entertainment

Flowers Are For All Occasions

2010-04-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

Flowers in everyday life

In modern times, people have sought ways to cultivate, buy, wear, or just be around flowers and blooming plants, partly because of their agreeable smell. Around the world, florists sell flowers for a wide range of events and functions that, cumulatively, encompass one's lifetime:

Flowers as symbols

Daisies are a symbol of innocence.

Gentle and lovely, flowers share their beauty with us and bring us a touch of eternal things. Each variety of flower has its own special quality and meaning. By establishing an inner contact with the flower, this meaning can be known. Many flowers have important symbolic meanings in Western culture. The practice of assigning meanings to flowers is known as floriography. Some of the more common examples include:

Red roses are given as a symbol of love, beauty, and passion.

Poppies are a symbol of consolation in time of death. In the UK, Australia and Canada, red poppies are worn to commemorate soldiers who have died in times of war.

Irises/Lily are used in burials as a symbol referring to "resurrection/life". It is also associated with stars (sun) and its petals blooming/shining.

Flowers speak to us when we know how to listen to them. It is a subtle and fragrant language. The carrying of flowers by the bride goes back to ancient times when it was believed that strong smelling herbs and spices would ward off and drive away evil spirits, bad luck and ill health. During Roman times the bride and groom wore floral garlands signifying new life and hope for fertility.

During Victorian times, flowers took on an additional significance as lovers would send messages to each other using different flowers, each with its own symbolic meaning. These associations were soon adopted for the bridal bouquet and are still used today by many brides.

The most popular flowers with their traditional meanings are:

Almond blossom - Hope

Apple blossom - Good fortune and better things to come

Barberry - Bad temper

Burdock - Touch me not

Camellia - Gratitude

Carnation - Fascination and love

Chrysanthemum - red - I love you

Chrysanthemum - white - Truth

Cyclamen - Modesty and shyness

Daffodil - Regard

Daisy - Innocence

Fern - Fascination and sincerity

Flowering Almond - Hope

Forget-me-not - Remembrance and true love

Gardenia - Joy

Heather - Good luck

Hellebore - Scandal

Heliotrope - Devotion and faithfulness

Honeysuckle - Generosity

Hyacinth - Loveliness

Hydrangea - Boastfulness

Ivy - Eternal fidelity

Iris - Flame/burning love and warmth of affection

Japonica - Loveliness

Jasmine - Amiability

King's Cup - I wish I were rich

Larkspur - Fickleness

Lemon blossom - Fidelity in love

Lilac (white) - Youthful innocence

Lily - Majesty

Lily-of-the-valley - Return of happiness

Magnolia - Perseverance

Maidenhair - Discretion

Marigold - Grief

Meadow Saffron - My best days are past

Mimosa - Sensitivity

Myrtle - Love

Narcissus - Egotism

Orange blossom - Purity and virginity

Orchid - Beauty

Peach blossom - Captive

Pink - Boldness

Rose (red) - Love, happiness

Rose (yellow) - Friendship

Rose (coral) - Desire

Rose (peach) - Modesty

Rose (dark pink) - Thankfulness

Rose (pale pink) - Grace

Rose (orange) - Fascination

Rose (white) - Innocence

Rosemary - Remembrance

Snowdrop - Hope

Sweet Pea - Pleasure

Tulip - red - I love you

Tulip - white - I am worthy of you

Tulip - Love

Veronica - Fidelity

Violet - Faithfulness

Roses - Single Color Meanings

Red roses of any hue say "I love you" (Love)

Deep red roses imply unconscious beauty.

White roses signify spiritual love and purity.

Bridal white means happy love.

Yellow roses today signify joy and gladness; historically, they meant a decrease of love and infidelity (Friendship)

Coral roses imply desire

Orange say "I am fascinated and enthusiastic."

Lavender roses mean love at first sight

Light pink roses imply grace, gentility and admiration

Dark pink roses say"thank you."

Pale-colored roses signify friendship.

The Language of Flowers

Flowers may be combined and arranged so as to express even the nicest shades of sentiment. If a flower is offered "reversed", its direct signification is likewise reversed, so that the flower now means the opposite. A rosebud divested of its thorns, but retaining its leaves, conveys the sentiment, "I fear no longer; I hope." Stripped of leaves and thorns, it signifies, "There is nothing to hope or fear." A full-blown rose places over two buds, signifies "Secrecy." "Yes", is implied by touching the flower given to the lips; "No," by pinching off a petal and casting it away. "I am", is expressed by a laurel leaf twined around the bouquet; "I have", "by an ivy leaf folded together; "I offer you".

Carnations Color Messages

For the most part, carnations express love, fascination, and distinction. Light red carnations represent admiration, while dark red denote deep love and affection. White carnations indicate pure love and good luck; striped symbolize a regret that a love cannot be shared. Purple carnations indicate capriciousness.

Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance. According to Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus' plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother's undying love, and in 1907 was chosen by Ann Jarvis as the emblem of Mother's Day, now observed in the United States and Canada on the second Sunday in May.

All roses symbolize love, but certain colors of roses can take on special meanings. Opinions vary on the many meanings of roses, but here are some of the more common:

Red: Love, Respect, Courage.

Yellow: Joy, Gladness, Freedom.

Pink/Peach: Gratitude, Appreciation, Admiration or Sympathy.

White: Reverence, Purity, Secrecy.

Two Roses Joined Together: Engagement.

Red and White Roses Together: Unity.

More flower meanings there.

Red rose Love

Yellow rose Friendship

White rose Fear

Pink rose Indecision

Blue rose Uniqueness

Arrangements Reversed flower Meaning is also reversed

Rosebud with leaves but no thorns "I fear no longer; I hope."

Rosebud with neither leaves nor thorns "There is nothing to hope or fear."

Full blown rose over two buds Secrecy

Laurel leaf twined around bouquet "I am"

Ivy leaf folded together "I have"

How to Write a Joke in 3 Easy Steps

2010-04-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Want to know how to write a joke? Maybe you're a best man or an aspiring comic and don't know where to start? Perhaps you want to write great comic literature but can't figure out quite how to go about it?
Do you just want to make someone laugh? Well, every joke has three things in common and I am not only going to show you what those things are but also how to use them to construct your first joke.

You will need the following things for your joke:

1) A story

2) An assumption about your story

3) a counter assumption about your story

1) Your story:

First of all you take your story and you start telling it. Simple right? Lets use this incredibly old example:

"A man walks in to a bar"

2) An assumption about your story:

In this instance you assume that the man has walked in to some sort of drinking establishment.

3) A counter assumption about your story:

A bar can also be something made of metal or wood.

Now all we have to do is mix the two assumptions together to give us the joke:

A man walks in to a bar

He says ouch

It was a metal bar.

OK, I know that's incredibly old but have a look at these two examples, they all work the same way.
My wife gets so jealous. She came home from work and was mad at me because there was a pretty girl on the bus [The story and we have now made the assumption that he is going to like the girl] she thought I would have liked [The counter assumption here. He doesn't like the woman, in fact he's never even seen her]
(Ray Romano)

I saw 6 men kicking and punching my mother-in-law. The wife said "Aren't you going to help?" [The story starts and we assume that he is going to help his mother-in-law] "No," I said, "6 should be enough" [He was actually going to help the group of people attacking his mother-in-law].

Online Singing Lessons

2010-02-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

If you want to impress and be the best, singing lessons will give you the chance to bring out the best in your voice.

After all, if you're going to be a professional entertainer, you'll want to do things properly.

There are a lot of performers that have never had a lesson in their lives and are very successful.

Now I'm not here to judge anybody, I have never had a lesson of any kind in singing or
how to play a guitar and mind you I don't sing anywhere near to my potential.

Harmonies I do have a nack for, but when it comes to singing up front, I definitely need some work.

If you want to give yourself a good chance at becoming a reputable performer, then you should very seriously consider learning the craft from a reputable teacher.

In my many hours of scouring the internet, I came across this learn to sing course and there was no need for me to scour any longer.

If well known celebrities are endorsing a product, and the product can supply video examples to justify the product, then I'm sold. Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Hayley Williams (lead singer from Paramore) all use this program and to read their testimonials is just one reason to at least consider having a look at this course.

What better way to develop your singing voice and look after it.

What's the alternative?

Nodules! Constant sore throats, hitting bum notes, your voice cracking when trying to hold an impossible note and singing out of key, YUCK!

There's nothing worse than going along to catch a band and the lead singer can't sing for peanuts!

Do your voice a favor and look after it. Then it will look after you............

Become The Next American Idol with These Killer Singing Tips

2010-02-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

No matter what type of music you fancy, all you have to do is listen to the radio and you’ll find beautiful singing voices. People like Patsy Cline and Josh Groban immediately come to mind as two of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. And let’s face it, we’d all love to be able to sing like those two velvet throated virtuosos. Well, believe it or not, it’s not as hard as you might thing. In this article, I’m going to share 3 killer tips that will improve your singing 100%.

Probably the most important part of singing is the breathing. Most people who sing, even some professional pop singers, do NOT breathe correctly. The correct way to breathe is from your diaphragm, which is just below your rib cage. By doing this, and slowly exhaling as you let out the tone, you will get a fuller and rounder tone, as opposed to singing from your throat, which is what most people do.

The next tip has to do with hitting those high notes. The problem with most people when they sing is that they try to hit that high C exactly. What you actually need to do is reach for slightly above high C, then in actuality what happens is that you hit the note that you were trying to hit. It’s more of a psychological trick than a physical one, but it does work very well.

The final tip has to do with your vocal chords. You need to think of them the same way that you would think of the strings of a piano. The lower notes are longer and the strings are thicker. The higher notes are shorter and the strings are thinner. Thus, when you are singing, you need to shorten the vocal chords when you sing your higher notes, otherwise, the sound will not come out.

Well, it sounds very easy doesn’t it? If only you had a tutor. Well, not a problem. Below in my signature is a review of a great resource that will have you singing like a pro in no time at all.

You may not sing like the next American Idol, but you’ll sound darn good.

Video Playlists Are Great For Different Kinds of Websites

2010-02-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

Many people now have their own websites. While others do this for the sole purpose of expressing themselves, most of them create their own space in the cyber world in order to earn visitors and earn from the website at the same time.
If you have a website containing training instructions or fitness tips, embedding video playlist can be very beneficial to your website. This would actually help you have higher page ranking in one way or another. Your visitors would not get bored reading all the instructions telling them about the right way to do an exercise or to cook healthy foods. They would definitely be interested and stay longer on your website if they see your video playlist rather than a set of eye-straining texts alone.
Gossip or celebrity websites are also advised to embed their own video playlist as well. This can be your edge and would make gossip-lovers come back to your webpage from time to time. It can set you apart from the other sites on the same subject since most of them would only post pictures instead of embedding video playlist. Put up a couple of videos showing bloopers or interviews of the hottest celebrities as part of your playlist and rest assure that the fanatics will watch it over and over again.
By embedding video playlist in your website, you can expect that you will get higher and faster traffic in no time at all. Most of the high ranking pages today are those that include a playlist or two in order to entice the web surfers to stay on their site and visit every day.
Don't worry; the playlists would not affect the loading speed of your website. Just pick the videos that are ten minutes or less to prevent bogging down the servers.

Making a Great Video

2010-02-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

Video has enhanced our lives, it helps us keep in touch with family and friends. It helps to protect us and generally speaking it brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. Making a great video to share or to even use for marketing purposes really is not the difficult. A natural eye helps but is not necessary. Take a look a this tips for making a great video and you will be on your way!

- It is always fun to grab the video camera and start rolling to catch some unexpected antics, but what if you want something a little more serious, like maybe a wedding or an anniversary? Grabbing the video camera and just pointing aimlessly is fine, but it would be extra fine to really have some rhyme and reason to the movie. You can accomplish that rhyme and reason by giving it some real thought. Picture what you want the video to turn out looking like. What do you want to capture? Where can you stand to get the best footage? These ideas are just jumping off points that you can expand on to get the best possible movie results that you can.

- Consider Audio. This is an important tip. You have to remember that if you are too far away the audio is going to come across as a garbled mess that no one will understand. You need to film from a close enough range so that the audio will clearly be understood.

- Film More- You should film more than you think you will need, because you can edit out whatever it is that you do not want, but once the event is over you cannot add anything to the film. So spend a bit more time filming than you think you need to, you will be glad you did.

- Using Features- using features on your camera is always fun, but don't overdue it. Zooming in is fine to get someone's reaction but staying zoomed in through the whole movie is a bit redundant.

- Remember Your Audience- as you are filming your video try to keep in mind the audience that will be viewing your movie. Some things might seem funny if you capture it on film, but some members of your audience might feel insulted.

- Edit Liberally - add music and voice over's as you see fit. Crop out the bad and hang onto the good. Keep in mind that this movie might be around for a long time so use good taste and have fun with it.

Making a great movie only requires a little forethought and ingenuity you can easily accomplish making a movie that you are proud to show everyone just by simply giving it some thought!

How to Compose Your Own Songs

2010-02-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

It is a known fact that many of the world's most popular singers and musicians write and compose some of their own songs and are very proficient at songwriting? Do you know why? The reason is very simple. It is because since those the performer's own songs and compositions, the artistes can really be emotionally charged when performing or singing the songs.

Only the composers themselves know and can portray the feelings behind those songs and perform the songs the way they are meant to be because they are the ones who wrote the songs after all.

So, you have decided that you want to write your own original songs and I believe the first and foremost question on your mind is 'Where do I start'? or 'Should I write the melody first or the lyrics first'. This is the most common dilemma for most amateur songwriters.

The answer to this perplexing question is simply do whichever comes first to you. However, there are some complexities to this short answer. Let us then examine these songwriting tips and perhaps learn something from here.

Now, think about it. What are you better at? Lyrics or music? Which one do you find easier to you? Are you the type to write a few lines first or the type who hums a tune in your head first? Or are you the type who creates some chords and rhythms first? Ahhhh, not as simple as you first thought, isn't it?

The answer is no matter what you are better at in composing a song, you should write a verse and chorus first, whether it is the tune for the verse and chorus or the lyrics for the verse and chorus. As simple as that.

Now go ahead and write the lyrics of the first verse and chorus without any melody line or put a tune to the lyrics. Simply put, don't write the tune until you are done with the lyrics for the verse and chorus.

Alternatively, if you write a tune or some chords for the first verse and the chorus, then get it done without thinking of any lyrics for the tune or the chords. Just get the music out first.

In this way, you can then go back to the song by adding the lyrics or the tune next and this will take out a lot of complication and confusion if you were write the melody and the lyrics at the same time. I am sure you have encountered the confusion in your earlier attempts at songwriting and making cumbersome corrections all the time, didn't you?

The important thing about composing songs is to start composing, but one sequence at a time. It does not matter which sequence first.

Now that you have learnt how to start writing songs, the next step to your songwriting career is to get your ultimate guide to writing and selling your songs and who knows, your original songs may be picked up by popular singers and catapult you to become a prolific songwriter composer! Hope you have enjoyed this songwriting tips article.

9 Reasons Why Watching a TV Series on DVD is Better Than on Television

2010-02-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Progressively more Television line and sitcoms are now being published on DVD and Blu-ray. More and more a growing number of individuals are choosing to enjoy their favorite shows on DVD and Blu-ray and it’s no secret why. Your favorite Television series is more enjoyable on DVD! Here’s why:

1. No commercials! Enjoy your favorite line without interruption.
You spend practically 30 percent of your viewing time watching commercials, which currently take up nearly 18 minutes of every prime time hour. For a typical 20-episode 1-hour line, that’s a whopping 6 hours saved by watching on DVD and Blu-ray. In addition, you’ll no longer have to subject yourself to those annoying advertisements flashing or dancing at the bottom of the monitor that many networks like to put on through a display. And you might be taken aback to discover that watching a syndicated present usually means even more commercials, and they come at the cost of the original show, which is cut to allow additional commercial time. You won’t have this drawback on DVD which maintains the original full length of the episode

2. Watching a series on DVD gives you total control of your viewing experience.
No more waiting for a commercial to have the opportunity to go grab more popcorn from the kitchen. You can pause and continue your favorite show anytime you wish with no stressing about missing a major scene. If you do not have time to complete an episode in one go, most DVD players are able to recall where you stopped and permit you to resume where you left off the next time you watch it.

3. Possessing all of the episodes on DVD permits you to enjoy a show at your personal pace.
View an episode a evening or see the entire season in 1 sitting. If there is a cliffhanger and you are utterly dying to learn what takes place next, you only need put up with a wait if you decide .

4. TV on DVD and Blu-ray looks and sounds far better.
In numerous circumstances, they have been remastered, cleaned up and the results are spectacular. You can see your favorite TV line like you’ve never seen them before.

5. In addition to watching anytime you wish, you can view a show on DVD and Blu-ray wherever you wish. Pop it into your laptop computer and watch on the plane or enjoy it on your TV as you lie in bed.

6. Many of us have a favorite episode of a show --
the one we can watch over and over again, without getting tired of it. Owning the show on DVD means you never have to flip through the channels in hope of seeing that particular rerun of your favorite show.

7. See what you have not seen. DVD and Blu-ray special features or extras, including interviews, commentary, alternate endings, cut scenes and previously unaired episodes you won’t see on TV.

8. Enjoy what you have missed. So perhaps you never did have the opportunity to watch "Felicity," "Dallas" or "Gilligan’s Island." DVD gives you a second chance to appreciate those long-gone series.

9. Enjoy a lot more entertainment per dollar. Buy a movie, enjoy roughly 2 hours of video. Buy a TV series, enjoy double or triple that amount. Television on DVD provides a greater entertainment value.

Whether it’s a long-lost favorite TV series, one you missed, or one you’ve seen dozens of times, Television on DVD serves up a fresh way for you to enjoy the best TV programming, on your terms, and with the best quality possible.

"Kingdom of Heaven" Sought to Be an Epic Film, But Became a Disaster in Production

2010-02-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

Kingdom of Heaven - 1 Star (Terrible)

Unfortunately for the "Kingdom of Heaven", what started out as an ambitious epic film about a little known time in history, became an almost disaster at its release and was only average at best. There is enough blame to spread around.

First, there is a reason why the immortal "Gone with the Wind", which involved a turbulent love affair in the American south during the Civil War and Reconstruction, took almost 4 hours to see. You apparently cannot make a quality, classic film about the Civil War in less time. Ken Burns' acclaimed documentary film "The Civil War" consisted of 9 episodes and took 11 hours to view.

Second, there may be a market for a film in the Middle Ages about the Christian Crusades, a series of military expeditions by Europeans to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims in the 11th, 12th and 13th Centuries. That market, regrettably, is very small compared to an epic about the Civil War, World War I or World War II.

Third, when 3-time, Best Director Oscar-nominee Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down", "Gladiator" and "Thelma and Louise") presented the film to the studio at 194 minutes (3 hours and 14 minutes), the studio execs demanded that it be cut to two hours, believing that moviegoers would not sit through a 3-hour film.

This proved to be a critical mistake in judgment. It was nearly impossible for Scott to tell the Kingdom of Heaven story in 2 hours, and when the movie received really mixed reviews and proved to be a financial disappointment in the United States, the error was clearly noticeable.

Fourth, not only was this film to be an epic story, its production cost was enormous. Most of the filming was in Morocco, and Mohammad VI, King of Morocco, provided 1,500 of his military personnel with accompanying equipment to help in the filming.

In addition, there were apparently 15,000 handmade costumes for the film that also required helmets, boots, gloves, chainmail, belts and scabbards. The flag budget for the film was $250,000. There were 7,500 weapons, 3,000 shields and 20,000 arrows used in the film. In one scene alone, there were 143 extras, 60 military personnel, 125 horses and 60 camels.

A massive replica of Jerusalem was constructed in the Sahara Desert, containing 28,000 square meters of wall that required 6,000 tons of plaster. The front set was 1,200 feet long and the walls were 56 feet tall. Good grief.

Fifth, writer William Monahan's first draft of the script was 186 pages. Executive producer Lisa Ellzey thought Fox would never approve the script because of its length, so she cut it to only 20 pages before submitting it.

Sixth, Orlando Bloom was not ready to play the leading role as Balian of Ibelin, and his performance did not reflect the kind of command and presence necessary to pull it off.

Seventh, I had great difficulty as a moviegoer following the story as its presentation required much more help in context, or from a narrator, to understand what was happening when and why it was important.

Eighth, the sound in the film was terrible. There were times when it was impossible to understand the dialog and, without this essential element, there is no way the film would be rated good by my standards. Sound is too basic of a need to succeed and, when it goes unnoticed because it is well done, it is not an issue.

Ninth, this whole project was sad from start to finish. What could have become a good film could not overcome the obstacles along the way. Two bright spots in the film were the performances of Liam Neeson as Godfrey de Ibelin and Ghassan Massoud as Saladin, the great Muslim leader.

In his quest to be noble, Liam Neeson was able to deliver this dialog as Godfrey de Ibelin: "Be without fear in the face of our enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath." (Spoken to his son, Balian, when making him a knight.)

History records that Saladin and his Muslim troops did recapture Jerusalem after defeating the King of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin near the Lake of Galilee. When Saladin's soldiers enter the City of Jerusalem, they were not allowed to kill civilians, rob people, or damage the city.

In many ways, the Muslims come out looking better than the Christians in Kingdom of Heaven, and historically, they were.

Discover How to Effectively Practice Music

2010-02-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

The quality of your practice is much more focal than the quantity. The old proverb "practice makes perfect" is barely stanch if the practice itself is just right. Here are 7 tips to help knock together your practice more useful and efficient.

Practice motions unhurriedly

The muscular recall of our bodies allows us to physically hold not in patterns of wave with little or veto conscious involvement. Examples of muscular recall include walking, riding a bicycle, typing, and of way singing a musical instrument.

Voguish order to develop this recall, the muscles require training in the form of continual conscious guidance from the mind. First the mind be obliged to ascertain the pattern. Then the mind be obliged to "teach" the pattern to the muscles.

The mind originally be obliged to control all the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions, the more quickly the muscles will develop muscle recall.

Slow practice too allows the mind to teach "antagonistic muscles" to relax. Antagonistic muscles are individuals with the purpose of move in opposite orders. By relaxing antagonistic muscles you can reduce tension and facilitate sooner and easier performance and get around promise injury.

Practice in small cells

A "practice cell" is simply a restricted sequence of motions. Musical cells can correspond to something from a the minority annotations to an full design. When practicing, it is focal to practice small cells of truthful a the minority annotations. Practicing small cells limits the amount of in rank the muscles gain to ascertain next to solitary schedule. It too facilitates the mind's focus and concentration.

Link the result of solitary cell

To help the muscles develop a significance of continuum all over the chunk of composition, the stay fresh wave in a cell be supposed to be the foremost wave of the following cell.

Practice apiece cell in bursts

Once the muscles gain learned a pattern, they will be clever of executing it lacking conscious control. Initiate the pattern through a conscious understanding and allow the muscles to put to death it in a burst.

Don't practice mistakes

For all repetition obligatory to ascertain a pattern of wave, it takes 7 epoch the numeral of repetitions to conversion the pattern. If in the way of your practice you knock together an slip, plug. Review in your mind the pattern. And extend reduce the speediness of your motions.

Pause stuck between repetitions

When dealing with repetitive activities, the mind is better able to focus what time the repetitions are smashed up by brisk pauses. After two or three repetitions, pause instead of a propos 30 seconds to regain focus.

Take frequent breaks and don't "over-practice"

B.F. Skinner and other experts gain found with the purpose of the mind's knack to ascertain drops significantly similar to prolonged intense concentration. Research shows with the purpose of studying too long (i.E. More than four hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain vital instead of learning.

Therefore, it is unsurpassed to take frequent breaks (a 5 report on break a propos all 20-25 minutes) and practice veto more than 4 hours repeatedly. By applying these techniques, you can dramatically get well the quality of your practice. You'll be able to custom your schedule more efficiently and intensify the effectiveness of your practice.

Ear Training Software

2010-02-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

If you are a musician, you would have known that having a good ear for listening to music is of the utmost importance. Have good ear training skills will enable you to improvise a musical piece, identify the key of the music being played and also help you in composing your own songs. Very often, amateur musicians get stuck or hit a plateau in their musical progress. No matter how much they practice, they simply cannot take their musicianship to the next level.

The most common problem boils down to the root of the ear's ability to hear and identify music. Playing a musical instrument requires both physical (technical aspects, finesse of the fingers) as well as mental (ear training) attributes in order for a musician to attain a mastery of the instrument. Very often, a musician is off balanced in terms of his training because the ear training aspect of his education is often neglected.

So how does one learn good aural skills? Ear training software to help musicians learn relative pitch and identify intervals have been appearing all over the internet in recent years. Some examples of simple aural skills softwares can be found at good-ear.com and solfege.org. These websites offer musicians to learn ear training through the use of a computer program. However, do take note that some of these programs only touch on the very basics of improving the relative pitch ability of a musician. There is really a limit on the depth of ear exercises that these softwares can provide.

If you are looking for a complete all rounder education, I would suggest you take a look at David Lucas Burge's Relative Pitch Supercourse. The Relative Pitch Supercourse is a step by step guide to learning aural skills and is available in the form of physical CDs. On top of that, the detailed workbook will aid anyone who is learning relative pitch greatly.

Alternate Tunings For the Guitar

2010-01-07T07:44:00.003-08:00

Ever wonder how your favorite acoustic guitarist gets that full rich sound? It could be he or she is using an alternate tuning. Which is anything from one string being changed in pitch, such as dropped D, to the entire guitar tuned to a chord.

My favorite tuning is open G because the second, third, and fourth strings are the same as standard pitch. You can still form familiar partial cord shapes as if you were still in standard tuning. Just drop the high and low E strings down a whole step to G and the A string down to G. Led Zeppelin's 'Bron-y-aur Stomp is in this tuning. Eric Clapton uses it on many of his songs as well. A related tuning is open A. Just change the pitch of every string a whole step higher.

Another favorite is open D tuning, sometimes called Sebastopol, for the song Sebastopol Blues. This is a very popular tuning for playing the blues. The related tuning would be open E with every string one step higher. Robert Johnson, the famous delta blues musician from the 1930's frequently used this tuning.

Notice that the above tunings all sound a chord when played open. Another type of alternate tuning is called modal tuning. DAGGAD tuning, popularized by Lawrence Juber of Paul McCartney and Wings fame is probably the most popular.

Alternate tunings can open up a whole new world on the guitar for you. With a decent tuner and a few twists on the tuning pegs you'll be amazed with what you can do. Just use your imagination and see what you can come up with.

How To Learn To Sing Backup Vocals

2009-12-23T03:41:00.000-08:00

A lot of old songs have more interesting backup vocals compared to songs that are new today. Listen to songs of Diana Ross and the Jackson 5, you will notice that there are very interesting backup vocals in it that are almost a song when sung alone.

Another interesting backup vocals is the group like the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli. Try to listen to their song and you can hear that there is a different song beneath the melody that these lead singers is singing.

The secret to learning to sing backup vocals is for you to be able to hear the voice in your own head and try not to be distracted by the other melody of the song. It may a take a lot of practice, and you can do this best if you live or get near more often with singers, where you are not singing with anyone but still holding your own. Try finding one or two people, and let the other play the guitar or let’s say a pian, this way you can be able to learn to sing backup much more easier. It takes a lot of practice to master backup vocals because it can get confusing sometimes, and being able to backup is a very nice skill. Learning to sing backup vocals is a very challenging task and at the same time a rewarding one.

Below are steps on how to start learning to sing backup vocals:

• First try to synchronize beginnings and endings of words with the lead singer. You should observe proper pronunciation to create a smoother blend. Pick your note from a chord either from a piano or a guitar.

• Observe proper posture, because this will help you control things that are related to notes, including the tone, proper breathing technique, pitches and sound the of the mic.

• Practice singing along with a lead singer (all this in your mind), and take note all the time, so that you can match the impact of the lead singer when backing harmony comes into the picture. This can help you to tune in to the emotion of the lead singer.

• If you are required to sing note within the harmony, sing throughout leading up even if it does not go over the preceding chords.

• Always bear in mind that you are supporting the lead singer. And that you are a supporting instrument. Play with tone and timbre to create the underpinning without trampling all over the lead singer.

With the right tools and technique in learning to sing there is no doubt that you can learn to sing backup vocals fast and easy. Combined with a lot patience, perseverance, determination and your love for music, i’m pretty sure you will make it big in the music industry.

Just follow the steps and techniques given and i am sure that you will learn to sing backup vocals in no time. Have with a lof of patience and determination and you’ll go a long way.

Learn To Sing - Develop Your Voice

2009-12-23T03:38:00.000-08:00

Many experts believe that almost anyone, with the right instruction and determination, can develop her voice and carry a tune the way it was meant to be. The key to progress is practice and some wise decision-making.

In this article i am going to share without steps on how to develop your voice. Below are the steps to be followed.

• Choose a song that you know by heart very well and record your own voice singing it. Play it back and listen to it carefully and get idea of your voice strengths and weaknesses. Again record your voice but this time take note of the things that went wrong with your first recording and make a list of the things that you need to work on.

• The next thing that you should do is to listen to different chords and notes with your eyes closed and try to recognize the sounds. Not a lot of people are blessed with a natural instinct to identify sounds, so the more often you practice with the sounds the better and easier for you to match the right notes when you sing.

• You also need to control your breathing by taking a rest between the notes and breathe deeply from your stomach and not from your chest. This is very important for singers to do and will only come with constant practice. To do this, put your hand in your upper tummy and back and feel your inhalations and control your breath.

• It is very important that you enrol in workshops for singing or voice lesson in your local area. This is less expensive compared to enrolling in a private voice lesson.

• In choosing the songs that you will sing, choose carefully. Choose the songs that will complement to your voice range and the level of your ability. If you have a nasal low voice, country music will sound good to you, and for high voices, folk ballad is the best choice. You should start first with lower songs and eventually increase in the long run.

• It is very vital that you master the basics in learning how to sing like pitch recognition as well note and chord matches before you go into vocal ornamentation such as slides in your songs.

Most singers are taught how to pronounce the words properly so the lyrics of the songs that you will be singing can be understood by the audience. Another important thing is by learning to breathe from your diaphragm, so that you can hold certain notes of a song. This aspect in singing is considered as one of the important by professional voice teachers. Voice teachers offer a lot breathing exercises so that the students will be acclimated to breathing from the diaphragm.

Learning to sing, especially if you have already mastered it brings a sense of achievement. What is important in learning to sing is for you to have a strong desire to learn, then there is no doubt that you can learn to sing fast.

Learn To Sing Baritone

2009-12-23T03:33:00.000-08:00

Baritone is a male voice and a voice range that is between tenor and bass. Technically it ranges from the G blow middle C and to the C above middle C. It is the job of a baritone to sound and harmonize with the other main vocal parts. Baritone range usually sing the lower part of the harmony, that is a third or a fourth below the melody. There is also what we call higher baritone, wherein you sing above the melody, but it is rare.

This type of voice covers a range that straddles both the bass and treble clefs. It is important for singers to learn to read baritone music to better learn to sing baritone. You can learn baritone better with proper practice and training. It is an issue among men when it comes to posture because they tend to slouch when they sing. You should stand up straight when you sing to really use your diaphragm in expelling the notes of the song. Constant and proper practice is also very important in practicing your range to strengthen your vocal chords.

Below are steps on how to learn to sing baritone:

1. It is very important to use right vocal technique to hit the notes in the baritone range. You should use your diaphragm to send air to your vocal chords. To do this, keep your tongue flat, raise your soft pallet and open your mouth wide.

2. Try to perfect your baritone range. You must be able sing the whole range in order to become a true baritone. That’s why you need to train your voice. You need a lot of time to practice, so patience is very important because not all people can sing this kind of range. You should try to find your current range and sing songs that will stretch your high and low ranges until such time that you perfect the entire range.

3. It is important to create a space inside your mouth for the vocal wave to resonate so that you will achieve tonality of the baritone. Try to imagine the vocal waves travelling to your throat and bouncing around before leaving your body. Another technique is to focus on how much vibration you can feel every time you sing between your eyes.

4. To begin practicing, find a performance group that you can join and practice with them. It is important that you will be able to a rich tone quality through the lower and mid range.

In learning to sing baritone, it takes a lot of patience so you can succeed in learning it. You need also to have the determination and commitment to pursue your craft. The singers who are known for their baritone voice had their share of hard work when they first started their career as a singer. It is because of their commitment to singing that they where they are right now. Because of their patience they succeeded in their dream of becoming a well know baritone singer. You too can become like them, it is not too late.

Burn Free Music Downloads

2009-12-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a way to increase your music library but you do not have enough money to buy the latest CD, what do you do? What if I told you can download your own songs quickly and easily? The great thing is you are able to download a specific song and not the entire CD. Allowing you to burn free music download and grow your library with the songs you want.

All you need to do is use the Internet connection your computer and some blank CDs and you're on your way to keep yourself happy, and entertained for hours.

I would recommend that you search for the music online yourself by going to your favorite search engine and typing in different phrases that will relate back to your genre of music that you are wanting to download.

It may take some time for you to find the exact music that you would want to put in your library. But searching online, tends to do that and best of all, you'll be able to start listening to other various artists that you'd never heard of before. So in actual fact, you are growing your need for great music, and actually sampling a lot of unknown tracks and albums.

There are other sites that help you find free music, but one show up on the search engines. Some artists are also willing to give away the music by allowing you to visit their fan page. This is the way the artist will grow his music and make it more famous so why not give it a try.

You could probably also start to look at different radio stations on the Internet, by listening to what they are playing find out what music is exciting and new. All you need to do is actually go to your favorite search engine and look up radio stations website. They tend to give access to free downloads and playlists.

Once you download your favourite tracks, and you're willing to number in a down onto a CD to do idea to make sure that you have enough music to fill up the CD. Some people like to make a mix CD while others will only record, a specific artist or group onto a CD. At the end of the day the choice is yours, since this is your mix compilation.

Make sure you have enough blank CDs, so that you can burn all your favorite songs. The blank CDs that you should be using are called CDR. these type of CDs will be able to be played in most CD players. If you're looking for software to burn your music to CDs, you can use your media player software. Most computers come are ready preinstall, with some sort of media player software such as Real One, MusicMatch jukebox or Windows media player. If you do not have any of these, I suggest you go and search online for a free media player that will allow you to burn CDs.

It is your 1st time making use of this type of software to burn onto a CD. Rest assured that it is a very easy process to follow. Just about all of them operate in the same manner, which would be the following. Open the software and locate your music. Then go and select the songs you would like to burn onto a CD. Once you have done that. You will then click on the button that is burn CD or create disk. It will then take a couple of minutes and you'll have a CD with your favorite songs.

This is the easiest way to burn free music from downloads off the internet. With more or artists making this one is available for you to download and a rapid pace of the Internet. It is becoming more and more common for you to burn your favorite MP3s onto CD in a few minutes. This is the way; you can grow your own music library in a very short space of time.

How to Download and Burn Music

2009-12-23T03:25:00.001-08:00

Once you've located the music you want to add to your collection. Now, you need to find out how you would make use of it in your car CD player or a portable CD player. This is quite simple, all you need to do is burn in the required music onto a CD, and you'll be able to enjoy it anywhere.

Now I am going to assume that you have a media player of some sort on your computer to make it a lot easier for you to save the files onto your computer and which also will make it easier for you to burn CDs. I also assume that you already have a CD burner on your computer.

Firstly, you'll need to locate the music that you would want to head in your music collection by searching on the Internet. There are various sites that will enable you to do various things, but inevitably, all you want is to download music to your PC. You will also see next to the song that you wish to download that it will have you a button. Next to it, saying something along the lines of "click to download" or "click to save"

After you click on the button to download or save it onto your PC. You need to find a folder in way you would like to save the MP3 file. Once you have downloaded the song to your PC, which should roughly take a couple of minutes, depending on your Internet speed, and the size of the actual file. Please also remember where exactly you are saving it onto your PC.

Before deciding to burn your music onto a CD make sure you have enough songs to fill up the space on a CD. Unless you are specifically only want to record or burn a song or two onto a disc, for whatever reason. I recommend that you make use of CDR blank CDs. As this will allow you to play in are a lot more CD players. Try and stay away from CD RW Blank discs as they are writable. Chances are, you will record over the songs, and also they tend to have some difficulty being able to be played on other CD players.

The software that you want to use to burn your CD will either be already installed on your computer. If not, you probably have a media player of some sort that will allow you to make use of the burn to disk facility. If you do not have any of these, I recommend you search the Internet for a media player that will allow you to burn to disk.

This will place your link CD-R disc into the CD drive. Open up your media player software and go and look at your library of songs gonad those songs onto a playlist that will allow you to burn onto a CD. It will also indicate to you how much disk space is left on the CD, every time you add a song. This will enable you to know how many songs you'll be able to fit onto a CD.

Once you have reached full capacity. You will then click okay or burn now buttons, and it should take not longer than 10 minutes to burn your CD.

Your computers will then take over and burn the disc, when it is finished. It will then you get the CD automatically, and you will have a message on your screen, stating disc burning process was successful. You then will label the CD according to what is on the CD.

Now you know how to download and burn music, very easily and quickly without too much difficulty.

Can You Get Free Music Downloads?

2009-12-23T03:21:00.001-08:00

This is a serious question everyone is asking can you get free music downloads? The person asking the question clearly has not discovered the Internet is full potential of getting free music.

This is a very difficult question to answer because it is a yes and no answer. Meaning, you can make use of the Internet to get free music, but the free music that is available is not very popular. And for the music that is popular you have to think twice before downloading them because of the copyright laws.

Now that you understand what I try to tell you, there are places, where you can download free music legally. You just have to hunt around the Internet and trying get access to certain musicians or artists that are putting their music out there for the public to download free of charge. These tend to be the more up and coming artists, and basically to either make a name for themselves. You can also make use of those social networking sites that simply use one of the many available search engines to search on the social networking sites for new music.

If you're wondering how to do this property go to a social networking site. Enter in the search bar, free music, and then you will be able to access and get the latest results.

If you happen to follow music Chart you might find one or two of your favorite artists in there that are willing or wanting to give away free music downloads. Some of these artists have come to realize it is easier to give away the music from their website. Then to have some other people download their music illegally.

You'll also be able to access free music through certain radio stations that will offer sometimes their playlists or certain songs off their website to be downloaded onto your computer or MP3 player. Now you will need to obviously search through the Internet for the different radio stations or stations offering a live streaming audio. Who knows you might just pick up a good track.

There's also the advantage of looking at the online stores that offer you access to buying MP3 songs, but they probably also have a selection of free MP3 songs for you to download. Also, try and find some music blogs, where they will offer you free download of their songs I would suggest bookmarking them, because you might come back at a later stage and the free list of MP3s might have changed.

Then of course there is the peer-to-peer and torrents method to obtain free music. But you do need to remember that going this way is actually downloading copyrighted songs illegally. And I go as follows to tell you that sometimes websites are actually fake website, just to monitor traffic and visitors activity.

At the end of the day, you can get free music download is all you need to do is take a good long search on the Internet, as they are loads of sites offering you free music for you to download. Just remember you start off by using a broad search and narrowing it down as you get closer and closer to their specific target word that you are wanting to get to. And last but not least, keep your ears peeled for that free music downloads.

Learn To Sing Without Vocal Coach

2009-12-23T03:17:00.000-08:00

It is a fact that you can learn a lot of things about singing from a vocal coach. They have the ability to evaluate your pitch, your tone and especially your performance. And they will help you find the correct key for your voice. They will also help you learn to properly breathe and how to choose the songs that is suitable for you and your type of voice. But will all the reason that doesn’t mean that you cannot learn to sing on your own. You can definitely learn to sing without vocal coach and most especially save a lot of money.

In learning to sing without the help of a vocal coach requires to important things, and that is commitment and patience. Though it may take you a little longer to really become a real vocalist without getting feedback from professionals, but you can get feedback from other sources or you can evaluate your own talent. This is where patience comes in. Learning to sing all by yourself takes a lot of patience. You can have to have a lot of that so you can succeed in learning to sing.

Another important thing is commitment. If you really want to become a successful singer, your commitment to your chosen craft is very important. Some singers practice whenever they can, even if they are washing dishes or doing household chores, because they have commitment. You got to love singing if you really want to learn.

You can learn to sing without the help of professional vocal coach but you have to make sure that you treat singing as a career and give it much importance.

Below are steps on how to learn to sing without a professional vocal coach:

• WarmYour Voice up – In every performance or even when you’re only practicing, it is very important that you always warm up your voice, so as to avoid straining your voice and your vocal chords. Just like the athletes, singers must also warm up their voice to better prepare the mucles in your throat.

• Learn your chose craft – It is very important for singers to learn to read music. Consider buying books about music and read it carefully until you are confident in your ability to read the notes. You should also work on matching your voice with the notes. A piano is a help for you to be able to do this. Try to match your pitch with that of the key of the piano.

• Find your own style – A singer has a certain genre of music that he or she likes to sing. Experiment with different genre of music and see what genre you are best at and what you like doing best. Know here you are comfortable working with. This way you will be able to know of find your own style in singing.

• Get comments – You should always ask for comments from your friends and relatives. Ask them how you sound and how you perform. This way you will improve and know your mistakes.

Piano Care: How to Properly Move a Piano Without Damaging It

2009-12-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

It is probably one of the heaviest and most valuable pieces of furniture in your house-the piano. Whether it is an upright or a grand, it is likely the centerpiece of a room and, even if you don't play it, you love looking at it. But, you want to relocate it to a different room or to a whole new house altogether. However far you are going with it, there is a right way and a wrong way to move a piano. The wrong way can damage the instrument and affect the tuning.

Here are some basics to keep in mind when planning your moving strategy the right way:

* Take measurements.

Whether you are moving from room to room or to a different house, you need to take accurate measurements to make the move easier. First of all, measure the piano-length, width and height. This is especially important for the bigger bulkier grands.

Then measure every doorway, entry, hallway and any other place you are going to have to walk through to get to your final destination. Visually plan out your strategy for how the move will go. The people helping you don't want to be weighed down with an expensive and heavy piano while you figure it out.

* Have enough help.

Do you know how much your piano weighs? You need to find out so you have make sure you have plenty of strong arms on hand to make the move. For an upright, four people should be sufficient and at least five are needed for moving grands.

* Protect the instrument and the movers.

Always lock the lids and covers of the instrument before moving it. Cover with a soft sheet or cloth to protect it from getting scratched by a mover or the wall. Never rely on the casters to move the weight. Always lift most of the weight off the rollers and then push it. This is because the rollers tend to weaken over time after sitting with all that weight on them.

Protect your workers by making sure enough people are there to help. Don't let anyone with back problems get involved. It can hurt them and cause damage to the piano if they have to suddenly drop it. Make sure everyone wears gloves that don't have any hard pieces on them that could scratch the instrument.

* Use appropriate tools and moving equipment.

A piano dolly is a great tool for moving the instrument a long distance or over rough terrain. It makes moving up and down inclines easier as well and takes some of the work load off the movers. But, you still need the manpower to keep the instrument balanced and moving at the same time. If using a truck, always cover and belt the instrument inside so that it doesn't get jostled and bounced around.

* Use professional movers.

If you are at all unsure, can't find enough people to help or the piano is a very special piece, call on professional movers to handle the job. It will be money well spent for a job done right. So, if you are planning on moving this heavy instrument, make sure you have a plan. You're helpers and your piano will thank you.

Piano: Why Climate Control is Important For Piano Maintenance

2009-12-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

The piano is an elegant musical instrument that can convey and evoke a variety of emotions with a range from soft lilting tones to aggressive frenzied pounding. It is an instrument to be appreciated and adored.

But, if you want to keep it in perfect working order so that it can convey all of the emotions at the right time, it has to be well maintained. Part of a piano's upkeep is to keep the climate around the instrument controlled. If you don't, it is important to know how humidity and temperature change can affect this priceless instrument and how to prevent it.

First of all, your piano is made of wood. Albeit quality wood products, but it is still susceptible to the same constriction and contraction that occurs under temperature changes and these are just the normal everyday kind of changes. Extreme humidity and dryness can lead to the wood splitting and cracking. These are just the visible outside changes. Worse damage is done to the working parts on the interior.

The biggest damage of extreme temperature change happens to the soundboard which is the most important part of the piano. As it swells up with moisture or shrinks from dryness, it places pressure on the strings and effects the overall tuning of the piano. It can become permanently warped so that the instrument will never sound the dame again.

Humidity affects other parts as well. Anything that is metal can rust if condensation collects inside the instrument. The felt and leather components can become saturated or dried out and crack when the humidity level fluctuates. There are steps you can take to minimize the risk of any damaging occurring due to temperature and humidity levels.

The easiest thing to control is the placement of the piano. Never place it by a window. This not only heats the instrument, but the sun can fade the wood. Also, keep the piece out of the direct line of output for heaters and cooling vents or anything that emits hot and cold temperatures. Placing it on an inside wall is better because the insulation is better than an exterior wall.

For the humidity, which is wet, you can place a dehumidifier in the piano room. Conversely, if you live in a very dry environment, like Colorado in the winter, you want to place a humidifier in the room to put back some moisture. Keeping the temperature of the house at a moderate level, say between 68 and 72 degrees, at all times of the year is also good for the instrument.

If you want this beautiful instrument to remain in good working order, you have to do what you can to control its climate. You spent a lot of money on it and you want to be able to pass it down to your kids and their kids. Aside from climate control, don't forget to give your piano regular tune-ups and maintenance from a professional. If you do experience humidity-related issues, always call a professional in to fix the problem.

Piano: Using Your Piano to Make Some Extra Cash

2009-12-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

You love to play the piano and you're very good at it. You have your own instrument and some free time. Though you love it for the pure personal joy it brings, maybe it's time to let that piano start earning its keep. Giving lessons in your spare time can be fun and put some extra cash in your pocket. If you're thinking about it, ask yourself these questions to help you decide:

* Do I need certification or a special degree?

The answer to this is no unless you want to go to work at a school or an organization. Otherwise, you can become a teacher in your home by simply advertising your services and acquiring students. However, if you do have aspirations for more formal teaching, some sort of training and education may be necessary.

* What skill level can I teach?

You will have to decide what you feel comfortable with. Obviously you want to properly teach your students so don't take on a skill level that you are not completely sure about. If you have taken lessons for years, you may only feel comfortable with teaching the basics or intermediate.

But, if you have a music degree plus years of piano lessons, you may feel more comfortable with advanced students. A great piano teacher who is confident and knowledgeable is going to be the successful teacher. You get more business by word of mouth if parents and students trust your abilities. If you have any doubts about your abilities to teach, then you should move on to something else to fill your time.

* Do I want to work with children, adults or both?

Again, this is determined by what your comfort level is. Teaching beginner children the piano is different from teaching beginner adults. The adults will like to move through more quickly and may exceed your experience. Then again, do you think you can relate to children, teach them well and keep them interested?

* How many students can I take on?

If you are just teaching in the evenings and on the weekends, you need to be sure to set a cut-off so you can still enjoy some of your free time. Figure on 45 minutes to an hour for each piano lesson and then decide how much time you want to dedicate to it. Stop accepting students when you reach your limit and only accept new ones if someone drops out or moves on.

* Do I have the space? Where is your piano?

If it is in a small cramped room somewhere in the house, do you have a more spacious location for it? Lessons need to be given in a well-lit area with lots of space for better acoustics. Plus it will make everyone feel more comfortable if they are not crammed into a tiny room at the back of the house. Also, if you are at all concerned about people coming through your home, you need to find an easily accessible location right off of a main door.

Top Tips to Create World-Class Recordings Using a Home Computer

2009-12-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

I use Cubase on any music recording software. All tracks are recorded dry, I use a compressor limiter on all inputs just to prevent clipping.

I always record the drums first, using track one. Match the tempo to the drum track. Import pre recorded drums as audio, If you use a midi based drum machine record it to real audio because the realtime audio processing power of plugins.

I use waves trueverb to give a lot of ambience, the slower the tempo the bigger the space or room size. You can copy the track and paste it to track two to thicken things up depending on what you have already. Sometimes if I use a pre recorded drum track I will import a bigger snare drum

Sound into another track and apply more reverb, this will give a beautiful big trail but not make a mess of the rest of the drums, the last thing you want is a big reverb on the bass drum. I may use this technique on slower ballads and songs where there is enough space. A good example of this is on my track called " I Was An Island" from the cd "Under The Northern Lights".

The next available track will be dedicated to bass. No reverb ever on the bass, I compress the bass using waves rbass plugin. This plugin is very clever and has some very useful presets.

The next available track will be for rhythm guitar or acoustic guitar.

Again I use the waves plugin raxx to compress. Some nice reverb and the same type of ambience as is set for the drums as with all the tracks,

Any keyboard parts will be on the next available track. If it is strings I would use a lot of reverb to give give them a distant airy feel.

All reverb is added after not on input. Just to maintain total control at the mixing stage.

I will then record electric guitars and lead guitars on the following available tracks. I mic up a mesa boogie rocket 44 loaded with jj valves, I mic ti closely

With the mic pointing at the outer edge of the speaker cone and have the mic at a slight angle. The mic I use is a Rode n2, this is a full range mic 20hz -20 khz any mic could be used although I prefer the Rode or at least a sure sm57.

Vocals, are recorded using the Rode n2, always use a pop screen, if you haven't got a pop screen then make one out of a coat hanger and a pair of tights. You must have a pop screen when recording vocals.

I would use waves rvox plug in which is a compressor and some reverb and maybe waves doubler to add a little double tracking.

That's it, I will mix the song as I go along so that the mixing stage is just fine tuning.

Saving Money Tips - Set an Entertainment Allowance

2009-12-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Don't we all just love to be entertained? There is nothing nicer than looking forward to going to the opera or attending a musical performance. We live in exciting times, as there are so many functions for us to participate in, that it can be difficult choosing what to attend and it can certainly be hard containing our spending habits.

A lot of entertainment can be quite expensive and most times we don't realise how much a night out actually costs us. You not only have the cost of the event, but usually these sort of social outings cost us money in other ways such as taxis, drinks, clothes etc.

The best way to control the money that you do spend on entertainment is to set yourself a quarterly / yearly entertainment allowance. Below are some clues to help you do this.

1. Work out what you would like to do over the next quarter / year:

Visit galleries / exhibitions

Attend concerts / musical performances

Watch opera / ballet / dance

Attend pantomimes / theatre / shows / plays / musicals

Attend film festivals

Participate in balls / charity events

Go to circus shows / live performances / comedy shows

2. Estimate how much the tickets / entrance fares are going to cost you.

3. Spend time working out the 'hidden extras' so you know the full cost of the function / event. There are often costs to consider such as:

Buying / hiring attire - formal / semi-formal outfits

Attending the hairdresser / make up artist

Paying for accommodation / flights

Hiring a car / paying for taxis / parking fees

Eating out / drinks

4. Tally up the whole cost of your entertainment. Look at your budget and ensure your quarterly / yearly entertainment allowance will fit in with your overall budget. Remember entertainment is a "want" and not a "need". You have other priorities and financial commitments in your budget to allow you to meet your "needs". These must be met before deciding where else you "want" to spend your money.

5. If your quarterly / yearly entertainment allowance is above what you have available in your budget, look for some alternatives:

Buy a cheaper class of ticket e.g. B reserve instead of A reserve

Go to a matinee showing instead of a night showing

Find an outfit in your existing wardrobe instead of buying / hiring an outfit

Get a friend / family member to do your hair / make up

Eat before going out

Drink water / juice / soft drinks instead of alcohol

Attend events locally to save on airfares / accommodation / car hire

Drive to avoid taxi fares

Cut the number of events you expect to attend

Find a cheaper option e.g. go to a local theatre to see a show, rather than a big performance centre

6. Find a way of monitoring what you do spend over the quarter / year. Use a software programme to record all of your costs for entertainment throughout the quarter / year. The programme should record how much you have spent and how much you still have left to spend. This will ensure you stay within your proposed budget.

Entertainment need to be looked upon as a treat. We have mentioned earlier that entertainment is a "want" and not a "need". The functions and events you attend should be looked upon as special times in your life that you can really look forward to. If you don't consider them as a specialty / treat, then attending such events will become the normal. You will think of these activities as "must haves" instead of "nice to haves". You will expect to go to them on a regular basis and you will find you spend lots and lots of money satisfying your wishes.

Your money can only go so far. I am sure there are a lot of important things in your life that you are trying to achieve. This might be something on your wish list to buy, a holiday you want to go on, someone you wish to help financially etc. So, see if you can make a bit of a sacrifice with what you spend on your entertainment and start limiting what you spend over a quarter / year. You don't need to cut entertainment out completely. You still need to have fun and look forward to special times, but ensure you do so whilst giving yourself an opportunity to meet your other goals and wishes.

Detective Heather Wood is Managing Director and writer for Money Detective Pty Ltd.

Money Detective can help you with all of your money troubles. From our website full of factual information and articles, to our one on one personal money coaching, Money Detective can help you with all aspects of money management.

Is Entertainment Important Today?

2009-12-11T07:16:00.000-08:00

Time is speeding quickly with new technology and inventions popping up every single day.

It seems that we don't find enough time to fill 3 valuable areas in our lives;

1. ARTS

2. ENTERTAINMENT

3. SOCIAL LIFE

We spend a 1/3rd of the day sleeping

We spend a 1/3rd of the day working

We spend a 1/3rd of the day running errands, keeping up with our home chores, children, driving, family obligations, cooking, exercising, watch television,overeat, etc.

We overlook the 3 most essential areas as indicated above.

And why are they truly so needed:

1. ARTS is a natural uplifting visual and emotional expression

2. ENTERTAINMENT - is charging our batteries and refueling our entire being

3. SOCIAL LIFE - make us laugh, share opinions, stimulates our minds and indeed a stress reliever

SO HOW DO WE MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN?

I HAVE come up with simple realistic solutions as follows:

1. Fit the 3 essential areas in the TIME BETWEEN DESTINATIONS

2. PLAN for exposure to arts, entertainment and socializing

3. Take baby steps towards it - make it happen and with practice it will become a way of life.

Celebrate life inside out - outside in - AND LIVE IN THE NOW - FOCUS WITH CLARITY and live yesterday's clutter behind you. Experience and knowledge is the only seed one should carry forward in the suitcase of your life.