Taylor Made Music

Every musician is particular about instrument set up. Guitarists like to have their guitars custom-made to reflect their unique identity. Custom-made guitars are a unique combination of order, expertise, dreamy innovations and intuition clubbed together to make a fine piece of art. Studio owners and professional players all swear by custom-made guitars, and they are very popular.

There are radical custom designs that are incorporated from every facet of art to produce a custom made guitar. Creators of custom designs release very few pieces of any particular make, in order to keep it a unique creation. They have artistic designs that run through the entire front of the guitar. The designs are made of different materials and crafted using techniques similar to furniture making. The most common material used to produce custom guitars is Rosewood. It is used for making concert instruments, and is generally aged for 15 to 30 years. It is therefore considerably better than virtually all other commercially available material. Other materials used are ribs and backs that are stored at a controlled humidity to ensure their stability before use.

The designs of a custom-made guitar may be complex and intricate, adding in a particular theme or an outlook. A custom-made guitar is considered a collector?s item and usually created from the most exquisite materials available. Guitarists do not play these guitars ? they flaunt them as a showpiece. Large guitar manufacturers often issue these guitars to celebrate a significant historical milestone.

Custom made guitars have high historical value and fetch large amounts of money when auctioned. Rock bands are usually associated with the use of customized instruments to exhibit their personalities. The famous rock star, Jimmy Hendricks is known to have auctioned his guitar for over $1 million. Just like custom bikes, cars, houses, furniture and clothes, custom guitars have seen an upsurge in popularity especially amongst the modern rock bands of the 21st century.

[tags]Electric Guitars, Acoustic Electric Guitars, Cheap Electric Guitars, Electric Bass Guitars[/tags]

Generally young children who enjoy educational activities such as reading, coloring, crafts and word games also enjoy playing the piano. One reason is because they enjoy doing things with their hands. Did you know that there are games and activities available like this for young children that will give them a musical foundation as well? If you plan to give your young child piano lessons or if your child is taking piano lessons they can benefit greatly from musical games and activities at home. There are many foundational keyboard abilities children can learn at home while having fun that will give them a musical head start in piano. Here’s 5 of these.

1. Drawing and Visualizing the Piano Keyboard

2. Learning the musical alphabet in a variety of ways

3. Learning keyboard theory concepts for note reading

4. Learning to use their hands at the piano

5. Visualizing five-finger hand positions and finger numbers

This knowledge is not difficult to give your children at home. All you need are the right resources and of course a keyboard. You’ll be giving your child musical values and educational opportunities that will prepare them for a positive future of learning. Piano lessons also help children learn

key reading and math skills;

how to set goals to achieve their dreams; and

the need for self discipline and persistence; and

how to take responsibility for their success.

So take advantage of the early years and give your child even more of what they love to do with musical learning games and activities they’ll enjoy.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

[tags]beginner piano lessons,piano lessons for children,piano lessons for kids, children’s piano books[/tags]

A debate rages on in the drumming world! You might think that the debate centers on brands of drums, or different styles of drums. However, you would be wrong. This debate centers on the use of electronic drums in the music industry.

There are two very strong opinions regarding the use of electronic drums or drum machines. Some musicians and music producers love the use of these kits. Others, hate them, and strongly disagree with the use of electric drum sets in the mainstream music industry.

Types Of Electric Drums

The main types of commonly used electric drums are:

1. Drum machines
2. Electric drum sets

Drum machines are a widely used type of electric machine that have become very popular in almost all types of music. A drum machine is a small box with buttons on it that can be programmed for a variety of different sounds, and beats. A drum machine can be programmed to play a continuous loop or simply a short set.

Advantages of Drum Machines:

1. Convenient and portable
2. Easily programmable
3. Simulate a variety of sounds
4. Excellent for faster beats

Because drum machines are so small, they are extremely convenient and portable which makes them a popular choice for many musicians. For some bands, if they have to hire a drummer for live shows, it can simply be much more cost effective to use a drum machine in place of a live drummer.

In fact, in some cases when a drummer has quit the band, the band will simply use a drum machine in place of the person. This strategy is more cost effective, and often easier than dealing with different personalities.

Drum machines can be programmed for almost any sound imaginable, and with a little practice, they are easily programmable. Today’s drum machines can store a wide variety of beats, songs and programs. Therefore, an entire set can be programmed into these machines.

While electronic machines are not perfect for every type of music, they are often thought of as more effective than acoustic drums for dance music. The beats that are required for dance music are very fast and often a live drummer cannot keep up with them. In these situations, electronic machines are perfect.

Electronic Drum Sets

An electronic drum kit is another very popular form of technology that is used in drumming. These kits consist of one or more electric pads that are grouped together and create sounds when they are struck. Most of the time, traditional drumsticks are used for these kits.

Electronic drum sets can be programmed with a wide variety of sounds and can be made to sound very similar to an acoustic drum set. Often, one or two electronic drums are used alongside acoustic drums to simulate the sound of a missing drum. For example, if you do not want to lug around a large bass drum, an electric drum can be used in its place.

Controlling the volume on these sets is as easy as turning a knob to turn down the volume, which makes them the perfect drum set for apartment dwellers, or those musicians with roommates or cranky parents. Quiet practice is a big benefit of the electric drum.

Many argue that electric drum sets are tacky. Because they were first introduced in the 1980’s, electric drums quickly got a reputation of being cheesy. In addition, many believe that the only thing that electronic drums are good for is for play, but not for real musicians.

The Argument Against Electric Drums

The biggest argument against electronic drum sets or drum machines is that they lack feeling. For many musicians, playing music is all about the feeling and emotion that they can project through their sounds. They argue that when you take a live drummer and replace them with a machine, you lack the feeling and the quality of emotion.

For some types of music such as jazz and soul, machines are not appropriate at all because these are genres that exude feeling and emotional meaning in the sounds created. Therefore, many musicians feel that it is extremely tacky to use a machine in these genres.

Although a drum machine is small and portable, you cannot improvise with a machine. It is programmed to play a loop and that is it. There is not room for any impromptu changes and the rest of the musicians must be on beat, or it will be very noticeable. A machine cannot accompany a soloist either. Moreover, one of the biggest arguments with a machine is that it is not very nice to look at!

Can authentic sounds truly be replicated by a machine? That question is the basis for another argument against electronic drums. Many believe that as good as they are, computers cannot recreate an authentic acoustic drum set. Critics claim that machines sound hollow and tinny and not at all like drums should sound.

What Is The Solution?

As with any argument, there will not be a one size fits all solution. The best solution for each individual and each band is to do what they like best, and what suits their sound. Many bands and musicians have created a compromise by using acoustic drums with a mixture of electronic drum pads and drum machines. By intermingling the two types of drums, you have the technology to create some new and interesting beats, as well as the authentic sound and emotional feel of acoustics. Perhaps a compromise is the best solution to this debate.

© 2005 http://www.drum-sets-now.com

About the Author
Kevin Brown is successful author and publisher of many informative websites including http://www.drum-sets-now.com . His websites offer tips and advice on a wide array of topics including drum sets, electronic drums, percussion instruments and more.

[tags]drum sets,drums, electronic drums,drum machines,percussion[/tags]

Handmade violin is an affordable alternative to a more expensive older violin. It has become so affordable that anyone who wants a hand-made violin can easily afford it.

A wide range of handmade violins are available in the market to cater to the needs of beginners as well as professional players. Handmade violins are available in a variety of sizes to suit the age of the player. Compared to factory-made violins, handmade violins have excellent tonal properties.

Handmade violins made using traditional construction methods are more favored by soloist, violinist, and professionals. Most of the handmade violins offer good value in tone quality, durability, and workmanship. Moreover, they require little maintenance. Handmade violins are labeled and signed by the name of its maker.

Making of a handmade violin requires great skill. The price of a handmade violin depends on workmanship and the quality of material used. The monetary value of a violin also depends on the reputation of its maker. A handmade violin with excellent sound quality can cost up to $10,000. Certain manufacturers offer cash discounts on handmade violins at the time of purchase.

Handmade violins are available in a wide range of qualities and prices. They can be purchased from a skilled violin maker, a mass manufacturer or from a violin shop. New as well as antique handmade violins are available in the market. Handmade violins with superb sound quality can be purchased online. Ebay.com, shop.com, and amazon.com are some of the popular websites where you can find handmade violins at a reasonable price.

Custom designed handmade violins that are personalized to suit your taste and style are also available. They are built to your specifications regarding woods and finish. Specifications can also be made in terms of size and shape of violin. Better wood selection and hand work are the key factors that improve the quality of custom designed handmade violin.

[tags]Violins, Electric Violins, Violin Music, How to Play the Violin[/tags]

Playing a guitar without vibrato is like eating Mexican food without salsa. Vibrato is one of the most definitive techniques in defining your musical style, your own personal unique sound. No two players have the same vibrato sound. Some play slow and wide while others play narrow and fast, and that’s the beauty behind spending a lot of time learning different vibrato techniques. It’s like eating different salsa’s every time you go to your favorite taco stand. Enough talk about food, lets talk technique.

Vibrato is sometimes confused with tremolo. Basically it is just a technique of vibrating the string sharp and flat around a root note. For example if you are playing the 7th fret on the 3rd string with your 3rd finger on your fret hand you can just push the note up slightly and them pull it down slightly. Do this in quick succession so the over riding effect is a “wobbly” tone around the root note you are playing. Use your hand, wrist, and arm to make the movements. Never just wiggle a finger. Some people use a technique of pulling the string down towards the floor and then releasing back up.

Try this in a variety of speeds and levels of bending during your vibrato. The trick is to be consistent and smooth with your motion. If you are playing a slow blues riff then you may want to slow down and make a wide circular motion with the string, or if you are playing a fast rock lick you may just ad a fast narrow vibrato to accent the final note in a run.

It is possible to add vibrato using any finger you play with, but it is most commonly done with the first and third finger on the fret hand. Using your first finger is a bit trickier. I usually use my first finger for fast vibratos similar to BB Kings style. I will literally lift my other finger far off the fret board, press down and just “vibrate” the string as fast and as open as possible. That’s funny the work vibrato is a lot like vibrate, because that’s actually what you are doing vibrating the string.

When you combine vibrato with string bending, harmonics and legato techniques you begin to discover the musician inside of you. Playing guitar is about discovering your inner flow of creativity and having the techniques to be able to express them. Vibrato is one of the more personal and effective techniques. As with all aspect of playing guitar you need to experiment with these techniques, and most of all have fun!

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to Buy Guitar and learn Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

[tags]Guitar Lessons, Guitar Vibrato, vibrato, guitars, guitar[/tags]

Piano playing is an art with unlimited possibilites. Pippi Longstocking made a remark in a film that can be used when you try to learn to play piano.

Pippi Longstocking is a nine-year-old Swedish girl in a series of children’s books. Pippi has red braids and is very unconventional, assertive, extraordinarily strong, and rich. She lives alone with a monkey and a horse in an old funny house. Her friends Tommy and Annika accompany her on her wild adventures.

One Christmas when she was alone in the house looking out through the window feeling lonesome her lyoung friends and the children from town came in a procession to her house surprising her with a Christmas present.

She was very happy when she saw them and when she opened the present she found a trumpet and immediately started to play on it.

One of the children commented: “I did’nt know that you played trumpet!”. Pippi answered smilingly: “Well, it is easier when you have a trumpet!”

Much wisdom there. It is easier to learn to play an instrument if you have an instrument. It is easier to learn to play piano if you have a piano. Do you have a piano?

What does it mean to have a piano. Let me explain………..

One of my cousins lived with her family in a small town in a small house. In the house was a tall black piano bought from a nearby amusement park. This piano was fascinating in one aspect.

It was fantastically out of tune!

When you played a melody on the piano it was like playing in different keys at the same time. My cousin living there never became a pianist. I don’t know if the out of tune piano put her off but it sure didn’t help her.

She learned one funny piano song at least and I can still remember the sound of it on that piano.

I think that you can say that a piano has to be tuned or it isn’t really a piano. All those beautiful and fantastic piano compositions are intended to be played on a tuned instrument.

I would suggest the following….

1. Have a piano. Meaning a tuned instrument. Make it a priority to have your piano tuned by a piano tuner or if you are adventurous, try to tune it yourself! Read about piano tuning on the net.

2. Buy a digital piano. It is always in tune but has other small disadvantages. It should have weighted key action to imitate the action of an acoustic piano.

When I was a child we always had our piano in tune but I guess it is quite common to find pianos that is out of tune around the globe.

I guess you can get used to playing on out of tune pianos but this will limit your progress and the joy you deserve to experience when you play piano.

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and learn to play resources at http://www.capotastomusic.com.

[tags]piano, music, piano lesson, learn to play piano, practicing, music lesson[/tags]

Children in piano lessons need opportunities to perform, but all of these opportunities don’t need to involve a formal recital in a rented hall on a 9 foot Steinway. Piano recital parties can be rather spontaneous events that allow children to enjoy sharing their music with other kids and their family and friends in a relaxed way. Here’s a great piano party idea that kids and their families always enjoy. If you’re a parent, share this idea with your child’s piano teacher and offer to be a helper at this fun event.

Winter Holiday Open House - The Winter Holiday Open House is a fun, outdoor piano event. In my piano studio the music is amplified outdoors where family and friends gather for Cookies and Cider while they listen to as many student performances as they have time for. This recital is an open house. That means, for example, it is open to students and their families between certain hours. I generally hold my piano studio’s Winter Holiday Open House on a Sunday between 12:30 and 2:30. At that time the other offices around my studio are closed and there is plenty of parking available.

Since I have a nice lawn next to our building, I set up canopy tents with tables for refreshments and rent plenty of chairs so folks can stay as long as they wish and be comfortable. The students come into the studio to play Christmas Music as well as other pieces they have selected to play for this event.

To make this event even more fun for kids I set up a craft table with volunteers to help students and their friends make a Christmas Ornament. This makes a nice memory for kids to take home with and hang on their Christmas tree as a reminder of their Winter Holiday Recital Party. Each year they make a new ornament. I also hold a drawing for a couple of cute and cuddly stuffed animals. Parents fill out a survey to let me know how their children’s lessons are going from their perspective and by doing so they enter their student in the drawing. Year after year parents have told me how much they enjoy this “friendly social.”

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

[tags]beginner piano lessons,piano lessons for children,piano lessons for kids, children’s piano books[/tags]

Electric pianos, also called digital pianos are become increasing popular, due to their many benefits. Quality digital pianos now how a sound and feel very close to an acoustic piano. In fact, some digital pianos can rival the best grand pianos in sound quality.

One of the best benefits of digital pianos is their digital output of sound, so it’s very easy to record music using just your digital piano and your computer.

Most keyboards and electric pianos have a one quarter inch stereo output. Most computers have a one eighth inch stereo input, so you’ll need an adapter. You can get the necessary adapter at Radio Shack or a similar store.

Once you have your electric piano plugged into the microphone port on your computer, you’ll need software to record with. Audacity is about as good as you can get. It’s free, and supports multiple tracks, plus has many useful effects.

Once you install Audacity, you’ll need to adjust your keyboard volume. You can adjust the volume via the Audacity interface or on your keyboard.

To record, just click the record button and start playing…then click stop when you are done. To record multiple tracks, just click record again and play along with the track you already recorded.

If you add acoustic tracks, such as guitar, vocals, drums, etc to your recording, you should use the Noise removal effect on Audacity. This tool is very helpful in removing static and noise from your recordings. It usually won’t be necessary for your electric piano, though, since all the recording is digital.

Using your electric piano and Audacity, you can easily create recordings with a “full” band. If you need more voices for your keyboard, you can get midi boxes or software to add 100’s of extra voices - everything from drums to flutes.

Find electric piano parts @ Vintage Vibe.

[tags]electric piano[/tags]

It is often the case that individuals just learning to play the guitar want to sound like a professional when they really need to focus on guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies. Guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies may sound like fundamental information that is not fun, but that all depends on how serious you are about learning to play the guitar. The best advice for you at this stage of your learning is to take it slow and learn as much as you possibly can. This short tutorial, which features guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies will present you with the basics for honing your skills. By following the steps below you will be playing like a pro in no time at all.

Step 1: Warm Up Your Hands and Fingers

Your hands will get a good workout when you play and practice the guitar. Just as a typist whose hands perform repetitive motion for a significant number of hours can develop carpel tunnel syndrome, so can you too injure the delicate tendons in your hand. You can experience very painful cramps and in extreme cases could lead to loss of ability to play the guitar at all. You should spend at least 5 minutes warming up your fingers and hands before you perform either of these activities. One of the most important guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies is to take a break if you play or practice for longer than an hour. The following exercises are ideal for warming up your hands and fingers:

* Use each hand to gently massage the other one; concentrate on the base of the area located at the base of the thumb
* Place your hands against one another, pressing your fingertips together
* Stretch your fingers out as far as you can and then curl them inward; repeat twice

Step 2: Practice Chromatic Scale

While playing either major or minor chords is a traditional method that guitarists use when they start practicing, this feature of guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies would be remiss if it did not recommend that students of the guitar practice the chromatic as often as they can. The chromatic scale is among the guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies because you play all 12 notes on the guitar in half steps. This scale is contrary to a whole note scale, which consists of playing the notes in whole steps.

Step 3: Get Down to Playing

You have looked forward to another opportunity to play your guitar and here you are. If you haven’t prepared for your practice session by choosing your lesson beforehand, the guitar playing/practicing tips for newbies for this step include suggestions for what you could practice/play during your session.

* Learn a new chord
* Choose to learn one section of a new song
* Practice picking, strumming, plucking, or all three

Step 4: Cooling Down

The cooling down phase is a time to bring your session to a close. Instead of abruptly stopping and putting your guitar away, this is the time to sort of reward yourself by leaving the session on a positive “note.” Whether you are practicing or playing the guitar, you are probably challenging your skills. In the cool down you ease out of the challenging phase.

The following are the best guitar practicing/playing tips for newbies for cooling down:

* Play a short, familiar piece that is comfortable for you
* Don’t focus on playing your finale piece with perfection; just play it
* Closing your eyes while you play the finale can help to calm you if the practice session was difficult or frustrating

For more more information about guitar practicing please visit http://www.guitar-directory.net

[tags]guitar practicing, guitar practicing tips, newbies playing guitar, guitar lessons[/tags]

The Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model is one of their most loved guitars. Players of Gibson guitars often wonder how the great Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model is made. Made in Nashville, Tennessee, the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model is made much like their other models. To begin with, the wood is chosen for the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model. The top of the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model is glued up into 2″ thick block, and most of the backs are solid. Machines put the front and backs together for the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model. Most are surprised by the machine assembly of the guitars, however the Gibson Guitar Hummingbird and all other models have been built by machines for over 100 years.

The Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model’s neck is made of up to three different pieces. The pieces of the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird are laminated and cut. The wing blocks are added to the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird and the fingerboards are assembled. Most of the fingerboards on the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird are made of rosewood or ebony. The Gibson Guitar Hummingbird, like all other Gibson guitars, is hand-fretted. When everything is put together, the Gibson Guitar Hummingbird is ready to go.

Many musicians have loved the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird over the years. The Gibson Guitars Hummingbird is one that offers the signature Gibson sound and quality. Durability is one thing that draws artists to the Gibson Guitars Hummingbird. The Gibson Guitars Hummingbird model is a lovely instrument that is also a piece of art.

Steve Morgan makes it quick and easy to find the best guitars. Read expert information here.

[tags]gibson guitars hummingbird[/tags]