As the light grows bigger, the clothes get thinner, and the desire to party till morning gets stronger. Although there are still several months until the summer comes, it doesn’t mean you cannot start making plans for the coolest music festivals this year. Whether it’s Europe, North America, or even South America, there is at least one festival you must be looking forward.

And, if you’re tired of the commercial destinations like Lollapalooza and Coachella, it’s high time you checked out some of the freshest destinations for non-stop music, party, glitter, and fun.

Bottlerock Napa Valley

What better way to start the festival season if not with a popular destination like Napa Valley in sunny Cali? From May 25th to May 27th, prepare for three full days of good music ensured by The Chainsmokers, The Killers, Bruno Mars, Snoop Dogg, Billy Idol, Halsey, Moonalice, Imagine Dragons, One Republic, Pharrell Williams, and others.

Hurry up if you want your ticket! There are less than 1,000 left and prices start at $159 for one day or $359 for three days.

 

Primavera Sound

This festival takes place in Barcelona, Spain, and it represents the perfect early summer destination. Prepare for a full week of good music and lots of fun outdoor activities from May 28th until June 3rd.

Full access for one week starts at $270 and some of the most popular bands and singers you’re going to meet include Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, Bjork, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Creator, and Majid Jordan.

 

Firefly Music Festival

If you thought nothing exciting ever happens in Delaware, get ready to party. The state’s capital, Dover, will become the scene of one of the most popular music festivals for youngsters in the country.

The Firefly Music Festival takes place between June 14th and June 17th and includes singers and bands like Eminem, Arctic Monkeys, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, The Killers, Martin Garrix, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Flint Eastwood, Justin Caruso, Marian Hill, and many others.

 

Sziget Festival

Although only recently put on the map of the coolest music festivals to attend, Eastern Europe is growing fast. The Sziget Festival takes place each year in Budapest, Hungary, on the island of Sziget.

This year’s edition lasts from August 7th until August 13th and it’s the perfect destination for people of all ages. Its reputation precedes it by nearly a decade, and each year, the festival becomes more popular and appealing to youngsters.

Amongst others, this year you’ll listen to Ed Sheeran, Florence + the Machine, Martin Garrix, Jungle, Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots, Post Malone, Franz Ferdinand, Tove Lo, Years and Years, Carnage, and others.

 

Bonus: The Burning Man Experience

A full week of eccentric art, weird appearances, colorful decors, and good music, The Burning Man Festival is a truly surreal experience. Getting inside it won’t come easy or cheap, and this is probably one of the reasons that makes it even more popular.

It’s the place to go and be seen and it is crowded with celebs and A-listers from all around the world. Tickets cost over $1,000 per day, meaning you shouldn’t expect a low-budget experience with cheap beer.

 

According to recent studies, many musicians are prone to choosing an electric violin over a classical one because it gives them more freedom of movement and important features that can’t be overlooked.

One of the most important aspects related to this type of violins is that they enable you to practice whenever you feel the mood for. If you only have some spare time in the evenings and you don’t want to disturb your family or other neighbors, the electric violin should be your top choice. All you have to do is to connect the instrument to an amplifier that comes with incorporated headphone sockets.

 

 

In addition, this useful feature let’s play your favorite tunes because you’ll be able to hear the music in the headphones. You can either use a tablet or your smartphone to do so.

Besides the practicality, electric instruments have a major advantage when it comes to stage performance. They don’t have the tendency of feeding back when the volume is too high which you’ll notice when playing with standard violins. Moreover, the vast majority of acoustic instruments have this problem especially when the person handling the piece moves across the entire stage.

The best part is that some advanced models of electric violins feature an incorporated pre-amp that is used for amplifying the signal transmitted by the pickup.

Nevertheless, people that have been studying classical violin for a long period of time are skeptical to starting to use an electric tool. The same rule applies to those that have never played a musical instrument before. If you want to avoid these beginner frustrations, you must keep in mind some great piece of advice.

Firstly, you must think small and start building confidence as you get more used to this type of musical instrument. There’s really no point in starting to play Bach or Mozart the moment you take the instrument out of its case. Plus, you should stick to violins that don’t cost a fortune ad ones that are intended for beginners and intermediate.

Also, you shouldn’t invest in accessories and other complicated devices from the very beginning. Have a little patience because everything requires hours of training until you commence mastering the instrument. So, aside from the electric violin, a small amplifier and a simple multi-effects pedal should do the trick.

If you want to learn to play this kind of violin, it’s advised that you introduce one variable at a time. You need to be able to hear the sound emanated from the speaker even if your at some feet away. Because the bow attack sounds a tad different on an electric violin, the effect is more dramatic. This happens because there’s no need to put so much pressure on the strings. So, make sure you start with simple music piece and you get to complicated things after you’ve gotten used to hearing the music properly.

 

 

 

Not everyone has access to music courses held by prestigious universities. Some of us barely have time to read a book in our spare time. This is the reason why we need a helping hand that can show us how easy it is to learn music.

Showcased below you’ll find a nice selection of online music courses that can enhance your knowledge about music and help you achieve your goal without having to leave the privacy of your own room.

 

1. Alison

Even though it’s not a music school, Alison is an excellent online resource where you can learn about all sort of cool things, including music. On a regular basis, this learning community offers different music courses that cover important topics related to music theory. The information is suitable for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students. There are modular that teach about rudimentary things like octaves, cadences, as well as augmented and diminished intervals.

In addition, this online platform gives you the opportunity to practice the things you learn. The entire course requires almost 6 hours to complete and it is completely free and self-guided.

 

2. Udemy

A bit similar to Alison, this website is an excellent choice if you’re looking for variety. You can check interesting courses about playing the piano, singing, music composition, and reading music notes. Every once in a while, you’ll notice new subjects added to the courses.

Depending on your availability and willingness to learn, Udemy offers music courses that range from $19 to almost $200. The most important aspect is that this is the right place to polish some knowledge about fancy stuff like music software, instruments, music production, and vocal techniques.

Although there are private teachers that contribute to the courses, the main principle at Udemy is self-guiding.

 

3. Wendy’s Music

Some people require a more traditional approach that includes access to a library filled with music resources. Wendy’s Music is where you can take part in online music classes where you are thought everything from fundamental stuff to advanced music concepts.

Furthermore, the website provides modules about Core Training along with relevant information that you can download after you register on the platform. You have the possibility to either study at your own pace or use Wendy as your personal guide.

 

4. BerkleeX

BerkleeX is, in fact, a free division of the Berklee College of Music. Given the reputation and the competitive curriculum, you could state that this is the perfect way to learn music online. The courses vary from season to season but you can still learn the typical introduction to music theory anytime you desire. Aside from this, you can take a look at useful aspects related to the music business, recording technologies, and entrepreneurship.

Maybe you won’t find everything that you’ve been looking for here but you can rest assured that the information you receive is valuable. Plus, there’s no fee involved.

 

 

As much as we would like to consider ourselves free and liberal, the truth is that, in some ways, the hippie era is still far from being achieved or passed. The cultural emancipation begun in the 60s was completed in the 80s and represents one of the most prolific cultural eras of our times. From wide-legged jeans to large festivals, consumption of alcohol and easy drugs and writing music, this era had it all.

And, with a history of nearly 50 years, the Woodstock festival definitely remains as one of the key-events from that time. The Woodstock Music and Art Fair were held on the property of a rich farmer man from New York, close to the Woodstock city in New York. The history of the festival is rich, diverse, and interesting so if you’re willing to find out the best things about the 1969 Woodstock Festival, here is what you need to know.

 

It didn’t happen in Woodstock

As we have already mentioned, the Woodstock Festival is informally named like that as it didn’t actually happen in the city of Woodstock, New York. The terrain that was used belonged to a rich farmer man named Max Yasgur.

 

It was the subject of a documentary movie

The first and most iconic edition of the festival took place on 15-18th August 1969. It became sort of a tradition for the festival to be held once each ten years, so the next active years were 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009. However, there was also a festival in 1994.

The 1969 and the first edition of the festival was documented in a three-hour movie in which the director captured both the best musical moments of the festival, as well as the enthusiastic reaction of the crowd.

Each day of the festival was dedicated to a special musical genre, and the first edition was opened with a concert by Richie Havens, a folk artist. Some of the world’s most popular musicians and bands ended up performing at the 1969 edition of Woodstock, including Carlos Santana, Janis Joplin, The Who, Joe Cocker, Neil Young, and Jimi Hendrix.

There were other invitations sent to the “gods” of music such as The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Bob Dylan, but they all ended up refusing to perform at the festival.

 

The largest outdoor festival ever held

Initially, the location was supposed to hold a few thousand people but the idea started fading away as massive amounts of people headed towards Woodstock even long after all tickets were sold out.

In the end, it was estimated that around half of million people actually managed to attend the festival, even though police patrols sent back hundreds of cars because there was literally no more room.