Category: Music

It was in the 1990s when we first heard about the Internet radio. The first broadcast was that of a live band known as Sky Cries Mary. The Rolling Stones followed suit; and then traditional radio stations started broadcasting special shows on the Internet – live. Today, Internet radios have multiplied in number and the people using them have doubled (maybe even tripled) as well. These stations have become the alternative choice of music lovers and musicians all over the world because of many reasons.

Some prefer the Internet radio over traditional radio stations because it allows them to enjoy real-time live music. It also offers more in terms of music flexibility as one can listen to music from other countries; this means that your music choices are not limited to just one genre. Internet radio also allows one to listen to music without a lot of commercial interruptions. What’s more, since it is streamed, the music keeps playing even when the weather is bad.

Since Internet radio stations make use of streaming technology, music is transmitted directly into the computer. The music is played in real-time. Of course, one will need to have a reliable Internet connection in order to make use of their services.

There are a lot of Internet radio stations that offer their services for free. Although there are those that are offsets of traditional stations, there are a lot of independent ones, as well. Some stations work according to user recommendations. They base the music they play on the songs requested or indicated by the user. This is how most of the popular stations, like Pandora and Last fm, work.

If it is your first time to experience the wonders of listening to non-stop music online, and if you do not want to go the traditional way and use Pandora or any other popular option, here are the top three alternative choices you might want to consider:

• Maestro is perfect for you if you want the idea of being able to connect with your fellow music lovers. It works like a social network as it not only connects music, but people as well. You and your music Maestro friends can share and trade music and talk endlessly about your favorite songs, singers or bands. All your music is kept inside a remote storage.

The first thing that you have to do is create an account with Maestro. Then you are to connect your music library with the account through the Maestro Connector. Of course, you will need to download the Maestro Connector, first. This is what you need to be able to remotely access and stream music. Use the Connector, too, to scan your library. Once done, you will be ready to listen to all your favorite tunes and add playlists no matter where you are.

• If you use your mood to choose the music you want to listen to, then Musicovery is the best option for you. Its most interesting feature is a “mood pad” that you can use for picking music. Different moods are indicated in the pad and when you click one, you’ll be taken to a page that shows your song or music options. For example, if you click on “Positive”, you’ll have songs like Bob Marley’s Is This Love, George Michael’s Faith and Boyz 2 Men’s Beautiful Women.

Musicovery’s concept is a combination of two great ideas: the mood pad by Vincent Castaignet and the Liveplasma of Frederic Vavrille.

• Pirate Radio is another alternative Internet Radio Station you can consider. You can choose to listen to music in two ways with this selection. You can download a special player or you can use a web tuner. Either way, you get the music you want as Pirate Radio has a comprehensive playlist that usually includes new music.

Aside from good Internet connection, you also need to use a Windows-based PC. You should also have a reliable player, like the Destiny Media Player, which is what you need to connect to different broadcasters via the Pirate Radio Network.

The most interesting feature of Pirate Radio is the fact that you can create your own Internet radio station with the aid of an easy-to-download software.

These are just three options; there’s more online. To make sure that you choose the right one, do a little research first. The most important thing to remember, however, is that your choice should depend on what you really want – not on what’s popular and trending.

After almost 35 years of playing and studying the inner workings of literally thousands of electric guitars, Eddie Van Halen, lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Van Halen, had finally developed what many consider to be the ultimate rock-n-roll instrument: Fender’s new Wolfgang Guitar.

The Wolfgang guitar, named after Eddie’s son and the band’s newest bass player, Wolfgang Van Halen, this guitar has reached the zenith in solid body electric guitar design. In 2004 Eddie Van Halen ended his long time collaboration with Peavey Electronics, who were the original makers of the 5150 EVH amplifiers and the Peavey Wolfgang and Wolfgang Special guitars.

Afterwards in 2006, Eddie approached master designer and builder Chip Ellis at Fender about recreating a new and improved Wolfgang. After looking over the older models, Ellis created a prototype with an alder wood body and arch-top. Alder wood as been used as the primary wood in many solid body electrics since the 1950’s Strats.

Eddie after testing it out requested that the body be made from basswood with a maple top with five piece binding. Basswood is a lighter weight wood than an alder and usually produces bodies that are under 4 lbs which are easy to play even after long studio sessions and concerts. While basswood guitars are sometimes prone to dings, dents and nicks due to the nature of wood are still prized for their warm, full tones.

The Wolfgang guitar is also unique in the development of is pickups and tuner system. All pickups were custom designed for this instrument, by leading Fender engineer, Seiki Goto. The hard mounted humbucking pickups are built in-house to Eddie’s exacting specifications.

This new Fender uses a custom designed Bourns very low friction pots to control the volume and tone, along with a Floyd Rose tremolo unit with the trademark EVH D-Tuna. The EVH D-Tuna is a drop D tuning system designed to work specially with double-locking tremolo such as this signature Floyd Rose.

This system allows you to be in Drop D on the fly without having to switch or tune your guitar on stage or during a studio session. The world famous a Floyd Rose bridge unit with its double locking tremolo arm, tremolo bar or whammy bar was exclusively designed for the Fender Wolfgang guitar.

The quartersawn maple neck is reinforced 2 graphite rods and has 22 vintage stainless steel frets which are almost indestructible and extremely resistant to wear spots, nicks dings and offers the guitarist a very smooth feel and bending action that doesn’t wear out.

An to prove its “road worthiness”, Eddie took 3 prototype Wolfgang guitars on the road with him in 2007 during the Van Halen reunion tour with former lead singer David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, Eddie and his son Wolfgang Van Halen.

Tested for over 6 grueling months of concerts, rehearsals and trial and error, the final version of the new Fender Wolfgang guitar went into production in March 2008. Since then sales have been steady for this latest guitar creation from one the premier “Guitar Gods” of the latter 20th century.

Now that you know a bit more about the Fender Wolfgang guitars you can understand why both rockers and collectors alike are interested in adding this instrument to their personal group of guitars.

Rappers have been setting style trends for men for as long as rap has been around. Everyone wants this look, but not everyone knows how to really pull it off and use their clothing and hip hop jewelry to make a big statement. Here are some tips on drawing inspiration from the rapper and fashion icon, P. Diddy.

P. Diddy’s Style

Sean Combs, known throughout the years as Puff Daddy, Diddy, and P. Diddy, has been a style icon for rappers and all men since he first hit the scene with his debut single (which rocketed to the top of the charts, and stayed on the top 100 for 28 weeks), “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down.” His style may have changed since then, both in music and in fashion, but certain classics have lasted, making a big impression on the world. One of his most iconic looks is his diamond jewelry, and his diamond earrings in particular. Whether it is one earring or two, just earrings or a diamond necklace and other accessories as well, jeans or a nice suit, he is almost always seen showing off what he has earned with some hip hop jewelry.

Get The Look

Even if you’re not a rapper, or at least not a famous rapper, you can still get that P. Diddy look. One of the best things about P. Diddy as a style icon is how versatile he is. He has been seen in such a broad range of clothing and jewelry, seeming to choose simply based upon what he feels like at the moment. The one lasting constant, however, which can be seen in all of his looks, is good taste. His outfits are almost always accented with good jewelry, whether dressed up or down. So choose whatever clothing suits your moods, which can be anything from sweats to a suit. Just be sure to accent each outfit with the right accessories.

Choose Quality

To help us all out, P. Diddy released a list of fashion tips for men everywhere. One of the most important of these was that accomplishment is attractive. We can’t all be as successful as P. Diddy, but by purchasing good jewelry we can show that we have worked hard. This really works out because no matter what type of hip hop jewelry fits your unique style, you should remember that the key to any hot style is good quality. Tastes and trends may vary, but well-crafted jewelry is always in good taste. To get that confident P. Diddy vibe, be sure to only purchase your bling from a quality retailer that can offer products that will last your lifetime and look good with anything you choose to wear.

The Sound of Music was not one of my parents’ favourite things so, consequently, I do not have any fond childhood memories of it as I have for the Wizard of Oz or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which were always Christmas perennials in our house. As a teen I can remember whenever the film came on television the channel being changed rapidly before Julie Andrews belted out the first line of the title song. It’s easy to understand why because The Sound of Music did not look good in pan and scan on a 24 inch screen and it certainly didn’t sound good through small Mono speakers.

It’s safe to say that the film is often readily dismissed as being too schmaltzy and terribly outdated even for the time it was made in 1965, after all the stage show had first been a hit in 1959 and it would be Rodgers & Hammerstein’s last together. When I finally got around to seeing it all the way through in my early 20s I had the advantage of seeing it on DVD on a 32 inch widescreen TV and I was totally enthralled by it. Director Robert Wise, who edited Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, managed to tell the story of the Von Trapps with all of the songs but none of the saccharine. He also captured the reality of The Anschluß without preaching or oversimplifying the politics of Nazi Germany and its occupation of Austria in 1938.

Now we come to the 45th Anniversary Blu-ray edition and I am totally bowled over by the movie again and this time I have the benefit of watching it with my son who is 5 and I am amazed that he sits enraptured by the whistle-stop tour of Salzburg that is Do-Re-Mi, the stunning 70mm digitally restored print filling the 50 inch Plasma screen with a glorious 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer which has to rank amongst the best I have ever seen. Each note resonating clear as crystal in immaculate 7.1 DTS-HD quality and you realise that what you saw squeezed onto old TV sets growing up in the 1980s could never do the 1965 Best Picture Oscar winner justice and must be partially responsible for the bad reputation the film had for so many years.

The package comes with a second Blu-ray full to the brim with extras the best of which, for my taste, is Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of Movies a feature length retrospective charting the entire history of their successful creative collaboration hosted by the original stage Maria Von Trapp, Mary Martin. There is also a long interview with screenwriter Ernest Lehman, who also wrote Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, in which he recounts the process of bringing his vision of The Sound of Music to cinema audiences, he is largely to thank for removing a lot of the sentimentality from the libretto and injecting it with authenticity and genuine wit.

I hope that now it has been restored to its former glory future audiences will have the fortuity of growing up with this wonderful story of one family’s struggle through song to journey over the Alps and far beyond the clutches of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich featuring some of the best popular songs written in the 20th century; not only the title song and Do-Re-Mi but also My Favourite Things, Lonely Goatherd and Edelweiss replete with standout performances from the indefatigable Julie Andrews and dryly humorous turn as the stern patriarch from the redoubtable Christopher Plummer. The Sound of Music looks as sharp and bright as a new pin on Blu-ray and as a testament to its lasting appeal, my son has asked me to put Do-Re-Mi on every day this month!

So you want to be a freestyle rapper. We are going to take a look at the history of freestyle rap, so that you have a good understanding of what you are getting into.

A lot of people think that rap and even freestyle rap is something new. Actually it’s not. It’s beginnings go back a lot farther than many people. The roots of freestyle rap can actually be traced to various tribes in Africa and South America many many years ago.

Most recently freestyle rap came from the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1970s. In the 70’s MCs would go to the mic to freestyle lyrics at parties in order to keep the crowd lively. Competition between MCs started eventually rap freestyle competition as we know them today emerged. The aim was simple and has remained unchanged; do whatever you can to outrap your competition with your lyrics.

Freestyles were often used as a way to disrespect or undermine a rival. With the viewing of the movie 8 Mile, the world was brought into the world of freestyle rap as demonstrated by Eminem.

In the 8 Mile movie, formal organized freestyle battles were shown. These competitions involve two rappers in each round going head to head where each gets between 30 seconds and a minute on the microphone to do their best. The winner goes through to the next round, the loser is out. This continues until there is only one rapper left who is declared the winner. These competitions usually happen in hip-hop clubs or on the radio.

This gives you a little history into the freestyle-rapping genre. Before you get started into something new, it is always good to understand where it all started. So as you go forward in your freestyle rap career, remember how it all started.

1990 was an action-packed year in the UK, in which events took place that changed the face of the country. Breaking the year down into the biggest political, sports and entertainment news; here’s what happened…

First off, it was the year that the literal breakthrough was made in the channel tunnel; construction workers drilling through the final slice of rock that separated the UK and French halves of the project. Television pictures showed the workers celebrating as they came face-to-face in the middle of the tunnel before walking on to have their passports stamped in the opposite country (the first time anyone has walked between the two countries since the Ice Age!).

Politically, the ruling Conservative party endured a far from ideal year. Demonstrations against the poll tax they had earlier implemented led to the worst riots seen in London for a century; with over 100 people being injured and nearly 350 arrested. Their long time figure-head Margaret Thatcher took the fall for this, amongst other things, and resigned as Prime Minister, to be replaced by John Major.

Sports wise, 1990 is best remembered for the Italia ’90 football world cup. Going into the tournament surrounded in controversy, and having already announced that he would leave after it, Bobby Robson led England to the semi-finals of the competition, where they lost on penalties to eventual world cup winners West Germany. However, perhaps the biggest winners were the ‘Three Tenors’ (specifically Pavarotti) who became major world stars as a result of their singing performances throughout the tournament.

Other stars to arrive in 1990, this time coming from America, came in the form of the yellow skinned ‘Simpsons’. By the end of the year everyone was familiar with Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa and Maggie, and the catchphrase ‘Eat My Shorts’. Also coming over from the States was David Hasselhoff’s and Pamela Anderson’s ‘Baywatch’. As lifeguards in Los Angeles, they ran about in not much clothing and saved some lives; everyone was happy and the show was a big hit.

The biggest film of 1990 was ‘Home Alone’ which made a star of the little boy (Macaulay Culkin) who woke up to find that his Christmas wish had come true and that his family had disappeared. Also out that year was ‘Pretty Woman’, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, which involved a love affair between a streetwise working girl and a rich, high-flying businessman.

Musically, ‘Hanging Tough” by the boy band ‘New Kids on the Block’ was the 1st of 17 singles to top the charts throughout the year; the biggest selling of which was ‘The Righteous Brothers’ recording of ‘Unchained Melody’ (which featured in the film ‘Ghost’). Madonna achieved her 7th number one single with ‘Vogue’ and went on to top the albums chart for 9 weeks (selling 3.6 million copies) with her greatest hits release ‘The Immaculate Collection’. The Christmas number one fell to Cliff Richard and his single ‘Saviour’s Day’; making him the only person to have a number one in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

There are few musical genres in the world that display as much musical intensity and youthful aggression as heavy metal. The long hair, the leather, the swagger and the tattoos combine with harsh yells, the racing fast guitar riffs and the pounding drums. It is at the same time the angriest and one of the most sensitive and emotional genres of music. And one of the best sources for this style of music is Germany.

This place is almost as well known for its amazing heavy metal as it is for its beer and its top of the line luxury cars. And here are a few of the bands that have contributed to the charge of the hordes of metal in no particular order of importance:

* Blind Guardian: Equally as influenced by Queen, Black Sabbath, Tolkien and Broadway, Blind Guardian is known as one of the best speed/power metal bands in the world. Led by the charimatic Hansi Kursch, Blind Guardian have lorded it over for almost two decades with their epic music and technical mastery of their instruments. Album to check out: “Nightfall In Middle Earth”

* Gamma Ray: With their once-guitarist Kai Hansen handling vocal duties, Gamma Ray have pushed themselves to the top of the metal heap. With their powerful vocals and intricate musicianship, Gamma Ray are one of the few bands who have made better albums with time. Album to check out: “Land of the Free”

* Helloween: In the 80s, there were few German bands who could compete with Helloween for influence. Many bands all over Europe adopted some of the basic Helloween style for their purposes and heavy metal was never the same since. Album to check out: “Keeper of the Seven Keys”

* Kreator: One of the biggest names in thrash metal, that has consistently churned out albums of quality would definitely be Kreator. Taking their heavy music to new heights, they together with their compatriots Sodom and Destruction would pioneer the death metal genre, by containing a lot of the elements present in modern day death metal. Album to check out: “Terrible Certainty”

Music Theory and Music References So how does Music Theory apply to reference products? These days, there are a lot of decent music theory books, tapes etc. on the market, and many of them feature good technical content. There are no real replacements for these guides. However, most of the information in them seems to lack specific details that, otherwise, never really get you to the point of playing your instrument.

For example, many music theory publications do a good job of explaining Key Signatures and the history of music, yet, these subjects might not interest you as much as getting your instrument out and actually getting down to the matter at hand… playing it!

How can music theory be both educational and fun and interesting at the same time?

The thought of having “all” references to music theory… like: chord structures, melodic notes, scales, all-in-one hand held device (dial) was born in the form of a reference dial (see reference below).

“Implied” music theory is a technique that while you play your instrument, you are consciously and sub-consciously learning insightful music theory information, naturally. And indeed, you’re having the enjoyment of playing your instrument at the same time.

All songs are played in a key. Most songs for most styles can be played using only 8 chords for accompaniment and 6 scales for melodies or solos in each key. Music Dials instantly show you the chords & scales you need in each key.

The 8 chords in each key you should know…

The 6 common chords come from the major scale notes in each key and are called scale tone chords (I = do, IIm = re, IIIm = mi, IV = fa, V = so, VIm = la). The 2 optional chords (bIII, bVII), commonly used for rock & blues, come from the flatted third and flatted seventh (notes of the major scale and can also be used to play songs in each key.)

Except for jazz, most songs use only major, minor and seventh chords and these are the basic chords you should learn in each key. Experiment with and have fun playing, creating or improvising great sounding chord progressions in each key.

There are four chord types: major, minor, augmented, diminished. There are many extensions of these chord types including: suspended, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords. Chord formulas define which major scale notes are contained in the chord (1 = do, 2 = re,3 = mi, 4 = fa, 5 = so, 6 = la, 7 = ti).

The specific scale you use to play solo in each key depends on the type of sound you want to create. Here are the 6 most commonly used scales including 2 for “melodic” sounding solos, 2 for “blues” sounding solos and 2 for various other sounding solos.

Scale formulas define which major scale notes are contained in the scale (1 = do, 2 = re, 3 = mi, 4 = fa, 5 = so, 6 = la, 7 = ti).

I hope this section has shed some light on music theory and how tools like the Music Dial and other music reference guides could assist with your resolve to play better, whether you are a guitar player, bass guitar player, keyboard player, mandolin or banjo player, or any instrument for that matter (like horns, etc.).

If you grew up watching television during the 1960s and 1970s you have undoubtedly heard the arranging style of Sammy Nestico.  His musical arrangements can still be heard on reruns of popular shows during the variety show era of television.   Sammy has arranged music for all types of groups, but it is the big band that he may be remembered most for more than any other type of music.

Raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Sammy Nestico got his first taste of music playing trombone in the David B Oliver high school band.  He became an avid practicer, so much so that his mother did the opposite of what most mothers tell their children – to “stop practicing and go outside and play!”

Soon after his adoption of the trombone as his musical instrument of choice, Sammy began arranging music for a small band at the high school.  These early years would help shape a unique style –  one that has become one of the most recognized styles in big band arranging circles.

Sammy’s arranging style is a combination of simplicity and economy. Melody is of prime importance in every arrangement.  The importance of melody combined with an uncanny sense of “balance” between sections make Sammy’s big band arrangements not only fun to listen to, but to perform as well.  His sense of harmony is not overly complex, and always fits with the character of each and every big band composition or arrangement.

In 1946, Sammy auditioned for trombonist and staff arranger with the newly formed group, the United States Airmen of Note.  As the first arranger for the highly skilled ensemble, Sammy honed his writing style by churning out dozens and dozens of big band arrangements for the group. 

During the 1960s, Sammy collaborated in recordings with the Count Basie Band.  These recording sessions produced some of the most swinging and most performed big band charts of all time.  Charts such as “Basie Straight Ahead” and “The Queen Bee” continue to be played by high school and college big bands all over the world.  Sammy has even written that working with Bill “Count” Basie was the musical and personal highlight of his careeer.

Sammy Nestico continues to compose and arrange big band music to this day.  He will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the quintessential big band arrangers of the 20th century.  For more information on the musical arranging style of Sammy Nestico, refer to his own comprehensive book on arranging, The Complete Arranger

Canadian Singer/Songwriter Gordon Lightfoot is known world-wide for his folk/rock masterpieces. The 74 year old troubadour has released twenty studio albums and fourteen compilation (or “best of”) collections. Lightfoot is known as one of Canada’s greatest songwriters. His influence on music and songwriting is unquestionable. But Lightfoot’s real strength lies in his lyrics. What are the best Gordon Lightfoot lyrics and where are these songs found?

Gordon Lightfoot’s distinguished career spans from 1966, when he released his first album Lightfoot!, to the present day. His most recent album is the 2004 collection entitled Harmony. In between these releases is a staggering catalogue of well-over a hundred songs. For our first article in this series highlighting the best Gordon Lightfoot lyrics we have chosen two of his earlier hits: “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown”.

The 1970’s hit “If You Could Read My Mind” first appeared on Lightfoot’s Sit Down Young Stranger. The song reached number one on the Canadian charts and number five on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in 1971. The lyrics tell the tale of a love triangle where the protagonist is caught between his present lover and his desire for another. Years later Lightfoot would reveal the song was inspired by his pending divorce. However, we do not have to know the back-story to properly interpret this piece. Lightfoot’s lyrics reveal the painful truth: “I’d walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three-way script. Enter number two. A movie queen who plays the scene of bringing all the good things out in me.” Lightfoot later concludes this verse with “I never thought I could act this way and I have to say that I just don’t get it. I don’t know where things went wrong but the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back.”

While other songwriters of the time were penning lyrics with deep, personal meanings expressed through flowery words, Gordon Lightfoot was telling us “the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back” in plain, simple language. In ten short words he was able to convey the multitude of feelings one has when finally realizing the feelings they once had for someone have disappeared, never to return.

In 1974 Lightfoot’ song “Sundown” (from the album of the same name) reached #1 on both the Canadian and American charts. It was later rumored this chart-topper was inspired by Gordon’s relationship with Cathy Smith (who was later associated with John Belushi.) Lightfoot once said Smith was “the one woman in my life who most hurt me.” While it is not a quantum leap to believe “Sundown” may have been inspired by this relationship the lyrics speak for any man who has been heart-broken at the hands of a woman: “I can picture every move that a man can make, getting lost in her lovin’ is your first mistake.” And of course for those who choose to drown their sorrows this line perfectly sums up the feeling: “Sometimes I think it’s a shame when I get feeling better when I’m feeling no pain.” Once again Lightfoot cuts to the bone with simple language and few words.

The beauty of Gordon Lightfoot’s lyrics is found in their simplicity and Gordon’s innate ability to use few words to express his deepest, personal feelings. This is the true secret to songwriting. There are many examples in Lightfoot’s song catalogue which we will cover in subsequent articles. But there is no better place to start than “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown”.