Formal Highland Attire: The Correct Wearing of the Kilt; the National Dress of Scotland

We don't simply wear a theatrical costume; we wear the national dress of Scotland. While some people might think that any proposed definition of what is "correct" in traditional Highland dress is in some way a gross infringement of their right to express their individuality, others may be interested to know just what the standards are, even if they choose to exhibit variations on the theme. Voluntarily observing the rule and custom of the Scots in the matter of dress is one way to strengthen and to reinforce the genuine and traditional of the Highland culture that we claim to celebrate.

BLACK TIE

Formal Highland attire is in order whenever the invitation on an announcement reads "Black Tie" or "Evening Wear" requested. For men, this means the Highland equivalent of a tuxedo. Burns Nights, St. Andrews Dinners, and Dining In ceremonies are all formal affairs. This includes a kilt, either white hose or other solid primary color kilt hose, tartan kilt hose, red and white, red and black or blue and white diced kilt hose and flashes, white tux shirt (with studs and cufflinks, if appropriate), black or solid colored bow tie and one of the formal style kilt jackets such as the Prince Charlie, regulation doublet, or Argyll jacket. The Argyll jacket is particularly appropriate for an individual who doesn't want to spend a fortune on several different coats as it can be properly worn for both day and evening wear. All of these are worn with waistcoats. A dirk may be worn on the right hip with a Prince Charlie or regulation doublet with the hilt between the tashes (Inverness flaps).

For the ladies, formal Highland attire means either a hostess length kilted skirt with a fancy lace trim blouse or an evening dress (either long or tea length) with an optional tartan sash and brooch. Some evening dresses incorporate or are entirely made of tartan. In Scotland, it is traditional for younger lassies to wear white evening dresses with full skirts and tartan sashes for Scottish Country Dancing. As they become older, they graduate to black dresses. The ladies should wear their tartan sashes on the right shoulder unless they are a clan chief or a colonel of a Scottish regiment, or the wife of a clan chief or colonel of a Scottish regiment, who then wear it on the left shoulder. The exception to this rule is Scottish country dancers who wear the sash on their left shoulder for safety's sake. The rules for a lady's sash apply for both day and evening wear. Women do not wear bonnets with evening wear.

WHITE TIE

White tie for men means the formality equivalent of "tails". This requires a kilt with tartan or diced hose, white pique shirt and vest with white studs and cufflinks, and a Prince Charlie or regulation doublet, with a white bow tie. The Argyll jacket is not appropriate here. Another option, and there are many for this level of formality, would be one of the white collarless shirts with lace jabot and cuffs with one of the more formal type coats such as the Sheriffmuir or Montrose doublet. The sporran should be like that worn with black tie, except that the day/evening sporran is not considered appropriate for this level of formality.

For ladies, "white tie" means long evening gowns with the option of a silk tartan sash and brooch.

Kilted Skirts

Unless in the uniform of a pipe band women don't wear kilts, they wear kilted skirts, either soft pleated or knife pleated. The lighter worsted wool falls more easily into easy soft pleats and hangs better. You can just pull the gathers or soft pleats together and place a waistband on it. Length is largely a matter of taste and varies with occasion. You can put a zipper in the side or a button or even eye & hook closing (left side). If you want to wear it for evening dress you can make it floor length (or formal). As with a man's kilt, matching up the setts in knife pleating can be very tricky, but must be done properly to look good. Some ladies wear a vest or velvet jacket of dark, complimentary colors, with a plain white long sleeved blouse under it. Lace ruffles can be snapped or sewn in the sleeves and allowed to come gracefully down half way on the hands, and a lace jabot at the neck flowing out over the vest or jacket. Most items of male Highland attire are generally not considered appropriate feminine attire, including sporrans (the possible exception would be a sporran worn as a shoulder bag, which can be most tasteful and attractive), dirks, sgian dubhs, kilt hose and flashes, etc.

Military Decorations

With formal wear, miniature military medals are worn on the left lapel of the coatee or doublet. Ribbons, campaign ribbons, unit citations, or full-size medals are never worn with formal Highland attire. The exception to this rule is the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is worn around the neck in its full-size form for day or evening wear. Non-military medals and/or ribbons are not worn. It is absolutely incredible to me that this needs to be said, but experience has repeatedly shown it to be necessary and worth repeating here. The wearing of military medals or ribbons to which you are not rightfully entitled is considered the penultimate in bad manners, deeply offensive to a great many people, and may provoke the most negative of consequences socially. In Canada and the UK it can even get you arrested.

Plaids

A full plaid may be worn over left shoulder and under right arm, pulled firm to the body. The edge of the plaid should be 11" from the ground at rear of the leg with fringe hanging down below this level. The lower edge of the plaid should be horizontal and parallel with ground. The leading edge of plaid and front face of plaid is secured by plaid brooch high on the left shoulder. While very striking, a full plaid is also very hot, and wrapping and securing it properly requires quite a bit of practice, and generally cannot be done without an assistant. A more common alternative, the fly plaid, may be worn on the left shoulder, usually under the epaulette and pinned with a plaid brooch. The upper edge of brooch should not be above the top of the shoulder, with the design properly aligned. An Irishman might elect to wear a brath instead of a fly plaid; essentially the same square yard of cloth but folded into a rectangle, draped over the left shoulder, and pinned with a kilmainham (penannular brooch). Plaids are always in the same tartan as the kilt and preferably purchased at the same time, as there can be differences in color from one bolt of cloth to the next, even from the same mill.

Sporrans

For formal wear the sporran should be a formal type with a silver-mounted cantle-top and fur pouch or a full fur and animal mask type (the animal masked sporran is one of the few all-purpose sporrans that can be worn with the most formal dress or the most informal wear). There is also a day/evening combination sporran that looks best when worn with the Argyll jacket, but looks a bit out of place with the more formal Prince Charlie. Sporrans are worn centrally over front apron of kilt, the cantle one hand's breadth below the waist belt buckle. The sporran should square the area between the hips and the knees and swing at a natural arc from the hip. Sporran straps go through the belt loops at the back of the kilt, and over the buckles at the sides (the belt is generally not worn through the belt loops, but over them and the sporran strap), with the pointed end of strap pointing to right hip. A military horsehair sporran is generally not worn except with a military or regulation doublet. Leather sporran straps are worn with horsehair sporrans (leather sporran straps also don't wear on the kilt quite as badly as chain straps). Hair sporrans are not trimmed to length. When a gentleman is dressed in Highland attire and dances with a lady, he should move the sporran to his left hip. For Scottish country dancing, you may want to take up your sporran belt a couple of notches. The sporran should also be moved to an unencumbered hip when sitting down to the table. This removes the sporran from harm's way so you don't spill on it and makes your lap unencumbered for a napkin. In general, it's just considered good manners.

Belts

For evening wear the belt should be of black leather and the buckle silver; generally belts will match the leather and hardware of the sporran. The belt is worn outside of the kilt's belt loops, it's top edge flush with the top of the kilt's waistband. It should be very snug, allowing only an index finger to be inserted between the belt and kilt. The buckle should be centered on the body, level from front to back, and both runners should be drawn up tight on both sides of the buckle. The belt should not cover the buttons on the rear of the doublet or tunic. Belts generally aren't worn together with waistcoats.

Hose & Flashes Argyll and diced hose are considered formal wear. Solid color hose are appropriate for almost all occasions. The color of hose and flashes should compliment both kilt and each other. If you want dressier hose but can't afford Argyll in your tartan, get a pair of the fancy cabled kilt hose with the ornate knitted hose tops (not the puffy "popcorn tops" of cheap pipe band hose). The top of your hose should be three fingers breadth below the outside bone at your knee, and level side to side and front to back. The leading edge of front flash may be vertically lined up with the front of the leg (in line with the center of your shoe), or just forward of the side of your leg, with no gap between the flashes. If wearing diced or Argyll hose, the leading edge of the front flash should bisect the top "diamond" of the pattern (which should be centered on the front of your leg). The sgian dubh is worn tucked inside the hose of right leg in the front-right portion of leg bisecting the flash. The handle should protrude only and inch or two above the top of the hose top. Staghorn sgian dubhs are not appropriate for evening dress.

Shoes

For formal wear, black gillie brogues or shoes with gilt or silver colored buckles are worn. With gillies the laces should not be wrapped up around the leg like a ballarina's slipper. Gillie laces are given two or three turns in the front, wrapped around the ankle, given two or three twists, then brought forward and tied off in front or the outside of the ankle. White spats are only worn with military and pipe band uniforms.

Bonnets

The balmoral is worn with ribbons tied; the glengarry with the ribbons left untied. The balmoral is worn level on forehead 1/2" above the eyebrows, with the cloth top pulled over right side of the head. The cockade should be centered over the left temple. The bow should be centered at the back of the head. The glengarry is traditionally worn canted to the right; 1" above the left eyebrow and 1/2" above the right eyebrow, with point of the glen centered on the head, aligned with the nose (although some regiments wear them square on the head). In Scotland, the balmoral is the more popular style, in various colors, with or without the red "toorie" on top. The glengarry owes its popularity to the Highland regiments and pipe bands. Civilians, officers, and pipers generally wear plain glens; enlisted ranks and drummers wear dicing. The diced (red checked) band indicates loyalty to the House of Hanover, i.e. the royal house of England. Highland civilians generally do not wear dicing. The caubeen, the traditional green bonnet of the Irish piper, is worn level on the head with the cap badge centered either over the left eye (Royal Irish Rangers) or right eye (Royal Irish Guards), with the cloth pulled over to the opposite side, similar to a balmoral. The Irish caubeen is often decorated with a "sheillah"; the harp of Erin, or a shamrock. In the Republic of Ireland, the harp is usually displayed without the crown for obvious reasons. Traditionally the only adornments should be the cockade and your clan crest worn in a strap and buckle form or your own crest if you have one. It's also common for veterans to wear their regimental badges, and sometimes firefighters and law enforcement officers their badges. It is also appropriate to adorn the bonnet with a sprig of your clan's plant badge, or rosemary on Remembrance Day, and rising no more than about 1 1/2" above the top of the badge. It's also customary for pipers to wear the red poppy on their glens for Remembrance Day, as the bass drone tends to brush them off of jacket lapels. The poppy is usually displayed forward of and on the same side as the glen badge (although I know of at least one regiment which has an aversion to anything being forward of their regimental badge; even a red poppy).

Remember that the bonnet isn't a cowboy hat; it shouldn't be the repository of your lapel pin collection. However, a friend of mine wears an old USMC collar pin on his; as it dates from his visit to the Chosin Reservoir, I don't think anyone has ever questioned his right to wear it any way he pleases. Feathers in the bonnet are traditionally reserved only for clan chiefs, clan chieftains, and armigers. Officially the rule is; a Chief wears three feathers, a chieftain wears two, and an armigerous gentleman (one who personally has a right to heraldic arms) wears one. The wearing of bonnet feathers by those who are not chiefs is generally considered presumptuous in Scotland. However, Americans, who have the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed under the second amendment of our Constitution, could arguably wear one eagle feather in good conscience. Feather hackles are awarded to regiments for battle honors or a special reason. Therefore, serious consideration and research should be given prior to hackles being worn by a civilian pipe band, much less an individual.

One last word on hats; uncover when you go indoors. It is considered bad manners to continue to wear the bonnet indoors, especially in someone's home or in church. The only exception is when you are under arms. Examples of this would be carrying a flag or tartan banner in the Kirking of the Tartans, or while playing the pipes. Pipers should uncover when not actively piping.

The Kilt

The inside and outside aprons are securely fastened by buckles, with the inner apron folding to the left, usually secured by one buckle, and the outer apron folding to the right, usually secured by two buckles (buckle the lower one loosely). Ladies' kilted skirts fold the opposite way. The kilt is not meant to be worn like blue jeans, down around the waist near the hips. The top of the waistband should be at your navel; military-cut kilts rise high enough to come to the wearer's bottom ribs. Highland dancers and Scottish country dancers often ask for a very high rise so that when they raise their hands above their heads, tartan is still seen beneath the jacket instead of a white shirt front.

The lower edge of the inner apron should not be visible. If the inner apron consistently shows from beneath the outer apron, you'll need to tighten the strap on your left hip, even if it means cutting away the buckle and moving it back a few inches. The lower edge of the kilt should break somewhere between the middle and top of the kneecap. Above the knee, and it's not a kilt, but a Catholic school-girl skirt. Below the knee, and it becomes a tea-length dress. The apron should be centered and the hem should appear even from front to rear and side-to-side. If you wear a kilt pin, the proper place to wear it is three inches from the bottom of the kilt and three inches inward from the right side of the apron. The kilt pin should only go through the top apron and not be pinned to the bottom apron. Any variation in this general area is considered OK, and if you have a double thickness on the right side of the apron, you might affix it to that area. As with the sgian dubh and the sporran, the kilt pin should be appropriate for the level of dress and the occasion. Keep in mind that kilt pins can become snagged upon all sorts of objects, potentially tearing the outer apron.

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Getting Rhythm - Three Tips for Guitar Beginners

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.

#1 Play open strings for the last beat in the bar so you have time to change chord shape. For example if your are to play | G G G G | D D D D | C C C C | instead play | G G G O | D D D O | C C C O | where O is a strum of the open strings. Listen carefully and you will notice a lot of guitar players do this. And it sounds just fine.

#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

Downloading MP3s Made Easy

The MP3 movement started out with a huge audience of music enthusiasts on the internet. The MP3 digital music format has had, and will continue to have, a huge impart on how people, gather, listen to and share music.

The MP3 format is a compression system for digital music that helps reduce the size of a digitized song without disturbing the sound quality. Digital music is converted to MP3 format and made available for use, usually via the web. MP3 files can be downloaded onto your computer from the internet and special software, either commercial or freeware. Using your computer and software you can convert digital music from a CD into MP3 format.

MP3 files can be played in three different ways:

1. They can be played directly onto your computer.

2. They can be decompressed and recorded onto a CD.

3. These files can be played on a portable MP3 player.

The advantage of MP3 players is that they are small, lightweight and rugged. They are a great way to carry your MP3 files with you!

With a portable MP3 player, a personal computer, and the appropriate software, you can do the following:

1. Obtain free or low-cost music from the web.

2. Create your own mix of music by downloading MP3 files from the web and converting the tracks from CDs.

3. Listen to near-CD quality music wherever you go.

4. Listen to more music (up to 10 hours' worth).

If you want to convert your songs from your CDs into MP3 files, you can use ripper and encoder software. A ripper copies a song's file from the CD onto your hard disk. The encoder compresses the song into the MP3 format. By encoding songs, you can play them on your computer or take them with you on your MP3 player. The ripper and encoder software may come with your MP3 player.

The specific instructions will vary with the individual software programs, but the following steps will definitely take place:

1. Place the CD from which you want to convert songs into your drive.

2. Select the track(s) that you want to convert to MP3 format.

3. Convert the selected track(s).

4. Copy the new MP3 files on to your computer's hard disk.

Now you are ready to download these MP3 files into your portable MP3 player.

Once you have MP3 files on your computer, you can use the software that came with your MP3 player to download the files into your MP3 player. Again, the specific instructions will vary depending upon your software program and player, but you will:

1. Create a playlist from your MP3 files.

2. Plug the player into your computer's parallel of USB port.

3. Transfer the MP3 files according to the instructions.

Once you have downloaded the MP3 files into your portable MP3 player, you are ready to take your music anywhere. Most MP3 players are small, lightweight, and solid-state. Because most players are solid-state, there are no moving parts to break down or skip, so the sound quality is uninterrupted regardless of your physical activity. MP3 players are equipped with various types of headphones or earpieces.

Portable MP3 players can play music longer than a portable CD player. The length of play for a CD player is about 74 minutes, the length of one CD. However, the length of play for an MP3 player depends upon its memory capacity, which can be upgraded on some models. A standard MP3 player can play for about half an hour (32 MB) to a few weeks (40 GB)! Some models can be upgraded with additional memory devices.

Keith Kingston is a professional web publisher, offering information on downloading mp3's such as <a target="_new" href="http://www.4-mp3-downloads.com">Eminem MP3</a> and finding <a target="_new" href="http://radio-stations.allspecialoffers.com">free internet radio stations</a>

How to Improvise Using a Few Chords

When a painter is getting ready to paint, a color palette is usually chosen first. For example, if a forest is to be painted, the artist may choose browns, greens, and blues for the sky. Once the palette is chosen, it makes it easier to create the painting. Why? Because color decisions are now out of the way.

We can apply this concept to music as well. In particular, New Age piano playing. In your lesson, Reflections in Water, we have four chords to play with and we have the order in which they are to be played. Now, all that is required "to paint" your sound portrait is the ability to take these chords and play around with them.

Once the decision about what chords to play and how to play them are out of the way, you can now focus on making music. This is how I created Reflections in Water. I knew that the piece would be in the Key of C. I then chose a few chords from this key and fooled around with them.

It can be very confusing for the beginner in improvisation.

There are so many choices and ways to go about making music. This is why limiting choice is important. Also, it is equally important to begin by using simple means. Many students think that if they can't compose like Beethoven or Mozart, they are untalented. Get rid of this idea quickly. Everyone starts from simple means and it's a good idea to begin your experience in improvisation the same way.

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!

Shut Up And Sing

What is it with these performers and their politics? Do they really think that people who pay $100 or more to hear them sing want to hear them utter political opinions? The audience pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to see and hear a performer PERFORM. You want to spout politics, run for freakin office, you moron! When performers use a paid venue to play politics they are abusing the paying audience, the venue, the sponsors and everyone connected to their artistic performance. It's an inappropriate venue and inapproprite behavior to voice your political viewpoint, you jerk! And they wonder why people boo.

Somebody pays a small fortune for their ticket to see them perform and ends up being subjected to a political opinion from someone who makes millions of dollars a year but doesn't have a real job, doesn't have to live in reality and doesn't have a clue about the real world! Yeah, right, tell me about your political views while I'm sitting here waiting to be entertained by you. That's why I came here and that's what I paid for isn't it, you ungrateful clueless idiot. You want to spout off, do it for free. Yes, free. Why don't you perform for free then you can say anything you want to your audience. Then it's fair and balanced. Then the audience gets what it pays for.

And what about the incident in Orange County, CA where the performer makes a comment about Linda Ronstadt and audience starts booing and the performer responds with how America used to be a place where you could openly discuss your views. Ha! Twenty thousand people and he's the only one with a microphone! Open discussion, my ass.

So, a word to the wise. You want to keep performing, keep making millions, keep living in your fantasy world? Shut up and sing.

Maya Pinion is a freelance writer and contributing editor for News4Net. Article inspired by radio talk show host, Dennis Prager, who has a brain in his head and a heart in his chest.

The Dark Side of P2P File Sharing

P2P file sharing programs are free. Period. But there are P2P scam sites out there that want you to pay them instead. P2P scam sites are rogue companies that have set up shop to fleece unsuspecting music downloaders looking for file sharing programs by charging a fee for an otherwise free service.

No P2P file sharing software costs money. Exceptions would be a site asking members to make a monetary donation to help pay for bandwidth, hosting costs, and other administrative costs.

Some P2P file sharing programs offer "pro" versions of their free software. But again, their basic service is free to the public. I want you to fully understand this, because paying a P2P scam site money can not only make your wallet a bit lighter, it can also make your computer vulnerable to dangerous spyware.

That's right. These scam sites are only interested in making money off you. As well as actually taking your money by fooling you into paying them, they'll make money off you by installing spyware on your PC, so that they can get paid by sharing your online habits and personal information with others.

For music download beginners, all of this can be very confusing. Why? Because these scam sites advertise all over the Internet. Search engines return results chockful of these scams alongside the real P2P file sharing programs; their banner ads riddle the Internet landscape; sites are promoting these scams to get their piece of your money.

Most real P2P programs don't advertise much on the Internet. The reason is that they're not money makers. It takes money to advertise, and who has more money-- the free P2P file sharing programs or the scam artists? You guessed it. P2P relies on word of mouth. The scam sites rely primarily on advertising.

<h4> How Can I Tell a P2P Scam Site? </h4> This is the easy part, if you know what you're looking for. P2P scam sites often use phrases like 100% Legal, which is absolutely untrue. This is a trick they use to prey on people interested in P2P file sharing programs, but who are worried (rightly) about Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lawsuits. Keep in mind that sharing and downloading of copyrighted files is, at this moment, an illegal activity.

Another tactic is to use fake endorsements and recommendations from legitimate companies. Other cons are to use phrases like Direct Downloads!, Get Access Now!, Download Unlimited Free Music!, and other phrases that are promising you things they absolutely CANNOT deliver.

<h4> How Does It Work & How are They Doing It? </h4> To be honest, I do not know the ins and outs of P2P scam sites. But I know this: all P2P file sharing programs are free. Think about it a moment. It is because music files are being shared free of charge (without artists receiving royalties) that organizations like the RIAA are mad and suing.

These P2P scam sites are merely taking your money, downloading a little spyware to your PC, then connecting you to one of the real P2P file sharing programs.

This is all convoluted by the nature of P2P, which is a series of servers networking files to one another. Unless you're buying your music MP3 downloads from a legitimate company, either per song/album or through a monthly subscription, you cannot be sure where your music is coming from.

The legal status of P2P file sharing programs is confusing. We know that MP3 files themselves are not illegal. For example, it's legal to possess MP3s, to rip your CDs to your hard drive, and to burn CDs for your personal use. But, by sharing and/or downloading these files, you are breaking copyright laws. To my knowledge, P2P scam sites are not actually breaking any laws. But why pay for something you don't have to?

One of the most common techniques these scam artists use is to set up sites that are misspellings or derivations of popular P2P file sharing programs. KaZaA is probably the most hijacked name being used these days.

Other sites may not actually charge you anything at all, but they'll "give you the software for free" if you give them your email address. This too is a scam. Because once again, they're just sending you along to a proper P2P program, but after collecting your email address, they're selling it to third parties. Don't give these scammers any of your personal information!

If you're on a website you trust, even this website, you may see ads by these scam artists, preaching their lies about 100% blah, blah, blah. For your own security, don't click on the links. They're still scams. (Many independent websites rely on ads to pay the bills. We don't always have full control over what advertisements appear on our sites. Keep in mind that most online advertisements are arranged and distributed by third-party companies who pair up advertisements with appropriate keywords. So a page that discusses "music downloads" is likely to have an ad from a scam site singing their own false praises.)

On this note, there are sites all over the Internet that actually promote P2P scam sites. Why? I have my opinions. First, these scam sites are paying large sums of money to affiliates who promote their sites. For example, a scam site may be charging you $29.95 for their non-service. Well, they're paying affiliates over half (I've seen the pay-out as high as 75%) of that just for getting you, the visitor, to their scam sites.

<h4> I Think I've Used One of these Scam Sites. What Do I Do Now?</h4> Stop! Right now, stop using that service. If you've got some type of monthly payment with them, stop paying them. Cancel your "membership," contact your bank or credit card company, and stop paying them immediately! Secondly, your computer has probably have been infected by spyware, and you need to remove it right away. I recommend purchasing spyware-removal software like Pest Patrol because they do the best job at clearing out spyware parasites.

If you've been pulled into a scam site, just rack it up to experience. Their ad copy is very convincing, and you just wanted to "be legal" while downloading. Take heart in knowing that you're not alone. But you're better off now, with this information at your disposal.

In my opinion, this is another reason to consider not using P2P file sharing programs as a means to get your online music. I think that these P2P scam sites will increase in number, and will use more clever tactics to get your money and your information. Until the peer-to-peer communities are regulated in some way, I fear that these types of activities will get worse before they improve.

A former financial advisor and NYC book editor, Bill Paulk blends these two experiences by helping people make sound buying decisions. His passion, building digital music collections through MP3 downloads, is the subject of his first website. <a target="_new" href="http://www.mp3-music-downloads-scout.com">http://www.mp3-music-downloads-scout.com</a> reviews and recommends the best in legal MP3 downloads.

The History Of Drums - A Journey Of Sound

Music and musical instruments are an extremely important part of human history. The use of rhythm and song has long been used to express meaning, and feeling and accompany rituals.

Music has been part of human life for as long as anyone can trace. Early civilizations of humans used music as a way to communicate and express feelings. Out of all of the musical instruments that we see in our society today and use on a regular basis, there is one instrument that stands out in musical history, the drum.

The history of drums is interesting and unique. When you examine this instrument historically, you will find that drums have had a place in almost all cultures around the globe. Variations of drums and drum sets occurred in many different cultures, the standard variety of a drum consisted simply of a hollowed out log or gourd with a piece of skin stretched taunt. Different sizes of gourds and logs created different sounds and beats.

The African Influence

In most African cultures, drums were very important in the use of rituals and religious ceremonies. The people of different African tribes relied on the use of drums to express themselves and when the slave trade began, the drums made the journey across the ocean as well.

African drums and drummers provided a unique sound that heavily influenced Western Rock and Roll music. Those same rhythms and beats still provide a strong influence in today's sounds.

The Early Drum Set

When it was discovered that one player could play two or more drums at the same time, people started placing groups of drums together for one musician to play. These groups were comprised of an assimilation of drums of different cultures and from all around the globe. Cymbals and tom tom drums were brought in from China and the size was adjusted to allow for ease of play when played with drumsticks.

In the early 1930's, musicians slowly discovered with the proper drum placement and a lot of practice, one musician could handle a set of drums, and an entire band of drum players was not required anymore. Thus, a basic kit evolved and took place.

In An Early Kit

The early drum kits were simple in their design, they typically consisted only of:

1) A bass and foot pedal
2) A snare drum
3) Tom Toms
4) A hi hat cymbal
5) One or two sets of hanging cymbals

The Evolution Of The Drum Set

In the 1930's the drum set was heavily influenced by the sounds of the time, and the early forms of Rock and Roll music. The sounds had a strong basic beat backing them.

In the 1950's as Rock and Roll music began to develop, the sounds became more complex and likewise, the drum sets became more evolved, with new additions added to them. Rockers began expanding the drum kits adding more cymbals and tom toms drums to them. In addition, as time went on, electronic drums were added to the drum kits as well. All of these additions allowed the musicians to expand their sounds and diversify their music.

Types Of Drum Kits

In the past, as drums evolved and drum kits developed, new companies were formed and products were fine-tuned and made better. The Ludwig Drum Company is known as one of the most influential and historical drum companies of our time.

The Ludwig drum company was started by a young man who enjoyed playing the drums. He could not find a bass pedal that would hold up to his intense drumming style. He shopped around everywhere and could not find an appropriate pedal, so he fashioned one out of wood. The pedal was superior to anything else on the market. His brother, felt that an even stronger pedal could be created out of a metal product, so they teamed up to create an even better bass pedal. Thus, the Ludwig Drum Company was born.

Ringo Starr, the famous drummer for The Beatles used a Ludwig drum set and was known for preferring the Ludwig drums. He is said to still own the original Ludwig drum set that he played with the Beatles.

There have been many other types of drum kits and company names that have played an important and influential role in the history of drums. Yamaha, Pearl, Tama and Gretsch are all famous brand names whose drums and drum kits have helped form the drum set, as we know it today.

The Future For Drums

What does the future hold for drum sets? No one can be sure. However, with the creation of more and more technology, we can be sure that the sounds will evolve even more. A combination of new sounds and traditional will always be found. And the limit for drum set creation will simply be the imagination of the musicians.

? 2005 http://www.drum-sets-now.com

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 kits</a>, African drums, percussion instruments and more.

Guitar Practice (Part 2) - Does Practice Make Perfect?

You've probably heard the saying "practice makes perfect" and it sounds true enough, but is t really? We all know the importance of practicing a new skill in order to become proficient at it. This is especially true when it comes to playing the guitar, or any other musical instrument for that matter. But, practicing incorrectly can actually be a detriment to your progress.

How is that you say?

Because you will continue to reinforce whatever it is you practice. So, if you always practice doing something the wrong way, you will end up with the wrong result. For example, if you practice holding your hands in a poor position, it will eventually become a habit that will be difficult to correct. Poor position of either your right or left hand when practicing the guitar can create tension, thus making certain techniques more difficult to execute. Poor hand position can also increase the possibility of developing injuries that are somewhat common to musicians, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is a very debilitating injury of the wrist which can bring your guitar playing to a complete halt. When practicing, use a "cupped" hand instead of a "flat" hand to help promote a good relaxed position.

Another problem area for some students regarding guitar practice, is rhythm. Rhythm is so foundational to every aspect of music that I really can't stress its importance enough. Whether or not you know how to read music isn't the issue. But you absolutely should try to learn how to count the beats within a given measure of music in order to play the piece correctly. If you can't keep time, no one will really be able to tell what you're playing anyway. It will also be very difficult for you to play along in a band, or with other musicians who just want to "jam."

Speed is one of the biggest practice obstacles I see among my students. When speed is king, rhythm and timing are often sacrificed. It is absolutely necessary to SLOW DOWN in order to interpret the timing correctly, especially if it is a fast lick or strumming pattern. Speed also affects articulation, which simply means "to pronounce distinctly." What good is it if you can play something real fast,but do it poorly? Who is going to be impressed with that? Instead, take your time and practice playing each tone clearly, at a speed that is comfortable for you. Try using a metronome or drum machine to set a tempo. Then practice short "speed bursts" one section at a time. Keep increasing the speed until you can play the entire lick, riff or measure, etc. at the desired tempo. But, do not sacrifice hand position, rhythm or articulation in the process. These three things should receive top priority when practicing the guitar. After they are well established, work on the speed or tempo of the music.

Knowing what finger position to use when playing notes on the guitar fretboard is also important. If you use a haphazard or random approach, you will likely become confused and disoriented as you begin to move around. I tell my new students that the guitar is "upside down and backward" to give them some idea of what they're facing when it comes to learning the notes on the fretboard. Meaning that the guitar is played both horizontally and vertically, as opposed to the piano which is a linear instrument. When learning to read notes on the guitar, you must flip it upside down to match it to a fretboard diagram. Down is up and up is down when referring to direction and how it relates to the pitch of each string.

To sum things up:

1. Start Slowly
2. Develop a relaxed "cupped" hand position
3. Learn how to interpret the rhythm (timing)
4. Emphasize articulation (clarity)
5. Gradually increase speed (tempo)

So, it is true that "practice makes perfect" if you learn to develop a "perfect" practice routine. In order to do this, you will need to work on establishing your priorities and developing good practice habits. Realize that it takes time to become a good musician so don't rush the process, instead, embrace it and enjoy it.

If you keep these ideas in mind you should see a steady, progressive improvement of your overall playing in a relatively short time. You will also discover that when you develop good habits, you automatically develop good technique. Once you have established good technique, playing the guitar will seem much easier and that will make it all worthwhile in the long run.

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 buying a guitar, songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: <a target="_new" href="http://www.abclearnguitar.com">http://www.abclearnguitar.com</a>

Who?s Playing What? A Guide To The Guitars Of The Pros

Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with just nine fingers, Jerry Garcia kept countless Deadheads dancing as he played with his. At the mere sight of his, the King of Rock-n-Roll could make a grown woman faint. Of course, I'm talking about guitars. Professional musicians have been stroking and strumming, picking and playing the world's greatest guitars and making the world's greatest music. If you want to play like the pros, you're going to need to know what guitars are rocking their worlds.

Since 1946, Fender guitars have defined rock-n-roll. Fender's line of world-famous instruments, such as the Telecaster?, Stratocaster?, Precision Bass?, and Jazz Bass? guitars have rocked the world stage for decades. From the very beginning with Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and Muddy Waters to the modern maestros such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kurt Cobain, and Eric Clapton, Fender guitars are a must for the serious professional and aspiring amateur!

A Guitar Named After A World War I Battleship ? What Will They Thin Of Next?

The dreadnought guitar was made famous by the Martin Guitar Company. Since just about that same time, the best and brightest guitarists throughout the 20th and 21st centuries have shown why a Martin guitar means excellence. Martin musicians include a who's who of guitar greats from Jimmy Buffet, Neil Diamond, and Ben Harper to Tracy Chapman, Elvis Costello, and Jerry Garcia. When you throw in such rock icons and string virtuosos as Michael Hedges, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Willy Nelson, Tom Petty, and Neil Young, you'll begin to understand that you're in good company when you go with a Martin.

Gibson Supplies The Who's Who Of Stars

Starting making guitars way back in 1936, the Gibson Guitar Company has been making some of the world's finest guitars for nearly 70 years. Most famous for its Les Paul line of guitars, Gibson has been the guitar of choice for such musical legends as Earl Scruggs, B.B. King, and Elvis Presley. When you add two of the most talented Beatles to the mix, George Harrison and John Lennon, as well as Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, you're talking a guitar that shines out as one of the best of the best.

For those of you who are looking for a less mainstream guitar choice, don't fret; Ibanez, maker of all manner of musical instruments, is known as the perfect guitar for the select. With such guitar icons as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Pat Metheny, and Boz Scaggs on board with Ibanez, you can rest assured that you'll be able to get your strum on just fine with this highest quality of guitars.

Yamaha Makes More Than MotorBikes

Beginning in 1887, Yamaha started making world-class instruments. Granted they didn't start producing their guitars for years to come, but nobody would argue with the fact that Yamaha guitars are some of the best in the world. With an attention to detail that is second to none, Yamaha is a guitar to watch. But, if you want to listen, don't take my word for it. Lee Ritenour, Edwin McCain, Keb Mo, and Richie Sambora will gladly show you how diverse Yamaha can be.

If you're ready to rock like the superstar, get strapped with a guitar of the pros. With so many great brands to choose from, be sure to ask your local guitar store expert for their recommendations to get the best guitar for your money. When you take into consideration your playing style, experience, and budget, you're sure to find the perfect guitar and start playing like the pros in no time at all! Rock on!

Jon Butt is the publisher of <a target="_new" href="http://www.the-musical-instruments-guide.com">Musical Instruments Guide</a> , a free resource dedicated to all things musical. From electric guitars to drum sets, tubas to bagpipes, and every musical accessory in-between, the <a href=" a target="_new" href="http://www.the-musical-instruments-guide.com/guitars.html"http://www.the-musical-instruments-guide.com/guitars.html/a">Musical Instruments Guide</a> is packed full of informative articles, find top-rated musical instruments and online merchants

The Open Position Piano Chord

Chords. They're amazing. There's no doubt about it. Especially when it comes to piano playing and the Open Position Chord. Here we can use both hands to create music with. The chord is broken up into its main elements and its voicing is spread out which gives it a nice open sound. The sound that's perfect for the New Age style.

To use the OPC requires little more than fingering the chord itself because once the chord is played, music comes out. All that's required now is to be able to experiment with the sounds and textures. It's absolutely critical that the thinking mind stop and feeling be allowed to come to the front.

This is possible by adopting an attitude of abeyance. Not being concerned with what's coming out of you.

For example in Lesson 20: "Reflections in Water," I use the OPC to create a gentle mood. How? By first allowing myself to get in right-brain mode, then letting my fingers do the walking! I know what the chords are, I know that I'll be using the OPC. I then let it all go and let my feeling lead me to where it wants to go and this always leads to the ideal music.

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!

How Piano Lessons Benefit Young Children

Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to young children. Here are my &quot;Top Five.&quot;

1. Piano lessons help preserve and develop children's natural creative abilities. The best analogy of how children learn through music that I've found is from Donald Kroodsma's book &quot;The Singing Life of Birds.&quot; Every songbird can be identified by the unique song it sings, but a baby bird has to be taught by its parents to sing the family song. Baby birds, like humans, just 'babble' at first. Mother birds sing the family song over and over to the baby birds as they try to repeat it back. At first, the baby birds are only able to sing back one or two notes, but they gradually learn to sing the whole song. And birds with two voice boxes even learn to sing their own harmony parts! Once baby birds learn the family song, they can start developing their very own songs. Similarly, I encourage students to compose their own music after developing needed skills. In my experience, young children in piano are a lot like baby songbirds!

2. Piano lessons help children perfect their natural learning processes. Music is a language, and children are programmed to absorb languages. Studies have shown that kids can most easily learn new languages when they start at a young age. Piano lessons help children develop the very same skills needed to accomplish language arts, like reading. In piano, students learn how to follow directions, scan written materials, think critically, create solutions and translate writing into action. For example, students must look at each note, measure and phrase and decide how to play each note to make the music come to life. Many children (including my own sons) have become much better readers after starting piano lessons. Further, piano lessons involves an interplay of both right and left brain activity that stimulates neural development.

3. Piano lessons help children learn how to stay focused and achieve goals. Piano lessons help children set specific goals and then work towards reaching these goals. Each new piece of music a student learns requires a specific set of skills and playing habits. To achieve these goals students must learn to stay focused and study each note, measure and phrase to understand how to play the song. In doing this students learn to think critically and creatively as they decide how to make the music come to life. Staying focused over time develops good study habits that become natural. This is important because learning to practice good habits that match their goals shows children how to make their dreams come to life!

4. Piano lessons help children develop courage. It takes courage to face challenges without letting our anxiety and worries get the best of us. Piano lessons help students learn to accept challenges such as learning a difficult song, as well as to perform pieces in front of teachers, friends, and families at recitals. Lessons also help kids learn the importance of keeping a positive perspective despite difficulties. Learning to handle uncertainty and stress in a way that minimizes anxiety and maximizes creativity is a valuable life tool. We all need practice at this!

5. Piano lessons teach children to persevere. A key part of accomplishing anything difficult is not to give up easily. As children grow, piano lessons teach kids to try and then try again if they don't initially succeed. However, as Yoda explained to Luke Skywalker, the objective isn't just trying itself, but accomplishing the desired goal -- &quot;Do or do not, there is no try!&quot; Piano lessons teach students how to adjust their expectations if they can't initially master a tough song or skills, and to tackle these big goals by taking small incremental steps. In the end, just like the baby songbirds that eventually learn to sing, students learn that they can accomplish great things and reach their dreams through careful and consistent effort.

Copyright 2005, Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

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

Home Run Gigs

Are you still playing your heart out to small audiences on gigs at unappreciative dives (excuse me, I meant to say nightclubs) that feel paying you a couple of hundred dollars for a 3-4 hour gig is also paying you about $150 too much?

Unless you are a masochist, why do you continue to take such beatings? Is it due to laziness, complacency, cynicism, your now being jaded, or a combination of any of the above?

Are you aware that you could dramatically improve your live performance income by making simple changes in the types of performances that you accept?

For instance, see the below list of gig types and the average earnings possible, compared to traditional nightclub work:

* Weddings ($1,000 *minimum* for 2-3 hours work)

Instead of working yourself to death, so to speak, by chasing wedding performance opportunities on an individual basis, consider approaching a number of area caterers and offering your services to them as an add-on to their own services as, obviously, they will have significantly more client opportunities.

Not only will your music service now give catering companies more value, as the client can now also purchase the wedding entertainment through a single source as opposed to contracting performers separately, but this single joint venture alone will dramatically increase your income, and on a more consistent basis.

And, the best place to seek caterers is in your local Yellow Pages under the categories of "Caterers."

As additional potential wedding income sources, you would also do well to leave your portfolio and/or business cards with area bridal shops, tuxedo shops, bridal consultants, wedding planners and wedding supplies and services.

* Ship Cruises

Talk about getting paid to, literally, travel the world! This is exactly what this amounts to...a paid vacation! There are a minimum of seven major high paying cruise lines that are actively seeking you to work with them. Truthfully, I cannot do this any further justice, other than telling you to immediately visit the ProShip Entertainment site below to fall into a musician's paradise.

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

* Corporate Functions

When I say corporate functions, I am speaking of getting incredible gigs with such companies as; Microsoft, IBM, and that ilk. Corporate functions are fairly regular, as they readily lend themselves to employee motivation.

Without a better point of reference, I suggest your starting with these types of companies' Human Resource department, which can better direct you to an appropriate department that coordinates their corporate events if the Human Resource department does not. You will likely need to send your standard media kit for consideration.

* Private Parties

One of the best places to seek private party entertainment opportunities, is through the Society Pages of your local newspaper. The Society Page usually lists private events held by the wealthy and philanthropists who host fundraisers, charities, etc. You may also wish to consult your local library for possible local society directories that can also provide you with additional contacts.

* Grand Openings

Best places to check out your opportunities for Grand Opening performances are, again, your area newspapers, as well as Chambers of Commerce. Practically all new companies host grand openings in order to alert the public to their new business venture. They also go "all out," so to speak, in terms of media coverage through television, radio and print media advertising, as well as interviews. Any and all of this can serve to make far more people aware of you when you perform at these locales.

By the way...in any of these situations, *ALWAYS* request permission beforehand from your employers to sell your music, as this peripheral sales income will only increase your overall take. In some cases, you may be allowed to do so while, in other cases, you likely will not be allowed. However, it never hurts to ask and, by all means, ALWAYS ASK!

Hopefully, these several income outlets can give you a much better income base while, eventually, taking you out of the hardworking, yet, low-paying nightclub arena.

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.

How to Compose Your Own Music Using 8-bar Phrases

Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius's do. What a myth! It's a skill that can be learned. What can't be learned is the intuition that guides the creative force. What can be learned is the technique. And the most important part of composing technique has to do with THINKING IN PHRASES.

A musical phrase can be 2-bars long. It can be from 4 to 8-bars long as well. It is a unit of music that composers use, along with repetition and contrast to create ENTIRE SECTIONS OF MUSIC. There is no secret here people. It's like building up a structure. That's why music is often referred to as frozen architecture. It is built up. The building up creates FORM. A structure such as ABA form can be composed of the A section (8-measures) B section (4 or more measures) then back to the A section.

Now you may be thinking, it looks logical but how does it transfer into actual music? Ah, this is where you get your feet wet and actually try composing a piece. We start from simple means and learn the principles of repetition and contrast first. We start with an 8-bar phrase for the A section.

Now a problem arises. How do I fill up this section? You can either start with the melody or with the chords. If you've had a chance to look at my free lesson, you'll see that by improvising, MATERIAL IS INSTANTLY CREATED! This solves your problem doesn't it? Now, you may be thinking, how do I get this material into the 8-bar framework you've been talking about? First, you need to be able to count in 3/4 or 4/4 time. Not very difficult but if you can't do this now, there are many sites on the web that can teach you this.

Now it's just a matter of transferring this raw improvisational material into the 8-bars. Most likely, you will be jotting down your chord changes. I explain this in a lot more detail in my online class. It's a quick sketch method. You have the raw uncensored germ coming from your improvisations - you then write down what chords you are playing and perhaps the first 2-bars of melody so you remember what the initial impulse was.

The reason I use the 8-bar phrase is that it is a nice unit of time to work with. I don't try and reinvent the wheel here. It's been used for centuries and can be used in New Age music as well. Once you have this 8-bar phrase you can repeat it and add in another section (B) to add contrast.

This may be hard to understand by just reading about it. You have to do it in order to really understand.

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!

When Does Practice Make Perfect? Not Much Of The Time Unless All The Pieces Fit First

Often people receive a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar or some other musical instrument as a birthday, Christmas or special occasion gift. There's glee and joy everywhere. The giver of the gift knows how much the receiver of the gift wants to learn this instrument and the receiver of the gift is ACTUALLY holding the coveted instrument in his/her hands instead of lusting for it down at the corner store or through the shop window. NOW WHAT?

Finding an instructor that fits into a busy work schedule is hard enough?but once you decide on a lesson plan, then the student must calculate the practice time, how to practice, what to practice ? and let's face it?not all people learn something the same way. We have math-wizard types that write everything down, social butterflies that strictly learn by only talking to others about it and yet others that envision a categories and divisional compartment-style strategy for a problem and logically devise a plan to solve the problem in a completely different way than there next door neighbor! So?in order to learn a musical instrument, how much practice time is enough and what kind of practice is right for you?

First the student must identify some goals:

1. What is the desired gain? Do you want to be a virtuoso or a hobbyist?

2. How much discretionary time is available to invest in the learning process

3. Is the student really willing to invest the time for the ultimate gain

4. Would the student be satisfied with a more social/casual study of the instrument

5. Identify why the student wants to learn 'this specific instrument&quot;

There is no set amount of time that anyone should practice a musical instrument. When I was enrolled in programming classes, I could have studied nightly for 5 hours each night. It would have taken me years to learn the art and craft of computer programming. Though I'm intrigued by the systematic logic of it, my aptitude is towards another genre all together. However, on the other hand, if I spent an hour every couple days with a passionate hobby like playing the violin, not only would the time fly quickly?I'd also be learning at a much greater pace since the built-in passion is the motivation for advancement.

So as much as it's important to practice, a step back from that strategy is to first find the compatible instrument that fits you as a person; as an extension of your personality. If you're learning the guitar because it's cool and every guy can snag chicks if he plays guitar?.- & obviously that's the modern-day hip-factor mindset, however, you might not be actually aligning your highest aptitude for musical fulfillment with your most creative advantages you have to offer.

It's been my experience that every person has a certain level of musical talent. My enjoyable challenge has been to assist them in this adventure and actually locate their best abilities as quickly as possible. Then and only then can we match student with instrument and truly begin a fun and exciting Zen-walk down the road of happiness and contentment; where music, aptitude, personality and soul all congregate. Once this piece of the mystery puzzle is in place, I've never had to work at motivating a student to practice?.

Lee Tribbey is the marketing manager for <a target="_new" href="http://www.LessonsAnytime.com">http://www.LessonsAnytime.com</a>, a totally online music lesson emporium and instrument teaching resource.

The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons

How would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because that's what thousands of piano music students do each day.

They sit in front of their piano or keyboard with sheet music of a dead composer in front of them. Then they are told to "play it right." Have you ever heard of such nonsense? Imagine a budding writer forced to copy another novelists work? In essence, this is what classical piano students do. They copy.

Although many think this is a creative act, it is not. It is a re-creative one. It's purpose? To give people who are told how to listen to music a chance to hear what is considered "good" music. Only in classical music is there such pomposity. And it exists because a very few people wish to hear the classics.

Let me tell you something. I love classical music. But I don't spend my time trying to recreate what has already been created. No. Instead, I want to connect with my own source and allow the music that is inside me to come out. I want to be creative too! And my philosophy is that anyone can be "a composer."

All it takes is the desire to create - to want to hear ones authentic self expressed through music. Difficult? Not at all! It's as easy as putting fingers to keys and playing. Hard to believe but true. You see, music students have been cheated from the get go by an academic snobbism that destroys the spirit and the will to create.

The suggestion is that the best music has already been created so why bother. The answer is crucial to our own well being. We bother because it makes us feel good. That is all that is required and that is all that is needed to make music.

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!

Top 7 Donts for Successful Improvisation

1. Don't try and make something happen. Trying blocks the creative flow and will result in blocks.

2. Don't expect to create something good. Expectations will always come with judgements and, consequently, you'll end up feeling let down.

3. Don't worry about what is "coming out." Improvisation is about play and freedom to explore. Abandon unrealistic expectations and experience the joy of improvisation.

4. Don't try and please others. The first person you must please is yourself. This may seem obvious but don't underestimate the strong need to please - ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE ARTS!

5. Don't try and accumulate a "lot of knowledge." All it takes to improvise is a few chords and the proper attitude.

6. Don't think. Improvisation is about FEELING. It's about being in the moment and experiencing the moment through the music. Thinking will take you away from your intuition, which will guide you if you listen to it. Intuition will lead you places thinking never could!

7. Don't quit. Practice is what makes intuition stronger. The more you practice or play, the stronger your intuition will grow and the more you will trust it. Your unique voice will emerge and will grow stronger each time you sit down to play.

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!

Music for Corporate Entertainment

For many years I have supplied music for and played in bands that provide music for corporate entertainment. Clients have included Audi, The Evening Standard, Sainsburys, P.C. World, Safeways, Large corporate clients at Henley and Ascot, I.T.V. and H.M. Treasury. Because of this experience I felt it would be relevant in putting down some pointers in helping clients choose the right kind of music for their particular corporate entertainment.

Interestingly enough, most corporate hospitality entertainment work tends to require music as an ingredient to a larger recipe. What I mean by this is a great deal of corporate events are offering a multi service package. Typically an organization may be putting on an evenings entertainment to thank its workforce for a particularly successful year. They may be offering music, food, comedy, a close up magician, a casino and a caricaturist. The corporate client organizing needs to decide what part the music has to play in the days/evenings entertainment.

Questions he or she needs to ask are:

Is the music specifically for entertainment or is the music for background listening?

Do we need one style of music early on in the proceedings and then a change of style later in the days/ evenings entertainment?

Do you expect the corporate clients to be networking and discussing business or are they just there for a good time?

What overall atmosphere do you want to project with the event?

Is there going to be a change of location for the music as the entertainment event unfolds?

Different styles of music bands lend themselves to different corporate hospitality situations. Below are a number of typical corporate hospitality events with music suggestions for suitable music entertainment.

Corporate entertainment model 1.
Evening reception with dinner and speeches.
In a situation such as this you will typically need music from the outset as part of the meet and greet of the corporate evening. A four-piece swing or Latin group is ideal with a larger ensemble for particularly large gatherings. A professional outfit can pitch the music at just the right decibel level so your guests can talk and enjoy the entertainment without it encroaching on conversations. The musicians would typically be dressed in Lounge Suits or Tuxedos (or the female equivalent) to mirror what the guests are wearing themselves. The music portrays an atmosphere of sophistication, which again hopefully reflects the evenings overall ambience.

It is rare for corporate clients to want to dance especially as clients there relationship is business not pleasure! In most cases it is more important that the band is flexible in when it is needed over the course of the evening i.e. At the top of the night for the reception, a smaller version of the band (The pianist maybe for the dinner), stopping for speeches and then after the speeches to play until other entertainment is put on for the corporate clients. In this situation give the band a clear idea of how you expect the evening to go. What to wear, when they will be needed, when they need to get their instruments in the building and be set up, when breaks will be required, let them know if it is convenient or not to feed them and then finally how they can leave when finished so as not to disrupt the rest of the entertainment.

Corporate entertainment model 2.
Company Party.
Still corporate entertainment, still corporate hospitality but a totally different set of requirements for the music. Ask yourself these questions: Are your work force the type of workforce who will want to dance at some point in the proceedings? If they are, then a professional band with flexibility is essential. My experience is that people of all ages will join together to dance to music from the sixties and seventies. Whatever background music you require earlier in the day/evening be it Latin, Swing, Rat Pack or Lounge, if you are hoping to provide entertainment that will get people dancing remember this fact. Sixties and Seventies. For some inexplicable reason this is the music that gets people up on their feet.

When choosing your music ask the band if they can cover this part of the corporate entertainment requirement. Get samples of their music if need be. There is nothing worse than an ill equipped band struggling through alien repertoire. However good the band is, if they do not play the right repertoire, the right style of music then the corporate entertainment will fall on deaf ears.

Let me at this point provide a caveat. Your workforce work together They are not always going to be the best of friends however professional their relationships are at work. Answer truthfully, will they really want to dance together or is it asking too much? I would say that in all the years of providing music for this kind of corporate entertainment / hospitality , as long as the music is right, the workforce tended to dance 30 or 40% of the time. It could be said that a workforce who will enjoy each others company in this way is a reflection on the talent of senior management to create a happy team!

Corporate entertainment model 3.
Company Fun Day.
These come in two types. The type to entertain your own workforce or the type to entertain prospective clients. Both types of corporate entertainment require music that is fun. This means that the music must be perceived as fun and the band must be perceived as fun. In both cases Jolly Dixieland Jazz or the summer sounds of Latin music are most suitable.

Ask yourself these questions: does the band need to be mobile? Meaning do you want the music to move around the site at various points in the proceedings? If so then the jolly jazz route is most suitable. A good professional outfit of four or five players can play acoustically and move around a site as directed.

If the band can be static and close to electrical power then either Jolly Jazz or Latin Music is suitable.

Is the event outdoors or indoors and do you have provision for bad weather? This is England, never trust to luck, assume the worst! Any band that needs power cannot play in the rain for health and safety reasons. At the first hint of inclement weather a band will have to breakdown their equipment. Build this situation into your corporate entertainment music decisions.

How do you want the band to dress? It is a fun day after all! In the past I and my musicians have dressed as Elvis, Cavemen, Circus Clowns, in fact all manner of characters in the name of corporate entertainment and corporate hospitality. Good bands will have suitable outfits for most situations but don`t hesitate in providing something off the wall for a special event. Most professional players have a strange urge to jump into such costumes at the earliest possibility! As someone who has played at a nudist camp and for a toga party, both dressed accordingly, take my word for it!

To draw this article together let me say this. Choose the right kind of music for the event. Brief the band accordingly but make sure you have a professional and flexible outfit, things can change over the course of the event and you want to make sure the band are both co-operative and able to fulfill your needs. Don`t hesitate to ask the band for any special requirements you have. Do it in plenty of time so they have time to prepare.

The corporate entertainment and hospitality you offer to your guests reflects directly onto your company. The music and musicians must be the type who are aware of this. Dont go for second best just to save a small amount of money. You need a well prepared, well dressed band who are both polite and charming to your guests. They need to play the right kind of music for the event in order to help make the day or evenings corporate entertainment a resounding success!

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>

5 Sure Fire Ways to Get Radio Play for Your ?Independent? Music!

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, &quot;Send it and if we like it we'll put you in rotation.&quot; 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.

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> .

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 &quot;Mini-Course&quot;, it will work wonders for you and best of all, it's FREE, but EXTREMELY VALUABLE!

Music and Emotion

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&#8217;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

Copyright ? 2003-2005 Channel 1 Records All rights reserved

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>

The Open Position Piano Chord

Chords. They're amazing. There's no doubt about it. Especially when it comes to piano playing and the Open Position Chord. Here we can use both hands to create music with. The chord is broken up into its main elements and its voicing is spread out which gives it a nice open sound. The sound that's perfect for the New Age style.

To use the OPC requires little more than fingering the chord itself because once the chord is played, music comes out. All that's required now is to be able to experiment with the sounds and textures. It's absolutely critical that the thinking mind stop and feeling be allowed to come to the front.

This is possible by adopting an attitude of abeyance. Not being concerned with what's coming out of you.

For example in Lesson 20: "Reflections in Water," I use the OPC to create a gentle mood. How? By first allowing myself to get in right-brain mode, then letting my fingers do the walking! I know what the chords are, I know that I'll be using the OPC. I then let it all go and let my feeling lead me to where it wants to go and this always leads to the ideal music.

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!

Win Friends & Influence People Through Music -- Is It Possible?

The idea that studying music improves the social development of a child is not a new one, but at last there is incontrovertible evidence from a study conducted out of the University of Toronto.

The study, published in the August issue of Psychological Science was led by Dr. E. Glenn Schellenberg, and examined the effect of extra-curricular activities on the intellectual and social development of six-year-old children. A group of 144 children were recruited through an ad in a local newspaper and assigned randomly to one of four activities: piano lessons, voice lessons, drama lessons, or no lessons.

Two types of music lessons were offered in order to be able to generalize the results, while the groups receiving drama lessons or no lessons were considered control groups in order to test the effect of music lessons over other art lessons requiring similar skill sets and nothing at all. The activities were provided for one year.

The participating children were given IQ tests before and after the lessons. The results of this study revealed that increases in IQ from pre- to post-test were larger in the music groups than in the two others. Generally these increases occurred across IQ subtests, index scores, and academic achievement.

While music teachers across the country greeted the new research enthusiastically, in fact, many other studies have previously shown a correlation between music study and academic achievement.

In 1997, well known music researchers Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw and their team at the University of California (Irvine) reported that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science. A group led by the same two scientists had earlier showed that after eight months of piano lessons, preschoolers showed a 46 percent boost in their spatial reasoning IQ.

The March 1999 issue of Neurological Research published a report by another group of researchers, also at the University of California (Irvine), who found that second-grade students given four months of piano keyboard training, as well as time playing newly designed computer software, scored 27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than other children.

Students with coursework and experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT, according to a Profile of Program Test Takers released by the Princeton, NJ, College Entrance Examination Board in 2001. This report stated that students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation.

Another part of this same study shows that longer music study means higher SAT scores. For example, students participating in the arts for two years averaged 29 points higher on the verbal portion and 18 points higher on the math portion of the SAT than students with no coursework or experience in the arts. Students with four or more years in the arts scored 57 points higher and 39 points higher on the verbal and math portions respectively than students with no arts coursework.

Another study also found support for a relationship between math achievement and participation in instrumental music instruction. The researchers found that students who participated in instrumental music instruction in high school took on the average 2.9 more advanced math courses then did students who did not participate.

In fact, various studies over the last 10 years suggest teaching kids music can heighten their aptitude for math, reading, and engineering. (One explanation for improved ability in mathematics is that music theory is based on mathematical truths. Rhythms are divided into fractions - half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes. Scales have eight tones, and the steps between them follow an equation.)

A McGill University study in 1998 found that pattern recognition and mental representation scores improved significantly for students given piano instruction over a three-year period. The researchers also found that self-esteem and musical skills measures improved for the students given piano instruction.

And data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 revealed music participants received more academic honors and awards than non-music students, and that the percentage of music participants receiving As, As/Bs, and Bs was higher than the percentage of non- participants receiving those grades.

In 1994, a report entitled "The Case For Music Study In Schools" was printed in Phi Delta Kappan, the professional print journal for education. It included details of research conducted by physician and biologist Lewis Thomas, who studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. Thomas found that 66 percent of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group.

The same report asserted that the very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry were, almost without exception, practicing musicians.

The world's top academic countries also place a high value on music education. In a study of the ability of fourteen year-old science students in seventeen countries, the top three countries were Hungary, the Netherlands, and Japan. All three include music throughout the curriculum from kindergarten through high school.

St. Augustine Bronx elementary school, about to fail in 1984, implemented an intensive music program, and today 90 percent of the school's students are reading at or above grade level. And a ten-year study at UCLA tracked more than 25,000 students, and showed that music making improves test scores. Regardless of socio-economic background, music-making students get higher marks in standardized tests than those who had no music involvement. The test scores studied were not only standardized tests, such as the SAT, but also in reading proficiency exams.

Music training helps under-achievers as well, according to research published in Nature magazine in May 1996. In Rhode Island, researchers studied eight public school first grade classes. Half of the classes became "test arts" groups, receiving ongoing music and visual arts training. In kindergarten, this group had lagged behind in scholastic performance. After seven months, the students were given a standardized test. The "test arts" group had caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22 percent. In the second year of the project, the arts students widened this margin even further. Students were also evaluated on attitude and behavior. Classroom teachers noted improvement in these areas also.

In 2005, it appears the pace of scientific research into music making has never been greater. The most recent evidence from the University of Toronto confirms what many other researchers have already detected - that music boosts brainpower, academic achievement,socialization skills, and emotional health.

It's logical, when you think about it. People who learn to play an instruments are in groups -- bands, choirs, orchestras, combos, worship teams, etc. And working and making music with others is bound to help relateabilty with people and foster close bonds with fellow musicians.

So it appears that learning to play music, whether guitar, piano, or some other instrument, actually does contribute to your ability to "win friends and influence people."

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds an advanced degree from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at <a target="_new" href="http://www.pianolessonsbyvideo.com">http://www.pianolessonsbyvideo.com</a> He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 55,000 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free two-year subscription by going to <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com/">http://www.playpiano.com/</a>

The Ostinato - What It is and How to Use It

Ostinato means "repeating pattern" and is used frequently in all types of music. For New Age piano players, it provides a great way to lay down the background of the piece while the right-hand improvises a melody!

For example, in the lesson "Winter Scene," we have a repeating pattern going on in the left-hand using 2 chords. And 2 chords are all that is needed to create a few minutes of music!

Interest is maintained by the right-hand melody. How long you could actually play this ostinato and maintain interest is a whole new topic but the secret to really keeping the improvisation going is to stay in the present and trust your intuition.

The music will naturally wind down when you start becoming bored or indifferent and/or no new material wants to come. Then the improvisation is over and the music has played itself out.

The good thing about using an ostinato to create with is that it's quite easy to develop a harmonic background over which you can improvise your melodies. The bad thing is that it tends to stagnate over time. That's when you either stop playing, or introduce new material - something that adds contrast.

If you wanted, you could introduce another ostinato pattern, or go for something completely different, but you'd probably want to let your intuition guide you in this. You shouldn't try to come up with material but instead, just improvise and see what comes up. A completely different, and much more effective approach!

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!

Alternative Sales Sources for Your Music

Following, is a list of alternative sources that may be interested in carrying your music for sale for their particular clients and customers, if only they were aware of your music.

Most of the clients and customers are already "captive" audiences who are waiting on a product or service, so why not promote (and sell) to them as they wait?

Additionally, if these sources have their own in-house music system (which many do), you should also speak with them regarding adding your music to their own in-house "playlist."

I have also suggested genres that I feel will lend themselves best to the particular businesses below, however, it will also depend on the businesses' own personal tastes as well.

1. Music retail stores (Any)
2. Bookstores (Mostly soft, Jazz, New Age, but depends on store)
3. Flower shops (soft Folk, New Age, Jazz)
4. Boot stores (Country, Americana)
5. Western wear (Country, Americana)
6. Restaurants (Any, but depends on restaurant)
7. Church stores (Gospel, Christian)
8. Christian bookstores (Gospel, Christian)
9. Doctors' offices (Soft Rock, Pop Rock, New Age, Jazz)
10. Convenience stores (Any)
11. Airport gift shops (Any)
12. Bus station gift shops (Any)
13. Train station gift shops (Any)
14. Electronics stores (Any)
15. Office supplies (Any)
16. Corporate/company cafeterias (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
17. Jewelry stores (Soft Rock, Jazz, New Age)
18. Barber shops (Any)
19. Beauty shops (Any)
20. Nail salons (Any)
21. Sports shops (Any)
22. Health clubs (Rock, Dance, Electronica)
23. Apartment management offices (Any)
24. Variety stores (Any)
25. Game arcades (Rock, Dance, Electronica)
26. Bed & Breakfast Inns (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
27. Bridal consultants (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
28. Bridal stores (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
29. Tuxedo shops (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
30. Bridal services (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
31. Clothes cleaners (Any)
32. Mainstream clothing stores (Any)
33. Shoe stores (Any)
34. Coffee houses (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
35. Computer stores (Any)
36. Eyeglass stores (Any)
37. Consignment shops (Any)
38. Farm supply stores (Country)
39. Flea markets (Any)
40. Swap shops (Any)
41. Formal wear stores (Any)
42. College bookstores (Any)
43. College music stores (Any)
44. Gift shops (Any)
45. Hardware stores (Any)
46. Hospital gift shops (Any)
47. Hotel gift shops (Any)
48. Insurance companies (Any)
49. Massage therapists (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
50. Cellular telephone services (Any)
51. Motorcycle shops (Any)
52. Night clubs (Depends on the genre)
53. Party supply stores (Any)
54. Pawn shops (Any)
55. Cosmetic stores (Any)
56. Satellite dish stores (Any)
57. Thrift shops (Any)

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.

The Acoustic Guitar

The steel-stringed acoustic guitar is usually credited with being developed by C.F. Martin and Company sometime during the 1830s. Although other "gut-stringed" acoustics were around at that time, it was the Martin Company that introduced the idea of crossbracing underneath the soundboard which enabled the guitar to support the heavier steel strings. Because there is approximately 160 lbs. of tension created by the use of steel strings, they should never be put on a classic guitar, for it is not strong enough to carry them. But thanks in part to C.F. Martin's new design, the use of steel strings on acoustic guitars became fairly common by the end of the 1800s, and by the 1930s it became a standardized component.

The acoustic steel-stringed guitar is commonly referred to as a "dreadnaught", possibly after a British battleship by that name, which was the first of it's type to use heavy armor and large-caliber guns in turrets.

The addition of steel-strings to the acoustic guitar produced a brighter sound and created more versatility than was possible with the previous gut-stringed instruments. A wide range of tone and color can be achieved on the steel-stringed acoustic guitar which can either be strummed or picked with the fingers. This makes it one of the most popular choices among guitarists of such diverse styles as blues, jazz, fingerstlye, bluesgrass, folk, rock and more.

When creating such a guitar, a luthier's (someone who builds guitars) primary objective will be to achieve a rich quality of sound. The types of wood used will have a great effect on the tone and volume of the instrument, as well as it's overall appearance and aesthetic value. Traditionally spruce (or sometimes western red cedar) are used for the face of the guitar. Mahagony is used for the neck, and ebony or rosewood for the fretboard. Rosewood, mahagony or maple, have historically been the woods most commonly used for the back and sides. There are some variations, of course, but most factory-made guitars use the same recipe.

During the 1960s, the Kaman Company broke with tradition by introducing The Ovation; an inovative acoustic-guitar designed with a round back that is made of synthetic materials instead of wood. All Ovation guitars feature an adjustable steel tension rod in the neck. The tension rod serves two purposes. First of all, it counterbalances string tension, giving the neck addiional strengh. Secondly, it permits adjustment of the neck should changes in humidity, string tension, or string guage cause the neck to warp or bow. I personally own an Ovation Legend Elite 12-string acoustic-electric. The guitar is beautiful in appearance and features 22 sound holes which are enclosed by a leaf design made of walnut and padauk. It has a wonderful sound either acoustically or amplified and is extremely easy to play. My own belief is that Kaman/Ovation makes one of the finest 12-string acoustic guitars money can buy.

Now if you're looking for a 6-stringed acoustic guitar that will bring you years of playing enjoyment, you might want to consider a Martin. There are several models to choose from, so you're bound to find a quality instrument at a price you can afford. On the other hand, if you are looking for a durable and beautiful 12-stringed acoustic, then Ovation might be the way to go. You can rest assured that, either way, these companies stand behind their products 100% in order to guarantee your satisfaction and peace of mind. And that is worth a whole lot in my book.

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/free-guitar-lesson.html">http://www.abclearnguitar.com</a>

3 Secrets To Understanding What Makes Music Tick

It's no secret that virtually everyone loves music in some form or other. After all, music is the universal language. In one way or another we all participate in it from our cradle song to our wedding song to our funeral song, with thousands of other s stops along the way.

The country-western fan may not like jazz, but he or she sure loves the sound of pickin' & grinnin'.

And that's as it should be. If we all liked the same kind of music, there just wouldn't be the variety that is available to us now. We can choose from musical styles ranging from heavy classical and opera to rock to children's songs to Broadway musicals to gospel music to the blues.

Each has its place, and each seems on the surface to be drastically different than another form of music. The key word is &quot;on the surface.&quot; But beneath the surface of all music is a commonality that is organic to all forms and styles of music.

So what does all music have in common? What makes music tick?

At least 3 things ? sometimes more, but never less:

1. Melody

2. Rhythm

3. Harmony

The melody is the part of a song or composition that you whistle or hum ? in other words, the tune of the song. In one sense, it is the most visible of the 3 elements, because melody is what identifies a song. Without melody, it would be difficult to even conceive of a song or piece.

In musical notation, the melody is almost always written in the treble clef ? also known as the treble staff. It consists of a horizontal line of notes that move up and down on the clef as the tune moves higher or lower.

Rhythm is the beat ? the swing ? the throb of the music. It happens in repeating patterns, depending upon the type of music. It is like a horizontal line of beats which occur at regular or semi-regular intervals. A waltz, for example, basically consists of a heavy beat followed by two lighter beats. So we say that a waltz is in triple meter ? one strong beat followed by two weak beats, then repeated.

A march, on the other hand, generally consists of a heavy beat followed by a light beat, then another heavy beat followed by another light beat. (I'm simplifying, of course ? there are many varieties?) So a march is in duple meter ? as you might expect since we have two feet and we march in left-right-left-right patterns.

All rhythms are some combination of triple meter and/or duple meter, and the possibilities are endless ? from boogie to R&B to mambos and sambas and bossa novas and?.on and on.

Harmony, the 3rd aspect of music, is the musical background of a song ? the chords, or intervals &quot;behind&quot; the melody. Without harmony, a song sounds empty ? like a vocalist singing without an accompanist ? or accapella. Music doesn't HAVE to have harmony to function, but in actual practice it almost always does, even if it is just the interplay of two melodies, as in counterpoint.

You could spend a lifetime learning all the nuances of music, but it its most basic form, it is these 3 elements combined together; melody, rhythm, and harmony that comprise music.

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 both children & adults. His book & DVD course titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.pianoplaying.com/">"How To Dress Up 'Naked Music' On The Piano!"</a> is used by adults 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 59,700 current subscribers.

How Many Chords Are There, Anyway?

Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of the three most vital elements of music ? the others being melody and rhythm ? it would be useful to know how many chords there are. And it doesn't matter whether you play piano or guitar or some other instrument ? chords are chords.

It's certainly not necessary to learn all the chords in the whole wide world, but it is necessary to learn some of them ? at least enough to allow you to harmonize the songs you would like to play.

But meanwhile, there are 3 chords -- just 3 -- that you absolutely, positively have to know. If you don't know these three, there's hardly a song in the whole world that you could play. But by knowing just 3 chords, you can play hundreds, if not thousands of songs! And those chords are simply the primary chords in any given key:

?The I chord (the chord built on the 1st degree of the scale)

?The IV chord (the chord built on the 4th degree of the scale)

?The V chord (the chord built on the 5th degree of the scale)

For example, if you were playing in the Key of C, the I chord would be C (c, e, g), the IV chord would be F (f, a, c), and the V chord would be G (g, b, d).

But as you probably know, there are thousands of other chords, so it would be helpful to at least know of their existence and maybe someday learn them.

So here goes:

Since there are 12 major keys one can play in (not counting enharmonic keys ? keys that sound the same but are written differently), there are:

*12 major triads (a triad is a 3 note chord)

*12 minor triads

*12 diminished triads

*12 augmented triads

*12 diminished 7th chords (4 note chords)

*12 major 6th chords

*12 minor 6th chords

*12 dominant 7th chords

*12 major 7th chords

*12 minor 7th chords

*12 half-diminished chords

*12 9th chords

*12 flat 9th chords

*12 9th/major 7th chords

*12 9th/minor 7th chords

*12 11th chords

*12 13th chords

*12 suspensions

*12 flat 5th chords

*12 flat 5th maj 7th chords

If that's not enough chords for you, remember that each chord can be inverted ? turned upside down. So multiply all the triad chords by 3, and all the 4 note chords by 4, and all the 5 note chords by 5?.

Then there are:

? poly-chords ? chords that combine two or more other chords, and

? voicings ? the way chords are positioned on the piano keyboard

And that's just in one octave. A standard piano has 7 octaves, so multiply all that by 7 and you get the answer to how many chords there really are:

More than you can count.

But again, you don't need to know them all. Just master enough so that you can play the songs you want to play, then gradually over time learn more and more chords. Your musical world will continue to grow and maturity as a musician will become obvious to others.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music courses for adults. His low-cost CD ROM software titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.keyboardchords.com/">"Duane Shinn's Instant Piano Chord Finder Chart!"</a> is used by musicians around the world. He is also 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 60,000 current subscribers.

Jazz Yatra

Jazz is arguably the most argumentative form of music (even has diminished and argumented chords). So at the outset let me present my side of the argument. Jazz is musical improvisation, right? Indian classical music is improvisation, still right? Granted Indian music does not have the harmonies of the west. But the keyword here is improvisation and not harmony, absolutely right? Indian classical music has been around for more than two thousand years. The Americans discovered Jazz less than a hundred years ago. Right then, now that we have established India as the birth place of Jazz lets head for the Indian Jazz Yatra.

Surfacing on day one are the cats (kangaroos?) from down under. Jamie Oehlers Quintet and the Perth Jazz Orchestra. Jamie opens. Good band. Great Jazz. Jamie and the boys are jammin' alright. On to act two which is...ahem, an extended remix of act one. Jamie and the boys brought their buddies along to form the Perth Jazz Orchestra! It's always a thrill hearing the powerful and dynamic sounds of a big band. Reminds me about what teamwork is all about. Each and every member looked really happy to be a small part of the big picture. Standing out and upfront with the big band was vocalist Mark Underwood with a rich and velvety voice that reached out and caressed the audience. Very enjoyable evening. Good start for Jazz Yatra. Met up with lots of old and new friends all sharing a common love for music being created live. Day one was the Aussies night out. Pity we didn't get to hear their musical instrument called didgeridoo or didgerididnt or something.

Day two features Jazz Yatra's trump card. Trumpet player Dave Douglas from the U.S. of A. Voted as worlds best trumpet player by readers of Downbeat magazine and Archie comics. Satya led by Dave settles down on stage, I mean sits down on stage. Just then heaven walks past me in her tiniest black number. Tosses her tresses and glances in my direction. Music begins. Band hasn't begun. Chaos. Band begins. Wrench myself back to earth. Satya's seated in a neat semi circle. Myra cross legged on harmonium. Dave cross eyed on trumpet. Samir and Sanghamitra cross country on tabla and tanpura respectively. Dave looks like a snake charmer about to charm a snake right out of Samirs tabla. Band's playing. Music flows. Sounds charming indeed. I notice a lot of snakes in the audience slowly rise and slither towards the canteen hip flasks in hand. Crowd's getting restless, collective murmurs, customary grunts and some oinks of disapproval about the raags being given to us by Satya...nass. Rang Bhavan is under threat of being converted into a huge open air Just not Jazz by the bay! Mr. Compere comes up and requests the crowds to stop disturbing the performers. I'm tempted to yell back, 'the performers are disturbing us'. The trumpet player may be hot but it's the batatawadas (hot, spicy Indian snack) that are smokin' right now. So I get up and head for the snakes, I mean snacks, at the canteen located next to the loo! And I'm not talking about the loo as in the Louies wife. Okay I'm back. I don't quit so easily. And guess what? Half the band is joined by three other musicians to form Myra Melfords 'Same River Twice'! I'm slowly beginning to understand the mathematics of music. Things are getting interesting at Jazz Yatra. The river flows. This band is wild. Making avant garde efforts to push back the boundaries of Jazz. Pianist Myra's brilliant and definitely an inspiring band leader. Dave is beginning to sound like he has earned his votes. The Jap chap playing bass seems to be getting more out of his headless and fretless bass.

Day three opens with Harsha Makalande on solo 'Hamburg Steinway piano tuned by Mr. Mistry' as Mr. Compere kept announcing a little more often than the necessary sponsor plug. Anyway, Harsha sounds like he is rehearsing for his next big solo performance. He probably feels that way too since there's just a handful of Jazz enthusiasts present in their respective seats at 7.00 PM sharp. Then came the Vijay Iyer Quartet. Now here is a brilliant group of musicians, each a virtuoso in his own right, with strings of academical achievement behind their music. I could almost smell the textbooks from where it all came. This is great Jazz. The musicians on stage are incredibly tuned into each other. They have obviously been playing together for a long time or may be they can read each others minds or perhaps they read each others textbooks. Then again, it could just be the simple fact that they wear each others T-Shirts. Great performance. Good show. Brilliant musicianship. But for some reason the quartet doesn't really make me want to stand on my chair and yell 'yebdiyow'. At one point though, in the middle of the bass solo I did feel like getting up and waltzing into heaven seated just two rows ahead. Unfortunately the tune was in five and a half time. This would certainly complicate things in the ballroom department of dance. Whats next ? Oh yes. Its Malcolm Mc'Neil, from New Zealand and you better believe this, he is being backed by Jamie and the Jammers from day one. Now Mally looked a little bewildered on stage. He was probably wondering what the heck is he doing on stage at an international Jazz festival when he should have been safely tucked into a cosy nightclub at some swanky five star hotel in New Zealand. He did put up a spirited performance however, and considering he found out who his back up band was only the night before showtime, he did exceptionally well. In fact I even overheard a couple of women expressing their intense desire to hug him as he sang, 'have I told you lately'.

Time for the grand finale featuring petite Louisa Cottifogli backed by the Louis Banks trio and act two featuring the big surprise, world renowned clarinet player Eddie Daniels and wife Mirabai who seems to be on her way to nirvana via the Indian Yatra. You've guessed right, the couples going to be backed by the Louis Banks trio. I guess India has yet to produce another rhythm section as awesome as Louis Banks, Karl Peters and Ranjit Barot. Little Louisa kicks off the grand finale with 'Vande Mataram'. Great. This little Italian has really got us Indians by the balls. Then she proceeds to twist them around miming vocalists from different parts of the world. I almost forgot what an Italian singer sounds like. Now comes the sucker punch, she goes and does a Dave Douglas on us (she starts miming a trumpet). And finally virtuoso clarinet player Eddie Daniels takes the stage with the tireless trio. Scorching solos. Dazzling display of musicianship and improvisational skills. Wifey joins the party. And promptly starts cookin'. Reminds me of our own version of an American Jazz singer, the ageless Pam Crain. A few exciting tunes down the show, differences seemed to creep in onstage. Differences probably musical, financial, political or some other ill seemed to crop up in broad spotlight. Differences at Jazz by the bay is war. Differences at an international platform like the Jazz Yatra is world war. And so finally the curtains came down on the world war, sorry, Jazz Yatra. The bottom line is, the boys at Jazz India did make it happen against all odds. Even if the batatawadas and babes were far more happening than the bands.

Colin D'Cruz

About The Author

The author is a jazz bassplayer currently based in India. Review some of his bands at <a href="http://www.hullocheck.com" target="_new">http://www.hullocheck.com</a>

<a href="mailto:colinbassman@yahoo.com">colinbassman@yahoo.com</a>

Patriotic Music: Surprising Secrets About Those Flag-Waving Sounds

Whether played by a marching band, an orchestra, or a rock group, there are patriotic tunes that everyone in America finds familiar, exciting and uplifting. But how much do you know about how these songs were created? And what do you know about the people who wrote them?

There are some surprising facts behind all of this glorious music.

So, fire up the barbecue grill, look up at the fireworks, and strike up the band as we reveal the secrets behind the most influential nationalistic musical moments of all time.

"Star Spangled Banner," Francis Scott Key, 1814.
Schoolchildren in America all learn how Key watched the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and so admired the courage of the beleaguered American forces that he wrote four stanzas of "The Star Spangled Banner" (only the first is usually performed). Key based the melody on an English drinking song called "To Anacreon in Heaven." The song has only been the national anthem since 1931, and there was a strong movement to replace it with one of the other songs on this list.

"America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)," Samuel F. Smith, 1832.
The music was composed in the 1700s, sometimes attributed to Henry Cary. First popular in Great Britain as "God Save the King (Queen)," the song became bi-continental in 1832. Modern audiences have been greatly moved by the R&B version by Ray Charles, a truly wonderful blending of emotion with what musicians call "the groove."

"Rally 'Round the Flag," George F. Root, 1862.
Written for the Union army and its supporters during the Civil War, the song was hugely popular in the North. This didn't prevent Confederate troops from writing their own lyrics and singing the song throughout the South.

"When Johnny Comes Marching Home," Louis Lambert, c. 1863.
Lambert was a pseudonym for Union Army Bandmaster Patrick S. Gilmore. His lyrics, set to an old Irish folk song, were popular through the whole Reconstruction Era (1865-1896). It appears in an extended instrumental version on the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick's film "Dr. Strangelove."

"Battle Hymn of the Republic," Julia W. Howe, 1861.
Howe is another lyricist who succeeded by utilizing a pre-existing piece of music, in this case a camp meeting tune of the 19th century (which also became "John Brown's Body"). The profound power of the words combined with the compelling melody cannot be denied, and it was sung at the funerals of Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

"Overture: 1812," Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1880.
Patriotic music doesn't always revolve around the July 4th celebration, or even refer to the USA. Tchaikovsky got Russian hearts a-pounding with his "1812 Overture in E Flat Major Op. 49," written to celebrate the 70th anniversary of his country's victory battle during the Napoleonic Wars.

"Semper Fidelis," John Philip Sousa, 1889.
Popular ever since it was first performed, the effective and spirited tune takes its name from the U.S. Marine Corps motto meaning "always faithful" and is dedicated to the Marines.

"America the Beautiful," Katharine Lee Bates, 1895, 1904, 1913.
Originally a poem that Bates twice revised after its first publication in 1885, "America the Beautiful" was sung to several different melodies. The song associated with it today is "Materna," composed by Samuel A. Ward in 1882, but it was also often performed to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne."

"Stars and Stripes Forever," John Philip Sousa, 1896.
Composed on Christmas Day, "The Stars and Stripes Forever" has become the country's official march (US Code, Title 36 Chapter 10). Sousa wrote lyrics to the song, but they are little known today (sample: "Let martial note in triumph float / And liberty extend its mighty hand / A flag appears 'mid thunderous cheers, / The banner of the Western land.)"

"Yankee Doodle Boy," George M. Cohan, 1904.
"You're A Grand Old Flag," George M. Cohan, 1906.
"Over There," George M. Cohan, 1917.
Known as "the man who owned Broadway," Cohan was a superstar before the term was coined. While his film biography is called "Yankee Doodle Dandy," the title of his first big tribute to America is actually "The Yankee Doodle Boy." Cohan excited U.S. audiences again in 1906 with "You're a Grand Old Flag," although the original line was "You're a Grand Old Rag." It was America's entrance into World War I in 1917 that inspired Cohan to write "Over There," for which he received a congressional medal.

"God Bless America," Irving Berlin, 1938.
The prolific Berlin (900+ songs despite being unable to read music) originally wrote this song right after the first World War, but did not complete it until just before World War II. Kate Smith first performed it during her radio show on Armistice Day, 1938. An immediate sensation, the song was often suggested to replace the "Star Spangled Banner" as the national anthem.

"Star Spangled Banner," Jimi Hendrix, 1969.
The legendary guitarist took the stage near dawn on the final day of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The 13th song in his hour-long set was an incendiary rendition of the venerable tune. In a performance that was somehow savage and grand at the same time, Hendrix wrestled new levels of emotion from the song and generations have never heard it quite the same way again.

"Apocalypse Now," Francis Ford Coppola, 1979.
The music in question is "Ride of the Valkyries," from Richard Wagner's opera, "Die Walkure" (1854-56). The composition fit perfectly into director Coppola's nightmarish vision of the Vietnam War. The sequence, featuring a helicopter attack at dawn, never fails to raise the emotions of viewers.

Scott G owns G-Man Music & Radical Radio (<a target="_new" href="http://www.gmanmusic.com">http://www.gmanmusic.com</a>) where he makes radio commercials for Verizon Wireless, Goodrich, Micron, National Steel, the Auto Club, and many others. He is also recording artist The G-Man, with 4 albums on iTunes and Delvian Records.

<a target="_new" href="http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/immedia">http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/immedia</a>@pacbell.net
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The Various Countries - A Rant About Country Music

It is no secret that over the past couple decades country music has struggled with it's identity far more than any other genre in the industry. At this point nobody can really claim to be a country music fan without being questioned what kind of country fan? The answers being seemingly endless, I've broken them down into a few main categories (but really, there could be so many more).

Pop Country

This category could really be referred to as &quot;Nashville Country.&quot; It hosts probably about 90% of the country music out there. I often find people not wanting to admit in conversation that they're fans of this category. They like to talk about how they love Willie Nelson and mouth the words to Merle Haggard songs even though it's obvious their faking it. Then they get alone in their cars and unwind by driving down the highway, blasting Shania Twain on the radio, and singing along at the top of their lungs. Let me just say, there's nothing wrong with that, like what you like. Nashville record labels pick very talented, often attractive singers that perform with some great bands. They also have some of the top songwriters and composers in the industry working for them.

One criticism I would have against this category?In recent years, there has been a rebellion of sorts against Nashville music from musicians in both the Rebel and Texas sub categories (see below) with songs booing Nashville and praising the old timers. Sometimes this gains them popularity and they get so popular that they land a big contract with a Nashville record company and for some reason everybody is perfectly comfortable with this phenomenon. This is what I like to refer to as &quot;Pat Green Syndrome&quot;.

Rebel/Rock Country

Very liberal people are who you tend to find in this category. These artist just do whatever they feel like doing, and consequently there are not many of them, or at least not many of them that stay popular after their initial shock value wears off. They are usually independent and like letting it all hang out. A good example currently in the limelight is Gretchen Wilson. Others that haven't quite reached her popularity level, but have been around for a while include Ray Wylie Hubbard and Todd Snider.

Sometimes the guys in this category derive quite a bit of their rebelness from incorporating rock into their music. Good examples of this are Robert Earl Keen and James McMurty (I highly recommend both of them).

Texas Country

This category has developed into somewhat of a music cult, and it stretches all over the United Sates. (Note, this last month there was a huge three day Texas music festival in Colorado). It's popularity started off with the likes of Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Gary P. Nunn. What really sent it off in recent years was the popularity of Robert Earl Keen, Cory Morrow, Pat Green, and Jack Ingram. It plays extremely well in frat houses across the Lone Star State. While the guys mentioned earlier have taken off in a different direction, new artists like Max Stalling, Mark David Manders, and Ed Burleson have started to take their place. If you ever watch this development, it's easy to see that the Texas music industry is growing so fast that it will probably soon be just as big as Nashville's.

Old Country

If you can sing the words to three or more Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Johnny Cash songs please come in. If you can sing along to Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, and Hank Williams please take a seat. If you can croon all night with Bob Wills please let me get you a beer, I'm glad we met. Welcome to the old country category, sadly a lot of people find it boring here.

Real Old Country

Most people in this category know how to yodel. They've probably witnessed someone play the bones, if they do not already know how to play them themselves. The people in this category refer to each other as &quot;folks&quot; and recognize that country's roots derived from folk music. This category requires being able to enjoy sitting on a front porch sipping ice tea in the middle of the summer while some old man plays &quot;Streets of Laredo&quot; on an old Gibson. Indulging in campfire banjo playing helps as well.

If you're like me, you probably have your favorite category and then like some things out of each one. There's not really any one way to define country music, and with it being an ever-changing industry there probably never will be. One thing that doesn't change though, no matter which category, you can still dust of your boots and take just about any country song to the dancehall with you.

Sarah Francis

This article, written by Sarah Francis, was first published at <a target="_new" href="http://www.MusicShopper.info">MusicShopper.info</a> - a great resource for music lovers. Providing information and resources about music shopping, it also has an extensive range of music reviews, music competitions and giveaways, and a popular discussion forum. It is also an important music reference source with a music website directory of more then 1,000 hand-picked sites listed. MusicShopper forum and newsletters subscribers are entered into monthly draws for Amazon voucher.

Things To Know When Shopping For A Guitar Amplifier

Guitar amplifiers are a major part of your tone. Some amps can do many things well, while others excel at producing specific tonal qualities. When shopping for a guitar amplifier, you will have to choose between a Tube or Solid-State model, and whether you want a combo, or separate head and speaker cabinet.

Tube based guitar amplifiers use old fashioned vacuum tubes to produce their power and process the guitar's signal. They are very loud, and generate a large amount of heat during operation. Generally, tube amps provide a warm tone that when pushed hard will produce a natural, overdriven distortion that is very sought after by many guitarists. Tube amplifiers will require maintenance as the vacuum tubes need periodic replacement.

Solid-State guitar amplifiers rely on transistors and integrated circuits to amplify and process the guitar's signal. Although they can't match the raw power and smooth, natural distortion of a tube amp, Solid-State amps tend to be much more versatile. Modern electronics are often used to produce a broader range of tones than found in most tube based guitar amplifiers. They also run cooler, and are relatively maintenance free.

Choosing between a combo or separates is often a personal decision. Combo guitar amps use a single cabinet to house the electronics and speakers. They take up less space, and are generally easier to transport. Separates give you greater flexibility with respect to speaker size and type. Since there's more room for components, some argue that separates are built to higher standards than combos, but this is not always true. One really big advantage of separates is that the head can be isolated from vibrations produced by the speakers, extending the life and reliability of the electronic components.

Whichever type of amp you choose, keep in mind that your guitar and amp work as a team. Plugging an expensive, well voiced instrument into a cheap amplifier won't allow the instrument to reach its full potential. A good amplifier will last you for many years... so don't skimp!

? 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.

Play Too Loud And Well Cut The Power!

"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>

Beginner Guitar Tips: How to Get a Feel

"I don't like to go into the studio with all the songs worked out and planned before hand?. You've got to give the band something to use its imagination on as well. That can make a very ordinary song come alive into something totally different?.. the X Factor ? so important in Rock And Roll - which is the feel" - Keith Richards.

When you're learning or writing a new song the most important thing is the feel.

The beat, the pulse?. Call it what you like. Its stirs the emotions.

It's that magic spark that makes a good song stand out from the rest.

When you buy a new cd/album/record it's the one song that grabs you by the balls.

You can feel the passion and enthusiasm that the musicians put into it.

So how do you get 'the feel'?

You just close your eyes and connect with your true feelings ? hence the term 'the feel'. You are transferring your feelings ? your passion to the fret board.

But first you have to feel it inside your head, heart and soul.

Try listening to your favorite music with your eyes closed and no distractions. Take notice of the way it effects you.

What do you feel? Is it joy? sadness? anger? frustration? love? pride?

The feeling will sweep over your whole body. Take notice of this feeling.

Stop the music and try and reproduce this feeling.

Once you can reproduce the feeling grab your guitar and play.

Don't play a song you already know, just play some chords and see what happens. Don't think just feel and play.

Visualize where you want to be - then start taking a small step in the direction of your desire.

Start with simple, easy to attain visualizations. No need to make them gigantic.

Build confidence as you move along the path.

And as your confidence grows, so will momentum.

Pretty soon you're literally steam-rolling over obstacles that once seemed huge.

John Stockwell is a guitar player and the author of the acclaimed "Mind Over Music for Guitar" <a target="_new" href="http://www.learn-to-play-guitar.net/mindovermusic/">http://www.learn-to-play-guitar.net/mindovermusic/</a>, a unique approach to learning to play the guitar by ear for beginners to advanced students.

How the Internet Helps Musicians

Everyone talks about the negative impact of the Internet on the music business. Illegal file sharing and copyright violations have decimated the profits in the industry. Record labels are less willing to take risks with new artists because the profits have dried up. Sales have steadily declined over the past several years due in large part to the proliferation of illegal downloads. All of that is true, but there are two sides to this coin. Sure, things are tougher today for the new musician than ever before, but there are also new opportunities thanks to the Internet.

The Internet has reduced the barriers to entry into the music business. Today thanks to the rapid evolution in technology, a musician can record a song and share it with listeners around the world. In the past, distribution was controlled by the record labels. Unless you had a record deal it was almost impossible to reach listeners outside of your immediate area.

Distribution was not only controlled, but there was no way around the high costs of physical distribution. Manufacturing a batch of CDs or tapes could be prohibitively expensive for the starving artist. However, with free MP3 distribution via the internet, an artist's music can reach across the world. An up and coming Latin diva can share her tunes with someone in Europe. The next rock star in Africa can share his music with someone in Japan. The Internet has opened a door that allows artists to share their art with anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Now with online retailers like Amazon, artists can even market and sell their music themselves. Sure it's tough and don't expect to make much money. But singers and bands can share and sell their music without depending on a record label in ways today that were impossible a decade ago.

The Internet helps people connect. Music is a deeply personal experience and people have their own preferences in what they listen to. The Internet lets people who prefer a particular style to group together easier and allows them to talk about new artists that they never would have had the chance to hear otherwise.

Now, don't get me wrong. Music is a tough business. With declining sales and tighter profits it is harder for anyone to make a living in the music business. However, if you have a good day job and you love to make music for the sake of the music itself, then the Internet can be an incredible enabler.

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Jazz Yatra

Jazz is arguably the most argumentative form of music (even has diminished and argumented chords). So at the outset let me present my side of the argument. Jazz is musical improvisation, right? Indian classical music is improvisation, still right? Granted Indian music does not have the harmonies of the west. But the keyword here is improvisation and not harmony, absolutely right? Indian classical music has been around for more than two thousand years. The Americans discovered Jazz less than a hundred years ago. Right then, now that we have established India as the birth place of Jazz lets head for the Indian Jazz Yatra.

Surfacing on day one are the cats (kangaroos?) from down under. Jamie Oehlers Quintet and the Perth Jazz Orchestra. Jamie opens. Good band. Great Jazz. Jamie and the boys are jammin' alright. On to act two which is...ahem, an extended remix of act one. Jamie and the boys brought their buddies along to form the Perth Jazz Orchestra! It's always a thrill hearing the powerful and dynamic sounds of a big band. Reminds me about what teamwork is all about. Each and every member looked really happy to be a small part of the big picture. Standing out and upfront with the big band was vocalist Mark Underwood with a rich and velvety voice that reached out and caressed the audience. Very enjoyable evening. Good start for Jazz Yatra. Met up with lots of old and new friends all sharing a common love for music being created live. Day one was the Aussies night out. Pity we didn't get to hear their musical instrument called didgeridoo or didgerididnt or something.

Day two features Jazz Yatra's trump card. Trumpet player Dave Douglas from the U.S. of A. Voted as worlds best trumpet player by readers of Downbeat magazine and Archie comics. Satya led by Dave settles down on stage, I mean sits down on stage. Just then heaven walks past me in her tiniest black number. Tosses her tresses and glances in my direction. Music begins. Band hasn't begun. Chaos. Band begins. Wrench myself back to earth. Satya's seated in a neat semi circle. Myra cross legged on harmonium. Dave cross eyed on trumpet. Samir and Sanghamitra cross country on tabla and tanpura respectively. Dave looks like a snake charmer about to charm a snake right out of Samirs tabla. Band's playing. Music flows. Sounds charming indeed. I notice a lot of snakes in the audience slowly rise and slither towards the canteen hip flasks in hand. Crowd's getting restless, collective murmurs, customary grunts and some oinks of disapproval about the raags being given to us by Satya...nass. Rang Bhavan is under threat of being converted into a huge open air Just not Jazz by the bay! Mr. Compere comes up and requests the crowds to stop disturbing the performers. I'm tempted to yell back, 'the performers are disturbing us'. The trumpet player may be hot but it's the batatawadas (hot, spicy Indian snack) that are smokin' right now. So I get up and head for the snakes, I mean snacks, at the canteen located next to the loo! And I'm not talking about the loo as in the Louies wife. Okay I'm back. I don't quit so easily. And guess what? Half the band is joined by three other musicians to form Myra Melfords 'Same River Twice'! I'm slowly beginning to understand the mathematics of music. Things are getting interesting at Jazz Yatra. The river flows. This band is wild. Making avant garde efforts to push back the boundaries of Jazz. Pianist Myra's brilliant and definitely an inspiring band leader. Dave is beginning to sound like he has earned his votes. The Jap chap playing bass seems to be getting more out of his headless and fretless bass.

Day three opens with Harsha Makalande on solo 'Hamburg Steinway piano tuned by Mr. Mistry' as Mr. Compere kept announcing a little more often than the necessary sponsor plug. Anyway, Harsha sounds like he is rehearsing for his next big solo performance. He probably feels that way too since there's just a handful of Jazz enthusiasts present in their respective seats at 7.00 PM sharp. Then came the Vijay Iyer Quartet. Now here is a brilliant group of musicians, each a virtuoso in his own right, with strings of academical achievement behind their music. I could almost smell the textbooks from where it all came. This is great Jazz. The musicians on stage are incredibly tuned into each other. They have obviously been playing together for a long time or may be they can read each others minds or perhaps they read each others textbooks. Then again, it could just be the simple fact that they wear each others T-Shirts. Great performance. Good show. Brilliant musicianship. But for some reason the quartet doesn't really make me want to stand on my chair and yell 'yebdiyow'. At one point though, in the middle of the bass solo I did feel like getting up and waltzing into heaven seated just two rows ahead. Unfortunately the tune was in five and a half time. This would certainly complicate things in the ballroom department of dance. Whats next ? Oh yes. Its Malcolm Mc'Neil, from New Zealand and you better believe this, he is being backed by Jamie and the Jammers from day one. Now Mally looked a little bewildered on stage. He was probably wondering what the heck is he doing on stage at an international Jazz festival when he should have been safely tucked into a cosy nightclub at some swanky five star hotel in New Zealand. He did put up a spirited performance however, and considering he found out who his back up band was only the night before showtime, he did exceptionally well. In fact I even overheard a couple of women expressing their intense desire to hug him as he sang, 'have I told you lately'.

Time for the grand finale featuring petite Louisa Cottifogli backed by the Louis Banks trio and act two featuring the big surprise, world renowned clarinet player Eddie Daniels and wife Mirabai who seems to be on her way to nirvana via the Indian Yatra. You've guessed right, the couples going to be backed by the Louis Banks trio. I guess India has yet to produce another rhythm section as awesome as Louis Banks, Karl Peters and Ranjit Barot. Little Louisa kicks off the grand finale with 'Vande Mataram'. Great. This little Italian has really got us Indians by the balls. Then she proceeds to twist them around miming vocalists from different parts of the world. I almost forgot what an Italian singer sounds like. Now comes the sucker punch, she goes and does a Dave Douglas on us (she starts miming a trumpet). And finally virtuoso clarinet player Eddie Daniels takes the stage with the tireless trio. Scorching solos. Dazzling display of musicianship and improvisational skills. Wifey joins the party. And promptly starts cookin'. Reminds me of our own version of an American Jazz singer, the ageless Pam Crain. A few exciting tunes down the show, differences seemed to creep in onstage. Differences probably musical, financial, political or some other ill seemed to crop up in broad spotlight. Differences at Jazz by the bay is war. Differences at an international platform like the Jazz Yatra is world war. And so finally the curtains came down on the world war, sorry, Jazz Yatra. The bottom line is, the boys at Jazz India did make it happen against all odds. Even if the batatawadas and babes were far more happening than the bands.

Colin D'Cruz

About The Author

The author is a jazz bassplayer currently based in India. Review some of his bands at <a href="http://www.hullocheck.com" target="_new">http://www.hullocheck.com</a>

<a href="mailto:colinbassman@yahoo.com">colinbassman@yahoo.com</a>

How Has Eminem Risen to the Top?

How is it that a little white boy from Kansas City has become the most well known rapper in the world? Starting from nothing and eventually moving up to a multi-millionaire, Eminem over the past seven years has been in the eye of the public everywhere you look. He has essentially entered a black man's business and gone to the top over the course of a few years, but how?

On October 17, 1972 Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St. Joseph, MO by his 15 year old mother Debbie. Six months later his father was gone and this began the struggle for Marshall and his mother; one that was just the beginning. Throughout the course of his childhood Marshall and his mother moved numerous times into different houses from Kansas City to Detroit. The maximum time spent in one house was only 3 months, which caused Marshall to attend many different schools making it difficult to cope to the different surroundings and make friends. Every new school he attended he was bullied as he was the new kid. This was something that he could not change as he was never stationed in one school for a long period of time. At the age of 12 he and his mother finally settled in a house in Detroit. He would later use the bullying to his advantage fueling him to get back at all his bullies through songs.

By the age of 4 Marshall was already beginning to rap and put words together rhyming them. At school he was rather successful considering the circumstances, but it was lunchtime that he enjoyed as he often battled schoolmates through freestyles. At the age of 14 Marshall began to get serious about rapping and felt that he had a shot in the business. When he got to the ninth grade he failed it three times before eventually dropping out as he felt school was not for him.

When he turned 17 he came up with the name M&M for himself by combining the first letters of his first and last name, which later was changed to Eminem. Now that he didn't have school as a distraction, he focused solely on rapping with the goal of making it to the top. He faced constant struggle on the way to stardom as he was continuously rejected by most rappers because of his race, despite his true talent. This grew anger inside of him that he uses in his music today. Knowing that it wasn't going to be easy and that he would have to work, Marshall forced himself onto radio shows and freestyle battles to prove everybody wrong. He eventually got a first album titled &quot;Infinite&quot;, but it only sold 1,000 copies. It wasn't until 1997 that Marshall would make a name for himself.

In 1997 he was married with a child trying to support his family with very little cash to do it with. He went to the Rap Olympics in Los Angeles hoping to win the cash prize of $1,500 for first place, but instead was spotted by a few sponsors from Interscope. Furious that he had come in second, he later found out about the sponsors and he gave them a copy of the &quot;Infinite&quot; tape, which was later sent to Dr. Dre. Dre was extremely impressed with the talent of Eminem and got contact of him, where the two recorded his second album; The Slim Shady LP. This album set the tone for his style of rap, as he lashed out on everyone that had bullied him throughout his life. It was a different style than anyone had ever heard, which brought him to stardom.

Eminem is by far the most popular rapper that is seen most in public. He has been seen in Rap Pages, VIBE, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Source, URB and Stress and continues to strive for more. He became the first white person to ever be on the cover of The Source. Throughout his life he has starred in the movie &quot;8 Mile&quot; based on his life growing up, has had over 20 guest appearances on TV, has featured on numerous different rappers CD's, and has recorded 5 CD's of his own. His second LP, &quot;The Marshall Mathers LP&quot;, sold over 8 million records in the United States alone, 1.76 million copies in the first week setting a record for a solo artist. This album became the first rap album ever to be nominated for &quot;Album of the Year&quot; at the Grammies. He would go on to win 3 Grammies for the album that night. In the year 2002 he made $29 million in earnings of his fourth album &quot;The Eminem Show LP&quot; and touring for it. Then on March 23, 2003 the song &quot;Lose Yourself&quot; from his movie &quot;8 Mile&quot; became the first rap song to ever win an Academy Award.

While being known for his explicit behavior and horrendous lyrics on his albums and in the eye of the public, it is difficult to overlook all that he has achieved. Coming from where he did and rising to where he is currently, it is remarkable what he has done not only for himself, but the rap world as well. While it is hard for most to like him, there are not many that do not at least respect him for what he has achieved as of now, and what he may do in the future to come.

---

? Jeff Schuman II
http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com

Jeff Schuman II is the creator of Best-MP3-Music-Downloads.com where you can buy CD's and find all of the best free music downloads. <a target="_new" href="http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com">http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com</a>

Music Practice Techniques for Learning Repertory

These practice tips were written for fiddlers. I've used them in classical violin also. You will find they apply to any music learning goal you have set for yourself.

Learning new repertory raises your instrumental or singing ability. It makes you learn new combinations of notes. It takes focused effort and stretches your comfort zone.

Be sure you know what the piece sounds like. If you can "kind of" sing along or hum along with a recording, that's a good start.

With any chart, whether standard music notation or <a target="_new" href="http://fiddleguru.com/fiddle-tab.html">fiddle tab</a>, there is a first time you go through it. In music it's called sight reading. It's a skill that can be learned with practice.

In the folk music world, it is not a crucial skill. The point of having a chart is simply to help you get started easily.

Visual learners pick up a tune most quickly with a chart.

When I go through a tune the first time, I might miss a rhythmic figure, or a note here or there. Then, the second time through I'll slow down on the tough part and figure it out.

Once you've played through the new chart a few times, you know where the traps and difficult spots are.

A trap is a place in the music where you were surprised by the choice of notes. You expected something else, based on what you were playing. You got blind-sided by the actual notes.

You can lock down a trap by a practice tip I call "the slow down technique."

What you should not do is what most learners do until they get some coaching. You play along at a normal speed, hit the trap, and, oops! Back up and play it correctly, then keep going.

This is a good way to train your brain to fall into the trap.

Better is: simply slow the tempo as you get to the tricky part and play it accurately. Speed up to normal after you get past it. Repeat as needed. This way you are putting the trappy part into context. You are letting your brain connect the dots.

The other way--oops! and fix it, will work eventually. But it's so inefficient. Instead, allow your brain the chance to learn a new pattern of notes. They're not so difficult. They just go together funny. Slowing down enables you to play the part accurately. This is just crucial.

Truly difficult spots require you to do something with your hands, or voice, that is definitely awkward.

You need to focus like a laser on exactly what is the difficulty.

"Let's see...I have to hold my 2nd finger down while I reach with my 3rd finger to the next string, while slurring with the down bow, then...."

Be very aware of exactly what problem the awkwardness is creating.

Some spots require several tough moves, one right after the other. Such a spot may require three or more seconds at first. Repetition builds speed naturally. You are creating and strengthening pathways in your brain.

Your goal should be, not so much getting faster, as getting easier and smoother.

Remember this universal musician's rule . You are allowed to mark your part with a pencil.

Sometimes I'll just draw a small wavy line above a trap or a difficult spot. It helps me to focus in my practice.

When you have isolated the most troublesome spots, play or sing each of them correctly three times in a row. This is the most basic practice technique of all. Make it your default habit and see your ability move ahead.

After spending some time with these techniques, you are ready for honest self-evaluation. Play through your new tune at a slow enough speed that you can play or sing all the hard parts accurately.

In other words, use a steady tempo that allows you to play with zero errors. Using a metronome, take note of the exact speed. Write that down on your chart as a benchmark.

Later, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the increase in speed with accuracy. This builds self-esteem and the habit of constantly getting better as a musician.

In tunes that have running sixteenths--notes that keep changing four to a beat--use four distinct rhythms to get mastery.

This running sixteenth note pattern is far more common in instrumental than vocal music. But, then, there's Mozart.

Go through the passage with a swing feel. Taah-tu, taah-tu, etc.

The second rhythm is strathspey. Each pair of two notes is played quickly on the first note and longer on the second. This is just the opposite of swing rhythm. Tuh-daah, tuh-daah. etc.

The next two rhythms involve grouping four notes as one beat and a triplet beat. Tum, ta-da-da would be a beat followed by a triplet beat. Ta-da-da, tum is the triplet beat followed by the single note beat.

Just a little rhythm practice on a running sixteenth note section of music does wonders for cleaning it up.

Elan Chalford
Learn How to Play Fiddle
<a target="_new" href="http://fiddleguru.com">http://fiddleguru.com</a>

New Age Music - What Is It Good For?

Let's face it. The world will not end if there isn't another new age music CD on the market. So why bother? Why play when most people don't care or want to hear the kind of music you like? The answer lies in the nature of art itself, for the world really does not need art. It can survive without painting, sculpture or music. It can survive, but it would be a pretty dreary place.

But the main reason we play is not for the world but for ourselves. We must play for ourselves first and if people hear and like it fine. If not, that' s fine too. As long as we don't deprive ourselves of the enriching experience improvisation can bring.

When I first started playing I wanted to create something others could admire. Something that people could say, wow, listen to that. That guy is really good. But I was miserable and miles away from the true purpose of playing music. It wasn't until a year or so later that I realized that if I don't please myself first, no one would be pleased. Nor did it matter if others were pleased or not.

So, what is new age piano improvisation good for? Absolutely nothing - except the joy it can bring to you and to me when we enter the flow and the music pours out of us. It is so precious to be able to do this. So fleeting it may be too. A second or a minute of forgetting yourself at the piano is a sacred act. One that grows and develops. It matures of itself. Much like meditation. If one practices the art, one grows in proportion to that practice.

But this kind of growth is spiral in nature. There are times that the music seems lifeless and dull. At these times we feel the same inside. But a day or two later, we are in a new place and the music flows like water. This is a mystery, this process. One can only go with it and not fight it. You are creating art second by second when you improvise. This kind of beauty is fleeting - but is the most precious. Guard it. Cherish it. And if you feel inclined share it with the rest of the world.

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!

Music Industry Insider: Tess Taylor of NARIP and LAMN

Members of LAMN (founded in 1988) and NARIP (founded in 1998), are able to more quickly gain the insight, knowledge, and contact information they need for career development and career enhancement.

The success of both organizations extends well beyond their names ? both LAMN and NARIP have members across the country and around the globe. Offices have opened in Canada, New York, and London, with additional cities getting in line.

Prior to Taylor's development of these influential organizations, there was no formal entity that addressed the educational, networking, or mentoring functions necessary to nurture a new generation for the music industry. Each of these factors is important, but there is no doubt which one Taylor values most: "Networking is what this business - all business, really - is about," she states. "If you want to get ahead, you've got to know people. You can be a genius but remain entrenched in obscurity and poverty unless you get out there and let people know who you are."

LAMN:

LAMN is a multifaceted resource for newcomers to the music business, as well as an avenue for students to learn more about the industry and how they might break into it. LAMN sponsors industry gatherings, workshops and seminars with top executives from all areas of the music business.

NARIP:

To qualify to become a member of NARIP, you must be a professional in the record industry. "I realized that, beyond organizations like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) which is a lobbying body that focuses on legislation, there wasn't an organization that served the needs of those whose careers are completely in the record industry," Taylor stated.

The Beginnings.

"The idea for the Los Angeles Music Network goes back to my first job in the business, with Avalon Attractions, a big concert promoter in Southern California," says Taylor. "Every spoke of the music industry wheel comes together to make a concert happen. Here I was, fresh out of college, and I had access to just about every possible type of professional - from radio to press to record company personnel, from artist managers to the artists themselves."

Taylor looked around for an association through which she could meet the people she interacted with on the phone. "I was very surprised not to find anything of real value, so I started putting together little meet-and-greets among the people I was dealing with," she says. "At first, there were only about three or four of us, but it grew. That was the seed that led to my building the professional relationships I have today, not to mention the Job Bank and my mailing list. It's the best in the business."

Some of what LAMN and NARIP do overlaps, and Taylor regularly employs NARIP members for LAMN panels and other functions, and to mentor LAMN members. However, she is keen to provide the right kind of experiences for each group.

For NARIP members, her approach is to take on a continuing-education role. "We should never stop learning and, no matter how much experience we may have, there's always something else or another point of view that we can absorb and appreciate," Taylor says.

Pianist-turned-executive:

A classically-trained pianist, Taylor is also is an instructor, music business lecturer and speaker at institutions such as the Harvard Business School, New York University, the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum, Berklee College of Music, University of California Los Angeles (Entertainment Studies & Performing Arts), University of Southern California, Academy of Contemporary Music (Guildford, London), California State University at Chico, Middle Tennessee State University, Music and Entertainment Industry Educator's Association International Symposium (2000 and 2002), University of Hawaii, California State University at Pomona, the Pepperdine University School of Business and others. A popular guest speaker and participant in industry conferences internationally, she served as Conference Chair for Musicom4, a music technology symposium (1998), and as keynote speaker for Berklee College of Music Summer Conference (2003)

She is a consultant to InsideSessions, a joint venture between the Universal Music Group and Penguin Putnam, and sits on numerous international charity and industry boards of directors. She is a frequent talent judge at US and international talent competitions and has recently participated on panels for Universal Talent Prague (Czech Republic 2003) and for the Golden Magnolia International Song Festival (Baton Rouge 2003).

As a writer and contributor, her analyses have appeared recently in Billboard Magazine, Radio & Records, USA Today, Newsweek, Source Magazine, the Chicago Sun Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Variety, Musician Magazine, Wired, Lip Service Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal and wire services such as Reuters Ltd., and in international business press (Capital Magazine [Spain], Challenges / Le Nouvel Observateur [France]). She has been a featured expert on National Public Radio's "Hollywood Wrap," the Fox News Channel, Samm Brown's "For The Record" on KPFK 90.7-FM, Ira Fistell's talk radio program on KRLA 1110-AM and in other news media.

Contact:

Tess Taylor can be reached at (818) 769-7007 or via email at tess@narip.com.

Scott G (The G-Man) writes and produces radio commercials from G-Man Music & Radical Radio. With albums on Delvian Records, iTunes, Amazon, and many other online stores, he also composes music that is played in clubs, on college radio stations, and on commercials. A member of NARAS (the Grammy organization) and NARIP (National Association of Record Industry Professionals), he writes about music, advertising, marketing, communications, advertainment, and digital distribution for the Immedia Wire Service and MusicDish.com. Samples of his songs and commercials are on his site at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.gmanmusic.com">http://www.gmanmusic.com</a>

Oh My Aching Head! Can Music Really Make You Feel Better?

We all know, if only instinctively, that music has a profound effect on us. If we didn't believe that music affects us then singing lullabies to calm children and help them sleep wouldn't be universal. In reality melody, harmony, and rhythm probably impacts the human brain in ways that are far more profound than we realize. We all know that an up tempo melody from our favorite performer stirs and energizes us just as a slower melody can help us relax or even prompt sad emotions from the depths of our soul, but did you know that evidence has been found linking the merging of melody, harmony, and rhythm with pain management?

The direct implication of this is that by incorporating the right melody (we'll discuss what defines the right melody in a moment) into your schedule it is possible to reduce your need for pain medication and thereby save money and aggravation.

Sound good? I know it does to me. Who wouldn't like to save a little more money that they are already sending to the pharmaceutical companies. And the best part is that the melody(s) that you need for pain management may already be in your collection.

Researchers suggest that the magic melody that you are looking for in your quest for melodic pain relief isn't one particular song that fits all. Instead personal taste is an important factor ? but don't run out and put on your favorite hard rock selection, it probably won't do the trick. Instead, you want to look for a gentle, soothing melody that helps you relax. This might mean an old Natalie Cole melody that distracts you and draws you in to a more comfortable moment, but whether your taste if for Natalie Cole, Handel, or something more modern, the key is to find a melody that has a slow steady beat (ideally at or under sixty beats per minute, which is just below the resting rate of the human heart) that will help you relax and let the pain medication do its work more effectively.

Once you have found the right melody(s) sit back and focus on the melody for at least fifteen minutes. If you can do this, it can have the effect of lowering your heart rate and breathing rate thereby releasing the tension that comes with (or in some cases even causes) the pain. If you find it difficult to focus on giving the melody your undivided attention, try prefacing your selections with an additional melody that picks you up emotionally and sucks you into the moment before going into your quieting music which should relax you ? after all, relaxing you is the primary function of many analgesics anyway so why not do it with a melody that's already in your collection? Or better yet, what better excuse to go out and add a new CD to your collection?

And hey -- even if it doesn't help your aching head, its a heck of a lot cheaper than other means and pleasant to boot!

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at <a target="_new" href="http://www.chordpiano.com">http://www.chordpiano.com</a>. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com/">"Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Piano Chord Progressions"</a> with over 56,650 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com">http://www.playpiano.com</a>

How to Get Past Creative Blocks

When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there were times when the music just wouldn't flow. No matter what I did, I couldn't make it go any further. Blocked and frustrated, I wondered why this happened. One minute I would be in flow and enjoying the process of playing the piano. The next, I would find myself trying to come up with material

I soon realized that the more I tried to "come up" with something, the more blocked I became. The solution to this particular problem is simple, yet many find it to be frustrating in itself.

The answer is simply to walk away. That's right! If you're playing the piano and it just won't come anymore, I suggest getting up and finding something else to do. Why? Because you can not force play! It's that simple. And that difficult because we want to get back into the "groove." But getting back to this place requires you to ease up a bit.

You see, the creative process is somewhat similar to meditation. Meditation can't be forced or willed into working. It must be allowed to work. So too the creative process. There are times when I won't touch the piano for weeks on end. This used to bother me until I saw that I needed time away - a regenerative period so to speak.

Natalie Goldberg of "Writing Down the Bones" fame describes this lackluster period as composting. Don't worry about losing your creative ability. You never lost it. Just give it time to compost and when you return to the music, you will hear something new and wonderful!

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!

Rabbitt Productions - Up & Coming Atlanta Producer

When you think of music in Atlanta you generally think of Crunk Music but there is more to Atlanta's musical soundscape than that. Lots of young musicians in the A-Town venture off into different musical directions. One such musician/DJ/Producer is DeJuan Boyd, head of Rabbitt Productions.

DeJuan Boyd has been producing since 1991. He started DJing at the age of 11 under the influence of older guys in his neighborhood. He learned rather quickly by emulating the likes of such greats as Jam Master Jay, Jazzy Jeff, Mix Master Ice as well as local DJ's like DJ Toomp and others. He performed in talent shows & spun for numerous groups in high school. DeJuan was asked to join a group called First Degree comprised of an M.C. by the name of Jack Frost whom which he grew up and went to school with and another DJ by the name of Nay Palm that lived two houses away. It was at this time he made the natural transition from Disc Jockey to Producer. The group later dissolved but DeJuan continued to hone his craft making beats fusing classical riffs, dramatic chords, samples and piano string ensembles which he became known for. He would accentuate the track with precise cuts throughout the track to either lace the hook and/or compliment the track.

In 1998, he started Rabbitt Productions and teamed up once again with his old bandmate Jack Frost, who was then known as Jihad and joined The Global Desperados. They toured the East Coast on the college curcuit and garnered a noteworthy buzz throughout the eastern southern states. The group disbanded and DeJuan continued to produce for Jihad as well as other local talent. Through his guidance, City Boy, an up and coming local rapper landed a recording contract and produced two tracks on the upcoming album. He continues to produce and sell tracks and have a few projects in the works. To contact DeJuan for prodcution or information email him at rabbittpro@gmail.com.

Frederick Glover is a freelance writer and music critic. A native Atlantan, he studied music and covered various bands while traveling with them on the road.

Music For Self Improvement

Would you like to pop in a CD and have a better quality of life, and even self improvement? There are three ways you can use music to accomplish this.

Music For Motivation

Put on energetic music, and even doing housework seems less like work. Using music to motivate yourself or change your mood is an area where you can trust your experience and experimentation. When you find the msic that energizes you, relaxes you, or makes you happy, keep it ready for when you need it.

Music For Intelligence

Music creates neural pathways in your brain that stimulate creativity. Studies show that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. In one study, three-year-olds were split into two groups. The first had no special training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and sang daily in chorus.

Eight months later the musical three-year-olds were much better at solving puzzles. They also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the other group. There's also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can help you study and learn better.

Hopefully there will be more research. In the meantime there's no reason not to do your own experimentation. I've heard that Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so the benefits of music may be according to your own tastes or brain-organization.

Music For Brainwave Entrainment

Want to listen to some music, and get smarter, or have instant easy meditation? There are products now that "entrain" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state. Music is embedded with beats and pulses that entrain your brain waves to a specific frequency. Put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity, and you get better brain function. Science? Partly.

Brain wave frequencies vary with mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz you will generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state. Do these things really work?

Yes. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and disprove the wilder claims. Given my results, however, I wouldn't wait for more research. Many things work long before the scientific proof arrives.

If you are skeptical, you can wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment. Meanwhile, why not try classical music when you study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with music - Mozart isn't dangerous.

Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at <a target="_new" href="http://www.selfimprovementnow.com">http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com</a>

Singing: The Tonic of Life

Most people these days would associate singing with the popular music they see and hear on the radio and tv. This can make you feel like its beyond you, like it's some form of high skill that you need to be born with. A natural talent if you like. In fact singing is much more a part of our everyday lives than you might realize, and it can be a tonic for an improved state of mind and recipe for stress reduction and better health.

The best example of this is, think about the songs that when you hear them on the radio make you remember something wonderful in your past. The song that reminds you of your first kiss or when you proposed to your partner, or perhaps just some good times with friends at school or work. You can be sitting all alone feeling sorry for yourself about the way life has treated you and a song comes on the radio that reminds you of a great time in your life.

I'm sure you have songs that do this to you. Songs that you sing along to in the car at the top of your voice, ignoring the strange looks from other drivers at the lights. It can be a form of instant atitude adjustment and will often completely erase the effects of a bad day. This effect is multiplied ten fold if you can sing along with a favorite song. For the moments when you sing along you get to journey through a personal fantasy, a kind of mental movie of events that you recall related to that song. When you sing along to a CD in the car you get to momentarily exit this reality and visit another which is tailor made by you.

There is even a flip side to it. I still find it hard to listen to a particular Lead Zeppelen song which I associate with breaking up with my first wife. However, when I do hear it I feel like singing along because it makes me remember how much better things are now than when I was with her. Funny how that works.

If you are the sort of person who has a lot of emotional ups and downs in your life then you could try this little trick for a kind of instant pick me up. Make a CD up of about 10 of your favorite songs and keep it with you at all times. Make sure these songs are related to great times in your life. When you are annoyed or upset, or just need a bit of a boost put the CD on and play one song at random. Do not play more than one song and resist the urge to play the same song each time. Playing the same song will reprogram you to associate it with your current situation and it will loose it's effect. Then sing your head off! Make sure you are alone and sing from the heart. Don't spare the horses - just go for it. Make sure you take a good deep breath to start and concentrate on the sound of your own voice, not the voice of the singer in the song. This will help you pitch correctly and make you feel like you are a real singer on a stage.

Many people simply ignore music in their environment. They regard it as background noise like traffic or the murmur of people talking in a cafe. The truth is music is like a custom built emotional trigger. We all react to it in different ways. How many times have you found a piece of music totally distracting when you are trying to concentrate on something? This is because music is created specifically to evoke a response, it is looking to push your buttons, to make you participate. The next time you see some motor racing on the tv check out the sort of music they put behind it. It won't be Beethoven or Mozart, it will be high speed aggressive guitar music. How does it make you feel? This music is chosen to evoke an adrenelin response, to get you excited and feel like you are part of the action. Conversely, you are unlikely to hear thrashing guitars used behind a documentary about gorillas in Kenya, you will hear thoughtful music that is designed to create empathy and wonderment.

All this means that you should take more notice of the music around you and try to participate whenever you can. Above all, try to listen to music that allows you to sing and express your emotions, let it all hang out and don't give a damn about what other people think. The next step is to get better control of your singing voice. Try getting some kakaoke tracks and sing to those regularly. From there you might consider some actual <a target="_new" href="http://www.exploreyourvoice.com">singing lessons</a>. The benefits are huge in terms of improving your sense of wellbeing and confidence. Finally, pay a visit to The Explore Your Voice Show Podcast. It's a half hour downloadable mp3 audio show on the net where we talk about all aspects of singing, performing, and getting your voice into shape.

Michael Oliphant is a musician, producer, songwriter co-inventor of <a target="_new" href="http://www.exploreyourvoice.com">Explore Your Voice Singing Lessons</a> and co-hosts a regular free show on singing and performing called <a target="_new" href="http://www.exploreyourvoice.com/eyvshow/singing_lessons/eyvshow1.html">The Explore Your Voice Show Podcast</a>

The Revolution has begun - and it will not be Televised The new Artist Development Paradigm

In reflecting on the world of the Music Business in 2004, there were some very profound and dramatic changes that changed the nature of the Music Business itself. 2004 will always be remembered as the year the 'Big Five' became the 'Big Four' and don't be surprised if you're reading at this time next year and we're telling you about the 'Big Three'! Beside the Sony/BMG merger, 2004 will also be remembered as the year labels utilized aggressively utilized video games as a marketing vehicle for the launching of many of their artists.

It will also be remembered as the year when the public finally said &quot;No Thanks&quot; to the Concert Business in a very loud and clear way. The summer touring season especially, was taught some very painful and costly lessons regarding who and exactly how much the public is willing to pay to see an act and what they are no longer willing to pay for! As a result Clear Channel has removed Service fees from its ticket prices and drastically reduced parking at many of its venues. The Industry also learned some very valuable (and long overdue) lessons on the volume of acts the marketplace is able to absorb as well as the actual live-viability of some of those acts.

Of course, the most profound impact on the the music business, was the closure of four major labels; DreamWorks, Arista, Elektra and MCA (although MCA was reborn with far less staff as Geffen). These closures accounted for the loss of nearly 600 jobs. New labels were not as plentiful as in years past.

Of note, EMI Music Publishing Executive Evan Lamberg formed E.V.L.A., a new label via Atlantic for EMI-signed writers, Simon Fuller (American Idol) formed 19 Recordings in the US and UK, Artist Manager Dave Benveniste has a new label venture - Velvet Hammer Music via Sony/BMG and Artist Manager Joe Simpson (manager/father of Ashley & Jessica Simpson)formed JT via Geffen, Producer Kanye West has formed Good Music via Sony/BMG in Los Angeles. Shaquille O'Neal has come back into the Music Business via Deja 34 out of Atlanta.

In looking back over the past year, we're reminded of the many conversations we had with various Music Business Professionals from both sides of the Atlantic concerning the current state of the today's Music Industry. Without exception, there seems to be a very sobering sense that the Record Business we have known for the last 25 years is now gone. This is extremely troubling for many, sad for some and terribly exciting for others.

We see these times as an incredible opportunity for a total re-invention not just for Record Label A&R Depts., but for the entire spectrum of the Music Industry. If you as an Artist, Band, Agent, Manager or any other Music Business professional can not see that the old paradigm of artist development (the actual long-term process of building a career from the ground up) has been completely re-invented over the last few years, then you need to get out of this business. The old methods of doing things no longer apply. This may sound obvious to many of you, but you wouldn't believe how many so-called professionals within the business today that we speak to still believe that the only way an act can have a viable career today is to get that act signed to a major label. What we find so sad is that these people who believe this (and there are many) cannot even see that the very system they feel can & will accomplish this for an artist no longer even exists!

We've said this before, but it bears repeating - though no one has actually come out and said it (truth is, they may not even be consciously aware of it), Major Labels today are, with very rare exception, no longer willing to be in the business they have built over the last forty years. The 'old' process of signing, recording and developing talent takes far too long and is way too costly to achieve the results they desire in the time they have allotted. As a consequence, whether intended or not, (and this is the part many people simply can not see) is the Major Labels are now in the Promotion and Marketing business, but of course, only for those experienced artists who have already been developed that can be turned into Multi-Platinum sellers. Well, that certainly would be great, but that just isn't the world we live in anymore. Of course, there will always be Platinum sellers in the future, but far fewer of them. Today, there is simply too much choice available.

It's fascinating to observe some of the most influential Music Publications out there today such as pitchforkmedia.com, Blender to name 2 have hardly any mainstream artists in their Top 50 of 2004. Today, it's all about choices. The future of the music business will be thousands of niche artists selling fewer records. Much like cable television, which has a fraction of the audience but is profitable! And this is the most profound difference from the past in terms of A&R signings and looking at what will work in the Marketplace.

Under the old paradigm, the public, the majority of the time, only wanted (with few exceptions) what the Major Labels signed and sold to them (of course, that may have something to do with what was available, which is our point). Today, choices of music, are vastly wider and you have a far more of a diverse artist selection, not to mention various new formats make the choices almost infinite. And, as most of us have known for years, the marketplace is far broader (yes, people between the ages of 30-50 WILL BUY MUSIC when presented with Artists that they can connect with) than the Major Labels ever cared to acknowledge. How else could Ray Charles sell two million copies of a CD via a coffee chain (Starbucks) (before winning 5 Grammy's) or James Taylor sell over 1.3 million Christmas CD's via Hallmark without his CD even being available at retail? If either of these artists were at a Major Label, (James Taylor was with Columbia/SONY for 27 years up until last year) they most likely would not have sold more than 100,000 copies? tops!

These two examples provide an insightful illustration why several of the Major Labels are struggling today for their very survival. They truly can't see what their customers want. But in much deeper sense they have no desire to get to know what their customers want either. Don't get me wrong, there are several wonderful executives who work for the Major Labels, it's just that the corporate culture of most Major Labels at the top is so profoundly out of touch with the times we live in, they can not see their own part in the problems that face them. The building of careers is a luxury of time they no longer choose to contribute to. They THINK they do, but the reality is the opposite. In the merger of Sony & BMG's Music Divisions, they will let go of approximately 2,500 of their employees over the next five months, about 12% of their workforce and with 45% to 50% of that number coming from the U.S. operations. At this point, no one knows how many labels among the two labels will be closed or how many artists will be dropped by both companies as these two giants continue to streamline their worldwide music operations into one.

What's so sad about this merger in particular is that, unlike some mergers, where the intention of the merger is a vision of creating something greater, and better, something that neither company could achieve alone, this merger seems to be a grasp at mere survival. Other Major Label Groups have also streamlined their operations. Warner Music Group will let go of over 1600 employees during the next year and just recently dropped 93 of the 195 artists from their rosters (47%) and closed Elektra, a once thriving and core label within the Warner system. Last year EMI announced that it would drop 20% of its Artist roster over the next 12 months. Does this sound like an Industry that's interested in building or developing anything? It's like a struggling marriage where neither party is open, willing or even capable of really seeing what the issues are that continue to keep them stuck! So they just keep making decisions over and over that allow them to avoid examining what is really essential to their own survival!

'The Revolution has begun!'

The opportunities today are vast and limitless for those artists, bands, managers, and other individuals and companies who truly understand what is actually occurring, who can step back and see the decaying mechanism that many are still struggling to maintain for what it is ? not only a crumbling business model, but an entire way of viewing the world in which we used to live, but no longer do! The personal, business and artistic successes we are seeing today are from those individuals who can peer through this fog of delusion and see the business as it actually is; not as they want it to be or hope it will become, but how it actually is! Those individuals are moving freely and creatively interacting with our new social order while others, including some politicians (and apparently a lot of voters), are still clinging to a world or a way of thinking and being that no longer exists. It's only a faint echo acting like some spirit lingering that does not know its dead. Enough of us have had enough therapy to know that often in life, some of our biggest upsets are created by our refusal to see the difference between a world that we make believe exists and the world that truly does exist.

Forward-thinking Artist Managers, Agents, Venues, Indie Labels and the artists themselves are the ones who have become (and truthfully have been for some time) responsible for building the next generation of career-artists. There are many current examples that illustrate this. Look at what Ken Levitan (Vector Management) has so tastefully achieved with the launching of Damien Rice's career. Or how Coran Capsahw (Red Light Management) helped build and develop Dave Matthews' career before RCA signed him, by never losing sight of what the most fundamental elements are in this business ? Artist & Audience. Or Martin Kirkup & Steve Jensen (Direct Management) who have launched Jamie Cullum, a young &quot;piano man&quot; who had put out his own CD prior to his debut. The choices they made along the way in Cullums career, from showcasing him to the tastemakers at SXSW last year to not over-hyping him illustrate an entirely different way of thinking about an Artist and their career. Another great example is The Scissor Sisters, who went to the UK to launch their career, after finding no one in the US willing to sign them. Both of these acts went on to sell more than two million copies of their debut CD's. More importantly, they have found been able to build a solid audience for themselves. Careers are not supposed to be events, that have huge a build-up and then are over like The Super Bowl. The best ones are long journey's that are built on a solid and viable foundation that can sustain a wide array of paths and experiences. Each of these artists was able to build extremely solid and viable foundations without a Major Label and in most cases, no mainstream radio airplay at all. What these artists (and their managers) have in common (regardless of genre) was an entirely new way of thinking and approaching the marketplace with regards to the development of their careers. They all utilized new and non-traditional methods that did not have the luxury of an enormous marketing push behind it to create awareness. Most were lucky at the start to get Public Radio exposure and critical acclaim.

But today with so many more marketing and exposure options available to artists (ipods, webcasting, internet radio, websites, non-traditional retail; Amazon & Itunes to name just two) the acts who develop and build a career for themselves won't necessarily be household names in the first few years, but will instead have built something musch more important - a very solid base of fans that actually want their music and will attend their live performances. These artists will have built their following over a long period of time, not through hype and over-exposure on MTV or other media outlets that in so many cases today actually damage careers instead of enhancing them. Today, more than ever, we're looking for something real, something we feel a strong connection with. And more and more, we're finding it in non-traditional ways.

This is the tragedy of Major Labels ?(Tragedy, in the classic definition is defined as &quot;the fall from greatness through an unseen flaw in ones character). They keep looking for the &quot;formula&quot; that will give them the huge Multi-Platinum sellers that they once enjoyed. Only problem is, the system today doesn't allow these types of massive sellers like it did in the past. Today, we have far too many choices. And that's their tragic flaw. Major labels can not see that the harder and louder they continue to market their acts, the more the audience they're trying to reach doesn't seem to hear them or care for that matter.

It is this particular phenomenon that we believe will alter the type of artists, regardless of style, that will emerge and be able to build viable careers for themselves in the coming years. Will this new business model look like what came before? Not a chance! This will be one of the more difficult lessons for us as an industry to truly get. Letting go of what we've always held as the definition of success (Out-of The Box Top-10 radio hits, videos on MTV, endorsements for anything and everything, TV commercials, transitioning into motion pictures) These vehicles will no longer be seen as a path to career longevity. These are all things we have seen over and over during the last 5 years that have hurt careers when they occur too quickly or without any restraint. Too many of today's 'hit' artists seem so afraid that this moment right now is their ONLY chance in life to have a career, that they simply overwhelm the marketplace with every conceivable form of over-exposure, and often like the Major Labels, don't even see their own part in the short-circuiting of there own careers. Beyonce, Queen Latifah and even the wonderful actor Jude Law ? who has appeared in six films over the last 7 months -- are three examples who come to mind in different arenas of entertainment. Radio Hits, television ads, forgettable movies, MTV videos, magazine covers (Beyonce's 25 non-music magazine covers over the last 18 months were enough to overwhelm and alienate even the most devoted fan), along with countless product endorsements, award show appearances, movie premiers, television interviews, even boxes of hair color that stare back at you with their image from every grocery shelf in America. So many of today's act's are not out of our cultural conscienceness for more than an hour. How can you ever look forward to anything when it's never gone long enough to miss it? It's like meeting someone for the first time and feeling you have to tell them every single thing about yourself on the first date. What's the mystery? What's left to discover? And yet this has become, especially in the Music Business of the last 12 years the &quot;accepted modus operendi&quot; to launching a hit act. Is it any wonder that we don't have many artists who've built successful musical careers for themselves over the last 10-15 years?

The new breed of artists and managers (and yes, there are a few who do think long-term) emerging today do not appear to see their clients careers with this same unhealthy compulsion. They have a solid grasp of who and what they are and have been able to map out a career path that is consistent with that vision. This, more than anything is what will contribute toward building an artists career, rather than destroying it.

A development in the industry that we would be remiss in not mentioning is the recent trend of &quot;upstreaming&quot;. This is where an Independent label develops an act from the ground up and at a certain sales level, the act goes upstream to the Major Label system. The catch is, of course, that the smaller label will have to give up their acts to the major if the acts become successful. The great flaw in this scenario is that the major labels have traditionally thought that any act doing 100-250K on an independent label should be able to do at least three times that within a Major Label System. As we've seen over the last few years, 'it just ain't so!' Most acts do not go from 150K to 500K in the course of 1 album. And there is nothing wrong with that. An act's evolution (artistic & commercial development) is an organic process and a long one. We don't expect children to walk in their first six months nor should we. Often, the problems with the Major Labels' expectations are the unrealistic sales goals set for their acts simply because the act is now in a 'Major' system. So often I've seen labels set their spending based on totally unrealistic sales expectations. All too often, a label declares that its sales goals have not been met and drops the act. Is it any wonder that our industry has produced fewer and fewer career artists over the last fifteen years? That is also why all of the Major Label Artist Rosters will continue to get smaller and smaller. Like we said, they no longer have the desire to be in the career-building, artist development business and, as such, no longer need the enormous infrastructures they once had when they needed to support three hundred artists on a roster. With the labels continuing to operate in this manner, you have to wonder where the great catalogs of the future will will come from. Well, one thing's for certain, it won't be from the major labels - they have no interest in this process. They want the natural forces of the marketplace to develop talent for them.

It is a truly fascinating phenomenon to watch the major labels put time, money, energy and focus into developing up and coming independent labels rather than develop artists themselves, something they historically di so well over the last 40 years.

The most fascinating aspect of this entire process to us is how many artists and bands today WANT NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH MAJOR LABELS AT ALL! This is a truly a growing sentiment among alot of unsigned acts today. A lot of Artists today, have seen too many acts careers over the last 10 years meander, implode or become lost in a system that they truly had no business being in the first place.

If Major Labels are to survive in the future they are going to have to re-invent themselves. They are going to have to start seeing their business as it truly is today ? Not how they would &quot;like it to be&quot; or &quot;how it was&quot; but how it actually is. Like Werner Ehart so brilliantly said &quot;The Truth will set you free, but first it will really piss you off!

Ritch Esra Stephen Trumbull Publishers Music Business Registry 818-995-7458

Why Do Music Lovers Still Prefer to Buy Records?

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, &quot;perfect&quot; 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 &quot;more&quot; 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 &quot;artificial&quot; or &quot;metallic&quot;, lacking the &quot;warmth&quot; 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.

?Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing.

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>.

Celtic Music: The Japanese Connection

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.

? 2005 Ron Korb - All Rights Reserved

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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>

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10 Ways for Unknown Musicians to Get the Word Out

When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper doesn't like you, how do you win over new audiences?

The good news: there are many, many ways. Here are ten of my favorites.

1. Approach a local college or alternative radio station or community access cable TV station with a programming idea, like a live songwriter showcase. Other musicians will want to be a part of your show, and you'll build an audience for your own music--and theirs.

2. Write CD or concert reviews for a local alternative (or mainstream) paper.

3. Give copies of your CD away to public radio and TV stations for their fund drive premiums.

4. Organize, publicize, and perform at charity events for your favorite causes.

5. Lead songwriting or performing workshops in the schools (these are usually paying gigs, and all the parents hear your name). Invite some of the kids to perform with you; they're sure to bring a bunch of relatives along who will pay for their tickets and maybe buy a CD.

6. Announce your gigs in every community calendar. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations, community web sites, cable TV stations--they all run event listings. Type out one paragraph that includes a tag line about what you do, such as "Sandy Songwriter, River City's 'Homegrown Bono,' will perform labor songs and love ballads at The Trombone Shop, 444 4th Street in Downtown River City, Wednesday, January 15, 7 p.m." If admission is free or there's a charity connection, say so. Include contact phone number and e-mail.

7. Find Internet discussion groups related to your cause. Whether it's immigration, voting reform, peace, safe energy, the right to choose...there will be discussion groups online. Post responses and include a "sig"--a short on-line business card. Use different sigs for different purposes. Here's one of mine (in a real e-mail, it would be single-spaced):

__________________________

Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@frugalfun.com, 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388

"I make the world INSIST on learning why YOU'RE special"

News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, web copy, resumes, etc.

http://www.frugalmarketing.com * http://www.principledprofits.com

_____________________________

8. Set up a simple low-cost website. Include a couple of sound clips, pictures of you performing, a place for people to sign up for your fan newsletter, a link to your favorite musicians, and, of course, your tour schedule and gig availability.

9. Get exposure on other people's websites. Write CD reviews, endorse their music with a blurb, submit articles on the local music scene...and always include your contact information and a statement that encourages people to visit your site.

10. Use the letters columns. Call in to talk shows. Post messages to Web forums...in short, use every feedback tool you have to spread the word.

Copywriter, marketing consultant, and speaker Shel Horowitz is the author of six books and publisher of five websites, five webzines and three ezines. His two most recent, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First (<a target="_new" href="http://www.principledprofits.com">http://www.principledprofits.com</a>) and Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World (<a target="_new" href="http://www.frugalmarketing.com">http://www.frugalmarketing.com</a>) have both won awards. He's currently engaged in a campaign to get 25,000 people to sign--and spread--the Business Ethics Pledge: <a target="_new" href="http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html">http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html</a>

JOHN LENNON - The Man and His Times

John Lennon wasn't always my favorite Beatle; at first it was Paul. But gradually, over a period of time, it was John Lennon who won my heart. I think the transition began sometime during the latter part of the 1960s. Back then, it seemed to my young mind, that the world was falling apart. Revolution and anarchy were on the doorstep. John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had each been assassinated, riots were springing up all over the south, Watts was burning and the war in Viet Nam was escalating. Out of the turmoil a growing hunger was born among many of my generation, including myself, for truth and peace.

During this period I had one brother who was fighting in the jungles of Viet Nam and another who had recently returned from overseas. I can remember taking part in some of the protests at my school, which consisted of "sit-ins", walking out of class, and wearing black arm bands in recognition of the soldiers who had died. The Peace Movement became very important to me and my hero in this effort was John Lennon. John and Yoko were staging several protests in hopes of raising public awareness and support for peace in Viet Nam, as well as other human rights issues they cared about. I followed there activities with great interest and gave what I could to their cause. So you can imagine how strange it seemed after all those years, to find myself standing in the boyhood home of John Lennon, quietly paging through a book which he had written.

It was the summer of 2003 and my husband and I were on an extended honeymoon in Britain. Two years earlier he had met a woman whose husband had gone to school with John Lennon. When she learned that we were planning a trip to England, she offered to give us a private tour of the Beatles' stomping grounds. Through a mysterious set of circumstances we were able to visit the home where John Lennon lived as a boy, as well as each of the other Beatles' homes in Liverpool. We also went to The Cavern, where the Beatles often played prior to being "discovered" by Brian Epstein, and Abbey Road Studios in London, where they produced their last album.

John Lennon was born "John Winston Lennon" October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England. His parents, Fred and Julia Lennon, divorced when he was about four or five years old, leaving him to be raised by his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. John never saw his father again (except for one very brief episode in 1964), but Julia continued to make sporadic visits from time to time. As a little boy, John would sometimes hide when his mother Julia came to see him, because the emotional pain was too much for him to bear. Though his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George did their best to provide a good home, John always felt abandoned and unloved. He became angry and rebellious as a result and gained a reputation as a bully or "Teddy-Boy". Then one day he heard a new kind of music on the radio, called Rock and Roll, and his life was changed forever. From that point forward all he wanted to do was learn how to play the guitar.

Well, as they say, the rest is history. The Beatles soon emerged and later took the world by storm in 1964 when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Their first American single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was released and distributed through a small record label in December of the previous year, and by January it had leaped to number one. The song had sold 1.5 million copies within five days and was expected to reach two million in another month. This was an unprecedented phenomenon in the recording industry at the time when a hit song usually reached it's peak in sales at 200,000. Now all the other "big" record companies that had originally scoffed at them, were kicking themselves in the you know what for being so blind to the Beatles unique sound and charisma. Since then, the Beatles and their music have exceeded more than three decades of fame and popularity.

John Lennon was, himself, a very gifted writer, songwriter and poet. To this day, the "Songwriting Techniques of John Lennon; The Beatle Years" is one of the most popular classes offered at California's Berklee School of Music. His lyrics could be abstract and difficult to understand, or extremely simple and straightforward, often providing a rich spectrum of color and creativity through the use of metaphor and simile. John had a keen mind, quick wit and sharp tongue. It seemed as if he was always searching for something just beyond his reach, something to fill the emptiness and give meaning to his life. Happiness had somehow eluded him until he met Yoko Ono, after which he became completely disenchanted with the Beatles, and announced that he was leaving the group for good. "I want a divorce" he told Paul, and the Beatles were formally dissolved by January of 1971, each going their separate ways.

On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot dead on the streets of Manhatten, New York, just outside his home, by a lone gunman named Mark Chapman. Chapman later signed a statement for the police saying "I never wanted to hurt anybody. My friends will tell you that. I have two parts in me. The big part is very kind; the children I worked with will tell you that. I have a small part in me that cannot understand the world and what goes on in it. I did not want to kill anybody and I really don't know why I did it..."

I don't know why it still seems so ironic and hard to believe that John Lennon was murdered. Maybe it's because he had come to represent a message of hope and peace for my generation. John had developed a social conciousness that was not unlike others who had gone before him; men like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. None of these men were perfect, but they were all influential in making us aware of the larger picture. They pointed out the need for change and the importance of developing new ideas. They knew how to draw us in close and inspire us to dream, to imagine, and to pursue doing whatever we can to help establish a better world.

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">http://www.abclearnguitar.com</a>

How to Use the Entire Piano Keyboard

There are 88 keys on the piano keyboard. Most pianists use about 1/3 of this number most of the time. Why?

Well, if you're playing sheet music, the answer lies in how the composer used the piano. If you're creating your own music, the answer lies in experimenting with the possibilities.

Now, most of my own music is played near the middle of the keyboard. It's not planned that way but this is the area of the piano I naturally gravitate towards when sitting down to play. Of course, I do and have used most notes available on the piano and it would be a shame not to. But I allow the music to tell me where it wants to go. If I sit down with a predetermined agenda to play high notes, then I am not listening to my intuition.

Although I have to admit that in Lesson 5: "Winter Scene" I wanted to create a crisp wintry sound so I started further up the keyboard with the left hand and played higher register notes in my right. But most times, I will let my intuition guide me and 9 times out of 10 begin at the middle of the keyboard.

There is nothing wrong or uncreative about this at all. In fact, it doesn't really matter where you begin because once started, the heart and mind work together as one bringing you the ideal music. It is the only true music that could come out of you because you listen to what your heart wants to play. If you play a few bass notes to begin with fine. Want to start at the high end of the piano, OK.

The key here is authenticity. Some compositions and improvisations sound contrived because they were - that is they were thought up. There really is nothing wrong per se with this approach - as long as you let the music guide you. For example, you may decide you want to do as I did and create a certain mood piece. However, once you get the general idea for the music, let it guide you to where it wants to go - that is, listen, listen, listen for what is coming next. This approach never fails and will most always yield good results.

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!

The History Of Drums - A Journey Of Sound

Music and musical instruments are an extremely important part of human history. The use of rhythm and song has long been used to express meaning, and feeling and accompany rituals.

Music has been part of human life for as long as anyone can trace. Early civilizations of humans used music as a way to communicate and express feelings. Out of all of the musical instruments that we see in our society today and use on a regular basis, there is one instrument that stands out in musical history, the drum.

The history of drums is interesting and unique. When you examine this instrument historically, you will find that drums have had a place in almost all cultures around the globe. Variations of drums and drum sets occurred in many different cultures, the standard variety of a drum consisted simply of a hollowed out log or gourd with a piece of skin stretched taunt. Different sizes of gourds and logs created different sounds and beats.

The African Influence

In most African cultures, drums were very important in the use of rituals and religious ceremonies. The people of different African tribes relied on the use of drums to express themselves and when the slave trade began, the drums made the journey across the ocean as well.

African drums and drummers provided a unique sound that heavily influenced Western Rock and Roll music. Those same rhythms and beats still provide a strong influence in today's sounds.

The Early Drum Set

When it was discovered that one player could play two or more drums at the same time, people started placing groups of drums together for one musician to play. These groups were comprised of an assimilation of drums of different cultures and from all around the globe. Cymbals and tom tom drums were brought in from China and the size was adjusted to allow for ease of play when played with drumsticks.

In the early 1930's, musicians slowly discovered with the proper drum placement and a lot of practice, one musician could handle a set of drums, and an entire band of drum players was not required anymore. Thus, a basic kit evolved and took place.

In An Early Kit

The early drum kits were simple in their design, they typically consisted only of:

1) A bass and foot pedal
2) A snare drum
3) Tom Toms
4) A hi hat cymbal
5) One or two sets of hanging cymbals

The Evolution Of The Drum Set

In the 1930's the drum set was heavily influenced by the sounds of the time, and the early forms of Rock and Roll music. The sounds had a strong basic beat backing them.

In the 1950's as Rock and Roll music began to develop, the sounds became more complex and likewise, the drum sets became more evolved, with new additions added to them. Rockers began expanding the drum kits adding more cymbals and tom toms drums to them. In addition, as time went on, electronic drums were added to the drum kits as well. All of these additions allowed the musicians to expand their sounds and diversify their music.

Types Of Drum Kits

In the past, as drums evolved and drum kits developed, new companies were formed and products were fine-tuned and made better. The Ludwig Drum Company is known as one of the most influential and historical drum companies of our time.

The Ludwig drum company was started by a young man who enjoyed playing the drums. He could not find a bass pedal that would hold up to his intense drumming style. He shopped around everywhere and could not find an appropriate pedal, so he fashioned one out of wood. The pedal was superior to anything else on the market. His brother, felt that an even stronger pedal could be created out of a metal product, so they teamed up to create an even better bass pedal. Thus, the Ludwig Drum Company was born.

Ringo Starr, the famous drummer for The Beatles used a Ludwig drum set and was known for preferring the Ludwig drums. He is said to still own the original Ludwig drum set that he played with the Beatles.

There have been many other types of drum kits and company names that have played an important and influential role in the history of drums. Yamaha, Pearl, Tama and Gretsch are all famous brand names whose drums and drum kits have helped form the drum set, as we know it today.

The Future For Drums

What does the future hold for drum sets? No one can be sure. However, with the creation of more and more technology, we can be sure that the sounds will evolve even more. A combination of new sounds and traditional will always be found. And the limit for drum set creation will simply be the imagination of the musicians.

? 2005 http://www.drum-sets-now.com

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 kits</a>, African drums, percussion instruments and more.

Protocol for Piping a Formal Dinner: A Ceremonial Guide for Highland Bagpipers

It is believed that the custom of dining in began in the monasteries, was adopted by the early universities, and later spread to military units when the officer's mess was established. British officers of the 19th century were drawn from the aristocracy, and while they considered themselves gentlemen, they were not necessarily men of means; third and fourth sons had little chance of inheriting title and lands under primogeniture. While the pooling of resources may have been out of economic necessity, the regimental officer's mess maintained the social stratification of English society and ensured that the traditions of gentlemanly conduct were maintained and inculcated to junior officers. The primary elements are a rigidly formal setting, espirit de corps and the camaraderie of peers, a fine dinner, traditional toasts to the head of state and military services, martial music and the attendance of honored guests or speakers. Today, although the purpose of a dinner may be to observe an appointment, promotion, retirement, or some auspicious occasion, a central theme of such events is a ceremonial focus upon the history of the host organization.

While the tradition of having a piper at high table may have it's origins in the clan system in Scotland & Ireland, the formal dinners and dining in ceremonies as we know them today are directly attributable to the traditions of the officers mess in the British Army and Royal Navy. Originally fife & drums or trumpeters were employed to sound the calls; as Highland regiments were organized, pipers were employed not only for this purpose, but to celebrate great battles and victories in the history of the regiment and to memorialize their dead, quite in keeping with the Celtic bardic tradition. It should be borne in mind that originally Army pipers were outfitted and paid not by the Exchequer but exclusively by the officer's mess; without their patronage, modern Highland regiments wouldn't have ever had pipers, and without the Army to maintain and build upon this tradition the great Highland bagpipe would be about as familiar to most people today as the zampogna.

When a piper is requested to pipe the calls and the music at a formal dinner, you might be engaged to perform throughout dinner; to provide a limited performance such as pipe in the head table, pipe the lament and/or pipe in the port; or to simply pipe in the head table and depart. While there are many different traditions associated with formal dining, the following are some of the customs associated with piping a formal dinner. You may be requested to perform some, all, or some variant of any of them on occasion.

Dress

Such affairs are invariably formal, requiring black tie, occasionally white tie, or full parade regalia. Miniature decorations and medals are worn. If flying a pipe banner, ensure that the drone cords and/or ribbons are to the left of the banner; i.e., not over the regimental crest. If there is more than one piper, the banner is traditionally flown by the ranking piper present, who will lead the detachment, formed up in order of rank or seniority.

Seating

The seating arrangement at the head table is always based on rank, seniority and status. The host sits in the middle, the next senior person (or guest of honor) to his/her right, the next senior person to his/her left and so on, until all are seated. The senior-ranking member of the mess is the head (or &quot;President&quot;) of the mess dinner and sits in the center. The President of the Mess may appoint a second (&quot;Mr. Vice&quot;), usually the junior officer of the mess, who will be in charge of planning, and who usually occupies the seat farthest from the host, sometimes on the far right, sometimes at another table. Officers take precedence over civilians. If a guest speaker has no rank or status, he/she is positioned as close to the center (right of the host) as possible without offending rank precedence. Chaplains are usually included at the head table, usually at the far left of the President.

Warning Calls

15 minute and 5 minute warning calls are usually sounded to alert the guests that dinner is about to be served, and may be provided by a piper. When piping warning calls a short up-tempo tune is required but no specific title may be prescribed. In some regiments it would be the Officers Call (e.g., &quot;All the Blue Bonnets Are O'er The Border&quot;). A naval tradition is to ring &quot;six bells&quot; (19:00) on a ship's bell for the 15-minute warning (if dining at 7:15 PM, of course). Dinner may be signaled by a brief pipe tune (&quot;Brose and Butter&quot; is a traditional one), followed by the host or master of ceremonies announcing, "Dinner is served!&quot;

March-in

The guests (except the head table) will proceed into the dining room and remain standing behind their chairs; the closer to top table, the higher the rank or seniority. You may be requested to pipe in the guests. The head table forms up in order of seating, led by the host and the principal guest. When cued, lead the people of the head table into the dining room playing an appropriate tune; &quot;Roast Beef of Old England&quot;, &quot;A Man's A Man for all That&quot;, &quot;Prince of Denmark's March&quot;, or the regimental march. If space permits, parade counter clockwise around the room. This is particularly important when flying a drone banner. The regimental crest on the obverse of the banner is always displayed first. When everyone is in place, continue to march, and finish playing at the halt near the dining-room entrance. At a signal from the host, stop playing and remain at attention until grace has been said. If you are not to provide the music during dinner, march from the room after grace is said.

Posting the Colors

An honor guard may post and retire the colors; as a piper you may be requested to pipe them in and out. As the American and Canadian national anthems cannot be properly played on the pipes, other appropriate patriotic tunes must be selected. If you march in with the color guard, make sure that you're well rehearsed in their drill first; they march in close order with wheeling movements to change direction. Of course, if not playing stand at attention with pipes down for the National Anthem(s). If you're flying a drone banner, watch the color guard and drop your bass drone from horizontal when they dip the colors.

The Lament

In some military and veterans organizations it is customary to remember comrades killed in action, sometimes with an empty place setting, sometimes with a small table before the head table. You may be requested to play a lament in their memory. &quot;Flowers of the Forest&quot; is traditional, but other laments may work equally as well if the host has expressed no preference.

Piping in the Beef

In some traditions, the main course (traditionally beef) is ceremoniously piped in to the head table (or &quot;Mr. Vice&quot;), which will sample it and formally announce it fit for consumption. &quot;Roast Beef of Old England&quot; or &quot;A Man's a Man For All That&quot; may be used if not played previously to pipe in the head table. You may pipe the beef out as well.

Piping in the Haggis

If haggis is served (such as a Burn's Dinner), pipe the haggis to the head table to &quot;A Man's a Man For All That&quot;. Stand at attention for the recital of Burn's &quot;Address to a Haggis&quot;, and participate in the toast to his &quot;immortal memory&quot;. Pipe the haggis out to &quot;Neil Gow's Farewell to Whisky&quot;.

Main Course Music

Wait until all at the head table has been served before beginning to play suitable selections intermittently throughout the main course. A piobaireachd is often considered customary. If parading around the room, it is customary to start &quot;widdershins&quot;; counterclockwise. If flying a pipe banner, it may be appropriate to countermarch as well, in order to display the unit crest on the obverse side. Prior to the port wine being served, the host/delegate will signal you to stop playing.

Piping in the Port

An old custom is the piping in of the port wine for the Loyal Toast. After dessert and coffee are served, tables are cleared except for the table decorations and wine glasses. No special music is required, but it should be short and appropriate. On cue, lead the wine stewards into the dining room, positioning yourself at a predetermined spot, and continue to play until the wine is about to be sampled and declared potable by the host. Sometimes the piper will play as the port is passed down the tables as the guests charge their glasses. Remain at attention until the Loyal Toast is drunk and then march from the room, unless required to stay for the Toast to the Corps.

Loyal Toast

If a Commonwealth dinner (or if UK guests are present), you may be requested to play &quot;God Save the Queen&quot; before the Loyal Toast. The person proposing the toast will ask everyone to stand and join him in a toast to the Queen. The member will then raise his/her wineglass shoulder high and say: "The Queen". The assembly will respond: "The Queen".

If an American dinner, the host may propose a toast to the Commander-in-Chief. Mr. Vice seconds this by rising and addressing the company, saying, "Gentlemen, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States". Each member and guest then stands, repeats in unison the toast (e.g., "The Commander-in-Chief of the United States"), sips the drink, and remains standing. The band then plays the National Anthem. If piping, play &quot;America the Beautiful&quot; or &quot;God Bless America&quot;. At the conclusion of the music, members and guests are again seated.

Toast to the Corps

You may be requested to play the regimental march prior to a Toast to the Corps. Unfortunately, the only American regimental marches that &quot;fit&quot; well on the pipes are the &quot;Marine Corps Hymn&quot; and &quot;Semper Paratus&quot;.

Paying the Piper

At the conclusion of your performance, the host may offer you (or the lead piper) a quaich containing a dram (about 3.5 ml) of whisky. Stand to the left of the host. Taking the quaich in both hands, hold it shoulder high and face the head table. It is traditional for the piper to toast the head table (Sl?inte! &quot;to your health&quot; in Gaelic; phonetically Slanjer or Slanja), turn to the company and offer a formal toast. Following the toast, you're expected to drink the whisky in one draught, toast the company (Sl?inte!), and flip the cup over and kiss the bottom. Following the ceremony, take your leave of the head table and march from the room. Unless you're Gaelic is very good, you're probably best off offering your formal toast in English.

The traditional Pipe Major's toast of the Liverpool Scottish might be adapted to a range of events;

Gaelic Slainte mhor, Slainte Banrighinn

Slainte agus buaidh gu brath

le Gillean Forbasach.

Phonetic Slanjervaw, slanjer banreen

Slanjer aggus booey goo bra

la gillian forbusach

English Good health, health to the Queen

Health and success for ever

to the Forbes lads

Conclusion

At the conclusion of the dinner, you may be requested to play the National Anthem. As neither &quot;The Star Spangled Banner&quot; nor &quot;Oh Canada&quot; can be played successfully on the limited tonal range of the pipes, play &quot;America the Beautiful&quot; or &quot;Maple Leaf Forever&quot; instead. Of course, if not playing stand at attention with pipes down for the National Anthem(s). If you're flying a drone banner, watch the color guard and drop your bass drone from horizontal when they dip the colors.

Duty Tunes of the 48th Highlanders of Canada

Officers Mess Call (15 minutes)

&quot;Bannock & Barley Meal&quot;

Meal Call (5 minutes)

&quot;Caller Herrin'&quot;

Pipe in Guests

&quot;Lt. Col. Robertson&quot;

Pipe in Head Table

&quot;Highland Laddie&quot;

Lament

&quot;Flowers of the Forest&quot;

First Set (Main Course)

Ends with &quot;Highland Laddie&quot;

Second Set (Dessert)

Ends with &quot;Lt. Col. Robertson&quot;

Pipe Major's Toast:

Host:

A Mh?idseir na p?oba, ?lamaid deoch-sl?inte!

(Pipe Major, let us drink a toast)

Pipe Major's reply:

A h-uile latha a ch? 's nach fhaic, an d? fhicheadamh 's a h-ochd gu br?th! Sl?inte don Bh?nrigh! Sl?inte Mh?r! Sl?inte!

(Every day that I see you, or that I don't see you, the 48th forever! Health to the Queen! Great good health! Health!)

<a target="_new" href="http://home.sprintmail.com/~ejb/Piper.htm">Piper for Hire; Tampa Bay, FL</a>

Bagpiper available for weddings, receptions, formal dinners, ceremonies, corporate functions, funerals, memorials, and special events of all kinds throughout the greater Tampa Bay area.

How to Get Past Creative Blocks

When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there were times when the music just wouldn't flow. No matter what I did, I couldn't make it go any further. Blocked and frustrated, I wondered why this happened. One minute I would be in flow and enjoying the process of playing the piano. The next, I would find myself trying to come up with material

I soon realized that the more I tried to "come up" with something, the more blocked I became. The solution to this particular problem is simple, yet many find it to be frustrating in itself.

The answer is simply to walk away. That's right! If you're playing the piano and it just won't come anymore, I suggest getting up and finding something else to do. Why? Because you can not force play! It's that simple. And that difficult because we want to get back into the "groove." But getting back to this place requires you to ease up a bit.

You see, the creative process is somewhat similar to meditation. Meditation can't be forced or willed into working. It must be allowed to work. So too the creative process. There are times when I won't touch the piano for weeks on end. This used to bother me until I saw that I needed time away - a regenerative period so to speak.

Natalie Goldberg of "Writing Down the Bones" fame describes this lackluster period as composting. Don't worry about losing your creative ability. You never lost it. Just give it time to compost and when you return to the music, you will hear something new and wonderful!

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!

What is Guitar Tablature and Can I Find It Online?

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments and the online guitar community probably the most popular of its kind. There are thousands of guitarists connected via online communities sharing guitar tabs, tips and stories and there are many of websites dedicated to sharing guitar music, tablature and even guitar lessons. Some you have to pay for, but there's a lot out there for free.

Beginning guitarists and professionals alike can take advantage of what is available for free on the Internet. It's true, you can really download guitar tablature for free on the Internet. There are literally thousands of pieces available for download, everything from classical and jazz music to rock and pop. Try typing "guitar tablature", "guitar tabs" or "guitar sheet music" into your favorite search engine. This will bring up a plethora of websites which offer music for download. Some sites will charge a membership fee, but offer samples for free so that you can try them out. At first it is difficult to sift through all the sites and find one that is suitable for your needs, but stick with it, and you'll find exactly what you want.

Some sites specialize in specific music genres, such as classical or rock. Some sites have audio samples of the sheet music so that you can actually listen to unknown pieces before you download. In the end you may choose to pay a membership fee to take advantage of added services that these sites provide.

But before you do that take advantage of everything that's free. The Internet is such a great place for picking up guitar tricks and tips or even learning the instrument on your own.

Start by doing a Google search for "Free guitar lessons" (use quotation marks) and the top five search results will yield websites with archives full of free guitar lessons. These lessons are designed with the absolute beginner in mind. The advantage of learning the guitar on the Internet is that you can take your lesson whenever you have time or are in the mood and you never have to leave the comfort of your own home. You'll start off with all the basics: learn about the parts of the guitar, learn how it works, learn scales, strumming patterns, chromatic scales, as well as many songs to play. Despite the relative ease of the Internet, lessons should be taken in the order that they are written.

And remember, your Internet lessons may be free, but they aren't miracle workers, you still have to commit to a regular program of study and practice.

Dean Erickson - Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of <a target="_new" href="http://www.guitar-tab-finder.com/">http://www.guitar-tab-finder.com/</a> on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

How Many Songs Are In Your Pocket?

The portable MP3 player continues to be the hot item for those who want music on the go. I was talking to a teen the other day wearing a wristwatch MP3 player she takes on her walks. She showed me how it stores & plays about 60 songs and does everything but tell time.

&quot;Cool&quot;, I said, &quot;That's a lot of music.&quot;

&quot;Yeah, it's not an iPod, but good enough for me now.&quot; She explained apologetically.

Why was the 60 song capacity such a disappointment? I can't even name 60 songs.

Well, the iPod is the undisputed king of all MP3 players and it holds a lot of music. I got my first real demo from my 16 year old niece last Christmas. Her cute and wanting little sister threatened to enter the work force early to obtain her own. Every kid wants one bad, but read on, these gizmos aren't cheap!

The iPod has caused the rebirth of Apple Computer, Inc., which has sold over 10 million units as of Q1 2005, with annual sales growing at a respectable 525 percent! I haven't seen that kind of growth since the invention of toilet paper. Apple has also become an industry-leading innovator in selling music online from their iTunes website.

Take an iPod Tour

The iPod Shuffle is the baby of the family, offering 512MB of space, which can hold about 120 songs and set you back $99.00. But everyone must ask themselves in the mirror, "Can you show your face at a party packing only 99 songs?" If you're not sure, better buy a little insurance in the form of the 1-gigabyte Shuffle, which can hold 240 songs. ($149.00) Your peers will recognize that you're in the iPod game, albeit entry level.

For some, 240 songs barely scrapes the surface dust of their collection, coercing them to consider the iPod Mini which can hold 1,000 songs ($199) or the 6GB Mini, which holds 1500 songs. ($249) I noticed that Apple is still using diminutive adjectives for this product level, and I guess the message is that the "Mini" is for a puny music collection that is tiny and rather small-ish. So be careful when giving this one as a gift.

"Here son, I got you an "iPod Mini" for your birthday!"

"Thanks Dad, but what do I look like, a baby? It only holds 1500 songs! They'll laugh at me! "

"But son, my generation needed a moving crane and a 3 man crew to bring in a machine that could play that much music."

"I thought you loved me..."

If your unsure of the size of your child's music library, the "regular" iPod is the way to go. ($299) Everyone on this level is "normal" and "common" and no one can be singled out for ridicule. Perfect for a young teen! And 20GB of space gives you that benchmark 5,000 songs, which is probably considered usual and customary in a world economy that had a ten-year run at emptying the product off the digital shelves of the record industry for free.

Granted, there are many who would beg for death rather than leave the house with so many songs left behind on their 'big' computers. The 60GB iPod Photo ($449.00) would be the choice for them. It can hold 15,000 of your favorite songs, or 25,000 of only your best looking photos. I keep my 25,000 photos in bins out in the garage. (Admittedly, they're a little bulky to carry around, and I have difficulty with retrieval when I desire to look up a particular birthday or holiday memory.)

But if you're buying any of these for your kids birthday, better up their allowance, or put them to work down at the mill because these iPods are specifically designed to download from the iTunes website for 99 cents a track.

Napster

Napster began hollering &quot;Do the Math!&quot; from the sidelines with a spot during the Superbowl. They spent $2.2 million to ask the question, &quot;How much does it cost to fill up your player?&quot; The spot is no longer on the company website, but it showed a guy in the Superbowl stands holding a sign that read, "Do The Math"

iTunes + 10,000 songs = $10,000.00

Napster + MP3 player = $15.00 per month

It appears like Napster wins the championship of MP3 players hands down! Napster has a million songs that you can download day and night for only $15.00! (I wonder if they paid for all those.) But there was a sentence printed in the ad, that was so small I didn't catch it on my father-in-law's big screen which takes two houses to contain. They only flashed it for a moment so it must not have been important. I looked it up later: &quot;Subscription must be maintained to continue to access songs downloaded from service.&quot; Turns out, with Napster's service, you're not buying, but rather, you're renting the music. You can't burn them onto a CD and you can only use them on certain MP3 players. When you quit paying the $15.00 per month, the music disappears...no matter how long it took you to download it all. If you want to buy a song from Napster, it will cost you... drum roll please... 99 cents!

So is the real math?

iPod = Napster?

So my music loving friends, here is how I add up the numbers:

For $9900 you can download 10,000 songs from either Napster or iTunes and own them. Or for the same price you can download an unlimited amount of songs from Napster for 55 years, but you can't leave them to your children.

Rick David writes a humor column called, <a target="_new" href="http://sandiego.merchantamerica.com/index.php?x=articles&type=is_sd"> "Don't Laugh It Could Happen To You"</a> for <a target="_new" href="http://sandiego.merchantamerica.com">http://sandiego.merchantamerica.com</a>

The Dos and Donts of Getting Your Child to Love Learning an Instrument

We all know that music can be inspiring, entertaining, and exhilarating. There are few things more enjoyable than listening to good music. If you're lucky enough to be able to play a musical instrument, you know the joy that can come from strumming those strings, tapping those keys, or blowing those reeds. It's immeasurable. But, with all the amazing aspects of music, why is it such a struggle to get your child to enjoy learning how to play an instrument? Some children naturally enjoy the learning process, while others rally against it like it with all their will.

If you're the parent of such a willful musical holdout, thankfully for you there are simple ways to help your child love learning an instrument. For your benefit (and sanity), I'd like to share the following tips-the Do's and Don'ts of getting your child to love learning an instrument-so that music is always a pleasure to your family's ears.

What to Do If You Want Your Child to Enjoy Learning an Instrument

If you want your child to enjoy playing, then you should:

? Always give the highest compliments for progress and commitment

? Spend time listening to your child practice and play without criticizing

? Share your favorite music with your child

? Make music a part of your everyday (e.g., visit places where a variety of music can be appreciated like concerts and recitals)

? Provide the best equipment you can afford for your child and make sure the instrument is well-maintained

? Encourage your child to talk with you about his or her lessons

? After practice has been completed, encourage your child to experiment with music

? Make available the opportunity for your child to play for others without pressuring him or her to do so

What Not to Do If You Want Your Child to Enjoy Learning an Instrument

If you want your child to enjoy playing, then you can't:

? Have unreasonable expectations for progress

? Turn practice into a penalty

? Make your child perform for others when they say &quot;no&quot;

? Provide substandard equipment and think your child will be able to play like a virtuoso on it

? Criticize or make fun of small mistakes in your child's playing

? Make apologies to others if your child doesn't play perfectly

What to Do If Your Child Doesn't Want to Practice

If your child is losing interest in playing, practicing, and/or performing, there are a number of things you can do as a parent to help remedy the situation.

? Talk with your child. Find out why your child doesn't seem as interested in playing any more. Refrain from criticizing, but be sure to ask plenty of questions to see if you can get to the heart of the matter. Does your child not like his or her teacher? Choice of instrument? Time of practice? Type of music? Length of practice?

? If your child is taking formal music lessons, speak with the teacher and brainstorm ways to create renewed interest

? Assess why it's important to you for your child to learn an instrument and make sure it's your child's decision to play as well as yours

? Start wheeling and dealing. Talk out an agreement with your child. If your child will commit to continue with lessons for a set period of time, he or she can choose to quit after fulfilling that commitment

? Be the best cheerleader you can be. Your enthusiasm, support, and compliments can make all the difference in the world to your child. Be their number one fan!

Ultimately, you just want our kids to learn a love for music as well as a love for learning, right? There are few more satisfying experiences than when a child learns both of these life lessons. Do everything you can to foster a passion for learning and music in your home.

Knowing what to do and what not to do is so important if want to grow as a harmonious and happy family. You can do it.

Starting from the top now, and a one, a one, a one-two-three-four?

Jon Butt is the publisher of <a target="_new" href="http://www.the-musical-instruments-guide.com">Musical Instruments Guide</a> , a free resource dedicated to all things musical. From electric guitars to drum sets, tubas to bagpipes, and every musical accessory in-between, the <a target="_new" href="http://www.the-musical-instruments-guide.com/sheet-music.html">Musical Instruments Guide</a> is packed full of informative articles, find top-rated musical instruments and online merchants

3 Quick & Easy Steps To Playing Music by Ear

Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it repeatedly. The majority of self-taught musicians began their education this way; they picked up their instrument and began playing an easy melody from a well-known song, slowly picking out the notes as they went along. And even after these musicians master their instruments or a particular song, playing by ear still plays a large role. Many pop and rock bands don't play or write their songs based on sheet music, they figure the songs out by playing by ear. It's even common among non-musicians. Ever sit down a piano and mindlessly pick out the tune to "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? What about grabbing a guitar and suddenly finding yourself playing the opening licks to "Smoke on the Water"? That's playing by ear. You're able to play part of the song just because you've heard it so often.

Since music is basically composed of 3 elements ? melody, rhythm, and harmony, it is logical that there are also 3 basic steps to learning to play music by ear:

1. Charting the contour of the melody. Tunes move higher and lower ? up and down ? as the song progresses. Being aware of that movement is the first step. Once you mentally define the parameters of the melody, you can then begin to hone in on picking it out on your instrument. As an example, think of &quot;Joy To The World&quot;. We've all sung it a zillion times, but have you ever noticed that the melody moves down exactly 8 steps (an octave), then gradually moves back up in increments, then repeats the down movement, etc. The entire melody is contained within those 8 notes, so you now know the parameters of the song and can begin to pick out the melody intelligently.

2. Harmonizing the melody with matching chords. The second element of music is harmony, and you can harmonize any melody just by matching the supporting chords to that melody. For example, if the melody is a &quot;G&quot;, you can harmonize that melody by using a chord with G in it, such as the G chord (G, B, D), the C chord (C, E, G), or the Em chord (E, G, B), or the Eb chord (Eb, G, Bb) and so forth. By using your ear to guide you, you can learn to harmonize the melody of most any song using matching chords.

3. Using an appropriate rhythm that matches the feel of the song. This is usually the easiest part, since most people &quot;feel&quot; the beat and don't have to do any mental gymnastics to come up with an appropriate rhythm for a song. But for those of us that might be &quot;rhythmically challenged&quot;, just by knowing that there are basically two meters available ? duple meter and triple meter -- that can be combined in infinite combinations, we can give the song either a &quot;3&quot; feeling (like a waltz or a jazz waltz) or a &quot;4&quot; feeling (like swing or a march or a ballad).

Playing by ear is a valuable technique for many musicians; learning songs based solely on hearing them is a great way to understand song and chord structure. In fact, a great number of rock and pop musicians learned to play their instruments this way. Instead of picking up a book or taking lessons, they concentrated on figuring out the notes and rhythms to a song until it was mastered. Then they moved on to another song. And another. Gradually, they learned their instrument just by playing by ear -- and in the process learned how to effectively structure a song in that particular genre. Playing by ear is also beneficial in helping a musician develop his or her own style; sure, they'll at first mimic the style of the song they're imitating, but the amalgamation of the music that they're playing by ear will help them create something distinctive, something indicative of them only.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.pianoplayingbyear.com/">"How To Play Piano By Ear Using Chords!"</a> has sold well over 30,000 copies around the world. 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 61,200 current subscribers.

Oh My Aching Head! Can Music Really Make You Feel Better?

We all know, if only instinctively, that music has a profound effect on us. If we didn't believe that music affects us then singing lullabies to calm children and help them sleep wouldn't be universal. In reality melody, harmony, and rhythm probably impacts the human brain in ways that are far more profound than we realize. We all know that an up tempo melody from our favorite performer stirs and energizes us just as a slower melody can help us relax or even prompt sad emotions from the depths of our soul, but did you know that evidence has been found linking the merging of melody, harmony, and rhythm with pain management?

The direct implication of this is that by incorporating the right melody (we'll discuss what defines the right melody in a moment) into your schedule it is possible to reduce your need for pain medication and thereby save money and aggravation.

Sound good? I know it does to me. Who wouldn't like to save a little more money that they are already sending to the pharmaceutical companies. And the best part is that the melody(s) that you need for pain management may already be in your collection.

Researchers suggest that the magic melody that you are looking for in your quest for melodic pain relief isn't one particular song that fits all. Instead personal taste is an important factor ? but don't run out and put on your favorite hard rock selection, it probably won't do the trick. Instead, you want to look for a gentle, soothing melody that helps you relax. This might mean an old Natalie Cole melody that distracts you and draws you in to a more comfortable moment, but whether your taste if for Natalie Cole, Handel, or something more modern, the key is to find a melody that has a slow steady beat (ideally at or under sixty beats per minute, which is just below the resting rate of the human heart) that will help you relax and let the pain medication do its work more effectively.

Once you have found the right melody(s) sit back and focus on the melody for at least fifteen minutes. If you can do this, it can have the effect of lowering your heart rate and breathing rate thereby releasing the tension that comes with (or in some cases even causes) the pain. If you find it difficult to focus on giving the melody your undivided attention, try prefacing your selections with an additional melody that picks you up emotionally and sucks you into the moment before going into your quieting music which should relax you ? after all, relaxing you is the primary function of many analgesics anyway so why not do it with a melody that's already in your collection? Or better yet, what better excuse to go out and add a new CD to your collection?

And hey -- even if it doesn't help your aching head, its a heck of a lot cheaper than other means and pleasant to boot!

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at <a target="_new" href="http://www.chordpiano.com">http://www.chordpiano.com</a>. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com/">"Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Piano Chord Progressions"</a> with over 56,650 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to <a target="_new" href="http://www.playpiano.com">http://www.playpiano.com</a>

Hip Hop Clothing

Celebrities now such as Outkast, a fashion wear can be a must have. Likewise gainful for celebrities included within the clothing lines world, which is how come we are in possession of these most up to date hip hop clothing lines on the market like, FuBu. With very good class hoodies & great urban clothing show rooms such jewelery will not be declined! Ecko set the standard in the hiphop world, with a imaginative collective of urban designers unendingly working on offering its customers the best in the modern urban trends. These Johnny Blaze list of hoodies, will be advertized towards boys as well as men from ages 12-40. Because of the Wu Tang Clan launch, the make has revelled critical and commercial victory. Sean John has speedily aged from an urban label towards an global brand name. GGG Unit Sneakers are sneakers contrived and commercialised by the famous Reebok Kicks Company. Famously it was a trainer conceded to rap artist 50 Cent fallowing 50cents clique G Unit brought out their debut album Beg For Mercy. These sneakers are one of the most fashionable rap marks and projected for comport.

A Gorilla Unit list might 1st very first a restricted mens clothes clothing line as much as the spring & next uncover a wide for men only main line next summer. Though a childs clothing line also a womens line could be in long term plans, the list will not be be detained to fashion as GUnit watches. First off noticed by the hip hop icon Dr.Dre, and so debut of the Slim Shady LP, his up-to-date albumn on Shady Recording label, by now got major fans of hip hop interested in Marshall Mathers. Full to the brim of dazzling lyrical hits that explore deep into the head of a dangerously maddened but extremely special artist, the songs incorporates alot of the most unforgetable and haunting controversal lyrics ever put down. And the key reason for the large success of Slim Shady.

<a target="_new" href="http://hiphop-clothing-line.com">Hip Hop Clothing</a>

3 Secrets To Understanding What Makes Music Tick

It's no secret that virtually everyone loves music in some form or other. After all, music is the universal language. In one way or another we all participate in it from our cradle song to our wedding song to our funeral song, with thousands of other s stops along the way.

The country-western fan may not like jazz, but he or she sure loves the sound of pickin' & grinnin'.

And that's as it should be. If we all liked the same kind of music, there just wouldn't be the variety that is available to us now. We can choose from musical styles ranging from heavy classical and opera to rock to children's songs to Broadway musicals to gospel music to the blues.

Each has its place, and each seems on the surface to be drastically different than another form of music. The key word is &quot;on the surface.&quot; But beneath the surface of all music is a commonality that is organic to all forms and styles of music.

So what does all music have in common? What makes music tick?

At least 3 things ? sometimes more, but never less:

1. Melody

2. Rhythm

3. Harmony

The melody is the part of a song or composition that you whistle or hum ? in other words, the tune of the song. In one sense, it is the most visible of the 3 elements, because melody is what identifies a song. Without melody, it would be difficult to even conceive of a song or piece.

In musical notation, the melody is almost always written in the treble clef ? also known as the treble staff. It consists of a horizontal line of notes that move up and down on the clef as the tune moves higher or lower.

Rhythm is the beat ? the swing ? the throb of the music. It happens in repeating patterns, depending upon the type of music. It is like a horizontal line of beats which occur at regular or semi-regular intervals. A waltz, for example, basically consists of a heavy beat followed by two lighter beats. So we say that a waltz is in triple meter ? one strong beat followed by two weak beats, then repeated.

A march, on the other hand, generally consists of a heavy beat followed by a light beat, then another heavy beat followed by another light beat. (I'm simplifying, of course ? there are many varieties?) So a march is in duple meter ? as you might expect since we have two feet and we march in left-right-left-right patterns.

All rhythms are some combination of triple meter and/or duple meter, and the possibilities are endless ? from boogie to R&B to mambos and sambas and bossa novas and?.on and on.

Harmony, the 3rd aspect of music, is the musical background of a song ? the chords, or intervals &quot;behind&quot; the melody. Without harmony, a song sounds empty ? like a vocalist singing without an accompanist ? or accapella. Music doesn't HAVE to have harmony to function, but in actual practice it almost always does, even if it is just the interplay of two melodies, as in counterpoint.

You could spend a lifetime learning all the nuances of music, but it its most basic form, it is these 3 elements combined together; melody, rhythm, and harmony that comprise music.

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 both children & adults. His book & DVD course titled <a target="_new" href="http://www.pianoplaying.com/">"How To Dress Up 'Naked Music' On The Piano!"</a> is used by adults 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 59,700 current subscribers.

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

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>.

Playing The Violin Is For Everyone Who Loves Music

Every day musical instruments enrich the lives of people around the world and continue to promote culture and art throughout every society and community, no matter what size or structure. Even those people of the world who live outside the realm of technology enjoy and use musical instruments to tell stories or entertain. Someone who has never played musical instruments but is interested in trying one has quite a selection to choose from

Playing the violin is a wonderful experience and relatively easy to learn if you take it step by step. Firstly however you need to understand the mechanics of the violin so you know where to put your fingers and why.

The main components of the violin are the front, also called the belly, top, or soundboard, usually made of well-seasoned spruce; the back, usually made of well-seasoned maple; and the ribs, neck, fingerboard, pegbox, scroll, bridge, tailpiece, and f-holes, or soundholes. The front, back, and ribs are joined together to form a hollow sound box. The sound box contains the sound post, a thin, dowel-like stick of wood wedged inside underneath the right side of the bridge and connecting the front and back of the violin; and the bass-bar, a long strip of wood glued to the inside of the front under the left side of the bridge. The sound post and bass-bar are important for the transmission of sound, and they also give additional support to the construction. The strings are fastened to the tailpiece, rest on the bridge, are suspended over the fingerboard, and run to the pegbox, where they are attached to tuning pegs that can be turned to change the pitch of the string.

A violinist makes different pitches by placing the left-hand fingers on the string and pressing against the fingerboard. The strings are set in vibration and produce sound when the player draws the bow across them at a right angle near the bridge.

Among the most decorated characteristics of the violin are its singing tone and its potential to play rapid, brilliant figurations as well as lyrical melodies. Violinists can easily create special effects by means of the following techniques: pizzicato, plucking the strings; tremolo, moving the bow rapidly back and forth on a string; sul ponticello, playing with the bow extremely close to the bridge to produce a thin, glassy sound; col legno, playing with the wooden part of the bow instead of with the hair; harmonics, placing the fingers of the left hand lightly on certain points of the string to obtain a light, flutelike sound; and glissando, steadily gliding the left-hand fingers up and down along the string to produce an upward- or downward-sliding pitch.

Among composers of major solo and chamber works for the violin are Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven in the baroque and classical eras; the Austrian Franz Schubert, the Germans Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann, and the Russian Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky in the romantic era; and the French Claude Debussy, the Austrian Arnold Schoenberg, the Hungarian B?la Bart?k, and the Russian-born Igor Stravinsky in the 20th century.

You are certainly joining an elite group when you pick up a violin.

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>

Can You Really Learn To Play a Musical Instrument From an Online Course?

Out of the 250 million people in the United States, about 25 million of them play an instrument of some kind, or used to when they were in school and would like to pick up where they left off. Another 30 million or so sing in a church choir, a barbershop quartet, or at the very least, in the shower.

That means that there are over 50 million folks ? adults ? who would like to play their instrument or sing better than they do now. After all, everyone wants to improve his or her skills, no matter what the field.

Before the advent of the Internet, if adults wanted to learn to play a musical instrument, they had to schedule a lesson time with a teacher in a store or studio or if they were fortunate, in their own home with a teacher who would come each week for a lesson.

That meant doing it after work, driving to a store or studio, dealing with transportation, babysitting, illness, cancellations, and so on. Very few adults who started lessons that way continued very long, as it was a continual hassle.

But with the development of the World Wide Web, music teachers have gone online to offer lessons to adults in the comfort and convenience of their own homes. No scheduling problems, no transportation issues, no cancellations ? none of the problems inherent in traditional lessons.

Here are a few of the many courses available for adults online:

Jamorama Guitar Course

Stripped-Down Guitar Course

SlapBass Guitar Riffs

Guitar Made Easy

Acoustic Guitar Workshop

Screaming Fingers Guitar Course

One Weekend Guitar

Make Money Teaching Guitar

Learn Chords Fast

Instant Chord Finding Software Download

84 Piano Chords

&quot;Crash Course&quot; in Exciting Piano Playing on DVD's!

How To Play Piano By Ear

How To Dress Up Naked Music

How To Play Praise & Gospel Piano

How To Play &quot;Black Gospel&quot; Piano

How To Play Contemporary Urban Worship Piano

All The Chords In The Whole Wide World

How To Play Chord Piano...In Ten Days!

Learn To Play Electronic Keyboards

Singing Success!

Drum patterns online to download!

Your own "Drum Machine" online!

Learn to read music fast

Children Can Read Notes Easily!

Learn to Read Music in One Evening!

Even though this is a big list of music courses for adults now, it is growing at an exponential rate. The opportunity for learning music at your own pace online has never been greater, so take advantage of it and start improving your musical skills without delay!

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music educational materials for adults. A review of music courses online is at <a target="_new" href="http://www.music-guitar-piano-portal.com/">"Great Music Courses Online!"</a>. Duane 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.

How To Write A Song

Did you ever wish that it was your song playing on the radio? It could be. It is not that hard once you know the formula. With a little creativity, a little knowledge, a little luck and a good formula to follow, your song could be one of the next biggest hits.

Songwriting comes easy for some, and is very difficult for others. I have actually written songs in my sleep, and immediately upon awaking, written it as quickly as I could get the words on down on paper.

What I want to discuss here is popular songwriting, like the songs you hear on the radio. A good pop song, whether rock, country, middle of the road, is composed of two things: a catchy tune and some good lyrics.

There is a formula that most great songwriters use to write great songs. It regards the structure used to write a song. Granted, it is music and it is art, so the rules are not hard and fast. But if you want to increase your chances of getting your song on the radio, it is a good starting point.

Here is the formula. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.

Write that down on paper leaving plenty of space between each word and this will be your script.

Verse

The verse is the part of the song that tells the story, the part that leads to the chorus. Each verse is usually different, telling a different part of, or adding to, the story. It usually explains how you got to the things you are singing about in the chorus.

Chorus.

The chorus is the part of the song that is repeated after each verse. The lyrics are usually the same each time the chorus comes around. The verse usually leads to the chorus, and the chorus is usually the pay off for listening to the verse. Does that make sense?

Here is a lame example (you did not think I would give you my best work, did you?):

(verse)
My dog is sick, he's got a tick
He's my best friend, don't let it end

(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free

(verse)
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again

(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free

Now, if you would kindly stop laughing at my lame song for a minute, I want you to think about whether or not you understand my point. Songwriting is story telling. The verse tells the problems, the chorus expresses the results or the emotions.

All right, now that you have that mastered, let's tackle the bridge. Ah, yeah, there is more to the song than the pain and the release. We need the diversion. That is what the bridge is; it is the diversion from the verse and the chorus.

The bridge may have a slightly different melody to it, or it could even have a different rhythm or a different tempo (Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" did a great job on this technique).

Let's go back to the lame song and add a bridge:

(verse)
My dog is sick, he's got a tick
He's my best friend, don't let it end

(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free

(verse)
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again

(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free

(bridge)
Tomorrow is a better day, I've got a new truck on the way
My dog just had a flea it seems, so once again I'll live my dreams

(chorus)
Oh, woe was me, can't you see
Woe was me, but now I'm free

The bridge offers a solution to the problems I was having. You don't want to leave your listener on the edge of suicide, you want to give them hope.

Notice, I also changed up the wording of the chorus. This was done to reflect my new found joy.

One more thing on formula. It can be anyway you want, but most verses and chorus come in lines of 4. So, instead of this:

(verse)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free

(verse)
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again

it would be:

Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again

The same goes for the chorus. Again, if you are creative, do it however you want. But for a new songwriter, this gives you some guidelines to scratch out and start carving out your new creation.

One more thing, do not make the notes to the melody so high that your fans cannot sing along. We are certainly all not Stevie Wonder.

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

Top 50 Music Quotations

Discover the phenomenonal complexity of music and reflect on the way it can positively influence your life with this sound collection of riveting quotes...
<LI>"Music, the greatest good that mortals know, And all of heaven we have below."
-- Joseph Addison
<LI>"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness."
--Maya Angelou
<LI>"Music is either good or bad, and it's got to be learned. You got to have balance."
-- Louis Armstrong
<LI>"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
-- Berthold Auerbach
<LI>"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."
--Johann Sebastian Bach
<LI>"Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life."
-- Ludwig van Beethoven
<LI>"Music - The one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend."
-- Ludwig van Beethoven
<LI>"Music can change the world. "
-- Ludwig Van Beethoven
<LI>"Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable."
-- Leonard Bernstein
<LI>"Music has to breathe and sweat. You have to play it live. "
-- James Brown
<LI>"Music is well said to be the speech of angels."
-- Thomas Carlyle
<LI>"All music comes from God."
-- Johnny Cash
<LI>"If you learn music, you'll learn most all there is to know. "
-- Edgar Cayce
<LI>"Music is nothing separate from me. It is me... You'd have to remove the music surgically. "
-- Ray Charles
<LI>"Good music is good no matter what kind of music it is. "
-- Miles Davis
<LI>"There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music."
-- George Eliot
<LI>"You are the music while the music lasts."
--T. S. Eliot
<LI>"We need magic, and bliss, and power, myth, and celebration and religion in our lives, and music is a good way to encapsulate a lot of it. "
-- Jerry Garcia
<LI>"Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife."
-- Kahlil Gibran
<LI>"When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have."
-- Edgar Watson Howe
<LI>"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossile to be silent."
-- Victor Hugo
<LI>"The history of a people is found in its songs."
-- George Jellinek
<LI>"Music is the vernacular of the human soul."
-- Geoffrey Latham
<LI>"It requires wisdom to understand wisdom; the music is nothing if the audience is deaf."
-- Walter J. Lippmann
<LI>"Just as certain selections of music will nourish your physical body and your emotional layer, so other musical works will bring greater health to your mind."
-- Hal A. Lingerman
<LI>"Music is the harmonious voice of creation; an echo of the invisible world."
-- Giuseppe Mazzini
<LI>"Music is a beautiful opiate, if you don't take it too seriously."
-- Henry Miller
<LI>"I started making music because I could."
-- Alanis Morissette
<LI>"Music helps you find the truths you must bring into the rest of your life. "
-- Alanis Morissette
<LI>"Music is spiritual. The music business is not. "
-- Van Morrison
<LI>"Like everything else in nature, music is a becoming, and it becomes its full self, when its sounds and laws are used by intelligent man for the production of harmony, and so made the vehicle of emotion and thought."
-- Theodore Mungers
<LI>"Without music life would be a mistake."
-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
<LI>"In music the passions enjoy themselves."
-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
<LI>"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art."
-- Charlie Parker
<LI>"Music should be something that makes you gotta move, inside or outside. "
-- Elvis Presley
<LI>"It's the music that kept us all intact, kept us from going crazy. "
-- Lou Reed
<LI>"The music business was not safe, but it was FUN. It was like falling in love with a woman you know is bad for you, but you love every minute with her, anyway."
-- Lionel Richie
<LI>"Music should never be harmless."
-- Robbie Robertson
<LI>"Give me a laundry list and I'll set it to music."
-- Gioacchino Antonio Rossini
<LI>"All music is important if it comes from the heart. "
-- Carlos Santana
<LI>"Music is the key to the female heart."
-- Johann G. Seume
<LI>"The best music... is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with. "
-- Bruce Springsteen
<LI>"All I try to do is write music that feels meaningful to me, that has commitment and passion behind it."
-- Bruce Springsteen
<LI>"In music one must think with the heart and feel with the brain."
--George Szell
<LI>"When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest."
-- Henry David Thoreau
<LI>"For heights and depths no words can reach, music is the soul's own speech."
--Unknown
<LI>"Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us."
--Unknown
<LI>"I believe in the power of music. To me, it isn't just a fad. This is a positive thing."
-- Eddie Vedder
<LI>"Music at its essence is what gives us memories. "
-- Stevie Wonder
<LI>"There's a basic rule which runs through all kinds of music, kind of an unwritten rule. I don't know what it is. But I've got it."
-- Ron Wood

<B>Resource Box - ? Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - <a target="_new" href="http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp">http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp</a></B>