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I blame Eminem.

Prior to his sampling of Dido on his 2000 track Stan, I would have assigned Rap to the domain of angry disenfranchised African Americans like Iced Tea, Tupac Shakur or Snoop Doggy Dog. Now it would seem that most of the Top 40 is riddled with Rap Artists.

So when did Rap become mainstream? Is it that Rap Music has become more melodic or have we just broadened our listening tastes?

Basically Rap is a form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically with a musical backdrop and, love him or hate him, Eminem has managed to bring Rap squarely into the Top 40 realm. Witness the turnaround of mainstream commentators who once claimed he and his lyrics would poison our childrens minds to his 2002 Oscar win for Lose Yourself from the film 8 Mile. The comparisons to the King himself, Elvis Presley are inevitable. And like the Rolling Stones, who helped translate blues to the white mainstream, Eminems lyrical talents turn stinging lyrics into hum-a-long pop tunes.

But Eminem is not the first white artist to create crossover hits from the Rap genre. From Bob Dylans 1965 Subterranean Homesick Blues to Blondies 1981 Rapture to 1986s Aerosmith Run DMC collaboration Walk This Way and even Vanilla Ices 1990 Ice Ice Baby. And now the likes of 50 Cent, Nelly, Ludacris, Beastie Boys, Missy Elliott, Beyonce, Outkast, Usher and The Game continue the tradition.

Is it mere coincidence that Hate It Or Love It on The Games 2005 CD The Documentary reminds me of PM Dawns 1997 hit Set Adrift On Memory Bliss?

Is it the increasing reliance on sampling of other hits which have permeated our subconscious or using broader instrumentation and orchestration or the synthesized electronically programmed equivalent that pushes these tracks up the charts? Or is it the catchy choruses? I mean it may be just me, but who, but the most street cred Rap connoisseur, understands the allegorical coda of these yrics, while we can all hum or sing a long to the chorus just enough to want to buy or download the track and maybe even the whole album.

And it seems now that almost every rapper has at least one or two ballad style tracks, preferably with an R & B style mainstream artist to assist with that crossover. 2002s Dilemma duet of Nelly and Destiny Childs Kelly Rowlands or Work It with Justin Timberlake from the same album proves the rapper can also sing in these fusions of Soul meets Rap which hit the top of the charts and stay there.

So has Rap become mainstream or does the likes of Eminem merely represent a contrived marketing plan by Record Companies to pick up where Pop has sadly left off. Now that boy bands have almost died out and the titanic phenomenon that is American (or substitute your own country here) Idol has steamrollered over the singer/songwriter traditional pop consciousness has Rap merely mellowed to fill the void?

Sadly I cannot answer these questions definitively. The music industry and the record buying public are a fickle lot. Technology brings a two edged sword of making more music more available by downloading but also shrinking the market place income to the need for record companies to rely on sure things.

And Rappers arent that different to any other musician or anyone else with something to sell. They may be in the industry for all very noble purposes of being an artist or saying something important with their lyrics. But ultimately they too want to sell their records and make money and live comfortable celebrity lifestyles.

So Rap music over time has become more commercial and more digestible to the mass black and white audiences. Melodies are now familiar to Generation X, Y and Z and the Baby Boomers. Remixed to suit nightclub or coffee shop audiences.

And ultimately no matter how cynically we want to look at it, the more variety of music there is out there the more diverse our listening habits become.

And that can only be a good thing.

Peter Shuttlewood is the author of webzine freshread which contains articles on Popular Culture with an Australian slant. freshread - the everyday in a fresh way.

// posted by lhtbx @ 11:39 PM 0 comments

The lyrics of "My Way" tell the story of a man who is nearing death, and introspectively looks back at his life whilst fictionally speaking to a friend who is sitting next to him.

The man's personality as described in the song involves a strong-willed, confident and determined man who is not reliant on others to progress further through life. He is happy with how his life has turned out, and what he has achieved; he acknowledges that he too has regrets and has suffered sadness. However, he remains upbeat and amused that he has made it this far:

"And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing...

To think, I did all that, and may I say, not in a shy way

Oh no, oh no not me, I did it my way"

Frank Sinatra's 1969 album My Way, "My Way" was at first a modest hit for Sinatra in the United States, reaching number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in spring and early summer 1969. However it fared better on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching number 2.

In the United Kingdom, "My Way" was a more immediate hit, reaching number 5 on the UK Singles Chart in Spring 1969 and becoming the year's best-selling single there. Remarkably, the Sinatra "My Way" then re-entered the singles chart six more times during 1970 and 1971, achieving placements between numbers 18 and 39.

In all this "My Way" holds the UK Singles Chart record for most total weeks on the chart, across all these runs.Even beyond chart performance, Sinatra's recording of "My Way" had staying power, and soon became the signature song for the latter stage of his career, even though according to his daughter Tina, "he always thought that song was self-serving and self-indulgent."[1] It was the closing number on his 1974 concert document The Main Event - Live and is also featured as the penultimate song on his Live from Las Vegas 1986 performance. A DVD of a 1978 Vegas performance of it is included in the Sinatra: Vegas collection.

Sinatra also duetted the song with two performers in the last years before his death: Luciano Pavarotti (released on the album Sinatra 80th: Live In Concert) and Willie Nelson (recorded for the Duets series in the mid-1990s but not released until 2005 in the Collector's Edition Set). Both recordings use the same Sinatra vocal and instrumental track.

The streaming video tutorial can be viewed at address:http://www.bithear.com/index.php/Piano-Tutorials/My-Way.html

Starting from 12 years old studying in Yamaha Music Foundation majoring Electone music instrument and finished after 5 years, I directly moved on intermediate level in piano instruments to learn more about classic, pop, and jazz.

I began my first international concert in Auckland, New Zealand in front of Governor of Auckland in January 1992 as participant from Indonesia in International Festival of Genuine Culture Exchage - Rotorua, New Zealand. I played many traditional music instruments from Indonesia like Angklung, Calung, and Seruling before finally got on stage to play Indonesia's traditional songs in Piano.

Website: http://www.bithear.com

// posted by lhtbx @ 11:33 PM 0 comments

Every once in awhile an advertiser will hit on just the right combination of music and video to make a great commercial. (I would say "TV" commercial but that is simply not the case anymore!)

And some of the best of the most recent in this group are using the music from 20-40 years ago. The Jeep Liberty commercial featuring computer-generated wild-life singing Andy Kim's (remember him?) 1974 #1 hit, "Rock Me Gently," is one example.

There's an NBA commercial that utilizes 1970's "Let's Work Together" by the iconic LA blues-rock band Canned Heat. It works. (Interestingly, "Let's Work Together" was written by Wilbert Harrison who himself made a hit by covering someone else's song. He went to #1 in 1959 with Leiber and Stoller's blues classic "Kansas City.")

One of the coolest of all is the Honda Accord commercial that prominently features the ELO 1981 hit, "Hold On Tight to Your Dream."

In this particular case, I think the piece is made more effective by the timing. This is an election year. There's a lot of "Dream Talk" out there. At any rate, the Jeff Lynne (Traveling Wilburys)- penned uplifting song is great, as was the band, Electric Light Orchestra. Very cool old sound.

Music from the 60s, 70s and 80s will get more and more use as an advertising vehicle, as companies see the positive impact these musical memories make on the public.

The music from the 60s, 70s and 80s was largely about GROWING, about making the world a better place. We wanted to teach the world to sing, "in perfect harmony."

Dream talk is on the rise. Music that emboldens our dreams is what we want to hear. That's what I'm playing. What are you playing?

DA Jack Hayford is the editor of the popular music reference website, Events-in-Music.com which features a special section on #1 Songs. Mr. Hayford is also the Program Director and co-founder of DurangoSong.com the online home of the ten-plus-year old Durango Songwriters Expo, a premier annual educational and inspirational event for aspiring songwriters.

// posted by lhtbx @ 10:51 PM 0 comments

The gong is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. Archaeologists have unearthed gongs built almost four thousand years ago. No wonder when we hear a gong we feel like we are being touched in our soul.

The earliest written mention of the gong was in China in the 6th century. In these ancient documents the Chinese claim that another culture from Central Asia introduced it to them. While we cant be certain which culture created the gong, its safe to say the sound resonated with the Chinese and that they made the gong their own.

The Chinese used gongs for many ceremonial functions. They were struck to announce when the Emperor or other important political and religious figures arrived. Military leaders also used gongs to gather men together for battle.

The gong and its music then migrated from China to Java -- the term gong is actually Javanese in origin -- and became established in Indonesia by the 9th century.

The Javanese made their gongs in a new way that was much different from the large flat Chinese gongs; they used deep turned-down rims with a raised knob in the center. The Indonesians also developed a style of playing many of their gongs at once, in a percussion orchestra known as a gamelan. In gamelan, the gongs are usually different sizes, with each one tuned to a different specific pitch.

Gongs migrated slowly from Asia to Africa - they didnt have the Internet and airplanes to speed things along back then -- and finally arrived in Europe in the eighteenth century.

The style of gong that Europeans first saw and heard was the big Chinese gong of indefinite pitch that you have probably seen in the back of orchestras.

Though now a regular part of the percussion section in Western orchestras, the first symphony to include one was Mirabeau, written by the French composer Francois Gossec, in 1791. Debussy became the first major composer to incorporate the sounds into his symphonies.

Andrew Borakove is a media writer and a gong aficionado. He is also the proprietor of Gongs Unlimited, the only internet store devoted solely to gongs. http://www.gongs-unlimited.com

// posted by lhtbx @ 10:44 PM 0 comments

Review of Shure M44-7 Cartridge

I first bought this stylus a few years ago when I started scratching. My poor technique meant that the needle kept jumping out of the groove. Plus all the scratching meant that I was burning through my records pretty fast. So I went down to my local DJ store and was recommended the Shure M44-& Cartridge.

After taking it home and getting it out of its package, my first impressions was that it was very oddly shaped. I had never seen a cart like this - it looked like a little plastic brick. The cart's shape somewhat effected the installation process - I had to use different screws to attach it to the tone arm. But this wasn't a big deal as these longer screws were included.

After I had them hooked up I dropped a record on the turntable and gave the Shure a try. I noticed the difference immediately noticed the difference. The needle stayed in the groove despite my heavy handed scratching. It seemed glued in there. It performs so well that DJs are bound to get worried about record wear. But that is not a concern with these carts! The tracking force is exceptionally low and that translates into less damage over time to your vinyl.

In addition to handling great, these carts also sound awesome! They seem to sound best with hip hop - the bass is boosted a little bit. Overall they are very clear and capable of getting really loud.

Shure also makes another model - the Shure M44G - that looks identical to the Shure M44-7. I had been confused by this when I first bought my Shures because the guy at the DJ store wasn't able to tell me the difference. But the difference between these is that the M44G has a more balanced output. This means that the lows are accentuated like with the M44-7s and therefore this is the needle you are going to want if you are playing electronic music like trance or house. The M44G does give up a little of the M44-&s tracking force, but it still handles great.

All in all, you can't go wrong with this product. In fact, the instructions for Serato's Scratch Live program state that it will perform optimally with either of these Shure cartridges.

Adam Miles has been DJing for over a decade and is interested in helping others learn more about becoming a DJ. Come stop by his website at http://www.djauctions.net to read more in depth tutorials, equipment reviews and to ask questions in the forum.

// posted by lhtbx @ 10:01 PM 0 comments

You've all heard the expression "play piano by ear" right? This refers to a musician's ability to pick out a tune, harmonize it, and figure out the rest of the song along the way.

A great skill to have no doubt. But, just having the ability to play by ear won't help you create your own music. Why? Because you still have to be able to improvise freely - a skill that is quite different than just picking out tunes on the piano.

Playing by ear assumes that you want to learn how to play other peoples music. Guitarists do this all the time. They'll sit around in front of the stereo strumming along to their favorite songs trying to figure out the chord changes.

Eventually they get it and can play these songs. Pretty impressive right?

But what if this same guitar player took these chords and relied on the heart instead of the ear to guide him? What if this guitarist decided not to try and imitate or copy what they "heard" on the radio and instead took those same chords and created something new and original? That's playing by heart!

It's very hard for most of us to trust our own intuitions. We're constantly being told we're not good enough, or not ready, but by trusting your own intuitive mind first, you leap from way ahead of those who can only copy or imitate. You learn that there is another way of playing. A way where copying is not necessary and only serves to slow down creativity.

Look, there's nothing wrong with learning from those you love, but at some point, you're going to want to create something on your own. And unless you've exercised your intuition a little, you're going to have a hard time "coming up" with something. But, if we start out by trusting our own hearts and ourselves, we can quickly bypass this "copying" and launch directly into our own unique creations!

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. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

// posted by lhtbx @ 9:55 PM 0 comments

In her book "Writing Down the Bones" Natalie Goldberg talks about writing practice. It's an exercise where you sit down and just write without editing what comes out of you. This is also a good idea for musicians to do.

She'll have her student's do timed writing exercises, i.e., you sit down and write for 20 minutes non-stop. Your job is not to critique the writing but enter into it like a meditation.

The whole purpose of this is to get to a place where you are not thinking - you are feeling. This is the realm of true artistic expression and can be reached by anyone if they learn to let go of self-judgement and instead, focus on the process of creating.

The most fun I have is when I let go and just let the music take over. It's only at these times that I'll write something down that resonates within me and develop it into something later - which is not to say that it is not something already.

In Tibet, the monks have a tradition of creating elaborate artworks out of sand. They may work months on completing it. Then when they feel it is done, they will destroy it. A nice way to keep things in perspective.

They realize that the creating was what was most important, not the beauty of the finished product.

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. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

// posted by lhtbx @ 9:12 PM 0 comments

There are a number of websites that offer free and paid audio and video rock music downloads. Artistdirect.com was launched in 1994, and soon became one of the most popular online music destinations. Today, Artistdirect.com, Inc. operates the Artistdirect.com network, which averages 13 million visitors and 272 million page views per month. It offers free audio and video streams and downloads, up-to-the-minute music news, an online store, ringtones, ticket sales, album reviews and more. The section on Rock Music features various sub-genres including 1950's Rock, 1960's Rock, 1970's Rock, 1980's Rock, 1990's Rock, 2000's Rock, British Invasion, British Metal, British Psychedelia, Death Metal, Folk Rock, Freakbeat, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Hair Metal, Jam Bands, Kraut Rock, Mod Revival, Neo-Psychedelia, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Proto Punk, Psychedelic Rock, Pub Rock, Rap Metal, Rockabilly, Skiffle, Soft Rock, Southern Rock, and Speed Metal.

The sectionz.com network is a rock music aficionados destination to download rock music on the Internet. The website provides an exciting network for rock music fans and musicians to share their music, learn from their peers, and listen to the works from a number of artists. This is geared more towards aspiring rock musicians rather than rock fans.

The Yahoo! Music Engine can be downloaded on to a personal computer in less than a minute on a broadband connection. Thereafter, rock music fans can import music from their desktop or CDs; the system will identify and import files. Listen to your own collection or choose from a number of radio stations. Buy downloads and share song samples with friends. Else, transfer downloads to portable devices. System Requirements include Microsoft Windows XP or 2000; Internet Explorer 6.0+; Windows Media Player 9.0 or higher; Pentium III 300 MHz processor; 128MB RAM; and Broadband connection for streaming and buying music.

Rock Music provides detailed information on Rock Music, Rock Sheet Music, Rock Music Code, Download Rock Music and more. Rock Music is affiliated with Musical Instrument Stores.

// posted by lhtbx @ 9:06 PM 0 comments

I remember eight years ago when I first decided to get fully involved in DJing. There were a
number of things that were going through my head at the time. A few concerns and thoughts
were things like... "How do I raise cash for this hobby?", "How am I going to learn how to
use the equipment?", "How will I promote myself as a DJ?" etc etc... In this article I want
to talk about 3 tips for the DJ beginner and what they need to know to succeed as a DJ.

So lets talk about the these tips and what they can do for you to make it to the top.

Tip 1. Have a broad knowledge of music!

This is especially true if you are looking to get work outside of a particular niche and go
all out universal. By going Universal, you have more opportunities for work in different
areas whether its DJing at weddings, 21st birthday parties, Product launch events or
whatever! I'm not saying you have to pick up on this point, its just good to have a broad
knowledge of music.

Tip 2. Identify an image for yourself

What I mean by this is create a brand for yourself. Create an image that reflects your music.
The more you can do this the more sell able you make yourself and the more professional you
will present yourself in front of music promoters, record labels etc. You wont be consider as
the average Joe DJ that comes in and plays music. Branding yourself with create buzz and
professionalism for you.

Tip 3. Don't stay out to late.

It is very common these days for DJ's in certain niches of music to stay out late after they have done their job in the club. This is especially true for DJ's who play in the dance music genre. It is all too easy for a DJ to find themselves approached by someone inviting them back to an after party. If you do this you will end up burning yourself out very quickly and this will have a damaging effect on you. So its advised to take this tip seriously if you are a beginner DJ. Believe me, experience has taught me so!

These are just a few tips I wanted to share with you if you are a beginner DJ. I hope you take these into account.

Yo DJ...Are you a beginner DJ? Want to learn skills like scratching mixing etc? Tired of searching the net for tutorials that give away limited info? Want to learn from a proven method that has helped hundreds if not thousands of beginner/intermediate DJs? Then please visit DJ Beginner, or visit http://www.musicinstrumentreview.info

// posted by lhtbx @ 8:24 PM 0 comments

One of the most challenging tasks facing any guitarist is selecting the right electric guitar for their musical needs. Whether you are young or old, a beginner or a master musician, there is no sound in the world like a finely tuned electric guitar. The thing is that it can be overwhelmingly difficult to choose the right guitar.

The basic construction for a guitar is the same for almost all of the different types of guitars. All electric guitars are comprised of the same parts: a body, a neck, a head stock piece, electrical pickups and a bridge.

Unlike an acoustic guitar, electrical guitars require an amplifier to broadcast the guitar's sound. The sound for an electric guitar is generated when a musician plucks the strings and the vibration of the strings is transmitted through the pick-ups to the amplifier.

Now, there are two very important considerations when purchasing the perfect electrical guitar: price and sound.

Electrical guitars can be priced as low as ninety-nine dollars all the way up to twenty thousand dollars, so knowing your budget is crucial. A beginning guitarist should look for starter kits that will include a guitar, amplifier and some instruction books.

Electric guitars are divided into four different categories: Acoustic-Electric, Electric, Hollow Body Electric and Steel Electric and each one is designed to generate a different sound.

Acoustic-electric guitars are acoustic guitars with pick-ups installed so that they can be wired into an amplifier or a public address system. These are some of the most popular types of guitars for touring bands as they are well built and last a long time.

An electric guitar is typically made of a solid wood body and sound is only generated through the pick-up system. An amplifier is required to increase or decrease volume. These are the most popular models of guitars for beginning enthusiasts and prices can range from $99 and up. Most manufacturers like Fender and Gibson have beginner electrical guitar kits that come with a guitar, an amplifier and training manuals to get started.

A hollow body electric guitar is constructed in the same way as a traditional electric guitar with one exception. A hollow-body guitar has 2 chambers cut out of the body. The end result is that the guitar generates additional sonic resonances because of the chambers and delivers a completely unique sound. These guitars are most often played by Jazz enthusiasts and are available in many different sizes and tones.

The last type of electrical guitar is the steel guitar. Steel guitars are so different in design from traditional guitars that it requires many years of specialized training to learn to play them properly. The steel guitar was made famous by Jeff Healey and is played on its back as opposed to being strung around the player's neck. The strings are often elevated above the fret board and allow for the use of a 'tone bar'. A tone bar is a cylindrical tube that is worn over the middle finger of the fret hand, and provides the classical steel guitar 'whine'. The steel guitar is most often used with country and western style music.

Regardless of whether you are looking to purchase an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar it is always advisable that you research thoroughly. Speak with employees of guitar shops and test every guitar you may be buying. Search the internet to decipher between the different manufacturers and models available until you are certain you have found the electric guitar of your dreams and then buy it!

If you're considering buying an electric guitar, then have a look at the esteban electric guitar To learn more, visit our as seen on tv music site.

Copyright 2007. You may reprint this article on your site provided you include author's resource box and active links.

// posted by lhtbx @ 8:18 PM 0 comments

Why it is hard to read guitar sheet music

One reason why it is difficult for many guitarists to read sheet music is that you can find the same note on different strings. It is pretty easy to master the notes on the first four frets on your guitar but when you reach the fifth fret you have to decide on which string you are to play a note and you also have to find the fret. Another reason is that many guitarists look at the fretboard continually in order to put down their fingers on the right fret.

Is a good ear your enemy?

Pupils with a good ear, like myself when I was a beginning guitar student, can develop strategies to find notes without really learning the exact position on the fretboard. One strategy is to listen your way around until you will find the right note on another string. This strategy will of course work but you will not develop your sight reading skills. A good ear is an asset but nevertheless you will have to make a conscious effort to learn the fretboard in order to be able to find the notes automatically when looking at the sheet music.

How to avoid looking at the fretboard

One reason for always looking at the fretboard is that you are used to it. The remedy for this is of course to practice reading the sheet music without looking at the fretboard. Practice this skill with easy pieces in the first position and pay attention to correct fingering which will help you finding your notes without looking.

Do you learn to sight read when you sightread?

When you practice sight reading you have to be aware of the fact that you cannot use the same piece of sheet music many times, maybe just once, else you are just kidding yourself. After having practiced on a piece of music it is of no use for developing sightreading skills anymore. You need new fresh material to work on. Play a lot of easy pieces that you can play accurately the first time without looking at your fingers.

Hopefully you will find these easy tips helpful when making the effort to become a better sight reader.

Peter Edvinsson is a guitarist, pianist, composer and educator. He is also the proud owner of the website Capotasto Music with free sheet music, tablature and learn to play resources for musicians and music students. http://www.capotastomusic.com

// posted by lhtbx @ 7:34 PM 0 comments