GETTING THE BEST PERFORMANCE










So now you've decided to record your songs. Good for you, except that you will need people to play the instruments for which your music calls for. If you can play all the instruments on your own, then all the better. You will have less people to argue with! Other wise, you will have to hire (read: bribe with beer/food/hockey tickets) session musicians and vocalists to play and sing for you, putting you in the producer's chair.

Your songs are only as emotional as the performers who play them. It goes without saying that you should hire the best performers your budget will allow. But if $100/hour for a professional vocalist is a little steep, here are a few ways to help encourage the best from your session players.

1.) Always praise, never criticize.
The is THE most important rule in my book. The only way any session musician could ever get comfortable at your studio is if YOU put them at ease. That's one of your jobs as a producer.
When trying different versions of a take, tell them how you would like it to sound, instead of what they did wrong ie: "That was great, but let's try to hit the high note a little stronger" instead of "you know, you were a little off on the high note, it didn't sound that good".
Always start with praise, then with a correction. Keep your vocabulary positive. The best producers make the artist feel as if they can do nothing wrong.

2) They Can Do Nothing Wrong
Remember this rule while you are writing or recording. There is no "wrong way", there is only "a different way". Don't tell people that their way is wrong. Remember that music is an art, and there are no rules in art. When a performer is playing something you don't like, correct them by saying "let's try it this way too". Don't start off my saying "nope, you were wrong, do it the right way".

3) Let Them See The Light
Ambiance, atmosphere, vibe: whatever you call it, they need it. I guarantee that you will get a much better performance if you have water on the table, comfortable chairs, maybe a few candles, a towel, mints, and candy. Have you ever tried recording in an office with harsh florescent lights and hard wood chairs?

4) Take Your Time
If you're recording at your own studio, you have all the time in the world (which is an evil thing in my opinion). Let the artist relax, "get into the groove", talk a little and get comfortable with the other people in the control room. A tense artist's performance will always sound 'artificial' in the final song.
Don't be worried if it takes another 10 minutes to finish the take. Each performer works at their own pace, and the best thing you can do as the producer is to respect that and adjust your pace to theirs. Unless you have a record company breathing down your neck. Then everyone has to work at THEIR pace!

5) Ask For Help
Artists love to be listened to. It's always good to ask them for their opinion. Whether you actually listen is up to you. But once in a while, a simple question like "What do you think? Do you want to keep that take?" can do wonders for their performance. It helps keep them involved in the project and make them feel less like a "hired hand".
Obviously, if it was the worse singing you've ever heard and they want to keep it, just mention that you will do "one more take as a safety". And then, when they're not looking, use the better take instead and auto-tune it to no end. This is a little producer's secret, but don't let the artists know!

6) Know The Words
Make sure that you, the engineer, the assistant engineer and everyone else in the control room has lyrics to all the songs. The best way for your studio team to find their way around the songs is with the lyric sheets. Another good idea is to USE THE WHITEBOARD! That's why it's there. If you don't have one, get one. Write down the chord progressions, lyric ideas, timing marks, track listings, McDonald's lunch orders, everything.

7) It's MOSTLY About The Music
I've heard people say "it's ALL about the music". Well, in my books, that's not the truth. I'd rather say "it's mostly about the music". Because you have to remember, it's also about having fun, having a good time, writing and performing the best you can and above all, sharing your talent and gift with others. Try to make it less of a job, and more of a passion and you'll find yourself doing it for the rest of your life!







Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Three Doors Down, Love Me When I'm Gone
Papa Roach, Scars
The Who, Pinball Wizard
Seether, Remedy
Eric Clapton, Tears In Heaven



Local Artist Of The Day:

Tony Jones

PRESENTING YOUR DEMO









Here is a checklist that will maximize your chances of getting heard and respect the listener's time.

1. Never send more than three songs unless specifically requested otherwise.

Demo listeners like watching the "in" pile diminish and the "out" pile grow as quickly as possible. If the listener has a limited time to listen, which is usually the case, the tendency is to listen to a tape/CD they know they can complete. So if you send a demo with ten songs on it and someone else's demo has one song, you can bet that the "out" pile will grow quickly with one-song demos. There's also the psychology that implies, "I've sent you the song you need!" This is particularly true in pitching songs to producers for a specific artist. Along those same lines, most people resent getting tapes//CDs with 20 songs and a letter that says, "I know you'll like at least one of these, so just pick out what you want." They want you to do that and send them three songs or less. songs you totally believe in. If you're not far enough along to be able to decide, you're not ready. When sending CDs with more than three songs, highlight three you want the listener to focus on first, and include the numbers of the cuts in your cover letter and lyric sheets (so they have a reference while the CD is on their player and they can't see the label). If they like those, they'll listen to the others. And please, remove the shrink-wrap!

2. Place your best and most commercial song first.

If you have a strong up-tempo song it's a good bet to start with that. If they don't like the first one, it may be the only shot you get. If you're sending a cassette, put all the songs on the same side and put the label only on the "play" side.

3. Never send your original master tape or CD.

You may never see it again and it's not fair to saddle its recipient with responsibility for it.

4. Always cue your tape to the beginning of the first song.

You don't want the person to start listening in a bad mood because you just wasted his time making him rewind your tape. When you make your copies, leave four seconds between songs. Most cassette decks have an automatic search feature, which finds the silence between songs, stops the fast-forward and automatically starts playing the next song. Obviously, this isn't a problem with CDs. If your CD contains more than the first four you want heard, clearly mark on the on the CD and printed insert, which ones you want them to hear.

5. Send a lyric sheet, neatly typed or printed.

Letterhead is impressive. It says "This is my business and I take it seriously." Some don't like to look at lyrics while they listen, but most do. It's a time saver to be able to see it all at once and to see the structure of the song graphically laid out on the page. Lead sheets (with melody and lyric together) are not sent out with demos. They're good to have at the point where a producer wants to record your song and you want to be sure he/she has the correct melody, but since the current copyright law permits tapes/CDs to be sent for copyright registration, their importance has diminished. Lead sheets are bulky to mail, it's too difficult to follow the lyric and visualize the song's form, and many industry pros don't read music anyway. It also pegs you as a songwriter over 50 who has no experience in submitting demos since this practice went out of style about 25 years ago.

When you type out your lyric sheet, separate the sections of the songs with a space and label each one (verse, chorus, bridge etc.) at the upper left side of the section. Do not type your lyrics in prose fashion. Lay them out with the rhymes at the ends of the lines so the structure and rhyme schemes of the song can be seen immediately.

6. Make sure there's a copyright notice

(© 2003 I.B. Cool, All Rights Reserved) on the bottom of the lyric sheet and on the tape or CD label. Technically, this isn't necessary but it alerts everyone that your song is protected, whether it's registered or not.

7. Cover letters should be short and to the point.

Let the music speak for itself and avoid hype. A professional presentation will do more to impress someone than "I know these are hit songs because they're better than anything I've ever heard on the radio," or "I just know that we can both make a lot of money if you'll publish these songs." Avoid the temptation to tell your life story, and don't explain how you have a terminal disease, you're the sole support of your 10 children and if these songs don't get recorded they'll all be homeless or worse. In fact, don't plead, apologize or show any hint of desperation. It only gives the message that you have no confidence in the ability of the songs to stand on their own.

Here's what should be in your cover letter:

a. It should be addressed to a specific person in the company. b. It should state your purpose in sending the demo. Are you looking for a publisher, a producer, a record deal for you as an artist? Do you want the listener to pay special attention to your production, your singing, your band, or just the song? Is it targeted for a specific artist? c. List any significant professional credits that apply to the purpose of your submission. If you want your song published, list other published or recorded songs, contests won, etc. If you're a performer submitting an artist demo, resist the temptation to grab at weak credits:" I played at the same club that (famous star) played. Tell them what drives you, what inspires you. Keep it short. List real sales figures. Don't lie. d. Include any casting ideas you might have if you're pitching to other artists. e. Ask for feedback if you want it. Odds are you won't get it but give it a shot. f. List the songs enclosed and writers' names in the order they appear on the tape/CD. (Lyric sheets should also be enclosed in the same order the songs appear on the demo.) g. Thank them for their time and attention. h. Include your address, phone number, Web site URL and e-mail address (if you have one).

8. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope(SASE) if you want your tape back.

There are two schools of thought about this. On the pro SASE side, if you don't want to lose all those tapes/CDs, you can't expect to get them back without it. There's another school of thought, though, that if you say you want it back, you're assuming they won't like it. There's no guarantee that you'll get them back even if you do send a SASE, in which case you're gambling even more money, and worse could happen than your tape or CD sitting around a producer's office.

9. Your name, address and phone number should be on the tape or CD, box, and on every lyric sheet.

It seems like such a common sense request. In fact it would be embarrassing to even suggest that you might forget to do it if I didn't see it happen constantly. The problem on this end is that, between listening sessions at the office, the car, and home, it's so easy to separate the tape from the box or lyric sheet. Once they've gone to the trouble to find your hit song, not finding you is a fate they don't deserve.

10. Be sure you have adequate postage.

Also, don't send your tape in an ordinary stationery envelope. It's risky because rough postal handling could force the edge of the tape box through the envelope. Use a special envelope with an insulated lining. Some people also prefer the soft "bubble" tape box because it doesn't have sharp edges and it's lighter to mail. CDs have an obvious advantage in this respect as there are very lightweight sleeves available for them. Having said that, jewel boxes are preferred because , hopefully, they can stack it on a shelf and read the label on the edge if they decide to keep it.

The main thing to remember is to make your demo submission as easy as possible to deal with.

USING THE INTERNET: YOUR DEMO AS AUDIO FILE

An increasingly popular strategy is sending your demo as an audio file. It's rare these days that a record company, producer or manager doesn't have a high-speed Internet access line. Obviously, many of the above suggestions don't apply to sound files.

Giant Records A&R Executive, Craig Coburn says (footnote: Music Connection Magazine Vol. XXV #1 01/01/01): "In the future, I would love to see people soliciting the record labels - whether it's artists, managers or lawyers - using the internet. I'd like them to send me a letter asking me to check out their web site rather than sending me the music.

We're not getting that many electronic submissions yet and I'd like to. When I'm talking to people, I encourage them to send MP3's The Quality of MP3 is not exactly up to the quality of a CD, but it's absolutely close enough for an A&R person to hear the music and to know if it's something that excites us or not."

The most popular formats are MP3 and RealAudio. The fidelity is not quite CD quality but still adequate to show them what you do. There are a couple different procedures for this:

Send an E-mail with the audio file attached. Follow the suggestions listed above for cover letter (Include phone number(s). Also include your Web site address so they can click it and go directly to it. When they get to your site, they'll hopefully find additional bio material, photos and lyrics.

Just send them an e-mail intriguing enough to get them to go to your site and hear your music there.

Indie marketing guru Tim Sweeney suggests that because of the limited amount of time someone may want to spend at any site and the degree of difficulty their online access speeds may present, it's important to help them decide quickly which of your songs may be of most interest to them. You can help by providing a short description like this one provided on the site of Franklin Spicer and Valerie Ford's Pegasus Project, a soft jazz, world music group.

One People

"The first song Franklin ever heard from Val was a reggae tune she had recorded called One People. He really liked the positive message and the infectious chorus. Franklin talked her into doing a rewrite and making it a Pegasus Project tune. They wanted to share a positive message of how we all are part of one global family. This song was shaped from a number of African musical influences, including the Tuku style. The huge chorus backup vocals were done in two days of recording using seven different singers."

Note that the description includes information on the style, what it's about, why it was written and how it was recorded. Their site also includes lyrics to all the songs.

Your demo will introduce you to the eyes and ears of many music industry professionals. Take this introduction very seriously. It's your job interview. It should look good, have something important to say, and say it well, There are a lot of other applicants for the job. The pros are looking for the best. Be it!




Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Rebel Meets Rebel, Nothin' To Lose
Boston, Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore
Cat Stevens, Wild World
The Guess Who, No Sugar Tonight
Drowning Pool, Bodies



Local Artist Of The Day:

Calveris

MANAGE YOUR TIME








You CAN do everything.

Repeat.

You CAN do everything. What you cannot do, however, is do everything at the same time, or create a day that’s longer than 24 hours.

The two most important aspects of time management are acceptance and choice. When you think of time in terms of acceptance and choice, you’re never “wrong”, “bad”, or “lazy”, you’ve just made certain choices. When you think in terms of discipline and willpower, however, your inner critic can really do a number on you. We already have low self-esteem as artists; let’s not add to the problem!!

An example of this from my own life is that I choose to live alone instead of with a roommate; that means I also choose higher rent and the need to bring in enough income to cover that rent. When sneaky thoughts of resentment or self-pity creep in to my head, I need to remember the choice that I made, and I need to accept this is how things are for now.

Here are some tips for using choice and acceptance to manage your time.

Decide what you want to have time for. What keeps getting pushed to the back burner or rushed through? How will you spend your time once you’ve made your songwriting dreams come true and you’ve become the artist you’re meant to be? Nourish this vision until it’s clear in your mind. It’s essential to know what you’re working towards. Remember, you won’t always be this busy unless you choose to be.

Choose not to be this busy – for one week, track your time using a time log. You can make one yourself; simply chart out (on paper or on the computer) your day in fifteen-minute intervals and then record what you do in each of those blocks of time. Completing a time log will illuminate how much time you’re spending on different things. Look carefully at the choices you’re making. What do you most want to do with the time you have available?

Accept your day job for what it is – a source of the financial support you need to eat and live – and write songs! Practice feeling grateful for the job you have, instead of feeling resentful about the time it’s taking away from your songwriting. For instance, what recording equipment, CD’s, manuscript paper, software programs or musical instruments have you bought from the money you earned in this job? Also, the job is giving you life experiences, and most likely lots of opportunities to interact with other people. Your passion is to communicate with people through your music – how can you take some of that passion and apply it to your day-to-day interactions? What kind of stories do your co-workers have to tell? What ideas do those stir up for you that you can use in your writing?

Look for a “day job” that’s meaningful and that’s taking you in the direction of your dreams. Do you need some ideas? Try meditating to access inner wisdom and spiritual guidance. If songwriting is your primary passion, what’s your second passion? What ELSE gets your juices flowing? There’s no need to be in a job that doesn’t make you feel alive, in order to support what does. Some artists that I know get lots of fulfillment from teaching children or adults about their craft. Others take jobs that involve public speaking, to give them more experience and confidence talking to groups. Some take jobs in music stores, where they can have lots of time to learn about the newest equipment, meet lots of fellow artists, and get a discount, to boot!

Schedule time with yourself for your songwriting, collaborating and rehearsing. Keep these dates with yourself and others as sacred appointments!

Be good to your body and don’t sacrifice sleep for productivity (if you keep doing that, you won’t be in much shape to produce anything!).

There are only a couple of things that we really NEED to do every day. Everything else is a choice.







Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Hamell On Trial, Civil Disobedience
Black Label Society, Been A Long Time
Bob Marley, Red Red Wine
Steppen Wolf, Born To Be Wild
Meatloaf, You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth



Local Artist Of The Day:


Jason Gisser

FIND GUITAR TABLATURE ONLINE








The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments and the online guitar community probably the most popular of its kind. There are thousands of guitarists connected via online communities sharing guitar tabs, tips and stories and there are many of websites dedicated to sharing guitar music, tablature and even guitar lessons. Some you have to pay for, but there's a lot out there for free.

Beginning guitarists and professionals alike can take advantage of what is available for free on the Internet. It's true, you can really download guitar tablature for free on the Internet. There are literally thousands of pieces available for download, everything from classical and jazz music to rock and pop. Try typing "guitar tablature", "guitar tabs" or "guitar sheet music" into your favorite search engine. This will bring up a plethora of websites which offer music for download. Some sites will charge a membership fee, but offer samples for free so that you can try them out. At first it is difficult to sift through all the sites and find one that is suitable for your needs, but stick with it, and you'll find exactly what you want.

Some sites specialize in specific music genres, such as classical or rock. Some sites have audio samples of the sheet music so that you can actually listen to unknown pieces before you download. In the end you may choose to pay a membership fee to take advantage of added services that these sites provide.

But before you do that take advantage of everything that's free. The Internet is such a great place for picking up guitar tricks and tips or even learning the instrument on your own.

Start by doing a Google search for "Free guitar lessons" (use quotation marks) and the top five search results will yield websites with archives full of free guitar lessons. These lessons are designed with the absolute beginner in mind. The advantage of learning the guitar on the Internet is that you can take your lesson whenever you have time or are in the mood and you never have to leave the comfort of your own home. You'll start off with all the basics: learn about the parts of the guitar, learn how it works, learn scales, strumming patterns, chromatic scales, as well as many songs to play. Despite the relative ease of the Internet, lessons should be taken in the order that they are written.
And remember, your Internet lessons may be free, but they aren't miracle workers, you still have to commit to a regular program of study and practice.







Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Humble Pie, 30 Days In The Hole
Green Day, American Idiot
Finger Eleven, One Thing
Nickelback, How You Remind Me
Billy Joel, My Life


Local Artist Of The Day:


Them One Guys

MUSIC POSTERS











The music poster has become inextricably linked with the bedroom walls of teen fans and student dorms. A poster can depict a simple glam-shot of a pop chart diva or some obscure image that only those in the know can de-cipher. But what makes hang up those music posters in the first place?

When we put a music poster up on the wall what exactly are we doing? Usually it’s because we have some kind of liking for the artist. It could be the music (Coldplay), the image (Marilyn Manson) or maybe we find them attractive (Beyonce). In any of these cases, we are displaying behaviour associated with being a fan, which is of course short for fanatic.

I have come up with the following list of fanatics, which should cover most categories of poster hangers, but please feel free to add your own.

1. The teeny. These are early teenage girls who, as yet, are unable to find any suitably mature similarly aged boys to fall in love with, so they fall in love with a poster instead. Their main targets are boy bands, ex boy band solo artists and female solo artists if they’re in ‘girlie-crush’ mode.

2. The mid-teen. This is where rebellion starts. For the girls, it’s the biggest, ugliest rap star they can find which will be guaranteed to upset their parents. For the boys it’s the most disgusting thrash metal group they can find which will be guaranteed to upset their parents.

3. The late teen. By now, serious prejudices have been formed and allegiance to one particular type of music is essential. Having, or not having, the right poster on the wall can mean the difference between social acceptance and rejection and will confirm the tribe that you will now be in for many years to come, if not the rest of your life.

4. The student. A little like the late teen, but in a very different way. Has allegiances, but dare not admit them. Will therefore put up ‘ironic’ posters usually only considered by the teeny which thus become cool because they are in a student dorm – a bit like bricks in an art gallery.

5. The obsessed. Can be any age, diagnosed by the fact that all available wall space of their bedroom or study is plastered with posters of one particular band or artist. All possible additional memorabilia will have been purchased and will occupy any available floor space in their bedroom or study. They only come out of their bedroom or study for comfort breaks.

6. The trendy. Can also be any age, but has only one motive for poster hanging – to be in with other people. Easy to spot as there’s no allegiance to anyone other than themselves. Also they often get it completely wrong.

7. The musician. Usually male and will have a select set of ‘heroes’ posters on the wall which reflect his aspirations as a singer, lead guitar player etc. When you go and see him perform he bears no resemblance to these heroes whatsoever.

Some people pass through several, if not all of these categories during the course of their life, I must admit to a couple of them myself. There’s nothing wrong with being a fanatic, but just be aware that it’ll always give other people the opportunity to poke fun at you.







Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Judas Priest, Living After Midnight
The Doobie Brothers, Drift Away
Pearl Jam, Daughter
The Who, Won't Get Fooled Again
Kiss, Detroit Rock City



Local Artist Of The Day:

Matt Rauch

PERSONALITY OF DRUMMERS











After listening to music with many different musicians on many different skill levels I have noticed something interesting among most of them. Each one will usually play his or her instrument according to his or her respective personality.

When this concept comes to drumming it is really noticeable. I've noticed that drummers who are a relaxed type often play relaxed. A drummer who is a more bold person usually plays the same way... bold. A drummer who lives his or her life a little sloppy and wreckless will often play the same way. Likewise, a drummer who is a very organized individual will fairly play rather consistantly. All this is okay to an extent. But, we just can't let our drumming be subject to our personality, feelings, or mood at any given moment. Our instrument, the drums, are our expression in the band. It's our voice. And, many times, we must drum in a manner that does not line up with our personality, feelings, or mood.

Being an outstanding drummer requires becomming a bit of an actor. What I mean by that is, sometimes we have to play drums a certain way despite our true personality, or how we may feel at any given moment. That's what a good actor does, he temporarliy forgets who he is and becomes someone else for a time so that he can pull off what he needs to pull off in order to get the job done.

As you know, sometimes we have to drum a little harder than we may feel like drumming. And then at other times we may have to drum a bit softer when what we really want to do is rock out. In order to be an outstanding drummer we have to be able to put out what is required of us at any given moment. For example, sometimes a certain song needs to convey a certain message, feeling, or mood. But, your particular mood at the time does not jive with it at all.

If we want the song do what it's supposed to do, we can't expect the song to submit to how we feel right then. We have to submit to the song and forget about ourselves by becoming a part of the song.

The bottom line is this... don't play your drums according to your personality. Play your drums according to each individual song's personality. Only then will your songs truly come to life.





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Green Day, Time Of Your Life
Eagles, Take It To The Limit
Peter Frampton, Signed Sealed Delivered, I'm Yours
The Police, Message In A Bottle
The Guess Who, American Woman



Local Artist Of The Day:


Forever Lost

How to get your band heard









Getting reviews can be one of the toughest things for any new band. It's not just trying to figure out who the best people to send your cd to, it's making sure they listen to your band and actually write the review. Music writers get an avalanche of band's cds each week. Some really good bands get overlooked when it comes to getting reviews because they don't follow a few simple but golden review rules. If you don't follow these rules you might as well make that stack of CDs then chuck them in the bin;


The Golden Rules of Getting your band reviews

Be INTERESTING, sounds obvious, but if you can't be arsed with your output then why should anyone else care about you?
Make sure your contact details are on EVERYTHING, several times I've been sent a totally blank cd by a band. Even if it's an amazing band the chances are I'll never know who they are as the CD pretty much always gets separated from the covering letter (if there is one).
Make sure you know who you're sending your band's stuff to, there's no point in sending your death thrash black metal to a rumba magazine is there?
Don't bother sending your cd to millions of labels, they will just go in the bin.
Review contactsThe biggest challenge when planning a PR campaign for you band is getting contacts. You can spend months looking up publication/ zine contacts on the web only to have your press packs returned undeliverable. This is especially true with webzines, they are often started with fantastic enthusiasm by the people behind them, then left to rot after a few weeks.
Reading your band's reviewsThe next part of your 'get heard' challenge is reading your band's reviews. Sound daft doesn't it! But think about it for a moment, you've spent months finding contacts, stuffing envelopes with your world changing cds, but how are you going to get copies of the reviews if they are published? 99.99% of zines/ magazines will not send you a free copy of their publication. Most zines (especially the big ones that you really want reviews published in) get sent anything up to 100 cds a week, if they sent out a free copy to each of those 100 bands then they wouldn't have any copies left to actually sell! So what do you do? You subscribe to every single one of these publications, in fact you'd probably have to as the chances of your release / demo getting reviewed when you think it will be are pretty damn rare. So you'd have to buy every copy of the magazine (or whatever) until you happen across your own review.

So is this all worth it? Of course it is silly! Getting reviews brings exposure, interviews and about a thousand other positive outcomes!

Here's an easy answer...There is a solution to all these problems if you have a bit of cash. Use a PR company, they have all the contacts, relationships with the publications they are sending your output to and will even send you copies of your reviews when they come out!





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Elton John, Rocket Man
Ted Nugent, Free For All
Finger Eleven, One Thing
Journey, Open Arms
Neil Young, Keep On Rockin' In The Free World


Local Artist Of The Day:

Still Life

A Guide to Buying an Acoustic Guitar








Knowing how to choose the right guitar and how to identify a bad one, will save you from countless headaches, not to mention finger aches. Acoustic guitar bodies come in basically the same hourglass shape, with some variations, but they do vary in size, color, wood-type, style, and extra features. You can even buy an acoustic guitar so small that fits into a hiking backpack. Guitars come in a very wide range of prices, but when it comes to instruments, in general, you get what you pay for, especially when you buy new. There’s a real difference between getting a bargain and buying cheap. But whether you buy new or used may be determined by many personal factors including your budget, and each has their own pros and cons. Buying new, gives you a warranty and, hopefully, a return period, if for some reason you’re not totally satisfied with your purchase, or something goes wrong. Under ‘usual' circumstances, a used guitar can usually be purchased cheaper and has already gone through its “break-in” period. Commercially built guitars are usually mass manufactured. “Custom-made” guitars are exactly that. They are custom built and tailored to your specifications by a highly skilled guitar maker. Prices for a custom-built guitar vary considerably, depending on the skill level of the craftsperson you contract the job to, but, as a rule, they are generally quite higher than a commercially built guitar of “similar” quality. Each custom built guitar is unique and therefore hard to compare in price to a commercially built guitar.


FOR THE "TECHIES" Understanding some of the parts of a guitar will definitely help you when it comes to the Pre-Purchase Checklist.

BODY: This is the part with the sound hole in the front. It is where the strumming is done, and it can vary in size. The actual size, shape, type of wood, coating, and general build of the body also affects how the guitar will “sound”, whether it’s a rich and warm sound, or a thin and ‘twangy’ sound. The body tends to be the part that also gets scratched, damaged, and generally banged-up the most.

NECK: This is the long piece extending from the body and ends at the ‘head’ of the guitar where the ‘Tuning Heads’ are, also known as ‘machine heads’. The strings travel from the ‘Bridge’ on the body, across the sound hole, along the ‘Fret Board’, which is attached to the front-side of the neck, and finally arriving at the tuning heads where they are wrapped around tuning posts. The tuning heads are then turned by hand, which then turns the posts, making the strings tighter or looser, thus affecting their ‘tuning’. Necks tend to warp and twist if not looked after, or if the guitar is left propped against a heat source.

BRIDGE: The Bridge is normally located on the front of the body, by the sound hole, and on the side of the hole opposite to the neck. The strings are usually fed through the bridge first before they cross the hole and travel up the neck to the tuning heads. The bridge is like an anchor-point for the strings. Metal bridges are best, but on most acoustics they are either hard plastic or wood. Bridges have a tendency to crack and split over a long period of time.

FRET BOARD: The fret board is glued to the front of the neck. This is the part you press the strings onto to make chords or play individual notes. Because it’s glued on separately, a fret board can be made of a wood that’s different from the neck. The strings travel over the fret board and the distance they are above the fret board makes a difference to the playability of the guitar. If the strings are too far above the fret board, then they will be hard to press down, making the guitar hard to play. When a beginner plays a guitar, initially his or her fingertips are very soft and need to be hardened. A guitar with the strings too far above the fret board, also known as having a ‘high action’, will cause the player’s fingers to hurt so much that they are likely to put the guitar away in discouragement and possibly stop playing altogether.

STRINGS: Acoustic guitar strings, come in a wide variety of ‘flavors’. They can be made out of nylon, brass, steel, or a combination. Nylon strings are usually only found on Classical guitars and Student guitars, because they’re easier on the fingertips. They have a rich, warm sound to them. Strings sets come in different ‘weights’, or sizes. Strings that come from a package marked ‘Heavy’ are usually quite thick in size and sound “beefy”. Strings that are light, or extra light, are very thin and usually have a brighter sound to them, but are also quieter sounding than heavy strings. String choices are purely personal taste. Light strings are easier to press than heavy strings but also sound quite different. The more often strings are played, the dirtier they get. If a cloth isn’t run over and under them, from time to time, the sound becomes very dull

THE PRE-PURCHASE CHECKLIST - Before you buy a used guitar, cost-compare against the price of a new one, unless the guitar is quite old. You could also compare its used price to other used prices by going to an online auction and either searching for the same or a similar guitar. - Check the overall condition of the wood for cracks, scratches, splits, dents, chips, etc. - Also check the lacquer finish for cracks and splits. - Check the neck/fret board for warping and twisting. You can do this by holding the guitar flat on its back, with the sound hole facing upward. Bring the guitar up to eye-level, with the neck running away from you and the edge of the body almost touching your face. Let your eyesight skim across the front of the body and down the fret board. You should be able to see if the neck is twisted or bowing. - Tune the guitar, or have the seller tune it for you. - If you know how to play about five or six chords then play them. If you don’t know how to play, ask the seller to play them for you. This check ensures that the neck of the guitar is not warped, even though you couldn’t physically see it. If the neck is warped, and the guitar is properly tuned, then some of the chords will sound good, but others will sound as though the guitar is not tuned. If this happens, check the tuning again. If it persists, then don’t buy the guitar. - Check the bridge of the guitar. If it’s made out of wood or plastic, make sure it’s not cracked or splitting. The bridge needs to be rock-solid, as a lot of pressure is exerted on the bridge by the strings. - Check the tuning heads. Do they turn easily, or are they very stiff and hard to turn. Even with the high tension of the strings, a quality guitar will have tuning heads that are fairly easy to turn. - Check the ‘action’ of the guitar. Are the strings a fair distance from the fret board? Are they easy or hard to press down at various points on the fret board? - If you are buying the guitar for yourself, and you know how to play, even if you’re a beginner, then play the guitar. - How does it feel? - Is it easy or hard to play? - Can you fit your hand around the neck/fret board comfortably to play chords? - Is the guitar a comfortable size and shape for your body? Is it easy to hold? - If you plan to play standing up, ask for a guitar strap. - Do you like the sound, the color, etc? - If you don’t play, have someone else play it for you so that you can judge what it sounds like.

WHERE TO BUY Buying a guitar from a physical retail music store allows you to ‘test drive’ the guitar and ask more questions up front. Buying online or from a catalog may bring you more cash savings. No matter where you buy your guitar, if you know what to look for, and spend a little extra effort in your search for that ‘perfect’ guitar, not only will your fingers thank you, but also your ears, and all those who will come to join you around the campfire, or even go to see you in concert. Who knows?






Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Meatloaf, Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back
Neil Young, Brown Eyed Girl
Steve Miller Band, Jet Airliner
Tool, Aenima
Jefferson Starship, Come On And Take A Free Ride



Local Artist Of The Day:

Ali Handal

FAMOUS MUSIC QUOTES







Discover the phenomenonal complexity of music and reflect on the way it can positively influence your life with this sound collection of riveting quotes...




"Music, the greatest good that mortals know, And all of heaven we have below."-- Joseph Addison

"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness."--Maya Angelou

"Music is either good or bad, and it's got to be learned. You got to have balance."-- Louis Armstrong

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."-- Berthold Auerbach

"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."--Johann Sebastian Bach

"Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life."-- Ludwig van Beethoven

"Music - The one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend."-- Ludwig van Beethoven

"Music can change the world. "-- Ludwig Van Beethoven

"Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable."-- Leonard Bernstein

"Music has to breathe and sweat. You have to play it live. "-- James Brown

"Music is well said to be the speech of angels."-- Thomas Carlyle

"All music comes from God."-- Johnny Cash

"If you learn music, you'll learn most all there is to know. "-- Edgar Cayce

"Music is nothing separate from me. It is me... You'd have to remove the music surgically. "-- Ray Charles

"Good music is good no matter what kind of music it is. "-- Miles Davis

"There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music."-- George Eliot

"You are the music while the music lasts."--T. S. Eliot

"We need magic, and bliss, and power, myth, and celebration and religion in our lives, and music is a good way to encapsulate a lot of it. "-- Jerry Garcia

"Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife."-- Kahlil Gibran

"When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have."-- Edgar Watson Howe

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossile to be silent."-- Victor Hugo

"The history of a people is found in its songs."-- George Jellinek

"Music is the vernacular of the human soul."-- Geoffrey Latham

"It requires wisdom to understand wisdom; the music is nothing if the audience is deaf."-- Walter J. Lippmann

"Just as certain selections of music will nourish your physical body and your emotional layer, so other musical works will bring greater health to your mind."-- Hal A. Lingerman

"Music is the harmonious voice of creation; an echo of the invisible world."-- Giuseppe Mazzini

"Music is a beautiful opiate, if you don't take it too seriously."-- Henry Miller

"I started making music because I could."-- Alanis Morissette

"Music helps you find the truths you must bring into the rest of your life. "-- Alanis Morissette

"Music is spiritual. The music business is not. "-- Van Morrison

"Like everything else in nature, music is a becoming, and it becomes its full self, when its sounds and laws are used by intelligent man for the production of harmony, and so made the vehicle of emotion and thought."-- Theodore Mungers

"Without music life would be a mistake."-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

"In music the passions enjoy themselves."-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art."-- Charlie Parker

"Music should be something that makes you gotta move, inside or outside. "-- Elvis Presley

"It's the music that kept us all intact, kept us from going crazy. "-- Lou Reed

"The music business was not safe, but it was FUN. It was like falling in love with a woman you know is bad for you, but you love every minute with her, anyway."-- Lionel Richie

"Music should never be harmless."-- Robbie Robertson

"Give me a laundry list and I'll set it to music."-- Gioacchino Antonio Rossini

"All music is important if it comes from the heart. "-- Carlos Santana

"Music is the key to the female heart."-- Johann G. Seume

"The best music... is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with. "-- Bruce Springsteen

"All I try to do is write music that feels meaningful to me, that has commitment and passion behind it."-- Bruce Springsteen

"In music one must think with the heart and feel with the brain."--George Szell

"When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest."-- Henry David Thoreau

"For heights and depths no words can reach, music is the soul's own speech."--Unknown

"Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us."--Unknown

"I believe in the power of music. To me, it isn't just a fad. This is a positive thing."-- Eddie Vedder

"Music at its essence is what gives us memories. "-- Stevie Wonder

"There's a basic rule which runs through all kinds of music, kind of an unwritten rule. I don't know what it is. But I've got it."-- Ron Wood




Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Journey, Open Arms
Phil Collins, Sussudio
Seether, Truth
Kiss, Rock and Roll All Night
System Of The Down, Hypnotize


Local Artist Of The Day:

Catchpole

Music Makes Me Smile

By David Henning










Hey, have you ever had a not so great day where everything seems to be going wrong? Maybe your wife backed the car into the garage door?

Or the dogs ran through the house with mud on their paws right after you had the carpets cleaned? The neighbor kid wakes you up at 5 in the morning and you’re not a morning person?

I once heard the definition of a bad day. You know you’re having a bad day if you’re following a motorcycle gang of Hells Angels and your car horn gets stuck.

You know you’re having a bad day if you wake up and your waterbed has sprung a leak, except you don’t own a waterbed. You know you’re having a bad day when. You fill in the blanks.

So you say you’re having a bad day, eh? You flip on the radio and even though you’re a conservative, those right wing talk show hosts are giving you a headache.

You punch the FM button and start scanning the dial for something interesting. Next thing you know, you’re singing at the top of your lungs with the Doobie Brothers, Listen to the Music.

Of course, at this point your windows are rolled up and people are staring at you at the stoplight. But hey, who cares. You just had an attitude transplant.

An inspirational quote says that Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. That’s from a play The Mourning Bride by William Congreve who lived from 1670 to 1729, right around the time Ben Franklin was born. Think about this. The blind violinist touched the raging heart of Frankenstein’s monster.

One of my all time favorite songs quieted the fearful trembling of a lost little girl from Kansas when she sang, Over the Rainbow, in The Wizard of Oz.

Or another favorite is the rock group Chicago’s classic, Make Me Smile.

Theres a lot to be said for the power of music. I happen to like all styles of music, classical, jazz, gospel, rock, folk, country, even bluegrass. There’s even a little Rap that I can slightly tolerate.

In fact, my love of music and my childhood dream of being a famous radio disk jockey came into reality several years ago when I got to get paid for having fun doing a morning drive show in Kansas City.

In my fifteen minutes of fame, I had the privilege of playing the most popular music of that day over the airwaves and interview some people a lot more famous than me.

My latest hobby is collecting music concert DVD’s. So when I heard that a local music store was going out of business, I rushed over to see what kind of deals I could get to add to my collection. Well, it just so happened that they had the vintage Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary, Freebird. So guess what I did? I bought it!

And also a fantastic concert by the original members of Fleetwood Mac. The encore numbers performed by Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nix, John and Christie McVie and Mick Fleetwood not only made me smile but made me want to get up and dance. And if you’d ever seen my dancing, it’s not a pretty sight. I’m a bad version of Steve Martin’s Happy Feet.

The band surprised the audience with a drum pounding rendition of Tusk, that included the entire University of Southern California marching band in full parade dress. That made me smile real big. It’s downright inspirational.

If that weren’t enough, they performed their hit song, Don’t Stop. It talks about jettisoning the past and moving on with hope and optimism. A very rousing anthem that reverberates with, don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, don’t stop, it will soon be here. It’ll be here, better than before, yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone.

Perhaps the most famous rendition of this song was when Fleetwood Mac sang at the first William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Inaugural. Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admit it was pretty cool. Okay, don’t admit it. What do I care?

Maybe you’re not a big music fan like I am, but can you imagine a world without music? Every TV show has its theme music. The Superbowl commercials often feature famous oldies and even CSI plays a tune by The Who.

Music is woven into the very fabric of our society. Even sacred music ain’t so sacred if you study it. Another contemporary of Ben Franklin, Englishman Charles Wesley wrote a couple hundred religious songs that are still sung today. Guess what? Most people are unaware that these holy songs were sung to the tunes of popular bar songs of the 18th century. Surprise.

You may recall Charles older brother John Wesley had no small hand in starting the Methodist Church following the great Wesleyan Revival of the 18th century.

How is it that we humans have this inner compass that is drawn like a magnet to the North Pole called music?

The 1960’s were full of folk songs whose lyrics shaped political opinions. Lyricists have forever captured the climate of the current culture and phrased songs in a way that touched us and moved us deeply.

So my anthem for today would be this: Let the music in. Maybe for you it’s been a long time since you let anything in to touch you in the deepest part of your soul. Maybe it’s time for you to turn a corner in your life.

Maybe it’s your time to take the strong suggestion of Fleetwood Mac, don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, yesterday’s gone. Your future will always be brighter if you let the music in.






Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Louis XIV, God Killed The Queen
Black Eyed Peas, My Humps
Lill Bit, 50 Cent
Pantera, Walk
Jackson Browne, Running On Empty



Local Artist Of The Day:

Them One Guys

ABOUT HAMELL ON TRIAL

From his website on myspace
www.myspace.com/hamellsramble









Bad ass singer/songwriter, joke-telling Hamell On Trial defies all musical categories. “Punk acoustic” and “anti-folk” come close. Warbling, super-sensitive folk singer he definitely is not. If you’re looking for cum-bye-yah by some soft-strumming, tearful folkie, Hamell On Trial is going to offend you. On stage his raw, bold energy has Rolling Stone magazine calling him a “homicidal Otto Preminger.” On more than one occasion, opening act Hamell On Trial sent the headliner band, with all its Marshall amplifiers and Les Paul guitars, running for cover. “I’m a rock and roll show. Period,” Hamell says. “I love Iggy and the Stooges, Lou Reed, the MC5. Folk singers bore me. Insincerity incites me.” For years the garrulous and witty Hamell tried to carve out a niche for his artistic vision in a blue-collar Upstate New York town, playing guitar and fronting an all-original band, before going solo. After a brief stint with Blue Wave Records in Syracuse, New York, Hamell decided to take his one-man show elsewhere. As music critic Don Mcleese explains, Hamell needed to move away before “audiences [could] respond to the material as art rather than gossip.”
Eventually Hamell ended up in Austin, Texas where the perceptive owner of Austin’s renowned Electric Lounge signed Hamell to a Friday night residency. “Mark’s great,” Hamell says of the E.L. owner. “The first time I played there I alienated half the audience, but still he had the vision to see what it could become.” Soon Hamell’s weekly audience swelled to a faithful throng of 500.
In May 1994, Hamell On Trial signed with Austin’s premier indie label, Doolittle Records. Big As Life was recorded in the warehouse space above the Electric Lounge. Not long after the release of that record, a high-profile showcase at the South-by-Southwest music festival landed Hamell a major label deal with Mercury Records. Mercury re-released Big As Life, which met with widespread critical acclaim, and soon Hamell set about recording his second record for Mercury, called The Chord is Mightier than the Sword.
Hamell On Trial then moved to New York, where he began performing around the East Village and recording his next record for his newly-formed label, Such A Punch Media. Choochtown, recorded almost exclusively in Hamell’s basement in Brooklyn, is as raw and bold as a Hamell On Trial show. The record is narratively complex and showcases a cast of drunken and disaffected characters to whom Hamell loves to give voice. “I used to work in a crack bar Upstate,” Hamell says. “When you get to know some of those people, you can’t help loving them, despite the fact they’ve messed up their lives. Maybe even because of it. As my wife likes to say, I’ve paraded more ‘nice guy’ felons across our living room than she could care to count.”
Prior to a debilitating car accident in May 2000, Hamell On Trial toured consistently, impressing audiences from New York to Los Angeles, and logging more than 250 one-night performances each year. “Hotel?” Hamell liked to quip, “I’m driving it!” Now fully recovered from his head and spine injuries, Hamell is back on the road (albeit more judiciously) and recently completed a sold-out East Coast tour with Ani DiFranco. Choochtown, scheduled for European release in the summer of 2001 but delayed while Hamell recuperated, was released on British label Evangeline Records in February of 2002.
Hamell´s latest was what his European friends had long been waiting for. Choochtown received a 5-star review in Uncut magazine ("Absolutely brilliant!"), and Hamell´s first European tour met with sold-out shows in London and Ireland. Since then, the ever-energetic Hamell has mastered and released on his Such-A-Punch label a live record entitled Ed´s Not Dead--Hamell Comes Alive, recorded while on tour with Ani DiFranco. With his battered 1937 small-body Gibson, Hamell checks the pulse of the nation and gives it to us straight. And we're glad he does.





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Hamell On Trial, Coulter's Snatch
Hamell On Trial, The Date
Hamell On Trial, Values
Hamell On Trial, Jerkin'
Hamell On Trial, Half Way



Local Artist Of The Day:

Tinfoil

Enjoy Your Music Files!!










OK, say you've got one thousand of your favorite MP3 songs sitting in your hard disk. What's the best way to enjoy those files? Most of us probably will use the Windows Media Player to listen to those files. but did you know there are other more innovative and interesting ways playback MP3, WMA and WAV files?

Let's take a look at the five methods.

Use MusicMatch Jukebox

If you think most that most PC programs for playing digital music look like the built-in Windows Media Player, think again. There are programs out there that go far beyond the Windows Media Player in functionality. One great example is Musicmatch Jukebox from Musicmatch. Musicmatch Jukebox is quite simply the world's best digital music player. It supports playback of various music formats like audio CDs, MP3s, Internet streams, WMAs, WAV files and more. You also get CD burning, music ripping and music organizing capabilities. The Plus version even allows you to automatically tag your music files with detailed info and album art!

Use a Portable MP3 Player

Portable music players like the Apple iPod, Creative Nomad and Rio Nitrus have taken the market by storm. You don't have to be confined to your desktop PC or laptop to listen to digital music! The portable music players can allow you to take your music anywhere. The compact size of MP3 and WMA music formats means that you can literally take a jukebox of thousands of songs whereever you go! You may also want to check out my review of the top 5 portable music players here. There are also other portable music options, including handphones with MP3 support.

Use a PDA

The latest Pocket PC or Palm-based personal digital assistants (PDAs) can also act as music players. Pop in a large memory card (e.g. 64 MB) and you can store many MP3 or WMA files. Then hook up a headphone, launch the music software in the PDA and you're good to go! I personally own a HP iPaq 2210 which effectively keeps track of my appointments and doubles up as a music player.

Use Your Car Stereo

This is my favorite way of listening to my MP3 collection. I recently bought a car stereo that can playback native MP3 songs. This means that I can pop in a data CD containing hundreds of MP3 files and the car stereo will play them! This does not work on conventional car stereos. If you own a conventional car stereo, but still want to listen to your MP3 songs, one way is to create an audio CD from your music files first. The car stereo will then have no problem interpreting and playing back the audio CD. Of course, in this case, you'll be limited to about 14 to 17 tracks of music only.

Use Your Home Stereo

If you're a music lover, you probably already have a home stereo. Use it to listen to your MP3 music files! However, take note that Like car stereos, conventional home stereos will not be able to play back native MP3 songs. You will need a newer home stereo set with MP3 playback capability. New models from Kenwood, Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony usually have MP3 support.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many ways to enjoy that digital music collection of yours. My favorite methods of listening to digital audio files is via a portable music player or the car stereo. Of course, you may have your own preference - some people like to listen to music off their desktop PC or laptop. Decide which method(s) is suitable for you and go for it!






Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Damageplan, New Found Power
Foghat, Fool For The City
Pink Floyd, Mother
Cream, Sunshine Of Your Love
Judas Priest, Living After Midnight


Local Artist Of The Day:

The Drama Summer

MAKE MUSIC TO CHANGE THE WORLD










What do Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Mozart all have in common? And what do they have in common with practically every other artist who's creativity has changed the world? They are all unique. But there is something in common.

They each changed the popular music of their times by combining already popular forms in a new way. Elvis - on that famous and fateful day in Sun Studios in Memphis he let it all loose and brought it all together again differently... the blues, country, gospel and regional elements that were his influences in his youth all came together into rockabilly, rock and roll, something that had not been heard before. Elvis on Ed Sullivan also brought together the new music form and the new medium - television in a new way which has influenced generations of rock icons to first pick up their guitar.

Bob Dylan... they pulled the plug on his concert when he dared to bring out electric instruments, drums and a backbeat to his folk and protest music. But Dylan had his own vision of his music and it contained his influences from Woody Guthrie but also the last decade of rock and roll and other influences.. again.. he combined popular music forms in a new way.

The Beatles... well they set the world on fire with their style and their hair cuts and all that. The Beatles on Ed Sullivan - still one of the great moments in rock and television history. But do you know that in the mid 60's they didnt release a CD for almost two years and then came out with Sgt Pepper - the orchestation, song structure and the bringing together of elements in a completely new way is what made history.

Mozart? Well, see the great movie, Amadeus, and you will understand better than I can illustrate here. But it is another case in point.

Another one that could be mentioned here is Johnny Cash. As Bruce Springsteen said (not an exact quote)... Johnny Cash broke down barriers to communication and artistic styles and, not only did he break those barriers down, but he showed why it is important to do so. Cash's music contains many elements brought together for the first time in different parts of his career.

So the point...? If you want to make music that changes the world, don't just be the latest kid on the block, the latest rapper in the hood, the latest rocker in the backstreet clubs. Do something that has not been done before by combining elements that are already popular in a new and creative way.

Perhaps this unique combining of other art forms is so impactful because it aligns with the derivation of the word "art" itself. The derivation of the word art basically means... to join together.

The world needs great artists. Start!






Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Nickelback, Feeling Way Too Damn Good
Peter Townshend, Let My Love Open The Door
AC/DC, Son Of A Bitch
Finger Eleven, One Thing
The Beach Boys, Good Vibrations


Local Artist Of The Day:

Tony Jones

RADIO AIRPLAY










You have to find radio airplay time if you’re going to be heard and we’re not just talking the local college campus. The trick is called promotion. Now that doesn’t mean you just put your press kit in an envelope with a demo and hope they take pity on you. Perhaps you call a station and they give you the standard pitch of, “Send it and if we like it we’ll put you in rotation.” After a few months of never hearing your music, you automatically think you’re not worthy.

First, don’t buy that. You’re one of hundreds, maybe even thousands depending on your city. Your disc will probably end up in the trash or, for more enterprising DJ's, on Ebay in a one-cent CD sale. If you want to be heard and make potential sales, you have to stand out from the crowd, and in this jewel of an article, I’ll show you Five(5) Knock ‘em Dead Ways to Do Just That!:

#1 - Get your CD into the right hands. The intern that’s too busy to getting coffee or typing up a report for the station manager isn’t going to be the one making the airplay decision. So find out who the head honcho is in that department and touch base with them. If the club you’re playing at charges an admission or you have a show coming up offer to send the stations tickets to give away to listeners. Now keep in mind you can’t give the tickets to the staff, since that’s illegal and called payola, but you can offer free giveaway items to your potential audience.

#2 - If you’ve got one station in your pocket, then drop names. Let them know that 106.5 is playing your music and it’s getting a great response.

#3 - Make genuine friends in the business. If you’ve got a disc jockey that’s got you in rotation and really likes your sound, get to know them. Find out why they enjoy it and see if they’ve gotten any responses from listeners. If they haven’t, ask if perhaps they might Q & A their callers about your music so you get a feel for your target audience. It’s not a bad idea to ask them for a testimonial or quote if they’re well known in your area if you know them personally. People help people. That’s a fact so if you treat your area disc jockeys like a living and breathing human and not dollar signs, that’s a foot in the door. Another good source is club owners. If they play your music and the fans go nuts ask them to say a few words about your sound that you can pass along to prospective stations, but be sure to sit down for a drink with them. Ask them about the picture of him and the woman and two kids behind the Magic Kingdom. Don’t be fake, but be genuinely interested.

#4 - Network. Find out if someone you know (or someone they know) has connections to the music stations. Remember six degrees of separation - you’re only six people away from knowing anyone on the planet and yes that includes station managers, concert promoters and record execs. The trick is it takes a great deal of work and time, but if you’re serious, it’s well worth it.

#5 - Go local, state, national. Don’t think you’re going to skip your local and state stations and be the next Pantera. It doesn’t work that way. Start small and then get big.





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Pearl Jam, Better Man
Green Day, Time Of Your Life
Ted Nugent, Stranglehold
Little River Band, Oh What A Night
REM, Losing My Religion


Local Artist Of The Day:


Helpwanted

When Does Practice Make Perfect? Not Much Of The Time Unless All The Pieces Fit First

By Lee Tribbey











Often people receive a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar or some other musical instrument as a birthday, Christmas or special occasion gift. There’s glee and joy everywhere. The giver of the gift knows how much the receiver of the gift wants to learn this instrument and the receiver of the gift is ACTUALLY holding the coveted instrument in his/her hands instead of lusting for it down at the corner store or through the shop window. NOW WHAT?

Finding an instructor that fits into a busy work schedule is hard enough…but once you decide on a lesson plan, then the student must calculate the practice time, how to practice, what to practice – and let’s face it…not all people learn something the same way. We have math-wizard types that write everything down, social butterflies that strictly learn by only talking to others about it and yet others that envision a categories and divisional compartment-style strategy for a problem and logically devise a plan to solve the problem in a completely different way than there next door neighbor! So…in order to learn a musical instrument, how much practice time is enough and what kind of practice is right for you?

First the student must identify some goals:

1. What is the desired gain? Do you want to be a virtuoso or a hobbyist?

2. How much discretionary time is available to invest in the learning process

3. Is the student really willing to invest the time for the ultimate gain

4. Would the student be satisfied with a more social/casual study of the instrument

5. Identify why the student wants to learn ‘this specific instrument”

There is no set amount of time that anyone should practice a musical instrument. When I was enrolled in programming classes, I could have studied nightly for 5 hours each night. It would have taken me years to learn the art and craft of computer programming. Though I’m intrigued by the systematic logic of it, my aptitude is towards another genre all together. However, on the other hand, if I spent an hour every couple days with a passionate hobby like playing the violin, not only would the time fly quickly…I’d also be learning at a much greater pace since the built-in passion is the motivation for advancement.

So as much as it’s important to practice, a step back from that strategy is to first find the compatible instrument that fits you as a person; as an extension of your personality. If you’re learning the guitar because it’s cool and every guy can snag chicks if he plays guitar….- & obviously that’s the modern-day hip-factor mindset, however, you might not be actually aligning your highest aptitude for musical fulfillment with your most creative advantages you have to offer.

It’s been my experience that every person has a certain level of musical talent. My enjoyable challenge has been to assist them in this adventure and actually locate their best abilities as quickly as possible. Then and only then can we match student with instrument and truly begin a fun and exciting Zen-walk down the road of happiness and contentment; where music, aptitude, personality and soul all congregate. Once this piece of the mystery puzzle is in place, I’ve never had to work at motivating a student to practice….





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Styx, Come Sail Away
Train, Drops Of Jupiter
Warrant, Cherry Pie
Berlin, Take My Breath Away
The Doobie Brothers, Drift Away



Local Artist Of The Day:

Matt Rauch

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW JACKSON BROWNE?








1.) Jackson Browne's real name is?

2.) In early 1966, Jackson joined which of the following bands? The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Lovin' Spoonfull, Crosby Stills Nash & Browne, or The Buffalo Springfield?

3.) The song "A Song For Adam" is about: Adam West, Adam Ant, Adam Saylor, or Adam (from the bible)?

4.) In 1970, after signing on with David Geffen, Jackson toured with: Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Laura Nyro, or The Allman Brothers?

5.) Jackson's debut album "Jackson Browne" was released in: June 1971, September 1971, January 1972, or April 1972?

6.) Jackson's first single was: "Rock Me On The Water", "The Pretender", "My Opening Farewell", or "Doctor My Eyes"?

7.) Jackson's song "Ready Or Not" was written about: his time in NY, his brother, how he met his first wife, or his first trip to Ireland?

8.) On May 23, 1974, Jackson and his son made the cover of: Rolling Stone, Playboy, Life, or Time?

9.) In August 1977, Jackson went on a 2-month tour to record a "live" album called: Jackson Browne Live, Jackson Comes Alive, Running On Empty, or The Fuse?

10.) The song "Rosie" is about: Jackson's aunt, a bottle of wine, a groupie, or masturbation?





Answers:

1.) Clyde Jackson Browne
2.) The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3.) Adam Saylor
4.) Laura Nyro
5.) January 1972
6.) Doctor My Eyes
7.) How he met his first wife
8.) Rolling Stone
9.) Running On Empty
10.) Masturbation



Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Deep Purple, Space Truckin'
Disturbed. Stricken
Green Day, American Idiot
Joe Cocker, Summer In The City
The Who, Pinball Wizard


Local Artist Of The Day:

Mike Hayden

MUSIC OF THE 70'S






We all associate songs and music with events in our life. Many songs hold special memories for us. We fondly remember the songs that were playing when we went to our first school dance, the songs the school band attempted to play during half time at the high school football games, the songs that we heard on our first date, or the songs we heard on the radio while driving our first car.


The music of the 70's is probably the most impressive and most recognized of any era. The artist of the 1970's provided us with numerous songs we loved to dance to and sign along with. At that time most bands actually played their own instruments and didn't need to sequence part of it.

Remember how we used to listen to the music then? At first we had eight track players in our cars, then we moved upward to cassette players. Vinyl records were the most popular way to listen to our favorite music. Every week you could go to your local record store and pick up the new #1 song on a 45 record for under $1.00. Of course, there was always the radio to listen to-most of the popular channels at that time believe it or not was on AM radio. We had many styles of music to listen to including the bubble gum music of David Cassidy and The Partridge Family, soft rock of Barry Manilow, the great dance tunes of the Bee Gee's and the Commodores, rock of Aerosmith and Led Zepplin, the brass sounds of Chicago, or the disco beat of Chic and Donna Summer.

The Nostalgia of the 1970's music lives on today. We can listen to it on our local classic rock station, on CD's, on MP3's, download it on our computer, and burn it onto CD's. For those of us who prefer records, we can still purchase them at record stores, antique stores, second hand stores, or yard sales. Of course many of us have held onto our own record collections and record players and can pull them out at any time when we need to relive those nostalgic days of the 1970's. Some bands are still performing after more than 30 years. There's nothing like seeing your favorite 1970's performers live in concert!

The music of the 1970's is still popular with people of all ages-not just those of us who grew up with it. It never gets old. It only gets better with each passing decade.




Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Steve Miller Band, Keep On Rockin' Me Baby

Brian McKnight, Back At One

Pink Floyd, Mother

Bread, Make It With You

Bob Seger, Hollywood Nights

Local Artist Of The Day:

CL1

Do You Know What a Didgeridoo Is?



By Jesse Somer









Do you know what a didgeridoo is? There are so many things in this life that are unknown to us. I bet you could find out about something outside your normal sphere of vision and experience everyday for the rest of your life and still not get close to knowing about everything out there. Not to mention the number of things we don't know about our own internal selves-physical, emotional, spiritual and mental realities that are still unaware to us. That's another story however, let's stick to the external in this article.

I play the didgeridoo. It's a sacred Australian Aborigine instrument, arguably one of the oldest instruments in humankind's long history. If you type didgeridoo into your search engine you will see hundreds of sites about this thing that you've never even heard of. You don't know how many people I've mentioned it to around the world that never have even heard the word. One site I found to be quite thorough and useful was: http://www.echotree.com.au/index.htm

This retail site explains in detail how a didgeridoo is made (it is a termite-hollowed branch or tree trunk), how to choose the right one for you, and of course instruction on how to play. It explains how to recognize a quality piece and they say that they can even custom make one to your desires. Each didj has a key or root note, and they can be made of several types of wood, some better than others. Placed on the mouthpiece is bee's wax which makes for an airtight seal against the face as well as protecting one's mouth from getting cut by sharp edges.

To give you an idea of the incredible feat it was for the first Aborigines to make this music 40-60,000 years ago I'll give you a perspective on how it is played. You place your mouth in the whole at the top of the hollowed wood upon the bees wax coating. Then you vibrate your lips against the edge of the wood, filling your cheeks with air at the same time to keep the sound constant. The sound never stops and this is because you circular breathe-in through the nose and out through your mouth at the same time. Sounds difficult, and it is for some like myself, it took me 9 months to get my mind around it. A friend of mine however did it in a couple of days, and babies breathe this way naturally! Pretty cool.

On this site as others you can look at a gallery of instruments, clicking on the ones that interest you. They are all individual (like snowflakes and humans) and characteristics such as key, wood type, length and artist are given. Echo Tree specifically mentions that all their artwork is individually hand-painted by Aborigine artists and no two are alike. So unlike many Western musical instruments that are ubiquitously constructed, you can have one that is different to all others.

The didgeridoo is just another example of how the Internet or World Wide Web can be the medium of discovery in our lives. It is a collective source for all the ideas, creations and beliefs in our world. Anyone that connects can add to the rich melting pot of consciousness. This 'virtual' space that we all feed and digest from is truly the next step in the evolution of humanity. Do you want to do or learn something different? You know where to go.





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Traffic, Dear Mr. Fantasy
BTO, You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
Cream, Sunshine Of Your Love
The Police, Message In A Bottle
Steely Dan, Rikki Don't Lose That Number



Local Artist Of The Day:

TimeAfterTime

BANG ON YOUR DRUMS- WITHOUT ANNOYING THE NEIGHBORS


Ty man, this article is for you!!








Bang! Bam! Bang! Have you always wanted to play the drums, but are afraid your neighbors would call the police on you?

Do you want to bang on your drum all day, but are worried you'll drive you loved ones away. Don't worry; your dreams of becoming the next great drummer can still come true! There are quick and easy ways to help keep your family, friends, and neighbors happy while still allowing you to drum it up. So, grab your sticks and take some notes because it's just about drum time!

Communicate

The key to any successful relationship is communication and this is no less true when you're talking about your drums. Think for a moment about who might be affected by your choice to drum? Typically, housemates and neighbors top the list.

Before you start banging on those drums all day, consider having a chat with these folks and see if you can work out a way for everybody to happily coexist in Drumworld. See if there are better and worse times for you to drum. If you think it might help (and you're willing), invite the person for a drum lesson. Once a person gets the beat into their own hands, you'd be amazed at how quickly a dissenter becomes a fan!

Go electronic

If you live in a small space and have sound-sensitive neighbors, a drum machine or electronic kit might be best for you. With the ability to moderate the volume, you're sure to keep your neighbors happier than if you were drumming it out on a full set. When you go electric, you enter a whole new world of drumming; a world where the beat can all be in your head…headphones, that is!

Create a quiet room

The professionals who have unlimited cash supplies create fancy soundproof rooms complete with high-tech acoustic materials on the walls, floors, and ceiling. But, do you know what? You can create your own "quiet" room with a little ingenuity and a bit of elbow grease. Of course, yours won't necessarily be the height of elegance and hipness, but it'll do the trick.

Did you know that carpet scraps provide an excellent soundproofing medium? Visit your local carpet seller and grab as many free scraps as possible. Then, layer these on the wall of your music "studio" (e.g., your garage). Be sure to focus on the walls and ceiling as these will be where most of your sound escapes and resonates. The more layers, the better!

Invest in cymbal mutes and drum practice discs

If you're not quite ready to go full shag carpet on your walls and ceilings, consider investing in cymbal mutes and practice discs for your drums. Becoming more and more popular, these drumming accessories make a world of difference in the sound department. By significantly reducing the amount of sound your drum set sends out, you might find that your neighbors and housemates don't even know you have a drum!

Go ahead, bang on that drum all day-just make it quiet to keep your friends and family happy! No matter how you do it, quieting your drums can not only save your relationships and your standing with your neighbors, but can also help you to appreciate the sound that your kit makes when it's not muted.




Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Kiss, Beth
Judas Priest, You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Fall Out Boy, Sugar We're Goin' Down
The Guess Who, American Woman
The Doobie Brothers, Listen To The Music


Local Artist Of The Day:

Cruel World

An Enjoyable Necessity









It's a safe bet that, since the arrival of cognitive human beings on this earth, music has, in some form had a significant effect on their lives. The first sounds, other than speech, were probably produced by hitting something; wood, stone or hide; and ancient people must have appreciated the sounds of the world around them; of water, weather and animals; and were the sounds of a rippling stream or a gushing waterfall music to their ears? And when they stood at the seashore did the crashing waves and the suck of the tides move them in some way?

There is something deep within our psyche, which reacts and 'remembers' music. It is more than probable that sounds relating to music and rhythm came long before sounds relating to communication and speech. Today, this theory can be tested by noting a baby's reaction to a lullaby as compared to speech. If you're lucky, humming can soothe the most fractious child and even send them to sleep! Music, in the form of rhythm was used by many people as a way of sending messages to out of sight recipients; consider the jungle drums of Africa or the Alpine horn, the Aboriginal didgeridoo or the use of bells as a warning of attack.

The days of learning our lessons by rote have, mostly, disappeared. This is because it has, rightly, been recognised that we don't necessarily absorb the content of what we repeat over and over again. But, as an aid to memory, music still has its uses. Songs we have learnt in childhood can be recalled far later in life than mere words. Music is a well known and much used therapy in illnesses that involve memory loss; Stroke, Alzheimers etc; and not only as a recall aid but also as a re-learning tool. Speech therapists use music extensively when trying to teach stroke victims how to speak again. The rhythm and melody of a familiar tune will often 'trigger' a positive response, when no amount of visual stimuli has an effect.

And then there is the cohesive quality of music; from the singing of a country's National Anthem to a football crowds chant; from carol singers to brass bands. Musical participation has been used in every walk of life. The chain gangs of America's Deep South would use music to get through the day and establish a rhythm to mundane physical labour. Sailors would pull a hawser or 'sheet' in unison while singing a familiar 'hornpipe' or reel; The wonderful gospel sounds that poured from the wooden churches of the Southern states black population were a potent community tool to promote and celebrate their culture; a lucky offshoot was the inspiration of much of our modern rhythm and blues. Nowadays factories all over the world use 'piped' music to soothe the workers; if you're doing a humdrum task music can make the time go faster.

When we think about it music is not just a pleasant pastime that is either passively listened to or actively produced. It has a much deeper, more fundamental purpose. Our reactions to outside events can be completely altered by music. It can make us happy, sad, frightened, elated, thoughtful . . . the list of emotions it engenders are as long as their number. And words are not necessary to create this ambience; for instance, how would silent movies have worked without the music? Those Keystone Cops without the frenetic piano plinkity plonk; the doe eyed heroines without the sobbing strings; the huge sweeping epics without full orchestral back up? They just wouldn't have worked. Nowadays, with the proliferation of world music, we listen to and enjoy music in many different languages, without necessarily understanding a word the singers say; much as opera was once listened to as the fashionable 'world' music of its day; just another example of the emotive power of music.

So, it's fair to say that music has an innate basis in our evolutionary makeup. We have probably used it since homo sapiens first walked the earth. Other animals do use sounds in their day to day living (frogs croak, dogs howl, sheep bleat etc.) but, with the possible exception of birds, we are the only species to enjoy making melody out of sound. We've utilised every viable tool, from the human voice to electronic tones, to create ever more varied compositions. Wouldn't it be intriguing to discover how soon into our evolution the power and beauty of the human voice was appreciated? As the centuries have passed musicians have been, rightly, feted for their skill to move us with song, melody and rhythm. Once musicians were revered as priests, interpreting the sounds of the gods. Nowadays we are more pragmatic; but we still need that harmony in our lives; even if it's only our mobile phone ringtone!






Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:


Little River Band, Oh What A Night
Don McLean, American Pie
Five Man Electrical Band, Sign Sign Everywhere A Sign
Tool, Aenima
Foghat, Slow Ride


Local Artist Of The Day:

The Drama Summer

RECORDING TIPS









You know your songs are great (and so does your girl/boyfriend, family, pets etc), and you finally decided to record an album in a real studio. That’s great! But what actually happens when you get there?

When you finally do pick the perfect studio, one that you feel comfortable at, there is a certain routine that must be followed in order to get the best performance and the best recording for your budget.

1. Tune Your Instruments. This also includes your drums and any tunable percussion instruments you may have. There is absolutely nothing worse in the world than to have a perfectly written song with a perfect performance be ruined because someone didn’t take an extra 2 minutes to check their tuning. Tuning takes a few minutes; a recording lasts forever.

2. Be Well Rehearsed. You’ll be surprised how many bands suffer shock when they get the final recording bill. The main reason for this is because they confuse rehearsal time with recording time. Rehearse at home, in the garage, at your uncle’s house; anywhere but at the recording session. When you arrive at the studio, you should know your songs inside-out and be ready for the red light.

3. Practice with a Click Track. A lot of drummers aren’t able to play with a click track. Make sure yours can. A click track is essential in getting a good basic rhythm track that the rest of the band can lock in to, and to sync-up loops and delay times.

4. Be Early. Many studios start charging their clients from the exact time agreed to in the contract. Just because you decide to show up late, doesn’t mean that the studio should give up that time for free. Be early and be ready to go.

5. Get the Sound Right. Never, ever try to “fix it in the mix”. It doesn’t work like that. Take an extra few minutes to tweak the sound before recording it. Turn that knob, tighten that string, have another sip of water. Remember again, tweaking may take an extra minute, but the recording will last forever.

6. Know When To Quit. Recording often leads to diminishing returns. Spending 20 hours in a row at the recording session isn’t going to make your song twice as good as spending 10 hours. This rule also applies to mixing. If you’re tired, call the session and come back the next day fresh and ready.

7. Record Alone. Don’t bring your friends, family, parents or anyone else into your sessions. As fun as it may be, you are there to do a job and record the best music possible. If you are a millionaire, then by all means, have a party at the studio, but don’t count on getting anything done.

8. Mix and Match. After letting the engineer do the first rough mix alone (which he should) do an A/B comparison of your mix to some of your favorite CDs. Remember that the production CDs you are listening to have already been mastered. But it’s a good way to compare levels and panning.

9. Bring Spares. Always bring spare strings, drum heads, bass strings, water bottles, throat lozenges, etc to a session. You’ll always need the one thing you forgot to bring, so bring it all and leave them at the studio until your recordings are finished.

10. Have Fun! This is THE most important point of all. Creating and recording music isn’t rocket science. Although there is a science involved, you should let the engineer worry about that. If you’re not having fun, then you’re in the wrong business!




Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

America, Horse With No Name
John Mellencamp, Jack And Diane
Little River Band, Lonesome Loser
Pantera, Cemetery Gates
Tenacious D, Wonder Boy


Local Artist Of The Day:

Every Avenue

How To Make Money On A Music Website Through Pay-Per-Click?

By Jeff Schuman II









Interested in making money while you’re asleep, or making money while you’re not even on the computer? Well here is a way that you can do that, clicks!! Once you have gone through godaddy.com and purchased your domain name for a cheap $9.20 per year, and found a hosting company such as GoDaddy.com for $3.95 per month, you are set to begin building your website and making money.

It is possible to make money by joining affiliate programs and selling companies’ products as mentioned in my previous article, How to Make Money on a Music Website through Affiliate Programs found at:

http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com/articles/article13.html

Now how exactly do you make money through people clicking on your website and links on your website? The first step is to get a FREE affiliate account with 7search at 7search.com. What this will allow you to do is place 7search ads and other websites dealing with your topic, in this case music, on your website.

On the 7search affiliate page you will be able to manage your account viewing how many clicks a day you are getting and how much money you are making. How you make money is by placing pay-per-text links on your website. Through 7search you will want to go to:

http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com/7searchkeyword.html

This will allow you to look at the price you will make for different keywords that you use. The difference between music and free music for example, results in a change of cost that websites are paying to get their website higher on the search engine.

When creating your pay-per-text once you have come up with a keyword that you want to use, come up with a short sentence or phrase to let people know what they are clicking on. For example, use Top 10 music websites or Best free music websites, to reel them in to see what the top 10 music websites are. You will also be able to choose how many sites you want to come up on your list, from 1 to all that are available. You will want to keep it at 10 or under as the lower down the list the site is, the less you get paid each time a surfer clicks on the link.

As you create this pay-per-text, 7search will give you a code that you place in your web panel creating a link. The great thing about 7search is that there is NO limit to how many pay-per-text links you place on your website, so you can have one on each page of your website or more. It is recommended however, that you don’t place more then a couple per page as it will begin to appear cluttered with pay-per-texts. Once you place the pay-per-text links on your website, you are set to begin making money 24/7.

Now that you have a way to make money by people clicking on links on your website, how do you get people to come to your website? You want to get your website out on the internet and get it known. You can run ads through other peoples’ websites or on various companies’ websites, but this will cost you money varying from website to website. If you want to make money without spending too much money, the way is by exchanging links with other people.

Exchanging links with other people allows you to get your website out on other peoples’ website so that when surfers go on to their website, they may see your website and be intrigued. By exchanging links, you are giving your website to someone else to have them place it on their website and in return, you place their website on your website.

The two link exchange companies that I use are infowizards.com and linkmarket.net. Infowizards is free to join and allows you to trade multiple links with people in all categories with no limit. You will want to keep your link exchanges as close to your topic as possible. For example, don’t trade links with someone that has a website based on relationships if you have a music website.

The other link exchange company that I use, linkmarket.net, is free to a limit. You may only request 5 links per day for free, or you may request unlimited links per day at the cost of $18.85 a year, which is highly recommended. The linkmarket.net website offers far more links than the infowizards website, and is much easier to maintain and keep track.

Another good way to get traffic to your website is by writing articles on various topics relating to your topic in some way. You then submit your article to as many places as possible such as goarticles.com, article-emporium.com, or ideamarketers.com. If you can submit your articles to 30-50 places, you will create traffic to your website in a hurry. Now you know what to do and the places to join to get money flowing if off of your music website while you aren’t even working on it.

© Jeff Schuman II

Jeff Schuman is the creator of Best-MP3-Music-Downloads.com where you can buy CD’s and find all of the best free music downloads: http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com.





Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

The Killers, Mr. Brightside
Crossfade, Cold
John Lennon, Imagine
Eagles, Best Of My Love
Tina Turner, Proud Mary


Local Artist Of The Day:

Still Life