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Showing posts from March, 2014

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