When I think of music and December, I think Trans-Siberian Orchestra. (often abbreviated as TSO)

TSO is recognized throughout the holidays for their original musical style (classical, orchestral, symphonic and progressive elements into hard-driving metal rock). Both in the recording studio and live, a full orchestra is used along with choirs and a constantly growing and changing group of singers and musicians. Add Christmas lyrics and you`ve got some great music for the holidays. They are also known for their massive light shows, lasers, pyrotechnic, video screens and other effect synchronized to their music.

Worth Mentioning
Since the band started touring, they have donated over $10 million to local and national charities. At every tour stop, the group donates one dollar or more from each ticket sold to a local charity in the city they are performing in. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Orchestra)

As a music site, it’s hard to talk about TSO without mentioning their founder Paul O’Neill, a composer, producer, lyricist and song-writer, who has managed and produced rock bands including Aerosmith, Humble Pie, AC-DC , Joan Jett and Scorpions, later writing for and producing Savatage.

Reading about their journey, the band members and the great vision is both interesting and inspiring. For more information, you can visit their website http://trans-siberian.com/.

And in the spirit of the holiday season, I strongly recommend watching some of their concert videos on their site, by doing a search over at Youtube.com or at http://www.last.fm/music/Trans-Siberian+Orchestra

Enjoy!

The Simple Flute written by Michel Debost , is a book that contains a goldmine of useful information to anyone interested in playing the flute with greater love and confidence.

In a nutshell, he employs ordinary experiences in our everyday lives to demystify principles such as breathing, posture, hand position and support. His recommendations, sometimes shockingly opposed to conventional teachings, are always supported by logical reasoning or exercises that can easily be verified by the player.

His witty, matter of fact style of writing is extremely engaging and the layout of the book, in short sections arranged alphabetically, makes it accessible to all readers and permits quick reference to points the reader may want to review.

As for his credentials they are impeccable. He was the successor to the legendary Jean-Pierre Rampal as professor of flute at the highly esteemed Conservatoire de Paris, was principle flute for the Orchestre de Paris for decades and taught at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
I would heartily recommend this book to any flute player, beginner or advanced.
Vic

The Simple Flute: from A to Z
by Michel Debost
Oxford University Press
2002 – Music – 282 pages

Did you know that prostate cancer affects 1 out of 6 men?
If this is so common, why is it not commonly talked about?

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most men find this topic difficult to talk about mainly due to the causes, symptoms, treatment and side effects it causes.

Fortunately, more and more awareness is done through fundraisers and men are being open about their diagnosis.

Here are a few names you might recognize:

Dan Fogelberg
(August 13 1951 – December 16th 2007)
An American singer-songwriter and composer who’s life was affected by prostate cancer. His wife Jean is now trying to have him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Frank Zappa
Died from PCa in 1993

Charlie Wilson
Diagnosed in 2008, he became the American National Spokesperson for Prostate Cancer Foundation

James Brown
Successfully treated with surgery in 2004

Harry Belafonte
Advocate since 1996 when he was diagnosed and successfully treated

Andrew Lloyd Webber (2009)

So what does all of this have to do with a music website?

Benefit concerts are being put together all over the world thanks to people like Ron Laframboise who was responsible for the recent event, Rockin’ For The Boys, featuring special guest Zack Werner (Canadian Idol judge) and backup band The Blue Jacks.

I’d like you to meet Laurie and her husband Rommie Overton. In June 2010, Rommie was diagnosed with Stage 3 prostate cancer (PCa). Laurie has a dream to bring musicians together to bring awareness. In her own words, this is their story:

My husband was diagnosed with Pca last June. Went in for a routine physical, no symptoms at all and from there our lives have changed. Rommie is a Gleason 8 stage 3. We are optimistic, hopeful, and true believers that life is still great and worth the fight. Along with all the seriousness of taking care of business, tests, appointments and living, we still need to have fun. My husband has loved playing the guitar ever since he was a young boy. Never made it to the big time, but had a whole lot of fun playing and performing in school bands and performed in a local band after school. Fast forward all these years later, still playing, for fun and the love of music.

When we first dived into all the reading materials and the information about this disease we were overwhelmed. My husband Rommie would often get his guitar out and start plucking away, and I saw the way it soothed his soul. I started thinking if 1 in 6 men are diagnosed each year, there has to be a lot of musicians who have this disease as well. Then I told my husband what if the prostate (cancer) survivors/members could start up their own band? And make it a Nationwide and Worldwide event? Certainly music crosses all boundaries and brings people together. We have shared this idea with US TOO International and Terri Gibbons and Pam Barrett have emailed us back and forth. They posted an article about us in the 20th Gala Newsletter (pg. 28) We are thrilled to work with them too.

If you have any members and their families who are interested in joining a band please direct them to PCband.org and they can sign up there. This site is brand new and we still are adding to it’s content. Our goal is to have members from all states and countries play in a spectacular event, perhaps a venue like in Las Vegas, or each state/country can play on the same date, altogether, to promote Awareness, Research and Funding for Prostate Cancer and everyone’s dream goal: To find a Cure! This could be the most memorable event to have those “brave warriors” on stage performing and reminding everyone, Life is worth Living! We are also trying to get the word out and hopefully grab the attention of other well known artists and bands to join up for this project.

Spread the word, share your talent, inspire your fellow man! We figure, if we can play loud enough, we will be heard!

PCBand.org is currently recruiting band members who know first hand the struggles of prostate cancer to reach their goal of having two concerts a year. For more information, please visit their website and show your support!

It’s been a long time since the electric guitar moved on from being something you could effectively teach yourself. Whether you want to be the next John Petrucci in terms of technical skill or you’re more interested in being about to write and construct songs that make grown men go weak at the knees you’ll need a good teacher!

But what is a good teacher? Good teaching can mean different things to different people, some like to be pushed, some encouraged and everyone likes a sense of humour. At least everyone except jazz musicians! I’ve personally had teach I’ve liked, respected and looked up to, but equally I’ve had a few teachers I was glad to see the back of! Here I would like to outline a few questions you can ask when finding a new teacher, to try and insure yourself against bad experiences. These are my golden three!

1. What style(s) do you prefer to teach? This is important. More or less every teaching advert you see will try and advertise ‘all genres’. And far be it from me to tell you that these guys are not versatile, most of them are. But all guitar players, including teachers, have a favourite style. Something they are more comfortable with. If you want to learn to be a cracking jazz guitar player you are not going to want to learn an old bluesman. You’re going to want to get not only good teaching, but relevant tips and hints.

2. Could you tell me a bit about your experience? Not only is experience a great thing for any teacher to have, it is also going to give you a bit of an idea about what areas of the music business outside of teaching that the person sat across from you knowledge of. At some point during your playing, if you take it even a little bit seriously you’re going to want to either record something or perhaps do some live playing. Or both! It would be great to know in advance if your teacher can help you out with either of these or even further continuing with your own career in music!

3. Could you explain to me your teaching method? This is an interesting one, mostly to see if the teacher can actually give you an answer. I’ve known some excellent teachers over the years that would still have been stumped to answer that question on the spot. You know that you’ll have a good experience however if the guy can tell you how he goes about teaching. Someone who thinks their lessons through is going to be able to get better results than someone who wings it, never mind how good they are. You don’t teach a 8 year old girl and a 22 year old man the same with, even if they both want to get to the same place – as the next Slash!

Remember to ask these (and I’m sure you’ve got your own) and you won’t go far wrong. Pick carefully and correctly and you’ll end up with a fantastic teacher, a great mentor and hopefully a good friend.

Good luck!

Harry

Author:  Louisa

Just as The United States is considered to be a ‘melting pot’ of humanity, jazz is also a melting pot of musical styles. In the south, during the late part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century, a style of piano music called Ragtime became immensely popular. Also during this same time period, Blues music was developed by African Americans, stemming from the spirituals that were sung by slaves while working in the fields.

These two different types of music came together in the 1920′s to form a entirely new kind of music. In 1917, a group of musicians from New Orleans, Louisiana, who went by the name, Original Dixieland Jazz Band, made a recording of this style of music that instantly became popular. A typical jazz band of this era, consisted of a horn section, as well as piano, sting bass and drums, sometimes including a banjo or a tuba, and early jazz music did not usually feature vocals.

The next decade saw the advent of big bands that had ten or more performers, and Swing music was created. After that, there was a tremendous surge in the popularity of jazz music in the thirties and forties. Some of the greatest and most well known jazz bands came from this period. After the forties, the popularity of jazz and jazz bands started to decline, but it is still enjoyed to this day by many people.

Today, jazz bands usually fall into five different categories. Bebop, which is known for its unconventional irregularities, Cool Jazz, which is understated and somewhat restrained, Latin Jazz, which is combined with Latin dance rhythms, Free Jazz, an experimental sound developed in the sixties, and Fusion, which is blended with rock music and is known for the use of electronic instruments.

Many people agree that the musician with the most influence on jazz music was Louis Armstrong. He was a trumpet player from New Orleans who was known for his inventiveness in playing both the trumpet and cornet, as well as for his singing voice, which was distinctively deep and gravelly. Mr. Armstrong is known for his ability to bridge the racial gap in music, thereby bringing the great pleasure of listening, dancing to, and singing along with jazz music and jazz bands to a much larger audience.

Today, jazz bands use an amazing variety of instruments, including African percussion, violas, and synthesizers. Jazz and jazz bands will always have avid fans from all over the world.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/jazz-and-jazz-bands-5239538.html

About the Author

Louisa Coan is writing on behalf of Sax and Honey, Who are an award-winning Jazz Duo for weddings, parties and corporate events throughout the UK. They also offer Jazz swing bands and Jazz band hire

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Author:  criss evan

A music licensing company plays a very important role in the life of a budding artist. Today innumerable songs are recorded by various fresh artists every day. While some of the songs gain immense popularity, majority of them get lost amongst the musical chaos. Music libraries are also a great way to store your music as original content. The music directors and producers can refer to these music libraries and select the music of their choice and can get it licensed from a music licensing company. That music can now be exclusively used by the producer and music director for the films, serials or music videos only. No other person has the right to use the music in any form without prior permission from the person who has the license for it. The coming of the music libraries and music licensing company is a boon for the budding talents as they gain prominence with the music being released.

It has been noted quite often that the name of a singer is changed on the cover of the music CDs as well as in films and videos. This happened because the singer did not have his music licensed with a music licensing company or did not have his music stored in any music libraries. This has led to the fact that the identity of the original singer did not come in the picture only. His/her name found no place in the music world or with the audience. If the music was licensed at a music licensing company, this would not have been possible as the company or the artist could have filed a case against the music releasing company. This would be a serious copyright issue and leads to lots of legal hassles for the production company. The music licensing company also helps the original singer in the legal case. Many licensing companies also have their own music libraries, where all the music by the artists they are licensing is present. They act as ready database for the music producers and directors.

Apart from maintaining genuineness and authenticity of the music, some other functions of a music licensing company are as follows:

• Promoting and popularizing the music of the budding artists is also included in the job of a music licensing company. They help in storing the created music in the various music libraries, so that they remain secured in the future too. For the success of a singer or a music creator, it is important that the music reaches out to the masses as largely as possible. This is done easily by a music licensing company.

• A music licensing company also makes the musical compositions notable with producers and directors of movies and videos with their music libraries. They can easily select the kinds of music that is required for the video or the film from the music libraries The licensing company tries to highlight the emerging artists more.

• Payment to the music licensing company is made when the music helps in getting revenues. Without any return, no money is paid to the company.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/ensure-originality-and-authenticity-with-a-music-licensing-company-5231713.html

About the Author

Criss Evan is a music lover. He has good knowledge on music libraries. For more information on music licensing company , he recommends to visit http://www.musicdealers.com/

Author:  Heather

If there\’s one thing I\’ve learned in the past few years, it\’s that life can change in an instant. You never know what new situations or experiences will be brought your way, or how those experiences will change your life forever. It\’s up to you to make changes in your life to experience something new and go in a new direction.

In my own experiences, I\’ve learned that taking risks to explore new possibilities is always worth it – you never know what you\’re going to learn or gain from it. I\’ve had one defining moment that completely changed the direction my life was going in. Prior to this change, sports were the focus of my life, but now I had to decide whether to continue in the same path I was going in or to follow this new interest that stood before me.

The show was about to begin, and the audience suddenly became very quiet, anticipating what was about to happen. I was sitting in the seventh row of a full auditorium, mostly comprised of older adults and retirees – I was thirteen. The curtain was still closed, but we all listened closely as we heard the drummer count off a beat with his drumsticks – ‘One, two, three, four,’ he said in a commanding tone.

After much anticipation, the curtain finally opened and the music began. A family of seven brothers and one sister (all between the ages of twelve and thirty) stood before us on stage, playing and singing along to their renditions of popular songs. I felt my face light up in excitement, anticipating what they were going to do next.

Little did I know, this show was about to change my life. I watched their performance in awe as they played multiple instruments, sang in perfect harmony, danced, and received complete satisfaction from audience members. The family was smiling the whole time they were on stage, and even after almost two hours of performing, they didn\’t even look tired. The energy level was high, and it was evident that they put everything they had into this performance. I wondered how they managed to do so every night.

After seeing how much fun this family had on stage, I had a newfound passion for music and performing. My new goal in life was to become a performer, singing and dancing on stage every night. Immediately I wanted to learn how to play several instruments, and I quickly increased the number of dance classes I was taking each week.

Since the night of that show, my teenage years were consumed with music and dance lessons up until my senior year of high school. My schedule was constantly ‘go, go, go\’ as I had dance classes five days a week and music lessons on top of that. But while music and performing occupied the vast majority of my time, I loved every single second of it.

I would always tell people, ‘Music is my life.’ Being involved in music made me feel like nothing else mattered and like I could achieve anything I set my mind to. I was a late starter when it came to music and had many challenges to overcome while I sought to become a performer. I never seriously considered making music a career, though, until my freshman year of high school, and by then, most other musicians had been practicing on their chosen instruments since they were in elementary school.

People expressed doubt in my ability to become a musician, but their uncertainty made me persevere that much more. All I wanted to do was perform – it was a desire no one could stop me from pursuing.

After a few months in music lessons, I realized music was something that came pretty naturally to me. Of course I still became frustrated when I couldn\’t play something the right way, but I kept with it, no matter how hard my teachers pushed me.

I can\’t explain why exactly I became so involved with music, but it was something I was passionate about and made me extremely happy. Whenever lessons got hard, I would think back to when I saw the family performing on stage, and how happy they were to be performing. ‘This is my goal. I will be that happy performing in front of people someday too,’ I would remind myself. I always dreamed about the day when I would perform in my first professional show, and it constantly brought a smile to my face.

On the night of the show, one member of the family shared a quote they all live by ­– ‘Live to love, and love to live.’ This quote has stayed with me since. I loved music, and it was something I wanted to continue with, no matter how hard I had to push myself. I wanted to do something that made me genuinely happy, and music filled that void that existed inside me.

Music contributed to so many aspects of my life. Memories will stick with me forever of when my dad and I would play classic oldies on the guitar and how he took me to every single one of my music lessons throughout many years of my life. Music was an out for me. Whenever I had a bad day, I could pull out my guitar or violin and start playing to make the pain go away. Music is something I will always love, and although I\’m no longer pursuing it as a career, it is something I can continue with for the rest of my life. Music was, and always will be, a part of my life.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/love-is-in-the-music-5228685.html

About the Author

Author:  Sam Chapman

The Musicians Union was set up to protect the right of musicians. They negotiate and set standard minimum fees and terms of service for those in the industry. There is also a whole range of advice and guidance available including approved performance and recording contract for things like session work as well as legal advice available. It can be costly having contracts drawn up and professional music industry legal advice is very expensive. Joining the MU give you access to these.

An important benefit is that as a member you are covered for public liability insurance so that if any member of the public is injured then you have protection up to £10 million in place. Many venues and promoters will ask for evidence of this so you should really have this in place. Joining the MU is a cost effective way of doing so.

Being a member of the MU also allows you to participate in seminars and industry workshops and is great for networking. You have access to a whole range of music professional working in different disciplines. For a monthly fee you can get all of this and more. There are different levels of membership according to your needs so the MU is affordable to everyone.

In 2011 it is important the musicians are represented in the industry separately to all the major organisations. Individually many musicians don\’t have a voice but collectively through the MU they do. Being a member of the MU also shows that you take your career seriously and are committed to being a professional musician – something that potential employers are looking for.

The MU also plays a big part in government policy and is influential in shaping such policies. It allows musicians to stay in touch with issues that affect them and acts as a feedback forum. With fewer live performance venues due to government policy the justification for the MU has never been greater.

The music industry is a great industry to work in but it is after all a business. It is great to know that there is some protection out there for grassroots musicians trying to make a living. For more information visit the Musicians Union website.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/why-join-the-musicians-union-5204242.html

About the Author

For a great live wedding band, live corporate band and live Tribute Band visit Music Live UK.

Author:  Matt Dean

Do you panic at the thought of choosing the appropriate drumstick sizes? This guide is here to help you fight through the many options and come out with the perfect pair. Oo er!

WHICH DRUM STICK?

Walking into a well stocked music shop to purchase your first pair of drum sticks may cause you to stop dead in your tracks as you are faced with the huge wall of pigeon holes, each stacked full of different sizes and varieties of things with which to hit drums. It can be daunting but here is a little guide that may help you.

The choice of materials is vast with some of the popular woods used being rosewood, which is a very dense and hard wood; maple, which is light and soft; hickory, which is slightly harder and more durable than maple; and Japanese oak, which is very hard, durable and heavy. Beyond wood, a drummer may also consider carbon fibre, graphite, aluminium, fibre glass, plastic, sticks with LEDs that illuminate upon impact, or ergonomic sticks, which fit the contours of the hand. There is also the market of signature sticks, of which just about every well known drummer in the professional arena has designed to their personal specifications. Most just offer an alternative size, weight or balance but there are some more unusual sticks on offer.

Basic Features

However, each stick consists of the same basic design features. These are the butt (bottom end), shaft (straight area, which the hand grips), shoulder (tapered area), and tip (which strikes the drum head). The tapered area could be very gradual on a lighter drum stick or very severe on a heavier stick.

Furthermore, since 1958, thanks to Joe Calato of the American drumstick company Regal Tip, we also have the nylon tip. In reaction to the damage caused to the tips of wooden drum sticks, Calato designed this nylon tip to protect the tip whilst also achieving a brighter, more articulate sound. The wood tip offers a warmer, more organic sound.

Beyond the bright sounding nylon tip, the timbre can dramatically change depending on the tip of the stick. Many different shapes and sizes are offered in this market but the popular types are a round tip, olive tip, barrel tip or pointed tip. The round tip is bright and focused, the olive tip offers full, low tones and increased durability, the barrel and pointed tips both offer a medium tone, although the barrel has more focus due to it’s decreased contact area.

So which stick do you choose?

Luckily a universally recognised numbering system was devised in the 20th century to help us poor drummers out. Although different manufacturers vary the sizing slightly, it does give us a rough guide as to what we should buy. In this system a letter and a number is assigned to the sticks. The letter refers to the intended application of the stick as denoted by S, A, and B. The A confusingly stands for orchestra. These sticks are the lightest and were initially intended for big band type group playing. The B stands for band, with the original application of brass bands and symphonic concert bands. These were heavier than the A sticks but still able to play at softer dynamics. The third letter, S, stands for street and were designed as the largest and heaviest available. Street uses included marching band and drum corps. The accompanying number simply refers to the circumference of the stick and popular numbers are five, seven, and two. The larger the number, the smaller the circumference.

Ok, still hanging on through all that info? Here\’s the important bit then.

Although bearing the A for orchestra in the original plan, 5A are a very popular choice as the standard beginners drum stick for drum kit applications. These are a sensible place to start for most players. For younger drummers who require a lighter stick, 7A is a great alternative. If you\’re a big person and want to hit hard, maybe try a 5B or even 2B if you’re hardcore.

With regards to which wood, whether or not a nylon tip is important, etc, it really is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong and it takes many years of experimentation to find what works best for each player. The sensible action to take is to go to your local music shop, pick up some different sizes and get a feel for them. If they feel good, then go for it.

If you are picky, many drummers will roll them along a flat surface at the shop to detect any imperfections causing ‘bananas’. If you’re even more picky, some drummers will tap the sticks together in such a way as to ascertain the fundamental tone of the stick, ensuring that each stick is the same and therefore the notes played by them will sound even.

I hope that was an interesting insight and now you have some idea of what to look for. Have fun trying out the different sizes until you find your perfect match.

Visit Matt’s website for more articles, videos, a drum blog and other useful resourses on the subject of drumming. If you have any questions or want to get in touch, send him a message at http://www.mattdeanworld.co.uk.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-choose-drumstick-sizes-5218230.html

About the Author

Author:  Erin B.

Americana Music is probably one of the many music genres that cannot define itself accurately. An Americana fan, when asked of its description, usually answers one of these two lines: ‘It’s a combination of American roots music that is more country, but actually has a mix of bluegrass, alt country, contemporary folk, soul gospel and even rock,’ or, the less complicated, ‘I’ll know it when I hear it. ‘If you’re one of those who stumbled upon this kind of music and are curious, then I recommend you keep reading.

Americana Music History

According to the American Music Association, or AMA, it is a type of music which has American roots, but is infused with the traditions of country. ‘While its musical model can still be traced back to the Elvis Presley unity of ‘hillbilly music’ and RnB that gave birth to rock n roll, Americana as a radio format emerged in the 1990′s as an answer to the highly polished sound that dominated the mainstream music of the decade.’

At first, the genre was a major confusion to music lovers. It has been loosely defined way back 1990s when it first started as a radio format. What was clear during those days was that the number of Americana fans have grown in number as much as its singers have. Up to now, its definite explanation is still being debated. Ask 10 different Americana fans and you\’ll most likely gather 10 different interpretations.

The Americana Music Association

With the help and support of the American Music Association, the Americana music rose to even more prominence. It is a profit organization made to provide professional support and market the Americana music both locally and internationally. To strengthen promotions, AMA works with different artists, publishers, radio stations and many other form of media. AMA has also infused its organization with networking possibilities established on an excellent infrastructure that boasts transparency and stability.

Every September, the AMA hosts an Americana and Awards Show in Nashville in order to promote awareness of the music and to recognize and discover talented Americana artists. In addition, the organization also distributes newsletter, conducts market research, produces radio airplay charts and updates on the latest Americana music related activities across the United States.

Unforgettable Americana Artists

If you have seen the Oscar winning movie ‘Crazy Heart’ starring Jeff Bridges, then you have encountered one of the most successful line-up of Americana Songs. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Some great names in the field of Americana music include Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, Old Crow Medicine Show, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash and many more.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/understanding-americana-music-5218592.html

About the Author

Wanna listen to upcoming Americana Music? Check out http://www.ErinOBryan.com . There you can learn more about Erin and hear the best Americana songs that she has written throughout her career.