Setting Up for live wedding music is just one of about a hundredchores facing brides and grooms and wedding planners. Between flowers, photos, locales, gowns, showers, rings, video, and more, even a small and tranquil wedding takes a great amount of designing. It can be a trying time because if even one of these areas falls through the cracks, your big day can end up being a super letdown.

Here are five hints to hiring live wedding instrumentalists for your wedding and reception:

1. Make a point to you engage a band with a proven track record of professionalism. Does the manager return your telephone calls promptly? Does the band have a internet site? Business cards? Other promotional materials? Or do you get the feeling you’re talking to a guy rehearsing in his garage with his pals? The way the band introduces itself as you begin speaking with them is a genuine indicator of how they’ll come out (or not!) on your wedding day.

2. Punctuality is essential. When you set an appointment to meet personally or on the telephone, it’s like a mini-contract. If the band director is tardy to meet with you, it’s a cautionary sign that they don’t take their agreements earnestly. If they can’t come through on time in the planning stage, what other agreements will they break with you on your wedding day? This extends on to you, also - being timely is just one way you can live a life that shows that you respect your promises.

3. Make sure the dance band is easy-going rather than being a bunch of divas. By now you’ve probably heard a hundred Bridezilla stories, even if you’re not hard-to-please or extreme. Imagine engaging the equivalent in craziness for your wedding dance band. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to have to wait on your musicians hand and foot, bringing them food and drink, having the thermostat set for them, or catering to other hard to please wants. The best band for you is one that can take care of itself, one that’s easy to get along with, and one that does all it can to make sure your day is sweet and fun for you.

4. Book a wedding band that’s fun. Getting hitched is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. It’s serious business. The music on your wedding day should be splendid and fun. You don’t want to see your invitees oblivious, dazed, and wishing the event was all over. You want them up, dancing, singing, and smiling. If you pick out a live wedding music band well, your selection will do very much to make your wedding day memorable in a fabulous way. This is the big day you’ve been looking for, and music is such a large part of it. Be sure you employ a band that makes the day ideal - enjoyable for you and your invitees.

George Pollis is the manager and a instrumentalist with Reel Ting Steel Drum Band. For a professional, timely, easy-going, gifted, and fun live wedding music band, check into Reel Ting at http://www.reelting.com.

Accomplished vocal instructor Doug Derrickson who is known for his singing lessons through the organization called Make A Joyful Noise, is quoted as saying that the voice is like a fingerprint. Not only is each person’s singing experience unique, but so is their instrument. No two human beings have the same instrument. Each of us is endowed at birth with a one-of-a-kind vocal mechanism. Consequently, students who take his voice lessons are taught that everyone begins instruction at a different point on the adaptability scale.

Some instruments are more adaptable or possess physical attributes more suitable for singing, much in the same way a 6 foot, 6 inch man is more adaptable to playing basketball than a 5 foot, 7 inch man. Not only is your singing experience unique, your singing instrument is extraordinarily complex and different from all other musical instruments.

When learning to sing, students who take Doug’s singing lessons must necessarily improve basic singing skills, but additionally the singing instrument must undergo dramatic change. In short, to become a fine vocalist, you must improve your singing skills, and adapt, repair, and build your instrument.

One encouraging thing people learn in Doug’s singing lessons is that a great majority of people have the vocal attributes essential to becoming an excellent chorus member or soloist. You are “adaptable” to the singing process. That should be music to everyone’s ears! After all, you wouldn’t be reading this article unless you had the desire to not only develop your singing skills but also advance the instrument with which you sing. These are two very separate functions. A student can have a good voice yet be a poor singer. On the flip side, a student (or even professional) can be a great singer, yet suffer a very defective or dysfunctional voice.

Excluding the individual with a chronic medical condition of the singing instrument (larynx or voice box) or the one who cannot hear pitch (which is rare), the remaining overwhelming majority is eligible for a lifetime of singing transformation and vocal health. According to information given in his lessons, 9 out of 10 people that give you the old “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket” line, could be developed into excellent singers.

Football has long been the athletic stepchild at inner-city Crenshaw High School. Trophy cases are crammed with basketball awards. Gym walls are lined with hoops championship flags.

But the football team is undefeated this season and headed for the California state championship bowl game this weekend, and the coach attributes part of the success to an unlikely off-field source: rapper Snoop Dogg.

Nine of this year’s Crenshaw High School Cougars went through the 5-year-old Snoop Youth Football League, representing the first crop of varsity players to cut their teeth in the program. The league has produced standouts at other schools, but none has more players or a better record than Crenshaw.

The league has made Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, a savior of sorts for football in an impoverished area of Los Angeles where gangs roam many of the streets.

“It is more of an advantage to have kids who played in the Snoop Dogg league,” coach Robert Garrett said. “They also have the experience, the fundamentals and the attitude that guys who started from scratch don’t have.”

Broadus’ reputation for raunchy lyrics and run-ins with the law brought some initial apprehension from the mostly single mothers who wanted to enroll their sons.

“It was kind of hard to separate Snoop Dogg the entertainer from Snoop Dogg the coach, the father,” league Commissioner Haamid Wadood said.

But the league soon caught on, especially when fathers with criminal records learned they could coach, unlike most other youth sports. Broadus, himself a former gang member, has several convictions for drugs and weapons offenses, and if the league didn’t allow ex-cons, there wouldn’t be enough coaches.

Ortisé Williams has claimed that JLS will not allow band member Aston Merrygold to cut his hair off.

The singer told You Call The Hits on The Hits Radio that Merrygold’s distinctive style is the secret to the band’s success.

Merrygold said: “Let me tell you this right now. As soon as Astie gets a little bit of free time, I’m cutting my hair off.”

Williams interjected: “Let me let you in on a secret. We’ve been together now for two-and-a-half years and in those two-and-a-half years, Aston’s cut his hair off once.

“He had to regrow his hair to get to this stage. At that point, that was when we started to progress and develop success. So now there’s no way he’s going to cut it.”

However, Merrygold retorted: “You lot chat so much rubbish!”

Giving a boost to an anticipated London show, Janet Jackson and Alexandra Burke are now confirmed as performers for Capital FM’s Jingle Ball !

Jackson and Burke join a previously announced line up that includes JLS, Ne-Yo, Shakira and Dizzee Rascal.Marvin Humes’ ex-girlfriend Jaime Jay has said the JLS singer “broke my heart”.The rapper, who will release her version of JLS’ Beat Again - Cheat Again by Jaime Jay Vs JLX - on November 9 after it became a hit on YouTube, is still friends with Marvin and said the song isn’t referring to him, but added they would never get back together.Jaime said: “He broke my heart - I can’t allow myself to be in that situation again.”She added: “I think as a woman if you go back, you risk the chance of being put in that situation again. And after what I went through last year I wouldn’t wish that on anybody and I don’t think I could survive it again.”Marvin split with Jaime as JLS were rising to fame, and she insisted Cheat Again isn’t about him.

The electro blanket is set to immerse us all in 2009 but with London trio Chew Lips heading the queue of electro-pushers vying for acceptance, it’s only a matter of time until we all conform to their will. The Chew Lips Salt Air single is released soon.

Chew Lips are still in their infancy; born early in March 2008 they have had a hasty rise to prominence. The band has already been hailed for raucous live shows, arduously stalking stages all over London. Their brand of addictive tantalising electro-sparse-pop is scuzzy, yet delectably danceable.

Debut single Solo sees frontwoman Tigs weave her angst-laden vocals into a bed of swirling, spacey electro beats, glitches and bleeps akin to Hot Chip, in a truly beatific way. Tigs’ unyielding, heartfelt pleas resonate like the refulgent Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Solo wraps itself around you with its melancholic drone electro-pop devilry, somewhat sublimely and concludes, achingly prematurely, in a wave-like crescendo of hastened beats and shrieked vocals.

Formed in early 2008, the East London trio of Tigs, Will & James are set for big things this year.

They wrote ten songs in their first rehearsal & played their first gig at a New Cross house party. They can be found playing their 8-bit drone disco/space synth pop at hipster nights in London, Paris & beyond. Tigs sings & stalks the stage, while Will and James wrestle Casiotone beats from a drum machine & make a joyful racket on pretty much any instruments they can lay their hands on. Their first gigs have earned them rave reviews, a Steve Lamacq R1 session, a place in the BBC’s Electric Proms & a prime slot at Huw Stephen’s swn festival.

“Add a dash of some twanging New Order basslines alongside the finest of Casio rhythm tracks and you already have something more interesting to dance to than Crystal Castles!”

Probably the most enigmatic Singer and Guitarist of the twentieth Century is now one of the most revered and respected of all Musicians who make up the Genre of the ‘Blues’. I speak of course about the wonderful Robert Leroy Johnson. Born in 1911 in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, in a Deep South plantation, he, in his pitifully short life, has become one of the founding Fathers of the Blues.

He recorded only 36 sides over a period of a couple of months between November 1936 and June 1937 in San Antonio Texas. These remarkable recordings still bring tears to the eyes of Blues aficionados the world over and shaped the face of the music of today.

The post-war Blues of Chicago owe a great debt to Robert Johnson and it is sad to think what might have been had he lived! In just a few short years he matured from a young black guitarist into a superstar of his day. The often repeated legend was perpetuated by his contemporaries that he sold his soul to the Devil in return for his amazing guitar techniques.

His story is one of hardship tinged with great success in his own locality of the Delta and women were said to be rendered helpless as he sang his compositions. His death at the hand of a jealous husband at the age of twenty seven robbed the world of one of Americas finest ever Musicians and Blues artists.

Years after his death, in 1938, a photograph was unearthed, one of only two in existence. It shows not only his inimitable style of dress but quite remarkable slender fingers which helped him to achieve his unique mastery of the bottleneck guitar technique. He is pictured in a chalk-stripe suit which would have been somewhat overstated for a man in his position at that time. When I first saw that photograph the one thing above all else, that stood out were his beautiful long fingers that enveloped the guitar fingerboard and obviously caressed it as though it was a Woman helpless in his arms!

What about his subject matter… well nothing much has changed in the passing of time; the age old, painful process of unrequited love; of restless yearnings to move on down the line to pastures new; to unfaithful liaisons; and of course much sexual innuendo.

Robert Johnson’s skill as a poet of the time and place is absolutely unsurpassed in my estimation! For sure he borrowed words, phrases, and guitar licks from his peers, but moulded them into something quite unique that not only stands the test of time but has a relevance to today’s Rock music.

There cannot be any Blues Band on this Planet that has not been influenced by Johnson and his music and this is a testament to the greatness of the man! The list of recordings of Johnson’s songs by modern artists is endless and forms the backbone of the resurgence of the Blues in the early sixties in Britain and continues to this day! Most of the long lasting Bands of the R,n,B revolution of 62, 63, and on into the seventies have recorded several of Roberts songs. Notable amongst these would be The Rolling Stones, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream,The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Elmore James, and many more. Johnson’s songs transcribed particularly well to the new Electric guitar line-ups of the fifties and on into the sixties. Probably one of the most popular of his songs, which I can’t imagine anyone not having heard in a modern format, is of course Crossroad Blues.

This song was recorded live at the Fillmore in San Francisco in 1968 by the great Eric Clapton, and his two buddies, Jack Bruce on bass and stickman, Ginger Baker. This song also featured in Cream’s farewell concert at the Albert Hall in London in 1969. I doubt whether Johnson envisaged this treatment of his song when he wrote it or that his poetry would one day be the cornerstone of the Blues Revival of the Sixties.

It is a poignant end to his story that the great impresario John Hammond, who later went onto sign -up a young Bob Dylan in 1962, was just too late when he searched for Robert to appear in the momentous concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938. Robert Johnson was dead but his spirit and his music will live on for ever in the hearts and minds of the lovers of the music we call THE BLUES.

© Robin Piggott 2004 Key to the Highway Publications.

Robin Piggott is a professional Driving Instructor based in Limerick,Ireland.He is a life-long disciple of the Blues and is hard put to choose between his Gibson and his Car as the most treasured possession.His web site is designed for Learner Drivers and visitors to Ireland.

http://www.astralmotoring.ie

Maybe you play mostly chords on you ukulele? Do you know that you can play melodies with the help of ukulele tab? Let’s play Tom Dooley!

Here you have the lyrics to the first verse:

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy you’re bound to die

You don’t have to know sheet music notation to play. Instead we will use a form of tablature.

Tablature is a special form of musical notation that will show you how to place your fingers in order to play a melody on your ukulele. This notation is also called ukulele tab.

On your ukulele you have four strings. The one with the highest pitch is called the first string and is usually tuned to an A.

When you play on your ukulele you will have the first strings nearest your feet.

Before you start to play Tom Dooley let’s take a look at the ukulele tab notation. What does the following tab mean?

01

In this type of ukulele tab this means that you play the first open string. An open string is a string you play without pressing down a left hand finger. One more example:

32

The numbers indicate that you shall press down the third fret on the second string.

Now it’s time to play the first part of Tom Dooley. Here is the lyrics and corresponding ukulele tab:

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley

03 03 03 23 12 01 01

Remember, the first digit tells you which fret to press down and the second which string. Here comes the next ukulele tab:

Hang down your head and cry

03 03 03 23 12 32

This type of ukulele tab doesn’t tell you the length of the notes but you will probably find that out by yourself as you already know the melody.

Let’s move on!

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley

03 03 03 23 12 32 32

You can use your right hand thumb to play the notes. What about your left hand?

Of course you can play all notes with your left hand index finger. However in the long run you will probably find it easier to play melodies with more of your left hand fingers.

I suggest that you use your left hand index finger to press down the notes on the first fret, your middle finger for the second fret and your ring finger for the notes on the third fret.

Let’s continue with the last ukulele tab:

Poor boy you’re bound to die

32 32 01 12 23 12

This ukulele tab will also work on a guitar as the first three strings are tuned in the same way on a guitar.

Try to memorize the melody by practicing the ukulele tab one line at a time!

Well, now you can play Tom Dooley on your ukulele so now it’s time to play for your friends!

If you have a friend who owns another ukulele and can play chords you can play the melody together with the following two chords:

F major: 24 03 12 01

C7: 04 03 02 11

Start with F until you come to the word cry. When you sing cry change to the chord C7 and play it until you come to the word die where you change back to F again.

It is always nicer to play with friends, isn’t it!

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

There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to “chord a song” at the piano.

By “chord a song”, I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune. To do this, you don’t need to be a Van Cliburn; all you need to do is learn a few basic chords and be able to more back and forth between them in some organized rhythmic pattern.

For example, did you realize that all of these songs (and hundreds more) can be sung or played with just 3 chords?

Auld Lang Syne

Amazing Grace

Kum Ba Ya

Silent Night

Joy To The World

Jingle Bells

Happy Birthday

Down In The Valley

On Top Of Old Smoky…

and hundreds or maybe thousands more!

Add just one more chord to the basic 3, and you can play another thousand songs or so. So why not learn a few chords and start your chording career?

Here are my top 10 reasons for learning “chord piano”:

1) It’s easy. Learn 3 chords and start in.

2) Even though it’s easy to get started, you don’t have to stop there. You can learn more and more chords and more rhythm patterns and get really good.

3) You’ll be able to play “Happy Birthday” while the gang sings it.

4) You’ll be able to play half-a-dozen Christmas carols. In case you haven’t noticed, Christmas comes every year, so every year you’ll get better as you participate in family gatherings.

5) You can help your kids learn to play the piano, guitar, or most any other instrument by learning chords. Most teachers don’t teach chords, so you’ll be giving your kids an advantage by learning chords.

6) People will admire you. It’s true. Musicians are popular. Anyone who can play anything is in demand at parties and social gatherings. And if you can “chord” while others sing, you’re bound to be popular.

7) Piano playing using chords is good for your brain. Studies have shown that people who actively participate in music do their brain lots of good. And since chords require 3 or 4 notes at a time instead of one, you are giving your brain a good workout.

Piano playing, particularly using chords, is good exercise for your wrists and fingers. (Take the time to learn about correct hand position, though!)

9) Piano playing is excellent therapy for the stress of life. Many professional people come home from a hard days work and relax by expressing their emotions on the keyboard. Play a few dark and angry chords, and you’ll be surprised how much better you feel!

10) Piano playing is a blast. It’s just plain old fun. So learn 3 or 4 chords and get going. Maybe you’ll stop there and enjoy it the rest of your life.

But just maybe you’ll love it so much that you keep going and turn yourself into an excellent piano player who can read music as well as play chords!

Duane Shinn is the author of the book-CD-DVD course titled “How To Play Chord Piano In Ten Days!” which has sold over 100,000 copies around the world and can be found at http://www.chordpiano.com/piano-chords.

The reason why most people who try to play the guitar and are not “up to snuff” is that they give too easily. The problem with these people is that they tend to think that there is something wrong with them and why they simply cannot get the strings to sound right.

In reality, falling short in learning to play the guitar is not based on the capability of the person but more on the kind of style he is using. If he is trapped in a certain level of progress in guitar playing, it should likewise not be blamed on the person but on the kind of approach that he used.

When things like these happen, the only way to get going is to change the style to achieve remarkable results.

In fact, 8 out of the 10 people who were asked what made them continue learning to play the guitar, they answered that it was because they used a wonderful technique that some people take for granted. This approach is known as “feeling the beat.”

People who are considered experts in playing the guitar insist that the only distinction that sets a good guitarist apart from a distinguished guitarist is based on how they apply the approach “feel the beat” to their tune using their instrument.

The basic argument here is that trying to get things going by simply feeling the beat while you play the guitar will absolutely change your style of learning and playing the guitar. When people try to feel the beat as they play the instrument, they get to internalize the pulse of the music as it flows from the strings out to the audience.

This is probably the same reason why some people insist that music is the language of the soul. It is basically the main idea of using this kind of approach.

Music experts assert that it is how the great composers and singers stand out from the rest. When musicians learn to feel the beat, they tend to put the notes into their system and let every tone flow along with the beat of their heart.

The question now is: how do you start feeling the beat. Here are some tips to get started:

1. Internalize the beat

When you want to learn how to play the guitar you must get your emotions ready. Try to feel the beat by listening to the music and bridge a connection between your feelings and the music.

The very core of this approach is to feel the beat of the music flowing into your system.

Once you get the beat connected to your system, take hold of your guitar, and start hitting those strings. Try not to play a song that you already know. The idea is to release the feeling and let the notes flow with what you feel.

2. Play by the ear

As soon as you learn how to feel the beat, you can start playing by ear; this is when you can play the song on your guitar just by listening to it over and over again.

Historical reports show that some great musicians learn to play the instrument by using this approach, because once they start to sense the pulse of the song; they gradually pluck the notes and begin to play the song as they continue to play.

Most people who play the guitar and write songs do not simply use those tabs and musical sheets. They just try to fathom the song by “playing by ear.”

The bottom line is that learning to play the guitar does not have to be rigid and strict or why guitar playing is not specifically exclusive for those talented in music. The instrument is available for everyone, young and old, big and small, boy and girls.
The idea is to take some time to learn the instrument. Trying to feel the beat does not happen in a snap. You have to allot adequate time to start putting the notes into your system.

The truth is that people who failed to learn guitar playing simply lacked the time and patience to do all of these things. Becoming an expert in what you do is simply having the time for it, and if you do, you will start to get the ball rolling and the notes flying in the air.

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.

A saxophone is a musical instrument that belongs to the woodwind category. It is one of the youngest musical instruments. Saxophones were generally used in the military and in big orchestras but are now found in smaller bands as well. They are generally used for big band music, pop music and jazz. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian, in the 1840s. Later, many people made their own alterations to the instrument. There are many types of saxophones but the four most commonly used saxophones are: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone saxophones.

The soprano saxophone is the smallest as well as the highest-sounding. It is straight in shape and resembles a clarinet, though curved models, resembling miniature alto saxophones, are also available. Curved models were more popular during the 1930s. The soprano saxophone is a B-flat instrument. It is generally preferred for jazz music, but rarely used for classical compositions.

The soprano saxophone has become very popular these days, especially with jazz, rock and pop music. John Coltrane, a popular jazz saxophonist, was responsible for making the soprano saxophone fashionable in the 1960s. The soprano saxophone is generally considered to be the most difficult to play, compared to alto, tenor and baritone saxophones.

Even in soprano saxophones, there are many models: F mezzo-soprano, soprano, C soprano and sopranino are the smallest saxophones in that order. Soprano in C, and mezzo-soprano in F are very popular models. C sopranos were meant for military bands and vaudeville arrangements. C sopranos are almost similar to B sopranos though they are 2 centimeters shorter than B sopranos.

The local music store, mail-order service, a private party or the Internet are the different sources for buying soprano saxophones. The main aspects to be considered are the quality, service, price and the model. The Internet is a good source to find information about soprano saxophones, but it is wise to test a few of them before buying.

The soprano saxophone is the smallest as well as the highest-sounding. It is straight in shape and resembles a clarinet, though curved models, resembling miniature alto saxophones, are also available. Curved models were more popular during the 1930s. The soprano saxophone is a B-flat instrument. It is generally preferred for jazz music, but rarely used for classical compositions.

The soprano saxophone has become very popular these days, especially with jazz, rock and pop music. John Coltrane, a popular jazz saxophonist, was responsible for making the soprano saxophone fashionable in the 1960s. The soprano saxophone is generally considered to be the most difficult to play, compared to alto, tenor and baritone saxophones.

Even in soprano saxophones, there are many models: F mezzo-soprano, soprano, C soprano and sopranino are the smallest saxophones in that order. Soprano in C, and mezzo-soprano in F are very popular models. C sopranos were meant for military bands and vaudeville arrangements. C sopranos are almost similar to B sopranos though they are 2 centimeters shorter than B sopranos.

The local music store, mail-order service, a private party or the Internet are the different sources for buying soprano saxophones. The main aspects to be considered are the quality, service, price and the model. The Internet is a good source to find information about soprano saxophones, but it is wise to test a few of them before buying.

The soprano saxophone is the smallest as well as the highest-sounding. It is straight in shape and resembles a clarinet, though curved models, resembling miniature alto saxophones, are also available. Curved models were more popular during the 1930s. The soprano saxophone is a B-flat instrument. It is generally preferred for jazz music, but rarely used for classical compositions.

The soprano saxophone has become very popular these days, especially with jazz, rock and pop music. John Coltrane, a popular jazz saxophonist, was responsible for making the soprano saxophone fashionable in the 1960s. The soprano saxophone is generally considered to be the most difficult to play, compared to alto, tenor and baritone saxophones.

Even in soprano saxophones, there are many models: F mezzo-soprano, soprano, C soprano and sopranino are the smallest saxophones in that order. Soprano in C, and mezzo-soprano in F are very popular models. C sopranos were meant for military bands and vaudeville arrangements. C sopranos are almost similar to B sopranos though they are 2 centimeters shorter than B sopranos.

The local music store, mail-order service, a private party or the Internet are the different sources for buying soprano saxophones. The main aspects to be considered are the quality, service, price and the model. The Internet is a good source to find information about soprano saxophones, but it is wise to test a few of them before buying.

Saxophones provides detailed information about saxophones, jazz saxophones, soprano saxophones, alto saxophones and more. Saxophones is the sister site of Violins Web.