themusiciansite.com

Hello there I wanted to start out today by writing a little about American Idol. I don’t know what you all think about Idol but I happen to be a fan. I only recently became hooked this past year because my wife insisted that we watch the show religiously. Before that I tuned in a few times but it never caught my eye. Anyway, I guess the thing I love the most about Idol is the dramatic nature of the show. I know it seems a bit cheesy but I like the whole elimination thing and the suspense of seeing whether or not your pick will make it to the top. I guess the sensation is something of a mimic of what a real musician would feel like scaling the walls of fame. I believe American Idol is somewhat like Guitar Hero in that it allows you to step into the shoes of a musician and effectively pretend that you are that artist. With Idol, it is a more subtle imitation than with Guitar Hero. In my experience, when watching Idol, everyone has their own musician who they are hoping and praying for. Some people get so into the events that they take it personally when their musician does not perform well, gets voted off, or receives harsh critiques.
So I realize what I am saying might sound a little out there but I urge you to look at how you perceive American Idol if you are an active viewer. You just might find that the reason you love the show so much is because you can back a musician in the hopes of being a vicarious winner.

SM Pro Audio are set to release their new line of stand alone VST players. These V Machines will allow you to free yourself from the computer and use your VST Effects and Soft Synths all in one compact package.


Here's some more details.

Features

• External hardware host for Windows plugins (VST instruments and effects)
• Banks, presets (incl. chaining, layering, splitting) can be edited with the V-Box or the host software
• Create synth layers and chain them with effects
• Connect nearly every MIDI-Controller to the V-Box
• Multiple VSTi's can be combined
• MIDI learn functions included
• All effect and synth chains can be switched latency free
• USB-Ports for copy protection dongles
• Use software samplers and stream its content from any USB drive

Connections

• Audio Line Out (2x TS 6.35mm): Line level -10dB
• 1 x MIDI In (5-pin female DIN)
• 1 audio input (1x mini jack 3.5mm stereo)
• 1 x USB Type-B (Slave) : USB-MIDI Class Compliant
• Headphone out (3.5mm stereo)
• “Kensington” style lock aperture
• 2 x USB Type-A (Host) compatiable with USB-MIDI and USB Mass Storage Class compliant devices
• DC IN : 12V Regulated

All of the V-Machines will ship with a control configuration software compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
Users can load up their favorite VST/VSTi plug-ins on their computer for auditioning, sound-set creation, and bank/preset memory assignment prior to transferring to one of the V-products for stand-alone use. Simple intuitive software makes sound and effect creation a breeze. Transferring your plug-ins to the V-Box, couldn't be easier: A speedy USB transfer to the hardware units (via USB cable, USB stick, or USB harddrive) takes care of all required user data, memories, and of course plug-in transfer. Once in the main unit... you have freed your plug-ins from the computer and have instant immediate access to your instrument and effect sound creations on a dedicated hardware unit.

And soon to come will be the V Pedal and V Rack as well and there's always more info at SM Pro Audio's site.

Labels: Audio, computers, effects, electronic, music, SM Pro, Software, synthesizers, V machine, V pedal, V Rack, VST

Heyo, Blogsville. I will preface this with the following follow-up to the last post:
I am a huge Guitar Hero and Rock Band fan and, being a teacher, see and have used the huge rhythm potential in the game. The fact that it makes it seem almost like there is A) only one string on a guitar and B) only five frets isn't the handiest for teaching, to be certain. However, it does quite strongly teach internal rhythm, especially the Drum peripheral of Rock Band -- indeed, Rock Band 2 plans to have an extensive practice mode to teach you real drumming techniques, from off-beat bass drum hits to paradiddles. The vocal aspect teaches internal pitch control, a very real aspect of very real vocals, and even the guitar peripheral teaches strong internal subdivision and rhythmic patterns. Harmonix, the producers of Guitar Heros 1, 2, and Rocks the '80s, as well as Rock Band, even make loading screens advertising the next step: purchasing musical instruments. ("Wanna make even more noise? Buy a real drum kit." "A real guitar is pretty cheap - maybe it's time to invest.") So I'm a huge advocate of the games not only as ridiculously fun, but also as a great way to get into musical performance.

So, let's say a few weeks ago, YOU were playing Guitar Hero on the PS2. The PS2, of course, didn't get the sweet Les Paul lookalikes that the XBox 360 and PS3 got -- no, they've got their own awesomeness in the Kramer Striker controller and, in the oldest, beginning days of Guitar Hero (all of three years ago), the very first controller was found in the SG. So, let's just say a few weeks ago you busted out that SG controller and played some Godzilla from the original Hero. And you rocked it. But then you decided, after being prompted by one of the game's loading screens and looking down at the elaborate piece of plastic in your hands, that you should try this out for real. You shop around and get what you soon find out is actually a pretty decent deal on a real, honest-to-goodness Epiphone SG Special Electric Guitar (Ha, you even found one on Lefty-Flip Mode, the Epiphone G400 SG Left Handed Electric Guitar) You buy it, get a nice little amp, some cable, and, of course, a distortion pedal (because otherwise it would just not be the same), and head home. You hook it all up, grab the fifteen-cent pick you stole out of the store (how very punk-rock rebellious of you), and are ready to rock.

Of course, you don't really have any training or knowledge. But you DO know that Power Chords are supposed to sound cool. So you go online, search up power chord, find a site that explains what you're supposed to do and bust it out.
ROCKIN'! It's sweet. You move that finger shape around on the board and find out you can do it anywhere and it's still awesome! This guitar stuff ain't so bad.
The website is saying all this weird stuff, though. It's not calling them Power Chords after awhile; it's calling them "Fifths". The site explains that you're playing one note, and then the note four notes above that (the first note would be like "1", and the other note is four up, or 2 - 3 - 4 - "5" : the "fifth"). So, why isn't it called a Power Chord? I mean, they're the same thing, right?

Well, technically, yes. But you keep looking around and find that guitar chords can be crazy weird. You have to hold your fingers on different frets on different strings, put your index finger on all the strings and the rest above it for some things... it looks pretty nuts. This Power Chord thing sounds pretty cool and it's way easier. But it's just weird, that a lot of places are just calling them "Fifths" when they don't call any of the other chords... well, anything but chords.
You keep studying the Guitar a little online and wiki up the word "chord" for any explaination and find this: "a chord is three or more different notes that sound simultaneously." Oh - these Power Chords are only two notes! A few lines later you read: "Two-note combinations are typically referred to as dyads or intervals". Clicking on intervals, you look down a little and find the now-familiar word: "Fifths". And there are fourths and thirds and sixths and this all looks pretty in-depth, this music business. But you want to go bust out some real, full-on chords -- you go back to the wiki page for Chords and, moving your fingers into position, follow the picture for an Open C chord. A strum across the strings and BAM, you've played an awesome chord.

Where do you go from here? Well, hey man, that's what teachers are for. This lesson was free. Heheheheheh.

And thusly, a guitarist is born. And from Guitar Hero, no less. I've seen it happen - so, rock on, Guitar Hero, for bringing the world musicians!

Andrew

Labels: Chords, guitar hero, Musical Education, Power Chords

I am a big fan of Guitar Hero. I don’t know how many of you like the game Guitar Hero, but I absolutely love it. If I am being perfectly honest, I am much better at that game than I am at jamming out with a real guitar. Anyway, I wanted to see if we have a sizeable guitar hero fan base on this blog. If we do, I was wondering what band you all would like to see on guitar hero next. Aerosmith now has their own version of Guitar Hero, which happens to be pretty amazing. The first week their game was out, they sold 567,000 copies, which turns out to be a cool $25,000,000. Interestingly, that number is more than they ever made on the debut week of any one of their cds. What does that say about the American public? We value things that can make us feel like we are part of something great. People love guitar hero because lets face it, you have to have basically no skill in order to “play” some of the greatest and most complex songs of all time. People love the idea of being a part of something great. And a video game such as guitar hero lets you be a part of the action rather than just providing something sweet to listen to.

Anyway, in doing some research I have found that there are several big names who might potentially make it onto the game. Guns n' Roses, Metallica, the Who, and Jimi Hendrix are all potential candidates for their own version of Guitar Hero. Which group would you like to be able to play as on guitar hero?

If you are ready to get the word out about your music, and start selling some copies of your songs/cds perhaps you have thought about digital fronts such as itunes. If you want to market your music, itunes is probably the most popular online medium for music sales. However there are a few things that you need to realize first. Itunes will take 35 cents for every dollar that you earn selling songs through their site. I was shocked when I found out that information. For some reason, I had always assumed that itunes was allowing artists to keep the majority of the profits. I always thought digital music sales would allow artists to keep so much more than traditional sales.
Anyway, the first step is to go online and find the itunes music application form. After a short wait (up to two months) you will receive a response about your request to have your music sold on itunes. Honestly if you are a struggling independent band, chances are you will get the big no from itunes. But I urge you, don’t give up hope just yet. There is a service I just recently learned of called CD Baby. If you sign up with them, they take 9 cents from every song that they sell for you. This is honestly not that bad of a program since you probably wouldn’t sell anything without their service. They sell your music for you on itunes, rhapsody, napster, and other online storefronts.
So there you have it – if you have been trying to break your way into some music sales, advice has just arrived. I would also be curious to hear about any other online music distribution means available to new and upcoming artists, if anyone knows of any.

Labels: itunes, music, sales

Hey there, Blogsville. So, I figured because of all the various Acoustic V. Electric cases being presented to the board, I'd round out the Rock Band setup with the age-old question:

Labels: acoustic, acoustic basses, vocoder, vs

After thousands of songs have been downloaded for free using Lime wire, consequences catch up with Lime Wire in August 2006. Companies like Lime Wire that use Peer-to-peer software "P2P" had to alter their business, whether shutting it down or altering their business so they can be legal.

The record industry asked Lime Wire for compensation for 150,00 for every song that was downloaded using their site. Lime Wire is one of the most popular downloading sites there is, and now a group of music companies, including Sony BMG, Virgin Records and Warner Bros. Records, came together and accused Lime Wire of copyright infringement, according to a Federal Lawsuit filled in New York.

Many thought that in 2006 downloading music for free was coming to a head. But yet, it still happens all over the place still to this day.

Not only are people still downloading music every day free of charge, people disagree on the ethical part of it. Is it fair and legal or is it illegal and wrong? Because you aren’t physically walking into Target, slipping the new whoever CD under your shirt and playing it cool until you get out those automatic red doors of freedom, people think it’s not illegal.

It’s a debate whether you personally think it’s right or wrong to download. People of all ages disagree over the very subject. I am a student at a small college in Indiana and when the topic came up in my Gen. Ed. Computer class people were disagreeing and talking about it all over the place, and it was 8:00 in the morning.

If you are interested in an amp which is cost effective and somewhat powerful then you should probably purchase a solid state amp. One of the great benefits of a solid state amp is that it is not nearly as fragile as a tube amp. Also there is the bonus that you are going to pay considerably more almost all of the time for a tube amp as opposed to a solid state amp as I am recommending. The primary difference between a tube amp and a solid state is that a solid state overdrives. This means that the solid state amp will play pretty loud but can eventually begin to sound a bit sketchy. You don’t want to play a solid state amp louder than what it is intended for. If you do, your music will be distorted and you will be left sounding disheveled. Honestly if you pay attention and don’t play your solid state amp too loud, it shouldn’t be a problem. As you might expect however, the tube amp will deliver a much better overdrive than the solid state. You can play tube amps much louder and still receive the clean cut sound that you desire.
However, all that being said, I recommend the solid state amp because it is really way more bang for your buck.

If you have something to contribute about solid state amps vs tube state please feel free to share it.

Now, for those of you who have not seen or used this awesome and 100% necessary piece of equipment, prepare yourself for a life-changing experience.
And the winner is...Swirly Gig!
This breakthrough product has to be the most simplest yet highly effective and usable design that I've seen. A single steel rod, twisted into a spiral shape then coated with a durable rubber-type finish to do one of the toughest jobs in the music/entertainment industry, hold your Beer! (Or any drink for that matter) It's absolutely ingenious. Granted there are tons of drink holders on the market today that will do the trick, but do they look this cool? Are they this durable? I didn't think so. The Swirly Gig Musicians Drink Holder fits most microphone stands, plus there are different sizes so even drummers like you and me can put a swirly gig on you hi-hat stand for easy access to life-giving water. The majority of music-industry geared drink holders are constructed of numerous pieces of plastic and some steel that will definitely break down at one time or another. After all, these products are only as strong as its weakest link. Am I right? Check one out,m you will NOT be disappointed. As if the Swirly Gig musician drink holder is not enough, the Swirly Shtick is the solution for drummers needing a good place to put extra sticks within reach.

Labels: Musician-Drink-Holder, Swirly-Gig, Swirly-Shtick

If you are interested in rocking out or playing guitar in a band, the electric guitar is the right choice. Today I will attempt to detail the pros of an electric guitar when compared to an acoustic. First of all, the electric is much nicer to your arms and fingers. You don’t have to strum or pluck hard at all in order to get a loud sound from your amplifier. It has been said before that the acoustic guitar is more difficult to play than the electric. Reasoning is that the electric has lighter strings which are easier to press down. Also it can be safely said that you can do more to manipulate the sound of your guitar with an electric than an acoustic. Electric guitars were made to be played with an amplifier whereas many acoustics where made to be played without any assistance. There are more knobs and buttons associated with an Electric guitar but I assure you it is worth it. If you take some time in the beginning to become properly acquainted with all your guitar and amplifier has to offer, it will make learning down the road far easier.

If you think of your favorite rock song, there is a good chance that your favorite part of the song is one of the guitar solos. Guitar solos are generally kept to electric guitars. If you would like to one-day rock one of those solos, then the electric is the right choice for you. Keep in mind that acoustics tend to be strummed more and you tend to play chords more on acoustics whereas electrics you tend to play guitar leads and chords.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, guitars, shopping, vs

I’d like to throw in my 2 cents in regard to the battle between acoustic and electronic drums. I have almost 20 years experience with both of them so I consider myself qualified to make the following assessment. Keep in mind this is merely my own opinion.

It is not like comparing apples to apples, more like comparing a fresh, ripe fruit basket to a fruit cake. Not the best analogy, but it’ll do. The fruit cake or acoustic drum set is a one trick pony so to speak. It definitely does sound amazing when played alone, in a band situation, amplified in a live bands performance type scenario and in the studio, there is no doubt about that. But, and this might get long, that is the one sound you will get, forever. Based on the number of plies the shell has, the shell composition, (whether it be Basswood, Birch, Maple, or a hybrid of some sort) not to mention the tuning of the head and head type, are the few tone determining factors. Granted, you can get quite a few sounds out of a standard acoustic drum set by simply changing these variables, but still not nearly the arsenal of sounds available to the player when using an electronic set. I’ll break it down for ya. Tune your toms tighter on the batter side and tighter on the resonant side and you have more of a jazz sound to them. Same goes for the kick drum, tighten it up a bit on the batter side and remove some head dampening, you will get a more distinctive jazz sound, which has a lot more throat and mid-range head resonance to it. The snare drum is no exception, loosen the tension rods a bit on the batter and resonant head as well as the actual snare wires and you get a mellower, jazzier sound. Now, with all that said, think about how much time it would take to make your “Rock Tuned” drum set sound like a “Jazz” kit. Not your typical 15-20 minute drum tuning tweak-up, no, it will literally take you more like 1-2 hours and possibly more if you are as picky as I am regarding drum sound. It may even take a major drum head replacement. Just something to think about.

Enter the Electronic Drum Set! Now, if I used an electronic drum set or even a standard drum set with dampened heads and a full trigger setup triggering a decent sound module, I can play live gigs and completely change the sound of my kit with merely the turn of a knob. I know what you’re thinking, it really is NOT that easy, and you are correct, it isn’t that easy. But once you go through some initial setup with your module to find the sound you want, it becomes that easy. Here is a little background about myself. I am the type of drummer that has a vision or an ideal sound in mind and I will tweak the settings for as long as I have to until they are right and sit well in the mix of whatever band I am tailoring my drum sound to fit. An example of a “decent” drum module would be the Roland TD12. It has an incredible library of sounds ready to be sculpted to your taste and Roland makes it very simple to modify to your liking. Select the drum you want to edit, and start tweaking. You can change the shell material, thickness, depth, diameter, as well as tune the heads by changing the tension and add or remove effects or dynamics processors. Very intuitive. In the case of a drummer wanting to actually play the electronic set in a live situation… that is easily done too since they are typically quite compact and portable. I do hear numerous folks that have played electronics and/or own them and I hear a common issue, the feeling is not there. It does not feel like an acoustic drum set and all I can say to that is, “Darn right, it isn’t an acoustic drum set!” It is a drawback to even myself but that is exactly why I am the type of player to add triggers to my acoustic set. I want the feel and rebound of acoustic drums with the sound versatility of an electronic kit but not for all applications. I will still use my electronic setup for rehearsal rather than my full acoustic drum set that would need to be mic’d in order to have a nice mix sent to my in-ear monitors, the electronics just make that aspect and many others so much easier. So there you have it. Any comments?
-Ryan

Labels: acoustic, acoustic drums, drum head, drum module, drum set, Drum Triggers, drums, Electronic drums, In-Ear Monitors, kick drum, music, Roland TD12, snare drum, tom tom drum

Lets start out with a simple question: Which is better, the acoustic guitar or the electric? In your mind I’m sure you have already chosen your answer if you have had experience practicing and playing both types of guitar. However for those of you who are not sure whether they should take up acoustic or electric, read on. There are several benefits to both types of guitar. The only guitar I have ever owned has been an acoustic guitar. Right off the bat there are a few distinct advantages to an acoustic. First of all, the only thing you have to buy is the guitar itself as opposed to an electric guitar where you have to buy the guitar and amplifier etc. Also when you are bringing your guitar anywhere, it is much more convenient to simply be able to play your guitar without having to plug into a power source somewhere. Acoustic guitars are great for playing at the beach or anywhere for that matter. It is also quite nice to be able to pluck the strings of an acoustic guitar and to hear the beautiful harmonious sounds and the vibration that comes from nothing more than your hand stroking across the strings. I personally enjoyed the soothing feel of an acoustic guitar compared to an electric. In the end, it really comes down to what kind of music you want to play. If you want soothing relaxation or romance music, the acoustic is right for you. However if you want to rock out with some metal, then you have no choice but to purchase the electric.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, guitars, shopping, vs

Yamaha PSRE413 61 Key Digital Keyboard is an innovative new way to play the music you love anywhere you want. Yamaha unveiled this new model to function as a replacement for the PSR-E403, which is clearly inferior to the new E413. This keyboard comes equipped with two educational programs called the Yamaha Education Suite and the Yamaha portable Grand. There is also increased ability to edit and digitalize all of the sounds you create while playing. The Arpeggiator on this new unit offers twice as many choices as the previous model. Most importantly, this new model includes a usb connection port which allows you to connect and save your music to your pc or mac. This is huge for any musician to be able to record their music from wherever they want when they desire. At just 399 msrp, the Yamaha PSR-E413 is a bargain for all the accessories and functionality that come in one package. Once your songs are downloaded onto your computer, you are free to edit those songs using any number of editing softwares that are currently available. Does anyone have a preferred program for editing their keyboard music? If you know of anything that works well, please let me know. Does anyone have any experience using a keyboard that connects by USB? I would like to know what you think about this new product. Please feel free to share your comments or experiences with this keyboard or any other for that matter.

Labels: arpeggiator, digital keyboard, keyboards, shopping, wish list, Yamaha

The word "Rock" is a very interesting concept in modern music. Think about it for a second... Rock. Just by itself.... Rock.

Huh.

Man, what does it even mean? When I think of Rock... dude, Rock is damn near everything. Punk Rock, Alternative Rock, Folk Rock, Hard Rock, Metal which is basically Rock, Glam Rock, Grunge Rock, Emo Rock, Rockabilly, Classic Rock (wow, the wiki on that one is appropriately broad), Rock and Roll (like, "oldies" stuff), Surf Rock, Celt Rock, Ska Rock... ROCK. (You know how if you hear a word too often it just starts to sound stupid? ...)

When I hear the word "Rock", I'm inclined to think that what it means is dependant on what type of rock we grew up with, or what the context of the word is. When I hear someone talking about "rock", having been raised in with lots of '90s and '00s music, my mind jumps to Alternative Rock, or Modern Punk Rock, or even some Pop Punk (which, I realize, is not the same as True Punk... don't beat me with your '70s walkers, I like The Ramones too...). When I think of the word "Rock", I hear The Mighty Mighty Bosstones of the late '90s (Well, okay, I personally happen to love Ska), I hear Green Day's '94 "Dookie" album, I hear Nine Inch Nails, I hear The Killers and yeah, even Blink-182.

Of course, after that, if I'm really thinking about it, I'll think of '80s rock, and then '70s rock... interestingly enough, it really does kind of go back chronologically, now that I think about it. I'll think of Metallica, back to Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Ratt (well, I'll think of Round and Round), AC/DC, back into Boston, into Zeppelin, Van Halen, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles... my definition of rock is determined by what I grew up thinking Rock was and then - and I genuinely find this interesting, I'm just kind of realizing this as I write it here - I'll think back (mostly) chronologically in terms of when the sound happened, not when I heard it. It's not like I like '80s Rock more than '70s Rock (on the contrary, actually, and I like The Beatles more than most in any decade), but for some reason or another the names and the sounds just come to me that way.

Huh, that's pretty crazy. I just kind of had a little mini-revelation while making a blog post. It's interesting to note, though, that if you were to ask someone who grew up in the heart of Glam Rock what they thought of when you simply say the word "Rock" to them, what they think of. Do they start at like, Warrant, and branch from there? Do those who were raised in the '70s think of Boston and branch backward? Forward? Does it even branch or does it just jump? Maybe I'm just weird, in that it branches chronologically. I guess I wouldn't really have the perspective to know; I suppose my fellow bloggers might have better insight. So uh, yeah. I find that all very interesting.

This post had an entirely different point when I started it, but I'm just leaving it here.

Labels: music genre, psychology, rock

Today I want to talk about something that musicians needs regardless of his or her instrument orientation or their skill level. That thing is inspiration. Inspiration for musicians comes simply from one thing – music. Lets face it no one can be completely original 100 percent of the time. Since we are human, we have to look to other music to get ideas and to get our creative juices flowing. In my mind there is one place which is better than any other to find some great tunes to listen to – Pandora.com. Pandora is an interactive music website which is 100 percent legal and fully intuitive based on your musical preferences. It is also 100 percent free. You begin by suggesting a song or artist that you favor. From there on the Pandora system generates similar songs and plays them like a radio on your computer. If you like the song you rate it positively with a thumbs up. If you dislike the song Pandora picked, you give it thumbs down. After doing this for even a few songs, the computer system begins to understand what genre and musical combinations you favor. It pairs several things such as rhythm and vocals to find similarities between the music you love and the plethora of available music. If you have already tried Pandora out, let me know what you think. I am a full supporter of Pandora. It is so much easier, more cost effective, and more intuitive than purchasing music or listening to it on the radio. Basically Pandora functions as your own personal radio, which plays only the music you, prefer. Anyway, let me know how you like it.

Labels: inspiration, pandora

Yesterday I discussed a decision that every drummer in the twenty-first century must face – whether to rock with the traditional drum set or embrace technology for all its worth with electronic drums. I must admit that I was slightly biased towards an electronic drum set in my article yesterday. However I will try to list a few of the cons of an electronic set in the hopes of evening things out to give a balanced perspective.
In all honesty, there is no substitute for a good old-fashioned acoustic drum set. If we are being sincere, you and I both know that electronic drum sets have a lot of capabilities but reproducing acoustic drum sounds perfectly is not among their skill set. There is also the issue of dependency when you operate on an electronic drum set. You are dependent on a power supply as well as whatever speaker system you own for your drums. Fred Fishburne said it best when he said, “Have you ever seen a marching band with an electronic drum line?” He continued to say that with electronic sounds, it is not really the artist that is creating the sound but rather a machine. Whereas if you play the acoustic drums, there is no one to share the glory with when you deliver a stellar performance.
In the end, every musician must make up their mind for themselves about this rather controversial issue. For those of you who have experience with the acoustic or electronic drums, feel free to share your sentiments. I will leave you with this question: Which is better, acoustic drums or electric?

Labels: acoustic, drums, electric drums, music, review, shopping, supplies, technology, vs

Labels: Musical Education, shopping, wish list

If you are considering taking up drumming, you might want to weigh a few variables to determine whether you want to rock it the good old fashion way or whether you want to roll with all technology has to offer. First and foremost you need to determine whether a traditional drum set will be disruptive to you, your family, and the people who live near you. If you live in an apartment, acoustic drums are pretty much out. Even when you live in your own house and the neighbors live 20-30 yards away, they might still complain about the noise. Also you won’t be able to practice during your own hours if you have to worry about waking up family/neighbors. However if you go with an electric drum set, you can play till the wee hours of the morning even if there is nothing more that a thin wall separating you from your neighbor’s apartment. With electric drums, you can put on the headphones and listen to your drumming as loud as you would like. This is also beneficial for your ears because sometimes consistently beating on a drum set can damage your hearing. Whenever you would like to play a little louder, or if you would like to perform for an audience or with a band, you simply hook your electric drum set up to a speaker system and you can churn out some pretty sweet tunes.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic drums, drums, electric drums, shopping, vs

At just $1999.99 you’re practically getting the hardware for free.

Labels: electronic, IK, IK Multimedia, keyboards, Miroslav, Moog, Muse, Muse research, music, receptor, SampleMoog, SampleTank, synthesizers, synths, T-Racks, wish list, Workstation

As I was thinking about my post for this blog I began to wonder what role formal musical training plays in the progression of a normal musicians skill. For instance, I would be interested to know how many people in this blog have taken music classes at school. Do you believe that these classes are very helpful? In my experience it seems as though great musicians can be born out of two circumstances. Some musicians are naturally inclined and learn only by listening to other musicians. Others are taught by personal and group teachers to hone in on their skills. My question is this: is one type of musician better than the other? In your experience are the musicians who are naturally inclined towards music and self taught more skilled than those who have trained and practiced with professionals?

These questions have stemmed out of a personal relationship that I have. A friend of mine has always been incredibly musically inclined. He plays the guitar, sings, and plays the drums. In high school he took courses on music and music theory ect. He then continued this education in college at Belmont University. I began to wonder about this because I also had another friend who never had a lesson in piano. Yet he could play any song he had ever heard. Even if he had only listened to that tune once. Also if you look at prodigies such as Mozart you will find that by the age of five they played famous works. Such skills cannot be taught but are innate. That is why I am asking whether you think the best musicians are innately blessed with talent or if they are the ones who work the hardest or if it is some combination of natural skill and hard work.

Labels: classical, mozart, music genre, musicians, musicians self taught vs trained, vs

Man, I tell you. When it comes to music – and when it comes to cranking out your sound so everyone at your venue can hear you (and everyone within a mile of it) – it’s not just about your instrument, or your skill. Imagine sticking James Hetfield of Metallica or Geddy Lee of Rush on an Amplifier the size of your fist and running stripped, decade-old cable between them! You’d lose so much tone, and so much sound, that you might not even be able to tell a legend was behind the strings. When it comes to music, you can shred as hard as you want, but no one will notice if you don’t have some serious equipment screaming out that beastly new riff of yours for the masses to hear, or singing that smooth Bassline holding up your group.

I play a lot of instruments, and I understand that getting that sound out is different for each and every one. However, if I had to pick one musical label to attach to myself, it’d have to be the title of Bassist. I totally dig Basses, Bass products, Bass accessories, Bass Pedals… I try to give myself as many opportunities as I can to experience the low end every way it can be experienced. I've played on everything from a low-end Fender offshoot to a Bass I can hardly believe I got to run on, the extremely high-end (and may I say, totally sweet)
Tobias Growler 5 String Electric Bass Guitar. I’ve plugged into a wide range of Amplifiers from a wide range of Amp makers. So today, I’m going to talk Basses – and more importantly, the keys to their sound: Bass Amps.

I play a Fender Standard Jazz 5 String, myself. Not the most expensive of Basses in the world (And let me tell you, that Tobias Growler is incredible, despite it being ridiculously expensive), but it’s got a sound I love. The strings and especially the fingerboard feel just right on my hands, and it grooves like no other for me. And I don’t just play Bass, I’m all over the Rhythm section, and I play a lot of brass instruments, too. No coincidence – I’m a Jazz Bassist, and I know this baby sounds awesome from every part of the Jazz Combo. It backs you up and takes the lead seamlessly, and feels right the whole way through. I’m a big fan of Fender instruments in general because Leo Fender himself was intent on bringing the Electric Bass to the masses, but this instrument shows that the sound on their merchandise holds that ideal true.

However, my Five String J-Bass has also had many hookups in its time. It has seen quite a bit of the market: I got it with a low-end Ibanez amp, and as I felt more and more at home with my bass, I started to wonder why my sound wasn’t coming through like I thought it could. The Ibanez was great to start on, and I was getting a sound out and it was cool because I could play whatever I wanted and hear it, but it just wasn’t quite right...

Then it happened: I hooked up to my friend’s Eden Electronics Nemesis Bass Guitar Amp through some high-end Monster Cable, and realized my sound was going to the void of hookups that just weren’t there in my little home practice setup. The out-of-the-box programs are like no other when it comes to the need to just feel the frets, make the sound, get your technique down and understand the mechanics of the music. But once you’ve got that down and you feel like something’s just missing, well, you’re probably right. You’re missing the next step up in your equipment, be it your amplifier or your cables or even your instrument, and once you feel like there’s a ceiling that your sound is getting trapped under, it’s time to step up. I’d heartily recommend the Nemesis line for any next-step-up Bassists (they’re all mid-range pricing – not professional quality, but the equipment you need to break the barrier). However, the need to step up equipment occurs amongst all musicians! When you’re ready to step up, no matter what you’re playing, I encourage you to start looking, start asking, and find those amps and cables that will take your sound one step closer to perfection.

Labels: amplifier, bass guitars, bassist, bassline, Electronics Nemesis, fender, Fender Standard Jazz 5 String, fingerboard, gibson, Ibanez, Jazz Bassist, Leo Fender, monster cable, riff, shopping, tobias growler, wish list

I can't help but recognize that everyone likes to get a deal. Furthermore people tend to be ecstatic when they can find a quality product at a favorable price. Today I wanted to begin blogging by discussing the cheapest possible way to procure musical equipment, or anything else for that matter. The medium that I speak of is Ebay.com. Surely you have heard of the online sales giant but if your knowledge of Ebay is similar to most peoples, you might not realize that Ebay is a great place to get both new and used musical equipment alike. If you were in the market for a used Les Paul guitar you would probably go to Ebay right away. However people tend to forget about Ebay when they are considering purchasing something brand new. When I typed into the search on Ebay.com "new Les Paul" I was astonished to find 355 results from the search engine. This is where most people give up on Ebay and go to a brick and mortar storefront. With Ebay you will have to do a little more legwork yourself - you will have to comb through several auctions to find the best possible price. However if you can do so, you will pay significantly less than you would at prominent music supply shops and online venders.

For those of you reading, I urge you to take the Ebay test. If you have a musical item of interest, go browsing on Ebay. You will likely find that there are some great deals to be found on new and used equipment alike.

Labels: ebay, guitars, les paul, shopping, thrifty

I am a hobby musician. I’ve been "playing" guitar for several years on an old acoustic guitar, but I know the electric guitar would suit my style better. So, I jumped online and began shopping around.

First of all; there are too many choices to make when it comes to buying an electric guitar. What brand, what kind of pickups, the wattage on your future amplifier, how many add –ons do you need, and on and on… That being said; finding someone who can help, someone who wants to help, can be very important. You don’t want to spend $1000 as a beginner, when you may find that the setup you got into isn’t the one you’re really into (especially as a hobby player). That’s where the help comes in.

You go to your local guitar shop and start with some basic questions. The sales people there are willing to help as long as it suits them. Very rarely will you find someone who’s willing to say, "I think you want this, but it’s not something that we carry: check these guys out." Usually the sales person is trying to convince you to buy something that the shop has in stock or will earn them a nice commission. This can lead to buying more than you need or the guitar that they want… Not good at all.

Shopping online has its own pitfalls. The information on any guitar can be too limited and sometimes online research is too time consuming. Great; the guitar I’m looking into has EMG 85 and Gibson Dirty Fingers Pickups, but what does that even mean to me? So, you want to talk to someone, right? Well, call those 1-800 numbers and get your fingers ready to do some talking because in most cases you’ll be pushing button for several minutes before you speak with a human being. After you get through you’ll be speaking with a salesman again who may not know how to help you.

All of this adds up and can deter the hobby player from buying a guitar at all. I found my own solution which I can describe in one sentence. Guitar Packages at American Musical Supply. Ok, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted or needed yet, so I called that dreaded 800 number and guess what? A person answered the phone (there are PEOPLE there 24/7)! It was a sales person, but a very knowledgeable one. Furthermore, when I asked some questions about the sound of a specific guitar I was put in touch with a real musician who had experience with that guitar!

I ended up with an Epiphone Les Paul Special II Players Electric Guitar Package that just rules! I knew I liked the Les Paul Body style, but sound is a bit more important to me. I explained just what I was looking for and that’s what I got. Even more; I got a guitar with the sound AND looks I was after! The package came with everything I needed to get going; the guitar (of course), amp, gig bag, tuner, picks, strap, and even an instructional DVD (which my friends tell me I should get around to checking out). All that and I had the choice of buying on the phone (great for questions that come up on the fly) or online. I can keep gushing: their easy pay plans are awesome (check it out, really – most musicians can’t find two pennies to rub together).

For a beginner or a hobby player the guitar packages are the way to go and for my business American Musical Supply has some of the best customer service around!

Labels: acoustic, acoustic guitars, amplifier, electric guitars, emg 85, Ephiphone Les Paul Gibson, ephipone les paul special performance pack, gibson, gibson dirty fingers pickups, guitar packages, guitars

I'm currently watching "Heavy; the story of metal" and it got me thinking...

What bands are heavy metal, and what bands are not? For example, a band like Motorhead is obviously metal... but what about Van Halen? I'd say they are more hard rock. But many would say they are metal as well.

Is metal a big enough style that it'll be around in 40 years? (obviously not in the form it is today.) Personally, I see metal as the one style of music teenagers will ALWAYS relate to. One day they are into hip-hop, then pop, unplugged rock (college radio, alternative rock type stuff,) and on and on... but metal has always been found in the hallways of high school America since the 70's and 80's.

Should they have their own hall of fame/awards show? Too many great artists get overlooked because the mainstream industry ignores them for what ever is popular at the time. Case in point. The Metallica/Jethro Tull Grammy award fiasco. Many of the hair metal bands are all sold short of their talent (Queensryche, Def Leppard, etc.) and of course Black Sabbath having to wait way too long before being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.

Heavy Metal is a lost art form. If those bands wanted air play they needed to sing a ballad and a lot of them caved in, while others didn't make much of their time in the spotlight.

Ok, but what about some of the bands of today... Disturbed is the new version of a metal band that could test time. They are just one great album away. Sickness was good, but it's far from being in the same category as "Master of Puppets" or "Paranoid." But before a lot of metal bands would keep on punching out albums without a ton of air play and make it. Now a lot of bands that don't get air play seem to quit after one song doesn't bring in the cash.

I think bands are given one shot by major record labels, and then they are given the axe which means no air-play, but they continue to produce albums. You just never hear about them again unless you are in an area they are based in. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath all were established. I think Metallica did more for the "non-glam" metal then just metal overall, which is why I think so many of their fans became upset at them. Metallica was "ours" and not the masses. The masses were too busy listening to Ozzy, Ratt, Van Halen, and so on. So when Metallica went more commercial, a lot of fans felt they turned their backs on them. The people who built them and created all the buzz about a band who (at one time) had 3 albums on the top 100 without hardly any radio play. Then "And Justice..." came out, and with the song "One" radio took notice. Then came the commercially done black album. At that moment, the old fans could see the writing on the wall... Metallica was moving on, into a new direction. Then came "Load" and the deal was done. Metallica was no longer the great garage band that was making it... now they were just like every other metal act. And because of that, Metallica (as much as I still like them) will NEVER be the band they once were.

So with the "non-glam" bands, people started to branch out to bands like Megadeath, Anthrax and Pantera after finding Metallica. Which translated into those bands having hits as well as getting airplay?

So it begs the questions what is metal? Well metal may just be picking up your favorite axe and playing that heavy riff in your garage. Playing Iron Man or Seek and Destroy on a ESP LTD KH202 Kirk Hammett Electric Guitar may be just what Metal means to you... Metal is the chance to turn on that amp and pluck those strings. Metal is the chance to look authority in the face and say...well you know the rest!!!!

Labels: alternative rock, college radio, guitars, heavy metal, hip-hop, kirk hammett electric guitar, metallica jethro tull grammy awards, music genre, unplugged rock

For the beginning guitarist, a guitar package is a wise investment. Guitar packages come with everything one could need when learning to play the guitar. The main choice when looking for one of these packages is between an electric and an acoustic package. When making this decision, consider what type of music you want to learn. The future rock-and-roll star may want to focus on an electric guitar package because of the included amplifier, making it easier to play along with a band or add effects such as overdrive. If you are striving to become the next singer/songwriter or play traditional tunes, an acoustic guitar package maybe what you are looking for.

You may notice that there are many electric guitar packages to choose from and the differences tend to be personal preference. The guitars themselves really depend on the look of the guitar and the pickup configuration. Two of the most popular styles of electric guitar would be the Squier Stratocaster (Fender) and the Epiphone Les Paul (Gibson). The Stratocaster displays three single coil pickups that provide a smooth mid-range type of sound and the Les Paul features two humbucker pickups that exhibit a hotter, edgier sound. It is really hard to go wrong with any electric guitar package choice.

Acoustic guitar packages tend to be a little easier to decipher because of their what you see is what you get contents. The acoustic guitar usually comes in two choices: Acoustic and Acoustic Electric. The acoustic electric guitar is just like the standard acoustic guitar but includes an electronic pickup system that allows you to plug the guitar into an amplifier.

Both of these package types usually include a wealth of accessories including picks, straps, cables, amplifiers (with electric packages), tuners and more. Some great online stores provide quality choices of each type of package including American Musical Supply and Electricguitar.com.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic electric guitars, electric guitars, Ephiphone Les Paul Gibson, fender, gibson, guitar packages, guitars, humbucker pickups, les paul, shopping, single coil pickup, Squier Stratocaster Fender, wish list

Since I bought a Yamaha portable keyboard about 8 years ago, I was really in the dark when I started searching for a new one. I was amazed at the number of websites that sell keyboards and confused because there are so many options. Keyboards nowadays have a ton of sounds, touch screens and more! So to help cut down on the confusion, I figured out what I wanted in a keyboard. Then I was able to search the net and found some reliable websites. Most of the sites are very similar but some have excellent Bizrate comments and long term customers. In all my years of buying products, I discovered that anybody can sell you a keyboard but the customer service is what is nice before, during and after the sale. I am going to check out a Roland keyboard at American Musical Supply because I have read several good comments about them.

Labels: Bizrate, keyboards, portable keyboards, Roland, shopping, Yamaha