:Article Marketing At Its Best

In the 1990’s, Rock & Roll’s “Grunge” era stormed the world with its thrashing
guitars and flannel covered angst. The Seattle influence seemingly seized the
airwaves like an irritated Pitbull with lockjaw. Curiously, during this onslaught of
primal scream “Rawk”, “New Wave Swing” music unexpectedly began appearing
under the radar.

An explosion of young, new bands playing Swing music quickly turned into a
widespread movement. What used to be your father’s music was reinvented by
artists like Brian Setzer, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Royal Crown
Revue, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and The Blue Hawaiians. They led the New Wave of
Swing and quickly jumped to the head of the list of cool culture.

Many of these bands mixed a bit of rock with traditional Swing and scored Top 40
hits. Songs such as “Zoot Suit Riot” and “Go Daddy-o”, rocketed up the charts. MTV
began playing videos by New Wave Swingers, while big budget movies incorporated
the new sound into such box office hits such as the aptly titled, “Swingers”. Brian
Setzer’s updated cover of Louis Prima’s “Jump Jive An’ Wail” became a massive
crossover anthem.

Traditional Swing music experienced a resurgence in the 90’s as well. Natalie Cole’s
rerelease of “Unforgettable”, as a duet with her late father Nat, became a smash hit.
Tony Bennett’s long dormant career took off again after his appearance on MTV’s
“Unplugged” series. Etta James’ bluesy ode to romantic perseverance, “At Last”,
became one of the most requested love songs at weddings. 1993’s hit movie “Swing
Kids,” payed homage to the original 1940’s Swing Era, featuring music from Benny
Goodman, Louis Prima, Count Basie and others.

As a result of its reentry to the forefront of pop culture, Swing music experienced a
surge in popularity among 20 and 30 year olds. Trendy nightclubs began
incorporating “Swing Night” into their weekly promotions. Generation X began
learning to dance the Lindy, Jitterbug, West Coast and East Coast swing dance
styles. Hollywood’s Derby, an original Swing hotspot, experienced a rise in
popularity not seen since its heyday in the 1940’s.

The meteoric resurrection of Swing continues to have wide appeal. Many dance
clubs offer Swing dance lessons and music as a weekly promotion, to both eager
newcomers and seasoned veterans.

In anachronisticstic irony, the new rise of Swing and sophisticated martini culture
has reduced the once seemingly invincible Grunge movement to a relic of a bygone
era faster than you can say, “Yowza!”.

-DJ Craig

DJ Craig has performed at
Southern
California weddings and private parties for over 15 years. He has been a
guest speaker at classes on wedding and event coordination.

Craig has been featured in and written articles for many wedding and party related web sites.

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When you think of music in Atlanta you generally think of Crunk Music but there is more to Atlanta’s musical soundscape than that. Lots of young musicians in the A-Town venture off into different musical directions. One such musician/DJ/Producer is DeJuan Boyd, head of Rabbitt Productions.

DeJuan Boyd has been producing since 1991. He started DJing at the age of 11 under the influence of older guys in his neighborhood. He learned rather quickly by emulating the likes of such greats as Jam Master Jay, Jazzy Jeff, Mix Master Ice as well as local DJ’s like DJ Toomp and others. He performed in talent shows & spun for numerous groups in high school. DeJuan was asked to join a group called First Degree comprised of an M.C. by the name of Jack Frost whom which he grew up and went to school with and another DJ by the name of Nay Palm that lived two houses away. It was at this time he made the natural transition from Disc Jockey to Producer. The group later dissolved but DeJuan continued to hone his craft making beats fusing classical riffs, dramatic chords, samples and piano string ensembles which he became known for. He would accentuate the track with precise cuts throughout the track to either lace the hook and/or compliment the track.

In 1998, he started Rabbitt Productions and teamed up once again with his old bandmate Jack Frost, who was then known as Jihad and joined The Global Desperados. They toured the East Coast on the college curcuit and garnered a noteworthy buzz throughout the eastern southern states. The group disbanded and DeJuan continued to produce for Jihad as well as other local talent. Through his guidance, City Boy, an up and coming local rapper landed a recording contract and produced two tracks on the upcoming album. He continues to produce and sell tracks and have a few projects in the works. To contact DeJuan for prodcution or information email him at rabbittpro@gmail.com.

Frederick Glover is a freelance writer and music critic. A native Atlantan, he studied music and covered various bands while traveling with them on the road.

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Buying a guitar is a very important, and potentially expensive, decision. There are so many makes, models, styles, and colors, that it becomes almost impossible to choose unless you know what you’re looking for. The question is, which one is right for you? You could easily buy a poor quality guitar thinking you got a deal, or you could get a decent guitar for a price that just too high. Here are some questions to ask before you actually buy that guitar.

1. Budget.

With so many guitars available, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one that fits your budget. The key is to know your budget. You do get what you pay for and you should keep in mind that you will be spending hours and hours practicing so you should look for one you will enjoy playing. That said, remember your budget. If you’re just starting out and you’re not sure how you’ll take to it, set aside an amount that’s right for you. You can always upgrade later if you want. Once you’ve set your limit, do not waste time looking at guitars that don’t fit into your price range. The trick is to find something you can be satisfied with and is right for YOU.

2. Music Style.

Your guitar should depend on your style of music. Rock music should be played on an electric guitar for the maximum effect. If you want to play blues and jazz you could get a semi-acoustic guitar. An accoustic nylon string guitar is probably the best choice for classical music. While you basically need some of the same skills to play the different styles, if you know what style you want to play before you start, you can begin to sound like what you want to sound like a lot sooner if you buy the right style of guitar.

3. Age.

A 1/2 size or 3/4 size guitar is perfect for a child. Because of a child’s limited reach, a regular guitar might not work and could even stop the child’s interest. If you can afford an electrical guitar, you could buy that for your child because they have a small neck and thin strings and are easier to play. Necks vary greatly and the one you find needs to be right for YOU. Some are round, some are v-necked. Thin necks tend to be easier for small hands like a child’s. Thick necks tend to be stronger. A 7-string will have a thicker neck than a 6-string guitar.

4. Guitar tone and woodtype.

For the most part, the lighter the wood the lighter the tone and the darker the wood the richer the tone.

5. What experience do you have?

Electric or an acoustic guitar with nylon strings are typically the best for beginners. However, students with small hands may find the wider neck of a classical guitar or acoustic guitar hard to play because of the reach. Again a 1/2 or 3/4 acoustic would be perfect. For intermediate and advanced players, more depends on your style of music and specific interests.

What now?

The most important thing is sound, not looks. The sound that comes from superior craftmanship is what you should look for to give you the extra edge. Some of the best prices and selection can be found at everything-instruments. Enjoy!

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When you want to have a fabulous time at a rock concert, you should try going to a Kid Rock one. You will have so much fun and enjoyment packed into one evening that you would never forget it. You can get Kid Rock tickets and have the best night of your life. Take some of your best friends and let them enjoy the fun too.

You can find many online ticket holders to help you with your Kid Rock tickets. You will find that you can purchase tickets for just about anyone’s budget. The tickets will be for all different seats and areas at the concert and you can choose where you want to be seated for the fun.

Once you go to a Kid Rock show, you will want to go to all of them. You can look online at most of the ticket masters to find where and when he is going to be playing. You can go to as many shows as you want and buy the tickets online so that you have them delivered to your home in time for the concert.

You cannot find better tickets anywhere else than online. Once you see what there is to offer and how cheap the tickets are, you will not have to worry about looking anywhere else for the Kid Rock tickets that you have been dying to have. You will be up close and personal with one of the best singers there is. You will not find a better concert anywhere else than with him.

Kid Rock tickets usually sell out fast, so that is why it is important to make sure that you buy them early so that you can get the seats that you want. You may find that the better seats sell out faster so you should try to get those as soon as you can to make sure that you get what you want.

Kid Rock is a great performer. The music is loud, the dancing is cool and the fun is definite. There is so much fun to have at a concert that you will want to back for more. Getting Kid Rock tickets will be the best form of entertainment that anyone can enjoy for a lifetime. You can take all of your friends, or go alone. Either way will be the best night of your life.

About the author:

Magne Bjorklund http://www.kid-rock-concert-tickets.info/

Please also visit: http://www.kid-atv.net/

http://www.a-permanent-laser-hair-removal.info/

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Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins

There is much more to music figurines, wooden jewelry boxes, children’s jewelry boxes, and wooden keepsake boxes that meet the eye. Indeed, all mechanical music, including music boxes, has a unique history. Let’s continue to discover what that is.

After the creation of carillons, chiming watches, and barrel organs, musical movements made from carillons without bells or hammers began. After Antoine Favre’s creation of using a steel toothcomb, which could be plucked to make music (cylinder music box), initially no one thought of making a music box just to enjoy. However some, such as Phillppe Meyland did begin to make musical snuffboxes, and a group of watchmakers in 1810 and began to work on manufacturing small movements for watches and seals in Geneva. This resulted in the Geneva industry beginning and was started by the likes of Henri Capt, Les Freres, Long Champs, Morse Aubert, and Pierre Rochot. Sometime later in 1812, L.G. Jaccard, Jereme ReCordon started a similar product.

Once the mechanical music industry was started and settled, trade was brisk and further developments with musical boxes continued to improve until they reached their peak in 1870. It is interesting to note that by this time, there was virtually no music, which could not be played by a music box.

In 1890, a different musical mechanism began to impact the success of the comb and cylinder musical box. David Tallis in “Music Boxes: A Guide for Collectors” stated that: “Instead of putting the music onto a brass cylinder by means of pins, it was being set on steel discs, which were interchangeable and expendable. The polyphon had arrived and immediately caught everyone?s imagination with its unlimited repertoire of music. It was mass produced and soon took over the market which had previously been the sole right of the cylinder box manufacturer.”

Unfortunately, the success of the disc music boxes weren?t to last. The two main German companies for disc music boxes existed for 25 years, and the American Regina Company lasted a little longer, until 1919. The phonograph, a unique musical production, eventually took the place of the cylinder and Regina music boxes. Author David Tallis has this to say about the phonograph: ” It resulted from an invention which was made before that of the disc music box. In 1877, Thomas Edison made his phonograph. He put on a record made of tin foil and recited into the horn the first line of ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’.”

Of course, it took time for the phonograph to develop where it could compete with the cylinder and disc musical boxes. However, by 1900, they were beginning to become more notable and very popular.

The history of mechanical music is truly interesting and like no other. So, the next time you play your music box figurine, wooden jewelry box, children’s jewelry box, and wooden keepsake box, you can remember what makes them so special.

Established in May of 2005, www.My-Music-Box.com is a music box gift store specializing in products such as inlaid ballerina music boxes for ballerina rooms décor, whimsical carousel music boxes, and musical jewelry boxes. The company provides interesting information for music lovers of all ages. Owner Monique Hawkins is also the author of the blog “What You Never Knew About Music” whatyouneverknewaboutmusic.blogspot.com , and owner of the eBay store “Monique’s Music Box” at: stores.ebay.com/Moniques-Music-Box Monique can be contacted at (540) 858-2885.

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“But I’m not in it for the money” you say.

Me neither.

I LOVE music and I LOVE to teach music. I feel sorry for people that go into a field just to make money.

They are missing it.

You’ve got to love what you do to do it well.

So with me, teaching music is a “get to” - not a “got to.”

But if you love people and you love music, what’s the harm in maximizing your income? It’s not the raw pursuit of money - it’s simply multiplying yourself so that your skill can benefit more people, and in so doing, benefit yourself as well.

Why beginners?

Because for every advanced music student, there are 100 beginners. It’s just a matter of numbers. If you want to teach more advanced students (as I do) that’s fine - it all adds up. But beginners are the “low fruit” - you can reach them easily and there is no limit to their numbers.

Every year millions more kids get to the age where their parents start thinking about getting music lessons for them, so your prospect list is constantly getting bigger every day. There are plenty of beginners to go around, so competition is really not an issue at all for a person who loves both people and music.

What about adults?

Every year several million people retire from their jobs and careers, and many are looking to take up hobbies they never had time for before.

So if you are a musician looking to increase your income, look no farther. Get a business card and take out a couple low-cost classified ads in your local paper, or place a small ad in your local Yellow Pages. If you’re a good teacher, you soon won’t need to advertise at all - word of mouth will take over and soon you’ll be teaching other family members and friends, so your expenses will drop to zero as your teaching income rises.

That’s nice work. And - you CAN get it!

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults, but he started his teaching career by going from house to house teaching kids for $2.50 per lesson. After graduating from Southern Oregon University with advanced degrees he founded Piano University - a teaching studio for adults and children. His DVD course titled “Teach Piano & Earn More Than Your Doctor!” has helped countless musicians around the world develop their own teaching programs. 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 57,600 current subscribers.

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1. Don’t try and make something happen. Trying blocks the creative flow and will result in blocks.

2. Don’t expect to create something good. Expectations will always come with judgements and, consequently, you’ll end up feeling let down.

3. Don’t worry about what is “coming out.” Improvisation is about play and freedom to explore. Abandon unrealistic expectations and experience the joy of improvisation.

4. Don’t try and please others. The first person you must please is yourself. This may seem obvious but don’t underestimate the strong need to please - ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE ARTS!

5. Don’t try and accumulate a “lot of knowledge.” All it takes to improvise is a few chords and the proper attitude.

6. Don’t think. Improvisation is about FEELING. It’s about being in the moment and experiencing the moment through the music. Thinking will take you away from your intuition, which will guide you if you listen to it. Intuition will lead you places thinking never could!

7. Don’t quit. Practice is what makes intuition stronger. The more you practice or play, the stronger your intuition will grow and the more you will trust it. Your unique voice will emerge and will grow stronger each time you sit down to play.

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/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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Musicians and collectors alike can enjoy antique violins. These violins can be hundreds of years old and can sell for thousands, if not millions of dollars. Antique violins are artifacts of the past as well as beautifully made musical instruments. There are a wide variety of antique violins available, some of them one-of-a-kind treasures.

Many early violins are extremely valuable. The original King Charles IX violin made in 1564 by Andrea Amati is priceless. Other violins made in later years of the same century can sell for millions of dollars. Violins made by such world renowned makers as Amati, Stradivari, Vuillaume, Amati, Bergonzi, Guarneri, Gasparo da Sal, Stainer are extremely rare and are of great value to collectors.

These instruments are of great value because of their historical significance. Musicians prize these antique violins because they show the craftsmanship of their makers. They are often intricately designed and feature elaborate and unique carvings and engravings that are not found on many models today.

Many European Violin makers began making replicas of early violins in the mid 19-th century. These replicas were not made to confuse or trick collectors, but to appeal to students and other people who appreciated the designs of these instruments but did not have the money to purchase originals. Many contemporary violin companies continue to make these replicas in the hope of perpetuating classic violin designs. This strategy makes sense when people realize that the basic design of the violin has been relatively unchanged since the 18th century.

Antique violins are valuable for several reasons. They are rare artifacts, not much different from paintings and sculptures. Antique violins also provide models for current Violin makers to follow. Musicians appreciate the design and innovation present in original violins.

Violins Info provides detailed information about antique and electric violins, violin music, sheet music, strings, and shops; violin makers and repair; and explanations of how to play the violin and a short history of the violin. Violins Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.

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Facts about MC Big Proof
“If I was you, suicide would be a way of life. If you was me , you’d kill you.” (Proof)

Before I start talking about D12’s gifted Mc Proof, I would like to thank and to give credit to the webmaster of the following Derty Harry website for the rare info I found about Deshaun Holton aka Derty Harry aka Proof:

http://angelfire.com/bxc3/dertyharry/main_bio.html


Deshaun Holton aka Proof was born on October the 2nd 1975 in Detroit.
Although they didn’t attend the same High School, Eminem and Proof have been friends since 1988. They used to live in the same street in Detroit.
Proof used to go to Osbourne High school while Eminem was attending Lincoln High. Both friends used to skip high school in order to rap together: in fact Eminem skipped Lincoln High and used to come to Proof’s school very often, because both friends wanted to rap together. This is how they met:

“I was skipping school, and he was skipping school also, passing out flyers for his concert he was having in Centerline. That had to be, like, ‘88 or something.” (Proof)

Some (white) underground Mcs from Detroit like Backstab the Kingpin are convinced of Proof’s racism. But Deshaun’s statements seem to prove the contrary.

CDNow has asked Proof how he felt about Eminem’s skin color at the time they met:

CDNow: Did you wonder what this blond, white kid was up to?

Proof: “You know, I went to Catholic school and had a great, great friend of mine who happened to be Irish; we were best friends since the sixth grade. So when I saw [Eminem] was white, I didn’t even jump off like that; when he rapped, he was dope. What made us get dope and become great friends was we both rhymed “first place” and “birthday,” and we’ve been tight ever since [laughs].”

Eminem and Proof have been real friends since the beginning. When Eminem was kicked out of his home, he would sleep at Proof’s house.
It is well known that Proof is an amazing freestyler.He won the freestyling competition in the Source magazine in 1999. He his a better freestyler than Marshall, but Marshall’s force is in the way he handles his words in his lyrics. That’s exactly what Proof states about their complementary talent:

“We were both impressed with each other. The advantage I’ve got over Em is freestyling; I’m the kind of guy who freestyles off the head, right? The advantage he had over me was that he knew how to write intricately; he knew how to put a song together and bring feelings about. That’s why I journeyed under him, like, “Yo, show me the ropes, homeboy.”

The idea of the D12 group composed of talented MCs and sick aliases with popped into Proof’s mind:

“I was in New York; I had this deal with Tommy Boy that didn’t work out, unfortunately. But I just had this idea that we could put together a team of dope MCs, put a lot of Detroit on as far as having MCs with skills. Everybody’s solo took so we’ll make aliases, like Eminem’s Slim Shady and I’m Derty Harry, and call it the Dirty Dozen — and at this time, to be honest with you, we thought The Dirty Dozen was a Western movie; we didn’t know it was an army movie [laughs].
That fits us, army rather than Western, ’cause we see ourselves more as gun-slingers, lyric-slingers. Then the idea was to form a pact whereas this team, whoever gets out first comes back and gets the rest of the group.”

Proof has always been confident in Eminem’s loyalty, even if some other members of the group may have been worried:

“Not me; I’ve been there since day one, almost. I think the rest of the group may not have been there, but Proof has been beside Eminem all this time. I play a leadership role in the group, where I talk to everyone else; Em is like the president, and I’m the general. I talk to the rest of the fellas and put ‘em in line and show ‘em the direction. It’s a family, too, so there’ll be a lot of fighting and bickering, and some people might have felt it might not be the way it should be. So, yes, there were times when people felt funny about things. But now everybody thinks back to that, and we were tripping out over nothing.”

Acccording to Proof, Eminem’s success was the best thing that could have happened to D12:

“Right. Some people look at us like, “You’re gonna be Eminem’s group. You’re gonna be in his shadow.” They don’t realize how positive and great that is to hear; if you’re in the shadow of a guy who can sell almost 10 million records in just the states alone, great. That’s not a dis to us. But when they hear the album, they hear the individuality of each person, how everybody holds their own.”

It is so true that each D12 emcee has his own talent and ability to rap.

It is less known that Proof’s first stage name was “Maximum”. Proof has always been appreciated in Detroit for his raps and his freestyling qualities. He changed his nickname when people started calling him “Living Proof”, because in many people’s minds, Proof was the “living proof of the living MCs in Detroit”.


Proof has collaborated and still collaborates with numerous artists such as Dogmatic.
Proof’s first released Cd was called “From Death” and was co-produced with Da Goon Squad.

He has released a CD called “Promatic” with Dogmatic and a six Track solo EP called “The Search For Jerry Garcia”.
As well as for Eminem, Detroit has been very influencial to Proof who describes his hometown as “the type of place where eye contact can get you killed” and also as ” a city where the sun never shines, full of pot holes, snow and con artists ready to jack everything you got”.

My name is Isabelle Esling. I do teach English and German at public schools. I’m an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist.

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Make your life enjoyable, buy a decent chromatic tuner. Don’t try to tune your guitar by ear or by using a pitch pipe. If you are new to the instrument use a tuner. For example a Korg CA-30 Chromatic Tuner

Using a chromatic tuner is quite easy. Plug the guitar into the tuner using a standard guitar cord as if you were going to plug into an amp. Turn the tuner on.

Starting with the Low E (thickest string on the guitar) strike the string and adjust the tightness of the string with the tuning peg until the green light shines. If the red arrow is pointing to the right the string is SHARP and needs to be loosen, and if a red arrow is pointing to the left then the string is FLAT and you need to tighten the string.

Work from the top thickest string to the bottom thinnest string. You should tune the string in standard tuning Low E, A, D, G, B, and High E.

Tuning by Ear

Tuning a guitar by ear requires time and experience. Using an electronic tuner is the best way to learn the correct tones, which will ultimately become part of you “sonic library”. Once you’ve achieved a basic understanding of the correct notes and sounds you are ready to start learning how to tune by ear.

The notes for standard tuning are E (thickest string) A, D, G, B, e (thinnest string). When naming notes you always start with the thickest string, and end on the thinnest. If you play the thickest string open you produce an E note. If you played the one next to that open, you produce an A note.

The 5th fret note of any string (except the G string) is the note of the string below it open. Take the Low E for example. The 5th fret is an A note, so is the string below it. The A string’s 5th fret is a D note etc.

Assume the Low E is already tuned (based on reference note from a piano or tuner etc), the 5th fret of the Low E, is the same as the A string open. So to tune the A string, play the 5th fret of the Low E string, and the A string open at the same time (together with two fingers), then tighten or loosen the tuning pegs for the A string (the one you are not pressing) until it sounds exactly the same as the 5th fret of the Low E. You will notice a “wobbly” sound that changes until your are exactly in tune.

To tune the next string next to the A string of the 5th fret of the A string will be the same as the D string open. Play the 5th fret A string and the D string open. Adjust accordingly.

Continue this until the G string, where you match the B string with the 4th fret of the G string.

With the LOW E on the bottom and the high E on the top. Remember on the guitar the LOW E is the thickest TOP sting, so tablature is presented opposite of the direction the guitar strings are oriented.

Confused. Don’t be, just keep working in conjunction with you tuner and your ear. Before you know it, it starts to become easier.

Bill McRea publisher of http://www.guitarwarehouse.com and the guitar blog at guitarwarehouse.com. Also publisher of http://www.kansasfans.com and http://diabetes-at-home.blogspot.com/.

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