Long before the gangsta element slid over to hip hop the reasoning for the whole genre and style was generally purported to be, to show what life in the hood was like. That worked for a while and it even drew more sympathy from the otherwise estranged. But as lower passions would have it, the style and language of rap began more and more to take on a life and purpose of its own, namelysex. If by some magic stroke sex were temporarily extricated from every rappers thoughts and vocabulary, the entire industry would collapse quicker than the stock market in 1929. Now thats brazen!

Referring to rappers as artist and giving them full press doesnt guarantee that it is really an art form, all it says is that its here. But was it here before? Does it really have anything to do with the African American background, culture or heritage? I propose that it does not. Very few whites have succeeded in rap but even that does not prove that it is necessarily a black cultural thing. Growing up as a boy there were only two black families in our town. One of the boys from those families was my best friend. But to say that gave me even a basic knowledge of the African American culture would be an exaggeration. Later I arrived in the city of New Orleans just after the civil rights laws were passed. My exposure to the black culture increased exponentially. Finally I attended two seminaries the last of which was part of the National Baptist Convention a purely African American denomination. What I discovered about the African American culture will always be one of the greatest excursions of my entire life.

Our entire class would sit before some of the most dignified black gentlemen, professors and wait for the streams of their thoughts, opinion and knowledge to flow down to us. Most exciting was when they shifted their emphasis away from the curriculum and began to divulge elements of their private lives and their past. Life in New Orleans as a black man or women was no easy thing. Stories of their upbringing and their struggles would leave anyone with their heart in their throat. These old gentlemen for me were living examples of courage dignity and the best human qualities. What I learned about black culture in short is this. African Americans have a deep and ancient past; they are people with a lasting heritage.

I am sure that the blatant indulgence of sexual descriptive and four letter words that is raps most prevalent aspect, is not part of their ancient culture and history. It does not accurately depict their culture, their history or any other part of their experience. I dont think my protesting is such a big deal. But Id guess that if my old seminary professors could see and hear todays rap, you would hear the roar raising up from their graves and billowing down many an American avenue.

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote, Hook Line and Sinker or What has Your Church Been Teaching You, published by PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book recently released by Xulon Press entitled An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ. Rev Bresciani has his own website at http://americanprophet.org

A wide range of handmade violins are available in the market to cater to the needs of beginners as well as professional players. Handmade violins are available in a variety of sizes to suit the age of the player. Compared to factory-made violins, handmade violins have excellent tonal properties.

Handmade violins made using traditional construction methods are more favored by soloist, violinist, and professionals. Most of the handmade violins offer good value in tone quality, durability, and workmanship. Moreover, they require little maintenance. Handmade violins are labeled and signed by the name of its maker.

Making of a handmade violin requires great skill. The price of a handmade violin depends on workmanship and the quality of material used. The monetary value of a violin also depends on the reputation of its maker. A handmade violin with excellent sound quality can cost up to $10,000. Certain manufacturers offer cash discounts on handmade violins at the time of purchase.

Handmade violins are available in a wide range of qualities and prices. They can be purchased from a skilled violin maker, a mass manufacturer or from a violin shop. New as well as antique handmade violins are available in the market. Handmade violins with superb sound quality can be purchased online. Ebay.com, shop.com, and amazon.com are some of the popular websites where you can find handmade violins at a reasonable price.

Custom designed handmade violins that are personalized to suit your taste and style are also available. They are built to your specifications regarding woods and finish. Specifications can also be made in terms of size and shape of violin. Better wood selection and hand work are the key factors that improve the quality of custom designed handmade violin.

Violins provides detailed information on Violins, Electric Violins, Violin Music, How to Play the Violin and more. Violins is affiliated with Soprano Saxophones.

Although some of the messages conveyed by Hip Hop are viewed as negative, it must be understood that the lyrics in these songs are someone’s reality. Hip Hop artist sing about what they have seen and many of their personal experiences. Unfortunately, many of their experiences are not so pretty. Other Hip Hop songs carry a positive message and force the listener to think and dream beyond their current situation. Hip Hop music has taken America by a storm and it will continue to influence our youth. We must all these free expression and the growth of Hip Hop music because what we hear is relative to what’s going on in the world today.

GMP Records, Inc. http://www.godmadeitpossible4me.com also check out http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deepcover

The following are five good reasons why you should learn to play a musical instrument.

FIRST you should consider the fact that studies have found learning a musical instrument has positive effects on your brain. Young children who listen to music or play an instrument do better in school including their reading level, IQ and brain development. For adults learning a musical instrument this helps the mind to stay alert and active which helps keep the memory sharper for a longer period of time.

NEXT is the fact that learning to play a musical instrument is very similar to learning a second language, it is challenging. However, this challenge can help teach a person discipline. To master a musical instrument you need discipline. Discipline is needed to practice the instrument each day continually until you finally master the instrument.

THIRD is the fact that once you play a musical instrument you will have an excellent way to reduce your stress levels. Listening to soft music can help you relax, but playing a musical instrument can do much more to help your stress levels. Playing an instrument not only relaxes the body but it soothes the mind as well.

THEN there is the joy that comes from the achievement of learning to play a musical instrument. It can be challenging and frustrating at first when you try to learn an instrument, but once you do you will experience a great sense of satisfaction. This sense of satisfaction has many benefits in your emotional and psychological well being.

FINALLY there is the fun that comes with playing a musical instrument. While it is a lot of hard work to master a musical instrument once you have there is a large amount of fun that comes along with it. You will also experience joy once you can share your musical talents with your family and friends. Some may even have the ability to consider playing professionally if they have truly mastered their musical instrument.

There are many great opportunities that come from learning a musical instrument. So find the right instrument for you and begin your lessons today. There is a variety of instruments available ranging from the penny whistle all the way up to the double bass and with all the choices you are sure to find an instrument that meets your needs.

Do some research on the computer and find out what you need to master that particular instrument and what the typical prices of those various instruments are. Find one that you can afford and would enjoy learning. Then you can enjoy the five benefits above and be able to tell everyone around you that you have mastered the art of a musical instrument. You truly will never regret the decision to pick up a musical instrument and learn to master it.

Steve Jones is the owner of musical instrument stores.

Visit ==>www.musicalinstruments2go.com

Today, scientists and neuromusicologist in many countries are conducting research on how music affects human development, our behavior, thinking, learning abilities and well being.

Dr Gordon Shaw and Dr Frances Rauscher, scientists at the University of California at Irvie and many others within the brain research community have shown that music has an extensive education and brain development value. Listening to classical music can increase memory and concentration, and studying a music instrument has shown to increase spatial reasoning.

When music form part of your home environment, it creates a positive and conducive atmosphere for learning and aids in the acquisition of early language. It was found that when music is taught comprehensively and sequentially in schools, it increases the children performance in math, science, reading, history and SAT score. In some cases, it also help children with learning disability to become more confidence and make their learning process much easier.

A person who study music and learn to play musical instrument tend to be more creative in their thinking, stronger in imagination, communication and team work skills. Incidentally, these are important attributes for a successful life, especially in the highly competitive twenty-first century.

Many government in the world such as Singapore and the US have recognized the importance of music education for the benefits of their citizens. They have invested a lot of financial and human resources at national level to promote music education in their countries. In these countries, collaborative efforts between schools, arts organizations and corporations are organized to make music and arts education a reality across the nation.

Recent studies show that music learning involve our bran at every level. One of the research done by Anne Blood at McGill University in Montreal found that music and the arts utilize both the cortex and limbic systems which are essential to helping us in learning that lasts. Music brings out our emotion such as joy, happiness, love, sorrow and tenderness. When we make music part of our learning process, our education becomes richer, more meaningful, long lasing and has greater impact in our lives.

Personally I discover that if you want to learn something and commit it to memory, the key is to set the information to music - majority of us learnt the alphabet by singing the ABC Song: ‘ABCDEFG-HIJKLMNOP-QRS-TUV-WXY-and-Z…’, isn’t it?

Article by Alvin Poh, founder of Learning Champ and Parenting Network - parenting wesbites that provides information and resources to parents and teachers, who want to help children develop the important skills and mind set for a brighter future -> http://www.alvinkh.per.sg

Long before the gangsta element slid over to hip hop the reasoning for the whole genre and style was generally purported to be, to show what life in the hood was like. That worked for a while and it even drew more sympathy from the otherwise estranged. But as lower passions would have it, the style and language of rap began more and more to take on a life and purpose of its own, namelysex. If by some magic stroke sex were temporarily extricated from every rappers thoughts and vocabulary, the entire industry would collapse quicker than the stock market in 1929. Now thats brazen!

Referring to rappers as artist and giving them full press doesnt guarantee that it is really an art form, all it says is that its here. But was it here before? Does it really have anything to do with the African American background, culture or heritage? I propose that it does not. Very few whites have succeeded in rap but even that does not prove that it is necessarily a black cultural thing. Growing up as a boy there were only two black families in our town. One of the boys from those families was my best friend. But to say that gave me even a basic knowledge of the African American culture would be an exaggeration. Later I arrived in the city of New Orleans just after the civil rights laws were passed. My exposure to the black culture increased exponentially. Finally I attended two seminaries the last of which was part of the National Baptist Convention a purely African American denomination. What I discovered about the African American culture will always be one of the greatest excursions of my entire life.

Our entire class would sit before some of the most dignified black gentlemen, professors and wait for the streams of their thoughts, opinion and knowledge to flow down to us. Most exciting was when they shifted their emphasis away from the curriculum and began to divulge elements of their private lives and their past. Life in New Orleans as a black man or women was no easy thing. Stories of their upbringing and their struggles would leave anyone with their heart in their throat. These old gentlemen for me were living examples of courage dignity and the best human qualities. What I learned about black culture in short is this. African Americans have a deep and ancient past; they are people with a lasting heritage.

I am sure that the blatant indulgence of sexual descriptive and four letter words that is raps most prevalent aspect, is not part of their ancient culture and history. It does not accurately depict their culture, their history or any other part of their experience. I dont think my protesting is such a big deal. But Id guess that if my old seminary professors could see and hear todays rap, you would hear the roar raising up from their graves and billowing down many an American avenue.

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote, Hook Line and Sinker or What has Your Church Been Teaching You, published by PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book recently released by Xulon Press entitled An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ. Rev Bresciani has his own website at http://americanprophet.org

If you are have ever gone into a well stocked guitar shop you have no doubt been confused by the selection of guitars. There are literally hundreds of shapes, sizes brands and types of guitars. And the price can range from a hundred dollars to several thousand. .If you are a beginner, judging the sound quality can be difficult to do because your ear is not yet highly trained. Here are some tips to help you make a good choice.

When in a guitar shop and looking at the guitars you should always ask a sales person to help you. This way you can take guitars down and play them. If you cannot play very well you should ask the sales clerk to play for you so you can get a feel for the sound of the different guitars. If the sales clerk doesnt play you should ask if there is someone working in the shop that does play. As a last resort you should even ask other customers in the store. Not listening to the different guitars is like shopping for a car but never test driving any of them. Guitars have very different feels and tones and you should listen to a lot of them to get a sense of what you like. Dont be bashful in this respect. Guitarists are usually a very gregarious bunch and a guitarist will almost always jump at the chance to play for someone else. If you dont yet play well and you cant find somebody to play for you I recommend you not purchase a guitar. You should come back another time when someone is available to play or you can bring a friend who knows how to play.

Check the size and shape of the guitar

Classical Guitars, of course, come in different sizes and shapes and you should sit with a wide variety of them to get a feeling for what is comfortable to you. Your body shape has an effect on this. If you are over six feet tall the smaller guitars might not be comfortable for you and the fret board may be uncomfortable for your hands. So even if you cant play music you should always hold and sit with the guitars to get a sense of how the different ones feel.

Check the mechanics and playability of the guitar

Here are several things you should do when considering the purchase of a classical guitar.

1. Play every note on every string all the way up and down. Listen for frets that dont play properly. They will give a rattling sound and if this occurs on any fret at all you should put the guitar aside and try another one. This is a sign of inferior quality. Every string should play cleanly on every single fret.

2. Check the action of the strings against the frets in terms of how much pressure is needed to play notes and chords. You should play bar chords all the way down the frets to insure good pressure. If it is too hard to press the strings in order to make a clear chord this could be a sign of an inferior guitar.

3. Play harmonics on the strings. This is an excellent test of the quality of the guitar. Playing harmonics is the technique of plucking the note with your right hand and only lightly touching the string with your left hand. Test the harmonics of all the strings on the 5th, 7th, 12th and 19th frets. If you do not know how to play harmonic notes ask the sales clerk to help you.

4. Examine and test the tuning pegs. Do they look clean and sharp? Wind and unwind them while watching and feeling for smooth turning motion.

5. Visually examine the whole guitar. Look it over very carefully from front to back and top to bottom. Are there any small cracks? Are the frets firmly installed into the fret board? Are there any cracks or glue exposed around the bridge?

6. Tap on the front of the guitar (The sound board) in a variety of different spots. Does it have a rich echoing sound or are there spots where it sounds dead and limp? The internal structure of the classical guitar is very important for the sound and important for the longevity of it. Dull thud sounds could be an indicator of an inferior instrument.

7. Examine the details. Look at the purfling around the edge. This is the decorated pattern that goes around the full body where the soundboard or face meets the sides of the guitar. Is it accurately laid in? If this has variations and inconsistencies it is a good sign that the guitar is of inferior quality.

8. Dont hesitate to take a good look inside the guitar sound hole. You will see wooden braces in there. Do they look straight, accurate and well placed? If you see sloppy globs of dried glue around these braces it could be an indicator of inferior craftsmanship.

9. Remember that there are three distinct areas you must consider when purchasing a classical guitar: The Look, The Feel, and the Sound. If you keep all three of these things in mind and carefully examine the guitar in relation to these you will be able to choose an instrument that will bring you a lifetime of trouble free playing enjoyment.

A Classical Guitar is a purchase that can give you a lifetime of enjoyment and you should consider the purchase carefully. Even if you dont plan on playing every day you should buy an instrument that is of good quality so it will maintain its sound quality for a lifetime. And to do this you dont need to spend thousands of dollars you just need to know how to identify a well made guitar.

Will Kalif is the author of two self-published epic fantasy novels. You can download free samples of his work at his personal website:
Storm The Castle - Creativity and Fantasy with an edge

Or you can visit his site devoted to classical guitar at:
The Classical Guitarist

Most Rare violins were produced by great violin design families and used by great European masters. Rare violins speak for themselves, about their history, heritage and cultural advantage. Most Rare violins have been purchased by famous violinists or people who are interested in antiques.

Most famous rare violins were produced by the Stradivari family, especially by Antonio Stradivari. A Stradivarius violin made in the 1680s is worth several thousand dollars, and that of the Stradivaris’ golden period (1700 to 1720) is worth several millions. Only a few, less than 700, genuine Stradivarius instruments still exist. Some other famous craftsmen of rare violins are J.B. Guadagnini, Guarneri Del Ges, Balestrieri, Carcassi, and Gagliano.

Rare violins rarely come up for sale. They are offered by companies engaged in selling of old and vintage violins. Some of these violins come after series of repairs and replacement of parts, others as original units. Almost all rare violins are in good playing condition and they produce sweet tones. There are many online companies which offer these instruments. But purchasing them on Internet is a risky thing.

Many rare violins are sold though auctions, either as public auctions or as online auctions. With the scratches and repairs on the instruments, price decreases. The lowest price for rare violins can be about $6000. A 1735 model Guarneri Del Ges violin known as ‘The Ladenburg’ was sold for $3.5 million. A Stradivarius violin, ?The Christian Hammer?, made in 1707 was sold for $3,544,000 in 2006.

The world’s two most important rare violin collections are exhibited in the Music Museum at the Royal Palace (Palacio Real) of Madrid and Royal Academy of Music (York Gate Collections) in London.

Violins provides detailed information on Violins, Electric Violins, Violin Music, How to Play the Violin and more. Violins is affiliated with Soprano Saxophones.

Long before the gangsta element slid over to hip hop the reasoning for the whole genre and style was generally purported to be, to show what life in the hood was like. That worked for a while and it even drew more sympathy from the otherwise estranged. But as lower passions would have it, the style and language of rap began more and more to take on a life and purpose of its own, namelysex. If by some magic stroke sex were temporarily extricated from every rappers thoughts and vocabulary, the entire industry would collapse quicker than the stock market in 1929. Now thats brazen!

Referring to rappers as artist and giving them full press doesnt guarantee that it is really an art form, all it says is that its here. But was it here before? Does it really have anything to do with the African American background, culture or heritage? I propose that it does not. Very few whites have succeeded in rap but even that does not prove that it is necessarily a black cultural thing. Growing up as a boy there were only two black families in our town. One of the boys from those families was my best friend. But to say that gave me even a basic knowledge of the African American culture would be an exaggeration. Later I arrived in the city of New Orleans just after the civil rights laws were passed. My exposure to the black culture increased exponentially. Finally I attended two seminaries the last of which was part of the National Baptist Convention a purely African American denomination. What I discovered about the African American culture will always be one of the greatest excursions of my entire life.

Our entire class would sit before some of the most dignified black gentlemen, professors and wait for the streams of their thoughts, opinion and knowledge to flow down to us. Most exciting was when they shifted their emphasis away from the curriculum and began to divulge elements of their private lives and their past. Life in New Orleans as a black man or women was no easy thing. Stories of their upbringing and their struggles would leave anyone with their heart in their throat. These old gentlemen for me were living examples of courage dignity and the best human qualities. What I learned about black culture in short is this. African Americans have a deep and ancient past; they are people with a lasting heritage.

I am sure that the blatant indulgence of sexual descriptive and four letter words that is raps most prevalent aspect, is not part of their ancient culture and history. It does not accurately depict their culture, their history or any other part of their experience. I dont think my protesting is such a big deal. But Id guess that if my old seminary professors could see and hear todays rap, you would hear the roar raising up from their graves and billowing down many an American avenue.

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote, Hook Line and Sinker or What has Your Church Been Teaching You, published by PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book recently released by Xulon Press entitled An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ. Rev Bresciani has his own website at http://americanprophet.org

Today, scientists and neuromusicologist in many countries are conducting research on how music affects human development, our behavior, thinking, learning abilities and well being.

Dr Gordon Shaw and Dr Frances Rauscher, scientists at the University of California at Irvie and many others within the brain research community have shown that music has an extensive education and brain development value. Listening to classical music can increase memory and concentration, and studying a music instrument has shown to increase spatial reasoning.

When music form part of your home environment, it creates a positive and conducive atmosphere for learning and aids in the acquisition of early language. It was found that when music is taught comprehensively and sequentially in schools, it increases the children performance in math, science, reading, history and SAT score. In some cases, it also help children with learning disability to become more confidence and make their learning process much easier.

A person who study music and learn to play musical instrument tend to be more creative in their thinking, stronger in imagination, communication and team work skills. Incidentally, these are important attributes for a successful life, especially in the highly competitive twenty-first century.

Many government in the world such as Singapore and the US have recognized the importance of music education for the benefits of their citizens. They have invested a lot of financial and human resources at national level to promote music education in their countries. In these countries, collaborative efforts between schools, arts organizations and corporations are organized to make music and arts education a reality across the nation.

Recent studies show that music learning involve our bran at every level. One of the research done by Anne Blood at McGill University in Montreal found that music and the arts utilize both the cortex and limbic systems which are essential to helping us in learning that lasts. Music brings out our emotion such as joy, happiness, love, sorrow and tenderness. When we make music part of our learning process, our education becomes richer, more meaningful, long lasing and has greater impact in our lives.

Personally I discover that if you want to learn something and commit it to memory, the key is to set the information to music - majority of us learnt the alphabet by singing the ABC Song: ‘ABCDEFG-HIJKLMNOP-QRS-TUV-WXY-and-Z…’, isn’t it?

Article by Alvin Poh, founder of Learning Champ and Parenting Network - parenting wesbites that provides information and resources to parents and teachers, who want to help children develop the important skills and mind set for a brighter future -> http://www.alvinkh.per.sg