Click on any section:

• Setting up your keyboard

• Setting up your guitar or bass

• Setting up your drums

• Extra bits to set up your keyboard

• Extra bits to set up your guitar or bass

• Extra bits to set up your drums

• Connecting to an amp



Setting up your keyboard ....................................................... top

Not many contemporary songs need the whole 88 keys of a piano,
so if you don’t have a keyboard yet, it’s probably easier to look for a portable keyboard with around 61 notes.

A portable keyboard is much smaller, much more portable and much, much easier to store at home. But it feels a bit different to a piano, because the keys aren’t weighted. So if you’ve been used to a piano, it’ll probably take a fair while to re-adjust – you’ll probably find your fingers playing extra notes for some time!

A keyboard gives you many, many more options for contemporary music than a piano!

And if you are used to a piano, remember that a touch sensitive keyboard responds to your touch, so keep the volume low and your touch firm and you’ll get the best sounds!

(if you try to play soft with the volume still up, it’ll sound yukk!)

Whatever your first keyboard, it needs to be in good condition, with all the notes working. Make sure nothing important is broken, and that the knobs, features, power adaptor, and pedal all work properly. And if it has built-in speakers, make sure there’s no annoying crackly sounds when you turn the volume up and down while playing.



Setting up your guitar or bass ................................................ top

If you’re starting off and don’t have a guitar yet, lots of people find it easier to start on a nylon string guitar rather than one with steel strings, because the strings are much easier to press down.

If you can afford it, a cutaway model will let you play more of the colour chords higher up the guitar later on.

You might even prefer to start with an electric guitar – the strings are thinner, the neck is thinner and it doesn’t take as much effort to hold the strings down. You might be able to try one of each and see which one feels easier.

If you’re starting off and don’t have a bass yet, lots of people find it easier to start on a standard 6 string guitar than one with thick bass strings, because the strings are much easier to press down.

And if you have a small hand, try a small scale bass guitar –
it’s easier to reach across the frets to begin with.
This course uses a standard 4 string bass.

Whatever your first guitar or bass, it needs to be in good condition,
with strings that aren’t rusty like an old fence.

Look right down the length of the guitar to make sure the neck
(the long, thin bit) is not warped, and make sure all the tuning knobs work properly, and that there’s no buzz when you gently run your thumb across
all the strings.



Setting up your drums ............................................................ top

Chase down a carpet off-cut (with a sewn edge if possible)
about 2.2m x 1.7m (that’s about 7’3” x 5’7”) Or a cheap, flat mat.

It’ll give you a space to work with, and make a huge difference for muffling
if your floor is bare wood or concrete, and it’ll help protect the floor covering as well.

There are so many different brands of drums, and so many ways to set them up. Use a manual if you have one, plus a bit of common sense, and even another drummer if you can find one.

Click here to order CD 1, with a video of how to set up your drum kit.

Don’t forget every drummer has their favourite way to set up.

You'll need two sticks that are in good condition (plus a spare set)
A good place to start is a pair of lighter (eg 7A) wooden-tips.

The tip of the stick can be an oval, a ball, or a triangle
(a trianglish shape is a good place to start)



Extra bits to set up your keyboard ......................................... top

A double-braced adjustable portable keyboard stand means you can sit or stand at a comfortable height. And don’t forget to protect your keyboard from dust by throwing a towel over it when it’s not being
a. played b. nice c. crosby

A tongue-style sustain pedal is far more user-friendly.
And if you’re sitting down to play, you’ll need an adjustable stool (like a drum stool) or a gas-lift chair with no arms.

Although you can probably get away without some of these things to begin with, to help you learn quicker and easier your keyboard really needs to have standard size keys, touch sensitivity, transpose, digital rhythms with a display screen, and a suitable power adaptor.

Two other very useful options include a self-loading standard disk drive and variable-level instrument layering.



Extra bits to set up your guitar or bass ................................. top

An electronic manual tuner is the easiest and quickest way to tune –
it helps you check you’re tuning the right
a. string b. radio frequency c. turning lane

A trigger capo is the most user-friendly and saves you mega hours learning newa. chord positions b. languages c. recipes

For bass, the adjustable screw type may give a better sound.
Take your bass to the local guitar shop and see what works best for you.
(it’s all about the tiny curve of your fretboard)

Don’t skimp on the quality, it will repay you for years to come!
Remember to always recheck your tuning as soon as you take off your capo!

A few picks will help protect your fingernails from
a. paying tax b. tearing (ouch) c. snow

Click here to order CD 1, with a video of how to use a capo.



Extra bits to set up your drums .............................................. top

These few extras will make it easier for you to play.
If you’re buying new they’ll work out cheaper as part of a package.

If you don’t have a music stand, then a good quality, portable music stand won’t fall over easily, and saves your back and neck from straining to see thea. music b. parade c. point

You’ll need a drum key (or two) or a socket set for tuning.

And a reasonable quality drum stool makes it easier to play.
Watch out for those ones where the legs or the seat slide in and out –
they can collapse if you’re not careful!

Remember to never let anyone put their head anywhere near the drums or cymbals. The sound waves from drum kits can do permanent and painful damage instantly!! So keep a very close eye on anyone who borrows your sticks to have a go.

And many experienced drummers reckon if they'd listened to the advice to use ear plugs or industrial ear muffs, they may not have so much ringing (tinitus) now. Pardon…

Whatever your first drum kit, it needs to be in reasonable condition, with fittings that aren’t rusty like an old fence - otherwise they’ll be hard to adjust.

Check the fittings and drums aren’t cracked, and make sure all the tuning thingies hold properly, and that the pedals and moving bits all work.

Your kit also needs cymbals and stands in reasonable condition.



Connecting to an amp ............................................................. top

If your keyboard has no speakers built in you’ll need a sound-lead to connect to an amplifier.

Electric guitars and bass guitars also need an amplifier.
Some acoustic guitars can be amplified too. Also digital drums.

Make sure the amp is turned off. Plug the sound lead into the socket which is about 6.5 mm wide and called - wait for it - aa. 6.5 b. 6.6 c. 5.6

The 6.5 plug is sometimes called aa. jack b. jill c. hill

To make sure you don’t accidentally stand on the lead and pull it out of your guitar, feed it up between the strap and guitar, then into the guitar socket. It’s safer still if you use “L” jacks (right angled).

Connect the other end of the lead to the correct input on the amp.
Turn the volume down on your instrument and turn the volume down on the amp. Then turn the power on at the wall, then at the amp and turn the amp volume up a bit.

Turn the instrument volume up so you can hear the sound without annoying the rest of the household. Gently wiggle the lead at both inputs to make sure there’s no loose wires or scratchy, poppy sounds, or you may need to have the lead or sockets fixed.

Gradually bring up the amp and instrument volume. Then if you have treble and bass controls, set the tone so it sounds good to you (if you can’t decide, just put both in the middle).

Never pull the lead out while the amp is
a. on b. flying c. readingor it could make a noise neither you nor the speakers will appreciate very much at all.

And once you're set up, it's time to make sure you know the notes
and sounds of your instrument...

Click here for a FREE lesson on notes and sounds .................. top