Many of the music artists we look up to as role models are the sort of people we should not be trying to follow. Do we really want to be worshiping some artist who is getting into drugs and other illegal activities? For our young teenagers it is very important that they have the right role models whom set the right example. Cody Simpson is one of the good role models, someone who really does deserve to be looked up to.

Cody Simpson is a pretty young guy, he only recently just turned 14, yet the support from his family seems to have made him a really sweet person. Cody seems to have a real love of music, and because he is a gifted singer he is able to spread that joy with all the fans. The more famous he gets the more down to earth and sweet he seems to get. Take for example the young American girl who was in a car crash just a few weeks after going to a Cody Simpson concert. Cody being the sweet thing he is decided to visit her in hospital and even sing a little for her. That is a really nice thing to do, and other artists could learn a thing or two.

You would think with all the screaming girls Cody has chasing him, he would take advantage like we have seen countless other stars. Yet Cody treats them nicely as his fans, signs autographs, writes letters back and even makes videos. He dodges the whole subject of the girls “falling in love” with him. In fact Cody was recently quoted mentioning that he had sung a love song to the girl he liked in front of her own family. The girl’s grandmother and mother then burst into tears at the gorgeous gesture.

This just goes to show how sweet Cody is and what a great role model he makes.

Do you have a talent in music and want to make it in the industry, the Cody Simpson way? Then listen up because this is the story of how a 13 year old Australian boy went from singing at family barbeques to singing in front of massive crowds.

First up you need to find out how good you really are at singing, ask your friends and family to be brutally honest because the later you find out you can’t sing the more humiliating it can be for you. Everyone could tell how great of a singer Cody was early on; his singing voice would captivate anyone that listened.

The next thing you need is a video camera and a YouTube account. What you are going to do is record videos of yourself singing and submit them to YouTube. If you can play an instrument, do this to accompany your singing; if not do it with music (or without), the choice is up to you. It is a good idea to sing to popular songs, or classics and people are more likely to view your video. Unpopular music won’t be getting you any fans. Cody Simpson chose to cover artists such as Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake.

Now all you have to do is build up a fan base on the video sharing site. You can do this by commenting on relevant videos, uploading your version of a song as a reply to the official and even through other social networking sites. The trick is to get the fans and keep them coming.

Once you start to build up a bigger and bigger fan base, your videos will become better rated, and this is how people in the music industry will find you. With a little bit of luck and a whole heap of talent you may just be discovered like Cody Simpson was.

Color and music and poetry have a long history of communication in literature, In the 1950′s, the “Beat Generation” poets discovered the novels of Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg, and began frequenting and performing in intimate European style coffee shops and jazz cafes in New York. Greenwich Village in Manhattan evolved into a haven for poets in the 1960′s, like Bob Dylan, whose protest songs were influenced by Kerouac. At the same time, Jazz musicians like Miles Davis and John Coltrane took Jazz to new levels of improvisation as music and modern art exploded in the East Village. An imaginary meeting is described in this modern day scenario which occurs in the mind of an artist who is daydreaming in his studio.

Red Orange met Cobalt,

down at the canvas cafe

for coffee and conversation,

on a blue sky Sunday.

A gold saxophone spoke to an electric bass,

a trumpet played notes so high,

all the mirrors cracked in the place.

Ultramarine showed up later on,

and before long, cool Veridian was singin’ a song.

They danced in the background,

they danced in the hall, they were hot,

they sang with the band, The Flowers on the Wall.

Then Red and Magenta showed up at the scene,

when Lady Purple walked in, she was Vogue magazine.

There was Line and Space, and Intensity;

there was no better place on that Sunday to be.

By the time the closing sign was framed,

there was no one left, except Fortune and Fame.

So the painter laid down his palette and brush,

and casually added the finishing touch;

signing his name, Truly yours,

All Too Much.

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album is the critically acclaimed folk album from Bruce Springsteen and The Session Band. With The Boss’s take on thirteen songs written or made popular by Pete Seeger, the activist/folk musician. They went onto tour the album, which has become loosely known as The Bruce Springsteen Seeger Sessions, again receiving critical acclaim.

Springsteen got the idea after recording “We Shall Overcome” for a Pete Seeger tribute album. Given his rock and roll background, Springsteen was not familiar with Seeger’s music and his research started to intrigue him and he decided to explore the folk genre in more detail.

The album went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album and has sold over 700,000 copies in the United States alone, which is no mean feat for a folk album.

The most beautiful thing about these songs I find, is the message of those who wrote them all those years ago, still holds relevance in the modern world. Ok, it could be argued that worldly themes in form of Love, lose, death, endurance and hardship among many more will always hold relevance, but I find myself being drawn towards the characters within the stories. After all they were just trying to survive like the rest of us.

The Bruce Springsteen Seeger Sessions was also released as a live DVD, recorded in Dublin’s Point Debut as well as being filmed and broadcast by the BBC. There are various videos scattered around YouTube, which are worth checking out. You’ll be amazed to see the amount of artists who have covered these songs throughout the years.

Anyone will not have a hard time learning how to play drums as drums are just one of the musical instruments that are easy to play. If you want to drum like a pro but you don’t know where to start, there are a lot of drum lessons you can enroll yourself into. However, if you can’t afford to pay for a drum lesson, then you can learn by yourself with drum programs that are cheap yet reliable. One particular program is like Learn and Master Drums. The Learn and Master Drums Review has been very positive and so you will surely learn how to play drums in no time.

Learn & Master Drums features 13 video lessons, 5 play-along CDs, and a lesson book. The course’s instructor, Dann Sherrill, is a professional percussionist and drum set player. He has already played for notable personalities. With clear demos and detailed instructions, you’ll surely learn what you need to learn in terms of playing drums. You don’t have to worry about trying out the product because it comes with a 60-Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If you’re delighted with the program, you can have your money back.

Other than playing drums, it would be nice if you also know how to play the guitar. Guitar is a versatile and portable instrument. You can play any type of music with it. And just like learning how to play drums, learning how to play guitar can be simple too if you are willing to learn and exert great effort. Learning to play the instrument does not necessarily mean you have to enroll to a guitar class you find expensive. In fact, most guitar players learned on their own. If you are interested to learn how to play guitar, Learn and Master Blues Guitar could be a great accompaniment.

Being able to play a musical instrument is a very self-satisfying feeling. It boosts one’s self-esteem. It is not a crime if you spend some money just to learn one but make sure you are spending your money on the right product. There are a lot of lessons for musical instruments online and choosing can be confusing. To avoid ending up with the wrong product, make sure you have read product comparisons and product ratings at a comprehensive review site first.

Hi there everyone, I’m Danson. This specific Audio-Technica AT2020 is amazing and I want to inform you my review related to it. I’m truly delighted about this microphone once I bought the item from Amazon lately. That is why I’d like to share with you my review about this Audio-Technica AT2020. Before I bought this item, I often hear about this from others. And not too long ago, my buddy explained that he purchased this item and he is very pleased with it. So he wanted me to purchase it too. Before I chose to buy this microphone, first I find out about it in the internet. After I read several reviews, it turn out that many users are satisfied about it. Finally I decided to purchase the item as soon as possible.

Wow, after the microphone arrives, I’m definitely pleased that it fit my personal expectations. It has many excellence. This microphone is equipped with a USB digital output, you can do home studio recording, field recording, pod casting, and voice over use with it. This microphone features studio-quality articulation and intelligibility. With this microphone, you can have a very good quality of sound. This microphone has low self-noise which is really suitable for sophisticated digital recording equipment. It has a pivoting, threaded stand mount, which attaches securely for easy and precise placement. It also has a fixed cardioid polar pattern to allow isolation of the desired sound source. In fact there are much more excellence of this microphone, but I can’t explain all of it here.

I’m certain that my review can provide you with consideration to purchase this microphone. I really like this item and also I truly suggest the microphone to you. You’ll like the item without a doubt, I guarantee you.

A karaoke machine allows you to get out of the karaoke bar and be a rock star in your own home. You’ll no longer have to wait for the emcee to call your name. Every song can be yours. But if you’re going to get a home karaoke system, you need to know what features to look for.

First and foremost, you’ll want a system that plays CDGs, which are CDs that also have graphics. In the karaoke world, these are the CDs that contain the all-important words to the song. All real karaoke machines will have this, but this is the thing that differentiates a karaoke system from a CD player that simply has a microphone attachment to allow you to sing along with a regular CD.

Many karaoke systems have their own video displays, which allows you to read the words. It’s often pretty small, though, so consider looking for one that allows you to hook it up to your television set. Playing it on a much larger screen ensures that the singer will be able to read the words.

Speakers are another thing that you’ll want on your machine. Some will have small speakers while others have large towers. The size of the speakers will affect how loud you’ll sound when you’re singing. If you have a small space, you’ll be able to make do with the smaller speakers, but the larger ones provide a more authentic karaoke experience.

Consider the microphones that come with the package as well. You probably want at least two microphones so that you can sing duets. Some will have a cord attachment while others are wireless. Decide which style is right for you.

Though most home karaoke systems aren’t out of reach for the average person, they are not cheap either. Carefully compare your options before you make the decision.

Nearly all projects as well as ambitions of any dimension or relevance involve a number of steps throughout a time period to complete. That is why you when buying an acoustic, you ought to browse acoustic guitar reviews. Anything the least bit complex needs preparation, know-how as well as determination through various steps over a period of time. This also applies to simpler tasks, like choosing to invest in a guitar. Listed below is how you can carry this out in only five easy steps.

Step 1. Use a budget. This is really crucial, because being aware of your budget range makes it possible to define some of the brands you may take into account. Different brands have different price ranges. If you neglect to do this step, you will probably be confronted with hundreds of different guitars and lose the overview. So try to come up with a budget and narrow down your search.

Step 2. Consider your playing ability. This can be an important step that may require your entire attention. Do it right in this manner: Get an acoustic guitar that suits your capability. It just does not sound right to buy a costly guitar when you are just starting out. You don’t know how long you’re going to stick to playing the guitar. A far more knowledgeable guitar player may well contemplate something from a higher budget range.

Step 3. Select the right wood. The idea is to consider the tonal characteristics of the several woods used for the building of a good acoustic. You need to understand that depending upon the particular wood, you’re going to have a unique signature sound. I suggest having a look on Acoustic Guitar Reviews (link at the end of this page) to find out more about the different tonal characteristics of guitar woods.

Step 4. Decide on your size. To explain and enhance upon that a little, the most well-known models are the Classic, Dreadnought, and Jumbo types.

Step 5. Will you amplify? In addition, ask yourself if you are going to amplify the sound of your guitar, as you’ll need to either have a pick up integrated, or get a hold of a mic.

In the end, those of you who have stuck with the above mentioned suggestions should be on your way to buy a good acoustic guitar and now can relax and relish the gains of that achievement. You should congratulate yourself and allow yourself to become pleased and somewhat proud. Now enjoy!

It is a general practice seen among people to transfer music from a PC to an iPod. Is the reverse possible? My answer would be yes. For some reason if you want to transfer music to your computer from the iPod, there is a possibility and out of the several methods tried only one or two have been really successful.

The basic database methodology is deployed to store the content in the portable music device, the iPod. iTunes is an Apple made music library and it is devised such that music from it cannot be transferred to the computer from the iPod. The Apple’s iTunes Store helps music makers with good labels sell their music through it and to maintain their good relationship and combat piracy Apple has had a restrictive approach in not allowing the transfer of music from the iPod to the PC.

People’s needs are varied and for this they find out methods to fulfill their requirements sometimes easily and sometimes not. In case of any computing system failure all the files will be lost and this calls for transfer to another device. The music files thus can be best stored in any portable device like the iPod. But as iTunes does not allow it, some people have overruled the maker Apple and gone ahead and devised a method and have been successful in getting good results.

The third party method will help you in case of such a happening taking place. Take the iPod of any type the iPod nano or iPod touch or any other model. There will be some easy steps to tag along and the first one would be to connect your device to the computer taking care in avoiding the iTunes auto sync. For this you need to press both the shift and ctrl keys on your computer keyboard when you are in the process of connecting the iPod to the computer. These ctrl and shift keys should be continuously kept pressed and you can go to the next and open iTunes. After some time if you check the Source list of iTunes, it will show your iPod being listed.

This shows you can copy music from the iPod and so you can go ahead and copy the files you desire by the drag and drop method and update it. You can be assured that the list will be in the same original format that the iTunes was using and it will show all the details of the music albums, thus successful transfer was made possible.

Hip Hop sampling is easy and fun. Hip Hop producers from as far back as the early 1980′s were doing it from their bedrooms with nothing more than a drum machine and a vinyl player. Even today, some 20 years later, A-list Hip Hop producers are still using the same sampling techniques to create chart topping tracks.

What Is A Sample?

A sample is a segment, or portion, of audio taken from a song or instrument. The portion could be a drum break, a vocal, or a 20 second segment from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Samples are usually taken from vinyl, but can be take from CDs, tapes and other sources of audio.

Sampling

To sample into your computer you will need an audio manipulation tool. If you’re new to audio editing I recommend using Audacity. Audacity is free, and allows you to record and edit audio on your computer. You can record from external audio sources such as vinyl, or load songs from CDs and MP3.

Pete Rock, 9th Wonder and other early Hip Hop producers used the Akai MPC 60, SP1200 or an external sampler such as the S950. The older hardware samplers and drum machines use 12bit audio and produce a dirty sound.

Chopping A Sample

When you’ve found a sample you like you can manipulate it by chopping, or cutting, various parts of the sound and rearranging the parts to create new and interesting sounds. If you record from vinyl you may notice samples will sound raw, and contain background static from the vinyl. This is a good thing as it gives Hip Hop beats their raw, dirty sound.

The majority of Hip Hop producers use this technique.

There’s also an online database called “Who Sampled” that allows you to check what tracks your favorite artist have sampled from, and will provide audio for both the artists track and the track they’ve sampled. Here is Jay-Z’s page: http://www.whosampled.com/artist/Jay-Z/

Sample CDs

Although sampling is fun most people don’t have the time, knowledge or patience to sample their own drums and instruments. Even if you do manage to find a sample, you then have the task of tweaking the sample to make it usable. Instead you could use sample CDs.

Sample CDs are compilations that contain hundreds, or thousands, of ready made, pre-mastered, samples that are ready to use in your tracks. Sample CDs are very popular in Hip Hop and will increase the quality of your productions and allow you to cut your production time in half.

Album Review

The Script “Science and Faith”

Released 10 September 2010

Label: Sony

Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles, suggested in the film The Third Man, hard times produce a better class of entertainment: “In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance.

“In Switzerland they had brotherly love — they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” Closer to home a case in point would be that during the harsh times of the seventies produced Thin Lizzy and U2. The Script are walking, living, singing proof that this theory resonates as loudly in the harsh times of 2010 as in the seventies.

With opening single “For the first time” the Script have tapped into the Zeitgeist and encapsulated the spirit of the time. The song chronicles an unemployed couple trying to get through the hard times with love alone, “Trying to make it work but man these times are hard. But we’re gonna start by drinking old cheap bottles of wine…”. Never has the message of a song been so culturally relevant.

“Nothing”, the most emotive track on the album and deals with subject matter very close to the bone, taking us to a place we have all been to, drunkenly calling our ex, clinging to hope, “If she sees how much I’m hurting, she’ll take me back for sure…and I know that I’m drunk but I’ll say the words, and she’ll listen this time even though they’re slurred…”. They put to us the idea that love can be equally as intoxicating as alcohol.

The Script are unapologetically “pop”, the type of band other bands find easy to resent. Resent them for their polished image, accelerated catapult to success, the fact that they merge deep meaningful lyrics with catchy overtones that everyone loves to sing along to, but nobody can ignore their quality. The Script unashamedly write about personal experiences and emotions we can all relate to.

Their self titled debut album was a tough act to follow and at the risk of being labelled one trick ponies, Danny and the lads have followed it up with more of the same, a catalogue of honest, modern love songs. There will undoubtedly come a time when we grow weary of this tried and tested formula, when they will need to branch out as a band and evolve, that time is not now, so for now, let’s stick to the script shall we?

Rating: 3.5/5

Download: Nothing

Have you ever wanted to learn how to play your favorite radio hits on the piano? You know, those pop hits such as: Katy Perry, One Republic, Coldplay, and so forth?

If you’re anything like me, you want to learn how to play the piano but you don’t want to bother with sheet music or that boring classical music. You want to get in there and jam to tunes that people actually listen to. When you play a song you want people to sing-a-long. Perhaps, you’re good at singing (I’m not) and want to sing-a-long to your own playing.

Let me tell you the great news about pop songs. They are the EASIEST songs to learn. It may take you years and years to learn a Bach Invention or a Mozart Concerto. But you can learn ANY song on the radio in a few hours. Maybe even less depending on how skilled you are.

What I’m about to teach you may be a little confusing if you aren’t familiar with music terminology, but that’s what I’m here for.

1. All pop songs are really repetitive (making them easy to learn).

2. They are usually only in one key.

3. Each song will usually contain only 3 chords.

4. These chords usually follow a simple pattern: I, IV, V (something of that nature)

5. The only time the pattern will change is during a chorus or a bridge.

So if that’s all a pop song is, then think about how little you actually need to know to be able to play one. It comes down to learning keys, chords, and patterns.

There really aren’t that many of them. And they’re all pretty fun and easy to learn.

HINT: A, B, C, D, E, F, G (that’s all the keys, minus the sharps and flats)

But look, you’re a third of the way there already.

This was just a quick and dirty inside scoop on pop songs. I apologize if it was confusing, but I guarantee you it’s MUCH simpler than it sounds.