Music and Instruments

Ah, I remember the good old days when I had my first banjo lesson. Actually, it wasn’t exactly my first lesson. I had been using the internet to improve my “skill” for a while, and I was slightly conceited since I thought I had some idea about what I was doing. I watched videos of a real expert playing the banjo while the tabs were available as well. I learned a few songs and techniques that sounded interesting, but that was about the extent of my knowledge.

When I had my first real lesson, it broke down all those illusions I had of being a decent player. I tried to show off, but as soon as his deep eyes met mine I missed a chord. It was my first time to ever play any instrument in front of anyone, and I didn’t think I would get nervous. After all, I’ve always been a gifted public speaker. The only one in the room was my teacher, and I was having a terrible time.

I’m having a hard time seeing my future in banjo playing, especially since I can’t even whack up the ginger to play something in front of my own teacher. He’s a nice guy, and he can play the banjo like no other. He’s already taught me several exercise I can use for my next lesson. It’s also a great experience just to watch him play, since his skill far outweighs mine. I just hope I will sound at least slightly more decent the next time I have a lesson.

But if I always freeze up when I try to play at my lessons, I’m worried that my instructor will never be able to give me the help I truly need. It’s impossible to get feedback and constructive criticism if everything I play is absolute garbage. I think I will start recording my lone practice and playing it back for him. Hopefully I won’t freeze up just knowing that he will be listening to it soon…

If you thought music theory was a waste of time and not necessary to further your musical goals, then read these following 5 reasons why this is not true.

1.Read sheet music: Being able to play from any piece of sheet music. Well it may be hard to play BUT you can read it!

2.Be able to transpose: Say you are playing a piece from the sheet music you can now read but you think it sounds too high or too low, or just not right. Well now you can move it into a new key and play at a better singing.

3.Be able to modulate: You will be able to, with a few quick moves of the fingers, move your music into a new key with a succession of notes so pleasing to the ear it will bring a smile to your listeners faces.

4.It will increase your skill in improvising: Enough said.

5.Knowing music theory will help you recreate the sounds you enjoy in your favorite songs. Those fabulous chord progressions. The parts that give a song that certain sound. Gospel, Contemporary etc.

To learn music theory you don’t have to become a scholar on the subject. Just at least learn the basics. Getting a good music theory book and spending a few minutes a day reading from it and doing any included exercises can jump start your music playing.

Looking for the right salsa music is easy once you’ve been exposed to salsa beats long enough. But if you want to groove to the salsa rhythms, here are some recommended CDs that will have you dancing for days!

SALSA FRESCA – This is an excellent CD “for those who love to dance salsa, not just listen to it.” This compilation CD have you grooving salsa style all night long. Its inviting rhythmic beats are particularly good for those who love to Mambo. This CD is even a keeper for non-dancers. A must have for your CD collection!
TONY VEGA GREATEST HITS – Tony Vegas has charm and Latin gentleman appeal that can be heard in his music. His musical style appeals to everyone. It is smoothe and romantic yet energetic and upbeat This is an unmatched collection of Tony Vega hits from 1989-1994. His songs are infused with romantic tones and sensuous Cuban Mambo and Puerto Rican Salsa style beats.
Rough Guide: Salsa Dance ~ various artists – A huge selection of musical compilations put out under the Rough Series. Rough Guide: Salsa Dance is one of the hotter Latin music themed albums to be released to date.
Rough Guide: Salsa Dance vol. 2 ~ various artists – An upbeat album that will have you dancing the instant you hear it! This album is sizzling HOT. You won’t stop dancing because the music is electrifying!
Ultra Mix: The Best of Salsa – This is a must-have CD for any salsa. Some say it’s best suited for listening, while others are convinced it’s one of the best compilation discs for salsa dancing. Go to your local music store of check it out online. You’ll be glad you did.
These CD selections are a great way to begin your salsa music collections. However, some other great tips to finding great salsa CDs is by listening to local radio shows that feature Latin American, Cuban and Afro beats. Most likely you’ll also be able to hear some salsa beats you’ve never heard before. Listening to these types of radio shows exposes you to the different sounds and usually makes mention of the artists that are being played. This will make your shopping experience so much easier.
Also consider checking out your local salsa dance bar or salsa dance studio. The DJ or dance instructor would be happy to tell you what albums and / or songs they are playing.

Check out your local music store or go online to find the above mentioned CDs. I guarantee your neighbors will be banging on your door wanting to know what it is you a re playing. These salsa CDs are that good!

Happy Shopping! Oh, but don’t forget to check out www.salsadancedvd.com where you’ll hear the above mentioned artists and more. But you will also get the best salsa dance training available. Don’t forget to check it out!

You own a piano you love. But, you find that you need to put it in storage for a while. How should you go about doing it?

Many experts will tell you to avoid storing a piano if at all possible. It’s suggested to do everything you can to find a relative or friend who can keep the piano in their home or apartment until you’re ready for it again.

But what if that’s not possible?

A climate controlled storage facility is the best storage choice. Then the piano won’t be subjected to big temperature swings and big humidity changes, both of which can cause a lot of damage to a piano.

Pianos are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. Frequent, severe swings in temperature and humidity can wreck the wood piano case; doing things to it such as drying it out to the point of cracking if it’s too dry for a long time or warping it and wrecking the wood if it’s too humid.

Frequent or severe temperature and humidity changes will also cause the piano to go out of tune sooner than it normally would. It can also cause the wool cloth in the piano actions on better quality pianos to deteriorate.

If you have a piano at an unheated summer home or cottage, it’s probably better to keep the piano there during the cold winter months than to move it back and forth every year. If a person has to choose between storing a piano in a place that’s very hot versus very cold, the piano will usually fare much better in the cooler place. Some experts suggest placing moth balls in the piano during the winter storage period, taking care to make sure the moth balls don’t touch the finish of the piano. Just be sure to remember to remove them before you start using the piano again.

One additional warning comes from “The Piano Book” by Larry Fine (an excellent and comprehensive resource book on pianos). He says a piano that has been kept for years in an area that was damp or unheated should never be moved to a dry location or a well-heated location. Larry says pianos that have had this done to them have been known to “self destruct” in a short period of time.

When you first start learning to play the guitar you really want easy to learn guitar tunes to start with.  Otherwise it is the equivalent of trying to understand German when you have only learnt the basic words.

By starting with easy to learn guitar tunes you are setting yourself up for a much quicker learning curve and you will find that you will pick up learning the guitar much quicker and easier then without using tunes or songs to base your guitar skills on.

How to find easy to learn guitar tunes?

There have been many books written on easy to learn guitar tunes, usually the book is written from a guitar teachers point of view so you know you are getting great advice on how to pick and learn guitar tunes/songs.

Can I Just Learn Any Guitar Tune?

Yes you could start at any guitar tune and try to learn it, but why would throw yourself in the deep end?  You are much better trying to learn an easy guitar tune then starting off on a more advanced tune.

The entire purpose behind easy to learn guitar tunes is that they focus on the basics of learning guitar which ensures that not only are you having fun learning your guitar tunes but you are also building your core guitar skills at the same time.

This will eventually lead to you playing much better guitar and having a better learning experience.

Also when trying to pick an easy to learn guitar tune it is usually best if you can listen to that tune as well as reading the sheet music.  This lets you attack the songs from both angles.

1. You are learning the tune through sheet music so you are getting a feel for how to read guitar sheet music.
2. You are developing your play by ear skills which will be extremely helpful for you later when you are trying to learn the more advanced tunes.

So just remember, when you are looking for easy to learn guitar tunes don’t go for just any old tune, pick a nice simple basic tune or riff to start with and build yourself up from there.

If you practice learning tunes each day you will be surprised at how quickly you pick it up.

Final tip: Start with easy to learn guitar tunes.

Musicians have long been playing fiddle music in the Appalachians for years, but it wasn’t until 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee that the first recording country music recording deal was signed. In this year, Victor Records signed Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.

Jimmie Rodgers was born in Meridian Mississippi, in 1897. Originally he worked on the railroads until his ill health got the better of him and it was only during this time that he followed his earlier love of entertaining. In 1927 he followed word that Victor Records were setting up a portable recording studio and made his way there. He was immediately signed and continued recording and playing music until he died in 1933.

In 1965 he was one of the very first musicians to be added to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 along with Hank Williams and Fred Rose. On the same day as Jimmie Rodgers signed with Victor Records, so did the Carter Family, who would become one of the most famous country music bands of all time. They remained with Victor Records until 1936. Not even divorce could separate the band though and they continued to record with Decca until 1939. Things started to hit a rough patch at this stage and despite signing for Universal and eventually Victor Records again, the band split in 1941.

It is widely acknowledged that that big day in 1927 was the introduction of country music to the rest of the country. Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family were met with huge critical acclaim and became incredibly popular helping to sell a great many records. Country music singers and bands of today will often talk about the Carter Family or Jimmie Rodgers as being their major influence and with very good reason.

Classical music, like other forms of classical art, has not as many takers as those of light music. Nonetheless, classical music has its fans too and lots more are falling to its charms. Yet, those who turn to it often find it rather beyond their understanding and real appreciation. They are charmed by it, but they cannot critically explain why it appeals them. You cannot rationalize its appeal or beauty.

Another reason why a large majority of people are not very comfortable with classical music is its complexity and a sense of distance from the artist. Light music can be easily sung by ordinary artists with whom ordinary listeners can identify easily. It expresses the feelings of ordinary persons in their own language. Classical music, on the other hand, is rather mysterious and is rendered in diverse styles and it takes years, sometimes a life long time to understand .But its study has its rewards too. The more you study it, the more you enjoy it and the more you find it wonderful and worth the effort and hard work to study it.

The study or appreciation of classical music depends upon your individual taste. A form of music that appeals to you may not appeal to another person. You may come across experts who may try to influence you by their judgments about the quality of music. You may listen to them, but you should not compel yourself to like the music that they like. Or if you come across a much-acclaimed piece of music that you cannot really appreciate, you do not have to blame yourself for not liking it. You may of course try to find out why the particular expert likes a given piece of music. May be, you find some point to learn.

The most important thing about classical music is to listen to it as much as you can. Classical music CDs are available from many sources. If you are a student, your college library may have an abundant stock of classical music CDs. You can listen to radio, watch TV, and go to concerts and recitals. You can also get free downloads from the Internet, if you do not want to spend money.

As the music technology has developed many folds, the outcome of CD players, recorders and mp3 players has become a part of the day to day life of a person. Today, there are many popular mp3 players in the market including pocket sized player that enables you to take your PC audio wherever you go. Facts about portable mp3 players 1. Mp3 format has helped in increasing the craze of PC music and this is the reason why most of the Mp3 players handle various file formats such as WAV, AAC or WMA. 2. There are three types of memory used by Mp3 players namely, flash memory, removable or embedded flash memory and the hard drive. 3. Flash memory is rugged and very compact because it has solid state memory and the player cannot skip and therefore these are the best to for active use. 4. Embedded flash memory is built right into the player and is great fro one who is not interested to buy and carry extra memory cards. 5. The last type of mp3 players store music on mini hard disk drive ( a smaller version of your hard disk in your computer) and these can store music much more than the one using flash memory. But these are bulky with large LCD screens and incorporate memory buffers that eliminate skipping. 6. The most expensive Mp3 player won’t work if it could not be connected to your PC. So before you buy one, make sure that it is compatible to your computer connections and capabilities. 7. You need to have a new version of operating system in your PC, a USB port, supply flash card reader and music management software for example jukebox. 8. There are many accessories and features with current Mp3 players and you should know exactly what your player does and what all comes in the box. There are mp3 player that act as recorders and are capable to capture audio and other voice snippets and other radio broadcasts with the help of an inbuilt tuner. There is an LCD display and these come in stylish models in different color, shape and size. Other accessories include ear headphones, rechargeable adapters etc. 9. You can easily download free mp3 song from different websites offering these services. To know more visit our recommended website freedownloadmp3song.info