Promote Your Music Band Yourself By Increasing MySpace Plays And Get More Fans, Gigs, And Get Signed

by Clive Calvin

Having a consistent and deliberate music promotional and marketing campaign is probably the most important thing you can do to increase the odds of your band or artist being recognized and successful.

Myspace music promotion and online music marketing is the key to any band and artists success. If your looking to promote your band or artist and get your Myspace music player to have a higher song play count and major label type music promotion you have many more opportunities available today than could of been imagined just a few years ago.

Increase your myspace song plays and views using a do it yourself Myspace Plays increaser software to have total control of your music promotion for your band or artist.

If you're an artist or band, music promotion is a area of you must focus on. 

Creating great music is crucial, but the music business is just that... a "business". The competion for potential fans is greater today than ever before. Promotion is the key to the success of any aspiring artist or band. 

Talent will get you noticed, but promotion is what sells CD's, digital downloads, gets you loyal fans and gets people to your shows. 

Hiring a professional promoter can help jump-start your career. There are also services like TuneBoom Pro that will handle certain key areas such as Myspace Promotion. This is perfect as you might find taking care of your own promotion does not leave you enough time to actually be the artist. And for those that do have the time they even offer software to help you do it yourself.

Whether you use a myspace plays and views increaser software or a service to do it for you make sure that they have many "promotion packages" for aspiring indie artists and also experience working with many major artist's, labels and managers. 

if you've already recorded your music and offer your music as a digital download or CD, and if you're ready to perform live on a regular basis it is crucial that you take a proactive role in your music promotion. Use them to increase and get more myspace music and video plays and promote your page so new fans will find you.

How do you get exposure to the largest audience on a reasonable budget? Myspace music promotion is the most effective tool a band can use to get a viral buzz started. By building up your Fans/Friends and having a active Myspace music player you will have a greater chance of getting noticed and standing out from the crowd.

It is important that potential fans and important music executives and venue booking agents do not come to your page and see a low myspace music player play count or they will get the impression that you do not have many fans and that you are not marketable.

Also make sure to keep all your fans informed of your performance schedule and other band info by using the "bulletin" feature and the section to post your upcoming shows. 

This is a exciting time for the indie artist and band. You now have the exact same tools available to you that the todays top artist and major labels use..In fact by using TuneBoom Pro you are using the same service and company they use and they also offer new affordable promotional packages.

Get your artist and band noticed now by using these exciting proven promotional strategies and packages.

Things to look for in any myspace music plays and views increaser software or music promotional service include get myspace plays, get more plays, myspace music player, Increase myspace music plays, increase myspace plays, myspace friend adder, increase myspace plays, Band Promotion, Myspace Promotion, Promote my band, myspace mp3 increase, mp3 plays, Boost Myspace music plays, Get more Play.

If you focus on achieving all the above you will have a strong opportunity to get more fans to notice you as well and venues to book you and important music executives and insiders. If your looking to get attention and get noticed and signed by a record label these strategies are your tools to getting you to stand out.

About the Author:

Clive Calvin and Comnexis has just published a brand new book by a famous music executive directly involved in over 653 Platinum Records! Everything needed to succeed is here. Learn EXACTLY the same strategies used by Todays Top Superstars at:

http://TuneBoomPro.com

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Tips on Buying Music Gear for Home Studios

by Victor Epand

Owning your recording studio at your home is an added advantage when you are a composer. But it is a challenge for getting the right kind of unit to sustain for a longer period of time and save money in the long run. Getting yourself an outdated system can not be worthwhile and reasonable. You cannot work for long with such system. This can cause you to spend more again and again. You should know what you want and get the compatible devices. Here you can find some of the basic tips on buying music gear that can guide you to assure the best results and save you from unnecessary expenditure. 

First of all you need to decide what kind of studio you want. There is a pro studio ideal for recording full bands. This kind of studio can deliver CD master recordings. The other is a project studio, which generally supports recording electronic synths, samplers and maybe a few live players when needed. The quality level meets TV and film standards. 

Another form of studio is the home MIDI electronica mainly software studio with at least one or two mics. It could also be a demo or a song writing studio with mics or even just a little hobby studio, or just want to make music studio. All the above mentioned options can be accomplished but there are certain things you also need to look into really carefully before buying music gear. 

Avoid buying the same feature over and over again on different pieces of music gear. You may only end up otherwise having a number of preamps, samplers and recorders that you cannot use and they are just an additional expenditure. 

Do not buy Cubase and Sonar and try to get them to work together. Or get Sound Forge and Sonar, as these applications will not work at all on a Mac. Therefore, it is advisable to be well versed with the music gear before purchasing them. 

Roland MV8800

The recorder you choose be it a multi track, computer sequencer, or MPC 4000 and MV8800 are the most far reaching decision you can make. But, you have to consider that choice carefully. It is advisable to learn one form and master it, and then you can resort considering buying them.

There are stores that offer 30 days return policy on music gear. This can also be a great idea that makes it real easy for you. Get it for trial and when you find it is perfect for you then only you can opt to buy. 

Many people face a lot of difficulties with the software they buy because they do not understand or misread the recommended requirements to run the software. Never buy software if you cannot meet the stated requirements.

When buying a music gear try to stick to the companies that are supremely focused on your computer platform, your operating system and in some cases your motherboard and your CPU. Some soundcard drivers may refuse to work well with some chipsets on some motherboards.

Do a thorough research before buying music gear. Ask questions from your dealer or you will end up spending extra for your digital mixer. Therefore, the price of a piece of gear, which is at a lower price, may mean spending another extra dollars to make it work. 

Always buy the latest music gear to avoid future expenditure. Buy the cheaper or a secondary music gear now, and then it will be outdated in some years and you will have to buy the new one and this will cause unnecessary expenditure. It is best to wait a year or two after the release and then buy the finished, mature, stable products. Features may look good on paper but may not sound good in music. If you buy cheap music gear you may just end up buying again. 

Besides the above mentioned tips of buying music gear, there are other variables you need to look into, like the cost of service, the upgrades, software and many more. Above all, the bottom line is the sound that should be your prime concern. Focus on the sound coming out of the speakers. Great sound never goes out of style.

About the Author:

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for music gear, speakers, and microphones. You can find the best marketplace for music gear, speakers, and microphones at these 3 sites: music gear, music equipment, studio music gear, Sonar, speakers, and laser microphones, parabolic microphone.

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Basic Gear for Recording Music

by Victor Epand

There are various gear for recording music. One type of gear operates and affects the ultimate music quality in one way, and the other in a completely different way. To create and compose excellent music with high quality receptive sound, you need to know the details of these various types of gear.

Multitrack recorders can be analog cassette tapes. It can record multiple tracks at a very limited amount of space and number of possible tracks. These are usually the cheapest multitrack recorders. Another is the Digital tape. These are removable digital tapes similar to Zip and Jazz Drives. Then there is the Hard Disk. The multitracker is a form of a hard drive of a computer, which will enable you to store much more work than a tape. Some hard drives can also be upgraded at memory and they are removable.

Another is the Removable Disk. They are removable analog disks that can store more information than cassettes. The disk is usually specific to the manufacturer. The other is the CD, which includes TASCAM CC 22MKIII, a Pro CD recorder with MP3 playback and ROLAND CD 2, an audio recorder that can record sound onto Compact Flash and CD burner. 

Microphone is the most important gear for recoding music. The utility value of your microphone depends on two factors, one is the quality and the other is the consistency. Consistency is important, as psychological factors are so great in the perception of sound and because eventual usages of your sound resources may result in arbitrary segments played in juxtaposition. 

Studio monitor, also known as the reference monitor, is one of the gear for recording music. There are loudspeakers specially designed for music production of the source material. They generally attempt to paint an accurate audio image of the material with no unnatural emphasis or de emphasis of a particular frequency.

Mixer is another gear for recording music. This is an audio device with one or more lines. It may be an electronic or mechanical instrument. An electronic mixer device mixes signals. It also offers frequency mixers, a telecommunications device used to alter the carrier frequency of a signal. It supports audio mixing console, an electronic device for combining, routing and changing the level of tone or dynamics of two or more audio signals. It can also combine 15 or more video signals. It offers mode mixer, a telecommunications device for handling signals on optical fibers.

Audio interface with in and out configuration, complete with preamps, is one of the perfect gear for music recording. It offers routing of discrete output to a mixer or directly driving it to a surround sound system. 

Studio Signal Processor is another gear for music recording. An audio signal processing is the processing of a representation of auditory signals or sound. The representation can be digital or analog. An analog representation is usually electrical and the voltage level represents the air pressure waveform of the sound. Whereas a digital signal representation expresses the pressure waveform as a sequence of symbols, usually binary numbers, which permit digital signal processing. The processing methods and application areas include storage, level compression, data compression, transmission, enhancement for example equalization, filtering, noise cancellation, echo or reverb removal or addition and many more.

The above mentioned gears for recording music are some of the basic necessities that makes a complete recording unit and added to that there are few other accessories such as bag and cases, cables, headphones, and many more.

About the Author:

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for music gear, speakers, and microphones. You can find the best marketplace for music gear, speakers, and microphones at these 3 sites: music gear, music equipment, multitrack recorder, Mixer, speakers, and laser microphones, parabolic microphone.

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How To Make Hip Hop Beats - Use These 5 Top Tips To Get Started

By: Ty Peters

If you've always wanted to learn how to make hip hop beats, don't be put off just because it can sometimes be frustrating. It's the same whenever you learn something new. The good news is that it can also be extremely fun and rewarding if you go about it the right way. To help make things go that little bit more smoothly, we've put together five top tips on how to get going with making your own beats.

1. Pick A Style: Firstly, you'll need to think about the kind of style of music you'd like to make. This can be just about anything, as long as you feel strongly about it. When you've chosen a style, start to listen to it as much as possible and you'll start to unconsciously learn more about what this style requires, and what you'd like to create when you start making your own music.
2. Getting Your Song Ready: You'll then need to choose a song and an artist that you want to create beats for. Knowing how to make hip hop beats properly means learning how to order the song the way you want it, placing the verses and choruses the way that you think works best. You'll probably have a better feel for this after listening to other songs in step 1.
   
3. Start Creating the Beat: Now you'll want to start adding the beat to your song. The drums are a very important foundation, and the best place to start. You'll want to make sure they are strong and steady. Now just keep adding what you need so that you build it up to exactly the way you want it to sound.
   
4. Getting It Right: This is probably the hardest stage. You'll need to layer your beat, and pan the instruments to make sure that the sound is just right. Take your time, listen carefully and you'll get the result that you're after. When you mix your beat, make sure you get the volume right but never distort the sound.
   
5. Getting Your Beat Heard: Now you've done all the hard work it's time to get your beat out there! Put it on CD or on the web and get other people to hear it!
   

These are the five basic steps you'll need to master on your quest of how to make hip hop beats. Of course it takes a lot of practice, but if you make sure you listen carefully you'll do well to create the beats you really want.

Author Resource:-> Have you always wanted to know how to make your own music but are feeling overwhelmed about how expensive the gadgets are? The good news is that it's now easier than ever to make beats online, which is a really inexpensive way to still make the great sounding beats you want to!

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Acknowledging the Development of Rock Music

Author: Stewart Johnston

Rock music is a kind of music (music genres) that began to be popular in the mid 50s. Its root was derived from rhythm and blues, country music from the 40s and 50s as well as the other various influences. Furthermore, It also took a variety of other musical styles, including folk music (folk music), jazz and classic music.

The distinctive sound of this music often revolved around the electric guitar or acoustic guitar, and the use of a very subtle back beat in the rhythm section on electric bass guitar and drums, and keyboards like organ, piano or synthesizers since the 70s. Besides the guitar or keyboard, saxophone and blues-style harmonica were sometimes used as a solo instrument. In its pure form, the rock music had three chords, a consistent and striking back-beat, and attractive melody.

In the late 60s and early 70s, it evolved into several types. Rock music that mixed with the folk music (local music in the U.S.) became folk rock, the music that mixed with blues became blues-rock and the one that mixed with jazz became a jazz-rock fusion.

In the 70s, rock combined the influence of soul, funk, and Latin music. Also in 70s, rock evolved into various sub-genres (sub-categories), such as soft rock, glam rock, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock, and punk rock. The sub-categories of rock that were popular in the 80s were the New Wave, a hardcore punk, and alternative rock. In the 90s, there was grunge, Britpop, indie rock and nu metal.

A group of musicians who specialize in playing this music is called rock band or rock group. Many rock groups consist of guitar player, lead singer, bass guitar player, and drummer. In this case, they form a quartet.

Some rock groups take one or two positions above or use the main singer as a music player in addition to singing. In this case, they form a duo or trio. Another group has additional musicians like two rhythm guitars or a keyboardist. Somewhat less frequently, the rock group uses stringed musical instruments such as violin, cello or blower, such as saxophones, trumpet or trombones.

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Easy Guitar Lessons: Chord Structure

Author: Oguz

A technical familiarity of harmony is not a certain prerequisite to the enjoyment of music, but the amateur musician, and listener alike, should be conscious of harmony as a basic of guitar chord structure.  He should be aware of some basic principles, properties and uses of this element, while learning how to play guitar.

Harmony as an element is more seasoned than rhythm and melody.  It is virtually non-existent in old cultures.  Moreover, it is an element which came into view comparatively late in the music history, and which was developed primarily in western civilization.

Harmony is a musical element  established upon the concurred union of musical tones (as differentiated from the sequential tones of a melody), or the accompaniment of a melody by chords.

A combination of three or more tones played concurrently and perceived as sounding as a whole is called a chord.

C-major scale

A few fundamental principles can help you understand the basics of routine building of chords. The simple one is the major triad, which includes three tones.  You can build a triad by choosing the tonic of a certain major scale and by adding two or more tones above it on alternate degrees of the said scale. For example, if we start with the tone C/do the tonic of the C-major scale, you get the triad do-mi­-sol, 1-3-5, or C-E-G.

The tones of any chord maybe picked out in different order, and they maybe duplicated an octave above or below without changing the essential nature of the chord. This is the reason why so often we see chords such as C/E, (the first inversion of the C major triad using the chord tone E as the bass) or C/G (the second inversion of the C major triad where the tone G is used as the bass).

Constructing chords in thirds (on alternate scale levels as delineated) was the foundation of all conventional harmony from 1700-1900.

In the twentieth century impotant music composers have grown larger the chord vocabulary by extra means of building in order to create more enjoyable and compound  effects.  Although additional means of construction have been introduced, modern pop, rock and jazz music still follow the conventional way of chord construction – by thirds.

Going back to the major chord, you may be  wondering why there are lots of fingering for a given major chord. This is possible since in the 12 frets of the guitar, the notes are repeated in increasing octaves, at their corresponding string.  C, for example, it  is on the first fret at the B string, third fret at the A string, fifth fret at the G string, and on the eighth fret at the E strings.

So conditional upon how the melody of the song is organized, the chord formation can assume any fingering position if the triad is formed and however it is played easily.

Minor Triad

Now that you have a knowledge on the major chord, let us look at its parallel counterpart, the minor chord.  If the third of the major triad is altered by lowering it to one semitone (one fret on the guitar and two frets for each whole tone), the resulting triad will be C-Eflat-G, which is the minor triad.

Take your time with the fret board of your guitar and investigate all the possible fingerings, for the minor chord. You may see that if comparing it with the major chord fingerings, only one string is lowered when forming the minor chord, not until there is a doubling of the minor third (Eflat).

If ever you are wondering why all the examples given here are on the C chord, well, it is now your turn to apply the lesson here.  Chart down the major and minor chord triads for the rest of the notes and … start playing guitar!

P.S.: I suggest you to use a learn guitar software to learn guitar fast and easily. Learning chords is very easy if you use a guitar learning software.

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Get A Clue: Becoming The Next Biggest Singer

by Corey Wilson

First off if you want to become a better singer you've got to, "get a clue." What I mean by that is you have to learn some basic information, then gradually increase your studies. My philosophy is if you want to be the next best anything you have to be equal to or greater than what is already out there.

Now, how do you expect me to do that? I'm glad you asked. You have to know what kind of singer you want to be for example; a mainstream performing artist, or an underground independent artist. With both mainstream, and underground you need some basic essentials.

Here are some examples of some of the things you may need. You may find that some of them are common sense, but some people need to understand that you can't get to far in the industry without them. For example; vocal training (regardless of your skill level), you need to study the business, take songwriting classes, get a manager, get a lawyer, start recording, and shop your music.

With mainstream artist after you've taken those basic steps everything depends on if the major labels want you or not. Now for an underground artist its a little different. After your lawyer copyrights your finished music for you, all you need to is duplicate it then distribute it. You can distribute it to mom and pop stores, or directly to your customers. You can also sell them at the shows your manager has set up for you.

Throughout everything you go through on your journey remember one thing, "don't let anyone tell you that you can't make it". Use people's negative comments as motivation to drive you to the next level. Also always critique yourself, you can even have listening parties to get feedback on how you are progressing. Remember this is a journey and if you are at ground level there will always be people that will try to put you down, but if you stay focused how can you lose. "I may not climb the whole mountain but I'll die with dirt under my fingernails."-- T.D. Jakes

About the Author:

If you want to get started today here's some information about vocal training. If your looking for related information about the music industry then visit my site for all your needs.

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The History Of Music: From Grunts To Guitars

by Alex Combs

Where did music begin, and where is it going? The answers are surprising. There is a modern movement leading humanity back to the music it first created tens of thousands of years ago. A conflicting movement is creating ever more complex sounds, and creating a world of smaller audiences for more musicians.

Before humanity could write, and even before they could speak, rhythm and single tones were used to communicate. The song of a bird may have inspired a prehistoric man to mimic and improve on the noise. Evidence of prehistoric music is sparse, since there was no language to describe the sound to descendants. Drumming objects and mimicking are considered to be the first "music". This continued with words being added as speech was discovered.

After the development of writing, music became more refined. Crafted instruments were added. Harmonies were created. Pipes, flutes, basic stringed instruments, and similar tools were used to create the first sounds that modern man could easily recognize as music. The oldest known song is over 4000 years old, written in cuneiform, and uses the diatonic scale. This period is referred to as "ancient" music.

Further developments created more regional sound, as different technology discoveries in different areas led to unique instruments. While "classical music" is generally assumed to be the sounds of composers like Bach or Beethoven, it actually refers to any music of this period. The music was usually religiously inspired or supported, and usually taught formally as a skill rather than developed through experimentation. As musical notation unified regionally, the composed masterworks of the area were generally performed according to the rigid written work.

Folk music continued soon after. This was generally the sound of the unlearned classes, those that could not write or read. Learned orally, this music was learned and modified time and time again to reflect the personal artistry of the performer. This type of music often portrayed the concerns of the illiterate class. It was usually not supported, but tolerated, but the government and religious leadership. The tradition of folk music still continues as a genre of music to this day throughout the world.

Classical music developed into a less rigid modern style of music, mixing with the concept of personal artistry from folk music. Performers would still use either written or learned pieces, but would add their personal touch. The music would sound different each time it was played, even when played by the same performer.

The invention of recorded music and radio began the slide backwards. Recorded music is very rigid. It never changes. Audiences began to expect live performances to be as close to the recorded music they have been listening to as possible. Sheet music allowed amatures to closely mimic the original performer. To appeal to a larger audience, music started to become less an expression of what the artist wanted to say, and more what the audience would pay to hear.

This trend continues today in the form of ever simplifying music. Music has to be quick and easy to identify. Complexity would lead to missed sales. Many modern styles forgo either the lyrics or the melody completely. Recycling previous music in the form of sampling gives an artist an instant audience, while limiting the artistry possible.

Fortunately, the Internet allows for any artists from any styles to combat the decline in music artistry. The low cost of entry makes it possible for almost anyone to gain an audience. The low cost also allows artists to perform what they wish, rather than pander to a larger audience. Hopefully, this will allow the trends in popular music to reverse, creating ever more artistic and unique music in the future.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The author, Alex Combs, is the webmaster of http://www.landoflyrics.com . This lyrics site allows visitors to reminisce about their favorite songs and soundtracks while discovering new sounds and ideas they may enjoy.

Software For Mixing Music

by: James Jackson

Have you ever dreamed of creating your own music, being your own producer, or becoming an excellent DJ? If your response to this question is an affirmative, you will need to get familiar with a handy music mixing software for your beat creation.

To become great at mixing music, I'd suggest you really take the time to work out how music mixing software works so that you can get the most out of whatever program you decide to use. The music mixing software is an exceptional tool for anyone who wants an easy way to cut and paste music from various sources to create a different sound An awesome music mixing software should also be able to mix the speed and tempo of two or more songs. More importantly, these things should be done without sacrificing the quality of the end product.

So how exactly do you use a music mixing software? The basic interface of any music mixing software should be self-explanatory no matter which brand you use. To start off you need to choose what audio files you want to mix together. Have an idea of what you want to play with before you start.

You will soon discover how to create a different sound that appeals to your audience more.

After you've decided on which songs to you, you will have to load these into the music mixing software so you can identify and fiddle with the different components of the songs. You can set the setting to zero initially so you can listen to each of the components of the song one by one.

When you've listened to the different components, the next step is to bring them together and listen to the way the sounds harmonize.

Find the main part of the track you chose and fix the settings for it so it can be your backdrop for the whole song Fiddle with the volume until you get to a point where you can hear the other sounds apart from the main track you selected. Keep trying it out until you get it just right. Soon enough, it will be clear to you that adjusting the tone, speed and tempo this way will result in the musical arrangement that suits your idea best.

After this, the real fun starts. You can share the new arrangement you came up with in the music mixing software with your friends and family so that they can tell you what they think of it. Depending on the feedback you receive, you can make any little changes that you feel are necessary.

Now, you can tell your friends all about your artistic experiments using the music mixing software!

Learn more at: http://makeyourbeatsonpc.com/software-for-mixing-music

About The Author James is a consultant specialized in music production software. Take a visit to his site to read reviews and catch useful hints as: http://makeyourbeatsonpc.com/software-for-mixing-music

Promoting Your Music Online: Unsigned bands finding new ways of reaching their public

by nathan hallford

With the recent rise of groups in the UK such as Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire, the internet is proving its worth more and more in the music industry. As traditional formats decline in use, the internet is providing independent musicians with a myriad of possibilities for promoting their music. Indeed, unsigned bands can reach their audiences without needing a record label.

Arcade Fire

Emerging artists used to spend most of their time down at the post office, licking envelopes, sending off cassettes and making further copies of their cassettes. Looking back, it seemed like the dark ages. Today’s indie music scene sees many bands sat at their computer screens, looking for new ways to promote their music. The emergence of several top bands over the last few months thanks to the Internet is proof that the cream will always rise to the top, and using the net, they have every chance of doing so.

Almost all artists have band pages nowadays. In fact, it seems to be the first step on the way to internet recognition. A band page will commonly feature a news page, a separate page for downloading music for free, a photos page, and a contact page. These band pages are, in effect, business cards for musicians. The website receives promotion on various music websites and forums, and the band can create their own image through web branding.

The majority of band pages are very simple. Some carry an internet radio feature on the home page, others allow you to simply download the music in mp3 format, others have lyrics and features on the group, but the intention is always the same: to get people to listen to the group's music.

However, the limitation to a band page is that unless the band promotes itself through other means, i.e. through forums, internet radio stations, flyers at concerts, etc., the website will receive very few visitors.

Internet radio is becoming more and more popular. Sites like www.bluebeamradio.com function largely thanks to emerging artists who wish to promote their music, creating a partnership that brings a community of musicians together. By allowing groups to register for free and to post their mp3s, these radio stations are becoming an essential stop for new bands and independent musicians wishing to create a buzz about themselves.

The idea is catching on. Many listeners want to listen to one particular genre, and are frustrated at mainstream radio offerings. By finding an internet radio station that fits their needs, they are introduced to new bands.

New bands, in return, are being given an audience that has already decided which genre they want to listen to, and internet radio stations like Blue Beam Radio, for example, offer the top-rated bands prizes, such as a concert in New York. The potential to be heard is enormous; it simply requires time in front of the computer!

So while internet radio stations offer streaming music, people will always want to download music for free online. While the music industry is clearly unhappy about free downloads of mp3s or other music formats, listeners will always find ways of sharing their music, it seems. Emerging artists are today taking advantage of that by scouring the internet for sites that offer free music downloads, and literally giving their music away.

The disadvantage to this is that most people will not automatically download online music from a group that they do not know. Almost all sites that offer free music for download operate using a search engine, and users search directly for a group. However, word of mouth on the internet means that when a band is being talked about, people will actually search for that particular band. The best example of this, as mentioned at the top of this article, is the Arctic Monkeys.

Hailing from Sheffield in the UK, the Arctic Monkeys’ success is due entirely to word of mouth on the internet. Their music is pure indie. Raw, punky, and blessed with no shortage of attitude, the buzz around the Arctic Monkeys started on blogs, and started to snowball. They were offering free mp3 downloads via their own website, which was a very basic portal including downloads, photos, future concerts and latest news.

Once the buzz started growing into a shout, their music was available on internet radio stations, music download sites, blogs linked to blogs linked to blogs... very soon, they became the first band to reach number 1 in the UK through internet downloads!

What started off as a music curiosity became a music event. The band were soon appearing on national television, and even on the news, as their album sold more copies on its first day of release than the first releases of Oasis or The Beatles.

What happened in Sheffield can happen anywhere in the world. The internet has brought bands and listeners together at an international level - the rap artist at his home in Seattle can reach the rap fan at his home in Singapore, the independent musician in New York can reach the indie fan in York… but it is also interesting how communities are forming at a local level.

The internet is providing emerging artists with opportunities to create a buzz around their latest concerts, generating an audience that would previously have taken a great deal of legwork to gather. Through mailing lists, online flyers, blog and forum entries, a music event can be publicised many ways. The more innovative a group becomes, the more chance it has of reaching its public.

Local music forums have popped up all around the world. Indie bands will always look for a solid local fan base, and it is thanks to the internet forum that they have found this. Using their forum post signature to promote their website, these bands post flyers, concert information and more, and even share information about how to find concerts, where to buy equipment, and recording techniques. When looking for a local community of listeners, indie bands can easily find local communities of bands who are doing the same thing.

While seemingly these bands rarely get the chance to meet each other unless they are playing a gig together, the internet gives them the opportunity to discuss and promote 24 hours a day.

In truth, the internet is simply offering an extension to the old “local scene” that existed before it. Indie music has grown over the last few years largely because of the adaptability of independent musicians to the internet, and because of their community spirit. While prior to the internet, a local music scene would have been limited to a handful of bands, today it is much easier for a group to break onto the local music scene, as long as they have a strong website, a strong image, and of course, good music.

And in the end, the essential truths of the music industry will always bear out. If you don’t have the music, you won’t make the grade. Listeners are canny people, and they will always filter out the good bands from the average bands, regardless of how good the website is, or how persistent the promotion is. However, as indie music flourishes, so do the best bands, and if they are on the right internet radio stations, if they can create the right buzz around themselves, and if they can reach their audience, emerging artists today have every chance not just of increasing their audiences, but of getting a contract with a record label.

source :  www.valuablecontent.com

Guitar Chords: How To Solo Over Chords With The Minor Pentatonic Scale

by John Bilderbeck

Soloing over guitar chords is easy when you know how to use the minor pentatonic scale. Add spice and power to your solo's with these simple but highly effective techniques.

The humble minor pentatonic scale is what most guitar players start with when learning to solo. Trouble is, they don't learn to use the scale to it's best potential.

Here, I'll show you an easy way to use the pentatonic scale to solo over the three most common guitar chord types: Major, minor and dominant 7th chords.

1. Major Chords

A Major chord always has a relative minor chord. The easy way to find the 'relative' minor of any major chord on a guitar is to take the note three half-steps (3 frets) below the root note of the major chord.

For example: a C major chord - the root note is C. On a guitar, the note 3 frets below a C note is A.

Therefore, A minor is the relative minor of C major.

So to solo over a C major chord, use the A minor pentatonic scale and you can't go wrong.

Another example: F major chord - three frets below the root of F, you will find D. So you use a D minor pentatonic scale over an F major chord.

Another example: G major chord - three frets below the G root note you'll find E. So... you use the E minor pentatonic to solo over a G chord.

Now, you may have noticed that I listed C, F and G major chords there. Coincidentally, They are the 1, 4 and 5 chords of the 'KEY' of C Major. This applies to all instruments, not just guitar.

More about this later...

2. Minor Chords

These are easy... just use the minor pentatonic of what ever the minor chord is. E.g. Use D minor pentatonic for a D minor chord, an E minor pentatonic for an E minor chord, an A minor pentatonic for an A minor Chord.

Now, did you notice I used D, E and A minor chords as the example? Did you also notice that these chords are the 2, 3 and 6 chords of the 'KEY' of C Major?

More about that later, too...

3. Dominant 7th Chords

You have a couple of choices here. But basically, you would use the relative minor pentatonic, or, the minor pentatonic a tone below the root of the dom7 chord.

For example, over G7, you could use either E minor pent (relative minor), or D min pentatonic.

The reason you could use the D minor pentatonic over a G7 chord is because the Dmi chord and G7 chord often go together in chord progressions. Forcing a Dmi sound over a G7 chord gives a G7sus sound.

4. Thinking From a KEY Perspective

OK, what we have looked at is the KEY of C Major.

Basically, you can use just the A minor pentatonic alone for ALL the chords in C, or you can also use the D and E minor pentatonics to add some color and more conformity to the chords being used at the time.

Remember, these principles apply to whatever chord you are playing at any time, but can also be applied on a KEY basis,which is a more encompassing picture.

The Key of C Major has these chords:

C, Dm, Em, F, G7, Am, Bmin7b5.

Ami pent can be used over them all, or just the C and Am chords.

D min pentatonic can be used over the F and Dm chords.

E minor can be used over the Em and G7 chords.

We didn't mention the 7 chord (Bmi7b5) because it's not used very much. But a good choice is the Dm pentatonic. In fact, though, you can use either of the three pentatonics from the C Major scale - Am, Dm or
Em. Try them, see which you like best.

I hope you enjoyed this article. You can find more information about guitar chords at my site: Free Guitar Chords

The idea of using pentatonics for different chords is a powerful one, don't overlook the cool sounds you can create with such a simple device.

Also, in a future article, I'll be discussing 'Pentatonic Substitution' where I'll show you how to use substitute and altered pentatonics for even more sound choices.


John Bilderbeck is a professional guitar teacher. His website shows beginner and intermediate players the importance of mastering the basics to slash learning time in half. Claim your free Pentatonic Guitar Magic eBook now by visiting Free Guitar Chords now.

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The Basics of Surround Sound

 by Warren Thompson

Whether you are an audio novice or an experienced technophile, this article is for you.  Let’s take a few minutes to review the basics of surround sound, and the principles behind it.  If you are new to surround sound, this will help you to understand the concept.  It will also refresh the memory of those already in the know.  These are the basics of sound.

Mono Sound System

Monophonic sound is single channel and unidirectional.  Basically, this means that your audio is all filtered down into a flat single channel.  All elements of the recording are mixed down into one source, thereby seeming to originate from the same source no matter where you are standing in the room.  This is old school, kids.

Stereophonic sound is reproduced through two channels and is considered superior to monophonic sound.  You can tell stereophonic sound, because different sounds originate from either speaker.  This type of sound gives one the sense of being there during the recording.  The best example of this is listening to a recording of the symphony, where different band members are located in different parts of the room.  The strings are over here, and the horns are over there.

Surround sound was first pioneered by Dolby in the early 1970’s, and first used in movies such as "Tommy" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".  The Dolby process encapsulates four channels of audio; left, right, rear, and phantom center.  The reason it is called phantom center is because it is essentially a mix of the left and right front channels.  This gives the listener the impression of being surrounded by sound, hence the name surround sound.

Dolby surround sound has evolved considerably in recent years.  Dolby 5.1 is bar far the most common.  Dolby 5.1 is similar to traditional surround sound, but it is further broken down and processed into more distinct channels.  Dolby 5.1 increases the range of sound by adding stereo rear sound as well as a dedicated subwoofer channel.  This results in a far superior surround sound experience.  You not only hear surround sound, but you feel it, too!

Technology is ever changing, and the marketplace offers many surround sound options.  This article is not complete by any means, and only serves as a primer on the basics.  Check out your local electronics superstore for the latest technology.

Warren Thompson is a fanatic audiophile and recording engineer.  When he is not in the recording studio toying with sound, he writes for hometheaterfocus.com – an independent home theater guide specializing in the latest information about home theater systems, Sony televisions, home theater furniture and more. 

source :  www.valuablecontent.com

Write Songs Like The Pros With This Powerful And Proven Technique

by Ron Balagot

For many years, professional/top writers (writers in general...and not just songwriters) have been using a powerful and proven technique that separates them from beginners.

And now, I’d like to share this secret technique with you.

If you consistently apply the following 3 steps, you’ll notice a big improvement in your songwriting:

1.  Gather as much information about your song idea as possible.

Once you’ve come up with an idea for your song, write down (or type) all related information.
For example:

            · Song Type (ex. love song, inspirational song, up-tempo, etc.)
            · Song’s Title
            · Your objective (what you wish to accomplish with the song)
            · The message you are trying to bring across to your listeners
            · Emotion you are trying to evoke in your listeners
            · ...and so on

2.  Command your “subconscious mind” to help you with your objective.

With the information you have in front of you, give your subconscious mind a direct command.

For example:

If you’re a lyricist, just before you start reading what’s in front of you, say something like:

     “Subconscious mind, create powerful lyrics
      with the information I’m about to read.
      Work on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep.”

(If you’re given a melody to write lyrics to, say the following just before listening to the melody:  “Subconscious mind, create powerful lyrics for the melody I’m about to listen to.  Work on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep.”)

If you’re a lyricist/composer, just before you start reading what’s before you, say something like:

     “Subconscious mind, create a powerful song
      with the information I’m about to read.
      Work on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep.”

(With that last command, you’re basically instructing your subconscious mind to come up with both the lyrics and melody...the “perfect marriage” of both.)

Now, if you happen to be a composer, you could also benefit from this technique.
Just place the finished lyrics in front of you and say something like:

     “Subconscious mind, create a powerful melody
      for the lyrics I’m about to read.  Work
      on it 24 hours a day...even as I sleep.”

(If you simply want to create a beautiful melody from scratch, just apply Steps 1 to 3.  Of course, in Step 1, some of the information mentioned...ex. song’s title or message you are trying to bring across...are not completely necessary.  However, as a rule, the more information you have, the better.  What’s important is that your subconscious mind has enough information to work with...and it knows exactly what you are trying to accomplish.)

(Note:  You’re free to create your own version of the above commands.  Also, you can give the commands either aloud or silently in your head.)

It’s even a good idea to apply this step before going to sleep, whenever possible.

3.  Let it go.  

Think or do something else...anything else.  In other words, “trust” your subconscious mind to deliver...by getting out of its way.

This is a crucial step.  In fact, this is the key to this technique’s effectiveness.  Without honestly applying this step, you will not get the positive results you’re after.

What you do is you simply “allow” your subconscious mind to carry out your instructions...without questioning it...without interfering in any way.

In other words, you take your mind off the song by taking a short break...or even a nap.  Or you sleep on it...and work on it the next day (the truth is, some writers take days or weeks off before actually writing).

Basically, you want to give your subconscious mind enough time to work on what you’ve instructed it to do.

(Many creative people call this the “incubation” phase of the creative process.)

When you do this, you’ll notice that when you sit down to actually start writing, thoughts or ideas come to you more naturally...and in a more organized way.  You’ll notice a better flow to your writing overall.  (This is because your subconscious mind has done a lot of the work for you...in the background...while you were busy doing other things...or while you were sleeping.)

(If you’re a composer, melodic or musical ideas will naturally come to you...and sometimes it will happen when you least expect it.  That’s why it’s a good idea to always have a tape recorder or digital voice recorder handy...so you can sing the melody and record it.)

And what’s the end result of applying the above 3 steps (after all the editing)?
A powerfully moving song.

About the author:
Ron Balagot is a songwriter/musician/writer.  Through articles like this, he hopes to help aspiring songwriters attain their songwriting goals.  He can be reached at:  balagot.ron@gmail.com
source : www.valuablecontent.com

The History of The Electric Guitar: How Music Was Changed Forever

by Bob Martin

In The Beginning

The guitar’s soft melodic tone made it difficult for people to hear it when being played alongside other instruments. So during the 1930’s an inventive individual decided to change that and invented the first electric guitar. Little did he know, or have imagined way back then how the invention of the electric guitar would significantly affect the course of 20th century music.

Like most new things, the electric guitar had its critics but it quickly won people over because of its ability to allow musicians to play much more creatively and express their own individual styles.

The First Pickup

In 1924 an inventive engineer working for the Gibson guitar company named Lloyd Loar, designed the first magnetic pickup. Using a magnet, he converted guitar string vibrations into electrical signals, which then were amplified through a speaker system. This first pickup was crude, but it was a great beginning.

The First Electric Guitar

Frying Pans

In 1931 the Electro String Company was founded by Paul Barth, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker, and developed the first electric guitars marketed to the general public. They made their guitars from cast aluminum and were played on a person’s lap using a steel slide much like today's steel guitar. Because of their unusual material, they were affectionately called “Frying Pans.”

The early success of the frying pans prompted the Gibson guitar company to build their first electric guitar, the ES-150 which is a legend today.

The First Solid-Body Electric Guitar

The Log

Electric guitars were quickly becoming popular, even though there was a major problem with their construction. Their bodies would vibrate due to the amplified sounds coming through the speakers they were played into, causing what we know as feed-back. The obvious remedy was to build a guitar made with a solid body which wouldn’t vibrate so easily.

As with most innovations, there is controversy over who invented the first solid –body electric guitar. Guitar legend Les Paul in the 1940’s developed his affectionately called “The Log” solid-body guitar by attaching a Gibson neck to a solid piece of wood…a railroad tie, hence the name “Log.”

Around this same time, guitarist Merle Travis and engineer Paul Bigsby developed a solid-body electric guitar that resembled the solid-body guitars that we’re so familiar with today.

The First Mass Produced Electric Guitar

Fender Broadcaster

Leo Fender in 1950 was the first to mass produce an electric guitar which was originally called the Fender Broadcaster. This guitar was quickly re-named to the infamous Telecaster because the name “Broadcaster” was already being used by another company. Leo followed this up in 1954 with the most renowned guitar of all time…the Stratocaster.

Leo’s success led other guitar manufacturers into developing their own mass-produced electric guitars. Most notable was the teaming-up of the Gibson guitar company with Les Paul to create the famous Gibson Les Paul electric guitar.

More Affordable Electric Guitars

During the 1960’s and 1970’s famous brand name electric guitars were too expensive for the average person to buy. Less pricey imitations quickly came to market but they were sub-standard in sound and playability.

The Japanese, in the 1980’s started manufacturing electric guitars of similar quality to the more expensive American made models, but with much more affordable pricing. This prompted Fender and other leading guitar manufacturers into producing less expensive versions of their classic models. This resulted in electric guitars now being more affordable and accessible to more people.

Today, the Gibson and Fender guitar companies are still producing some of the most well-known and best made electric guitars on the market. But it’s getting crowded with other high quality brands such as BC Rich, ESP and Peavey. Innovative designs, shapes and materials are being incorporated with new technologies to produce better sounding electric guitars.

Modern guitars have built-in software allowing them to sound like other types of guitars. Some are even fitted with pickups that synthesize the sound of different instruments or record the notes in musical notation.

The electric guitar has come a long way with an interesting and inventive past and many in the industry say it has an even brighter future.

About the author
Bob Martin says don’t buy a new electric electric guitar until you take a serious look at this today.
http://www.electricguitarsource.com

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Electric Guitar Packages - The All In One Solution

by Charlie Cory

Electric guitar packages are typically an all in one answer to the problem of getting someone started with an electric guitar.

Is it the best way to go for a beginner though?

In my opinion, probably not. Playing a new musical instrument is not only a labour of love, it is a war against embarrassment. Playing any instrument for the first time could be a painful experience for any unwilling audience and an affront on your ego!

So as far as a guitar is concerned, a good acoustic guitar would be my personal preference to learn an instrument.

Having said that, there is no denying that an electric guitar is a sexy instrument, and some people will not be denied. Perhaps you have already tried an acoustic guitar, and the call of rock and roll fame and fortune is too much for you?

Well if that is the case, then there are electric guitar packages that can fit the bill that won't break the bank.

Remember that you will not be buying a classic Fender or Gibson guitar (unless you are completely loaded), but you can still buy a high quality instrument which will stand you in good stead for many years to come.

A standard package will comprise a guitar itself, a case, and amplifier and the appropriate leads to connect the guitar to the amplifier. I think it unlikely that you will be able to play any stadiums with this rig, but hey, you have got to start somewhere?

All you really need from your electric guitar package is an instrument with a decent, playable action (the height of the strings above the fret board), and an amplifier that will give you a good tone at low volume. At it the guitar looks really cool as well, then that is just a bonus!

The kit may or may not come with a tuner. You will need one whatever happens. I have always used pitch pipes, and great though automatic tuners are, you cannot beat the training given by tuning the guitar with just a pipe and your ears. Learn how to do it properly; you will appreciate it in the end.

Have some idea of what to look for in a guitar is one thing, but honing down the choice is another. Take a look if these electric guitar packages fit the bill.
http://www.guitarnstuff.com/electric-guitar/electric-guitar-packages.html