5 Benefits of Kids Learning Violin Music

If you're a parent, and you're wondering what benefits your kids will receive by learning violin music, then here is the article you must read. Violin music is played by musicians around the world, and is one of the most popular music today. Here are the 5 benefits of learning the violin for your kids.

1. Discipline

By learning how to play the violin, you're inculcating discipline into your kids, at a young age. When kids learn violin, they are taught to practice their violin pieces and scales every day. Practicing is by means to improve their skills level. Learning how to do things everyday to improve themselves, will greatly benefit the kids when they grow up.

2. The Love of Violin Music

By learning the violin, we as parents also teach our kids how to appreciate and love music. Music plays an important role in our lives. Not only just by providing entertainment, it can relieves our everyday stress, and it does heals the mind too. By loving violin music at a young age, your kid will know how to manage stress when he grows up.

3. Family Bonding

Learning the violin is not just about the kid. It is also a family affairs! Parents play an important role in determining the success of the kids learning the violin. As parents encourage their kids to play the violin, they also foster better family bonding and cohesion. The kids also feel proud by playing for their parents too!

4. Self Confidence

Learning the violin is not complete, without sharing its music with people around us. And we are talking about performance! When your kids gave a violin performance, he is building up his self-confidence that he can be a great violinist one day! Giving small performances since young, will also prepare him for bigger stages in the future.

5. A Possible Career

While it's still very early to decide if our kids will become professional violinists one day, but the parents have done a fantastic job by laying the foundations right first, for the kid decide if they were to take up the path of a professional violinist in the future. A violin teacher or a music conductor would also be a great choice in the violin music industry too!

Now you know the 5 benefits of kids learning the violin. So have your kids started to learn how to play violin music? Your kid will thank you greatly for making the right choice for him.

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Happy Birthday King of Pop

On August 29th we celebrate the birthday of a pop star who has influenced and been influenced by other royalty in the music industry. We remember Michael Jackson as the little lead vocalist with his brothers in the group The Jackson Five. In the nineteen seventies this group of five brothers rose to fame. When the boys decided to go solo to showcase their individual talents Michael Jackson's songs and dance moves touched many elevating him to the heights of pop icon.

Michael Jackson became the biggest success out of the group because he influenced generations. His music can be heard on many radio stations all over the world. His videos are still enjoyed on music television and the internet. Even children today enjoy listening to and singing along with him to bubblegum songs like, "I Want to Be Where You Are, Ben, and Candy Girl just to name a few. During the Christmas holidays children rock to his song, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause. Yes. This musician has left his imprint on pop culture earning him the name the King of Pop.

As an adult entertainer the next generation grew up listening to his early music with his brothers and the new solo hits. As a solo artist the King of Pop tackled some of the social issues of the time. The hit song Beat It was about gang violence while Billy Jean touched on the issue of teen pregnancy. Thriller was the first short movie type videos. You can check out the video on YouTube.

There is a lot of talk about the impression he left on the art of dance. As a powerful entertainer the King of Pop popularized his famous dance called the moonwalk. Barely touching the floor as he glided across the stage backwards ending with a double twist like an ice skater he sent screaming fans into fits of panic causing many to faint.

His genius on stage translated to his business savvy in the boardroom. To reach more fans with his music he paired with other artists and started his own production company called MJJ Productions. The King of Pop also earned actor status when he starred in the movie The Wiz with Diana Ross.

This year, Hard Rock Café is celebrating its 40th anniversary by displaying some of the most iconic music memorabilia on a mobile tour. The tour is scheduled to stop in different cities in the United States. Among the items displayed is Michael Jackson's iconic red leather jacket he wore in the music video Beat It. Unknown too many of his fans on the inside of the jacket is a backstage pass sticker from a 1983 Liza Minnelli Show.

The moonwalking King of Pop has left a memorable impression on fans around the world. He is cherished in many countries because of his remarkable talent, business savvy and childlike manner. Through his immense talent fans have enjoyed seeing him perform his many hits as the lead singer in a group and as a solo artist. Even though his life was short the work he left is still making an impression that is felt throughout the world.

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Your Essential Djembe Drum Buying Guide

Shopping for djembe drums can be daunting, if you don't know what you need. Different drum sizes, head types, tuning mechanisms and shell composition all play a part in creating the drum's personality. The drum is your voice; hence, it should be an extension of yourself. This buying guide should shed some light on the subject, allowing you to find your perfect drum.

Choosing your shell material

Many different shell materials are available for a djembe, in both natural and synthetic varieties. You need to consider what type of environment you will be playing in when you make your decision. If you go with a natural material, usually a wood body, you need to make sure you get one that has been specially treated so the drum doesn't rot or get bugs. Use caution when purchasing a traditionally made drum, as this can sometimes be a problem in some parts of the world. Most major manufacturers use a form of fibreglass to form the body of the drum. These synthetic drums perform well even under adverse conditions and are very durable. The tonal qualities are slightly different and less "earthy" but you can still project just fine when you play.

Choosing your drum head

Djembe drum heads are traditionally made of skin, usually goat hide. These are fine, especially on more traditional drums but require additional upkeep. Natural skin heads have a very rich sound and in a drier environment work very well. However, if you live in a climate with higher humidity, you may want to opt for a drum that has a synthetic drum head instead. Most synthetic heads are made of Mylar, or other types of polyester films. Synthetic heads are designed to mimic the feel of a natural head; these heads are also wonderful for studio work. The synthetic heads are also great in almost any climate and that versatility is really what sets them apart for the casual player.

Choosing your tuning

Most manufactured drums come with some form of mechanical tuning, which essentially means that they use bolts instead of rope. This design is popular because it is much easier to learn how to tune and change the drum heads -- simply loosen the bolts and remove the head. With a rope tuned drum, it takes a bit more practice. If you have this type of tuning, you should find a professional to assist you the first couple of times until you feel comfortable with the procedure of tuning and changing the skin. You don't want to damage your drum by tuning it incorrectly! Rope tuning is the more traditional method and when combined with a natural head, gives you a unique and authentic body to the sound.

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How to Sing: What You Need to Know Before Being a Singer!

Everybody knows how to sing! You just open your mouth and sing! Well, its not that easy. There is a right way and a wrong way to sing. Or more accurately, a healthy way of singing that you can maintain throughout your singing life, or an unhealthy singing that are prone to damages to your vocal cords and ultimately end of your singing life.

Whether you dream of becoming a professional vocalist or are a purely recreational singer, you want your voice to sound its best and that can last a lifetime. The best way to preserve your voice is to keep yourself physically fit and in good overall health. Maintain a healthy diet, have proper sleep, and moderate exercise. You have to avoid smoking, illegal drugs, and alcohol.

The stereotype of the hard-partying rock star isn't a reality in most cases. Most of the recording artists who have had the longest careers have taken good care of themselves and avoided the excesses that prematurely ended the careers of such talents as Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Elvis Presley.

Training?

You will need training on how to sing if you ever want to become a serious singer, be it professional or recreational. For all you aspiring professionals, it is essential. Just as doctors and lawyers have to go to school for their chosen occupations. You can either find a local vocal instructor or take lessons from online courses such as Singing Is Easy by Yvonne DeBandi or Singorama by Emily Mander.

No matter which method you choose, you need to learn how your voice box in your throat works and how to use it properly, and also how to deal or avoid with any kind of voice problems you might encounter. With the right instructor or course, learning how to sing can be very fun and exciting.

The first thing any good instructor or online course should do is to check your posture and breathing support, as it the most important aspect in singing especially if to allow production of the best vocal tone.

Posture Check

To check your posture, stand up with your back against a wall, and your feet parallel to your shoulders. Your back should be straight. This aligns your spine, allowing the vertebrae to be stacked on top of each other in a straight line. When the spine is out of alignment, your body will be out of balance, and you will create unnecessary muscle tension. Walk away from the wall while maintaining the same position and then wrap your hands around your neck. Stretch your neck straight up. This will give your head an elevated feeling. If you force yourself to hold this position, you'll only end up distorting your posture. If you find yourself slouching or forming any other distorting stance, recheck your posture. Allow yourself to physically feel the same as you did when you were against the wall with your spine straight and your head elevated. 

Here is an easy exercise to help you achieve good singing posture. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Bring your arms in a rapid circular motion across your body and over your head, rising onto your tiptoes at the same time while taking in a good, deep breath.

Slowly start to exhale, bringing your arms down to your sides and coming down from your toes. As you exhale and bring your arms down, try to keep your chest and shoulders in the same position they were in at the top of your stretch.

Breath support enables you to produce a pleasant tone without straining your throat. When you inhale to sing, you should feel expansion all around your midsection. Your diaphragm, abdominal, and spinal muscles should all be working together.

Once you have taken in a good breath, breathe out on a hissing sound while trying to maintain the expansion of your midsection. It will take some time and effort to strengthen those muscles, but ultimately you will learn to sing in a healthy manner, with better tone and less vocal fatigue.

Importance of Posture and Breath Support

Posture and breath support are only the foundation of how to sing well. The next level is tone placement and quality. There are three primary areas where our vocal tone resonates: the chest, the pharynx (mouth and throat), and the head (sinuses). You use your "head voice" for higher notes, and your "chest voice" for the lower ones.

In most cases, you will want to use what voice teachers call a "mixed tone", which is a sensation that you feel when singing in head voice in its lowest pitch (and not a high chest voice). The sensation is called mask resonance, because you want to feel the sound vibrations in the area that would be covered by a half-face Halloween mask.

You can feel mask resonance with this simple exercise. Take in a good, well-supported breath. Starting on a high note with the syllable "hoo" or "hee", slide from the top of your range down to the bottom. It should feel a bit like yawning, and you should feel vibration in the soft palate (roof of your mouth) and in the triangle between your eyes and the bridge of your nose.

Bonus Tip!

Here's a tip for you guys out there. The Alexander Technique, (created by Australian actor and teacher Matthias Alexander) is a mind-body technique that enables the body to work freely and naturally flow as was originally intended, to release all unnecessary physical tension, postural imbalances, restrictive breathing habits and mental stress. It was originally developed as a method of vocal training for singers and actors in the 1890s. Alexander realized the direct correlation between singing, posture, and the need to retrain the body for natural breathing. The method expanded to incorporate and help all types of people from musicians, such as pianists who suffered with back pain from sitting at a piano stool; computer programmers suffering from cramped hands due to typing all day; factory workers who complained of aching feet and backs, and enabled each individual to correct their personal physical body imbalances and release muscle tension. This is an excellent method for establishing a perfect body posture and flow for singing and performing.

Mastering all this is the first step in learning how to sing. It will take time, effort, and practice, but if you work patiently and consistently, you will definitely see results.

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Are You Procrastinating Before Music Instrumental Practice? Learn How to Stop It

Many articles and tips on procrastination advise 'Just doing it anyway' and I agree that forcing yourself to start is the best and fastest way IF you have the willpower. The problem is that from my experience many people can only muster the willpower on an occasional basis meaning that a lot of the time other pressing matters take precedence. Because of this, many may feel they have to constantly 'push themselves' to get the practice done and that's a big ask if the requirement is daily. So how else can we get ourselves to practice, especially if we're feeling lousy?

Tip 1: First, make the commitment by setting aside a time in your day where nothing will come between you and practice.

By making this decision, you psychologically tell yourself sure you really want to do it and are prepared to apportion time to get things done. It is a form of integrity whereby keeping your promise helps you to follow through.

Tip 2: Listen to music or watch videos for inspiration.

When you want to relax or have fun, listening to music will probably be one of the many things you engage in. Now when it comes to motivation, doing this reminds you of why you started learning your instrument in the first place. If you've ever had any favorite songs you dreamed of playing, it would probably have arisen from something you saw on tv/live or heard. This is were you have to be in order to rediscover the 'spark' that will get you inspired to get practicing. Whatever it is you like, listen to it and soak up everything you love about the music.

Tip 3: Set a realistic goal and/or doable task

The next step is to go to your instrument with the sole focus of working on a particular area which will not overwhelm too. Too often, part of the problem is that you might feel what's required to make progress is too much and therefore 'not worth the hassle'. So you don't so much procrastinate as simply leave it. Perhaps you hope the situation will improve by itself or you'll feel mentally better and ready another time. All wrong.

Decide in advance that you will work on an area that's been giving you the most difficulty but in a way where you achieve small victories. For example, you could be learning a passage in a piece where there's a scale. Instead of trying to tackle the whole scale at once, insisting on perfection, just break it down into segments and focus on getting comfortable with the best fingering on that area before moving onto the next part of the scale (again focusing on finger familiarity). Eventually, you'll reach the stage where you can move onto bigger things and even put the whole scale together. However, focus on small things first as a way to get yourself to begin practicing.

Tip 4: Be aware of your thoughts

This applies to before as well as during practice. Your mind will start to have rationalizations for procrastinating as you think about beginning practice. It will give you seemingly strong reasons to change your mind and do something else. Be aware of this. Also once you do start practicing, it might not be long before your mind has urges to switch to another task. You might have urges to surf the web, look at your mobile to see if anyone's texted you, make a call, check what's cooking, eat etc. The distractions are endless. Notice these urges. The key thing is NOT TO MOVE.

Notice your thoughts, but stay still, and let them pass. Your mind will fill up with reasons to stop practicing and these reasons will get so intense that you can easily give in. Instead, let the itch to break from practicing pass. Fight it in a relaxed way by being observant.

Also, be aware of your self talk and body language when you begin practice. Don't fall into the negative mindset with thoughts of "this is too hard/I'll never get this right/progress is slow" etc. Resist sighing and poor body language that creates apathy (e.g. slouching, serious face etc). These all contribute to procrastination. Instead, develop a keener posture, more upright and think of how you would carry yourself when engaged in an activity you enjoyed. Replicate that, but with a smile/more positive facial expression rather than a frown.

Tip 5: Reward yourself

This has been mentioned before in various advice for taking action on things we don't want to do but it does work. Just make sure it is justified and you kept to the standard you set yourself when practicing. Don't let yourself off the hook or cheat in order to get your reward. The satisfaction only comes from knowing that you truly focused on and practiced what needed to be done for a length of time you should feel did you justice.

Finally, realize you have the bra

ins, creativity and discipline to overcome many of your daily challenges already. There will come days when you just don't feel like practicing and don't beat yourself up if you really aren't up to it. However, there is something to be said for self discipline and even courage in doing things you don't feel like doing. It gives you a greater feeling of power and control over matters.

After all, if you're feeling great and motivated, it's natural you will rush to practice your instrument. But think how much more rewarding it must be to make progress on something you were running away from for so song, simply because you took right action, in spite of how you felt beforehand.

Ultimately, by thinking of ways to improve your playing instead of all the ways not to practice, you can make greater progress than you imagined.

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The 3 Best Drummers Ever

Drummers are a strange breed. They are the loudest instrument on a track and are notoriously difficult to get right. The drummer needs to keep the rhythm going and the other band members will be using the drummer to keep pace. All this pressure isn't for everyone and playing the drums is a bit like trying to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time, it is almost impossible for an untrained guy to be a good drummer. But who are the best three drummers? It is a tough decision but below are the best drummers of all time.

Mike Portnoy - Tattoos all over his arms, a beard and long hair. Mike certainly looks the part and his drummer isn't half bad either. The founder of Dream Theatre, Mike is a drummer like no other. He was born in New York and is mainly a self taught drummer. He is the youngest drummer in the drummer's hall of fame and has been the best progressive rock drummer in modern drummer magazines reader's polls an unbelievable 12 years in a row, simply phenomenal.

Benny Greb - Benny's gigs are selling outs every time. Benny doesn't look like a typical drummer. This tall, spectacle wearing, bearded bloke is another excellent drummer. Born in Germany in 1960 Benny has had a lifelong interest in all types of music but it is drumming where he excels. He was playing in his first punk band when he was just twelve and quickly became one of the best drummers in the world. Benny works extremely hard and can be found jamming with a wide variety of styles. As well as gigging Benny is an avid teacher offering his famous drum clinics to other would be drumming genius.

Jason Bittner -Jason was taught how to play the drums. Born in New York in 1970, at the age of ten Jason took drumming lessons. He was a natural and in 1988 he studied at Berklee music school. Jason has won numerous modern drummers magazine awards including up and coming drummer and best recorded performance. Jason's speed on the drums is unbelievable; sometimes it almost looks impossible the speed with which he plays complex drum patterns.

The drums are an essential instrument in any band but there is no doubt that drumming is a skill that is difficult to master. These three individuals have obviously put the hard work and practice in that is necessary to attain the levels they have reached.

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Review of the Killer Yamaha Tyros 4 Arranger Keyboard

Every performing keyboardist looks for an arranger keyboard that helps to sound fully arranged with just a few buttons, and that too in a variety of genres. The Yamaha Tyros 4 keyboard, with its professional styles and voices, gives you just that in an arranger workstation.

And as we discuss the Tyros, one question that could come to a musicians mind is how good is it compared to a top of the line synthesizer workstation - something like the Motif or the Fantom? Well, the answer is that the Tyros 4 is still an arranger based workstation as opposed to being a synthesizer workstation. The tools for creating new sounds and editing them would be limited in Tyros compared to a pure workstation.

Nevertheless, the palette of voices and styles are so vast and realistic that you will have everything you need, especially if you are a solo performer or play in a small band.

So what does the Yamaha Tyros workstation give you in terms of features? Here are some of the important ones!

The Yamaha Tyros looks great with its eye-catching color. The screen, which has an adjustable angle, can also be made flat which makes it easy for transportation. It's easy to navigate using the control buttons, even in poor lighting, because many of its buttons are back-lit. The Direct Access button also makes it easier to move through the various functions and menu items, and it does not take much time to load the various styles and songs.

Yamaha Tyros keyboards use Mega Voice technology which helps recreate the nuances of real acoustic instruments, for instance the strum of the guitar. It literally reproduces the sound of a real instrument, making it possible to produce highly naturalistic and superb sound quality.

Your Yamaha Tyros 4 can easily be connected to your computer with a USB connector. This feature makes it easy for you to move files, edit, copy, delete, etc. Another feature that the Yamaha Tyros has is the MIDI A/B In and Out ports.

Some technical stuff here! Tyros has five blocks of 183 insertion effects, 34 reverb types, and top-notch digital effects which also include 26 chorus types. It has an excellent combination effects and a very realistic rotary speaker. Yamaha Tyros can produce 12 DSP effects simultaneously. The Tyros has 1100 voices in all and a huge 96MB of Wave ROM. The Tyros offers a wide range of variety in styles, it has a huge collection of almost 300 musical styles. Be it styles for your church choir or jazz or R&B, Tyros has it all which you can use to create your own music. It also has 128 polyphony notes. The Tyros software is also backward compatible with some of their popular, but now obsolete models like the PSR-9000 and the PSR-9000PRO.

Summary: Tyros is a great professional arranger which has some of the best sounding styles and voices. Performers and song writers will find it extremely useful and inspirational as they can sound fully arranged in a matter of seconds. The various options and the realistic sounding voices and styles make the Yamaha Tyros 4 keyboard ideal for professional performers and song writers.

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