The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

Looking for the right salsa music is easy once you’ve been exposed to salsa beats long enough. But if you want to groove to the salsa rhythms, here are some recommended CDs that will have you dancing for days!

SALSA FRESCA – This is an excellent CD “for those who love to dance salsa, not just listen to it.” This compilation CD have you grooving salsa style all night long. Its inviting rhythmic beats are particularly good for those who love to Mambo. This CD is even a keeper for non-dancers. A must have for your CD collection!

TONY VEGA GREATEST HITS – Tony Vegas has charm and Latin gentleman appeal that can be heard in his music. His musical style appeals to everyone. It is smoothe and romantic yet energetic and upbeat This is an unmatched collection of Tony Vega hits from 1989-1994. His songs are infused with romantic tones and sensuous Cuban Mambo and Puerto Rican Salsa style beats.

Rough Guide: Salsa Dance ~ various artists – A huge selection of musical compilations put out under the Rough Series. Rough Guide: Salsa Dance is one of the hotter Latin music themed albums to be released to date.

Rough Guide: Salsa Dance vol. 2 ~ various artists – An upbeat album that will have you dancing the instant you hear it! This album is sizzling HOT. You won’t stop dancing because the music is electrifying!

Ultra Mix: The Best of Salsa – This is a must-have CD for any salsa. Some say it’s best suited for listening, while others are convinced it’s one of the best compilation discs for salsa dancing. Go to your local music store of check it out online. You’ll be glad you did.

These CD selections are a great way to begin your salsa music collections. However, some other great tips to finding great salsa CDs is by listening to local radio shows that feature Latin American, Cuban and Afro beats. Most likely you’ll also be able to hear some salsa beats you’ve never heard before. Listening to these types of radio shows exposes you to the different sounds and usually makes mention of the artists that are being played. This will make your shopping experience so much easier.

Also consider checking out your local salsa dance bar or salsa dance studio. The DJ or dance instructor would be happy to tell you what albums and / or songs they are playing.

Check out your local music store or go online to find the above mentioned CDs. I guarantee your neighbors will be banging on your door wanting to know what it is you a re playing. These salsa CDs are that good!

Happy Shopping! Oh, but don’t forget to check out www.salsadancedvd.com where you’ll hear the above mentioned artists and more. But you will also get the best salsa dance training available. Don’t forget to check it out!

A compressor is probably the most misunderstood of all tools in
the recording studio. Ironically, it’s also one of the most
powerful tools when recording or mixing. While there are many
aspects of a compressor that could be written about, I’m going
to explain how a compressor can make an audio track louder.

So you want to learn how to use a compressor? Well good luck. It
takes years to get even a decent feel for a compressor. I’m just
now getting where I feel that a compressor will tolerate me
playing with it’s settings. In the past, it was just laughing
and mocking me because I just didn’t understand how to use it to
improve my recordings.

So let’s talk about how a compressor can make an audio tracker
louder. Ironically, a compressor actually knocks the volume down
on a track, but then has a makeup gain knob that boosts it back
up. To understand how a compressor can make something louder,
you need to understand the difference between peak loudness and
average loudness (also called RMS). A peak is just what it says
it is. It’s a spike. The signal starts very low and goes very
high. A good example of peak loudness is a snare drum hit.
Average loudness is sound that occurs over time. Imagine hitting
a low E on a bass guitar and letting it sustain. This is an
almost constant sound.

One other concept is the volume ceiling. In other words, in
digital audio we have a volume limit. It’s called zero. For
whatever reason they measure volume in negative numbers with 0dB
being the absolute loudest. If a track has a peak that jumps up
to zero, we can not push the volume up on that track even if the
other portions of the track are very low in volume (without
volume automation).

Now let’s take an audio track that can be both peaky and
constant. A vocal track is a great example. A vocal can jump up
very quickly but it can also sustain. Let’s say it hits 0db at
one point, but most of the track is sitting well below that.
You’ll find that when the vocal is set at maximum gain before
clipping, the many of the words are unintelligible. This is
because they are simply too quite. Assuming there are no extreme
problems, the first thing I’ll usually do is grab a compressor.
I’m go ahead and smash those peaks down and then I’ll push the
volume back up with the make up gain on the compressor. Now the
vocal is evened up quite a bit. The vocal will sit in the track
much better and will sound fuller.

When mastering a record, compression is almost always used to
make the volume of the cd louder. Most of the time, the cd is
already hitting zero, so it’s peak volume will not increase.
However, it’s RMS or average volume can increase substantially.
When we put a compressor on stereo mix, we can smash the song
down into a smaller dynamic range. It uses up less volume. While
this can be a bad thing as the dynamics are decreased, these
days overall volume seams to be more important (I’m not sure who
decided this). After the compressor does it’s thing, the makeup
gain is used to boost the level of the track up the desired
amount.

When you are learning the audio mixing process, I recommend
using more compression than you think you need. Hit everything
very hard. If it sounds distorted, back off. I think that
compression is the opposite of reverb. While many beginning home
recording enthusiasts will use too much reverb, they often
times, do not use as much compression as the big boys.
Experiment. This is different for everyone.

In summary, a compressor is used to to knock off the top
(loudest parts) of an audio signal and then uses it’s makeup
gain to push the volume back up. It takes lots of time to master
using a compressor. Keep in mind that you can do much more with
a compressor than make things louder. As always, don’t be afraid
to experiment.

Some things just never go out of style. Blue jeans and T-shirts. They’ve changed very little over the past 50 years. Sure, they endure phases ranging between menacingly large and precariously scant, but for the most part they are a staple of modern day attire and are a pretty safe bet.

Be warned that most fashion is not this way. It is commonly known that one should never chuck yesterday’s styles in the bin. This is because the universe, extraordinarily goofy as it is, has created the mystic fashion-recycling program, known to seers as “Trend Reincarnation.” This perplexing phenomenon manifests itself in the miraculous reappearance of such cosmic foibles as platform shoes, tie-dyed shirts and (shudder) powder blue polyester bellbottom tuxedos.

The catch is you have to hold on to these garments for 20-30 years until they are supernaturally reinstated to popular acceptance.

Shucks. If only I knew this tidbit at the tender and impressionable age of six, I would have stored my Star Wars pyjamas and Scooby Doo underoos in a cryogenic vault for successful and stretched reappearance in my late twenties. Alas. I do have a few pairs of my mom’s old hip-hugger bellbottoms from the early-seventies, along with an original “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” T-shirt, circa 1967. And though those charming antiques are older than I, remarkably they are the height of current fashion!

My MTV generation, “Gen-X,” has seen fashions come and go as fast as a radio jockey can change a record. Or is that reel-to-reel? Tape? 8-track? CD? DVD? MP3? Blue-Ray? Sheesh, in my short 29 years on this planet I have gone through more than eight playback mediums!

I can unflinchingly confess to a simpler time when we’d drive our olive green leaded gas "boat-mobile" with artificial snakeskin trim to the beach listening to the fresh sounds of Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Madonna, Michael Jackson and other 80’s greats. Soon enough MTV had new replacements on the top forty and we moved on.

I was driving my new non-snakeskin foreign import SUV along the other day when some familiar sounds came through the car speakers. There was my old pal, Stevie, singing about love lost with a … what’s that? Techno beat!?!

It seems a new fad is to take old 80’s tracks and spruce them up with heavy techno beats and booming bass. My goodness, anyone from ABBA to Elvis have been recycled by techno geeks! Elvis didn’t die, they just stuck him in the blue bin!

Then there are comebacks I never would have expected in a million years. Purple-haired, gum-smacking 80’s icon Cindy Lauper has recently been recycled with a new album of sultry jazz covers. On the idea of recycling music, the now-50-year-old artist said, "a song is like a dress… you try it on, you can’t wear that dress sometimes because we’re not all built the same so you have to take it in here, let it out there." Sage wisdom from the girl who just wanted to have fun back in ‘84.

My mother realised she was getting old when she heard “Stairway to Heaven” on an easy listening station. Just recently I heard a real heavy punk tune from my childhood on a tame CBC Sunday afternoon program and simultaneously my life flashed before my eyes.

In any event, I can safely say that there are some classic bands that will never go out of style. Maybe they’re not on the top-40, but they’re still tops in our collective musical consciousness. The symbolic “T-shirts” of pop music culture, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, are just as hip, groovy, and totally bitchin’ now as they were back when those words actually meant something.

What’s next, you ask? Well, it won’t be something I haven’t heard already!

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years. She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s “Music Teacher Magazine.” Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be! Rhiannon, age 29, has worn the hats of businesswoman, performer, events promoter, classical music radio host and school orchestra music arranger in rural British Columbia, Canada. Her business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her commitment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit http://www.fiddleheads.ca Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society which promotes violin & fiddle music and helps young musicians in need: http://www.violinsociety.ca

Not every guitarist records. In fact, most guitarists will never
make a recording of themselves. However, many of the burdens
associated with the task of recording have been, in recent
years, pushed aside. In the past, it was necessary to assemble
an entire team of people to make recordings. You had to have one
or two engineers, usually a producer, several band members and
generally a few hangers-on who just wanted to get in on the
action. As technology has increased, the amount of labor
associated with recording has decreased, along with the number
of people needed to produce recordings.

For most guitarists who want to record, especially in a home
studio, the recording environment will consist of three primary
things: the guitar, the amplifier or direct device, and the
recording device. All three of these are of equal importance in
producing quality guitar recordings.

First, you must make sure that your guitar is of quality and in
good working condition. If you’re not up to the challenge
yourself, take it to a quality repairperson who will be able to
make sure that your string heights are adjusted correctly, the
action is comfortable and that your electronics are in working
order and free of buzzing and other electrical noise.

Second, the amplifier or direct interface. More and more these
days, guitar recordings are made with direct recording
interfaces, such as the Line6 POD. These types of devices can be
great time-savers in the studio and, more and more, can offer
you a tone equivalent to or better than a traditional amplified
signal. If you’re more of a purist, make sure that you have a
quality microphone to pick up the signal from your amplifier
(the standard is a Shure SM57) and that your signal is free from
interference. This means making sure that your amplifier,
microphone and microphone cables are free of buzzing and that
all fluorescent lights in the recording environment are turned
off. Fluorescent lights, although great energy-saving devices,
reflect up to sixty percent of their energy back into the
system. If an amplifier or loudspeaker is hooked up to the
system, a beautiful 60-cycle hum ensues, ensuring that whatever
recordings you make are utterly useless.

Third, the recording device. For most of us these days, our
primary recording device is a home computer. Macintosh has been
the industry standard for years, but most PC makers have revved
up their models enough (and made them crash-free enough, thank
you very much) so, although the majority of studios still use
Macs, the only real difference is your personal preference.
Whatever type of computer you decide to purchase, however, make
sure that you max it out with speed and memory.

Although many computer programs and direct recording devices
will have some pretty good-sounding presets, to get original
tones, make sure that you experiment and try to come up with
something that sounds original. Many presets are loaded with
gain and effects to make them sound impressive to first time
hearers. Remember, a whole lot of great guitar sounds have been
recorded with a minimal amount of distortion, and effects can
always be added later, so don’t risk screwing up a great take by
committing your effects to tape right away, without being sure
of the tone that you’re going for.

Good Luck!

What up Playa? By now you should be getting the big picture. There ain’t no business like show business. But here’s the problem, you keep putting on the show, but you ain’t handling the business. If you are like many of the young artist coming-up in the game, you probably don’t have a strong grasp on the Music Industries many rules and regulations. You might have read an article here or there, or even picked up a book or two about the music business, but chances are that unless you’re a lawyer you probably didn’t understand it. Relax, I got your back. Look at me as sort of your music business guardian angel, here to help you add a little business to your show. Let’s face it, the music business is a well-oiled machine designed to do one thing, and that is make money. Throughout your career you will notice that at every corner you turn there is someone who is waiting to benefit from your talent and success. Regardless to how large you may become, you will never be able to completely eliminate the middleman. Go ahead and screw up your face if you want, but if you think you can cross out the middleman then you need to close your eyes and go back to La-La-Land, ’cause homie your still dreaming. Even when you become a Hip Hop mogul like Russell Simmons or P-Diddy, you still have answer to someone else, and they are usually making more money then you are. Alright, here is where I will stop myself because I am known for going off on a tangent about the many, many economic inequalities of the music business. So with no further delay, let’s talk about getting paid…

Get Your Money Right

Now that we have established other people are going to be making money off of your talents, lets focus on how you can begin to get your beak wet too. During the week I get a million and one emails with questions about the music business. The one question that comes up the most is, “what is Publishing and what does it have to do with me?” Publishing is quite a difficult topic; so I will explain it as simple as humanly possible. Sit down class and pay attention.

Publishing is money earned from the songs that you have written. This money comes from two separates sources.

Source #1: Mechanical Royalties-This is the money that record companies pay to the publisher for songs that have been mechanically recorded(pressed-up) on record or CD.

Source #2: Public Performance Income-Better known as performing rights, this allow others to use your music in different mediums such as; radio, t.v., movies, etc.

Pump the brakes, Playa! Your not entitled to all of the money, just a portion of it. Let me explain. All money made from music publishing is simple known as Publishing Royalties. Publishing royalties are broken down into two separate shares; publishers share and writers share. Think of the shares as a pie with two halves; the publishers side represents 50% of the pie and the writers share represents 50% of the pie, and together they represent 100% of Music Publishing Income.

The publisher is the party that collects both shares and then pays the writer’s share to the writer or writers of the song. The Publisher is the one who owns or controls the copyright of the song. This means that they have the rights to do with it as they please, such as licensing(renting) it out for movies, or sheet music. Also, granting permission to other singers to re-record it. At some point, you as a songwriter are going to have to deal with a Publisher on some level, whether you decide to self-publish or not. The main advantage to self-publishing is that your are the sole controller of your copyrights, but unless you have the time, energy, and resources to do what a publisher does, you better learn to play “Let’s Make A Deal.”

What a Publisher can do for you the Songwriter

• Copyright your songs so your butt is covered around the world.

• Make sure your songs are used in every imaginable medium, such as: radio, video games, downloadable ring-tones, movies, etc.

• Hook up manufacturing and distribution deals for music books and sheet music of your songs.

• Register your songs with collections agencies like BMI, ASCAP, SEASAC, and the Harry Fox Agency.

• Protect you from copyright infringers trying to steal your material by sampling, file-sharing, and bootlegging.

• Develop and Promote you as a writer.

• Negotiating licensing deals on your behalf

Your best bet is to set-up a co-publishing agreement with a large publisher; this way you will ensure that things will be done correctly, without you losing your mind in the process. There are far too many types of publishing agreements to get into detail, but you have to always agree to the deal you can live with. Think long-term and your money will grow, think short-term and the next song you write may be one for Food Stamps.

Sahpreem A. King is a Multi-Platinum record producer, and book author of Gotta Get Signed: How to Become a Hip Hop Producer”, available on Schirmer Trade Books. For more info visit: www.becomeahiphopproducer.com

If you’ve been playing piano for some time, you may come upon periods where you forget yourself and only the music remains. You might even have had a spiritual experience. A phenomenon where emotion and intellect become one and the outside world disappears.

This experience is what we all want, whether we admit it or not. This is a very important part of making music - especially new age music. We want that moment where we can stop thinking and start feeling.

Of course, there are times when we create something for a specific purpose such as dance music, rock and roll, etc. But when you are attuned to your feeling and letting the music flow from your fingers the wonder and magic of it is enough to make you want to come back again and again for more.

To get to this place does not require any special ability. It only requires that you know a little about chords and how to use them. Then, you place your fingers on a chord and off you go.

What makes this complicated for some is their indecision about which chord or notes to play. After all, there are thousands of choices. The solution for this problem is limiting your choices. In the free lessons, I give you a scale to play and a few chords from that scale to improvise with. This is enough material to get the imagination going. Some students thrive on limits while others fight them. I fought them too until I realized that my goal was to feel good about music making - not to create a masterpiece.

As soon as I thought about creating anything - I froze up. Technically, I knew a lot but it did me no good. I reexamined my reasons for making music and came to the conclusion to keep it simple. Simple, in my mind at the time meant boring. But I finally let go of the need to please others and as soon as I did, I began to experience music making as a spiritual experience.

Now, there is nothing that heals me so much as just being at the piano - letting the notes fall where the will within the limitations I set for myself. First, I allow myself to gravitate to any sound that calls me. For example, it could be a minor chord. It might be the pentatonic sound that calls to me. Then I simply stay within that sound or tonality and all is well.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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 musician plays the music exactly as it appears on a piece of sheet music. Instead, they use the written music as a map, or an outline, and then proceed to do their own thing with it. They twist it, bend it, add to it, subtract from it, put fills in it, change the key, change the words, change some of the melody notes, and on and on.

So when you hear your favorite artist perform a piece of music, if you look at the written sheet music while they are performing it, you will see it is MUCH different and MUCH better than the plain old “naked music!”

So how can the average musician dress up naked music? There are many ways, but here are seven of my favorites:

1.Change the chords slightly by adding color tones. What are color tones? Color tones are notes added to the basic chord, usually expressed as 6ths, 7ths, 9ths, etc. For example, instead of playing just a straight C chord as it is written – C, E, G – try adding a color tone to it, such as a 6th (A) or a 7th (Bb) or a major 7th (B) or a 9th (D). In fact, try adding a couple together, like a 6th and a 9th. So instead of being a plain vanilla chord made up of C, E, and G, you’ve made it a tasty variation adding A and D to the equation.

2.During the pause between phrases, add a counter melody. How? Take the given melody notes and turn them upside down or inside out, or change the rhythm slightly so the tune is still recognizable, but different.

3.Add chord substitutions. Instead of always using the chords that are written, ask yourself this question: “Into what other chord will this melody note fit?” For example, if the melody is G and the chord is C, what other chords contain the note G in them? There are several answers to that question. G is not only in the C chord, but it is also in the Em chord, the Eb major chord, the G chord, the Gm chord, etc. Try one of those alternate chords until you like the sound combination, then use it instead of the C chord. It will add an originality and freshness to your playing almost immediately.

4.Add fills and runs between phrases. How do you do that? Simply break up the chord that is in force at the moment, and run it up the keyboard as a broken chord – one note at a time. Or start at the top of the keyboard and come down. Or play with the chord a bit by playing 2 of the 3 notes instead of the entire 3 note chord.

5.Use melodic echos. After you have played the melody, echo it by playing it an octave higher, or two octaves higher, or an octave lower.

6.Use half-step slides. If the chord progression is from D7 to G7, instead of going to G7 directly, “slide into it” by playing the chord that is one-half step above – namely, Ab7, then quickly sliding off Ab7 to G7.

7.Use “blue notes.” Blue notes are created by sliding off a black key onto a white key quickly. For example, if the melody is E, slide off Eb to E quickly using the same finger.

This is just a tiny sampling of what you can do to dress up your music. There are literally hundreds of other techniques, from pseudo-modulations to inside blues moves to deceptive cadences to tremelos to twangs to crunches to straddles to 3-1 breakups to walk-downs and walk-ups and on and on.

By simply adding a few of these techniques to your playing you can easily double and triple the excitement created by your piano playing as you “dress up naked music!”

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books, CD’s & DVD’s including “How To Dress Up Naked Music On The Piano!” at http://www.pianoplaying.com He also is the editor of the free email newsletter “Piano Lessons Online: Piano Chords & Progressions!” which has over 61,000 current subscribers. Available at http://www.playpiano.com

In order to understand what takes place when singing high notes you first need to understand what pitch is. Pitch should not be thought of as a note. Pitch is a musical thought. A mental image. First, the singer gets a strong image of the note they wish to sing. You then sing the desired pitch mentally being guided by how the voice feels. You avoid the urge to listen to the music or to yourself. Musical cues within a song are meant to guide you but singing is a feeling and needs to be felt or heard mentally before attempting to sing the note.

Singers believe a pitch is something to be reached or hit. While “reach” and “hit” is terminology used to direct a singer to sing a specific note, it is not what we actually do to produce the higher tone. The higher you sing within your range, the more difficult you perceive it to be. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

When we think of high notes as “up” we instinctively try to reach “up” to them. We tell ourselves that they are above the notes in our lower register. This will cause us to push or strain up to the note developing poor vocal habits that will cause the voice to cut off the air supply and tone, making it impossible to sing the note. High is the term used to explain notes that go higher up on the musical staff. When singing them, however, they in fact do not move up but rather are positioned and sung in the same resonating area as all the other notes within your range. The vocal cords, or larynx as it is also referred to, stays relaxed and seated when the proper muscles and vocal co-ordination are used. The vocal cords stretch and thin as you sing higher notes but they in no way need any special co-ordination or breath support to accommodate this. In fact, if we do attempt to sing high notes differently then lower ones the voice will crack causing you to flip into a light falsetto voice rather then a strong and connected head voice. You need to give up the urge to control the sound. When we realize that the larynx is to stay in the same seated position throughout your entire range, top to bottom, we can eliminate the fear associated with singing in certain areas of our range.

If you have been reaching up to notes or pushing excessive air through the vocal cords, you likely have over-developed muscles in the throat that are not meant for singing. The muscles on the side of your neck, as an example, are used for chewing and swallowing. As they are dominant muscles, the lack of proper tone co-ordination and control over airflow will result in these muscles taking over keeping you from singing in the upper area of your head register, or range. Any time muscles that are not meant for singing get involved in the process, the larynx will rise immediately cutting off the air supply, tone, and will keep you from reaching the correct pitch. If you are having difficulty reaching high notes it is because you have developed poor vocal habits that will eventually cause vocal cord damage. You need to stop doing what you are doing immediately and get help from a qualified vocal coach.

When trying to correct this problem you may feel tension in the neck, around the jaw and mouth area. You cannot feel tension in these areas unless you are focused on the tension. Developing the correct muscles needed for singing, combined with proper tone and breath co-ordination, your focus will shift and the tension will disappear.

So stop worrying about what notes you are singing. Over time, all the hard work you have put into properly developing your voice will pay off and you will hit any note you wish effortlessly. Continue to nurture your gift and you will be amazed how much more talent you have developed. Experiment, get creative with the music and have fun doing it.

Contact Information:
Donna Flynn
Vocal Coach, Toronto
www.vocalcoach.ca
donnavocalcoach@yahoo.ca
416-436-8063

BIO

After moving to Toronto from Montreal, Donna began a journey of vocal training that connected her with coaches in Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, as well as the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.

Although she found the techniques to be practical and was taught scales designed to improve the voice, she soon realized that no one was able to offer a method that allowed her to sing the many different styles of music she enjoyed singing.
It was clear that the only way she would find training that would bring out ALL the qualities that are UNIQUE to her voice, would be to develop it herself. So she did………..

Over the years, Donna has developed a complete mind / body / spirit / voice method designed to access the energy from the body to eliminate any pressure that may prohibit us from singing our best. She combines yoga and tai chi breathing along with specific exercises designed to building proper breath support while gently working the entire vocal range, top to bottom.

The great motivator Earl Nightingale came up with the following definition of success… “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” I love that definition! What does this definition mean to you? Let’s take a closer look at the worthy ideal part of it…

Please spend a few minutes writing down what the words “worthy ideal” mean to you. To me it is my vision of perfection…a vision of how I would ideally like things to be.It is a vision that I find inspiring and energizing!

If your success with guitar is totally dependant on working towards a worthy ideal, doesn’t it make sense that you first need to figure out what YOUR worthy ideal is? How can you progressively realize something if you don’t know what it is? Let’s do some exercises to figure your one out…

Please invest at least a couple of hours doing the following exercises. They will really help you to build a picture of your
worthy ideal in your mind’s eye…

Exercise 1:

Imagine how would ideally like to play.Try and imagine what your guitar playing would sound, look and feel like.What guitar techniques are you a master of? How does your improvising sound? What about your composing? Please write your answers down now.

Exercise 2:

Imagine your ideal guitar playing career. Would you be a master guitar teacher? What about an amazing performing artist? Or what about performing as part of a highly successful band? How about being an in demand studio guitarist? What do you TRULY want to do? Please write down your answers now.

Exercise 3:

Write down your worthy ideal. Write it down in the present tense, as if you have already achieved it.Try to condense it down into a one paragraph statement.

Exercise 4:

Invest 5 minutes every morning and night to read your worthy ideal. This will help you to stay motivated and focused on what you TRULY want.

Clarity is essential. Without it you won’t be able to start developing an effective plan to work towards your worthy ideal.

You may find as you answer the questions that self-doubt starts to creep in. You may doubt whether or not what you write down is even possible! This is normal. Just write down your answers anyway You don’t need to know right now HOW you will achieve your worthy ideal. All you need to do is figure out WHAT it is.

Craig Bassett is a professional guitarist, author and guitar tutor. To gain a total mastery of guitar chords, please go to:
http://www.guitarchordmastery.com/

Should I Buy a Digital Piano or an Upright Piano?

Digital pianos sound nothing like a real piano. Upright pianos take up too much room.
There is a lot of conflicting advice floating around.
I will give you the right piano buying advice so you can make your own decision on whether
the digital piano or the upright piano is right for your needs.

A brief history of the digital piano.
Digital pianos were invented about 20 years ago and when they where first introduced they were pretty terrible, the keys were much too light, spongy and nothing like a real piano. The sound was incredibly bright and the sampling was quite dreadful. You couldn’t really say that it sounded much like a piano at all.
These digital pianos also looked nothing like a real acoustic piano, they had ugly, plastic lookin cases that didn’t match any type of furniture in the room. If guests came around it was almost an embarrassment to have this ugly plastic looking machine in the living room. My how things have changed over the last 20 years!

A brief history of the upright piano.
The upright piano was invented in 1709 by the Italian Cristofori. It was a four octave instrument compared to the seven and a quarter octave instrument of today, with hammers striking the strings just as they do on a modern upright piano. The instrument was invented to meet the need to control dynamics by touch, which could not be achieved on the harpsichord.
The early upright piano went through many changes before it emerged as the instrument we all know today. The Cristofori piano was wing shaped like grand pianos, it had a curved body and a lid that could be elevated. There were also square pianos in which the strings ran from left to right as on the clavichord. And by 1800, there were upright pianos whose strings ran perpendicular to the keyboard. Other names commonly used are: vertical piano or acoustic piano, they mean essentially the same thing.
A typical old fashioned upright piano, tall upright standing, ivory keys, beautiful wood, moulded carvings, stylish legs and brass candlestick holders. The old pianos always had a beautiful warm tone because they were made with quality materials and real wood. The soundboard was seasoned for ages which in turn created a resonant and sustaining tone. The superior quality meant that your piano would easily last a lifetime.

Moving on to modern times
These days your typical starter piano is mass produced in China, Indonesia or Korea with very cheap materials, soundboards made out of trees that were probably knocked down the day before and thrown together as quickly as possible to get distributed around the world.
Well maybe it is not quite as bad as this, but anyway i am sure you get my point.

You can find a list of upright pianos here:
upright pianos for sale

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF ACOUSTIC AND DIGITAL PIANOS

Advantages of Digital Pianos:
1) You can plug in headphones so nobody can hear you play.

2) You can turn the volume up or down.
3) You can record your music on the instrument itself, or to disc, smart media, floppy etc.
4) You can experiment with lots of different instrument sounds
5) Due to their light weight, digital pianos can easily be moved from room to room
6) Your digital piano will never need tuning or maintenance, which will save you a small fortune.
7) You can download songs from the web and play them on your instrument. (Normally the more expensive digital pianos offer this facility).
Digital pianos are very reasonably priced for what they are. You can pick one up from as little as £400.
9) Digital pianos take up less space than the acoustic piano. They are slightly shorter in length, much lower in height and most importantly about 2/3rds the depth (front to back) of an acoustic piano, thus saving you valuable space

Disadvantages of Digital Pianos:
1) The value of your piano depreciates very quickly.
2) New models are introduced every 2-3 years making your piano even less valuable and harder to sell
3) The sound is electronic and although improvements have been made, it will never sound like the real thing.
4) The touch is slighter lighter than a real piano and the key balance isn’t perfect.
5) The digital piano’s appearance is not as appealing as an acoustic piano and is made from plastic and chipboard. It can easily get damaged if moved around.
6) The outer casing is difficult and expensive to repair if damage has been done
7) Digital pianos are very expensive to repair if anything goes wrong with the mechanics or electronics
9) The warranty is normally quite short, anything form 1 year to 3 years.

Advantages of Upright Pianos
1) Your piano will hold its value over time and if it is looked after it will normally increase over a longer period (normally 20 years plus)
2) The piano has natural acoustic sounds which is produced by the hammer striking the string and then amplified by the soundboard.
3) The piano is made from wood, sometimes MDF and is very strong.
4) If the piano’s outer casing is damaged it can be repaired easily and fairly cheaply by a French polisher.
5) If there is a problem with the piano mechanically, it can normally be fixed by a piano tuner very quickly and cheaply. (With the exception of old pianos that normally need a lot of work).
6) The touch of a real piano is second to none. The deep, rich natural tones enable you to really enjoy playing music.
7) You normally get a long warranty with acoustic pianos, anywhere from 5-10 years.

Disadvantages of Upright Pianos
1) The upright piano is extremely heavy (can weigh 175kg upwards) and is almost impossible to maneuver without the help of professional piano movers
2) The volume of the piano cannot be turned up or down, it is reliant on the player to control this.
3) The piano needs tuning regularly (normally twice a year) and can cost in the region of £40-£60 a time.
4) The piano will need the occasional maintenance (every 5-10 years)
5) A good, well made piano can be quite expensive (Usually £2500 upwards)
6) Upright pianos take up a lot of room, especially the grands and the taller uprights.
7) They can mark your floor if you try to move them even the slightest bit and because of the immense weight, the wheels or feet leave deep indentations in your floor over a period of time

I hope this article has helped you in your piano buying quest.

About The Author

Henry Howard is known as ‘The Guru of Music’ and has written piano and musical instrument articles for many sites on the internet. He is currently writing for http://www.Soundsmusical.com, one of the leading piano sites on the web.

Do as you please with this article but keep my links in tact.