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Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you probably found out about the death of one of the most prolific and popular DJs in the world, Avicii. Better known by his stage name, Swedish musician Tim Bergling enjoyed worldwide success and was appreciated by the younger generation.

He started his career at the age of 16 and, until his recent death, in April 2018, has released numerous songs that captured the attention of the public and brought him fame. However, his story is less about success and more about exhausting work and endless hours spent recording and writing lyrics. Here is everything you may want to know about the former Swedish DJ.

The early years

Bergling was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in September 1989 and many of his former friends and colleagues claim he was always a very sensitive and passionate person. He was always interested in music and, at the age of 16, he started posting remixes of his favorite songs in online forums of electronic music. Eventually, he landed his first record label deal.

His first musical success was with the single “Levels” launched in 2011. In 2013, Avicii released his first studio album which received positive reviews from the critics and the fans. His most notable success was the lead single “Wake Me Up”, which managed to become number one in numerous European countries, including Sweden, and scored the 4th position in the American charts.

 

The peak years

Right after his debut album in 2011, Bergling started touring and became a common face at the most important music festivals and events in the world. He was known for his deep house and progressive house genres but also enjoyed making electronic music with various influences of funk, folk, country, and even blues and soul.

His inspiration came from bands like Swedish House Mafia and Daft Punk and he was also a source of inspiration to many new musicians, including Martin Garrix, Diplo, Kygo or Skrillex.

He performed on the world’s biggest stages and was a regular at popular festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland, and Creamfields.

Death

The hectic world of music and constant tours finally took their toll as Avicii had to step aside from the spotlight in 2016. He was exhausted and gave up touring to follow a long period of rehab away from the world of music.

He was known to suffer from pancreatitis due to heavy consumption of alcohol and he was also battling with depression and anxiety. However, his death took everyone by surprise, especially since he only released his second studio album in August 2017. He passed away on April 20, 2018, in Muscat, Oman.

In an open letter released by his family members, it was stated that the young DJ was suffering from health issues and mental problems for many years. Later on, it was confirmed that Bergling committed suicide. If you want to learn more about his life and career, you should watch the documentary “Avicii: True Stories” released in 2017.

 

 

 

Becoming a DJ might seem simple from the outside, but it is quite a complicated process, especially if you want to be good at it. DJ-ing is a form of art, and just like any act of creation, it requires a lot of training and a lot of creativity, which takes years to develop and refine.

I took it upon myself, like always, to learn more about the topic of becoming a DJ. In this article, I try to break down this mystery cleanly and straightforwardly so I can inspire you to put yourself out there, and surprise the world with your music sense and with your songs.

The first thing to do is to take a moment and ask yourself why you want to become one. Most people want to get into this art because they want to become famous. While it is a valid point of view, it’s not one that is going to fuel your creativity and excitement in the long run.

If your answer is because you love mixing sounds and creating new beats, then you should pat yourself on the shoulder – because you’ve just passed the first step towards becoming an accomplished DJ. The next thing you have to do is invest in mixing hardware and software like Garageband, a DJ controller and even in a quality microphone.

You don’t have to overspend, especially since the market is filled with budget-friendly options. But if you’re dead serious about pursuing this path, then go all in. The next trick is to experiment. I would recommend that you try to create your own sounds without any lessons beforehand, as they tend to tone down that uniqueness everyone has.

Another thing you can do is to look up mixing lessons after you’ve gathered more information about your style and after you’ve decided upon of what kind of music you want to bring into the world. Great sources of professional mixing classes are websites like Skillshare and Youtube.

And the last step is to make your voice heard. After you’ve created enough songs and remixed enough tracks, start sending them to your friends. Additionally, you can post them on social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram, where people can access them whenever they want to, and where they can leave feedback – which sounds scary, but it’s advantageous from many points of view.

You can also go to club owners and ask them if they are willing to play your tunes during parties, so you can gather momentum and get people interested in your stuff. This is the most critical part because a great chunk of DJ-ing is interacting with your public. It is a well-known fact that if there isn’t anyone to hear your music, it’s like you’ve never created it in the first place.

 

Many of us complain nowadays that music is not what it used to be, because there are plenty of musicians and bands using editing software to improve the quality of their voices, and even alter them to the extent they don’t even sound as the original anymore.

But I’m not saying editing software is no good. On the contrary, I strongly believe that these programs can provide an even and polished sound so that the band or musician really manages to deliver a meaningful message to the audience.

This is why I reckon it would be useful to make a list of my favorite music editing programs so you can go through my top selections and pick the one you think might help you out.

But, before jumping to my suggestions, keep in mind that some of these programs are free and you can download them in a jiffy, while others will require you to pay significant amounts of money to enjoy all their features.

In the end, it is up to you to make the right choice for your own requirements, but if you’re a newbie, you should work your way around with the free software first.

 

WavePad

This program has been voted for years in a row one of the most reliable music editing programs in the industry. It is provided by NCH Software, a company known for its user-friendly and easy-to-use tools it provides.

What I like about this program is that it is ready to use once you install it and supports almost all important audio formats, including AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, VOx, and others. The software also provides plenty of functions to cope with, from silence to copying, inserting, auto-trimming, and more.

However, if you’re looking for additional plug-ins and extended features, you’ll have to download the Premium version. The program is compatible with newer versions of Windows (7, 8, 8.1) and Mac OS X (10.4 and above). You can also download this application on your Android or iOS smartphone.

 

Audacity

This program was also rated as a good one by all its users. Despite its incredible features and numerous plug-ins, this software is completely free of charge, so you can start practicing with your favorite tunes without worrying about your finances.

The software supports the most popular audio formats such as MP3 and WAV but you’ll have to separately download an encoder to be able to use the former. The user-friendly interface and the number of available functions will definitely make this software your favorite.

You can cut and paste, reduce the volume or the background noises, as well as prepare your tracks for live recording.

The software is compatible with all PC operating systems, including Windows XP, 7, and 8, Mac OS X up to 10.10, and Linux.

 

 

 

Playing an instrument is not only an enjoyable way to spend your spare time but it can prove quite therapeutic as well. For decades now plenty of studies have shown the beneficial effects of therapy through music on patients suffering from all types of traumas and syndromes.

From depression to autism and stress relief, music is a powerful tool through which anyone can show his true emotions and let everything bad out.

What we like about the guitar is that it delivers multiple sounds that can be both soothing and energizing. However, learning to play the guitar could prove quite difficult, especially if you don’t have a personal tutor to teach you all the techniques. Difficult but not impossible, as there are plenty of people willing to share their playing guitar secrets with you, online.

And even though you won’t end up playing exactly like Jimi Hendrix or Carlos Santana, some lessons of electric guitar for beginners won’t hurt you. Here are our proposals.

 

 

The Professional Guitar Masterclass at Udemy

This class is taught online by an award-winning GIT grad and a professional guitarist with an experience of over 15 years teaching other students the bases of guitar playing.

Throughout the course, you’ll learn a series of new skills, including how to develop your unique voice on the guitar, how to play any chord, and instantly know what scales to play. Apart from that, the Professional Guitar Masterclass will also teach you some basic music theory and how to apply it in your own terms while playing the guitar.

 

Guitartricks.com

This website aims to teach you how to play the guitar by using online guitar lessons. What we like about this resource is that you can choose between beginner lessons, experienced lessons, how to play songs or different styles of guitar. All classes are fun with easy-to-follow instructions.

Guitar tricks offers full free classes that you can pick any time you want. All you need is determination and enough spare time to learn all the tricks to play like a pro.

 

Guitar lessons by Guitareo

Another free online resource to teach you how to play guitar like a pro, Guitareo features plenty of videos that can be picked up by both beginners and those who already know a few things about guitar songs. You can also learn about rhythm guitars, blues guitars or lead guitars, depending on your interests.

 

Justin Guitar

This online resource offers you a 14-day free trial version and will help you build different skill levels, from beginner to advanced. You’ll also have access to a YouTube channel dedicated to learning how to play different songs.

 

JamPlay

With JamPlay you’ll get a 7-day free trial version and, if you like what you’re learning, you’ll get to pay a modest sum of money for extended learning lessons. There are over 5,000 different guitar lessons, which makes JamPlay one of the most comprehensive guitar teaching services online.