Hip Hop Music
Hip Hop music is popular with today’s youth. The Hip Hop audience ranges in age from the very young to the seasoned at heart. The messages in the music are clear and often depict life in the real world. Most artist use their own life experiences to tell stories that reflect what their world is like. Hip Hop music is a venue that gives the artist an opportunity to tell it like it is. Many of today’s youth find that through the sounds and messages of Hip Hop they are able to see reflections of themselves and the world around them.
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
1000 Actors On Stage
The music world is big, really big, but the potential and ability around is truly magnificent and the world always provides you with a platform to express yourself and unleash your potential.
In order for you to do that, its essential for you to realise whats special about you and what makes you who you are and why you can share what you know.
Let me share with you a short story…
It was a Saturday night and Joseph went to see a play. The play was of the famous musical Grease and featured 1000 actors. He was in the audience in the big theatre consisting of over 700 people. It was a magnificent play, and as it came to an end, all the actors and actresses came onto stage. There were 1000 in total, but there was something in peculiar and that was that only one of them really stood out and only she was really remembered. Perhaps youd be drawn to the blue-haired man or green-haired child but Joseph was really drawn towards the misty-blue woman with the long black hair in the deep blue cape with half her face hidden, standing silently at the edge of the stage.
What Im trying to convey here is that to be remembered for your music and who you are in the music world, you must have something special to convey out there. What is it that will distinguish you from the rest of the musicians? For example, you may be a guitarist like the others out there, but whats special about you is the style you play, or the way you pluck a chord, or the way you dress, or perhaps the way you show yourself. The list and possibilities are endless and thats why you are remembered. A famous example would be our good friend Michael Jackson whose moonwalk was a famous branding identity and helped his music stand out.
Take some time out to write or think about whats important to you in your music and what would make you stand out from a 1000 people standing on stage. Think about why people would remember you. Why should they remember you? What can you give them? Ask yourself if youre being a strong enough version of YOU, or if youre just in the hideout not wanting people to experience who you really are and the magic you can produce.
Once youve understood what you want, its extremely useful to define your presence in the music scene as you would want it on a piece of paper so that you can get your thoughts clear. Perhaps even write it in big and stick it near your bedside or on a place where you can see it. Bring out all your quirks.
(P.S. The most memorable actor on stage might be the one that gets off the stage, walks up to your seat, and gives you a kiss.)
Kavit Haria, The Musicians Coach
Kavit Haria is The Musicians’ Coach. Kavit is the director of InnerRhythm, a company that prides on providing success solutions for musicians worldwide. Kavit sends out a musician development newsletter to over 2000 musicians in 16 countries every fortnight to help them achieve their desired results. Sign up now and experience the huge benefits from www.innerrhythm.org
Wayman Tisdale Hang Time Smooth Jazz CD Review
Former NBA All Star baller, Wayman Tisdale has done it again with this, his latest smooth jazz CD release Hang Time.
It being, he has turned out yet another funk drenched smooth jazz CD in this his fifth offering.
Showing once again that he is at the top of his game, and in top form. Thumping out smooth jazz tracks one right after the other.
While clearly blazing his own path as an outstanding bassist, the comparisons to the legendary bass guitar playing Stanley Clarke are inescapable. It’s easy to see that Clarke certainly had some measure of influence on Tisdale.
The self taught Tisdale has elevated himself to that level of artist whom I eagerly anticipate any new project from. Clearly growing with each release as a musician and getting better with each outing. Now establishing himself as one of the top bass guitar players in any music category.
If you’ve not yet been introduced to Wayman Tisdale, the musician, this would be a great CD for you to get acquainted with him through.
On Hang Time, as is the case with each of his previous releases, Tisdale has included an impressive interpretation of an old gospel tune Glory Glory. This is an indication of his musical roots which lie in gospel music.
His new tracks are impressive but the one that will get your full attention is an outstanding version of a top R & B tune from the 70’s, Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.
From the opening track, Ready To Hang, right through the very last he brilliantly mixes his trademark funky grooves with just the right blend of mellow.
Featured on track 7, Better Days is smooth jazz legend and label Co-Owner Dave Koz. Also lending a hand on several tracks on the CD are smooth jazz notables Jeff Lorber playing keyboards, and James Lloyd from the group Pieces of a Dream.
Overall I’d say Wayman Tisdale scores big with Hang Time. Continuing his rise as a top bass guitarist. This is probably his best effort so far and is most definitely a worthy addition to any smooth jazz collection.
The standout tunes are Ready To Hang [track 1, Creative Juices [track 2, and Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now [track 4. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore […as in Stuck On REpeat is track 7, Better Days. Very nice!
Release Notes:
This CD was originally released July 13, 2004 on the Rendezvous Entertainment label.
CD track list follows:
1. Ready To Hang
2. Creative Juices
3. Cruisin’
4. Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now
5. My World
6. Hang Time
7. Better Days
8. Everything In You
9. Even When
10. The Time Is Here
11. Off Into It
12. Glory Glory
To hear samples of each song on this CD go to Wayman Tisdale CD - Hang Time [ www.smoothlee.com/music-samples/wayman-tisdale-hang-time.htm
Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. SmoothLee has been bumping around on the web since 1999 and is a self described Web Head, and Life long AVID music fan. Smooth Jazz Music in particular. In addition to writing CD Reviews for I Love Smooth Jazz.com he is also the Program Director, and can be heard during his daily radio show which airs on one of the internets most listened to smooth jazz radio stations, Smooth Jazz 24/7
10 Ways For Unknown Musicians To Get The Word Out
When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper doesn’t like you, how do you win over new audiences?
The good news: there are many, many ways. Here are ten of my favorites.
1. Approach a local college or alternative radio station or community access cable TV station with a programming idea, like a live songwriter showcase. Other musicians will want to be a part of your show, and you’ll build an audience for your own music–and theirs.
2. Write CD or concert reviews for a local alternative (or mainstream) paper.
3. Give copies of your CD away to public radio and TV stations for their fund drive premiums.
4. Organize, publicize, and perform at charity events for your favorite causes.
5. Lead songwriting or performing workshops in the schools (these are usually paying gigs, and all the parents hear your name). Invite some of the kids to perform with you; they’re sure to bring a bunch of relatives along who will pay for their tickets and maybe buy a CD.
6. Announce your gigs in every community calendar. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations, community web sites, cable TV stations–they all run event listings. Type out one paragraph that includes a tag line about what you do, such as Sandy Songwriter, River City’s ‘Homegrown Bono,’ will perform labor songs and love ballads at The Trombone Shop, 444 4th Street in Downtown River City, Wednesday, January 15, 7 p.m. If admission is free or there’s a charity connection, say so. Include contact phone number and e-mail.
7. Find Internet discussion groups related to your cause. Whether it’s immigration, voting reform, peace, safe energy, the right to choose…there will be discussion groups online. Post responses and include a sig–a short on-line business card. Use different sigs for different purposes. Here’s one of mine (in a real e-mail, it would be single-spaced):
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@frugalfun.com, 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
I make the world INSIST on learning why YOU’RE special
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, web copy, resumes, etc.
http://www.frugalmarketing.com * http://www.principledprofits.com
8. Set up a simple low-cost website. Include a couple of sound clips, pictures of you performing, a place for people to sign up for your fan newsletter, a link to your favorite musicians, and, of course, your tour schedule and gig availability.
9. Get exposure on other people’s websites. Write CD reviews, endorse their music with a blurb, submit articles on the local music scene…and always include your contact information and a statement that encourages people to visit your site.
10. Use the letters columns. Call in to talk shows. Post messages to Web forums…in short, use every feedback tool you have to spread the word.
Copywriter, marketing consultant, and speaker Shel Horowitz is the author of six books and publisher of five websites, five webzines and three ezines. His two most recent, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First (http://www.principledprofits.com) and Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World (http://www.frugalmarketing.com) have both won awards. He’s currently engaged in a campaign to get 25,000 people to sign–and spread–the Business Ethics Pledge: http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html
10 Top Reasons You Should Learn To Play ‘Chord’ Piano
There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to chord a song at the piano.
By chord a song, I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune. To do this, you dont need to be a Van Cliburn; all you need to do is learn a few basic chords and be able to more back and forth between them in some organized rhythmic pattern.
For example, did you realize that all of these songs (and hundreds more) can be sung or played with just 3 chords?
Auld Lang Syne
Amazing Grace
Kum Ba Ya
Silent Night
Joy To The World
Jingle Bells
Happy Birthday
Down In The Valley
On Top Of Old Smoky
and hundreds or maybe thousands more!
Add just one more chord to the basic 3, and you can play another thousand songs or so. So why not learn a few chords and start your chording career?
Here are my top 10 reasons for learning chord piano:
1) Its easy. Learn 3 chords and start in.
2) Even though its easy to get started, you dont have to stop there. You can learn more and more chords and more rhythm patterns and get really good.
3) Youll be able to play Happy Birthday while the gang sings it.
4) Youll be able to play half-a-dozen Christmas carols. In case you havent noticed, Christmas comes every year, so every year youll get better as you participate in family gatherings.
5) You can help your kids learn to play the piano, guitar, or most any other instrument by learning chords. Most teachers dont teach chords, so youll be giving your kids an advantage by learning chords.
6) People will admire you. Its true. Musicians are popular. Anyone who can play anything is in demand at parties and social gatherings. And if you can chord while others sing, youre bound to be popular.
7) Piano playing using chords is good for your brain. Studies have shown that people who actively participate in music do their brain lots of good. And since chords require 3 or 4 notes at a time instead of one, you are giving your brain a good workout.
Piano playing, particularly using chords, is good exercise for your wrists and fingers. (Take the time to learn about correct hand position, though!)
9) Piano playing is excellent therapy for the stress of life. Many professional people come home from a hard days work and relax by expressing their emotions on the keyboard. Play a few dark and angry chords, and youll be surprised how much better you feel!
10) Piano playing is a blast. Its just plain old fun. So learn 3 or 4 chords and get going. Maybe youll stop there and enjoy it the rest of your life.
But just maybe youll love it so much that you keep going and turn yourself into an excellent piano player who can read music as well as play chords!
Duane Shinn is the author of the book-CD-DVD course titled How To Play Chord Piano In Ten Days! which has sold over 100,000 copies around the world and can be found at http://www.chordpiano.com/piano-chords.
How To Buy A Classical Guitar Tips And Hints To Help You Make A Good Purchase
Purchasing a classical guitar can be a difficult task particularly if you are not yet an accomplished player. Here are some tips and hints on finding a good quality classical guitar whether it is in the hundred dollar range or the thousand dollar range.
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
Hip Hop Music
Hip Hop music is popular with today’s youth. The Hip Hop audience ranges in age from the very young to the seasoned at heart. The messages in the music are clear and often depict life in the real world. Most artist use their own life experiences to tell stories that reflect what their world is like. Hip Hop music is a venue that gives the artist an opportunity to tell it like it is. Many of today’s youth find that through the sounds and messages of Hip Hop they are able to see reflections of themselves and the world around them.
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
Christian Rap Music
Rap music is equally and popularly known as hip-hop music. It is a music genre that had its beginnings in New York during the mid-70s. It was popular among the performers in the City, particularly among the African-Americans and Hispanic musicians.
Christian rap music is likewise known by its other names like Christian hip-hop, holy hip-hop and gospel rap. Having attached the word ‘Christian’ to distinguish this type of music, Christian rap utilizes lyrics that express the message of Christian faith by the composer or songwriter. However, there are some artists who make their Christian faith known, but the themes of their songs do not contain such religious belief.
From its inception, Christian churches have considered Christian rap or hip-hop music blasphemous. Given its marked difference in sounds and beat from the traditional gospel music, it is also referred to as the ‘devil’s’ music. With changing times, however, Christian rap or hip-hop artists have found their way to mainstream music and have found acceptance from the public.
Similar to Christian music, the purpose of Christian rap or hip-hop music is to reach not only there desired audience of Christians, but to reach out to non-believers who listen to the music. Most of the performers are self-proclaimed Christians who use their music to teach their religion. Christian rap or hip-hop music can be likened to an art that is a form of expression. Over the years, this art has been accepted by several communities that has adopted rap- themed songs in their places of worship.
At present, there are a number of Christian rap artists that have gained prominence through their music. Christian rap or hip-hop music is an effective way of reaching out and touching the lives of people who are into this kind of music.
Christian Music provides detailed information on Christian Music, Christian Music Lyrics, Download Christian Music, Christian Sheet Music and more. Christian Music is affiliated with Southern Gospel Music.
10 Tips For Succesful Production Of Dance Music
1. Get the right monitoring.
For dance, bigger monitors = better monitors. Bigger recording room = better room. Remember that dj in club will play your track on big loudspeakers. If you mix your track on a small monitors or headphones, it may happen that your track won’t be good for club and dj will not play it.
2. Make adaptation of your recording room.
Your producing/listening room has to be well damped, otherwise you will hear a lot of reverberation and sound coloration when mixing. It is very important. If you don’t have a lot of funds (expecially for large room), don’t worry. It doesn’t have to look great, more important is to do the job.
3. Do not use noisy sound cards.
Try to avoid using cheap soundcards below $100. They have very poor quality and they are good for games rather not for producing music. If you have enough funds, consider buying card staring from $300 with low latency. Some cards offer also internal crossing which also might be useful.
4. Use good sound synth sources.
There are already some plugins that sound great, however if you can afford, invest in a best synth hardware. Hardware in 90% of cases sounds better than software. There are also many different samples on the internet. A lot of samples like sf2, wav, reason refills, midi, vocal samples and acapellas, you may find on Vipzone Samples website - also a lot of free samples.
5. Use good reverbs.
For your instruments and vocals try to use good reverb units / plugins. Good sounding reverb placed on some instruments in the mix can bring your track to life. If you can’t afford top outboard units, you may use one of impulse-based plugins available on the market. They should work well for your DAW.
6. Use rhythmic delays on your instruments in the mix.
Remember that dance, trance, and techno music is based on rhythm. Don’t forget to use rhythmic delays on leads, vocals, arpeggios or trance basslines and other synths. This will help a lot. Don’t forget also to quantize your midi tracks (if you use midi).
7. Sometimes less bass = more bass.
Don’t overdo with bass on a bass drum or bass line. Kick drum should have a short click at the start and be enough pumpy for dance. You can easy find a lot of free good sounding kicks on the internet. Remember, bass should also have some mid-frequencies audible near the 1-3 kHz - not only the lowest bass. Compare your bass to the bass used in a good sounding tracks.
8. Less instruments = cleaner mix.
Instead of making many sound layers, try to use not much instruments. Make sure to choose punchy and selective sounding instruments with not too wide spectrum. Work on each instrument with equalizers, effects - like delays, reverbs, phasers etc. depending on the sound type. Use eq, to make each instrument staying in its frequency, not overlay with other instruments frequencies.
9. Set kick and drum section louder than other instruments.
It will significantly helps during the mastering. If you will set them louder, you (or mastering engineer) will be easy able to make good, pumping master on a good compressor. With drums sounding quiet in dance track, proper mastering can’t be done and noone will play your track in the club.
10. Send your track to the mastering engineer.
Try to not master your track by yourself and use good mastering engineer instead. He has fresh ear since you worked on your track probably a lot of time already. Mastering engineer will tells you the truth about your track, and what you should fix in the mix. You may find a lot of online mastering studios / houses.
Bio
I was interested in music practicaly since I was born. When I was 4 years old, I was very excited with my father’s old Abba-tapes. I listened to Abba all through my childhood. My next fascination was Italo Disco and later Depeche Mode. When I was 16 years old I started to play the guitar. This was the beginning of my next musical fascination - I started to listen to the rock music and groups like Deep Purple, Dire Straits or even later The Cure. My first tracks was recorded on a 4-track tape machine and these was rather some rock-guitar tracks, not dance. Me and my friends founded some rock groups, one of them called Muzyka Wiatru (The Music of the Wind) released album on MC. Unfortunately there was a time for pop in Poland and nobody was really interested in promoting new rock band. After 6 years I left guitar…more on http://www.janardana.net.
Interesting samples for producers you can find on my website http://www.vipzone-samples.com More useful mixing and mastering tips on http://www.master-your-track.com.
Spanish Christian Music
Similar to Spanish folklore, Spanish Christian music is an expression of the various emotions and values that a person holds dear in life or the knowledge and beliefs that a person has. Even the Spanish Zarzuela that is a drama-musical combining dialogues and music can be acknowledged as having paved the way for Christian music, as most of its themes touches on religious beliefs.
The popularity of Spanish Christian music is presently on the rise, and is attributed to the growth in Christian music worldwide. Historically, Gospel music, in whatever language, was distributed for sale on a regional basis only. Nowadays, there is a clamor for the availability of Christian music translated into Spanish and/or original Spanish Christian music in the United States. Based on 2000 data by the Federal Census, 12% of the United States’ population is Hispanic or approximately 35.3 million people. Given the purchasing power of the Latin music lover translating to at least one CD a week, recording companies are busy producing with Spanish music that glorifies God and contains religious themes.
Alongside the demand for Spanish Christian music is the birth of a number of Latin Christian artists. These artists are Spanish singers, composers, songwriters and record producers. The appeal of the Spanish Christian artists is broad in scope, attracting Hispanics and non-Hispanic listeners who appreciate what Spanish music has to offer. The message remains — Christian values and faith.
Given the success of a number of Spanish Christian talents, the Spanish recording companies do effectively compete with its US counterparts in terms of product standards. There is a need to maintain this momentum in order to gain further ground in the arena of Christian music. This poses a challenge to the Hispanics to continually develop their spiritual musical skills. Spanish Christian music is definitely here to stay for everyone to appreciate.
Christian Music provides detailed information on Christian Music, Christian Music Lyrics, Download Christian Music, Christian Sheet Music and more. Christian Music is affiliated with Southern Gospel Music.