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Keyboards vs Electric Pianos... and What Do Yamaha Mean By “touch sensitive”?
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Like most things these days, there is a lot of jargon that gets bandied around by piano and keyboard players and teachers (and salespeople for that matter!) when it comes to the playing “Action” (yep, there’s that unavoidable jargon already!) on an electric piano/keyboard … in fact, for that matter... what is the difference between a piano and a keyboard?! read more ›
“What if my child quits music lessons?"... and why it probably doesn’t matter if they do.
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One of the questions I get asked the most when I speak to groups of parents is “What happens if my child gives up?”.
Of course it would great if they do play for the rest of their lives, or even pursue music as a profession, but in my opinion it doesn’t really matter if they don’t ... the tragedy would be if they never had the chance to enjoy the experience of playing a musical instrument and the joy of making music just because “they might give up”. read more ›
When is the best time to start learning a musical instrument?
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Are you too old to learn a musical instrument? Is your child too young? When is the best time to start? read more ›
Fuzz ... Distortion ... or Overdrive ... What’s the Difference?!
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How do you choose between fuzz, distortion and overdrive pedals ... and what really is the difference between them? read more ›
Nylon Vs Steel String Guitars: Which One Should You Buy?
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We often get asked - should I start with a nylon string or steel string guitar ... and what's the difference?
The good news is that neither choice will be wrong ... a lot of people start on nylon as they feel it’s “easier” & then ‘graduate’ to a steel string guitar, but both are great & both have their place.
There are some basic difference worth considering, which is what we touch on in this blog. read more ›
More Power. Less Weight.
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Given what Yamaha have done with other iconic brands they have acquired over the past 5 or so years, we were pretty excited when Yamaha acquired the legendary Ampeg name back in 2018.
Ampeg is arguably THE most iconic manufacturer of bass amps in the world, & while we love them, it did feel to us that over the last few years they had seemed to stop progressing their models & were losing touch with the global trend towards smaller, lighter & more powerful bass rigs ... but the brand-new Rocket combos are just amazing... & even though they’re much smaller (& a LOT lighter!) thankfully they’ve still managed to retain “that Ampeg tone”. read more ›
Hank's '58 Strat
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Have you noticed Hank Marvin's actual 1958 Strat on display near the front door?
That's right - it's not a Fender or Fender Custom Shop replica, it's the real deal, a 1958 Fiesta Red Stratocaster! read more ›
Reflections on 40 Years of Concept Music by Graham Hoskins
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At the ripe old age of 25, with the help of friends and family and a with a loan for $10,000 from the Bank, we spent a furious few weeks in July 1980 painting and installing some carpet and showcases, and I had my own shop. Somehow it survived the first very rocky 5 years (it took that long before I could even draw a minimum wage) and was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Retrospectively, I must have had just the right balance of naivety and confidence (some might say youthful arrogance?!) and Concept Music had now found its feet (and beat). read more ›
Bass Guitars - Active Vs Passive
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We are often asked the question, “What’s the difference between an Active and Passive bass guitar?” and it was one the first things that came up during the recent chat Tony had with Paul Pooley (which featured his Yamaha BB735A), so we asked Tony to explain it a little more. read more ›
The Vox AC15 : An In-depth Re-visit!
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The last few weeks we have been up close & personal (again!) with incredible Vox AC15... it is one of the most timeless amp designs ever and is still going strong, essentially exactly as it was, some 60 years later … and they have NEVER gone out of fashion! read more ›
How to Restring While You're Locked In
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With self-isolation and social distancing, there’s been many a guitar retrieved from many a cupboard over the past few weeks. Many of you won’t have restrung a guitar for a long time, or ever, and you may well be having problems getting your guitar to stay in tune, so we’ve put together some tips that may save you a lot of frustration. read more ›
Taylor Roadshow 2020
Hear & Play the latest Taylor guitars at our Taylor Guitars Roadshow... guitar talk & demos with Taylor Factory staff from El Cajon, California who will explain how different timbers & body shapeas affect & shape the tone of an acoustic guitar. Bookings essential via info@conceptmusic.com.au read more ›
So ... Your Child Has Musical Ability ...
... and you have no idea where they got it from!
You are not alone! This is a comment we hear pretty much every day... along with that tone of surprise, doubt (and yes, even fear!) that you have found out, or been told, that your child has demonstrated “exceptional musical ability” … and you feel completely blind-sided by it! read more ›
The Yamaha Gifts That Keep On Giving
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We love this time of year, as it's when so many people start their musical journeys, which we love being a part of.
We're also always pleased that many manufactures bring out packs or kits with this in mind, including quite a few great offers from Yamaha Music Australia. read more ›
An evening with Diesel!
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Don't miss this unique opportunity to get up close & personal with Mark Lizotte AKA Diesel In-Store at Concept Music. read more ›
Pint-sized Power: 50W in the Palm of Your Hand!
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It sometimes feels like the impossible task. Finding the ever-elusive perfect guitar tone that won’t cost the Earth, won’t feel like you’re lifting an anvil in and out of your car or make you wish you could turn it up to 11 because you can barely hear yourself on stage.
Vox's innovative range of MV50 heads are tiny (and we’re talking tiny!) but powerful - offering 50 watts of power in a compact unit that weighs less than 500grams.
They’re designed to be used with the Vox BC108 cabinets, but VOX have cleverly included an EQ switch on the back that allow them to be used with, say a 4x12 cabinet for an extra-large sound. read more ›
Introducing the Beautiful Yamaha SA2200 Semi Acoustic Guitar
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Made in Japan, the Yamaha SA2200 Hollowbody is exceptional quality at an affordable price, with its innovative electronics providing a huge range of sounds ... not to mention just how pleasant on the eye it is! read more ›
My 14 Top Tips for Better Practice on Brass & Wind Instruments
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How you practice your musical instrument can make a big difference to how quickly you progress, so I've dedicated this article to my tips on better practice techniques, especially for Brass and Woodwind players. read more ›
The Argument for Learning a Musical Instrument in School
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I would dearly love every kid in every school to have the opportunity of playing in a band like I did, it’s a terrific experience to get to perform on stage.
There’s not many things like that when you’re a kid – if you’re good at sport you get in the team; if you’re good at Maths you score well; but music is something you do as a community. read more ›
What's Happening to Gibson Guitars in Australia?
“What’s happened to Gibson… & will we see them in Australia again soon?”
The short answer is yes… but it’s complicated!
It would be an understatement to say that the past few years have been pretty rocky for Gibson… globally but even more so in Australia. Fortunately, that’s starting to change ... read more ›
The Acoustic Room @ Concept Music
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My goal in creating a really special place for people to try acoustic guitars was that there would be somewhere in the shop that felt comfortable & private so that you can really relax and enjoy feeling & listening to the guitars – something that is impossible to find in most shops. read more ›
Concept Music… The Journey
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Why did I start Concept Music? The dream was to have my own music store but to make it something really different from other stores I’d been to: clean, cool, super friendly with first class instruments, and totally focused on helping people find the right instrument for them. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive, not the one with a certain name on it, but the “right” one ... read more ›
"Why doesn't my acoustic guitar sound any good when I plug it in?"
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Amplifiers for solid body electric guitars are designed to amplify the signals coming from the magnetic style pickups used on electric guitars. They are also designed to produce “distortion” very easily whereas for amplifying an acoustic instrument you need something that will reproduce a very natural, “clean” & even sound such as you get from transducer style pickups. The same goes for amplifying violins, ukuleles or any other acoustic instrument for that matter. read more ›
Tommy Emmanuel Masterclass
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Tommy Emmanuel is recognized as one of the very best acoustic guitarists in the world and Concept Music is very pleased to presents this rare opportunity to get up close and personal in a special 2 hour Master Class. read more ›
Concept Music’s 35th Anniversary Rock Quiz & Charity Auction
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Graham Hoskins and Concept Music celebrated 35 years in business this month with a Rock Quiz & Charity Auction. It was a sold out event with 180 people attending & the night became a real celebrity affair when it was announced comedian Peter Rowsthorn was to be the surprise guest compere. Rowsthorn, of Kath & Kim and Thank God You’re Here fame, had the had the audience in stitches all night with his quips & stories. read more ›
Latest Concept News!
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Keyboards vs Electric Pianos... and What Do Yamaha Mean By “touch sensitive”?
Like most things these days, there is a lot of jargon that gets bandied around by piano and keyboard...
/>
“What if my child quits music lessons?"... and why it probably doesn’t matter if they do.
One of the questions I get asked the most when I speak to groups of parents is “What happens if my...
/>
When is the best time to start learning a musical instrument?
Are you too old to learn a musical instrument? Is your child too young? When is the best time to sta...
/>
Fuzz ... Distortion ... or Overdrive ... What’s the Difference?!
How do you choose between fuzz, distortion and overdrive pedals ... and what really is the differenc...
