Enumclaw Music

August Blog Post | 11 Benefits to Music

If you’re reading this, consider it your sign to jump into music lessons!

Maybe you’ve been toying with the idea of starting your kids in music, or perhaps you’ve been mulling it over for yourself. Whatever your situation, we’re here to share the reasons why this season is the perfect time to say YES to music.

11 Benefits of Music

Improves mood
Lowers stress
Enhances memory
Improves focus
Provides a space for emotional expression
Stimulates creativity
Encourages motor skills like hand–eye coordination
Builds connection with others
Strengthens learning functions such as problem-solving, neural activity, and reading comprehension
Fosters self-discipline
Helps overcome stage fright

The best thing about music is the variety of ways you can engage with it. There’s no one right choice—so many different instruments and styles allow people to connect with music in a way that feels personal and unique.

Whether you’re young, old, or somewhere in between, everyone can benefit from the power of learning music. You don’t have to be the best or an expert to enjoy it! Simply finding a connection to an instrument and allowing yourself to be creative can enrich your life in countless ways. It can also build self-confidence that carries over into other areas of life.

At Enumclaw Music, we LOVE witnessing kids and adults discover their connection to music. It’s our “why”—our purpose in serving the community. We see firsthand the joy, growth, and transformation that happen when someone takes the leap to try something new.

This fall season, we invite you to do the same. Pick up an instrument (or a few!) and experience the incredible benefits and joy of making music.

July Blog Post | Phosphor Bronze Vs 80/20 Strings

Phosphor Bronze Vs 80 / 20 Strings

The main differences lie in the tonal characteristics and longevity of the strings. Let’s break it down!

80/20 Strings

These strings are made of 80% copper and 20% zinc. They produce a bright, vibrant sound when first installed, but this tone tends to mellow relatively quickly—faster than phosphor bronze strings.

Guitarists who prefer a lively, crisp tone often choose 80/20 strings. However, to maintain that brightness, the strings will need to be changed more frequently.

80/20 strings are especially well-suited for strumming, flatpicking, and situations where a punchy tone is desired.

Phosphor Bronze Strings

Phosphor bronze strings are composed of 92% copper, 8% tin, and small amounts of phosphorus. This combination produces a warmer, more balanced tone and is more resistant to corrosion, thanks to the added phosphorus! As a result, they tend to last longer than 80/20 strings.

These strings are a great choice for fingerstyle players or those who sing while playing, as the warmer tone often blends better with vocals.

Which Should You Choose?

While phosphor bronze strings generally have greater longevity, how often you need to change your strings depends on factors like how frequently you play, your playing style, and how well you maintain your guitar.

Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong choice—it all comes down to your personal preference and the sound you’re going for.

At Enumclaw Music we offer different brands that have both phosphor bronze and 80/20 strings. For even longer longevity, our store carries coated strings for maximum lifespan. These strings are coated for protection and stay in tune longer. Although these strings are a little more expensive, guitarists can count on them for their desired tone as well as keeping their guitar in tune longer.

June Blog Post | Schecter Guitars

Schecter Guitars

At Enumclaw Music, we carry a variety of Schecter guitars—one of our main brands that we regularly keep in stock. Here’s why Schecter is a great guitar brand, especially for the models we have available! If you’re still unsure whether Schecter is the right brand for you, come plug one in and take it for a test play!

How It Started

Schecter began in 1976 when David Schecter opened a small shop specializing in guitar repairs. His team mainly focused on crafting specialized replacement parts for guitars. In 1977, the company’s guitar research team was looking for someone to help manage their woodshop, and they found Tom Anderson—who would later become a highly respected boutique guitar builder.

Under Anderson’s leadership, Schecter began manufacturing guitar bodies, necks, pickups, wiring assemblies, and bridges. By the end of the 1970s, they were producing over 400 types of guitar parts, many of which were designed for Fender and Gibson instruments. Eventually, Schecter was making enough components for someone to build an entire guitar from their parts.

In 1979, the company started building complete guitars. This began as a hobby project between David Schecter, Tom Anderson, and Herschel Blankenship, often sparked by finding unique, high-quality pieces of wood.

In 1983, a group of Dallas investors purchased the company and moved it from California to Texas. They continued building guitars using a mix of Schecter-made and imported parts. Just four years later, the company was sold to Japanese businessman Hisatake Shibuya, who owned several music-related companies. He relocated Schecter back to California, returning to its roots as a high-end custom shop. At the time, Schecter guitars were only available through a few select retailers, one of which was Sunset Custom Guitars.

Michael Ciravolo, an employee at Sunset Custom Guitars, eventually became president of Schecter in 1996.

Ciravolo began securing endorsements from popular rock bands like Stone Temple Pilots and White Zombie. Schecter’s custom shop expanded, and the company launched its USA Production Series. Today, Schecter continues to offer guitars and gear at a variety of price points, all while staying true to its roots—quality materials and craftsmanship.

Here Are a Few Models Our Store Carries:

Schecter PT Fastback
This guitar blends classic and modern design, known for its versatility, playability, and high build quality. It features an alder body with a bolt-on maple neck, making it comfortable and smooth to play. The neck has a thin 'C' profile, a 14" radius, and 22 extra-jumbo frets, which allow for effortless movement across the fretboard.

Schecter C-6 Deluxe
Schecter’s budget-friendly option, this model offers quality features at a great price. It features a thin “C” neck profile and 24 extra-jumbo frets for easy playability. The guitar includes a basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. The graphite nut, dual-action truss rod, and durable finish make it a reliable and well-built instrument.

Schecter C-6 Plus
This model is nearly identical to the C-6 Deluxe in terms of parts and build quality, but the main difference is the finish. The C-6 Deluxe has a matte finish, while the C-6 Plus features a more eye-catching design with a quilted maple image top. It comes in vibrant finishes like Ocean Blue Burst and Vintage Sunburst. The slight price increase reflects the upgraded aesthetics—perfect for those who want their guitar to stand out visually.

Schecter C-7 / C-8 Deluxe
These models are essentially extended versions of the C-6 Deluxe, offering seven or eight strings. The main differences are in the scale length, nut width, and fretboard radius, which are adjusted to accommodate the additional strings. Finish options may also vary from the standard C-6 models, especially in the satin finishes.

May | All About Kala

When you walk into Enumclaw Music, you’ll be greeted by a large wall of Kala products—numerous ukuleles, guitars, and even some U-Basses! So, what makes Kala special, and why should you invest in one of their instruments? We strive to stock our store with quality products we believe in, and Kala is definitely one of them.

Let’s dive in and learn a little more about Kala—a Hawaiian word that means “free,” “release,” or “unburden.”

Kala is the most popular ukulele brand, offering a wide range of styles, sizes, woods, and tones. They are family-owned and operate out of Petaluma, California. Fun fact: they are the founders of the original U-Bass!

While all Kala instruments are designed in California, only the Kala Revelator™ Nautilus Series and California U•BASS® Series are built in the United States at the Kala USA Workshop in Petaluma. The rest are manufactured in countries like China, Indonesia, Portugal, Vietnam, India, and Brazil.

Mike Upton, the founder of Kala, first fell in love with the ukulele while living in Hawaii in the 1990s. Outside the islands, he found very few options between expensive, high-end instruments and low-quality toys. When he returned to California, he founded Kala Ukulele to offer people an affordable, high-quality instrument and to make the ukulele more accessible. The first team of Kala techs was formed in 2005, and their flagship model, the KA-15, was crafted from satin mahogany.

Before long, Kala began gaining attention from the music industry. They expanded their ukulele lineup and began using internationally sourced woods that were uncommon for ukuleles, such as Pacific Walnut, Striped Ebony, and Ziricote.

In 2009, Kala introduced the U-Bass, the original short-scale bass. This innovation came about by adding thick, lightweight rubber strings to a baritone ukulele body, producing a rich, deep tone that gave rise to an entirely new instrument.

In 2013, they launched the Waterman Ukulele, a plastic, all-weather instrument designed to support schools with limited budgets and to help students learn music. Since then, Kala has donated over 30,000 Waterman ukuleles (and others) to schools and charities to support music education. Today, it’s the most common ukulele found in American classrooms.

Kala’s principles are simple: provide people with high-quality, affordable instruments that feature inspired designs to suit every player's taste.

They also offer free video lessons on their website and a play-along app that you should definitely check out!

We hope you enjoy your Kala as much as we do! Don’t forget—when you buy a ukulele from us, your first month of small group lessons is just $25. We’re here to help you learn your new instrument at an affordable price.

April's Blog | Acoustic Guitars - What's the Difference?

Have you walked in our store and seen the wall of Acoustic guitars? They come in all shapes and sizes. What does this mean, and which one is right for you? Well, let’s break it down!

The body shape will fit a certain style of playing and some of these guitars are more versatile than others. Below is a graph of different guitar shapes you may see in our store or in others. Below we give a brief description of each of these models.

Parlor | This guitar is one of the oldest body shapes and is popular in blues and folk style music. This type is great for finger picking and is comfortable to hold. This instrument style produces good projection while also hearing the distinctive notes.
OO | This guitar shape is slightly larger than the parlor. There are more highs and lows in the notes which provides for a larger range. There is still great definition in the notes since it is still a smaller body style.
OOO | This is a very popular shape guitar that you might see. It is very versatile as it can be good for finger picking or strumming. This guitar can easily be played with different genres of music.
Orchestra Model | This style offers comfortability while playing and is very versatile with different playing methods and genres. Since this body style is still on the smaller side, it has direct highs, great midrange, and clear lows. The biggest difference between the OM and the OOO is that the OM guitars usually have a longer scale. This then affects the tension and tone.

*Martin popularized both the OOO and the OM models*

Grand Auditorium | This style is versatile as it combines the Orchestra Model with the Dreadnought style. This body style is wider on the bottom like a dreadnought but a tighter waist similar to the OM style. This is a great all-purpose guitar.

*Taylor help popularize this body style*

Dreadnought | This style is most commonly used by singers and songwriters. It is well suited for both picking and strumming. Under the dreadnought family, there is the Sloped-Shouldered Dread. These guitars really blend together all the chords and produces a full sound.
Jumbo | This body style is the largest and is primarily used for strumming because they have a great bass kickback. This style of guitar is often found in Country music. A Gibson SJ-200 is a good representation of this body style.

March Blog Post | Peavey Amps

Peavey Amp Comparison | What’s the Difference?

With our latest shipment of Peavey amps now in stock, we wanted to provide a helpful reference to guide you in choosing the best fit for your guitar-playing needs.

Peavey introduced the Vypyr series in 2008, featuring industry-first innovations such as:

Onboard USB connectivity
Stompbox presets
Built-in looper
Simultaneous operation of up to five effects
TransTube technology

Peavey has long been a trusted name in the amplifier world, known for quality and innovation. The chart below highlights key features of the Vypyr X Series (X1, X2, and X3) to help you compare models.

*This information is sourced from Peavey.com.*

For a more detailed breakdown of the differences, visit Peavey’s official website:
Peavey Vypyr X Series

Stop by our store to test out these amps for yourself and find the perfect match for your sound!

???? Your Enumclaw Music Team ????

February Blog Post

Happy February!

This new year, we’ve noticed quite a few people coming into the store eager to learn the violin. A common question we hear is: How do I know which size I (or my student) need?

Violins come in various sizes, measured on a fractional scale. The smallest size we carry is a 1/4, and the largest is a 4/4, which is a full-size violin.

How to Determine the Right Size?
The main factor in selecting the correct violin size is arm length. To measure:

Stretch out your left arm with your palm facing upward.
Measure from the base of your neck to the middle of your palm.
Compare your measurement to the below sizing chart.

If you’re between sizes, it’s generally better to choose the smaller size. A violin that’s too large can cause poor posture, leading to discomfort or even pain in the arm/neck.

No Sizing Chart? No Problem!
Here’s an alternative method:

Hold the violin at the base of your neck.
Extend your left arm and place your palm on the end of the scroll. Your palm should comfortably cup the scroll.
Try placing your left fingers on the strings. If you’re overextending to reach the fingerboard, the violin may be too large.

November 2024 | Blog Post

Happy November readers!

A common question from our customers is "What strings should I buy?" Well, we are here to break it down for you!

Choosing the correct pack of strings with the right gauges will be important depending on what level of player you are, genre of music, and playing style. It is important to know that the gauges are not quite the same for Electric and Acoustic. For example, the gauges of strings you see on a "Light" set of Electric strings will be different from the gauges you see on a "Light" Acoustic set of strings. The gauge (or the number) on the package of the guitar strings refers to the thickness/diameter of that string! The first number you see refers to the high "E" string.

A couple things to note!
1) The heavier the gauge the more resistance they will have. This in return requires the player to have more finger strength to be able to press the heavier strings down on the frets. As the gauge of the string increases, the tone will also start to change too. The heavier the strings, the more volume you will hear.

2) Lighter strings are easier for beginners and are more flexible for the player as these require less finger strength.

3) The tone produced by the strings is not only affected by the gauge of the strings, but also the material of the strings (nickel, steel, bronze, etc).

Here is a general overview!

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Light
Electric | 10 – 46 Gauge
Acoustic | 12 - 54 Gauge

Tone: Richer and deeper than extra light strings
Pros: Louder than extra light strings. More durable. Stays in tune better. Can work on almost all size guitars.

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October 2024 Blog Post

Hi there,

What better way to start this blog than with the basics! The basics of music help provide a strong foundation for a musical journey. Whether you are new to an instrument or been playing a while, understanding tuning for your string instrument is a key component in producing the sound you want. It also helps preserve the lifespan of the instrument. Let's dive in by answering some common questions!

What is tuning and why do I need to do it?
Tuning is adjusting the string's pitch to produce a specific tone. This is accomplished by managing the tension of the string.

Sound is made up by vibrations. When your musical instrument is making sounds it pushes waves through the air, and the characteristics of these waves impacts the notes we hear and how we interpret those sounds. When you are tuning your instrument, you are altering the frequency that your instrument is vibrating. This then changes the pitch of the sound it makes, affecting the notes you hear.

Tuning is vital because it helps your instrument play notes clearly and consistently, providing good sound quality to the song or melody of choice. Ideally, you should tune your string instrument before each time you play or preform.

How do I tune?
The most convenient way to tune an instrument now days is by using a trusted electronic tuner. Can you imagine if we had to tune all our instruments in store by ear?! No thank you! We rely on our electric tuners to help bring our customers quality sounding instruments.

With that being said, using electronic tuners is great for beginners as they are getting used to know what each of the different notes are supposed to sound like. After a while, the ear gets in tune with what each string should sound like. Learning to ear tune is beneficial, because you might not always have an electronic tuner! Traveling, camping, power outages, lack of batteries can all affect your ability to tune with an electronic tuner. You don't want to be held back from playing by some outside circumstance! Learning to tune with your ear is a good resource to have and know if you are going to continue to play music.

How do I keep my instrument in tune?
Propper storage is necessary when trying to keep your instrument in tune. Make sure that your instrument is not subject to major changes in temperature or humidity. When temperature and humidity fluctuate, the wooden elements on the instrument can expand and contract. Find a spot in your house where the temperature does not alternate much and ideally keep it in a case. AKA NOT the garage!

Another important thing to remember is that tuning pegs or other parts of your instrument can loosen or get damaged over time. Keep an eye out on these elements and seek help tightening or replacing parts.

Keep in mind that your strings should be replaced regularly depending on how often you play. If you are finding it difficult to keep your instrument in tune, your current strings may have lost their elasticity. Also, playing style can affect your tune instruments. For example, this could be a person applying to much pressure to with their bow or fingers.

What if my instrument won't stay in tune?
If your instrument will not stay in tune, it may mean that you need to replace the strings and/or see a professional to check out the instrument as some wear and tear could be affecting the ability to keep in tune. Luckily, for those that live around Enumclaw, we provide tune up services and will help fix and/or adjust items on your instrument to keep your instrument in tune. Come in and chat with us and we are happy to help give you some tips or take a look at it ourselves.

What notes do I tune my string instrument to?
Bass
E, A, D, and G

Cello
C, G, D, and A

Guitar
E, A, D, G, B, E

Ukulele

G, C, E and A

Viola
C, G, D, and A

Violin
G, D, A, and E.

To recap...
All these elements can affect your tuning.

1) Instrument material (the wood of your string instrument)
2) Thickness of your strings
3) Size and shape of the instrument
4) Playing style
5) Temp and humidity

Make sure you tune before playing and replace your strings on a regular basis. Get yourself an electric tuner and over time learn to tune by ear.

Thanks!
Your team @Enumclaw Music

***Our goal is to be a place where you can confidently reference when you have questions or need a refresher about something. Keep this page saved so you can refer to it the next time you are tuning your instrument or have questions!***