Making Drums
When I received my copy of Making Drums for review I knew at first glance that I had come upon something great. As a drum maker and photographer myself I could really appreciate the work that obviously went into the collection of images for all the drums discussed. I believe it would make a great coffee table book based on the images alone!
Cincinnati Karaoke
Cincinnati, like most cities these days, has a multitude of Karaoke bars to choose from on any given night. If you are ever out on a Friday night, you might want to try the Pirates Den on Anderson Ferry Rd. in Western Hills, where Cincinnati Karaoke host Robin Saint James brings her unique style of Karaoke entertainment to the public. She and her sidekick Sean Caldwell provide lots of laughs and guaranteed fun.
Robin is also a writer for local Cincinnati newspaper, and the author of a book called "Karaoke Krazy! Is This On?" The book is a humorous, satyrical, look at the Karaoke phenomenon, and also gives tips on singing and various other topics, including how to create you own television show. Here is an excerpt from the chapter entitled "What is Karaoke Anyway?":
Several years ago, someone in Japan thought there was a need for this type of entertainment ---and they were right.
In Japanese work environments, people are expected to contribute to the common good of the whole and not to draw undue attention to themselves.
American culture dictates a sense of individualism. We are conditioned to “stand out” from the crowd. But this is not so in Japanese culture, where modesty and a sense that one does not “blow their own horn” is the norm.
But we are all human and we like to get attention regardless of our cultural upbringing. In my opinion, the Japanese were more than ready to channel their hidden desire for individuality and acceptance into something “allowable.”
Singing has long been a part of the Japanese culture as it has brought them feelings of happiness. Corporate workers tend to feel a sense of relief from their fast-paced lives when they sing, so Karaoke is a natural outcome of their desires.
When whoever the Japanese genius was that created Karaoke did so, the masses were ready to jump in with both feet.
A few decades ago (in Japan), “Karaoke boxes” were created for people who wished to hear themselves sing. They were soundproof, just in case the singer was not so good. These boxes were set up anywhere the need warranted, from subway stations to street corners.
Eventually, Karaoke bars began to spring up all over Japan. It soon became so popular that there were even “Karaoke cabs” that provided people the means to sing on their way home from work! Sometimes the singers would be required to pay to sing. This became a good source of income for many business owners.
Karaoke also has practical uses for the Japanese. They like to sing western tunes and invariably they are able to learn English or other languages. It is also a significant tool regarding socialization, given that it holds no prejudice in terms of ‘good singers vs bad.’
The Karaoke phenomenon eventually spread throughout Asia and Europe, and of course, the United States.
Laser discs helped to bolster the popularity of this new form of entertainment. These 12-inch albums were first produced, as far as I know, by Pioneer Audio. I assume they were made in the same format as the 12-inch movie discs that started to become popular and then fizzled when DVDs hit the scene.
The Pioneer laser disc is really a work of art. Each and every song has its own video behind the lyrics. This entertained audiences as much as the actual singing. I had people that would come to my shows just to watch Karaoke videos.
I have to credit Pioneer for putting so much effort into their product. It was one of the reasons that my early shows were so successful. Everyone wanted to see what Karaoke was all about. To have videos on top of the singing was simply icing on the cake.
Unfortunately, other companies that eventually got into the Karaoke act and quickly found out that compact discs with graphics (words only) would work just fine.
CDGs were far cheaper to produce and manufacture than laser discs and therefore far more inexpensive to the consumer. 12-inch laser discs were sold at about $130.00 per item. The smaller CDGs could be purchased for the cost of a CD. Therefore, the giant Pioneer laser disc was out and CDGs were in.
Although the giant disc era ended several years ago, I became so programmed to them, I still find myself starting shows by rolling off “Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to “Laser Video Karaoke.” I am your host….”
I think it is too bad that “cheaper” won out over “better quality.” Pioneer had a good product but it could not keep producing it when other companies were pumping out cheaper versions at a fraction of the cost.
By cheaper I don’t just mean ‘without the video.’ (Albeit the video cost more to produce than the music.) The orchestration on some brands of CDGs leaves a lot to be desired. It pales in comparison to the fully orchestrated sounds of the old Pioneer discs.
Pioneer used studio musicians, the best sound technicians, the works. You could easily tell that Karaoke versions of songs were as well put together as the artist's originals.
However, other companies were obviously using a cheaper means of getting there by simply programming keyboards to do what an orchestra once did. Thus, the demand for pioneer discs with video decreased. As far as I know, videos no longer accompany songs....
If you would like to read more, check out the Karaoke Krazy website at www.karaokekrazy.org [http://www.karaokekrazy.org]. You can also order the book at Amazon.com
Robin Saint James, has just completed her new book titled Karaoke Krazy. The humorous, satirical, yet realistic look at the American Karaoke phenomenon will be for sale at Cincinnati outlets in June.
Saint James is the former host of three local television shows, Karaoke Korner (WSTR), Cornucopia Corner (WSTR), and Cincinnati's Rockit to the Stars (WLWT). Also a former recording artist, she is still entertaining audiences after twenty years in the business.
Robin is also a writer for local Cincinnati newspaper, and the author of a book called "Karaoke Krazy! Is This On?" The book is a humorous, satyrical, look at the Karaoke phenomenon, and also gives tips on singing and various other topics, including how to create you own television show. Here is an excerpt from the chapter entitled "What is Karaoke Anyway?":
Several years ago, someone in Japan thought there was a need for this type of entertainment ---and they were right.
In Japanese work environments, people are expected to contribute to the common good of the whole and not to draw undue attention to themselves.
American culture dictates a sense of individualism. We are conditioned to “stand out” from the crowd. But this is not so in Japanese culture, where modesty and a sense that one does not “blow their own horn” is the norm.
But we are all human and we like to get attention regardless of our cultural upbringing. In my opinion, the Japanese were more than ready to channel their hidden desire for individuality and acceptance into something “allowable.”
Singing has long been a part of the Japanese culture as it has brought them feelings of happiness. Corporate workers tend to feel a sense of relief from their fast-paced lives when they sing, so Karaoke is a natural outcome of their desires.
When whoever the Japanese genius was that created Karaoke did so, the masses were ready to jump in with both feet.
A few decades ago (in Japan), “Karaoke boxes” were created for people who wished to hear themselves sing. They were soundproof, just in case the singer was not so good. These boxes were set up anywhere the need warranted, from subway stations to street corners.
Eventually, Karaoke bars began to spring up all over Japan. It soon became so popular that there were even “Karaoke cabs” that provided people the means to sing on their way home from work! Sometimes the singers would be required to pay to sing. This became a good source of income for many business owners.
Karaoke also has practical uses for the Japanese. They like to sing western tunes and invariably they are able to learn English or other languages. It is also a significant tool regarding socialization, given that it holds no prejudice in terms of ‘good singers vs bad.’
The Karaoke phenomenon eventually spread throughout Asia and Europe, and of course, the United States.
Laser discs helped to bolster the popularity of this new form of entertainment. These 12-inch albums were first produced, as far as I know, by Pioneer Audio. I assume they were made in the same format as the 12-inch movie discs that started to become popular and then fizzled when DVDs hit the scene.
The Pioneer laser disc is really a work of art. Each and every song has its own video behind the lyrics. This entertained audiences as much as the actual singing. I had people that would come to my shows just to watch Karaoke videos.
I have to credit Pioneer for putting so much effort into their product. It was one of the reasons that my early shows were so successful. Everyone wanted to see what Karaoke was all about. To have videos on top of the singing was simply icing on the cake.
Unfortunately, other companies that eventually got into the Karaoke act and quickly found out that compact discs with graphics (words only) would work just fine.
CDGs were far cheaper to produce and manufacture than laser discs and therefore far more inexpensive to the consumer. 12-inch laser discs were sold at about $130.00 per item. The smaller CDGs could be purchased for the cost of a CD. Therefore, the giant Pioneer laser disc was out and CDGs were in.
Although the giant disc era ended several years ago, I became so programmed to them, I still find myself starting shows by rolling off “Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to “Laser Video Karaoke.” I am your host….”
I think it is too bad that “cheaper” won out over “better quality.” Pioneer had a good product but it could not keep producing it when other companies were pumping out cheaper versions at a fraction of the cost.
By cheaper I don’t just mean ‘without the video.’ (Albeit the video cost more to produce than the music.) The orchestration on some brands of CDGs leaves a lot to be desired. It pales in comparison to the fully orchestrated sounds of the old Pioneer discs.
Pioneer used studio musicians, the best sound technicians, the works. You could easily tell that Karaoke versions of songs were as well put together as the artist's originals.
However, other companies were obviously using a cheaper means of getting there by simply programming keyboards to do what an orchestra once did. Thus, the demand for pioneer discs with video decreased. As far as I know, videos no longer accompany songs....
If you would like to read more, check out the Karaoke Krazy website at www.karaokekrazy.org [http://www.karaokekrazy.org]. You can also order the book at Amazon.com
Robin Saint James, has just completed her new book titled Karaoke Krazy. The humorous, satirical, yet realistic look at the American Karaoke phenomenon will be for sale at Cincinnati outlets in June.
Saint James is the former host of three local television shows, Karaoke Korner (WSTR), Cornucopia Corner (WSTR), and Cincinnati's Rockit to the Stars (WLWT). Also a former recording artist, she is still entertaining audiences after twenty years in the business.
Learn Practical Guitar Playing Tips With Learn and Master Guitar
Guitar playing is an art and not everyone is a gifted guitarist. This article is devoted to all those guitar lovers who have at some point of their life or the other, experienced a deep desire to learn playing guitar. Well, guitar learning is not as difficult as people say it is. At least with the DVD series of the Learn and Master Guitar program, the challenging task of learning to play the guitar becomes much more easy and uncomplicated.
This program has such a wide range of guitar concepts, techniques and styles to teach, that any person who follows this program is sure to learn the guitar quite fluently, confidently, flawlessly and with a reasonably high degree of versatility within a few months of starting with this program. This best part about this program is that apart from the rich knowledge that it provides through the video lessons, it also provides an unlimited amount of practical tips, which add a lot of life to your guitar playing skills, in addition to making guitar playing very effortless and simple for you.
The instructor, Steve Krenz is a very experienced guitarist, an accomplished musician and a widely acclaimed guitar teacher. He seems to know what piece of advice or what tip to provide at the exact moment when it is needed. It is as if he can read you mind and can understand your requirement completely. Here are a few tips and suggestions from Steve, that are very simple and yet without them, you would be missing out on a lot of perfection and pleasure of playing the guitar.
Guitar Tips and Guitar Tricks
Very often, beginners complain that playing the guitar hurts their fingers. Steve suggests exercises for improving finger agility and strength in the initial part of this instructional program itself, so that nobody quits learning because of this problem. He clarifies that the problem can be solved through regular practice, which encourages callus building, when the finger tips press down hard on the strings. He also points out that barring a chord is very helpful for callus building and also improves finger strength and dexterity.
In addition to introducing you to the world of chords, chord families, chord progressions, chord formulas, smooth chord transitions, chord substitution, advanced chords and altered chords, Steve also equips you with several tips pertaining to chords. He tells you to teach yourself as many different ways of playing a chord as possible, because it adds greater flexibility during cord changing and is also going to be useful when you try to compose your own music. According to him, you should carry the guitar with you and practice playing chords as frequently as possible, while watching TV or talking to a friend, as this will refrain you from looking at the guitar and playing each not. As you continue with this practice, your fingers will get used to playing fluently and with greater confidence, even if you do not look constantly look at the fretboard each time you strike a note.
This program provides many such useful tips, which we can very well do without, but whose implementation can add an element of grace and perfection to your guitar playing skills. This program provides you with such a large variety of free guitar licks and songs that you can practice as often as you like. It helps polish your guitar playing skills and takes your guitar learning process to an entirely different level, wherein you know how to apply what you have learnt. Therefore, irrespective of whether you are a born guitarist or not, you can soon start playing the guitar like any of the professional guitarists.
Guitar enthusiast, Jason C*Diggs, writes quality, non-biased reviews on the net's top instructional guitar programs. His highest rating goes to Learn and Master Guitar, a highly recognized, extensive DVD guitar course. He also offers over 35 FREE video guitar licks at his site.
This program has such a wide range of guitar concepts, techniques and styles to teach, that any person who follows this program is sure to learn the guitar quite fluently, confidently, flawlessly and with a reasonably high degree of versatility within a few months of starting with this program. This best part about this program is that apart from the rich knowledge that it provides through the video lessons, it also provides an unlimited amount of practical tips, which add a lot of life to your guitar playing skills, in addition to making guitar playing very effortless and simple for you.
The instructor, Steve Krenz is a very experienced guitarist, an accomplished musician and a widely acclaimed guitar teacher. He seems to know what piece of advice or what tip to provide at the exact moment when it is needed. It is as if he can read you mind and can understand your requirement completely. Here are a few tips and suggestions from Steve, that are very simple and yet without them, you would be missing out on a lot of perfection and pleasure of playing the guitar.
Guitar Tips and Guitar Tricks
Very often, beginners complain that playing the guitar hurts their fingers. Steve suggests exercises for improving finger agility and strength in the initial part of this instructional program itself, so that nobody quits learning because of this problem. He clarifies that the problem can be solved through regular practice, which encourages callus building, when the finger tips press down hard on the strings. He also points out that barring a chord is very helpful for callus building and also improves finger strength and dexterity.
In addition to introducing you to the world of chords, chord families, chord progressions, chord formulas, smooth chord transitions, chord substitution, advanced chords and altered chords, Steve also equips you with several tips pertaining to chords. He tells you to teach yourself as many different ways of playing a chord as possible, because it adds greater flexibility during cord changing and is also going to be useful when you try to compose your own music. According to him, you should carry the guitar with you and practice playing chords as frequently as possible, while watching TV or talking to a friend, as this will refrain you from looking at the guitar and playing each not. As you continue with this practice, your fingers will get used to playing fluently and with greater confidence, even if you do not look constantly look at the fretboard each time you strike a note.
This program provides many such useful tips, which we can very well do without, but whose implementation can add an element of grace and perfection to your guitar playing skills. This program provides you with such a large variety of free guitar licks and songs that you can practice as often as you like. It helps polish your guitar playing skills and takes your guitar learning process to an entirely different level, wherein you know how to apply what you have learnt. Therefore, irrespective of whether you are a born guitarist or not, you can soon start playing the guitar like any of the professional guitarists.
Guitar enthusiast, Jason C*Diggs, writes quality, non-biased reviews on the net's top instructional guitar programs. His highest rating goes to Learn and Master Guitar, a highly recognized, extensive DVD guitar course. He also offers over 35 FREE video guitar licks at his site.
Music and the Human Brain - Book Review
Have you ever noticed that folks that have a musical background happen to be smarter than other people? Scientists, neurologists, and clinical psychologists have noted this and there is very strong evidence that this is not a fluke, but that there is a very real reason as to why this is, that goes deep into the biological human system, even down to the cell level.
Indeed, rather than me explain all this to you, perhaps I might recommend an extremely telling book on this very topic. The book is by a University Researcher that has dedicated much of his own life to studying all this. The name of the book is:
"This is Your Brain on Music; The Science of Human Obsession" by Daniel J. Levitin; Penguin Book Group; New York, NY; 2006. ISBN: 978-0-452-28852-2
You will learn about the biorhythms of the human body, as well as the brain frequencies and resonance that is part of our very essence, and you will discover the secrets to the biological vibrational energy within the human body. The human psyche is very much attached to the resonance of music, and it is not by accident. This is why zoologists have also found that "music calms the nature of wild animals."
Ever wonder why people tap their pencils or tap their feet, or why we listen to music, sing tunes in our heads or why we get some silly jingle stuck in our brain? The answers to all these questions and more are in this work. Learn why music is so enjoyable to us, and why we love our music so much. Please consider buying this book, reading it, and considering all the ramifications of its findings.
Lance Winslow is a retired franchisor - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is formerly the CEO of WashGuys family of franchises for instance one of Lance Winslow's favorite companies on the team; http://www.windowwashguys.com/links.shtml/.
Indeed, rather than me explain all this to you, perhaps I might recommend an extremely telling book on this very topic. The book is by a University Researcher that has dedicated much of his own life to studying all this. The name of the book is:
"This is Your Brain on Music; The Science of Human Obsession" by Daniel J. Levitin; Penguin Book Group; New York, NY; 2006. ISBN: 978-0-452-28852-2
You will learn about the biorhythms of the human body, as well as the brain frequencies and resonance that is part of our very essence, and you will discover the secrets to the biological vibrational energy within the human body. The human psyche is very much attached to the resonance of music, and it is not by accident. This is why zoologists have also found that "music calms the nature of wild animals."
Ever wonder why people tap their pencils or tap their feet, or why we listen to music, sing tunes in our heads or why we get some silly jingle stuck in our brain? The answers to all these questions and more are in this work. Learn why music is so enjoyable to us, and why we love our music so much. Please consider buying this book, reading it, and considering all the ramifications of its findings.
Lance Winslow is a retired franchisor - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is formerly the CEO of WashGuys family of franchises for instance one of Lance Winslow's favorite companies on the team; http://www.windowwashguys.com/links.shtml/.
Piano Lesson Books - A Top List
Piano lesson books have been around for awhile and new books are being released. Which ones will suit your needs? Let us check out a few of the piano books that make my list.
The Piano Handbook: A complete Guide for Mastering Piano by Carl Humphries. This covers just about everything you need to know about the piano. Fairly solid overall, but there is one drawback. The information is packed, so the pace is somewhat fast. With a somewhat basic grasp on the piano this could be valuable. For complete beginners however it may not be the best choice.
How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear by Norman Monath. This is fairly good for a beginner. It avoids the trap of being overly complicated. It covers the important areas including creating chords, melody, harmony, and a handful of other elements. This operates at a moderate pace, but does not get too detailed about the advanced areas of musical theory.
How to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Piano by Roger Evans. Playing the piano with both hands happens fairly fast in this book. This could make it a little difficult initially, but it can also work to your advantage to learn to use both hands early on. It focuses more on playing the piano itself, so some other critical areas are left out such as reading music. This may not be the best choice unless you have prior knowledge and the ability to read music. Other than that, the rest of the content is good basic stuff.
Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises: Complete by C.L. Hanon. This can be used in conjunction with other books. It is a little different from the others, but worth being on the list here. The highlight of this book is within the exercises. The exercises can help to strengthen the fingers that need it, get comfortable with the piano, and improve your overall ability playing the piano.
These books may be able to offer you a good start in regards to learning how to play the piano. Each has their strengths and weaknesses, and the last book mentioned makes for a good companion due to the exercises and benefits gained from them. Adequate practice and action is also necessary of course. Keep up with the necessary practice, and the results will begin to show and improve over time.
For more information, resources, and tips to learn the piano [http://www.teachyourself-piano.info], be sure to visit [http://www.teachyourself-piano.info].
The Piano Handbook: A complete Guide for Mastering Piano by Carl Humphries. This covers just about everything you need to know about the piano. Fairly solid overall, but there is one drawback. The information is packed, so the pace is somewhat fast. With a somewhat basic grasp on the piano this could be valuable. For complete beginners however it may not be the best choice.
How to Play Popular Piano in 10 Easy Lessons: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Learn to Play from Sheet Music or by Ear by Norman Monath. This is fairly good for a beginner. It avoids the trap of being overly complicated. It covers the important areas including creating chords, melody, harmony, and a handful of other elements. This operates at a moderate pace, but does not get too detailed about the advanced areas of musical theory.
How to Play Piano: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Piano by Roger Evans. Playing the piano with both hands happens fairly fast in this book. This could make it a little difficult initially, but it can also work to your advantage to learn to use both hands early on. It focuses more on playing the piano itself, so some other critical areas are left out such as reading music. This may not be the best choice unless you have prior knowledge and the ability to read music. Other than that, the rest of the content is good basic stuff.
Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises: Complete by C.L. Hanon. This can be used in conjunction with other books. It is a little different from the others, but worth being on the list here. The highlight of this book is within the exercises. The exercises can help to strengthen the fingers that need it, get comfortable with the piano, and improve your overall ability playing the piano.
These books may be able to offer you a good start in regards to learning how to play the piano. Each has their strengths and weaknesses, and the last book mentioned makes for a good companion due to the exercises and benefits gained from them. Adequate practice and action is also necessary of course. Keep up with the necessary practice, and the results will begin to show and improve over time.
For more information, resources, and tips to learn the piano [http://www.teachyourself-piano.info], be sure to visit [http://www.teachyourself-piano.info].
Learn Guitar Online Today
You could spend hours and hours searching the internet for the best online guitar lessons, but why? There are many programs on the internet the that can teach you how to play guitar. Lets face it, learning guitar is no easy feet. Some people I grew up with that can play the guitar took them years to get good.
There is no doubt that learning guitar is going to take much effort, the reward for that effort is priceless. How many of us have had a dream of playing in a rock band in front of thousands of screaming fans. Maybe you just want to be able to pick up a guitar around a camp fire and just relax and play for your own enjoyment. Playing the guitar is truly an amazing instrument. So where do we start?
Like we talked about, learning guitar takes time, patience, dedication and a willingness to learn. We find time for things we are passionate about. Our passion for music will make us find the time. It can take years of practice and lessons, patience truly is a virtue. Our strong desire and willingness to learn brings everything together and gives us the mindset to learn guitar.
Private lessons are an excellent way of learning the guitar. The live, one-on-one attention from an instructor who is sitting right with you is invaluable. But can we afford years and years of private guitar lessons? Some of us might be able to and that great. However the majority of people just cannot afford full time, private guitar lessons.
The internet is a powerful tool and there are programs out there that will teach guitar at your pace, in your own home. Some things we need to consider are the cost and the quality of the programs. With these programs and our desire to succeed, the dream of learning guitar is obtainable and affordable.
To see a review of the Guitar Lesson programs on the net, please visit http://www.guitarfornewbies.net.
Thank you and good luck!
Eric
There is no doubt that learning guitar is going to take much effort, the reward for that effort is priceless. How many of us have had a dream of playing in a rock band in front of thousands of screaming fans. Maybe you just want to be able to pick up a guitar around a camp fire and just relax and play for your own enjoyment. Playing the guitar is truly an amazing instrument. So where do we start?
Like we talked about, learning guitar takes time, patience, dedication and a willingness to learn. We find time for things we are passionate about. Our passion for music will make us find the time. It can take years of practice and lessons, patience truly is a virtue. Our strong desire and willingness to learn brings everything together and gives us the mindset to learn guitar.
Private lessons are an excellent way of learning the guitar. The live, one-on-one attention from an instructor who is sitting right with you is invaluable. But can we afford years and years of private guitar lessons? Some of us might be able to and that great. However the majority of people just cannot afford full time, private guitar lessons.
The internet is a powerful tool and there are programs out there that will teach guitar at your pace, in your own home. Some things we need to consider are the cost and the quality of the programs. With these programs and our desire to succeed, the dream of learning guitar is obtainable and affordable.
To see a review of the Guitar Lesson programs on the net, please visit http://www.guitarfornewbies.net.
Thank you and good luck!
Eric
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