How To Choose The Right Hip Hop Gear

If you need Hip Hop gear, you have plenty of accessories from which to choose. The style is as unique as the lingo. However, you will have to present it when you go out clubbing. Choices for Hip Hop gear in the Hip Hop culture will definitely make you look cool when you Hip Hop dance, or just chill with your friends. So let us look at some of the different types of gear that you can buy. However, make sure that you keep updated on your Hip Hop gear, as it will change as fast as the music.

If you are a newbie to the Hip Hop scene then you will need some great gear to go along with your passion. Hip Hop culture is represented by common items such as belt buckles, watches, rings, earrings and the famous pendant. Of course, there are other items that you can buy like dog tags and faux rhinestone cross necklaces. In the Hip Hop world these items are not your common military dog tag styled id tags, and the rhinestone cross necklaces are not common either. They can be both fancy and dramatic. Dog tags are made with designs on front and back with specially engraved info such as group name, or special cut designs on the outer edge. Optional stones look dramatic too. Cross necklaces are usually overly large with variations of different colors, from white to yellow, and can be bought in silver or gold. Some stones have special engravings on them. There is a lot of bling bling yet to discover with Hip Hop gear.

A relatively new fad in Hip Hop gear is the spinners. In Hip Hop, dancing there is a lot of movement so you can be in style with a watch and shoe spinners. Shoe spinners can be attached to any shoe with laces. Most are worn predominantly on tennis type shoes. Optional jewelry metal color is gold or silver, but some can be purchased as two toned. Inside the metal circle, a wheel spins with movement. A word of caution, if you decide to wear two on one shoe it might not work – all of the dancing will make the metal disks bang together, and could damage the spinner. It is not recommended.

The watch spinners are very cool. You do not want to forget to buy one, or have someone get it for you for a Hip Hop birthday celebration, or any other holiday. Almost all Hip Hop watches have faux rhinestones encircling the spinners. You will need to buy the watch because there are no spinners with clips that you can attach to the watch you have now. All you have got to do for this Hip Hop watch to tell the time is just to flip the spinner back and reposition to a snap closed position – and start dancing again!

There are a lot of other bling bling Hip Hop gear accessories that you might want to get, like rhinestone cups to drink from at your party, or even gold studded earrings. The choice is yours – so go and check out all of the neat Hip Hop gear. You will find something you want with bling.

How To Choose Audio Recording Software

The question: "What features should I look for when choosing audio recording software?"
The answer: "It depends on what you want to record."

There are many low cost recording programs available that can be used to record from existing media (tape, cd's, vinyl lp's) or from radio and internet broadcasts. Even these low priced software programs have editing features and native effects that can be applied to the recording.

Live recording is best accomplished by using multitrack recording/editing software that incorporates tools and effects suitable for application to live voices and instruments, one of the most important being compression. Compression is essential to level the extremes in volume that inevitably occur in live recording.

Several features/capabilities should be considered when choosing software for live music recording (listed below).

Required features:

1. Recording - record multiple stereo tracks

2. Editing - edit a track's waveform

3. Mixing - mix multiple tracks into one stereo track

4. Effects - native (built-in) effects such as delay, reverb, fade in, fade out, flanger, compressor and various high/low filters

5. File conversion - convert to/from the most popular music formats such as wav, wma, mp3

Additional useful features:

6. Plug-ins - accepts 3rd party software plug-in effects and tools

7. Ripping - pull individual tracks from music cd's

8. Burning - copy recorded tracks to cd audio

Optional features (depending on need):

9. Midi - record midi instruments (midi keyboards, synthesizers, guitars)

10. Video - synchronize audio with video files

So, in conclusion, if you are recording music to computer from pre-recorded media, you can certainly get by with software on the low end of the price spectrum. But, if you want to create professional sounding mixes from live music, you'll need the higher level of sophistication available in a quality multitrack recording program.

Cost shouldn't be an issue in the choice as the difference in price between the low end software package and a quality multitrack program can be as little as $10 - $20.

How Does Apple Manage To Dominate The Mp3 Player Market With The Ipod

In the realm of MP3 players, Apple (producer of Macintosh computers and related technology) is the definite dominator when it comes to having the most highly-purchased products among the other manufacturers. One of the main reasons for this – simple as it may seem – is basically out of customer loyalty to the originator of this portable audio device. It was the first of its kind on the market and still remains today, the brand of choice.

Apple actually released the iPod in 2001 as a portable audio device that was strictly compatible with Macintosh technology. Working in unison with Apple’s iTunes, Mac users were able to create, maintain and utilize countless numbers of sound files in their music and audio libraries. However, due the growing popularity among its customers, many Windows users were feeling left out and wanted to be able to take advantage of this great new way of listening to and downloading music and other audio as well. So, in 2002, Apple produced a new form of iPod that was compatible with both Macintosh and Windows interfaces. And later in 2003, they gave the Window’s world a compatible version of iTunes as well. This made the audio playing and storing consumer market very happy.

Then eventually, other companies like Sony and Samsung began producing MP3 players as well but have never reached the level of success that Apple has with their iPods. And moreover, it doesn’t look like those competitors ever will. Statistics show that Apple and their iPod actually dominate the MP3 player market with a 70% selling advantage over other manufacturers of these types of portable MP3 audio devices. And when it comes to hard-drive based MP3 players, they’ve got a whopping 90% lead over the competition.

The main reasons consumers complain about the non-Apple brands of MP3 players is that not only are the competitor versions too expensive, but they are strongly lacking in form. They just don’t have the ease of operation in terms of user-interfacing and also don’t include a lot of the convenient and ‘cool’ features that the Apple iPod does either. Generally speaking, the iPod emphatically outperforms the other manufacture’s brands of portable audio devices by a mile (or more).

And with the addition of Intel into the Apple product line as a whole, the iPod is only going to continue to be improved upon causing it not only to remain the favorite, but also further expand its appeal throughout the music-loving universe.

MP3 Players - they're so cool

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ll know that the most popular mp3 player in the world by far is Apple’s iPod. It comes in all sorts of editions, including the Mini, the Nano, and the Shuffle – and every single one is a best-seller.

What you might not have realised, though, is that Apple isn’t at all the only game in town when it comes to mp3 players. In fact, they’re quite a recent entrant into the market. Companies like iRiver and Creative have been around a lot longer, and their players are usually worth considering too, as they can often be cheaper than the equivalent iPod or have more features.

When you’re comparing the prices of mp3 players, the one feature you should look at more than any other is capacity. Don’t lose sight of the fact that a 40GB mp3 player can store twice as much as a 20GB one.

However, there other features to look for. Even though everyone calls them mp3 players, mp3s are not the only format you might want your player to be able to play – if you want to use it with Microsoft’s Media Player, for example, you’ll need a player that is also capable of playing wma (Windows Media Audio) format files. If you want to buy music from the iTunes Music Store, you need a player that can play aac (Apple) format files.

Another issue is battery life. Almost all mp3 players are now powered by mains chargers rather than by changing the battery, but battery life varies wildly, from as little as 2 hours up to as high as 10. Make sure you don’t get saddled with a player that won’t work for a long time if you want to use it for extended periods away from a power outlet.

Of course, the most important feature to many people will always be how their mp3 player looks when they’re using and wearing it. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but don’t be fooled into buying a turkey just because it has a pretty design

Piano Right From the Start: "Learning to Play What You Feel!"

Imagine being able to sit down at your piano, place your hands on the keyboard, and just play! Many piano students think the ability to do this requires years of study. They couldn't be more wrong!

Learning to play what you feel does not require extensive knowledge of harmony or theory. All that is required is the ability to do two things:

1. Believe that you know enough
2. Believe that you're good enough

Thousands of classically trained pianists are able to play Rachmaninoff and Bach but are unable to express themselves poetically at the keyboard. Why? Because of the above 2 beliefs! It's not enough to have mastered piano technique.

For example, many would be writers understand how to construct a compelling plot and know how a story should be written, but until they have freed their inner voice from criticism...until they believe that they are good enough to write that story, it simply won't get done!

The same goes for music and any other art. I can't tell you how many times I repeated the above 2 statements to myself because I really wanted to get past my fear of being able to create music at the piano. I wanted to play what I felt at any given time - to be able to improvise. But this was nearly impossible as long as there was some voice in me that said I just wasn't good enough. And believe me, we ALL have these voices somewhere in our heads at one time or another.

Eventually, I got past the need to seek other's approval and realized that I was more important than the music. I learned that I already knew more than enough to play the piano. I also came to believe I was good enough and that no one person will every know it all or be a "perfect" player.

Music is Vital for Personal Enrichment

One of the things a lot of us enjoy is listening to music.  As a musician and songwriter, a great deal of my time is spent listening to or creating music.  Sitting at my synthesizer and spontaneously playing a tune is also one way I relax and unwind after a hard day.  Tickling the ivory is great when you want to relax your mind, and physically energize your body. Somewhat like physical exercise, playing a musical instrument releases pent-up anger and utilizes the extra adrenaline the human body produces when under stress.

Music is also therapeutic and vital to human beings and allows us to escape from the stresses and demands of our hectic and fast-paced lifestyle.  Forgetting the worries we carry around with us, music allows us to take a journey to a faraway place, without ever leaving our chair:  somewhere pleasant, exciting, and at the same time, stress-free.

Recording our favorite music on CD's, iPods, or creating play lists for our computers, we can simply develop our own compilation of  music-to-go and play them in cars, in the gym and while at work.  With the latest popular technological invention, the iPod, the prospect of musical fulfillment is endless.  The iPod can store a multitude of tunes and enables the listener to have virtually uninterrupted songs to enjoy whenever and wherever we choose.

With all the current technological advances at our disposal, musical expression has come a long way, taking recording music and sound to the next level.  Whether you perform music or are an avid listening, most humans will agree:  Life would not be as colorful without some form of music to enrich our lives.

Hot MP3 Players

MP3 Player News

A portable mp3 player is the easiest way to take your favorite music with you anywhere you go and anytime. Mp3 players are more compact than a CD, and you don’t have to take with you an entire box of CDs because the memory of an mp3 player can be up to 5 GB. Even if the capacity is huge sometimes, portable mp3 players are very small, design to fit in a small pocket, and sometimes fashionable as you will see in this mp3 player review.

If you decide to purchase an mp3 player, there are many models to choose from, and you should get familiarized with their features. Using an mp3 player review can help you to make your choice, as mp3 players are grouped into main categories by their memory type in any mp3 player review. Also, there are many more features that can make the difference between mp3 players.

Mp3 compatible CD players were the first mp3 players sold in stores. At that time they were considered very useful because an mp3 player can store up 10 times the amount of songs an audio CD can. The preferred mp3 players in any mp3 player review are those with flash memory. Mp3 players with hard drives or micro drives, have the largest capacity from all mp3 players.

Categories of mp3 players

Usually, mp3 players are grouped by their capacity and their ability to read different file types. The most common file types used to store music are mp3 and wma, and the physical support for data can be flash, micro drive, hard drive, or CD.

Flash memory mp3 players are the most popular. The most recent players have flash memory between 256 MB and 4 GB. If we consider the fact that the average length of a melody is 3 MB, it results that actual flash memory players can store between 80 and 1200 melodies. Flash memories have no moving parts, so the players can be easily manipulated without the risk of damaging it.

Micro drive mp3 players have much more storage space than flash memory players, varying from 5 GB to 10 GB. Hard drive mp3 players have the largest amount of memory for multimedia files. Mp3 compatible CD players became pretty old-fashioned due to their size. The CD can easily crash if you drop the CD player from your hands and the capacity of a CD is just 700 MB. You should check also for discounts if you want to save some money.

Nowadays many of the mp3 players also have lots of other interesting functions. A newer mp3 player can also FM radio, agenda, possibility to sort and group melodies, recording and playback capabilities as well as many others.

Other Features of MP3 Players

The newest mp3 players have wide color screens where you can play DVD quality movies. We can’t finish this mp3 player review information without speaking about other important features of mp3 players, like voice recording or FM radio tuner and sometimes even TV tuner.

An mp3 player with 5 GB of memory can record up to 40 hours of high quality sound. In the last two years, mp3 players have become the most common device for listening to music. Very small, portable, and with a large storage capacity, an mp3 player can also be fashionable.

How to Buy MP3 Players

If you want to buy MP3 player devices, it's not a difficult choice. There are players to respond to all kinds of needs. Here are a few tips on how to buy MP3 players that meet your expectations.

If you want to listen to some music while jogging, then you probably need a light-weight device, such as a flash-memory player. Get the highest-capacity player you can afford

When you want to buy MP3 players, either flash or hard drive-based, make sure you get the model with the largest storage space within your price range. Some flash MP3 players use replaceable batteries, but most hard drive players have built-in rechargeable batteries that are hard to remove. Hard-drive players can keep playing for hours and hours.

Buy MP3 players with broad file format support

While all players support the MP3 format, some also support AAC, WMA or Ogg Vorbis files. An FM tuner is usually available on flash players.

Does the player need a carrying case?

When you buy MP3 players, they often come with a carrying case as well. However, if your player is expensive and fragile, a custom-fitted case can help you protect it. You can buy MP3 players from both online and offline shops, at different prices. An MP3 player can be a great source of entertainment, especially while traveling.

Mp3 players represent the newest technology for listening to preferred music anytime and anywhere. Most of the mp3 players are pretty cheap, if we consider the plenty of features they have, as the prices can vary from $40 up to $300. The most important advantage of mp3 players is the mp3 or wma compression which makes a huge file of songs fit into a small flash memory.

Features of Cheap MP3 Players

In this section we will consider cheap mp3 players, the devices with prices up to $80. Most of these players have flash memory from 128MB up to 2 GB. Unlike hard drive mp3 players, the flash memory mp3 players are cheaper and they are much portable than any other mp3 player. One of the most important advantages of portable mp3 players is their size from 2 to 4 inches. Unlike the CD players which require you to carry the box with CDs, mp3 players are much smaller but in their memory may fit up to one hundred audio CDs. Most of the cheap mp3 players do not support radio or TV tuner functions, but they have voice recording feature. Also, these mp3 players do not have rechargeable batteries but you can buy them afterwards.

If you have some extra money you may buy an mp3 player with built-in and customizable presets, and many other useful functions. You also have the possibility to buy an mp3 and wma compatible CD player. It is the cheapest mp3 player, but it is not as portable as usual mp3 players and you have to carry your CDs with you in order to have all your favorite music.

The best place to buy cheap mp3 players is an online store with discounts. Recently, a few companies from Asia offered free shipping for all mp3 players bought online from their virtual shops.

If you would like more information about MP3 players visit my Hot MP3 Player News site.

History And Use Of The Bass Guitar

The bass guitar has been derived from the double bass, which was used in the late 1950's. Having 4 strings, these instruments add the lower tones to a musical performance. Experimentation with the bass had started as early as the 1920's. It wasn’t until the 50's however, that a proper bass instrument was formed.

In the mid 20th century jazz became popular. As double bass's were used those days, they were often not heard due to the lack of amplification. The drums, banjos and other instruments in the band drowned out the sound of the bass. Until the 1950 when the first electric bass came into existence with modern amplification techniques.

The bass guitar is played like all guitars with the player holding it close to his body in a horizontal position. The strings are plucked with hand or with the plectrum. In the 1970's, the slapping technique became popular.

Today, the bass guitar ranges from 4 strings up to 11 strings. The 5, 6 and 7 strings providing the mid range while the 11 string starts from a lower than human hearing going up to a very high active. Electric bass guitar players use various configurations. These changes are made by using preamplifiers and speaker sets. Signal processors are also varied to provide new soundscapes.

In night clubs, combo amplifiers are used. These amplifiers are fixed with single loud speakers to make them portable and effective.

The body of the instrument can be of wood or graphite. A wide range of finishing is applied to make it look good. IT can be colored or simply clear white. The work done on the body is fine engineering and delicate balances have to be maintained.

A hot debate rages on what to call this instrument. For non musicians, the term bass guitar is common, while hard core players like to call it electric bass or simple electric bass. Slowly but surely however, this instrument has gathered a large following which likes to use its own jargon.

The electric bass is a part of modern country music, post 1970 jazz and funk. Used mainly to provide backing, it adds a depth to the music. This instrument has added a whole new color to our musical pleasure. In sole music particularly, the bass guitar is effective.

Are sound effects used? Well, yes and no. As the bass guitar sets the tone for the rest of the band, sound effects are not often used, unlike electric guitars. Modern bands however have started experimenting with distortion units to add a new flavor to the bass and low key that they provide behind the music.

As we go into a new century, electric bass's become more and more popular. All bands use it today to add a subtle background. Many groups like U2 even use it to give a haunted feeling increasing emotional attachment with the music. Newer techniques have made this instrument a crucial part of any musical group today.

Hip Hop Potency

The success of rap music as the main expression of hip hop has elevated it beyond a cultural movement but to the status of financial powerhouse.  Started in the 70’s by innovative DJ’s, rap has become a world wide phenomenon. The organic growth of the music has established the identity of rap music as a political tool for the underprivileged. It has been the voice of the oppressed and underrepresented. Today’s rap, however, has changed. The forces behind hip hop are no longer focused on the art and message. Instead rap has become a commercial boom to be used for profit. The hyper commercialization of rap music has led directly to the degrading of its potency as a form of pure art.

    The rap industry posted revenues in excess of 1.5 billion dollars in 2005. It’s a far cry from the roots of rap, perfected in east coast ghettos some 25 years ago. Today, the industry of hip hop is run with the efficiency of major corporations. Potential rap stars are plucked from obscurity with the public psychology in mind. Businesses pour millions of dollars of advertising revenue into artists such as Nelly and Eminem to shill for their clothes and shoes. Music industry corporations have fully accepted and promoted gangsta rappers like 50 cent, leaving violence and sexism in their wake.

    The over commercialization of rap has spawned a litany of pretenders hoping to strike gold. The use of controversy to garner attention is widespread. Involvement with a shooting, being associated with a gang or getting arrested for weapons charges can add “street credibility” to your image. It follows that in order to gain millions of dollars many artists may stage a shooting or purposefully get arrested. This misuse of violence is matched with a high degree of sexual exploitation of women. Females are valued for their physical attributes only. Video after video show us herds of women dressed in porous outfits dancing aimlessly. Rap lyrics reveal a general perception of woman as whores and liars. Sexist and violent mainstream rap no longer holds the position as the enlightened voice of a struggling generation coming to grips with the harsh realities of an unfair world.

    The quality of the music itself has been diluted. Rappers who do make it tend not to produce great albums like we saw with the likes of Run DMC. Instead they focus on producing “hits” hoping to experience a windfall from the impulse buying public. Never mind about elevating the art craft, let’s get paid, now. The market is flooded with one hit wonders and fools pandering to target audiences. Meanwhile, the public is left with the bad taste of weak albums hurriedly slapped together in anticipation of advertising deadlines. The revolution that was rap is now a business model for hustlers.

   Rap is not dead, yet. There are some bright stars. Artists like Kanye West and the more obscure Jurassic 5 have had success in the face of the emergence of commercialized rap. They represent a side of rap that can still be cutting edge but more responsible and socially aware of the consequences of their actions. They are conscious rappers who are concerned by more than their bottom line. Africa Bambaata was the first to identify hip hop as a cultural movement. Rappers like Common have carried that torch by not selling themselves through controversy or promoting violence. They use words to stimulate thought, discussion and hopefully change. The commercialized rapper will answer these charges by pointing out that violence and sexism is reality and he is just testifying. There is truth to these comments. But where is the responsibility to your community? Why not uplift the people with your music? The answer is not up to him but rather to us to reverse our bad habits with buying gangsta rap and establishing a commitment to our communities with our music choices.

Hardcore

Hardcore was originally acclaimed as dirt, quick and bustling punk-rock, which emerged in the US in late 70-ies through early 80-ies. The hard-core bands, including Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Jerry’s Kids posed as founders of hardcore.

Until 80-ies, hardcore appeared to be peculiar of ear-teasing, short and quick songs of approximately 1 to 1.5 minutes with presence of social lyrics. This stage completed due to bands’ tendency either to split up or, to, simply, shift to different musical style. Those times hardcore is labelled the old school hardcore.

Some bands, including Earth Crisis, All Out War, Strife, following the old school hardcore, enriched their music with combination of slow melodies and metal elements, which, thus, committed to establishment of the new school of hardcore.

The others, like Husker Du, Meat Puppets and Embrace however, applying restrictions to "hardness" in their music, developed the new styles of grunge and emocore, respectively. The emocore boasts the peculiar features of emotional performance, melodic and soft back-vocal, minor chords as well as typical behaviour on stage.

The Bad Religion band, established in 1980, omitting usual now presence of slowness and duration in songs, posed as establisher of new musical trend through introducing professional beck-vocal. The style appears to lack in denomination, but is conditionally nicknamed as skate-punk (trifle lighter form of the said music is played by Blink-182 and New Found Glory), although it differs from traditional pop-punk, represented by Ramonez, Buzzcocks and Lookout records, both, in origin and style.

As the time passed by, the hardcore influenced development of such styles as fast-core, thresh core and crossover, however, the bands, following the said style failed to experience support of great audience, as their processors did.

Thus, a bulk of modern alternative music stemmed from hardcore. Notably, the old school hardcore is still in demand and keeps developing, irrespective of breeding more popular musical trends. A slew of bands still promotes the style worldwide among music lovers.

The styles encountered development of a parallel manner (they experienced step-by-step development from the very beginning).

It should be noted that a style, depending on social background and geographical location may posses original and unique nuances.

Harmonicas: French Harps with International Appeal

The harmonica, also known as the French harp, is a small wind instrument held in hand while playing. It can be played by inhaling and exhaling through several air slots. Kids love playing these because they're easy to learn and provide fun entertainment and lively music. Also, harmonicas are small so they can easily be carried in a shirt pocket or pants pocket. Many adults love them for these same reasons!

The most common key on the harmonica is C. Harmonicas that are played in the Appalachian South only play a diatonic scale, but not chromatic intervals that are between diatonic scale tones. Therefore, these harmonicas are typically sold in various models based on keys. For instance, there are G-harmonicas, D-harmonicas, C-harmonicas, and so forth.

Harmonica Construction and Sound

In the past, harmonicas were usually made of wood. Today, many harmonicas are constructed from injection-molded plastic. There are also high-end harmonicas that are built from metal alloys, silver, or Lucite. The harmonica's sound is often based on the materials it is made of, with each material giving its own unique sound. For example, blues harps or marine band harps are made of soft wood that resists moisture and create a rich, unique sound.

Types of Harmonicas

Harmonicas come in many different types and styles. These are often chosen by players according to the type of music they would like to play. Some harmonica players enjoy performing at events as soloists or with a group or band. The cross harp is often used in blues music, but can also be used in many types of music. It is a diatonic harmonica that is played in a key that is actually seven half-steps up from the harmonica's main key. For example, if the harmonica were tuned in C, it would actually be played in G.

A diatonic major harp is the most common type of harmonica. It has all the "Major Scale" notes such as C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The chromatic harmonica has the same notes as the diatonic major harp, but with a half-step between each major note.

Common brand names of harmonicas include Hohner, Hering, Suzuki, Bushman, Lee Oskar, and BTI. Tremolo and octave harmonicas are offered by Hohner. Different styles of orchestral harmonicas are also available for those who perform with orchestras.

Find Harmonicas and Accessories Online

There are many harmonica resources online today that sell harmonicas and accessories. There is free tablature (with tabs and symbols) to help beginners and experienced harmonica players learn new songs. Accessories such as amplifiers, cases, sheet music, microphones, CDs, and more are available online at reasonable prices. Beginners can research online to find out how to care for their harmonica. From tuning to cleaning, there are a few definite "dos and don'ts" to follow.

The beautiful music that flows from the harmonica can never be matched. Harmonicas are so diverse that they can be played alone while sitting on a porch swing, at a family gathering for singing and fun, or in a professional concert. They can be played around the world no matter what the country. These hand-held instruments bring joy to any setting!

Get Ya’ Money Right: The Truth About Publishing

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

Get Your Money Right

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

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

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

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

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

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

What a Publisher can do for you the Songwriter

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

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

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

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

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

• Develop and Promote you as a writer.

• Negotiating licensing deals on your behalf

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

From Motown to Hip Hop

Growing up in the City of Detroit during the early sixties was a memorable era for music. It was a period of time whereby the unique sounding records of Motown were being played and heard throughout the streets, nightclubs, house parties and radio stations everywhere. It was common to have the soulful R and B records playing on the jukeboxes while folks were dancing in the streets or singing in the barber shops and beauty parlors to the love songs that eventually captivated the hearts of millions of people throughout the world. Music cds and rap music were not heard of during that period, it was all about the vinyl records and rhythm and blues soul.

The songs that were written by Motown songwriters during the 60’s & 70’s had so much meaning. They were songs that spoke about true love, current events and the heartache and pains of life experiences. Oh yes, Motown had it going on! Their music became universal music. Many of the soulful tunes crossed over into other markets such as pop, jazz, blues, etc… But just like George Benson said in one of his recordings “Everything Must Change”, and sure enough, he was right about the music.

After giving so many years service and great music to the City of Detroit, Motown moved out and Rap/Hip Hop moved in. Instead of hearing someone singing My Baby Loves Me or My Girl, you began to hear new sounding lyrics of street experience expressed in rhythms with the mouth, chest, hands and feet as such had never been heard before.

This new sound called Rap evolved in the early 80’s and took off as a sky rocket in the late 90’s and New Millennium as Hip Hop/Rap. Even today Rap/Hip Hop music is still a multi billion dollar genre. Millions of cds, videos and dvd’s are sold each year in the Hip Hop genre of music. And there is no sign that Hip Hop will be slowing down or taking a back seat to anyone anytime soon.

So what happened to the Motown sound…. did it die out? No! The Motown sound will never die out. It will always play a significant part in the hearts of millions who embraced it’s sound back in the early 60’s, and continued to pass that sound on to their children throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

Sometimes you just have to move over and let the new kids on the block have a turn in expressing their musical talents, songs and ideas. That’s what Motown did…moved over-not out. And now the Hip Hop artists are not the new kids on the block anymore, for they have taken their position to express themselves musically, just like the rhythm and blues artists took their position to express themselves in the Motown era.

That’s how we’ve gone from Motown to Hip Hop!

Written by: Michael Bell

©2006 Michael Bell

http://www.buymusicfromus.com

While downloading music is one of the most popular online activities, besides social networking and playing games, there is a lot of information that is not made available to the public at large.

There are a number of serious issues that should be understood when downloading music (which most people overlook) and there are also ways to obtain free music that are simply unknown by the majority of people online.

This is very important when considering the growing trend by the large music companies, of suing individuals who infringe on their copyrights. Court records show a large number of out of court settlements, with fines ranging from $3000 to $5000, and maximum awards in excess of $250,000.

As if the fines and legal issues where not enough of a problem now there is the added danger of downloading music imbedded with spyware and viruses. The need to be cautious in your quest for free downloadable music is evident.

Having access to free music download files means that you can enjoy as much music as you want in your own home whenever you want it. You will find that many musicians are now freely giving away their music as a way to promote themselves and their bands. The concept of free legal downloads means that you have permission from the author or creator to download their intellectual property.

Free music downloads have surged in popularity since the emergence of the Internet and even more so in the last few years. With the advent of iTunes, the mass population has become more accustomed to buying their music from the Internet in the form of single track downloads from membership websites. No longer is it necessary to purchase an entire album when you really only want a single track.

A huge shift occurred and people have moved toward digital media for the ease of use and speed of acquisition that it offers. As such, more and more people have begun to search the Internet for music rather than going to the local record shop.

You can find and use free and legal music downloads from a number of sources and in a number of ways. The key is to be aware of the dangers and also to know what you can use legally and what will get you into trouble.

Exploring Reggaeton Music and Dances

Reggaeton is a type of urban music that has become widespread in popularity among young music lovers in Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Reggaeton music originated in Panama and caters to Hispanic youth, with rapping and singing often in Spanish. The music is a blend of Jamaican style music such as dancehall and reggae and Latin America style music such as salsa, bomba, plena, merengue, bachata, hip hop, bolero, R&B, and Latin pop.

Reggaeton music boasts its own specific rhythm and beat. The rhythm of reggaeton is often referred to as "Dem Bow." The name Dem Bow references the title of a dancehall song from the 1990s by Shabba Ranks. Though the music genre of reggaeton is mostly associated with Puerto Rico (where this style of music was popularized and became famous), the lyrics are more hip hop type lyrics than dancehall.

The Beat of Reggaeton

It's the reggaeton beat, or Dem Bow, that drives the music and dances. The beat is described as a drum-machine track that originated with Jamaican dancehall rhythm. Reggaeton combines a syncopated snare and steady kick drum to create an unusual rhythm. There's a 4/4 beat emphasized by the kick drum, and the snare starts with the "and" of the 3rd 8th note and right on the 4th 8th note. There are about 95 beats per minute, and the result is a magnified "boom-ch-boom-chick" sounding beat.

Reggaeton beat sounds are usually synthesized electronically. There are also simple melodies created with electronic instruments, keyboards, and electric guitars. The beats are versatile, and can be based on bolero, hip-hop, salsa, merengue, bachata, or other similar beats.

The Reggaeton Dance

Sensual (and controversial) dancing can often be seen in reggaeton clubs or on music videos. The perreo type dance is a form of grinding dance derived from Puerto Rico. The dance puts women in control of the dance and is very provocative in its nature. Perreo moves are popular in dancehall, rhythm and blues, and hip-hop music as well. A slightly calmer form of reggaeton dancing is cumbia, which was originally a folk dance and music from Colombia. Like perreo, the cumbia dance is flirtatious in nature with the women luring the men toward them and then pushing them away.

Some of the leading artists in reggaeton include CandyMan, Esko, Fito Blanko, Nicky Jam, La Fabrica, Don Miguelo, Daddy Yankee, De la Ghetto, DJ Blass, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Don Chezina, Lito & Polaco, Eddie Dee, Adassa, El Chombo, and Tony Touch. Some popular producers of reggaeton music are Eliel, Luny Tunes, and Noriega.

With the widespread popularity of reggaeton music, there are now many radio stations specializing in this type of music. There are also online radio venues where fans can download music, listen online, or watch the reggaeton music video of choice. The major benefit of online radio is fans can listen to their favorite music or watch their favorite videos around the clock.

Epictunes - The right place for unsigned bands

Epictunes, a UK based company takes on the industry to provoke a  music revolution.

Epictunes believes that true musicians, bands and artists are being replaced with corporate goldmines.

“Times are about to change” says company founder Matthew Ridout.

With the recent worldwide boost of unsigned bands who needs the record companies? If there is a platform to sell your music directly to fans why not cut out the greedy middle man?

With the recent  explosion in the UK of The Artic Monkeys and Gnarls Barkley the music loving public are only too aware that there is good music to be found on the internet.  As both these now very famous bands discovered by generating their fan base on the internet first.

Bands and artist  now need a place where they can do this.  Some people might argue that myspace is that place. With myspace now worth in the region of 400 million US dollars is that not a corporation itself? It’s as hard to get heard on myspace as it is on national radio. This is where Epictunes comes in.

Epictunes boasts an array of features to try and help unsigned bands and artists to reach their audience.  It’s free to join to make use of the standard features of the site, you can upload up to four tracks, photo of the band, a profile and a direct message system.

For a small subscription fee bands can upload unlimited songs, post blogs, upload photos, upload videos, feature on a CD, get promoted on their radio stations and feature on their monthly podcast.

Epictunes is indeed the stepping stone to recognition on a world wide scale.

The site is located at Epictunes Site

Easy Piano Improvisation: Learn to Express Yourself!

Have you ever wanted to just sit down at the piano and play what you feel? Without worrying if it's good enough or if you have enough "talent?" You can when you learn how to play piano using the amazing open position piano chord!

This chord structure allows the complete beginner to create modern sounds at the piano FASTER THAN ANY OTHER METHOD! After teaching piano for 14 years, I can safely say that I've never seen students progress as fast as they do when working with this chord position. Let's examine how one can improvise right away using the open position chord.

First, you must learn how to use it. The easiest way to do this is to simply learn the chords in the Key of C Major. We take the entire 6-note chord and move it up step by step. First we play C Major 7, then D minor 7, E minor 7, F Major 7, G 7, and A minor 7 and finally, B half-diminished. We play the chords first as solid chords (all tones together) then we break them up. For an excellent example of this, see the author's free piano lesson "Reflections in Water" available below.

Once we've got this very large chord structure down in our hands, we can then use it to create music with. Improvisation simply means spontaneous expression - learning how to create in the moment. Improvising does not have to be hard! Once you get the chords down, you're left with the melody creation aspect and this is easy to because all you use are the notes from the C Major scale.

We use our chords much the same way a painter uses a palette of colors. We create using chords and the element of time. In the example lesson "Reflections in Water," the chords you play are in a given order. All you have to do now is play them in that order and improvise your own melody!

Do You have what it Takes to Play the Guitar?

What  does it take to learn to play guitar?

Playing the guitar is a great way to express yourself through music.  If you feel a strong urge to learn to play the guitar, here's a quick self-test to determine if you're ready to take this giant step.

Test Mind and Body

Before signing on for guitar lessons, test your mind and body. Your mind should be clear to learn.  Learning to play the guitar is like learning any other skill.  You must have some free time to dedicate solely to learning - even if it's only 15 minutes per day.  This should be a time of total concentration when you can block out the cares of work and life to work on your lessons and practice.

Physical Health and Playing the Guitar

Your body's physical health is also important.  Playing the guitar requires holding a guitar in an upright position, either resting on your legs or held upright by a shoulder strap.  Consider the strength of your back, shoulders, arms and legs.  A person who suffers from severe lower back pain may find it difficult to hold a guitar for any length of time.  If you know someone who owns a guitar, you can practice holding theirs to test your strengths and weaknesses. 

Also, consider the physical condition of your hands, fingers and wrists.  Some conditions that could hinder your playing ability include arthritis, carpal tunnel or frequent swelling of the wrists or fingers.

It's Still Possible

Even if you have a condition that makes it difficult to play a guitar, this doesn't mean you will never play.  You can research online or talk with a professional instructor to find out if there are ways to work around your disability or physical weakness.  For example, if you have back pain, you might find a lightweight guitar that's easy to hold.  Or, if you have swelling or pain in the hands, there may be exercises to help relieve the tension.  Don't give up until you've done the research.

The Relevance of Musical Talent

If you have natural musical talent, that's great.  However, if you don't feel that you are naturally talented, don't worry.  You only need the desire to learn and the ability to listen, read and practice.  You learn to play the guitar by taking one step at a time - or one note at a time.  Without musical talent, you might have to concentrate just a little harder at the beginning, but soon you'll find it to be similar to learning any skill.

Questions to Ask

After considering the above, answer these questions to determine your readiness to learn playing the guitar.

1)  Do you have a strong desire to play the guitar?
2)  Why do you want to learn to play the guitar?
3)  Do you want to learn to read music or play the guitar by ear?
4)  Is a guitar instructor available where you live?
5)  If an instructor is not available, are you willing to learn using an online guitar course?
6)  Once your guitar lessons begin, are you willing to practice at least fifteen to thirty minutes per day, five to six days a week?
7)  Do you have the money to invest in a guitar?

Your answers to these questions should help you determine if you're ready to learn how to play the guitar. 

You're only lessons away from playing great guitar music!

Do You Have What it Takes to Learn to Read Music?

You probably remember those dreaded aptitude tests in school. You know,
those tests that revealed your abilities to perform certain tasks?

Well, it's time to stop dreaming, and put your desire to learn music to the test.

The desire for music is within you, but do you really have what it takes to learn to read music? Discover your own musical capabilities below.

Musical Talent or Not - Does it Matter?

You may not be able to read music right now. You most likely cannot pick up a flute, a guitar or a violin and play a beautiful melody. Even so, everyone around you is always saying how musically talented you are.

Perhaps you can memorize musical tunes on key upon hearing them, create an original song in your mind, or maybe even play an instrument or two without really knowing how to read the music. These are all indications of having natural musical talent.

But, do you have the potential to achieve music?

Even if you have none of the musical abilities above, you can still learn to read music.

Where "natural talent" doesn't exist, learned musical skills can still be used to make beautiful music. Your love and desire for learning and achieving music is what will make the difference whether you have natural talent or not.

Think of your present career. If you pursued what you loved, you were able to
achieve the skill through learning, right? If you're a typist, you learned to type.

If you're a nurse, you went to nursing school.. If you're a mechanic, you attended
a technical school to achieve this. To read music, you must learn it as well.

Question #1: Do I love music enough to learn how to read music and play a musical instrument?

Learning to Read Music for Adults

If you missed out on music lessons as a child or simply forgot what you
learned, it's not too late to develop musical skills. Adults can learn to read
music. In truth, a person who has a real desire to learn might achieve more than a child who is being pushed to learn.

Why? As an adult, you already understand the great potential of having this skill. Having a passion for music will drive you to practice often and develop your skills quickly. Only those adults and children who have a desire to continue with music will actually achieve the skill for life!

Question #2: Are you willing to learn music and be dedicated to practice at this stage of your life?

A Goal for Your Music Skills

Another determining factor for learning to read music is your reason for
learning. There should be a goal in mind while developing this skill. Whether
it's to play an instrument in church, at special gatherings or to have a career in
music, you should have a goal in mind.

With a goal, you'll be pushed to learn even when you don't feel like taking a lesson. This is similar to taking college courses.
You attend the classes because you must if you are going to have a successful
career in that field.

Question #3: Do you have a goal or reason for learning to read music?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above, read the questions below.

Which instrument do I want to play?
If a skilled music teacher is not available, am I willing to teach myself through online training?
When my music lessons begin, can I dedicate at least 15 to 30 minutes per day to practice?

If you answered "Yes" to all these questions, you're ready to pursue music
lessons.

Start developing your musical skills today to discover a life-long
treasure!

Do You Download Music Over A File-Sharing Network?

It can be estimated that millions of people around the world share music over a file-sharing network. For this article, I am addressing the issue in America mainly because I am not aware of the laws in other countries. Do you think it is illegal to download music from file-sharing networks? What about music you already own? An important recent court decision will answer these questions directly and you might be surprised.

Recently the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard a case against a Chicago woman, Cecilia Gonzalez. Many plaintiffs including BMG, Sony and others brought the case against her. Gonzalez allegedly had downloaded over 1,000 songs through KaZaA—although she admitted to only 30. Keep that number in mind, 30. Many, if not just about all, people who download files over a file-sharing network don’t stop at one file. Thirty files can be reached in minutes to an hour without thought. In fact, it was alleged that Gonzalez downloaded 1,370 songs in just a few weeks, which is an average of 65 songs per day.

If you where caught downloading thirty songs over a file-sharing network, what would your defense be? Let’s look at two specific common defenses and see how a court might react. I have selected two defenses that I feel are most common, because they not only appear in the court case I have referenced, but many others I have surveyed would try to use them as their defense as well.

First Defense: I was simply trying out the songs to see if I liked them and then I planned to buy the ones I liked and erase the ones I don’t. (Simplified: try-before-you-buy)

Judge Eastbrook, one of the judges hearing the Gonzalez case, pointed out that this defense is not valid because one had many avenues to hear music before purchasing. Eastbrook names iTunes, radio, internet radio, Yahoo! Music and others as ways to legally try before buying. If this was going to be your defense, you will lose.

Second Defense: I am only downloading music that I already own.

This seems like a great defense, at first. You already own the music and the law allows you to create a backup copy. Ah, but here is where it goes south. Downloading music you already own is not considered fair use under the U.S. Copyright Law and your action is therefore copyright infringement. See UMG Recordings Inc. v. MP3.com, Inc., 92 F. Supp. 2d 349.

Furthermore, the try-before-you-buy scenario is really blown away by the fact that you no longer need to buy CD’s in whole. iTunes really helped change the legal arena in this respect because a user can both sample songs at their leisure and purchase single songs. The ability to purchase single songs is the big one.

In the end, Gonzalez lost her case. The thirty songs, that would have cost $29.70 at iTunes, will end up costing her $22,500 in damages—imagine what it would be if the plaintiffs had pushed for a decision on all 1,370 songs. She was given the opportunity to settle for $3,500 before going to court, which she declined—another bad decision. If you download music over file-sharing networks and are caught, what will be your legal defense?