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Showing posts from March, 2009

How to Sing Better Without Wasting Money

People who are eager to find out how to sing better are probably into this for some time. There are countless singing tutors or Web sites that promise that will improve your singing style in no time, but you only end up disappointed and with considerably less money when they fail to do so. In this situation it is probably best to look for solutions that have proven results. There are many training packages out there, but how many of these will teach you how to sing better without wasting your money? The secret is to learn how to use your full vocal range, to stay in pitch and to continuously analyze your results. The analysis implies not only recording your voice while singing, but also asking your friends (or even better, a qualified person) what they think about your style. An important thing to keep in mind is not to get upset on the others if they are criticizing the way you sing. This way you will be able to find out what things go wrong, and thus, what can be impro

How to Renew Your Interest in the Piano

By Bryan Smitty If you are one of the many people that has taken piano lessons and has lost interest in them, then you may be interested in some ways to renew your interest in the piano. There are many ways to get back your interest in the piano and it is definitely worth your time to do so. Music can lift your spirits to new levels in a deep and meaningful way. Look at these ways to create a new interest in playing the piano. Make a new solid commitment to learn the piano in a new unit of time. The past is the past and it is best left there. Just because piano lessons did not work out for you the way you would have expected them to the first time, does not mean that they will not work out for you this time. Stay positive and focused on a brand new attitude towards learning the piano and you will see new positive results. A new commitment and a new attitude will make all the difference in the world as far as your lessons go. You should also understand that you probably

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, A Hip Hop Classic

By Jennifer Chang Deemed as one of the greatest and most important albums of all time, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is the absolute blueprint for everything a Hip Hop album is supposed to be. Draped in excessive messages of empowerment and revolutionary oratory, Public Enemy introduced this exemplary project to the world and left an encapsulating mark on the entire music industry. Public Enemy originally consisted of Chuck D, Flava Flav, The Shocklee Brothers (Hank and Keith) and Vietnam. It was not until 1986, that Professor Griff and Terminator X were added completing the phenomenal lineup. Once the group was in tact, PE emerged as an astounding collective of socially conscious intellectuals that were proud and creative in their expression. Chuck D served as the subversive voice of reason and became the leader of the Hip Hop political and social party. Flava Flav was the calm before the storm while the Shocklee brothers (The Bomb Squad) and Vietnam pro

Music Business Books - 2 Best Choices For the Serious Musician

If you are a musician concerned about making money in your chosen field, you know you need to educate yourself about the business of music. Of all the great music business books out there that I've seen, two stand out as ideal for the musician ready to make a serious study of music industry. Donald Passman's All You Need to Know about the Music Industry is a great choice for the performing artist; in addition to getting deep into the nitty-gritty of copyright, royalties, and record contracts, he walks musicians through the critical process of picking lawyers, managers, accountants, and other professional managers. The great strength of this dense book is in its detail; Mr. Passman takes common music business terms and explains what they are and how they affect artists. Mr. Passman's grimly humorous explanations and illustrations of recoupment, the practice of record companies charging back all album expenses against artists' royalties, are excellent examp

Music Review - Tuface's Unstoppable Album

Music success is indeed capricious. Tuface's first and second albums Face to face (2004) and grass to grace (2006) started receiving massive radio anatomy immediately they came out. The much awaited third album has finally been released. It is a big surprise that about three weeks since it came out, the radio stations are hardly playing it despite the collaboration with R-Kelly and the duo of Shakademous and Pliers. Knowing Tuface's pedigree, I decided to buy a copy of the album, titled unstoppable as I passed through Terminus market the other day. After playing it, these are my findings: The album is not a product of the work of a man who wants to be allowed to enjoy the money he has made, as many claim. The implication of that statement is that money has made the artiste lazy. The solo and second albums had ten and eleven tracks respectively, excluding intro and outro. The current album has seventeen excluding the introduction and closing tracts, six tracks ahe

The History and Characteristics of the Jazz Combo

By James P Martin Jazz is an American art form whose roots date back to the mid-19th century slave songs and chants. The early 20th century saw the art form blossom as instrumental music in the southern United States, mainly along the Mississippi river and specifically New Orleans, Louisiana. Early instrumental jazz combos of New Orleans varied in instrumentation.  More often than not, these early jazz groups generally consisted of trumpet, clarinet, trombone, tuba and drums.  This instrumentation became what is known as the "dixieland" combo, making its way up the Mississippi river to Chicago where the music became popularized by jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong. Dixieland combos can be thought of as groups that play "polyphonic" improvisational music.  Each instrument is independent of every other instrument, with each player creating separate musical improvisations based on known melodies, or "tunes" of the day. The players of these

Six Good Reasons to Buy Piano Lessons Software

By Mike Shaw In this article I shall discuss the few things that you should look into while searching for good piano lessons download online. Price Well, the main reason why people opt for online piano lessons download is because it is free of cost, at least at the beginners' level and for advanced learners' courses they will charge a nominal fee. This is in stark contrast to offline real piano classes where you have to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars to take the lesson. Actual sheet music Virtual piano lessons are fine but a real copy of the sheet of music is always welcome. Always go for online piano lessons that can be downloaded in a jiffy and which also offer printable versions. Schedule to follow There are some websites where you will be offered timed lessons, but if you are a busy individual it won't suit your lifestyle. Always choose something with which you will be able to adjust. I would personally recommend an online piano lesson whi

Artist Management Tips - How to Get the Attention of a Booking Agent

By Jeremy W Rwakaara Before you busy yourself with the details of how to get the attention of a booking agent, it is best to take a step back and know what gets their attention in the first place. In other words, "get inside their heads" first. Following are some important things to consider in your bid to get the attention of a booking agent. As maddening and contradictory it sounds, a booking agent is most impressed and interested in a band/artist that is self-sustaining on the touring front. Being self-sustaining is having the ability to provide for your own (booking) needs without the help of others (e.g. agents). It doesn't mean that you don't WANT the help; it just means that you can survive without the help. In your quest to become self-sustaining, consider venues other than clubs - for example, performing arts centers, college campuses, festivals, house concerts, etc. - to string together a regional tour of 40 - 50 dates over a 6 - 9 month perio

How to Remember Key Signatures For Music Exams

Did you know there are up to 30 key key signatures to memorize for music exams. Fortunately there is a way of calculating them all from knowing just seven. These are the major keys of the seven musical alphabet notes A-B-C-D-E-F-G  and to help us do this we give these keys numeric values. The order of the flats is: B, E, A, D, G, C, F.  The first four flats spell BEAD. I used to remember B ritish E uropean A irways D o G ood C ontinental F lights  which used to be true but BEA no longer exist anymore. British European Airways Do Good Continental Flights F, C, G, D, A, E, B are the order of the sharps.  Try and remember a phrase like this one for the order of the sharps:  F at C ats G o D own A lleys E ating B irds. Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds. Even more useful tips! Have you noticed that the order of the sharps is the same as the flats only backwards! BEADGCF - FCGDAEB Look at the piano keyboard and notice how the order of the flat keys (F-Bb-Eb-Ab et

A Review of Musicnotes - Digital Sheet Music Dealer

Are you a musician? Can you find the sheet music you want? If you are anything like me, then the answer is no. Although the town I live in isn't that small, there still isn't a large selection of stores when it comes to music. There is only one small music store that I go to (and only on rare occasions) when I need something immediately, like guitar strings for example. When I want to buy sheet music though, that little shop isn't much help. There is only a small selection of sheet music for the most popular genres and most popular instruments. If you want to play Beethoven piano arrangements then you are fine, but if you want something else then you are out of luck. I couldn't find what I wanted in my area, so shopping online was my only alternative. After trying different online sheet music dealers I finally came across one that I really liked-Musicnotes. This website offered instant digital sheet music and I thought it sounded cool, but wasn't sure