Truly Affordable

Do you need to boost your singing and are considering non-public singing lessons from a local vocal coach? Singing classes can improve your voice significantly. Look in your local area to find local singing classes. If so then you must actually consider the following pros & cons before making the choice of how you would like to find out how to sing. Non-public Singing Lessons Pro ( one ) quick feedback. It’s a good thing to be ready to get a reply from somebody else on your singing system. This could let you enhance your vocals quicker in a few cases as your teacher may catch something you do wrong and let you fix that problem. Although this “pro” is lessened by a number of the cons you’ll see below. Personal Singing Lessons Cons ( one ) Cost . Personal lessons are far dearer than the top alternative ( online singing lessons. ) With personal singing lessons you have got to pay up for every and each lesson seperately.

Manifestly this cost can add up extremely fast as it will probably take you many lessons to get to the point you would like to get to with your voice. ( two ) Chance of your vocal coach simply not being superb.

Unfortunatly many vocal coaches use outmoded strategies which are not extraordinarily effective.

On top of that many vocal coaches have a character which may contest with yours and that can slow down your progress too. ( three ) Singing in front of somebody else when you may not be extremely confident in your voice yet.

The downcast fact is that some vocal coaches are really unforgiving and may not give you the support and support you want if you’re a beginning vocalist. This is often very damaging to your progress. The very last thing you want is doubt. It is important to trust in yourself if you would like to enhance your singing. Online Singing Lessons rather than non-public vocal coaching, I advocate trying online singing lessons. With this approach you may be certain that you are getting the “latest & the greatest” vocal techniques that are sure to enhance your singing fast. And it’s far more cost-effective. You can get all the lessons you want with 1 payment and you can get those lessons straight away. There is no reason to have patience and because online singing lessons are warranted with a full cash back refund period there’s truly no risk in trying them.

She may have won the nations’ hearts as an X factor judge but fans reckon Cheryl Cole’s new music videos has been considered as missing the sex factor and they think she’s hotter with Girls Aloud.

Despite her performance on Sunday’s X Factor, the video for the Geordie stunner’s new single, Fight For This Love, failed to chart in a poll of the sexiest music videos by new music video website, Muzu.tv.

Topping the poll was beautiful Britney’s diamond encrusted body in Toxic, followed by curvy Columbian Shakira for the video for She Wolf which features her writhing in a cage.

Top Ten Most Sexy Videos
1. Britney - Toxic (the one where she’s covered in diamonds)

2. Shakira - She Wolf (the one in the cage)

3. JLS - Beat Again (the one with the laser lights)

4. Girls Aloud - Untouchable (the one with the girls in leather catsuits in space)

5. Kylie - Spinning Around (the one with the gold hotpants)

6. Rihanna - Umbrella (the one with the umbrella)
7. Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake - Love, Sex and Magic (the one where she’s draped over him)

8. Take That - Pray (the one with the band semi naked on a beach)

9. Beyonce - Single Ladies (the one with all the thighs)

10. Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love (the one with the girl-backing band with guitars)

Life is not complete without Music. It can also be a key to a person’s heart. You can also read a person’s personality through it and you can even express how you feel, what you are and what you need. Even if we can’t play some sort of an instrument, we can still do it. And sometimes, we don’t know that we are actually doing it. It’s already been a part of our everyday lives.

It’s with me every day, I don’t last a day without singing. It’s like a feet without a shoe, a flower without a bee and Winnie the pooh without a honey. It’s a gift or I should say a happiness to say what I want, and with this I can do things that I can’t do. Every time I hear music, it’s like I am talking to my heart and my mind most especially if you can tie in. I can easily fall asleep with it and I will wake up with a big smile on my face.

With every sound that it makes, my heart jumps with joy and sometimes cries. I love music and I don’t think I can live without this. This is my friend, my family and the love of my life. I enjoy being with this and they can never stop me from hugging it. I will sing to this melody until the end. I will never be the same again without it.

Music, Music, Music, is my everything!

Being alone and into information marketing business, I always spend most of my time doing research. The best vehicle to do this?!? What else? The internet. So there I was spending my Sunday night in front of my computer, got bored for awhile and decided to listen to some songs. Typed some words in the “Search” box and voila! It led me to a page of one of the famous singers in the Philippines, my country. She is called the Mega Star. It made me smile to hear some familiar songs. She is also a Capricornian like me and her love and career life were both interesting. I remember she used to have a weekly show which is the reason for her popularity (exposure, exposure, exposure, exposure). This is the marketing strategy used to build her stardom. Check her out at www.sharoncuneta.com.

I can’t help but reminisce on some of my experiences when I was still “home……..” Having spent almost 30 years in that country, you can bet all of my history has been built there. Being in a new country now I get to listen to new songs and what not but still this night is very special. It brought me back in time. I love music. I guess most Filipinos do. The guts that we have to use the mic and sing out loud in karaoke bars even if our voices are not that great is something we’re known for. We were taught to sing when we were still very young. My first exposure to singing was when I was five. My Dad taught my brother and me the song “Ben” from Michael Jackson. He did that after doing a story telling of the mice story. A very good way to tickle our imagination and associate it with the song. My Dad is a very good singer and my brother inherited his golden voice. I was more of the “just doing it for fun” kind of thing. So that “Ben Story” was the start of my singing career. However, I eventually had a trauma when it comes to singing. When I was 10, I joined a singing contest. I gave all my confidence but guess what?!? I was so nervous that the first line of the song, my voice cracked! Whew! I was humming the song “Ben” with another tune! Anyway, I ended up getting the third prize……because there were only three contestants and that was the start and end of my singing career!

After my immigration in Canada, I get in touch with my parents via the telephone and brother (who is based in Sydney, Australia) through voice over internet. One weekend, he asked me to go to chat room. Guess what I found?!? There were people all over the world singing! This chat program was being hosted by my brother. Surprisingly, he introduced me to the people. I think there were at least fifty people in the chat room during that time. After I muster all of my courage, I decided to give it a shot. To make the long story short I found myself singing with my cyber audience. Oh boy! It felt so gooooooooood! No one watching me and yet I did my best. I sang a Shania Twain (It Only Hurts) song. WOW! That was empowering. Now I totally and absolutely agree the power of technology has changed the way we do things and I’m grateful I was able to overcome my traumatic singing experience through the power of the internet. Let’s sing and have fun!

Lourdes is in professional training & coaching industry
as well as into speaking, seminar, and infopreneuring businesses.

Do you realize how much intellectual knowledge you have from your years of experience that you can share with others and teach others?

Do you have a burning desire or passion to get your message out there while making an enormous amount of money doing it and having fun?

Do you want to develop a stream of income that can create an incredible cash flow?

Do you want more visibility and promotion to achieve that financial reward that so many others have achieved?

Do you want to have the Power to make your dreams come true?

Visit her websites at: http://www.speakingwithlourdes.com and/or http://www.speakingwithlourdes.blogspot.com

Should I Buy an Electric Piano or an Acoustic Piano?

Electric pianos sound nothing like a real piano. acoustic pianos
take up too much room. There is a lot of conflicting advice
floating around. I will give you the right piano buying advice
so you can make your own decision on whether the electric piano
or the acoustic piano is right for your needs.

A brief history of the electric piano.

Electric Pianos

Electric pianos were invented about 20 years ago and when they
where first introduced they were pretty terrible, the keys were
much too light, spongy and nothing like a real piano. The sound
was incredibly bright and the sampling was quite dreadful. You
couldn’t really say that it sounded much like a piano at all.
These electric pianos also looked nothing like a real acoustic
piano, they had ugly, plastic looking cases that didn’t match
any type of furniture in the room. If guests came around it was
almost an embarrassment to have this ugly plastic looking
machine in the living room. My how things have changed over the
last 20 years!

A brief history of the acoustic piano.

Acoustic Pianos

The acoustic piano was invented in 1709 by the Italian
Cristofori. It was a four octave instrument compared to the
seven and a quarter octave instrument of today, with hammers
striking the strings just as they do on a modern acoustic piano.
The instrument was invented to meet the need to control dynamics
by touch, which could not be achieved on the harpsichord. The
early acoustic piano went through many changes before it emerged
as the instrument we all know today. The Cristofori piano was
wing shaped like grand pianos, it had a curved body and a lid
that could be elevated. There were also square pianos in which
the strings ran from left to right as on the clavichord. And by
1800, there were acoustic pianos whose strings ran perpendicular
to the keyboard. Other names commonly used are: vertical piano
or acoustic piano, they mean essentially the same thing. A
typical old fashioned acoustic piano, tall acoustic standing,
ivory keys, beautiful wood, moulded carvings, stylish legs and
brass candlestick holders. The old pianos always had a beautiful
warm tone because they were made with quality materials and real
wood. The soundboard was seasoned for ages which in turn created
a resonant and sustaining tone. The superior quality meant that
your piano would easily last a lifetime.

Moving on to modern times These days your typical starter
piano is mass produced in China, Indonesia or Korea with very
cheap materials, soundboards made out of trees that were
probably knocked down the day before and thrown together as
quickly as possible to get distributed around the world. Well
maybe it is not quite as bad as this, but anyway i am sure you
get my point.

You can find a list of electric pianos here: Electric Pianos For Sale in the UK. Lots of
information

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC
PIANOS

Advantages of Electric Pianos:

1) You can plug in headphones so nobody can hear you play. 2)
You can turn the volume up or down. 3) You can record your music
on the instrument itself, or to disc, smart media, floppy etc.
4) You can experiment with lots of different instrument sounds
5) Due to their light weight, electric pianos can easily be
moved from room to room 6) Your electric piano will never need
tuning or maintenance, which will save you a small fortune. 7)
You can download songs from the web and play them on your
instrument. (Normally the more expensive electric pianos offer
this facility). Electric pianos are very reasonably priced
for what they are. You can pick one up from as little as £400.
9) Electric pianos take up less space than the acoustic piano.
They are slightly shorter in length, much lower in height and
most importantly about 2/3rds the depth (front to back) of an
acoustic piano, thus saving you valuable space

Disadvantages of Electric Pianos:

1) The value of your piano depreciates very quickly. 2) New
models are introduced every 2-3 years making your piano even
less valuable and harder to sell 3) The sound is electronic and
although improvements have been made, it will never sound like
the real thing. 4) The touch is slighter lighter than a real
piano and the key balance isn’t perfect. 5) The electric piano’s
appearance is not as appealing as an acoustic piano and is made
from plastic and chipboard. It can easily get damaged if moved
around. 6) The outer casing is difficult and expensive to repair
if damage has been done 7) Electric pianos are very expensive to
repair if anything goes wrong with the mechanics or electronics
9) The warranty is normally quite short, anything form 1 year to
3 years.

Advantages of Acoustic Pianos

1) Your piano will hold its value over time and if it is looked
after it will normally increase over a longer period (normally
20 years plus) 2) The piano has natural acoustic sounds which is
produced by the hammer striking the string and then amplified by
the soundboard. 3) The piano is made from wood, sometimes MDF
and is very strong. 4) If the piano’s outer casing is damaged it
can be repaired easily and fairly cheaply by a French polisher.
5) If there is a problem with the piano mechanically, it can
normally be fixed by a piano tuner very quickly and cheaply.
(With the exception of old pianos that normally need a lot of
work). 6) The touch of a real piano is second to none. The deep,
rich natural tones enable you to really enjoy playing music. 7)
You normally get a long warranty with acoustic pianos, anywhere
from 5-10 years.

Disadvantages of Acoustic Pianos

1) The acoustic piano is extremely heavy (can weigh 175kg
upwards) and is almost impossible to maneuver without the help
of professional piano movers 2) The volume of the piano cannot
be turned up or down, it is reliant on the player to control
this. 3) The piano needs tuning regularly (normally twice a
year) and can cost in the region of £40-£60 a time. 4) The piano
will need the occasional maintenance (every 5-10 years) 5) A
good, well made piano can be quite expensive (Usually £2500
upwards) 6) Acoustic pianos take up a lot of room, especially
the grands and the taller acoustics. 7) They can mark your floor
if you try to move them even the slightest bit and because of
the immense weight, the wheels or feet leave deep indentations
in your floor over a period of time

If you need any more information I can recommend a very good
website that has comprehensive information on all types of
pianos -Soundsmusical.com. Low Price Electric Pianos - find piano articles and
information

I hope this article has helped you in your piano buying quest.

General Digital Piano Info. Helping you choose the right one!

The following information is proved to help you choose the right
piano for you. It generally talks about the Yamaha Clavinova
range but will also tell you a little about the Casio, Korg, and
Roland range.

Gorgeous in sound, elegant in appearance, the new CVP Digital
Piano Series Clavinovas feature a stunning new design that draws
on the best of past CVP models. The amazingly authentic voices
and dynamic styles deliver truly professional quality sound,
while the sophisticated yet easy-to-use features (including
Internet connectivity) make the instrument an endless source of
musical enjoyment - for young and old alike. Just on touch and
you’ll understand…why it’s truly grand!

TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP AND STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY

Unsurpassed beauty and elegance Every bit as beautiful as it
sounds, the Clavinova radiates the dignified, commanding
presence of a grand piano with its solid, finely finished
cabinetry. The Polished Ebony finish recreates the formal
elegance and high-class appearance of a concert grand, while the
Polished Mahogany model has a warm, natural wood grain to
complement and attractively furnish any interior. In addition,
the CVP Digital Piano Series sports three other beautiful
finishes: Mahogany, Cherry, and Dark Rosewood.

Natural Wood Keyboard for an authentic grand piano fell - CVP309
Digital Piano The new CVP309 Digital Piano utilizes the
exclusive Natural Wood Keyboard feature, with real wood keys and
sophisticated technology that faithfully reproduces the
experience of playing an actual acoustic grand piano. From the
natural, balanced weight and key mass to the authentic wood
touch and fell - including rounded key tips and other genuine
key shaped features - this new keyboard has a playability and
expressiveness that goes beyond anything every available in an
electronic instrument. The sound response varies according to
velocity and key position (low notes having a slightly delayed
response), and the characteristic weight gradations of the keys
- heavy in the lowed end, light in the upper keys - make you
feel as if your ‘re playing a real grand piano.

A WEALTH OF FEATURES AND EXPRESSIVE POWER - FOR MORE MUSICAL FUN

Seeing is believing Now here’s a piano with a view. The
extra-large LCDs - including full colour displays on the CVP309
Digital Piano, CVP307 Digital Piano, CVP305 Digital Piano - give
you an at-a-glance view of all main settings, and make operation
easier than every before. The Score display conveniently shows
music notation in the LCD, while the Lyrics display lets you see
and sing along with the words onscreen. And you can customize
the display to your liking - using your own digital photos for
the background. Enjoy the convenience, enjoy the control, and,
most of all, enjoy the view.

True piano feel - CVP307 Digital Piano, CVP305 Digital Piano
More than any other keyboard, the Clavinova reproduced the
experience of playing an actual grand piano. Thanks to the GH3
(Graded Hammer effect 3) technology, the new keyboard provides
the characteristic weight balance between key and hammer, and
features weight gradations of the keys - heavy in the lower end,
light in their upper keys, With two velocity sensors, it even
lets you use techniques previously possible only on a real grand
piano, such as playing the same note repeatedly with perfect
articulation.

STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS AUTHENTIC SOUND

iAFC (Instrumental Active Field Control) - CVP309 Digital Piano
- CVP307 Digital Piano The sophisticated technology puts you and
your performance center stage - creating a richer, warmer and
more spacious sonic environment. Using built-in microphones,
iAFC picks up sound and combines it with the Clavinova’s
internal sound through the rear speakers, making automatic
adjustments in real time to enhance your performance and match
the acoustic characteristics of the room you’re playing in.

Exceptionally realistic AWM tone generation The heart of the
Clavinova’s voices is in the AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) tone
generation technology providing instrumental sounds of amazing
realism and depth. The piano voices in particular benefit from
the new Dynamic Stereo Sampling (DSS) system, which features
recordingfs of differently played dynamics - from loud to soft -
in order to fully capture the varying nuances in timbre and tone
of a grand piano. Stereo Sustain Smaples recreate the unique
resonance of the strings and soundboard of a real grand piano
when the damper pedal is pressed, while Key-Off samples includ
the characteristic sound that occurs when a key is released and
the dampers fall back onto the strings.

MAKING IT REAL!Mega Voice technology - CVP309 Digital Piano,
CVP307 Digital Piano, CVP305 Digital Piano To enhance the
playback of your recorded songs and the built-in accompaniment
styles, the Clavinova features Yamaha’s groundbreaking Mega
Voice technology. Each Mega Voice not only has the fundamental
tone of the original instrument, but also the various playing
techniques and performance sounds - such as finger slides and
fret noise on guitar voices - giving the sound incredible
realism and expressiveness. The bundled CD-ROM includes the
MEGAEnhancer, a software tool for automatically converting
sequences song data enabling it to take advantage of the Mega
Voice capabilities.

Extraordinary realistic, expressive voices No matter what style
of music you play, the Clavinova ensures you’ll never be at a
loss for voices. Hundreds upon hundreds of rich, realistic,
dynamic voices and built into the instrument - with a selection
of over 900 on the CVP309 Digital Piano and CVP307 Digital
Piano. These include the specially sampled and programmed
Sweet!, Live!, Cool!, and Natural! voices. The stunningly
authentic instrument sounds make the Clavinova a treasure-trove
of musical inspiration - providing a virtually endless palette
for creative exploration and performance possibilities.

THE WIDE WORLD OF MUSIC AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

PLAY LIKE A PRO - Unleash the performer in you

Performance assistant technology makes playing like a pro easy
for absolutely anyone! Whatever your level, you can make great
sounding music the moment you first touch the keyboard. It’s
musical magic - everything you play in beautifully and
professionally embellished based on the chords being played, and
the accompaniment of the Clavinova follows your every move,
playing in perfect rhythm and musical harmony. With Performance
assistant technology turned ON, every note you platy essentially
becomes the “right” note!

Karaoke fun - CVP309 Digital Piano, CVP307 Digital Piano, CVP305
Digital Piano, CVP303 Digital Piano The Clavinova is perfect for
sing along fun with your family and friends. Simply connect an
optional microphone, play back your favorite song data, and
start the show! You can have the song lyrics shown in the
display - or even output them to a separate TV monitor, CVP309
Digital Piano, CVP307 Digital Piano, CVP305 Digital Piano.

Automatic professional backing for your performance The Auto
Accompaniment features of the Clavinova open up a new world of
performance possibilities. The dynamic accompaniment styles
encompass virtually every musical genre, and give you several
different intros, variations, fill-ins, and ending to make you
sound like a pro. If you don’t know which style to choose, let
the powerful Music Finder feature help. Simply select a song
title or keyword, and it reconfigures the entire instrument,
including the proper voices, style and effects.

Song playback and recording on slected Digital Pianos When it
comes to playing back popular songs with complete rhythmic
backing and accompaniment, the Clavinova has you covered - with
a total of 120 songs in the built-in Song Book (56 songs on the
CVP301 Digital Piano). You can call up the music notation for
each song, and even the lyrics for certain titles. For the
creative musician, the Clavinova contains a virtual 16-track
recording studio, letting you craft complex songs and
arrangements one track at a time, using the realistic voices
built into the instrument.

Get online and tap into a new universe of music! Visit the
Yamaha MusicSoft website (see address below) and discover just
how many ways you can enhance your musical experience. Whether
you want to play along, sing along, or just listen - we’ve got a
huge and growing variety of special software and tools that help
you get the most out of your Clavinova. Download your favorite
songs to your computer and save them to a SmartMediaTM card for
uploading to the Clavinova. Or, use the including MusicSoft
Downloader software to directly transfer data from your computer
to the Clavinova via a SUB connection. While you’re at the
website, check out all the powerful tools there - especially the
new Digital Music Notebook system, which fully integrates music
notation with both MIDI and audio data for the most
comprehensive and convenient music learning experience you can
have!

Create your own CDs with your Digital Piano The CVP is an ideal
instrument for writing your music and creating your own
arrangements. With the built-in Optical Out terminal (CVP309
Digital Piano, CVP307 Digital Piano, CVP305 Digital Piano), it
also lets you send the digital audio of your music to another
device for recording. For example, you can plug directly into
the digital input of a conventional audio CD burner or use the
optional UW10 USB-Audio Interface* to transfer your creations to
a computer, via a simple USB connection. Then using a computer
and conventional CD burning software, make customized CDs of
your songs and performances!

www.rockingrooster.co.uk

I know I’m a month late, but I have to tell you about my April Fool’s joke I played.

My group, the Brobdingnagian Bards, has been together for a bit over a year now. We’ve played Renaissance festivals, nightclubs, pubs, weddings, corporate parties, coffeehouses, and street corners. You name it, and we’ve pretty much done it. Over this time, we’ve built up a nice sized following and a decent mailing list. Most of the people on the list, I think, seem to enjoy it. Most absolutely love the music, but don’t really make it out to gigs. Most don’t buy CDs from us unless they hear us play. Most are not to keen on the idea of ordering a CD online…until March 31st when I learned something new about marketing.

So on March 31st, I decided to play an April Fool’s joke on the Nagians (the name for our fans). We were getting ready for the last weekend of the Excalibur Fantasy Faire, our home faire. My plan was to send out an email on the 31st and then on April 2nd, tell every “April Fool’s!” Didn’t quite work that way though.

On the 31st, I composed the message “So Long and Thanks For All the Fish.” I told the Nagians that we had decided we actually wanted social lives (as if they’d believe that), and that we were calling it quits. Come out and see our last performances at Excalibur…while you’re at it, help us clear out our inventory.

The first phone call came from my dad. “Aw, I’m sorry.” April Fool’s! Then an email from a Nagian I’d never heard of before. “I came to see you a few months back and love to hear you. You will be well missed.” Then more emails, including one from our Booking Agent (make sure your Agent is informed when you do something stupid). And more phone calls, “I thought everything was going great for you guys. Man, that sucks!”

I’m not sure about my partner, but I got about twelve phone calls and about thirty emails from people. One group that puts on the Madrigal Dinner here at UT was so bummed they were wondering who they would book next year. One gig almost lost. The news spread like rapid-fire… This is day one.

Then a cool thing happened. We got five orders for our CDs. Mind you, we had maybe two in the year the website was up… Now all of sudden we received five orders when we decide to break up??? Che sara, sara.

Well, by the end of the evening, I sent out an apology and big “April Fools!” I offered discounts on my CDs and got a couple new orders. And I finally realized just what happened.

People like our music, but they need motivation to buy it. When you play live, the motivation is I don’t know where I’ll be able to get that CD in the future, but when all you have is a mailing list, you have to make up a new reason.

Now, mind you, I’m not very fond of Machiavellian Marketing, I prefer giving people their money’s worth at all costs, but the tactic worked. We sold eleven CDs in all from that little prank. And the only complaints I got were about the joke, not the sales tactic.

Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000’s of musicians make money with their musical groups through the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine and the Texas Musicians’ Texas Music Biz Tips. Now you can get personal advice by visiting http://www.bardscrier.com for FREE “how-to” music marketing assistance.

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