dubstep

You might not know Matt Irving's name but we can guarantee you've seen or indeed own some of his handiwork. With a knack for geometric flow and a natural flair for clean lines, his style is instantly appealing and offers snippets of humour in unexpected places. From his own work under the banner of Delphi, which included some great designs for Element, and more recently one of our shoes of the year in the Milk Blazer SB, he has had his finger in more than a few pies. Right now though, he's taken on a pretty big job handling all the visuals for the embryonic adidas Skate team. From the ads to bongo vans and videos of the Gonz in full flight, Irving is all over it. The trefoil is in good hands...

How and when did you start working on adidas Skateboarding and in what capacity do you work for them?
It all started about a year ago. My friend Brett Critchlow and I were approached separately by adidas to create concepts for their ads. We were both too busy with other projects so we decided to team up and the next thing you know we got the gig and started working on it full time. We handle everything visual for adidas Skateboarding except for the actual product design. So it’s things like ad campaigns, commercials and video projects, catalogs, website design etc. Two weeks ago we were asked to redesign the paint job for a 1970s split window VW bus for adidas Brasil. Our projects can be really random at times.

What’s your overall goal with adidas Skate? Where do you want to take it?
Personally, I just want it to be sincerely focused on skateboarding and not try to be too much of a fashion thing. Just shoes for skateboarders, and if other people seem to like them, then that’s cool too. I like that the team is solid and respected by skateboarders and adidas is being very slow and steady about what shops carry the program. Being a little bit picky isn’t necessarily being exclusive and snobby, it’s about committing to the skate shops that have been around for a long time and supporting the scene.

 

How do you, in general terms as well as specifically in regards to adidas Skate, feel about non-skate companies entering
the skateboarding world?
It’s all fair game in this day and age. There aren’t any rules about who can and can’t have a skate program. I think that skating has changed a lot since I started doing it. When I was a teenager I probably would have hated it if the bigger companies were getting involved because skating was something to break away from the mainstream. These days skating isn’t what the outcast kids are doing, it’s something that is considered cool. That doesn’t mean that there is a right and a wrong, skating continually eats itself and neglects its roots.

What do you think adidas Skate can offer to skateboarding?
I think they can offer up some really good quality shoes and support some of the best skateboarders to push what is possible on a skateboard. They have a level of quality in materials and production that is much higher than most of what is out there. If they can last longer than an average pair of skate shoes, then that’s good for everyone. I think it’s also really cool that the majority of skate shoes out there have always looked to many of adidas’ classic shoe designs for how they design their shoes. Like the Shelltoe, Stan Smith, Rod Laver, Campus, Gazelle or even just the iconic stripes on a side-panel.

 
What projects are you working on right now?
I just got back from five days of filming in Berlin with the adidas Europe team. It was a really fun time and super productive. That team is so driven to get out and skate. Right now we’re out in New Zealand to shoot Mark Gonzales with a small film crew and studio. It’ll be a three minute film about Gonz out in New Zealand because he has been living out here with his lady-friend while she gives birth to their child. That happened a few weeks ago and it’s a boy.

What new product can we expect from adidas Skate in the future?
Well there’s a new hi-top style of a shoe called the Roster Mid that will be coming out in January, as well as a vulcanized version of the Campus. The Gazelle was just redesigned with subtle improvements so it’s totally skatable. I really like how that shoe turned out and it’s not going to smash the crap out of your heels because of a lack of padding. Then in the middle of 2008 there will be a redesigned Shelltoe coming back that is modeled after an original late seventies model of the shoe. It’s completely dialed in, looks amazing and is true to the style of Shelltoe everyone used to wear in the early nineties.

 

How do you juggle working for adidas and your other projects?
Lately there hasn’t been a lot of juggling actually; Brett and I have just been focused on it as much as we can so the foundation is set for this first year. I still manage to do a few outside co-op projects in the evenings but I’m making a conscious effort to dedicate more time to that sort of stuff. It’s been nice to take a break from Delphi projects and personal artwork. I think I overdid it and kind of got burnt out on work. Now it feels fun again and the ideas flow naturally, I can have a fresh approach and know that it’s art or design projects for that very sake. I can live off the adidas work and keep the personal projects focused on new ideas and personal growth.

What other projects are you working on at the moment? What about Delphi?
I did a bunch of stuff for Nike ACG before I started working for adidas. It’s a Delphi/ACG design co-op collection that drops this spring. I just wrapped up a board, sweater and tee for a German skate brand called Hessenmob. Some shirts and a jacket design for a clothing line in Paris called Sixpack and some board graphics for Element. I might actually get to have some of my photography on wine bottles for Francis Ford Coppola’s winery, but we’ll see how that turns out.

What is floating your boat at the moment? Music? Art? Drinking?
Traveling has been consistent this year and that’s always great. Going to new cities, meeting new people and seeing different art and architecture. I think it’s important to rip yourself out of the your everyday life, it’s easy to get complacent. I also get really hyped on seeing friends starting to gain acknowledgement for their artwork. It’s inspiring to see people become successful at their random ideas and eventually to a level where they can live off of it. I have a friend who shapes surfboards under the name Mandala and his impeccable craftsmanship is blowing up. I don’t really even surf, but I certainly appreciate how cool-looking his boards are and the level of quality that he demands out of himself. I like that, it’s rare!

What keeps you motivated to work in this industry? Inspires you?
I grew up skating and it kept me out of trouble. I’ve always loved it and for some reason the love hasn’t gone away. I really only enjoy working for things that I believe in, and skating happens to be one of those things. Any design work I do out of skating is usually in the streetwear realm, I only do that because I like that world too. It’s young and energetic; I just don’t like the ‘trophy-hunter’ aspect of it.

 

 

What’s your take on the current state of skateboarding and how do you feel about the constant reference of skateboarding in streetwear, despite the fact the majority of streetwear brands have little, if any, history in skateboarding?
That’s a weird one. I actually think that streetwear is loosely tied to skating because a lot of the people that run the companies tend to be skaters or ex-skaters. There’s an entrepreneurial spirit that is sort of consistent from watching skate companies come up and get successful. In many ways, streetwear of today reminds me of the skate companies in the early 90s and I think that’s why I like it.

By Steven Vogel

For more info on Adiskate, hit up their website here

 

No doubt, you must have seen musicians playing the guitar someway or another. They could be in bands, in streets, or even friends showing off some tunes and getting amazing reactions. Nevertheless, some point in your life you must have asked yourself if you could play like that or even better.

The guitar is a very popular instrument nowadays. Not only that, it also stimulates your brain and gets you smarter! In addition to this, it's also one of the easiest instruments to learn how to play. Unlike complex instruments like the violin the guitar is pretty easy to get at. Because of this, the guitar has become a very common and liked instrument by many.

If you have decided you want to play the guitar you should realize the many benefits that come along with playing any instrument. Playing an instrument can help you get rid of stress and even be used as a way to escape from hard issues or problems that are affecting you. Playing the guitar also has been studied and the music played is known to help with depression and to give more relaxing moods.

Also, the guitar is a great way to give back to others. Playing an instrument for someone else or writing a song for someone can really impress your friends and be a way to share your talents with the world.

Now, before starting on learning how to play the guitar be sure to realize that you will never reach perfection. Guitarists that say they are the best are anything but it. The best guitarist knows that they still have lots of improvements and never settles for anything.

If you're just starting out, learning to play a new instrument can seem impossible on your own. Fortunately, there are lots of resources out there such as books at libraries, courses, and even private lessons you can take. Which path you take is up to you. The best way to learn, however, is through interaction with someone or something that can tell you if you're right or wrong.

Pierce Rainer has a free 5 day e-course that teaches you to learn how to play the guitar.

Reigniting our popular bootleg feature with a great MMJ set... My Morning Jacket 10-23-2005 Murat Theater Indianapolis, IN Disc 1 01 - Intro 02 - Wordless Chorus 03 - It Beats 4 U 04 - Gideon 05 -… (in post Bootleg Justice - My Morning Jacket Live @ Murat Theater in Indianapolis, IN (10.23.2005) from Musical Justice. Download this at Amazon iTunes More by this artist at eMusic)

There are many myths surrounding the art of singing. Many people believe that only "special" people can sing, that you have to be "born" with the ability or that it is "too late" for them to learn. However, almost all vocal coaches agree that anyone, yes anyone, can learn to sing!

Expensive lessons are not necessarily the best way to learn to sing. Not every singer who becomes famous took expensive singing lessons early on in their careers. Mimicry and self confidence can often help the most.

Don't be intimidated by what you see on pop culture television. Remember that shows such as American Idol are cleverly produced for shock value. Many of the terrible candidates you see trying out are the worst case examples of people who have no control of pitch or volume. They were selected purely for entertainment; most of them could learn to sing properly if they applied themselves and spent some time on vocal training exercises.

To dispel another singing myth, very few people are really "tone-deaf". It's a term often used to identify someone who sings badly off key, off pitch or with too much volume. The reality is less than 2% of the population is tone deaf. People who cannot sing on pitch simply need ear training. This can be done with the help of a qualified vocal coach or by investing in a good quality learn-to-sing program.

Anyone can learn to sing but not every voice is suited for all kinds of music. The human voice is an instrument, much like any other musical instrument and part of studying singing is learning about your unique instrument and what it is ideally suited for.

When you start your singing career you might not have any of your own songs. That's fine but remember,if you do not sing your own material, it is important to choose the right songs for your voice. If you have a gentle voice if would not be wise to sing the hugely powered vocals of a Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston song as you could end up damaging your voice!

Sing within your ability but be passionate about your work. The tone of your voice is much more important than the range. People will love or hate your voice based on its sound character, not how many notes you can hit. Never sacrifice tone for range (stay inside your range). There are instances of professional, commercially successful singers with only a single octave range (Billie Holiday and Johnny Mathis).

The only standard for what makes a professional or commercially-viable singer is the ability to sing in pitch and to be unique. Do not simply copy your favourite singer's voice. It takes a lot more than voice if you are interested in becoming a professional singer. You need to have a unique style about you and your voice is just one extension of that style.

Singing well is a skill, improved upon with proper breathing coordination. It is an extension of speech. To become a "good" singer you must be able to breathe properly, sing with power (resonance) and sing in pitch. To become a "great" singer you'll need to add dynamics and develop a style that's all your own.

Find the joy in singing. There's nothing like watching someone performing in their "element." If you love singing, then it'll show no matter how well you sing. Believe and trust in yourself and don't assume that you know it all. It takes time to develop your sound AND your voice. Sing proudly, no matter what your level of expertise or experience, and remember that learning to sing should be an enjoyable experience. Smile and have fun whenever you sing!

Sophie Curran is a singer and chief editor at "The Sing Studio.com" where you can find more free singing tips, breathing and vocal exercises and advice on how to start your singing career, how to promote yourself and sell your music online. To learn more visit http://thesingstudio.com

Reigniting our popular bootleg feature with a great MMJ set... My Morning Jacket 10-23-2005 Murat Theater Indianapolis, IN Disc 1 01 - Intro 02 - Wordless Chorus 03 - It Beats 4 U 04 - Gideon 05 -… (in post Bootleg Justice - My Morning Jacket Live @ Murat Theater in Indianapolis, IN (10.23.2005) from Musical Justice. Download this at Amazon iTunes More by this artist at eMusic)

Minor pentatonic scales are used extensively in modern and classic rock. A strong understanding of how pentatonic scales work, and can be used for soloing and creating riffs, is extremely important. They are also the easiest and generally the first scales most people learn.

Minor Pentatonic Basics:

I assume you know how to read basic TAB format for this lesson. If you have not been exposed to TAB then you should review our lesson on reading guitar TAB before moving on.

The Minor Pentatonic scale consists of the following intervals: 1 b3 4 5 b7 1. In the key of A the intervals would be the notes of A C D E G A. There are 5 scale shapes in box patterns for the pentatonic scales. For the A minor pentatonic the box shape follows:

E|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|

B|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|

G|-5-|---|-7-|---|---|

D|-5-|---|-7-|---|---|

A|-5-|---|-7-|---|---|

E|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|

The 5 is the fifth fret and is the root note, thus the name of the key and scale is A, the intervals determines the type Minor or Major. This scale shape above is the most scale and is used in rock, blues and most styles of music. If you move this entire shape up to positions on the guitar and play the same shape you will have a B minor pentatonic. Likewise if you slide the entire shape down two potions you have a G minor pentatonic. See Below:

E|-3-|---|---|-6-|---|

B|-3-|---|---|-6-|---|

G|-3-|---|-5-|---|---|

D|-3-|---|-5-|---|---|

A|-3-|---|-5-|---|---|

E|-3-|---|---|-6-|---|

Practice this scale shape several times a day, moving it into different positions or keys, for variety. Many of rocks most famous licks are derived form this shape. If you are going to play guitar learning this one basic shape is mandatory.

Next up The Major Pentatonic Scale.

Bill McRea is the publisher of The Guitar Warehouse and Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

Reigniting our popular bootleg feature with a great MMJ set... My Morning Jacket 10-23-2005 Murat Theater Indianapolis, IN Disc 1 01 - Intro 02 - Wordless Chorus 03 - It Beats 4 U 04 - Gideon 05 -… (in post Bootleg Justice - My Morning Jacket Live @ Murat Theater in Indianapolis, IN (10.23.2005) from Musical Justice. Download this at Amazon iTunes More by this artist at eMusic)

Music is undoubtedly a form of communication and/or expression. Coincidently, the skills of improvisation are certainly related to the dexterity and formalities that are imperative to accomplishing your role as a communicator. Therefore, as you are preparing to become a musician, improvising will firmly assists with your development of the overall perception and understanding of musicianship.

Improvisation often focuses on the recognition of one's personal awareness, into the present moment. The skill also enables the development of a profound understanding of the action that one is currently displaying. Once you are aware and understand the concept, you will be provided as the practitioner with a sense of belief and accomplishment.

As a practitioner you will display pure confidence in which you are able to execute with a range of options that best conforms to the current situation regardless of previous successes or failures. Quite frankly, the practice of improvisation symbolizes acting and reacting, making and creating of "in the moment" response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment.

In music, specifically, improvisation is spontaneous composition. The performer is challenged by performing music that is composed at the spur-of-the-moment. This is usually achieved through solo or cadenza. Improvisation has actually dominated in Jazz musicals. The challenge of improvisation is not to be confused or compared with technique. The two concepts are different in that improvisation is described as a creative performance art.

On the other hand, technique or sight reading is a reconstructive process. It is noted, however, that as both technique and improvisation require that you react immediately to any changes needed to the music in response to stimuli, they do demonstrate primary differences. Namely, the process is executed externally for successful sight- reading and internally to execute improvisation. Furthermore, they both are greatly enhanced by a strong musical knowledge base.

As a musician, you will be able to identify how your audience is responding to you. You can use specific musical "cues" to communicate with the audience during a performance. Furthermore, during the performance, the initial musical piece may be altered to establish an emotional connection. Subsequently, you will have succeeded in the art of improvisation. Improvisation can take place as a solo performance or interdependently with an ensemble with other players. When done well, improvisation often elicits gratifying emotional response from the audience.

Musical improvisers often understand the language of one or more musical styles such as blues, rock, folk or jazz. In order to be successful, you must realize that practicing this art is intense and requires great focus. The musicians are expressive in that they have the ability to precisely illuminate creativity and originality. To successfully explore different methods of creating your own music, you should experiment in low- risk situations. You must listen carefully for your feedback to discover what does and does not work well. This will assist you in gaining valuable experience. Making your own music requires you to focus through relaxation, listening and ultimately learning.

To get started you must simply experiment with a variety of melodies, rhythms and moods. Of course, melody is the variation of the basic theme of music. To use improvisation to alter the melody you must attempt to change some of the original notes of the main theme. You will also be able to improvise the harmony as well as the rhythm. The rhythm, for example, simply requires you to experiment with the notes by making them longer or shorter or adjusting the tempo by making it slower or faster. Incidentally, very few musicians have ever risked presenting fully improvised concerts. However, there was one successful attempt by Keith Jarrat.

Techniques of improvisation are widely trained in the entertainment arts, such as music, theatre and dance. It can be expressed across all artistic, scientific, cognitive, physical, academic and non- academic disciplines. Musical improvisations require active listening and perseverance.

Basically, it is the creation of music in the real time. "Real time" is developed by listening carefully while enjoying and inevitably discovering the skills and techniques of improvisation. It usually involves focus and advanced preparation especially when there is more than one performer. Subsequently, improvisation results in a composition, a creative discovery.

More so, as the composition is reiterated over time in the same form, it becomes quality and pleasant music to its listeners. Therefore, with the establishment of a composition, all skilled composers are skilled improvisers. Perhaps, to study the skills and techniques of improvisation will encourage and enhance your pursuit for musicianship. Thus, the idea of executing an improvisation in a fixed musical form has always held attraction.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

It may be that in musical retrospect, from a luxury of twenty-twenty critical hindsight, that Astor Piazzolla will be seen as having done in the twentieth century for the tango what Frederick Chopin did in the nineteenth for the waltz. It is perhaps already an accepted position. With the waltz, Chopin took an established popular form and stretched its boundaries so that what an audience might have expected to be a little ditty was recast to express heroism, sensuality, pride or even occasional doubt. The little dance tune then, in Chopin's slender hands, became an elegant art form, highly expressive, utterly Romantic in its ability to convey human emotion.

The tango represents an apparently different proposition. Already sensuous by definition, there are elements of the romantic towards which the tango need not aspire. If Romanticism placed individual emotional responses upon the pedestal of artistic expression, by the time the tango aspired to truly international currency in the twentieth century, there was no longer any need to worry about an artist's right to make a personal statement.

With the rise of serialism, neo-classicism and, later, minimalism, artistic mores were already, perhaps, heading in the opposite direction, towards a new espousal of rigour and structure. Emotion worn on the cuffs, like concepts plucked from the back of a matchbox, seemed to dominate cultural activities in the latter part of the century whilst, at the same time, Althusser and Derrida, allied with the populism of mass culture, seemed to suggest that there were no new statements, let alone discoveries, to be made. A spectral free-for-all ruled, where distinctions of quality were suddenly both particularistic and individual to the point of exclusion. (This, of course, is necessarily a paradox for people promoting a populist pop culture, since they aspire to mass consumption of a single artistic vision, a statement that by definition cannot be worth more than any other - even randomly selected statement. As a result, those who tend to deny a critic's right to make value judgments must themselves assume that such judgments are perfectly valid in the marketplace. It's a contradictory position, but an essential one for purveyors of pop, since they must continue to describe the form as popular, despite the fact that the vast majority of its products prove themselves to be anything but.) Post-modernists thus hailed the soap opera alongside Shakespeare, a logic that renders a Coca Cola advertisement the greatest film ever made by virtue of its viewer numbers. And then there was Piazzolla, an enigma par excellence.

On the one hand Astor Piazzolla is the quintessential mid-twentieth century composer. Classically trained, a pupil of Alberto Ginastera and Nadia Boulanger, and inspired by the commercial and folk music of his own country, he could have slotted alongside Villa Lobos, Ponce, or even Martinu or Copeland as a contributor to the century's neo-classical-folk music paradigm. But what he did was quite different.

He devoted his compositional energies to recreating and reinventing a popular idiom that was thoroughly specific to his own country, Argentina. The form, of course, was the tango. What is more, Astor Piazzolla concentrated on performance via his own ensembles and he achieved considerable success, albeit local until near the end of his life, over a career that spanned fifty years. But he expressed himself on the bandoneon, a squeezebox that lends itself to staccato, slapping attack, an instrument not peculiar to Argentina, but perhaps only well known to Argentinians. He died in 1992, his Romantic heroism national at best.

It was in the early 1990s that arrangements of Piazzolla's music began to appear on "classical" programmes. By the time a figure as august as Daniel Barenboim recorded his Tangos Among Friends, Mi Buenos Aires Querido, in 1995, they were already becoming established in the repertoire. I personally have heard performances of Piazzolla's music for full orchestra, string orchestra, chamber orchestra, various formats of chamber ensemble, piano trio, solo piano, solo harp, flute and guitar, guitar solo, violin and piano, string quartet, string trio and, of course, bandoneon. But it is surely the chamber group that best fits this music. There is always a toughness to its apparent sensuality that tends to be overstated by the large numbers of a full orchestra. Lack of volume, on the other hand, tends to stress the saccharine.

And if you want to find an exquisite match between the music's toughness and sensuality, its durability versus its novelty, there is surely no better experience than that provided by Camerata Virtuosi, a septet led by violinist Joaquin Palomares and featuring saxophonist Claude Delangle. Their recording of Piazzolla's music features Joaquin Palomares' superb arrangements that capture the music's directness and beauty while preserving its toughness.

A Camerata Virtuosi performance in the Auditori de la Mediterrnia, La Nucia in February 2008 featured all the pieces included in their recording of Piazzolla's music. The group performed all four of the Seasons as a sextet with two violins, viola, cello, bass and piano. These pieces offer Joaquin Palomares a perfect vehicle to display his virtuoso violin playing which communicates the music's line whilst at the same time decorates with highly effective jazz-like riffs. The rest of the pieces were performed by a septet in which Claude Delangle's perfect soprano saxophone bent and teased its way through lambent legato lines. It was playing of the highest quality.

As on the recording, particularly successful were Oblivion and Milonga del Angel. Oblivion is the quintessential Piazzolla, a popular sing-along for the manic depressive perhaps, and not therefore a rarity. But the simplicity and understatement of the piece always works beautifully, even when played twice in the same concert, as in La Nucia. Milonga del Angel is a different kind of piece. Though superficially similar to Oblivion, it manages in its six minutes to develop through its binary form, so that different movements create different moods within the same material. A true highlight.

Joaquim Palomares' violin playing was, as always, more than elegant throughout and by the end the audience had experienced again the genius of Piazzolla courtesy of Palomares' superb arrangements. Great music needs great interpreters, and Piazzolla's has surely found one in Joaquin Palomares.

Philip Spires
Author of Mission, an African novel set in Kenya
http://www.philipspires.co.uk

Michael, a missionary priest, has just killed Munyasya. It was an accident, but Mulonzya, a politician, exploits the tragedy for his own ends. Boniface, a church worker, has just lost his child. He did not make it to the hospital in time, possibly because Michael went to the Mission to retrieve a letter from Janet, a teacher, and the priest's neighbour. It is Munyasya who has the last laugh, however.

So, you're looking for online guitar lessons. Or maybe you're just starting to learn how to play guitar. Because you want to learn to play the guitar.

Now, where will you start?

And, still more important, what do you want to achieve?

That must be your first decision, as depending on your goals, there must seek for different types of online guitar lessons, and there are different ways to approach them.

- Do you just want to strum the chords a song when you're hanging out with your friends?

You will need to learn any more than basic chords and some strumming patterns.

- Do you want, perhaps, to play some simple charming melodies you always likes?

You will need to learn how to read guitar tabs, and choose and learn your plucking style.

- Do you want to play a better style, but just for yourself?

Then you will need to learn how to read guitar notes and guitar sheet music, and learn some more elaborated fingerstyle skills.

- Do you want to play the music you love most, and play it like a pro?

Here's where you'll get the most joy out of your guitar playing. You'll need more advanced knowledge on sheet music reading, and top guitar playing techniques. And much, much more practice. A lot of daily practice. But I grant you that you'll never regret it.

Now, it would be quite good to have your interests very clear from the beginning, but, if you dont yet have it clear, here's my recommendation:

- Start learning how to read a tab, practice some easy fingerstyle exercises and then move,slowly, to some easy tunes. Thus, you'll gain some control over the instrument, and you will also develop some skills with your left and right hands.

- At the same time, you can learn (guitar tabs reading will help a lot) some basic guitar chords, and some simple strumming patterns. That will nicely complement your fingerstyle skills.

- Then you'll move to sheet music reading and more rewarding guitar playing techniques.

- Finally, you'll have to climb to the top performing skills.

All steps require a lot of practice. Believe me, there's no shortcut here.

Besides, not all step goals can be achieved without the coaching of a guitar teacher.

But don't despair. Finally, it won't be so hard!

Luis BONVIN has a life of guitar playing and teaching. He wants to help people around the world to learn, step by step, how to play guitar. To further discover how to quickly and easily you can play guitar, please visit his Beginner Guitar Lessons Website and the Project Ever Guitar Lessons. Let him know about your interests or leave your comments at Beguiner Guitar Lessons Squidoo Lens.

www.niceproduce.com

href="http://www.watim.com/12x12">www.watim.com/12x12

One of the most exciting parts of learning how to play guitar is being able to play your favorite songs. Most beginners, when they start out, dream of being able to shred their favorite songs by their favorite bands. While the ultimate goal should be to learn how to read music, the best way for beginners to learn songs quickly is to learn how to read guitar tabs.

Guitar tablature is very similar to sheet music, only you don't necessarily have to know the notes and values of traditional sheet music to read tablature. One of the biggest differences there is between sheet music and tabs is that sheet music has only five lines, while guitar tabs have six lines, each representing a string on the guitar.

Reading Guitar Tabs: Step 1 - Learning the Strings

One of the first things you'll need to know in order to learn how to read guitar tabs is how the strings (the six lines) are arranged in the tablature. The high E (thinnest string) will be the very top line, followed by the B string, the G string, the D string, the A string, and finally the very bottom string will be the low E.

Step 2- Learning the Frets

The next step in learning how to read guitar tabs is to learn what all the numbers mean that are on the various lines (strings) of the tablature.

The numbers located on the lines represent frets on your guitar. Frets are the spaces between the little metal bars on the fingerboard of your guitar. If there is a number 5 on the line that represents the low E string, this means you press the low E string down on the fifth fret and play that note. If there is a 0 on the line, this means you play that particular string open.

Step 3 - Learning the Symbols

It's also extremely important when learning how to read guitar tabs that you know what the symbols on the lines represent. If there is an "x" on the line, that means that string isn't played at all.

Sometimes when a particular guitar chord is tabbed out, there will be a few strings with the "x" on it in between some of the notes of the chord. This means that those strings are not to be played as part of the chord. If you see a "b", this means the note bends; if you see an "r", it means to release the bend. If you see an "h", this stands for hammer-on, and if you see a "p", this stands for pull-off. "PM" stands for palm mute, and "t" stands for tap. If you see a "/", this is indicating a slide. (Consult your favorite "how to play guitar" guide for detailed explanations of how to play what those symbols are indicating. Check out my favorite list of resources right below this article!)

Learning how to read guitar tabs is one of the most crucial skills a beginner can learn. Once you've acquired this valuable skill, you'll be able to start learning some of your favorite songs, and your practice time will become a whole lot more fun. Learning how to read guitar tabs will put the wind in your sails as you endeavor to become a true guitar hero.

Have fun!

There are three resources I'd suggest you check out to learn more about guitar tablature. See my how to read guitar tabs blog entry at GuitarHack, this how to read guitar tabs page on Squidoo, and this how to read guitar tabs article on Hubpages. You'll be glad you did!

My cherished iRiver H120 is broken and I am rather depressed about it. Its last will and testament was a frustratingly obscure Kurtz-like ata error -32 My efforts to revive it have been rather cack-handed and have only… (in post But Mary you are with me now, all around me in the waves from Partly Porpoise. More by this artist at eMusic Amazont iTunes)

If you're a digital music fan, you probably have problems organizing your music file collection. For me, I used to have hundreds of MP3 files lumped in one folder in my hard drive. Can you imagine the pain I had to go through to find one specific tune to listen to?

Organizing your music files is an important skill to learn. Once your collection is nicely sorted out, you'll be able to find the songs you want quickly and easily. So set aside some time and read through the following tips I've come up with.

1. Create Subfolders

The single most important tip for organizing your music files is to create subfolders in your hard drive. Don't ever leave your MP3 files in one huge folder called C:My Music. Create subfolders like C:My MusicClassical, C:My MusicPop and C:My MusicSoundtracks.

2. Ensure your ID3 Tags Are Correct

ID3 tags are used to store important information about MP3 files. Things like the song title, artist, album are kept and will be displayed by your MP3 player. Take the time to properly edit these tags - many MP3 files you download have the ID3 tag information all wrong. A good software program for editing ID3 tags is TagScanner.

3. Invest in Good Music Management Software

There are several excellent pieces of software out there for managing music files. Two good ones come to mind. The first is MediaMonkey and the second is MusicMatch Jukebox. Both programs offer excellent music management features like an integrated music player, CD burning features and ID3 tag renaming.

4. Get Your Music Files from Legal Sources

If you've been downloading music using P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing programs like KaZaa, you will very likely get music files which have strange names like 56_HeyjAck.mp3. My advice: Get your files from legal sources like online music services iTunes or Napster and you will avoid this problem.

5. Create Good Playlists

Most software music player (e.g. Winamp) will allow you to create playlists. For example, say you're in the mood for rock songs, you can point to your folder called C:MusicRock and create a playlist from that folder. Save the playlist after it is created. When you next feel like listening to those songs, all you need to do is load that playlist instead of trawling through your hard drive and folders.

6. Get A Huge Hard Drive

I know this sounds a little crazy - but running out of disk space can and will ruin your well-organized music collection. Make sure you have enough hard disk space to store your music files. Say you have 10,000 music files that you absolutely must retain and listen to. It is a very bad idea to store, say, 8,000 files in Hard Drive A and 2,000 files in Hard Drive B. Very messy. It's better to store them all in one hard disk. So get your hands on the biggest hard drive you can find.

Conclusion

I hope this article helps you to organize your music collection a little better. I know it takes effort, but once your music collection is properly catalogued, listening to your music collection will be a much more pleasant experience. So don't hesitate - get organized now!

About The Author

Gary Hendricks is computer enthusiasts. He runs three websites about digital video, digital music and computers.

gary_hendricks@digital-music-guide.com

Check this new film masterpiece starring everybody's favorite hip hop musician, DYNAMO! Fresh from his recent exploits on the streets of London, adidas have sent their man to Miami, and the result is a 4 minute web film that captures Dynamo mystifying the local wildlife and tourists with his unique and original brand of street magic. PEEP IT HERE...

ADIDAS PRESS RELEASE

Dynamo, known in the UK as the Hip Hop magician, has captivated audiences with his unique brand of street magic. The web film enables the viewer to traverse Miami for a week with Dynamo and his Superstars as he dazzles Miami locals with his unique brand of magic and exposes the city’s rich, local flavor through the eyes of an Englishman on holiday. To truly capture all of Miami’s essence, Dynamo visits Little Havana, the Arts district, South Beach, locals-only hang-outs, and other areas off the beaten path, mesmerizing a wide cross-section of interesting people with his street magic. Winter Music Conference provided a rich backdrop of entertainers who were in town for the event including Rich Medina, legendary club DJ from Philly, and Black Spade, who were blown away by Dynamo’s reality defying tricks.

Conceptualized and executed by TAOW, A Modern Marketing Agency and directed by Rob Bruce (Laguna Beach, The Hills, etc.), the Superstar Magic film features a musical score by Om Records / Om: Hip Hop, and also highlights the ‘Watch My Feet Superstar’ remix courtesy of the Tapemasterz, Inc. The film launches digitally on Friday, the 13th of June, 2008, at www.adidas.com/superstar, and is supported by a comprehensive online media rollout at retail and print as part of the Celebrate Originality campaign. The Superstar micro site will host the film and feature behind the scenes footage, downloads including new ring tones,  and the newest collection of Superstars.  Visitors can even perform some Superstar magic of their own on the site. The campaign launched online in February 2008, with the release of the Adi Dassler film.  An inspirational piece, the first film captured the authenticity of the brand and the spirit of its founder, Adi Dassler.  Additional web films have followed to highlight key product stories and concepts throughout the year, including the upcoming Superstar Magic film on Friday, the 13th.

. 
 

Hillbilly music, country, western music or country and western all refer to country music. This genre of music is diverse. Most modern country music artistes have developed their styles from earlier singers. Whether it is a classic or contemporary tune, for most who are new to country music it would be difficult to understand the different styles. A guide to country music offers comparisons that allow people to identify with inimitable performers. People may read guides to identify with the different instruments that are used to create the styles and rhythms. Since country music is a genre filled with many talented musicians, a number of guides offer details about upcoming artists. They are authentic and allow fans to understand and read about their idols.

People who aren't terribly familiar with country music may need some help differentiating between the types of music. Guides offer information and help comprehend the varieties included. This includes pop country that is perfected by artistes like Shania Twain. Rebel or rock country music includes songs that are performed by free spirited singers. They are usually independent and use bold rhythms. Texas country has produced singers such as Robert Earl Keen and Pat Green. Old country music is considered to be slow whereas real old country included yodelling. This was the original folk derivation and continues to be popular.

Guides offer an insight into new developments, artists, functions and country music performances. Guides help provide information regarding country music legends and compare modern artistes. These guides discuss a singer's drawbacks and unique talent. These guides may be written by enthusiasts or critics and may at times reflect only the writers point of view. It is easy to find a country music guide online or in magazines, journals and reviews.

Country Music provides detailed information on Country Music, Country Music Lyrics, Country Music CDs, Country Music Videoes and more. Country Music is affiliated with Classical Music Downloads.

Breedlove knows how to do a sunburst finish. This is apparent in the AC25/SF, Plus. With flamed maple sides/back, the sunburst finish complements the wood's grain pattern; yet for the most part, the solid flamed maple is clearly visible in the guitar's back.

The top is solid sitka spruce and, like the back, the sunburst finish complements the wood well, although because of the bridge and soundhole, not as much of the center section is seen.

The AC25/SF, Plus has a harp-like sound to it, and as a result of the concert body and flamed maple back/sides, a well-balanced sound with clear string distinction.

The AC25/SF Plus comes equipped with Fishman Classic 4t electronics, which includes a built-in chromatic tuner for easy tuning. Features include abalone rosette, ivoroid binding, micarta nut and saddle, rosewood fingerboard, bridge, and headstock overlay, and gold Grover tuners. The guitar also comes with a hardshell case to ensure that the instrument is well protected.

Breedlove's technology is quite different from that of other guitar companies, resulting in a significant tone difference. Some of the major differences:

-JLD bridge truss

Here's what Breedlove states:

"Since 1990 Breedlove Guitar Co. has been using a unique device in our guitars that has allowed us to brace our tops in a very progressive way, concentrating primarily on the top's acoustic properties. There is a synergy that results from a graduated top thickness, balanced scalloped bracing, a pinless bridge, and the JLD Bridge Truss System. This has given our guitars their own distinctive sound, one that is highly dynamic, bringing out a "piano like bass" that results in a remarkably well-balanced tone for application in a broad variety of musical styles.

On our six string and twelve string guitars we use the JLD Bridge Truss system as a key component in the bracing of the guitars. This cantilevered truss counterbalances the string tension to create a relaxed top and guarantees structural integrity of our steel string guitars. A relaxed top maximizes wavelength response."

-Pinless bridges - reduces the number of holes drilled in the guitar's top.

-Headstock - the headstock is arranged so that the bass guitar's string line is straight from the bridge to the tuning head.

These all add up to a significant tone difference and set Breedlove's apart from other guitars.

Michael Stone owns a website that sells Acoustic Guitars and Mandolins and has played the acoustic guitar and mandolin for nearly twenty years.

Another re-issue from Lacoste's stable of early '80s performance tennis shoes, the Eclair features an outsole designed for hard court use and a chunky as hell midsole that is reminiscent of the Puma GV. If you squint hard enough, it might even tempt AF-1 lovers looking for a spring fling. The upper features suede overlays linked into the lacing for support and the tongue branding is an authentic replication of the Lacoste Crocodile from this era. As part of a triple pack, this jaffa is only a hint of what's to come – if it had a cream centre and choc icing, we'd be in heaven. Smash!

 

In this piano lesson you will learn to play the melody to the popular song Happy Birthday To You. You do not have to read sheet music. Instead we will use a form of piano tab notation to play the melody.

We will start with the note C4 or the middle C on a piano or keyboard. The number 4 indicate that the note is played in the fourth octave of a piano or grand piano.

If you have a small piano keyboard the note will obviously not be in the fourth octave but nevertheless C4 will be the middle C on that keyboard.

Here is the melody with the corresponding lyrics written above. In the lyrics I have written the chords that can be played with your left hand. This is optional of course. I will write down the chords later in this lesson. Maybe the best approach is to learn the melody by heart first and then include the chords:

Happy (F)birthday to (C7)you

C4 C4 D4 C4 F4 E4

I will now write down the chords you need if you want to use your left hand:

F: C3 F3 A3

C3 means that you play the note C in the octave to the left of where you play the melody. Play this note with your left hand pinkie, the note F3 with your index and the note A3 with your thumb.

C7: C5 E3 Bb5

Play C5 with your left hand pinkie, E3 with your middle finger and Bb5 with your thumb. Bb is the black note immediately to the left of the note B.

Let us continue with the melody:

Happy (C7)birthday to (F)you

C4 C4 D4 C4 G4 F4

Happy (F)birthday dear (Bb)Lisa

C4 C4 C5 A4 F4 E4 D4

Time for the next chord:

Bb: Bb2 D3 F3

You can use your left hand pinkie, middle finger and thumb to play this chord.

Remember, the note Bb is the black key immediately to the left of B.

Happy (F)birthday (C7)to (F)you

Bb4 Bb4 A4 F4 G4 F4

I suggest that you practice and memorize one line at a time. If you want to include the left hand chords it is a good idea to practice them without the melody part until you have mastered them. Then it is time to practice them with the melody one line at a time.

The piano notation I have used are only meant to be an aid for you as you learn the melody by heart. This melody is really worth learning. Birthdays are not uncommon things!

Peter Edvinsson invites you to download your free piano sheet music and free piano lessons at http://www.capotastomusic.com