Archive for November, 2009

Despite everyone telling you that learning the violin is difficult, it’s really not if you have the right attitude. The fact is, the more you practice the better you’re going to become. It is impossible not to get good at something if you continue to try. Want proof? Well, think about how many people can speak at least one language! Even the most intellectually lacking human will normally be able to have a decent conversation because they’ve been practising every day!

Learning how to play the violin is no different to learning how to speak. You don’t even need a teacher. All you need is the burning desire and the time to practice. In fact, the best way to learn any instrument is to teach yourself. This will give you an original style, technique, and sound. The internet makes this even easier.

There are three basic options to learn violin using the internet. The first is to find a website dedicated to violin learners. Using Google I found one with some sheet music, a listening room, a music store, and some background info on the violin. Even though there is some nice information there, it’s not exactly great, especially if you’re a brand new beginner.

Alternatively, you can look for discussion groups on yahoo or Facebook that are all about violin. You might find someone there who is willing to mentor you in the early stages via webcam. This is not always easy, but it provides you with a “real” person to show you the basics.

My favourite way to learn any instrument is to utilise the power of digital video lessons that you can download from the internet. These are normally recorded by industry professionals, with real teaching experience. I’d recommend going for the more well-known teaching companies, as they are usually higher quality and cheaper than smaller, school-based products.

“That’s a fine lookin’ fiddle ya got there, kid.”

I gritted my teeth into a forced smile and quietly thanked the old man at the bus stop. “Fiddle!?” I thought, gritting my teeth into a polite smile. “It’s a V-I-O-L-I-N, you old goat!”

Teenagers are sensitive and easily embarrassed, but this chickie had a bit too much pride in self-labeled “superiority as a classical musician,” which meant I was annoyingly arrogant and a general pain in the butt.

Humbled by merciless teasing in jazz college opened my eyes to the music outside my sanctioned little bubble.

I learned to fiddle.

For the most part “fiddle” is a style of music, such as Celtic, Bluegrass or Old Time. Nevertheless, there are a few differences and stereotypes between fiddle and violin.

We’ve all threatened Fluffy that she’ll be taking a trip to the string factory if she doesn’t stop scratching the couch. There’s the violin’s dark secret of winding silver around a stretched piece of animal tissue (run Fluffy, run!). This used to be the principal method of making violin strings.

Gut strings possessed a rich and full quality ideal for orchestral playing. They weren’t perfect for the bank account, however, and fiddlers resorted to the cheaper alternative: steel. Steel strings have a “bright” timbre (tone) and carry well in a solo situation.

Steel strings are very difficult to tune with the violin’s clumsy wooden pegs. Many steel strings were broken until the glorious invention of fine-tuners, the tiny little metal mechanisms on the tailpiece that makes tuning a piece of cake. Violinists adopted this technology for use on their steel “E” strings which is nearly impossible to tune with the peg.

When I was youth symphony many players removed their lower string fine tuners haughtily, like a child insisting training wheels are for babies. The use of fine tuners on all four strings unfortunately had become associated with less skilled musicians since fiddlers used them. There is also evidence that fine tuners alter the quality of harmonics (higher frequencies). This a ridiculous stereotype was invented: violinists use the pegs, fiddlers use fine tuners.

It is thought that fiddles are simply cheap violins. At one time this could have been true, as poorer or rural folks usually played home-made fiddles, not Strads. They were less likely to afford private lessons or attend the symphony, but learned traditional tunes at jams and ceilidhs (kay-lees). Since many fiddlers never had formal lessons, most couldn’t read music and played everything by ear, whereas violinists could read music usually could not improvise. Another stereotype was invented.

Holding a violin with one’s jaw makes it nearly impossible to talk and play simultaneously (similar to walking around with your pants around your ankles). Square dancing fiddlers dealt with this difficulty by holding the violin down on their arm rather than under the chin, freeing up their jaws to “call” the dance moves. This technique is a big no-no in classical playing and it created yet another rift between violin and fiddle.

Luckily it seems the violin/fiddle gap has narrowed considerably in the past few years. Most players use new hybrid strings that posses a full and rich, yet clear, tone and respond well to both classical and fiddle playing. Classical violinists aren’t so sticky about fine tuners anymore as they are seen as an advantage over using stubborn old pegs.

The resurgence of fiddle music in pop culture has created an opportunity for fiddlers to aspire to a higher level of playing ability and for violin students to branch out and try other genres of music. Hence fiddlers and violinists alike have finer instruments and a formal music education.

Fiddle technique is being abandoned by many fiddlers who have discovered the benefits, such as greater speed and fewer backaches, of the classical technique. New programs in music education in new programs has produced fiddlers who can read music and violinists who can improvise.

As more musicians branch out musically and develop new ways of playing there will be little difference between “violin” and “fiddle.” Musicians will feel much more comfortable playing with each other and the stereotypes will fade away, both violin and fiddle will be valid.

You’ll see the old man at the bus stop whistling to “Celtic Swing Baroque Techno” on his MP3 player. 

Karaoke has become so popular world-wide simply because so many people get a great sense of enjoyment out of it. It is the perfect way for people to appreciate their favourite style of music, for people to enjoy performing, and can in fact help people discover talents they never knew they had.

But did you know that is can also be a great way for a family to have fun together?

Karaoke is perfect because there is definitely no age limit in who can perform, everyone can find something that they will enjoy singing, and performing in front of family is a great way to simply sit back and have a good night. But of course you cannot take the children to a karaoke bar to have a good time, so why don’t you turn your own home into its own karaoke club?

There is an unbelievable amount of karaoke discs and karaoke software that you can purchase and/or download, so it will not take much to convert your living room into the perfect karaoke hang-out. If you have a computer system that is suitable (microphone ports, easy access for the whole family, a decent speaker system), karaoke software can be downloaded easily, and you can pick and choose a wide range of karaoke files on all different music styles and genres everyone in the family can find a track they love.

If you prefer to use your TV and DVD player, there are countless karaoke discs available at a reasonable price. Most DVD players actually have input ports for microphones, so there is no need to buy a complex system to enjoy singing with your family, and with karaoke discs they also cover every single music style possible to everyone can take a turn.

Remember that even the young kids can have fun without even knowing any pop songs with karaoke discs and software. Tracks suited specially for kids are available, ranging from nursery rhymes to car-ride songs or anything that they would be more than happy to sing along to.

So if you are considering what is the one thing that the whole family can do, and everyone will enjoy without costing you an absolute fortune, think about karaoke. It is easy to set-up, will not hurt your hip pocket, and above all is the one thing that absolutely everyone in world enjoys doing, and how can you argue with that?

One of the best features of a new acoustic electric guitar is the built-in controls included with it. All you need to do would be to get specially designed electric acoustic guitars, plug in and hit “record” and you have a great acoustic sound for real. Unlike many acoustic electric, the Yamaha LLX-500C sides are solid instead of laminated.

Although it takes more than a great guitar to play well, having an acoustic electric guitar represents a big
step in that direction. An electric acoustic guitar is just like a normal acoustic except for one
very important difference: right, the amplification. With electric acoustic guitars, you can get
the best of acoustic guitar sound onto your recording without understanding even the most basic laws of
sound waves.

The acoustic electric guitar represents a new era in my playing. Do you buy an electric,
acoustic, classical and acoustic electric. Acoustic electric guitars – Some steel-string
acoustic guitars are fitted with pickups as an alternative to using a different microphone.

Acoustic electric guitars have the sound of an acoustic, but are amplified electronically. In
addition, acoustic electric guitars are likely to include superior quality pickups, and these pickups will be
well mounted. Because the unamplified sound of a guitar is not loud enough to compete
with a full range of other stringed instruments, the development of acoustic electric guitars filled a
need.

When I played for fun I didn’t need an acoustic electric guitar. These are called electric
acoustic guitars and are regarded as acoustic guitar rather then electric guitars. The
majority of acoustic guitars you see on stage are acoustic electric guitars.

An electric acoustic guitar is made up of wood and has six strings which produce a rhythmic, sweet,
musical, yet loud sound. Their Aj60SC acoustic electric and the 12 string are two of the
most popular. An acoustic electric guitar does have several advantages over a normal
acoustic with an added pickup.

When you are just playing by yourself, you have no need for an acoustic electric guitar.

Guitar Electric

Besides, learning the basics from an acoustic guitar teaches one to use a holistic guitar
playing approach rather than relying on the effects and features of an electric guitar.

Additional personnel includes: Craig Chaquica (acoustic guitar); Grant Geissman (electric guitar, sitar); Brian Hughes (electric guitar, oud); Miles Gilderdale (steel guitar); Greg Carmichael (nylon string guitar); Douglas Spotted Eagle (Native American flute); Tom Scott, Jimmy Sommers, Bryan Savage (saxophone). OK, now that we”ve briefly gone over the different types of Acoustic and
Electric guitars, we can now move on to the criteria for choosing a guitar.

Ibanez JEM is an electric guitar, which was first produced in the year 1987. It can be a little
harder to test electric guitars. This feature is especially useful for people who have no
money to buy an effects box since a distortion feature is the most essential for any electric
guitar.

As a beginner, one of these electric guitar brands may satisfy a person’s craving for rock
music. The Nearness Of You – Personnel: Norah Jones (vocals, piano, Wurlitzer piano);
Jesse Harris, Kevin Breit (acoustic & electric guitars); Tony Scherr (acoustic guitar, slide guitar); Adam
Levy, Bill Frisell (electric guitar); Adam Rogers (guitar); Jenny Scheinman (violin); Sam Yahel (Hammond
B-3 organ); Rob Burger (organ); Lee Alexander (bass); Brian Blade (drums, percussion); Dan Reiser,
Kenny Wollesen (drums). You will likely need to purchase an amplifier if you choose an
electric guitar.

There are generally two basic types of electric guitar: hollow-bodied and solid-bodied.
What you do next will vary depending on the type of electric guitar you have. Electric Guitars:
these types of guitars made out of a solid piece of wood and rely exclusively on their electronic pickup
systems and amplifiers for their volume.

You will definitely experience a strong Lennon quality here in its electric guitar theme and echoed
vocals. Phasing effects in modern music are typically used in conjunction with electric
guitar, and it is also used to “sweeten” the sound of electric keyboards. If you”re going to
play music that is relatively soft such as folk music, you probably don”t want to get yourself a
Rickenbacker electric guitar.

If you’re a piano teacher trying to get a child’s hand to assume the classic “flat” position, you’ll have noticed by now that most children have some difficulty achieving that “correct” position.

In fact, children’s hands adopt a variety of strange positions when put on the piano, almost all of them painfully awkward and comic.

I’ve learned this because I do not teach hand position at first, and thus have had an opportunity to witness perhaps every variation in hand position that kids can naturally come up with.

There is the classic position I call the “bug crusher,” in which the two thumbs play a key each, but the rest of the hand droops below the plane of the keys.

Or the most popular and natural position, which I call the “pointer,” in which the two index fingers are poised, at the ready, in position to take a jab at the keys from various angles.

Strangely enough, the piano keyboard was designed with human hand in mind, perhaps more than any device ever created by the mind of man, except perhaps the glove.

You can achieve a perfect hand position with any child just by playing the following game I call “Hobbita-Jobbita.”

Sit or stand and have the child shake their hands vigorously, loose at the wrists, just letting the hand fly around free.

I like to have them say, “Hobbita-Jobbita” while we do it, a nonsensical sound which seems to go with the rather silly act of shaking your hands at arms length.

In the middle of shaking, stop suddenly, and very gently grab the child’s wrist and say, “Look!” You will see for a split second the human hand in absolute relaxation, and what you are trying to do is to get the child to observe what their hand looks like as a result of this silly game.

Remember, what’s important is that the child observe their hand in that perfect relaxed position, even if only for a second. Get them to acknowledge it.

Suddenly, something will happen: the child will tense their hand, and the fingers, limp a moment ago, are now as stiff as breadsticks.

In fact, we play the game several times, and I try to get them to leave their fingers like “wet noodles,” rather than like “breadsticks.”

I’ll tell you right now that kids love to stiffen their hands into “breadsticks,” just to see the piano teacher cringe. Laugh. It’s a game.

The second stage of the game is this: we play “Hobbita-Jobbita,” until they are seriously able to keep their fingers limp.

Then, and this is the crucial step, guide their loose hand to the piano keyboard, quickly, before it loses the relaxed shape, and put it in C position (C position is where the right hand thumb is on Middle C.)

It will take hundreds of times, perhaps, of playing this game for most children to get the idea, and they will joke and suddenly tense their hands many, many times, just to be impish. Laugh. It’s a game.

But eventually, happily as well, children will find a relaxed hand position by themselves using this method, and here is the magical part: every child I have taught this game plays habitually and without reminding in a perfect hand position, because they have been led, through games, to see that it is the best position.

Be warned, your patience will be tried, but you will be rewarded with that perfect hand position that many teachers slave to foster in their students. In fact, many teachers alienate the student on this issue alone, with constant reminders and browbeating.

There’s not a problem in beginning piano that can’t be solved with a creative piano game.

By John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press. Visit http://www.pianoiseasy.com to see the fun PIANO BY NUMBER method for kids.

As a cheap acoustic guitar where does the Alvarez RD8 stand up against its better known rivals such as the Washburn D10S. Is it just an expensive bit of scrap wood or a fantastic bargain?

First off let me start by saying the guitar certainly looks like it has been built with a great deal of care. It certainly isn’t the flashiest of guitars but it is certainly more attractive than many acoustics that fall into the same price category.

Of course looks mean nothing to an acoustic guitar if its sound is poor. Thankfully the looks of the Alvarez aren’t wasted as the RD8 sounds fantastic and is certainly a match to many of the more higher priced acoustic guitars available. For the price only the Takamine G320 comes anywhere near and there are probably only an handful at double its price that actually better it.

The guitar also has the feel of a much more expensive acoustic guitar with a very impressive playing action and it is certainly built to last for a good while, which cannot be said of many cheap acoustic guitars.. I also found the guitar took to any style of play fairly well although I freely admit I mainly play acoustic rock and little else but a friend played a little country on it and said it was just as good.

Would I recommend buying an Alvarez RD8? Put it this way I certainly couldn’t give you a good reason not to. The likes of the Seagull S6 and the Takamine 340C may be slightly better but they are over a $100 more expensive so don’t offer the same value for money as the RD8. This would be a great acoustic guitar for $500 but for a little over $200 it is an absolute steal.