Enter the world of MUSIC

Technology has made our lives simpler and with the new developments in technology not only is life getting simpler but technology is continuing to make more differences in our lives by contributing to various spheres of our lives like entertainment . With the internet all this has now come to our very doorstep at just the click of the mouse. 

Earlier for the purpose of listening to a song atleast a visit to your local music store was required and seeing a video meant watching the band perform at one of their concerts or then getting  a music video from the music store. Now anytime you wish to listen to some great music or watch a music video just log on and you can watch your favourite songs or watch free music videos and watch music videos in the comfort of your home. There is just no need anymore to venture out , technology has brought everything you desire right into your home or workplace. 

There is good news for all music lovers . Now with internet technology , music fans can not only listen to their favourite artists but also watch free lyrics.  All the songs are available at just a click sitting in the comfort of your home. Not only can you now watch songs but also song lyrics and hear and enjoy the music and even sing along with the lyrics and all available to you. 

Internet is a world of choices for all music lovers and provides you all the information and the latest happenings in the music world. You can be up to date on all music news and the current hits on the US top 20 or the singles charts. The music site offers you the flexibility of watching your favourite stars totally uninterrupted(free from all the hosts) . The music site is a legal way to watch music unlike using pirated versions .

It not only the music enthusiasts but also the music companies that have realized the potential of the internet as a great marketing tool for promoting their music.  You can not only watch music videos but also rate music videos. This would be useful to the other members in making a decision on their watchs and also provides a good feedback to the music companies about the choices or preferences of the fans. 

The music site thus, provides you access into a whole world of music and music alone where you are the King. You can decide as to what you want and bring it home at just a click. You can then listen to the music of your choice or watch music videos at your own convenience and even rewind and see your favourite music videos over and over again. The world of music is now waiting for you to explore and soak in all that you can. Just log on and at the click you can venture into this beautiful melodious world and be lost in the tunes and rhythms of your favourite stars.

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The Medieval Sounds of the RECORDER

Soprano Recorder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The recorder is a type of flute that belongs to the woodwind musical instrument family, and is more specifically a fipple flute. The recorder is a long tube with a wide mouth piece that the musician blows directly into. It has seven holes for fingers, one hole on the back of the instrument for a thumb and the tube tapers a little near the end of the recorder. This particular instrument has not changed much since it was popular in medieval times, which is when it was fairly popular until people appeared to lose interest in it during the 1700s.

During the 1700s, when interest in the recorder started to decline, people were beginning to favor other woodwind instruments like the flute, clarinet and the oboe. The reason for this change of interest could be that the recorder was a fairly simple instrument that was not overly complex and did not have a wide range of sounds. The other instruments offered a wider range of sounds that were quite possibly more appealing to people at the time. It could also be that people did not have much use for recorders anymore. The sound of the recorder was often associated with the sounds of birds, funerals, marriages and even shepherds when played. In fact, Vivaldi and Bach, too noted musicians, often used the recorder in their music. 

Even though the recorder may have lost popularity at one time, it was still being used. The use of the recorder would also become a little more popular during the 1900s. The biggest reason for this could be that this woodwind instrument is fairly easy to learn how to play. It is also inexpensive and easy to supply to students in schools. For this reason, many elementary schools will introduce the children in a certain grade to the recorder. For most, this will be the first instrument they will have learned how to play. It will also be the first time that many of them will see and learn how to read simple sheet music.

The instrument may not have a large range or variety of different sounds, but it is simple to play and its sound can be fairly calming and soothing. Some people don't like the sound of it, but when played right the sound can actually be quite nice. Many will not choose to play the recorder for the rest of their lives. Many would prefer to choose more complicated instruments that offer more variety in the different sounds they can make.

The recorder, however, can be the perfect first instrument for anyone who has never played an instrument before or ever seen sheet music; it is a great instrument to play when trying to learn simple sheet music. When people get comfortable with the basics, changing to a more complex instrument will be a lot easier. In the end, it may not be the instrument to choose when looking for something to play throughout your musical career, but it could be a good backup instrument that could add to the song. It may be simple, and it might not be very dynamic, but it does have a sound that is unique to its own.

By Victor Epand Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Make a Game of Your GUITAR PRACTICE and Surprise Yourself

So you want to be improve your guitar playing?

Well, like any thing, guitar skill progress takes time and practice, but many of us have much difficulty practicing regularly because it is so easy to let other things take priority over our guitar lessons.

Broke the guitar out today. She hit for the cycle on music - recorder, piano, and guitar. Nice. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First, you need to absolutely make up your mind that you want to improve your guitar playing and then make sure that your progress is truly is a priority for you.

Make a list of the most important things that you need to focus on in your life right now and honestly assess where guitar fits into your list.

Ideally, you want to be engaged in a guitar lesson for at least an hour a day in order to make any significant progress.

However, you may have to conclude that at this point you are not going to be able to devote even an hour a week to the task.

If that is the case, try to spend some casual time reading guitar-related publications or listening to your favorite guitarists to nurture your love of the music.  When your priorities change and you have more time, you will then at least still have a strong interest in becoming as good a guitarist as you can.  Listening to Eric Clapton or other greats will only kindle your interest and may even cause you to reprioritize your guitar lessons.

Once you see where your guitar practice fits in with the rest of your life, make a true appointment with yourself.  Put your practice into your schedule.  Get it in your planner or it won't get done!
Okay, now that you are regularly spending time with your beloved guitar, what should you do?
First, make sure it is quality time.  Don't have the television on or be hanging out with friends. Then, make sure you are working on skills that you need to sharpen.

If you spend time strumming popular solos and cranking up your amplifier, you may have some fun, but you will not improve your skills.

Think about the chords and scales that you struggle with.  Grade yourself on them on a scale (no pun intended) of 1 to 10 and then re-evaluate every week or so.  Re-grading every practice or guitar lesson is not appropriate because it is unfair to measure progress that frequently.

No one improves in a straight line.  You may hit a certain chord great one day and then have two of the strings sound very unclear the next day.  However, if you work diligently you will make progress when measured every couple weeks or so.

Do the same thing with scales and even notes depending on your current skill level.

Once you have a way of measuring your progress, you will be inspired to continue with your regular practice regimen and guitar lessons.

As an advanced step, after you have made progress with a certain group of chords and scales, you should find a song you like that uses many of those elements and work on that as a way of applying your improved ability.

This can be very rewarding.

You may even want to start with the song and work backwards, but make sure that you do spend a great deal of time on the fundamentals before you get serious about the song.

The key to all this is regular consistent work and a measurement of results.  Achieve this, and you will enjoy your practice time more and more.  Challenge yourself to be at a certain grade by a specific time.

Make a game of your practice efforts and you will surprise yourself!

Author: Jeremiah Thompson

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The Muscles Role in TRUMPET PLAYING

People literally use TOO many muscles when they play. They use muscles that actually work against playing as well as muscles that help playing. They pull with the cheeks out and pull with the corners in; they pull the chin down and try to make the lips compress. These are OPPOSITE actions and they just tire us out. Think about what the muscles do and then how they affect playing. When we learn where the extra tension is then we are automatically stronger.

Duncan Wilson playing Rotary Bass Trumpet in C with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Isometrics are good for adding muscle strength but NOT good WHEN we are playing. As far as isometrics go all you need is a unsharpened pencil. It costs 5 cents and gives you all of the workout you will ever need. Most people use the muscles UNDER the lower lip for compression and the pencil isolates that better. The pencil exercise should be done with the teeth CLOSED. That makes the lower lip do the work. When the teeth are apart the jaw moves and the pencil is partly supported by the jaw and neck. Working the neck is a BIG concern for many players as some of them have real issues with the throat closing.

The corners of the Buzz or vibration is INSIDE the mouthpiece. The actual mouth corners are isolated from the embouchure by the mouthpiece rim and pressure. Poor choice of words from many years ago. There are many embouchures and the corners play a significant part in only ONE of them. You have to realize that people have done themselves a disservice by blending and mixing embouchure ideas together that don't fit.

Sand is OK. Water is OK. Water and sand together make MUD. That is what we do when we keep assuming that ANY embouchure idea or exercise will work with another one. We muddy up our abilities.

What is the BEST embouchure? None of them. Maynard Ferguson used some pucker. Andrea Tofanelli rolls his lips in and uses a forward jaw. Arturo Sandoval buzzes. Walt Johnson has his top lip overlap his lower lip. Bob Odneal uses compression made by bunching his chin. Nick Drozdoff uses his tongue against his lip as part of the embouchure.

6 high note players and 6 completely DIFFERENT embouchures. Yet for some reason people think there is A high note embouchure. (NOT mixing several embouchures together by accident IS the high note embouchure.) Some of those NEED mouthpiece pressure to work. When you over lap the lips pressure IS the way they make compression. Now that is different. Some embouchures need tongue arch to induce a slight curl (when the tongue moves it moves the jaw and that realigns the lips and causes curl.) But in some like the Stevens; tongue arch is useless because the lips are already curled (the tongue can't move enough to add to the curl.)

See those 6 embouchures I have mentioned are NOT all of them. Plus there are variations on each. There are even some others I haven't mentioned yet. Bill Houghton - Principal Trumpet - BBC Symphony Orchestra plays with ONE lip against the tongue. The tongue takes the place of the bottom lip. (That was first written about in the ITG Journal Sept 1995.)

See there are many variations that work as long as we don't mix something from embouchure A with something from embouchure B and something from embouchure C. Mixing these elements often adds excess and throws off the balance that we need between lip aperture, firmness, relaxation, air support.... When this balance is upset then our progress halts and sometimes reverses.

Putting Ford parts on a Chevy doesn't work. That is why MOST embouchure experiments fail. The WAY we use some muscles and the WAY we use our jaw and the WAY we set our lips makes each of us a Chevy, or Ford, or Cad, or&& This makes actions that are VITAL to some setups completely worthless for others. See the old habits and over built muscles have to be overcome BEFORE the experiments have a chance of success.

If somebody smiles to play high we get them to set the embouchure by pulling the corners in so it is much harder to smile. That gives them a chance to learn to use compression. It could very well be that your playing embouchure reinforces things that prevent your experimental embouchure from growing. For example people who already use lip curl get ZERO benefit from tongue arch. Tongue arch helps BECAUSE it creates some lip curl as the tongue movement makes the jaw move. If you already use much curl the effect will NOT be noticed because the ratio of tongue movement to jaw movement is 16:1. That is why Stevens didn't use ANY arch. But on a pucker embouchure or a buzzing embouchure arch is like a turbocharger.

ALWAYS Useful for playing:

Actual lips themselves the Orbicularis oris ---------- close mouth, purses lips.

The muscle in middle of chin the Mentalis ---------- protrude lower lip and makes compression.

The muscle that goes from under corners of lower lip the Depressor anguli oris ---------- frowning and makes compression.

OFTEN Harmful for playing:

The muscle of the Upper cheek the Zygomaticus major/ minor ---------- smiling and thins the lips.

The muscle that goes from the cheek bone and lips the Buccinator ---------- compresses cheek and thins the lips.

The muscle that goes from the ear to mouth corners the Risorius ---------- smiling and thins the lips.

The muscle that goes from the lip to nose the Levator labii superioris ---------- raises upper lip and parts the lips and pulls top lip above teeth gap

The muscle that goes from the jaw to mouth the Depressor labii inferioris ---------- lowers lower lip and parts lips.

The muscle that goes from the neck muscle that goes from jaw to shoulder the Platysma ---------- depresses mandible, lowers the lip and parts the lips.

The largest cheek muscle the Masseter ---------- closes jaw and chokes the air flow.

The muscle that goes from the top of cheek towards back of head the Temporalis ---------- closes jaw (elevate mandible) and chokes air flow.

Many players use ALL of these muscles but when you actually look at what they do then you see they hinder playing. So my best advice to you is that you check and see what elements are supposed to be present in the embouchure that you play and to not add ideas from other systems to it.

By Clint McLaughlin http://www.BbTrumpet.com Article Source: EzineArticles

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Information About the MARIMBA

The Marimba has come a long way - both geographically and technically speaking. The proto-marimba has long been a part of Amazonian, West African, and Central American cultures. In our society, they are the epitome of a classy, well respected instrument usually featured in high culture circles (such as in academia and orchestras). Marimbas are one of the most beautiful sounding percussion instruments. While very long and heavy, marimbas are capable of making very low to high tones that add an ethereal quality to many music pieces.

People interested in percussion (and perhaps even piano, since the overall layout is somewhat similar) should study and master the marimba. While playing the marimba is standard on the collegiate level, not too many people play the marimba before or after college, which is a shame. Although high school students may briefly encounter the marimbas in marching bands and drum and bugle corps, it is usually an insufficient amount of time to truly appreciate the complexity and necessity of this instrument.

Marimba - Photo   by     tottr  (cc)

The reason for the high concentration of marimba playing in college, as opposed to any other time, is that marimbas are very expensive instruments. Often running a couple thousand dollars, they are too expensive for the average person. However, many reputable music schools should have one or two of these at their disposal, and these places make for great practice areas (besides the fact that a professional will be teaching you proper technique). There are affordable ways to get behind a marimba - do it!

The marimba is composed of metal keys of varying lengths hit by soft yarn mallets to produce varying tones. Many marimba players play using two mallets, or even using two mallets in each hand (resulting in four mallets being used simultaneously). Some of the more advanced players can use even more mallets...which is truly amazing. There are many techniques to striking the marimba, so a good deal of emphasis is placed on proper mallet holding methods. Depending on your personal style/capabilities and your teacher's personal preference, you may learn the "traditional grip", the "Burton grip", or the "Stevens grip", amongst many others.

The marimba is an octave lower (an octave is equivalent to eight complete notes) than its smaller counterpart, the xylophone. The main difference between the two instruments is the resonators featured on the marimba. These resonators (usually made of a light metal such as aluminum) are of different lengths and widths to help the marimba achieve its varying sounds. For the lower sounding notes, the resonators beneath the keys sometimes have to bend so as not to go straight through the floor!

Although many people are more familiar with the xylophone, the marimba serves as a sort of backbone in orchestras, ensembles, and bands. They are currently very popular in percussion ensembles, jazz ensembles, and marimba concertos. Any musician with serious musical aspirations simply must explore this wonderful and challenging instrument.

Are you interested in all things involving music?...

By James J. Jones For the best variety of sheet music, click here to find everything you are looking for! If you want to peruse the largest selections of musical instruments, DJ equipment, or recording devices, click here! (7.2017 - Links not working) Article Source: EzineArticles

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Roll Over, ROY ORBISON

In the late nineteen sixties Roy Orbison, on a concert tour of Australia, arrived in Adelaide on the same flight as the Walker Brothers. I recall watching on television the airport interview in which Roy, always the nice guy, explained how much he loved the music of Scott Walker and his fellow band members. He went on to explain that he believed Rock 'n' Roll was a passing craze which would soon die out, but that the wonderful music of the Walker Brothers would live on forever.

Roy Orbison Photo: Wikimedia

Sadly, it was the loveable Roy himself who would soon die after such a tragic life, leaving behind a rich legacy of music that remains very popular so many years later. As for the music of the Walker Brothers, they certainly left the world with some memorable hits. "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More", "My Ship Is Coming In" and "Make It Easy On Yourself" were all Walker Brothers originals that come instantly to mind, but you can't dance Rock 'n' Roll to them.

Roy's gaff can be forgiven. Its true that the production of music in the original Rock 'n' Roll style didn't continue, although artists like Shakin' Stevens did release some pretty good tracks in the old style during the 'seventies and when Jackie Wilson's Reet Petite was re-released after his death it soared up the charts. In Australia, even Gene Chandler's Duke of Earl enjoyed a revival in the 'eighties after it was featured in a television commercial. The expected death of Rock 'n' Roll wasn't happening.

This also brings to mind a song released by one of the most successful Australian groups of the 'sixties, The Master's Apprentices. The lyrics say "Rockin', Rollin' we're still doing it now, 15 years today and we remember how." When that song was released in 1970 it was apparently remarkable that we "remembered how" after an eon of 15 years. Its now 50 years since Rock 'n' Roll first appeared and we still remember how.

Its a fair bet that Roy Orbison's early songs are played a lot more often around the world nowadays than the Walker Brothers records are. The main reason for that is simply that you can Rock 'n' Roll to them. It can have little to do with the quality of the music, since those of us who were teenagers back then have forgotten so many excellent recordings from when we were young.

Simply put, the dance preserved the music rather than vice versa. Without the lasting popularity of the energetic, versatile and easily learned dance style, the music would probably have died long ago. Perhaps not all of it, at least initially. Elvis fans will no doubt testify to the immortality of The King's music, but reality will triumph. Elvis fans are no more immortal in the flesh than he was. They too will eventually die out.

Most young people who learn Rock 'n' Roll dance nowadays have no more preference for the music of Elvis or The Beatles than they have for any of the obscure one-hit-wonders who contributed so many of the old hit records. They find Smashmouth more appealing as artists, but if an old song is good to dance to they like it no matter who recorded it. Its reasonable to assume they will preserve much of the music after we are gone, but mainly for dance purposes rather than for entertainment.

That is what has happened to other music styles. For example, the folk music that was so popular in the late 'fifties and early 'sixties has died out because you can't dance to it. On the other hand many old time tunes such as waltzes and marches remain popular today because ballroom dancing preserves them.

So, how long will Rock 'n' Roll last? No-one can tell, but the waltz dates back to 1780 and is still practiced, so our favourite dance and music style might have a couple of hundred years to live yet. Perhaps then a songwriter will compose a song in the popular style of the day entitled "Roll Over, Roy Orbison."

Author:Gareth Eastwood

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How to SING Better - 3 Tips for Immediate Results

If you want to learn how to sing better, engaging in daily singing practice is the best long-term strategy for improving your voice.

That said, it is possible to learn how to sing better almost immediately, by following the three tips outlined in this article. The tips address three things that too many singers are not aware of, yet each of them have enormous impact on the quality of your voice.

If you correctly put these three tips into practice when singing, you will notice a significant improvement in the quality and tone of your singing voice in a very short space of time.

Tip #1: Breathe "naturally"

Many singers get confused about how to breathe when singing. They end up doing all sorts of strange things that feel weird and uncomfortable, because they hear instructions like "expand your ribs" or "pull in your stomach" and don't entirely get what body actions are required.

Try this. Lie down on your back, and relax. Gently place one hand on your stomach, and one near your lower ribs. Try not to think about the breath, just let it happen.

Start to pay attention to the parts of your torso that move as you breathe, and those that don't. When you breathe in singing, you should be breathing the same way, naturally, only with deeper breaths. Your lower ribs will expand and move out, while your upper body will stay still because you're filling up the bottom of your lungs, and not shallow breathing up the top.

Breathing should never cause strain. Relax, and breathe naturally when you sing.

Tip #2: Keep your tongue on the floor of your mouth

It sounds a bit funny, but sometimes tongues have a habit of getting in the way when you sing. Most of the time you don't notice them, but if you tense up when you sing and the root of your tongue gets tense, it can result in a strained sound and tightness in the voice and the throat.

Try putting the tip of your tongue on the back of your bottom teeth, and then feel the sides of your tongue against the insides of your back bottom teeth. It should feel relaxed, not tense.

As you sing, try to keep your tongue down in your mouth. Don't press it down hard, or tense it up, just be aware of keeping it low in your mouth. It will move a little as you sing, but keeping the tip near the front of your bottom teeth can make a considerable difference to your sound.

Tip #3: Memorise your music

If you're singing and reading music, or lyrics, at the same time as you sing, then a large portion of your brain is not focused on singing. The act of reading music or words takes up a fair chunk of processing power in your brain. If you're trying to sing at the same time then you're only half concentrating on singing.

The key is to get away from your music. Memorise it. Learn it by heart. Use repetition and song memorisation games when you're not singing, just throughout the day, whenever you think of them. That way, when you come to sing a song, you can focus purely on the act of singing, without reading. You will be surprised how much better your singing is when you are able to completely focus on your performance.

Summary

The process of becoming a singer involves constantly learning more about how your voice works, and putting into daily practice each thing that you learn. To improve your singing voice, make it your goal, today, to implement these three tips into your practice routine. You will notice a difference in a short period of time.

Learning to sing better means being open to try new things and take advice from more experienced singers. Remember that you will always progress faster and sing better with the assistance of voice lessons, either from a local singing teacher or a high-quality singing training program.

Good luck with your singing journey.

By Nic D Nic D is a music teacher, e-Learning expert and musician with almost 30 years of experience. Visit her web site at: http://www.howcanyousingbetter.com Article Source: EzineArticles

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Hammered DULCIMER: An American Tradition

A Little About Hammered Dulcimers 

The hammered dulcimer in America is a traditional stringed instrument that been in revival over the last 30 years. It can now be heard in contemporary music, seen at folk festivals, and bought over the Internet. For those new to the instrument, it is typically trapezoidal in shape with many strings running over two long bridges, the treble bridge and the bass bridge. The instrument is mostly played with two small, wooden hammers that are used to strike the strings.

Hammered Dulcimer - Photo: Wikipedia

Someone once used the following poetic phrase to describe the magical sound of the hammered dulcimer:

"At once the flutter of Angel's wings and the crashing of symbols."

Indeed, the hammered dulcimer is a curious and ungainly combination of subtlety and brashness, of the outrageous and the sublime, of beautiful lines and an awkward shape. Yet, as a solo instrument, its emotive range is such that a hammered dulcimer can be played in celebration at a wedding and in sorrow at a funeral. It revels in the square dance and is somber in the dirge. Like its younger cousin, the piano, it can find a place in a choir-filled sanctuary, the modern recording studio, and the small, quiet parlor of a home. In short, as a musical instrument it is delightfully flexible and interestingly complex.

The dulcimer can also be played in a variety of ways: it can be gently plucked with the fingers, crudely dampened with duct tape, played with hammers that ring brightly or that soften the blow in bell-like tones.

A Little About Dulcimer Players 

Dulcimer players themselves are sometimes an odd lot. As the world chases the newest fad in music, and pushes to the next extreme, dulcimer players sometimes look over their shoulders. They look for the value in a rich and deep tradition of a music that always tells a story - often with outrageous humor and a twinkle in the eye. In a sense, theirs is a path, in the words of folk musicians Aileen and Elkin Thomas, for those who can't walk straight, else why would they veer into a retro-culture of a century and more ago.

The dulcimer player is almost always a communal person because the dulcimer is such a communal instrument. And because the dulcimer is not usually amplified, it draws people unto itself, into a close circle of raucous and entertaining melody.

The dulcimer player celebrates that time in our American history, and in our world, when, from here at least, things looked simpler and happier and slower. While the dulcimer plays, things are even so.

The act of playing a dulcimer is a solid, experiential link to a time when people made their own, well, just about everything. The dulcimer enjoyed a good part of its history not as a factory instrument, but as an instrument crafted by the musician. The hands that played it made it.

Today, during its revival, the hammered dulcimer is still handcrafted around the country by a variety of luthiers; but it is also being manufactured by companies intent on making it lighter, smaller and more portable.

Hammered vs. Mountain 

In America two instruments are called "dulcimer": the hammered dulcimer and the mountain dulcimer. They are two completely different instruments, but often found and played in the same circles. The hammered dulcimer, as previously stated, is trapezoidal with many strings, and is played with small, wooden "hammers." The mountain dulcimer is small, often hour-glass or tear-drop shaped, has four fretted strings, and is usually played on one's lap by strumming somewhat like a guitar.

The hammered dulcimer has a long tradition in American history. Here are some little-known but interesting facts about it.

Hammered Dulcimer Trivia 

* The earliest record of a hammered dulcimer in America is from May 23, 1717 in Medford, Mass. where it was played in the home of the Rev. Aaron Porter, a graduate of Harvard College.

* Alexander Hamilton (not the statesman), playing the cello, accompanied the hammered dulcimer on November 21, 1752 at The Tuesday Club in Annapolis, MD.

* The first professional hammered dulcimer player (unnamed) mentioned in American history was promoted by one Richard Brickell in 1752 in New York.

* The word "dulcimer" was often spelled dulcimore, dulcemer, dolsemor.

* The oldest hammered dulcimer now existing in America may only date to 1800, and was probably made in Seneca, New York.

* Sometime in the 1830s or '40s, hammered dulcimer-maker Richard Vernon of Stokes County, North Carolina once shipped 75 dulcimers to New Orleans on a flatboat down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Early American hammered dulcimers were often rectangular.

* The earliest recorded value of a hammered dulcimer (1844) may have only been $1.00! It was part of the estate of one William Moon, Madison County, Alabama.

* The tuning pins of early hammered dulcimers were hand-forged.

* The first instruction book for the hammered dulcimer was published in 1848 by C. Haight under the title Complete System for the Dulcimer.

* In the Great Lakes Region the hammered dulcimer was sometimes called the "lumberjack's piano"!

* Montgomery Ward, in his 1894-1895 catalog, sold hammered dulcimers. Sears and Roebuck followed in 1897 and sold them for $24.90!

* Early hammered dulcimer soundboards were often made of common woods like pine or hemlock. Today they are usually made of Redwood, Western Red Cedar, Mahogany, or Sitka Spruce.

* Common configurations for 19-century hammered dulcimers were 9/0, 10/7, 11/6, 11/7, 12/3, and 12/11. (The left number indicates the number of treble courses; the right number indicates the number of bass courses. A "course" is a set of one or more strings tuned to the same note on the musical scale.)

* 19th-century hammers typically had whalebone shafts.

* Among the earliest recording of any variety of American vernacular music is that of the hammered dulcimer! Performed by Roy Gibson at the Edison studio in 1910.

* A hammered dulcimer was part of Henry Ford's orchestra in 1925!

Author:Randy "Ardie" Davis

If you have any questions about this wonderful musical instrument, please feel free to contact me at my Web site: http://www.ardiesdulcimers.com

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Composer Illustrated: GUSTAV MAHLER

Gustav Mahler - Photo: Wikimedia

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Origins of JAZZ MUSIC

There are a lot of people nowadays who enjoy great jazz music. In fact, almost every home has somebody who loves to listen to its cool rhythm and its moving beat. However, jazz music did not come along that easy since it all started. In fact, based on the origin of jazz, this type of music genre had its share of low times before it hit the popularity spot. While jazz is now being enjoyed by a lot of people, there was a time in its history when it was not as accepted as it is today.

Photo  by    FaceMePLS   (cc)

Somehow, the popularity of jazz or its unpopularity at the onset had to do with its being clearly identified as black music. But now, when the issues of racial discrimination is slowly starting to wane, anyone can say that jazz music, which is being played not only by black people but also by white, is here to stay.

In general, the origin of jazz was believed to have started in New Orleans before it spread to Chicago and then on to Kansas City, then to New York City and finally the West Coast area. Both the vocals and the instrumental sides of the blues are known to be essential components that we can still predominantly see in this music genre today. There have been and there still are many types of the genre and this was all started with the ragtime that officially started in New Orleans or what is also known as the Dixieland jazz. Then, after this, there came the swing jazz, which was also known as the bop or bebop. Cool or progressive jazz followed thereafter, which was also then succeeded by the hard bop or the neo-bop.

Then, there was the third stream and the mainstream modern and the jazz type that a lot of people like to dance, which is the Latin jazz. Of course, rock and roll also made its influence on this music genre with the coming out of the jazz rock, which was followed lastly by the avant-garde or what is commonly known as the free jazz.

The origin of jazz actually started out in the later years of the 19th century and this was derived from the work songs of the blacks, their sorrow songs, their field shouts, their hymns and their spiritual songs, the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic elements of which were seen to have been dominated by African influence. However, because it was seen as a music genre that was improvisational, emotional and spontaneous in nature and because it was mainly associated with the blacks, jazz did not garner the level of recognition that it deserved.

It was the European audiences that showed warmer reception to jazz, making the jazz musicians of America go to this country to work on their trade. Jazz only gained a wider audience when adaptations or imitations of it were made by white orchestras. It was in the later part of the 1930's when it was known to have become a legitimate entertainment and this was when Benny Goodman initiated concerts at the Carnegie hall of groups having mixed racial origins.

By Ian Pennington Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Do You Want to Learn the BASSOON?

The bassoon and contrabassoon are the lowest or bass members of the oboe family and hence the woodwind family which consists of flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. Bassoons developed from the Curtal which was an earlier instrument in England and they came into use in the 17th century.

The bassoon is generally made of maple eg sycamore maple and sugar maple,although polypropylene and ebonite are used to create a cheaper instrument which is great for students and outdoor use. It consists of tubing nearly 2.5m or 7-8 feet long which is bent double to allow the bassoonist to play it. A small piece of bent metal shaped like a crook is fitted to one end and to this crook is set a double reed.

The Bassoon - Photo  by     stephanie.lafayette

The bassoon has a distinctive sound and listeners often compare its warm, dark reedy sound to that of a male baritone voice. The sound is produced by blowing through the double reed which is made from two pieces of cane.The air vibrates through the reed and down the tubing. The various sounds are created when the player presses down the keys or covers holes in different configurations or finger patterns. The bassoon can play a large range of notes. The contrabassoon is bigger than the bassoon and sounds one octave lower.

A bassoon is a large wind instrument and can not be held on its own like the flute, clarinet or oboe. Bassoon players can use a neck strap or seat strap for extra support. The bassoon is held diagonally in front of the player whilst being played.

Bassoons are used in orchestras and chamber groups. There are usually two bassoonists in an orchestra with a possible third player playing the contrabassoon. The first bassoon player often has solos. A popular chamber group which the bassoon takes part in is the wind quartet which consists of 1 flute, 1 clarinet, 1 oboe, 1 bassoon, 1 french horn. And it is combined with other instruments in various groupings. The bassoon is rarely used in jazz or popular music.

A couple of well known bassoon players are Bernard Garfield (born 1924) and Archie Camden (1888-1979) who was a soloist of international acclaim.

Now that you know a little about the bassoons with its shape, sound production and types of music it plays, do you want to learn the bassoon? If you like the thought of playing low notes in a group or even by yourself, and blowing air through a double reed and tube to produce the sound then the bassoon could be just what you need.

By Hilary Daglish Take a look at a Picture and Go Here to grab an instrument and sheet music. Happy Bassooning ( if you call this a word!) Article Source: EzineArticles

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BARITON SAXOPHONE - Music-Instruments of the World

Bariton Saxophone - Music-Instruments of the World

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CHARLIE PARKER Bio Alto SAXOPHONIST Legend

Alto saxophonist Charlie Parker was one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. Known also as Yardbird, or simply Bird, Charlie was an early bebop pioneer; many of his songs remain standards to this day.

It might surprise you, but Charlie Parker started playing the saxophone at age 11, but wasn't a child prodigy by any stretch of the imagination. He joined the school band at age 14, and by one account, was kicked out because of his bad playing as a result of his lack of formal training. Charlie didn't let setbacks bother him though, and an in interview once said that for three to four years he practiced 15 hours a day. Part of this practice regime included playing the blues songs he learned in all 12 keys. During this time, Parker's improvisational skill flourished, and he began to develop some of the musical ideas that would give birth to bebop.

"Charlie Parker, Tommy Potter, Miles Davis, Max Roach (Gottlieb 06941)" by William P. Gottlieb -  Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

In the late thirties, Charlie played with local jazz bands in the Kansas City area. Ensembles led by Count Basie and Bennie Moten were popular in the area around this time and influenced Charlie's playing. By 1938 Charlie Parker had joined pianist Jay McShann's band, Jay McShann's Territory Band. The band played all over the southwest and occasionally travelled to bigger markets such as Chicago and New York.

It was with Jay McShann that Parker would play on his first professional recording. Bird moved to New York in 1939 and took a job as a dishwasher at Jimmy's Chicken Shack to supplement the income he made with Jay McShann's Territory Band. Pianist Art Tatum frequently played at the venue and his use of fast paced arpeggios would have an influence of Parker's playing.

In 1942 Charlie Parker left Jay's band to play with Earl Hines' band. A band that included Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet. A musician's strike from 1942-1943 has made it difficult to document much of what happened during that period. We do know, however, that in that year Paker played with a group of young musicians who embraced the new bebop form of jazz. This group of musicians included not only Parker and Gillespie but other soon to be legends, such as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian and Kenny Clarke.

During these formative years of the genre, most of the older, established jazz musicians did not embrace it. Some, however, such as Coleman Hawkins and Benny Goodman, appreciated the new art form, playing and recording with bebop stylists. The genre which Charlie Parker all but invented, had arrived.

Charlie was famous for showing up to gigs without an instrument and borrowing one from somebody else at the last minute. For this reason, he could be seen playing many different makes and models of sax. These include Conn 6Ms, Selmer model 22s, and 26s, and even a Grafton plastic saxophone. In 1947 he had a King Super 20 made exclusively for him. He seemed to prefer Brilhart mouthpieces, having used both Ebolin and Tonalin Streamlines. According to rumor he used hard Rico reeds early in his career but later switched to a 2 ½ in the fifties.

By Neal Battaglia Are you into sax improvisation? Learn more about Saxophone Improv at Sax Station! Article Source: EzineArticles

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The Nylon String ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Playing an acoustic guitar. The guitar is a Harley Benton (HBF20CE/TS); an Ovation clone, that is. (A friend of mine plays the guitar on a dock by a lake, in front of a summer cottage at Mäntyharju, 

Finland in July, 2004.) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The nylon string acoustic guitar has a softer, mellower sound than the steel string guitar. Strangely, modern audiences can still be spellbound by the depth of feeling of a nylon string guitar.  It's entirely up to you which one you choose to play. I could cite a list of artists who used either nylon or steel string for this or that record, and make a wild guess or two at why the artists made the choices they did, but the bottom line is that if you want a deep, quiet sound that doesn't compete with your singing, the nylon string guitar is the way to go.

When you go out to buy a guitar, go past the general music store and on to your local guitar dealer if you have one. That way you will have a guitar expert guiding you and not some dufus who only plays two-and-a-half chords. Don't let the guy in the store automatically steer you to the top-of-the-range guitars, and equally don't succumb to your inner cheapskate. Pick a guitar that you like the look, sound and feel of, then come down in price range if you really need to.

To get some idea of the range you could be looking at, the Alvarez Masterworks Series MC90 Classical Guitar, a more pricey instrument, has solid rosewood back and sides, western cedar top with precision scalloped bracing, mosaic rosette and gold tuning pegs with tortoise buttons and sells for over $600. The Alvarez Regent, a beginner's model, is about $150. Of course there are many grades of price and quality in between.

The kinds of music that the nylon string guitar was designed for are classical and flamenco music. Classical guitar music is classical music composed for other instruments but arranged for the guitar, and classical style pieces composed especially for the guitar or other stringed instruments. There is a wide repertoire of music composed in the medieval or renaissance eras for the vihuela or mandolin and arranged for the guitar which can be extremely enjoyable and satisfying to play. Flamenco music is a folk music of Spain, and is usually comparatively technically advanced simply due to flamenco being a "flashy" kind of music. If you are interested in exploring either of these kinds of music I suggest you go to YouTube and check out the classical or flamenco guitar videos. John Williams (the British guitarist, not the Starwars guy) and Julian Bream are two obvious starting points for classical guitar. Paco De Lucia, Paco Pena and Sabicas will open your heart to flamenco.

We can't finish without mentioning the nylon string guitar-driven folk music boom of the 1960's which has given us a lot of great music which can be easily picked up by beginner guitarists. The music of Pete Seeger, Burl Ives, Joan Baez or The Kingston Trio still holds some interest for modern guitarists.

So that is an overview of the world of the nylon string guitar. I hope you have found something to spark your interest.

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