music

Improvising On The Piano: Jazz Musicians Do It -- Why Not Other Styles?

2009-02-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

Why jazz piano improvisation?

Why not gospel piano improvisation?

Is it not possible to improvise classical music, or sacred music, or any other kind of music?

Bach improvised many of his fugues and inventions while playing organ in church. Many others in all musical styles have improvised within the context of their own persuasion. So why study improvised jazz? Why not study improvised classical music, or improvised gospel music?

The answer is access.

Jazz piano improvisation is so much more accessible than is improvisation in other areas. Some classical pianists do improvise, but at performances they are generally expected to play Chopin or Debussy or Mozart, rather than to make up their own music. There are gospel pianists who do improvise, but the expectation of their listeners is not primarily to hear music created on the spot.

But the expectations of a audience of jazz fans is expressly to hear music created extemporaneously, without benefit of written score. And so jazz, far more than any other musical style to date, has become the music of improvisation. Not because there is anything inherent in the tunes jazz musicians play that calls for improvisation, but because of the expectation of improvisation that has built up over the years.

This fact makes it possible for an interested observer to study jazz improvisation like he could study no other kind of improvisation. He has easy access to concerts, recordings, transcriptions of jazz recordings, and even local jam sessions. When can he attend a classical concert and be sure of hearing music improvised? When can he attend church with assurance that the pianist will improvise? But with jazz, his sources are many and are readily available.

Can the principles derived from jazz improvisation be applied to other musical styles?

Of course.

Every pianist uses the same 88 notes of the keyboard. All music consists of some kind of melody, some kind of harmony, some kind of rhythm. Elements from one style can be transplanted to another style; in fact, this is happening all the time. Notice lately how much of contemporary pop music is flavored with elements from jazz, country-western, and even classical music. Cross-pollinization of styles abounds in contemporary music.

So improvisation can be studied by the student of classical music, the church pianist, the worship team keyboardist, the new-age pianist, the country-western piano player, and any other style of music. The benefits and rewards of learning to improvise on the piano are enormous.

So next time you see or hear a jazz pianist play, pay close attention to what she or he is doing. Ask yourself what's going on musically -- what chords and chord progressions are being used, what rhythms are in play, and how the tune of a song is being altered as the pianist improvises the melody line.

Then go home and apply what you've learned to your style of music. You'll be surprised how much you can learn by simply observing and then applying what you've seen and heard to your own playing.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He is the author of a CD-DVD course titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.pianoplayingwithchords.com/">"How To Make Up Music As You Play -- How To Improvise On The Piano!"</a>. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com/">"Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions"</a> with over 57,400 current subscribers.

The Downfall Of The #1 Southern Gospel Station

2009-02-05T09:30:00.001-08:00

Back in the 90's we had a local Southern Gospel station (I can't remember the name. You'll see why if you keep reading). They were known for their motto, "If it doesn't say it, we won't play it." They were determined not to play watered-down Gospel music-even if it was Southern Gospel. And they did a good job.

The same year they made the "If it doesn't say it" pledge to the fans and the Southern Gospel industry, they were voted the #1 radio station in all of Southern Gospel.

Does that mean they had reached the top?

In worldly terms, yes.

Guess what happened next.

They switched to Contemporary. Less than a year later they switched to secular Pop music! Six months later, they were gone.

Did they reach the top in Kingdom terms?

I think not! God's at the top of The Kingdom with Jesus right beside Him.

We'll never be at the top of the Kingdom. After all, it's God's Kingdom. But that doesn't mean we should stop trying to get as close as we can. If we make it to the top of our vocation, God has a reason and it's not so we can abandon His plan. Go out on your own and everything'll fall apart.

What happened to the #1 Southern Gospel station in the country?

My guess is that they changed their focus from The Kingdom Of God to the "Kingdom Of The Wallet."

In worldly terms they were as far as they could go. In Kingdom terms they had a long way to go!

Joey Phillips
The Southern Gospel Place 100% Southern Gospel! <a target="_new" href="http://www.southerngospelplace.com">http://www.southerngospelplace.com</a>

Beginning Clarinet: The Very Start

2009-02-05T08:40:00.001-08:00

Like starting with any instrument, beginning clarinet is a process of learning that involves both great achievement and the occasional setback. However, if the beginning clarinetist follows a few tips relating to clarinet care and clarinet playing, the success is sure to outweigh the setbacks.

The first thing that a new clarinet player should learn is to put together their instrument properly, and how to hold it. One of the important things when putting a clarinet together is not to force any part into another, and that the side lever is up when the lower and upper parts are put together, otherwise bent keys could be the result.

This type of care should be extended to all parts of the clarinet ? while it is inevitable that reeds will eventually split, they will last longer with careful care. The clarinet itself will last longer and have less need for repair if it is looked after properly, which includes cleaning after each time it is played and being put in its case properly.

One of the most difficult things for the beginning clarinetist is getting the embouchure correct. The embouchure is how the lips are shaped to hold the mouthpiece and create the correct vibration of the reed. Make sure that the bottom teeth are covered by the bottom lip and that the top teeth are touching the mouthpiece, but not clamping down too tight. It is normal for beginner clarinet players to have a lot of squeaking! As you continue to learn and practice, this annoying part of beginner clarinet playing should disappear.

Find hundreds of articles about the clarinet at <a target="_new" href="http://www.1st-clarinet-music.com/Articles/articles.htm">1st-clarinet-music</a>

Worldcopyright Marc Hofkens and Cosblad Publications NV. You can use and publish this article on the condition that you don't change anything and you add this resource box at any time.

<a target="_new" href="http://www.1st-clarinet-music.com">1st-clarinet-music.com</a>

Learning How To Improvise

2009-02-05T07:30:00.001-08:00

Those of you who have been reading my articles for some time now know that I believe improvisation to be the cornerstone of musical creativity. Why? Because without the ability to just play, we become stifled and the "real" music that is within each of us withers and dies.

Now, if you're a writer, you have lots of support in this area. There are books, (many, many books) that explore the topic of freewriting to its fullest. There are plenty of exercises and advice from professionals in the field. There are even classes designed to "free the writer within."

But what about music? Where can the aspiring piano improviser go to get help and advice on this topic? Traditionally, they would turn to Jazz - a word synonymous with improvisation. Jazz is a big believer in learning scales and chords. In fact, there are 1000's of scales and 1000's of chords to learn. This can be a turn-off for the beginning student who simply wants to dive in and express through music.

Learning how to improvise need not be difficult. There are only 2 things required:

1. The ability to trust your intuition

2. Knowledge of a few chords

Learning a few chords is the easy part. The part that gives more students problems than anything else is getting over perfectionism and the fear of making "mistakes."

I remember when I first started playing the piano. I wanted very badly to "create" something. Little did I know that by wanting so badly to create, I was blocking the creative impulse. You see, we must learn to play first!! Very hard for many adults because they want to make something "worthy" of performance. If they only would ease up a little and relax and not worry so much about what was coming out of them, then they would begin to experience the joy of improvisation.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at <a target="_new" href="http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html">http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html</a> for a FREE piano lesson!

Getting Rhythm - Three Tips for Guitar Beginners

2009-02-04T21:40:00.001-08:00

If you are just starting out learning guitar one of the hardest things can be getting a good rhythm and keeping that rhythm going while you change chords with your left hand.

When I first started learning guitar I would strum along happily until the chord change and then my right hand would stop while I changed the position of the left.

This makes your playing sound terrible. In fact if you can keep that right hand strumming or picking the sequence, you will sound good. If you are a bit slow with your chord changes and strum some open strings in between you will still sound good. But lose that rhythm and everybody knows that you are messing up.

Here are my top three tips for getting past this learning stage.

#2 Move your body to the rhythm. When I started out I was told to tap my foot to the rhythm.

1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4

I just couldn't do it. It seemed like one more thing to remember and overloaded my system. Then I learned to move my head to the rhythm and immediately my timing improved. I would nod to the beat and move side to side a bit as well. I guess it's just horses for courses. You need to find what works best for you but if you can't tap your foot try nodding your head or even bouncing the whole of the top half of your body. Get the beat rattling through your bones!

*** Increase your tempo gradually one beat at a time. You can use a metronome to keep time but I prefer a drum machine. I need to really hear that beat in order to know that I'm with it. You can get Metronomes and Drum Machines to download to your PC. For an excellent free drum machine visit www.just-jammin.com.

Once you have your drum machine, set it up so that there is a heavier beat on the first beat in the bar. Then set a nice easy tempo. If need be start as low as 70 beats per minute. When you can play your piece smoothly at this speed play it again at 71, then 72 etc. You'll be surprised at just how quickly you can get up to full speed.

Darren Power is the webmaster at <a target="_new" href="http://www.just-jammin.com">http://www.just-jammin.com</a> where you will find the best price on your new guitar, reviews of the latest training products along with guitar news & freebies

New Age Piano Playing and the Sustain Pedal

2009-02-04T17:50:00.001-08:00

There are 3 pedals on most pianos. The one on the left dampens the strings and makes the sound come out softer. The one in the middle - I have no idea what that one does, but the one on the right - the sustain pedal - this one is the pedal I have my foot on when I play the piano.

I like to let the tones ring out, but if I keep the sustain pedal depressed for too long, the music turns into a mud puddle - hundreds of overtones coming out everywhere. Don't let anyone tell you that there is a proper way to pedal the piano.

Each style of music uses the sustain pedal differently. New age music, fortunately for us, is much more liberal with its use. Why? Because we usually throw the pedal "rules" out the window. The key to pedaling is to listen for the sound YOU WANT then pedal accordingly.

How do you think the great pianists and composers of the past did it? Do you think they asked themselves, "well maybe I should pedal here?" Of course not. They put pedal marks down where they themselves used it in a piece. You should do the same.

There's nothing like the ringing sound of overtones you get when you let the notes hang in mid-air. In fact, this is one of the charms of the piano - that mysterious echo barely discernible to the untrained ear, but there nevertheless providing warmth and realism to the music.

It's all accomplished through the use of the sustain pedal. When you want your music to breathe, use it. Experiment with it. Don't be afraid to keep it depressed for as long as you want to.

Songwriting - The Art of Writing a Good Song

2009-02-04T16:50:00.001-08:00

Did you know that good songwriting is often the key to establishing a successful music career? But more than that, it can be fun! When you write a song you are able to express yourself in new and creative ways. Whether you're sad, happy, angry, or in love... with words, you can fly!

Freedom of expression is one of the greatest priviledges we have, but with it comes some responsibility. Words are very powerful and have been used successfully by many for better, or worse. When writing a song, consider how your words are going to impact your listener. Do you wish to alienate them, or draw them into your perspective on things?

A good song will create an emotional reaction in people, and that's exactly what you're trying to achieve! You want to get your listener to feel with you. You want to move them emotionally. You want them to like your song and be willing to listen to it again and again. If you can get your audience to identify with you on some level, you will be on the road to creating a good song.

As you are stirring up your creative juices you may discover that finding just the RIGHT word is sometimes a bit frustrating. But with the RIGHT songwriting tips and resources it becomes a lot easier! Here are three of the most important songwriting tools you should have:

1. DICTIONARY - A dictionary is essential when writing. Besides giving you the correct meaning of a word, it will also help you to express yourself more clearly. You will discover new words while expanding your vocabulary too!

2. THESAURUS - A thesaurus is another important tool to help with creating your songwriting material. You can use a thesaurus to find different words that have similiar meaning.

3. RHYMING DICTIONARY - As the name implies, a rhyming dictionary organizes words that rhyme in alphabetical order using the vowel sounds A E I O U. For example, if you were looking for a word that rhymes with Abel you would look under A sounds. Words rhyming with Abel would be listed in alphabetical order.

There isn't really a secret formula for writing a good song because determining what is "good" is subjective and a matter of personal opinion (some great songs have broken all the so called "rules"). However, many successful songwriters have used the following format to write a "Hit" song:

INTRO: Approximately 4-8 measures of instrumental music that contains part or all of "the hook" (a part of the melody that is easy to remember).

VERSE: Each verse should be written in such a way as to "set up" the chorus. Try to keep the meter of your song even by matching the syllables of your words. Be consistent with the sentences that rhyme. Verses should create an anticipation of fulfillfment.

CHORUS: This is where you make your statement. Stress the most important part of your song and make it tasty. Think of your chorus or "hook" as being like the icing on a cake. You want your words to be worth remembering.

VERSE: Continue to follow the idea of your song all the way through, don't get side-tracked!

CHORUS: This is where you have the opportunity to repeat your "hook" which should continue to emphasize your songs main theme.

BRIDGE: This is where you can create some interest and tension by changing your melody line, modulating to a different key, or adding an instrumental guitar part, etc. Don't make it too long, approximately 8 measures or so. It should build or crescendo to the final chorus.

FADE CHORUS: This is generally the same as your first chorus, but you will end by repeating it over and over, then gradually fade out to end your song. Use your "hook" generously, but don't over-kill!

Be flexible and use your imagination! Don't just copy or mimic what is currently popular. Remember that some of the biggest names in the music business made it to the top because they were not afraid to be ORIGINAL or have a different sound. So, experiment, be yourself, and most of all- have fun!

FREE Reprint Rights - You may publish this article in your e-zine or on your web site as long as you include the following information:

Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar . She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: <a target="_new" href="http://www.abclearnguitar.com/songwriting-tips-and-resources.html">http://www.abclearnguitar.com</a>

Learning How To Improvise

2009-02-04T15:30:00.001-08:00

Learning how to improvise need not be difficult. There are only 2 things required:

1. The ability to trust your intuition

2. Knowledge of a few chords

Learning a few chords is the easy part. The part that gives more students problems than anything else is getting over perfectionism and the fear of making "mistakes."

Dont Censor the Music and Artistic Expression

2009-02-04T13:20:00.001-08:00

Ann Powers said:
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"Don't censor the music and artistic expression.

Eminem's music, in particular the songs "Kim" and "Stan," is a continuation of a tradition in music and American art in general: the Gothic murder ballad, which has been with us ever since the blues or Appalachian folk music. "Stan" is just like an Edgar Allan Poe tale, if you think about it. Johnny Cash shot a man just to watch him die. This is something that's had a very solid, longstanding role in culture. Self-styled moralists are getting up in arms about something that has always been part of the literature of development. If you're a kid, you have to learn about violence, about hate, about death, about fear. That's part of becoming an adult. And if it's not fed to you by Eminem, you're going to get it from your own nightmares. The illusion that kids need to be protected from that is connected to a kind of fetishizing of innocence, which is unrealistic." Ann Powers

Music critic, the New York Times

We live in a society where we are taught to hide our true feelings and emotions. When I look back at the way I have been educated at school and and home, I now know how hypocritical it was. Teachers and parents tried to hide some reality.We were pictured a safe world with nice people. Religion ( particularly the way it was taught) increased that wrong impression. Eminem's work appears to be progressive for conservative people. But the same conservative people would also have rejected Baudelaire or any other controversial poet or writer centuries before. Conservatism is a form of intolerance in general.

I have felt insecure a great part of my life and I didn't know how to act the right way with people, being too much afraid to speak my mind. There is something I will probably never get: why are references to suicide so taboo in people's mind? Many people also blamed Goethe for his work "Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers" ("The Sorrows of Young Werther") because a lot of young people committed suicide after reading his book. Not Goethe is to blame, but rather those young people's decision...but do we really need somebody to blame? Anybody has the right to end his life if he feels like his pain is unbearable. My cousin committed suicicide when I was 15. I was shocked, but I don't judge her for that. It was her decision to stop her immense sorrow.

MTV also censors notions that have to do with suicide.

The "Tatu" video "Not Gonna Get Us" was considered as shocking and would be censored not because it pictured two lesbian girls, but because they seem to commit suicide at the end of the video. I was very surprised to discover that the word "die" in the sentence "I'm so sick and tired of bein admired/ that I wish that I would just die or get fired ? from Eminem's song ? The Way I Am ?. How is that possible ? How could MTV censor a word like ? die ? as if death didn't belong to our every day reality ?

They allow sentences such as ? People killin', people dyin'/Children hurt and you hear them cryin'? from sugar sweet songs such as ? Where is the love ? ? from Black Eyed Peas and they dare censoring ? die ? in ? The Way I Am ? video ? How far should we push hypocrisy ?

So many writers and poets such as Fran?ois Villon in the 15th century in France have been considered as shocking for their use of vulgar language. Many people want to do as if vulgar and popular language didn't exist (I'm sure the same people use it in their privacy as well). Popular and vulgar words are part of our culture too, there is no reason to ignore it.

Why should we censor notions such as suicide, murder and death that are present in the music when our kids already play violent games on their playstation and watch "Hannibal" and "Scary Movie" on Tv? A little bit of violence helps kids to get rid of their own agressivity and shouldn't be viewed as necessarly dangerous and negative.

The best way to protect our kids is not to hide reality. The closer they are to reality, the better they are armed to face real battles in life.

I do teach English and German at public schools. I am an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist.

Its Jewish Music, But Is The Music Jewish?

2009-02-04T08:00:00.001-08:00

A while back I was driving along the Jerusalem highway scanning the radio stations. On one frequency, a very intense dance beat was exploding out of the speakers. I was about to move the dial some more in search of a Jewish tune when the vocalist started in. Shock of shocks, he was a heavily Hassidic singer, complete with eastern European pronunciation. And what was he singing? "Kumee oy'ree ki va oy-reich.." from 16th century Rabbi Shlomo Alkavetz' classic Sabbath poem, L'cha Dodi. Before he had began his rendition I had been expecting something like "Oh baby, the way you move with me ..."!

I had to ask the old question, "Is this good for the Jews?" And I had to give the old answer, "Does hair grow on the palm of your hand?"

Of course it's not good for the Jews, I felt. Poor, unfortunate L'cha Dodi, dragged from the fields of Tsfat on the Sabbath eve and infected with Saturday Night Fever! Lovingly done by a Hassid, no less!

Speaking of Tsfat, I recall meandering about their Klezmer festival once and hearing a contemporary setting of Psalm 126. It was to a funk rhythm, and the words did not fit. The singer had to split words in two, which rendered them more or less meaningless. Good for the Jews? Nah.

What bothered me about this so-called Jewish music? To put it briefly, besides the words, it just wasn't. It was dance, trance, shmantz. It was hip, driving, suggestive. If this music was asked where it wanted to play, the synagogue or the sin-skin club, the answer was clear. If Jewish music is to be defined as such, it must have authentic Jewish roots. And so much contemporary music simply does not. Where was the source of this tradition? Nowhere. That's what bothered me.

But, as Tevye reminds us, there's another hand. After all, go listen to classic Hassidic nigunim (melodies). Then go listen to Russian folk songs. Eerie, no? Weren't those folk songs the "dance" of their day?

Even stronger, go watch the religious kids. They love contemporary popular music and all its villains. What these new Jewish groups do is take what's hip and put Jewish content into it. Isn't that what the original Hassidic nigunim were all about? If we don't want to lose our young people in the culture war, we have to compete. Didn't Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch bring the choral works of Lewandowsky and Japhet in to the synagogue service, even though they were completely in the style of the German composers of the age, such as Schubert and Mendelssohn (he needs an asterisk because he was halakhically Jewish)? So maybe I should not only calm down, I should applaud this phenomenon.

Hold on. We're both right, I believe. Here's how I reconcile the difference, and my earnest appeal to all who create Jewish music. The most important thing is to ask, "To be or not to be?" That is the question.

Every song has a purpose, a message. It can be joy, faith, pensiveness, determination, anything. The message is in the melody and rhythm, which create the atmosphere. It's in the text, which gives articulation to the message. And it's in the performance, which makes the message personal between the performer and the listener. If the message is congruent, if the music and the lyrics are a perfect union that inspires the performer, then you have a great piece of music. If the message is mixed, if there's a battle going on between the rhythm and the words, then we are troubled. That was why that "kumee oy'ree" was so absolutely awful. It was a mixed message of licentious music with holy texts.

We love to set verses from the liturgy to music, and that's wonderful. Composers have a special responsibility to make sure that the music conveys the message and colors the words with deeper meanings. Do that, and I'm fascinated, I'm inspired, even if it's a contemporary style.

But be very, very careful with verses. We tend to ask, "Do you think Adon Olam goes to this?", when we would do better to ask, "What is this melody saying?". If it says Adon Olam, good. If it does not, then WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS. To keep with the idea of message, if you have a great tune that can say something worthwhile (something human and real, not negative or immodest), say it your way. That satisfies.

The foundation of Jewish music has always been expressing what's in our hearts as a prayer to God. That expression must be congruent, pure, sincere. There is room in the Jewish music world for great innovation, if it comes from our hearts, not from the charts.

Seth Yisra'el Lutnick is a singer and composer who has performed on stage and screen. His CD is called Gesharim, and he is also a trained cantor. Visit his website, <a target="_new" href="http://www.greatjewishmusic.com">http://www.greatjewishmusic.com</a> for music and more.

Interview With Josh Epstein of Vision Music USA

2009-02-03T16:00:00.001-08:00

Vision Music USA is a proactive and progressive music service firm with the interest of their clients the driving force that makes them successful. President Josh Epstein and CEO Nick Stamoulis are focused on helping the Independent artists to maintain control of their career by saving them time and their hard-earned dollars. Josh took some time from his busy day to talk to me about their growing company.

MuzikMan: How did you and Nick meet? What interest and goals did you share that brought you together? What are your backgrounds and what qualifies you to provide all of these services to Independent artists?

Josh: Nick and I met in Boston. I was working as the Publicist at the Mama Kin Music Hall co-owned by Aerosmith. Nick and I care very much about music and musicians. Both Nick and I have always wanted to work in music. Specifically, we want to work on our own terms. Individually we have worked with people who care more about money then actually helping artists. We have seen hard working musician's be deceived by manipulators posing as true professionals. Our goal is to own and run a company that is a true resource for independent musicians. We both bring very specific talents to our company. Vision Music USA is Nick and Josh. A major prerequisite to gaining employment with Vision is to share not only our beliefs but our work ethic.

What qualifies Nick and I to assist others with their careers is our ability to relate to the artist. We have both spent several years in the trenches, similar to hard working musicians. Nick and I have worked in several key aspects of the music industry (booking, radio, marketing, artist development, promotions, management, etc). As the Showcase Coordinator for the NEMO Music Showcase and Conference I evaluated over 2,000 bands and musicians. I credit my ear for music and my eye for critiquing press kits to that conference. We chose to work with independent musicians for many reasons. One, with our assistance they might not be independent for long. Two, we have always wanted to provide the resources independent bands need to take their career's to the next level. This is what is so exciting. This is what makes going to work a pleasure. It's knowing that you are making an immediate impact in someone's career.

MuzikMan: Where did you get the name Vision Music USA? How long have you been in business and how does an artist know that you are the real deal and really a "No Bullshit Firm" that you profess to be? Do you have actual testimony from customers that supports that statement?

Josh: Vision is simply the artists own vision. It is where they perceive their career is headed. This is all before we start with them. Once we start with an artist we take their vision to the next level. Vision Music USA has been in business for about two years. "No bullshit firm" is Nick's idea. It is very true. It means that we don't give the artist the runaround. We know how important their time is. We see it as a privilege to be working with the people we do. An artist sees this when the two owners of the company are constantly involved or supervising their project. We are very proud of our testimonials. When our customers take the time to express their happiness with our work it truly makes our day. All of our customer testimonials are on our website.

MuzikMan: What happens if a particular artist is not satisfied with something you have done, what is your recourse?

Josh: The customer is always right. I learned that at an early age from my father who owned a clothing store. We make our clients feel like family. If there is a problem with a portion of a service we do our best to appease the situation. Nick and I will always find an amicable solution for both parties.

MuzikMan: Are you both available to communicate with on the phone or by e-mail during normal business hours? How long does it take you to respond to a clients query?

Josh:e are very busy. However, we are very accessible. Nick and both give our email addresses out freely. If we are busy, our procedure is to return all calls in 24 hours. For the most part, most people contact us and our employees via email.

MuzikMan: What made you decide to take the chance, quit your day jobs, and make this a full time gig? Most people are not willing to take that chance, what makes you different?

Josh: We both knew it was going to work. We have put countless hours of time into Vision Music USA. We feel that we have an innovative idea. We provide services to those who need it. Additionally, our services are very cost effective. This isn't a get rich quick scheme. Nick and I are interested in making money long term while helping musician's attain their individual goals.

MuzikMan: What can an artist expect to get in return for all of your services? What is the goal for each specific client?

Josh: First and foremost, we are consultants. It is our job to customize a client's service to fit their needs. With our assistance, the artist will have a far greater understanding of where they stand and where they need to go. For example,if an artist purchases a Press Kit Development package we completely critique their original work. After this critique we give them the recommend suggestions they need. We point the artist in a direction they are comfortable with. The goal is to bring them more recognition and make the press kit more effective for the artist. Each client's goals are assessed on a customized basis. This is our philosophy.

MuzikMan: Where does Vision Music USA want to go from here?

Josh: We would like to maintain our growth. We will be developing more products and services for our customers. It is important to Vision Music USA to maintain and continually develop relationships with other companies. We have a few other ideas but that's another interview.

MuzikMan: Do you both feel that eventually labels will not exist and all artists will have complete control of their work in the aspects of production, distribution and promotion? A lot of that is happening on the Internet right now, do you think it's a good thing? Are there some drawbacks to this radical departure from the status quo?

Josh: If people can do things on their own that was never possible, then go for it. Artists should have more control over their own work in general. I think the internet is amazing. Considering what I do for a living. I feel there are too may artists who don't fully understand what a record deal is. Too many artists think getting signed is the goal. I think it should be the start.

Take your Career to YOUR next level with Vision Music USA!

Vision Music USA is a TRUE independent musician's resource!

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Repetition is the Key to Learning Something Deeply

2009-02-03T12:40:00.001-08:00

Repetition is the key to learning something deeply. It works most effectively when you are isolating a small amount of material, because the object of your focus will be more specific.

When you have the correct chord movement for part of an exercise or tune under you hands, repeat it continuously until is flows. You should notice a gradual increase in your comfort level as you continue repetitions, eventually remove your eyes from both the music and the keys, and keep repeating until the movements seem easy. This activity is especially important for problem spots in harmonic exercise or tunes.

Try to have your hands in position, actually touching the notes before you strike a chord. This will reinforce your "hand memory" of the chord's shape. When you are ready to play the chord, lift your hands an inch or two and drop the full weight of your hands on the keys, going to the bottom of the key bed.

At first, you probably will miss some notes, and that is OK; simply make the necessary corrections and continue with more repetitions, keeping that feeling of dropping. This will achieve a fuller sound, and your hands will learn the shape of the chords much more quickly and securely.

Recite the chord roots as you play an exercise or drill chords. This will keep you aware of what you are playing, especially when you work with rootless voicings. As you repeat a progression over and over, make a conscious note of the chord structure (i.e. root-7-3-5) which you are manipulating. This will reinforce your understanding and hearing of the harmony.

Whenever your hands need to leave the keys to start at a new location (i.e. practicing an individual voicing or ii-V7-I progression around the key circle), release the chord immediately, rather than sustaining it. This will give you extra time (metronome clicks/drum sounds) to reset your hands for the new key.

To your success,

Mr. Ron
<a target="_new" href="http://www.mrronsmusic.com">http://www.mrronsmusic.com</a>

Ron Worthy is a Music Educator and Performer. He provides an online piano instruction program for all ages. He offers proven tips, tools and tactics (that anyone can learn) to play Rock, Pop, Blues, R&B and Smooth Jazz Piano.

The Future for Independent Record Labels

2009-02-02T16:00:00.001-08:00

Small independent record labels are facing a different fight today to obtain a share of the music industry. The best possible means in which small labels were able to get their CD's sold vanished in 2003 when Southwest Wholesale Records and Tapes closed the doors. The ability to have their music placed in a position to be sold along the same shelves as the major record labels is becoming increasingly more difficult. The absence of competition on the shelves has generated an increase in profits for the major labels. What can smaller more nimble labels do to compete with the major labels?

Promotion and Radio -

The major labels have a tight grip on the radio, for example, it is probably the means in which to promote and break in a new artist. (Maybe the hold is a little tight and illegal: Eliot Spitzer, New York's attorney general, is investigating whether the majors bribe radio stations to play their music.) The amount of money and influence that the majors have cannot be matched by a smaller record labels. They cannot fight this battle and often songs that are deservingly good enough to be played will not be played. Play lists are generated in a single office and downloaded to the station managers to every part of the country. The station managers have no choice but to play what the corporate headquarters have instructed them to play for the day. What then can smaller more nimble labels do to compete with the major labels?

The Future ? The Internet

Battle lines can be drawn in this vast market. Smaller labels can have attractive websites for their acts at a relatively cheap price. Hosting of these sites will not be an unmanageable expense either. The smaller labels can promote with banners and not have to absorb the cost of printing and manually distributing flyers and post cards to a smaller scope of potential buyers. The buyers on the Internet that can be reached are the same as that of the major labels.

What about radio over the Internet? It is still developing and today would be a great time to develop an artist over the Internet. Major labels have no control over the stations on the Internet yet!! Developing a radio station over the Internet is viable option for a small label. The cost associated again with doing so is not prohibitive.

Investigate and do your homework about the Internet and promoting on-line. The market is open for smaller companies as much as it is for the bigger companies.

Eugene Brooks has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate Degree that he earned from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Mr. Brooks is the President and CEO of the Texas based, independent label "KMJ Records." KMJ Records can be found on the web at <a target="_new" href="http://www.kmjrecords.us">http://www.kmjrecords.us</a> and features chopped and screwed CD's by Z-Ro and various other Dirty South Houston Rappers.

This article is copyright ? 2005 by Eugene Brooks and may be reprinted in it's entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement are included.

Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano Students!

2009-02-02T13:30:00.001-08:00

Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the student does from the teacher. Hopefully, not too often, but today I would like to share with you some great practicing ideas that have come from my piano students over the years:

1. A Colonel in Virginia that I taught for several years got up at 4AM every weekday morning and practiced on an electronic keyboard with headphones so he wouldn't disturb anyone at that time of the morning. "I love the early morning", he said, "because it's so quiet and peaceful and I'm fresh and raring to go. No phones are ringing, no people walking into the room, no disturbances at all. I practice for a half-hour, have breakfast, and then hit it for another half-hour -- all before I have to show up for work. When I get home in the evening, if I'm too tired to practice, I don't feel guilty because I've already got my licks in for the day. And if I'm up to practicing some more -- well, it's a bonus!"

2. An elementary school teacher in Indiana told me she took each piece I assigned her and transposed it into all 12 keys -- not written out, but at the piano -- in her head. She said "It doesn't always sound so hot, but I find that if I keep at it day after day, I can at least get by in the most difficult keys, and it makes the easier keys seem real simple. And it gives me a perspective that I just wouldn't get it I just played it in one key -- the key it is written in. I've learned that each key has it's own "feel", and some keys are bright (like "D") and some keys are mellow (like "Db").

3. Another piano student with a similar idea, who was the Minister of Music in a Catholic church, said he took one whole month of the year and devoted it to mastering just one key. Since there are 12 months in the year and 12 Major keys, that works out perfectly. So in January he played everything he could find in the key of C, and transposed anything that wasn't in C into C. In February he went up 1/2 step to the key of C# (also known as Db enharmonically) and played everything in Db and searched for pieces written in the key of Db, and so on. By the time the year was up, he had a pretty fair grasp on the 12 Major keys. I suggested that he devote the next year to the 12 minor keys, and the next year to the modes, and the next year to polytonality, etc., etc. -- but as I recall he decided to just recycle through the 12 major keys, since he used them so much more than the ones I suggested.

4. Still another piano student took an idea from me and twisted it a bit. I suggested that she play along with pieces she liked on tapes and CD's, so she would get a feel for the motion of the song. (I used to do that by the hour when I was a teen-ager, and it paid off big time for me!). She took the idea and tried it and liked it so much that she started getting videos of people playing the piano. She arranged her TV and video player so that she could be at her piano while the video was playing, and she would play along with the pianist on the screen, following her/his hand motions and arm motions and finger position and thereby getting a feeling for the flow of the music. (Patterning). Her creativity is paying off for her -- she is advancing rapidly. (And by the way, don't think she is "copying" the person she is watching -- not at all. It's the same principle as watching Michael Jordan moving toward the basket, or watching Sammy Sosa swing a bat -- it just gets you in the right groove before you apply your own style to it.)

5. A doctor I have taught for years makes a idea file of things he has learned about piano playing over the years. He notes where in a given book or tape or video I discuss such and such a topic, and files that alphabetically. Then later when he needs to refer to that idea, he simply looks up the idea in his file, locates the video or cassette or book, and presto -- he can review that idea or concept almost instantly. It's like a card catalog in the library -- makes finding things so much faster than flipping through endless books trying to find that idea you saw long ago. With the advent of the computer a person could store and categorize ideas such as this very quickly.

Hope this gives you some ideas of your own!

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His instant piano chord finder software titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.keyboardchords.com/">"How To Find Any Piano Chord Instantly!"</a> has been used around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com/">"Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions"</a> with over 58,600 current subscribers.

Irish Fiddle Ornaments

2009-02-02T12:40:00.001-08:00

When I started playing jigs, my default bowing pattern made a groove like Pop Goes the Weasel: "Long-short, long-short, muberry bush, the long-short, long-short weasel."

And that still works for me without having to think about it. The one rule to keep in mind is: Do not slur from one string to another. This is unlike Irish reels. There, you can and do slur from one string to another. But not in jigs. Getting the hang of ornaments

I think of the Irish fiddle ornaments as falling into melodic and percussive categories.

The three most common melodic moves are, the grace note, the triplet, the roll. These moves all use "neighbor notes." Any note within one step of the main melody note can be a neighbor note. In Irish fiddling, the neighbor note can be two steps away.

Grace notes are typically the upper neighbor, one whole step or half step higher. The grace note is usually played just before the beat.

In standard music notation it is shown as a very small note. In my tab charts I follow this convention by making the tab grace note much smaller than the main melody notes.

Triplets start with the melody note, go up to the neighbor note, and return to the melody note. The rhythm of this is a substitution of three internal beats for two.

Think of a shuffle pattern: dah-duh-duh. Now go: diddally-duh-duh. This ornament is very popular in Texas Contest style also.

The roll starts on the melody note, goes to the upper neighbor, back to the melody note, then to the lower neighbor, then back to the melody note. When the melodic note is played with the first finger, the upper neighbor is usually the third above, and is played with the third finger. In the roll, the neighbor notes are very light and quick, almost ghost notes.

Percussive finger and bow tricks

These next two moves are a lot of fun. They imitate the bodhran drum. I think of them as being rhythmic ornaments, not melodic.

The bow shake, (my term), is not intended to make three distinct notes. You should hear an interruption of the melodic sound when you do it. Yes, it is a triplet pattern, but done so quickly that you just hear the sound of the bow digging into the string.

Finally, the cut, which you execute by dragging your finger across the (usually) open string without changing the bow direction. This also creates an interruption of the melodic sound. The violin as a percussion instrument!

Slidin' and Squawkin'

The first collection I found of Irish and Celtic tunes, way back in the day,was English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes by Robin Williamson.

This was published in 1976 and came with a vinyl recording of the author playing his tunes up to speed. I still play Carolan's Concerto and Off to California, which came from this book originally.

Williamson writes about slides as being squawks and smears. A squawk is a quick slide and a smear is a lazy slide. The lazy slide has become a favorite of mine, often replacing several notes of a melody.

In slides the object is to start the slide flat to the target note. It can be a half step low or, sometimes, even more. When you slide up the neck, be sure to stop at the desired pitch.

Many times in my studio I coach students to do this correctly. The common mistake is to start at the target pitch and slide up. Be very careful to avoid this error. It just doesn't sound right.

Quick slides, or squawks, can be done often. You will find some notes are better than others for a quick slide. The third note of the scale you are in, for example, is almost always good. The note attracts a slide, especially if it does not go by too fast.

The slower slide, the smear, will often take more time than the usual note allows. So you just steal time from another note. Then you take that note out back and shoot it. (Just kidding. You let the note back in later, when you don't play the smear.)

You can find more fiddle tab charts for Irish tunes in the archive at <a target="_new" href="http://fiddleguru.com/Archive">Fiddle Tunes in Tab</a>. Included are: O'Keefe's Slide, Drowsey Maggie, Road to Lisdoonvarna and Tommy People's Reel.

Elan Chalford, MM.--Fiddle Coach
<a target="_new" href="http://fiddleguru.com">Learn to Play Fiddle without Reading Music</a>

Guitar Practicing or Guitar Playing?

2009-02-01T12:30:00.001-08:00

Just because you're holding your guitar doesn't mean that you're playing it, and just because you're playing your guitar doesn't mean that you're practicing. There is a real difference and it needs to be acknowledged if you want to improve your level of playing skill. Some people say they have spent the entire day practicing their guitar when in reality, all they've done was sit in front of the TV all day eating cheesy poofs. The sad thing is that they really do believe it was practicing since they had their guitar on their lap next to their cheesy poofs all day. Most of us know someone who does this and we may even be guilty ourselves.

In order to truly improve your skills you really need to avoid any distractions, no TV, no food, no friends and no phone. Just you, a guitar, an amp and maybe some reference materials. Speaking of amps, keep the distortion turned down. Remember, this is practice, not playing. The distortion will only hide your mistakes. You need to hear your mistakes clearly so you can correct them.

If you're a beginner you might want to practice basic <a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarmetal.com/guitar_scale_modes.html">guitar scales</a> or <a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarmetal.com/guitarchords.html">guitar chords</a>. Make sure you have the necessary reference material handy so you don't spend your time doing things wrong. Keep in mind that what you practice is reinforced so if you're practicing your scales wrong, then you've not only wasted your time; you've also reinforced your mistakes.

So what should you practice? Since I've never heard you play I can't tell you what you need to improve on, but I can make suggestions to make your practice more effective.

Don't turn your amp up to 11 and play every solo you know. This is playing the guitar not practicing the guitar. It might be fun and a great way to blow off some steam, but it won't improve your skills.

Don't let practice get stale. You need a variety of things to keep your mind from wondering. Practice your scales for an hour then work on chords or music theory. Mix it up. Just be sure not to over do any one area because you'll get bored and at that point your practice won't be as effective.

Don't just go through the motions. Part of a good practice session is finding problems and figuring out solutions. If you're having trouble fingering a particular chord, then analyze the problem and try to find a solution. You might think that your fingers are to small or weak, when the reality is that you only need to improve your technique. When I first learned to make barre chords I had a rough time making all six strings sound clear. Now I can make them all sound clear with very little effort. I would also add that I don't believe my hand strength has much to do with it at all.

Use a metronome when practicing. This will help you improve your timing and make everything sound better.

Learn the basics first. If your beginning guitar you should know and understand the basic relationship between chords and scales. This will help you to better understand the logic of the chord patterns when you learn songs and what scale you should use to solo over top of that particular chord pattern. Check out my lesson "<a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarmetal.com/scalesandguitarchords.html">Guitar Scales and Chord Triads</a>" at "<a target="_new" href='http://www.guitarmetal.com'>www.guitarmetal.com</a>" for a visual reference that might help.

Pick a time of day to practice when you feel most alert. If you're groggy or unfocused, your practice efforts will be compromised. You might work better if you break up your practice session into several times throughout the day. For example, maybe practice an hour in the morning and a couple hours in the evening. You know when you feel the most alert so take advantage of those times.

Be prepared with things to work on. Don't just sit down and noodle around for a couple of hours. Before you sit down you should already know what you're going to work on. This will help maximize your time.

Edward D Cupler is the owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarmetal.com">guitar lessons website guitarmetal.com</A> Offering free guitar lessons to beginners and advanced students. Ed is also the owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.digitalgreys.com">Digitalgreys.com</A>

To Record or Not To Record - At Home, That Is

2009-02-01T08:00:00.001-08:00

I will be honest. I am addicted to music recording. I love moving faders, adjusting levels, panning, reverberating, sequencing, you name it. I especially love all that software, and the colorful ways that they show the music as a waveform. It is just cool.

And I'm not the only one. My cousin has just become hooked as well, and all around the globe many many songwriters are falling prey to the "Call of the Cubase." After all, what once upon a time could break the bank, is now easily accessible on our desktops. Every songwriter can record his/her songs for a pittance. So is this a good thing? And should we all be doing it?

On the surface, it's a no-brainer. Well, why not record? It stimulates creativity. It liberates more music from the brains of its creators. It puts more pleasure into the world. And yet, there is a downside or two to consider when you plan to record your stuff, at least at home.

Natural selection was Darwin's theory, and it applies equally to music as well. I'll be honest, I'm not the greatest songwriter. I tend to write stuff that is too long, overly cliched, and requiring the vocal range of Luciano Pavarotti mixed with Paul Robeson. Every so often, though, almost despite my best efforts, I'll crank out a beaut. When that happens, it deserves immediate posteritizing (recording for posterity), but, alas, there is a long line of "I-really-shouldn't-record-this-but-why-not-it's-cheap-to-do-it" material in front of it. Each of those will take a good week of work to arrange, record, overdub, mix, master, remix, remaster and burn. Add to that two days of regret after I've listened to the atrocious thing, you have 9 days. If I had to pay for a studio, I'd only have gone with the winner, and thos eother songs would have thankfully remained mere twinkles in my eye.

That's the first thing to consider. It's not for the betterment of the world to record everything just because you can. With the advent of the home studio, the natural selection process disappeared, and people don't have the same pressure to let their material grow, become refined, and be sure that they are going for the gold before they start laying down tracks. Always ask yourself if you can do better before you start. Don't let the technology cripple creativity with its instant allure.

Now let's say you really have an ace song on your hands. No reason not to record this, you're saying, and you're right. But. Is doing it at home the way to go? The answer is a resounding ... depends. Depends on what gear you have, sure. But even more, it depends on what you are capable of doing with that gear. If the ease with which one can record at home has limited creative quality, it may do the same to sonic quality when the creativity has been truly remarkable. I love those gadgets, but I will admit that I can never seem to get the sound I hear in my head when I write those songs. If I were properly trained, I'm sure I'd have a different take, but I'm not, and how many of us are?

So my compromise has been to have all the fun in the world with the songs I'm not staking my future on, while the keepers get a professional to make sure that I'll get that record deal. I would highly recommend, however, to record your songs at home as a prequel, if you will, to the studio. The benefits are knowing how your song will take to tape on a basic level, as well as seeing any weaknesses in your arrangements. It is a great scratch pad, and then, when you get into the studio, you'll have a great head start.

I hope everyone thrills to this wonderful world of songwriting, and whether your goal is simply to give CDs to your friends and family or to be a megastar (hope we make it), you'll use home studio technology to stimulate creativity, improve your craft and career and have a blast. Happy tunes!

Seth Lutnick is a singer, songwriter and arranger. Visit his website, <a target="_new" href="http://www.getitdone.biz">http://www.getitdone.biz</a>, for more on creating and using a <a target="_new" href="http://www.getitdone.biz/Music/studiointro.html">home recording studio</a>, and <a target="_new" href="http://www.getitdone.biz">personal action planning</a>.

Piano Lessons - Group or Private?

2009-01-31T12:30:00.001-08:00

Piano lessons are a great activity for children. They encourage creative thinking, develop math and reading skills, and improve students' overall educational progress, as well as building a fun life-long skill. As a result, over six million children in the United States take piano lessons! One of the choices that parents have when their child is beginning piano lessons is whether to enroll their son or daughter in a private or group lesson. Parents often have misperceptions, or at least several questions, in making this choice.

Q: What is the difference between private and group lessons?

A: Individual lessons are usually thirty minutes in length, with the piano teacher working one-on-one with a student. Individual lessons provide a high degree of personal attention for a student. Group lessons are generally 45-minutes to an hour in length, and consist of between two and four students working with their piano teacher. During group lessons, each student plays their own piano or keyboard and receives both individual and group instruction. Students are introduced to new skills in the group every week and are then given individual playing assignments. They practice these assignments using earphones and the teacher rotates among the students to check on their progress and provide additional instruction.

Q: Don't children learn more in a private lesson?

A: Not necessarily, and it depends very much on the student. Some children thrive with individual instruction. However, private lessons can also create a dependence that students may have a hard time overcoming, as some children grow to feel that they cannot learn on their own without their piano teacher repeatedly showing them every new thing. To prevent this, successful piano teachers create supportive learning environments that let children know that they are responsible for their own success. This helps children learn how to set goals and that their own effort makes a difference. That's why, even in a private lesson, students need some time to work independently.

Group lessons are a great way for children to learn, and many children learn faster in a group setting than in individual lessons. Group lessons create a fun and supportive environment, and students learn both from the teacher's instruction and from each other. It also helps many children to know that other students are learning the same skills.

I encourage most new students who are seven years of age or older to start out in group lessons. However, I have found that private lessons typically work best for two groups of students. First, they can provide a solid learning foundation to very young students (ages 5 to 7) who need one-on-one instruction to help get started. Parents of these very young children sometimes stay with them during their lessons. When children get a little older and have the basics, they usually can transfer to a group lesson. Second, private lessons are appropriate for late intermediate to advanced students who are looking to apply music theory and advanced playing techniques requiring intense instruction and dedicated home study.

Q: Can't group lessons be intimidating for students due to peer pressure and competition?

A: While some parents may initially be concerned that group lessons create peer pressure and competition, the lessons actually help students feel more independent and confident in piano. Students play the pieces they've just had instruction on before they leave the lesson, which helps them feel secure about playing the songs at home. As students often play their songs for each other during lessons, it helps avoid the performance anxiety that students taking individual lessons can feel before recitals. Plus, students generally find that working together with other students increases creativity and fun! Over time, experience has shown that most children learn more in small group lessons because these lessons encourage independence and build confidence, which is a strong foundation for success not only in piano lessons but in the other areas of student's lives.

Cynthia VanLandingham is the owner of TallyPiano & Keyboard Studio in Tallahassee, Florida where she has been teaching piano for 20 years. She is a member of the American College of Musicians, the National Guild of Piano Teachers, a graduate of the Florida State University College of Education, and President of TallyPiano Enterprises, LLC.

You can visit her website and download her original compositions free at <a target="_new" href="http://www.tallypiano.com">http://www.tallypiano.com</a>

Cynthia is also an author of a series of exciting books for children, with the mission of Using Music, Art, Science and Literature to Help Children Achieve their Dreams. Her illustrated series for piano students is called, Little Bear's Piano Adventures!TM These stories take young piano students on a Musical Adventure to find out what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that children can easily understand.

For more information about these wonderful books E-mail Cynthia at <a href="mailto:cindy@tallypiano.com">cindy@tallypiano.com</a>, where you can also subscribe to her free internet newsletter, Piano Matters!

TallyPiano Studio: (850) 386-2425
Hotline: (850) 264-7232

Good News for the Musically Untalented

2009-01-31T12:00:00.001-08:00

Have you ever been told that you were good at something but not good enough to make it a career or life ambition? Especially with music, if you're passion is music you are hopelessly outnumbered right from the beginning. "You better have a back-up job" or "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" are common refrains heard from well meaning adults who inadvertently had their dreams crushed out of them.

The world has more then enough computer programmers and engineers and these professions are well paying ones. What are we musicians to do? Well, for one thing we can forget about needing "talent" to make it. What is talent anyway but a person's ability to connect with his or her audience. You might think that talent means technical proficiency. You couldn't be more wrong.

Here's the good news. Connect with yourself and your art and you automatically become talented. This means you don't have to wait years and years before you begin to share what comes out of you with others. In fact, most so called "really talented people" last in the limelight for a few years or so and then burn out to non-remembrance. If you consider yourself hopelessly untalented you are focusing on the wrong problem.

The question isn't do you know enough. The real question is, are you confident enough to believe in your own abilities. If you do, you will go far. If not, there's not much hope. Those who are able to let go and connect with the music inside of them are already truly talented.

New Age Music - How Its Made

2009-01-31T09:50:00.001-08:00

Different styles of music have different "sounds." We can all pretty much agree on that point. For example, Jazz uses seventh chords almost exclusively. This, and the kind of chord progressions used in Jazz gives it its unique flavor. But what about new age music? Does it have it's own special ingredients? Yes it does.

Now, there are no hard and fast rules here but for the most part, new age music is a consonant music. That is, there is little or noharshness going on in the music. No Saxes wailing and what not. Having said that we can eliminate most of the tense jazz chords and their voicing. So what are we left with? Mostly Major and minor chords based on the regular scales and the modes. The chord progressions are simpler and usually start on the l chord. No ll-V-l progressions here.

What about melody? In jazz, we have a soloist who usually plays a lot of chromatic notes. This is rare in new age music because it would create dissonance. New age melodies tend to be softer and more on the spiritual side. Solos, if there are any, are not so much concerned with the expression of the self than they are with letting the music express itself. A subtle but very important distinction. Jazz players may have some ego invested in their performance. New age musicians learn to let the music play them. They learn to become a channel for the music itself allowing it to speak through them. Of course, I'm not saying that this can't happen in Jazz, but, just watch a Jazz performer and you'll see what I mean.

Last but not least is rhythm. Let's do a comparison/contrast between Jazz and New Age music. Jazz has a definite discernible rhythm. It is what makes Jazz Jazz. New age music can have a pattern or an underlying rhythm to the music. It can be used to create trance like states in the listener. Drums are usually a part of Jazz music. Percussion is mostly absent from the New Age sound simply because it would not add to the atmosphere most New Age musicians create. Timing is very important to the Jazz musician. The soloist has the freedom to play whatever he wants as long as he maintains the meter and stays in time. New Age music is more elastic in that timing is there, but is not a master of the player. The New Age player can disregard time altogether. Just listen to Zen flute music as a good example of this.

Now, what does all this mean for the aspiring New Age musician? A couple of good things. It means that there is a definite new age "sound" out there. That it is here to stay and that people like and need to hear it. And it means that there are some guidelines out there for what defines the meaning of New Age music.

How to Find Musical Ideas

2009-01-30T12:40:00.001-08:00

The Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky once said: " A good composer does not imitate; he steals."

I think what he meant by this is that it's OK to use a technique developed by another and make it your own. To imitate is to steal a technique or style and, somehow, not incorporate your own voice and energy into it.

We all get our ideas from somewhere, whether by accidentally listening to a piece of music and subconsciously storing it away, or by a conscious act where we say to ourselves: "This sounds great and I want to use it in my own music."

Some people have the idea that everything created must be original and by that they mean that there must be no outside influences - but this is unrealistic. Haydn taught Beethoven. Italian composers influenced Bach and so on. All past and present composers on this planet have their influences whether they admit them or not.

Now, most of you know that I have two major influences: George Winston and John Herberman. You may or may not know of these people. The point is I admit that they shaped my own style. How? Because I liked listening to them. It's that simple.

When I sit down to play, I inevitably gravitate towards one style or the other. I'm fine with that. It doesn't mean that I'm unoriginal. It just means that I acknowledge reality and don't try to come up with "something original." What sounds new is 99.9 times out of 100, a modification of what came before.

The whole point I'm trying to make is this: Don't try to be original. Instead, focus on what you like and love and your own voice will come through in the end. The music may be modified to an extreme (innovation) or just a little (homage). Just don't imitate.

Writing Hit Songs

2009-01-30T10:20:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of factors to writing a hit song. First, you should focus on writing a good song. Once you've done that, you are not far away from writing a hit.

Like most other things in life, it takes persistence, patience, drive, knowledge, belief and maybe some luck.

Stop and think about your favorite songs. Really analyze them and figure out what it is that you like about those songs.

Different factors may come to play here. Maybe it is the good beat, lyrics that hit home, a beautiful melody, something spiritual or patriotic, or maybe even that it is humorous.

If you include one of these elements in your songwriting you are well on your way. If you combine two or more of these elements, you may have yourself a hit.

A Good Beat

Rhythm is important in music. I have to laugh and think of Jerry Van Dyke on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" years ago trying to play the banjo and sing, "I've got rhy-rhy-thm, I've got mah-mah-music..."

But, unless you are very funny like Jerry Van Dyke, your audience is not very likely to stay with you.

Your music not only needs to have a good beat, but must fit the genre of music you are trying to write. A Metallica beat in a George Strait type song may not get you very far. A song with a good enough beat might be a hit even with no melody and no lyrics. Remember "Green Onions?"

Along with the beat is the tempo. Country music is easy to write (I did not say it is easy to write well) because it is about people's lives and everyday experiences. However, too often people write slow songs for country music, when in fact the industry is starving for upbeat country material like "Country Roads" and "Rocky Top." It is much harder to write a good up-tempo country song than it is a tear jerker.

Lyrics in popular music can range from broken relationships to political issues, and just about any point in between. Those that tend to be the most popular are about situations you and I may encounter in our everyday lives; "Workin' 9 To 5," "I Just Called To Say I Love You," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "God Bless The USA" (which ingeniously incorporates spiritual, political and patriotic views).

A beautiful or interesting melody can get you into the ranks of hit songwriter with no lyrics required. Going back in time to prove a point about beautiful melodies, you might consider songs like "Last Date" and "Sleepwalk."

Songs with great melody lines are very easy to be found in many hit TV show themes like "Peter Gunn," "Hawaii 5-0," along with many of the 60's surfer songs like "Wipe Out."

Well done humorous songs usually find an audience, such as Ray Stevens "The Streak," and Jerry Reeds "She Got The Goldmine, I Got The Shaft." If you have a knack for both humor and music, you might make a fortune.

Spiritual and patriotic songs, if they are well done and come out at the right time, are easy hits. Every time the U.S. gets involved in any type of world conflict, the songwriters get their pens out.

Keep your ears and eyes open, and keep a shoe box to put your ideas for songs in. Every time you think of an idea for a song or a song title, write it down and drop it in the box. It could be your first, or your next, big hit.

Michael Russell
<a target="_new" href="http://mgrcentral.com/">MgrCentral.com</a>
Established 2001
Home Business Training and Information Guides

College Radio: The Most Important Radio Level for Musicians

2009-01-30T08:20:00.001-08:00

For the self-promoting independent artist, the idea of taking on a radio promotion campaign can, in itself, become overwhelming. But, this idea is usually based on such artists attempting to obtain worldwide airplay on a local budget.

And, in doing so, self-promoting independent artists quickly discover another factor not usually considered previously... that engaging in a worldwide radio promotion campaign translates to hundreds and, possibly, thousands of CD units for media contacts alone.

As you can see, this can also quickly become a nightmare for indie artists, particularly, if the promotion budget only allows for the purchase of 1,000-CD packages at a time.

Starting in the 1980's, college radio became a dominant force in not only discovering independent recording artists, but also in introducing new artists to the general public. Hundreds of these particular artists have gone on to become established 'household' names.

Likewise, the college radio level has a continued history of presenting, practically, all forms of music, much of which would never see the proverbial light of day at the commercial radio level and, in many cases, neither at the non commercial level.

Therefore, if an artist has limited funds for radio promotion, it is highly advisable that the he begin exclusively with college radio for the following reasons:

* Far easier and faster access to airwaves

* Far more plentiful specialty and mix shows and programs

* Greater chances for both in-studio and telephone interviews to promote music releases

* More possibilities for station ID checks for further publicity

* Corresponding college campus newspapers that will more readily accept and support music aired on their campus stations for creating a campus-wide buzz

* A ready and built-in market in the campus community for repeated live performances to further support and supplement campus airplay and campus press coverage

* An opportunity for grassroots distribution through supplying both campus bookstores and campus music stores with music releases

Is the college market a viable market for your music sales?

Though the question is rhetorical in nature, please review the below U. S. college population statistics:

* There are 631 public 4-year colleges and universities that have a combined student population of 6,236,455.

* There are also 1,835 private 4-year colleges and universities with a combined student population of 3,440,953.

* Additionally, there exists 1,081 public 2-year colleges with a combined student population of 5,996,701.

* Even further, 621 private 2-year colleges host another 253,878 students.

This brings the average U. S. student population total to a whopping 15,927,987 minimum every year. And, more people are attending some form of higher education than ever before.

Now, even the least popular music genres are certain to find a financial comfort zone with a market of almost 16 million unique principals.

So, what results could really popular commercial music genres experience, simply by working the various entities of the college market, i.e., campus radio, campus press, campus bookstores, campus music stores, campus live performances? Quite pleasant ones, I would suspect.

But, remember! The above statistics only reference the United States college/university potential listenership. College radio also has a respectable portion of listeners who are *not* students.

Add to that, listeners of college radio who strictly listen to the streaming portion of college radio online, and who may, or may not, be in the college's geographical area, i.e., military service members.

Plus, there is lot more of the college market abroad, of which U. S.-based artists would do well to approach English- speaking nations first, i.e., United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, subsequently, moving into additional nations.

While it may (or may not) be true that it is possible for commercial radio stations to be the primary driving force behind most retail sales, that theory may not be so valid today, given the fact that:

* With the Internet, artists are no longer required to sell millions of CDs to make a great living financially

* Artists have greater and easier access to far more radio stations (broadcast, satellite, internet, college)

* With the college community, and all of its combined promotion and sales aspects (radio, bookstores, music stores, live performances), if conducted correctly, the college market campaign can equalize and, in some cases, even supersede commercial radio results. ______________________________________________

[---Additional Statistics---]

Top 10 College Enrollment:

Miami-Dade College (51,717)
University of Texas at Austin (50,616)
Ohio State University (48,477)
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (46,597)
University of Florida (46,516)
Arizona State University (45,693)
Texas A&M University (44,618)
Michigan State University (44,227)
University of Wisconsin Madison (40,912)
Pennsylvania State University at University Park (40,828)

(The above figures were reported in Almanac 2004-2005, published by the Chronicle of Higher Education, August 27, 2004.) ______________________________________

What College Students Spend on Music:

According to a recent Harris Interactive survey, college students spend $200 billion...that's right...BILLION dollars per year, with 76% of the students having spent $2,746,000 on music alone.

Note: As an added advantage, the self-promoting independent artist should also create an Internet radio promotion campaign simultaneously, since most 'net stations are accepting of MP3 files for airplay, thus, reducing packaging and shipping costs of CDs to stations.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

About the Author:

Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion, media publicity and music business/career firm for musicians. He is also the author of "Explosive CD $ales Tips," as well as publisher of The B# Newsletter, a highly informative music business resource. Visit his website at <a target="_new" href="http://www.MuBiz.com">http://www.MuBiz.com</a>

New Age Piano Playing and the Sustain Pedal

2009-01-30T04:30:00.000-08:00

It's all accomplished through the use of the sustain pedal. When you want your music to breathe, use it. Experiment with it. Don't be afraid to keep it depressed for as long as you want to.

Music as Therapy?

2009-01-30T00:20:00.001-08:00

Frustrated in a gridlocked?

Job got you stressed out?

The children have you going crazy?

You pop in your favorite tune and you take a deep breath and as if by magic for a few minutes nothing matters anymore!

No it's no magic! It's music and it's power!

Truly amazing isn't it?

Even plants responds to music as was proven by some researcher at a well known university in the USA.

Why? Many reasons, I am sure some scientist would quote something about physiological responses to stimuli within the progressions of notes.

A psychologist on the other hand would no doubt say it's psychosomatic.

Myself I simply think that while we are focusing on the music we ignore whatever is troubling us a kind of bio feedback effect so to speak.

The important fact of the matter is that it works!!!

That in itself is ample reason for me, I really dont care about any other reason there might be, it's not important except to that particular researcher or scientist with a thesis to prove.

I believe it's high time we move away from the television! I read somewhere there are more televisions being sold than tubs and showers combined which goes to show more brain being washed than bodies.

It's time for parents and children to get together and listen and talk about each others music. ask each other:

"Why do you like it?"

"What does it say?" Why is it important to you?

If you ask me it's a simple and easy way to make contact, to initiate communication on a safe level and discover thing about each others you did not know...

Music as therapy? Why the heck not? It's a lot cheaper and make more sense than most self help gurus that try to sell you some high price drivel...

Remember that famous phase that said "Make your baby listen to Mozart and you will have a baby genius?

The study, in fact, showed it was a very limited and tempory effect and all the tests had been done on adults only!!!

That did not stop a whole slew of profit minded individuals and companies from exploiting this to make a bundle on a false assertion.

Music is not the end all but merely one more mean to make us feel better!

No more! No less!

Listen to music because it makes you feel good, simple enough?

Claude Gagne is the owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.klodradio.com">http://www.klodradio.com</a>, an amateur music historian and multidisciplinary artist whose works can be found at:

<a target="_new" href="http://www.lulu.com/claudegagne">http://www.lulu.com/claudegagne</a>

Soul Band for a Party

2009-01-29T12:20:00.000-08:00

Was the request six months ago, a sixtieth birthday party, the client said. It got me thinking. There is a whole untapped market out there for people who lived as teenagers and twenty somethings through the sixties and seventies. They are all coming up to this big sixtieth birthday date and they all love the kind of music I love to play and earn my living out of! More than that, their kids are off their hands, their mortgage is paid up and they can afford to splash out on a big celebration.

That isn't the real reason for writing this article, in fact it has very little to do with the subject which is about the day in the life of a working professional London musician. It did get me thinking, however, how things have changed from my own youth. When I was young, sixty-year-old men smoked untipped fags, wore flat caps and suits and listened to Max Bygraves. Now the average sixty year old will be a fan of Wilson Pickett, Otis Reading, James Brown and The Stones and be dressing in Gap. He or she will definitely not be a smoker!!

The engagement was in West Sussex, a lovely part of the world, in late June. The weather was perfect as I loaded up the car. For a soul band music gig you need amplification and some lighting as well as a cd player for keeping the music and atmosphere going for when the band takes a break. I picked up my bass player Andy mid afternoon, and we drove down together to the sixtieth birthday party. Andy is no stranger to soul band work. He was musical director a few years ago to the Flirtations, a sixties Motown soul music band who had three or four hits back in the nineteen sixties. A very experienced and talented musician Andy has also worked with Van Morrison, Phil Collins and Eddie Reader as well as 1980`s swing band Wall Street Crash. Being a close friend for twenty-five years the trip down to the party was a pleasure. Good company, good conversation, lovely weather and countryside and the anticipation of a very rocking gig with some great players!

As usual we arrived early. The party we were playing soul music for were still having dinner and would be at least another hour. That was fine with us as the venue of the party was delightful. The person who's sixtieth birthday it was had arranged drinks for us and so while we brought the musical gear in to the venue a pot of tea was rustled up for us. Over a brew and the gear sitting outside the function room, we decided on what order the soul music for the party should take. There is no point playing the real lively soul music tunes too early on. A group of sixty year olds with full stomachs are not going to appreciate being coerced into getting down to Mustang Sally by a full on soul band after a big rich pud! The party is always best started with some more laid back soul music by people like Al Green and Ben E King.

The other musicians from the band start to arrive and bring their gear in. There is still time for a cup of tea and we order it for them whilst guitars and drums are brought into the hotel. Shortly the room begins to clear. The sixty-year-old birthday boy is obviously keen to party and doesn't want to waste time on speeches! As the guests make their way to the bar, go out for a smoke (the young ones?they'll learn) or take the lovely Sussex evening air, the band dives in and sets up the gear for the party. We meet the host who insists on describing, in detail, a gig he went to in the sixties featuring Stax star Otis Reading who was a master of the soul music genre and a legend in soul music. We are torn between setting up on time and listening to some one recount their memories of a legend! Being a big fan myself I am able to recount a few memories of my own of seeing the Blues Brothers soul and blues band with legendary players Booker T, Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn. These guys are soul music legends too, having played and written the hit "Green Onions" and having backed Otis Reading and Sam and Dave on many of their live gigs both in London and America. Steve Cropper was also the writer of "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay", "Knock on Wood" and "In the Midnight Hour", all soul music tunes we play in our soul band as part of our set and tunes we intended playing for the sixtieth birthday party that very night.

The band is set, the lights are on and we have started our evening's entertainment. There are already a few people on the floor dancing to that great Bill Withers tune "Lovely Day" and it makes me realize that people who were growing up in the sixties are much more in tune with live music and are used to dancing to a live band than the current generation. What also hits home is how the generation of today, when they get the opportunity to listen to a great soul band playing great soul music, get caught up by the music we play and respond so well to it. It makes me realize that bands such as mine will be playing soul music for a party like this and like we do for younger persons weddings, long after current musical trends die.

The evening progresses, the soul band picks up in tempo, the horns are riffing those familiar riffs from such favourites as "Hold on I`m Coming," "Dancing in the Street" and "I Feel Good". I always kid Mark our main singer and master guitarist when he sings "I Feel Good" by James Brown. James Brown is in his mid seventies, American and black. Mark is white, in his forties and from Scunthorpe! At the end of the tune I say what I always say?.it always gets a laugh?"Its like James Brown was in the room!"

The audience is hanging in there with us. Drenched in sweat and transported in time, they are back in the Flamingo in Soho or some other sweaty dive of their youth. I look round and the boys in the band are having a ball. We are working real hard; we are sweating more than the audience. To make a band like ours rock as hard as it does requires a great deal of energy. Soul music isn't music played off the back foot; it is high-energy music that drives. As such, whether it is loud or quiet, it requires total commitment and all ones physical resources. An amateur band just doesn't cut it. They are unable to give the energy coupled with the sense of groove that good soul music requires. It needs relentless practice of ones instrument, high energy all evening that cannot drop?in fact it must increase as the evening progresses and a lot of stamina that only constant work on your instrument gives you.

Before we know it the night is over. We manage to persuade the birthday boy, after two encores, that it is time to finish. He is delighted with the band and the soul music we have played for his party. A few of his guests have come up for business cards. They too have sixtieth birthday parties coming up and they too love their soul music!!

We have been paid and the gear has been packed away. We are debating whether to employ a roadie at the moment. Everyone in the band loves playing soul music for a party but no one likes to cart gear! The funny thing is this. Every year technology makes musical gear lighter but somehow every year the gear feels slightly heavier!! As you, me, everybody, gets nearer to his or her sixtieth birthday party I suppose everything gets just that little bit heavier!

We say our goodbyes. Hugs and handshakes. You wouldn't believe that we see each other on average two or three times a week! On the way home we leave the radio off. It is time for quiet reflection. We discuss the gig. What went well. How we could improve the set order. We decide we can`t. What new tunes we want to incorporate into our soul music band party repertoire. This isn't easy. The most important criteria is to get people up dancing. There is sometimes a conflict between favourites and the sort of tunes, which will fill the floor for the party. This is always our main priority. It is what we get paid for. Paid well for. We have a reputation to maintain.

Andy has been dropped off. It is two o'clock. I am home fifteen minutes later. The gear is brought into the house. Must look into getting that roadie!

On goes the computer. Must check my emails. June and July are a busy time. Just as I thought. Three pressing messages that require an answer. Get to bed at three thirty. Please God don't let the kids wake me up before ten on Sunday morning. I'll need to be up then as the band are in Birmingham in the evening doing another soul music party and the M6 can be murder at this time of the year.

The kids come jumping into our room at eight thirty! It doesn't matter. Monday I am totally free. I can get them off to school and come home and sleep. Someone once said " If you can earn your living doing what you love you will never do a days work in your life" How true.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Williams is a London based trombonist and vocalist who has worked all over the world in most areas of the business. He also runs a successful, specialist, live music agency using the best of London musicians, servicing both private and corporate clients playing all over the country. He would be happy to advise you with your own event or party and offers bespoke solutions for the perfect occasion.

Contact him on 020 8761 8932 or 07747 801471
Email him on bonejeff@aol.com
Visit the website <a href="www.jazznotjazz.co.uk" target="_blank">www.jazznotjazz.co.uk</a>

Music: Uniting Nations, Dividing Generations

2009-01-28T07:40:00.001-08:00

Cultures around the world since the beginning of time have appreciated, enjoyed, and incorporated some form of music in their everyday lives. However, just as one man's trash is another man's treasure, one man's music can often be another man's noise, and vice versa. Still, certain universal aspects of music can serve as a means of communication between two people who have little else in common.

Some say that the only thing that makes music different from noise is the culture of those listening to it. There is some truth in this; you wouldn't expect a typical American teenager to be found head banging to a CD of tribal African chanting. Similarly, you'd be surprised to find that African tribe knowing what to make of a boy band ballad. Of course, such vastly different cultures may not share musical preferences, many slightly more similar cultures can enjoy a real connection as a direct result of shared musical abilities and experiences.

In an attempt to appeal to newer markets, music artists are evaluated for their international appeal as international sales can equal or even surpass the domestic sales figures. This worldly appeal can be successful in creating a shared interest and bond between citizens of greatly different lands: Americans and Chinese, Russians and South Africans. It is thus not surprising that a typical music promotion tour includes various international destinations.

Music artists of today and yesterday have been known to help cross cultural divides in times of conflict and even war. Their music can bring crowds of people in warring countries to their feet, tapping their feet to the rhythm. News broadcasts are frequently carrying stories of disheartened soldiers abroad smiling again after a visit from familiar pop music artists.

On the other hand, music is also a frequent bone of contention between the generations. Why is the music of different generations more often referred to by its respective decade (i.e. 'the sixties', 'the eighties') rather than by its most popular artists or a particular genre? Grandparents are rarely found enjoying the same music as their grandchildren. Much more common, they are often heard complaining that the other's music is too loud, too soft, too fast, or too slow. Even music artists with a wide-ranging appeal, like The Beatles, are not always appreciated by both extremes of the generation gap. Though their music stands a much greater chance of acceptance from fresh ears than rap has from a Frank Sinatra crowd.

Music hence signifies different things to different people often extending to a deeply personal level. Each generation~s music represents the aspirations, heartbreaks, achievements of people living in that specific time period. And as they carry different viewpoints on many daily social and political issues they get further divided by varying taste of music. However, the feeling to be human and alive to the world around us, and the desire to express life's experiences through music remains common to all irrespective of the generation gap - and is capable of crossing the most guarded country borders.

About The Author

Kirby Jones MBA, BSc is the webmaster for Dav Music - probably the largest information resource on music related topics. Visit his web site and get immediate access to his archive of articles here: <a href="http://www.davmusic.com/articles/" target="_new">http://www.davmusic.com/articles/</a>.

The Music Industry and Its Lack of Talent

2009-01-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

So it has come to this... what we see overrides what we hear. What we see now influences HOW we hear. And what we see drowns out all that is heard to the point that we are virtually deaf.

Be it the pop music forced down our throats by the incessant rambling of the local radio station, or the sexy video bombarding our television on MTV, all is lost. Or at least misplaced somewhere deep within our own psyche.

Since when has what is being seen suddenly dictated what is being heard? This cannot be the reality of it all, yet it has become all too clear that in fact this is the only reality: sex and image comes before content and talent.

No one shall ever hear the likes of classic rock and roll again, as the music industry is overrun with cookie-cutter sex pistols whose waistline is the most important thing, not the talent held within that waist. For some time now, music has not been music, but a corporate image force fed to its "fans" with commercial weight absent of anything worth hearing, and overloaded with what may be worth seeing.

At no time will any music now or in the future possess anything resembling a creative lifeforce that grew in the 1920's, flourished in the 50's and 60's, and fizzling out in the mid-to-late 70's. For so long now music has lacked style while becoming bloated upon gaudyness and imagary. And now, it is too late.

Thank the heavens for my 8 track. At least Edison created the recording device so that the greatness of the past can be heard again... you just need to know where to look.

I attended Rutgers University and played trumpet, piano, and any other valved instrument thru college to this very day.

Establishing Your Mix

2009-01-27T04:00:00.001-08:00

Now that you've spent hours and days and weeks and months recording your musical masterpieces (and you've also read my article "Tips for a Great Recording Session"), you have arrived at my favorite time in the studio; The Mixdown.

But don't think your job is done yet! The mixdown is just as important as recording. As an artist, you have to approach the mixdown from an artist's point of view and stay on the 'creative' side of the fence where it's still possible to shape and mold your songs throughout the mixdown process.

Remember the old "Yin-Yang" principle which states, "whenever you turn something up, something else disappears. Furthermore; whenever you turn something down, something else gets louder". This applies to EQ, levels and almost anywhere you have two or more tracks.

The Beginning Of The End

STOP!! Don't even think about starting your mixdown on the same day you finish tracking. Take a day off, have a break and then come back refreshed with a new perspective.

Now back to business...

First of all, let's "zero the board". This is simply the action of bringing all the faders to the bottom (-∞) and centering all the pan knobs and effects sends.

I know what you're thinking, you're thinking "but our mix sounded good when we were tracking!".

OK, but did the mix actually sound good or were you just accustomed to hearing it that way? That's why zero-ing the board is important. It flushes your memory and allows you to start from scratch. It might even be better to mix a song that you finished recording a while back.

1. Get Kicked.

This is where I prefer to start. Other people like to start with the vocals and build around them. But I'm more rhythm based and prefer to start with the kick drum.

One tricky part of any mix is getting a good gain-stage structure where you don't clip the master faders at the end of your mixing session when all your instrument faders are raised. We must be careful to keep watching the master bus clipping lights to make sure they never get into the red. Here is why the kick is a good place to start.

Play your songs and watch the master bus VU meters. This is probably the only time you will "mix with your eyes". As you're watching the master VU meter, slowly raise the kick fader until the master meter reads about -7dB. If you are a four piece band, then you can leave the kick there and move on. But if you have a really dense tune, then you may have to lower the kick to -8dB or so (to leave room for all the other instruments as they come up).

Now you are set to mix. The kick should be the only channel that you set levels by watching. Every other channel mixed into the song will be with your ears relative to the kick.

2. Moving On

From now on, it's pretty much a free-for-all. Some people like to move on to the bass next, in order to find the balance for the low-end of the song. Other people like to keep working on the drum kit "as a whole" before moving to other instruments. I prefer to move onto the drum kit over-head mics.

They say that a great drum kit sound can be captured using only two over-head mics, and a kick mic. And it's true. Some of my tunes only use three mics on the final mixed versions, even though we had used up to ten mics for the recording of the kit.

If you placed your over-head mics properly (i.e.: so the snare sounds centered in the stereo image, and not skewed to the left or right speaker) then you will have a better stereo image of the drum kit when the mix is finished. Otherwise you might have to do some fancy panning or EQ to get a balanced image with the drum kit.

You can now bring in the rest of the kit underneath the over heads to fill out the sound. I prefer to leave EQ and effects to the very end of the mix, after all of the instruments are playing. Try to place your toms in the same panning position as the overhead mics recorded them. If your floor tom in the overheads is to the right at 3 o'clock then pan your individual floor tom fader to the same position.

And don't forget to check your phase between your mics pointing down and your mics pointing up.

3. Big Bottom

Now I like to add in the bass. Nothing too important here if you have good source audio. I'm also a huge side-chaining fan. I LOVE to side-chain the bass with the kick so the low end frequencies wouldn't fight for space in the mix. It just makes things sound "tighter". Sometimes you may have to eq the lowest of the lows out of the kick in order to make a little more room for the bass to sit in the mix.

4. Pads and More

Here is where I add the "pad" type of sounds. These are sounds that usually have longer sustains and hold the chords of the song. Sounds like strings, sustained electric guitar chords, synth pads, and maybe even some rhythm acoustic guitars are great foundation instruments.

I like to lay these instruments on top of the drums and bass tracks we have already mixed. You can get very creative with the panning of these sounds and create a wide stereo field. This will help make your mix interesting by allowing your lead instruments and vocals sit in the center of your stereo image, attracting attention to themselves.

5. The Vox

Let's finally add the vocals. I usually start off with the lead vocal, and then place all the harmony and background vocals underneath the lead. Sometimes, you can end up putting the vocal a little too high in the mix, and a great way to check this is to turn your monitors way down and listen to the mix at an almost inaudible level. This way of listening to your mix will surprise you, but you have to be confident and trust your ears. If something sounds disproportionately loud at this quiet level, then it is too loud. If you must, then you can compress the vocals too, but that really depends on the song's style. Maybe a few fader rides are a better choice then some static compression.

6. The Rest

You can start adding effects and other fancy shmancy things to your tune. Get funky with automating some pan knobs, fade-in some pads etc.. Here is a good time to get creative.

It's also a very good time to actively listen and re-adjust your mix. Is the kick too loud? Should I put some higher frequencies on the bass? Should I compress the backing vocals more? Is the coffee finally ready?

When you feel you have a good mix, burn it to CD and listen to it EVERYWHERE! In the car, in the bath, at home, on the TV set, at your friend's place etc., and make a lot of notes. And at the end, if all your notes cancel out, then you are finished!

?2005 Richard Dolmat (Digital Sound Magic)

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About The Author

Richard Dolmat is owner, engineer and producer for the Vancouver based recording studio Digital Sound Magic. Visit his site at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.digitalsoundmagic.com">http://www.digitalsoundmagic.com</a>

Why Do Music Lovers Still Prefer to Buy Records?

2009-01-27T00:20:00.001-08:00

In the late 1940's, the 45-RPM record replaced the 78-RPM record. The 45 was smaller, less breakable and could be made and sold more cheaply. Despite these advantages, it took ten years before the 78 became obsolete, and in the meantime, record companies sold their product in both formats. In 1982, the major record companies introduced the compact disc, which offered a smaller size, "perfect" sound, and less likelihood of damage in day to day use. As the compact disc offered a much larger profit margin than did the long-play record album (LP) the record companies were eager to rid store shelves of records once and for all. Given that the 78 lasted ten years after the introduction of the 45, it seemed likely that the LP would be gone from the market by 1990. The expected disappearance of the LP never happened. Despite the efforts of the music industry, music fans and collectors not only continue to buy records today, but sales of records and record-playing equipment are on the rise.

Each year in January, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is held in Las Vegas. At this event, audio and video manufacturers show off the latest and greatest in their product lines. An unusual sight this year was not the large number of cutting-edge compact disc players, but the largest number of record turntables that had been seen at the event in years! Sales of both new and used records are hot, and equipment manufacturers are eager to reintroduce the turntables they quit making years ago. Why are record sales increasing when compact discs are supposed to provide perfect sound in an unbreakable format? There are several reasons:

<Li>Price. Price is always a factor when consumers buy anything and the prices of new and used record albums are less than the prices of new and used compact discs, respectively. Used CDs may sell for $5-8; used record albums sell for $3-5</Li>

<Li>Physical size. A lot of people prefer the larger size of record albums. They don't store as easily as compact discs, but the covers and lyrics are easier to read, and the product feels more substantial. Buyers feel like they're getting "more" for their money, even if it's just extra weight.</Li>

<Li>Sound. The digital sound of compact discs has a certain cleanness and purity to it, but many listeners find the sound of compact discs to be "artificial" or "metallic", lacking the "warmth" of the sound of a record. Arguments have been going on for years, and fans of compact discs claim that there really is no difference in sound, but millions of record fans would probably disagree.</Li>

<Li>Nostalgia. A lot of Baby Boomers grew up listening to records, and records have a fond familiarity to them that listeners like.</Li>

New record albums continue to be released every day. Aided by artists who are still recording who demand that their albums be released as both records and compact discs, such as Diana Krall, <a target="_new" href="http://www.rarepinkfloyd.com/">Pink Floyd</a>, and Metallica, record album sales continue to thrive. Despite industry efforts to kill the format back in the 1980's, It appears that the record album will continue to live on, well into the twenty-first century, and music fans couldn't be happier about it.

Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm that operates several retail Websites, including AluminumChristmasTrees.net, a site devoted to vintage <a target="_new' href="http://www.aluminumchristmastrees.net/">aluminum Christmas trees</a> and accessories, and RarePinkFloyd.com, a site devoted to rare records, compact discs and by the band <a target="_new" href="http://www.rarepinkfloyd.com/">Pink Floyd</a>.

Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano Students!

2009-01-25T13:10:00.001-08:00

Hope this gives you some ideas of your own!

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His instant piano chord finder software titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.keyboardchords.com/">"How To Find Any Piano Chord Instantly!"</a> has been used around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com/">"Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions"</a> with over 58,600 current subscribers.

An Interview with Jon Bon Jovi ? 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Cant Be Wrong

2009-01-24T21:40:00.001-08:00

The idea originated with singer Jon Bon Jovi. Jon kept upping the ante with his label and ultimately they consented to a four-CD set of essentially new material. Here, he talks about this 20th anniversery project (100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong) and the things that make Bon Jovi unique.

100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong was released November 16, 2004

Steven:
Did it begin as a simple one or two CD box and then just started to grow?

Jon:
I didn't know what it would be, to be honest with ya. It was dependent on what the record company would allow and what kind of package they would want to do. So, being brutally honest with you, it was dependent on what they were willing to pay for. It came down to what they would sell it for and there was this whole discussion [about that]. So they were cool. At first they were like, 'Well, we'll do a 24-song set' and I said, 'Keep it, that's not a box to me, it's a two-record set.' And then they said, 'Well, what do you want to do?' and I said, 'Well, how 'bout 50 songs?' And they said, 'OK, we'll do that.'

Steven:
Was there a lot of re-mixing and re-mastering that had to be undertaken?

Jon:
No; 40 of these songs nobody in the world has ever heard. Forty. And the other ten are rare soundtracks and things that people wanted us to release and we didn't have the vehicle. Like there's a song called 'Edge Of A Broken Heart' that was a fan favorite from the Slippery When Wet era that was on a soundtrack for a little movie called The Disorderlies. And so this was an opportunity to release it finally. So, that was like a no brainer. Things like that.

Steven:
Jon, not having heard the record, can I randomly choose some titles here and have you talk about them?

Jon:
I think it would be better for me to tell you a couple songs because you haven't heard them. You know what I mean? It would be a better story. There's a couple things on the first CD but there's one called 'Why Aren't You Dead?' Certainly would be a fan favorite and it was during the period between '90 and '92; we wrote it, having written songs in the past like 'Bad Medicine' and 'You Give Love A Bad Name' so we knew how to write those kind of tongue in cheek, cute choruses.

When we tried to do it because we knew how when we did it for what was to become Keep the Faith, it didn't ring true anymore. We knew it was time to move on, so this is the classic case of this is the one that got away. So, people who were big fans of that era of the band will hear this one and go, 'Yeah, that's what I love.' So that's a good example of that.

'Miss Fourth of July' is a great one. That one and a song called 'Only In My Dreams' that Tico [Torres] sang, very influenced [when I was] in my Tom Waits era. Tom was such an influence on me in those great ballads that he writes and the great picture lyrics. And I wrote songs like 'Bed of Roses' because of Tom but while I was knocking out songs like this, these didn't make it. But '?Fourth of July' which is really a pretty neat song, something that perhaps I'd love to hear Don Henley sing, really talks about the loss of innocence and youth and how at that point in my career, I was really dis-enfranchised by what the business of music had become.

Steven:
Speaking across the board, when you're trying to determine what songs will eventually make their way onto a CD, you try to determine what really makes the song work, the poignancy of the lyrics and ?

Jon:
What works for a record when you consider that, for me, a record has to say something about who you are at that point in your life and that it's not repetitious and then finally that there's continuity in the record so it has, in fact, a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can't have two songs that are a 6/8 waltz, the Tom Waits-influenced thing. You can have one and then you move on and the other one doesn't get hurt.

Steven:
As you were sequencing the material and re-listening to this music, could you sense a growth in the songwriting and your own profile as a musician?

Jon:
Oh, sure. I think we've gotten better with time but that's subjective, I guess. It depends on who you ask and how the song touched people. You know, you get a song like 'It's My Life' and it moves the masses; you get a song like 'Everyday,' you think it's the end all, be all, and it's not a hit single, it doesn't mean I don't love it just as much. So, am I supposed to judge everything by hit singles? No. It's a hard question to answer. I think we've gotten better; we're certainly diversified, we've grown. We're not still writing 'You Give Love A Bad Name' twenty years later, or trying to. Let's put it that way.

Steven:
What about your relationship with Ritchie as a guitar player? How would you explain that?

Jon:
Ritchie is twenty times the guitar player I'll ever be. I play guitar as good as a songwriter, to be honest with ya. You know what I mean? Jeff Beck's got nuttin' to worry about with me. The truth of the matter is what I wanted to do with the guitar was write songs and the way I learned to play was about that. It wasn't mimicking some guy's hot solos, it was 'What chord progression was that?' and 'What inversion is that?' That stuff actually never ends either; you never stop learning.

In fact I really feel humbled on this new studio record by John Shanks who I think is going to surprise a lot of new people. Because he and Richie went just crazy with guitar stuff like tunings and different instruments and it was really fun to watch. You know when to chime in and when not to but those guys, they're great.

It [new record] sounds like us but it's very contemporary. It's hard to describe what it is but it's pretty rockin,' I can tell you that. And there's only one song that's a slow song on the record. That song is called 'These Open Arms' but that's it, man. This is a rock record.

Steven:
You just mentioned how this new record sounds like you and at the some time has a modern feel. How have you been able to consistently change without ever losing your core integrity?

Jon:
When grunge came along, we didn't pretend we were from Seattle; when rap came along we didn't add a scratcher. And a lot of times, guys are real guilty of that stuff, they jump on the bandwagon. Even the great Stevie Tyler was out there singing with Britney Spears and 'N' Sync [during the halftime ceremonies of a Superbowl game]. I wouldn't have done it. A lot of my peers suddenly in '92 pretended to be from Seattle and got all dark and pretend to be somethin' they weren't. Or, as much as I dig Gwen Stefani, when I heard them puttin' a rapper in the middle of the record, I went, 'Oh, that's a different thing.' That's not for me, I'm not doin' it. We stayed true to who we were, we grew with what we did.

Like it or not and trust me, there's people on both sides of that coin, the one thing I can say is it's honest. It is what it is but at least you know what it is. It's not trying to be something it's not.

Steven:
So you were honestly a bit skeptical about the reception of Crush in the marketplace?

Jon:
Not skeptical, I believed in it, but I didn't know it was gonna find another generation of fans. That was the amazing thing because that record touched six-year olds and sixty-year olds. Everybody felt some reason to say, 'No, it's my life.' And of course everybody wants to be in control of their own life. I didn't realize that when we wrote it. When we wrote it I was selfishly thinking of my movie career. Like Frankie said 'I'll do it my way.' Sinatra. I'm gonna get a president elected, I'm gonna make movies, I'm gonna make records, I'm gonna do everything you tell me you don't want to hear from me. And that was exactly what that song was about and then you see athletes using it, kids chanting to it, and all this amazing stuff happened. Who knew?

Steven:
And that guides us to the final question: You have all the money and cars and prestige anyone could ever want so what is the guiding force?

Jon:
You know, I just really enjoy writin' a song. That gives me greater pleasure than recording it, which is second, and touring it, which is last. I get great pleasure out of it. You know it's gonna be there forever and that to me is the greatest feeling of all of them.

Thanks a lot for your time, you did a great job.

Steven Rosen is a Rock Journalist. Since 1973 he has accumulated over 1000 hours of audio content and 700 articles and interviews...all now available for licensing or purchase.

<a target="_new" href="http://www.classic-rock-legends-start-here.com/classic-rock-interviews.html">Contact Steven Rosen</a> for more information. Discover <a target="_new" href="http://www.classic-rock-legends-start-here.com/index.html">The Classic Rock Legends of rock and roll</a>

New Age Piano Playing and the Sustain Pedal

2009-01-24T07:50:00.001-08:00

It's all accomplished through the use of the sustain pedal. When you want your music to breathe, use it. Experiment with it. Don't be afraid to keep it depressed for as long as you want to.

Getting the Best Performance From Your Artist

2009-01-23T16:40:00.001-08:00

So now you've decided to record your songs. Good for you, except that you will need people to play the instruments for which your music calls for. If you can play all the instruments on your own, then all the better. You will have less people to argue with! Other wise, you will have to hire (read: bribe with beer/food/hockey tickets) session musicians and vocalists to play and sing for you, putting you in the producer's chair.

Your songs are only as emotional as the performers who play them. It goes without saying that you should hire the best performers your budget will allow. But if $100/hour for a professional vocalist is a little steep, here are a few ways to help encourage the best from your session players.

1.) Always praise, never criticize.

The is THE most important rule in my book. The only way any session musician could ever get comfortable at your studio is if YOU put them at ease. That's one of your jobs as a producer.

When trying different versions of a take, tell them how you would like it to sound, instead of what they did wrong ie: "That was great, but let's try to hit the high note a little stronger" instead of "you know, you were a little off on the high note, it didn't sound that good".

Always start with praise, then with a correction. Keep your vocabulary positive. The best producers make the artist feel as if they can do nothing wrong.

2) They Can Do Nothing Wrong

Remember this rule while you are writing or recording. There is no "wrong way", there is only "a different way". Don't tell people that their way is wrong. Remember that music is an art, and there are no rules in art. When a performer is playing something you don't like, correct them by saying "let's try it this way too". Don't start off my saying "nope, you were wrong, do it the right way".

3) Let Them See The Light

Ambiance, atmosphere, vibe: whatever you call it, they need it. I guarantee that you will get a much better performance if you have water on the table, comfortable chairs, maybe a few candles, a towel, mints, and candy. Have you ever tried recording in an office with harsh florescent lights and hard wood chairs?

4) Take Your Time

If you're recording at your own studio, you have all the time in the world (which is an evil thing in my opinion). Let the artist relax, "get into the groove", talk a little and get comfortable with the other people in the control room. A tense artist's performance will always sound 'artificial' in the final song.

Don't be worried if it takes another 10 minutes to finish the take. Each performer works at their own pace, and the best thing you can do as the producer is to respect that and adjust your pace to theirs. Unless you have a record company breathing down your neck. Then everyone has to work at THEIR pace!

5) Ask For Help

Artists love to be listened to. It's always good to ask them for their opinion. Whether you actually listen is up to you. But once in a while, a simple question like "What do you think? Do you want to keep that take?" can do wonders for their performance. It helps keep them involved in the project and make them feel less like a "hired hand".

Obviously, if it was the worse singing you've ever heard and they want to keep it, just mention that you will do "one more take as a safety". And then, when they're not looking, use the better take instead and auto-tune it to no end. This is a little producer's secret, but don't let the artists know!

6) Know The Words

Make sure that you, the engineer, the assistant engineer and everyone else in the control room has lyrics to all the songs. The best way for your studio team to find their way around the songs is with the lyric sheets. Another good idea is to USE THE WHITEBOARD! That's why it's there. If you don't have one, get one. Write down the chord progressions, lyric ideas, timing marks, track listings, McDonald's lunch orders, everything.

7) It's MOSTLY About The Music

I've heard people say "it's ALL about the music". Well, in my books, that's not the truth. I'd rather say "it's mostly about the music". Because you have to remember, it's also about having fun, having a good time, writing and performing the best you can and above all, sharing your talent and gift with others. Try to make it less of a job, and more of a passion and you'll find yourself doing it for the rest of your life!

?2005 Richard Dolmat (Digital Sound Magic)

Music and Emotion

2009-01-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Age-old Puzzle of Human Response

If you've listened to more than a little music, you've most likely received an emotional reaction from some of it. You've probably noticed that whenever that happens, the effect is initially unexpected and varies in its intensity. Its also a safe bet that you cannot truly explain or define why it affected you.

You might be listening to a Symphonic work, a Jazz combo, something Country or a Folk song. Whatever the style, it becomes obvious that certain musical creations are able to communicate in a way that transcends the moment.

Those with a broad and varied interest in music soon discover that not all music is equal. Some of it may simply be functional, contrived, uninspiring and produce little or no emotional reaction. Other music may call forth a few emotional moments here and there but you find yourself wishing for more.

Then, there are those truly inspiring musical creations that lift one out of oneself, somehow transporting the listener in a way that defies explanation.

Inspiring music appears to contain an abundance of emotional peaks and valleys that may evoke pleasure, sadness and other diverse manifestations of emotion. For the listener, this often becomes a very unique and moving personal experience - and the oddity is that neither the composer nor the performers of the music will be able to explain exactly how or why it creates that effect.

This seeming inability has nothing to do with the extensive technical abilities of the composer or members of the orchestra. Rather, it concerns the difficulty anyone encounters when attempting to define or describe the ethereal nature of inspiration. For example, how does one go about describing the Source?

Apparently, it matters not the musical style - a simple folk song might trigger an emotional reaction as powerful as that created by a complex symphonic work.

Why this happens has been debated for ages but most musicologists will agree that trying to find the answer to this and other human response questions becomes a gigantic task due to the plethora of human, technical, psycho-biological and other variables that permeate an inspiring composition and its performance.

Another unusual aspect is that no two people will react to any given piece of music in exactly the same way. What might be a moving experience for one person might be somewhat different for another.

Back to the future

In order to gain a better understanding of why this disparity occurs, look to the subject of human conditioning - for it contains insightful information regarding how and why people react in the manner that they do.

The concept of human conditioning is based upon the premise that human perspective is influenced from birth onward by parental, societal, religious and other forces. Consequently, all future human experience is filtered through and measured by past experience.

Therefore, it does not require too great a stretch to understand why individual responsiveness to music may vary from person to person. Simply stated, each life experience is different for each person and though experiential similarities may exist, responsiveness remains uniquely individualistic.

A mysterious something

What is it in music that gives it that remarkable ability to reach and so strongly affect the human psyche? How is it able to calm, soothe, heal and minimize pain? And what about its darker side - wherein it is capable (as some researchers suggest) of actually creating pathological conditions in humans, animals and plants?

Regarding the latter, a number of research projects have convincingly demonstrated that music can be harmful or beneficial dependent upon the type. Most notable is the work of Dorothy Retallack, Dr. T.C.Singh, Dr. Harvey Bird and Dr. Gervasia Shreckenberg. (see below)

Unlike the research mentioned above, other sources of information often prove to be more conjectural than factual. For sure, one can find the usual authoritative comment in any good library...but much of that opinion appears to focus on the effects of music rather than its ethereal nature and origin.

However, deciphering and understanding the ethereal may ultimately require more than human rationalism and logic can provide. Perhaps this is one reason why the puzzle of human response to music has yet to be solved.

Logically, one would think that thousands of years of musical endeavor should have produced something in the way of bona fide evidence; something that would provide an irrefutable explanation for that musical-empathic link that so often lifts the human spirit. Obviously, that link has yet to be established and if history is any indicator, the solution to the puzzle may be a long time in coming.

Meanwhile, inspiring music continues to fulfill a strong human need. It speaks to the heart and because of this, improves and enhances our lives. This is why certain music has been so successful as a stress management tool. It calms and provides respite wherein recovery may take place.

As for solving the puzzle, that is best left to the musicologists. Listeners need not and should not be too concerned with the complex issues and technical aspects of music. As a matter of fact, focusing on the complex tends to block one’s ability to feel. Why? Because it is impossible to analyze and feel simultaneously.

A passing mention should be given here concerning the existence of something that is best described as sonic mayhem. Sonic mayhem cannot subsist for long without the support of high-powered marketing hype, numerous theatrical effects and high decibel amplification. It is called music by its practitioners and followers but that is a misnomer. Rather, it is a form of abrasive-aggressive entertainment. This subject will be pursued further in a future article.

So where does all of this leave us? Well, we have a world of music at our disposal and where we go from there is up to us. Perhaps, during the process of listening to music, we may experience one of those magic moments wherein we discover ourselves.

Finally, inspiring music contains a message for everyone and to receive that message, all we need do is simply listen with an open heart and allow the music to do what it has always done best - uplift the human spirit and soothe the soul.

For more about the work of Dorothy Retallack, Dr. T.C.Singh, Dr. Harvey Bird and Dr. Gervasia Shreckenberg go to: http://www.channel1records.com/how_music_affects_your_kids.htm

Bill Reddie is the owner of Channel 1 Records, a company that has been producing music for stress relief and stress management since 1972. Further information regarding the beneficial effects of music and its potential for relieving stress, anxiety and burnout may be found at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.channel1records.com">http://www.channel1records.com</a>

How to Create Hip, Mature, and Lush Harmonies [correction]

2009-01-23T07:40:00.001-08:00

Rarely is a chord played with its tones contained in a single octave, the root on the bottom, the third in the middle, and the fifth on the top.

Usually chords are "voiced!"

This basically means that the positions of a chord's tones are scattered over the keyboard. The tones may be altered, doubled, added to, missing, and so forth.

There are a great variety of possibilities available in voicing chords. Voicing chords properly is an art within itself. Using the correct voicing techniques in your playing will give your improvisation a "hip," mature and full sound. Chords played in root position just does not seem to do the job when playing Jazz, Rock, Pop, Blues, Gospel and "Smooth Jazz" piano.

Learning and mastering good voice leading techniques in your playing is not difficult if you just follow some simple rules.

1. The most important notes in any chord is the 3rd and the 7th. The 3rd of the chord defines whether the chord is a major or minor chord. The 7th of the chord will define whether the chord is a dominant or major chord. Usually the bass player will play the root and fifth. The root and fifth are not essential tones and can be completely left our from your chord progressions. If you must use the root and fifth try using it in your right hand, not your left. You should add your "color" tones in your right hand.

2. When you are taking a solo and not "comping" (accompanying) for another soloist you should play your chord voicings in your left hand, so that the right hand can be free to improvise, do fills, double the left hand, add extensions, etc.

3. The range of your voicings is also very important. A good rule of thumb to remember when voicing your chords, is to always try to voice your chords around middle C. Keeping your voicings around middle C will sound full and clear. Limits of approximately an octave above or below will assure best results by preventing the voicing from assuming a quality of thinness or muddiness.

Ron Worthy is a Music Educator, Songwriter and Performer. His Web Site Offers Proven Tool, Tips and Strategies (that anyone can learn) to Play Rock, Pop, Blues, R&B and Smooth Jazz Piano. <a target="_new" href="http://www.mrronsmusic.com/playpiano.htm">http://www.mrronsmusic.com/playpiano.htm</a>

Be An Organized Church Pianist

2009-01-22T21:50:00.001-08:00

Playing in front of a congregation each Sunday is no easy feat. Make sure you are well prepared before giving your best for God and before others.

1) Practice the piano and more preferably the songs you will be playing early in the week and often.

2) Sing while you play so you can have a feel for how well your playing will mesh with the singing.

3) If you use sheet music make sure it is organized and ready to go. Write up your introductions and endings or make sure the ones you have used before are the ones you will want to use this time.

4) If you are accompanying a soloist make sure you set aside good time to practice.

5) If you are still working on your craft then make sure you are studying your piano lessons and practicing those in ADDITION TO practicing your Sunday songs. Don't stagnate. Add to your skills. Learn new songs or new ways of playing old favorites.

6) If you are the worship planner also a nice resource to have is an index that lists songs by scripture,by topic, and by key.

7) Don't give up because you don't have a piano. A keyboard will keep you going until the Lord sees fit to bless you with a piano. Truly. This happened to me.

8) Do you want to play in a particular style? You could just purchase music that is arranged in the style you want to play. But an easier option is to learn what specific notes or chords are making that special sound.

Use these ideas for how you can keep yourself together so come Sunday morning you can concentrate on making a joyful noise for the Lord!

See more ideas for a beginning church pianist in my book The Struggling Church Pianist

Kemi is a church pianist and author of the book <a target="_new"href="http://www.lulu.com/content/121356">The Struggling Church Pianist</a>. Visit her website and download some free musician tools at... <a target="_new" href="http://www.strugglingchurchmusician.us">http://www.strugglingchurchmusician.us</a>

Music Industry Secrets Revealed - How To Become Succesful The Music Industry Without A Record Deal

2009-01-22T19:50:00.001-08:00

Before the internet, unsigned music artists couldnt make a living, off the thing they love and enjoy the most: Their music! They would have to send in demos to major record companys, hoping that the CEO's would love their music and actually call them up on the phone offering them a recorddeal! But what they dont know is that the CEO's dont give a f*#% about music!! They ONLY offer recordeals to artists who they know will become succesfull!

To say it in another way: They NEVER risk millions of dollars on bands that they dont see any future with!

Today there's thousands, maybe millions of music artists looking for a way to make a living off their music. Those artists may now have a chance!

Former A&R Agent - Interscope Records, Fisnik Imeraj has written an eBook explaining just what the unsigned music artists should do! Publish their own music! Thats right! Since the internet is already invented, then why not take advantage of it?

In his new book Fisnik Imeraj explains to the ambitious artists how they can publish their own music on the internet, and keep 100% of their profits themselfs! He explains every part of music publishing on the internet! From creating a website to marketing their music! And the best part is that any artist can start with virtually NO money!!

If you ever dreamed of becoming a successful music artist, you should definately purchase this book! It might change your life! The book can be downloaded instantly after payment on <a target="_new" href="http://www.deluxepass.dk">http://www.deluxepass.dk</a>

Fisnik Imeraj has worked along with THE biggest names in the music industry! He now reveals everything about music publishing on his new book "Music Industry Secrets Revealed!" How to become successful in the music industry without a recorddeal!

Tips for a Great Recording Session

2009-01-21T21:20:00.001-08:00

You know your songs are great (and so does your girl/boyfriend, family, pets etc), and you finally decided to record an album in a real studio. That's great! But what actually happens when you get there?

When you finally do pick the perfect studio, one that you feel comfortable at, there is a certain routine that must be followed in order to get the best performance and the best recording for your budget.

1. Tune Your Instruments. This also includes your drums and any tunable percussion instruments you may have. There is absolutely nothing worse in the world than to have a perfectly written song with a perfect performance be ruined because someone didn't take an extra 2 minutes to check their tuning. Tuning takes a few minutes; a recording lasts forever.

2. Be Well Rehearsed. You'll be surprised how many bands suffer shock when they get the final recording bill. The main reason for this is because they confuse rehearsal time with recording time. Rehearse at home, in the garage, at your uncle's house; anywhere but at the recording session. When you arrive at the studio, you should know your songs inside-out and be ready for the red light.

3. Practice with a Click Track. A lot of drummers aren't able to play with a click track. Make sure yours can. A click track is essential in getting a good basic rhythm track that the rest of the band can lock in to, and to sync-up loops and delay times.

4. Be Early. Many studios start charging their clients from the exact time agreed to in the contract. Just because you decide to show up late, doesn't mean that the studio should give up that time for free. Be early and be ready to go.

5. Get the Sound Right. Never, ever try to "fix it in the mix". It doesn't work like that. Take an extra few minutes to tweak the sound before recording it. Turn that knob, tighten that string, have another sip of water. Remember again, tweaking may take an extra minute, but the recording will last forever.

6. Know When To Quit. Recording often leads to diminishing returns. Spending 20 hours in a row at the recording session isn't going to make your song twice as good as spending 10 hours. This rule also applies to mixing. If you're tired, call the session and come back the next day fresh and ready.

7. Record Alone. Don't bring your friends, family, parents or anyone else into your sessions. As fun as it may be, you are there to do a job and record the best music possible. If you are a millionaire, then by all means, have a party at the studio, but don't count on getting anything done.

8. Mix and Match. After letting the engineer do the first rough mix alone (which he should) do an A/B comparison of your mix to some of your favorite CDs. Remember that the production CDs you are listening to have already been mastered. But it's a good way to compare levels and panning.

9. Bring Spares. Always bring spare strings, drum heads, bass strings, water bottles, throat lozenges, etc to a session. You'll always need the one thing you forgot to bring, so bring it all and leave them at the studio until your recordings are finished.

10. Have Fun! This is THE most important point of all. Creating and recording music isn't rocket science. Although there is a science involved, you should let the engineer worry about that. If you're not having fun, then you're in the wrong business!

? 2004 Richard Dolmat (Digital Sound Magic)

Richard Dolmat is owner and engineer for the Vancouver based recording studio Digital Sound Magic. Visit his site at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.digitalsoundmagic.com">http://www.digitalsoundmagic.com</a>

Memorizing Music - How Is It Best Achieved?

2009-01-21T15:20:00.001-08:00

When memorizing music there are several things you can do that will make your job that much easier. Memorizing music is important as most people know you play better when having the music in your head rather than having your head in the music. So where to start when memorizing music effectively?

I agree with Fred Noad, when discussing memorization in his book, Solo Guitar playing, he states...Learn to play a piece from beginning to end with absolutely correct fingering and with complete continuity (however slow) before committing it to memory.

To learn music in this fashion helps with an overall visual memory of the piece and it helps with continuity rather than have the piece sound disjointed and fragmented. If you think about it you will realize that our thoughts and memories are nothing more than powerful images or, pictures, if you like.

To prove my point let's say I ask you to think of an elephant. What do you see? Is it the word elephant written down (which could be a picture) or is it a picture or part picture the animal itself? I bet you I know the answer. Another test would be to ask how you dreamed at night. Do you dream in words or are your dreams a series of pictures rather like a scene from a movie?

You need to work with your brain rather than against it. Why not utilize the natural operation of your memory? It's crazy not to!

I also know from my days at Teacher's College that most people have different strengths when it comes to learning something new based on the body's different senses. Some people are visual learners, some learn better with their tactile (touching) sense and some are strong auditory learners.

What is clear in most literature about memory is that a combination of as many of your senses as possible is a stronger way of learning anything. Because of this we should employ most of our senses when learning a new piece of music. Of course we can't include taste and smell to any great degree (unless you want to eat your music!) but we should definitely try to use our other senses of sight, hearing and touch.

So, having established a method of learning a new piece of music what comes next? What are the nuts and bolts, so to speak?

I would actually take a step back. That is, start not with playing a piece of music but rather just reading it, just like a book, on its own. What I would be looking for is how it is put together. I would look at the key, form, and structure of the music? What about sequences and repetitions? What about dynamics, articulation and tone?

Breaking a piece up into its component parts first before you start to play it and get a visual memory of the piece allows you to take a short-cut of sorts. If you understand where the repeats are, for example, you have already cut down on the amount of bars you have to memorize. If you know about the dynamics of the piece before you play it physically your brain won't have to deal with too much information at once.

As Sharon Isbin says in the Classical Guitar Answer Book..."The more you understand the language and structure of a piece, the easier it will be to memorize."

I liken it to driving to an unfamiliar place or suburb in your car and using a roadmap. If you just turn up and expect to find the street it would be very difficult indeed. But if you look at the map beforehand you stand a much better chance of finding your destination by noticing the signs along the way. You recognize where you are, with much less stress!

Of course, I'm talking about reading the music AWAY from the guitar. This should be your very first step. I would then employ the Noad method after this.

Next I would test my memory by playing the separate phrases in the music. If you definitely know a phrase, try to string it together with the next phrase in the piece and so on until you get to the end of the piece. If you are not confident to play phrases try playing one bar at a time and going back to the printed music when a bar is forgotten.

In this way the music can be overlapped until the whole piece can be played by memory.

I would leave the piece for several days to a week after that. Then I would test my memory again by trying to play the whole piece, making note of where I faltered or needed to consolidate. Leaving it for a period of time allows your subconscious brain to keep "working" on it for you. The subconscious is really quite powerful and when you get out of its way, you'll be amazed at what it can achieve.

Studying a new piece in this fashion should yield results. And remember, the more you practice (properly) the easier it will become. Good luck!

Trevor Maurice is an Australian, living in beautiful seaside Maroubra, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

He's been involved in playing guitar (mainly classical) for longer than he cares to remember and has also taught the instrument for many years. He is teacher trained, having a Diploma of Education (Majoring in music)

He has also taught Primary (Elementary) school for many years and had a long-held dream to build a quality website for the classical guitar that is of use to anyone even slightly interested in this beautiful instrument. He has now made that dream a reality with the highly rated...

<a target="_new" href="http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/index.html">http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/index.html</a>

Inspiration Wanted - Apply Within!

2009-01-21T12:00:00.001-08:00

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for music students is knowing what to practice. In the early years students listened to their teachers and did what they told them to do, which is still of course perfectly valid. But the real turning point that sets a student on their own path is the ability to self motivate and take the reins without the aid of a mentor.

This usually happens around the time that the student falls in love with music. When a student starts out, they usually practice out of fear. Fear that they might be told off because their teacher will scold them for NOT practicing. So much later, when the student has some basic playing facility behind them, music all of a sudden becomes fascinating to them. This is when the craving to pick up the instrument starts to happen.

As the student continues to explore on his or her own, there are doubtless times when road blocks appear. I've always thought that improving happens in peaks and plateaus, where the plateaus of seeming UN-improvement seem to last forever! This of course is never the case because the plateaus are the times when the information is being absorbed which is so necessary.

However, it is during these plateaus that the student often gets stuck. Personally, I have always got through these troublesome times because I have always paid close attention to a little inner voice that would always tap me on the shoulder and say "You know you have a weakness when you play over diminished chords", or "Your sight reading in the 8th position needs a little work when you play in the key of Ab". And so on.

This little voice never went away over the years. She's still there today, tapping me on the shoulder every few weeks, making sure I am not resting on my laurels. But I have found that if I am committed to improving and really open to working on whatever I need to work on, I will always get the advice I need.

I think deep down we all know what our strengths and weaknesses are as players at any level. Therefore as we continue to grow and develop as musicians, we must always pay very close attention to our weaknesses and work on them. They usually stare us in the face. The trouble is, it is very easy to ignore what is usually obvious to us.

One thing I have found is that, unless I am really open to learning and in the mode of wanting to improve, that little inner voice tends to go away. She's not tapping me on the shoulder telling me what I need to work on unless I really want to know.

So I guess what I am trying to say here is ask yourself questions! What is your real commitment to music and what are your weaknesses? If you truly want to be a great player then you simply need to focus on your weaknesses.

Now as time goes on, and you cover the playing field regarding technique, harmony and melodic vocabulary, then that inner voice directs you to more and more specific things. She might say "You sound unsure when you play over that G7(#5) bit in the bridge of Stella By Starlight", or "Blowing in 3/4 time isn't really quite together yet is it? - let's work on that".

Now, I also find these days that my inner voice offers me inspirational things to practice. She might say, "You know when you played that augmented idea at the 10th fret over D7 - that's cool - work on that!" or "When you played that 2 5 lick but with open strings - yeah - develop that - that's interesting!". I get this all the time these days, giving me fuel to work on my things rather than other players' ideas. This is what intrigues me today.

Self improvement as a player seems to be a never ending quest for inspiration and ideas and I find the best source these days comes from within.

Chris Standring

How Much of Your Potential Will You Release?

2009-01-20T16:50:00.001-08:00

Do you ever feel there is an inner voice speaking to you, telling you that you're not very good, or you can't do it, or there's just not enough confidence and repertoire with you? This is the voice that calls itself "I" right? Let's refer to this as Self 1, and Self 2 as the normal you, the real you that has the masses of potential.

Self 1 is our interference and concepts such as our judgements, associations, how things should be and uses words such as "should" and "shouldn't". Have you ever noticed that? For example, "you shouldn't play there tonight because the audience are just going to laugh at you." Self 2 is the large reservoir of potential within each one of us. It's our natural abilities and talents and the unlimited resource we can tap into and develop. If it's on it's own, it can perform with gracefulness and ease.

The equation is simple. The more you minimise Self 1, the better Self 2 performs. Therefore, the more you work on things like your confidence, practice, and performance, conquering that silly inner voice, the better you will play and enjoy it.

It's good to be aware of how Self 1 came into the act so that you can notice it and conquer it when necessary. At a young age, children are great natural learners. The first eight years of their lives are crucial as this is when they are in an open space and receptive to different things that come in front of them. What we're taught by our first teachers ? our parents ? is Self 2 but gradually is changed as we are open to a wider audience. We begin to collect ideas, attitudes, concepts and other beliefs and draw our own conclusions which get Self 1 in the act as it tells Self 2 that it's wrong. As a life coach for musicians, my purpose is to help musicians regain that natural talent and ability they hold within them.

Self 1 always tries to attract our attention away from the music we are playing or listening to, like a child interrupting their parent in a conversation just because he wants something. It's very difficult, or nearly impossible, to just demolish Self 1, but you can change your focus, making it difficult for that Self 1 voice.

To begin coping with our Self 1, recognize that it's not just going to get up and go away. As it talks to us, we have a natural tendency to talk back ? just like any other conversation. Not only is Self 1 talking, but our natural responses are getting in the way. You don't have to talk back to Self 1, so don't do it. By focusing on a particular part of the music such as the notes, sounds, sights, the way in which we are involved in the music, something that's happening in the present, etc.

That's the best technique you'll ever get and every great musician will tell you what the power of focus has in music. This article forms as a basic introduction into Self 1 and Self 2 so that you become more aware of it, and can understand what to do.

How much of your potential will you release?

Kavit Haria is the musicians coach, working with musicians to facilitate and further their personal and professional development so that they can achieve their desired results. Kavit runs InnerRhythm, a coaching practice for musicians in London, UK and runs a free fortnightly newsletter action-packed with tools, tips and strategies to make you a successful musician. Subscribe here: <a target="_new" href="http://www.coachkavit.com">http://www.coachkavit.com</a>

The Post-rock Revolution (Explosions in the sky)

2009-01-20T10:40:00.001-08:00

A lot has been said about the 'post-rock' revolution as of late. The rise of instrumental bands such as Explosions in the sky, Godspeed you! black emperor, Maserati, and The Mercury Program has raised questions about the direction that music is traveling. More and more people are looking for something different, something fresh. We are sick of the same pop songs being shoveled down our throats, we are sick of mindless rap, we are sick of mindless rock. We are sick of mindless music. So what happens when you remove the vocal aspect of music? It becomes exceedingly difficult to fall into the 'mindless' category; the instrumental soundscapes allow your mind to apply its own story to the music. It's remarkable what happens when you let the listener dictate the theme of the music.

For the most part, the success of post-rock has been an underground phenomenon. However moving into the new age of music using the internet and file sharing as a hub, what will we be seeing in the future? Explosions in the Sky have recently scored one major hollywood movie and provided tracks for another, so obviously someone is listening to their music and finding a mainstream use for it. With the rise of the internet, it's now possible for entirely new genres to expose themselves to a widespread audience with minimal financial backing. Instead of playing shows for 10 people for months before being picked up for a statewide tour, bands can simply release their album online and let the music spread on its own.

Explosions in the Sky are the perfect example of this new market. While this tiny band from Texas may not be selling millions of records, their presence is well known on the internet and many underground circles. Instead of actively working against the spread of their music via "illegal" means the band allows their shows to be taped and distributed for free throughout the internet. (For some great live videos, check out this site ) This allows not only for their music to reach more listeners, but when file sharers stumble upon a band that isn't actively fighting against them, or labeling them as criminals, they generally do what they can to help the band, and more importantly the band's mindset, proliferate.

It's quite difficult to describe exactly what draws people to this band. Their music is simplistic at times, with a single echoing guitar melody and a droning bass line, but the songs always give the sense that something is happening, something behind the music. Every song will shrink and grow, building off slowly, and eventually climaxing with layered guitars, thundering drums and bass, only to descend again, and start the process over. With music orchestrated as if playing a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, allowing the listener to create their own worlds to accompany the sounds. Many people are reminded of lush mountain ranges, open skies and green pastures, still others describe the music as the perfect complement to an underwater epic. Perhaps you will find that the music would lend itself to old time war pictures? This is the brilliance of instrumental music; a choose your on adventure, with sounds.

While bands like Godspeed you! Black emperor have been making this type of music for a few years now, more and more labels are taking the risk by signing 'unknown' post-rock acts, the number of bands in this genre has skyrocketed in the past few years. If the currents continue, we may just be seeing bands like Explosions in the Sky on MTV and Much Music in the near future. With this in mind we can look forward to the indie backlash and accusations of 'selling out' running rampant. Oh well, at least the bands will have money to keep making music. I guess that's the business.

Chris Elkjar is the founder of 'trust.me' an online music magazine for the enthusiast. He spends all of his spare time immersed in music, be it writing reviews, interviews with leading bands or writing his own music.

For more of his writing, check out <a target="_new" href="http://trust-me.ca/">Trust-Me.ca - Music for robots</a>

The Gong - An Instrument Everyone Can Play

2009-01-20T01:00:00.001-08:00

What exactly is a Gong?

The gong is a musical instrument in the percussion family. A gong can have either a definite or an indefinite musical pitch. Usually gongs that produce a definite, specific tone are played with other specific-tone gongs in a setting like traditional Gamelan, or an innovative rock concert like the Grateful Dead.

Are there different types of gongs?

Gongs come in a variety of sizes, styles, and shapes. Like dialects of language or sects of religion, the instrument evolved differently in each location and culture it was used. Many gongs are flat, but some have a central dome, also called a nipple. The outside rim of the gong is usually turned down; it is not sharp-edged like a cymbal.

Generally, you can think of gongs as having two basic styles: Suspended and Bowl.

Suspended gongs, which are more flat, are called such because they are literally suspended. They are hung vertically using a chord that is passed through holes close to the rim. Suspended gongs are played with a mallet or bamboo stick.

Bowl gongs are called such because they are literally bowl-shaped. They can rest on the ground or special cushions. Bowl gongs can be played in several different manners. A musician can bang a bowl gong with a mallet, but might also rub the rim with his or her finger to elicit a whole other sound.

How are they made?

Gongs are constructed of hammered metal. Most are made out of bronze or brass, but with an amalgam of other metals.

Although a lot of gongs are made in China, they are not mass produced like televisions or plastic toys. Each one is handmade.

If you hear a particular gong, like it and order that style, you must expect that the one you get may not sound exactly like the first one you heard. Minor differences are to be expected, and should be embraced. Don't worry though! Most gong styles, thanks to design specifics, maintain a similarity of tone to the untrained ear.

Andrew Borakove is a media writer and gong aficionado. He also is the proprietor of the internet store, Gongs Unlimited. <a target="_new" href="http://www.gongs-unlimited.com">http://www.gongs-unlimited.com</a>

You can find more info on Gongs there, and all kinds of gongs and related instruments for sale.

Micing a Kick Drum

2009-01-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

This months tip deals with micing kick drums.

You wouldn't believe how many people ask me about micing their kick drums. It leads me to believe people really don't know how to.

-ON SOAPBOX-

It became so fashionable in the mid-90's through the early 2000's to use MIDI or sampled dum sounds in productions that many people now have no idea how to record a "real" drum when the "band" or "live" sound came back in.

-OFF SOAPBOX-

So, first things first. You need to make sure the actual sound source, in this case the drum, sounds as good as it can sound. You might have to "sell" the idea to the drummer that just because his drum set sounds or works a certain way in a live setting, that might, (probably) won't sound good in the studio.

One of the initial assessments you must make is determining the value of the drum. This isn't a precise science and if you are not a drummer, this probably won't be common knowledge. But it is pretty easy to learn. The next time you are in your local music store drooling over the latest TC Electronics piece, work your way over to the drum department. Pay close attention to the difference in the shells between the inexpensive sets (say $1000 or less) and the more expensive sets (those over $1000). If the shell is pure wood, like maple or birch, it typically needs less muffling in the recording process. If the shell is some type of wood or fiberglass wrap, as commonly found on less expensive kits, they normally require more muffling for recording purposes.

Less muffling usually means keeping the front (non-beater) head on. This way, the drum can vibrate fully and resonate completely. The ringing may sound like too much, but most of the ring will be lost in the mix. Again, this is a different mindset than live. In a live situation, you would want to control the ring as much as possible to avoid feedback. If you start recording and the drum is still ringing too much for your taste, start muffling a little bit at a time. A thin blanket laid inside the drum will usually do the trick.

With less expensive drums that need more muffling, take the front head completely off or at least make sure that there is a good size mic hole cut into the head. Muffle with pillows and/or blankets. There are beater, or back, heads that come pre-muffled. If possible, use a head that is not muffled. These muffled heads work great in a live setting but do not give you as much control in the studio. Add or take away muffling as needed. Keep this in mind, though, although much of the ringing will still be lost in the mix, the tone that an inexpensive shell puts out is not nearly as "sweet" as a better shell. It is usually in your best interest as an engineer to cut as much of this ring without losing all of the tone.

The second aspect of micing a kick drum is the mic itself. Usually, a dynamic mic with the largest diaphragm you can find is the best bet. My all-time favorite mic for kick drums is the EV RE20. This mic is fairly expensive for a dynamic mic, though, and many home studios do not have them in their mic aresenal. The AKG D112 is a good choice. Sennheiser has its E series that is pretty good. If all else fails, you can always use a Shure SM57. You need a couple of these in your studio anyway.

The last part of micing your kick drum is the mic placement. A few inches one way or another can make or break your recording, so experiment, experiment, experiment! As a general rule, the more muffled your drum is the deeper inside the drum you want to place your mic. Start with the mic flush with the front head with the mic facing the beater and keep moving the mic further and further into the drum until you get the perfect balance between tone and the "slap" or "click" of the beater.

Here are some tricks that I have personally used with good results:

- to get more "click" or beater sound

Switch beater from cloth to wood. These can be bought at your local music store.

On top of pillows or blankets, sit a cinder block. It gave me a "punchier" sound.

Use a seperate mic in back of the kick drum by the drummer's foot facing the beater. - not enough low end

Set a chair a few feet in front of kick drum and drape a heavy blanket from the drum to the chair. (You may need to use a bit of duct tape to get the blanket to stay on the drum.) Set the mic under the chair facing the kick drum. This tends to focus the low end and let it develop a bit more before it reaches the mic.

Whew! That's alot of work, huh? Again, don't be afraid to experiment.

Philip Langlais is the founder of iKnowAudio.com, the site for affordable, practical online audio production training. We specialize in teaching you the art of digital recording, mixing, editing, mastering, how to use compressors, eq's, reverbs, etc. Visit us at <a target="_new" href="http://www.iknowaudio.com">http://www.iknowaudio.com.</a>

Managing Your Time, when Music isnt Your Day Job

2009-01-19T21:20:00.001-08:00

You CAN do everything.

Repeat.

You CAN do everything. What you cannot do, however, is do everything at the same time, or create a day that's longer than 24 hours.

The two most important aspects of time management are acceptance and choice. When you think of time in terms of acceptance and choice, you're never "wrong", "bad", or "lazy", you've just made certain choices. When you think in terms of discipline and willpower, however, your inner critic can really do a number on you. We already have low self-esteem as artists; let's not add to the problem!!

An example of this from my own life is that I choose to live alone instead of with a roommate; that means I also choose higher rent and the need to bring in enough income to cover that rent. When sneaky thoughts of resentment or self-pity creep in to my head, I need to remember the choice that I made, and I need to accept this is how things are for now.

Here are some tips for using choice and acceptance to manage your time.

Decide what you want to have time for. What keeps getting pushed to the back burner or rushed through? How will you spend your time once you've made your songwriting dreams come true and you've become the artist you're meant to be? Nourish this vision until it's clear in your mind. It's essential to know what you're working towards. Remember, you won't always be this busy unless you choose to be.

Choose not to be this busy ? for one week, track your time using a time log. You can make one yourself; simply chart out (on paper or on the computer) your day in fifteen-minute intervals and then record what you do in each of those blocks of time. Completing a time log will illuminate how much time you're spending on different things. Look carefully at the choices you're making. What do you most want to do with the time you have available?

Accept your day job for what it is ? a source of the financial support you need to eat and live ? and write songs! Practice feeling grateful for the job you have, instead of feeling resentful about the time it's taking away from your songwriting. For instance, what recording equipment, CD's, manuscript paper, software programs or musical instruments have you bought from the money you earned in this job? Also, the job is giving you life experiences, and most likely lots of opportunities to interact with other people. Your passion is to communicate with people through your music ? how can you take some of that passion and apply it to your day-to-day interactions? What kind of stories do your co-workers have to tell? What ideas do those stir up for you that you can use in your writing?

Look for a "day job" that's meaningful and that's taking you in the direction of your dreams. Do you need some ideas? Try meditating to access inner wisdom and spiritual guidance. If songwriting is your primary passion, what's your second passion? What ELSE gets your juices flowing? There's no need to be in a job that doesn't make you feel alive, in order to support what does. Some artists that I know get lots of fulfillment from teaching children or adults about their craft. Others take jobs that involve public speaking, to give them more experience and confidence talking to groups. Some take jobs in music stores, where they can have lots of time to learn about the newest equipment, meet lots of fellow artists, and get a discount, to boot!

Schedule time with yourself for your songwriting, collaborating and rehearsing. Keep these dates with yourself and others as sacred appointments!

Be good to your body and don't sacrifice sleep for productivity (if you keep doing that, you won't be in much shape to produce anything!).

There are only a couple of things that we really NEED to do every day. Everything else is a choice.

This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter's Resource website (November 2004) http://www.musesmuse.com.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, "Everyday Artist", subscribe at <a target="_new" href="http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html">http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html</a>

Piano Lessons and Perfectionism

2009-01-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy of music making. Most of us learned how to be perfectionists as children, trying to please Mommy or Daddy. We wanted their approval so we tried to get it right.

In the process, we learned that getting it right meant giving up happiness. It wasn't enough that we could express ourselves musically. We had to do a good job of it as well. As good as we could make it. Getting all the notes right. Trying to please music teachers who could care less if we were enjoying ourselves. All for what? To get a grade or a "that's good?"

It's a shame but this happens all the time in music schools. It's not until we become adults that we realize the damage that has been done. By then, it's usually too late and most never pick up an instrument again. What a pity that is. What a shame that we all must create to someone's standard of what good is. And worst of all, when you finally achieve that high standard, you are told that it is never good enough anyway.

The way out of this perfectionist's rut is to let go of the need to please others and refocus on pleasing ourselves. Now there is room to make mistakes and explore what art really is - namely EXPLORATION OF THE UNKNOWN! Here is where the real adventure begins my friends. Here is where excitement truly is! Not knowing what is going to happen next. Not judging what comes out of us but being beholders of it all.

Improvisation is the key that unlocks this door. It is the one art form that is invention from one moment to the next. Experience the joy of improvisation and all need to get things right disappears. Just for a moment you feel like the music is playing you. Isn't that enough?

Art of the Recording Engineer: From Michael Jackson to Mutant Radio, Matt Forger Speaks Out

2009-01-19T04:00:00.001-08:00

Interviewed by Scott G (The G-Man)

G-Man: When people think of Matt Forger, they usually think of your work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Glen Ballard, and Bruce Swedien, yet when you hand out a CD with examples of your producing, engineering or mixing, it almost always has new and emerging artists, people like Mutant Radio, Laughing With Lulu, The Dharma Bomb, or Fjaere. What's your thinking behind the choice of avoiding the big names?

Forger: While my association with those big names was a wonderful experience, it's also in the past.

G-Man: But you work with artists at every level, including "the biggies."

Forger: Oh sure, for example, I still maintain a professional relationship with Michael Jackson and contributed to the recent release of "Michael Jackson - The Ultimate Collection," a boxed set, and I worked on many of the previously unreleased recordings that are included in it, as well as overseeing various aspects of the project. This is, of course, very enjoyable to be part of because I got to revisit those eras when I worked very closely with Michael as he created the great albums that established him as the "King of Pop." For me, that was a learning experience that had no equal. To be part of history-making projects like "Thriller" and to work with Quincy Jones taught me what it takes to make the best recordings possible. Not just in a commercial sense, but as artistic statements, and what it takes for a song to engage the listener, the power of a collaborative team effort, and what it means to "arrive at the studio and leave your ego at the door." These and the many other lessons learned are what I bring to the table when I work with new and emerging artists.

G-Man: So you're combining the best aspects of past and present. What are some of the contrasts?

Forger: The old model of the record business allowed for the development of talent, coaching it along the way, working with songwriters, arrangers, producers and engineers and learning the craft of record making. That system doesn't exist in today's business model. Today, with few exceptions, major labels look for the most promising bands and artists, sign them to a deal, and if they don't sell the numbers that the companies require, dump the act. Before an act has the chance to develop a following and learn the ropes, it can be all over. That's what it's about now, the bottom line. Corporate business has no heart and no sense of artistry. I want to look to the future, and it's out there. The future of the music business is in the undiscovered talent that flies below the radar. That's who I want to work with. That's the hope of the music industry: the unique, innovative artists who are creating something new and exiting, not regurgitating an old tired formula, or manufacturing synthetic crap with no emotion or heart. I want to be part of the future!

G-Man: If nothing else is read in this interview, I want to thank you for those comments! In addition to the seven Michael Jackson albums, you've worked with Van Halen, Lena Horne, James Ingram , Giorgio Moroder, and many others. Care to comment on the difference between sessions with superstars and sessions with stars-in-the-making?

Forger: In a word: experience. The seasoned pros have one important quality that sets them apart: they have developed an instinctual feel for music. It's that thing that accomplished musicians have. It's an intuitive thing. You learn to trust your gut through trial and error. There is no substitute for it. Some people have it more than others. It's a sensitivity, an ability to see inside the music and read the different levels of what's occurring. Then, to have the ability to recognize and manipulate the elements in such a way as to make a more effective communication of the songs' intent. For newer artists, it's often a matter of helping them identify and tune into those subtle qualities. And, to focus on what is important and what is just background noise that's creating confusion.

G-Man: Let's talk about the diversity of your musical interests for a moment. You recorded a modern-retro band called The Teddy Boys, then you made some dance remixes of a couple of my songs, and you've done live recording for singer-songwriter Caroline Aiken. It seems like you enjoy a wide variety of styles and genres. Do you favor certain kinds of music, or are there any forms of music you don't like?

Forger: I grew up with the pop radio formats starting in the '60s, where you could hear the entire assortment of what was out there. Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra, Roger Miller, The Beach Boys and The Beatles would all be on the same station. When you heard everything from Jan and Dean to James Brown in the course of a few minutes, it gave an overview of what the public in general was listening to. When radio in the '70s became album-oriented, it started to narrow the field of what would be heard on a given station. In the course of my growing up, I always was exploring what was new and different, what type of instrumentation was new and exiting. As trends continued, the influence of ethnic and world beat came to be an interesting movement. There are too many styles of music to name and say that they have all influenced me, but quality has always been a factor. I've worked on sessions from Classical to Country, New Wave to New Age, Pop to Punk, music from all parts of the globe, and it's still exciting and a challenge to work on something new. If there's a form of music I don't care for, it's the manufactured mediocre crap that gets sold as having something to say when it's just pretentious drivel.

G-Man: Again, thanks for making those statements. That's great. When you record live, I know you have a preference for a certain recording technique. Can you tell us about it?

Forger: When the situation allows, there is a technique that I love to use because of its elegant simplicity. It uses a single high quality stereo microphone strategically placed to capture the performance, the event and the environment all at the same time. There is a sonic signature that this technique creates that is unlike any other. It is the capturing of that moment in time, and when it occurs, you capture a great performance. When done properly, it transports the listener to that place and the feeling of being there. This technique seems to work best in acoustic and ensemble situations where the volume is not terribly overpowering. It has the ability to capture subtlety and nuance in the perspective of the dynamics of the moment. This is of course what direct to stereo recording is all about. I didn't originate the technique, but have come to appreciate its power and purity. When an artist is at home with an audience, record the event and have a document of that energy and honesty of the expression of the music. It can be so simple and effective. There are also ways to incorporate this into a larger recording plan and have extra microphones to highlight various sections or instruments. I've done this as well and had very pleasing results.

G-Man: How did you get your start in the business? Was there formal training, or did you just begin recording around the house and hanging out at studios?

Forger: Well, my start in the business was actually when I began mixing live shows. I had done other things before that: classical guitar lessons, playing with electronic stuff and listening to a ton of records and music. But, it was live mixing that gave me the first money I ever earned in music, and the sense that I was on to something that I knew I had a natural ability for. It was being asked to keep an eye on the mixer for friends who had a band. They were impressed that they sounded so much better and that the audience enjoyed the sound. That was my first gig. That led to my learning of all matters related to sound. I read, I experimented, I built my own gear, I asked questions of people I could find who had more experience than I did. There was a guy in my town who was a wiz with electronics, and he had built a recording studio in an old chicken coup. It was a funky place to work but the sound that came from there was amazing. I used to hang out there and just watch and try to learn what was occurring. I would work with my friends and try techniques, mic placement, and experimented with everything we could think of. It was an education by trial and error. It was gratifying when musicians would come by our makeshift studio in the drummers' basement or bass players' bedroom and comment that they were spending good money to record with experienced people at professional studios and didn't have anything that sounded like our recordings. It was all instinct. What was it supposed to sound like? Like all those great records that I grew up listening to - that was the benchmark. I just followed my heart to tell me what the music needed.

G-Man: What are some of the reasons you interact with and support NARIP (National Association of Record Industry Professionals)?

Forger: NARIP is a great organization. It's one of those places that you can go and network with others who are looking towards the future. There are professionals from all facets of the industry, from the creative side to the business specialists. If you are looking for someone with a specific skill or are looking to offer your talents to others, there is always an assortment of people to network with. In the entertainment industry, success is based on who you know more than what you know. When you have both, you have the potential for great things. As an organization, NARIP holds many panel events, seminars, workshops, and just networking get-togethers. The quality of people who attend is always top notch.

G-Man: You're also a participant in organizations like L*A*M*P and Venus Music.

Forger: Yes, these are also great organizations because they play an important roll in backing the independent artist community in the LA area. I try to offer my support to organizations that have, as a goal, the advancement of the independent music community. It's my belief that the music of tomorrow will come from these songwriters and bands. With the major labels no longer developing talent, it has created a void of where one can go to understand how things work on the inside. The artist of today has to learn as he goes, and to help avoid costly mistakes and wasting time and money, there are excellent programs offered by these organizations to help the artist move forward and understand the complex nature of the business. There is also the advantage of being able to build a team of support specialists to help with the areas that you don't desire to undertake yourself. Remember, a collaborative effort can be the most effective way of achieving a goal, especially when the scope of the undertaking is overwhelming.

G-Man: What can you tell us about your current studio gear?

Forger: Simple, straightforward, always an eye to quality. It's not the newest whiz-bang device that sets a studio apart. It's the workhorse, tried and true technology that proves to be the greatest value. Right now I'm using Pro Tools because it's the standard for audio production in the industry. Other systems work well too, but some type of compatibility is always desirable. I compliment my computer system with a selection of outboard gear that works for my application. I specialize in mixing so I have some good reverbs and effects from Lexicon, Yamaha and Roland. And a mastering chain that creates a good final quality product, Neve compressors, DB technologies converters and TC mastering software in a M-5000 processor. For speakers, I use Tanoys and Custom Altec Monitors. They work for me. Very often, clients will say they don't get an understanding of the sound in the studio. But when they take the mixes out into the real world, they love the sound. That's where it really counts. If it sounds great in the studio but nowhere else, you're on the wrong path.

G-Man: From your studio set-up, I can see that you've embraced the digital world. Is there anything you miss about the analog days?

Forger: There are a lot of things that you get used to when recording on analog tape. The time it takes to rewind, the fat sound, the accidents that occur that turn out to be inspiring, having a track sheet to doodle on. It's great if you can afford to incorporate an analog stage at some point of the recording process. Some styles of music benefit more than others, but it still adds a charming sonic personality when you can. It has come to the point where recording analog is a luxury. For the cost of a reel of two inch tape, you can buy a hard drive large enough to hold several CDs of recordings. Whatever the choice, use the recording medium to its maximum potential.

G-Man: What are your thoughts about tape manufacturing problems?

Forger: It's a sad state of affairs that analog tape manufacturing has ceased. To deprive those who love the sound characteristics that it imparts on recordings is unfortunate. It forces artists, engineers and producers to make choices not based on creative style, but instead on the corporate influence on the business of creativity. I have heard that there will be tape available in the future. It will of course become a specialty item and the cost will certainly become much higher that what everyone is accustomed to paying now. But for those who appreciate it and have the financial means to afford it, it will become a premium option in the recording world.

G-Man: I know you're one of nearly 100 top producers affiliated with StudioExpresso.com. How does that organization work?

Forger: That's a good question because Studio Expresso is different things to different people, depending on your needs. It's a clearing house for engineers and producers, a portal so to speak, for the outside world as well as the industry. If you would like to research an engineer or producer for an upcoming project, the background and contact information is there for many of the industry's top people. If you need to co-ordinate a studio project, then Studio Expresso can help you find a top notch facility, or whatever personnel you may require. If you're traveling to LA to make use of the creative assets the area has to offer, then arrangements and support for your project and stay are also available. Studio Expresso has also been exploring ways to support the independent music movement by helping new and developing talent ways to network and establish contacts within the industry. Claris, who heads up the organization, also manages producers, engineers and other talented people on the production side of the business and offers her expertise and experience in the business to help build their careers

G-Man: If an artist is interested in working with you, what should they do? Send you some material first? Contact you via StudioExpresso.com? Contact you directly?

Forger: While I don't mind talking with a potential client, it's good to establish a dialog with SE first. If there is any question about how to approach a producer, then these types of questions can be cleared up ahead of time. Many times I've taken calls for someone in need of a "producer," only to find out in the course of a conversation that they are looking for someone who will co-write songs, act as a musician, program beats and synths, as well as engineer, mix and produce. Some artists feel that a producer should shop the material and secure a deal for them. In this business, everyone operates differently. I work to facilitate the successful completion of a recording project, regardless of its complexity. It's always good going in to know the specific qualification you're looking for and that you're talking to a person who has the right set of skills.

G-Man: Do you have any thoughts on 5.1?

Forger: Yes, It's a beautiful thing. While Michael Jackson's "Captain EO" was one of the first digital 5.1 theatrical releases, and working on that project was groundbreaking, my area of interest is currently the song, and its emotional content. While 5.1 home theater is growing immensely in popularity, most music today is "consumed" in the traditional stereo format, and to a large extent MP3 is the format of choice when delivered on computer, iPod, blasters and small systems. Almost the opposite of the esoteric environment that a true 5.1 audio system would dictate. And while a listening experience in 5.1 can be very gratifying, most independent artists just don't go there because getting the music out in an effective manner is the priority.

G-Man: Care to comment on the latest format wars?

Forger: My only observation is that it will work itself out in the commercial marketplace. Remember VHS/Beta, Quad sound, Laserdisks, 8 Tracks vs. Cassettes. When viewed from a historical perspective, everyone's hindsight will be 20/20 and the question won't be an issue.

G-Man: What's the weirdest thing you've done in the studio? In terms of sonics, I mean.

Forger: Before the advent of digital technology, you needed to be creative acoustically and electronically. In the song "Billie Jean," when Michael sings the line "Do think twice" at end of the third verse, he's singing through a cardboard mailing tube. We often would record elements in the bathroom (tiled) because it would give it a short early reflection quality. The main percussion sound on the song "Beat It" was Michael beating on fiberboard drum cases with 1x3 inch pieces of wood in the mirrored room of Westlake Studio A. This was all normal. Now if you want to talk weird, on one song (not MJ) we ran a tape loop around the room supported by microphone stands on a two track machine. It was a loop of burps and was keyed by the kick and snare to give the effect of drums that were alive and breathing.

G-Man: What is "The Matt Forger Show"?

Forger: The "Matt Forger Show" is the name credited to the sound design elements that I have created. It was started by Michael when we would work together and often he was in a location that didn't permit visual contact. We only had our voices as a reference. The detachment made it feel as if it was a radio program. It became the name I choose to use for my style of work that combines spoken word, sound effects and music.

G-Man: How would you describe the magic or the fascination of music?

Forger: Music is a form of emotional communication. The combination of rhythmic patterns, melodic progressions and lyric content, communicate and express feelings that we share though common experience. A pop song is a three minute fix of an emotional drug. We are connected through our humanity, and most successful songs speak to this. It is our shared human failings and aspirations that connect us. Whether it's telling a story, expressing a feeling or idea, it's the honesty with which we communicate our inner most self, that allows others to share in the moment.

G-Man: Are there any common qualities you've observed in successful artists?

Forger: There is one quality that I have observed in all the successful artists I have worked with. That is the ability or talent to understand music at an intuitive level. Not just technically or in theory, but at a gut level to feel what is required to make a piece of music work. This is evident in the creative process. When asked for an idea, melody line, counter line, harmony part, arrangement progression or instrument texture, I have noticed that certain very successful individuals are never at a loss. And, while not at a loss, always have ideas that are appropriate for the particular situation and are of the highest quality. They are on the money instinctively, without reservation and with complete confidence. They are, in fact, "one with the music." This quality I can say is what separates the most successful artists with those that aspire for greatness. While it is true this is something that comes with experience, it is also that quality that allows for success to continue. To have your finger on the pulse of what the public feels is one thing, to be able to lead the public with your own sense of what is a true expression of honest emotion is yet another talent.

CONTACTS:

http://www.mattforger.com
http://www.studioexpresso.com
http://www.gmanmusic.com
http://www.narip.com
http://www.delvianrecords.com

ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER:
Scott G makes commercials at G-Man Music & Radical Radio and releases albums under the name "The G-Man" for Delvian Records. His music can be heard on commercials for Verizon Wireless, Goodrich, Micron, NASSCO, the Auto Club, and many more.

Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 1

2009-01-18T02:50:00.001-08:00

Introduction

The fact that you are holding this in your hands suggests that you have got to the point in your explorations of, and curiosity about the guitar that the next step is the modes. Maybe it's because you have read somewhere that Steve Vai loves the Lydian mode, or you have listened to music by Frank Gambale and wondered what he was up to. Whatever the reason, the material you have here should set you on the road to opening up new ways to express yourself, to get different sounds into your melodies and harmonies.

First off you need to know that this material alone will not have you ripping exotic solos up and down the fret board, smoke and fire on your fingertips. It will take the same process and work that has brought you your level of chops with the pentatonic, major and minor scales, arpeggios and your own licks. What it will do is give you the information you need, and the backing tracks so that you can practice and familiarise yourself with the patterns of the modes, and get used to the sounds.

Ultimately it's down to the time you put in and your motivation to go beyond what you find within these pages. But if you're serious about learning the modes, you knew that already. Anyone promising you a quick fix, whether conscious or subconscious, is at the very least pulling your leg.

The second thing you need to know is that a certain facility and knowledge is assumed. If you find yourself flailing in a sea of non-comprehension it is hopefully only because you're not ready to move on to this stage of learning, and you need to tuck this back under the bed and give yourself a little more time with the basics. You could ignore the theory section altogether. It's up to you what you want to do with this now it's yours, but hopefully, if you do ignore it now, perhaps you will come back to it and then it should make some sense and help you with other aspects of using the modes.

Let's start with the good news. There are 7 modes built on the major scale and you already know two of them. The major scale is a mode itself, called the Ionian, and the minor scale is another mode, called the Aeolian. So, more than a quarter of the work is done. If you thought that getting to grips with those two scales wasn't too complicated, then you should get on fine with the other material here. If you are in a state of experience where playing the major and minor scales in 5 positions on the guitar neck, in any key, is not something that you are familiar or comfortable with, back this goes under the bed. Although both of these modes will be covered you really should be worrying about the basics at this point. Any half way decent book about playing the guitar, or song writing, should provide you with the information to get these two modes under your fingers. For the rest of you, let's go.

The Modes

Before we get to anything even remotely like playing a scale, we need to have a think about the theory to understand where these modes come from. It is not essential to understand this to learn the modes, you could just learn the patterns, but, knowing some of the theory should help you to know when the modes could be employed, why they sound different etc. There are seven modes, named Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. The reason why there are seven modes is because each mode is built on a different tone of the major scale and there are 7 different tones in the major scale. If we take the scale of C Major as an example, so we don't have to worry about sharps and flats, this should be clearer.

As you are probably aware, the C Major scale consists of the following tones:

C D E F G A B C

If we think of the major scale as a mode, then what we are saying is that if we start on the tone C, and then play all seven tones of the C Major scale, we are playing C Ionian. The same is true for any other major scale. If you start on the tone B and play all 7 tones which make up the B Major scale, you have played B Ionian.

Another way to think of this is to consider the way in which this scale is constructed. All major scales are constructed with the same distance between pairs of tones. Again, considering the C Major scale, the distances between the pairs of notes is:

Note Pair.......Tone distance............Fret distance

C to D..........a whole tone (T)...........i.e., 2 frets)

D to E..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

E to F..........a semi-tone (S)...........(i.e., 1 fret)

F to G..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

G to A..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

A to B..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

B to C..........a semi-tone (S)...........(i.e., 1 fret)

So, we could say that the structure of any major scale, or Ionian mode, is

T T S T T T S

We can check this. You should check this on your guitar neck to convince yourself that it is true, but here we'll do it on paper. Let's say we want to construct the G Major scale.

Knowing that all major scales are constructed using the formula T T S T T T S, and starting on G we would get the following:

G up a whole tone to A

A up a whole tone to B

B up a semi-tone to C

C up a whole tone to D

D up a whole tone to E

E up a whole tone to F#

F# up a semi-tone to G

Producing the scale

G A B C D E F#

Do this with other major scales just to check that there's no trickery here. If you didn't know that the G Major scale has an F# in it, back under the bed this goes and find a theory book!

Ok, so we can think of the Ionian (from now on the Major scale will always be referred to as the Ionian, as we are thinking in modes here) as having a particular structure. The next theoretical step we'll take is to build the other modes on the notes of the Ionian, and then look at their structures in exactly the same way. Taking C Ionian again, and only using the tones of this mode, consider the following.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on C

C D E F G A B

We are playing C Ionian.

Now we'll look at the other modes, remembering that as we are building them on the tones from C Ionian, these are the only tones we can use, i.e., C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on D,

D E F G A B C D

We are playing D Dorian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on E,

E F G A B C D E

We are playing E Phrygian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on F,

F G A B C D E F

We are playing F Lydian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on G,

G A B C D E F G

We are playing G Mixolydian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on A,

A B C D E F G A

We are playing A Aeolian, also known as the minor scale, which you know.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on B,

B C D E F G A B

We are playing B Locrian.

If you know your Ionian modes, then you will have instantly seen that the scales we are producing in this way are not the same as the Ionian modes you know. For example, the G Mixolydian we have built does not have an F#, which the G Ionian does and the F Lydian we have built does not have a Bb in it, which the F Ionian does.

Noticing these differences means you have noticed one of the key aspects of the modes. The reason why, for example G Mixolydian does not sound like G Ionian is because the relationship between the notes has changed, the pattern of tones and semi-tones between the notes has changed and as such the tones in the scale are different. These changes in the relationships are what give the modes their characteristic sounds and determine why they can be used in some instances, and not in others. But more of that later.

You could now start comparing some of your modes. For example, you could play a D Ionian, and then play D Dorian and compare the sounds. You'll probably hear that your Dorian sounds slightly more 'minor'. Part of the work you need to find time to do is to start to hear these differences, but when we get to the playing part of this package you'll be doing that anyway, so just hold on one moment. The next thing we will do is look at the structures of each of the modes, again using as our base example C Ionian. Below you will find each of the 7 modes built on C, starting with C Ionian, the others built on the tones which make up the C Ionian mode (C, D, E, F, G, A, B).

Starting Tone.....Mode Name.....Mode Notes...Mode Structure

C,.....................C Ionian........CDEFGABC......T T S T T T S

D,.....................D Dorian........DEFGABCD......T S T T T S T

E,.....................E Phrygian......EFGABCDE......S T T T S T T

F,.....................F Lydian........FGABCDEF......T T T S T T S

G,.....................G Mixolydian....GABCDEFG......T T S T T S T

A,.....................A Aeolian.......ABCDEFGA......T S T T S T T

B,.....................B Locrian.......BCDEFGAB......S T T S T T T

As you can probably see, each of the modes has its own, unique structure of tone and semi-tones between notes in the scale. What this means is that if you learn, for example, that the Locrian mode is constructed by spacing notes according to the formula of S T T S T T T, you can play the the Locrian mode in any key by choosing your start note, and then building the scale according to this formula.

One final way we can think of the modes shows very clearly how each mode differs from its own Ionian mode. Again, taking as our basis the C Ionian, we will number each of the notes in the C Ionian scale, as below.

C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Now, we will look at the modes based on C Ionian, and show how each mode differs.

D Dorian

D...E...F...G...A...B...C

1...2...b3..4...5...6...b7

This merely means that D Dorian differs from D Ionian by the third degree of the scale and the seventh degree of the scale being flattened. So, whereas in D Ionian the scale has an F# and a C#, D Dorian has an F and a C. We'll look at the other modes in the same manner.

E Phrygian

E...F...G...A...B...C...D

1...b2..b3..4...5...b6..b7

F Lydian

F...G...A...B...C...D...E

1...2...#3..4...5...6...7

G Mixolydian

G...A...B...C...D...E...F

1...2...3...4...5...6...b7

A Aeolian

A...B...C...D...E...F...G

1...2...b3..4...5...b6..b7

B Locrian

B...C...D...E...F...G...A

1...b2..b3..4...b5..b6..b7

What the previous list demonstrated is how each of these modes differs from the Ionian mode starting on the same root node. So, for example, A Aeolian differs from A Ionian by the third, sixth, and seventh degree of the Ionian mode being flattened. Once again, you could learn how the individual modes differ from their Ionian modes and alter the way you play the Ionian to take account of this.

By now you have probably got a bit of an ache in your head from all this theory. It's not crucial at this stage that you have got all of this committed to memory and have it all worked out. Give it a little time, and when you have had a chance to get a bit of modal playing done, you can pick the ones that you like, or that fit your style, and then just get your head around those ones.

This is end of the main theoretical section. Bits will creep in, or will seem to creep in when we look at chords for each of the modes, but really, as long as you have a basic understanding of music it shouldn't be any more troublesome than what you've been through already. I hope.

Feedback welcome.

Guitarist and therapist: <a target="_new" href="http://members.lycos.co.uk/newtballon/">http://members.lycos.co.uk/newtballon/</a>, <a target="_new" href="http://www.hypnotherapies.co.uk">http://www.hypnotherapies.co.uk</a>, though not necessarily in that order, and not exclusively either.

Health Insurance for Creative Artists -- A Multi-Talented Health Investment

2009-01-17T11:10:00.001-08:00

For the Creative Artist -- Good Health Insurance is Truly a Lifetime Investment

Fellow artists, buying good health insurance is the best investment you can make in your lifetime! You can purchase fine jewelry, art works, vintage cars -- but none of these can assure you the value, well-being, and peace of mind that a comprehensive health insurance plan will bring you. And you don't have to pay for expensive expert advice before buying, either. For, no knowledgeable jeweler, fine art dealer or professional car salesman can begin to give you the self assurance and cool confidence that a good health insurance package affords you.

Modern Health Insurance Covers More Than You Think

At one time, health insurance coverage was at minimum basic level. Most major illnesses and surgery were covered, but that was about all. Any condition out of the ordinary or slightly obscure was dismissed as not suitable for health insurance coverage. And any medical problem or type of surgery that sounded the least bit "cosmetic", you might as well just forget about. -- No coverage would be granted, and you'd be made to feel you were foolish even to ask for it! In today's health insurance market, however, there are policies that cover just about any medical condition, even pre-existing ones. And we all can benefit from this reassurance, especially as we get a year or two older. And there is better and better coverage for dependents now, so you can relax knowing your spouse and children will be well taken care of whenever health problems arise. Just imagine -- you may soon be able to include your pet poodle or parrot on your updated health insurance policy! (And, how about adopting a couple of those cute stray cats, dogs or hedgehogs for inclusion in your health care coverage?)

Pay Nothing Or Little For Office Visits -- Let Health Insurance Take Care Of The Rest

Many health insurance policies require little or no payment up front for medical office visits or prescription drugs. At most, you may owe a $10 or $15 co-pay along with your health insurance identification card for all your doctors' appointments -- including specialists. And in some instances, even the co-pay can be billed for later payment. So, there's never a need to worry that you won't be able to afford your doctor's fee.

Buy Prescription Drugs For Nearly Nothing -- Your Health Insurance Plan Will Pick Up The Balance

You won't have to fret about pharmacy fees, for with current-day health insurance, most prescriptions cost a mere fraction of their worth. And you can go home feeling well cared for and wealthy. And generic drugs cost even less than their brand names do -- even more savings from your health insurance "investment fund."

And There Is Even Holistic Or Alternative Health Insurance

Can you believe it -- there is finally health coverage for many holistic and alternative health treatments to make your insurance wants and needs complete. Even herbal cures and natural health massage are included, in many cases! So, artists all, call your nearest health insurance broker today, and make that guaranteed investment of your lifetime!

Ellen Gilmer

Copywriter, Article Writer, copyright 2005

Ellen Gilmer is a writer-composer and artist who lives in New York City. Her business, Crystal Clear Artforms, is dedicated to the development and promotion of Thematic Arts (creative expression in multiple art forms). Ellen's work includes copywriting and article writing, and she is a member of the Agora International Press Corps / AWAI Travel Writers Group. She has published two books: La Belle Famille (a novel), and Free Style Run of the Heart (a book of dramatic monologues with songs). (Publisher: The Pentland Press, Ltd.; Carnegie Publishing, in England) The Web Site address for Crystal Clear Artforms is: <a target="_new" href="http://www.home.earthlink.net/~elgilmer">http://www.home.earthlink.net/~elgilmer</a>

Creating Your Own Compositions

2009-01-17T09:40:00.001-08:00

The idea of actually creating a complete piece of music to play frightens many students. They just don't understand how someone could come up with something, put it down on paper, and call it their own.

The good news is that you don't need to read music to compose. All you need is to understand a little about chords and musical phrases.

For example, in the lesson "Reflections in Water," we have 4 chords to create with. We have the order in which the chords are to be played - and then we play, creating an entire piece of music.

Now this piece is actually an improvisation. But if I wanted to "compose" this same piece, I would just draw bar lines, notate where the chords should be played, i.e. every 2-bars, every 4-bars, etc., and either pencil in the first 2-bars of melody, or record it so I could remember the melodic idea.

This is how I compose! I've been doing it for a very long time and it's a great method to quickly capture musical ideas. If I were to write out the same piece note for note, it would take hours! There's no need to do this because once you have your chord changes down and know the arrangement of the piece (Reflections in Water is a broken-chord arrangement) that's that!

Six Reasons to Play New Age Piano

2009-01-16T18:50:00.001-08:00

Here are six very good reasons to learn how to play piano in the New Age style:

1. It's easy. No months spent learning theory here. Just a few chords and you're off enjoying the joy of improvisation. Learning chords is the key to playing easily and effortlessly! And with New Age piano, the chords you learn can be used right away!

2. It's fun! You can actually create your own music! In the classical music world you spend all your time learning how to play other peoples music. With New Age piano, you can sit down and "compose" a piece of your very own

3. It sounds good. You can, by using a few modern sounding chords, sound good playing piano right away.

4. Techniques are easily learned. New Age piano uses techniques that anyone can learn how to play in a matter of minutes.

5. No note reading involved. New Age piano is very much an improvised music. This being the case, chords are really all that you need to know. Although note reading is nice, it's not necessary in order to create your own music

6. It's modern. New Age piano is a modern genre. Having really picked up steam in the mid 1980's, it's something that can grow and become a vital force in today's society.

A Brief History of Fender Guitars

2009-01-16T16:30:00.001-08:00

Perhaps no other guitar maker has touched the hearts of so many players and collectors as Fender. By producing excellent guitars at reasonable prices, Fender has been the instrument of choice for many guitarists throughout the world. Both the famous and not so famous have relied on Fender guitars to define their signature sounds.

The Fender company was founded by Leo Fender, and produced its first solid body electric guitar in 1951. This guitar was called the Telecaster, and was soon followed by the Precision Bass, and the legendary Stratocaster in 1954. Over the years many changes would take place at Fender which had a great impact on the types and quality of instruments they produced.

The first "mile-stone" year for Fender came in 1965. During this year, Fender was bought by corporate giant CBS. Quality began to decline during CBS's reign, and although Fender still remained popular among players, CBS lacked the commitment and understanding necessary to satisfy the needs of serious musicians. As a result, the guitars produced during the "Pre-CBS" era would become prized collectors items demanding large sums of money in the vintage guitar market.

In 1985 Fender enjoyed another "mile-stone" year as a group of employees purchased the company back from CBS. For the first time in 20 years Fender was in the hands of musicians and artisans committed to producing world class guitars. A new manufacturing facility was built in Corona California to handle the production of USA made guitars. In 1987 the Fender Custom Shop was established, reaffirming the company's dedication to producing top quality guitars, and catering to the needs of top musicians.

From 1985 to the present day, Fender has been steadily expanding its operations within the United States and abroad. The company now produces a vast array of musical products from strings to mixing boards. In spight of such massive growth, Fender's commitment to the production of quality guitars remains very high. Fender remains one of the few companies that can successfully provide quality products to both the "budget conscious" and "price no object" musicians.

? Written By: Michael Casamento

Michael Casamento is the founder of Guitar Pages Online - a comprehensive resource for guitars and guitar related merchandise on the Internet.

For more information visit:<a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarpagesonline.com">http://www.guitarpagesonline.com</a>

This article may be freely reproduced so long as the above resource box is included in its entirety.

Celtic Music: The Japanese Connection

2009-01-14T03:00:00.001-08:00

My friend, guitarist Brian Hughes, toured with the Chieftain's in Japan as an opening act with Loreena McKennitt. He then went on to perform with the Chieftains in North America and Europe when they were promoting their album Santiago. In Japan they played about ten shows between Tokyo and Osaka, mainly at soft seat classical concert halls. The seating ranged from 1500 to 4000 capacity. They were booked through the agent Plankton who specializes in Celtic music. Although the audiences were enthusiastic Brian felt that Celtic music was still a niche market in Japan.

Celtic Music and Traditional Japanese Music: A Comparison

If you listen to many of the traditional Japanese folk melodies they have a bittersweet quality that is similar to traditional Celtic music. The Japanese minor pentatonic scale is different from the western one but some phrases especially when they go into the major could easily be bits of Irish or Scottish folk songs. If you look at the traditional transverse folk flute the shinobue, it is really not that different from the fife, or Irish flute in terms of fingering. The technique of sliding and taping with the whistle or the shinobue are also similar.

Where to Find Celtic Music in Japan

The major labels in Japan all have Celtic music under license and CDs are available as imports. A reputable distributor of Irish music in Japan is a company called Music Plant. I think they probably are affiliated with Plankton. JVC (Japan Victor Corporation) directly signed the group ANAM. They have recorded two albums for JVC and have toured Japan three times. A talented young musician from England, Tim Edey who played button accordion on my latest album Celtic Heartland just joined the group recently. There was a company in Tokyo called Trinity who was specializing in importing traditional Celtic CDs but I am not sure they are still in operation. Brian Cullen an Irishman from Wicklow now living in Nagoya has his own label for marketing his own material called Celtic Otter music and he has published collections of ballads.

There is a Celtic festival held annually in Tokyo at Ryutsu Center. They have music and dance performances, fashion shows, arts and crafts exhibitions and seminars and workshops.

There is an organization called CCE Japan that provides lessons for most Irish instruments as well as Set Dance and Gaelic. CCE Japan is the Japanese branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, an association for promoting

Japanese Musicians Specializing in Irish Instruments

There are some quite accomplished Japanese Celtic musicians. Isao Moriyasu, who began as a classical recorder player, now specializes in Irish flutes. He lectures at Kunitachi Music College and has written a book on Irish music. He often performs with his wife Masako who plays Celtic harp, concertina and bodhran. Mayumi Nagaura who is a member of The Rising Pints, also has her own group called BIRD. She is a really good accordion, tin whistle and bodhran player. She has encouraged many other Japanese to learn Irish instruments.

Western Celtic Musicians in Japan

There are a few musicians who have formed groups with foreign and Japanese members. Examples include the Rising Pints and the now defunct Eye Wish as well as a group in Sendai called Callanish.

The Pub Circuit in Japan

There are many Irish pubs in Japan such as Dubliners, O'Carolan's, The Pint, The Warrior Celt, Shamrock that regularly have music. Irish pubs all have regular sessions as well. Because rent is at a premium particularly in the major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto the venues are smaller than you would expect in America or Europe. Like many jazz clubs in this country the capacity ranges from as little as 50 to 200 comfortably. Brian Cullen reports that the Osaka Dubliners claims to have had 600 customers on a St. Patrick's day a few years ago. I would say that must be the maximum and that is after a few pints. Westerners are usually surprised by the amount of the cover charges. Generally to see a band a 3000 yen cover charge is pretty typical. CD prices are still about 2500 yen as well.

While Celtic artists are not household names like major rock stars, the interest in Celtic music is likely to continue to grow in Japan for some time to come.

Reprint Rights: Ezine and magazine publishers may reprint this article, as long as the following information is included:

- the summary about the author (see below)
- all links (and they must be active)
- all key words above the links below are included as part of the active link when you publish it on your site

Ron Korb is a Toronto based, flutist and composer. His music blends jazz and world music (including Celtic and Japanese music) together to create a truly original sound. Ron plays a number of Irish flutes including the penny whistle and the low whistle. He has 2 Celtic Music CDs (Celtic Heartland and Celtic Quest). A number of Ron's other CDs have Celtic music selections including Flute Traveller, Behind the Mask, and Ron Korb Live. Ron has also been a guest artist on a number of Celtic CDs, including Bruce Mitchell's Celtic Destiny, Mychael and Jeff Danna's Celtic Romance and a Celtic Tale.

Official Web Site for Ron Korb, Flutist and Composer,
Japanese Music, Jazz, Celtic Music: <a target="_new" href="http://www.ronkorb.com">http://www.ronkorb.com</a>

Ron Korb Fan Page <a target="_new" href="http://www.ronkorb.com/fanpage.html">http://www.ronkorb.com/fanpage.html</a>

Ron Korb Music Catalogue <a target="_new" href="http://www.ronkorb.com/mucat.html">http://www.ronkorb.com/mucat.html</a>

The Death-Defying Warehouse Party Life: An Interview by William of Orange

2009-01-13T21:20:00.000-08:00

About an entire local music industry that's rarely heard from, briefly navigated by a remote being that coalesces, rarely, around music scenes and their absurd atrocities; published by "The Stranger" weekly newspaper of Seattle, WA.

Sonny Chelf is the orneriest house party producer I know who hails from Tacoma. In fact, he's the only such producer I know from Tacoma. Most of those kind of guys hang about the Seattle area, drifting back and forth in their musical skeins and ongoing search for monetary angles.

Jason Alley's from Issaquah. They both operate forklifts in warehouses for their real livings. And I met them over coffee awhile ago at Starbucks on Broadway for a happy, peppy interview with two of the greater Seattle area's own warehouse party producers.

Sonny, casual, relaxed and vivacious, wore "Portuguese" golden earrings; Jason, soft-spoken and shy, wore a diamond-blue ball cap over his sweet blue eyes and blond hair. Sonny is fair and Black, but doesn't sound that way until you press him, and then a trickle of southern Blacklish begins to filter in, conversationally speaking.

How long have you been involved in the warehouse game, I suddenly ask.

Sonny: The first part of this took place in 1981. That was in Germany. Parties in Germany used more hype. Parties here seem to be more about money and competition.

Jason: I joined TUF Productions for the last party. I joined with another party than ours?some producers have a different agenda than others?(indicating Sonny, giggling.)

What is your agenda? I asked the cute black dude.

Sonny: First we sit there and have a headache. Nah, usually I like to find a space first. That's kind of a last minute thing you have to do.

Jason: There's been a lot of problems with the city. The city is pushing hard to shut the shows down.

Sonny: There was a battle over permits being in order.

Jason: The city would threaten to take the house over.

Sonny: Yeah.

Jason: The city would intimate that a party would be through. The owners of the building would refuse to rent to those who produced shows, for fear their properties would have police action taken against them.

These statements led to general murmurings amongst us.

So, whatever is your "agenda" now, I softly inquired.

Sonny: (About) the agenda? Line up the DJs!!! They come from everywhere, basically. When we produce a flyer, we try to promote it (the party) day in and day out. During that time, we finish producing the rest of the show. Lights, sound, security, permits, "etcetera." And then it's showtime! I like to get in a building at noon, but it never happens. Just to fine-tune the building! (He laughed, sliding slowly backwards in his seat.)

Jason: If we have decorations, some people put up fences. (I never found out what "fences" are.) It needs all completed. The sound system usually arrives in the middle of things.

We joked around about the house movement?."Yeah, the houses are moving!!!" as I'm not much of a raver m'self, yet. The joints do indeed jump.

What message to others, anyway, do you guys have to impart?

Jason: Positive energy.

Sonny: Peace, love, joining one another together. But after the party comes the teardown. I hate it, but it has to be done.

I asked Sonny if that's his real name. Yes, it is. He was wearing a hunting cap, Polynesian earrings, and he vaguely resembled a certain letter of the alphabet due to his glasses.

Jason's blue ball cap was fastidiously reversed. Two more either-bread and mayonnaise guys could not be found, but they were definitely having to skirt the law.

I finally found out what happened last spring, which had been the current House Party Mystery Scenario.

Sonny: A dividing of the whole scene here occurred. There were occurrences of two parties being thrown on the same night. Something had to stop. Seattle's not that big. It's not that good here, we need more party room. Evolution (back in October, and partially run by a close relative of mine named Joachim, incidentally) just had 1500 people. It was over 15, really.

Jason: We had over 1200. But Seattle is not really a good indicator. In LA (what doesn't begin, end, and stall out in LA?) they have BIG huge parties, with a couple hundred thousand people, easily.

A couple?what? I stupifiedly intoned, slurping my Starbucks. That couldn't be real, I thought, they'd need a football stadium?which they have, somewhere.

I dreamed to myself, the party interview vortex has been reentered. I've been being told that everyone and no one ever interviews these warehouse party guys. Now I see why. No one ever believes them when they talk about the party sizes.

Sonny then said he begged in on things with Jason through a mutual friend of theirs named Tim. On Tim, Sonny said, "we've talked to Tim. How're you?" This, referring to my earlier interview more on the Seattle end of things, with Joachim. Tim, there, is not a part of the company anymore. I guess that's the party vortex for you.

Sonny next managed to imitate the world's blandest, meekest expression, which was already on Jason's wan, pink face.

Jason: All I have to say is we hope people keep supporting the shows.

Sonny: I'm the quiet person of all this. I like to come in like the wind and leave?like?the wind?.

Jason: I like to be around the people. I like to be around the friends. (I always got the impression this is a tightly-knit, hard-to-enter crowd. But I asked them about making a living at it.)

Sonny: I like to be around this for the money. If I didn't do this for the money, I wouldn't do it.

It feels like I've learned, after several interviews with Seattle/Tacoma's warehouse partying folks, that there's no money in this, really. Off the last shows, they don't seem to have made a dime.

PeaceFrog's Civilization party in November barely broke even, in fact losing at least $200. One of the PeaceFrog producers told me only about half the people coming in even paid. I don't think Joachim got his cut at all. But their group is still plugging away at making the lively, eventful, and appreciably loud parties continue to happen.

Sonny said, the way I feel?it might make the WRONG money?(I think he meant the probably drug revenues from hangers-on selling at the parties.) Me, I broke in with: But, what if you were, say, normal?

Jason: Good point.

Sonny: What if everybody else was like what's on the street, already there. (Recall that Sonny's Black, please.) You're gonna get 'em "thowed in jay-al." I've done two (parties) in Tacoma (an infamously Black establishment, in some ways.) There's a problem with that. Seattle people don't travel. The Dome is too commercial. This isn't?a commercial event...that I do.

Go to shows, Sonny said. I have a real job. I work, in a warehouse, driving forklifts. I'm a laborer. Saturday nights are my date. That's the party date. (He pretty much implied this is his social life. I am forced to think both Sonny and Jason are house-devoted, maximally.)

After this pleasant, caring interview time was spent, one happy writer left those two fine, unrude, music-bestrewed dudes to hit their next appointment in town. The memory lingers, but the music is fortunately elsewhere, waiting for the next party to begin. From the sound of things, I would suggest checking out LA, if I were you.

Karen Peralta is the occasionally tired but proficient Owner, President and Executive Director of Rainbow Writing, Inc. at <a target="_new" href="http://www.rainbowriting.com">http://www.rainbowriting.com</a>. We're partnered with Four Seasons CDROM Store at <a target="_new" href="http://www.cdromshowcase.com/fourseasons">http://www.cdromshowcase.com/fourseasons</a>, which sells great cheap cds. Someday, they will be music cds as well.

Sheet Music ? Violin and Other String Instruments

2009-01-13T16:00:00.001-08:00

The violin is a bowed stringed instrument and is the highest pitched member of the violin family. It sits along side its cousins ? the other members of the violin family - the viola, cello, and double bass. The bow of the violin is a narrow, slightly incurved stick of Pernambuco about 75 cm long, with a band of horsehair stretched from end to end of the bowstick. The violin has four strings tuned a fifth apart, to the notes g, d', a', e'': On early violins the strings were of pure gut. Today they may be of gut, gut wound with aluminum or silver, steel, or perlon.

Sheet music - violin is often provided to students by the conductors of their orchestras or their private teachers who wish to learn to play this fine instrument. For players who aren't officially students anywhere, however, there are a wide variety of sources from which to obtain sheet music. Very recently, the Internet may actually have surpassed music stores as the best place to find new pieces to play.

An enormous variety of violin sheet music is available for free download from the Internet. Violin players of any skill level should be able to locate the sheet music they want online, and in some cases, even for free. Sheet music can be free to share online if two qualifications are met. First, it must be seventy years or more since the piece was composed; after this amount of time, creative works enter the public domain. Specific editions of a work can still be protected by copyright, however, as editors and arrangers maintain their own copyrights over versions they have created.

Digital sheet music is available for a wide variety of genres, so if you're playing on your own, you won't have any restrictions on the type of music you work on. There is certainly a great deal of classical sheet music - violin and other stringed instruments similarly, available online, and you might want to try some of the pieces that are considered great classics. If they are really not your preferred style, however, you can find anything from pop to jazz to bluegrass fiddle parts.

Some of the most popular selections of sheet music - violin are, in fact, for pop and rock songs. Take, for example, the Dave Matthews Band, who gave a global fan base for their unique sound which prominently features the violin. If you want to learn Boyd Tinsley's parts, you can search the Internet for legitimate copies of the sheet music to purchase.

Another time when it can be great to have the option to find sheet music ? violin online is if you are listening to a piece and you want to be able to refer to the score. Even someone who can't play the Sibelius violin concerto himself may be able to read or understand a musical score well enough to benefit from looking at the music while listening to the piece. This can enrich the listening experience of anyone with a musical background, as well as helping you build your own reading ability in ways that ultimately benefit your playing.

Looking for information about the violin? Go to: <a target="_new" href="http://www.mrviolin.com">http://www.mrviolin.com</a> 'Mr Violin' is published by Helen Baxter - The Complete A to Z Of Violin Resources! Check out more violin articles at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.mrviolin.com/archive">http://www.mrviolin.com/archive</a>

Performance and Gigs

2009-01-11T17:50:00.001-08:00

"For optimum amp tone onstage, plug your amp into your own AC outlet.." - Eric Johnson

DOING GIGS

In my opinion, there are two kinds of performers:

1 - Concert performers -- who do well in front of a sit-down audience

2 - Club performers -- who do well in a noisy atmosphere

Knowing which kind of performer you tend to be can help you a lot in deciding where to play. For a lot of people, it's easy to be both types of performers but some people truly prefer playing in one atmosphere over another. If you want to be at your best, it's smart to be comfortable. So if this is an issue for you, take the time to think about it.

Next you have to consider if you are going to be performing your own material or covers or both. If you decide to do covers, here are some good tips:

1) The song should really move you.

2) Make the song your own, otherwise after awhile you'll just feel like "parrot" for someone else's material (and to me there's far less creativity in that - just my opinion mind you).

3) Cover Songs are great ice-breakers and shouldn't be overlooked as great tools for any songwriter to use. Do covers, from artists who lend to your style in one way or another. Opening with a recognizable cover song really helps an audience relate to you and get an idea of where you're coming from as an artist ... and also helps them relate more to your originals, too.

Of course, to play at most venues, you've got to be prepared to sell yourself. Here are some tips on this subject:

Get your Bio / Demo ready for the Concert Promoters & Club Owners.

I've read a bunch of stuff about preparing demo submissions for venues, with bio's and clippings and stuff like that - but I'm sure there's more to it than that?

You don't need much. No club owner or manager is going to want a twenty-page book on you, nor will he/she be impressed with elaborate artwork and/or printing. Just a single sheet of paper that briefly and concisely states what type of artist you are, what kind of songs you play, how you interact with an audience and where you've played or are playing ... and a CD with either three or four whole songs, or six to eight songs that each fade after a minute. That, along with a congenial introduction and follow-up calls will be enough.

Performance anxiety can be an issue. Fortunately, most musicians overcome this in a short period of time - I've found that going to open mics, just getting up there and doing it has helped immensely. Find a supportive group of people in your genres' scene.

Here are some more tips to help you...

1 - Know your material and your performances upside down and backwards. You have to be able to play your songs and not mess up under any situation, and the way to do that is to KNOW them well ... memorization ... playing a song and working out each and every measure of it until you know it blind-folded. Then, if something bizarre happens while you're in the middle of a performance, muscle-memory and instinct will take over and you won't be thrown.

2 - Know your strengths ... know which songs are "yours" and which songs aren't. In effect, build a really strong set list. When someone like Bruce Springsteen cuts a new album, he'll record 50 songs ... 12 of those wind up on the album we hear and the other 38 go to other artists to do.

3 - LOOK unique . Dress yourself in a way that makes a statement. You know from my previous posts that I believe in dressing the way you always dress; to not be pretentious or something you're not ... but that doesn't mean that you want to look like the guy next door. You want to create an "image" ... just make it an honest one. So you usually wear jeans and a t-shirt? Fine. Just add some accents that make it all yours. A unique pair of glasses (if you wear them), a very special vest, a wardrobe of scarves, purple boots or hand painted sneakers ... whatever separates you from the average guy walking down the street and doesn't make you look like you're trying to be someone who lacks sincerity or who has lost all sense of reality.

"With the above going on, you're going to FEEL confident, because you ARE ... and THAT sells."

Performance and Gigs <a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarz-for-ever.com">by Scott Thomas</a>

Scott Thomas

Managing Editor

Guitarz Forever.com

<a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarz-for-ever.com">Guitarz Forever.com</a>

How to Download Music From The Internet

2009-01-11T17:20:00.001-08:00

Most of you have probably heard of the RIAA's quest to crush online music piracy. The illegal sharing of copyrighted songs via the MP3 format over the Internet costs the music industry billions of dollars. This is conventionally done using illegal file sharing programs like KaZaa and iMesh. This article explores the legal ways to download and enjoy music from the Internet.

Method 1: Check out Free Music Sites

There are many free music websites which provide free music downloads. These are not the websites of your music pirates - they are totally legal. Don't expect to find full albums to download, particularly if the song is from a famous artist (only music pirate websites allow full album downloads). You'll only find a few "teasers" intended to make you want to buy the artists' CD. Independent, less well-known artists are an exception - many of them will let you down their complete song catalog to promote themselves.

Here are a few of the free music websites which I recommend:

<ul>

<li>AMPCAST.com

<li>Amazon.com Digital Music Downloads

<li>RollingStone.com

<li>ElectronicScene.com

<li>The Internet Underground Music Archive

</ul>

Method 2: Buy Music Online

An increasingly popular way to find and download music online is to head for legal online music services. The most popular of these is the Apples iTune service. Currently it provides over 400,000 songs from all five major labels. Each song is available for a standard price of 99 cents each. Here are the best online music services I've come across:

<ul>

<li>EMusic.com

<li>iTunes

<li>MusicMatch Downloads

<li>Napster 2.0

<li>Rhapsody

<li>Weblisten.com

</ul>

Conclusion

It is very tempting to use KaZaa and other file sharing programs to download music - but please don't. If you wrote a song and sold a CD, would you be happy to see millions of people distributing that song for free? No. You don't have to break the law to find and download free MP3 music. There are many websites out there offering free music - you just need to find them.

About The Author

Gary Hendricks - <a href="http://digital-music-guide.com" target="_new">http://digital-music-guide.com</a>

<a href="mailto:gary_hendricks@digital-music-guide.com">gary_hendricks@digital-music-guide.com</a>

Hip Hop History

2009-01-11T03:20:00.001-08:00

Rap music originated as a cross-cultural product. Most of its important early practitioners-including Kool Herc, D.J. Hollywood, and Afrika Bambaataa-were either first- or second-generation Americans of Caribbean ancestry. Herc and Hollywood are both credited with introducing the Jamaican style of cutting and mixing into the musical culture of the South Bronx. By most accounts Herc was the first DJ to buy two copies of the same record for just a 15-second break (rhythmic instrumental segment) in the middle. By mixing back and forth between the two copies he was able to double, triple, or indefinitely extend the break. In so doing, Herc effectively deconstructed and reconstructed so-called found sound, using the turntable as a musical instrument.

While he was cutting with two turntables, Herc would also perform with the microphone in Jamaican toasting style-joking, boasting, and using myriad in-group references. Herc's musical parties eventually gained notoriety and were often documented on cassette tapes that were recorded with the relatively new boombox, or blaster, technology. Taped duplicates of these parties rapidly made their way through the Bronx, Brooklyn, and uptown Manhattan, spawning a number of similar DJ acts. Among the new breed of DJs was Afrika Bambaataa, the first important Black Muslim in rap. (The Muslim presence would become very influential in the late 1980s.) Bambaataa often engaged in sound-system battles with Herc, similar to the so-called cutting contests in jazz a generation earlier. The sound system competitions were held at city parks, where hot-wired street lamps supplied electricity, or at local clubs. Bambaataa sometimes mixed sounds from rock-music recordings and television shows into the standard funk and disco fare that Herc and most of his followers relied upon. By using rock records, Bambaataa extended rap beyond the immediate reference points of contemporary black youth culture. By the 1990s any sound source was considered fair game and rap artists borrowed sounds from such disparate sources as Israeli folk music, bebop jazz records, and television news broadcasts.

In 1976 Grandmaster Flash introduced the technique In 1979 the first two rap records appeared: "King Tim III (Personality Jock)," recorded by the Fatback Band, and "Rapper's Delight," by Sugarhill Gang. A series of verses recited by the three members of Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight" became a national hit, reaching number 36 on the Billboard magazine popular music charts. The spoken content, mostly braggadocio spiced with fantasy, was derived largely from a pool of material used by most of the earlier rappers. The backing track for "Rapper's Delight" was supplied by hired studio musicians, who replicated the basic groove of the hit song "Good Times" (1979) by the American disco group Chic. Perceived as novel by many white Americans, "Rapper's Delight" quickly inspired "Rapture" (1980) by the new-wave band Blondie, as well as a number of other popular records. In 1982 Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" became the first rap record to use synthesizers and an electronic drum machine. With this recording, rap artists began to create their own backing tracks rather than simply offering the work of others in a new context. A year later Bambaataa introduced the sampling capabilities of synthesizers on "Looking for the Perfect Beat" (1983).of quick mixing, in which sound bites as short as one or two seconds are combined for a collage effect. Quick mixing paralleled the rapid-editing style of television advertising used at the time. Shortly after Flash introduced quick mixing, his partner Grandmaster Melle Mel composed the first extended stories in rhymed rap. Up to this point, most of the words heard over the work of disc jockeys such as Herc, Bambaataa, and Flash had been improvised phrases and expressions. In 1978 DJ Grand Wizard Theodore introduced the technique of scratching to produce rhythmic patterns.

Sampling brought into question the ownership of sound. Some artists claimed that by sampling recordings of a prominent black artist, such as funk musician James Brown, they were challenging white corporate America and the recording industry's right to own black cultural expression. More problematic was the fact that rap artists were also challenging Brown's and other musicians' right to own, control, and be compensated for the use of their intellectual creations. By the early 1990s a system had come about whereby most artists requested permission and negotiated some form of compensation for the use of samples. Some commonly sampled performers, such as funk musician George Clinton, released compact discs (CDs) containing dozens of sound bites specifically to facilitate sampling. One effect of sampling was a newfound sense of musical history among black youth. Earlier artists such as Brown and Clinton were celebrated as cultural heroes and their older recordings were reissued and repopularized.

During the mid-1980s, rap moved from the fringes of hip-hop culture to the mainstream of the American music industry as white musicians began to embrace the new style. In 1986 rap reached the top ten on the Billboard pop charts with "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" by the Beastie Boys and "Walk This Way" by Run-DMC and Aerosmith. Known for incorporating rock music into its raps, Run-DMC became one of the first rap groups to be featured regularly on MTV (Music Television). Also during the mid-1980s, the first female rap group of consequence, Salt-N-Pepa, released the singles "The Show Stoppa" (1985) and "Push It" (1987); "Push It" reached the top 20 on Billboard's pop charts. In the late 1980s a large segment of rap became highly politicized, resulting in the most overt social agenda in popular music since the urban folk movement of the 1960s. The groups Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions epitomized this political style of rap. Public Enemy came to prominence with their second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), and the theme song "Fight the Power" from the motion picture Do the Right Thing (1989),by American filmmaker Spike Lee. Proclaiming the importance of rap in black American culture, Public Enemy's lead singer, Chuck D., referred to it as the African American CNN (Cable News Network).

Alongside the rise of political rap came the introduction of gangsta rap, which attempts to depict an outlaw lifestyle of sex, drugs, and violence in inner-city America. In 1988 the first major album of gangsta rap was released: Straight Outta Compton by the rap group NWA (Niggaz With Attitude). Songs from the album generated an extraordinary amount of controversy for their violent attitudes and inspired protests from a number of organizations, including the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). However, attempts to censor gangsta rap only served to publicize the music and make it more attractive to both black and white youths. NWA became a platform for launching the solo careers of some of the most influential rappers and rap producers in the gangsta style, including Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E.

In the 1990s rap became increasingly eclectic, demonstrating a seemingly limitless capacity to draw samples from any and all musical forms. A number of rap artists have borrowed from jazz, using samples as well as live music. Some of the most influential jazz-rap recordings include Jazzamatazz CD (1993), an album by Boston rapper Guru, and "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (1993), a single by the British group US3. In the United Kingdom, jazz-rap evolved into a genre known as trip-hop, the most prominent artists and groups being Tricky and Massive Attack. As rap became increasingly part of the American mainstream in the 1990s, political rap became less prominent while gangsta rap, as epitomized by the Geto Boys, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Tupac Shakur, grew in popularity.

Since the mid-1980s rap music has greatly influenced both black and white culture in North America. Much of the slang of hip-hop culture, including such terms as dis, fly, def, chill, and wack, have become standard parts of the vocabulary of a significant number of young people of various ethnic origins. Many rap enthusiasts assert that rap functions as a voice for a community without access to the mainstream media. According to advocates, rap serves to engender self-pride, self-help, and self-improvement, communicating a positive and fulfilling sense of black history that is largely absent from other American institutions. Political rap artists have spurred interest in the Black Muslim movement as articulated by minister Louis Farrakhan, generating much criticism from those who view Farrakhan as a racist. Gangsta rap has also been severely criticised for lyrics that many people interpret as glorifying the most violent and misogynistic (woman-hating) imagery in the history of popular music. The style's popularity with middle-class whites has been attacked as vicarious thrill-seeking of the most insidious sort. Defenders of gangsta rap argue that no matter who is listening to the music, the raps are justified because they accurately portray life in inner-city America.

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Play Too Loud And Well Cut The Power!

2009-01-11T00:10:00.001-08:00

"Turn it down!"

How often have you heard that command in your musical lifetime? It's a plain fact that old people just don't like loud music. They should all be taken to soundproofed old people's homes where they can live out the remainder of their lives complaining about each other, and let us get on with some fun.

OK, exaggerating a little. The real fact is that unless a live music venue is out in the desert somewhere, it is likely to annoy people if the music is too loud and goes on too long. That's one reason why entertainment venues in most jurisdictions have to be licensed. If a venue causes annoyance and raises complaints, then the licence gets withdrawn. Suddenly the proprietor doesn't have a business any more.

So the venue owner or manager needs a way to control the volume of sound produced by musical acts, including both bands and DJs. Standing by the mixing console or amplifier rack isn't seen as a good option, and telling the performers to turn it down only works for about five minutes before they turn it up again.

So the only solution is to apply the ultimate sanction - cut the power. That gets the job done.

The problem with this is that cutting the power causes an immense amount of ill feeling. Would you play in a venue where the manager had cut the power on you?

So an intermediary is needed; an automatic intermediary that will give the band a warning, then cut the power if that warning is ignored. The performers won't like it, but if they know that the system is installed and how it operates, then at least they know the rules they have to abide by.

One such system is the Castle Electronic Orange. The 'orange' is an orange globe that illuminates when the sound is too loud. This is pointed out to the performers before the gig by the venue manager. If it comes on during the performance, then that is a warning. If it stays on for more than a predetermined time interval, usually a few seconds, ...

It cuts power to the stage.

This might seem like a drastic action, and it is. But it certainly gets the job done. For the DJ it isn't too bad as he or she can set the level to the maximum that the Electronic Orange will let them get away with.

For a band it is more tricky. Chances are that the loudest parts of the performance are where the lead singer is singing together with backing vocals. When no-one is singing, the level will be much less.

So the light flickers on and off during the performance. The eyes of the band become fixated on the dreaded light. Every time it comes on, they back off from the microphones until it goes off again. If the sound mixer is on the ball, he will take care of this with the master output fader. But his attention is on the light and not on the band.

The result is an uncomfortable evening for the band, and a lackluster performance. Maybe the Electronic Orange gets the job done. But there is a cost for both band and audience, and for the venue owner because his customers are not as happy as they really should have been.

Probably this is something we will just have to put up with until quiet music comes back into fashion.

David Mellor, <a target="_new" href="http://www.record-producer.com">Record-Producer.com</a>

Learn to Fiddle the Orange Blossom Special, the Most Popular Fiddle Tune in the World

2009-01-10T05:20:00.001-08:00

Learning to fiddle the Orange Blossom Special is not easy, but it's truly worth the effort. The Orange Blossom Special is unequaled in popularity. To learn it you must master three distinct parts. Each of these parts has its own character and style. They are: 1. Bells, whistles, chugga-chugga's, 2. the Shuffle, 3. the Hoedown.

Bells, Whistles, Chugga-chugga's

This is the introductory part of the tune. It starts up right after the rhythm is put down, by guitar, and other instruments usually.

The first whistle to master is made by the G# on the D string and the B on the A string.This double stop takes two of the chord notes from the E major chord and moves them down and up with a fall off at the end.

That's followed by the left hand plucking the E string for the bell.This can be recycled several times.

In between the bell and the whistle, play some chugga-chugga's.For that you must move the bow up and down the string instead of across the string. Do this very rapidly in time. I change my grip on the bow a little to make this easier.Make the movement very short, just a couple or more inches at the most. The sound should be 90% percussive, not tonal. In other words a definite pitch is not what we're after. Placement of the left hand fingers can be the same as the whistle.

It is in this part of the tune that many fiddlers do musical quotes and "stretch out." I used to do that, too. Then, I heard the classic Irwin Rouse version. The directness of his performance is powerful by comparison of the "loaded up" versions you hear today. My recommendation: except for a few bluesy, syncopated moves, lose the junk.

The Shuffle

The most famous shuffle for this tune is the double shuffle or hokum bow. We'll get to that.

In the original version by Irwin Rouse, he played two other shuffles. And remember, we're talking about the version that made the tune famous.

One of the shuffles is a rocking bow. You play two strokes on the lower strings and two on the next pair up, back and forth. This was in last month's tabs.

This is a good technique to master for other tunes as well. Often I use this move for Arkansas Traveler. (I stole this from Dale Potter.)

In this shuffle you will need to think in terms of three strings at once. Not that you play three at once, but your fingering is organized as though you were.

Mastering the fingering for this shuffle puts you in very good position to master the double shuffle.

There are two difficult areas for the hokum bow or double shuffle. One is the left hand--having to be concerned with three strings at a time. Another is the coordination of the string crossings with the bow.

There is an easy way to get into this rhythm, using only two strings. This exercise is included with the tab charts for new <a target="_new" href="http://fiddleguru.com/Subscribers/learnobs.html">Fiddle Tech Notes</a> subscribers.

Play through this pattern carefully so that you don't add an extra note or leave on out. When you can be reliable in playing through the pattern once, play it twice with almost no pause in between.

Then play it through and go to the next pair of strings to do it again.

The ultimate performance of this shuffle shuffle gets the left hand fingers changing along with the bow. It's quite and advanced technique. An example of this is also in the tabs.

Irwin Rouse also does a shuffle of chugga-chugga's. As said before, the sound is mainly percussive. Yet, you will use the left hand positions for the fingering just as in the rocking bow.

Rouse went through the tune 3 times, ending with the hokum bow. When I play it, usually I just go through the tune twice. First with rocking bow, then with hokum. And I end after the hoedown. The Hoedown

Finally, we get to a straight ahead part that sounds like a hoedown. It's exactly the same length as Cripple Creek. Or as long as the A part of Old Joe Clark.

Creating your own version of this tune is like making up a variation of any well known hoedown. You want to keep it recognizable. After the hoedown, there is a transitional figure that takes you back to the key of E.

If you want to end the song, you need to add a simple standard tag to wind things up. And there it is: the Orange Blossom Special.

Elan Chalford,MM.--Fiddle Coach
<a target="_new" href="http://fiddleguru.com">Learn to Play Fiddle without Reading Music</a>

Choosing a Jazz Band for Your Party

2009-01-09T22:30:00.001-08:00

In many years of arranging jazz bands for all sorts of events I am struck by the similarity of how the request is made by most of our clients.

It goes something like this: "We are looking for a jazz band to play at our wedding / book launch / family fun day / sixtieth birthday/ store opening etc."?"oh yes, we say, what style of jazz band ?"?"Er, not quite sure. What styles have you got?"

It was because of this exchange I felt this article would be helpful in choosing the right kind of jazz band for your party, celebration or event.

Rather than go through a history of the development of jazz from the purists angle it would be easier to list a number of types of event and match them up to styles of jazz band with a short description of the jazz band most likely to suit the occasion. Lets start with the wedding.

You are most likely to want a jazz band at your wedding at two points in the days proceedings.

The reception . You and your partner have just left the church and your guests are nearly back at the place you have chosen for the celebrations. What better way than to have them met by a jazz band.

As champagne and Pimms is handed out the band just adds a perfect happy backdrop to the moment. There are two main types of jazz band that can suit the moment:

A Dixieland band or a swing band.

Dixieland Jazz . This is jazz from the early twenties. The musicians will happily dress up in stripy blazers or waistcoats and play lovely old jaunty tunes from that era such as "When the Saints Come Marching In" "The Charleston" "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" and "Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue". The instrumentation is usually banjo, sousaphone (a tuba that you can wear) and a frontline instrument or two such as trumpet, sax or trombone. The band is mobile and acoustic and can move around the site entertaining guests in different locations. Artists associated with the genre include Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Fats Waller.

Swing Jazz . Names of musicians associated with this style of jazz band are Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The music is mainly from the late thirties and early forties and is very melodic. Ella Fitzgerald started her career at this time in Harlem and had great success with the Chick Webb band. The jazz band will probably play lots of tunes from Broadway Shows from the time such as "Funny Valentine" "It Had To Be You" "Making Whoopee" " It Don`t Mean A Thing If It Ain`t Got That Swing". This jazz band can be acoustic but will probably include an electric piano, which the musicians will supply along with a speaker. They will need a power supply and logistics of this must be taken into consideration when choosing the jazz band. Are your guests near a power supply, is the reception indoors or outdoors, how does the weather forecast look? Finally, how big should the jazz band be? For both styles a trio or quartet will be fine.

After the Wedding Breakfast . Your guests have sat through a gargantuan meal, fine wines and various speeches including a slightly embarrassing one from the best man! They are ready to stretch their legs, use the loos, have a cigarette and carry on chatting to old friends who they may have not seen for some time. They are not yet ready to dance . Your jazz band should know this and should be playing suitable accessible tunes in an unobtrusive way. You don`t want a modern jazz band at this point. Known variously as Be-Bop, Modern Jazz, West Coast and played by such artists as John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, this is music for the concert hall or jazz club. You want sophisticated smoky tunes, maybe with some vocals such as "Let there be love" "The Girl From Ipanema" "My Baby Just Cares For Me". Artists associated with this kind of jazz include Stan Getz, Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole. Maybe also think about some Rat Pack tunes that the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin performed.

Music for dancing . If you are set on having a jazz band for the dancing ask your jazz band how many styles of jazz and swing can they perform. A jazz band that plays swing tune after swing tune all night is going to lose the attention of your guests. Variety is the key. I would suggest a mix of Latin, Jump Jive, swing, old style Rhythm and Blues and even Funky jazz bordering on Soul. Not many jazz bands can handle this variety. Ask at the point of booking what the jazz band proposes to play at this point. Do they have a suitable vocalist/vocalists? Can they play segue (one song after another) to keep guests on the floor.

My opinion based on many years playing for such parties is this. However much you love Jazz, Swing, call it what you will, at some point in the proceedings some one will want to dance to some classic soul or rock and roll. It is inevitable, it always happens. I see it week in and week out, year in and year out. When I have been employed as a trombonist to play in another bandleaders band at such an occasion it saddens me that the bandleader has not made provision for such an eventuality. It results in unhappy clients and frustrated revelers. Please take note if you want a full dance floor!

Next we come to the corporate reception . This manifests itself in many guises. It could be a jazz band for a book launch, a jazz band for a thank you drinks party, a jazz band for a reception prior to going into dinner. Last year an insurance company asked me for a number of jazz bands that could play for the giving out of its employers bonuses! We had never seen such happy parties and not a drop of alcohol in site!

Think what is being asked of the jazz band in question. The band is being asked to reflect something of the company, a sense of fun or sophistication for the event. Attention needs to be focused on how you want the band to dress. Tuxedos? Lounge Suits? Are your guests networking or being thanked for their year's business? Most bands that get asked to do this type of work need to be impeccably dressed and have a sense of the occasion. They need to appreciate that guests are there not just to listen to them but for all sorts of other reasons. A quiet background Dinner Jazz band lends just the right tone to this type of engagement. Loud enough to create a mood but not to drown out what maybe very important and lucrative conversations! The style of music will be Bossa Nova, light swing and Lounge. In my experience a quartet or quintet is a perfect size band. Vocals are unnecessary and can distract your guests.

Store openings . Every year we open or reopen a number of supermarkets, computer shop outlets, video and dvd stores all over the country. The jazz band has always been a visual and audible part of the promotion. The jazz band in question tends to be a Dixieland trio or quartet. They are perfect being, as we read above, acoustic and mobile. The music is optimistic and uplifting and with a sense of fun. The jazz band dresses in stripy outfits, which help create the right mood for the day.

Corporate Entertainment . This is a large term and covers anything from Henley, Ascot, Car Racing days, as well as themed events in spectacular settings. The Dixieland band is perfect for the almost period feel of Henley and the swing band works just as effectively. Think "Dixieland jazz band" for happy, spirited, fun image. "Swing jazz band for a more sophisticated, laid back and chilled vibe. Do you want your guests to dance? This can be quite rare. Decision makers tend not to break into a frenzied bop half way through the afternoon! However if family members have been invited this is quite common. A Latin Jazz band can be very effective in this situation and it is difficult to ignore the infectious beats.

A note of caution . Is your event for a number of dignitaries and celebrities? If so they will not want to be photographed by the jazz band or even talked to by the jazz band. You need a band with a certain discretion or, dare I say, a certain blas?` approach to the world of celebrity. As a musician I come across stars of stage and screen, royalty, politicians, public figures and minor soap stars every month and I think it is appreciated when they are given a certain amount of space and not ogled. Use a jazz band who are used to playing for such audiences. They need to be sociable, articulate, smartly turned out and not fazed when approached by a familiar face!

Time for a recap: 1. Choose the jazz band from the perspective of what is required from them. Do you want background music or do you want to dance?

2. How many guests do you have? Is the band the right size? Is it dressed correctly?

3. Is the band outside? Do you have access to power? Can they play acoustically if need be?

4. What tunes can they play? Ask them for a repertoire list, do you recognize the . titles?

5. Are they professionals? This may seem obvious but there are many musicians out there who have retired from full time work or are in between jobs and are making their hobby a source of income. How long have they worked as professionals? Who have they played with in the past? What experience do they have in performing for the type of event you are having?

6. Ask for a sample cd. What is their publicity like? You need to be confident that you are getting a reliable professional outfit that will turn up in plenty of time, look the part, be totally co-operative to your needs and play suitable music. The right jazz band can make your party, the wrong one can spoil it to some lesser or greater degree.

7. Are they flexible? You do not want to find out half way through a dance that the band you have booked can only play one style of jazz. Ask them when you are considering booking them. Can they play some Classic Soul? Can they do some Latin tunes? Don't be fobbed off with "We do a bit of everything" Ask them for a repertoire list.

8. Discuss a rider with the band. Are you supplying refreshments for the jazz band? Although not expected refreshments are very much appreciated especially if the band is on site for a while with no access to food and drink. If it is not convenient don't worry. If the jazz band knows in advance they can make their own arrangements.

9. Have you articulated to the band what type of music you want to hear? Don't worry if you are not knowledgeable about jazz. Tell the jazz bandleader or agent the tunes you like and the artists you like. This will give the leader/agent an excellent idea of which bands to recommend. Look through your cd collection for ideas; ask friends and family for suggestions. When the jazz band turns up it will be properly briefed and able to give the performance you wanted.

About the author
Jeff Williams is a London based trombonist and vocalist who has worked all over the world in most areas of the business. He also runs a successful, specialist, live music agency using the best of London musicians, servicing both private and corporate clients playing all over the country. He would be happy to advise you with your own event or party and offers bespoke solutions for the perfect occasion.

Contact him on +44(0)20 8761 8932 or +44(0)7747 801471 Email him on <a href="mailto:bonejeff@aol.com">bonejeff@aol.com</a>

Visit the website <a target="_new" href="http://www.jazznotjazz.co.uk">http://www.jazznotjazz.co.uk</a>

How Much of Your Potential Will You Release?

2009-01-09T21:30:00.001-08:00

How much of your potential will you release?

Painting with Sound

2009-01-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

Whenever I go to a Borders bookstore here in San Diego, I make it a point to look at the art instruction books. I'm not a visual artist, but I've always enjoyed the step-by-step approach authors of the better books take to teach students how to create a finished painting.

You get to see it all demonstrated within 2 pages or so. Everything is explained and while I may not understand it by just reading about it, (you have to do it!) a complete finished painting was always the goal - a very attractive goal too for someone wanting to learn how to paint!

You have something worth working for by doing this. I've always wondered why music instruction couldn't be more like this. If you could explain, in a step-by-step approach, how to complete a piece of music, then students would be able to sidestep the tiresome harmony and theory courses taught at college and University.

This is what I've tried to do with my online piano lessons and while there is nothing wrong with learning theory, it's not the end all be all that many piano teachers would like you to believe.

Instead, a step-by-step method, where students get the materials they need to create with right away (scale, chords, technique) can be used with great success! Students are able to use these materials to create unique compositions and improvisations of their own!

?Who Else Wants to Get Screwed When Signing a Recording or Songwriting Deal?!?!?

2009-01-09T03:00:00.001-08:00

You've got your recording (or songwriting) contract in hand and everything's coming up roses, right? You get your check, finally, but it's not quite what you expected. If you sign not knowing what's owed you then you might be shorted some well-deserved income. So make sure that anything you sign contains a statement to the following areas (preferably in your favor):

Performing Rights ? this means you get a chunk of the change when your songs are played over the radio, television, Internet and at some public venues like concerts and such. And who keeps tabs on this? Check out ASCAP-http://www.ascap.com/index.html, SESAC? http://www.sesac.com/home.asp and BMI? http://www.bmi.com.

Mechanical Rights ? This is the most commonly known. It includes anything physical such as tapes, CDs, etc. The Harry Fox Agency is nearly 80 years old and for artists with 2500 or less recordings they can learn more at http://www.songfile.com/ regarding small licensing.

Print Rights ? Exactly that ? anything in print like lyrics or sheet music.

Foreign Rights ? Again, anything that deals with foreign publishing and licensing.

Synchronization Rights ? Ever heard a Garth Brooks or Rolling Stone song in a movie or television show? That's synchronization and it can mean big bucks although some artists overlook this very important right when signing.

If you fail to have some or all of these areas covered when signing a contract it can mean the loss of big money for you. If you can afford it hire only the best entertainment attorney to handle your contracts. A good attorney can be expensive, especially if he has to do all the legwork but you can save time and money by looking into products such as the 101 Music Business Contracts software at http://www.MusicContracts101.com . This easy to use, contracts creation software features over 100, professionally drafted, music business contracts and agreements. As with any contract you sign ? be it a house loan or a recording contract ? it's best to have an attorney look the documents over before doing a final signing. However, a great money saver is arming yourself with knowledge, like 101 Music Business Contracts, before you ever set foot in a law firm.

This article was written by Ty Cohen, the music industry's most recognizable voice! Ty is the C.E.O of Platinum Millennium Publishing, Platinum Millennium Records as well as owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.MusicContracts101.com">http://www.MusicContracts101.com</a> and <a target="_new" href="http://www.MusicIndustrySuccess.com">http://www.MusicIndustrySuccess.com</a>

Piano on the Right-Side of the Brain

2009-01-08T18:20:00.001-08:00

Some of you may remember a book titled "Drawing on the Right-Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.

In this book, Betty Edwards tried to teach you how to see differently. She reasoned that once you could look at something with the eyes of an artist, you would be able to create like an artist. A simple idea, yet one that has helped many draw.

I wondered how this might also apply to music. Music is, at it's best, a right-brain activity. That is, the thinking left hemisphere is dormant while the intuitive right side is engaged in creative processes.

So how then can we play piano on the right-side of the brain? The answer has to do with trusting ourselves. Once we sit down to play, we must allow ourselves the freedom to play ANYTHING that comes to the fore. If that anything is doodling and making nonsense noises, then that is what we must do.

Once we allow ourselves the freedom to play anything, we are sending a message to the creative right hemisphere. We are saying, OK, I'm giving in to whatever. I'll just play what I want. Now, once you can do this, PLAYING AROUND WITH CHORDS BECOMES AN EASY MATTER because you have given yourself permission to mess up.

5 Sure Fire Ways to Get Radio Play for Your ?Independent? Music!

2009-01-08T11:40:00.001-08:00

You have to find radio airplay time if you're going to be heard and we're not just talking the local college campus. The trick is called promotion. Now that doesn't mean you just put your press kit in an envelope with a demo and hope they take pity on you. Perhaps you call a station and they give you the standard pitch of, "Send it and if we like it we'll put you in rotation." After a few months of never hearing your music, you automatically think you're not worthy.

First, don't buy that. You're one of hundreds, maybe even thousands depending on your city. Your disc will probably end up in the trash or, for more enterprising DJ's, on Ebay in a one-cent CD sale. If you want to be heard and make potential sales, you have to stand out from the crowd, and in this jewel of an article, I'll show you Five(5) Knock 'em Dead Ways to Do Just That!:

#1 - Get your CD into the right hands. The intern that's too busy to getting coffee or typing up a report for the station manager isn't going to be the one making the airplay decision. So find out who the head honcho is in that department and touch base with them. If the club you're playing at charges an admission or you have a show coming up offer to send the stations tickets to give away to listeners. Now keep in mind you can't give the tickets to the staff, since that's illegal and called payola, but you can offer free giveaway items to your potential audience.

#2 - If you've got one station in your pocket, then drop names. Let them know that WABC is playing your music and it's getting a great response.

#3 - Make genuine friends in the business. If you've got a disc jockey that's got you in rotation and really likes your sound, get to know them. Find out why they enjoy it and see if they've gotten any responses from listeners. If they haven't, ask if perhaps they might Q & A their callers about your music so you get a feel for your target audience. It's not a bad idea to ask them for a testimonial or quote if they're well known in your area if you know them personally. People help people. That's a fact so if you treat your area disc jockeys like a living and breathing human and not dollar signs, that's a foot in the door. Another good source is club owners. If they play your music and the fans go nuts ask them to say a few words about your sound that you can pass along to prospective stations, but be sure to sit down for a drink with them. Ask them about the picture of him and the woman and two kids behind the Magic Kingdom. Don't be fake, but be genuinely interested.

#4 - Network. Find out if someone you know (or someone they know) has connections to the music stations. Remember six degrees of separation - you're only six people away from knowing anyone on the planet and yes that includes station managers, concert promoters and record execs. The trick is it takes a great deal of work and time, but if you're serious, it's well worth it.

#5 - Go local, state, national. Don't think you're going to skip your local and state stations and be the next Matchbox Twenty. It doesn't work that way. Start small and then get big.

Making contacts and getting names can be tough, that's why you should start with a tested and proven music industry resource like The Industry Yellow Pages - Music Industry Contact Directory at http://www.TheIndustryYellowPages.com

The TIYP is helpful and loaded with contacts you can start using immediately without doing all the legwork yourself.

Some of his work includes: books, directories, mini-courses and software programs including the titles: "How to Make a Fortune in the Music Industry by Doing it Yourself" and "How to Make $500,000.00 "or More" A Year in the Music Industry by Doing it Yourself".

To find out more about Ty Cohen, his services, products and how he may be able to help you succeed in the music industry go to <a target="_new" href="http://www.MusicIndustrySuccess.com">http://www.MusicIndustrySuccess.com</a> and sign up for his free limited edition music industry success 10-part "Mini-Course", it will work wonders for you and best of all, it's FREE, but EXTREMELY VALUABLE!

Pakistani Pop Music

2009-01-08T11:30:00.001-08:00

Pakistan is blessed with talent and when we talk about Pakistani Music, you can never stop picking up one of the best Pakistani pop song uptill now because there are number of such hit songs nobody can judge the best one in past decades such as "Dil Dil Pakistan" , "Huwa Huwa", "Mehndi ki Raat", "Na Kaho", "Dil Haray", "Ankhain Milanay Walay", "Wakt", "Neeli Neeli Ankhain", "Jaisay Chao Jeo", "Garuj Burus", "No More", "Ankhoun ki Sagar", "Na Tu Aigi", "Addat" left the audience agape and many more. Our artists' are popular all over the world. Many new talented artists in Pakistan are still working hard to bring quality Pakistani music.

We can easily judge Alamgir as the pioneer of music industry who's first big hit was "DEKHA NA THA KABHI HUM NAY YEH SUMMA", and remains the song he is still most identified with, though later songs such as "Yeh Shaam Aur Tera Naam" and "Mein Ne Tumhare Gagar Se Kabhi Pani" continued to add to his composition. Alamgir, it must be said, laid the groundwork that countless others used to break into the music industry. He not only sang well, he was a performer in the true sense of the word. There is no denying Alamgir's contribution to the evolution of the pop music genre in Pakistan.

NAZIA HASSAN was the first one to cross the forbidden Pakistan-India border to sing in an Indian film called "Qurbani" which was "APP JAISA KOI". And later this song became a youth anthem in both India and Pakistan. And next NAZIA, ZOHAIB and BIDDU (an Indian composer) teamed up to release "DISCO DEEWANE" which became the biggest pop selling album till then in Pakistan. The Hasan siblings released one more album, "Boom Boom", in 1984. This second collaboration with Biddu, the undisputed king of Indian filmi disco music, was also a huge success. Their success marked a turning point in the pop history.

And later Vital Sign ventured on to Pakistani television screens with their guitars and a catchy, patriotic song named "Dil Dil Pakistan" in 1986. Their album released in 1987 with gems like "Yeh Shaam" and funky "Goray Rung Ka Zamana".

Then came Jupitars with their evergreen hit songs "Yaroun Yehi Dosti Hai", continued with Hassan Jehangir's "Hawa Hawa" in 1990, "Sanwali Saloni" by Vital Signs in 1991, "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar" in 1992 by the Strings, Sajjad Ali's "Didi" ripoff "Babia" in 1993, Najam Shiraz's "In Se Nain" in 1995, Junoon's "Saeein" in 1996 or Awaz's "Mr. Fraudiye" in 1997. Junoon came into the race with their World Cup Hit song "Jazaba-e-Junoon Tou Himat na Har". This is only to be expected in a growing industry.

Perhaps the biggest unexpected success of an experimental song, however, was Sajjad Ali's street-wise 1995 hit "Chief Saab". Full of Karachi slang and tough imagery, "Chief Saab", perhaps more than anything else signified the coming age of pop music. It showed that one did not necessarily have to remain within pre-determined saccharine-sweet boundaries to be popular, and that people liked hearing of issues other than puppy love. Partly, as a result of this expansion of the pop market, established musicians from non-pop genres such as qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan were also drawn towards experimenting within it. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan gave numerous hit one after another and he gave the music for Hollywood movies and as well as for many Bollywood movies too.

The pop band that most successfully seized upon this idea was, of course, Junoon, which used its success with the haunting "Saeein" to recast itself as a completely different sort of band. Here we saw pop again intersecting with folk and vice versa.

In 1994, FM radio brought about another mini-revolution in Pakistani music. From Landhi in Karachi to Krishan Nagar in Lahore, names like female vocalist Hadiqa Kiyani and young Shehzad Roy suddenly became household names. Even iconoclastic recluse virtuosos like guitarist Amir Zaki (whose almost purely instrumental album "Signature" did well in the market) were receiving the kind of airplay the big bands of the '80s could only have dreamed of.

Pop industry had big turnaround when private channels came into the scene, Like IM which became the medium to introduce young talents in the pop industry names like Fuzon, Aaroh, noori, Aks, Ahmad Jehanzaib, Mizraab, Karavan, Ali Zafar, Jal which not only rock the Pakistani pop music but also made their names worldwide. The new arrivals made their presence felt through remarkable individual songs, even though full albums for now seemed beyond most new acts. Ahmad Jehanzaib's Ek Bar Kaho, Fuzon's Ankhon Ke Saagar and Schehzad Mughal's Bas Yunheen were each excellent. The first two were carried by soulful, ardent vocals and the last shone through affecting lyrics. Hot on their heels, honourable mentions must also go to Aks stunningly understated Neela Aasman, noori's jangle-pop perfection Tum Hans Diyae, Junoon's excellent Garaj Baras, Sajjad Ali with Teri Yaad, Aamir Zaki's insightful and incisive People Are People, EP's piledriving Hum Ko Aazma, Najam's infinitely catchy !

Jaisay Chaho Jiyo and Aao Wahan Chalain, Ali Zafar's startling Chanoo ki Ankh, Jal's splendid addat and yes even Ali Haider's insipid but still memorably melodic Chandi Ratain. Abrar's Preeto was the novelty hit of the year. The Pepsi Battle of the Bands did a great job in throwing up a wealth of talent. EP, Aaroh, Brain Massala, Messiah, Schahzad Hameed and others all have Pepsi to thank. The Pepsi Battle of the Bands got all these fledgling bands great exposure.

Recently, a team of talented Pakistani musicians and artists took the long road to Mumbai, via Dubai, possibly to make history, for this was the first time in recent memory that Pakistanis had gone to India to create the background score for a Bollywood film. The film in question is Pooja Bhatt's Paap, and former Vital Sign Shehzad 'Shahi' Hasan, cinematographer Faisal Rafi, singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and studio session player and keyboardist Faiz Ali Naqvi, were the foursome representing the world of Pakistani music in India.

Strings enjoyed considerable success with Dhaani. Probably the most hyped album of the year, with lead single Chaaye Chaaye being the standout favourite. String gave the soundtrack for Spiderman 2 which was a remarkable effort.

Junaid Jamshed's Dil Ki Baat was understated but assured and notwithstanding JJ's quite public and tortured ruminations over religion and music, the album showed that JJ is still competent at middle of the road pop and that Shoaib Mansoor still has the magic touch. Shahzad Roy's Rab Jane was hobbled by his illness and yet catches the fire while Karavan's Gardish seems to have suddenly picked up and was sold like hot-cakes. Schahzad Mughal's Jhoom Lay was one of the most pleasant of surprises of the year.

So this proves that our music industry has dared to move forward with hope rather than skepticism.

About The Author

Faiza Kamal

Hi, i am a student of BS Software Engineering in first year from Karachi University and i am 19 years old.

<a href="mailto:siddiqi_fai@hotmail.com">siddiqi_fai@hotmail.com</a>

How Many Guitar Chords Do I Need To Know?

2009-01-08T07:30:00.001-08:00

Guitar chords, (chords played specifically on a guitar,) differ only from other types of chords by virtue of instrument; they're simply a series of three or more notes played together. These notes don't necessarily have to be played simultaneously, however.

Broken chords (also referred to as arpeggios) are three or more notes that aren't played at the same time but closely enough to still be heard as a group or whole. And even the three-note rule is open to the occasional exception; some guitar chords consist of only two notes, but they still function as chords because they work diatonically in the same way that a major or minor chord would.

Guitar chords might very well be the most important element of guitar playing; after all, they're the basis of what makes a song. Most people picking up a guitar for the first time figure out a few guitar chords before even going for their first lesson, and still more teach themselves guitar chords without any help from an instructor. Self-taught guitarists learn guitar chords in a number of ways. Some learn by listening to their favorite songs and slowly picking out the notes, a common yet often frustrating process. Others figure out guitar chords by learning to read guitar tab, a type of sheet music intended for fretted instruments that uses a graph-like chart to show where on the frets the fingers are placed. Both techniques are common among those learning guitar chords, though the number of self-taught guitarists who never learned to read tab is fairly high.

Just like any other instrument, the sheer number of possible guitar chords can often be overwhelming for a new guitarist. And even the frequently taught guitar chords are beginning to fall by the wayside, making room for a variety of guitar chords created by tuning the strings in almost innumerous ways. Though power chords (guitar chords using a base note, an octave note and the fifth) are still the most common type of guitar chords, new bands are increasingly experimenting with alternate tunings to create new sounds; alternative bands have been toying with this way of playing interesting guitar chords for decades.

So how many chords does a guitarist really need to know?

Most simple songs contain just 3 chords ? called "primary chords". So even a stark beginner can learn 3 simple chords well enough to strum along and accompany himself as he sings. But after that, the sky is the limit ? there are thousands of possible chords, so it is up to the individual guitarist as to how many he or she want to master.

(With Mollie Wells)

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.chordpiano.com/">"How To Play Chord Piano In Ten Days!"</a> has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com/">"Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions"</a> with over 57,400 current subscribers.

Reasons to Ditch Your Guitar Pick

2009-01-07T19:30:00.001-08:00

Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that much. I got this tab book of some good ol' Gatemouth Brown finger picking blues. I've been enjoying myself so much trying to get this fingerpick thang goin'."

I'm starting to understand the arpeggio-phrasing technique a lot more. Gatemouth Brown is a legend and a true musician. He plays acoustic / electric guitar in all genres. He can also play the fiddle like nobody's business. He is also a drummer, harp player, and banjo playing fool.

So, let's cover some of the techniques I've found to be very effective in my playing. Using these techniques can add color to your performance. Think of it as a small toolbox of tricks you can pull out to add character to your songs and live set. Effective pick-hand technique provides the kind tone and textures that can give a personal touch to an old classic or to provide a step off point for other creative musical endeavors.

Try Different Styles and Genre

Play the root notes with your thumb. The down-strums with the tips of your fingernails, and upstrokes with just you finger tips. Get yourself a metronome and play to different speeds, Do some stagger strumming. Strum to the off beats. Download or find music that you might not jam to. Try a calypso feel. Do some cowboy songs and "Yes" hammer-on those top bass strings and get into some alternate picking, etc. Try a walking bass line while playing the three higher strings open. These are just ideas to opening your mind!

Turn Your Acoustic into a Percussion Instrument

Bang on it like a hand drum. Strike or tap the strings with the inside surface of your fingers as if you swatting a fly. Now? don't bang on it to hard. I don't want to be blamed for someone's guit-box being damaged. Let your fingers kind of bounce off and away from the strings for them to ring-out. Experiment with different taps all up and down the fret board and back side of the neck too! Use the top of the guitar as a drum. I've seen duos with one person playing the guitar and the other person playing the percussions on the back of the guitar laid flat across the their lap. Remember to use the different parts of the hand to include knuckles, fingers -rings, etc.

Slap and Pop Technique

Bass players use this technique for rhythmic power. Use the outside of your thumb joint to attack the strings. If you experiment with this approach, try getting bell like tones out of those bass strings.

Put Some Snap into Your Playing

Use your index finger to snap those high strings when playing lead solos. Try yanking lightly on each string, releasing it against the fret board with a bright snap. Give those strings a real pinch when needed too (Don't be shy...). This is good for rock and blues flavored solos.

Use Muting and Volume in Your Playing

Slap and pop with some funk. Use your thumb and middle finger playing octave notes. Kinda like a cat claw approach. Don't forget to use the heel of your pick hand to mute and use as a volume control for the strings. Rest the heel of your hand lightly on the saddle. Now practice strumming and muting the strings while the heel lightly lays across the strings. Next, mute the strings with your chord-hand by lightly touching the string while strumming your guitar with your nails on your finger-tips. Kinda like playing percussions on the strings. I call it chickin'- scratchin' those strings.

"Again, I hope I've sparked some imagination for playing without a pick. These ideas will help you develop your own style too!"

<a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarz-for-ever.com">Scott Thomas</a>
Managing Editor,
<a target="_new" href="http://www.guitarz-for-ever.com">Guitarz Forever.com</a>

Guitar Players...Learn About The Point Of Discipline

2009-01-07T03:40:00.001-08:00

Have you ever started learning a lick or exercise and stopped practicing it before you had mastered it? Now I don't know you, but my guess the answer to the question is yes! Why is that? Why did you stop, when it was something that you REALLY wanted to learn?

There are quite a few reasons for it, but the one I would like to mention now is what I call the "point of discipline" . This is the point when the initial enthusiasm of learning that new lick/exercise wears off. It is no longer so new and exciting. This is the time when you will have to use your self-discipline to complete the task at hand.

A lot of guitar players will tell you at this point?"Hey man, guitar's supposed to be all about fun! If I have to use my self-discipline, I'll no longer enjoy it." If anyone says that to you, have a look at their playing. Most of the time they are not very good :)They have not reached a virtuoso level of playing, so why listen to them!

The point of discipline is when most guitar players quit. Rather than using their self-discipline to TRULY master the lick/exercise, they stop practicing it and move onto something new. It's tempting isn't it? We've ALL done this at some point in our development as a guitarist. But what's the cost of doing this?

Some of the negative consequences of quitting at the point of discipline include:

1. You'll never reach the virtuoso levels of guitar playing. Can you imagine virtuosos like Yngwie Malmsteen , Rusty Cooley , Michael Angelo etc, quitting before they have mastered what they are working on? I don't think so! They didn't become so incredible by being quitters. They have learned to tap into their self-discipline.

2. You'll never have that feeling of pride that comes with truly mastering something.

3. You won't learn to confront your present technical limitations and overcome them. This will mean that you'll learn a lot of new things but your overall level of playing won't become elevated.

4. You'll know about 1007 bits of songs, but if someone asks you to play a song from start to finish, you can't.

Not a pretty picture is it? So what are some things that you can do about it? Here are a few ideas?

1. When learning a new lick or exercise, set a speed goal. Keep practicing the lick/exercise until the speed goal has been reached. Realise that this can sometimes take weeks, months (or even years!).

2. Learn to enjoy using your self-discipline. Feel proud about yourself every time you follow through and master something.

3. Use visualization. See yourself in your mind's eye becoming a guitar virtuoso. This will help keep you motivated and enthusiastic!

4. Make a commitment to completion. With everything you learn, refuse to quit. Keep working on it until it has been mastered.

I guarantee that if you learn to tap into your self-discipline your guitar playing will improve at an accelerated rate! Of course, if you want to sit on the couch watching TV and eating bags of potato chips,dreaming about one day becoming an awesome guitarist, that's cool also!

Craig Bassett is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author living in Auckland, New Zealand.

Master the notes on the guitar fretboard...
<a target="_new" href="http://www.pentatonic-guitar-lessons.com/note-mastery.html">Master the Guitar Fretboard.</a>

Liberate your iPod

2009-01-06T07:00:00.001-08:00

When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the Sony Walkman all of his colleagues at the thought he was completely insane. The general consensus was that people wouldn't want to walk around the streets wearing headphones. Everyone thought the idea was ludicrous and that it would never catch on.

That was in the late 1970s. By the early 1980s Morita's vision had proved inspirational. The Sony Walkman became the iPod of the day and it was hard to walk down a street, travel on a train or sit in a waiting room without seeing someone with a pair of headphones on. And this wasn't just restricted to trendy young things. Middle aged people and elderly people also got the Walkman bug.

Quarter of a century later and headphones haven't changed that much. The current craze, started by iPod, is for white in-ear ones, but if you look closely enough you'll still see lots of other colors and varieties adorning people's ears.

But what happens if you want to hear your music without the aid of headphones? What if you want to share your music with the world at large, or maybe just your friends and family?

Well, thanks to a burgeoning band of accessory manufacturers you can now get speakers (and other gadgets) to cover almost every possible situation. Whether you want to use your iPod as the audio focal point of your party or just want to enjoy some Puccini on the beach - there is sure to be something to suit your specific needs and requirements.

At the very top of the tree, in terms of price, is the SoundDock from Bose. Since the 1980s Bose have really made a name for themselves for making high quality small footprint speakers, and their offering for the iPod is an extension of this philosophy. At a touch less than $300 this might not be an affordable option for everyone, but if you have the money to spare and top class sound quality is important to you then the SoundDock is certainly an option worth considering.

If portability is important to you then iSoundz have several options worth a closer look. The iSoundz Wallet offers a practical solution that incorporates a rechargeable speaker and a place to store your iPod whilst on the move. All of this is in a neat leather wallet. The unit comes with all the necessary cables and will cost you less than $50. The sound quality is distinctly mediocre and so this might not be the right solution for serious music lovers.

Altec Lansing offer several options under the inMotion label. These provide superb quality sound at a price that is not the cheapest, but won't cause too much damage to your credit card. Like the Bose SoundDock, the Altec Lansing InMotion system will also recharge your iPod whilst you listen to music.

Speakers are not the only alternative to headphones. You could also consider buying an FM transmitter. These will allow you to transmit the audio from your iPod directly to any nearby FM radio.

Probably the most popular of the current batch of FM transmitters for the iPod is the iTrip from Griffen Technology. This is a very small unit that plugs directly into the headphone socket on your iPod. Select the frequency you wish to transmit at via the iPod display and then just tune in a radio to listen. It takes its power directly from the iPod itself so be warned. If your batteries are not charged or your unit is not connected to a charger you will run out of power quicker than usual.

The iTrip is not the only option. You'll find quality FM transmitters from Belkin, Kensington and many other accessory manufacturers. Prices range from around $20 up to about $100.

I hope the above information will help to release you from the confines of your headphones. Listening to music needn't be a solitary occupation. Using any of the tools above you can liberate your ears and share the contents of your iPod with friends, family, colleagues and anyone else within earshot.

Ivan Gregor is the founder and webmaster of the popular and highly informative the-ipod.com web site, which specializes in all things iPod related. If you are thinking of purchasing an iPod or want to get the most from your existing iPod visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.the-ipod.com">http://www.the-ipod.com</a> today.

Establishing Your Mix

2009-01-05T15:10:00.001-08:00

The Beginning Of The End

STOP!! Don't even think about starting your mixdown on the same day you finish tracking. Take a day off, have a break and then come back refreshed with a new perspective.

Now back to business...

First of all, let's "zero the board". This is simply the action of bringing all the faders to the bottom (-∞) and centering all the pan knobs and effects sends.

I know what you're thinking, you're thinking "but our mix sounded good when we were tracking!".

1. Get Kicked.

This is where I prefer to start. Other people like to start with the vocals and build around them. But I'm more rhythm based and prefer to start with the kick drum.

Now you are set to mix. The kick should be the only channel that you set levels by watching. Every other channel mixed into the song will be with your ears relative to the kick.

2. Moving On

And don't forget to check your phase between your mics pointing down and your mics pointing up.

3. Big Bottom

4. Pads and More

5. The Vox

6. The Rest

You can start adding effects and other fancy shmancy things to your tune. Get funky with automating some pan knobs, fade-in some pads etc.. Here is a good time to get creative.

?2005 Richard Dolmat (Digital Sound Magic)

===========================================================

About The Author

Shopping For Your First Drum Set

2009-01-05T09:50:00.001-08:00

Your first drum set purchase is very exciting! You have probably waited a long time to buy your first drumset and have thought a lot about it. Even though it is exciting, it is important to be patient and do your research before you buy a drum set.

Where Do I Begin?

If you are new to drumming it can be pretty overwhelming and confusing when you start looking for a drum kit. The first thing that you need to know is that if you are just starting out, you should buy a starter drum kit. These drum sets are designed with the beginner drummer in mind because they come supplied with all of the drums that you will need to get up and running.

What Comes In A Drum Kit?

The typical starter drum kit comes with all of the drums that you will need to get started. The drums in the kit include:

* A bass drum
* A snare drum
* A floor tom
* Two mounted tom toms

You will notice that there are no cymbals included in the starter drum kit. That is generally because drum manufacturers do not usually make cymbals and vice versa. However you will want cymbals with your drum set as well, and you can also purchase a cymbal kit as well, which is usually called a pre-pack.

What Type Of Cymbals Do I Need?

When you are looking for cymbals, a good set to get you started will include a 20" ride cymbal, a 16" crash cymbal and a pair of 14" high hat cymbals. This is a good set to get you started and should serve you well.

If you are just starting out drumming you can buy a combination crash /ride cymbal and combine the two cymbals into one piece of equipment. This will help you save a little bit of money at the beginning of your drumming career, however as your drumming skills advance you will want to purchase a separate ride cymbal later on.

You will want to purchase your cymbals from a reputable cymbal manufacturer, and some good manufactures that put out some pretty good pre packs are: Zildjian, Sabian and Paiste.

What Else Will I Need?

Be sure to check out the drumkit that you are purchasing to see if it includes the hardware or if you have to purchase the hardware separately. Hardware is the term that is used to describe the stands, the pedals and the "throne" or drum seat that you will need.

When you are looking for a pedal you may want to consider investing in a medium to professional quality bass drum pedal. This pedal may cost a little bit more initially, however it will save you money in the long run as it will out perform and out last more basic, beginner pedals.

Many beginning drummers think that they can save a little bit of money by not purchasing a proper "throne" or drumming chair for their new drum set. However, even a bargain basement throne is a better choice than a kitchen chair or other stool that you have around your house. You need the proper seat to support you and absorb the impact of the drumming.

Can I Buy Used Drum Sets?

You can buy a used drum set and get a good set for a reasonable price. There are a few things that you should be cautious about when you are looking at used drum kits however.

Be sure to check for quality very carefully, check that the drum plastic is firmly attached to the shell of the drum and is not lifting anywhere. Be sure to check for the plastic lifting around the bearing edges and be sure that there are no air pockets anywhere.

It is also important to be sure that there is no chipping at all along the bearing edge. The bearing edge is where the drum head comes into contact with the drum shell. It is important that this is level as well.

Also be sure to check all of the hardware to make sure that none of the rims are bent and the brackets are all able to hold the drums securely. Do not be afraid to pull on the drums and twist them a little bit. You need to be sure that the used drum set will be able to stand up to your drumming.

What Can I Expect To Pay?

When you are shopping for drum sets you should be aware that the prices will range according the region that you are living in. However you can expect to pay anywhere between $400 to $1000 for an entry level drum set. A used drum set may cost anywhere between $200 to $800.

What Brand Should I Get?

You are probably going to want to choose a drum kit that is made from a reputable manufacturer. There are a few really well known makers of drums and it is best to stick with them. They include:

* Yamaha
* Pearl
* Ludwig
* Tama
* Gretsch
* Sonar
* Mapex

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that you should take your time when you are looking at buying your first drum set. Shop around a few different stores and find a dealer that you are comfortable with. It is best to find a store that has knowledgeable sales people who will be able to help you now, and in the future.

? 2005 <a target="_new" href="http://www.drum-sets-now.com">http://www.drum-sets-now.com</a>

About the Author
Kevin Brown is successful author and publisher of many informative websites including <a target="_new" href="http://www.drum-sets-now.com">http://www.drum-sets-now.com</a>. His websites offer tips and advice on a wide array of topics including <a target="_new" href="http://www.drum-sets-now.com">drum sets</a>, electronic drums, and other percussion instruments.

Chords or Melody First... Which is Best?

2009-01-05T01:30:00.001-08:00

There are basically two ways you can compose a piece of music. The first and most traditional way is to write out the melody and then harmonize it. Some call this working from the top (as opposed to the chords on the bottom.) The second approach is where you create some kind of rhythmic harmonic pattern and improvise (or compose) the melody on top. Now, which one is best for New Age music?

The answer is neither approach. Each has its own merits and own special benefits. For example, if you start with a pattern in your left hand and improvise a melody with your right, you are doing what most new age composers/improvisers do. This is what George Winston does most of the time. He has chords he sets to a certain rhythm and does his thing with that amazing right hand of his.

This is the style that I have been playing, but I've recently lost interest in it. Not because it isn't good but because I don't feel like playing that way anymore. Currently I'm leaning towards a softer sound that comes from leading with the melody first. What I do is get the first 2-bars down and then improvise the rest till I fill up 8 measures. This way I can vary the chords and patterns without it sounding very repetitive (minimalism). It's actually another style. You can call it melodic while the other one (Harmony approach) is more textural. IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR MOOD!

Don't let one style freeze you into something where you can't maneuver artistically! Remember that your feeling must come first. Everything else is secondary. Let your feeling lead you and your creation will be truly inspired, however, if you try to mold what you have to say into a specific style, the result may be less than satisfactory.

Five Secrets to Playing in the New Age Style

2009-01-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

1. Learn how to Improvise

Learning how to improvise is the key to playing in this style. Period. You must learn to experiment and take musical risks - within certain frameworks of course. You're not going to bang on the keys and expect to make music. This is not the kind of risk I'm talking about. Students thrive best when given a certain set of rules or guidelines to move around with.

For example, in the lesson "Reflections in Water" you are given a few chords and a specific scale to make music with. In other words, I give you a set of limits from which you play the game of improvisation. This will free you up from the thousand and one choices you could possibly have. In fact, if you didn't have a set of limitations, you probably would end up banging on the keyboard because while it is important to be free and spontaneous, it is equally important to understand how the game is played.

2. Develop the proper attitude

This one ties for first place. In my opinion, what stops most students from learning all they can from this style is the attitude that they either aren't good enough, or are not ready to learn how to improvise and play piano. Please don't think that. No one person will ever know all there is to know about any one subject let alone piano playing. You will always be growing but you must start somewhere and you must start from SIMPLE means.

Here's a quote that sums it up best: "In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the experts mind there are few." This means that you have an advantage over so called experienced piano players. Your attitude should always be one of receptivity. That is, never force anything to happen because when you force you are already setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.

3. Forget what you were taught

Perhaps you were taught that you must learn your scales first and that you must learn how to read music before you can do anything else. I'm here to tell you that I can't read music, yet somehow, I've been able to put out two CD's of original music! In fact, if anything, reading music will slow you down creatively! If you want to create your very own music, you must forget what you were taught about music in general and focus on learning how to improvise first and compose second. Both of which can be taught!

I think I read every book at the library on composition and improvisation and what helped me out the most was a very slim volume on chord changes using 8-bar patterns. By playing the chords in a set framework (8-bars) I was able to see how to use repetition and contrast to create with. And of course, I listened to the people I loved and learned a lot from just listening. So forget about what you were taught and start thinking about what you want to accomplish and you can do it!

4. Learn chords

You've heard it before. Learn chords and you can make music. Just learn the 144 chords and voila - you can do it all. Don't believe it! You need to learn chords, but you don't need to learn one hundred chords right away. No. You need to learn probably about 3 chords or less to begin improvising in the "new age" style. And if you think that you need to learn more than this at the beginning you are wrong.

Of course you can learn as many chords as you want but what's the point if you never use them? It's like learning a new vocabulary word each day for the sake of massaging your ego. Nice, but unnecessary.

5. Learn how to use Chords

Let's assume you've learned a few chords. Now what? What are you going to do with your new chords? You are going to use them to create music with and the best way to do that is to choose a key or mode to play in. This automatically limits your choices.

For example, let's say I sit down and start improvising and I start using a C Major 7 chord. I like what I hear but a problem arises - where do I go from here. Now this won't be a problem if you say to yourself. "OK. I started on C Major 7. Let's just stay in the Key of C Major and see what happens." Now, you are ready to go forward because you do not have a thousand and one confusing choices ahead of you. Do you see how this can free you up? You've limited yourself to using just 6 chords from the C Major scale.

Beginning Clarinet: The Very Start

2009-01-04T21:47:00.001-08:00

Music to Echo Your Mood

2009-01-04T20:10:00.001-08:00

In what way do the kinds of music (rock, rap, classical, instrumental, etc.) change or alter our mood and in what way do our moods effect what music we listen to?

Music has been present throughout the history of man. Of course musical styles change but the power and popularity of music never changes. But why is music so popular? What is it that music offers us and is it just a sound to drown out others?

Our emotions and thoughts are altered and influenced by music. Music can influence our emotions and our behaviour to a great degree, it relaxes us, it energises us, it can make us sad, or happy. Of course music isn't some type of mind control but it studies have consistently shown the link between music and our moods.

Slow music calms down. Ballads, some forms of classical music and New Age, as well as meditation music create a peaceful atmosphere that is good for relaxing after a busy day or for a romantic dinner. For most people slow music is de-stressing. It allows them to sit down and relax.

If the music is slowed below approximately 50 beats per minute it can create an atmosphere of sadness, even depression. The slow rhythm of certain music can make induce feelings of powerlessness and desperation.

This kinds of slow music is often found in jazz and classical music, many people listen to it when alone, at night usually, when it seems to suit their mood.

In general, instrumental music (excluding military marches with their fast tempo) is also a way to isolate oneself from the people around. The rhythm is calm and steady, the tune is clearer, since there are no voices interfering.

Faster music (such as rock, heavy metal, and dance music) tends to uplift us. It energises us, and awakens us in a very real way, making us feel full of life.

Dance music is light and yet fast, it fills us with energy and relaxes us but it is not complicated by intellectual overtones. So it allows us to liven up and unwind without having to think or listen very seriously. For this reason it is very popular at parties.

Rock and pop music and rap are also often played at parties, when large groups of people gather together. This is music for socializing and being together. Most rock, pop, and rap songs also do not involve special efforts for listening to and are also suitable for parties.

Rock music is often used to accompany physical labour, its heavy fast tempo speeds up the heart and one almost works in time to the music making the work more enjoyable.

Some people think that rock music can cause road accidents, it is not difficult to see why, it is easy to become 'caught up in' rock music, drivers could become excited by the speed of the music and drive too fast. But on balance there are so many sources of driver distraction that it does not make sense to blame rock music. Nevertheless studies have shown a definitive link between music and mood.

Some kinds of music, like techno, are produced using computers and almost constitute an escape into an alternate virtual world, the music is reminiscent of sci-fi, technology and the futuristic world we imagine.

World music allows a different type of escape - into another country. Often people bring home CDs from holiday and when listening to the music it evokes the spirit of a nation or area and seems to take them back there.

The best music information can be found online at <a target="_new" href="http://www.fbxmusic.com">FBX Music</a>. Devon Rynders is a senior writer and you will find articles, resources and a free newsletter at: FBX <a target="_new" href="http://www.fbxmusic.com/">Music</a>.

How to Make $30,000 with Your Music Before Years End

2009-01-04T13:30:00.001-08:00

As an independent musician and/or recording artist, if you did *NOT* earn $30,000 (or more) with your music alone last year, let's jump right in and get you started with doing so this year.

Again, bear in mind that the main necessary ingredient is "consistency" of every aspect, and on a weekly basis.

Remember! This is a worst case scenario, in regard to what you should be able to easily earn within each aspect, and you are very likely to earn much more.

The "lead generator(s)" in each aspect reflects the various resources that you will use to obtain results in these areas.

So, here is the financial mathematical layout.

[---GIG EARNINGS---]

Practically any band should be able to market and promote itself well enough to obtain, at least, one gig per week, whether the band is based in a metropolitan or rural setting, and whether it performs on a fulltime or part-time basis.

So, in our worst case scenario, let's look at getting one gig per week:

1 Gig X 1 Week @ $300 X 4 weeks = $1,200 per month

Lead Generators:

* Contacting venue managers and bookers directly
* Signing on with an area booking agent
* Placing low-cost ads in your area weekly newspapers
* Contacting area performance theaters
* Host your own gig at an area hall or theater
* Contacting high schools for performances
* Contacting college student activities offices for performances
* Low-cost college newspaper ads for possible gigs
* Low-cost college radio ads for possible gigs
* Your website calendar gig notices/tours

Note: Provide your media kit and business card to prospective clients.

[---GIG CD SALES---]

As you are already aware, most gig employers will allow you to sell your music during performances.

So, in our worst case scenario, let's look at getting sales during gigs, with a minimum of 100 people at each gig, and with 10% (10 sales) of the crowd who, after witnessing your mind-blowing spectacular performance, suddenly realize that life is not worth living, and they simply cannot go on unless they own a copy of your CD:

10 sales X $10.00 (per CD) X 4 weeks = $400 per month

Our monthly sub-total is now $1,600

Lead Generator:

* Your incredible stage performance that left them mesmerized.
* Your website for additional sales

[---TEACHING---]

Right now, in your own area, there are innumerable people who would like to learn to play your instrument, or be able to sing as half as well as you. So, why not teach them how to do so while earning a bit of income doing it as well?

So, in our worst case scenario, let's say you teach only one day each week, with only two students, at one hour each, while charging $10 per student, per lesson:

1 day X 2 students X $10.00 (per student) X 4 weeks = $80 per month

Our monthly sub-total is now $1,680

Note: If you decide to devote an entire day of the week to teaching, say 8 students/8 hours, your income increases to $80 per day/$320 per month.

You can also consider contacting area community colleges that will likely be receptive to your classes within their "Continuing Education" program, which can even pay a bit more money. And, if time allows, why not get the best of both worlds, so to speak, by teaching both independently, as well as within the college system?

Lead Generators:

* Placing low-cost ads in your area weekly newspapers
* Contacting high schools to post notices/fliers
* Low-cost college newspaper ads
* Low-cost college radio ads
* News releases to area radio and print papers
* Feature interviews on area radio and in newspapers
* Your website with your class notices

Note: Provide your credentials to student prospects in the forms of a resume and/or portfolio.

[---ONLINE SALES---]

Just a few noted sites include:

CD Baby ( http://www.cdbaby.com )
The Orchard ( http://www.theorchard.com )
Amazon.com ( http://www.amazon.com )
New Artist Direct ( http://www.newartistdirect.com )

With fairly decent online promotion, at the least, you ought to be able to realize an average of 3 sales per week from each of these sites. While all may not produce those 3 sales individually each week, some of them are likely to produce more than 3 sales, dependent upon your promotional efforts, of which should still average out to 3 sales each.

However and again, let's review a worst case scenario:

4 sites X 3 sales each X $7.00 = $84 X 4 weeks = $336

Our monthly sub-total is now $2,016

Lead Generators:

* Peripheral online sales from gig audiences
* Low-cost ads in area weekly newspapers
* Low-cost college newspaper ads
* Low-cost college radio ads
* Internet marketing and promotion on music message boards, music forums, and within discussion list signature files
* News releases to area radio and print papers
* Feature interviews on area radio and newspapers
* Your website sales

[---WEDDINGS---]

Though weddings occur within every month of the year, the biggest and most traditional month for weddings is June. And, right now, in your own area, there are quite a few being planned for this summer. Weddings are one of the most lucrative income generators for musicians, because families generally are very liberal in spending on them, and go all out, so to speak, for this special day for their daughters.

So, in our worst case scenario, let's say you can get, at least, one wedding gig per month, at $1,000 per gig (more wedding gig opportunities are likely during summer months especially):

$1,000 X 9 months = $9,000

Our monthly sub-total is now $3,016

Lead Generators:

* Caterers & Catering Services
* Placing low-cost ads in your area weekly newspapers
* Your website notices of your availability for weddings
* Providing your business card to area upscale restaurants
that cater wedding receptions and banquets
* Your business card left with flower shops
* Your business card left with jewelry stores
* Your business card left with bridal shops
* Your business card left with tuxedo shops
* Your business card left with bridal services

Note: You should also provide your business card to wedding attendants who inquire about your services for upcoming functions that they may be hosting in the future.

[---WEDDING CD SALES---]

You may also be able to sell your CD at weddings, however, ASK FIRST when coordinating your performance arrangements. Attendants usually interact with the band, as it is a happy occasion.

If you are allowed to sell your recordings at weddings, you should do so passively by having your CDs placed near the performance area in a conspicuous position.

However, I would not "hard sell" (repeatedly mention) the CD from the stage, unless of course, a wedding coordinator decides to do so, or states that you may do so.

So, in our worst case scenario, let's say, at least, 100 people attend each wedding (more are likely to attend many weddings), with 10% of them purchasing your CD:

10 sales X $10.00 (per CD) X 1 month = $100

Our monthly sub-total is now $3,116

Lead Generator:

* Your performance
* Your website notice

[---RETAIL STORE CONSIGNMENT SALES---]

Since stores won't be laying out cash in advance for your music, you should have very little problem consigning your music to retailers.

A word of advice is for you to not consign more than five copies per per store, per 30-day period, at any time. Limiting copies to stores will allow for sufficient time in your product moving off retailer shelves.

Consider getting your product consigned with, at least, five area retailers. However, if there are not enough music stores in your area, consider consigning it with other retailers such as; bookstores, flower shops, jewelry stores, and any other such retailer that gets quite a bit of traffic and might be interested in carrying your music.

You will, generally, be required to present retailers with your own consignment form, and I have created one that you can freely download and customize for your own use at: <a target="_new" href=" http://www.MuBiz.com/CnsnmtFrm.html">http://www.MuBiz.com/CnsnmtFrm.html</a>

Just be sure to duplicate it so that both you and the retailer have copies.

So, in our worst case scenario, let's look at your area retail possibilities:

5 Stores X 5 copies X $8 (your take) = $200 per month

Our monthly sub-total is now $3,316

Lead Generators:

* Low-cost classified or display ads in area newspapers
* Low-cost radio ads
* Low-cost cable television ads
* News releases to all forms of media
* Feature interviews at local television, radio stations and print media
* Music reviews in your area print media
* Your website listing area stores carrying your music

Note: Provide your media kit and business card to retailers in order to further influence their decision in consigning your product.

[---PRODUCTION---]

Did you produce your own CD? If you did, and if people are raving about how great it is, why not consider producing other area bands as well for some extra cash?

Between now and the end of this year, you should be able to produce, at least, two acts for, at least, a $1,000 fee each.

Lead Generators:

* Word of mouth and fellow musicians you know
* Placing low-cost ads in your area weekly newspapers
* Low-cost college newspaper ads
* Low-cost college radio ads
* Your website notice of your production skills
* Fliers in music instrument stores

Note: Provide your media kit and business card to contacts.

As our monthly sub-total is $3,316, providing a grand sub-total of $29,844, when you add on your $2,000 production fees for both bands that you produce, your minimum grand year-end total comes to $31,844.

As I stated at the beginning of this article, each of these aspects contain 'bare bones' minimum figures in respect to what your earning potential is within them.

* Special Note: In each of these areas, it is very likely that you will experience repeat business, as well as word of mouth promotion, which will further add to your annual income this year, thus, creating the potential for doubling or even tripling your income.

Kenny Love is president of <a target="_new" href="http://www.MuBiz.com">http://www.MuBiz.com</a>, a radio promotion and media publicity firm that also provides business and career services to musicians.

Solid-Bodied Gretsch Corvette Guitar

2009-01-03T10:00:00.001-08:00

The Solid-bodied Corvette (not to be confused with the Corvette hollow-body arch-top electric, produced from 1955-1959) was Gretsch's answer to the Les Paul Jr. by Gibson. Introduced in 1961, the Corvette Solid-body was a small, light-weight, comfortable electric guitar that was just right for the budding musician.

This killer guitar, with a solid mahogany body, solid mahogany set neck, and a rosewood fret board with pearl dots, originally came with a single HI-Lo 'Tron pickup. The earliest examples had a trapeze tailpiece. By 1963, the Corvette was sporting a Burns' flat-arm vibrato tailpiece. (Yes! That Burns! Good old Jim Burns from England), and came with a choice of either one or two of those Hi-Lo 'Tron pickups. By mid-1963 to 1964, Gretsch changed the standard 3/3 headstock (3 tuners on each side) to a scooby-rific 4/2 headstock design (4 tuning keys on one side, two on the other). Most Corvettes were finished in "cherry" red mahogany and had black pick guards. Some came with red and white striped pick guards and a more opaque red finish to the body. This version is known as the "Twist" model. Early Corvettes were also available in platinum gray finish with black pick guards, but this color was officially discontinued in 1963. Also in 1963, Gretsch started beveling the edges of the guitar's body and sharpened the cutaway points.

Variations of the Gretsch Corvette were the Silver Duke (1964-66) which was sparkle silver, the Gold Duke (1964-66) - you got it - in sparkle gold, and lest we forget, the Princess (1963-64 - made for the ladies) which was available in many color combinations such as white with purple sparkles, blue with white sparkles, pink with white sparkles, and white with gold sparkles - phew! The Princess also differed from the others in that it had a Palm vibrato tailpiece rather than the Burns', gold-plated hardware in lieu of the standard nickel/chrome hardware, and a shiny belly-pad on the back.

By 1968, you could no longer get single pickups on the Corvettes, the Burn's vibrato was replaced with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, and the HI-Lo 'Tron pickups were replaced with Super 'Tron pickups. Production of the Gretsch Corvette wound down in the early 70's. (The Corvette did make a brief reappearance from 1976 to 1978 with different specs - humbuckers, etc. It was not the same.)

The Gretsch Corvette (1961-early 70's) can still give you some bang for your buck in today's vintage market. You get the vintage sound and vibe, with great playability for less than you'd pay for a Paul, Jr.

Allen has 25 years of experience working with guitars and is the Vintage Guitar Pro in residence at <a target="_new" href="http://www.VintageGuitarPro.com">http://www.VintageGuitarPro.com</a> - a website for the vintage guitar enthusiast specializing in online vintage guitar appraisal. Find out more about Allen and Vintage Guitars at <a target="_new" href="http://www.VintageGuitarPro.com">http://www.VintageGuitarPro.com</a>