VirtualeMusic

Musical Careers - Getting Started

2008-12-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

Starting A Musical Career by: Ty Cohen

Beginning a musical career can be difficult if you do not know how to break into the mainstream industry. Everyone has dreams and yours are no less important, but unless you know the right people to contact or the best businesses to approach, you could be left floundering in one spot, unable to move forward and unable to go back. If you are looking to carry your singing, acting, performing, or unique career forward to the next level, you will need to know what kind of people to consult and where to go. Depending on what exactly you are searching for you should find an excellent music consultant. There are companies locally that are available to assist you in determining what music would best suit you, or how to best go about presenting your music you have either written or had written for you. Your performance is directly related to your ability and your presentation and if you have someone that is qualified in that aspect, it will help to move your career further ahead in the right direction that much faster. The ins and outs of the music industry can be extremely overwhelming to the layman and offers no respite to singers and performers alike, regardless of your talent. You need a music industry consultant to help you understand everything you will be involved in and help you keep a fresh perspective on what will be involved in your journey to the top. With their help and assistance you will be able to better understand everything surrounding your endeavors. Although they can only show you the way to a certain limit, their input will be helpful toward setting your goals and accomplishing them. Looking at things from the other end of the business spectrum, engaging the assistance of a music business consultant is another excellent way of getting a handle on the music industry from a business perspective to better fulfill any goals you are trying to achieve. There are various fronts to the business aspect of music, and knowing the right people can raise your chances of succeeding. The business end of show business can be confusing, but hiring the right consultant can put you in a better place to understand and use the benefits to move up and forward toward the career you desire. Keep these in mind when you are beginning your music, singing, or acting career. There will be many ups and downs during your journey, why make them any more difficult than necessary?
About The Author
Ty Cohen Platinum Millennium Publishing PO Box 644 Garner, NC 27529 Ty@PlatinumMillennium.com 1-866-752-9968 Want Free Music Biz Advice? Who else wants to receive free advice from "Mr X", a man who has helped artist such as New Edition, Madonna, Quincy Jones, Puff Daddy, Prince and More, including up an comers just like you, to sell nearly 150 Gold & Platinum Albums Worldwide! Now he wants to help you, by offering you private consulting as well as giving you a free copy of his audio CD "7 Golden Secrets to Succeeding in the Music Industry" Visit http://www.MusicBizCenter.com/freecd1 to get your free CD mailed out to you right now.

Angelina Jolie Gets Flowers From Rock Star

2007-12-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

Angelina Jolie Receives Sunflowers From A Rock Star by: Wesley Berry, AAF
What do rock stars buy for their mega-movie star friends after the birth of a child? Well, rocker Gwen Stefani recently answered that question when she and her husband, Gavin Rossdale, brought an enormous bouquet of sunflowers to actress Angelina Jolie after the birth of her daughter with her boyfriend, actor Brad Pitt. Sunflowers are aptly named since their enormous golden blooms closely resemble the sun. They also, quite literally, follow the sun; their blossoms turn to follow the sun as the day goes on. Sunflowers come in several varieties, such as: * Autumn Mix: These are the giant plants that grow over six feet tall. They come in yellow and rust colors with blooms five or six inches wide. * Teddy Bear: This variety is a smaller type that has a full, fuzzy bloom. It grows to around 18 inches tall. * Italian White: These sunflowers aren't the typical sunny, golden color; they're a creamy whitish color. The plants grow to a height of approximately four feet and produce small blooms. * Large Varieties: These varieties include the huge 20-inch blooms of the Russian Giants and the ten to fifteen foot tall plants of the Kong Sunflower. Sunflowers are an ancient flower, used by Native Americans as a medicinal flower and food source since as early as 2300 B.C. They provided early Americans with medicines to treat warts, snakebites, and sunstroke. They also provided oils used on the hair and were ground up to create face paints. Foods made from sunflowers included seeds roasted and ground to meal for baking, seed balls much like today's peanut butter, and roasted hulls steeped in water to produce a hot beverage. Today sunflowers are a very popular garden flower loved for their big, beautiful blooms as well as the ease with which they're grown. They should be planted in full sun after the threat of frost has subsided for your area. If you're starting them from seeds, plant the seeds about one inch deep and six inches apart. If you're planting seedlings, plant them about eighteen inches apart (twelve inches for the smaller varieties). Give them a good dose of water after they're planted and keep seeds damp until the plants pop through the ground. You may need to stake the plants as they grow to provide support and keep them from bending or breaking in the wind. Even if you choose not to grow your own sunflowers, you can still enjoy them or given them to friends to enjoy just by visiting your local florist who is sure to have these gorgeous flowers on hand. So, go ahead, send some flowers to the movie star in your life-or just to your best friend or mom-she'll appreciate them as much as Angelina Jolie did hers.
About The Author
Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers (http://www.wesleyberryflowers.com/), a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established in 1946. His shops provide flower delivery worldwide through http://www.flowers-worldwide.net/ and Flower Delivery Express (http://www.flowerdeliveryexpress.com/). Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web at http://www.800wesleys.com/

Getting A DJ

2007-12-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

The DJ is more important than you think by: Michael McCarthy
You're engaged, congratulations! Now what? If you're like most brides you're probably overwhelmed with all the planning that goes into creating a fairy-tale reception. Did you know that finding the perfect DJ is one of the biggest responsibilities you have? THAT'S RIGHT! "One of the biggest responsibilities". Let me prove it to you. Ask yourself what would you love to hear as your guests are leaving? Could it be...? "WOW that was the most fun I've ever had at a wedding, your reception was absolutely beautiful, every detail was perfect!" If that's what you want to hear, then finding the best DJ is the most important job you'll have when planning your reception. This is because the DJ has one of the biggest roles in creating your perfect day. You need to place a lot of TRUST and CONFIDENCE in this person. Why, you ask? Well consider this; you're probably going to spend thousands of dollars on a reception site, catering, flowers and a photographer to name a few expenses. While all these components are important, what do you think most people remember about your reception? Here are the most common top 3 answers: 1. the Fun 2. the Food 3. the Location Keeping this in mind, let me ask you this; if the location is breath-taking and the food is "to die for", could a bad performance by your DJ sour the whole day? Conversely, if the location poses logistic problems and the food is just o.k. could a spectacular, fun-filled, jammed packed dance floor make up for those problems? If you answered yes to both questions you now understand how important the DJ is. The reality is, you spend so much time and money to create the perfect reception it seems ashamed to ruin it by choosing the wrong DJ. So what's a nervous bride to do? Get the best DJ now! I know that if you're reading this your in the process of gathering information. Booking your entertainment should be a top priority. Doesn't it make sense that the best DJs book early? (as early as 12-18 months in advance) This means you need to find someone now. The less time you have, the more you need my help. I'm a retired DJ of 25 years and my goal is to help you understand the DJs role by revealing a DJ secret that most people in the business don't want you to know. DJ Secret #1: The majority of brides' think the DJ's role is to make a couple of announcements and play good music. This is because that's all they see. While these are very important to the success of your reception they only represent one-third of the DJs responsibilities. The other two-thirds of the DJs role happens behind the scenes. Helping you plan and managing the flow of the day's events is just as important as playing the right music. Consider this; the function manager's role is to make sure the food is hot and on time. That's their job. When the food service is finished they're gone. But the DJ is there from the beginning to the end. The timing of the food is only one of a number of factors the DJ needs to consider. A keen awareness of every aspect of your reception is the key to maintaining a flow that results in a packed dance floor the rest of the night. You might be asking yourself "how does a DJ prepare for all these factors?" The best DJs begin their preparations far in advance. Over the course of several conversations with the couple, the DJ should have a good feel for what they are looking for. The final details will be carefully choreographed at the planning meeting with bride a week or so before the reception. Here is where the bride discusses her vision of the perfect reception (order of events, music, announcements, etc...) It is the DJs responsibility to work with the bride in developing a time-line for all the special moments. Together the bride and the DJ should have a clear understanding of exactly when these moments will take place. If the DJ did his job correctly the bride should leave this meeting 100% confident that the DJ will make her vision a reality. Carrying out your vision the day of your reception takes a team effort. The best DJs contact the bride's wedding vendors before the reception to go over the agenda. This is where any conflict with food service or photography issues should be discussed. By doing this the DJ can avoid any obstacles that could cause the reception to get off schedule. You can bet a wedding team that understands and agrees on the bride's vision will work more smoothly behind the scenes to make it happen. What does this mean to you? You should be looking for a DJ who can reassure you they represent your needs behind the scenes; that they are working for you. I can tell you this; there will always be wrinkles at the reception that the vendors must work out. But a wedding team (led by the DJ) that is on the same page will handle it without you ever finding out.
About The Author
Michael McCarthy, a top Wedding DJ for 25 years, has just retired. The preferred DJ for the Kennedy family and many four star hotels including the Four seasons and the Ritz Carlton, Mike has been the #1 choice for over 2000 brides. In retirement, his new focus is using his insider information to help brides find and hire the best DJ at the best price. For more info: http://www.djsecretsforthebride.com/

Eagles and Dixie Chicks!

2007-09-24T05:46:00.001-07:00

Brand New State Of The Art Nokia Theatre L.A. Live by: Chris Cabrera
To celebrate the opening of the brand new, state of the art Nokia Theatre l.a. live, The Eagles and the Dixie Chicks are coming to Los Angeles . With a new album out, The Eagles have a lot to celebrate. The Eagles are the best selling American group ever with the album, Eagles : Their Greatest Hits 1971 - 1975, and have established themselves as one of the greatest American rock bands of all time. With four number one albums and five number one singles and millions of albums sold, they have cemented themselves in rock history. With songs such as Take it Easy, Witchy Woman, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Hotel California, Desperado, One of These Nights, Lyin Eyes, they have shown they are a double edged sword - being able to create classic American rock and slower, timeless ballads. Despite incredible success, the band experienced inner turmoil and broke up in 1980. Eagles members Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley both went on to respective solo careers. However, thirteen years after the bands break up, they reunited with the album titled, 'Hell Freezes Over', which was in reference to the statement made by Don Henley that the band would only reunite when hell freezes over. The album debuted at # 1 with the singles 'Get Over It' and 'Love Will Keep Us Alive'. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, the long awaited new Eagles album is expected to be released this year. Fans have eagerly awaited another Eagles tour and this fall the Eagles will be performing for six nights at the newest concert venue in Los Angeles , the Nokia Theatre l.a. live. As if the Eagles weren't enough for eager fans, the Dixie Chicks will be opening for them all six nights. Legendary in their own right, Dixie Chicks are the highest selling female band in any musical genre, having sold over 30 million albums. Formed in 1989 in Dallas , Texas the band endured years of struggle. The band was formed by sisters Martie and Emily Erwin (since married and names have been changed to Martie Maguire ans Emily Robinson, respectivley) and had a largely influenced bluegrass sound. They found some success opening for larger name bands but achieved no radio air time. The lead singer, Laura Lynch, was replaced with now lead singer Natalie Maines in 1995 and the Dixie Chicks found their stride. With the release of Wide Open Spaces in 1998 the Dixie Chicks found their long awaited success with such singles as 'Cowboy Take Me Away' and 'Wide Open Spaces'. The three women trio instantly became known for their soaring ballads, varied instrumental talents, and unique fashion sense. With a mix of twangy country vocals, catchy pop beats created by a plethora of instruments such as the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and dobro, the Chicks sold over 12 million copies of their debut album. Proving they were no one hit wonder, their second album, released in 1999, titled 'Fly', sold over 10 million copies. The Dixie Chicks have been accused of abandoning their country roots but the fans didn't seem to mind. The Chicks have been able to cross all genres of sounds and fans. However, the Dixie Chicks are no stranger to controversy. Natalie Maines famed comment about President Bush in 2003 was heard all around the world. The comment enraged many country music fans who started a boycott of all things Dixie Chicks. Albums were burned, death threats were made, and air time was taken away. The Dixie Chicks never backed down from their comments and tried explaining their feelings to the public by stating that one could be patriotic without supporting a war. After several years of huge financial loss and abandonment of fans, the Dixie Chicks did what they do best - speak their mind through their music. Sometimes dubbed a 'comeback' album, the Dixie Chicks released 'Taking the Long Way' which went number one on both pop and country charts and became a gold record in less that a week. Their politically infused single 'Not Ready to Make Nice' voiced their feelings of their political controversy and became an instant hit. Even though ticket sales for The Dixie Chicks have become noticeably less in several southern states, their international fame and respect has grown. With over 13 Grammy awards and 30 million albums sold, The Dixie Chicks have proven they are no where near ready to make nice. Along with The Eagles, The Dixie Chicks will be performing for six nights at the new Nokia Theatre l.a. live. To house such headliners, only a state of the art venue will do - and that's exactly what the new Nokia Theatre l.a. live has to offer. Part of a brand new entertainment destination in downtown Los Angeles , the Nokia Theatre will boast state of the art acoustics and will be able to house over 7,000 fans.The new Nokia theatre will also be the new home for the Grammy awards as well as the E.S.P.Y. awards. There could be no better pair like The Dixie Chicks and The Eagles to open the brand new Nokia Theatre - guaranteed to be the concert event of the year. For all you entertainment needs, Barrys Tickets can help. For over 25 years, Barrys Tickets has been the number one source for tickets in Los Angeles . Offering tickets for all sporting, theatre, and concert events, Barrys has the tickets you are looking for. For tickets to The Dixie Chicks/Eagles event at the new Nokia Theatre, visit Barrys Tickets to make sure you have the best tickets to the best concert event of the year.
About The Author
Chris Cabrera works as web development for a ticket broker catering to all concert tickets including the new nokia theatre la http://www.barrystickets.com/los-angeles/nokia-theatrela/index.php for the eagles and the dixie chicks and all other concerts.

Timing in Music

2007-08-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Key is in the Counting by: Ed Mascari
What Makes a Piece of Music a "Good Song"? Most people say that a song is good if it has a good beat. Do you agree? Why Do You Struggle with Rhythm? Even if you think that the words, the melody or the harmony (chords) make a piece of music a good song, you probably agree at some level that the beat is often what draws you to a particular song. So why do rhythm and counting feel like such a struggle? If you are like most piano students, you simply want to play the tune, recognize the melody and feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing that you played a song that you know. When you sit at the piano you might think to yourself: * Find those notes. * What fingers should I use? * How does that middle section go? * Where do I go when it says 'to CODA'? You may get so confused that you forget why you liked that song in the first place. But usually it was the beat of the song that grabbed your attention. Yet, like most things in life, you end up giving all of your attention to your most pressing problems. As the old adage says: "Art imitates life." If you draw a parallel from your own life to your piano playing, you will quickly understand why the challenge of counting causes you to put keeping the beat on the back burner. There are simply too many other musical issues vying for your attention! You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too Are you one of those people who eats the cake first or do you prefer to start with the icing? Are you a person who can delay your musical gratification until after you establish the beat? Or do you have to listen to yourself play the melody right away? You can have your cake and play the melody a few times with the right hand alone at first. But if you want to eat it too, you will need to look at music differently. Remember hearing one of your favorite songs sung by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett or Barbra Streisand? What makes their renditions so special is that they (and other great artists) know how to interpret the melody in their own unique vocal styles. Do you know how they do this? Frank, Tony, Barbra and others sing so freely because their background ensembles provide them with a great foundation: a GOOD BEAT. Your Left Hand Is Your "Count Basie Band" Once you begin seeing your left hand as a solid accompanying ensemble like the Count Basie Band that so often accompanied Sinatra, your piano playing will quickly improve! You're probably wondering how you can expect 5 fingers of one hand to do the work of 17 professional performing musicians. But when you look at what having a solid accompaniment does for the great song stylists, you can see how training your left hand to be the "band" can give your right hand the freedom to "sing". The Secret to Getting Unstuck If you're like most students, you find that keeping the beat is challenging. You may often feel like counting restricts rather than frees you as you play a song. The reason for this is that you are trying to accompany the right hand melody. You probably often find it hard to fit a left hand umpah or 10th with the right hand melody, and so you get frustrated. If you want to get unstuck, you will need to turn your thinking around. Here's the secret to getting unstuck: Start by giving your attention to learning the left hand accompaniment in strict tempo. Once you can do this, everything else will fall into place. 7 Ways to Transform Your 5 Fingers into the "Band" 1. Learn the notes to be played by the left hand. 2. Start counting slowly without playing anything 3. Practice the left hand part alone slowly and in strict rhythm (use a metronome if you feel ready) 4. Start playing the song with hands together at a slow tempo several times: focus mainly on one short (2 to 4 measures) section at a time. 5. Use your metronome to gradually increase the tempo 6. Get a sense of being the "band" by using a rhythm unit (drum machine: many of the inexpensive keyboards have wonderful drum sounds) 7. Listen for the right hand melody and make sure that you can always hear it when playing hands together One Final Note The next time you listen to one of your favorite artists singing a good song, pay attention to the background. Notice how the solid accompaniment keeps the beat steady, the music flowing and the performer free to express herself. From now on, give your left hand the long overdue attention that it deserves. Recognize how valuable its role is in creating great music. Finally, remember that the key to success is in the counting. By starting with the left hand accompaniment and then developing a solid rhythm, you will be well on your way to playing many good songs. Copyright © 2007 by Ed Mascari http://www.edmascaripianostudio.com ed@edmascari.com 508-651-2590 (Natick Studio) Mail: 57 Hunter Ave, Hudson MA 01749-3043
About The Author
Ed Mascari has been teaching piano privately to children and adults for nearly three decades. He is a seasoned performer (pianist/ jazz organist) of show tunes, jazz and popular music as well as a published classical composer and church musician. Ed combines his extensive experience to guide students in a variety of styles as he helps them achieve their unique potential. Ed teaches group classes for piano students in the tele-class format. All of the programs at http://www.mykeyboardsuccess.com/ focus on specific topics that are designed to give participants the tools and techniques that will help them to play piano better and better. To receive special subscriber bonuses: free sheet music and audio files for "Six Simple Songs to Make You Smile", the helpful article "The Key Is to Get to the Keys: How to Set Up and Maintain a Successful Practice Routine", a free lesson "How to Arrange a Song in 12 Easy Steps" and a subscription to our ezine "Conversations at the Piano", sign up today at http://www.edmascaripianostudio.com/

Bob Seger Tickets

2006-12-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

Bob Seger Tickets: IXS by: Heidi Grumm
Bob Seger developed into one of the most popular heartland rockers over the course of the '70s. Originally He was a hard-driving rocker in the vein of fellow Michigan garage rockers the Rationals and Mitch Ryder. He successfully created a unique American Sound which was actually the combination of the driving charge of Ryder's Detroit Wheels with Stonesy garage rock and devotion to hard-edged soul and R&B(http://events.ixs.net/R-B-Soul.aspx ). Inspite of many lost opportunities of the initial Years of his career, Seger finally achieved a national audience in 1976 with the back-to-back release of his albums Live Bullet and Night Moves. These two Albums were a superb success which helped Seger in retaining his popularity for the coming two decades, releasing seven Top Ten, platinum-selling albums in a row. Seger shown his interest in music in his early age. He began playing music in 1961 as the leader of the Detroit-based trio the Decibels; his future manager, Eddie "Punch" Andrews was also a member of the band. Moving to Ann Arbor, he played with the Town Criers before he became the keyboardist and vocalist for Doug Brown & the Omens. The band released "The Ballad of the Yellow Beret," that was parody of the Sgt. Barry Sadler song "The Ballad of the Green Beret." However, It proved a set back for them when Sadler threatened a lawsuit against this song.Resultantly, The single was withdrawn shortly after its release. The First Solo Single of Seger was "East Side Story, which was released in 1966. This song gained huge popularity and soon it became a regional hit. Many other local hit singles followed on Cameo Records, including "Persecution Smith" and "Heavy Music," before his label folded. The Year 1968 was very important in the Career of Bob Seger as in this year, He successfully formed the Bob Seger System and got the golden opportunity of signing with the reknowned Capitol Records. His debut album, Ramblin' Gamblin' Man, was released by Capitol Records in the spring of this eventual year. The title track met a grand success and it became a national hit, climbing to number 17. Seger achieved a commercial breakthrough with his 1976 album Night Moves which featured several hits including the highly evocative title song. Night Moves became a blockbuster, generating the hit singles "Night Moves," "Mainstreet," and "Rock & Roll Never Forgets." Stranger in Town, released in the summer 1978, was just as successful, featuring the hits "Still the Same," "Hollywood Nights," "We've Got Tonite," and "Old Time Rock & Roll." His most recognizable songs are almost certainly "Old Time Rock & Roll" (featured in the film Risky Business) and "Like a Rock" (most familiar to many younger Americans through its association with a long-running Chevrolet ad campaign). Seger also co-wrote the Eagles #1 hit song "Heartache Tonight" from their 1979 album The Long Run. Keeping in view of his grand successes, Seger was acknowledged as America's most popular rockers. Seger's next album, 1980's Against the Wind, became his first number one album and all of its big hits -- "Fire Lake," "Against the Wind," "You'll Accomp'ny Me" -- were ballads. The live album Nine Tonight continued his multi-platinum success in 1981, selling three million copies and peaking at number three. Seger released his next popular Album “The Distance” in 1982.While The Distance featured "Shame on the Moon," his biggest hit single to date, it had a record breaking sales of a million copies which shows his unmatched popularity.Seger also began to drastically reduce his recording and touring schedules -- he only released one other album, 1986's Like a Rock, during the '80s. Like a Rock and its supporting tour were both successes, paving the way for "Shakedown," a song taken from the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II, to become Seger's lone number one hit in 1987. Four years after its release, he returned with The Fire Inside. Although the album went platinum and reached the Top Ten, it only appealed to Seger's devoted following, as did 1995's It's a Mystery, which became his first album since Live Bullet to fail to go platinum, leveling off at gold status. Also during 2004, Seger was working on his first new album in 10 years, titled Face the Promise which was released on September 12, 2006. The first single, "Wait For Me", landed on radio in July. The Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll stated that "His throaty, authoritative delivery is a pleasure to listen to, and the Silver Bullet Band is superb." For more information about Bob Seger visit: http://events.ixs.net/concert-tickets/Pop-Rock/Bob-Seger/index.aspx
About The Author
Heidi Grumm hosts http://events.ixs.net and expresses her passion for events through writing and discussion. She works for Less Corporation at http://www.hrlady.com Copyright Heidi Grumm.

Musicians and Stage Fright

2006-12-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

Musicians and Performance Anxiety by: Kevin Sinclair
Have you ever faced your time to shine, and felt overcome with an intense hesitation or worry about an upcoming performance? As the time nears for you to address your audience, do you suffer from sweaty palms? Is there a lump in your throat? Do you experience tremors, tension, stuttering, upset stomach or loss of focus? All of these symptoms are a sign that you may suffer from performance anxiety, which is a common problem that requires a little mental rewiring to get you on the right track. Music performance anxiety develops from the thoughts, feelings and habits of a musician. The level of anxiety that one has will affect a musician’s desire to perform, as well as their ability. In order to deliver a high-quality performance, a musician must overcome the mental obstacles that create a barrier between wanting to perform and actually completing the act. When you feel anxious, pressure begins to build up that makes it impossible to pick up an instrument or sing a song. Main Types of Performance Anxiety There are three main kinds of performance anxiety that musicians encounter. The first occurs before a performance date is even mentioned. Fear of rejection or self-doubt regarding their abilities may hinder a musicians attempt to arrange a showing of their talents. The anxiety sometimes mounts to the point where a musician never feels they are truly ready to perform in front of others. The second type of anxiety occurs during an actual performance. Gripped by fear of what the audience thinks of them, a musician’s body might tremble. Sweat may form on their forehead, nose, neck or hands. These bodily reactions may also impact the way an instrument is played. Voices become tight or locked, emitting cracked, flat or quivering notes. The anxiety of a musician might be so high that they may actually self-sabotage their performance without even knowing it. Anxious musicians often become quite distracted by the slightest movement or noise during a performance. They might take this opportunity to blame their inability to complete their set because of outside interruptions. This is just an excuse. Within themselves, they do not feel completely adequate to continue their performance. Musicians with performance anxiety often exhibit poor concentration, as well as loss of focus. After a performance, the anxiety madness continues, which is seen through a harsh, unforgiving critique of their presentation. The musician will nit-pick every aspect of their set and despite positive encouragement and comments, they will continue to downplay and dismantle their ability. Tips On Managing Performance Anxiety When it comes to getting over the hump of performance anxiety, there are numerous ways to combat the fears and doubt that come with presentation. Below are five aspects of performing that a musician suffering from anxiety should take into consideration: 1) Self-Assessment When you get to know the ins and outs of yourself as an individual, as well as a musician, you are inching your way towards overcoming performance anxiety. Knowing what makes you tick both inside and outside musical circles will help you to better deal with the problems you face before, during and after a performance. A musician should analyze their performance goals, personal capabilities and limitations. Musicians should also know that everyone has to start somewhere with infinite room for improvement. It is quite important for a musician to perform to the best of their abilities, as well as learn from mistakes and peer criticism. 2) Exposure: Baby Steps Musicians should take the opportunity to gradually expose themselves to varying levels of performing. One moment a full-length mirror becomes a suitable audience, while the next could be a crowd of five friends. Testing low, medium and high levels of stressful performance situations will help musicians slowly overcome the issues faced in regards to performing. Additional suggestions include practice performances in an empty theater, dress rehearsals with friends and taping acts, then viewing them with family and friends. 3) Preparation In anything that we do, preparation is an important component for achieving success. A good performance is one that has been thought out, thoroughly visualized and played over and over again in the mind. Once the mental preparation is complete, the physical part of the process involves sufficient practice and specific rehearsing for the particular venue you may perform at. Before a performance, a musician should enter this moment with a clear head. Meditation, yoga and other muscle relaxation techniques can create the right state of mind. 4) During a Performance Every musician at some point in their lives will feel the flutter of butterflies before, during or after a performance. This is a normal occurrence that just takes some longer to get over. When it comes to the audience, you shouldn’t focus on blocking them out, but instead embrace them as support. If you go into a performance thinking that no one likes you or during a presentation focus on scowling faces, you will surely surrender to your flight or fight performance anxiety tactics. Try to put anxiety in the backseat and attempt to stay calm. If you make a mistake, such as tickle the wrong piano keys, simply move on and do not dwell on small imperfections that pale in comparison to the overall scheme of things. Sometimes, if you don’t wear your disappointment or errors on your face, the audience is less apt to remember or care about mistakes. Breathing techniques will also come in handy once you get into the thick of performing and feel a touch of anxiety. 5) After the Performance After each performance, take the time to assess yourself before relying on the approval or criticism of others. No one but you truly knows all of the hard work and preparation that went into your performance. Take the time to give yourself a mental pat on the back. Next, combine outside comments with your gut feeling to decide on what you can do next time. Regardless if you had the performance of your life or tanked on your first break, there are always aspects of your musical craft that you can still shape and mold for the future.
About The Author
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of http://musicianhome.com. Visit here for more tips on learning to sing.

Stick With Your Guitar Practicing

2006-11-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

When I Grow Up I Want To Play Guitar by: Mike Hayes
The secret to becoming a really good guitar player is, start playing and never stop. It really IS that simple! Many people say "Gee you know, I've always wanted to play guitar, or I'd like to play guitar but I don't think I'll be very good at it". You know if you really want to play guitar, just start. Don't listen to all the advice of all the people around you. Now, here's a little story I'm sure many of you will be able to relate to. It's a story about Paddy - a guy who knew what he wanted to do and followed his heart. When Paddy was in grade five at school, the teacher asked the class "What do you want to be when you grow up?". She would ask each member of the class. "What do you want to be when you grow up, Jimmy? " Jimmy would say. "A doctor miss". "Oh that's very good choice Jimmy, that's great". "What do you want to be when you grow up, Mary?" "I'm going to be an accountant miss" "Excellent choice, very good choice" Now when it came to Paddy, she asked. " What do you want to be when you grow up, Paddy?" Paddy replied, "a guitar player". The whole class errupted in laughter. The whole class .... it was just amazing. Paddy wasn't expecting this reaction. He had no idea why this was happening . Paddy hadn't started to play guitar or anything yet, but that's really what he wanted to do. So the teacher asked again. "What do you really want to do when you grow up, Paddy?" Paddy said, "play guitar". And the same thing only louder, everybody laughed. Paddy just couldn't work out why they had this reaction. So he sat down red faced and quite puzzled trying to work this out. Anyway, a year later, the teacher asked the class, "what do you want to be when you grow up". When it came to Paddy's turn, the teacher said. "Now Paddy, what do you want to be when you grow up?" So Paddy stood up, he wasn't as confident this time as he was the previous year, but he said. "A guitar player". And the same thing, the whole class erupted. Paddy looked around for support from the teacher but.... she was kind of buckled up in pain trying to hold back the laughter. And so anyway he got to thinking that maybe he wasn't giving them the answer they want. So the next year, he was prepared for it. Paddy thought, right, I've got the hang of this now. So when it came around to his turn again, she asked. "Now Paddy"...... and of course the class is just waiting for his answer. "Now Paddy, what are you going to do when you grow up? What do you want be?" this time, he said............"a swimmer". And the whole class laughed AGAIN!. By this time he was REALLY angry ... he looked down to his, (now) ex -friend , who was sitting pretty close to him and Paddy asked.... "What's SO funny about that?" The guy just looked up and said... "But you CAN'T swim!" Paddy exclaimed, " does that matter?" He just couldn't really get the hang of this. Of course the thing was Paddy really wasn't giving them the stock standard answer that they wanted. Like a doctor or a dentist or something like that. But that's really what Paddy wanted to do and the reality is that all he's ever really done. Now the reason why I'm telling you this is because the formula to become a really good guitar player is quite simple. There's only two steps. Decide to do it. Do it. Now, along the way you'll need a properly set up guitar. You'll need your equipment to be easy to play. And you'll need top quality information. But the most important thing is you need to be internally motivated. That's if you want to be really good. If you are internally motivated that means you REALLY want to play guitar, that's what you want to do. There's really nothing that can stop you. So until next time have fun with your guitar playing and if that's what you want to do, just go for it!
About The Author
Mike Hayes is a guitar teacher, author, performing musician and session guitarist with over 30 years of professional experience. Mike's methods are legendary and have earned the praise of top authorities in guitar instruction. He reveals his guitar secrets at http://www.GuitarCoaching.com.

Music: Good for Your Brain

2006-04-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Music affects the Cognitive Domain of Brain by: Dr Julie Trudeau
Music has a great effect over our mind. It directly affects our on the subconscious and the conscious mind. Music has a great effect on the Cognitive part of the mind. Music generates internal, abstract or symbolic illustrations. Music has a great capacity to stir up deep and rich emotions. Music is considered to be the important and essential social outlet for emotional release. Not only that Music has a capacity to heighten emotional life and that emotions are an important component of the music experience.
Now the question arises how music affects our Cognitive domain of our brain. Our brain is basically divided in two major hemispheres. One of the hemispheres is affected by the verbal sounds and music and the other one is greatly affected by the non verbal sounds and these non verbal sounds are Digital Music or we can say vibrational sounds.
Dr. Julie explain about these vibrational sounds that triggers our emotions and helps in the betterment of personality by stress reduction, self realization and many more things.
Thus Digital Music and the vibrational sounds play an important role in our life.
To know more about Digital Music Visit Dr. Julie: http://www.drjulietrudeau.com
About The Author
Dr. Julie Trudeau - A native of Kankakee, Illinois,in 1984, Dr. Julie Trudeau graduated from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in America, at the age of 22, and has been a licensed natural health care provider in Australia since 1985.

Pink Floyd Guitar Style

2006-03-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

The Best Method to Play Pink Floyd Music on Your Guitar and to Prepare Well! by: Ameen Jabbar
Obtain an effective quality guitar
Obviously you have to own a guitar. The best ones are Fender because that is what David Gilmour uses (Pink Floyd guitarist). David Gilmour uses a Fender Stratocaster which are quite expensive but you can buy a Fender Strat which are cheaper, over £100 or $200.
Before you start to play, tune your guitar strings. Electronic tuners are inexpensive. Get one.
Get some guitar effects, Gilmour does why not you!
It is best to obtain some extra effects such as reverb, distortion or gain and maybe some chorus or delay. Your playing will sound more pleasing to the ear, fun and professional.
Get hold of Pink Floyd Guitar tablature
Find some Pink Floyd Guitar tabs or sheet music by searching online. To save you time, the best site is Pink Floyd Guitar because it consists of lessons and doesn't just give you the tab and leave you to it. The address is located in the Resource box below. Pick your Pink Floyd guitar tab for your chosen song and try and pick a simpler song to start off.
Get the feel for the music
Listen to the Pink Floyd song the one that you hope to play. Hear how it sounds and get the feel for it. Concentrate on different layers of music provided by the different instruments, however, you are playing the guitar parts.
Play your Pink Floyd guitar tab
Play slowly at first, gradually improving your speed. Listen to the solo slowly and learn to play along. Some media players allow you to digitally slow down the tempo of a song without changing the pitch. Start learning the tablature. Learn one measure at a time, one line at a time. You do not need to learn an entire song on your first try. Play for a minimum of 10-15 minutes per day with one day off each week.
Allow time to improve. Don't get discouraged if you play poorly on certain days. Everyone has bad days. Start simple and gradually move to complex.
Play against a backing track
Play your Pink Floyd guitar tab over a backing track. These are available from monthly guitar magazines. Also maybe online somewhere.
Record yourself playing the Pink Floyd guitar tab
You do this by downloading or purchasing music software or just use the recorder on you pc but you would need a mic, however, they are very cheap.
Why not play it in a band!!
Have fun.
About The Author
Created by Ameen Jabbar. Specializes in providing Pink Floyd music playing to musicians. For further information about guitar playing, learning famous riffs or Pink Floyd guitar techniques go to http://www.pinkfloyd-guitar.com or Email: pinkfloy@pinkfloyd-guitar.com.

Learning Guitar

2006-02-24T08:56:00.000-08:00

Learn to Play Guitar - Pinch Harmonics and Making your Guitar Scream by: Todd Arsenault
In this article I'll explain how to make your guitar squeal with Pinch Harmonics. A lot of guitarists have trouble learning how to do these, but it's really a simple technique.
I'm going to touch on all types of harmonics in an effort to explain how Pinch Harmonics work when your playing the guitar.
If your like me you like to add a little expression when playing your guitar, by adding some harmonics and pinch harmonics.
To get this started we're going to go into a little detail about how the guitar strings actually work. Now I'm not going to be all technical, as that's not who I am :o)
Basically the guitar string vibrates between the nut and the bridge. If you look closely you can see the string vibrating like a sine wave.
Natural harmonics happen at the spaces along the string where the "wave" stops and starts a new one. (Not technically correct but makes sense to me this way).
This normally happens just above the 5th fret, the 7th fret, and the 12th fret wires. If you take a minute in a well lit room you can see the spots where the vibration along the string actually seems to be stopped. When you lightly touch a ringing string on these points you will get a natural harmonic chime.
Tap harmonics are simply fretting a string and moving the natural harmonic spot up accordingly. For example: If you fret the Low E String at the 3rd fret and pluck the string, your "natural harmonics" would no longer be at the 5th, 7th, and 12th frets. You would Tap the string above the 8th, 10th, and 15th fret wire to sound the harmonic. Hence the name....Tap Harmonic.
Now..to the meat of this...the all powerful Pinch Harmonic!! I say all powerful just because I love the extra expression and sound you can get from them.
To do a Pinch Harmonic you basically "Pinch" the string between your Pick and the side of your thumb that's holding the pick. This is the way I do them and have had excellent luck with this technique.
When you strike the string you let your thumb sound the harmonic you want. It takes a bit of trial and error to find the right areas above the pickups that sound the harmonics you want, but only a little.
The best way to learn the placement is to crank up your distortion (easier to sound them), and on put your fret hand on the Low E or A String on the 5th or 7th fret as if you were playing A note or D note.
Start with your pick in about the middle of the Neck and Bridge pickups and "Pinch" the string so that when your pick sounds it your thumb immediately touches the string. This should sound a Pinch Harmonic. The motion is similar to turning the ignition in a car, just not as drastic...it's a slight "Turn" or "Pinch" on the string.
You may have to move your hand slightly higher or lower on the string to find the "sweet spots". Keep trying different areas until you get it just right.
Once you've found the spots that give the sounds you want, make a mental note of where they are. When you move your fret hand higher or lower on the neck...the places you can hit the harmonics will move slightly. This falls in line with the way a Tap Harmonic works, so keep that in mind.
Keep practicing finding the "Sweet Spot" until you can do it each time you try. This part does take a little time and practice.
Just as a note: When you change to a different guitar, be prepared to relearn where the Pinch Harmonics sound. Every guitar I've played on has them in slightly different places. Differences in neck length, bridge placement, manufacturing tolerances all come into play.
So, that's all there is to it...Keep practicing till you get the feel for it, try adding bends and sound another one, you'll make that guitar scream like a wounded banshee in no time.
If you want to really increase your skill with Pinch harmonics after you get the feel for them, try practicing them with a clean sound. They can still be sounded and your accuracy will increase exponentially!
About The Author
Todd Arsenault has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has played with several bands over the years. Todd plays guitar with a local band called Disobedience. You can find more tutorials and lessons on how to learn to play guitar at his website: http://new-user.com.

Getting Paid to Practice

2006-02-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

Tips For The Solo Musician: Get Paid For Practicing? by: Kevin Brown
Hi, my name is Kevin Brown. In this article I would like to address the subject of practice, and how to get paid for it. Sounds funny?...well, when I finish, you will have a different view about this idea.
We have all heard the statement, "Practice Makes Perfect",...and it is a proven fact that this is so very true. There are many different ways, and technical aspects of just how one should practice. I am going to talk about the solo single line musician, and what you can do to get all the practice you need, and how to get paid for your efforts. When I say single line solo musician, I mean those musician who play woodwinds, brass, violins, cello, any instrument that does not have the advantage of making chords.
In this article, I will use my real life experiences to demonstrate the fact that this does work. To what degree depends upon the individuals efforts, and desire to succeed.
First,...The one thing that we all need, and want, is a joyous life, and abundant living. One of the main questions that we ask ourselves when taking this journey through life is,...Just how can I make a living, and enjoy what I do? One answer I know is true, is to find that talent that one has been blessed with, nurture it, pursue it, build on it, and it will take care of you, and the question of a joyous life, and abundant living will be answered.
To begin, I will use my life, and experiences as a basis, and outline for this article and show just how to, "Get Paid For Practicing".
For starters,...I am a blind individual,... I play saxophone,...and that is what I know how to do well. I have been playing the saxophone for 40 years, 36 of those professionally. As I dont consider myself an awesome musician, I absolutely love to play! I love to hear other musicians,whom I consider awesome, play. I can tell, as well as any music lover can tell, when some one has spent the time, and effort, and many, many hours in the practice shed.
Practice is an absolute must, if you want to be a successful musician. There is no way around it. I cant tell you just how many thousands of hours I put into practicing, not because I was made to,...but, because I loved it.
I went through high school, and attended Berklee College of Music, in Boston,...in the pursuit of a career in music. It was while I attended Berklee that I discovered the princible of getting payed for practice.
I remember being dirt poor, as most musicians were at that time, having no food, no job, not knowing what to do. So...I called my cousin, who lived about 40 minutes outside Boston at that time, and asking her if she could bring me some food, and money. She said,..."you had better take your horn, and go out on the street and play somewhere"! I was completely shocked!...I could not believe she said that to me!...How could she? I said,..."Are you Kidding"? You cant be serious? She said,...Yes, I am,...I hear musicians playing every day, and I know that you can do just as well, if not better than a lot of them. That moment right there, was a turning point in my life.
So, I did what she suggested,...I found a spot that I thought was acceptable, took my sax, and set out to make some money. I realized very quickly that there was more to this street playing than just dropping on a spot, and just making some noise. First: I didn't have a clue on what to play,...What did people actually like to hear? So, the first time I did this, I just played scales. Can you believe that?...I played scales! I made about $20, just playing scales! I couldn't believe it!...I just could not believe it. Out of all the songs that I knew, the only thing I could think of to play were scales.
One thing lead to another, and I learned to pick, and choose the songs that people liked to hear. I also learned that being a single line instrument took a lot of work. It is very hard to play by yourself, without chords, and have people understand what song you are playing. So, I started to invest in play-a-longs to help me build a song list by which to continue this new found source of income. I would get a new play-a-long as my finances permitted, and build my song list, which in turn put more money in my pocket.
It wasn't until later that I got an idea from this guy that used to play his guitar while roller skating up and down Boylston street with a battery powered amplifier strapped to his back. I thought,...Boy, it would be great if I could get a battery powered amp like that,... and play all of those play-a-longs, That I have acumulated, through it while I am out playing. So, that's what I did. As soon as money permitted,...I bought a battery powered amp,...a Peavey KB15, got a cassette player,...and proceeded to play with my new play-a-long band. You know what!...It worked!...It really worked!
Not only was it better playing,...people really liked it! I could last longer,...and I made more money!...A Lot More Money. There were many benefits that I had not considered. 1. I made money 2. I got more gigs 3. I made a name for myself 4. It made my chopps a lot stronger 5. I met other musicians to play with 6. It was steady work, at my own hours 7. It has lasted a lifetime, even to today
I was literally getting paid for practicing! So,...if you are a solo musician, and you live in a major city, or even a small town,...consider this example. Take advantage of every opportunity to further your musical career. there are many ways to make a living as a musician if you look for it. Check around in your area,...look for places were you can play,...you will be surprised at the response you get when you do things right.
This followed me through my whole career. I have played all over the world,...in all kinds of venues,...in all styles of music,...in all kinds of bands, and orchestras. I have not regretted that very first time I set out to play on the street in that place called, "The Bean Town", Boston".
Note: 1. A great source for jazz play-a-longs is : http://www.jajazz.com
2. Listen to my music: http://www.cursebustersound.com
3. Promote your music on line: http://cursebuster.linkscout.com
Copyright 2006 Curse Buster Sound
About The Author
Kevin Brown is a blind, jazz saxophonist. His intense, improvive style of playing is both soothing, and captivating to the listener. You can hear, and contact Kevin at: http://www.cursebustersound.com

Concert Schedule 2006

2006-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Great Upcoming Concerts for 2006 by: F.R. Penn
There are some great upcoming events for music lovers in 2006. The 2005 Grammy award winner John Mayer is touring during the early part of the year. This is definitely not one to miss. John Mayer’s career really took off in 1999-2000. Working out of Atlanta, he produced his first solo album, “Inside Wants Out”, in 1999. Mayer became a regular draw in the Atlanta club circuit. Then, an appearance in March of 2000 at the South by Southwest Music Festival equated to a recording contract with a subsidiary of Columbia Records. He recorded his major label debut, “Room for Squares”, with producer John Alagia, who had previously worked with artists like Dave Matthews and Ben Folds Five. Room for Squares featured electric funky hooks and Mayer's versatile, smooth voice, which bore a striking resemblance to the stylistic sound of Dave Matthews. Upcoming John Mayer Events: 01/30/06 On ABC @ 9:00pm, In Style TV Show - Chicago, IL 02/09/06 Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Los Angeles, CA 02/13/06 Adelaide Entertainment Centre - Adelaide Australia 02/14/06 Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne Australia 02/15/06 Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne Australia 02/17/06 Entertainment Center Newcastle - Newcastle Australia 02/18/06 Entertainment Center - Sydney Australia 02/19/06 Entertainment Center Wollongong - Wollongong Australia 02/21/06 Royal Theatre - Canberra Australia 02/23/06 Brisbane Entertainment Centre - Brisbane Australia 02/25/06 Perth Challenge Stadium - Perth Australia Speaking of Dave Mathews, the great South African vocalist/guitarist of the Dave Matthews Band is doing something unusual and interesting. It begins in Florida on Friday February 3, 2006 as Sovereign of the Seas sails from Port Canaveral while, simultaneously, Majesty of the Seas sails from Miami, each ship carrying fans and Artists on a weekend musical fantasy trip to the Bahamas. Dramatically, in the Atlantic, these two sister ships will converge and sail side by side, an event of rare occurrence in cruising history. Artists scheduled to perform during the cruise include Dave Matthews & Friends, Bob Weir & Ratdog, G. Love & Special Sauce, Toots & the Maytals, Ozomatli, North Mississippi Allstars. Mike Doughty's Band, Soulive, Mofro, Michael Tolcher. ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), DJ Logic, Motion Potion, John Brown's Body, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Brett Dennen. The Dave Mathews Band was formed in Virginia in the early '90s. Featuring Matthews, Stefan Lessard, ! Leroi Moore, Boyd Tinsley, and Carter Beauford. They built up a strong word-of-mouth following in the early '90s by touring the country relentlessly, concentrating on college campuses. Rumor has it that the Band is planning a summer tour for 2006. As for the dates and locations, keep your eyes peeled. Out of all the former Beatles, Paul McCartney by far had the most successful solo career, maintaining a persistent presence in the British and American charts during the '70s and '80s. In America alone, he created nine number one singles and seven number one albums during the first 12 years of his solo career. Although he sold records, and is wildly popular, McCartney never attained much respect from the critics, especially when compared to his former partner John Lennon. This changed entirely with his release of “Flaming Pie” in 1997. One momentous live performance given by McCartney was "Good Day Sunshine" performed for the international space station crew. NASA astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev were treated to a live wake-up call of the Beatles classic in a first-ever concert linkup to the space station. Currently, Paul McCartney is not touring. Coldplay is a band destined to be hailed as one of the most creatively sparse and emotionally artistic to come around in quite some time. The London-based quartet can comfortably go from stunning stadium anthems to slow-burning churns and do it with a flair like no other. Complete Coldplay tour dates: 1/25/06: Seattle, Key Arena 1/26/06: Vancouver, GM Place 1/30/06: Sacramento, CA, Arco Arena 1/31/06: Oakland, CA, Oakland Arena 2/1/06: San Jose, CA, HP Pavilion 2/3/06: Las Vegas, MGM Grand Garden Arena 2/19/06: Denver, Pepsi Center 2/20/06: Omaha, NE, Qwest Center 2/22/06: Auburn Hills, MI, Palace of Auburn Hills 2/23/06: Louisville, KY, Freedom Hall 2/25/06: Houston, Toyota Center 2/26/06: Dallas, American Airlines Center 2/27/06: Oklahoma City, OK, Ford Center 3/2/06: Washington, DC, MCI Center 3/4/06: Orlando, T.D. Waterhouse Centre 3/5/06: Tampa, Ford Pavilion 3/20/06: Cleveland, Quicken Loans Arena 3/22/06: Toronto, Air Canada Center 3/25/06: East Rutherford, NJ, Continental Airlines Arena 3/26/06: Uniondale, NY, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 3/30/06: Chicago, United Center 4/3/06: Manchester, NH, Verizon Wireless Arena 4/4/06: Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena 4/6/06: Philadelphia, Wachovia Center Rob Thomas is just wrapping up his first solo tour. The former singer and main songwriter for Matchbox Twenty, a Florida based alternative group that found success with a blend of '70s rock influences and 1990s grunge crunch. The band broke into major success in 1996 with "Push". They were then off and running. The album “Yourself or Someone Like You” went platinum a dozen times over in the U.S. Ultimately, a song he co-wrote for the Carlos Santana album Supernatural. "Smooth" launched Thomas to stardom. The track collected three Grammys including Song of the Year, and Thomas was selected to People's Magazine "Most Beautiful People" list. Thomas has only two stops left on his current tour: 2/13/06 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 2/14/06 Melbourne Park - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne The Rolling Stones are on the Worldwide circuit again. Besides the appearance at this years Superbowl, the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band has an extensive whirlwind tour in progress. From the hard driving blues and rock to the mellow psychedelic pop blends, there is no greater thrill than seeing the best there is. A Rolling Stones Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event (more if you’re lucky). Complete Rolling Stones tour dates for 1996: Jan. 10 -- Montreal, QC -- Molson Centre Jan. 13 -- Boston, MA -- Fleet Center Jan. 15 -- Boston, MA -- Fleet Center Jan. 18 -- New York, NY -- Madison Square Garden Jan. 20 -- New York, NY -- Madison Square Garden Jan. 23 -- Chicago, IL -- United Center Jan. 25 -- Chicago, IL -- United Center Jan. 27 -- St. Louis, MO -- Savvis Center Jan. 29 -- Omaha, NE -- Qwest Center Feb. 01 -- Baltimore, MD -- First Mariner Center Feb. 05 -- Detroit, MI -- Ford Field (SUPER BOWL) Feb. 11 -- San Juan, PR -- Coliseo de Puerto Rico Feb. 18 -- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- Copacabana Beach Feb. 21 -- Buenos Aires, Argentina -- River Plate Stadium Feb. 23 -- Buenos Aires, Argentina -- River Plate Stadium Feb. 26 -- Mexico City, Mexico -- Rodriguez Autodromo Mar. 01 -- Monterrey, Mexico -- Estadio Universitario Mar. 04 -- Las Vegas, NV -- MGM Grand Garden Mar. 06 -- Inglewood, CA -- The Forum Mar. 09 -- North Little Rock, AR -- Alltell Arena Mar. 12 -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- Bank Atlantic Center March/April -- Japan and Australia May 27 -- Barcelona, Spain -- Estadio Olimpic May 29 -- Madrid, Spain -- Estadio Calderon June 01 -- Brussels, Belgium -- Stade Baudouin June 03 -- Paris, France -- Stade de France June 06 -- Bergen, Norway -- Koengen June 08 -- Jutland, Denmark -- Forum Horsens June 10 -- Gothenburg, Sweden -- Nya Ullevi June 13 -- St. Petersburg, Russia -- Petrovsky June 16 -- Brno, Czech Republic -- Exhibition Grounds June 18 -- Warsaw, Poland -- Airport Bemowo June 20 -- Vienna, Austria -- Happel Stadion June 22 -- Milan, Italy -- Stadio Meazza June 29 -- Athens, Greece -- Olympic Stadium July 02 -- Belgrade, Serbia -- Hippodrome July 06 -- Zagreb, Croatia -- Maksimir Stadium July 10 -- Nuremberg, Germany -- Frankenstadion July 12 -- Leipzig, Germany -- Zentralstadion July 14 -- Frankfurt, Germany -- Waldstadion July 16 -- Munich, Germany -- Olympiastadion July 19 -- Hanover, Germany -- Niedersachsenstadion July 21 -- Berlin, Germany -- Olympiastadion July 23 -- Cologne, Germany -- Mungersdorferstadion July 30 -- Amsterdam, Holland -- Amsterdam Arena Aug. 01 -- Amsterdam, Holland -- Amsterdam Arena Aug. 03 -- Stuttgart, Germany -- Daimlerstadion Aug. 05 -- Switzerland -- To Be Announced Aug. 08 -- Nice, France -- Le Palais Nikaia Aug. 12 -- Porto, Portugal -- Estadio Dragao Aug. 14 -- Valladolid, Spain -- Estadio Zorrilla Aug. 18 -- Dublin, Ireland -- Phoenix Park Aug. 20 -- London, England -- Wembley Stadium Aug. 22 -- London, England -- Wembley Stadium Aug. 25 -- Glasgow, Scotland -- Hampden Park Aug. 27 -- Sheffield, England -- Don Valley Stadium Aug. 29 -- Cardiff, Wales -- Millenium Stadium
About The Author
This article was written by F.R. Penn sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. Searching for those for those impossible to find NASCAR tickets? Look no further than StubHub where fans buy and sell the hottest tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com/.
frpenn01@gmail.com

Ramones

2006-01-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

Ramones Forever by: J Square Humboldt
Immortality is so much better when you can stay around long enough to realize it ...
In that respect, the Ramones endured to at least have a hint it was being bestowed upon them.
Once again, you've got a chance to see why. If you were among the many who missed them in their heyday, you can now relish their legend --- in sound and sight --- with a cleverly-packaged collection entitled 'Weird Tales of the Ramones.' If you have any favorable inclinations toward rock music or pop culture, this is an essential item for your edification and enjoyment. Not only does the set contain 85 Ramones songs and 18 videos, it features an impressive array of works from top pop comic artists, such as 'Simpsons' creator Matt Groening and 'Mad' magazine's Sergio Aragones (there's even a 3D comic, glasses included).
The band probably had an inkling of their icon status in the late 1970s when Rolling Stone magazine named them as one of the seven most important groups in Rock-&-Roll history. However, even then, the relative squalor of their daily existence was threatening to put them in the ironic company of Mozart and van Gogh, two titans of their art whose earthly rewards fell far short of their legacies.
Actually, all the Ramones ever wanted was a hit. They were New York misfits who grew up humming to the Top-40 charts, so perhaps that yearning was understandable. It was yet another irony of their careers, as their ultimate impact on rock music was that of being iconoclasts. They ultimately didn't need the Top-40 to make their presence felt.
A recent movie scene hit this nail right on the head. When Jack Black's faux-teacher character in the wonderful 'School of Rock' diagrammed the influences of virtually every esteemed band of this era on a blackboard for his elementary-school students, the name at the center of that chalked universe was, rightfully, etched in all capital letters: RAMONES. Another indicator of their impact is the lineup of artists who covered their tunes on a 'tribute' album compiled by the late Johnny Ramone and Rob Zombie (if your musical tastes are merely mainstream, he contributed 'Dragula' to the 'Matrix' soundtrack). The album was produced to generate proceeds for lymphoma research, which claimed the life of Joey Ramone. Those who paid homage with their performances were a veritable Who's Who of today's rock industry:
- Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder (who was a close friend of Johnny Ramone), - U2 - Metallica - Marilyn Manson - Tom Waits - The Pretenders - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Offspring - Garbage
Even glam-rockers Kiss made an appearance, perhaps as a subtle acknowledgement that their own style-over-substance circus act has been well and truly outlasted by the stripped-down sound of the Ramones. Kiss' contribution to the cause, though, may have been to first establish that a group didn't really need a Top-40 hit --- their only noodling of note that made the hit list was a ballad, 'Beth' --- to become financially independent. Merchandising was their meal ticket and years later, that was the route that finally served the Ramones so well. Their first roadie, Arturo Veja, designed a distinct logo and hawked it on clothing and posters at their concerts. The logo imitates the seal of the USA's Defense Department, which in a sense, embodied the essence of the group:
- They were proudly American, - Their sound was aggressive, and - Their compact compositions seemed to defend the roots of Rock-&-Roll.
To this day, items adorned with the Ramones logo can be found everywhere in the world. A further show of the band's ever-growing effect on current consciousness is seen in sports, as hockey arenas all over North America have turned the seminal 'Blitzkrieg Bop' ('Hey, ho, let's go!') into an anthem that raised the song's mainsteam familiarity to such an extent that it now provides the 'zeitgeist' attitude portrayed in Pepsi-Cola commercials and elsewhere.
In a way, the Ramones finally have their hit. With the third passing of the original four band members --- bassist DeeDee Ramone --- only drummer-cum-producer Tommy Ramone has survived to completely bask in the belated glory.
Besides the release of the boxed anthology, the other reason to wax poetic about the Ramones right now is the announcement that the Sex Pistols have finally been accepted into the Rock-&-Roll Hall of Fame. To many, they were the clarions of punk rock, but both the Pistols and The Clash owe their origins to the Ramones, who were inducted in 2002, when all but lead-singer Joey were still alive.
The Pistols and Clash were in attendance for the first Ramones concert to rock the UK. Both met the group, who encouraged them to forsake perfection and embrace energy and get their sounds recorded as they were. Even the term 'punk rock' was created in New York by underground diarist Legs McNeil to describe the Ramones (and Iggy Pop's Stooges) as well as the genre that was emerging from the dark shadows of disco, appealing to the disaffected and disenchanted who clung to the late-60s ideal that music still mattered.
One pleasant surprise on the boxed set is the inclusion of a song the Ramones only released in the UK, 'I Don't Want to Live This Life Anymore.' It's DeeDee's melodic projection of the last moments in the drug-engulfed murder-suicide of Sex Pistol bassist Sid Vicious and girlfriend Nancy Spungen. This concise, haunting opus, composed late in the group's career, served to further illuminate the torch being passed, from the influence the Beatles' early songs had on the Ramones --- the band took their name from an alias Paul McCartney commonly used when registering at hotels --- to their own influence on the British scene that grew from their presence.
The Pistols substituted anger for the Ramones' wit, but they still had the artistic 'edge' that all great rock acts possess. They, and so many groups after them --- including Nirvana and Green Day --- took their cue from the Ramones that the music was more than just a catchy tune. Much more. The Ramones returned the music to its adulators by making it accessible again. They hit the raw sensations that powered Rock-&-Roll in the first place.
And that may have been the Ramones' greatest 'hit' of all.
About The Author
J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at the Longer Life website, which is dedicated to providing information, strategies, analysis and commentary designed to improve the quality of living. His page can be found at http://longerlifegroup.com/cyberiter.html and his observations are published three times per week.

Composing Piano Music

2005-12-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

Piano: It Is Easy To Compose Piano Sheet Music by: Peter Edvinsson
Why is it easy to compose piano music?
Because you have to start from where you are. This should be fairly easy; otherwise you have not started from where you are. A suggestion is to start writing piano pieces for beginners in a progressive order. The idea is that as the pieces get more complicated for the player they will also become more complicated for you to notate and compose and you will subsequently learn as you write.
How is composing beneficial for your piano playing?
One important reason is that your compositional endeavours will make you more and more aware of intrinsic musical subtleties in the music of other composers. When you start to think and feel like a composer you will also become a better performer as well. Performing is also a creative process similar to composing.
Compose and become a better sight reader
I remember an assignment I had many years ago writing music to my first musical. It made me aware of many notational problems I had not taken the time to solve for myself before. When I started to play my piano music again I was astonished when realizing it was much easier for me to sight read complicated piano sheet music. The reason for this I concluded must have been my concentrated effort to notate my own piano music. The process to play something with my fingers and and then try to notate the music on manuscript paper was so to speak a reversed sight reading exercise.
What about manuscript paper?
Notating sheet music is very cheap or very expensive. You can buy a more or less expensive notation program as I have done or you can write on paper or use both approaches. I suggest that you start writing on paper the way that composers have done for centuries. It is cheap and it is an effective exercise to use a pencil and writing the various sheet music symbols by hand. Very often I jot down musical ideas on ordinary white paper after drawing five lines by hand. It works fine if you can't find your manuscript paper. You can buy manuscript paper for sheet music or print out your favorite format on the site http://www.blanksheetmusic.net
It's of course up to you but, composing piano sheet music can become a natural part of your daily practice routine. Spending half an hour a day composing your own sheet music can help you increase your musical knowledge and help you become an even better musician and most important; it is fun!
About The Author
Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music educator. He is the proud owner of Capotasto Music with free sheet music, tablature and learn to play resources for musicians and music students.
http://www.capotastomusic.com

Christmas Music

2005-12-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

Music for the Christmas Holidays by: Tony Wiseman
In our multi-cultural societies today the run up to Christmas is experienced in many different ways. The commercial version pioneered by Coca Cola's magazine advertisements which established the red suited Santa Claus image, washes over us all through the TV advertisements and the decorations in the High Streets and shopping Malls. They built on and reinforced the Victorian version of Christmas celebrations which was dramatised by Charles Dickens in 'A Christmas Carol' which established many of the associated food and garland rituals in the public imagination - and helped Coca Cola promote their winter beverage sales. Much of this is accompanied by 'seasonal' music in the form of carols and hymns - often coral arrangements but sometimes instrumental - especially brass bands and the dreaded sentimental Christmas pop songs.
Music is often a subtle way of getting under the radar and evoking emotional responses from our subconscious. The commercial focus on Christmas seeks to convert these feelings into purchases - sometimes in crude direct appeals to consume but often in a more indirect atmospheric ways. While the committed Christians concentrate on re-telling the Christmas story through as many media as possible, including music - using the Advent season to recharge their spiritual batteries and encourage others to join them. Their tunes and some times even the words are often hijacked by those who wish to evoke a warm hearted relaxed atmosphere for the sale of their particular goods.
Much of this activity assumes a common Christian heritage and must strike those who do not share that background very oddly, not to mention the truly seasonal issues for those in the Southern Hemisphere who celebrate Christmas in mid summer rather than the deep mid winter. There is also the rival celebration of New Year which is a predominantly secular affair with a very limited musical repertoire - mostly of Scottish origin for some reason and this eclipses Christmas in many countries. Christians adopted the pagan Winter Solstice celebrations as part of their missionary progress but those ties were loosened by the reformation and the French, American and Russian Revolutions amongst others.
The seasonal hit at Download2MP3.com is Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite with its Sugar Plum Fairy which fits neatly into the Victorian Christmas story telling context. While Debussy's Children's Corner with it's 'The Snow is Dancing' (Northern Hemisphere Christmas/Mid Winter associations) is another favourite and forms the backbone of our Children's Classics Collection which includes several of our shorter and lower priced recordings. Other beneficaiaries include our instrumental versions of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah and Gounod's Ave Maria
Recordings like these are an ideal way to personalize those iPod or MP3 player gifts for a few dollars more - perhaps introducing children to the classics in an accessible, amusing and memorable way.
About The Author
Tony Wiseman has been involved in music production using computers for more than 20 years and now publishes MP3 recordings of his original percussion arrangements of selected Classical and Ragtime pieces at Download2MP3.com.

Top 10 Rappers

2005-12-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

Greatest Rap Artists of All Time by: Gary Whittaker
This list is based on lyrical ability, album sales, and longevity. Producers are not counted in this list. While we must give honourable mention to groups like RUN DMC who were breakthrough artists, and P.Diddy who is arguably the most powerful rap mogul (with Suge Knight perhaps the most dangerous), we are focusing on individuals who have each brought a unique style and message to the rap world. You may also noticed that the list is testosterone driven, but let’s face it, other than an argument for Queen Latifah, there simply are no great female rappers.
10. Talib Kweli
For someone who has never “made it”, no one is more respected in the rap industry for his lyrical ability than Talib Kweli. If he has not made it into the mainstream, it’s because he has more to talk about than just guns, bitches and money.
9. Ludacris
Luda is one of the hottest rappers out there today, but then so are a bunch of other young rappers like Nelly. Why we put Chris miles ahead of the pack for the simple reason that Luda is just plain FEARLESS! He spends his time not just trying to perfect the right rhyme, but the pitch and rhythmic tones for his speech patterns as well. He is also not afraid to take on movies with actual significant speaking parts and was part of the best movie of 2005 in Crash. Look for Ludacris to overtake LL by end of 2006.
8. LL Cool J
His rap career is basically over. He is reduced to Will Smith like rap status with his one hit per album these days, as he concentrates on his TV and movie career. That being said, LL was the first rapper to break into TV and kept the ball rolling after 2 Pac’s death for rappers to be considered seriously in movies. And for a guy who everyone complains about his lack of lyrical ability, nobody has squashed more beef than LL as well.
7. Chuck D
Fear of a Black Planet. Nuff said? Maybe. If I need to say more, than I will simply say that Chuck is to the underground what Emimem is to mainstream.
6. Busta Rhymes
>From his Leaders of the New School origins, to his recently re-invented shaved head self, Busta Rhymes’ ugly mug can be seen blasting at you in videos everywhere. Fortunately for him, talent is not based on looks. Busta’s in your face style, and crazy videos make him the Rick James of the Rap World.
5. Notorious B.I.G
Ok, ok, before you click on the refresh button to make sure that you are reading this right, let me just say that had the Notorious One not been killed during his prime, he may well be in the top 3, and I would even argue best ever. I will also concede that he was the best of his time, but compared to the overall careers of those we put ahead of him, his limited time in the rap game has him falling short.
4. Nas
God’s Son is next, since you can’t beat B.I.G on album sales alone. Nas has got the talent to be one of the best ever, and consistently shows his range on every album. While there is some controversy over some favourable comments he made about Hitler, we choose to give him the benefit of the doubt until it is proven otherwise. Nas’ ability is such that even if the beat is whack, you will listen to the song just to hear what he has to say.
3. Emimem (Marshall Mathers)
Speaking of squashing beef, can only one do it better than Slim Shady? We don’t think so. From Moby, to Benzino, to his own mother, Marshall has absolutely destroyed all those that sought to take him down. This man even simulated killing his own wife on wax, and had you feeling like she deserved it! What we love about Em is that he writes about what he knows. As his life changes, so do his songs. You may say that he gets away with all his crap and makes so many sales because of his skin color, but I defy you to find anyone that is even willing to take him on now lyrically. If Curtain Call truly does become his last album, then he will undoubtedly fall from this list, but at this time, there is only 1 person alive that can be considered better than him.
2. Jay Z
From his debut in 1996 until his “final” solo album in 2003, no live rapper has sold more hit platinum albums than Hov. Jay Z also went from co-founding Roc-A-Fella records to becoming the president of Dej Jam, and is responsible for launching the careers of many other now platinum artists. Jay Z has done everything a rapper can do in the business industry without getting shot or going to jail.
1. Tupac (2 Pac) Shakur
Whether you believe in the Man or the Muth, Tupac’s status has gone beyond iconic to legendary. More albums have been released and gone platinum after his death, than when he was alive. Through his words, you can hear his spirit and his passion for both his people and the direction they were headed. People of all colors respond to his music becomes he teaches hope. He is the only rapper to say that he will rap about guns and violence in order to reach his audience. Once they are listening, only then can he capture their hearts by his more peaceful message of peaceful co-existence by ending struggle through action.
About The Author
Gary Whittaker is the editor of www.tenwebzine.com, a blog with balls! You can go there to check out or comment on the article, or you can drop him a line at editor@tenwebzine.com.

As I was traveling to the mall the other day an old lady shot me a bird. Later I realized he could have given me the bird flu..so I think I will shop online and avoid all illness because online you can find clothes, electronics, books, music, christmas gifts, software, jewelry, shoes and
say flu you to the crowded malls( and the grandma with the middle finger problem)!

MP3 Players

2005-12-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

Choosing The MP3 Player That Suits You by: Fabio Marcell
If you've been looking around for an mp3 player, chances are you're very confused with all the different specifications and the vast array of models out there. You've read that you can get your entire music collection on to one mp3 player and that's true - but not every mp3 player. You have also been told that you can throw them around, go jogging with them, climb a mountain with one and all this is true - but again, not every mp3 player will withstand this treatment.
Basically, if you want to get physical with your mp3 player then you need one with no moving parts. In this case, the iPod is not what you want. You would be looking for a machine which saves it's music to memory. Some of the most popular mp3 players which fall into this category are in the Creative MuVo range.
There are basically three types of mp3 player. Hard drive based, memory based and mp3 CD player based. The hard drive mp3 players allow you to store thousands of tunes whilst the memory based version sacrifices music volume for freedom of movement. You can even get waterproof mp3 players! The mp3 CD players read the mp3 music from a CD which you have pre-burned.
So now you have enough information to know what type of mp3 player you should be looking for. Now what about capacity? How much music can you get on the various players out there? Let's take a look ....
If you want your music to sound good you want to be using at least CD quality mp3s. One minute of CD quality mp3 takes up around 1Mb. The memory based mp3 players have a top limit of around 500Mb meaning you can get roughly 120 average length tunes on there. But the top end hard drive versions go up to as much as 60Gb which is a whole lot of music - an anorak's dream :)
Another consideration is battery life. The hard drive mp3 players plough through the batteries at a rate of knots since the disk has to physically turn. The memory based option uses a lot less battery power. Many of the memory based mp3 players use the AAA size battery which is very convenient since you don't need a re-charger and you don't need to search for hard to find battery types. You'll find that most hard drive versions use lithium-ion rechargeable batteries and if you use your mp3 player a lot, your re-charger will be in regular use. Many people simply leave the power lead plugged in when they are at home.
An important factor in your decision should be the size of the unit. If you want to use your player at the gym or while you're out jogging then you'll want the smallest player possible. There are some really tiny models on the market these days. You will usually have to sacrifice some storage with a very small mp3 players but you can usually get enough music on there to have a good long workout.
If you want to use your mp3 player more at home then size will not be such a great consideration. The iPod is still a very compact unit and most people will be able to fit their entire collection on there. Of course the iPod is not your only option and there are many excellent manufacturers out there. Just be careful of some of the cheap imports you see on ebay, often there is no support for these players.
As a replacement for the home hi fi system, the mp3 player is becoming more and more popular. High fidelity purists obviously will never be swayed but to most of us the quality of the mp3 is perfectly adequate for our everyday listening purposes.
In fact many modern players coming on to the market have been designed with both portability and versatility in mind. What better way to entertain your dinner party guests than to have your mp3 player randomly selecting music from over ten thousand of your favourite tracks? No more fumbling around in your CD rack trying to find the disk that lost its cover ;)
Now you know what to look for, go get yourself a player and join the digital music revolution.
About The Author
Fabio Marcell writes for many niches and is an experienced researcher. He has written articles covering a wide range of human experience and enjoys plying his trade especially on the Internet. He is currently sponsoring http://mp3.linkz-and.info and can be reached on fabio@mp3.linkz-and.info

Bling, Po Po, Huh?

2005-12-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Hip Hop Slang, Knowing What It’s All About by: Brent Wilson
Okay, now you may be a hip hop fan that is just not with it enough. Or, you may be new to it. Or, you may even be a parent trying to figure out what the hip hop slang is all about. Hey, no problem! Let’s talk about it here. If you are not sure what the words you are hearing mean, take a minute to check them out. We’ll get you in touch with a few here, but know that there are some awesome websites out there that can keep you together as well. So, don’t pretend to know what bling bling means get with it and learn the hip hop slang!
So, what is it that you do not know? Perhaps you are not sure what all the “izzle” words are standing for? This form of hip hop was started by Frankie Smith but has been largely popularized by Snoop Dog, a very popular hip hop artist in the current time. These words are often just changed to add the “izzle” onto them without changing their meaning.
As for bling bling, this term is used to mean something of high worth. Usually it refers to expensive jewelry. Flashy, highly valuable jewelry is very commonly considered part of the hip hop culture. Bling bling can also be a term used for those who have a lifestyle built on excess spending and accruing wealth. Having bling bling isn’t a bad thing!
Okay, so this is no where near all the information you need about hip hop slang. So, what do you do to get what you need to know? Translating songs or just knowing what the artists are talking about on their videos can be somewhat hard when you can’t figure out the words. But, it isn’t meant for everyone. If you are determined to learn what hip hop slang means, check out some of the pretty cool websites that talk about it. Some are even in dictionary form to help you easily converse in hip hop anytime you want to. So, get with it and learn your hip hop slang!
About The Author
Brent Wilson
Hip Hop Capital is your online hip hop resource. The place where you can find TONS of everything hip hop. Hip Hop Capital has been a force online for years and only continues to grow. Go to http://hiphopcapital.com and see for yourself why thousands choose Hip Hop Capital.

Hip Hop

2005-12-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hip Hop Message Forums, Talk About It by: Brent Wilson
Hip hop message forums are out there for you. If you have a love of hip hop, you probably want to shout about it. Well do it! Talk about your favorite artists and what they are up to on hip hop message forums. Throughout the web, you will find various places to do this. There are often great websites out there that you can express your feelings, talk about your thoughts or just find out what is up with your favorite bands.
Hip hop message forums are a great place to stop and talk. Like the lyrics to a certain song? Want to find out the inside scoop on what your favorite hip hop artist is up to? The message forums are the places to go to find this. All sorts of various artists are out there and every once in a while you may just find one stopping in for a chat or a message about them. Hey, that’s worth it!
Of course, you can also use hip hop message forums to get in touch with others out there that love hip hop as much as you do. This is a great place to make some friends and talk some music. Get in touch with them in a safe place where you can just chat without worrying about anyone preying on you. Make some great friends and talk to others that love what you love, hip hop.
Hip hop message forums are out there and available to anyone who is looking for them. Some of the hottest hip hop sensations have their own chats and message forums. There are also a number of great websites that you can get online with others about hip hop in general. There are a million fans out there just like you who are looking to find someone to connect to. Get in touch with others and show off your knowledge of all that has to do with hip hop. Hip hop message forums are just the right place to do it
About The Author
Brent Wilson
Hip Hop Capital is your online hip hop resource. The place where you can find TONS of everything hip hop. Hip Hop Capital has been a force online for years and only continues to grow. Go to http://hiphopcapital.com and see for yourself why thousands choose Hip Hop Capital.

50 Cent - A Biography

2005-12-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

50 Cent, A Biography About The Man by: Brent Wilson
You know 50 Cent by his music but in this 50 Cent biography you will get to know more about the man and where he came from. With so many obstacles in his way, this individual was determined to make it big. Now, 50 Cent is the largest figure in the hip hop world, dominating rap for the last two years. So, we can’t get everything into this 50 Cent biography that we would like to, but getting to know where this man came from will give you an idea of what makes him so very real to so many.
Many rap stars out there have no idea what it is like to experience the difficulty of living life on the streets. Sure, they write songs but they don’t necessarily experience what they are writing about. But, 50 Cent has. He grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Queens. He saw crime happening around him everywhere from drugs to stabbings and even fatal shootings. Living in this area and seeing what he saw, he was able to portray a very clear picture of the hardest cities in the United States from a first hand point of view, something that his fellow rappers simply could not. And, he got a name for himself by telling it.
In this 50 Cent biography, we still want to talk about all that this man has accomplished. Anyone in circumstances like this has to be nothing short of extraordinary to pull through and end up on top as he has done. His grandmother raised him because his mother had died when he was only eight and his father had left. He turned to a life of hustling where he ended up in prison. Then, came his break. Deciding to turn his life around, 50 Cent took the higher road that led to a rap career. Working with Run DMC and Jam Master Jay he developed his skills.
This 50 Cent biography only touches on the life that this remarkable man has led. And, it hasn’t stopped yet. Working with Eminem as well as a number of other hip hop artists of high stature, his career continues to climb. You can count on seeing 50 for years to come.
About The Author
Brent Wilson
Hip Hop Capital is your online hip hop resource. The place where you can find TONS of everything hip hop. Hip Hop Capital has been a force online for years and only continues to grow. Go to http://hiphopcapital.com/catalog/50-cent-jewelry.htm and see for yourself why thousands choose Hip Hop Capital.

Jackson Browne

2005-12-06T05:13:00.000-08:00

Jackson Browne- Revisiting An Old Friend by: Nicole Sandler
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the music of Jackson Browne. I think the first album of his that I bought was 1974’s “Late for the Sky” and it still remains one of my all-time favorites. … If I had to put together a list of my 10 favorite all-time artists, Jackson Browne would definitely hold one of the spots. He's been on that list since music started playing a major role in my life. I think 1974’s “Late for the Sky” was one of the first albums I went out and bought with my own money. And now, if you ask my 6 year old daughter her favorite, Jackson Browne would be one of the first names she'd mention as well.
I was probably 13 years old when my love affair with Jackson Browne began. I’ve seen him in concert probably more than any other artist (with Bruce Springsteen running a close second…), and even had the pleasure of seeing them perform together when Bruce joined Jackson onstage at a show at NY’s Madison Square Garden, sometime around 1984.
It was Bruce who inducted Jackson Browne into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame last year… after over 30 years of making music--- ranging from some of the most emotionally moving to politically provocative ever made.
It was my love of music that propelled me into radio, and Jackson Browne was among a handful of artists that I’d always dreamed of interviewing.
I got to meet him a number of times before he joined me on the air one morning… The first was after a benefit concert at Santa Barbara's Arlington Theater, when my date said to him, "You made her cry!" To his quizzical look I explained that "Late for the Sky" always makes me cry... and then sheepishly walked away. In fact, his rendition that night did move me to tears. I've always said that a truly great song can elicit a physical response, whether it be goose bumps or tears. Jackson Browne's music does that for me.
A couple of years later, I hosted a national broadcast of the “Columbia Records Radio Hour” with Jackson Browne performing live in front of a very lucky audience, at which time he told me that he was a fan of the radio station and listened often. You can imagine how that made my day!
Finally, on September 13, 1996, Jackson Browne joined me on the air at KSCA in Los Angeles. We had a little room in which artists came and performed… it was actually a hallway between our main air studio and the production room. We affectionately dubbed it the KSCA Music Hall. Perhaps his performance that morning inspired his recent solo acoustic tour, which spawned his wonderful new album, “Jackson Browne, Solo Acoustic Vol.1”… though since this interview happened 9 years ago, I’d say that’s unlikely…
But one of my radio dreams was fulfilled that morning and now, 9 years later, through the magic of podcasting, I’m able to re-live it and share it with Jackson Browne fans worldwide.
About The Author
Nicole Sandler had a successful 26-year radio career that enabled her to interview many of her favorite musicians. In addition to Jackson Browne, her podcast at www.RadioOrNot.com features interviews with Dave Matthews, Ray Davies and Steely Dan. Nicole produces podcasts for business owners, and owns Legacy Video Productions. Visit www.legacygroupunlimited.com to find out more.

More GreenDay

2005-12-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams by: Svein Urnes
When it comes to punk ballads there are not all that many out there. Punk is a hard and driven form of music that prohibits it from being well-suited to conveying softer emotions – that is, it has been, until now. Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams is another undeniable hit from a trio that has consistently shown that despite their punk roots, they are versatile musicians who can produce more down-beat music while still keeping their sharp edge.
Green Day is decidedly the world’s premier punk band at the moment and rightfully so. There album American Idiot which was released in 2004 cemented the band as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. It showed a nice maturing of the band’s sound, image and content. Although they have managed to retain their youthful exuberance and sarcastic sense of humour they have proven themselves capable of writing songs that are not only poignant but musically rich as well.
Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a clear example of the significant growth that the band has shown since they first hit the mainstream scene with Dookie. Since then this prolific and always entertaining band have released five records including a new live album which hit stores earlier this year. They have certainly withstood the test of time by not flaming out in a blaze of glory or simply becoming another in a long string of one-hit-wonders. These original punks understood that with age should also come some form of wisdom – and have they ever delivered!
Boulevard of Broken Dreams is an eerily touching song about alienation and our society’s disconnect. Most of us do not even realize what insular and separate lives we lead until we need someone on whom we can rely for help. The lyrics of this pessimistic song can easily be interpreted in a number of ways, but the one thing that no one can argue with is that the song speaks to every person’s loneliness and sense of isolation. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is also a song about the paths we follow and where they lead – sometimes to places that we may have never imagined for ourselves.
The video for Boulevard of Broken Dreams starts off where the video for Holiday ends. It is a nice segue-way that emphasizes the themes of disconnection and alienation. The viewer is taken from a frivolous and burlesque romp through the pleasure palaces of the urban landscape where debauchery reigns every night to a lonely and dusty street where few people connect even though they stand right next to each other.
With the album American Idiot Green Day has cemented their name as a band for the ages. They have gone from a band of fun but brash music to a collection of songs that are hard to take lightly. A trio of tough and talented musicians who have shown as sensitive a side as a punk band is allowed to show without losing face or credibility and with Boulevard of Broken Dreams they have achieved a great song that will speak to generations to come.
About The Author
Svein Urnes has been a Green Day fan for years. Visit his Green Day website at http://www.green-day-fan.com for audio, video, lyrics.

Downloading Music

2005-12-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

A Huge Concern Over Web: Music Download by: Plaily Muzic
Internet has come to change everything that once relations used to be lied on. Since Internet had invaded homes, the daily life has never been the same again. Internet changed the family’s habits, the culture and the way someone sees the world. Music is just a part of this change.
Regarding to music, this issue is even more complicated. People now can prepare their own CDs by downloading music from the Internet. And this has become another problematic thing that has contributed to increase the piracy.
The music download problem lies on two issues:
- If people can have access to the most varied types of music, they can have a better idea of a particular artist’s material, they can find out singers they had never heard of and get their CDs even this. These actions may be a little bit illegal and sometimes reduce the profits of the big music companies, but, however, it increases the range where a singer is known. When this happens, both singer and his/her music records win a special recognition, which may lead to the hire of them for shows and (guess what?) profits.
- But if it is true that music download can be beneficial for an artist, sometimes it can also be harmful, speaking about profits of course. And this loss of money in general happens to already famous artists. People download their songs from the Internet because they already know that singer and because they like him/her.
The big music industry complex has a tough battle to face. Profits or recognition!? Profits and recognition depends on each other: you only have profits when you achieve recognition, but your recognition can be measured by your profits. How to solve the problem?
Well, even if this matter seems to be far from a solution, some measures are being taken by the companies. Some laws have been created and other demands are being done. Even if it is hard to supervise all the websites on the Internet that offer music download, some people have been being charged of piracy and arrested.
Janis Ian on her article states that the music download increases the profit of the music industries, instead of what these industries allege. According to Janis, when people downloads a music form he Internet and get to know that song, they buy the CD because they already liked it and have no way to regret buying that CD. She also states that this happens because most of people cannot pay for a CD just to “give it a try”.
Music download is a reality – no matter what.
www.music-download.leisure-tip.info
About The Author
Plaily Muzic Because you have to know the issue before going on. www.music-download.leisure-tip.info

U2 Tickets

2005-11-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

U2 Tickets by: Ron Arthur
In the fall of 1976, a popular high school student Paul Hewson observed a note on the notice board of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin . It was from a 14 year old student Larry Mullen and he had asked for some music lovers to come and join a band. Paul's immediately answered the call and so did three other lads, Dave Evans, Dick Evans and Adam Clayton. A five-piece band was organized with the name of "Feedback". However, Dick Evans left the band to join another one after some time. The band altered their name to "The Hype" but ultimately they set on to " U2".It was this name which took them to the heights of the sky and made it one of the hottest band of 1980's.
17 th March 1978 was an unforgettable day for U2 as they got their first major break by wining a music talent contest on St. Patrick's Day in Limerick . One of the judges of the contest was Jackie Heyden working for CBS Records. Observing the electrifying performance of the boys, he became an immediate fan of U2. It was Jackie Heyden who first took U2 to the studio for recording their debut demo. Although it was not so successful it was still a real confidence booster for the young men.
Their thrilling music and breathtaking performances soon managed to amass crowds of dedicated fans. Through the combination of devotion and passion they rose to be the most popular rock and roll bands of 80's. The zealous struggle of U2 allowed them to nab a respectable place in the music world during the era of synthesized pop and heavy metal music.
They launched their debut album in 1979 with the name "U 2 three", which grabbed the top place in Ireland music charts. Later when it was released in England , it was a disappointing failure.
The next year was filled with extensive touring worldwide for the band. In a couple of years two of their albums were in the market, naming "The Boy" and "October", and the boys were now recognized in Ireland . Nevertheless, U2 really hit the big time with the release of their album "War", released in March 1983. The "New Year's Day" single became chart topper in England .
U2 was on the flow and their records were selling like hot cake throughout the world. Their 7 th LP "The Joshua Tree" did record breaking selling in England and remained the big seller in 22 other countries. The fame of U2 was swelling uncontrollably and they amassed millions of dollars from world over.
Next albums were "Achtung Baby",1991, "Zooropa",1993, "Pop"1997and their latest album " How to Dismantle a Atomic Bomb",2004, which are still remembered by millions of rock music lovers.
There has been no deterioration in the fame of U2 till the present day. Several U2 concerts are still due during this summer in Spain, England, France, Italy, Holland, Switzerland and other European countries. Millions of fans are excited about these concerts all over the world, as can be judged by the fact that most of the tickets have been sold out.
U2 has been maneuvering the rock music scenario constantly for over two complete decades which is an achievement of sorts. They have chartered success on their own terms on both the artistic and business sides in the music industry. And it seems apparent to thousands of their fans that their sun of limitless fame might never set!
For More Information on U2 Latest events , please visit http://www.ticketnest.com/concert-tickets/U2
About The Author
Ron Arthur is a Search Engine Marketer working for Carlsbad, CA based web-metrics company Sofizar. He is a member of the team developing a click fraud detection software, ZarTective. While not writing expose’s on the darker side of the web, he plays with his cat “Mano” and watches “Rocky Horror Picture Show” for the 17th time. Or maybe 117th.

Green Day

2005-11-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

Green Day: Punk Rock Masters Taming Mainstream Radio Their Way by: Dakota Caudilla
Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool were merely three extraordinary hopefuls hoping and looking for their big break. The trio has no formal training and got their ‘practice’ from playing for free at punk clubs on Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Out on the streets is where the 3 talented individuals got their big break – they turned from punk rock’s most unlikely success story to a remarkable band with a series of chart-topping hits. Together, they sold more than 10 million albums and won a Grammy Award in the process. It’s been a long journey for the trio who started out singing out in the streets.
Both Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt were born in Rodeo, California in 1972 and have been fabulous childhood friends since the age of 10. At the age of 14, they carefully put together their first band, Sweet Children.
They recorded their first EP as Green Day, 1,000 hours, in 2 days flat and in the meantime, Dirnt graduated and Armstrong dropped out of high school. A local indie label “Lookout!” released Green Day’s debut album – at this time, Green Day recorded the album with their first drummer, Al Sobrante. Al Sobrante soon quit the band. Dirnt and Armstrong found a friend in Tre Cool (Frank Edwin Wright III) who as been a drummer with “Lookout!” since the age of 12. Together, Armstrong, Dirnt and Cool released the group’s second album, Kerplunk.
Green Day didn’t burst into the entertainment scene without followers and fans. That’s because Green Day, before the release of their albums, EARNED their following by driving their renovated bookmobile from coast to coast, crashing in their friends’ places and organizing mini-concerts for their fans. When they reprised their debut, Dookie, Green Day already have a throng of fans and followers. To say the very least, Green Day made immaturity and malcontent cool all over again. Their songs on picking scabs, pyromania….won the hearts of followers and fans who can tune in to the content and felt the pain and stress in the songs. The re-release of ‘Dookie’ took the world by storm because they sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone and they won a Grammy in 1994 for “Best Alternative Music Performance”.
Green Day proves to critics that they are here to stay and refuse to be a one-hit (or even one-album wonders). With their next album, Insomniac, and in their latest album, Nimrod, they stayed steadfast to the punk philosophy. They maintain that being naughty is sometimes nice – even when you’re married and have kids.
What makes the songs from Green Day so wildly popular is the fact it’s easy for anyone to identify with the lyrics. They reintroduced anger and exuberance in a very offbeat and un-rhythmic sort of way. They have, what people will call, the finger-in-your-face attitudes. The sort of staying power Green Day has shown through their songs, it’s not hard to imagine why we say that Green Day won’t be making its way out of the scene any day soon – not today, not Green Day.
About The Author
By Dakota Caudilla. Journalist, and web site builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.all-green-day.info on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Thursday Rock

2005-11-26T14:53:00.000-08:00

Thursday Rock by: Ryan Fyfe
Thursday, a post-hardcore band, is from New Brunswick, New Jersey. The band formed in 1997. Their first full-length album was released in 1999 with a New Jersey based company called indie Eyeball Records. Thursday is known for their notable advancements of artistic nature; many of the bands songs are as a result of books, real world events, and art of various forms. Successfully emerging from the underground indie scene, Thursday at the turn of the century attracted Victory Records attentios.
The band gained significant commercial radio airtime when they released their second album which became a breakthrough. Their hit single "Understanding In A Car Crash", landed the band a major label record deal with Island. Their hopes were in continuing to create music and an image that truely represented themselves. This hope resulted in a magnificent artistic piece in which the band perfected their sound. The entire collection of Thursday albums were produced by Sal Villanueva and mixed by Rumble Fish.
Thursday Band members are: Geoff Rickley (vocals), Tom Keeley (guitar), Steve Pedulla (guitar), Tim Payne (bass), Tucker Rule (drums) and last but not least Andrew Everding (keyboard).
The sound of Thursday is built upon both post-punk atmospherics and hardcore's visceral instrumentation. Repeated high-pitch guitar riffs stacked on top of heavy bass lines echo Thursday's British influences such as The Cure, The Smiths, and Joy Division as well as New York City's Sonic Youth. There is the odd time signatures, tempo and key changes, and multi-sectional song structures also play a prominent role, akin to progressive rock bands such as Yes and Rush. Lyrically, Thursday is a masterpiece with lead vocalist Geoff Rickly. Geoff concentrates on the struggles of growing up in the world today using violent imagery along side shimmering, and often beautiful phrases.
Thursday's Discography * Waiting (December 6, 1999, Eyeball Records) * Full Collapse (October 18, 2001, Victory Records) * War All The Time (September 16, 2003, Island Records)
Thursday's Singles * 2001 - "Understanding In A Car Crash" * 2002 - "Cross Out The Eyes" * 2003 - "Signals Over The Air" * 2003 - "For The Workforce, Drowning" * 2004 - "War All The Time"
About The Author
Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Thursday Spot - http://www.thursdayspot.com, which is the best site on the internet for all thursday related information.
Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Your Online Shopping Centre for art, books, collectibles, music, gifts, groceries and crafts at Virtual Directory.

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Karaoke Singing

2005-11-25T11:39:00.000-08:00

Pluck Up the Courage For Karaoke Singing! by: Daniel Morris
This article is designed to help anyone to enjoy karaoke and improve their singing performance whether it be as a "virgin" karaoke singer or as someone starting out on a singing career. It contains tips designed to help old hands and newbies alike achieve a better karaoke singing style. The best piece of advice is to bear in mind that one of the whole idea behind karaoke is that it doesn't matter how good(or bad) your singing is - you are singing for your own enjoyment. The people in the karaoke bar are there usually because they enjoy karaoke too, so it is not expected that you perform like the next American/Pop Idol. In fact some of the most boring karaoke nights I have been to have been spent watching a succession of pretty decent singers. If I wanted that I would go and see a show.
That said there will be many of you out there who desperately want to use karaoke as a step on the road to becoming the next pop idol or want to win a karaoke contest. So here goes....
Choose a song that you are very familiar with and that suits your style of singing. You have probably heard people murdering a very popular song (usually anything by Anastasia) when they would have sounded 10 times better singing a song that they knew well and suited their voice.
If possible take your own karaoke disc, I have never known a kj refuse to play a singer's own disc. You will have practised this to perfection at home and your performance will be 100% better as a result.
Alternatively sign up for a streaming karaoke subscription and you can practise any one of thousands of songs. For advice on streaming karaoke click here. Similarly don't be afraid to ask the kj to change the key to suit your voice. A song that you may struggle with in one key may be just right for you if its taken down a semitone or two. Most digital key changers will allow at least eight steps down and eight steps up.
Unless you have an exceptional singing voice, sing an up-tempo number. Slow romantic love songs (what my Dad would have called a ballad) need a big voice to be done properly. Unless you like straining to hit and hold long high notes give it a miss and choose something quicker which will get the place jumping. Up tempo songs require much less technical ability and in karaoke terms are generally more entertaining. You can usually tell a slow song isn't going too well when the kj starts to wave a lighter in the air. You may find this flattering and make you think
Don't drink too much! Alcohol will make you shout and slur and is definitely not good for the vocal chords or getting your words right!
Don't hassle the karaoke host, he has a set way of prioritising the singers. Generally first time singers are put on first (they jump the queue), so don't expect the singing order to run in exactly the same sequence as the slips were handed in.
Fill in your request slip fully ensuring the track number etc is perfectly correct. There is nothing worse than getting up there only for the wrong song to start.
Treat the mic with respect! Don't shout into it, knock it, twirl it around by its lead or throw it. The kj will not be happy to the say the least and although you probably think you resemble a cool mic throwing rock legend, chances are you just look like a jerk!
Hold the mic about an inch away from your mouth - you should never touch the mic with any part of your mouth or face, both from a singing and a hygenic point of view! For long high notes start with the mic further away from you and as you hold the note slowly bring it nearer. This has the effect of making the note sound stronger and more consistent. As you run out of breath the mic is nearer and the note remains constant. Practise this technique if you can.
If you are really serious there is always the option of singing lessons. There are now some very affordable internet courses which have achieved fantastic results. Give one a try.
Above all ENJOY yourself - that is the whole idea.
About The Author
Copyright 2005 The-Karaoke-Advisor.com
Daniel Morris is a writer and designer of The-Karaoke-Advisor.com an online karaoke resource and advice center

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Musician

2005-11-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

Five Fingers Same Position Notes Reading Method by: Sujanti Djuanda
There are beginner piano books begin by introducing five notes i.e. CDEFG in right hand (RH) and CBAGF in left (LH) by using the same fingers position such as on RH note C played by thumb, D played by index finger, etc. On LH note C played by thumb, B played by index finger, so on. I called as "five fingers same position".
The benefit is before added the new note, beginners have practiced some similar exercises so they, especially kids will not confused by rhythm, names and positions of notes.
Because of many exercises that using the same fingers position, mostly kids tend to read the fingers numbers as notes positions. For instance, they mean no. 1 on RH is C - always played by thumb, no. 2 is D - always played by index finger and so on, likewise on LH.
In early lessons, students seem fluently in notes reading but the problem comes when start playing pieces with no "five fingers same position".
If students have to use "five fingers same position" books, as teachers, we have to explain from the first lesson that one note can be played by any fingers and fingers numbers are never changed such as on RH no.1 always for thumb, no. 2 always for index finger and so on, likewise on LH.
To make students remember the fingers numbers quickly, we can ask them to play as fast as they can such as "Play C with finger number 1 …. Now play C with finger number 2 and so on". The kids will love this fun game! Then ask them play the same piece with any fingers by writing a new fingering on their book. For instance, for RH play C with finger number 2, D with finger number 3 and so on.
There is no perfect method in notes reading, as teachers, we can only find the suitable one for each student by merging one method with another. I prefer using "five fingers same position" book at first lesson by using any kinds of fingers positions, not just as written in book.
It is much benefit and easier to learn right at first than re-learn after made mistakes. However, if students have made misunderstandings on notes reading, no matter with our ‘own’ students that have been taking lessons with us since their first day on piano lesson or transferred ones, just do not ever blame them, their old teachers (for transferred ones) and ourselves especially beginner teachers. It will not make notes reading of students better.
The solution is re-teaching them as first lesson. Of course, it needs much time, patiently and often rather difficult to train ‘a new habit’. The students could be frustrate and complain but with fun game as I mentioned above, kids usually enjoy the lesson again. If happens on teens or adults (so far, I never found yet), we can support them by positive words so that they have ‘new spirit’ to continue their lesson. Moreover, as teachers, we should not ever stop learning.
About The Author
Yen Yen (Sujanti Djuanda) has been teaching piano about 14 years. Currently also learn and work on music composing. http://yen03.bizhat.com/

Instruments available at Gemini Malls.

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Coupon code: MFL2010% OFF all orders of $20 or more
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Fender Guitar 1962 Reissue

2005-11-18T15:53:00.000-08:00

Fender 62 Reissue Telecaster Reviewed by: Steve Morgan
One guitarist who plays country, rock and roll, and even the blues, finds that the Fender 62 reissue Telecaster is a great instrument for all three. He uses the pickups of the bridge when playing country music, for blues the neck pickup. His Fender 62 reissue Telecaster was designed in 1983.
This same guitarist has been playing for around thirty years. He bought his Fender 62 reissue Telecaster in the UK. It is a unique color of cherry gray and lighter than a Les Paul. He started out using his Fender 62 reissue, using it with a Roland processor and two twins operating in stereo.
It's difficult to change the strings quickly, is the only thing negative this veteran guitarist had to say about his 62 Fender. The reason is because the tuners are factory vintage. This reviewer gave the 62 reissue Telecaster a ten out of ten for reliability and durability. For repair or support he has never had to call customer service.
Another guitarist who has been playing his 62 reissue Telecaster for 20 years says the reliability is great. He has never had a problem with it, and continues to keep playing it.
About The Author
Steve Morgan makes it easy to learn about guitars quickly and easily. Learn more by going to http://www.best-guitar-deals.com. Also see our http://www.best-guitar-deals.com/fender-rosewood-telecaster-1971.html review.

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Most of the time I shop online for electronics such as audio, tvs, cell phones, digital cameras, wireless and pdas.

Music Downloads

2005-11-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Legally Download Music and MP3's by: Charles Oakland
Downloading music is one of the greatest things about owning a computer. However, the most popular way to do it is illegal. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is trying to stop anyone from downloading music illegally and have recently been passing out hefty fines to prevent downloading. In the wake of a Supreme Court ruling, companies can be sued for encouraging illegal downloading, most notably and recently Kazaa. With the recent shutdown of the top music downloading networks, one has to ask:
Can I Still Download Music?
Yes, at plenty of Web sites, some requiring payments and some free. Pay sites that have licensing agreements with the entertainment industry -- such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Yahoo Music and others -- are panting for your business. Sites battling the industry such as Grokster and Morpheus -- which were targeted in Monday's decision -- face a cloudier future. While the Supreme Court sent their case back to a federal appeals court for trial, they are almost sure to lose. They and other file-sharing services that allow for sharing of copyrighted files -- and make money off it, through advertising and other means -- may fold or have to change their sites drastically.
Unfortunately these top profile downloading sites often charge a hefty fee for their access. Basic membership fees often cost upwards of $30 a month, while tracks start at $1 a piece. Alternatives have arisen that promise to give you the same amount of content but at a cheaper price.
These alternatives include: MP3-share, mp3downloadhq, legal music access, and online download network. Reviews of these programs can be found at http://music.webreviews.ca managed by http://webreviews.ca
About The Author
Charles Oakland is a journalist by nature who manage the popular web review site: Free Web Reviews Free MP3 Reviews

Your Online Shopping Centre for art, books, collectibles, music, gifts, groceries and crafts at Virtual Directory.

Get your horoscope or psychic reading, maybe a date, workout in a home gym, play online games, travel or enter a contest at Virtual Directory.

Most of the time I shop online for electronics such as audio, tvs, cell phones, digital cameras, wireless and pdas.

Electronics Special

2005-11-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Akimbo is offering an awesome Holiday Special Promotion- Akimbo Player Only $69.99 (regular price $199.99).

Concert Tonight!

2005-11-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to watch Austin City Limits tonight on PBS.

Music Videos

2005-10-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Free Music Video Downloads by: Jeff Schuman
Listening to all of your favorite songs whenever you want is always exciting. No more having to wait for it to be played on the radio or have to go out and buy the whole CD for just one particular song. When you can download all of your favorite songs for free it just makes it that much better. What if you could download the music videos to all of your favorite songs for free and add to the excitement every time you listen to the song? In this article I’ll discuss some of the best places to find free music video downloads and why some free music video download sites are better than others.
As mentioned in a previous article I wrote, Music Video Downloads, not all sites are going to be capable of good quality free music video downloads. Some are going to allow you to preview the first 30 seconds of a song, while other sites allow you to watch only one song, then you must become a member to view more. However, there are sites out there that allow you to download good quality videos for free.
One of the bigger downsides to free video downloads, though, is that most places only allow you to watch the video and not save it to a file to view later. Yes, you can view it anytime you want by simply clicking on the video and having it load in about 15 seconds. However, if there is a certain list of songs you would like to observe, then you’ll have to search through the site to find them as oppose to having them all saved in a library.
Another downside to free music video downloads is the fact that most sites contain only popular artists and songs, so the unknown bands may be harder to find videos for. This is not to say that the selection is small, but it is limited to more of the current hot hits.
One of the better sites that I have found for downloading music videos for free is www.artistdirect.com. Once you get to the home page at the top is a button for movies and videos, this is where you will find all of the free music video downloads. On this page you will find the top music videos for various categories such as hip-hop, pop, rock, and so on. Plus they have the top 5 music videos currently, with a button away from getting the top 600 music videos. I have found this site to be very quick and efficient with downloading videos, but as mentioned earlier you are only capable of viewing the videos and can not save them to a library or folder.
One of the more common and well known sites to find free music video downloads is at www.mtv.com. For this site they have it set up with six different categories that you can click on. As you click on one of the categories it brings up the top six videos under that category currently, then you are able to browse all the videos for that category if you please. Or to make things easier, they have a place where you can simply search for a specific video.
I have listed two of the more popular sites to find free music video downloads, and two of the easier sites to search through. If you were to conduct a search for free music video download sites on google, there are about 131 million different sites or pages connected to this phrase. So as you can see there are several different places to look for the videos, it’s just up to you to find them. The two I have provided would be good ones to start at, but feel free to broaden your horizon and begin searching for the sites to find your favorite music videos for free.
About The Author
Jeff Schuman
Best MP3 Music Downloads is a site that contains information, articles, and resources on all genres and styles of music. You can download music and videos, and find links to the best places to download music here: http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com.

Coupons!

2005-10-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

New iSellSurplus Coupons:
FREE Power DVD Software With Any Purchase Use Coupon Code: POWERDVD Expires 10/26/2005
OR: FREE Ground Shipping on All Orders over $25 - Use Coupon Code: FREESHIP - Expires 10/26/2005
OR: 10% off ALL Instock Systems / Notebooks - Use Coupon Code: SYSTEMSAVE Expires 10/26/2005
OR Finally,FREE Corel Office 12 with any purchase $89 Value - Use Coupon Code: FREEOFFICE Expires 10/26/2005
Take your pick, but hurry!

Austin City Limits

2005-10-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 10:00 Cental, APT presents Jack Johnson/Rilo Kiley on Austin City Limits. Check your PBS schedule for local listings.

Concert Tonight

2005-09-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to watch Austin City Limits on APT every Friday at 10:00 Central.

Please Help

2005-09-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Please help the victims of Hurricane Katrina if you can. If you have no money, like me, please cut and paste my charity links to your website or blog. Also, give a link to my site as well if you can. Thank you and may God Bless all.

Charities

2005-09-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Charity Links
____________________________________________________
GUIDESTAR - Charities research site
____________________________________________________
PROJECT HOPE
____________________________________________________
SAVE THE CHILDREN
____________________________________________________
THE RED CROSS
____________________________________________________
DIRECT RELIEF
____________________________________________________
CARE
____________________________________________________
AHH-USA
____________________________________________________
MERCY CORPS
____________________________________________________
The people at GeminiSoftwareSystems wish to express their sympathy for all the victims
of Hurricane Katrina. Guidestar will help you with your research as
you look for the appropriate charity for you.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

If you would like to give to the Red Cross or other charities for the hurricane Katrina relief effort, just follow this link: Charities .

Bo Bice and Santana

2005-08-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Bo Bice will be playing with Carlos Santana on Carlos's new CD coming out November 1, 2005.

Rolling Stones World Tour!

2005-08-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

The Rolling Stones kicked off their world tour in Toronto, Canada last night. On Stage tickets are still available, though 97% have already sold! Hurry!

Sheryl Crow

2005-08-11T04:32:00.000-07:00

I had almost forgotten about music videos when I ran across Sheryl Crow's new song on VH1 around 6:00 this morning, so they do play music ... It is called 'Good is Good' and is on Wildflower (new CD? I could have it backwards..). Check it out.

Concerts

2005-08-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

Check out PBS on Thursdays at 10:00 central and Fridays at 10:00 central. Thursdays concerts
are usually from Chicago and Fridays are usually Austin City Limits. Great shows - FREE! Rock, country, jazz..just about anything.

VirtualeMusic

2005-06-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is a music blog. It is about Television concerts (particularly Austin City Limits & PBS stuff).