Jordan Mitchell

When I first sat down behind a cajon at an open mic seven years ago, I had no idea this humble box drum would become my go-to percussion instrument for everything from coffee shop gigs to Sunday worship sessions. After testing more than a dozen models over hundreds of hours of practice and performance, our … Read more

After spending the last two months rotating ten different pairs of bongos through a home studio, a small rehearsal room, and one Saturday afternoon at an outdoor Latin-jazz workshop, I’ve narrowed down the best bongos you’ll find in . I wanted to answer the real questions players bring to a roundup like this: which set … Read more

I picked up my first ukulele on a rainy Tuesday, and within an hour I was hooked. There’s something about those four nylon strings that turns anyone into a musician. You don’t need years of training to strum your first chord or play a simple melody. That’s why the ukulele has become the friendliest gateway … Read more

After testing 10 starter ukuleles across 60 days, I can tell you with confidence: the Donner DUC-1 Concert Ukulele is the best ukulele for most beginners in because it sounds full, plays easy, and comes with everything a new player needs (tuner, gig bag, strap, and free video lessons). If you want something even more … Read more

Finding the best violins for takes more than scanning Amazon’s bestseller list. I have spent the last three months unboxing, tuning, and playing through ten of the most-searched beginner and intermediate violins on the market, from a sub-150 dollar budget kit to a professional-setup outfit assembled in the United States. Along the way I tracked … Read more

Picking the best violins for beginners comes down to one rule our team learned the hard way: a properly set-up instrument beats a fancy nameplate every time. We spent three months comparing 8 student violin outfits, took them to a local luthier for inspection, and played each one long enough to spot the tuning pegs … Read more

A short scale bass is an electric bass guitar with a scale length shorter than the standard 34 inches, most commonly 30 inches or 32 inches, making it more compact and easier to play for beginners, smaller players, and travelers. After spending three months testing these instruments in our home studio and on local gigs, … Read more

If you’re hunting for the best Fender bass guitars in , you can stop scrolling. After comparing 10 current Fender and Squier models side by side and weighing over 2,700 verified buyer reviews, our top pick is the Fender Squier Debut Series Precision Bass. It nails the classic P-Bass punch, ships with a 2-year warranty, … Read more

I bought my first Yamaha digital piano eight years ago, and I have been playing one ever since. When I started this guide, I spent three weeks going hands-on with ten current Yamaha models in our studio, switching between a portable P-series board for travel and a console Arius for evening practice. That is the … Read more

Last Updated: Finding the right keyboard amp can completely change the way your keys sound. After our team spent 90 days testing 12 models across home studios, band rehearsals, and live venues, we narrowed the list down to the 10 best keyboard amplifiers that actually deliver the full-range response a digital piano or synth demands. … Read more