price. We’ve previous explored MSRP vs MAP and the expenses associated with running a retail store and how those figure into pricing, so it’s time to dive into the final part of the pricing equation- the cost of designing and manufacturing a product. For the purpose of illustration in this piece, let’s use a $200 MSRP boutique overdrive effect pedal made in the US by an actual company (not a guy in a garage) that is available at many major retailers. This simplifies t

Three years ago, I wrote about the many ways we can give the gift of music—from a concert ticket, to a fun piece of music-making software, to a musical instrument. And of course, those are all welcome gifts. But there’s also the gift of your music, because your music is indeed a gift. You’re giving of yourself—maybe your dreams, your frustrations, or how much you love somebody. You’re putting your emotions on the line, and giving people insights into who you are, the lessons you’ve learned, what you believe, and much more. You’re giving your listeners a piece of you. It

by Anne Erickson Christmas and heavy music make for strange bedfellows. That said, a handful of rock and metal personalities have managed to knock out holiday sets that are actually really good, both placing their muscular stamp on Christmas classics and crafting entirely new yuletide tunes. Read on for 10 hard rock and metal Christmas albums that might prove the perfect fit for background music at Christmas dinner. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but, nonetheless, these releases sure rock! 10. The Vandals, Christmas with the Vandals To say The

In Charlie Daniels’ 1979 Grammy-winning song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” the Devil went in search of a soul to steal and came upon a fiddler named Johnny. It turns out that Johnny was a prodigy on fiddle. Seems there are those to whom playing an instrument comes naturally (almost easily), but there are others who really have to work at it. I know you probably know someone like this. I do. I could play a drum set the first time I ever sat down behind the kit. I intuitively knew how to play and was pretty decent at holding a beat in time. I never was a great play

by Anne Erickson From Alice Cooper to Rob Zombie, head-splittingly heavy music has a lengthy history of complimenting all things horrific, and what better time to recognize those menacing musicians than this week? Read on for our list of the Top 10 Halloween Songs of All Time, offering some killer tracks to get you in the mood for Halloween. What are your favorite scary tunes? Give us your picks in the comments area! 10. King Diamond, “Halloween” Who better to craft a Halloween hit than Kim Petersen, a ka King Diamond? “Halloween” is taken from the singer’s de

Is one really better than the other? Recently I purchased a new acoustic guitar - a Taylor 150e 12 string (you can read the details about it in this thread, or check out Russ Loeffler's comprehensive review of the Taylor 150e right here on Harmony Central), and instead of a hardshell case, it came with a nice gig bag. While I do play live occasionally, I'm primarily a studio guy so my guitars don't do a lot of traveling. Still, since I live in a fairly arid area I wondered if the soft case would supply sufficient protection. I was particularly concerned about storing it and keeping