Choose the Right Piano

Choosing the right piano brand is important when you make this major purchase. Taking the time to learn about what makes a piano great will help you make a wise decision. Although there are a some major names when it comes to choosing a piano, keep in mind the three "T's":

- Touch
- Tone
- Type

Touch and Tone

Touch and tone are the keys to buying a piano. You want to make sure that you like the action of the keyboard as well as whether you want a "brighter" sounding, or a piano with more bass.

A piano with a light action is going to have a very "touchy" keyboard, you're not going to be able to fiddle around with how loud or softly you play. A firmer action on a keyboard keeps allows you to fool around with the dynamics while building up your finger strength. This may not seem very important, but when you go to play someone else's piano it will make all the difference.

Construction of your piano is important too. This will affect the action of the instrument as well as the tone. Look inside the piano, have the technician on staff explain the differences between piano brands. Don't fall victim to beautiful casework when the insides of the piano are junk.

As far as sound goes, this is totally up to you. Listen to a few pianos before you make you decision. This will be a lot like picking out a t.v. set. Find a piano that has the right touch and the right tone for to inspire you to sit down and play it.

Types of Pianos

When it comes to piano brands, the sky is the limit. Arming yourself with a little knowledge before shelling out the bucks will help you find the best buy.

Be aware that many makers of pianos have different "series" of instruments, each of these differ in quality and price. There are many store brand pianos, these instruments are like the house brand ketchup you might find at your local grocery store; they will do the job, but in the long run they may not be a wise investment.

Buying Music Gear for Home Studios

First of all you need to decide what kind of studio you want. There is a pro studio ideal for recording full bands. This kind of studio can deliver CD master recordings. The other is a project studio, which generally supports recording electronic synths, samplers and maybe a few live players when needed. The quality level meets TV and film standards.

Another form of studio is the home MIDI electronica mainly software studio with at least one or two mics. It could also be a demo or a song writing studio with mics or even just a little hobby studio, or just want to make music studio. All the above mentioned options can be accomplished but there are certain things you also need to look into really carefully before buying music gear.

Avoid buying the same feature over and over again on different pieces of music gear. You may only end up otherwise having a number of preamps, samplers and recorders that you cannot use and they are just an additional expenditure.

Do not buy Cubase and Sonar and try to get them to work together. Or get Sound Forge and Sonar, as these applications will not work at all on a Mac. Therefore, it is advisable to be well versed with the music gear before purchasing them.

The recorder you choose be it a multi track, computer sequencer, or MPC 4000 and MV8800 are the most far reaching decision you can make. But, you have to consider that choice carefully. It is advisable to learn one form and master it, and then you can resort considering buying them.

There are stores that offer 30 days return policy on music gear. This can also be a great idea that makes it real easy for you. Get it for trial and when you find it is perfect for you then only you can opt to buy.

Many people face a lot of difficulties with the software they buy because they do not understand or misread the recommended requirements to run the software. Never buy software if you cannot meet the stated requirements.

When buying a music gear try to stick to the companies that are supremely focused on your computer platform, your operating system and in some cases your motherboard and your CPU. Some soundcard drivers may refuse to work well with some chipsets on some motherboards.

Do a thorough research before buying music gear. Ask questions from your dealer or you will end up spending extra for your digital mixer. Therefore, the price of a piece of gear, which is at a lower price, may mean spending another extra dollars to make it work.

Always buy the latest music gear to avoid future expenditure. Buy the cheaper or a secondary music gear now, and then it will be outdated in some years and you will have to buy the new one and this will cause unnecessary expenditure. It is best to wait a year or two after the release and then buy the finished, mature, stable products. Features may look good on paper but may not sound good in music. If you buy cheap music gear you may just end up buying again.

Besides the above mentioned tips of buying music gear, there are other variables you need to look into, like the cost of service, the upgrades, software and many more. Above all, the bottom line is the sound that should be your prime concern. Focus on the sound coming out of the speakers. Great sound never goes out of style.

Snare Drum Buying Guide

The snare drum contains:
A shell or circular body. A top "batter" head and a bottom ultra-thin clear head. Chrome hoops (rims) that fasten the heads to the shell. Tension rods that screw into lug casings, these are used to tighten the rim onto the shell. Snare wires. A throw-off apparatus.

Whatever drum you buy make certain that the snare (thin metal strings on the bottom of the drum) are intact and that the throw-off lever on the side of the drum works properly. The throw-off is a chrome apparatus found on the side or the shell of the snare drum. It contains a lever that snaps the snare wires up against the bottom drumhead or releases them so that they hang about 1/8" below the head. When the throw-off or strainer is in the up position, you will hear the buzz of the snare wires. When the throw-off is in the sideways position, the drum will sound similar to a high-pitched tom-tom.

Tom-toms are similar to snare drums in that they have two heads fastened to a shell. They do not contain snare wires though. They also differ from the snare drum in their function. When checking the snare strainer, make sure that you can turn the snares on and off without too much effort. Also, make sure that the snares tighten and release quietly. If you do not get this on-off effect at all, it may simply mean that the snare wires are too loose. All quality snare drums have an adjustment knob that is part of the throw-off apparatus. If the snare is not working properly, try tightening this knob. You should feel the tension increase depending on the direction you turn it. If you turn the knob and it has no effect on the sound of the drum, chances are the apparatus is faulty. Don't buy this drum.

Finally-and this goes for any drum-check to see if the drum has any cracks in the shell and make sure that the rims or hoops that fasten the head to the shell are not bent or dented. Also, make sure that none of the tension rods (screws) are missing, and check that none of the lugs(tension rod casings) are stripped. Don't worry about heads, because these are dispensable. Often the head that comes with your purchase needs replacing anyway. Once upon a time, drumheads were made from calf hides (skin). However, the problem with skins was that they were very difficult to keep in tune due to fluctuations in the weather. They were also not very durable. Now days, we use plastic or Mylar heads on our drums and the most popular head manufacturer is Remo, although Evans and Aquarian make fine heads, too. On the bottom of your snare drum, you must use an ultra-thin clear head. Anything thicker will choke the snare wires and they will not vibrate. Also, you should use only a single-ply "batter" head on the top of your snare drum. The batter head is a rough, sand papery-surfaced head that is designed to give texture to brush strokes. If the head were smooth, brush-ing the head would have little effect. The batter head is also single-ply to allow for a crisper tone and more sustain.

Development of Steel Drums

Earlier the Musical instruments were devised by cutting varying lengths of bamboos. A by product of cultural gaps between the rich and the poor, steel drums have emerged with the musical quality of both the classes.

The early 1930s saw a great evolution in the history of steel drums with metal beating drums. The first pitched metal drum was made out of small metal containers, which were convex in shape. But with time it evolved to a great extent and now it is constructed from a 55 gallon barrel. Steel drums are a recently re-invented addition to the world of musical instruments.

Steel pan music reached new heights in the 19th century when a steel band got the opportunity to perform in common wealth celebrations. This gave steel drummers a new international exposure and gradually it became an established art form, revered by music lovers across the world. Steel drummers are adapting themselves in a varied number of ways to suit different tastes.
Instrumental music can broadly be categorized into the following types

Vocal supported instrumental music
Western instrumental music
Oriental classical music

Instrumental music has been very popular from ancient times. The different traditions of instrumental music have been as followed .

Andalusian classical music
Arab classical music
Gagaku, Gamelan
Classical Korean

The world of music is full of fun and thrills. So, be ready to sway every heart and soul with the lilting tunes of steel drums that are definitely going to jazz up the musical world.

With steel drums you can churn out almost everything ranging from buoyant pop tunes to hip hop music. Steel drums can churn out almost every type of music old, straight, alternative, orthodox as well as modern.
Characteristics of steel drums

Steel drums generally have a very high tempo.
It follows repetitious beats.
Steel drums are a product of western cultural scenario.
It produces high decibel sound.
It provides greater versatility to drummers.
It is capable of producing chromatic range of notes and tones.

Steel drum beats can actually transport you to a new different world of music and acts as a rebellion against established social norms. It can cast a hypnotic spell on its listeners.

10 Greatest Movies Of All Time

After hundreds of movies, thousands of eye-popping fight scenes and millions of punches thrown...which ones are the best? Which ones have I been missing out on my whole life? Which ones must I have in my collection in order to not bring shame upon my family name?

We’ve scoured the internet. Reviews. Forums. Amazon. Postings. Bulletins. And this list is what we’ve come up with as the greatest Kung-Fu movies of all time and why you should watch each one. Pay attention to movies involving Yuen Wo-Ping as either director or action director, there's a reason why half this list is movies where he was involved!

If you want to watch trailers of these movies, go to:

#1 - Way of the Dragon (1979)
#2 - Shaolin Temple (1982)
#3 - Ong Bak (2003)
#4 - Iron Monkey (1993)
#5 - 5 Deadly Venoms (1978)
#6 - The Seven Samurai (1954)
#7 - Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
#8 - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
#9 - Kill Bill vol. 1 (2003)
#10 - Fist of Legend (1994)

By:- Javier Lozano, Jr.

Visit:- Discount musical instruments

The Ipod Generations

For a better understanding about iPod generations, check the following:

On October 23, 2001, the first generation of iPod was released. The model name was iPod and had the storage capacity of 5 to 10 gb. It used FireWire connection to computers and it had a mechanical scroll wheel.

On July 17, 2002, the second generation of iPod was released. It had the storage capacity of 10, 20 gb. It used FireWire connection to computers and it had a touch-sensitive wheel. The Hold switch was revised. The FireWire port had a cover.

On April 28, 2003, the third generation of iPod was released. It had the storage capacity of 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 gb. It used FireWire connection to computers (USB for syncing only), and it had a central row of touch sensitive buttons. New backlit screen was introduced. Dock connector port was introduced.

On January 6, 2004, the first generation of iPod mini was released. It had the storage capacity of 4 gb. It used FireWire or USB connection to computers, and it introduced the "Click Wheel", which was later adopted by the fourth generation iPod. It was available in 5 colors.

On July 19, 2004, the fourth generation of iPod was released. It had the storage capacity of 20, 30, 40, 60 gb. It used FireWire or USB connection to computers, and buttons were integrated to form "Click Wheel". The monochrome model was replaced in June 2005 by the color display with photo viewer, which was introduced in October 2004.

On January 11, 2005, the first generation of iPod shuffle was released. It had the storage capacity of 512 mb, 1gb. It used USB connection to computers, and it had no screen, no click wheel. It used flash memory instead of hard drive storage.

On February 22, 2005, the second generation of iPod mini was released. It had the storage capacity of 4, 6 gb. It used FireWire or USB connection to computers , and it had longer battery life, and brighter color variants. Gold model discontinued. No AC adapter. The body color matched the click wheel lettering.

On September 7, 2005, the first generation of iPod nano was released. It had the storage capacity of 1, 2, 4 gb. It used USB connection to computers (FireWire for charging only), and it was the successor of iPod mini. Slimmer design, flash memory, color screen and lyrics support.

On October 12, 2005, the fifth generation of iPod was released. It had the storage capacity of 30, 60, 80 gb. It used USB connection to computers (FireWire for charging only), and it had large screen with video player and lyrics support. No AC adapter, Universal Dock, or A/V cables were included. It had black and white color variants. This model was revised in September 2006 (often called as generation 5.5) had a brighter display, a music search function, and a longer video battery life.

On September 12, 2006, the second generation of iPod shuffle was released. It had the storage capacity of 1 gb. It used USB (via dock only), and it had the aluminum case with smaller form factor. Built-in clip. Later multi-colored models were also released.

On September 12, 2006, the second generation of iPod nano was released. It had the storage capacity of 2, 4, 8 gb It used USB connection to computers (FireWire for charging only), and it had the anodized Aluminum case in 6 colors. Music search function, longer battery life, and brighter screen.

Learning to Piano Music

When you are sitting at the piano, your thoughts become reality. Your thoughts instantly take form as you are creating. Your barrier may be that you are focused on what once was, instead of focusing on the now! If all you do is focus on the fact that it was once easy for you to memorize, you are not focusing on the now. Present moment awareness is the key to learning to play the piano or any other instrument. It is also the key to learning anything in life that’s worthwhile learning.

The next time you practice just sit at the piano and meditate on what you are feeling. Don’t play, just feel. Does it feel stressful, joyful or painful? Are you anticipating stress or anticipating pain? Are you looking forward to playing or are you hearing little scripts in your head saying “you used to be great, now your not, you are not this, that, etc?” What are you feeling?

The next day, sit at the piano again and turn your attention to the now. Feel the joy of playing. Feel the joy of what it is to make beautiful sounds. Just let your hands explore over the keys, and listen to every note like it was the most beautiful sound you ever made! You are in the now! No one can steal this moment and pure joy from you. Feel the joy and the freedom in the now.

Once you have gone through this little exercise, and you are in the now, and every note becomes beautiful…even wrong notes. Now, in the present moment, without any negative thoughts to the contrary, you are ready to learn one thing at a time.