Nazareth: Still Loud And Proud

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The hard rock band Nazareth has legendary as well as influential status. Somewhere over forty years from their first album they are still active both recording and touring. How many rock fans from the early 1970s grew up on the classic Loud 'n' Proud album treasuring that slab of vinyl more and more with each listen. Perhaps you were one of them.

If you were one of them you probably have a fondness for good old fashioned albums in general and have quite possibly lost that treasured album from 1973 thinking it'd be gone forever and no more would you be able to listen to the unique growl of Dan McCafferty. Well you need worry no more as with the resurgence in vinyl somebody has seen the good sense to reissue Loud 'n' Proud in that very format. Dust off the turntable, crank it up to eleven, drop the needle on to the anthem that is Go Down Fighting and remember what proper rock music was all about.

Nazareth had something of a golden period in the 1970s cranking out truly classic albums such as Rampant and Hair of the Dog in addition to Loud 'n' Proud. Lost their way a little in the early 1980s after the departure of guitarist Manny Charlton though did get their mojo back.

McCafferty and Pete Agnew are surviving originals. Sadly drummer Darrell Sweet passed a few years ago though that legacy is carries on with Lee taking over the stool. Guitarist Jimmy Murrison has been there almost as long as Charlton was I believe making for a stable line-up who can still more than cut it. Listen to their latest album Big Dogz for evidence of that.

They might not be as big or successful now as their heyday in the,70s but that's certainly no excuse not to check them out of you are not familiar with them or rediscover a classic band if you have perhaps got a bit out of touch with your past.

The vinyl reissue of Loud 'n' Proud affords you that opportunity. Gravel vocals like you've never heard anywhere else, the fluid yet brutal guitar work of Charlton with a rock solid rhythm section of Sweet and Agnew. Turn on Your Receiver featured in their live set on this year's UK tour and the album even boasted a hit single with the remarkable interpretation of Joni Mitchell's This Flight Tonight.

They don't make bands like Nazareth these days. Rock hard Scotsmen made (not unlike the Irn Bru) from girders. Even Axel Rose was influenced by Dan McCafferty's vocal style. He'd not be the only major vocalist to cite Uncle Dan as helping to light the way.

Over forty years later they still sing for their supper all around the world. How many other bands can say that or have been (and continue to be) such a major influence in the rock music world.

I hope Loud 'n' Proud isn't the only classic reissue on vinyl so more people get the pleasure of listening to music using a turntable and carrying around the album under your arm. One of life's pleasures you cannot achieve with a CD or MP3 player. If you are of a 'certain age' you will know what I mean.

If you'd like to check out the Nazareth reissue then have a look at Music Record Shop. They have a huge catalogue of vinyl records all available for ordering online. Click on over to http://www.musicrecordshop.com/ and see if your favourites are there.

LEARN THESE SIMPLE STEPS and TECHNIQUES to DESIGN YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS Discover now - how you can very easily make your own wedding flowers and have them look professionally done .down to the smallest detail

E-book contains REAL information that REAL brides will find REALLY useful. It’s time for brides to take the power back and start taking control of their wedding budgets.!

BEST OF ALL... All of this information, including piles more tips and techniques for getting the absolute most out of your wedding planning experience... can be downloaded to your computer within a few minutes!

Who Else Wants to Plan A Wedding They Can Be Proud Of Without Breaking The Bank?!

Dermatologist After Dermatoligst Told Me Keratosis Pilaris Was UNCUREABLE. But I Wasn't Having That For An Answer! I Easily & Permanently Got Rid Of My KP In Just 5 Days!

Las Vegas Wedding Information & Resources Guide

Zac Brown Band Unleash Uncaged!

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Zac Brown Band's much anticipated 3rd album "Uncaged" has finally been unleashed. They are a band known for pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a "Country Act". As Zac himself jokes about "Uncaged" "It's your basic country Southern rock-bluegrass-reggae-jam record".

I'd also add pop, RnB and prog rock into the list of genres that ZBB confidently experiment with on this new record.

As much as that might make it sound like this album is suffering from a major identity crisis, it isn't. Somehow they manage to spread their musical tent far and wide, but still retain the heart, soul and character of who they are as a group.

Throughout this album, the bands sophisticated, trademark vocal harmonies and Zac's outstanding lead vocals are the consistent thread that ties this record together.

They kick things off with the aptly titled "Jump Right In", and indeed from the first joyful chord, that is exactly what you want to do.

Zac sings "You could jump right in, Let the music pull you in and jump right in, You could loose yourself again... "

This is a song to lift your spirits. I can also hear it sitting comfortably on radio playlists nationwide. It's one of the strongest album openers I have heard in a long time and I imagine it being a massive hit for the band in the coming months. The upbeat summer tune beckons you to take a drive on a hot day with the roof down just to soak up the sun. "Jump Right In" shows the band's ear for melody and a pop sensibility which is second to none.

They shift gears somewhat and move into a progressive rock sound on the title track for the record "Uncaged". You can hear Zac's 60?s/70?s influences channeling through him here. This song would have been perfect played live on the main stage at Woodstock in 1969. The band's accomplished musicianship is more than apparent on this track. You can hear them letting loose and really having a fun with the arrangements. Uncaged showcases the "band" element of the Zac Brown Band.

Returning to their comfort zone with the captivating "Goodbye in her eyes" this where they sound completely at home. This song is haunting and compelling with a straightforward story that's universally understood... You get to hear a tenderness in Zac's voice as he delivers the lines,

"I could tell that it was over, when her lips met mine"

Zac's vocals on this song are jam packed with emotion, right from the opening line. The band doesn't in any way distract but rather enhances and supports Zac's delivery of this stunning ballad. It brings to mind the old saying that sometimes "The song sings the singer"

But before you have time to relax too much, the band explode into their most country (and by far the fastest and most energetic) track on the album. The band refer to this track as a "Barn Burner". In case anyone was concerned they were straying too far from the country genre this should put all minds to rest.

That being said however, the one and only song that for me that really sounds out of place on this album is "Island Song". Zac performs this genre crossing jam with a faux Jamaican accent, that comes across as far too contrived for my tastes. That coupled with a Reggie groove and lightweight lyrics makes for a deviation too far from the heart of who Zac Brown Band are at their best.

This album more than redeems itself on the next track as it goes from, in my opinion, the weakest song on the album, right into its most shining moment. "Sweet Annie"has all the marks of a classic song that will stand the test of time. Zac has hit on his very own "Desperado" or "The Weight" and this is a song that will be around for many years to come.

Natural Disaster flows on seamlessly on from "Sweet Annie". It starts with a growling Hammond organ underpinning the silky voices of ZBB. The drums kick in with an energy that reveals a track akin to British counterparts Mumford and Sons, and we are all right back in that barn with a whiskey in our hands.

Another stylistic deviation is "Overnight". There is nothing wrong with this song per say but again it feels distinctly out of place with the overall feel of the album. It just sounds like its got lost from another album and somehow found its way onto this one.

After this they return once again to the Zac Brown Band sound we know and love and there are no more deviations from now until the end of the record. "Lance's song" is a gentle mid tempo, classic country number complete with fiddle, peddle steel and banjo.

"That day I die" follows a similar path, full of musical hooks and excellent vocal performances. Here is Zac reflecting on his life message and how it is inextricably tied to music.

"I believe that I was born with a song inside of me"

He duets on this song with the incredibly talented Amos Lee. This duet is seamless and the two voice blend beautifully.

The album closes once again with an appropriately titled "Last But Not Least". A Song to a wife or girlfriend who has to cope with a man in demand. This is a song that serves to remind us that these boys might wander into some musical pastures new but they also know where there bread is buttered and they always return home to that classic country sound.

**** (4/5)

Get 7 free songs from Ashton Lane here
http://www.ashtonlaneinnercircle.com/7freesongsteza/

If You Like
Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry, Sugarland, Thompson Square, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, or Carrie Underwood... We reckon you'll like ASHTON LANE!

Short Bio
Armed with a brand new album full of catchy radio hits and uplifting soulful melodies. They have had well over of 4 million views on YouTube in the past 5 months for their 'Kitchen Sessions' and they and have been spending much of 2012 touring Europe and building a loyal fanbase both at gigs and online.

Ashton Lane are Scotland's answer to Lady Antebellum...  
Click here for 7 free songs http://www.ashtonlaneinnercircle.com/7freesongsteza/

LEARN THESE SIMPLE STEPS and TECHNIQUES to DESIGN YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS Discover now - how you can very easily make your own wedding flowers and have them look professionally done .down to the smallest detail

E-book contains REAL information that REAL brides will find REALLY useful. It’s time for brides to take the power back and start taking control of their wedding budgets.!

BEST OF ALL... All of this information, including piles more tips and techniques for getting the absolute most out of your wedding planning experience... can be downloaded to your computer within a few minutes!

Who Else Wants to Plan A Wedding They Can Be Proud Of Without Breaking The Bank?!

Dermatologist After Dermatoligst Told Me Keratosis Pilaris Was UNCUREABLE. But I Wasn't Having That For An Answer! I Easily & Permanently Got Rid Of My KP In Just 5 Days!

Las Vegas Wedding Information & Resources Guide

The Number of Black Keys on the Piano

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The number of black keys on the piano is determined by the size of the piano. There are full size pianos and pianos of smaller dimensions. On a full size piano with 88 keys, there are 52 white and 36 black keys.

A more complex question is how the black keys came to be on the piano, and that is not quite so easy to answer.

Originally, the musical "keyboard" was crafted for use by the ancient Greeks, and was used as a controlling device for a water organ called the "hydraulis."

These early keyboard setups had one row of keys, roughly equivalent to the white keys. They were all in the same plane, with no keys raised or differentiated from the other keys in any way (as they are on a modern piano, where the blacks are recessed and raised higher than the white keys.)

The mathematical relationship between the keys was quite complex, originally discovered by the great mathematician Pythagoras. To simplify it, each key to the right was higher than the previous one, and a formula governed this setup, too difficult to mention here.

Eventually composers discovered that there were other tones that sounded good in addition to the standard setup of seven or eight. In order to add these additional tones to the setup, they modified the keyboard by raising these additional keys and recessing them from the original "white" keys. In this way, the original setup was not disturbed but rather added to and refined.

After many hundreds of years, the Renaissance composers discovered a total of five extra tones, (think "black") that could be added to the original seven "white" tones. The end result was that the distance between any two keys, whether white or black, was equidistant. That is, the pitch from one to the next was raised by exactly the same increment.

How these white and black keys came to be arranged into the modern arrangement of five black keys, with a group of three and a group of two, is quite another story and has much to do with the shape of the human hand and the musical developments occurring during the period of the Renaissance.

On many Baroque instruments, particularly elaborate harpsichords of the eighteenth century, the colors were reversed, with the "white" keys black and the "black" keys white. I've seen harpsichords with red and black, and red and white.

Here's a link to a more detailed discussion of the origins of the black piano keys: http://www.pianoiseasy2.com/blackkeys.html

John Aschenbrenner is the author of the Piano By Number series which you can see at http://www.pianoiseasy2.com/

LEARN THESE SIMPLE STEPS and TECHNIQUES to DESIGN YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS Discover now - how you can very easily make your own wedding flowers and have them look professionally done .down to the smallest detail

E-book contains REAL information that REAL brides will find REALLY useful. It’s time for brides to take the power back and start taking control of their wedding budgets.!

BEST OF ALL... All of this information, including piles more tips and techniques for getting the absolute most out of your wedding planning experience... can be downloaded to your computer within a few minutes!

Who Else Wants to Plan A Wedding They Can Be Proud Of Without Breaking The Bank?!

Dermatologist After Dermatoligst Told Me Keratosis Pilaris Was UNCUREABLE. But I Wasn't Having That For An Answer! I Easily & Permanently Got Rid Of My KP In Just 5 Days!

Las Vegas Wedding Information & Resources Guide

Easy Piano Songs for Kids With Letters

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The prime motivation for substituting letters for notes is to make playing piano music easier for kids. And there's no doubt that reading piano music can often be too difficult for younger kids. So here's a collection of songs for your kids presented in letters rather than notes.

It's easiest to start with songs that have a lot of adjacent notes, rather than many skips and jumps.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB:

E D C D E E E D D D E G G

E D C D E E E E D D E D C

JINGLE BELLS

E E E E E E E G C D E

F F F F F E E E E D D E D G

E E E E E E E G C D E

F F F F F E E E E G G F D C

FRERE JACQUES

C D E C C D E C E F G E F G

G A G F E C G A G F E C C G C C G C

In any case you'll have to put stickers or some device on the keys to give kids a visual reference point.

Kids often respond more quickly to songs expressed in numbers rather than letters.

Here are the same songs in numbers:

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB

3 2 1 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 1

JINGLE BELLS

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 1 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 5

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 1 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 5 5 4 2 1

FRERE JACQUES

1 2 3 1 1 2 3 1 3 4 5 3 4 5 5 6 5 4 3 1 5 6 5 4 3 1 1 5 1 1 5 1

In any case your instincts are correct: don't let kids get bogged down in reading music, but rather get them of to a fast start at the piano by substituting numbers or letters for musical notes.

Reading music is very frustrating for kids, especially at the beginning when they are eager for a fun experience.

Once you have interested them in the piano, there is ample time to slowly introduce them to the minutiae of sheet music.

Here's a link to a piano method that uses numbers rather than notes: http://www.pianoiseasy2.com/

LEARN THESE SIMPLE STEPS and TECHNIQUES to DESIGN YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS Discover now - how you can very easily make your own wedding flowers and have them look professionally done .down to the smallest detail

E-book contains REAL information that REAL brides will find REALLY useful. It’s time for brides to take the power back and start taking control of their wedding budgets.!

BEST OF ALL... All of this information, including piles more tips and techniques for getting the absolute most out of your wedding planning experience... can be downloaded to your computer within a few minutes!

Who Else Wants to Plan A Wedding They Can Be Proud Of Without Breaking The Bank?!

Dermatologist After Dermatoligst Told Me Keratosis Pilaris Was UNCUREABLE. But I Wasn't Having That For An Answer! I Easily & Permanently Got Rid Of My KP In Just 5 Days!

Las Vegas Wedding Information & Resources Guide

Songwriting - 3 Ways to Write an Interesting Melody

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

In this article we'll look at some ways to create contrast in your songs by using your melodies.

1. Vocal Range

This is a big one, because it's so effective. It's pretty common in many popular songs to have their verses in a lower register, and then choruses sung close to the top of the singer's vocal range. It's a great way to let you know when one section has ended and another has began. Also, when the chorus is sung higher than the verses and bridge, it's a great way to make your chorus stand out, which is what it's supposed to do.

Another way to incorporate vocal range as a way to distinguish one section from another is to keep a very tight vocal range in your verses, but then use a much wider vocal range of notes in your choruses. A good example of this can be heard in the song "Brighter Than the Sun," by Colbie Caillat.

2. The Rhythm of the Notes

Melody is composed of rhythm and pitch. So while changing your vocal range from section to section is a way to achieve contrast with your pitch, you can also change the rhythm of your melody from verse to chorus to bridge.

If you have short choppy notes in your verses, you can use longer more drawn out notes in your choruses. If you have a lot of space between the phrases in your verses, you can use almost no space between your phrases in your choruses. If you establish one idea in your verses, by simply changing it to its opposite in the choruses, you'll be creating a nice contrast for your melody. A great example of changing the rhythm of each section happens in the song "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by REM. The melody in the verses is very quick, and choppy, while the chorus melody is much more drawn out.

This same idea is used in the song "Over the Rainbow" as sung by Judy Garland. The verses have very drawn out melodies, while the bridge has much shorter choppier notes, starting on the line "Someday I wish upon a star." It makes for a very effective contrast.

3. Start the Melody on a Different Beat

This is a good one, that's hardly ever considered. The beat you start your melody on can affect the mood of your song. A lot of times songwriters write their melodies starting on the downbeat (or beat 1) of a measure, because it tends to come more naturally to do so. If you do that all the time, it can become tedious, which is why if your chorus starts every melodic line on a downbeat, it can be an effective strategy to start your verse's melodic lines on a beat other than the downbeat.

It's also important to note that whatever word lands on the downbeat will tend to be the most highlighted. Which is why if the title phrase of your song falls on beat one, it can be an effective move for highlighting your title.

To learn more, download my free EBook here:
http://www.SuccessForYourSongs.com/freeoffer/

Anthony Ceseri is the owner of http://www.successforyoursongs.com/, a website dedicated to the growth and development of songwriters of all skill levels. Anthony's writings appear as examples in the book "Songwriting Without Boundaries: Lyric Writing Exercises For Finding Your Voice" by Pat Pattison, an acclaimed lyric writing professor at Berklee College of Music.

LEARN THESE SIMPLE STEPS and TECHNIQUES to DESIGN YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS Discover now - how you can very easily make your own wedding flowers and have them look professionally done .down to the smallest detail

E-book contains REAL information that REAL brides will find REALLY useful. It’s time for brides to take the power back and start taking control of their wedding budgets.!

BEST OF ALL... All of this information, including piles more tips and techniques for getting the absolute most out of your wedding planning experience... can be downloaded to your computer within a few minutes!

Who Else Wants to Plan A Wedding They Can Be Proud Of Without Breaking The Bank?!

Dermatologist After Dermatoligst Told Me Keratosis Pilaris Was UNCUREABLE. But I Wasn't Having That For An Answer! I Easily & Permanently Got Rid Of My KP In Just 5 Days!

Las Vegas Wedding Information & Resources Guide

Piano Songs With Numbers

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

If you're looking for piano songs with numbers, it's very likely that you need them for a child or someone who is having trouble reading music. This is very common, and numbering your piano keys is a very simple way to get around the obstacle of reading music.

Eventually, you will probably want to learn to read music, but in the beginning it is more important to get the general idea rather than be restricted to reading music, a skill that many, especially children, find very confusing.

First find Middle C, which is the white key to the left of the two black keys that are in the middle of the piano keyboard. Number that key as #1, and continue numbering white keys to the right. You can number as many keys as you want, but a useful number is 12 white keys.

Once you have done this, there are lots of fun songs you can play.

Here's LONDON BRIDGE:

5 6 5 4 3 4 5 2 3 4 3 4 5 5 6 5 4 3 4 5 2 5 3 1

At first, don't worry about which fingers to use. It's more important to enjoy the song.

But if you're looking for a challenge, try memorizing the song so you can look at your fingers. If you look at your fingers, you're ready to learn about fingering.

Fingering is the process whereby numbers are assigned to the fingers. The reason for this is that, once you have exhausted the possibilities with, say, an index finger, you will want to be able to play faster. To play faster, you must have your fingers organized.

But kids usually just want to start playing, and you should not stop them as they begin to show enthusiasm for making piano music.

You can start to devise a plan for yourself or your kids: let them play piano with numbers as long as they like, and then try introducing reading music. If they resist a lot and are disappointed, let them return to numbers until they mature.

You gain nothing by forcing reading music on a child.

The beginning of piano study should be engaging and fun, and choosing a "child-friendly" musical language like numbers is a good step in that direction.

There are other methods, such as using colors, or animals, or letters. But you will find that the language of numbers is absolutely second nature to all children, and thus they become immediately engaged with the music itself rather than wrestling with deciphering the arcane symbols of musical notation.

Here's a link to a piano method that uses only numbers to get kids started playing piano: http://www.pianoiseasy2.com/

John Aschenbrenner is the author of the PIANO BY NUMBER book series for kids which you can find at http://www.pianoiseasy.com/

LEARN THESE SIMPLE STEPS and TECHNIQUES to DESIGN YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS Discover now - how you can very easily make your own wedding flowers and have them look professionally done .down to the smallest detail

E-book contains REAL information that REAL brides will find REALLY useful. It’s time for brides to take the power back and start taking control of their wedding budgets.!

BEST OF ALL... All of this information, including piles more tips and techniques for getting the absolute most out of your wedding planning experience... can be downloaded to your computer within a few minutes!

Who Else Wants to Plan A Wedding They Can Be Proud Of Without Breaking The Bank?!

Dermatologist After Dermatoligst Told Me Keratosis Pilaris Was UNCUREABLE. But I Wasn't Having That For An Answer! I Easily & Permanently Got Rid Of My KP In Just 5 Days!

Las Vegas Wedding Information & Resources Guide

Easy Tips for First Timers Learning How to Make Beats Using Beatmaker Software

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

We've all been there. Wanting to know how to make your own beats but not really knowing where to start. I'm going to share a few tips that will aid you in making beats. Even if you have absolutely no clue what to do, following this article will get you making your own beats in no time. Remember, without some sort of beatmaker software, these beat tips will only take you so far!

Once you have the beatmaking program you must become comfortable with it. I know it seems so silly, but a lot of people are scared of breaking things. Don't be. There is no better way to learn something like messing up a few times. That is really step one, get to know what you are using.

Typically, it is easiest to start with your drum pattern: kick, hi hat, snare. This is what most hip hop and rap beats are made up of. Set your BPM or tempo to 120, set hi hats to give a steady "tick," then use your keyboard or pad to make the beat itself. We can tweak the samples, volume, position etc. later. We just want to have a starting point mainly to become more confident and comfortable.

Pull up your library of samples and find a clean piano sound. I know a lot of people hoop and holler about sampling other songs... I never really got into that personally. Producing a hip hop beat from scratch always made me feel like I'm accomplishing something, which we are! Again, using your beatmaker software, start playing around with piano sample while your beat you just made is looping in the background. Once you hear that piano loop that really fits, record it and move on.

To me, heavy bass samples really complete the rap style beats. You notice in populated areas the cars with that thumping bass pulling up next to you. That is what you want. Just as we did when finding the piano sample, search your bass sounds and find that one that will harmonise with your beat. The simplest way is to use the same octave or tone that you did with the piano. It will blend and sound clean, for sure.

So, to wrap this article all up... Find the software and become comfortable with it. Start with the beat itself: kick, hi hat, snare. Next throw in your piano sample. Then a bass sample. VOILA! It is really this simple to make your own beats. I am a firm believer in keeping everything simple. Less is more when it comes to producing your own beats. Happy Producing!

http://howto-makebeats.com/ I have been producing hip hop and rap beats since the age of 13. On my blog I cover tips, tricks and the software need to make your own beats. I even have a sign up for a free beat making newsletter. I will send you tutorials, offers, links to other help sites, and free gifts from time to time. howto-MakeBEATS HomePage

LEARN THESE SIMPLE STEPS and TECHNIQUES to DESIGN YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS Discover now - how you can very easily make your own wedding flowers and have them look professionally done .down to the smallest detail

E-book contains REAL information that REAL brides will find REALLY useful. It’s time for brides to take the power back and start taking control of their wedding budgets.!

BEST OF ALL... All of this information, including piles more tips and techniques for getting the absolute most out of your wedding planning experience... can be downloaded to your computer within a few minutes!

Who Else Wants to Plan A Wedding They Can Be Proud Of Without Breaking The Bank?!

Dermatologist After Dermatoligst Told Me Keratosis Pilaris Was UNCUREABLE. But I Wasn't Having That For An Answer! I Easily & Permanently Got Rid Of My KP In Just 5 Days!

Las Vegas Wedding Information & Resources Guide