paint your own musical landscapes

Paint Your Own Musical Landscapes!Writen by Edward Weiss

I don't know why, but I find the idea of interpreting nature musically to be very appealing. Maybe it's because I'm attracted to nature's beauty, but the notion of communicating that beauty musically has always intrigued me.

Not being a very patient person, I wanted to find a way to capture a musical idea very quickly and sketch out an entire piece all at once. Visual artists do something called a thumbnail sketch and I wanted to do the same thing for music.

It then occured to me that if I just sketch out the first 8-bars of the piece, and write in the first 2-bars of melody, I could capture an idea that would be remembered weeks or even years later. It's amazing but this actually works! The secret is the melody.

If you can't read music and want to do this just do what I do. I write down the note values (quarter notes, half notes., etc.) and write the letter name of the note beside the note value. One of the most important things I've discovered over the years is that the note value (it's time length) is what really captures the idea. Just think of Beethoven's fifth symphony for a good example. Da Da Da Duh... These notes mark the whole composition.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/pianolessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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how to compose your own music using 8bar phrases

How to Compose Your Own Music Using 8-bar PhrasesWriten by Edward Weiss

Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius's do. What a myth! It's a skill that can be learned. What can't be learned is the intuition that guides the creative force. What can be learned is the technique. And the most important part of composing technique has to do with THINKING IN PHRASES.

A musical phrase can be 2-bars long. It can be from 4 to 8-bars long as well. It is a unit of music that composers use, along with repetition and contrast to create ENTIRE SECTIONS OF MUSIC. There is no secret here people. It's like building up a structure. That's why music is often referred to as frozen architecture. It is built up. The building up creates FORM. A structure such as ABA form can be composed of the A section (8-measures) B section (4 or more measures) then back to the A section.

Now you may be thinking, it looks logical but how does it transfer into actual music? Ah, this is where you get your feet wet and actually try composing a piece. We start from simple means and learn the principles of repetition and contrast first. We start with an 8-bar phrase for the A section.

Now a problem arises. How do I fill up this section? You can either start with the melody or with the chords. If you've had a chance to look at my free lesson, you'll see that by improvising, MATERIAL IS INSTANTLY CREATED! This solves your problem doesn't it? Now, you may be thinking, how do I get this material into the 8-bar framework you've been talking about? First, you need to be able to count in 3/4 or 4/4 time. Not very difficult but if you can't do this now, there are many sites on the web that can teach you this.

Now it's just a matter of transferring this raw improvisational material into the 8-bars. Most likely, you will be jotting down your chord changes. I explain this in a lot more detail in my online class. It's a quick sketch method. You have the raw uncensored germ coming from your improvisations - you then write down what chords you are playing and perhaps the first 2-bars of melody so you remember what the initial impulse was.

The reason I use the 8-bar phrase is that it is a nice unit of time to work with. I don't try and reinvent the wheel here. It's been used for centuries and can be used in New Age music as well. Once you have this 8-bar phrase you can repeat it and add in another section (B) to add contrast.

This may be hard to understand by just reading about it. You have to do it in order to really understand.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/pianolessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

college radio the most important radio level for musicians

College Radio: The Most Important Radio Level for MusiciansWriten by Kenny Love

For the self-promoting independent artist, the idea of taking on a radio promotion campaign can, in itself, become overwhelming. But, this idea is usually based on such artists attempting to obtain worldwide airplay on a local budget.

And, in doing so, self-promoting independent artists quickly discover another factor not usually considered previously... that engaging in a worldwide radio promotion campaign translates to hundreds and, possibly, thousands of CD units for media contacts alone.

As you can see, this can also quickly become a nightmare for indie artists, particularly, if the promotion budget only allows for the purchase of 1,000-CD packages at a time.

Starting in the 1980's, college radio became a dominant force in not only discovering independent recording artists, but also in introducing new artists to the general public. Hundreds of these particular artists have gone on to become established 'household' names.

Likewise, the college radio level has a continued history of presenting, practically, all forms of music, much of which would never see the proverbial light of day at the commercial radio level and, in many cases, neither at the non commercial level.

Therefore, if an artist has limited funds for radio promotion, it is highly advisable that the he begin exclusively with college radio for the following reasons:

* Far easier and faster access to airwaves

* Far more plentiful specialty and mix shows and programs

* Greater chances for both in-studio and telephone interviews to promote music releases

* More possibilities for station ID checks for further publicity

* Corresponding college campus newspapers that will more readily accept and support music aired on their campus stations for creating a campus-wide buzz

* A ready and built-in market in the campus community for repeated live performances to further support and supplement campus airplay and campus press coverage

* An opportunity for grassroots distribution through supplying both campus bookstores and campus music stores with music releases

Is the college market a viable market for your music sales?

Though the question is rhetorical in nature, please review the below U. S. college population statistics:

* There are 631 public 4-year colleges and universities that have a combined student population of 6,236,455.

* There are also 1,835 private 4-year colleges and universities with a combined student population of 3,440,953.

* Additionally, there exists 1,081 public 2-year colleges with a combined student population of 5,996,701.

* Even further, 621 private 2-year colleges host another 253,878 students.

This brings the average U. S. student population total to a whopping 15,927,987 minimum every year. And, more people are attending some form of higher education than ever before.

Now, even the least popular music genres are certain to find a financial comfort zone with a market of almost 16 million unique principals.

So, what results could really popular commercial music genres experience, simply by working the various entities of the college market, i.e., campus radio, campus press, campus bookstores, campus music stores, campus live performances? Quite pleasant ones, I would suspect.

But, remember! The above statistics only reference the United States college/university potential listenership. College radio also has a respectable portion of listeners who are *not* students.

Add to that, listeners of college radio who strictly listen to the streaming portion of college radio online, and who may, or may not, be in the college's geographical area, i.e., military service members.

Plus, there is lot more of the college market abroad, of which U. S.-based artists would do well to approach English- speaking nations first, i.e., United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, subsequently, moving into additional nations.

While it may (or may not) be true that it is possible for commercial radio stations to be the primary driving force behind most retail sales, that theory may not be so valid today, given the fact that:

* With the Internet, artists are no longer required to sell millions of CDs to make a great living financially

* Artists have greater and easier access to far more radio stations (broadcast, satellite, internet, college)

* With the college community, and all of its combined promotion and sales aspects (radio, bookstores, music stores, live performances), if conducted correctly, the college market campaign can equalize and, in some cases, even supersede commercial radio results.

[---Additional Statistics---

Top 10 College Enrollment:

Miami-Dade College (51,717)
University of Texas at Austin (50,616)
Ohio State University (48,477)
University of MinnesotaTwin Cities (46,597)
University of Florida (46,516)
Arizona State University (45,693)
Texas A&M University (44,618)
Michigan State University (44,227)
University of Wisconsin Madison (40,912)
Pennsylvania State University at University Park (40,828)

(The above figures were reported in Almanac 2004-2005, published by the Chronicle of Higher Education, August 27, 2004.)

What College Students Spend on Music:

According to a recent Harris Interactive survey, college students spend $200 billion...that's right...BILLION dollars per year, with 76% of the students having spent $2,746,000 on music alone.

Note: As an added advantage, the self-promoting independent artist should also create an Internet radio promotion campaign simultaneously, since most 'net stations are accepting of MP3 files for airplay, thus, reducing packaging and shipping costs of CDs to stations.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

About the Author:

Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion, media publicity and music business/career firm for musicians. He is also the author of Explosive CD $ales Tips, as well as publisher of The B# Newsletter, a highly informative music business resource. Visit his website at http://www.MuBiz.com

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choosing salsa music

Choosing Salsa MusicWriten by E Margolin

Looking for the right salsa music is easy once youve been exposed to salsa beats long enough. But if you want to groove to the salsa rhythms, here are some recommended CDs that will have you dancing for days!

SALSA FRESCA This is an excellent CD for those who love to dance salsa, not just listen to it. This compilation CD have you grooving salsa style all night long. Its inviting rhythmic beats are particularly good for those who love to Mambo. This CD is even a keeper for non-dancers. A must have for your CD collection!

TONY VEGA GREATEST HITS Tony Vegas has charm and Latin gentleman appeal that can be heard in his music. His musical style appeals to everyone. It is smoothe and romantic yet energetic and upbeat This is an unmatched collection of Tony Vega hits from 1989-1994. His songs are infused with romantic tones and sensuous Cuban Mambo and Puerto Rican Salsa style beats.

Rough Guide: Salsa Dance ~ various artists A huge selection of musical compilations put out under the Rough Series. Rough Guide: Salsa Dance is one of the hotter Latin music themed albums to be released to date.

Rough Guide: Salsa Dance vol. 2 ~ various artists An upbeat album that will have you dancing the instant you hear it! This album is sizzling HOT. You wont stop dancing because the music is electrifying!

Ultra Mix: The Best of Salsa This is a must-have CD for any salsa. Some say its best suited for listening, while others are convinced its one of the best compilation discs for salsa dancing. Go to your local music store of check it out online. Youll be glad you did.

These CD selections are a great way to begin your salsa music collections. However, some other great tips to finding great salsa CDs is by listening to local radio shows that feature Latin American, Cuban and Afro beats. Most likely youll also be able to hear some salsa beats youve never heard before. Listening to these types of radio shows exposes you to the different sounds and usually makes mention of the artists that are being played. This will make your shopping experience so much easier.

Also consider checking out your local salsa dance bar or salsa dance studio. The DJ or dance instructor would be happy to tell you what albums and / or songs they are playing.

Check out your local music store or go online to find the above mentioned CDs. I guarantee your neighbors will be banging on your door wanting to know what it is you a re playing. These salsa CDs are that good!

Happy Shopping! Oh, but dont forget to check out www.salsadancedvd.com where youll hear the above mentioned artists and more. But you will also get the best salsa dance training available. Dont forget to check it out!

Evan Margolin shares his passion for salsa through DanceSF, the premier salsa studio in the Bay Area, his Learn to Salsa DVDs (http://www.salsadancedvd.com) and SalsaCrazy.com, a comprehensive guide to salsa news and events in the Bay Area

terje isungset igloo ice music all ice records music review

Terje Isungset - Igloo Ice Music All Ice Records - Music ReviewWriten by Kiva Boyd

Ah, the sounds of nature! Bird song choruses swirl and flutter. The wind elicits pops and swaying creaks from tree limbs. Insects buzz and whir. Thunder booms and lightning crackles. And then there is water. Water has so many voices it's hard to list them all. The whoosh and pitter of rain. The ceaseless growly hush of waves. The liquid applause of a waterfall. We're so used to the various sounds of water, it's hard to imagine life without them. The new cd Igloo by Terje Isungset poses the question of what would water sound like if not heard in a passive way, but if used actively as an instrument. The answer is, amazing!

This CD is just a lot of fun. It's a recording made at the annual Ice Hotel in Sweden. Perhaps you've seen it on TV before. It's that hotel that a group of artists and architects carve out of ice and snow for a few weeks in the winter. They light it from the inside so it glows in brilliant yellows and blues. Beds are carved from ice and covered with animal skin rugs. Ice shot glasses are filled with vodka and you sit drinking at a bar and on a barstool made of ice! From what I've seen of it the whole deal just sings out magic and wonder. Now from that same group of artists comes. Igloo. The cool thing about it is that all of the instruments are also carved out of ice!

So what do instruments carved out of ice sound like? Well, for lack of a better word, they sound watery. They are soft and organic with a surprising warmth. There is a hushed and mysterious quality to this music that is further enhanced by the ethereal, swirling vocals that coo and glide through it. At times the music drifts into Bjork or Sigur Ros territory but it never strays too far from a shimmery and warmly percussive soundscape. The instruments have wonderful names such as, Ice Harp, Iceofone and Ice Horn to name a few. It must have been great to be at the Ice Hotel knocking back a few vodkas and listening to this.

As with many conceptual pieces of art this work is best enjoyed as a whole. Certainly there are separate parts that stand out but an entire listen is immersive and engrossing. The CD packaging is both visually and tactilely engaging. It comes in a thick slip cover made from a textured and opaque plastic. The front has 5 strips cut out in the shape of icicles which reveal the icey blue color of the cover. An additional cut is made along the spine which reveals a small vial that contains water! One is tempted to throw the whole thing in the freezer for a few hours, pull it out and start rubbing and scraping it to make some music.

Igloo is a great release both in concept and execution. The sound (produced by minimalist drone-wizard Deathprod) is both surprising and exciting. You come away from it wondering what other music is out there hidden in our everyday lives.

Blog San Diego is an online resource for live music reviews, cd reviews, music news & features.

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where did the music video come from

Where Did the Music Video Come From?Writen by Ispas Marin

Although the first music video ever broadcasted was Video Killed the Radio Star played by MTV in 1981, some consider the music video to be much older than that year. It seems that the film Alexander Nevsky, directed by Sergei Eisenstein in 1938 had some extended images of battles which had been choreographed by Sergei Prokofiev. These new scenes were so innovative that they have lately been considered to be the first music video.

Apparently, the music video is even much older than these innovative scenes. The 1911 Alexander Scriabins symphony Prometheus: Poem of Fire was written for orchestra and light organ. Oskar Fischingers animated movies were considered to be other ancestors of the music video as they were called visual music and they were equipped with orchestral scores.

Max Fleischers short cartoons were also considered to be attempts of a music video. He created a new type of cartoons, the sing-along cartoons which he called Screen Songs. These short cartoons were inviting the public to sing along to famous songs at that time. Few years later, in the 1930s, these cartoons were changed; they displayed the musicians singing their hit songs in front of the camera in a live-action show.

Walt Disney also contributed to the music video evolution through his Silly Symphonies which were based on musical pieces. The Warner Brothers cartoons were also created around songs. But the most popular videos were the live music concerts, performing popular singers, videos which were displayed in theatres.

Bessie Smiths dramatized performance of a song was another attempt to make a music video. This performance consisted in a short film named Saint Louis Blues. It was very popular and it had been played in theatres for more than 3 years. She wasnt the only musician that appeared in short musical materials. Many musicians liked the idea and started shooting their own materials. Music historian Donald Clarke considers that Louis Jordans strange feature film Lookout is the official ancestor of the music video.

In conclusion, it seems that the first music video issue is still a controversial subject. The important thing that needs to be noted is that the music video is by far much older than the television which made it famous: MTV.

For a great data base of music video codes just visit us at http://www.videocode.org

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what in the world would we do without music

What In The World Would We Do Without Music?Writen by Duane Shinn

What in the world would you and I do if there was no such thing as music?

Can you imagine a world without music? No songs, no tunes, no rock, no roll, no jazz, no hymns, no boogie-woogie, no country-western, no symphonies. No singing in the shower. No whistling Dixie.

Lovers wouldnt have songs to romance to. There would be no such thing as our song. Sinatra couldnt fly to the moon. Elvis couldnt complain about people stepping on his blue suede shoes. Tony Bennett would have to write a letter about how he left his heart in San Francisco. Willie might go on the road again, but without a guitar. And Ray Charles would look pretty strange up on stage without a piano telling us that Georgia is on his mind.

Then when the wedding day arrived, what would the bride march down the isle to? A poem? Silence? Applause? And when the happy couple marched out of the church together, would they do it to the bark of neighborhood dogs, or perhaps all the wedding guests talking at once?

And at the reception, what would they dance to? The Funky Chicken just isnt the same without music. Since rhythm is part of music, no drums would even be allowed.

And the honeymoon I suppose would take place with radio news on, or perhaps the educational channel accompanied by the drone of an air-conditioner.

When baby arrives, do we lull her to sleep with a reading from Shakespeare? Or perhaps random readings from the dictionary or encyclopedia? Could we bore her to sleep with words?

Nursery rhymes would have to be chanted or recited instead of sung. School music programs would of course be non-existent, as would school choirs and orchestras and bands. When the school football team plays, there would be no school fight song. Cheerleaders would have to cheer and dance minus any music.

And when those birthdays roll around, we would have to all recite together in a monotone happy birthday to you.

And when duty calls, what would soldiers march to? What would take the place of music in parades, since there would be no marching bands? John Philip Sousa would have had to get a day job.

And on the 4th of July there would be no patriotic songs just speeches. At Christmas time there would be no Christmas carols. No rousing gospel music at Easter, no hymns in church.

And can you imagine radio without music? Nothing but news and talk shows and bla bla bla bla.

I dont know about you, but Ive had it up to here just thinking about it. Im heading for the piano now to celebrate the fact that our Creator gave us the wonderful and inspiring and uplifting gift of music that we all take for granted.

I think Ill play a nursery rhyme or two, then the wedding march, then Silent Night, then Auld Lang Syne, then Fur Elise, then the blues, then a little jazz, then and then...

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music courses for adults including How To Add Runs & Fills To Your Piano Playing He is also the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions with over 63,400 current subscribers.

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