Do you have Bass Amps?

30th June

Bass Amps

The Bass Amp is a necessary piece of equipment to enable a bass player to obtain the quality of sound that is required. The market is awash with many types of bass amps, out of which you need to pick the one suited for you as it is only with the bass amp that you can add punch to your guitar. To obtain clear tonal quality, it is important to opt for a suitable Head and Cabinet ensemble.

You need to have bass speakers of the right size.
Though large dimensioned bass cabinets are advantageous, they alone are not enough and require properly positioned speakers to produce the right tonal hues. It is a misnomer to think that big speakers play the lower frequency notes better as it is the playing style of the bassist that should actually determine the kind of speakers.

In fact, the smaller sized speakers perform quite well in dense situations. You can opt for the 12 inch to 15 inch size of speakers, since they are known to be pretty adaptable and can give good output.

A richer musical experience can be obtained through the mid range size speakers, rather than the small 8 inch ones, as the tone comes across as too flat. The speakers with 18 inch dimensions are not able to give you finer frequencies and come across as quite loose. Utilizing a blend of speakers with diverse dimensions produces music which is more gratifying, as they are able to cater to the entire scope of frequencies.

You can accommodate the different sized speakers in one space, such that the entire spectrum of frequencies starting with the low range, the mid range and the high range are catered to very efficiently by the speakers and the overall sound effect is optimized. You have to ensure that the space within which the speakers are housed do not prevent the flow of air as this can impede the sound quality.

Ensure that the speakers are safeguarded during long journeys.
In bass speakers, another part that needs to be taken care of is the grid that protects the diaphragm of the cones and these needs to be tough enough to withstand rigors of any journey that you may undertake. Besides the metal grid, the closed space holding the speakers must be equipped with metal borders and caps so that the enclosure is not spoilt due to extended usage over time.

Get Your Hands on Some bass amps Today.

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Guitar Types – Understanding the Different Types of Guitars

30th June

Today one very popular instrument happens to be the guitar. Of course there are a variety of different types of guitars out there. Various guitars have a different appearances, sound, and are a bit different to play. Trying to decide what type of guitar to learn and play? Here is a look at some of the different guitar types to choose from.

If you are looking for a good place to start, it would probably be best to start with acoustic. These aren’t electric, and rely only upon themselves for any sort of sound. The body resonates vibrations that you make by playing the instrument, and these are normally made of wood, and the types of wood that are used may be different for each guitar.

There are many different acoustic guitar types. One type of an acoustic guitar is a classical guitar. Usually these are great guitars for beginners to start playing on. They produce beautiful sounds and come with nylon strings in most cases. Flamenco guitars are very close to classical guitars, but they sound a bit thinner and have a crisp sound.[youtube:qH4AMThBcgg;[link:Easy blues guitar lessons];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH4AMThBcgg&feature=related]

A 12 string guitar is another type of acoustic guitar. This guitar comes with 12 strings instead of the normal 6 strings of regular guitars. Each string has another string that is tuned to the same note but it sounds an octave higher. It provides a very pleasing sound.

Another type of acoustic that you can get is called the steel top. They’re sort of like the classical guitars, and they have heavily reinforced bodies. They also differ because they are a lot larger. These also possess a much warmer tone which tends to make a more mellow sound than other guitars.

Acoustic base isn’t a bad choice. It’s a bass guitar that doesn’t feature any sort of electric pick ups. It has a great body which gives off a sound agreeable to anyone, and has four strings. You can pick up models which have more strings, five or six if you so desire.

Of course you also have electric guitars as well. These guitars have electronic pick ups that take the vibrations made by the strings, and they amplify these vibrations. Usually they must be connected up to a good amplifier. They come with solid bodies or sometimes semi-solid bodies and without an amplifier they don’t make much sound at all.

Many such guitars come standard with control knobs that can control volume, tone and other aspects of the guitar. There are even a few that come equipped with whammy bars that allow you to shift notes without changing your finger positioning. Bars like this are generally utilized to produce the guitar sound called ‘crying.’

Those are only a few guitars which are available on the market. Though you might wish to try out some of the other types of guitars later on, it would be best to begin at square one, and in square one is the classical acoustic. Once you learn the basic principals you can try the many other types, and decide which one you like best.

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Music Used for Healing Purposes

29th June

Shakespeare once said, If music be the food of love, play on. The power of music over the human mind is enormous, and thats putting it lightly.

There are many trained professionals that use music in a therapeutic sense; this is Music Therapy. This idea that music can help in the healing process is dated back to Plato’s days.

War veterans have been known to be help throughout physical and emotional healing by the sounds of music. That is how the modern world first made use of this music therapy.

Soon, music therapy became recognized as an effective and scientifically-backed mode of treatment. The first music therapy degree program ever was established in 1944 in the State of Michigan, U.S.

Trained therapists in musical therapy will diagnose a patient through studying the physical health, social functioning and cognitive skills that the patient responds to. Once assessed, the trained professional creates musical sessions for the patient.

Through the different effects of music improvisation, song writing, lyric discussion, imagery and musical performances, these sessions are put in place for the patients.

Those that benefit from music therapy vary in age and symptoms. Young children with learning disabilities to the elders with Alzheimer and other age related issues are able to use music therapy to aid in their conquest.

Professional music therapists are usually found in rehabilitative facilities, psychiatric hospitals, medical hospitals, drug and alcohol programs, nursing homes, correctional facilities, schools and private practice.

There is a myth in the industry that a patient can only benefit from music therapy with they have some kind of musical ability. But it has been proven that anybody can be aided by music therapy.

The background and history of a client or patient is needed to fully assess what type of music will help him or her.

Research has shown that even the healthy can benefit from music therapy sessions. It can reduce the amount of stress and even improve one’s level of productivity.

In hospitals, music therapy is used to alleviate pain and is often used in conjunction with anesthesia or pain medication. A question that is often raised is why use music if anesthesia does the same thing? Music helps because it dissolves emotional barriers and elevates the patients mood.

Music also counteracts depression, calms and even sedates patients. In a nutshell, music helps reduce muscle tension and brings on a deep and satisfying relaxation.

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How Music Promoters can Encourage Contact

29th June

Many promoters starting out have to work hard and on a shoestring to get an audience of a few hundred people to fill a venue. Flyers, word-of-mouth and social networks are some of the methods promoters can use to try and encourage people to venues or club nights. Building a loyal following from grassroots is no easy task. Considering the amount of effort that can be required to fill even the smallest of venues it is surprising that very few promoters capitalise on their efforts and use the actual event to maximise the opportunity to encourage further audience contact.

For a small outlay online surveys can be set up to provide the promoter with feedback and the opportunity to maintain an on going relationship with their audience. Using online Survey Software a promoter can now quickly and easily create an online survey.

With an online survey a promoter can find out exactly:-

  • who attended;
  • what persuaded them;
  • what they thought of the event;
  • would they expect to attend again;
  • would they recommend future events to their friends.

A good way to ensure a good response is to have a supply of business sized cards that are marked clearly with a slogan like “Feedback”, “Your opinion counts”, “Tell us what you thought”. On each card a web address will point either directly to the survey or to a website where a link to the survey can be placed. Cards can be issued at the entrance along with the tickets, or handed out among the audience and if they are made the size of business cards they will be small enough to be stick in a pocket, purse or wallet. A small incentive such as a chance to win a free guest pass for a future event, a signed CD or T shirt may improve the response rate.

Using the results from online surveys the promoter is able to:

  • Obtain a profile of the audience
  • Gauge the overall success of the event;
  • Measure the effectiveness of different promotion;
  • Receive feedback on the venue and facilities;
  • Receive feedback on the act;
  • Promote on a one on one basis;
  • Build a targeted database for future events;
  • Build a loyal audience;
  • Link to merchandise and other promotions.

It takes considering effort to promote an event and only a little extra effort to use online surveys to encourage further contact and reap a number of short and long term benefits that contact will bring.

The following example shows the feedback that could be used for a breaking band. It not only gathers valuable feedback, but continues to promote the band, their CD and gives the opportunity to encourage further contact.

Sample Feedback Survey

To view the summary results of the survey: Sample Survey Results

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The World of The Karaoke MP3

28th June

free karaoke MP3

Welcome to the new world of the karaoke MP3. For singers, online karaoke offers a number of opportunities to practice, record and share their renditions of popular songs. Downloading music is not as cut-and-dry as one would think however, which has turned many people off turning their computers into karaoke machines. Instead, people use their video game consoles to play “Karaoke Revolution” or purchase a karaoke system and songs in CD G format.

There are several things to look for when downloading karaoke MP3 files. Some files feature recordings from the original band members, with the vocals removed. Others have professional recording artists performing the tracks, with the vocals removed. Other tracks come with the vocals and allow you to cancel out the vocals on your karaoke system, if your system comes with that feature. It is important to understand the features and the limitations of your karaoke equipment before you start browsing for music.

Another factor to consider is its extension. Most downloads will come as “.mp3″ files, although some may say “midi,”"mp3+g” or “mp4.” Midi sometimes sounds like keyboard music and is often a very different version, so you will want to avoid those. The MP3+G are good because they have the lyrics included that can be output to video. MP4 format may be a music file and an accompanying music video file, which is fine if you want the videos more than the lyrics.

Apple’s iPod revolutionized the way we experience music. As a result, many consumers want to go to their iTunes store to browse karaoke MP3 files. This is good in theory, considering that there are in fact a few karaoke downloads for sale, although there are problems too. Lyrics don’t automatically come with the songs, for instance. But never fear, fine music fans, as Apple is working on appeasing its “American Idol” loving audience. Their most recent offering, the DoPi Karaoke system, has been getting a lot of attention lately. For $60, you can buy songs from the DoPi store (99 cents for karaoke music only, $1.99 for karaoke songs with lyrics); then plug one cable from your player into a converter box, which connects to your television set and voila, your iPod has become a karaoke machine of sorts. Unfortunately, the music selection is only up to 9,000 songs so far, since the product is so new. Also, the songs are recorded by Sound Choice artists, not the original artists and only songs with the vocal tracks completely removed will work (because there is no voice cancellation feature). It is sort of a poor man’s on-the-go karaoke.

One of the most popular sources for karaoke MP3 files is www.ez-tracks.com, which offers thousands of karaoke songs for low prices. As a bonus, new members can download 101 songs for free, including artists like Haste The Day, Norma Jean, The Beatles, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Kanye West and Kid Rock. However, be sure you set up a separate email account to start using the site, as they do sell your email address to their advertisers. You will also see a lot of advertisements on the site, but since “free” is hard to find in the world of karaoke songs, most people say it is worthwhile.

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Best Tips To Playing Better Guitar

27th June

How do you groove? Why do you want to improve?

There are many resources available to help you whether you are just beginning to play electric guitar, you want to expand your repertoire to include blues, funk or rock and roll music, or you just want to learn a few licks of your favorite song or even if you want to record yourself regardless of your intentions you can find help.

Some solutions you can consider to help you better understand your guitar playing are listed here.

Guitar videos
You can purchase student guitar playing videos, either for home or computer watching, that include hand position, strumming technique, rhythm and timing, and finger exercises that take through various type of songs. You can mimic what you are watching on screen and reproduce what you see and the lessons become essentially a mirror for you in learning to play guitar. If you like too learn on your own and you are a visual learner, then with commitment and dedication, this is the best way to go.

Guitar lessons
Community colleges in your area have acoustic electric guitar tutors or you can find a private instructor to work with you. You’ll want to consider their expertise, the type of students they work best with, their flexibility with your schedule, success stories, and of course their fees, in considering working with them. If you take guitar lessons there are two ways to do it with pluses and minuses for both either by taking lessons in a group or one on one will work for you.

Playing with partners
You can find someone in your community that plays. You can do this through asking the local community college, posting online to a resource like craigslist, or asking the guitar shop. it is important to build a relationship with a player who is better then you who also desires to be accountable in practicing weekly. What you can provide is the commitment to meet up with them weekly and practice. You can learn from their methods and techniques in return to find what works for you. Of course, you always need to be aware of learning bad habits in situations like these, which is why it’s important to have a foundation in guitar technique before starting.

The Theory of Guitar
Related to guitar technique is developing a basis in guitar theory. Chord patterns, minor and major chord progressions, note scales, and overlap with piano and percussion instruments can all give you a basic structure upon which to layer in the knowledge and technique you gain in your guitar playing.

To me, your musical ability and creative talent is best expressed in playing the guitar. Playing guitar can provide you with a lifetime of enjoyment for yourself and your friends and family with a commitment to constant improvement.

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