The Pix Pixy

Weddings are a time for jubilation and nothing sets the mood better than the right music. Although the ceremony itself often reflects the romance of the classical era, when it comes to the party afterward people want to have a great time, making it a memorable event that brings out the laughter, love, and delight everyone is feeling. Therefore, the selection of wedding music or, better yet, wedding musicians can become an important decision.

You’ve got a lot of options, and canned music could work okay, but by the time someone agrees to run it and the music is collected the result is less than worthy. DJs are more common and they provide the equipment and music selection preferred, but can be pricey with less than choice results in some cases. For those who really want something special, nothing beats the sound of a live dance band that can react and respond instantly to the demands of party-goers and cost is often equivalent to that of a good DJ. The question then becomes what kind of band or players to hire that will leave guests in awe and remembering the event for some time to come.

For those who really want to “kick it up a notch” and are planning a Florida wedding, there are many choices, but one new option is engaging a steel drum band like Reel Ting. For those unacquainted with this type of music, it brings the sounds of the Caribbean to life with a Reggae sound that delivers the music of the islands into any wedding reception space and much more. And, with its resonance, feet can’t quit moving.

Many wedding instrumentalists, like Reel Ting, are not limited to style when it comes to music. Classical music played on steel drums provides a twist on the original composition that is not only special, but produces pretty, melodious music that is especially unique. When the party kicks into high gear, however, they are more than prepared to invigorate the party with a beat that will ensure party-goers never want to break. With the selections provided by steel drum bands, feeling like one is on a tropical isle can be experienced regardless of where the event is held.

When hiring any wedding band it’s important that sufficient experience and references are offered and that they are checked exhaustively. After all, a bridal couple has only one chance in their life-time to do it well so checking that the hottest band is rented for the event will save much worry. For instance, a steel drum band like Real Ting with ten years of experience and many letters of recommendation can reassure engaged couples that their event will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The right wedding musicians should bring style, flamboyance, talent, and professionalism to any event. Florida is lucky in that it has many choices for live music, but perhaps it is most fortunate for the talented steel drum bands, like Reel Ting, that are based there. For any couple planning to get married, whether residents Florida or those traveling in for a destination wedding, it should be a first choice to make the affair unforgettable and special.

Dusty Springfield’s early albums were strong sellers, although they now appear to have been rushed works. Her own doubts about the finished product at the time, showed her up to be a fussy perfectionist. Three decades later it is clear that she was absolutely correct, they could have been perfected with more time, and her own high artistic standards would have been satisfied. Dusty Springfield songs have been well-received ever since the start of her career.

Her pioneering choice of material by great songwriters such as Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Randy Newman and Carole King was exemplary. The orchestral arrangements by Ivor Raymonde and Johnny Franz, however, often drowned Springfield’s voice, and her vocals sometimes appeared thin and strained owing to insensitive production. She made superb cover versions of classics such as “Mockingbird”, “Anyone Who Had A Heart”, “Wishin’ And Hopin’”, “La Bamba”, and “Who Can I Turn To”. Her worldwide success came when her friend Vicki Wickham and Simon Napier-Bell added English words to the Italian hit “Io Che Non Vivo (Senzate)”, thereby creating “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”. This million-selling opus became her sole UK chart-topper in 1966. At the end of a turbulent year she had an altercation with temperamental jazz drummer Buddy Rich, with whom she was scheduled to play at New York’s prestigious Basin Street East club. The music press reported that she had pushed a pie in his face, but years later Springfield revealed the true story; the often outspoken Rich was allegedly resentful at not receiving top billing and caused difficulties when she asked to rehearse her show with the (his) band. Rich was heard to respond “you f***** broad, who do you think you f****** are, bitch?”; Springfield retaliated by punching him in the face.

By the end of the following year (1967), Springfield was becoming disillusioned with the showbusiness carousel on which she found herself trapped. She appeared out of step with the summer of love and its attendant psychedelic music. Her BBC television series attracted healthy viewing figures, but it was anathema to the sudden change in the pop scene. The comparatively progressive and prophetically titled Where Am I Going? attempted to redress this. Containing a jazzy, orchestrated version of Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” and Jacques Brel’s “If You Go Away” (English lyrics by Rod McKuen), it was an artistic success but flopped commercially (or, in the words of biographer Lucy O’Brien, was “released to stunning indifference”). The following year a similar fate awaited the excellent Dusty … Definitely. On this she surpassed herself with her choice of material, from the rolling “Ain’t No Sunshine Since You’ve Been Gone” to the aching emotion of Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today”, but her continuing good choice of songs was no longer attracting fans.

http://www.youguitarist.net provides easy tips via articles and videos - free of charge. There are many types of guitar- electric, acoustic and classical to name but a few, and learning how to play a guitar is a somewhat different and yet equally enjoyable experience with all types.It is versatile and sits well across different genres - you name it, the guitar is suited for it. Here are five guitar learning tips for you: 1: Learn to read a guitar music sheet Many students neglect this part, with potential consequences later in their careers. Once you have mastered the notes on the fingerboard and how the frets sit on the instrument it will become easier, and you can start using your vision as well as hearing to get you on your way. Learning how to play a guitar is a little similar to learning how to play any instrument and mastering the knowledge of the music sheet will come handy for any instrument you choose later on in life. 2: Try learning guitar online The web has an interesting array of teaching methods such as DVDs and guitar lesson videos, allowing you to watch guitar masters at play, rewind the lesson and fast forward, zoom in and out. These are things you cannot do with a teacher and they will provide inspiration and knowledge that is important when starting out. 3: Master the guitar basics and the rest will follow Like any other discipline when you learn how to play a guitar you will need to master the basics and not pursue too many short cuts. If you learn where to find the various frets and notes, incorporate music sheets into you routine, work on your hand dexterity, and most of all remember to enjoy yourself, you will be successful. 4: Take guitar lessons You will also need the discipline that comes from having a physical teacher to correct your mistakes and provide tips - all important things when you learn how to play a guitar. There are many factors to consider when you learn to play - tempo, rhythm, mastering the chords, all of which are well suited to the individual attention which you can receive with a tutor. 5: Left handed guitarist? Don’t despair! It used to be the case that those of us who are left handed found it nearly impossible to learn how to play a guitar. Guitars had to be re-strung or re-adjusted, resulting in a poor quality of sound and a frustrating experience for the learner. Nowadays if you are left handed and want to learn how to play a guitar the choices are much wider, with a large selection of suitable instruments and a wide variety of stockists. Learning how to play a guitar is a life changing experience, and one which should definitely be pursued. Make sure to watch the http://www.youguitarist.net videos while you are here, and take a guitar lesson now.

I’ll never forget the time I took my first piano class. It was at the Community College of Philadelphia 1984. It was a group class with 20 or so electronic keyboards arranged around the room. We each received a class text book titled “Class Piano.” No shocker there.

I opened up the book and saw that I would be learning how to read music and play triads. I also saw that I would be playing very simple classical pieces. Now, while I enjoyed this and learned how to play these easy pieces, it just didn’t do it for me. It was because as I soon as I put the book down, I was dumbfounded! I didn’t know what to do on the piano without the book!

I soon realized that I didn’t want to become a professional note reader. No. I wanted to be able to sit down at the piano, place my fingers on a chord that called to me, and just play. I wanted to express myself at the piano in the same way visual artists are able to take pen and paper and artfully color their inner worlds. Why was this so difficult to do?

It was at this time that I started to look for new ways to play. I came upon a book that taught a modern chord position which could be used right away to make music with. Amazing! No note reading. Just chords. And once I learned a few chords, I was able to create my own music. This open position chord structure allowed me to improvise music quite easily.

Another book influenced me as well. This one showed how to play chord progressions using 4, 8 and 16 bar phrases. With this chord charting technique, I could see that I could create my own pieces. It taught me the principles of repetition and contrast - the cornerstones to musical composition.

A few chords arranged for 8-bars is repeated 2 or more times giving you what is called an “A” section of music. Another few bars of different chord changes and the “B” section is produced. And all of this was taught within a very slim volume. Maybe 46 pages or so.

After a few years of working with this material, I synthesized both methods so beginning piano players can take a modern sounding chord and work with it within a set framework. The result is a method where students are able to improvise their own music right away!

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!

I Want To Grow Old With You (C)

Chorus: I want to grow old with you…
I want to still be there
Someday, to share
These things that we go through…
We’ll sit and rock
And get to talk
Of crazy things we did
“When I was young and you were just a kid”…

Sometimes, I know
It seems as though
We can’t go on together…
But, we still try;
And time slips by
Faster now, than ever…
When things get rough,
And I get gruff
And do those things I do,
I know, sometimes, you’ve had enough;
But thank God we get through…

Chorus: I want to grow old with you…
I want to still be there
Someday, to share
These things that we go through…
We’ll sit and rock
And get to talk
Of crazy things we did
“When I was young and you were just a kid”…

We’ve had ‘Hard knocks’
And ‘Late hour talks’;
We’ve shed our share of tears…
And it’s for sure
That we’ll endure
Rough roads in future years…
Still, my one hope
Is that we’ll cope;
That, somehow, we’ll get through…
So when I pray,
It’s that you’ll stay
’cause I want to grow old with you…

Chorus: I want to grow old with you…
I want to still be there
Someday, to share
These things that we go through…
We’ll sit and rock
And get to talk
Of crazy things we did
“When I was young and you were just a kid”…

Early Morning Lovers(C)

Well, I wake up and it’s raining,
But, you won’t catch me complaining;
When I listen, I can hear hot coffee perk…
Then, I reach out to touch her hair,
Appreciate the fact she’s there;
I realize, I might be late to work…

Chorus: ’cause we’re ‘Early Morning Lovers’,
We embrace
The morning light;
Face to face
Beneath the covers,
So, we start our day off right…
Although ‘Early Morning Lovers’,
In this day
Of push and shove,
Take abuse
From many others
Still, they can’t shake loose
Our love…

When I get to work, the boss is mad:
‘If you’re late again, your ass is had,’
But, I know that I do my job, alright…
I’ll work a little overtime
So, by tomorrow, he’ll be fine;
Oh, well… if not, he can fly a kite…
It’s times like this, when it gets rough,
I swear, sometimes, I’ve had enough
But she’s there, waiting tender, at the door;
She reaches out and takes my hand,
She welcomes home her working man,
Then, I remember what I’m working for…
Chorus: For we’re often evening lovers,
When we turn
The lights down low;
Lose concern,
Forget the others,
As we watch our warm fire glow…
And we’re ‘Early Morning Lovers’,
We embrace
The morning light;
Face to face
Beneath the covers,
So, we start our day off right…
Although ‘Early Morning Lovers’,
In this day
Of push and shove,
Take abuse
From many others
Still, they can’t shake loose
Our love…

Once In A While (C)

If late at night, I cross the floor,
I don’t trip over shoes, no more;
My razor’s right where it was left
The last time that I shaved…
No stockings hanging on the shower,
Now, I don’t have to ‘Wait an hour’
Or solve the mystery of the theft
Of something that I saved…
Chorus
Yes, I can say it’s great to live alone…
When I want too, I stay out late
’cause there’s no one at home…
No dinner, cold, waitin’ for me,
No woman mad as she can be;
So lucky me,
At last I’m free
To live life ‘Single style’…
What I want for dinner’s what I get,
The waitress never gets upset;
I’ve got it made but, somehow yet,
I still miss it ‘Once in a while’…
Verse two
The closet’s big, and it’s all mine,
Now, I don’t have to dig to find
A pair of socks
’cause they’ve got their own drawer…
Then once I get in bed at night,
If I forget to, it’s all right,
I don’t get up and check the locks
The way I did before…
Final chorus
Yeah, I can say it’s great
To live alone…
When I want too, I stay out late
’cause there’s no one at home…
No dinner, cold waitin’ for me,
No woman mad as she can be;
Oh, lucky me
At last I’m free
To live life ‘Single style’…
What I want for dinner’s what I get,
The waitress never gets upset;
If I’ve got it made, why is it yet,
I still miss it ‘Once in a while?’

If you ~ or someone that you know ~ is seeking some more songs or lyrics, please contact me direct. Russ :))

Russ Miles is author of the novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO. A “Seasoned Real Estate NAR® Broker,” disabled by Multiple Sclerosis, Russ writes romantic songs,books & articles on varied subjects. Google russ miles. FOR SALE BY OWNERS:FSBO ISBN 0-595-28703-4,in trade paperback, is available by phone or Internet:1-800-Authors to order direct! Adobe e-book & hard cover editions also available FSBO at Amazon.com, at Barnes and Noble, and other fine booksellers. Comments: MilesRuss@Gmail.com.

I love surfing the internet for information and to check my bank account. Yes, I do internet banking. At the click of the mouse, I can see my banking statement online and the transactions done for the month. I can check whether the check has been cleared or not. It was one of these days while surfing around that I stumbled upon www.audiobiblio.com. This web site allows you to upload streaming media and store the file of up to 20GB in size to its site. This nifty web site also unites people from all over the world together in a common mission - to share and to listen to music online.

Now you can discover songs of all kinds by searching for them based on categories like artists, members, music and groups. You can register for free and start to upload your favorite songs online using www.audiobiblio.com. This music network site aims to unite people of all races from around the world together. You can make friends with others across the ocean. This audio community is a friendly bunch who just loves music. You can discover and listen to other people’s favorite music through the streaming media. And you save money from buying more music CDs or compact discs that cost a lot of money.

Just turn on your computer, browse to www.audiobiblio.com and start listening to streaming audio online. What’s more? You can also contact the different members of more than 600 in their database and make new friends. You can look at their profiles, their gender and location. As mentioned earlier, this is a good site to make friends who have common interests - sharing music. And you can now listen to music online for free. You don’t have to pay exorbitant fees to join unlike other music networks like Yahoo Music and so on. And you can be assured of a good variety of songs uploaded in this web site.

The winter months have hit us and unless you live in Southern
California, most people aren’t swimming in open-air pools any
longer.

Until recent times, Indie Artists and the labels they set up for
themselves had a hard time getting their music heard by anyone
outside their own backyard pool of fans. With guerilla marketing
finally becoming common practice and online music stores
becoming a main stay for the music aficionado, record pools are
now open for business to the general indie population.

What is a record pool? Basically, a record pool is a membership
of DJ’s that act as an intermediary between DJ’s and the music
makers. The power behind a record pool is that it can reach a
mass, global market in lightening speed.

As of 2005, there are over 7000 DJ’s and industry professionals
who are part of this digital revolution. In order for a DJ to
belong to a record pool, they must pay a monthly association fee
to obtain the latest and most current music.

Frequently this music is available to them before it becomes
available to mainstream radio, and because of that, record pools
quite often have more of an initial impact than the popular
mainstream outlets.

The power radio programmers have over radio, clubs and street
music is now handed over to the DJ’s who participate in the
record pools, allowing them to have control over what they
“break.”

So how can you get an invitation to swim in their pool? No
invitations necessary, but you must have a good professional
product that is available in digital format (although I did find
one that accepted vinyl).

Some of the record pools now require that you have your own
label, meaning that you don’t submit as your band name. That is
easily done by setting up your own label (too much information
to go into here, but you can find the information inside my book
The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money).

Once you have the business side taken care of, start searching
the internet using the keywords, “record pool,” and then contact
them to be certain that your style of music is part of their
repertoire.

Don’t randomly send out your online or hard copy press kit to
every record pool you find, just as you wouldn’t send your music
to every station you discover. E.g., a country record pool isn’t
interested in acid rock and a classical record pool won’t be
interested in spinning a blue grass tune. Then begin to submit
your CDs using the contact information you acquired. Do you
homework and beware of companies that don’t post charts or may
be music collectors.

Here are a few record pools I found on the web:

http://www.americanrecordpool.com (they represent an assortment
of music, including R&B, Hip-Hop and Dance.)
http://www.keystonespinners.com (they represent Hip Hop, Latin,
World and Jazz) http://www.recordpools.com (they represent
Dance, Hip Hop, and Latin)

The time for indie artists is upon us, but you better take
advantage of record pools now, before someone puts a “no
swimming without a lifeguard” sign out. Copyright 2006

The main goal in creating a press kit is to generate interest in an artist and the music they play. A press kit includes background information, photos, samples of music, a listing of past and future gigs you have scheduled, and any other pertinent information. A press kit is used as a way of introducing and artist to newspapers, the media, promoters, and music industry leaders. You can create a press kit that is mailed to the appropriate recipients and it is a good idea to have an electronic form of your press kit that can be emailed and posted on web sites.

Things to include in your press kit:

Offer a limited a mount of information about yourself, your band, and your style of music. Don’t give the reader more information than they want. If your introduction is too lengthy, you will lose the interest of your intended audience.

Talk about your music, the way in which you perform your songs, your sound, and who your influences are. You will want to give a good idea of what you may sound like in these descriptions. Do not be afraid to interject a little humor into your descriptions. You will get someone’s attention during the very first minute they open your press kit. If you do not captivate them immediately, they will lose interest.

Describe the things that make you special in comparison to everyone else. What are your skills and experience level? Why would a record promoter or executive gain by giving you a chance to record and market your music? Record companies spend a great deal of money in promoting new artists. You will want to make it clear why you would be a good investment.

Include press clippings and quotes as they become available. A remark made about you by a reputable person will go a long way in making your press kit credible. This will let the reader know that you have been recognized as a talent to be reckoned with and could possibly create extra momentum for you while you are trying to launch your career. Whether you are in need of a singer, musician, or actor press kit, recognition from others is a great tool in promoting yourself.

You really only need one page of your press kit to be devoted to a biography and one page that includes quotes and press clippings. This rule stands even in an online portfolio. By keeping each topic on a simple page, you are much more likely to hold the interest of the person who receives your press kit. Make sure the tone of your band press kit is in line with who you are as a person and the type of music you perform.

A sample of your music in the form of a high quality CD or clips that can be heard in an electronic press kit are critical. Make certain you label the CD with your name and contact information. If someone loves your music but has misplaced the rest of your press kit, you will want this information to readily available to them.

Be careful not to overdo the self-promotion. You should be positive and state your ambitions, but shameless self-promotion will make you look unprofessional and less than credible. Also avoid including too much personal information. No one cares (yet) about your first pet, your grades in elementary school, or your personal phobias. Keep the focus on your music and your accomplishments. You want to be sure you do not look desperate for work, even if you really are.

Include a personal cover letter to whomever you send your press kit to, and try to avoid sending your musician press kit unsolicited. It is always better to have a referral from a friend or associate of the person you wish to see your material.

Tiffani Smith is the online editor for eFameOnline.com - the hottest place on the web for entertainment & fashion career advice. Get insider information from industry experts on how to kick-start your career & avoid scams and pitfalls @ www.efameonline.com