Music & MP3 articles

As a vocal coach, I hear it all the time. I love to sing but when I do, I get hoarse and need to shout to be heard after only a few hours. Some days I just want to give up. What am I doing wrong? What can I do about it?Sadly, this is an all too common problem for many singers. The good news is that it is not your fault. Many people sing from a place of passion... Read More

The idea originated with singer Jon Bon Jovi. Jon kept upping the ante with his label and ultimately they consented to a four-CD set of essentially new material. Here, he talks about this 20th anniversery project (100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong) and the things that make Bon Jovi unique.100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong was released November 16, 2004Steven: Did it begin as a simple one or two CD box and then just started to grow?Jon:... Read More

Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that much. I got this tab book of some good ol' Gatemouth Brown finger picking blues. I've been enjoying myself so much trying to get this fingerpick thang goin'."I'm starting to understand the arpeggio-phrasing technique a lot more. Gatemouth Brown is a legend and a true musician. He plays acoustic / electric guitar in all genres. He can also play the fiddle like nobody's business. He is also a drummer, harp... Read More

"For optimum amp tone onstage, plug your amp into your own AC outlet.." - Eric Johnson DOING GIGS In my opinion, there are two kinds of performers: 1 - Concert performers -- who do well in front of a sit-down audience2 - Club performers -- who do well in a noisy atmosphereKnowing which kind of performer you tend to be can help you a lot in deciding where to play. For a lot of people, it's easy to be both... Read More

Today's technology for the recording musician has been getting better and better with each passing month it seems. Software and computer interfaces are getting much less sophisticated and more user friendly for the average Joe. And,let's not forget, less expensive.Software like Acid Pro 4.0 is what I use to create and upload music to the web. I've been using products from Sonic Foundry Sony) for 4 years now. Their software products are superb to say the least. I highly recommend... Read More

This article discusses 8 vital things to remember as improvisers - whether advanced or just getting started:1. Your technique is probably miles ahead of your ability to think.This isn't just true for classical players. I've known lots and lots (and lots) of jazz players who have let their technique run the show as opposed to their brains. Happens all the time.With players who are just beginning to improvise, this is vital to keep in mind. Slow down! Even at furious... Read More

Everyone has a talent. For Miami, Okla.'s, Brian Beauchamp, it's playing music. Beauchamp who began playing guitar in 1998 while attending college at the University of Oklahoma said he first played after borrowing a guitar from his friend, Jamie Neal. He now plays rhythm guitar and is lead vocals. For this he was nominated for the Payne County Line 2005 New Artist of the Year award.The first baby born in Alaska in 1976, Beauchamp was born in Anchorage and moved... Read More

If your band is in rehearsals, either preparing for gigging, or practising new songs to add to your repertoire, the chances are you will have to hire a rehearsal room. The costs of hiring a room can soon mount up if you don't organise your time effectively. You could be wasting time and money going around in circles, with a growing frustration that your band doesn't seem to be making any progress.The answer is to set a Schedule for your... Read More

While it probably doesn't seem like this would help - let's face it - if you are unwilling to play a lot of wrong notes, you're never going to learn how to do anything hard. And improvising is hard! It isn't something that you can do safely, with the assurance that you will look good while trying to get good at it. You won't look good. You won't sound good -- and the sooner you realize this, the sooner you... Read More

Was the request six months ago, a sixtieth birthday party, the client said. It got me thinking. There is a whole untapped market out there for people who lived as teenagers and twenty somethings through the sixties and seventies. They are all coming up to this big sixtieth birthday date and they all love the kind of music I love to play and earn my living out of! More than that, their kids are off their hands, their mortgage is... Read More

Whenever I go to a Borders bookstore here in San Diego, I make it a point to look at the art instruction books. I'm not a visual artist, but I've always enjoyed the step-by-step approach authors of the better books take to teach students how to create a finished painting.You get to see it all demonstrated within 2 pages or so. Everything is explained and while I may not understand it by just reading about it, (you have to do... Read More

As a full-time guitar instructor, I am constantly faced with people in all walks of life who, for all different kinds of reasons, believe that playing the guitar will add something to their lives. Most people that are just starting the guitar for the first time are young (pre-university) although certainly not all. One of my favorite students last year was a 65-year-old retiree who wanted to learn enough to be able to start a bar band with his friends.There... Read More

Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner or later you will probably have some questions about getting your material copyrighted. Since I've already been down this road before, you might be able to benefit from my experience. Though I am not an expert in the field, I do believe that I have some valuable information to share with you.Having been online for over a year now, I've noticed that there seems to be a bit of confusion... Read More

Do you ever feel there is an inner voice speaking to you, telling you that you're not very good, or you can't do it, or there's just not enough confidence and repertoire with you? This is the voice that calls itself "I" right? Let's refer to this as Self 1, and Self 2 as the normal you, the real you that has the masses of potential.Self 1 is our interference and concepts such as our judgements, associations, how things should... Read More

I can't believe how much of the year has gone by, but all the same, it's unbelievable how much I've grown through the year and most of it, from demolishing my need to perform.I grew up playing a lot of hockey, being captain of both my schools when I was in Nigeria and London. The highlight of my career came when I was 10 on a wonderful warm day when we were playing an outdoor hockey game. Apparently I did... Read More

Once you know what your Unique Selling Proposition is as a musician (we covered this in the last issue), it's time to ask yourself what kind of venue you want to be letting those talents out in. This is the process that will help you determine your "Perfect Performance Venue" so that you don't waste your energy and efforts searching for performances in the wrong area!Take some time to do this visualisation. It will only take a few minutes, but... Read More

New bands looking to book gigs and establish contacts often start looking for a manager to handle the business aspects of their music. This is especially the case in cities with big music scenes, like New York, Los Angeles and Austin.Before diving into such a relationship, however, musicians should consider the pros and cons. Bands may determine that they don't need a manager. On the other hand, few bands can exist without any management. Realistically, the choice often lies between... Read More

You may have heard that bagpipes are a Scottish invention; you may have heard that they are an Irish invention. The truth (of course) is neither one. The bagpipe was invented in ancient Samaria, in Israel. The Bible mentions the instrument in the book of Daniel chapter 3, where it is listed as one of the instruments use to call the people to worship a statue. This event takes place in ancient Iraq, which was then part of the Babylonian... Read More

July 6, 1973 Birmingham EnglandSteven: Has it been difficult for you putting together a new band? There would seem to be an extraordinary amount of pressure on you to come up with a group of musicians that could compete with the Beatles.Paul: It was a bit touch and go at the beginning because it was a bit difficult for me to just suddenly develop a new band. Because let's face it, the Beatles played Hamburg for like a... Read More

What in the world is "naked music?"You know it when you hear it, but the words that describe it sound strange, don't they? We've all heard of popular music and rock music and gospel music and jazz music, but naked music?Naked music is simply the notes on a piece of sheet music. It's "naked" ? not dressed up or arranged at all. No fills, no slurs, none of the ingredients that make a song come to life.Not a single professional... Read More