Common Mistakes

Rickenbacker Electric Bass / 12 Apr 2026 / James Harrison

Common Rickenbacker Electric Bass Mistakes to Avoid

The honest list of mistakes owners and buyers most often make with a Rickenbacker electric bass, and how to sidestep them.

Celesta / 9 Apr 2026 / Benjamin Wood

Common Celesta Mistakes to Avoid

Every quirk in how a celesta behaves traces back to a specific mechanical cause. Here are the mistakes that come up again and again.

Allen and Heath Sq5 / 5 Apr 2026 / James Harrison

Common Allen and Heath Sq5 Mistakes to Avoid

Layer confusion, gain mistakes, ignoring scene recall and running old firmware — here are the SQ-5 errors that cost engineers the most time.

Tablet Stand / 5 Apr 2026 / James Harrison

Common Tablet Stand Mistakes to Avoid

The easy-to-make mistakes that leave musicians with the wrong tablet holder, and how to sidestep every one of them before you buy.

Music Stand / 4 Apr 2026 / Benjamin Wood

Common Music Stand Mistakes to Avoid

None of these mistakes are exotic. They're the same handful of avoidable errors, repeated across thousands of purchases.

Autoharp / 4 Apr 2026 / Claire Robinson

Common Autoharp Mistakes to Avoid

The autoharp is a forgiving instrument, but forgiving isn't foolproof. Here are the small, ordinary mistakes almost every owner makes, and the easy fixes for each.

Pan Flute / 3 Apr 2026 / Louise Watson

Common Pan Flute Mistakes to Avoid

Most pan flute beginners make the same mistakes. Blowing too hard, rushing progression, buying the wrong instrument, neglecting care. Here's how to avoid them.

Tenor Horn Instrument / 31 Mar 2026 / Louise Watson

Common Tenor Horn Instrument Mistakes to Avoid

Most tenor horn problems aren't dramatic — they're small habits that build up quietly. Here's what to watch for and how to fix each one.

4 String Bass / 27 Mar 2026 / Rebecca Turner

Common 4 String Bass Mistakes to Avoid

Most bass playing problems come down to a short list of common mistakes. Here are the ones to know about — and the fixes that make an immediate difference.

Shamisen / 27 Mar 2026 / Claire Robinson

Common Shamisen Mistakes to Avoid

Most shamisen trouble isn't about talent — it's a handful of quiet assumptions. Here are the mistakes that come up again and again.

Sound Proof Panels / 25 Mar 2026 / Daniel Cooper

Common Sound Proof Panels Mistakes to Avoid

Most disappointing results with sound proof panels come from a handful of avoidable mistakes, not the products themselves. Here they are.

Reaper / 25 Mar 2026 / Sophie Clarke

Common Reaper Mistakes to Avoid

Unconfigured shortcuts, linear routing assumptions and missed headroom management account for most production problems in this DAW — here is how to avoid them from the start.

Fretless Bass Guitars / 24 Mar 2026 / Rebecca Turner

Common Fretless Bass Guitars Mistakes to Avoid

Most struggles with fretless bass guitars trace back to a fixable habit, not a lack of talent — here's what actually goes wrong.

Behringer Eurorack Rack / 20 Mar 2026 / Jennifer Hill

Common Behringer Eurorack Rack Mistakes to Avoid

Guitar Effects Pedals Wah / 19 Mar 2026 / Charlotte Bennett

Common Guitar Effects Pedals Wah Mistakes to Avoid

I once watched a friend rock a wah pedal through an entire song, completely out of time, delighted with himself. Here are the honest mistakes people make.

Vinyl Record Cleaner Machine / 17 Mar 2026 / Oliver Thompson

Common Vinyl Record Cleaner Machine Mistakes to Avoid

Most cleaning mistakes come down to impatience or the wrong fluid, not the machine. Here's what actually trips people up, and how to avoid it.

Tabla Drumming / 16 Mar 2026 / Joanne Hall

Common Tabla Drumming Mistakes to Avoid

Small, repeated habits, not dramatic errors. Here's what quietly works against a beginner, and against the instrument itself.

Plugin Types / 14 Mar 2026 / Emily Foster

Common Plugin Types Mistakes to Avoid

More tracks get worse from plugin overload than from anything missing. Here are the mistakes I see constantly, so you can skip straight past them.

Ernie Ball Strings / 14 Mar 2026 / James Harrison

Common Ernie Ball Strings Mistakes to Avoid

Most string problems blamed on 'a bad set' are actually something the player did. Here are the mistakes to watch for, and how to fix each one.

Electronic Bow / 10 Mar 2026 / Charlotte Bennett

Common Electronic Bow Mistakes to Avoid

The honest list of electronic bow mistakes, from letting the drive section touch the string to expecting chords, and the simple fix for each.

Jazz Guitar / 10 Mar 2026 / Rebecca Turner

Common Jazz Guitar Mistakes to Avoid

Six common jazz guitar mistakes that have nothing to do with gear, and how to fix every one of them.

Waves Plugins / 10 Mar 2026 / Sophie Clarke

Common Waves Plugins Mistakes to Avoid

Six common Waves plugins mistakes that have nothing to do with which plugins you own, and how to fix every one of them.

Epiphone J 200 / 10 Mar 2026 / James Harrison

Common Epiphone J 200 Mistakes to Avoid

Most problems with this guitar have nothing to do with the guitar itself. Here are the buying and care mistakes worth avoiding entirely.

Guitar Pedal / 10 Mar 2026 / Benjamin Wood

Common Guitar Pedal Mistakes to Avoid

Most guitar pedal problems are preventable. Learn the mistakes beginners make and how to sidestep them from the start.