Online Music Recording Opus

Online Recording Studios - A New Player in the Music Industry

The World of Drum Recording

Many people today, especially in home studios where you often have only two inputs to record at once, record their songs one track at a time. Most people starting a home studio can easily acquire the basic engineering skills needed to record vocals, guitars, keyboards and bass. Recording an acoustic drum set on the other hand is perhaps the biggest challenge a recording engineer has to face when recording a single instrument - mainly because drums aren't really a single instrument. Especially in Rock, each drum will often require its own microphone in order to capture its full depth and "punch" quality so highly desired in hard-hitting rock anthems.

A multi-channel recording system, lots of expensive microphones, acoustic room treatment and knowing where to place microphones and how to get the best out of the equipment make recording drums a highly expensive and complex endeavor.

If one decides to record drums at a studio, they will find themselves paying through the nose for a recording engineer and a professional drummer. Bands often don't have the budget to pay for hours of studio time required for their drummer to nail a decent take. Even if the drummer is well versed in the songs when playing gigs, recording in the studio is different in many ways and requires its own experience.

Online drum recording services such as DrumsForYou.com provide a refreshing alternative. Maintaining a studio dedicated to the sole purpose of recording drums, online drum recording provides a simple and quick method of getting a solid drum track.

For those venturing into a studio for the first time, it can be very intimidating not knowing how big the hole in your pocket will be at the end of the day. In online recording studios, a high volume of customers keeping the studio busy recording drums daily allows the service to offer a fixed price rather than charge by the hour. There is no need to collaborate a schedule of meetings with musicians and producers. As soon as one track is finished there is no problem in getting on to the next one.

How Does It Work?

You may ask yourself, how can someone record drums the way I want them without me there to play along, guide and explain what I need?

The answer is – free preview.

This feature is made practical thanks to the special traits inherent to an online recording service. The entire process will usually begin with the user filling out a form specifying parameters such as how they'd like their drums played, at what sample rate they need the track to be recorded and a choice from several snare drums to play. Then the customer is asked to send an mp3 file with a sketch of their track without drums on the left side and a matching click track on the right. The service is then obliged within a certain amount of time to send a preview mix of the drum track over the song. If the customer for some reason doesn't like what they hear, they can ask for changes or scrap the track without paying. If they do like what they hear, upon payment they may choose between online or CD delivery of the full separate tracks as well as a suggested stereo mix.

With this feature, you have nothing to lose by trying. You know exactly how much you'll have to pay, you'll know exactly when you'll get it and you'll know exactly what you're paying for before you need to make your decision. In a studio, being charged by the hour, you take a lot of risks, because you pay for time spent regardless of the result.

The experience and versatility attained by drummers who record parts for songs every day also means they'll probably nail the track the first time. Most people aren't really that picky about having their drums played a certain way and will often trust the drummer's judgment to play what they believe fits best with the sketch provided by the customer.

Who May Benefit from Online Recording?

This unique service can be very useful for budding musicians and bands struggling on their own and professional musical producers alike.

Producers will appreciate the speed and professional quality delivered by this service. Because it's so quick, they effectively won't lose time by trying the service, so their options remain open to go the traditional way if needed.

Thanks to the ever advancing computer industry home studios have become very commonplace these days. They are relatively cheap, easy to build and maintain. Therefore, many budding musicians already have the tools they need to record their sketch and use this service. Until recently, they've had to compromise the live feel of their recordings by using drum loops and samples. Online drum recording services finally allow them to mend what has been until now a consistently weak link in their chain.

Finding talented musicians dedicated to one's cause is also nothing to be sneezed at. Having a demo for your songs that sounds good enough to be on a record can help your wanted-ads on the internet stand out from the crowd. You may find yourself attracting more people to work with you in two weeks than you managed to do in two years.

Not Just Drums

It doesn't stop at drums either. DrumsForYou.com, despite its name, provides services for recording bass, guitars and keyboards as well as drums. Granted that equipment becomes less of an issue when recording these instruments, the expertise of a professional player combined with the speed and no-risk policy of online recording makes these services very attractive.

Musicians trying to produce a good track on their own will probably sing their own track, or have a singer, and play one instrument that they know well. Yet many guitar players like to try playing their own bass, only to find it doesn't sit as tight with the bass drum as they'd like. They would have to choose between keeping their part or take their chances hiring a musician. With online recording, you just order a bass track preview and most chances are you'll have the problem solved.

Indeed, online recording services could very well be the shape of things to come in how music is produced. As the infrastructure of the internet expands and advances globally, online recording services will also advance. For example, it will be possible to hear a recording session online, give comments and even play together in real time from anywhere in the world with low latency. Soon after that you will also be able to see each other. Musicians will effectively be able to rehearse, record and even perform online.

The Bottom Line

Sitting in a fully equipped studio with experienced personnel, including a producer, recording engineer and professional drummer obviously has its advantages. At the end of the day, however, most people look for bang-for-buck solutions – amateurs and professionals alike. Using free preview to solve most of the problems that could arise from not being face to face with the client, online recording services provide a viable solution that fits the bill for all but those who are not willing to compromise on having their own musician play the part note for note.

I highly recommend paying a visit to DrumsForYou.com and taking a venture into online recording. After you do, you may find yourself wondering how you got along without it.

Author, Elad Fish: click here to visit http://DrumsForYou.com and experience the quality of a real drums, bass, keyboards and guitar tracks played by professional session players!

Style Music Ode

Learning Styles Of Music

What genres (music types) are important?

Learning styles of music can help you get work, don’t get me wrong; but you need to consider the time and expense involved in knowing a lot of music genre’s, having the goods to do them, and if your locality really wants the specific genre.

DJs invariably enter the profession as a part time hobby because they love the music they play and love to see others enjoying it too.

Usually DJs have an already significant existing vinyl or CD/DVD collection of music that they enjoy and they use this to mix and play for DJ events for which they are hired.

Some DJs like to specialize in a particular genre of music in order to attract a certain type of clientele. This may be because they particularly liked learning styles of music; that genre; or because they know that this will secure regular work.

Dance, Indie, acid or house music is particularly popular with DJs who work the club circuit while 60s, 70s and 80s music is more popular with mobile DJs who host private parties and BBQs.

It depends on what’s popular in your area, as to whether you should offer Country, HipHop, or the latest cutting edge music genre. To learn more about specific music styles, you may want to read up .

Every good DJ experiments with how they will get the crowd moving and different DJs enjoy learning styles of music to do exactly that.

In fact, you will probably find that most DJs have a set routine for how the night will play out according to music, sound, lighting and other effects such as bubbles, background buzz, DJ banter and audience participation.

This methodology works the world around and is irrespective of what genre the DJ specializes in.

Regardless of what music genre a DJ specializes in, the key to the event is not the actual songs themselves but the mix that the DJ puts together.

A good DJ will know how to link together a good mix of songs with both the event and the crowd in mind.

Good DJs now how to put together songs that ebb and flow according to the crowd response and the timing of the event – the DJ cannot allow the crowd to peak too early or the event will then slowly fizzle out, long before it needs to.

When you specialize, it’s much easier to become known for a certain style of music, and a lot cheaper to get a good stock of vinyls or cd’s in that genre since you already have a head start in your favorite style.

DJ Equipment is expensive; so save money where you can and specialize in just a few musical genres instead of many!

Author, Guy Ames. Learn more about becoming a DJ with tips and tutorials from http://www.DJ-Tips-and-Tricks.com.

Music Producing Poem

What Is Producing?

I deal with a lot of bands who simply aren't sure what producing is. Some have no idea what it can do to their songs. Some are under the impression that some guy (who also owns a strip club) who has a limo and pony tail is going to call them "baby" and turn them into New Kids on the Block with guitars.

While this sort of thing might exist, I don't think these sort of producers stick around very long. I could be wrong. The way I see it, a producer is just regular music dude who is working with you to make your songs the best they can be. I'm guessing that everyone has a different idea of what a producer is and I think that stems from the idea that a producer does different things in each situation. One band may have songs that are good but lack an extra push. Another band may just need to be excited in the recording process.

I'm convinced of 2 things.

A Producer does not necessarily have to be a great musician

A Producer does not necessarily have to be a great songwriter.

To me, all a producer has to do is help people who are good at the two things above do those two things better. This could be everything from playing blindfolded, to intentionally ruining a song just to see how the band puts it back together.

I think a producer's job is to challenge the song. Take the song, tear it apart, push it, pull it, twist, it and see what happens. What happens if we do the most obviously wrong thing to this bridge? Try it. See. Record it live and see. Did it work? Does it sound like crap? Maybe it does sound like crap, but listen to how the chorus sounds now. Hmm. Now the chorus is bigger. Let's play something less crapty on the bridge but with the same feel. Ahh.

I get excited just pretending that I'm producing a record right now. I find it so exciting to get all the creative juices going with a whole band with the band and I all working together democratically and pushing them to make their songs better. If the band doesn't like a direction, no problem. We go a different direction.

Author, Brandon Drury, has run www.echoechostudios.com for years and is developing a large recording site at http://www.recordingreview.com. Feel free to use this article as you please as long as you send a link back to recordingreview.com.

Sound Serenade

It's Not All About The Sound

You know the phenomenon, everytime you hear music playing in the background you think about the clip associated to the song.

Many years ago, music was just about sounds. Skilled people with beautiful, at times selfmade, instruments entertained other people. Back then, music was a gift.

But with the introduction of MTV and various other tv-broadcasters, clips are now a must for artists. If you don't have an attractive, high-tech clip you know you'll fail on the billboards. People associate these clips to the quality of the music. If the clip they see is bad they'll stop listening to the song and turn off the screen.

Sexy girls dancing with little clothes on, rappers acting tough, ..It's all been done before. Artists now look for computerized video images, with special effects which match with the sound they produced. It sweeps the watcher along for about 3 minutes, enough time to hear the song and perhaps like it.

Music needs the images, but needless to say the images definitely need the music. You could even say that music videos are a modern version of opera. In an opera, you have music and acting together as a package. It tells us a story, just like most music videos do. As we all are curious at times, people tend to like stories. Makers of music videos know this and try to make a story with their music videos.

The story symbolizes the music: if a song sounds sad, the story will not be a happy tale.

In the future, artists will have to keep on spending much time in developing their attractive clips, perhaps even more time than they dedicate to producing music.

So I'll give you a good tip: don't always see the music, hear it..

Author, Joe Delqi, webmaster of http://www.discoverclips.com and all-around-music-lover.

Guitar Magic Verse

The Magic of the Slide Guitar

It's a hot sultry night on the Mississippi delta. The full moon casts it's translucent light on the fields and swamp oak trees. The lingering smell of barbecue and wisteria mix with honeysuckle and tobacco smoke. Folks are sitting on the front porch trying to beat the heat. Someone picks up an old guitar and begins to play a familiar tune.

The sound is unmistakable, cutting right to your heart, and emotions. It’s distinctive voice, almost human-like, hangs in the night air like a soulful cry. That is the signature sound of the slide guitar.

Where did this style get its start? The prevailing wisdom attributes its birth to the old single string instrument called the jitterbug, used by black musicians around the turn of the 20th century. This instrument was simply a length of thin wire stretched between two nails on a post and played using an old bone or heavy nail. Some used a bottle or other smooth objects as well. One could play a lead line or improvise an accompaniment to folk, blues, and spiritual songs. The jitterbug was essentially one of the first blues instruments.

There are ancient African instruments much like the jitterbug but using a gourd resonator with the single string. It, also, was played with a bone sliding up and down a neck to change pitches.

As guitars became more available, a lot of the early blues and folk players adopted them. These guitars had terrible action and strings were scarce. Using a slide allowed playing on some really horrible guitars yet produced a very appealing sound. Using a glass or metal slide would also save the fingers!

Guitars were very popular in the early part of the 20th century. Frequently, rural musicians got inexpensive guitars from a mail order catalogs. Banjos were very expensive at the time, but there is little evidence that players ever used a slide on a banjo.

Some musicologists suggest that Hawaiian music was the greatest influence in popularizing slide guitar. This was about the time (early thirties) when steel bodied guitars were becoming available. This music was played in "slack-key" or an open tuning as it is called today. The guitar is tuned to an "open" or major chord, such as a Gmajor or Dmajor. There are many variations in these tunings, but most tunes are played in one of the three main open tunings.

Hawaiian music was very influential in spreading the slide guitar craze throughout the country. This gave rise to a great demand for slide style guitars from manufacturers. The Hawaiian lap steel guitars were more popular than standard guitars all through the 1930's. All of the major manufacturers had offerings: Gibson; National; Dopera Brothers; (Dobro) Regal, just to mention a few. Hawaiian slide guitar was incorporated into every style of music from Jazz to Mountain Music. This has continued on to the present. The list of today’s accomplished slide players is large and ever growing.

The adaptation of slide guitar techniques by early blues musicians is, perhaps, the ultimate marriage and is instantly recognizable. Some of the great masters of the past include: Son House; Tampa Red; Robert Johnson; and Muddy Waters, to name a few. These magical and soul filled sounds have captivated musicians and listeners alike.

The voice like quality of a glass bottleneck or brass pipe sliding up and down a guitar string has a created musical tradition worthy of it longevity. It resonates with our emotions and has found a permanent home in our hearts. God bless those who aspire to the sound of the slide guitar.

Author, Denny Tryon, is a slide guitarist and author. More information and resources can be found at www.slideplayer.com.

Moved Opus

Types of Actors

All humans are actors to some extent. This sounds Shakespearean but it is very true. Many times we have done what we do not like and many times we begin to like what we are doing. We represent those very feelings on stage or before the camera in the form of characters. The person's who enact those characters are actors.

The hero-actor in a play or a film is not always the protagonist though usually he is so. The plot of a story or a play takes the hero through a number of coincides or circumstantial changes to show that he can adjust in any space and time and yet remains a leader or a savoir.

Well! A tragic hero on the other hand distorts his own good circumstance and he also worsens in his temperament in such a way that the spectators sympathizes with wraths than looking down on him. In both the above cases the actors who portray these characters must be very skilled in showing their feelings by their eyes, the face and of course the body. Sometimes they may have to overact.

The comedians have to keep improvising methods to portray the force in the society and the foolishness of the rich who haven't experienced the world around and take it for granted that all happiness can be commodities. Many times a comedian performs serious roles yet he makes us laugh-he is an actor.

The lady on the other hand whether a heroine or a vamp usually shows excess feminine energy either she is a sacrificing friend, a mother or a seductor. To portray these feelings the lady actors need very good supporting actors.

The dancers or singers are also actors who are usually speaking of the hero, the heroine or the villain who would like to confess, or it could be about love, hate, or jealousy. Many times mindsets are condemned through a singer who also dances.

Basically the actors are also informal teachers.

Author, David Chandler. For more information, visit http://www.ActingInfoCenter.com. For your FREE Stock Market Trading Mini Course: "What The Wall Street Hot Shots Won't Tell You!" go to: http://www.stockmarketgenie.com.

MP3 Ode

MP3 - a Brief Overview!

Internet did not only change the daily habits but also the way people do their shop. And more than that: Internet has also increased the space to commit piracy.

Music is a good example of how Internet can contribute to piracy. With all this revolution regarding in the means of communication, more and more files or software are available and can be downloaded. Music is one of these files.

The most common music format is MP3, which is the short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3. These are files of music found in a compression version but which keeps the original quality. These files are highly searched through Internet.

With this option of downloading music and creating your own CD, composers and music bands started to claim for their copyrights and royalties. This arouse another question: how to protect the bands and composers?

The exit found was to create laws to protect them. These laws presuppose that both websites that offer free MP3 downloads without the permission of the owners of the copyrights and also websites that offer paid downloads should be punished. In this case, the owners of those websites that don’t respect these laws are sued.

But of course it’s not every website on the Internet that breaks the law. There are websites that offer both free and paid MP3 download without breaking the law and respecting the composers’ or music bands’ copyrights.

And something that people are usually not aware of is that downloading a MP3 without the previous consent of the owner of this music you may also be sued. It doesn’t matter that you just downloaded it. It works like this: these websites only exist because people download their MP3, so if you stop downloading it the website will disappear. Then, you are considered to be accomplice of the website’s owner.

There are, however, some legal ways for you to download MP3, both free and paid.

Author, Luna Sol: I've always loved music and stuff related to that. That's why I started reading about music, MP3 and Internet. And there are so many things we are not aware of. My intention is to help you find the same things I had figured out. http://www.mp3ps.com.

Costume Players Serenade

Have You Heard About...Cosplay?

The word "cosplay" is actually a blending of the words "costume" and "play". Cosplayers are called this because not only do they dress up like their favorite characters, but they also act out skits and pose for pictures as the characters - just like actors in a play.

Most cosplayers dress up for conventions, where they can participate in on-stage skits and costume contests. They mingle with other like-minded people who will often recognize their character on sight. Many web sites post galleries of pictures of cosplayers they spot at conventions, and some people even have stores where you can purchase a costume if you don?t feel like making your own.

Cosplayers gather from all over the world to attend conventions. Some practice speaking like the character and stay in character during the entire convention, especially while having photos taken. Others simply enjoy wearing the same outfit as their favorite character and don?t act any different than normal.

Occasionally cosplayers will pose for gag pictures in which they are doing something the actual character would never do. An example would be an extremely violent character suddenly hugging everyone and doing the peace sign at the camera with no weapons in sight.

In fact, some cosplayers? entire costumes are parodies! They will dress up as a made-up character that is obviously parodying the outfit of an existing one (example: Sailor Meatball Head.) Sometimes they dress up as an inanimate object - like a box of Glico's much-loved snack food, Pocky.

These cosplay parodies are funny to see and infinitely more amusing if you?ve seen the show or read the book that features the things they're making fun of.

Those who cosplay seriously often make their entire costume from scratch. This means sewing their costume - creating such items as swords and bejeweled shoulderpads. Depending on the character, they might even make prosthetic limbs! Any cat-girl cosplayer can tell you that having a well-made set of cat ears and a tail can really make the costume.

Others wear wings for angelic or demonic characters, apply makeup for characters who have unique complexions (like the indigo blue or obsidian black drows) and wear false fangs or long fingernails to emulate a character?s exact look. Many wear wigs, but some determined cosplayers even grow their hair out or cut it short and color it to match their cosplay character.

Cosplayers dress up solo or with friends and family, and sometimes they form cosplay groups. These groups all dress up as characters from one particular story, so that when they attend a convention it will look like the whole cast of the show or book is present! It's much more fun to act like a character if you have another character from the same story to act with.

Many cosplay groups do skits, as they have the whole story's cast at their disposal. Cosplay groups generally know each other in person, but I?ve found a few on the internet who only meet up to cosplay at conventions and don't live anywhere near each other in their everyday lives.

Cosplayers come in all shapes, sizes, races and ages. There is no age limit for cosplay and often adult cosplayers will bring their children along dressed up as characters too! Some couples cosplay as characters who are in love with each other. Some couples, if not for cosplay, would never have met each other!

Cosplaying is a hobby. As with most hobbies, it can get expensive and time-consuming. But any cosplayer who has had the pride and enjoyment of wearing the costume they created themselves and being recognized by other fans as that character can tell you that it's worth it.

If you are interested in learning more about cosplay, or would like to see pictures of cosplayers in their various costumes, try visiting these great cosplay sites!

http://www.cosplay.com/ -- Cosplay.com

http://www.acparadise.com/ -- American Cosplay Paradise

http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/ -- Lord of the Rings Costume

http://www.ushicon.com/cosplay.html -- Ushicon

Author, Mallory York, has been drawing since before she knew how to date a picture, and has been creating anime art for four years. Among her favorite anime series are Fushigi Yuugi, Gundam Wing, and The Slayers. You can read some of her fanfic at Fanfiction.net and view more of her artwork at HTTP://WWW.L7S.NET and also at HTTP://WWW.ELFWOOD.COM.

Jazz Verse

Jazz Yatra

Jazz is arguably the most argumentative form of music (even has diminished and argumented chords). So at the outset let me present my side of the argument. Jazz is musical improvisation, right? Indian classical music is improvisation, still right? Granted Indian music does not have the harmonies of the west. But the keyword here is improvisation and not harmony, absolutely right? Indian classical music has been around for more than two thousand years. The Americans discovered Jazz less than a hundred years ago. Right then, now that we have established India as the birth place of Jazz lets head for the Indian Jazz Yatra.

Surfacing on day one are the cats (kangaroos?) from down under. Jamie Oehlers Quintet and the Perth Jazz Orchestra. Jamie opens. Good band. Great Jazz. Jamie and the boys are jammin’ alright. On to act two which is...ahem, an extended remix of act one. Jamie and the boys brought their buddies along to form the Perth Jazz Orchestra! It’s always a thrill hearing the powerful and dynamic sounds of a big band. Reminds me about what teamwork is all about. Each and every member looked really happy to be a small part of the big picture. Standing out and upfront with the big band was vocalist Mark Underwood with a rich and velvety voice that reached out and caressed the audience. Very enjoyable evening. Good start for Jazz Yatra. Met up with lots of old and new friends all sharing a common love for music being created live. Day one was the Aussies night out. Pity we didn’t get to hear their musical instrument called didgeridoo or didgerididnt or something.

Day two features Jazz Yatra’s trump card. Trumpet player Dave Douglas from the U.S. of A. Voted as worlds best trumpet player by readers of Downbeat magazine and Archie comics. Satya led by Dave settles down on stage, I mean sits down on stage. Just then heaven walks past me in her tiniest black number. Tosses her tresses and glances in my direction. Music begins. Band hasn’t begun. Chaos. Band begins. Wrench myself back to earth. Satya’s seated in a neat semi circle. Myra cross legged on harmonium. Dave cross eyed on trumpet. Samir and Sanghamitra cross country on tabla and tanpura respectively. Dave looks like a snake charmer about to charm a snake right out of Samirs tabla. Band’s playing. Music flows. Sounds charming indeed. I notice a lot of snakes in the audience slowly rise and slither towards the canteen hip flasks in hand. Crowd’s getting restless, collective murmurs, customary grunts and some oinks of disapproval about the raags being given to us by Satya...nass. Rang Bhavan is under threat of being converted into a huge open air Just not Jazz by the bay! Mr. Compere comes up and requests the crowds to stop disturbing the performers. I’m tempted to yell back, 'the performers are disturbing us'. The trumpet player may be hot but it’s the batatawadas (hot, spicy Indian snack) that are smokin’ right now. So I get up and head for the snakes, I mean snacks, at the canteen located next to the loo! And I’m not talking about the loo as in the Louies wife. Okay I’m back. I don’t quit so easily. And guess what? Half the band is joined by three other musicians to form Myra Melfords 'Same River Twice'! I’m slowly beginning to understand the mathematics of music. Things are getting interesting at Jazz Yatra. The river flows. This band is wild. Making avant garde efforts to push back the boundaries of Jazz. Pianist Myra’s brilliant and definitely an inspiring band leader. Dave is beginning to sound like he has earned his votes. The Jap chap playing bass seems to be getting more out of his headless and fretless bass.

Day three opens with Harsha Makalande on solo 'Hamburg Steinway piano tuned by Mr. Mistry' as Mr. Compere kept announcing a little more often than the necessary sponsor plug. Anyway, Harsha sounds like he is rehearsing for his next big solo performance. He probably feels that way too since there’s just a handful of Jazz enthusiasts present in their respective seats at 7.00 PM sharp. Then came the Vijay Iyer Quartet. Now here is a brilliant group of musicians, each a virtuoso in his own right, with strings of academical achievement behind their music. I could almost smell the textbooks from where it all came. This is great Jazz. The musicians on stage are incredibly tuned into each other. They have obviously been playing together for a long time or may be they can read each others minds or perhaps they read each others textbooks. Then again, it could just be the simple fact that they wear each others T-Shirts. Great performance. Good show. Brilliant musicianship. But for some reason the quartet doesn’t really make me want to stand on my chair and yell 'yebdiyow'. At one point though, in the middle of the bass solo I did feel like getting up and waltzing into heaven seated just two rows ahead. Unfortunately the tune was in five and a half time. This would certainly complicate things in the ballroom department of dance. Whats next ? Oh yes. Its Malcolm Mc’Neil, from New Zealand and you better believe this, he is being backed by Jamie and the Jammers from day one. Now Mally looked a little bewildered on stage. He was probably wondering what the heck is he doing on stage at an international Jazz festival when he should have been safely tucked into a cosy nightclub at some swanky five star hotel in New Zealand. He did put up a spirited performance however, and considering he found out who his back up band was only the night before showtime, he did exceptionally well. In fact I even overheard a couple of women expressing their intense desire to hug him as he sang, 'have I told you lately'.

Time for the grand finale featuring petite Louisa Cottifogli backed by the Louis Banks trio and act two featuring the big surprise, world renowned clarinet player Eddie Daniels and wife Mirabai who seems to be on her way to nirvana via the Indian Yatra. You’ve guessed right, the couples going to be backed by the Louis Banks trio. I guess India has yet to produce another rhythm section as awesome as Louis Banks, Karl Peters and Ranjit Barot. Little Louisa kicks off the grand finale with 'Vande Mataram'. Great. This little Italian has really got us Indians by the balls. Then she proceeds to twist them around miming vocalists from different parts of the world. I almost forgot what an Italian singer sounds like. Now comes the sucker punch, she goes and does a Dave Douglas on us (she starts miming a trumpet). And finally virtuoso clarinet player Eddie Daniels takes the stage with the tireless trio. Scorching solos. Dazzling display of musicianship and improvisational skills. Wifey joins the party. And promptly starts cookin’. Reminds me of our own version of an American Jazz singer, the ageless Pam Crain. A few exciting tunes down the show, differences seemed to creep in onstage. Differences probably musical, financial, political or some other ill seemed to crop up in broad spotlight. Differences at Jazz by the bay is war. Differences at an international platform like the Jazz Yatra is world war. And so finally the curtains came down on the world war, sorry, Jazz Yatra. The bottom line is, the boys at Jazz India did make it happen against all odds. Even if the batatawadas and babes were far more happening than the bands.

Author, Colin D'Cruz, is a jazz bassplayer currently based in India. Review some of his bands at http://www.hullocheck.com.

JAZZ Serenade

All About Jazz!

Q. What is the difference between a pizza and a jazz musician?
A. A pizza can feed a family of four!

What is it about jazz that makes a jazz musician stick to a form of music that A&R managers have scientifically and suspiciously proven to be a musician's surest route to death by starvation?

One good reason would be the fact that jazz allows me to be myself as opposed to pop that wants me to be Madonna. I would rather be me than strut onstage wearing conical jocks. I remember a male indipop album released by some genius A&R manager, titled 'mai bhi Madonna' (i'm Madonna too). Jazz as you will see, and if you've heard about 'mai bhi Madonna', helps me retain my individuality and what's left of my sanity in this big mad world of music marketing. Jazz, the most open, alive and evolving form of music, is the medium i choose to communicate and express myself musically. I know a lot of people in the audience may not understand my intense shoobee-doo-wop, shoobee-doobee-doo-wop and emotive twidlee-didlee, didlee-doo-dah along with some sensitive chaka-chaka, shaka-dish-boom-thaak. But there's always the few who can 'feel' what they can't figure. Most of the time the message i communicate may read 'hey brother, how about a loan..i'm broke again' but when i have someone in the audience enjoying my music, i become a millionaire.

Author, Colin D'Cruz, is a jazz bassplayer from India, review some of his bands at http://www.hullocheck.com.

Carnival Poem

Carnival Cruise - A Perfect Holiday, Rock And Rolling With Carnival Cruise

If you want to have fun for one low price, all you need is a Carnival cruise. A Carnival cruise is a perfect way to pamper yourself. You don't have to worry about paying extra for meals, entertainment and a range of activities. You just unpack once on the cruise ship. You are in the capable hands of fitness experts having massages, loofah treatments, hairstyles, saunas, pedicures, applying soothing masks and micro-facelifts, there is a complete relaxation schedule for you with nautical spas, and the exercise programs.

Carnival plays every song- from hard rock, musicals, country music or big band. There is a sing-along piano for you to hum along. Compare it to the land vacation where you are constantly involved with the buying theater tickets, reservations, valet parking and looking for other things to do.

Carnival cruise is the most popular cruise in the whole world. With carnival you dine, dream and dance as you sail from one foreign destination to the other. It's popular with first time cruisers, young singles, couples, old and young loving the party atmosphere. The Carnival cruise highlights include- casual dinner at Sea View Bistro, a convenient 24-hour pizzeria, captain's cocktail party and gala dinner, complimentary 24-hour room service, camp carnival for kids and teens. In addition to this get to see daily first run movies, dazzling Las Vegas style casino, fine dining with Gala midnight buffets, Nautical spa program, outdoor swimming pools and whirlpools, onboard duty-free shopping and singles cocktail party.

Carnival is an entertainment saga for singles, couples and families and it carries more passengers from all age group on board than any other cruise line. You can enjoy a lavish evening in the two levels Paris Lounge or you can rock and roll in the Rock and Roll dance club, the Cafe des Artistes and the Monte Carlo Casino. You have stepped into sheer luxury with spacious and comfortable accommodations. All the staterooms are fully carpeted with closet space, private facilities (toilet, basin and shower), and color television screening first-run films. All the staterooms on these super liners are above the ocean level for a better-relaxed cruise. Carnival staterooms are fifty percent larger on average than other cruise lines. You get one hundred percent personal care whether you choose interior or ocean view suite or penthouse suite.

You can give your kids a fun holiday with all kind of games, talent shows parties, movies, crafts, arts, and a world of fun under the supervision of camp carnival counselors. All the counselors are college educated having professional childcare experience and your kids are secure under their competent hands.

If for some reason you are not satisfied with the cruise experience you can notify carnival ahead of coming at the first port of call and you may well get down at first non-US port of call of your ship. Carnival cruise will reimbursement the unutilized part of your cruise charge and compensate for your return flight fare. You can look at carnival cruise vacation protection plans for a worry-free vacation.

Carnival serves buffet on the deck. There is teatime with your favorite beverage and pastries. Moreover, you can place order for complimentary stateroom service 24-hours a day. Your table is always reserved in the dining room. However, you may also eat dinner in the restaurant *Sea View Bistro* on Lido deck. The attire is informal and the meals are buffet style. The restaurant has an open seating and is rather laid back. Of course, if you are calorie conscious carnival has wide Nautical Spa selections with every meal. All the menus have been prepared with the consultation of dietitians. You can have the fresh oven pizzas at the 24-hour pizzeria. There is live music playing at the dazzling spirit lobby. You may like to enjoy your drinks with close friends at the bar.

Author, Colin Hartness. Looking for information about cruises? Go to http://www.whatcruises.com. *What Cruises* is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Cruises!

Monster Ode

Monsters and Demons: A Short History of the Horror Film

Going to the movies may not seem like a novel way for little kids to spend an afternoon. But have you ever brought your child to see a Disney flick and ended up viewing trailers for Jeepers Creepers 2 or Freddie vs. Jason? When this happened in a Birmingham, Alabama cinema last year, parents became concerned about what the main attraction would be. But before the managers at the cinema could turn off the previews, the main attraction came on, and it wasn’t Piglet. Instead they were presented with the gruesome opening of Wrong Turn, an 18-rated slasher flick in much the same vein as the previews.

Is there a more genre more criticized than the horror film? Not bloody likely. There’s the argument that horror films are socially and morally irresponsible, even influencing some people to imitate the brutal methods of the killers portrayed on screen. Horror films actually have the opposite effect on normal people – sick minds will commit atrocities anyway. Watching horror films lets us encounter our secret fears, share them with other viewers, and eliminate the terror by meeting it head-on.

The genre is almost as old as cinema itself – the silent short film Le Manoir du Diable directed by Georges Melies in 1896 was the first horror movie and the first vampire flick. The movie only lasted two minutes, but audiences loved it, and Melies took pleasure in giving them even more devils and skeletons.

In the early 1900’s German filmmakers created the first horror-themed feature films, and director Paul Wegener enjoyed great success with his version of the old Jewish folk tale Der Golem in 1913 (which he remade – to even greater success – in 1920). This fable about an enormous clay figure, which is brought to life by an antiquarian and then fights against its forced servitude, was a clear precursor to the many monster movies that flourished in Hollywood during the Thirties.

The most enduring early German horror film is probably F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922), the first feature-length vampire movie. But one movie paved the way for the “serious” horror film – and art cinema in general – Robert Wiene’s work of genius The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, still held up as an model of the potent creativity of cinema even to this day.

Early Hollywood drama dabbles in horror themes including versions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) starring Lon Chaney, the first American horror-film movie star.

It was in the early 1930’s that Universal Studios, created the modern horror film genre, bringing to the screen a series of successful gothic-steeped features including Dracula, Frankenstein (both 1931) and The Mummy (1932) – all of which spawned numerous sequels. No other studio had as much success with the genre (even if some of the films made at Paramount and MGM were better).

In the nuclear-charged atmosphere of the 1950’s the tone of horror films shifted away from the gothic and towards the modern. Aliens took over the local cinema, if not the world, and they were not at all interested in extending the tentacle of friendship. Humanity had to overcome endless threats from Outside: alien invasions, and deadly mutations to people, plants, and insects. Two of the most popular films of the period were The Thing From Another World (1951) and Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1956).

Horror movies became a lot more lurid – and gorier – in the late Fifties as the technical side of cinematography became easier and cheaper. This era saw the rise of studios centered exclusively on horror, particularly British production company Hammer Films, which focused on bloody remakes of traditional horror stories, often starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and American International Pictures (AIP), which made a series of Edgar Allan Poe themed films starring Vincent Price.

The early 1960’s saw the release of two films that sought to close the gap between the subject matter and the viewer, and involve the latter in the reprehensible deeds shown on screen. One was Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, the other was a very low-budget film called Psycho, both using all-too-human monsters rather than supernatural ones to scare the audience.

When Rosemary’s Baby began ringing tills in the late Sixties, horror film budgets rose significantly, and many top names jumped at the chance to show off their theatrical skills in a horror pic. By that time, a public fascination with the occult led to a series of serious, supernatural-themed, often explicitly gruesome horror movies. The Exorcist (1973) broke all records for a horror film, and led to the commercial success of The Omen.

In 1975 Jaws, directed by a young Steven Spielberg, became the highest grossing film ever. The genre fractured somewhat in the late 1970’s, with mainstream Hollywood focusing on disaster movies such as The Towering Inferno while independent filmmakers came up with disturbing and explicit gore-fests such as Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

John Carpenter’s Halloween introduced the teens-threatened-by-superhuman-evil theme that would be copied in dozens of increasingly violent movies throughout the 1980’s including the long running Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street series. Horror movies turned to self-mocking irony and downright parody in the 1990’s – the teenagers in Scream often made reference to the history of horror movies. Only 1999’s surprise independent hit The Blair Witch Project attempted regular scares.

So go ahead, take a stroll through these favourite horror movies of all time. But pick your way very carefully, this walk is not for the faint of heart. And if you happen to hear what sounds like some subdued whispering or soft creepy grating sounds, just pay no attention to it. It’s probably only the wind.

Written by Astrid Bullen, freelance writer and movie buff living in St. George’s, Grenada. Visit her cool movie website at http://aboutfilm.info.

Guitar Improving Serenade

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.

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, is an amateur guitar player and true lover of the instrument and its rich sounds. He loves writing about the subject and contributing to his website http://www.seeguitars.com.

Retro Disco Verse

School Disco Classics - Reliving Your Youth With Retro Concerts

Looking back school disco’s were the epitome of uncool. People tended to fall into two different categories; those who were clearly very geeky and those who were delusional to the point of thinking they were at the cutting edge of popular culture with their suspect haircuts and jerky dance moves. These two subgroups could of course be further broken down into boys and girls. Girls tended to dance on mass together in tight circles gossiping and singing all the words, while the walls of the school hall were lined with nervous looking boys doing their best to pretend that they didn’t know the words to the latest Rick Astley hit.

However, as the old saying goes - school days were the best days of your life and like it or not these discos were the soundtrack. To this day hearing a song can cast your memory back to the creaking sound system ran by a DJ old enough to be your great uncle – you may even still sport the scars of failed break dancing moves. It’s perhaps due to these sparks of nostalgia that has led to the increasing popularity of retro concerts.

In the past retro concerts have been a little bit of a mixed bag. For every Bob Dylan there is a sad miserable effort from a band desperately trying to re-live their youth and squeeze an extra few pounds out of “the final tour”. Very often going to see these fallen idols can shatter the memories of your youth and make you realise just how uncool you and they were in the first place. It is always worth therefore doing a little investigating before heading off to a retro concert. Does the artist still have it? Have the drug fuelled parties of their youth taken their toll? Are they medically speaking still alive?

Luckily there are a number bands touring in the near future across the UK that do, definitely still have it. One perennial favourite is Scottish singing legend Rod Stewart who is planning dates across the UK in Manchester, Newcastle and London to name but a few. Famed for hits such as “Maggie May” and “Do ya think I’m Sexy?” - Rod has been entertaining crowds across the world since his career began as a singer in the early 1960’s. While the numbers of people replying positively to his most famous hit has no doubt diminished through the years, Rod’s lyrical presence has certainly not and he continues to be one of the world’s great showmen.

One of the quintessential school disco greats from the 80’s were the sublime reggae outfit, UB40. While the name of the band is certainly very apt for many of their current followers, UB40 are still as good a live act as you will see. Formed in 1978 UB40 are heavily influenced by 1960’s Ska and reggae which was the inspiration behind original tracks such as King", "Madam Medusa", "Food for thought" and "Signing Off". UB40 have 2 dates in December playing to an expected sell out crowd at Wembley, London.

One act guaranteed to spark an emotional response from your mother are the Everly Brothers. Best known for tracks such as “Wake up Little Susie” and “Crying in the Rain”, the Everley brothers are widely regarded as one of the greats in rock and roll history. Playing live in the UK this winter, tickets can be bought for their Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester gigs which promise to be a sing-a-long extravaganza!

In the past retro concerts have received a lot of bad press, with fans wishing they could just remember their favorite artists when they were at their peak. However, as the saying goes for many artists “class is permanent” and if you are looking for a fun day out listening to the songs of your youth then these concerts are great. Just don’t expect miracles – you aren’t going to look 16 again no matter how loud you sing...

For further information on retro concerts and concert breaks in the UK try short break specialist http://www.superbreak.com.

Author, Robin Richmond, is a freelance travel writer living in Edinburgh, Scotland: http://www.travel-tips.co.uk.

Birthday Serenade

Birthday Party Fun: Goodie Bag Alternatives

If you’re looking for alternatives to pricey goodie bags, here are a few ideas that will make your guests--and wallet--happy.

Any Fun Party:

Take Polaroid photos of each guest with the birthday child, and decorate cardboard picture frames, or make frames with popsicle sticks.

Hawaiian Party:

Decorate inexpensive plastic sunglasses with artificial flowers. String together more artificial flowers for one-of- a-kind leis.

Royal Party:

Decorate paper crowns and make scepters from wooden dowels and plastic jewels.

Sleepover Party:

Decorate plastic light switch covers with stickers. Allow your young guests to embellish white pillowcases with fabric paints for a take-home sleepy surprise.

Spring or Garden Party:

Paint flower pots and include a pack of flower seeds for children to grow at home.

Survivor Party:

Send the children on a scavenger hunt equipped with compasses and trail mixes that they can make before the hunt. The compass will become a new favorite gadget, and the trail mix is a lot healthier that candy treats.

Tea Party:

Let the girls decorate straw hats with artificial flowers, which they can wear for the party, and later take home. Complete the party with candy necklaces.

Have fun!

Written by Deborah Shelton, the author of "The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones." Visit Deborah's website for more family-friendly ideas: http://www.fiveminuteparent.com.

Plasma Television Buying Ode

Why You Should Buy A Plasma Television

The plasma television has many advantages and benefits for you and your entertainment needs and wants. The plasma tv gives you incredible picture quality, it has a sleek design, and it is HDTV compatible.

Plasmas provide sharper images and more vibrant colors. You can display both HDTV and DTV signals as well as computer signals such as XGA, SVGA, and VGA.

Plasmas Superior to Both CRT's and LCD

Plasma screen televisions provide sharp, clear pictures, plus no image distortion. CRTs can't match this. Plasma tvs have brighter pictures and provide a better viewing angle at 160 degrees, than LCDs. For the best technology in display panels, choose plasma technology.

High Resolution

Plasma display televisions have higher resolution than most standard TV sets. They are able to display full HDTV and DTV signals as well as XGA, SVGA, and VGA signals from a computer. If a plasma has a resolution of 1024x1024 it can display images from 1080i and 720i HDTV resolution, plus 480i and 480p HD signals.

Flat Screen

Plasma display televisions have screens that are completely flat. There is no distortion of the image even at the edges and corners. Plus to increase your viewing fun, the flat plasma screen tv provides an amazing 160-degree viewing area.

Ultra Thin Design Saves Space

Plasma televisions can hang on almost any wall. You can even hang them from your ceiling. Other advantages of plasma screen tvs are high ambient light tolerance, distortion free images, entirely digital techology, not affected by magnetism, and can be attached to a ceiling or wall, or used as a freestanding fixture.

Author, Jeremy Hier. Find out about the top plasma televisions by reading our reviews at
http://www.best-plasma-televisions.com.

Satellite Radio Verse

Satellite Radio For Those Who Spend Time In The Outback!

Satellite radio has been a godsend to people in remote locations, or even just those who travel long distances. In the past while on a long car trip, every hour or so you'd have to start fiddling with the radio, as the station you were listening to turned to static after up to an hour of fading in and out. Then just as you'd find a new one, it, too would go to static, and so it would go on. Now with the advent of satellite radio, that static and fiddling will be a thing of the past.

Conventional radio signals can only travel 30 or 40 miles from their source, so the further away you travel from the radio transmitter, the fainter and weaker these traditional signals will become. Satellite radio waves travel from space - 22,000 miles away, yet you will be able to travel across the country without having to change radio stations and quite possibly without having to endure endless commercials about things that you are not really interested in.

Cars, with satellite radios, have been coming for many years now. But as the service takes off many more drivers will be making use of the new technology and be grateful for the flexibility it provides. At present there are only three space-based radio broadcasters, but many more are in the pipeline, as the Federal Communications Commission sanctioned a sum of $80 million to give licenses to companies to make use of the specified radio band for digital satellite radio transmission.

These three different satellite companies have done research and development in different areas and this has led to the offering of different services by them. No doubt the VHS Vs Beta type of battle would continue to intensify in the time to come as the technology progresses. Only time and sponsorship would decide who the winner of this battle would be. But whatever happens, it would only be good news for travelers as more and more companies are waiting to join this exciting field.

Two of the companies, XM Radio and Worldspace, already have an agreement with each other to share new technological developments and to continue to work together to create further innovations in this expanding field. This can only be good for consumers, particularly those who frequent remote locations on a regular basis.

Distanza Betrachtung is the owner and operator of Rob Satellite, Inc., a leading Internet portal for satellite information. For more satellite information and resources, be sure to visit http://www.robsatellite.com.

Digital Piano Opus

Tips On Buying Keyboards And Digital Pianos

There are so many keyboards and digital pianos on the market today. How does one make a selection? Here are a few tips to help you choose one that meets your needs.

1. How much can you afford?

With such a wealth of keyboards available, a working person shouldn't have a problem finding one that fits their budget. Low priced keyboards are all over. But this doesn't mean that you should settle for anything. As the old adage goes, you usually get what you pay for. Usually the more money you invest, the greater the returns.

2. Do you need weighted action or synth action.

Weighted action means that the keyboard comes with heavy (weighted) keys and feels like an acoustic piano. You need some muscle to play such keyboards. If you're a trained pianist or you want to develop your piano skills a weighted keyboard would be better suited.

Synth action would mean lighter keys. You can usually play faster and easier with a synth action keyboard. Are you gonna be playing synthy and techno stuff? Then synth action is what you need.

3. How many keys do you need?

You have a choice between 88, 76, 61, 49, 37, 25 keys, and even less. Your choice should be based on your needs and circumstances. For instance, players doing stuff that requires a small range, like samples, only need a few keys. 76 keys are usually best for quality synth action. But if you're into stuff like sound development you can't afford to work with anything short of 88 keys.

4. Do you need an onboard sequencer?

You need to avoid duplication. If you're already sequencing on your computer you don't want to pay for a keyboard that comes with a sequencer. You may never use it. An onboard sequencer is more important when you're working without a computer.

5. Consider whether you need a workstation.

Workstations perform so many functions. These include everything from sequencing, to sampling, to effects, and mixing. Again you should avoid duplication. If you're already doing all that on your computer, you probably don't need to pay extra for a workstation. Don't buy features that you already have. But a workstation is an incredible and necessary tool when a computer is not in the mix.

6. Importance of velocity and aftertouch features.

Ensure that your keyboard comes with velocity and aftertouch features. Velocity refers to how the sound responds to the amount of pressure applied to the keys (how quickly keys are pushed down). While aftertouch deals with the control data that is generated by pressing down the keys after they have reached and are resting on the keybed.

7. Will you be gigging or not.

If you'll be carrying your keyboard from gig to gig, durability should be an important consideration. What material is used? A hard case should come in handy for protection. The weight of your keyboard is also part of the picture; unless you don't mind the hassles of carrying a heavy keyboard or digital piano from one gig to another.

You should be able to find a keyboard easily online. You can order one that suits your needs today. Some of the best music keyboard and digital piano prices can be found on the Internet. You even get free shipping to your door.

Author, Mantius Cazaubon, offers a guide to help you choose a musical keyboard that meets your needs on his site. Visit http://www.yamaha-keyboard-guide.comfor Yamaha and other music keyboard reviews.

70 Music Poems

Music of the 70's

Reliving The Music Of The Seventies...

We all associate songs and music with events in our life. Many songs hold special memories for us. We fondly remember the songs that were playing when we went to our first dance, the songs the school band attempted to play during half time at the high school football games, the songs that we heard on our first date, or the songs we heard on the radio while driving our first car.

The music of the 1970’s is probably the most impressive and most recognized of any era. The artists of the 1970’s provided us with numerous songs we loved to dance to and sing along with. At that time most bands actually played their own instruments and didn’t need to sequence part of it.

Remember how we used to listen to the music then? At first we had eight track players in our cars, then we moved upward to cassette players. Vinyl records were the most popular way to listen to our favorite music. Every week you could go to your local variety or record store and pick up the new #1 song on a 45 record for under $1.00. Of course, there was always the radio to listen to - most of the popular channels were on am radio. We had many styles of music to listen to, including the bubble gum music of David Cassidy and the Partridge Family, soft rock of Barry Manilow, the great dance tunes of the Bee Gees and the Commodores, rock of Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, the brass band sounds of Chicago, or the disco beat of Chic and Donna Summers.

The nostalgia of the 1970’s music lives on today. We can listen to it on our local 70's’radio station, on cds, on mp3, download it on our computer, and burn it onto cds. For those of us who prefer records, we can still purchase them at record stores, antique or second hand stores, or yard sales. Of course, many of us have held on to our own record collections and record players and can pull them out at any time when we need to relive those nostalgic days of the 1970’s. Some bands are still performing after more than 30 years. There’s nothing like seeing your favorite 1970’s performers live in concert!

The music of the 1970’s is still popular with people of all ages – not just those who grew up with it. It never grows old. It only gets better with each passing decade.

Wendy Yeager, http://marwencorp.com/music. All rights reserved.


Bookmark this post!

Five Filmmaking Producers' Skulls Serenade

You may believe a thorough knowledge of filmmaking:
Everyone think this is all very cool!
Be up in blue sky on delicate wings shaking,
Darkness eyes stave the banished carcass full...

Filmmaking - Five Good Producer Skills

You may believe a thorough knowledge of filmmaking and the entertainment industry is enough to make you a good movie producer. While it certainly helps to know the nuts and bolts of movie production, and even the details of financing and marketing a movie, that knowledge is not enough to create a good producer. It might make for a good studio executive, or other job out of the fray, but you need to develop specific skills, to help you make an independent film.

The first and most important skill you need is organization. If you were the kid who kept the minutes of the club meetings, edited the yearbook, or organized the prop-closet by era, you already have this skill. It is something that is hard to teach, but you can certainly learn it, to become more organized.

If you are the person who can’t find his keys and has no idea how much is in your checking account, you need help. Get organized. There is simply no substitute for it.

Buy a book about getting organized. I recommend “How to Get Organized When You Don’t Have The Time,” by Stephanie Culp. http://snurl.com/gqg5

Or take a Franklin - Covey course. Do whatever you have to do, but get organized.

Second, you need to be able to make decisions quickly. Despite the best planning, things change moment-to-moment during production. You will have to decide right now whether to set up the next shot despite the looming storm clouds, or to move on to another location, completely disrupting the schedule.

The best way to develop this skill is to completely bury your doubt. Know that you are in charge, any mistakes to be made are yours to make and you will suffer the consequences of bad decisions. If you act decisively, and accept blame when necessary, your cast and crew will accept your decisions unquestioningly.

Third, you must be a good negotiator. You will have to make deals for every single thing on the set - the equipment, the sets, the crew, the film stock, everything. Even if you’re borrowing your mom’s station wagon, you will have to convince her you will take good care of it, and return it washed, and with a full tank of gas. Everything will have to be negotiated.

When negotiating rates, know the maximum you can pay for any one line item on your budget and try to shave 20 or 30 percent off of it. If they negotiate up, you may still save 15 percent or so off what you expected to pay.

There is one thing you need to know when negotiating: You can always say no. If you can’t get the deal you want, just say no. Practice it. No. There is no need to be a jerk, just make it clear that you will take your business or offer elsewhere. If a crew member doesn’t want to accept your day rate, he doesn’t have to. You will find someone else (assuming you set your rate at a reasonable low-budget level).

Fourth, a producer also needs diplomacy. It’s surprising how often a film shoot devolves into a third-grade playground. In just a few short weeks, cliques form, rumors start and friendships are formed and ruined. Crew members and actors will, believe it or not, come tattle to you. Sometimes you will have to intercede in petty squabbles and personality conflicts. The trick is to smooth ruffled feathers while not making one combatant feel like you’ve taken another’s side. That will only set factions against you, and that’s the last thing you want on your set.

And fifth, of course, you will need energy. Lots and lots of energy. Caffeine helps to get you started after only a few hours sleep, but it is no substitute for real, healthy human energy. One of the things you must do during pre-production is get yourself in shape for the rigorous weeks of shooting. You’re in training, not for a sprint, but for a marathon.

Working on lower budgets, independent films often have a much tighter schedule, making for longer days and fewer days off. Take it seriously beforehand, and train like a champion. Exercise, eat healthy, and take vitamins and supplements to build your energy stores, so you can get through it.

After you have these five basic producer skills down, you will be ready to develop your knowledge of the filmmaking process and the entertainment industry, by producing a successful independent film.

Written by Angela Taylor, Hollywood producer, and a seven-time Telly Award winner. She teaches Independent Producing at http://hollywoodseminars.com.