Locced Down

1) What is music theory?

Music theory is the language of musical construction. Those who understand the language of music, those who can read and write music are called musicians. Just as people who share a common language communicate everyday, musicians communicate through a common musical language.

The language musicians communicate in is not by speaking but rather by the use of sheet music. Sheet music contains information that allows musicians
(more…)

There is only one type of musician: he who plays without thinking of the reward which is money but gets money anyway, regardless of the figure. The rest of them are not musicians. They are only capitalists-with-voice-as-capital. Maybe, singers. But never a musician.

Music 2.0 is the right way to understand the difference. Others simply put it that Music 2.0 is where it came from and where it’s going. Music 2.0 is a serious threat to the capitalists
(more…)

So that big present under the Christmas tree turned out to be your first guitar. Welcome to the club! All you need to do now is to learn how to play it, that’s all there is to it. Turn to page one of the quick start guide that came with the guitar and off you go. If only it were that simple. Seriously, learning to play the guitar can be a very satisfying and rewarding experience. The basics can be picked up fairly quickly, but as with most instruments, to master it will take a lot longer and hard work.

(more…)

So you are ready to part with your hard earned cash and purchase a new guitar. You will have done your research and you know what type you want to buy and have a shortlist of possible purchases. You must now approach this process with a great deal of thought, in the same way you would approach any other major purchase. Treat it just like buying a new car.

1. Check the basic structure of the guitar.

Give the guitar a very close inspection. Check
(more…)

Howard Stern, the self proclaimed “King of all media”, could also be referred to as the “King of Fines by the FCC”. In past few decades Stern has been find countless amounts of times and costing stations that carry his program nearly $3 million dollars in penalties compliments of the FCC.

Stern, now 52, left his estimated 12 million loyal viewers for freer air waves, and a 5 year, $500 million contract to join Sirius Satellite Radio (The best
(more…)

The blues seems to be a hard genre of music to be into these days, especially when you’re in your 20s, but its one of my passions. Few other genres can boast such pure unadulterated emotion in its rawest form. I came to the blues through modern rock, oddly enough. Growing up in the grunge and post grunge era I listened to a lot of alternative rock and more recently, bands of the garage rock movement. After hearing the White Stripes and the Strokes,
(more…)

Ever notice how, on a day where you just can’t seem to please your boss, the kids are driving you crazy, or you feel like you’re not getting any of the things you need done accomplished and you hear a favorite song, how it makes you feel? I’m sure you’ve noticed that it really helps calm you or maybe motivates you to get moving and you feel better all of a sudden.

Music, in many ways, can be therapeutic and healing. And for some reason, if I
(more…)

The careers of both Cash and Brooks are examples of the difference between traditional country music and modern country music. The singers have different influences that molded their styles of music. Cash’s music reflects different emotions and events that occurred throughout his life, whereas Brook’s music is influenced by other country and rock artists that were famous during his childhood.

Cash sings songs and writes music as a way to vent
(more…)

Although influenced by traditional country music, Garth Brooks is considered to be a modern country music artist. Since the beginning of country music, it has continuously been changing- each artist trying to set themselves apart from other artists.

Country has evolved into something almost unrecognizable as country music. Its sounds are different, its styles are different as well as the way artists deliver it to their fans. Being unique and
(more…)

Today, there are distinct differences between traditional country music and modern country music. The artists of traditional and modern country music are influenced by different life events, the instruments they use are different, and their performance styles are different. Over time, the genre has become very broad and has changed significantly.

Johnny Cash a traditional country singer and Garth Brooks, a modern country singer are two of the
(more…)

Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms all wrote about aspects of nature in the texts of their songs. Schubert used very flowery language in “Die Mondnacht” to describe the beautiful scenery. The song is about the moonlight making nature glisten and gleam. Schumann did the same in “Mondnacht,” but instead of focusing on the moonlight, he wrote about the breeze blowing through the forest on a clear night.

Brahms was the only composer out of the three
(more…)

Every year thousands of people get guitars with the hopes of learning to play. But truthfully, not all guitars are suitable to learn on. If you are serious about learning to play yourself or if you’re buying the guitar for someone else to learn on, the following information is what you must know to properly select a guitar.

Playability

The most important aspect of any guitar is that it must have a good playable action. What this means is, the
(more…)

In which we pay homage to the Godfather of Soul and by extension the caravan of made men and women who venerate and abominate him in their own pretty and diverse ways. His musical legacy is such that even when assaulted by skinny white guys from Sheffield (or some such locale), armed with cheap synthesizers and drum machines, his own personal genius of love shines right through, utterly undiminished. Anthemically speaking, we love Senor Vez’s perversion
(more…)

, winner in Best Album
“Turnaround,” from Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar)

, second place in Best Vocal
“Only Trust Your Heart,” from Easy to Love
(Groovin’ High)

, fourth place in Best Album
“Yokada Yokada/The Rumproller” from New Monastery
(Cryptogramophone)

, second place in Best Debut
“Scatology,” from The New Mellow Edwards
(Skirl)

, second place in Best Reissue
“She’s Tall, She’s Tan, She’s Terrific,” from If You’ve Got to Ask, You Ain’t Got It!
(more…)

Whether it is the dull strumming of acoustics or the vibrating scream of an electric model, guitars come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and types. The next time you turn on the radio or watch MTV, you are sure to encounter the visual or audio of a guitar playing in your presence. As you explore the wide range of guitars on the market, you will find various options are utilized within rock, pop, blues and country music. While a standard guitar
(more…)

The music scene these days is overcrowded with many musicians that do not have very much singing talent at all. The days of pure singers are over, and they are now replaced with many different kinds of sounds that are enhanced and created with sophisticated recording equipment.

Even when you go to see a musical act in concert, chances are the singer’s voice and/or music in general is prerecorded. Then the singer just lip syncs the words and many
(more…)

Music Preferences

Music is a wonderful thing. It can make people laugh, cry or feel happy or sad. It can calm a crying baby, or even motivate a person to exercise. There are all types of music, too: Rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, and many other genres as well as sub-genres. And everyone listens to some type of music. Whether it’s classic rock or gangster rap, there is a type that appeals to every person in the world. But what makes a person like a certain type of music?
(more…)

Josh Groban: A Singer Who Can Actually Sing

The most popular music today either has someone rapping about the hood, or someone rocking out without much singing talent. It seems that lately the art of singing has been lost in making music. I know that this sounds impossible, but more and more popular songs are being put out on the radio by people that can not sing very well at all. What happened to the Stings, the Celine Dions
(more…)

ALBANY, N.Y. — Entercom Communications Corp., one the nation’s largest broadcasters, will pay $4.25 million to end Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s investigation of gifts — or “payola” — given by record companies in exchange for air play, Spitzer said yesterday.

A lawsuit filed by Spitzer’s office in March claimed Entercom solicited payments from record labels and traded air time for promotional items, personal trips, and other gifts.

Spitzer,
(more…)

Eileen Ivers — a Celtic fiddler whose music mixes jazz, Latin percussion, Irish strings, and American soul — will perform an Irish Christmas concert tomorrow night that Duxbury’s Performing Arts Center is billing as a fund-raising event for itself.

The three- year-old, state-of-the-art auditorium is raising money to finish off its orchestra pit and develop an annual performance series.

The hall, which seats 970, hosts concerts, plays, and
(more…)

If only beginning piano players realized that they could create their own unique music right away, perhaps more of them would.

What I mean is this…most students, young and old alike know only 2 ways to learn piano. The first way is the classical route. Here, note reading and playing of the classics is taught.

The second way is playing pop standards from either fake books or fully written music sheets.

That’s it! That’s what most people think
(more…)

When deciding to purchase a guitar stand there are several things to keep in mind.

How Sturdy is it?

I have found over the years that many manufacturers of quality instrument stands produce a product that will meet the expectations of the owner. But, there are very few that produce one that “Exceeds” the owner’s expectations. NOW, there is one!

The instrument stand depicted in the picture above is not only versatile by adjusting to multiple
(more…)

The great, world famous clarinetist Giora Feidman will perform in Holiday Wonders at the Beacon Theater on Broadway; three shows, Dec. 23 and 24.

A legendary musician for over half a century, Feidman captivates his audiences with soulful play of both classical and modern music. During a career spanning more than 50 years, Feidman has won many awards. He was the clarinet soloist for the theme music in “Schindler’s List,” which won an Academy and
(more…)

“Men, Women & Children…” Sister Jack was puzzled and distressed. Perhaps her ears had played her false. Perhaps what he had really said was, “At Night We Like to Fight,” or “I Buy the Drugs,” or even “Long, Long, Long.” Perhaps. But then her ears never did play her false. “Men, Women & Children.” The impression was distinct and ineffaceable. “Men, Women…” she was forced to the conclusion, reluctantly, that the Electric Six had indeed pronounced
(more…)

With the popularity of audio books, there are now many places to buy the audio book of your choice.

Prior to the Internet, we all had no option but to physically visit the bookstores or order via phone or mail. But now with the advent of the Internet, you can search for the exact audio book you want, check out the cost and order it… without leaving the comfort of your home or office.

It is now safe to say that the audio book market place
(more…)

You just came home from the store after doing your research, or you are the proud recipient of a prized gift.

You unpack your new guitar with fierce anticipation. The light shimmers off the highly polished surface. Your new new amplifier and cables are ready to go.

There they sit.

Now what?

First, here’s what you should NOT do: Worry… Panic… Feel overwhelmed.

The bad news is: No one is born knowing how to play guitar

The good news is: Plenty of others have blazed a trail for you.

(more…)

Well a couple of examples could be that I could listen to a DJ in downtown Kingston Jamaica play the latest rapso (calypso rap) music. A school group could network geographically to listen in on a subject via private broadcast. A radio listener hears an ad for an ipod, then immediately places an order using the same medium on which he has heard the ad. This is all made possible with Internet radio, some of the latest technological innovation in radio broadcasting since the business began in the early 1920s.

(more…)

Everybody dreams of being a RockStar when they grow up, out of a million, you would be lucky if one of those people become a real RockStar, why? Because they had the determination to make it, unlike all the others they left behind. If you want to be a RockStar, you need determination, flexibility, common sense and of course an amazing musical ability.

People often think of ‘RockStars’ as drunken drugged up idiots with a whole lot of STI’s. This
(more…)

Near the end of the new movie musical “Dreamgirls,” soul singer James “Thunder” Early, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, is chafing at the walls of the smooth R&B box he’s been placed in by his manager. In a transformative number, Early breaks out of his placidity, instructs the band to launch into a sweaty funk groove, and begins barking out a rap that climaxes with him howling, “Jimmy got soul, Jimmy got soul!”

The sequence is just one example of
(more…)

People usually think of skateboarding as the domain of white kids who listen to punk rock, alternative music, or heavy metal. But there’s a growing side to the sport: a multicultural array of skateboarders who enjoy hip-hop culture.

Some use rap music as the soundtrack to push wood. Others, such as Evan Collins , a 25-year-old Cambridge resident, are as skilled at MC ing as they are at doing the manual, a trick in which the skater balances on the board’s back wheels.

(more…)