Category Archives: music

The Yamaha MO8

Posted by GuestPoster on November 3, 2011 Comments Off

If you examine the pro line synths from the Yamaha Company, you would notice that the heart of those synths is the AWM2 (Advanced Wave Memory). Concerning the Yamaha MO8, we say ditto to that claim. The Yamaha MO8 is a loaded keyboard to say the least. For starters, it comes with 175MB of waveforms, which is sick within itself. It also has an 88-key balanced hammer action keyboard touch. It comes with four assignable knobs and sliders, it has mod and pitch wheels, an 16-track sequencer, 64 voices of polyphony, over 500 preset programs, and a host of other features that makes it a standout for its price range. Today we will delve into a few reasons you’d like to own the Yamaha MO8.

The Feel: As mentioned above, the Yamaha MO8 has a hammer action Keyboard. Real Pianist would love to play this keyboard, because it has the feel of an authenticate grand piano. Every key has the same velocity you would get from a real piano. This feel is attained because there are actually hammers built into each key.

Remote: The Remote Control on the Yamaha MO8 is a desirable one. This feature allows you to control your DAW (digital audio workstation) with the sliders and knobs. With these knobs and sliders, you can control features such as EQ, play record, etc. It has S/PDIF 24-bit 44.1 kHz digital outs, and two USB ports. One of these ports is used to communicate with your DAW, and the other one is used for interfacing with a USB drive.

Patterns and Scene Capture: In addition to the remote control feature, there are two features that I believe will impress you. The Patterns, and Scene Capture features are great enhancements to the Yamaha MO8 synthesizer. The Pattern Mode is pretty darn cool on this keyboard. It allows you to make complex sequences easily. For instance, it will permit you to create a riff into an individual element and combine it with other patterns. That’s how complex becomes easy. Another element of this feature is that its not just limited to combining patterns. Additionally, you can create the individual patterns using the arpeggios feature.

The Scene Capture is also really cool. There is a convenient feature built within this solid keyboard called Song Scene that allows you to capture up to five snapshots of sequencer track settings in each song. You can have snapshots of stuff like pan, mute, and volume settings for every track. This really comes in handy when you want to preview different mix-down settings before you commit to one.

The features that have been mentioned in the article are not generally the first ones mentioned when you research about the Yamaha MO8 S. However, I thought it would be important to mention these features for the purpose of the researcher having a more in depth understanding about this keyboard. If you are looking for a keyboard that is very solid and not too expensive, this is a good one to choose.

Why Buy The Fender Frontman 212R

Posted by GuestPoster on November 1, 2011 Comments Off

If you are a good musician, particularly a guitar player, there is no way that you’ve never heard of the company called Fender. Fender is one of the frontrunners in gear for guitar players. From their guitars, to their coveted amplifiers, Fender is a great source for guitar players. Today we’ll be targeting the Fender Frontman 212R. We will share with you a few reasons you should purchase this amplifier. If you’re looking for an amplifier that’s loud, clean, and affordable…. you’ve landed on the right article. The Fender Frontman 212R is a durable solid-state 100w amplifier that comes with two 12”specially designed speakers. This amplifier comes with several attractive features. Let’s examine some of those features.

Control Panel: I love the layout of this control panel. It’s very easy to use and the average person should be able to find his/her way around this control panel. The designers shaped it that way purposely. If you take a look to the left of the Fender Frontman 212R, there you will find a clean channel with two 1/4 inch input jacks. The first jack is high and the second jack is low. Next you’ll see the main channel volume control, and then three EQ controls (Treble, Mid, and Bass). To the right of the panel is the gain channel. This easy to navigate control panel is ideal for the novice as well as the advanced player.

Lets review the uses of the various elements of the control panel shallowly. The first element will be the gain control knob. This knob will adjust the level of distortion output. I’ll follow up with the channel select push button. This button can turn the gain channel on or off. The 3 band EQ (Treble, Mid, Mid, and Bass) controls the desired clarity of tone as expected. This control panel and its feature are simple and user friendly as I explained above.

Its Heavy, It’ll Last: This Fender Frontman 212r 100w solid-state combo is a workhorse for gigging musicians. Its been designed to emulate the classic fender amps in which the tubes were king. It has those specially designed 12″ speakers that handle the 100w amplifier easily. It has garnered a reputation of having amazing clean tones when played at high volumes or low volumes. Even after testing it with the powerful Gibson Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro Electric Guitar it remained crystal clear. All of the preceding features explain why it’s heavy in regards to its quality. One other reason its considered heavy is because it weighs 48 pounds. It’s built to last folks.

I will conclude that this amplifier is ideal for gigging musicians. It is also good for band practice. The ease of use, and navigation, as well as the crystal clean sound it provides is a good reason to purchase. If that’s not convincing enough to purchase, consider that it will not break your piggy bank in order to buy. It is currently $299.99 to purchase this monster of a machine.

Tips For Buying A Piano

Posted by GuestPoster on October 24, 2011 Comments Off

Creating music brings joy and relaxation to many people. Which is why so many mothers across the country force their kids to take piano lessons. Because these savvy mothers know that once the child grows up, playing the piano will be a source of joy and contentment for a lifetime. However, in order to learn to play the piano, you need to have a piano to play. If you’re thinking of buying your first piano, here are a few tips to help you find something that will last.

When it comes to piano buying, one of the most important factors is size. While you may want a grand piano or even a baby grand, remember that they are large. If you don’t have the room for it in your house, it’s simply out of the question. The most common type of piano for new players is an upright. That’s because upright pianos can fit in small spaces, they sound great, and they’ll last for years. The average life of a piano is 40 years. When considering what type of piano to buy, you may want to start out with an upright.

When considering how much to spend, remember that pianos don’t depreciate very much. If you decide somewhere down the road that playing the piano just isn’t for you, you will probably be able to sell it for nearly what you paid for it. Buy the best piano that you can reasonably afford. Save up and spend a decent amount on a quality instrument. When it comes to musical instruments, you definitely get what you pay for.

When shopping around for your instrument, take your time to visit as many local piano stores as you can. For example, if you’re looking a Tampa piano, visit as many piano stores in Tampa, look at their selection, and listen to the instrument. The more experience you have with different instruments, the more likely you’ll find the best Tampa piano for you.

Some more Benefits of Music Education

Posted by GuestPoster on August 26, 2011 Comments Off

Music has numerous advantages in one’s life, which can be mystical, psychological and also can be physical. The human brain has displayed to be “hard-wired” for music; there is a scientific reason for it being a vital part of human involvement. Below have been listed important benefits of music education.

• Music boosts understanding in areas of social science, physical exercise, language and vocational teaching. It not only stirs inventiveness and performance, but educational performance is seriously impacted.
• Music education also increases one’s achievement in society.
• Music increases overall brain activity.
• Helps developing teamwork skills and is a great source of fun.
• Students’ self-esteem is boosted and it develops a sense of self-expression.
• Music improves text recalling and learning.
• Both the hemispheres of the brain are used while performing music, both the dialectal and the perceptive sides.
• Raises the consciousness.
• Contributes to a stable, exciting and inspiring education.
• Music helps students to learn effectively in the atmosphere of the school with adaptable behavior.
• Learning to play an instrument is similar to speaking another language and is mystifying at times
• Music recital teaches younger generation to overcome fear and to take hazards.
• Music students learn to reveal artistically and to untangle problems by visualizing various keys, discarding out-of-date rules and norms.
• Music improves spatial astuteness.
• Music students appreciate aesthetics, the beauty element.
• It helps reduce distraction and displays more self-discipline.

A very easy and casual approach to music is learning to play an instrument. One has to have a desire to learn to play an instrument as it could take quite an effort to do so. If you are a singer, it is important that the instruments and the musical pieces on which your lyrics are played, match your needs entirely. Even a single note going incorrect can make a huge difference, so you definitely should know how to select the best instrumental music of your own distinctive style.

Easy Guitar Songs: Must-Haves

Posted by GuestPoster on August 15, 2011 Comments Off

The guitar, one of the most popular stringed musical instruments, is one many people enjoy listening to, play or aspire to play. For those interested in learning how to play the guitar, a collection of easy guitar songs can be one of the best ways to get started. Learning to play from sheet music can be frustrating for individuals just starting out. In order to learn, one must be inspired and motivated to keep trying. Learning easy songs for the guitar is a great way at taking those first steps. Guitar songs that are easy to play provide the motivation and inspiration needed at the beginning.

John Denver – Leaving on a Jet Plane

This song was featured in the movie Armageddon and has some of the easiest chords to memorize and play. It starts out with chord G followed by C played alternately for two cycles. The style of strumming for this song only requires two strums down and three upwards strums throughout the length of the song.

Coldplay – Yellow

Yellow is one of Coldplay’s top hits. Employing basic chords and a good tempo, this song is easy to master and is sure to impress when played at any gathering.

Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing at All

This remake also makes use of basic chords to produce a lovely and sweet melody. This is one of the best songs to perfect and play to the one you love.

Bread – Diary

If you are ready to pluck a song, then add Bread to your list as this is one of the easier songs to learn and play.

Lynryd Skynrd – Sweet Home Alabama

It would be difficult to find any adult that does not recognize the signature sound of this song. It is a simple country song with easy repetitive chords, and another example of why this genre has as many fans as it does.

Anyone just beginning to learn how to play should add these easy songs for the guitar to their list as the all use basic and often times repetitive chords throughout the tune. The chords are relatively easy to play, requiring simple fingering and will not tire out or hurt the fingers of a beginner guitar player. The strumming is also easy to follow with these easy guitar songs.

How to play guitar

Posted by GuestPoster on August 15, 2011 Comments Off

In playing guitar, one must consider a lot of things. But most of the time, people have more issues to say rather than actually developing the skills. If you think about your inhibitions and other negative thoughts before actually grabbing a guitar, then you are more likely to play. Today, we will discuss about simple steps and guidelines including motivation and all else on how to play the guitar.

Motivation to start playing

Playing guitar is fairly easy if you truly grab a guitar and start forming chords or make sounds from it. When you truly are starting out, you will face a lot of inhibitions and feelings of limitations, but this shouldn’t bother you. If you truly want to play then do it. You don’t need anyone’s approval to do so. In fact you only need a guitar that tunes well to start playing. But then again, if you have a great desire to play, then you will overcome any thoughts of limitation easily.

The things you need to play guitar

As mentioned above, you only need to have a guitar to play one. You may think that you need a mentor to learn guitar. Well, in a way yes you can, but if you can’t find one or you just don’t have the finances to get one, then you have a choice to learn it on your own. Just grab a chord list, a song tab and any song that you love.

What to do first?

You will have to tune your guitar first and you may want to ask help on this or if you cant find a way to do it then you have to learn it, it’s quite easy. Just get some good ideas in the net and it is simply just getting the sound of each string the same to a note that is your E, A, D, G, B and E note. You can get this from a tuning device or from a piano or organ. You will then have to proceed to forming chords through a chord list or diagram. Start with the easy ones, C major, D major, G major and A minor.

In learning your chords, you may need to devote good amount of time in doing so. For most starting guitarists, this is one of the most frustrating parts. Unless you get over this, you will not be able to play a guitar. Just be persistent as well as consistent with your method. Give time to form each chord and if you can make sound out of it, you can now start playing songs. Of course, simple songs that are easy are ideal songs to learn first.

Grab the guitar once a day and practice for about 20 or 30 minutes or to an hour. Just enjoy the process and don’t think of it as a hassle. After you follow these tips on how to play the guitar, you will easily play more songs in the future and also play it much better in the following days.

Tips for Freestyle Rapping

Posted by GuestPoster on August 10, 2011 Comments Off

Freestyle rapping is something that gets bigger and bigger every day. It can be considered both a musical sport and an art form at the same time. A good freestyle rap can give awesome chills if delivered correctly. No wonder why so many aspire to be a good freestyle rapper. We are supplying you with the definite best tips if you want to get better. Let’s dig in.

Speak Carefully

Don’t speak too fast. More good words will flow if you try not to get it over with. This is not only for choosing the wording correctly, but rhyming also gets easier.

Speak the Truth

Lying is for fools. There’s way too much lying in the hip-hop gaming already. Being a poser will be costly for your reputation so we suggest you don’t.

Choose a Good Beat

This is a no brainer. If you don’t have a good beat, it’s hard delivering good rhymes. Make sure to spend some time finding one that suits your style.

Don’t Insult

On one hand insulting can be really smoothly delivered and can provide some kudos in a rappers reputation. On the other hand you should consider that you might start a war and the revenge can be incredibly hard and embarrassing to deal with.

Don’t Plagiarize Others

Plagiarizing is almost the same as cheating, if not exactly the same. No one likes a plagiarizer and you should avoid it like the plague. Delivering some sweet Kid Cudi quotes can be really cool, but once someone finds out they are not actually your words it becomes the complete opposite.

Have Fun!

This is the most important tip I can give you about freestyle rapping. If you’re not having fun, the flow is probably bad and the audience is not having fun either.

Lastly I want to say that freestyle rapping is something that takes a lot of practice. You want to practice at least a couple of times a week. Friends with the same interest are an enormous benefit, so make sure you surround you with those. Other than that look for some cool Lil Wayne quotes, or any other rapper for that matter, if you need inspiration.

Best Country Songs According To Charts

Posted by GuestPoster on July 26, 2011 Comments Off

What are the best country songs and who determines which ones are the best? Are the ones who decide the best country love songs the public who buys them or the Billboard 100 site? Have you ever wanted to know the process of choosing number one songs?The charts have listed the following as the current top ten best country songs: 1.Blake Sheldon-”Honey Bee”, 2. The Band Perry-”You Lie”, 3. Justin Moore-”If Heaven wasn’t So Far Away” 4. Justin Aldean-”Dirt Road Antheam” 5. Chris Young-”Tomorrow” Coming in at number six is the popular Taylor Swift’s “Mean”. The number seven spot belongs to Lady Antebellum called “Just a Kiss” and number eight is by the Zach Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet called “Knee Deep’. The number nine best country song belongs to Dierks Bentley called “Am I the Only One” and ten belongs to Luke Bryan,”Shake it For Me”.

If classic down-home country is more your taste, try the following best country love songs.The best country love songs include: 1.Dolly Parton -”I Will Always Love You” 2. “Bless the Broken Road” sang by Rascal Flatts 3. Trisha Yearwood-”How Do I Live?” 4. Patsy Cline -”Crazy” 5. Garth Brooks-”The Dance”. 6. “Always on My Mine”-Willie Nelson Number seven belongs to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw called “It’s Your love” and George Jones comes in at number eight with the classic “He Stopped Loving Her Today”. The number ten spot belongs to John Michael Montgomery -”I Swear”.

A large portion of baby boomers listened to the songs from classic artists that could make you feel good all over. Though we can name a few of the best country songs and maybe hold the spotlight on them, country music preferences can be a personal mater of the heart as choosing one’s religion. What one thinks of as the greatest song ever may surpass the actual numbers on the chart and may not even be on the chart.

No matter if you prefer the rich , lovey heart-felt vibe of Dolly Parton or the low sound of Johnny Cash, the best country love songs can either give you a rapturous feeling or fill the soul with anguish which is reliant on the song you choose. Country music has a variety of sounds so all it may do occasionally is put in a mood where all you want is to sit in a bar and drink a beer so it will catch tears.

Brina Meets One Of Her Musical Inspirations, Angelie Kidjo

Posted by Brina on July 11, 2011 3 comments

On Tuesday Night I cried. Do you want to know why ?

After throwing a small surprise Birthday party form my husband the week before he returned the favour in taking me on a “surprise date”. Little did I know we were going to see Agélique Kidjo, Lizz Wright and Dianne Reeves perform live at The Barbican. The show was called Sing the Truth -dedicated to the songs of their most admired musical heroines; this celebration embodies the spirits of Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln, and Odetta, along with other great women of music from Billie Holiday to Lauryn Hill, as well as showcasing original songs by Kidjo, Reeves and Wright. The all-star Sing The Truth ensemble features Geri Allen on piano and keyboards, music director Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, James Genus on bass, and Romero Lubambo on guitars.

As we were ran to catch the early parts of the show when we entered the lobby of the venue I still could not believe what I was hearing. The sound of my musical influence?? Still I wasn’t sure and then we bust through the door and yes I saw her, them -and my eyes ears and body came alive I sat on the last few inches of my chair the entire show close to falling off or jumping from the circle where we sat….. woiii I still couldn’t believe it !! The experience was captivating- everything that I envision for my future shows around the world.

a friend of mine was explaining that she is not one to be star struck or not very typical when meeting stars …I tried to explain to her in this way: ” there are a few people on my list that I would like to meet in my lifetime and the list for a very long time is: Nelson Mandela, Miriam Makeba, Lucky Dube, Angélique kidjo and Stevie Wonder. Now the fact is 2 of the 5 are no longer with us in this world and getting this close to my musical Icon well, it doesn’t get any better than that”.

So you see!

The show went on for a good 2hrs and 15mins nicely packed with very soulful honest and heart warming performances to be met with standing ovations for the entire set. When all was nearing an end, the grand finale came and Angélique went through the audience on the lower platform, greeting and dancing with people…. I was determined to fly off from where I was standing to get a piece of the celebrative action going on below us. After the encore was sung, I was still on a high as I watched the crowd begin to disperse. All that was on my mind was the hope of not leaving until I could see her face to face.

I finally found what looked like stairs leading to backstage, and saw at least 10 people standing in front. I don’t know what they were standing there for but somehow I knew they had the same intention that I did- however I was still convinced that no one else could have had the same motivation. I was prepared to wait till every single person had left the building, to even find the car park where the vehicles would be leaving from (in hindsight- I can only imagine the heights and depths that some die-hard fans go through when they are faced with the opportunity of meeting their favourite football player- for me the blood was pumping and the stomach churns were turned up high)

After 30 minutes of watching the tightly secured backstage door swinging open and close by people with “special passes” going in and out my heart’s desire grew stronger and stronger with the hope of catching a glimpse and maybe spontaneously shouting out Hi Angelique! Or say something like OMG – Screaammmmm !!! Then the head of security came out and said he wasn’t sure if they will ever come out to see us the ‘desperate stragglers’ and if so, he wouldn’t be able to say when that would be. Luckily, the 10 or so persons who were standing in front of me, slowly turned and left the area.

I stood there silently waiting for another chance of the door to swing open and another chance to spontaneously shout, Hi Angelique! Or say some kind of thing like OMG – Screaammmmm!! – it never happened.

To make this recount short so I don’t loose your attention and so that I create the climax of the experience, after 1hr and 30minutes of waiting, listening now to a new set of ladies who had decided to join the fete, who kept telling the disinterested security guy that they had a cousin inside, who they could not name, who was actually inside but was actually not related to any of the ladies, who later claimed that they traveled all the way from Zimbabwe to see the show, who luckily had managed to get the sympathy and attention of a few others going in and out of backstage, who later nominated me to be the spokesperson to try and get even further sympathy on “poor us” especially when I mentioned how nice it would be to see “Angélique” after all the wait and the possible chance of missing the last train just to get a glimpse, that when the door opened I didn’t even realize what was unfolding.

Brina and Dianne Reeves

Out came Dianne Reeves to say Hi, excitement began, for the ladies from Zimbabwe were waiting to see her. I was sort of subdued in the background because My Angélique had not come out. One of the really nice ladies that were standing with me then begged if they could get her to come out…

Angelique Kidjo Embraces Brina

And she did:

Brina World Reggae singer from Jamaica was on the floor ….. you know the expression – “if only the ground could open up and take me in” well my feet gave way thanks to the wall that held me in place from falling backwards. Standing right next to me, I crouched down so fast she didn’t even see me. When she finally saw me here words: “what are you doing down there, get up “…. My words…”no”

Can I tell you how I was in tears, I bawled as I was embraced by Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo ! widely know as Angélique Kidjo

For A simple girl like me, this was worth it, the tears and the lack of speech, especially when I came to, all I could say to her was “ you are so small!!” She asked me why I was crying and the women who previously had heard half my enthusiasm of meeting her, answered for me: “ she listens to your music daily, she loves your songs and the way you perform and… she is a singer too …they went on and on.

Brina Hugs Angelique Kidjo

Brina and Angelique Kidjo

All the excitement around was simply not penetrating my moment, my few minutes of attention from an artiste that I hold with such high esteem and pride. I held her and she held me back and I was captivated by her kindness. I could not stop beaming even behind the tears. I could not believe that I was actually soaking Angélique Kidjo’s scarf with my tears and probably creating too much heat with this long embrace. All I know was that I was extremely overwhelmed and I was more than happy for the chance to be so close to her. I wished there was more time to talk and I wish I hold a serious conversation about her journey as a female singer in this rough tough industry…. I remember instead what happened was the tour manager came around to try and get them back inside the “sacred room” and out of no where I broke out singing ….”God is truly amazing, God is truly amazing ….God is truly amazing….I got to meet Angelique Kidjo, thank you for your kindness…..” This was me singing praises to God for the moment … then I could hear the roar of everyone applauding and that was when I realized what was taking place, I begun to gather myself, wipe the tears away and straighten up my clothes. I began to think what a hot mess I must look like singing with tears running down my face- here we go again another crying vocal exercise from Brina.

I look forward to meeting this fine musician again in the realm of music and sharing the very same stage.

Thank you for taking time out to read this.

There is more to come.

Peace and Love

Brina

Brina, Angelique Kidjo and Dianne Reeves

Brina, Lizz Wright and some new friends

Mastering my Debut Album by Brina.

Posted by Brina on July 10, 2011 Comments Off

2 years in the making 2 years on the move.

Finally this day had arrived. Running breathless to get to the tube, and along the road to get to Kevin Metcalfe’s Soundmasters Studio. It is finally time to master my debut album!

Brina at Soundmasters Mastering Studio

At 10:30 a run through listen and a brief analysis of the tone and mood of each song. The song order was handed over and we were well on the way.

First under the knife was “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” Purely analogue and ingenious. As I watched Kevin’s head bop to the beat and rhythms. I sit just wondering what’s going through his mind. Very well knowing what’s going through my mind; the very uncertainty with an underlying surety of what I want. Then he says “does that sound arite?” and then I’m lost ! I’m so used to communicating with Kieran- “break this down for me…” But I’m lost for words and he could see it in my face. Simple escape I just nodded my head. I gave up and I put my entire trust in this strange guys fingers and hands to put the final touches of transmitting my artistic expression, my nakedness my art my voice to the rest of the World.

Feeling alone yet protected, scared but motivated. Then I suddenly remembered I had stuffed my comfort towel in my hand bag. That should keep me secure for the long hours ahead.

Next track: “Lala Vizuri (Sleep My Little Baby)”. Kevin: “nice mix”, with his head still bopping away. Gradually I’m warming up to him. Yet I question if this is false assurance. Along with a fresh cup of coffee next treatment is on “African Pride”; a little TLC and every instrument gets a place to shine, a little sparkle, and Voila !

Brina Songs at Studio

Each track starts out stripped bare and then switches are flicked on, lights come on and go off knobs are turned left and right and again and again, more switches. A listen here and there and the buttons are switched on and off.

I watch carefully, listen intently to the treatment that my next song gets- “Daughter Of Zion”. In this song we battle with the bass, so we drop the intro and give the lows a greater punch on the beginning of the song. Sorted!

“Simple Progression” was a simple do. The mix was done so well that there was not much that needed reinforcement at today’s mastering session. All except two lips sounds that- I never heard and still never heard only until the visuals were pointed out- were simply smoothed over.

On the “Soul’s Song” we hit it. The clarity was enhanced and the song is finalised.

After a short break for lunch I returned to the studio on the last tweaks to “Listen”, just a little warmth needed and next patient please!

The long one featuring Toots Hibbert “Guns and Roses”. I just observed what this guy could get out of this tune.

“We Are Free” is my baby. I hold this song dear to me. I’m empowered just by believing in the simple yet integral message of this song. I’m observing how Kevin treats it. Rather it’s not how he relates to it but it’s how the song speaks to him. Then we Hit a falling wall. How do we fix it. I’m sure by this moment the look on my face is ever so disheartened. The phasing problem is sorted! on to the next track.

The morning runs into night skies.

The last track “Under One Sun” is the track that takes you elsewhere, highlighting different moods, and the mastering engineer gives it the treatment it deserves and then, and then….its over.
Next stage is the transfer of files real time and we retire home to listen with fresh ears. What a day. The day it was all set in stone.

free artist blogs – promote your work