AIMtv Testimonials - Courtney - Arts Management

Instrumental Beats: A New Production Style

When you listen to commercial radio today, instrumental beats are likely to be the sound coming out of the speakers. For a while, urban music has been at a stand-still as far as production goes. Just recently, trap music has emerged as a mainstream genre. While it's roots date back to the early 2000s, the genre is just now making it's mark in the music industry.

Trap beats symbolize the struggle, the pain, and the victory in life in general. Producers all over are tapping into this new way of producing. These instrumentals have an authoritative presence and beg for attention. Dope trap beats are now being used in conjunction with traditional sounds in major R&B productions. With the new sound being so sought-after, the market has completely opened up for aspiring producers. There is now a demand that was almost non-existent before. So while economists claim that we are in a bad economy, these producers are cashing out with no problems.

Artists to the likes of 2Chainz, Young Scooter, and Trinidad James are only part of the clientele listing for these producers. Moreover, the artists who aspire to be like these major artists are a huge addition to that list. Old-head producers are now playing catch-up with the new wave of sounds coming in. You have new producers coming out faster than others who have been trying to make it for over 5 years, simply because they are making dope trap beats.

The competition in production is much stiffer than it has ever been since the emergence of this new sound. Everyone figures that he can make a lot of money by producing it. It is possible; they just have to do it the right way. Creating sounds that captures souls more fiercely is where trap music is heading. You have to be able to make heads bounce; make people mad, the whole nine. I do not see these types of beats going anywhere any time soon.

Taking in consideration that this genre is so closely related to Hip-Hop, some of thrown the style off as just another version of Hip-Hop. In reality, if you ask a Hip-Hop mogul what it is, he would get mad that you even made a comparison. Authentic Hip-Hop is a far-cry from trap music. It is not only a spin off of it, but a spin with a twist. Trap music is made more for the clubs and partying. Anytime a genre of music comes out that can make people dance and have fun, it is here to stay. Producers are in for a good treat with trap music being so fairly new to the general public. Dope trap instrumentals will run the radio for the next several years.

For more information on instrumental beats, go to that website to get a feel for the movement. This style of music will be around for another decade at least.

AIMtv Testimonials - Rachel - Composition and Music Production

Guitar Maintenance Basics

Guitar maintenance shouldn't be something that you should have to pay for. Sure, fixing a broken neck or building a nut should be left to the professionals but there are some things that you can do to on your own. Today I am going to tell you some simple tricks to keep your guitar sounding and playing great!

1. Buy a guitar humidifier! This simple tool can be purchased at practically any guitar shop. If you keep this in your guitar while it is in its case it will keep the wood from drying out which can cause some big problems down the road!

2. Loosen the strings while going to and from gigs! Before you put your guitar in its case when traveling loosen the strings a bit. This will give some life to your strings and give the neck some much-needed rest. The change in temperature from your house to being on the road to the bar you are playing at will change; sometimes drastically in the winter! Loosening the strings will allow the neck to naturally fluctuate without any resistance from the strings. Once you arrive, give your guitar about 45 minutes to adjust to the temperature in the room before opening your case. Then tune up and rock out!

3. Bore oil your fingerboard! No, this isn't the stuff that you get when you squeeze a boar! Bore oil is an oil that will slightly moisten and clean your fingerboard. Think of it as lotion for your guitar. Whenever you change your strings dab some of this on a cloth and give that fingerboard a good rubdown!

4. Always place it in your case! This is the easiest tip and for some reason the one that is the hardest to do! Simply put, if it's in its case then it won't get hurt!

5. Intonation! **For electric guitars** All this tip requires is an allen wrench and a good tuner. When your guitar is correctly intonated the open string and the same string played on the 12th fret are precisely in tune together. If your intonation is a little off then the notes that you play above the 12th fret will be slightly out of tune. To fix this simply take your tuner (preferably a chromatic tuner) and play which ever string is out of intonation open. Then play the same string on the 12th fret. If the note on the 12th fret is too high/low then adjust the saddle with a screwdriver (it will move forward or backwards). You will then have to re-tune the open string and do the process over again until both the string played open and 12th fret is perfectly in tune with each other. This can take some time but it is well worth it! (Adjusting the intonation on an acoustic guitar is a little more indepth and will not be covered here)

Hopefully these tips should be taken to heart. Keep in mind that you don't have to have the most expensive equipment to keep your tone or at least keep your guitar in great shape!

Audition Advice - Australian Institute of Music

The Crucial And Overlooked Element Needed For Creative Musical Expression

Do you feel unsatisfied with your ability to accurately express ideas in your songs? Wish you could effortlessly write songs that clearly convey your thoughts, feelings and emotions? The truth is, many musicians struggle with musical expression and experience a lot of frustration when they can't write songs the way they want them to sound.

That said, you can seriously cut down the time it takes you to master musical expression and write great songs by avoiding a common mistake made by most songwriters: Overlooking or under-utilizing important songwriting elements. In this article, I am going to discuss one of the songwriting elements that is most frequently overlooked (often causing songs to sound dull and uninspiring). This important songwriting element is "Dynamics."

WARNING: If you read the last sentence and thought to yourself: "Dynamics? I already know what that is... writing music loud and soft. Tell me something I don't know!"... You have already made the same mistake that most songwriters make! So many musicians approach songwriting by trying to come up with new chords, melodies or rhythms and totally 'ignore' dynamics. This is very unfortunate because by ignoring dynamics, you are ignoring one of the most useful elements for expressing yourself in music. Before I begin discussing this element in depth, I'd like you to understand how learning more about it will be beneficial to your songwriting. Here are 3 things that will happen when you learn to creatively use dynamics in your music:

1. Make your music much more creative and expressive without even altering a single pitch.
2. Gain the power to drastically change the feeling of intensity in a song.
3. Create a totally new dimension in your music to emphasize each individual song section or musical part.

A Quick Definition Of Dynamics In Music

When it comes to dynamics most people understand this to describe the general volume level of a song. However, dynamics refers to both overall volume of the music as well as the individual parts that make up the music as a whole. Whenever you read a piece of music, you will see various letters that are used to display the dynamics. These have been developed and changed over a span of centuries until arriving at the letters we have today. Here are a few examples:

p (piano) means "soft."

f (forte) means "loud" or "strong."

mp(mezzo-piano) "moderately soft."

mf (mezzo-forte) "moderately loud."

ff (fortissimo) means "very loud."

pp (pianissimo) means "very soft."

fff (fortississimo) means "very very loud"

ppp (pianississimo) means "very very soft"

How To Use Dynamics To Accent A Single Melody

To make any melody stick out, emphasize it by using varying dynamics. For instance, begin the melody "loud" and gradually reduce the volume until the notes are "soft". This technique is known as a "decrescendo". Additionally, alter the volume level of different notes within a melody to make them contrast with each other and stick out. This is especially useful for adding interest to repeating musical parts in your songs. This will give you the power to express yourself in different ways without altering any of the actual pitches in your melody.

How To Use Dynamics To Surprise Your Listener With Silence

One of the most creative ways to enhance the effect of dynamics in your songs is to use 'silence' as a tool for creating musical tension and getting the listener's attention. To illustrate this, think about a time when you were listening to loud music in your car when all of a sudden your friend in the passenger seat presses pause on the stereo. Most likely, you would immediately think to yourself something like "Hey, what's going on?!" This exact reaction came be recreated when you use silence in your music to catch the listener off guard and 'force' them to concentrate on the music. To do this, take a part for a song that you have already written and replace various notes with silence. You will find that by doing this you alter the feel of the rhythm and (for longer periods of silence) build up a sense of anticipation. However, also note that silence can easily be overused, so do not overwhelm your listeners or the feeling of surprise that they feel will quickly wear off.

How To Utilize Contrasting Dynamics For Musical Expression

By using contrasting dynamics you can quickly grab the attention of anyone listening to your music. For example, think about the common songwriting formula used in rock ballads. For the most part, the song will consist of softly played acoustic guitar and vocal parts. Many times, the introduction (and beginning verse and chorus) will contain no percussion whatsoever. Then, to provide contrast, the drums will begin playing during the second verse. As an even bigger contrast, the songwriter may even include a solo/break section with electric guitar (only to return to the soft, acoustic guitar parts once the section has ended). This approach of contrasting louder and softer dynamic levels is great for emphasizing entire song sections to make the stand out from one another. To hear a perfect example of this type of song, listen to Nothing Else Matters by Metallica.

Examples Of How Dynamics Are Commonly Used In Musical Expression

A very underestimated approach that can help you learn how to better express yourself in music is to study the scores of your favorite movies. I don't mean you need to purchase the actual score itself and read the music... but instead simply observe the way the music is arranged with different scenes throughout the film. This will help you equate the emotions expressed by the actors along with the music and build your ability to express yourself better in your songwriting. Here are some common examples:

Example One: Using dynamics to create a feeling of surprise

Visualize a scene in a movie like this: It's 11:30AM and there is a businessman standing at a packed street corner waiting for the "walk" sign to turn on so he can cross. All around him you can hear the sounds of the big city such as cars honking, the roar of continuous chatter and street vendors yelling out to attract new customers (you can also hear upbeat music playing in the background to set the scene). Suddenly, the sign turns on and the businessman looks up from his watch as everyone starts crossing the street in a big moving mass - bumping into him along the way. He adjusts his coat and quickly makes his way across the street. As he quickly jogs across he suddenly trips and drops his briefcase... papers go flying everywhere. He falls to the ground, scrambles to pick them up and stuff them into his briefcase as quickly as possible while losing focus of his surroundings. Finally he grabs the last one... "Gotcha!" he says as he crams it inside. Then, as he stands up to dust himself off you hear the loud screech of a car slamming on the breaks as it comes to an instant stop in front of him.

At the end of this scene, what is a good way that the music in the score could emphasize the stress of the situation? In many cases for a scene like this, you will hear the music quickly build up to end on a very loud group of notes. This feels very surprising when compared with the previous musical ideas played in the background and is very expressive of the sudden shock the character might feel.

Example Two: Using rests/silence to enhance dynamics and add a sense of mystery.

In this last example, imagine a scene in a horror movie that takes place inside of a large, haunted mansion with a man walking around by himself. At this point in the scene, he believes he saw a ghost and begins slowly walking from one room to the next. Each time he takes a step, you can hear the old wooden floors of the mansion creaking beneath him. "Who's there?" he says out loud (suddenly, you hear the sound of a single cello beginning to build in volume). Out of nowhere, something seems to scurry along the ground behind him. He snaps around to see what is going on (the music stops and there is silence)... nothing there but an old antique rug. The man bends down to inspect the rug, already layered in what seems like a century of dust. "How long has this thing been here?" he wonders out loud. Then his ears perk up as he hears the floor creak behind him. A drop of sweat runs down his forehead and his face turns cold (the cello begins playing again to build up suspense... getting louder and louder). He slowly turns his head around and suddenly everything goes dark. You hear a terrible scream, then... total silence.

Example Three: Expressing a sense of increasing or decreasing emotional intensity with dynamics

Think of a romantic scene where a couple is brought together at the airport. First, there is a lot of doubt on both sides about whether the relationship will work out or not (with very soft music playing in the background). After the couple talks for a little bit, they finally come to the decision that they must go their separate ways. Both the man and woman walk off and the scene cuts to the man walking out of the airport thinking of past memories of his lover. Inside the airport, the woman sits with her face in her hands, wondering what will become of her life without the presence of the man she cared for so much. Suddenly, they both have the realization that they were wrong... they will find a way to make things work. They both get up and start running to find one another (the music begins building in volume). They run frantically through the airport, trying to regain the last spec of hope that the other person hasn't left yet, and is looking for them too (music continues becoming louder and louder). Then across a crowd, they lock eyes, run toward each other and embrace! In response, the music climaxes here and is playing at its loudest...

After reading the many examples in this article, you should now have a good understanding of the role that dynamics play for musical expression. By making dynamics a main focus in your songwriting, you will be able to write music that better expresses specific ideas and emotions while adding more depth to the individual parts of your songs.

by Ryan Buckner

About the author:

Ryan Buckner is a professional musician, guitarist and songwriter. His online songwriting lesson site contains a free musical elements songwriting eBook as well as many other instructional songwriting resources.

Tyler's Eruption at The Vinyl.mp4

How To Get Your First Rap Show?

The first shows are some of the most difficult to get. One way to ensure you draw a large crowd for your debut rap show is to throw a party afterward. Invite all of your friends and fans far in advance and use it as a hook when you market your show to build excitement. By making a celebration out of your first rap show, you'll be able to pack the house and impress the venue, making it easier to get your next gig. Try one of these techniques to get your first gig:

1. Ask smaller local venues how they book new bands. You might have to do some legwork to get that first show. Ask around at local venues to see how they handle new bands. Some require you to perform at an open mic first. Others will give you an off night, a Sunday or Monday, to prove yourself worthy of the task at hand. Some club venues will ask you to pay to play at their club for the first time- which you should only do if you feel like that's the only way to get your first show in your area.

2. Open for an established band. One of the easiest ways to get that first show is to open for an established band. It is a great idea to build relationships with other bands in your area because they can leverage you into venues where you haven't played before. But be ready to play for the exposure and the experience- in other words, for free-rather than for a cut at the door. You must understand sometimes you got to start off performing for nothing to prove yourself and build your audience. Once this happens you will be in demand at you next rap shows and get paid every time you perform-the more popular your name gets, the more you will get paid to perform at the larger club venues.

3. Offer to sub if they need a band on short notice. Sometimes, being there if they have a cancellation will get you your first gig, since they will want someone to fill in immediately. All you have to do is deliver and you will find the club venue calling you back more often to play on the most packed out nights. Whatever you do-never quit. Be sure to attend numerous amount of talent shows and do your best at all times, because you never know who is in the crowd watching waiting to give you an opportunity that can change your life.

Ricky Perry is a freelancer, infopreneur, professional lyricist, and author of The World's Largest & Most Effective Learn How To Rap Tutorial Guide.To learn more info visit:

Nutville - Buddy Rich Version - Live Cover

6 Tips for a Great Open Mic Performance

Once you begin learning to play the piano, there will come a time where you will want to share your talent with the world. One of the best places to begin your performing career is at Open Mic Nights. You can find Open Mic Nights in just about about every town and a quick search on the internet in your area will uncover a list of them including the days of the weeks and times available.

When I first started playing at open mics, I wish someone would have given me a few pointers and tips to make my experience a better one. So with that in mind, this post is directed at saving you some growing pains when you fell it's your time to take the stage and share your talent.

Tips for a Great Night

1. Get there early to sign up because the later you signup, the later you will play and the fewer people will be there to listen to you.
2. Have your songs well rehearsed and practiced. Too many people think that an Open Mic is a place to take unfinished songs. That is not true and you should always be professional and well prepared.
3. Treat the sound person nice, he or she are the ones responsible for making you sound great to the audience so be nice
4. Choose well known songs. At an Open Mic you typically have a maximum of 2 songs to share so make them count. It is not the time to be obscure. Give the audience something to remember you by. If you want to play original music, choose 1 original and 1 cover.
5. Smile and offer a short(under 1 minute) story about the song you are playing. Engage the audience and they will remember you.
6. Last and most important: HAVE FUN! Too many musicians take performing too seriously and forget to have fun. Don't forget the reason you are playing music in the first place.

Playing in front of an audience is extremely rewarding and I recommend it to every musician without exception. Some of the best experience comes from getting our there and playing and the more you do it, the better you get at it. There is no better teacher than live playing and few things in life will give you such a great rush.

So get out there and signup and have a blast! Let me know how it goes.

Excited about playing the piano but don't know where to begin?
Learn in 30 days right from your own computer.
Click here to start playing today!

AIMtv Testimonials - Courtney - Arts Management

Learn How You Learn

Everybody learns in their own way. As a teacher it is my job to understand how each person processes information so I can teach them as effectively as possible. While most people have a general idea as to how they learn best, they usually aren't actively conscious about it. Below are a list of the four basic ways that people learn and process information.

1. Auditory Learning

People who are auditory learners usually recall information based on the sounds of the information. Small details in words such as accents and inflection are usually a major factor in the way they recall information. An example of an auditory learner would be someone who uses a song or jingle to memorize something like an address or an acronym. They also have a tendency to participate a lot in class discussions and will sometimes record anything they feel is important.

2. Visual Learners

Visual Learners are people who learn by looking at graphics and images. Charts and spreadsheets are common to see for graphic learners. People who are visual learners usually require a reinforcement with some form of auditory learning but when they are combined have a much greater degree of retention. Visual learners are also much better at understanding patterns and are great at mentally visualizing things.

3. Learners by Experience

People who learn by experience are the kinds of people who learn by getting hands on experience. Experiential learners tend to learn by means of discovery and are much more willing to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes rather than learning the information first. Even when experiential learners are given information first, it is usually a requirement to have some sort of hands on experience in order to reinforce the information they were given.

4. Readers and Writers

I'm guessing a lot of the people reading this article will fall into this category in some way. Readers and writers use books and note taking to reinforce information they learn. Readers and writers can learn without much additional assistance from teachers and can piece together information from textbooks. They usually reinforce things they learned in classes by writing them down in notebooks and journals so they can recall the information later. Writing notes usually reinforces any information learned.

Conclusion

Understanding how you learn may not be as obvious as you think. Everybody has the ability to learn using all of these ways. However, when push comes to shove you have a way that your brain likes to process the information and it can be important to know this because then you will know where and how to look for the information to most effectively absorb it. If you are having a tough time figuring out exactly how you learn best try getting an outside perspective. Possibly a friend or a teacher you have worked with. Now go and learn the best way you can!

Visit Milwaukee Guitar Lessons to get free lessons and materials.

AIMtv Testimonials - Courtney - Music Theatre

Why Don't My Beats (or Song) Sound Like a Commercial CD?

Have you noticed that when you listen to a commercial CD of your favorite artist you can hear every instrument in the mix clearly? Professional mixing engineers using tools like compression and equalization in the mixing stage to make all the tracks fit together is the reasons for this. Here are some basic EQ tips used by the big boys to achieve that awesome clear sound.

Disclaimer #1 -

This article is not meant to cure or diagnose any sonic problems in your recorded masterpiece. It is intended to give you ideas of possible trouble areas to look for during the mixing stage, as well as help you potentially diagnose frequency issues in the future from a mixing engineers point of view. Whoa!

Many aspiring artist have come in to my studio with a CD demo of beats burned on their home computer and they almost always ask one of these questions; "Why does my demo sound so muddy and cluttered" or "Why doesn't it sound like a store bought CD"?

Disclaimer #2

- I am going to assume that you are producing your music in a somewhat decent room with treatments like foam or curtains on your walls and you are using real studio monitors (no book-shelf speakers please). In other words brothers and sisters, I'm assuming that you can trust both the room you work and record in, AND trust your own monitors to tell you the truth about the music you are producing and mixing.

Are you with me so far?

When you listen to your favorite rappers, rock-stars or pop artists on the radio or CD in your car, you can feel the kick drum, and the pop of the claps and snare drum. You can really feel the bottom end of the bass. You might ask yourself, "How do they get such a deep, deep bass and kick sound on that record?", or "How do they juggle all those frequencies so in the end it doesn't sound so cluttered or muddy?"

When listening to today's modern music, whether it's rap, rock, metal, you hear the thump of the kick drum, the beef in the bass and the power of the synth basses. It is very easy to just assume that the mixing engineer has "added" a veritable boatload of low frequencies to those instruments, and it's just as simple as that. In other words, you add more, to get more, right?

The biggest names that are mixing today's hit records are actually removing the unwanted low end frequencies from the other adjacent tracks to make the necessary room for the real low end instruments like the kick, bass and the low end synth etc. This type of low end removal is referred to as "subtractive equalization" or "subtractive eq".

Don't mix you music in "solo" mode!

Before I continue with this concept of subtractive equalization, I want to touch briefly on the "solo" button found on your hardware or software mixer. I sometimes see recording engineers (fresh out of recording school) making very critical equalization decisions while listening to an individual track in "solo" mode.

"solo" mode is used for various reasons. Here, I'm only going to mention two of them.

The "solo" button or switch enables you to:

Find out what instrument is on a particular track. Useful, if you forgot to write it down on your track sheet or mixing desk the first time.

"Solo" lets you listen to just that "one individual" instrument without having to hear the rest of the mix at the same time. You can then listen for any sonic problems or issues that the track may or may not have. You might ask, "Does it have too much bass, not enough midrange, too little, or too much high end etc?

Remember, the whole idea of mixing a song or a beat, is to have all the tracks working together in balance to create a great final product. Unless you are mega engineer Bob Clearmountain, then I would suggest you don't EQ your tracks in "solo" mode.

Are you ready for this?

Let's say you've got a simple kick and clap beat, with a tight hat, nice fat bass, and maybe some bell sounds in the background. Don't reach for that EQ just yet my friend.

Begin by setting the Master or Main Output Fader to its Unity/detent spot 0db.

Listen at 80-85db level, or if you have neighbors, go as loud as possible so as not to damage your ears, your monitors, or your relationships you may have with these neighbors.

Start by bringing the faders of your kick, snares, hats and cymbals up to unity first. Then adjust the faders to get the proper balance of volume for those instruments. Go for a volume level on each track that makes those elements feel right. Use your ears. Very Important!

Once you've achieved a good overall balance by adjusting the volume faders, now use your ears, as well as your monitors, and EQ. Use a low shelving or low cut filter while you listen to the drum tracks you have going to your speakers so far. Carefully remove the low end frequencies that are mudding up the balance. Listen carefully as you remove 1-2 db at a time from the low end of the track. Keep making these adjustments to all your drum tracks and percussion. You should begin to hear the drum tracks open up and become clearer.

Next slip the bass in under the kick drum, till it feels good. Hopefully it's starting to breathe a little at this point. Sorry, it's that whole subjective "feel thing" again.

Add your keyboard elements to the mix. Is it happening? It's got to feel right, so if it doesn't, something will have to change in the arrangement. Maybe pitch the keys up an octave. That little tip can sometimes work miracles.

At this point I would take the master fader down to almost completely off just to listen at a very quite level to see if you can still hear everything in the arrangement at low volumes. Also listen for anything that might be jumping out of the mix, if it sounds good at this point Playa, you're doing great.

Now bring the master fader back to its unity position. Bring the track fader up on the bell track. Your first thought might be that the bells are high pitched so let's add a ton of high end EQ.

Instead remove (not add) some or maybe all of the dirty, dirty low end frequencies off of those bells. On such a high pitched instrument like the bells, there isn't anything really going on below 150 hertz, so roll it out Man!

While the whole track is playing start by rolling off using your low cut filter or maybe your bass shelving knob till the bells start to clear up. You may not need anything below 150 to 300 hertz. You be the judge. Use your ears. If it sound good, it is good. I mentioned you may not need anything below 150 hertz, but go higher if you think it sounds good. If you were using a piano instead of bells, try the same, just don't overdo it! By removing the dirty muddy frequencies on all the tracks, you are actually cleaning up your whole mix. Can you dig it?

You know you're ready for this!

You use this same procedure with every track in your mix, just exercise caution and don't take out to much, or it can sound very harsh, very tinny, overly bright, and very painful to listen to. Can you dig that?

I mentioned earlier in this article that the big boy's of mixing do use subtractive EQ to clean up their tracks. But, they also add frequencies when needed to get instruments to come forward in the mix a little more, or to brighten up a dull sound as well. One more tool that can make your audio life a lot easier, is a dedicated hardware or software spectrum analyzer. You insert the analyzer on a track, or on the Main Output. This amazing tool can show you exactly what's happening on an instrument track or mix by showing you what you're actually hearing.

When you use your ears along with the spectrum analyzer, getting through a mix can be a lot more enjoyable. F.Y.I., there are a lot of great inexpensive spectrum analyzer online and some are even free to download.

In conclusion, remember to make these EQ adjustments while the track is playing. I'm saving compression, panning, effects and limiting for a future article, meanwhile I hope this will help you get started in the right direction, best of luck!

Buy Beats Online At Rap2Beats/Outlaw Music Productions, we have written & produced beats for Ford Motor Company, BMW, Compaq Computers and GTE and a host of others.

AIMtv Testimonials - Jacob Annesley - Entertainment Management

Is Music a Language?

I think everyone's initial answer to this is a resounding yes. However, it is not easy to define why music is considered a language. It certainly isn't taught as a foreign language in school, yet I would be hard pressed to find someone that wouldn't agree that music speaks what we sometimes can't express in words.

We do however hear constantly that where words fail, music can speak to us. But the million dollar question is how does it do that? Why is it that if we merely speak words, we may find ourselves unable to express our true feelings, yet so many individuals use music and other art forms to communicate to the world what they have inside? Even I find myself on many occasions struggling to convey an idea or point and turn to music as my preferred method to share those thoughts. I have to admit that I have never paused long enough to find out exactly why I chose music or even why music is such a useful tool for communicating but it came naturally and I have never looked back.

The great thing about music is that there are two aspects to this language. One is the transcendent quality of expressing emotions through tones and harmonies but also the practical side to this language that we must learn to speak before we could use it for expression. Music, like any other foreign language has it's own set of rules that, when used correctly, can produce amazing sounds. There is also a great place for breaking those rules which can also be used to create some amazing things. Much like someone breaking the rules of grammar and syntax can use that to produce some interesting poetry. Truth be told, music and art become even more enjoyable when we break these "rules" and venture out into the unknown. It is also amazing to see the sheer endless possibilities of music and can easily be seen in the millions of musicians, songs and works that we have the privilege of hearing at any moment. There may only be 12 notes(western music) but the combinations are endless as are the messages that can be conveyed.

How do you personally use music as a language to express yourself? If you haven't begun learning the language of music, I urge you to begin. It is a wonderful journey that will give you an appreciation for music far beyond what you may hear now.

Play on.

If you are ready to begin playing music and expressing yourself to the world through music, It will be one of the greatest journeys you will ever take! Start anytime at http://themusicworkshop.com

Music Education Job - Teaching music to inspire up & coming artists.

Choosing Between an Acoustic or Electric Guitar

It is not uncommon for a guitar newbie to be a little confused whether an acoustic or electric guitar is most appropriate for him.

Making the choice between these two instruments is never an easy decision for most beginners. Aside from their limited knowledge and skills, there are also a lot of misconceptions and myths floating around even among experienced guitarists.

In reality, the answer to this age old question largely depends on the preferences of the individual himself. For example, the musical genre closest to the player's heart should be a major deciding factor. Those who are mostly into bluegrass, country, and folk music will find acoustic guitars to be more satisfying. On the contrary, aspiring musicians who like alternative, metal, punk, and hard rock will agree that nothing compares to the versatility of an electric. Guitar tutors and expert players agree that allowing the musical taste to dictate the choice of instrument will motivate a learner to practice harder and improve quicker.

There are other important factors to consider, too - especially since both instruments have distinct pros and cons.

To illustrate further, an acoustic guitar is much more convenient to carry around. It's always possible to bring it during outdoor activities such as going to the beach and hanging out at the park. Playing with friends can also be done even without needing amplifiers or electricity. In short, no additional equipment is necessary to enjoy an acoustic.

As far as electric guitars are concerned, guitarists are allowed greater freedom to dabble with different sounds and styles to their hearts' content. Using various distortions and effects can be very fun.

When it comes to playability, an electric guitar is the easier instrument. The strings are naturally close to the frets and so they require lesser pressure to play. Amplifiers and pickups also help a player produce a cleaner sound even without much effort. The same couldn't be said about acoustics since the thicker strings are more difficult to press and bend.

Finally, the buyer's budget range should be included in the decision, too. Depending on the brand and model, acoustic guitars are usually less expensive. Electric guitars, by comparison, can cost bigger amount of money because purchasing cables and amplifiers is compulsory.

Upgrading the equipment by getting effect pedals may seem like additional expenses but this idea can be particularly attractive for guitarists who want to explore further in terms of playing and making music.

Learning the guitar is so much easier if you work with a good teacher. If you are from Australia, you can always check out MSOM for guitar tutor Melbourne.

Online Music Lessons - Opportunities for Music Teachers Online at LMT

2 Great Double Duty Vocal Warm-Ups You May Like

Do you warm up your voice before your performance or worship service? Whether I'm leading worship, doing live or studio background vocals, or performing my own material, I try to always get some warm-ups in.

Why? Your voice is made up of muscle. We could easily compare using your voice to an exercise workout. You want to warm up your voice to prepare it for more strenuous work. You can cause damage and strain to your voice by exercising it without warming it up, and preparing it for what's to come!

When I need a quick warm-up I lean towards double duty ones that warm up more than one thing at a time. These two warm ups focus on the 1) voice and 2) diaphragm.

The Webster's medical definition of diaphragm is "a large flat muscle that separates the lungs from the stomach area and that is used in breathing." Yes BREATHING. We have to pay attention to what is supporting our voices when we sing! The way you breathe while singing effects the way you sing.

WARM UP #1
I really like to warm up my diaphragm because it often doesn't get a lot of attention, unless I'm singing hard and high. This warm-up helps me remember where my diaphragm is. It's done on the 5 note scale. Each time you sing through it, you modulate a half step. I broke it down by number to explain how it goes:

"Haaa ha-ha-ha-ha haaa"

1 - Sing up the scale with "haaa" on notes 1, 2, 3 and 4
2 - Sing "ha-ha-ha-ha" on the top note (5)
3 - Sing down the scale starting on note 5 with "haaa"
Repeat by modulating up the scale

The sound: The sound you make is not like a laughing "ha!" The mouth should be more elongated, and it should be round and wide inside. Your tongue should be pushed down behind your teeth. It feels funny at first, but it really helps to open you up quickly!

While doing this warm-up really focus on pushing the notes out through the diaphram, and not your throat.

WARM UP #2
A simple variation of the aforementioned warm warm up is this:

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa"

You do this entire line on the same note, and you go up as high as you like on each modulated note of the scale.

I hope this helps to remind you of the importance of warming up, or maybe gives you new ideas. It's so important that we as singers do not skip this step, because it's our way of showing love to our voices.

"Diaphragm." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. < http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diaphragm >.

I have been singing since I was a child, so I have many years of experience and training as a singer. I have been a background and session singer for over 15 years, an indie artist for 7, and I love to provide service to others in many ways. I also love writing and I do write my own songs! Please visit my website at http://www.ericadennard.com