Favorite Classical Wedding Music and Traditions

For any culture, wedding ceremonies play an important part of our heritage. They hold many traditions that have been handed down and built upon for generations. In this modern society, especially in western cultures, wedding ceremonies are often celebrated on different venues such as the beaches, parks, riverbanks and even at a sports stadium but for a more traditional setting, church wedding are still popular for couples. Apart from the theme and location of your wedding ceremony, a properly chosen and meaningful music in your wedding program can add to the overall feel of your ceremony giving it a touch of class. The perfect music will also facilitate in creating a quixotic and festive ambiance that can be timeless and be remembered by your guests.

In traditional church weddings generally choose songs that belong to the classical music genre, popular classical wedding music are those composed by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.

Classical music has a vast range of music repertoire, most couples choose songs and compositions belonging to the Romantic Period (1828-1900), though there are pieces by Mozart of the classical period and Pachelbel of the Baroque period that are among the crowd favorites. Such diversity may mean that in most occasion, theme or location it is possible to be able to choose songs that appeals to the couple's taste and personality.

Here are some of the rationales in selecting classical wedding music for your nuptial celebration:

Mood and Tempo.
Classical music can be solemn, mysterious, romantic and passionate. If you consider playing a slow classical music, this would set your guests' moods to be more conscientious during the most important part of the ceremony ensuring that all attention is focused on the couple. While fast songs would prompt guests to be on a festive mood and celebrate this joyous event with the newly-weds.

Meaning.
Classical songs are meaningful and evocative, having the perfect song selection and play list can add to the importance and value of your wedding day that will be remembered for a lifetime. Classical music has a distinct characteristic that can invoke your guests into being part of the ceremony. Selecting the perfect songs is vital as the newly weds will associate such songs to their wedding every time the song is played.

Christmas Pop Songs From The Original A Very Special Christmas Album

Since the late 1980s pop music stars have been contributing to the continued strength and growth of the Special Olympics. With their musical talents, pop musicians from different genres such as Willie Nelson, Run-D.M.C., and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have performed on the A Very Christmas series. Today, more than 20 years since the original album release, the series is known as the largest music philanthropy, raising more than $100 million for Special Olympics.

Today the series includes seven titles with the latest version released in 2009. The original series title, A Very Merry Christmas, released October 12, 1987 included well-known and established pop music icons such as Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, and Eurythmics.

A Very Special Christmas Artists and Songs

The original album of the series, A Very Special Christmas, features fifteen well- known pop musicians including The Pointer Sisters, Eurythmics, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, The Pretenders, John Mellencamp and Sting. Also included on the series first album are Run-D.M.C., U2, Madonna, Bob Seger, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Alison Moyet, and Stevie Nicks.

The songs on the album include classics the kid in all us enjoy such as "Santa Claus is Coming To Town", "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", and "Run Rudolph Run". Also featured on the album are seasonal musical carols such as "The Little Drummer Boy", "Silent Night", and "Do You Hear What I Hear". To resonate the joy and wonder of the season are the songs "Winter Wonderland", "Merry Christmas Baby" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

Two of my album favorites are "Merry Christmas Baby" performed by Bruce Springsteen and "Silent Night" performed by Stevie Nicks. Their renditions are true to the spirit of the songs intent while still delivering in the artist's own unique way. This can be said of many songs of the songs on this album, these two being my favorites.

Benefits We All Share The late Eunice Shriver had a vision for all intellectually disabled persons to know more about themselves and their abilities through sports. On that day in 1968 when Eunice Shriver called the first international Special Olympics Summer Games from Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, the nation was never to be the same. Today her vision is far reaching in more than 180 countries including China, Romania, and Afghanistan. Through her efforts, the aid of many others, and the sale of the A Very Special Christmas series, lives are continuing to change for the better.

Fastest Ways To Create Fabulous Music

Today the music mixing software come in a variety of different ways and specifications; all of them aim at providing the mixing features. These software provide many amazing and awesome features for musicians and DJs to work with, by assisting them to cut and paste different audio collection together. You can also amalgamate different audio together. This results in entirely different and fresh music stuff.

In fact, the music mixing software is the fastest and probably the most efficient way to create wonderful and fabulous music. One of the most amazing features of such music mixing software is the creation of loops. Loops are basically the fan effective to make brand new music by combining and also changing different parts of different audio tracks. As a result you will get a complete new and amazing stuff of your own choice.

Since all the audio tracks differ in rhythm, so it's important to match the audio rhythms of different sound tracks. The good software will definitely create perfect matching between two different tracks. Therefore, by making use of an excellent music mixing software, you can put on words or tune from one track to the base of a different audio track. This provides you an excellent way to create an exclusively new and splendid music.

The music mixing software enables you to become a great DJ or music producer as it provides you with the some easy ways to produce new and fabulous audio tracks. By virtue of which you can create different tracks of your own choice from the on-hand old tracks. The software simply lets you to become great at mixing of different audio tracks with perfection.

The software has so many different attributes and features that your music creativity will surely not going to be wasted. You will get more than your expectations from these software. It enhances your music skills by giving you a vast collection of different aw-inspiring and the easy-to-use features. The first step in music mixing is the selection of track to work with and then deeply think what to do with the track. After that, you need to load that track or may be number of tracks in to a first-rate software that will allow you to create the music of your own selection in quite a quick way.

Robert Taylor is a DJ mixing coach who guide young talents and mold them into professionals for the future. If you are interested, visit him at http://www.audioemperor.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Chestwell_Taylor

Guitar Lessons for Beginners

For people who want to learn to play the guitar, follow these guidelines below and become a guitar player in no time. So now let us begin.

First thing on this guitar lessons for beginners is a run-through on the parts of a guitar.

Basic parts of a guitar include:

• the body - holds all the parts together and has a hole in the middle
• neck - the long stick with many divisions
• the frets - the dividers on the neck
• tuning pegs - the six heads at the base of the neck
• bridge - the steel bar found at the body of a guitar

After you have familiarized yourself with the parts of the guitar, the next agenda in this guitar lessons for starters is for you to learn strumming.

Strumming is done by hitting all 6-string of the guitar with your fingers repeatedly. Strumming has two strokes, the up stroke and the down stroke. Practice this with variations and find what you like most.

Next thing to know would be the chords.

Learn the basic A, B, C, D, E, F and G then try playing these with a song you are familiar with. Find the simplest song to play, any song that is made of 2-3 chords. Finishing the song would mean you have completed your first song ever! So congratulations to you!

After you've been able to play a nursery guitar song, to advance in this guitar lessons for novices, you now have to learn the chords sharps and flats then proceed to harder ones like minor 7th. Remember not to skip a step and master the initial steps first because this will serve as your foundation. Mastering the basics makes learning the variations fairly easy. Start with open chords first before proceeding with closed chord because closed chords require more skill.

Subsequently, scales should be learned. Basic scales are the major and minor scales. Intermediate levels are the pentatonic, Phrygian and many others. After learning scales, you can proceed to variations and then you are basically done. Remember to take it step by step as learning is not a fast thing. If you really want to become magnificent, then work really hard.

Are you ready to discover the secrets on guitar lessons for beginners? Visithttp://www.GuitarSuccess.com today and pick up a free eBook on how to play the guitar like a pro! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ewen_Chia

Easiest Ways to Mix Like a DJ

If you have ever wondered how to mix like a DJ you will learn soon enough. DJ's have a very difficult job and you should admire their skills greatly.

First, you will need a music mixer software for you to start mixing. There are a lot of music mixer software online; you have got to choose carefully though.

After you purchase your music mixer software, head to a local music store. Try to pick one that is your favorite and has music that you actually like. Select two great tracks. Not one, but two. Make sure it is not too complicated otherwise you will get in over your head with trying to mix it.

Now you will need to go someplace with a DJ setup. This may be your home, a friend's, or your teachers. Make sure everything is set up correctly. Hopefully by now you have at least tested it and you know generally at least one thing about it. (After this information sets in you may also want to look on YouTube at the DJ Learning Videos. It may help the picture in your head and may help you improve.)

Put both records onto the decks. (Not your deck outside! The decks on the DJ station.) Set the cross spinner in the middle so you can hear the records together. Pick a record and start it spinning.

Now listen to your record. Listen to the beat. Does it even have a good bass beat? If not you need a new record. Otherwise you will have trouble all the way through. Take your finger and start spinning it in reverse to the beat. Pause this record and start spinning the other one. As the beat gets closer you need to start the other deck also. Then as the beat gets there you need to drop the deck. The beats will start together and sound great.

This may have resulted in disaster. DO NOT WORRY! This is pretty common. Just start again and keep on trying otherwise you will not get it. If you got it on the first try, then good job to you! Keep on practicing this easy piece until you master it and feel confident enough to go onto the harder stuff. I recommend that when you do feel confident enough you should go to the music store and ask which record or records they suggest you try next so you do not get in over your head. Good luck and make sure that you start easy and then progress. I hope you become an amazing mixer.

If you are still unsure about mixing, do not fret. Robert Taylor is a professional mixer and he teaches students how to start mixing from the very beginning to the advance level. He will guide you step by step until you have master it. Don't believe? Visit him at http://www.audioemperor.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Chestwell_Taylor

The 10 Best Karaoke Songs To Sing

Karaoke symbolizes a freedom that hardly any other activities in the field of entertainment can offer. It offers people the courage to come up in front of an unknown audience to sing songs even in the face of potential shame.

The selection of music for most karaoke sessions relies on the type of audience you have. The majority of people favor a pop or rock song, whilst others decide on country music. Even a few groups are brave enough to hold opera karaoke sessions. Karaoke CDs are available in all these ranges, and therefore it is very difficult to identify a list of the top 10-karaoke songs. Some people may think it is the best songs, and other might think it is absolute trash.

On the other hand, when you play music for a big audience, it is vital that you cater for everyone's tastes. Otherwise, the crowd will be bored in a matter of minutes. Usually the fast contemporary tracks are a huge hit at any party. Ideally though, there should be a blend of tempos for the best entertainment. You should also have an equal allocation for male and female solos and duos. If your crowd likes to sing, you must have songs that let the superior singers show off their voices. Also, have some songs for those that are not so good, and have to keep up appearances.

The top-10 karaoke songs to sing are based on the accepted view and requests made at karaoke bars all over the world. What will follow below is a list of the 10 best karaoke songs to sing.

1. Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams

2. Hotel California by the Eagles

3. What a wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

4. Imagine by John Lennon

5. Girls just wanna have fun by Cindy Lauper

6. I will survive by Diana King.

7. Jailhouse Rock by Elvis

8. Man, I feel like a woman by Shania Twain.

9. Summer Love by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John

10. A whole new world by Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion

There are more songs that you may not have at your karaoke event, but is worth putting in. In the end, it is up to you to read your audience and select the right music for the evening. Some songs might not have made the top 10 list, but they are also very popular at most karaoke events. Take "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. Some might see it as clichéd, but most crowds just love to sing with the "bah bah bahs". This ensures that it remains a very popular karaoke song. One well-known song for singing along with is "Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. People just love to join in at the "whoaaa-ohhhhh, livin' on a prayer" part. Although well worn in, these songs are still must haves at every karaoke event.

Improving Singing With These Simple Steps

The best way to significantly improve your singing is to allow yourself the freedom to just relax. If you tense up, get nervous or over think it, these feelings ultimately affect how you actually sound. You cannot properly relax your mouth, throat, shoulders and stomach if you are stressed, worried or anxious.

Once you have blocked everything else out and you feel your body relax, you need to focus on your posture. You want the breath to flow freely out through your mouth. If you slouch your shoulders over or tuck your head in, you are disrupting your breath in a negative way. You may find yourself tense back up again when you start focusing on your posture. If this happens, start over again and concentrate on the relaxation. It will all come together eventually with a little practice.

Learning how to properly breathe can make all the difference in the world in your sound. Do you find yourself getting winded or not being able to hold that last note? That all has to do with breathing. Chances are, if you run out of breath or cannot control your voice, you are breathing from your chest. This may sound like the logical thing to do if you are new to singing but what you really want to learn to do is breathe from your diaphragm. This muscle is so much stronger than those in your chest so when you learn to use it properly, you will be quite surprised at just how much air you have leftover. It may feel awkward at first but with practice, it will become natural.

It is also crucial that you thoroughly warm up before singing. Skipping out on your warm up makes your practice session somewhat worthless. If your voice is not warmed up, it cannot possibly be used to its full potential. In fact, you do more harm than good because without a warm up, you can easily injure your voice. Humming, singing scales and reciting tongue twisters are all excellent vocal exercises to engage it when you have a goal of improving singing.

5 Things To Remember - Promoting Your Music Through YouTube

Making a living as a recording artist can be a tough way to earn a buck. The dream of playing for millions of fans will always be just that if you do not take proactive steps in finding and keeping an audience. Today YouTube is one of the best places to turn to build a quick following. But before you take to the popular video sharing service, keep in mind that the same rules of marketing still apply. In other words, you can't just throw your video up on the site and expect great things to happen overnight. If you are considering this step, you need to start with your content and keep the following five considerations in mind.

Production values matter. You've got a good band, clever lyrics, and Internet moxie. So this should come easy for you, right? Think again. Your song may only last 3 to 5 minutes, but the work that goes in to a proper take could last longer and cost more. Make sure that you are filming with a quality piece of equipment. Shoot for high definition quality if possible. This is your chance to be seen by millions of potential users and build a following that will fill your live shows to capacity. Give your audience a reason to attend by putting forward the best possible representation of yourself. Make the finished product flawless, easy to hear, and pleasing to the eyes.

YouTube is a gateway. In other words, it is not the only place online or in the brick and mortar world where you must turn if you plan on making your music into a career. YouTube is perhaps the best place to get started, but if you don't have your own website, you're going to have a tough time reaching sales goals in the digital world. Allow your customers to find you where it is most convenient. That means getting listed on Amazon and the iTunes Store. It also means building a relationship with your fans.

Technical knowledge is a must. In particular, you want to name your music to be easy to find on YouTube. That means having some knowledge of keywords and social media to make sure that your song shows up in the YouTube search results, and that your Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace friends know where to find you.

Viral marketing works. And it doesn't have to be confined to the online world, though more and more, virtual and tangible worlds are intermingled. Get out into your community and let people know about upcoming shows. Harness the power of your friends, their friends, and their friends' friends.

Once you have a product you believe in, YouTube and the power of the web is a great way to turn your dream into a reality.

Buy Music Videos Instead Of Free Download

These days you should always buy music videos when you are looking to purchase a video for entertainment or for instructional purposes. Time and time again you here of horror stories from consumers who downloaded a free video and find themselves with major complications.

When you buy music videos you are guaranteed quality and clarity. You won't have any viewing or audio problems like you might face with a free version. If you are looking for a video of your favorite music artist or trying to learn a new musical instrument you will definitely want the best quality of video and audio available.

Another important reason to buy music videos is that you won't have to worry about unauthorized duplication laws and viruses. Many free versions of videos may be in violation of distribution laws, which you definitely don't want any part of. No sense in having any legal issues do to a music or instructional video. Secondly viruses, many free versions of video will come with a virus that will infect your computer and in the end will cost you more money than if you had just purchased the video in the first place.

In my experience it's much safer and practical to buy music videos. You will have a clear head knowing that your version is legal, as well as knowing that you will not be downloading any unwanted files like viruses. Viruses can be pretty expensive to remove, much more expensive than it is to buy music videos.

Go to http://www.wheretobuymusicvideos.comtoday to see our HUGE selection of videos from all of your favorite music artists. We also carry a HUGE selection of videos to learn how to play a wide variety of musical instruments. Great prices! Visit us today! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dane_Espinoza

Best Concert Tickets And How To Find Them

When looking for the best concert tickets many folks consider price as a huge factor. This is completely understandable as a great price for a great seat makes for a killer value. Most of the time price will continue to go up as the concert date approaches but this is not always the case. If you look around you will discover that the best concert tickets for their value can still be purchased at a reasonable price even as the event date approaches.

Be careful, as there are many ticket scalpers that will claim to have the best concert tickets. Many times these imposters will set a high-ticket price and leverage the scarcity of availability to make you purchase a ticket out of fear. It's been reported many times that the tickets purchased from some scalpers aren't even tickets at all, you run the risk of buying a bunk ticket when you take the black market route.

You can find the best concert tickets and values from doing a little bit of research online. Type whatever you are looking for into the search bar and scan over the results. As you will see there are many quality vendors offering a variety of seats and prices that you can choose from. Most of the time you will still find tickets at a great value even up to the last minute.

The best concert tickets will be found at a trusted vendor who can supply you with legit tickets. It's not worth the headache to purchase a ticket from an unauthorized vendor just to make it on the front row. Take a look online and I'm sure you will find the best tickets available.

Go to http://www.lastminuteconcerttickets.orgtoday and receive the best concert tickets and deals available online. We have a HUGE selection of artists and events for you to choose from. All your favorite artists and tours! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dane_Espinoza

The Fastest Way to Learn to Play the Guitar

If you want to learn to play guitar then I have good news for you, it has never been easier or faster to learn. The biggest problem facing students has always been finding a tutor with the requisite level of skill to teach at the student's level and with space available to take on extra students.

The next major hurdle is that in order to make progress once the basics are mastered it has traditionally been necessary to find other players of a similar standard to practice with and improve. This has always been fraught as members of a band tend to develop at different rates. Even worse band members tend to develop differing musical tastes as they progress. On top of which you need to be available to play at all of their gigs, which with today's busy schedules is not always possible.

What if all of these issues could be resolved for you? What if you could learn at your own pace and repeat lessons as often as you wished? What if you could pick a different tutor as the mood takes you? What if you could choose the style of guitar that you want to learn today? What if you want to try a different style tomorrow?

Well now it is all possible! Today you can learn to play the guitar more simply, easily, quickly and as effortlessly as possible. New courses have been made by assembling teams of the best tutors available, and producing courses in streaming video with lessons, example songs, electronic tuners, tabs, music, and recordings to play along to. The modern internet based and/or downloadable courses help to solve all your issues and are always available to you, as long as you can connect to the internet, and have your instrument with you.

Some of these modern courses are also available on DVD and/or CD with booklets for those that prefer hard copy. When the course is provided on-line the option of printing music and/or tabs is usually included.

Users of these types of courses are finding that the video and play along aspects give a much quicker mastery of the instrument and the cost to the consumer is considerably less than the traditional private tutor who will cost in the range of thousands of dollars per year.

I should add that whilst these courses help players learn more rapidly, and are the fastest learning method yet developed, there is no method yet that entirely eliminates the need to practice. All the best players will tell you if asked how they got to be that good "years of practice, practice and more practice". These video courses provide clear visual demonstrations, teach you to read music and/or tabs and give you the correct time signatures, but in the end your playing ability is determined by your determination and how much you practice.

The Author Stephen Parkin is a member of the Wealthy Affiliate University and the co owner, with his wife Shauna La Pierre, of Pine Grove Stable in Nova Scotia Canada. He is interested in Internet Marketing, Photography, Classical Guitar and his two dogs (a Border Collie and a Labrador Retriever). To learn more about learning to play guitar quickly visit http://www.squidoo.com/learning-to-play-the-guitar-tdh

How You Can Correctly Take Care Of Your Acoustic Guitar

Since you've already chosen your perfect acoustic guitar, one key to keep in mind is you ought to understand the way to take good care of it. The method that you take care of your guitar at the beginning will make it go longer and minimize possibility of string breakages therefore, obtaining the right worth for your money.

Just after every use of one's musical instrument, constantly clean the instrument's strings mainly because you will find accumulated dirt and oil right from your hands and from the environment. Utilize a lubricating spray and spray it on a clean rag and wipe it over the strings. Touch merely the strings and never other parts of the guitar. In undertaking this, you're advancing the life of one's strings specifically if you're making use of it on a regular schedule.

Always store your acoustic guitar appropriately in its guitar case after almost any practice session. Keeping your musical instrument possibly in a case or bag or even a guitar stand would maintain it from getting any scratches on its surface. Do not expose it to abrupt adjustments of temperature or to excessive temperatures as this will likely have an effect on the materials from which your guitar is produced of. And also this consists of contact with direct sunshine or sources of heat. In no way abandon your guitar inside a very heated atmosphere like a car in summer season with all the windows shut. Maintaining your guitar in a room temperature remains to be the best and most appropriate solution to do.

In other words, understanding how to handle your acoustic guitar properly remains to be your very best assurance that the instrument will certainly cooperate with you at the same time.

Your guitar is your major investment particularly if you're dreaming to go skilled at some point. So, you may possibly as well start your career the right way by selecting the proper guitar at the beginning and make sure that it stays with you right up until you reach the center stage.

Keep Your Vinyl Records Clean And New

Cleaning your vinyl records regularly and correctly is what it takes to have best quality sound when you spin them. It just takes a few easy steps to keep your vinyl record good as new always.

Basic cleaning tools and solutions like anti-static guns and record cleaning machines which are optional, record cleaning pads, brushes and solutions, a turntable and your vinyl record are the things you will need. Or a 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water is a choice for normal cleaning. A 70% alcohol solution may damage your vinyl records, but not in the recommended 50/50 solution. Small amounts of baby bath can also be utilized to clean the vinyl record.

Once you have all the necessary materials, you can start cleaning. Holding the record by edges and labeled areas, begin cleaning the stylus and place the record on the turntable. If you have an anti-static gun, use it to neutralize dust. If you're using the alcohol-water solution, to help cut down water spots and marks, put a couple of drops of Photo Flo with the solution. Wiping in a circular motion with the grooves, rub on the solution with a soft, clean washcloth. The turntable comes useful this moment. Don't get the labels wet when cleaning the vinyl record. Rinse the cloth often in the solution and replace with a fresh mixture when needed. Hold the ends of the brush or pad between your fingers and manually rotate the platter in a clockwise direction while pressing the brush lightly into the grooves if you have a record cleaning brush or pad. Sweep the brush up and away to remove the grime and use a brush holder or similar object to srub the grime off the brush, away from the turntable. Dry clean the vinyl record if it is not very dusty and has been cleaned regularly; or you can use a soft, clean towel to thoroughly dry the record.

Like most of us, you probably have heavily soiled records by now if you forget cleaning your vinyl records. This calls for a slightly different cleaning approach that requires pre-cleaning them. Put the heavily soiled records on a clean, soft, lint-free cloth and wet-clean the record in a spiral motion from center to rim. Air-dry or use 100% cottion, lint-free cloth and repeat the steps on the other side. You can proceed to the usual cleaning steps procedures after pre-cleaning your vinyl.

Use a moist cloth or a mild furniture polish to clean your vinyl record if their cover is laminated or shiny. You can get rid of the marks or writings on the cover with a rubber eraser or a lighter fluid. You can get rid of the stickers, labels, and tape by heating the area with a hair dryer and making use of a citrus-based cleaner or lighter fluid to remove sticker residue. There's nothing much you can do about cleaning the covers if they are matte finish covers. Since they are already set, you would end up removing part of the print or color thereby making your vinyl records look worse than dirt. Remember, it just takes a moment of your time to keep your vinyl record clean and new.

Seth Frank is passionate about Vinyl Albums music and has devoted much of his professional life to helping young artists gain the exposure they need. When not writing or attending shows, Watts can often be found cheering on his beloved Phillies or cooking up one of his signature culinary creations.

The Top 10 Most Famous Pianists Ever

There have been many pianists in the 500 years since the piano was invented. However, the majority of them were mediocre, some were good and a very few were absolutely stunning. Many of those who made it to this list began their musical training at a very young age which allowed them to perfect their talent early on. This article will take a look at a handful of the most amazing pianists ever.

1. Sergei Rachmaninoff. Known for having the largest hands of all the most famous pianists, Rachmaninoff was able to span up to 14 notes at a time and he made use of this ability in his compositions, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, 8 Preludes, and others. 

2. Josef Hoffman. This young prodigy began performing piano concerts at the tender age of six and at 12, he was the first recorded musician, working with Thomas Edison to create the first musical recordings.

3. Ludwig Van Beethoven. This young German composer and pianist was famous for his talent on the piano and the fact that he continued to both play and compose after losing his hearing at the age of 26.

4. Vladimir Horowitz. Perhaps one of the best known pianists of the 20th century, Horowitz studied under Felix Blumenfeld and Sergei Tarnowsky. He is well known for his ability to play strong pieces creatively rather than simply banging away on the keys. 

5. Fredric Chopin. Chopin is often one of the first composers that young piano students play. He was also a child prodigy, often compared to Mozart. Steeped in the world of music from a young age, he was already playing and trying to compose at the age of six. 

6. Wolfgang Mozart. One of the most famous child prodigies, Mozart was playing piano at age three and by five, he had begun to compose songs which were written down by his devoted father. He went on to give concerts from a very young age. 

7. Franz Liszt. A virtuoso pianist, this Hungarian began his career at a fairly young age, though little information is available during this period of his life. It is known that not only was he an excellent pianist, he could also play several other instruments, including the cello.

8. Walter Wilhelm Gieseking. Gieseking was unique in that he supposedly never practiced on a piano. Instead, he would sit for hours in complete silence, playing the songs in his mind. Mostly self-taught, the pianist would then perform the piece flawlessly. 

9. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. A more recent pianist, Michelangeli honed his talent to perfection, producing recordings that were nearly perfect even when unedited. He was notorious for randomly canceling concerts and for his intense focus on the tiny details of the music, often forgetting the big picture.

10. Alfred Cortot. Well known for his amazing recordings and variations of the likes of Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, and many other famous composers. He also added his own variations and twists to the most common of compositions, turning them into something unique and special. 

Any list of the greatest pianists is going to be somewhat subjective. Each person has their own preference and there are plenty of great pianists who simply didn't fit onto this list of the top ten. However, you can be sure that the ones who did make it here are truly great pianists and definitely worth listening to when you have the chance. Many of them dedicated their lives to their music and some died while still playing and recording it.

Royalty Free Music From Music Libraries - A Great Way to Cut Down Cost

A music library is a reservoir of music albums just as a book library is a store of different books. The only place to avail music of various genres from exclusive collections by both well-known and unknown composers is a music library. The music lovers can come across many music libraries in the online world, if they surf the Internet. Some of them provide royalty free music to the customers. It is really a good offer to the persons associated with the entertainment industry.

Having access to the royalty free from this libraries will turn out to be beneficial for you. You can save a great deal by paying nothing for repetitive use of the same track. If you have to make royalty payment for a score every time you are using it, then the cost will roll to an astounding amount. So, having access to royalty free music from any of the these libraries will come cheaper on one's wallet as compared to shelling out continuous payment.

The royalty free music helps an individual who earns his bread and butter in the entertainment industry in two ways. If your project is broadcast repeatedly, you do not have to bear any extra cost. Moreover, you can use the same music purchased from the libraries in more than one project in accordance with your requirements. The online collection of musical pieces or musical albums goes on swelling with the incessant addition of music files to these libraries. The composers, film directors as well as film producers earn great benefit from the use of royalty free music on offer by the music libraries.

Musicians often seek samples prior to composing a tune. In the world full of mix and match, visiting these libraries has become a necessity for them. Even the composers, who try hard to come up with original compositions, explore the libraries in quest of impressive stocks of music. Those who are willing to have their albums recorded also drop a visit to the music libraries. It saves them cost by a significant margin that would have been spent on hiring a choir or orchestra party. There is no need to fritter away time or money for rehearsal or recording or using a studio. Everything is managed within a very short time and a tight budget. The companies that provide music licensing for movies and act as a safeguard for the budding musicians also have a good rapport with the music libraries. The original compositions of the talented artists occupy a pride of place in these libraries.

Those who make documentaries can be greatly benefited from the royalty free music on offer at some of the music libraries. Documentaries are made on shoestring budget and so it will be of great help if the music directors of documentaries can avail the royalty free music facilities from the libraries. With so many music libraries popping up on the net, the composers do not need to put in extra effort to come up with a perfect score at minimal cost.

Yes You Can Learn How to Play the Guitar

If you have decided that this is the year that you are going to learn how to play the guitar, you will be pleased to know that there are a number of great reasons to get started. Acoustic guitars can be found at reasonable prices, and are easy to store. Your guitar can go where you go because it is easily mobile, so if you have ever imagined yourself by a campfire with your friends, softly strumming your guitar, or leading the holiday carols at a Christmas party, now is the time.

Online Classes

Possibly the biggest challenge in choosing to learn how to play the guitar, is fitting guitar lessons into an already hectic schedule. Online guitar courses take the stress out of scheduling lessons and being away from home for another hour in the evenings or on weekends. These courses offer clear, concise, step-by-step guitar instruction, with lessons you can download, as well as videos of professional instructors demonstrating each skill. The benefit to you is a well rounded lesson without leaving your home.

Choosing the Right Course for You

The next hurtle to jump will be the task of learning to read music. Music is written as a universal language that applies to all instruments and all languages, and for many, learning to read music can be very rewarding. When you learn to play the guitar, the course will teach you music reading skills as it teaches you to play your instrument, but it will take time and practice. Learning guitar tabs takes time and practice also, but you will be playing songs more quickly because the notation on the tabs is specific to guitars and allows you to skip many of the steps involved in learning to read music.

Time Commitment

Whether you choose to use guitar tabs or to learn to play music, online guitar lessons will require some time commitment on your part. There is no physical instructor to face if you stop attending lessons or if you don't practice; however, if you do not take the necessary steps, you simply will not learn how to play the guitar. Think of your lesson and practice time as a fun time to learn something that are excited about.

Enjoy!

As you begin your online lessons, you may find the beginning lessons and rudimentary skills frustrating, and practicing might feel like a chore. Remember that you must learn these techniques before you can move forward to learn more complex lessons. Stay motivated with the knowledge that each of these lessons is getting you closer to your goal as you learn how to play the guitar.

Free Online Singing Lessons

When it comes to singing, there are a lot of things that you need to understand. Information can be found anywhere, books in the library, word of mouth from friends who had training and also, free online singing lessons. These free online singing lessons are one of the more efficient, and more importantly, cost-effective training resource. So don't take free lessons, as being low quality or not up to standard. Some information you find can be worth more than a single lesson with an instructor.

Having any type of singing lesson will definitely benefit all singers. Even professional singers and many of the successful ones are still learning. Its a never ending process, because their own instrument, which is their voice, have to be regularly fine tuned to stay in shape. But for singers who are just beginning, they may face difficulties to get their singing voice to a certain standard.

Common problems faced when singing include the inability to get the top range of your voice, applying too much force on the vocal cords, causing fatigue or even damage, having empty spots in the song due to skips in voice caused by weak muscles in the larynx. Many singers also have the problem of getting the proper key in the song, singing with very nasal tones or occasionally missing the rhythm.

There are many singers out there who merely sing just for personal enjoyment, but have hardly any idea what is meant exactly by pitch, amplitude, resonance or even key. Even though its nice to sing just for fun, there will one day come a time when you will want to find out more about the technical aspects of singing so you're able to further improve yourself.

An Extensive Array of Topics

Free online singing lessons can guide you to:

- Learn warm-up exercises to stretch the neck, back, and abdomen muscles

- Learn warm-up exercises for your vocal cords

- Develop good posture

- Develop good breathing practices

- Learn how sound is produced

- Learn important terms such as pitch, intervals, scales, and time

- Learn sight singing techniques

- Add expression in your music

- Control your larynx to create top quality sound

- Learn to articulate

- Gain confidence to sing on stage

- Learn songwriting skills

- Learn to sing while strumming a guitar

This is just the tip of the iceberg from what you can learn from free online singing lessons. The more successful singers are learned in a broad range of exercises, concepts and practices.

There are many different reasons for people who decide to take up singing lessons. They may take it as a fun hobby and want to learn as much as possible about singing..

A few others sing at local spots and events and want to perform at their best. Some even have singing as a profession or career. Singing lessons are crucial if you want to take singing to a more professional level.. At some point, you will have achieved as far as possible without help.

However, many individuals don't take lessons simply because they believe they are too costly or that they think that singing lessons are meant only for people with full-time singing careers. Both of them are not true. There was once a time where the only option was private singing lessons from instructors, however the internet makes it possible for anyone to take singing lessons from their own home.

Free online singing lessons provide a simple, cost-effective solution to benefit from physical and vocal techniques. You'll find fresh ideas, tips, suggestions, and motivation that will help you pursue your singing goals.

Take the Advice of Experts

When professionals, experts or people who have a lot of experience in the scene gives you advice, heed it. They may just be the best information one could ever get. Also, the internet has allowed widespread access to many professional instructors who were once reserved only for those who are rich or famous. Nowadays, there are plenty of reputable singing instructors willing to share what they have learned at no cost.

Give free online singing lessons a try. You will definitely learn something useful!

Check out Singing How for lots of free and valuable information about singing! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zack_Owens

Interpretation of Power by Kanye West - If There Is Any to Be Foun

There has been a lot of speculation that the song Power by Kanye West deals with heavy themes involving spirituality, the New World Order and the Illuminati. I'm not entirely sure if all of those concepts are dealt with in the song but I was intrigued by the chorus so I decided to look up the lyrics. What I have walked away with so far are ideas about the Antichrist, these ideas are reinforced by the "video" and the artwork for the album cover.

I don't want to deal with the visuals of either that much because the only thing that we know is that Kanye could very well be the one with the power himself in the video who was defeated on the album cover. Those with a deeper, more esoteric understanding of symbolism can attack the meaning of the aesthetic that is being used to promote the work. I am sure that many will in the coming weeks as those intelligent enough to make sense of those visuals will take a crack at it. After all, analyzing music videos and visual images is a favorite past-time of anyone who has been watching music videos over the last decade, when the visual images have begun to suggest a deeper, more profound meaning than they had previously, when they were more discrete.

I took the lyrics from "Metrolyrics (Beyond the Words)", they do not provide any interpretations of songs themselves, but were the first reference to come up with I searched for the lyrics. In the first verse he says that he is living in the 21st century, does it better than anyone else and loves the idea that he haters, this in an of itself is nothing new. But then he gets right into the chorus and says that no one man should have all that power, and that he is counting down the hours. Well that is rather strange, if he is doing it better than everyone else and is enjoying the attention he is getting why is he counting down hours? Also, is it that he has a little bit of power, and has too much, or that he is just now coming into the power.

If the Antichrist is someone who is going to seize power it is conceivable that people will come to the conclusion think that no one person should have that much power. The only contradiction of that theory, is that Kanye referred to his haters earlier on. The way that I understood it the Antichrist is not going to have any haters because no one would have known who he was anyway. His ascension to power is such that everyone will be caught off guard, though I could be wrong about this that is the way I have understood it.

Then he moves on and talks about Black culture, which is something that Kanye does best. The schools are closed, but the prisons are open, but we have our light skinned girls and we're rollin', in other words riding around in nice cars. Then he says that in a White Man's world, they are the chosen. He then says goodnight to the world, and says that he will see them in the morning. He then calls out the cast of Saturday Night Live, says that their thoughts are Napoleon, talks about his furs and his ice. To sum it all up, his own childlike creativity is challenged by his trials as an adult, he doesn't need women because of his own ego, and that a beautiful death is to be found in jumping out the window and letting everything go.

My interpretation of this song, that there is no interpretation to be found. The Antichrist is not interested in killing himself. Perhaps the end to all of the materialism and wealth is to let it all go and jump out the window. Perhaps the end to the means is to let it all go and go back to a normal existence. For those who are not strong enough to deal with what is to come about in the 21st century, suicide may be a realistic option. Kanye says that I have the power to let power come. Is God within me, what is he really talking about?

The real genius of the song is that you can either let it fade into your subconscious or try to figure out what it means or just let it go. It is contradictory in nature, and does not really appear to have any real sinister or dark meaning behind it. It has your typical self-aggrandizing nature that you find in any hip-hop song. Kanye is talking about something deeper than girls, diamonds and clothes, but then again he isn't. He is suggesting that he still isn't happy with all of the money, but if that is the case why does he continue to pursue it. Is he talking about the corporate ladder, a one world government, or power in general?

Kanye is great at assembling pop culture out of thin air and packaging it and selling it to you in an album as every great songwriter is. But at the end of the day it is the same empty pop culture that has existed for the last seventy years. Kanye could be talking about the end to popular culture as we know it in the Black community, or using himself in his own typical self-deprecating way to drive home a deeper point about what we perceive as power. We see power as wealth, having whatever women you want and as many women as one can possibly have, having money to spend on clothes and material items, everything but using our money to reinvest in our own communities and help someone else acquire wealth. We like to keep our wealth to ourselves, but if we are going to jump out the window anyway we may as well give it away...

Congratulate Rick Ross on Teflon Don, You Haven't Heard Production Like This in a While!

I finally understand why 50 Cent keeps hating on Rick Ross. He tried to run the same tactics that he used to get people away from Ja Rule that were successful in the past, and that would have worked if 50 Cent had put out some quality music at the time. Unfortunately for 50 Cent all of Rick Ross' records have debuted at number one on all three of the charts. He can't say the same, his albums continue to drop at a lower point with each release. But Rick Ross is the truth and quite honestly the production work on 50's albums are not as good as this! Rick Ross' latest album, Teflon Don boasts some of the best, if not the best, samples I've heard in quite some time! I had already copped his mixtape and was enjoying the production on that when I decided to stop by hiphopdx.com and check out the latest Rick Ross album. The beats are incredible, and the cameos are incredible.

Jay-Z and Kanye come harder than they do on their own albums! Rick Ross is not the best rapper, by any means, but he does improve with each release. What is so unfair is that since he is on Def Jam he has some incredible beats. One of the commenters over at hiphopdx.com stated that these were beats Biggie should have had back in the day. That is saying a lot when you consider that Biggie had some of the best samples heard so far when he was around. Super High, featuring Ne-Yo is actually the worst song on the record; he really stepped up his game with this album.

You get everything on this record from old school gangsta rap, to the trap, to a hybrid of gangsta rap and the emo stuff you get with Kanye (and to a certain extent, Jay-Z). He comes at you with one hot song after another. Okay that is what is good about the album. On the other hand Rick Ross still has a very, very, long way to go with his lyrics. His flow is questionable and his word could use a lot of work. His metaphors are almost non-existent, and he reminds of you where Jeezy was at when he first came out. Eventually Rick Ross is going to have to get on the level of everyone else in the game, in particular 50 Cent.

The album concepts could use some work as well. Though they are known for their legendary production, he still has songs like Maybach Music 3 and Aston Martin Music that are a desperate attempt at creating a concept. Outside of the production there isn't anything that really separates them from the rest of his work. He should stay at Def Jam as long as possible and use their marketing and production muscle instead of trying to go anywhere else. Considering that he continues to have number one albums on all charts domestically that shouldn't even cross his mind.

One interesting song is Free Mason, in which Rick Ross actually talks about Freemasonry. That song would not be complete without Jay-Z, and his appearance is going to confirm what people are already saying. Jay-Z says that he is not a mason but then says that he never would have made it without sin. As interesting as it is it doesn't appear to be a metaphor or allegory for anything other than what the title implies. His contradictory word play is sure to create more controversy, at least Rick Ross is owning up to what he is talking about in this song. I think I would have more respect for Jay-Z if he simply came out and told us what he is really about, but I also understand the game that Jay-Z is playing to keep the rest of us talking about him. The opening line says "this is for the soldiers that see the sun, at Midnight", so you figure it out. I am going to be a hypocrite and remove the song from my computer and my MP3 player.

5 Main Reasons Why Wizard Custom Electric Guitar is Chosen by Music Lovers

Among the musical instruments that exist on the planet, guitars are among that are most well-loved. You'll be able to easily take them from one place to another, and there is no denying the amazing tunes produced by each guitar. Since most people love guitars, various manufacturers ensure that they supply the public with a remarkable guitar. One of these manufacturers is Peerless, and its success is clearly epitomized with the Wizard Custom Electric Guitar, which has in fact been featured in Guitarist Australia for its exceptional caliber.

This is one of the fresh breeds of fabulous guitars; and if perchance you have not yet met this gorgeous guitar, then it is time for you to know why most excellent musicians love this piece of musical instrument.

*Truly stunning. Looking great is a genetic trait of the Wizard Custom Electric Guitar. It features a lovely rosewood tailpiece. Additionally, it includes a gold plated hardware that will make you grin with pride.

*Distinctive tone. Every tune that is generated by this amazing guitar is perfectly wonderful. In fact, the review in AMAC's statements were, "the Wizard Custom also just feels great to just hold and play."

*Outstanding originality. This lovely guitar makes a distinct variation that sets it apart from others. The review has stated that, "There's simply nothing else like it, it's a true original.

*Complete with fine properties. Whatever features that is needed to make a good melody are available in this glorious piece of musical instrument. Its three-volume one-tone mechanism, and three-dog ear black cap P90 pickups play a role in the production of excellent music.

* AMAC tested. The Australian Music Association, composed of top-caliber musicians, plainly singled out this guitar among the rest, as one of the finest there is.

With these excellent features of the Wizard Custom Electric Guitar, it's no surprise why it truly is considered as a music lover's choice.