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Showing posts from 2014

A few tips on making good songs

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I have already discussed the topic of song-making before, but now I have come up with certain things that the audience would expect of a song. This is essential to know because once you know this, you can probably rock the stage. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity: Knowing what your audience will want is necessary to know. Before reading further, close your eyes and imagine you are a totally different person who is coming for your show tonight. Think of what kind of music you will expect. Keep your mind open to thoughts or else you will only expect what you want . Note down these points you will expect in this concert. This kind of a thing helps in organization of the stage, and a lot of other things also. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In business studies, they say under communication skills th

Setting up a home studio

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This is something I am currently working on, and I have almost completed it. Setting up a home studio is a tough job for some and a piece of cake for others, due to their studio structure. Anyways, to set up a home studio for recording, here are the main steps that I followed: 1) Find some acoustic:  Your studio is going to be in your house in a particular room, so choose a room which has good acoustics. To know more about acoustics of a room,  click here . 2) Lighting:  You need to record it, and if you are video recording it, then set up the lighting in the way you want. If you aren't video recording or if you are just voice recording, then keep it the way you feel comfortable. 3) Camera:  This is only if you are recording a video of yourself sing. Purchase a good camera, with good display, and make sure you find a spot which does not disturb the acoustics of your room. 4) Mics:  This is very very important guys. Its not a joke or not a waste of money, but believe me when

How does music affect your study life?

Okay, so I know a lot of people say that music affects your study life greatly, in a good way, of course. Are you by chance having doubts about that? Read on. So people say music makes up an important part of our lives. Some believe it, some don't. Some think rationally, some go out of their way to prove their point. Now let me tell you guys one thing, we live in a world which is dominated entirely by scientific thinking. Is there anything beyond science? Yes there is. Science is based on what we see, touch, feel, and everything related to the earth. However, has science really defined EVERY SINGLE THING IN OUR DAILY LIVES? Absolutely not. I have an example which will prove my point. Electricity. We can't live without it. If it weren't for science, we would not have it. Science has used this resource, but has it really defined electricity? You ask a scientist this question, and he will at the most say electricity is a form of energy. But what form of energy? He may say

The circle of music

Heylo! I am so sorry for not posting for a while. However, now I am thinking of doing so, based on your choice. Do you know what the circle of fifths is? Well, if not, I will explain it to you. It is too long, however, to be explained properly in one blogpost. So what I was thinking was that if you really want me to explain what the circle of fifths in music is, I will, and maybe it will have to be through videos, but I will. The circle of fifths in music is applicable to all instruments and it helps in understanding how to find out the scales. In the circle, we will be playing around with majors, sharps, flats, etc. to understand how they all are related. This may answer the following questions: -why are scales different? -are scales related? -how to derive a scale -and many other things. It is a vast thing to explain so I will really need you guys to reply in the comments if you actually want me to explain this interesting and helpful-for-life topic. Thanks a lot. Please c

Best form for playing guitar

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Heylo people. This is my new style of saying "hello" and "yo" at the same time, for those of you who do not know. Okay, so its time to roll.  Have you ever thought, that your exercise can effect the way you play your guitar? I bet not. So it actually does affect your picking speed and things like that, for all you fast pickers out there.  Theory: Okay, so there is one thing you need to understand. Your wrists are sensitive, or rather lets say weak in a way. So if you do certain exercises, which I will be mentioning in a minute, your wrists will become stiff, or will pain. With a stiff wrist, you really cannot pick that fast, let me tell you that. So ifw you try to pick with a stiff wrist, it will not be fluent. Yes, it loosens up after some time, but doing such workouts every day may affect your guitar playing a lot. So here are some exercises you shouldn't do: -push ups/dips -pull ups -weights However, you may do free hand wrist exercises. Look, it really sound

At an initial stage: manually tune guitars or use a tuner?

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Hey! Im back after a long time....I guess, and I am weirdly using pink right now, which is my least favorite color. Anyways. So I saw this guy (don't wanna  mention the place) and he was insisting on using a tuner. He did not have one, and he could not tune his untuned guitar. As usual, I thought about posting this. Actually, this post title is kept as a draft for a long time. But anyway, now I am typing this out and then posting it. So enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Okay, now this is more of a narrative thing to post so I cannot do it in points. However, I will try to make it easier.                                                  Basic Problem The basic problem usually faced by people is that when they start learning, many of the teachers say,"get yourself a tuner. You are a beginner, so you won't be used to the sounds." Here, what they don't understand is that once you a

Job options in music

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Hello guys! I know I had to make this post yesterday but I am making it  now because yesterday I really did not get time.anyways so now I am going to talk about the professions in music. So I hope you get  fair idea of what I am talking about here.  1) Booking agent:  Schedules or books venues in which artists or bands will perform.                   Salary: $20,000 to $1,000,000+ 2) Concert Promoter:  They act as a host to bands or artists, whether they are performing in a club,                                       concert or any other venue. They also coordinate to any other details related                                      with promoting the artist or band.                          Salary:  $0 to $1,000,000 3) Personal Manager:  He represents the artist or band, giving them advice on all aspects of their                                                 career.                         Salary:   10% to 50% of artists total earnings. 4) Music producer:

Is music a good to take up as a profession?

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Hey guys! You guys like music right? Even if its listening to music. So many of us young potential musicians think of taking up music as a profession, but are always confused whether you guys will be successful or not? It happens to me sometimes... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- People learn music for three reasons: -they want it as a relaxing tool, not taking it up as a profession. -they are pushed by people such as parents, guardians, etc. even though its against their will -they are seriously in love with music and want to take it up as a profession. So the people who learn music for their entertainment purposes, won't take it up as a profession, neither will the people who are learning it against their will. But the people who take it seriously will definitely give it a thought. Music is just not about playing an instrument in front of audience. There are many professions relate

My song/instrumental pattern

Hey guys I am back after a few useless posts. Believe me, this one will be useful. So for those of you who have seen my previous post on how to make a song of your own, someone showed me a way to simplify it for you guys. So here you may understand and for those of you who do not, please email me at parthbhavnani@outlook.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                                                                                      ------------------------------                                                     [write scale here]                                       |         Key:                                                     [Song name]                                              |     f = loud                                                                                                                      |  ff = more than loud                      

Videos out!!!

Hello there! Long time huh? Im sorry I was very busy trying to find time to edit my video. Even when I finally got time I had to get a video editor because the trial period for my earlier one had expired. So the links for the video explanations for a particular post (if any) can be found in the post itself.  For example, my first explanation is on the post "lazy to practice music? Here is your answer".  You just have to click on "here is the video explanation" to find the video explanation. See you with another video or another blogpost in sometime! Bye!

Why acoustic for beginners? Why not electric?

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Okay. So today somehow I have time..i mean right now..so I can post today too! Anyways..in this post, I will tell you which guitar is better and why. I hope my buddies (you) enjoy reading this post...and most of all..I hope this helps you.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Firstly, let me get something straight. Both the guitars are good in their own way...its just a matter of choice. Its something that has to be realised and this realisation will come as you keep learning guitar.                                              "Better for beginners" MANY of our teachers and parents will say this-"for a beginner, get an acoustic". Aren't you tired of hearing that? But there is a reason to saying that. To understand the reason better, do the following: Walk in to the place of music: By saying this I mean walk into a music store. Take the different ones: By thi

Lazy to practice music? Here is your answer

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Hey! No posts for a long time huh? Well well, I am back blogging. My video explanations are going to be uploaded on youtube soon..its easier to do that I feel, rather than upload on the blog, so yeah. But I will surely link it with the particular post. Many of you often get lazy to practice your instrument? Here is what I do and it really works for me so as usual, I want to share my information with you.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)You really like it? : Your instrument, do you enjoy playing it? If not then choose an instrument which you actually like playing...its important. Think about it, would a peson actually like removing the instrument from the case, plug it in, and then practice it even though they don't enjoy it? For all you know, you might not even like music. So find an instrument you like, this is the most essential. 2)Cases off! : The first blockage between you and your

Do not make a mistake while buying speakers!

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Hey guys! Previously in my blog, I have given many tips on buying guitars, and stuff like that. Today I am going to give you tips on how to buy speakers. Now speakers are something we use in our day to day life. Guitarists use amplifiers for their electric, music lovers listen to music through speakers, speakers are used to make speeches, but lets not go too far with that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Use: This is something obvious, but you should always keep in mind for what do you want these speakers. It could be for a speech, for a concert, for listening to music, for your television, for home theatre, etc. 2) Power: After you have kept in mind for what you will use the speakers, the next step is to determine the power the particular task will need. If you are a DJ, you will need powerful speakers and amplifiers. For a DJ, if he buys a small speaker not so powerful, it may damage the

Interesting facts about guitar

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Hey! I have not been posting for a while because I have been racking my brains thinking what to write here. Anyways, I am going to tell you some interesting facts about guitar. And also to make another thing clear, these facts are not mine.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - The first prototype guitars are known from the second millennium B.C. -The seven stringed guitar is called the "Russian Guitar" or the "Gypsy guitar" -The first electric guitar was made by George Beauchamp and Adolph Rikenbekerom in 1931. -The first wooden built guitar was by Leo Fender and musician Les Paul independently of each other. -The first bass was also developed by Leo Fender in the 50's of last century. -Famous guitar brand Ibanez was named after the Spanish Luthier Salvador Ivanesa. The name was mutated after its successful launch in North America. -In Finland, the competition

Interesting things music can do to us

For most of you may know these things, believe me, there are lots of others I know who do not know about these things. So here you go -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Make us relaxed 2)Keep our minds away from stress 3)Put us to sleep 4)Wake us up 5)Listening to music while doing something boring can make it 10 times more interesting than it actually is. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Never keep your favourite song as your ringtone...you will end up hating it.             So stay smart, be aware, and rock!!!

DO NOT USE HEADPHONES!!!!!!

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Guys, I recently remembered something which I would like to share......I know I have written about volume control in the other post, but this is completely different. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I just remembered about this and thought that you should know. Many people know about it, but those who do not, this is just for you. It is indeed a little hard to explain, but I will try my best. The thing is, you should not use headphones or especially earplugs extensively. Using them a little bit is okay for music, but not too much. Preferably, use speakers...unless your parents are somewhere near you and the song contains things which they would not want to hear. The only reason I am telling you this is because a study has shown that those who extensively use headphones, they cannot hear loud volumes of the speakers properly, which others can. Honestly speaking, I know nothing much about this. But this h

Editing your song

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Earlier, I had told you about making your own song.  It is also important to know when your song needs editing. In this post, I am going to tell you a little bit about editing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sometimes, when a video is recorded, you get background noise. This happens mostly when a video is recorded unprofessionally. To control this, and make your audio and video sound awesome, some kind of editing is required... 1) Before recording the video : Before recording the video, make sure that nothing interrupts your video. If there are many people in your house, tell them not to enter your recording area (room, living room, whatever)...Keep your phone on silent for sometime...yes for that period of time no important calls should be attended to. 2) Nature of surroundings : If your air conditioner is silent enough, then put it on...close all windows and fans so that no noise is made by them and m

Free skype lessons?

Guys, I was thinking maybe I can give skype lessons for guitar to anyone interested. I am giving it for free. If interested then email me at parthbhavnani@outlook.com....  I look forward to seeing you guys. :)                                                                                                                       Just FYI: I might take time to reply. I dont check my mails regularly.

Improvising Well

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Improvisation, which is also like a single person composing on the spot music on a backing track, is something that many people may have some kind of difficulty in. It is like on-the-spot composing.  You might have seen people, when they improvise or jam, they sound fabulous, but when you try it on the same scale, you may not sound as good. This is because of one simple thing- Ideas . Improvising is not only on the spot composition, but a mixture of all your ideas based on a particular scale.Improvising is also a matter of practice. It depends on how much time you put in. The more you practice, the more ideas will you get. And the more ideas you get, the better will be your compilation. Once you have created many small ideas, what you would want to do is start a long backing track and try playing out all the solos you have created till now. Keep doing this, and believe me, you will rock. So be sharp, be aware, and rock!!!!!!

How to make your own song

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Okay, so now lets suppose you have created your band and you need tips on how to make songs...because you realise you are not good at making songs. So here goes my idea: 1) Visualise music : hmm. Very important. Visualise what kind of music do you want in this song. Soft rock, heavy metal, whatever. So this is the first step in creating songs. 2) Find your story : The best songs always have a story behind it. You may not recite it in the form of music, such as country, but it should have a base. 3) Use references : You should use references such as  Rhyme Zone  to find rhyming words for your song. 4) Limit... : There should always be a limit to the length of your song. Sometimes I sit with my guitar, and when I start singing I don't come to know how one hour passes. So keep a limit, and create your song. 5) I love singing : (actually I don't) but any way, once you have composed your piece, sing it in the tune you may want it to be sung. 6) Composing according to voc

How to know when to change your guitar strings

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Normally it so happens that people who have their guitar for years have a fixed time (say 6 months) after which they will change their strings. But suppose you bought a new guitar and the strings for the guitar are from a different brand and, everything is different. So here are a few things you will need to think about: 1) Check the rust : You must have noticed that new strings do not make as much of a sound when your hand slides on the fret-board, while in the rusted ones, they make a lot of noise. This is one step. So what you want to do is slide your hand on the neck touching the strings gently. If they make too much noise, you know its time to change them, soon. 2) Ouch : Here is a fact- your fingers will hurt more when you play on rusted strings compared to new strings. So what you have to do is start playing on the guitar, and if your hands feel pain after say about 5 minutes, you definitely need to change your strings. 3) Clarity : Clean strings are way more clear in soun

Listening to music...at what cost???

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Guys, this is a major problem today: the volume control when you are using earplugs or headphones. People's hearing levels are going down because of high volume while using earphones. So what I am writing right now is just to make you aware of this problem. Hearing with earphones/headphones is not bad. All you need to know is how much volume to use while you are listening to music. Firstly, lets see how these instruments are placed. Headphones are right outside your ears, even touching it, and earplugs, even worse, are INSIDE your ears...and if you are going to put high volumes of music on then, your ears will surely get damaged. So what we need to do, you know it very well. Volume of the music depends on the kind of music you are hearing. If you are hearing soft acoustic, with singing, then your volume can be one unit above half. If you are listening to hard rock or heavy metal, your volume should probably be one unit below half. If you are listening to soft rock, then

Music can relax a person, or even put him to sleep

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Hey guys..um...I am actually quite experienced in putting people to sleep or getting them to relax with my music. These are actually very simple steps to follow. If you do it right, I do not  promise it will work. Well, it does work most of the time with me so yeah.  1) Go Acoustic : This is very important. The first thing you probably need to do is switch to an acoustic, even though you play an electric. Don't give me bullshit, just do it. If you don't have acoustic, play on clean (on electric), and make sure your volume is not very loud. There are better chances of acoustic working rather than an electric. o 2) Play Softly : Hold a chord, but don't strum. Play single notes, doesn't matter fast or slow, but make sure the picking sound does not come. Using your hand in this case is better. 3) Not Loud : This is VERY important. Do not play it loud at all. Also, maintain the volume. You may play continuously, without pause. 4) Repeat your pattern : Play the same n

How can one sing well?

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Though I am not a good singer AT ALL, I definitely do know some things about singing. I have seen singers, met singers, and thought about sharing all I know about singers. Please note: I AM THE WORST SINGER YOU CAN EVER FIND. 1) Learn breath-control : You should know how to breathe slowly and softly. Learn to stop your breath. Hear different people singing. See when they stop to take a breath. See videos that teach you basics about  how to control your breath while singing . 2) Check how much you can stretch your voice : See to what extent can you sing. If you are having difficulty in raising your voice further, that is your limit. So check how low can you sing too. This will be your limit.  3) Try to sing with tracks : Try to sing along with backing tracks, or try to sing with the track of a song which has already been sung by a band, just without the vocals. This will determine your capability. 4) Keep your spine erect : This is one of the most important things to

How to buy a guitar for beginners?

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It is very nice to learn an instrument. It might be the only thing that may help you on sad days. You can let your feelings into playing the instrument. Since I know quite a lot about getting a new guitar, I thought I may help you. 1) Use the internet : Use the internet to find out about the best guitar for beginners. If you have a friend, do take help from him, but don't forget to do your part of the research irrespective of taking help from a friend or not. 2) Go with an open mind : This is something that most beginners really lack- an open mind. Most beginners are so excited about buying guitars that they will take the first guitar that comes in their hand. NO. Don't ever do that. That is a VERY BIG MISTAKE. 3) Hold the guitar : Hold the guitar, play some strings, try to press some frets and see if you are comfortable. If you are, you can always come back to the store and purchase the guitar. So just be patient. 4) Visit different stores : Try out the guitars in the

How to know what kind of music you like

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Its not very easy to know what kind of music do you like, if you are a confused soul. I just thought about it the other night that how do confused people know what kind of music they like.....and I got a few things in my head...so here are some tips: I thought they might help. 1) Think about yourself : What kind of person are you. Short tempered, non-abusive, kind, rude, whatever. Also see if you are okay with bad words in your song. 2)  Listen to the radio : This is necessary if you do not know what music do you like...its okay if you start the radio and you do not like the music. You may change the radio channel. It may take you even a few days to find a song on radio you actually like, but I am sure you will find it. Its no big deal. 3)  Use the internet : Once you have found the song you like, get the details such as the name of the song and the band which played it. Once you have got that, search the internet about that band and see what kind of music they play...because tha

Tips on forming a band

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Forming a band may sound easy, and it will be, if you have the right people, but the main issue comes when you have to be famous. 1) Make friends with people who know how to play the guitar, keyboard and drums : These three instruments are VERY important. Together you can form a band with these three instruments, but the people you find should be worthwhile. You may find people in different ways. You may just have some friends at school, or you may make some friends when you go for a concert, with who you can try jamming  and seeing if they are good enough for the band you want to form. You may sing or find a singer . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTE: I know what I am talking guys, I have had experience trying to form two bands where I got stuck up with people who only claimed  that they played the instrument. So I tried to teach them some  things but was unsuccessful. And today I have wasted my time.

Tips for performing on-stage

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When you're singing on stage, you're not only combining language and music - you've also got to deal with spatial awareness and be aware of the people around you. There's a lot going on, so watch the conductor if there is one. Enjoy the feeling of being on stage, look around you in rehearsals to get used to the size of the performance space and think how much energy you will need to fill that space. Ensure that the energy of a song is conveyed in your singing and not just in your dancing; thinking that the vigour of your movements will carry a song is a common trap to fall into. People are sometimes frightened of overpreparing because they think the material will somehow get stale. But that shouldn't be a worry. Every time you perform, it changes: the atmosphere in the room is different, the people watching you aren't the same. By preparing as much as possible, you'll have the ability to deal with anything that happens, you'll have more confiden