Friday, April 25, 2008
What It Takes To Be A Pro DJ ( By : DJAdvantage )
DJing is art. To be a DJ means that you are on top of the music scene. To be a REALLY good DJ means that you are on top of all the other DJs around you. That is simple logic.So what makes a good DJ? We believe, first and foremost, playing for the crowd. If the crowd is jumpin' n screamin' to your cuts, then you know that you are rocking the party.These days, everyone wants to hear the latest and hottest tracks. This responsibility lies upon the DJ. Exclusiveness has certainly brought about the success of some of the top DJs out there today.In today's club scene however, being able to play the tracks the crowd wants is not simply enough. You need to hype the crowd up by being able to pull 'stunts' on the decks that no other DJ can. We all know of one such way, and that is turntablism. The problem with scratching is though, unless done to perfection, the crowd is not going to respond to it.Technology is great these days, and due to this, DJing has come a very, very long way. Still, no DJ can do the things a remix can, live on stage. Well perhaps, but not on every single track. It will take planning and a lot of pre-work. Why go through all that when most of the crowd will think that you're playing a remix anyway? The only real thing you should be doing is be able to switch tracks to fit the mood of the crowd, or be able to change the mood of the crowd by selecting the tracks you choose to play.Playing DJ remixes is the answer to that problem. We have remixes in the DJ industry today, simply because they are effective in what we want to achieve, and that is, dance floor hype.The only set back is, most of the remixes that you have that are not done by you, the next DJ to jump on the decks will probably have. In fact, it will probably be on the net for the whole dance floor to download anyway. Not very 'exclusive' is it?So, if you can play what the crowd wants, which is essentially the latest material mixed up with old crowd favorites, and you can deliver it in a such a way that the crowd is dazzled, and nobody else can do what you can do, then Mr. DJ, put the record on, because you are going to be the latest craze in the club scene.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
A Guide To Reading Sheet Music (by: Kevin Sinclair)
To read basic sheet music is not difficult once you have mastered the odd and peculiar looking notes and symbols and understand exactly what they mean.
Did you notice that the notes are written on a set of five horizontal lines? This is known as a staff. The vertical lines placed at intervals on the staff are used to divide the music into measures. Each measure contains a number of notes and the name of the note is determined by the horizontal line it is placed on or between. So, let's start at the bottom line and work upwards on each line. On the treble clef these notes are E, G, B, D, F., easily remembered by the little rhyme, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor. The notes located in the spaces between the lines are F, A, C, E which no doubt you have spotted, spells the word face.
On the left hand side at the beginning of the music there is a clef sign, either a treble clef where the notes are usually higher in tone or bass clef where the notes are lower. The clef dictates which octave the notes are to be played in. Alongside the clef you fill find two numbers written as a fraction and this is the time signature of the music and how many beats should be played to the measure.
The sharps or flats of the key the music is played in are shown in the key signature which is also near to the clef or sometimes, if it is just an odd note here or there to be played sharp or flat the symbol will be alongside the note itself. A b sign means a flat while a # symbol means a sharp and both of these are written against the notes required to be changed.
The notes are best described as such -
* A hollow oval called a semibreve. This is a whole note lasting for four beats or a measure.
* A hollow oval with a stem is called a minim. This note takes two beats.
* A solid oval with a stem is called a crotchet and lasts for one beat.
* A black oval with a stem and flag is known as a quaver and last for half a beat.
* A black oval with a stem and two flags is called a semi-quaver and takes just a quarter of a beat.
A note followed by a dot increases the value of the beat for that note.
Each of the above mentioned notes have a matching rest.
* The semibreve rest looks is a small black oblong sitting on top of a line.
* The minim rest is identical but sits under the line.
* The crochet rest looks is the sign of a curly vertical line.
* The quaver rest looks like a vertically slanted line with a black circle on the top left with a loop.
* The semi-quaver rest is similar to the quaver rest but with two black circles attached.
Crochets, quavers and semi-quavers are frequently attached to each other by one or two lines going across the stems. The stems of the notes can point upwards or downwards depending on whether they are above or below the center line on the staff. If the notes are joined by a curved line then only the first note is picked out but the count of the other notes is included.
These are just some guidelines for the beginner but there are many opportunities available on the Internet and in books showing numerous diagrams on how to read sheet music whatever your chosen instrument.
Did you notice that the notes are written on a set of five horizontal lines? This is known as a staff. The vertical lines placed at intervals on the staff are used to divide the music into measures. Each measure contains a number of notes and the name of the note is determined by the horizontal line it is placed on or between. So, let's start at the bottom line and work upwards on each line. On the treble clef these notes are E, G, B, D, F., easily remembered by the little rhyme, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor. The notes located in the spaces between the lines are F, A, C, E which no doubt you have spotted, spells the word face.
On the left hand side at the beginning of the music there is a clef sign, either a treble clef where the notes are usually higher in tone or bass clef where the notes are lower. The clef dictates which octave the notes are to be played in. Alongside the clef you fill find two numbers written as a fraction and this is the time signature of the music and how many beats should be played to the measure.
The sharps or flats of the key the music is played in are shown in the key signature which is also near to the clef or sometimes, if it is just an odd note here or there to be played sharp or flat the symbol will be alongside the note itself. A b sign means a flat while a # symbol means a sharp and both of these are written against the notes required to be changed.
The notes are best described as such -
* A hollow oval called a semibreve. This is a whole note lasting for four beats or a measure.
* A hollow oval with a stem is called a minim. This note takes two beats.
* A solid oval with a stem is called a crotchet and lasts for one beat.
* A black oval with a stem and flag is known as a quaver and last for half a beat.
* A black oval with a stem and two flags is called a semi-quaver and takes just a quarter of a beat.
A note followed by a dot increases the value of the beat for that note.
Each of the above mentioned notes have a matching rest.
* The semibreve rest looks is a small black oblong sitting on top of a line.
* The minim rest is identical but sits under the line.
* The crochet rest looks is the sign of a curly vertical line.
* The quaver rest looks like a vertically slanted line with a black circle on the top left with a loop.
* The semi-quaver rest is similar to the quaver rest but with two black circles attached.
Crochets, quavers and semi-quavers are frequently attached to each other by one or two lines going across the stems. The stems of the notes can point upwards or downwards depending on whether they are above or below the center line on the staff. If the notes are joined by a curved line then only the first note is picked out but the count of the other notes is included.
These are just some guidelines for the beginner but there are many opportunities available on the Internet and in books showing numerous diagrams on how to read sheet music whatever your chosen instrument.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Byzantine - Oblivon Beckons review (by: Chad Bowar)
When you hear that someone is from the backwoods of West Virginia, certain stereotypes come to mind. That's where Byzantine is from, and they completely destroy any preconceptions you might have about their fine state.
Oblivion Beckons is the band's third CD, and the one that should propel them to a higher level. Byzantine blends modern and technical metal with old school thrash. Complex, precise riffs are punctuated by extended guitar solos. Brutal and aggressive songs evolve into lengthy progressive jams. This is a band that has the discipline and chops to play very technically, and the creativity to explore their more experimental and progressive side.
With a CD that is so diverse, the vocalist needs to keep up, and O.J. Ojeda has no problem moving from angry screams to yells to melodic vocals. Oblivion Beckons is an impressive display of musicianship and songwriting, and Byzantine's ability to pull off thrash, technical metal, prog and even an acoustic instrumental makes it a memorable and very well done CD.
(released January 22, 2008 on Prosthetic Records)
Oblivion Beckons is the band's third CD, and the one that should propel them to a higher level. Byzantine blends modern and technical metal with old school thrash. Complex, precise riffs are punctuated by extended guitar solos. Brutal and aggressive songs evolve into lengthy progressive jams. This is a band that has the discipline and chops to play very technically, and the creativity to explore their more experimental and progressive side.
With a CD that is so diverse, the vocalist needs to keep up, and O.J. Ojeda has no problem moving from angry screams to yells to melodic vocals. Oblivion Beckons is an impressive display of musicianship and songwriting, and Byzantine's ability to pull off thrash, technical metal, prog and even an acoustic instrumental makes it a memorable and very well done CD.
(released January 22, 2008 on Prosthetic Records)
Enemy of the Sun - Shadows review (by: Chad Bowar)
Waldemar Sorychta doesn't have much spare time. His skills as a producer are in high demand, and he has worked with tons of bands including Moonspell, Lacuna Coil, Tiamat, Tristania, Samael and Borknagar. He's also a talented guitarist and former member of Grip, Inc. His gothic metal band Eyes Of Eden recently released Faith, and his harder edged project Enemy Of The Sun has just completed their debut CD.
Shadows has a thrash metal base, but branches off in all directions. There are modern, industrial style influences along with more unusual and avant-garde sections. The songs start with a base of creative guitar riffs and strong melodies, then the other elements are incorporated, creating a unique and innovative style.
Enemy Of The Sun's vocalist is Jules Naveri (Profane Omen, Misery Inc) from Finland, and he has the versatility to pull off the intense thrash style vocals along with melodic singing. Shadows veers off course from time to time, but Enemy Of The Sun always rights the ship and this is a solid debut CD.
(released January 22, 2008 on The End Records)
Shadows has a thrash metal base, but branches off in all directions. There are modern, industrial style influences along with more unusual and avant-garde sections. The songs start with a base of creative guitar riffs and strong melodies, then the other elements are incorporated, creating a unique and innovative style.
Enemy Of The Sun's vocalist is Jules Naveri (Profane Omen, Misery Inc) from Finland, and he has the versatility to pull off the intense thrash style vocals along with melodic singing. Shadows veers off course from time to time, but Enemy Of The Sun always rights the ship and this is a solid debut CD.
(released January 22, 2008 on The End Records)
Derek Trucks Biographical Info
At age 23, Derek Trucks has already accomplished more than most musicians do in a lifetime. The gifted guitarist has been touring since before he was a teenager, has three solo albums to his credit (his latest, Joyful Noise, is his first for a major label), is the leader of a highly talented band, and has performed with renowned groups such as Government Mule and Phil Lesh and Friends. And, oh yeah, then there's his other gig: he's one of the guitarists in the Allman Brothers Band.
While many players Trucks's age are more concerned with partying and the perks of the road, he appears to be focused squarely on his music. In an era in which image is king and musical integrity and skill are secondary, Trucks is the anti-Britney. He's on a mission to put musicianship back into popular music, and he's leading by example.
Trucks describes his group as "a Delta-blues jazz band playing soul music with a bunch of other things mixed in," and indeed, Joyful Noise (Sony Music Entertainment, 2002) bears out that description. The record offers up an eclectic combination of blues, rock, jazz, and various world-music styles. The roster of guest vocalists testifies to its wide musical range; present are Ruben Blades, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Solomon Burke, and Trucks's wife, blues singer Susan Tedeschi.
Trucks was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and began playing guitar at the age of nine. Within a year, he was playing out. "I learned a lot by ear," he recalls, "I took about a half-dozen lessons with one of my father's friends. I just started sitting in with local blues bands, and then touring with them. It was definitely a trip."
Despite his almost instant success, the joy of playing was purely a musical one for Trucks. He was not at all comfortable relating to the audience. "I wasn't drawn to being in front of people," Trucks says. "It was definitely the music that got me in, and not the scene." In fact, Trucks was so shy at first that he didn't even face the crowd. "When I first started playing, the only guy onstage that I knew was the drummer, so I faced him for the first month or two."
The first thing you notice about Derek Trucks when you hear him play or listen to one of his records is the gorgeous, fat tone he gets when playing slide. He achieves his sound with about as minimal a setup as you'll find. A Gibson '61 Reissue SG (sometimes he uses a Washburn E300) into an old 1964 Blackface Fender Super Reverb. That's it. No effects, no fancy preamps; just a guitar into an amplifier.
The only things that aren't stock about his setup are the Pile Driver speakers in his amp. Trucks's tech, Joe Main, tells the story of how Trucks started using them. "He blew his speakers out on a Saturday night, and so on Sunday his father and I were looking for speakers, somewhere, anywhere. We couldn't find anyplace open. So we went to a car-stereo store and found those speakers, and we put them in the amp, and Derek won't let me change them. They were designed to be in a car stereo; they weren't designed to be in an amplifier."
Part of Truck's distinctive sound also comes from the fact that he plays everything - not just slide - in open-E tuning. "I started playing open tunings at about ten years old and just never went back," he says. Playing slide in open tuning is common, but playing nonslide guitar parts when tuned that way is extremely unusual. When he started doing it, Trucks had to relearn all his chords and scales. "There are definitely some chords that are really stock for normal guitar players that are a little bit difficult in open E, but there's vice versa," he says.
These days, Trucks is influenced less by guitarists and more by horn players and vocalists. "There's always the obvious like Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane. John Gilmore, who played with Sun Ra for a long time, is one of my favorite tenors. There are so many, though. That whole Blue Note era in the '60s, almost any record you pick up is amazing. We burn out a lot of those. Clifford Brown is another favorite."
Trucks and Haynes, both master slide players, have to divvy up the parts and decide who will handle the "Duane" parts and who will handle the "Dickey" parts. "There are certain songs that we [trade] every night, every time a certain song comes along," says Trucks. "On Tuesday, it's Warren's [turn to play a particular song]; on Wednesday, it's mine. There are some tunes like that and there are other tunes where we just decide 'this is yours, this is mine.'"
While many players Trucks's age are more concerned with partying and the perks of the road, he appears to be focused squarely on his music. In an era in which image is king and musical integrity and skill are secondary, Trucks is the anti-Britney. He's on a mission to put musicianship back into popular music, and he's leading by example.
Trucks describes his group as "a Delta-blues jazz band playing soul music with a bunch of other things mixed in," and indeed, Joyful Noise (Sony Music Entertainment, 2002) bears out that description. The record offers up an eclectic combination of blues, rock, jazz, and various world-music styles. The roster of guest vocalists testifies to its wide musical range; present are Ruben Blades, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Solomon Burke, and Trucks's wife, blues singer Susan Tedeschi.
Trucks was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and began playing guitar at the age of nine. Within a year, he was playing out. "I learned a lot by ear," he recalls, "I took about a half-dozen lessons with one of my father's friends. I just started sitting in with local blues bands, and then touring with them. It was definitely a trip."
Despite his almost instant success, the joy of playing was purely a musical one for Trucks. He was not at all comfortable relating to the audience. "I wasn't drawn to being in front of people," Trucks says. "It was definitely the music that got me in, and not the scene." In fact, Trucks was so shy at first that he didn't even face the crowd. "When I first started playing, the only guy onstage that I knew was the drummer, so I faced him for the first month or two."
The first thing you notice about Derek Trucks when you hear him play or listen to one of his records is the gorgeous, fat tone he gets when playing slide. He achieves his sound with about as minimal a setup as you'll find. A Gibson '61 Reissue SG (sometimes he uses a Washburn E300) into an old 1964 Blackface Fender Super Reverb. That's it. No effects, no fancy preamps; just a guitar into an amplifier.
The only things that aren't stock about his setup are the Pile Driver speakers in his amp. Trucks's tech, Joe Main, tells the story of how Trucks started using them. "He blew his speakers out on a Saturday night, and so on Sunday his father and I were looking for speakers, somewhere, anywhere. We couldn't find anyplace open. So we went to a car-stereo store and found those speakers, and we put them in the amp, and Derek won't let me change them. They were designed to be in a car stereo; they weren't designed to be in an amplifier."
Part of Truck's distinctive sound also comes from the fact that he plays everything - not just slide - in open-E tuning. "I started playing open tunings at about ten years old and just never went back," he says. Playing slide in open tuning is common, but playing nonslide guitar parts when tuned that way is extremely unusual. When he started doing it, Trucks had to relearn all his chords and scales. "There are definitely some chords that are really stock for normal guitar players that are a little bit difficult in open E, but there's vice versa," he says.
These days, Trucks is influenced less by guitarists and more by horn players and vocalists. "There's always the obvious like Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane. John Gilmore, who played with Sun Ra for a long time, is one of my favorite tenors. There are so many, though. That whole Blue Note era in the '60s, almost any record you pick up is amazing. We burn out a lot of those. Clifford Brown is another favorite."
Trucks and Haynes, both master slide players, have to divvy up the parts and decide who will handle the "Duane" parts and who will handle the "Dickey" parts. "There are certain songs that we [trade] every night, every time a certain song comes along," says Trucks. "On Tuesday, it's Warren's [turn to play a particular song]; on Wednesday, it's mine. There are some tunes like that and there are other tunes where we just decide 'this is yours, this is mine.'"
Billy Gibbons Biographical Info
Billy Gibbons was born december, 1949 in Houston, Texas, and would eventually grow to be one of the most defining forces behind the raunchy Texas blues sound.
Billy lead a series of combos during his teens, all setting the ground work for the later formation of ZZ Top. Prior to ZZ Top, Billy fronted the band The Moving Sidewalks, who produced only one album, "Flash" in 1968. A psychedelic LP, it is currently available on CD and is worth seeking out. The Moving Sidewalks opened a series of Texas tour dates for Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix once proclaimed that Billy Gibbons was one of the most promising new guitarists of that time. Billy has certainly lived up to that accolade. Billy has also done his fair share of studio work for other artists, but received little credit for it. He has also written tunes for Johnny Cash and Dave Edmunds.
Billy is a man of many layers. As well as being a gifted musician, he also collects vintage guitars, African art, and cars, like his famous 1933 Ford 'Eliminator' three window coupe, the 1946 Cadillac 'Cadzilla', the 1950 Ford business coupe "Kopperhead'. Also, there is the lowered 1962 Chevy Impala 'Slampala' and the 1965 Chevy Impala convertible 'El Dorado Bar'.
Initially ZZ Top joined a swell of southern boogie bands and toured heavily around the southern circuit, firing up a strong following along the way. Their first album, while bending and distorting traditional blues, was firmly rooted within the blues genre, However, Rio Grande Mud showed the boys had a wider flexibility. The Rolling Stones cover, "Francene" gave the trio their first hit and introduced them to a much wider audience.
Other albums would follow, each adding to their now classic repertoire, based on blues structure, rock distortion, modern synth, saucy attitude, and tongue in cheek lyrics. This infectious combination made them a heavily recruited band for writing songs for, and borrowing existing songs in numerous movies, like Back to the Future, and Striptease.
Over the years, one of ZZ Top's greatest strengths has been their consistently high-standard live presentation and performance on numerous financially record-breaking tours around the US.
One of rock's maverick attractions, Gibbons, Hill and Beard have retained their eccentric, colourful image, dark glasses and Stetson hats, complete with an almost casual musical dexterity that has won over hardened cynics and carping critics. In addition to having produced a fine (but sparse) canon of work, they will also stay in the record books as having the longest beards in musical history (although one member, the inappropriately named Frank Beard, is clean-shaven). Whether by design or chance, they are doomed to end every music encyclopedia.
We invite you to check out some of the hottest blues guitar in the world, and punch your own playing up a notch with Billy's crowd-rousing style.
Perhaps most notable is that while ZZ Top is hugely famous, Billy Gibbons the man prefers to remain anonymous in his work as he donates money, time and support to charities.
Billy lead a series of combos during his teens, all setting the ground work for the later formation of ZZ Top. Prior to ZZ Top, Billy fronted the band The Moving Sidewalks, who produced only one album, "Flash" in 1968. A psychedelic LP, it is currently available on CD and is worth seeking out. The Moving Sidewalks opened a series of Texas tour dates for Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix once proclaimed that Billy Gibbons was one of the most promising new guitarists of that time. Billy has certainly lived up to that accolade. Billy has also done his fair share of studio work for other artists, but received little credit for it. He has also written tunes for Johnny Cash and Dave Edmunds.
Billy is a man of many layers. As well as being a gifted musician, he also collects vintage guitars, African art, and cars, like his famous 1933 Ford 'Eliminator' three window coupe, the 1946 Cadillac 'Cadzilla', the 1950 Ford business coupe "Kopperhead'. Also, there is the lowered 1962 Chevy Impala 'Slampala' and the 1965 Chevy Impala convertible 'El Dorado Bar'.
Initially ZZ Top joined a swell of southern boogie bands and toured heavily around the southern circuit, firing up a strong following along the way. Their first album, while bending and distorting traditional blues, was firmly rooted within the blues genre, However, Rio Grande Mud showed the boys had a wider flexibility. The Rolling Stones cover, "Francene" gave the trio their first hit and introduced them to a much wider audience.
Other albums would follow, each adding to their now classic repertoire, based on blues structure, rock distortion, modern synth, saucy attitude, and tongue in cheek lyrics. This infectious combination made them a heavily recruited band for writing songs for, and borrowing existing songs in numerous movies, like Back to the Future, and Striptease.
Over the years, one of ZZ Top's greatest strengths has been their consistently high-standard live presentation and performance on numerous financially record-breaking tours around the US.
One of rock's maverick attractions, Gibbons, Hill and Beard have retained their eccentric, colourful image, dark glasses and Stetson hats, complete with an almost casual musical dexterity that has won over hardened cynics and carping critics. In addition to having produced a fine (but sparse) canon of work, they will also stay in the record books as having the longest beards in musical history (although one member, the inappropriately named Frank Beard, is clean-shaven). Whether by design or chance, they are doomed to end every music encyclopedia.
We invite you to check out some of the hottest blues guitar in the world, and punch your own playing up a notch with Billy's crowd-rousing style.
Perhaps most notable is that while ZZ Top is hugely famous, Billy Gibbons the man prefers to remain anonymous in his work as he donates money, time and support to charities.
Michael 'Flea' Balzary Biographical Info
Best known as an integral member of one of the '80s-'90s most popular rock bands, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea (real name Michael Balzary) is widely regarded as one of rock's most talented bassists. By combining funk-style bass (à la Funkadelic) with psychedelic, punk, and hard rock, Flea created an original playing style that has been copied numerous times. In fact, the 'copy cat' syndrome got so out of hand that Flea refused to use his popular 'slap' technique for the Peppers' massive 1991 hit Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
Born on October 16, 1962 in Melbourne, Australia, Balzary and his family relocated to Los Angeles while he was still a youngster. Unlike other teenagers, Michael's first musical love was jazz (instead of the expected hard rock), as he concentrated on mastering the trumpet while attending Fairfax High School. It was around this time that he met two other Fairfax students who would eventually change his life -- guitarist Hillel Slovak and poet Anthony Kiedis. The trio soon became inseparable, as Slovak taught Balzary (who around this time was rechristened 'Flea') how to play bass and eventually turned him on to the wonders of rock music via Jimi Hendrix and punk rock. Flea landed the bass playing slot in the confrontational L.A. punk band Fear by the early '80s, but decided to form a band with Slovak on guitar Kiedis on vocals, and another friend, Jack Irons, on drums. The band eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and automatically attracted a large following in California, with their explosive, high-energy stage show.
The Peppers eventually signed to EMI/Capitol, issuing a string of albums that expanded their fanbase with each subsequent release, eventually leading to their big commercial breakthrough with their aforementioned 1991 multi-platinum hit, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (their first for Warner Bros.) The band didn't have an easy ride however, suffering the drug overdose and death of Slovak in 1988, and a subsequent revolving door of guitarists, but the Peppers have remained one of rock's most popular and enduring bands. In addition to his duties with the R.H.C.P., Flea has dabbled in acting -- including cameos in such popular flicks as Back to the Future Pts. II and III, My Own Private Idaho, The Big Lebowski, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, amongst others. And due to his musical versatility, Flea has also become a much in-demand session musician, appearing on such albums as Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, Johnny Cash's Unchained, Jewel's Spirit, and Porno for Pyros' Good God's Urge.
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