Thomas Walker
Thomas grew up on the folk and roots music of the North East, where the tradition of Northumbrian tunes runs deep, and has been playing and writing about acoustic music for most of his life. He's drawn to instruments with history and craft. He covers folk, acoustic and traditional music.
Pan Flute Explained: Features, Types and Tips
The pan flute is a simple yet profound instrument: tubes of graduated length bound together, each producing a single pitch. Across millennia and continents, regional traditions have shaped it into the...
Woodwind Instruments Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Most woodwind instruments aren't made of wood at all. Here's what actually unites the family, and what makes each member sound the way it does.
The Best Saxophone Reeds for the Money
Which saxophone reeds are worth buying? From Rico for beginners to Légère for touring players — a practical guide to the best options at each level and for each style.
Clarinet Mouthpiece: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Choosing a clarinet mouthpiece involves a small number of specifications with a significant effect on how the instrument plays. Here is what to look for.
Concert Ukulele Explained: Features, Types and Tips
The concert sits between soprano and tenor in the ukulele family. Here is what the size difference actually means in practice.
Common Saxophone Reeds Mistakes to Avoid
Most saxophone reed problems trace back to a handful of avoidable mistakes. From untested bulk buying to mouthpiece mismatch — here's what catches players out and how to fix each one.
Piccolo Flute Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Half the length of a concert flute yet capable of cutting through a full orchestra, the piccolo flute is one of woodwind's most remarkable instruments — here is everything you need to know about it.
Saxophone Reeds Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Saxophone reeds are small but consequential. This guide explains how they work, what the strength numbers really mean, how cane and synthetic compare, and how to match a reed to your mouthpiece and st...
How to Set Up and Use Nose Flute
From first breath to first melody — a detailed, step-by-step guide to setting up and playing the nose flute, including how to fix the most common early problems.
Guzheng Explained: Features, Types and Tips
A shimmering cascade of notes and a note that bends and wavers, the Chinese zither explained properly, from movable bridges to its closest cousins.
Field Recorder: A Complete Guide
A field recorder captures professional-quality audio anywhere sound actually is. Here's how the category works, what the main types do, and where it all came from.
The Complete Guide to Harp Guitar
The harp guitar fuses guitar and harp traditions into a unique hybrid instrument offering sonorities impossible on conventional guitars. Perfect for adventurous fingerstyle players and composers seeki...
Tenor Saxophone for Beginners: A Complete Guide
All those keys, that curved neck, the worry of an embarrassing squawk — here's the gentle, unhurried way to begin on a tenor saxophone.
Yamaha Saxophone: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical buyer's guide to the Yamaha saxophone range — which tier suits your level, whether to buy new or used, and what to budget for a complete setup.
The Complete Guide to Recorder Yamaha
Yamaha recorders deliver clear tone and reliable intonation for beginners through professionals. Discover why Yamaha is the gold standard for recorder players.
The Best Jaw Harps for the Money
Budget, mid-range, professional and bamboo — specific recommendations at each tier, with honest assessment of what the price difference actually buys.
Harmonica Explained: Features, Types and Tips
The harmonica is a free-reed instrument played in folk, blues, country, and rock. Understanding its main types — diatonic, chromatic, tremolo — and how positions and bending work is the foundation for...
Multitrack Recorder for Beginners: A Complete Guide
A multitrack recorder lets you record each part separately and mix them together — this complete beginner's guide covers setup, gain staging, overdubbing and your first mix.
Soprano Ukulele for Beginners: A Complete Guide
C, F and G are enough to start playing real songs. Here is a practical beginner's guide to the soprano ukulele — first session, chords and what to do when things don't sound right.
The Complete Guide to Folk Guitars
Folk guitars encompass a rich diversity of acoustic instruments spanning centuries and continents. From Spanish flamenco to Irish traditions, folk guitars remain central to cultural musical heritage a...
Common Tuning a Fiddle Mistakes to Avoid
Every one of these mistakes made at least once, usually by someone in a hurry. None are complicated to fix — they just need saying out loud.
Flute for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Learning the flute from scratch means developing embouchure control, correct posture, and basic fingering simultaneously. Here is how to approach each stage correctly and build productive practice hab...
The Ultimate Guide to Wiseman Case Flute
A quality flute case protects against physical damage, maintains humidity stability, and enables convenient transportation for musicians of all levels.
The Ultimate Guide to Ligature Training
A ligature holds a reed to your saxophone or clarinet mouthpiece, and choosing the right one dramatically affects tone quality and response. This guide covers ligature types, tension adjustment, and h...
What Thomas Walker covers
Bassoon
Expressive and distinctive, the bassoon is a vital orchestral double-reed instrument with depth, agility and character.
2 topics
Clarinet
The clarinet is a versatile woodwind, widely used in UK orchestras, bands, jazz and chamber music.
3 topics
Fiddle
Choose a fiddle for folk, traditional and acoustic playing, with lively response and comfortable handling.
3 topics
Flute
Browse flutes for orchestral, chamber and folk playing, with clear tone, quick response and reliable playability for UK...
3 topics
Folk & World Instruments
Reviews, guides and buying advice for folk and world instruments including banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, sitar, djembe and...
62 topics
Kalimba
Kalimba instruments are compact thumb pianos with a soft, melodic tone, ideal for beginners and atmospheric playing.
2 topics
Piccolo Instrument
Choose a piccolo instrument for a bright, agile sound that works well in orchestral, band and solo settings.
Woodwind Instruments
Woodwind instruments span flutes, clarinets, saxophones and more, serving players from beginner to professional.
