Music, Pianos and Other Instruments

First your foot starts to tap, then your hands beat a staccato rhythm on your lap and, before you know it, you’re bopping along to the beat. We’ve all experienced the energy in a night club and felt our pulses quicken to the ‘doof doof doof’ of a bass drum. It’s undeniable: drumming and dancing is energising and exhilarating.

Drumming circles are gaining popularity in a large variety of settings: communities, corporate business, schools, workshops and seminars.

Drumming circles are by no means a modern invention. Many cultures have used drumming to energise and aid concentration. Because no musical experience is necessary drumming circles are accessible and are great team building exercises in any context.

Drums from Around the World

Drums come in all shapes and sizes. The instruments used in drumming circles are often of West African or Middle Eastern origin, as opposed to the drums associated with mainstream rock/pop/country music (though these may be used too).

The dumbek, for example, is of Middle Eastern origin. The player holds the drum under the left arm and taps out the beat with the fingers of both hands. Originally, dumbeks were carved of wood, but now you’ll find metal and ceramic drumbeks too.

Djembe drums are also a popular choice. Originating in Western Africa, the djembe was used in healing ceremonies.

Remember the tambourine that you played with as a child. Most of us have played a tambourine at some time – they’re small, fun, and virtually fool proof. The tambourine, in one form or another, shows up in the history of many different cultures and has as many names: Gaval, Tamburello, Riq and many more.

Drums such as the drumbek and djembe often feature in world and new age music. Frank Natale, aka Professor Trance and one of the most inspirational figures in the new age movement, promoted drumming and dance – and tribal music from many cultures – as a way to find your inner balance and place in the world. Frank Natale left us an inspiring legacy in his music.

Drumming and Team Building

So why is drumming such a great team building exercise? There are several reasons, the most obvious being that drumming reduces stress. It puts people in a relaxed social circle and lets them pound out their frustrations on a drum. It’s easy and fun; no one person suffers more scrutiny than anyone else.

Drumming is also great for creativity. It encourages use of the right side of the brain – the creative side – which, combined with the release of tension, frees up the mind and helps the ideas start to flow again. Because drumming is energising, it also creates enthusiasm and, as the saying goes, “nothing great in life is achieved without enthusiasm.”

Another reason why drumming is so great for team building and team bonding is that it encourages cooperation and illustrates that every member in the team is equally important. When everybody plays their part the result is harmonious and cohesive.

So there you have it: drumming is healthy! It encourages team work and promotes creativity. If you aren’t so sure about the truth of that, grab an old plastic bucket and turn it on it’s head, then tap away for a while – it won’t take you long to find the beat!

And if you simply want to dance to great drum music check out Fire Drums by Music Mosaic.

One last admonishment: Kids, this is not an excuse for waking up the neighbours!

You see music videos on MTV and VH1 and wonder how to get in a music video and show up on TV. This article about Music Video auditions will help you get there. You can be one of the seductive dancers in the background or just an extra.

Whether or not you want to be an extra or a dancer in the music video, you need to decide on that first. If you are a dancer, you’ll need to have the skills to back it up. Being an extra doesn’t really require any skill. But you’ll still need to know the right people and the right audition to go to.

Being a dancer in a music video is not easy. You must possess the looks and also have the skills to learn a choreography in a very short amount of time. Casting directors can easily be stingy with who they pick because they have a plethora of candidates to choose from. Having a good attitude on top of looks and skills will take you all the way.

Click here to see a list of music video auditions in your area.

Being at the audition, try to stay calm and relaxed so that you can do your best performance. Staying calm in front of casting directors is a lot easier than in front of the camera.

Being an extra for a music video doesn’t require much. You may need to have a certain look, but other than that, it’s really simple. Depending on the music video, the casting directors might be looking for something specific.

Speaking of dancing, here is a list of hiphop dance auditions.

Having the right mindset can help a long way in your music video audition. Good luck and I hope to see you in a music video someday soon.

Listening to a favorite song helps us relax after a tiring week at work or a nerve-racking day with the kids. It helps us cope with these challenges of everyday life. As our expectations at work, family responsibilities and social calendars interrupt our desire to be creative, music bridges this gap.  Whether we’re belting out a tune in the shower or tapping on the steering wheel, music helps us identify the essence of who we are.

Research has shown that music plays a key part in the brain development in young children as well as having healing properties when treating psychological disorders. Having a creative outlet is essential to achieving the elusive balance and harmony we need to exist and thrive. This art form also has a great impact on the world we live in.

For most of us, Guitar Hero with our kids is about as far as we got to strumming the actual instrument. Are we too late? No way. In fact, there are now several choices for those wanting to learn. The expense and hassle of private instruction are no longer valid excuses for not learning to play. Learning guitar has never been easier as we now have DVD’s and video lessons online.

Whichever method you decide on, staying inspired is essential to your success.  Learning to play guitar can be frustrating in the beginning and too many students quit early on. The key to sticking with it is to learn to play easy guitar songs you already enjoy and have heard hundreds of times!

You’d be amazed how many easy guitar songs you can learn in a few hours. A lot of great music is based on just a few chords, so learn some easy major chords and a few minor chords and you’re on your way.  Obviously, the more you practice the faster you’ll improve.

Whether you listen to James Taylor or James Hetfield, pick up that guitar and play! You’ll not only be playing your favorite songs but developing your rhythm, timing and feel for your instrument. You’ll also have an opportunity to express yourself. Whatever moves you on the inside, go for it.

If you are at a gig of a small, unknown band then take a look around the back as nine times out of ten you will see a small van that they use to hold all of their equipment. But just how important is a van the group?

Vans are both affordable and cheap to run which is why many bands will often think back to the days in which the van was their best friend over the pet dog. Many famous bands have a lot of money to spend on gigantic tour buses or they have the sponsorship by a company to actually have the bus during the tour. However many of the smaller bands do not have the money to do this and of course sponsors are only interested in money and will not see a return out of offering a bus to a small group.

Most of the time the van is actually borrowed from a family member or friend of the van but sometimes they all chip in to buy the van outright. Once again is can be very difficult to buy a van outright even if there are three or more people paying for it so more often than not bands will look into van leasing because it works out cheaper.

The band then have any damages or accidents covered too so they do not have to take out any extra things they do not need like the band that took out pick up truck leasing just to cover them if the worst case scenario happened.

Although cheap van leasing is likely to be the best option for your band, it is also possible to get a van to run on vegetable oil which of course will save the band on fuel costs. You will need to take at least a trailer full of the oil with you as there are no refuel stations as yet where you can load up on the stuff.

Ukulele is a kind of guitar having four nylon strings along with four other strings. The tone and volume of the instrument usually depends on its size. This instrument is generally made of wood. Inferior quality ukuleles are sometimes built from plywoods while the more expensive types are made from hardwoods. Some valuable ukuleles may even cost thousands of dollars.

They are available in some different shapes also such as an oval, or a boat-paddle shaped. Some ukuleles have options for six or eight strings. Ukuleles have four classic types with different sizes and range. They are the soprano, the concert, the tenor and the baritone. The smallest and cheapest of them is the soprano. The quality of music produced is in direct proportion to the cost of the different types of ukuleles, both ascending from soprano to alto, then tenor and lastly, the baritone. Beginners are advised to practice first with soprano ukulele while the more experienced guitar players will enjoy the baritone better.

The first thing which needs to be considered before buying a ukulele is how much money you are willing to spend on it. Generally, the more expensive the instrument, the better the quality also. When buying a ukulele you have to consider a lot of things. Some of these are what kind of ukulele you need, what music books you can get, and if you will be studying by yourself or hiring an instructor. You also must consider your budget and the sound quality that your money will buy. Before buying a ukulele, it would be good to first acquire sheet music books that should have chord charts specifically for ukuleles.

If a person is purchasing a ukulele for a child then makala range of ukuleles are the best since they are neither too costly and fulfills the purpose of ukulele also. If you feel a deterioration in the sound quality of your ukulele, try replacing the strings with Nylgut ukulele strings. If you are serious in learning ukulele, then you should not follow any easy steps and start with the most basic type of ukulele which is the soprano and once you know how to play tunes then you can slowly jump to baritone type of ukulele.

Before buying a ukulele one should also talk to the people at the music store since they are the most experienced people like Ukulele teachers in Singapore in this field and can provide you with some useful tips and guidelines. They can guide you in chosing which ukulele will be best for you if you just tell them your budget, the sound quality you prefer and your other requirements. Buy only a ukulele if you feel happy doing it. Don’t buy the product under any compulsion which you don’t want to buy.

You can also look down the neck of the instrument to make sure that it is straight and doesn’t rotate on either way. Run your fingers softly on the surface board of the ukulele to check that it is smooth and undamaged. If not, then it might cause you injury when playing.

Most importantly try playing the entire range of sounds which the device can play. It is unlikely that anyone in a music store will object to you playing the ukulele just to try it out.