How to Survive an Underground Rock or Metal Concert              

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Underground indie rock or underground heavy metal shows are not like mainstream rock shows. Security isn't paid to protect you, but to protect the club from you and to kick you out if you damage anything or act like you're on drugs. If you want to enjoy the music, and it is some of the most vital music in rock, you'll want to follow some basic rules:

  • Bring nothing but your wallet and keys. If you get frisked by security, or someone else does something stupid, you don't want to be holding anything. Leave the drugs at home or get a hotel room nearby with your friends, and taxi over.
  • Don't drink until you're obliterated. If you want to have a few beers, who's going to complain? But know your limits. That fun stunt you thought wouldn't make you look like a drunk idiot will make you look like a dangerous drunk idiot to security, or to the guy who decks you with a haymaker because you were being a drunk idiot.
  • Mosh? Going into that pit is like signing a contract that says you're not going to blame someone else for causing you bodily harm. It can also be a load of fun. The rules are: try to bounce other people off you, not hit them. Forgive others when a misplaced elbow makes chin contact. And finally, if someone falls, pick them up before they get trampled.
  • Security guys are underpaid and are used to every excuse in the book. The time to make peace with them is before an incident starts. If two guys start fighting, back up and make it clear you're not involved. If the guy next to you suddenly coughs cocaine all over the stage and starts barfing blood, do the same thing.
  • I recommend showing up early to get a good parking space, and leaving nothing visible in the car at all. Homeless people sometimes take a shine to your old sweater if it's a cold night out, or wonder if those fake Oakleys are real.
  • Suppose something goes really wrong, and the cops show up. Even if you have a grudge or well-reasoned complaint against our law enforcement officers, now is not the time, when they are outnumbered and surrounded by a potential riot. Be polite, sit down quietly away from any incident locations, and get out as quickly as you can, because if mayhem happens, they're going to start taking people out.
  • Club personnel are in this job because it's a lifestyle, and don't get paid much. It won't kill you to be polite, but don't be a chump. State your request, be friendly, and move on.
  • The bathrooms may be a disaster before the show, but they're usually a compost pond by halfway through. If something needs to happen in your excretory tract, make sure it happens before you arrive at the show.
  • How to make a band happy: bands get paid the least for CDs and tshirts you order online from a third party store, a little more for CDs and tshirts you order from the label, still a bit more from tshirts and CDs you buy at the club, and a little bit more for tshirts and CDs you order from their web site. What makes them the most cash is when you find them after the show and buy the shirt or CD from them there, because they don't have to pay the club or label a cut.

Follow these basic instructions and you'll be a productive and happy member of the audience, and no harm will likely come to you. Think of it as a new form of etiquette for places where you might not expect standards to apply, but because they're inherent to human behavior, they do.

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Vijay Prozak was a heavy metal DJ in Los Angeles for six years and continues to write about metal music at the improbably-named Dark Legions Archive. He believes in enjoying extreme metal if not responsibly at least in such a way that everyone rational can enjoy it.

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>>Posted on November 6th, 2008 by admin 

Heavy Metal Rock Is Still Alive And Well              

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Even if heavy metal is seen by many people as evil and destructive it is still very popular among young and old. It is pretty obvious that the thing teenagers today (and yesterday and tomorrow) are crazy about is music. Of all the musical genres the one with probably the most enthusiastic fans has to be heavy metal and all the hundreds of sub-categories, whether it is classic hard rock or grindcore.

Discordant heavy metal music struck a chord with many teenagers during the late '70s and '80s. The loud, fast, guitar-driven music has since languished commercially as successive generations have chosen newer soundtracks to fuel their rebellion against the establishment. Many of the original fans, however, never moved on, even as they aged, started careers, got married and had children of their own.

"If you're seeing a 40-year-old at a concert, you're quite sure at 18 you know what kind of music he was into. For so many people the music of the most emotional point of their lives is a touchstone that they return to for the rest of their lives, there keeping their own youth alive.
Heavy metal fans wear their passion on more than just the sleeves of skull T-shirts and black leather jackets. For many of them, the music--louder and faster than anything heard before--became a way of life. The mostly white, mostly male and mostly middle-class listeners found a feeling of power over their parents, over their teachers, over the jocks at school that treated them as outcasts.

Metalheads, or headbangers, as they called themselves, built up a community linked through underground tape swapping networks and conversations about Metallica lyrics while camping out on line for concert tickets.

A second wave of British and American rock bands became popular during the late 1960s to the 1970s, with groups that were more steeped in American blues music than their more pop-oriented predecessors. Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Status Quo, Aerosmith, Queen, Black Sabbath, and Uriah Heep played highly amplified, guitar-driven hard rock that would come to be known as heavy metal. Heavy metal languished into obscurity in the late 1970s. A few bands including Kiss, Queen, Black Sabbath,AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith maintained large followings and there were occasional mainstream hits such as Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) the Reaper". Music critics overwhelmingly disliked the genre. This began to change in 1978 following the release of Van Halen's eponymous, self-titled debut album. The album helped to usher in an era of high-energy rock and roll, based out of Los Angeles, California.

One genre that was widely popular in the 1980s (c.1983) was glam metal. Taking influence from various artists such as Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Queen, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, (all but Queen would eventually play glam metal at some point in the 80s), Sweet and the New York Dolls. The earliest glam metal bands to gain notability included: Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P. and Ratt. They became known for their debauched lifestyles, teased hair and use of make-up and clothing. Their songs were bombastic and often defiantly macho, with lyrics focused on sex, drinking, drugs, and the occult.

By the mid 1980s, a formula developed in which a glam metal band had two hits -- one a "power ballad" (slow-dance tempo, with soft verses and bombastic anthemic choruses), and the other a hard-rocking anthem. In 1987 a second wave of glam metal acts, sometimes referred to as sleaze rock, emerged including L.A. Guns and Faster Pussycat.

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>>Posted on November 6th, 2008 by admin 

Famous (And Infamous) Artists of the Electric Guitar              

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Does the artist make the electric guitar, or the electric guitar make the artist? I suspect the answer to that question would vary significantly depending on who you asked. A manufacturer such as Gibson, Fender, or Yamaha would probably reply that an artist can only be as good as his instrument. But a guitarist, while likely to acknowledge the importance of a good guitar, would probably want to take the lion's share of the credit for himself. This is the "chicken and the egg" question of the musical world and one to which we will probably never know the answer. Fortunately, even without knowing it, we can still enjoy the outrageous talent that electric guitarists have displayed over the decades.

Keith Richards. My favorite quote about this gentleman comes from comic Robin Williams's 2002 Live on Broadway performance: "I know there is a cure for whatever bioterrorism they send at us. I know that there is one, and it lies within Keith Richards, I know that. He's the only man on the planet who can go 'Anthrax? (sniff) Alriiiight!'" Sums it up, don't you think? Mr. Richard, guitarist for The Rolling Stones, is a wonderful example of the rock and roll electric guitar player. He's rebellious, scandalous, filthy rich and still going strong.

Eddie Van Halen. A poster child for the big hair era of the 80s, this man is still recognized thirty years after the release of his band's first album, which was entitled "Van Halen." Hey, if both the band and the album are named after you, that kind of says it all. Van Halen didn't confine his talents to his own band, either, and he contributed a guitar solo to the song of another 80s icon. The icon was Michael Jackson and the song was Beat It. No wonder this guy is still (in)famous.

Carlos Augusto Santana Alves. No, I didn't know he had four names either, to me he'll always be "Santana." This gentleman first became famous over forty years ago and he's showing no sign of slowing down. His genres include rock, blues, salsa and jazz fusion. His music has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the last decade or so and in 2003, Rolling Stone named Santana number 15 on their list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time. Talk about getting the industry's stamp of approval.

Jimi Hendrix. There has possibly never been an electric guitarist who more strongly influenced the industry or who more perfectly embodied a generation. He has, posthumously, been inducted into both the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a statue on the streets of his hometown, Seattle, Wash., and an eternal place in the annals of not only American music, but American history as well. A tremendous performer and a brilliant innovator, Rolling Stone named him number one on its 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He remains one of the most famous artists ever to have lived.

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>>Posted on November 4th, 2008 by admin 

Van Halen – Van Halen II Rock Music CD Review              

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Van Halen II is the latest release from Van Halen, and I can only think of one word to describe this CD… AWESOME!

It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own.

Van Halen II has a nicely varied, mix of 10 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly superb musicians. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

I’m of the opinion that Van Halen II is certainly some of this groups best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it’s a collection that even the casual Rock fan can appreciate and enjoy.

While the entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 2 - Dance The Night Away, track 3 - Somebody Get Me A Doctor, and track 10 - Beautiful Girls

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 - You're No Good. It’s a great track!

Van Halen II Release Notes:

Van Halen originally released Van Halen II on September 19, 2000 on the Warner Bros. Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. You're No Good

2. Dance The Night Away

3. Somebody Get Me A Doctor

4. Bottoms Up!

5. Outta Love Again

6. Light Up The Sky

7. Spanish Fly

8. D.O.A.

9. Women In Love...

10. Beautiful Girls

Van Halen: David Lee Roth (vocals); Eddie Van Halen (guitar); Michael Anthony (bass); Alex Van Halen (drums). Recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California in 1979.

Vizio


>>Posted on November 4th, 2008 by admin 

Rock Stars’ Cars To Appear At Henry Ford Museum              

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The American public has always loved its music and its cars, and they even love those cars of people who created the music they love. The Henry Ford Museum will cater to the whim of the public who have been longing for those famous vehicles which famous stars used in the past.

The exhibit dubbed as the Rock Stars’ Cars and Guitars will take place in June 9 of this year at the Henry Ford Museum located in Dearborn, Michigan. The exhibit will showcase eighteen cars which are as legendary as the people who once drove them. The soul of rock and roll will be bared to the public with the unveiling of the cars which includes the rides of Elvis Presley and John Lennon among others.

Aside from cars, the exhibit will also feature a wide variety of guitars that were once used by rock and roll superstars.

The exhibit will showcase cars, guitars, and motorcycles on loan from other museums and private individuals. The Petersen Automotive Museum, the Hard Rock Café, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum Inc. are the natural homes of the cars and guitars to be shown at the exhibit on the ninth of June. Christian Overland, the Vice President of Museums and Collections for The Henry Ford Museum, has this to say about the exhibit: "Rock & roll and custom-car culture are important expressions of American freedom and individualism. This exhibition presents an opportunity to see some of the iconic cars of rock & roll and understand the artistic expressions of the stars.”

Among the eighteen cars to be showcased at the event is the 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V owned by the immortal Beatles member John Lennon. True to the age where Lennon grew up, the car is pained in a psychedelic floral motif. This will surely have people silently singing “Imagine”.

Another legendary car which will make an appearance at the exhibit is the 1949 Cadillac custom designed by blues rock band ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons. The car is dubbed as the “CadZZilla” and is one of the most recognized hot rods in the rock world.

Another legendary car that will be showcased at the aforementioned event is the 1971 De Tomaso Pantera formerly owned by Elvis Presley. The popularity of the car is attributed to a bullet hole shot into the car by the King himself.

Another vehicle that will make an appearance at the event is the 1932 Ford Coupe “Silver Sapphire” which became famous when it appeared on the cover of another rock and roll icon - the Beach Boys’ album. The Silver Sapphire was featured in the cover of the “Little Deuce Coupe” album of the popular rock and roll band.

Another 1932 vehicle from Ford also made it to the exhibit. The Ford model in question is the 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Phaeton hot rod. The hot rod became popular when it was used by hard rock band Van Halen on the music video for their song “Hot for Teacher”. At the end of the music video, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth smoked the tires of the car as he sped away from the school.

These vehicles have become a part of the auto industry in the fact that they have generated interest on cars during their tenure as the ride of the rich and famous. All these cars have been known for their performance and the use of aftermarket parts, although it is highly improbable that a Nissan cold air intake system was used on any of those cars.

Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car afficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine. For more information, visit Nissan cold air intake


>>Posted on January 10th, 2008 by admin 

1981 – The Year In Music              

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MTV is launched, providing 24-hour music programming. The first video aired is "Video Killed The Radio Star by Buggles.

Kim Carnes' releases her sixth solo album "Mistaken Identity". The album hits #1 and spawns the single, "Bette Davis Eyes", which spent nine weeks at #1.

The Clash play string of 17 shows at Bond's, NY due to over-selling of shows by promoters.

Cheap Trick get sued by CBS for not recording a new album in an attempt to convince the label to renegotiate their contract. The highlight of the year for them was a concert in front of a massive hometown crowd at the ChicagoFest music festival.

Prince releases Controversy, as well as writing, performing and producing The Time's debut effort.

Tom Petty challenges his label, MCA, when they attempt to unveil their new higher pricing with the release of his new album, Hard Promises. The label eventually balks and the album is released at the lower price.

Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks released her debut solo effort, Bella Donna, which peaked at #1, launching the Top 5 singles "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) and "Leather And Lace" (with Don Henley). "Edge Of Seventeen" peaked at #11.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, originally released in Australia in 1976 and featuring singer Bon Scott (who passed away 1980) is released in the U.S. in April '81

Van Halen release "Fair Warning", the least commercially-successful release to feature singer David Lee Roth. That same year, Eddie Van Halen marries actress Valerie Bertinelli.

Former Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne releases his debut solo album in the U.S. in January '81.

After being reduced to a four-piece, Foreigner release their fourth album, "4", in July '81. The album goes on to hit #1 "Urgent" goes to #1 on the pop singles chart.

Queen and David Bowie record "Under Pressure", peaking at #29 on the U.S. Singles charts.

U2 make their U.S. relevision debut on the "Tomorrow With Tom Snyder" show. In October, they release their second album, "October", in October. The album peaked at #104 on the U.S charts while hitting #11 in the UK.

After three albums, and having begun work on demos for a fourth, the Buzzcocks break up.

In September, Simon & Garfunkel reunite to perform a free concert in New York's Central Park to over 500,000 fans.

James Taylor released "Dad Loves His Work" (the title a direct result of then-wife Carly Simon's demands that he spend more time at home with her and their children). The album peaked at #10, spawning the single "Her Town Too, which peaked at #11.

L.A. all-female band, the Go-Go's release their debut album, Beauty & The Beat, which went on to hit #1, where it stayed for six weeks. The album included the singles "Our Lips Are Sealed" (#20) and "We Got The Beat" (#2).

Paul McCartney disbands Wings.

Three years after the death of drummer Keith Moon,, the Who release "Face Dances" with new drummer Kenny Jones. The album peaks at #4 and includes the Top 20 single "You Better You Bet".

Billy Squier releases his second solo album, "Don't Say No", which peaked at #5 and spawned the Top 20 hit single, "The Stroke".

Squeeze release their fourth studio album, "East Side Story" and enjoy a Top 10 U.S. single with "Tempted". Paul Carrack, who sang lead on the track, left the band soonafter the album's release.

Genesis drummer/vocalist Phil Collins releases his debut solo effort, Face Value. The album is a Top 10 hit and features the Top 20 singles "I Missed Again" and "In The Air Tonight".

Duran Duran release their self-titled debut album, with the single for "Girls On Film" peaking at #5 in the UK. Little fanfare is paid to the album in the U.S. until it is re-released in 1983 after the success of the "Rio" album in 1982.

The Police release "Ghost In The Machine", which features one of the year's best-selling singles, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (#3 US/#1 UK).

After being down by numerous major labels, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts release "I Love Rock & Roll" on Neil Bogart's fledgling Boardwalk Records. Released in December, early copies of the album include a version of "Little Drummer Boy" that would later be replaced by the track "Oh Woe Is Me". The album peaked at #2 and went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. The title track spent eight weeks at #1.

The Replacements release their first album, "Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The trash" on Minneapolis label Twin/Tone Records.

Olivia Newton-John, known primarily as a country artist in the U.S. (although not by purists due to the fact that she was Australian), scores a massive worldwide hit with the album "Physical" and title track, which rocketed to #1, where it stayed for ten weeks. The follow-up single, "Make a Move on Me" was also a Top 5 hit.

Stars on 45, a medley comprised of Beatles songs, went to #1 in the US. The song was produced by Jaap Eggermont, formerly of Golden Earring ("Radar Love")

With new keyboardist Jonathan Cain (ex-Babys), Journey hit #1 with the album "Escape", which featured the hit singles "Open Arms" (#2), "Who's Crying Now" (#4), and "Don't Stop Believing" (#9).

Styx rode "Paradise Theater" album to #1, which included the hits "The Best Of Times" (#3) and "Too Much Time On My Hands" (#9).

Rick Springfield checked out of General Hospital to pursue a music career and landed at #1 with the single, "Jessie's Girl". The Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything For You" went to #8, helping propel the album "Working Class Dog" into the Top 10.

Bob Marley died on May 11, 1981 after a lengthy battle with cancer.


>>Posted on January 10th, 2008 by admin 

Learn How to Play Bass Guitar              

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If you have ever wanted to participate in a band or start your own band, you might have considered playing the bass guitar. The bass guitar is generally made up of four standard strings, which makes learning to play easier than a five or more stringed guitar. The bass guitar is not a lead guitar, per se, but is actually an accompaniment to the lead guitar. Additionally, the bass guitar can be either acoustic or electric and is used to hold the 'bass' sounds and tonal qualities of a song. Therefore, in its design and makeup, it was created to give a group of instruments a certain melody and rhythm that can be adhered to by all the other instruments around it.

Whether you choose to teach, study, or learn to play the bass guitar with an instructor or on your own, getting a few fundamentals down is essential to developing good habits, especially when it comes to learning how to hold the guitar, strum or pick it, and properly move from chord to chord along different frets. Following, it will be up to you if you want to learn in the classical method, which dictates learning notes and reading sheet music. Or, especially with a four-stringed bass, you can learn to play in chords, which will make your learning progressively faster and allow you to begin playing tunes almost immediately. Developing this sort of learning and playing style will also leave more room for improvisation and fine-tuning your playing ear.

The four strings of a bass guitar are in, from lowest to highest, E-A-D-G note formation, which allows players to easily control which chord, octave, and pitch they want their music in. Mastering the frets on a guitar is generally essential and it helps if your guitar has visible fret lines. Then, as you learn, pressing down your fingertips in a certain fret becomes a straightforward process. Some bass guitars come with no frets; instead, the wood is nicely polished where the player has to inherently know which fret is which and where it is located. While this is much easier for more advanced players and songwriters, as a new student to the bass guitar, you're better off learning to play with visible fret indicator lines.

Additionally, whether you are teaching yourself, learning online, or learning from an instructor or friend, it is important that you are able to keep your bass guitar in tune. When you are looking for a bass guitar to purchase, throw in a small electric tuner as well. An electric tuner will help you normalize and accurately tune each of your strings so that a crisp and sharp sound can be produced. After some practice tuning the instrument, you'll be able to tell by ear if your guitar is in tune or not. In order that your playing sounds professional across the spectrum, always make sure that you are learning with a well-tuned guitar.

Overall, learning the bass guitar isn't that difficult. Within a month or so, you'll be able to play a few songs. Give yourself plenty of time, have patience, and practice at least a half an hour per day. Once your fingers get used to their proper positions and you are able to get your strumming down to match the rhythm of the song, you'll be on your way to more advanced types of music. Remember to always practice the chords you are learning. Practice from one chord to another and slide your hand from fret to fret. All of this will culminate to make you a good bass player in a relatively short amount of time.

About the Author:

If you want to do more than Learn How to Play Bass Guitar, then you should definitely Learn and Master Guitar


>>Posted on January 10th, 2008 by admin 

Blues Scale For Guitar – How to Play Jaw Dropping Lead Guitar              

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When I was a younger guitarist I used to watch in awe at players that could effortlessly jam with other's playing lick after lick of great lead guitar. I thought I would never be that good until I learned the blues scale for guitar. The blues scale opened my eyes to the world of improvisation and within a month I was up there jamming along with them. This article will show you how to play a blues scale for guitar and also give a few pointers on successfully using it to play lead guitar.

First a little background on the blues scale for guitar. The blues scale is derived from the minor pentatonic scale. If you play a minor pentatonic and add one note (the flatted fifth) you get the blues scale. This added note is what gives the scale its sad, dark quality. In medieval times the flatted fifth was known as the 'The Devil's Note' and its use banned in some kingdom's. Today though people are more forgiving of this unusual tone and some actual prefer it. The blues scale can be found in almost al forms of music whether it be rock, jazz, blues, heavy metal, and other world music.

Here is a diagram of the Blues Scale for Guitar

¦--X--¦------¦------¦--X--¦
¦--X--¦------¦------¦--X--¦
¦--X--¦------¦--X--¦--O--¦
¦--X--¦------¦--X--¦------¦
¦--X--¦--O--¦--X--¦------¦
¦--X--¦------¦------¦--X--¦

The X's and O's represent the notes that make up the blues scale. The O's are the flatted fifth or 'blue' note. If you were to omit these notes from the pattern you would be left with the minor pentatonic scale.

How to use the Blues Scale for Guitar

The scale pattern I have shown above can be played starting any fret of your guitar. It works well over minor chords, power chords and Dominant seventh chords. Practice the scale up and down until you memorize the notes well enough to do it without looking. Then try juggling them around to come up with your own licks.

Cool blues guitar trick: Play a note not in the scale and bend or slide into the note that is in the scale. You will have to experiment with this one because not all outside notes will sound as pleasing as other's but this is a really cool sound that will instantly make you sound like a pro.

For more tips and ideas on playing the blues scale for guitar try listening to some of your favorite rock and blues bands. See if you can jam along, or try to pick out what they are playing. Just remember to have fun with it first and then before you know it you will be able to jam out some blues and rock with anyone.

About the Author:

John Robert has been playing guitar for longer than he can remember. Aside from teaching guitar for the last three years he enjoys writing articles about playing blues guitar and other guitar related topics. If you are serious about mastering the blues you owe it to yourself to check out PlayingThroughTheBlues.info


>>Posted on January 10th, 2008 by admin 

Guitar Tabs For Beginners              

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In this article I will try to give a few examples of guitar tabs for beginners. Before I do that, just a quick run through of just what these are.

Music comes in two forms. Firstly written or sheet music. Secondly is tablature which is shortened to tabs. The notation is different but tablature is easier to use. When looking at a music sheet you will see six horizontal lines. They represent the guitar strings. Secondly you will see a series of 0, 1, 2 at various places on the lines. These numbers refer to finger placement and fret positions on the guitar stock. As the song progresses the places to put your fingers changes. I won't go into detail here at the moment. You will need to look elsewhere for learning how to actually play and read music.

So to a few of my favorites of mine.

The Star. yes that's right Twinkle, twinkle little star how I wonder what you are..

From the Poem by Jane Taylor. The first verse would look something like this below.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

This would be represented like this on a musical tab.

Third string down or G, --------2-2--4-4-2--0-0-----------------
and the forth string or D,--0-0--------------------4-4--2-2--0h--

Now you would think all musical songs would be written or tabulated in the same way. I am afraid this not the case.

The arts world loves to create. Take the simple tune of Happy Birthday for example. Easy enough you would think. So did I until I started looking around.

It would appear the tab for this is not as straight forward as I thought.

I found several different interpretations of this very basic tune. Even the way the score was shown was different in some cases. May be the atmosphere at the parties had something to do with it.

I am sorry to say it's not something you can pick up over night and play the next day with ease. Reading, understanding and playing music needs to be learnt or taught to the person wishing to play.

Another part of learning to play is practice, practice and yet more practice. I supposes it like anything you want to do really well at.

Well I hope this little article shed a little light on the subject. Happy playing.

About the Author:

By Malcolm Ross. Additional pages on this topic, Guitar tabs for Beginners, can be found at my blog http://guitartabsforbeginners.blogspot.com/
or HubPage http://hubpages.com/hub/Guitar-tabs-for-beginners
and my Squidoo lens http://www.squidoo.com/Guitartabsforbeginners/


>>Posted on January 10th, 2008 by admin 

Van Halen at the United Center Chicago              

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Yes, the long awaited tour with David Lee Roth fronting the band again is happening! I lived in L.A. when Van Halen were playing the Starwood with 50 people in the place. They were great even then, it was only no-one really knew about them. If you read my article the Hollywood scene '75-'76 you can read more. This is one of the great American bands and has put themselves in the history books. Yet for me I saw the beginnings. The talent was there, especially Eddie. We kept telling David get rid of the platforms and go to Capezios. If you were there you know what I am talking about.

Ted Templeman took them and made Rock Stars of them. The material was there, Jamies cryin, Runnin with the devil, Ice cream cakes, they made it happen. That was the start. Let's get to the show...! The United Center-Chicago, the boys rocked and it was so noisy you could hardly hear! They played every song you would want to hear, they were on Fire!

Everyone I know was there the Munsey crew, the Eric, Neil, Laura, Diana crew loved it. It was balls to the walls and I don't mean Accept for you older people. All have said Eddie was the best they have seen in years, be it rehab, or his son Wolfie playing bass, he was incredible! Throughout the show Eddie was kissing Wolfie on the cheek and they both had smiles on their faces the whole show. My nephew said Wolfie held his own he was not there just because he is Eddies son, he played great! They did play on his youth a bit. "Cradle of Rock" and "Atomic Punk" he rode the catwalk, Rock on...! Eddies solo was like watching a high school kid running around and kickin' ---! Alex also did a kick-ass solo, what a talent!

You could tell Van Halen was again having a blast doing what they love to do. I hope it will last longer, so all of us can enjoy it again. Rock 'n Roll Chicago!

About the Author:
Teddy Mueller started his career as the drummer for classic rock band Axe, touring with Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, Iron Maiden, Joan Jett, Alice Cooper, and many, many more, Teddy has been around the world playing his drums and played for crowds of over 50,000 people! Since then, Teddy is a voting Grammy member as well as working in the retail business environment as manager and district manager for major retail companies.

To learn more about Teddy Mueller, visit his website: http://TeddyMueller.com


>>Posted on January 10th, 2008 by admin 
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