New Age Music - How It's Made

Different styles of music have different "sounds." We can all pretty much agree on that point. For example, Jazz uses seventh chords almost exclusively. This, and the kind of chord progressions used in Jazz gives it its unique flavor. But what about new age music? Does it have it's own special ingredients? Yes it does.

Now, there are no hard and fast rules here but for the most part, new age music is a consonant music. That is, there is little or noharshness going on in the music. No Saxes wailing and what not. Having said that we can eliminate most of the tense jazz chords and their voicing. So what are we left with? Mostly Major and minor chords based on the regular scales and the modes. The chord progressions are simpler and usually start on the l chord. No ll-V-l progressions here.

What about melody? In jazz, we have a soloist who usually plays a lot of chromatic notes. This is rare in new age music because it would create dissonance. New age melodies tend to be softer and more on the spiritual side. Solos, if there are any, are not so much concerned with the expression of the self than they are with letting the music express itself. A subtle but very important distinction. Jazz players may have some ego invested in their performance. New age musicians learn to let the music play them. They learn to become a channel for the music itself allowing it to speak through them. Of course, I'm not saying that this can't happen in Jazz, but, just watch a Jazz performer and you'll see what I mean.

Last but not least is rhythm. Let's do a comparison/contrast between Jazz and New Age music. Jazz has a definite discernible rhythm. It is what makes Jazz Jazz. New age music can have a pattern or an underlying rhythm to the music. It can be used to create trance like states in the listener. Drums are usually a part of Jazz music. Percussion is mostly absent from the New Age sound simply because it would not add to the atmosphere most New Age musicians create. Timing is very important to the Jazz musician. The soloist has the freedom to play whatever he wants as long as he maintains the meter and stays in time. New Age music is more elastic in that timing is there, but is not a master of the player. The New Age player can disregard time altogether. Just listen to Zen flute music as a good example of this.

Now, what does all this mean for the aspiring New Age musician? A couple of good things. It means that there is a definite new age "sound" out there. That it is here to stay and that people like and need to hear it. And it means that there are some guidelines out there for what defines the meaning of New Age music.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

Where Can I Have Access To Listen To Free Online Music Without Paying?

With the controversy of the decision against Free Online Music websites has brought on a call for reformation from the music industry while the fans want to hear the music of their favorite artist. Many musicians including the metal giants Metallica stood firm in their stance again free online music sites.

Though it is still illegal to download free music without paying royalties to the artists and music labels, there are up-and-coming bands and artists who allow you to listen to free online music. The catch there is they provide their own the music and of course, they give consent to websites to play their music for free. Why do you think they give permission while others are erring about it? For one, it's exposure and free image building. And this is especially true for new bands and artists. Think about the exposure these artists get when consumers like you get to enjoy their music for free! It's like a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" type of deal.

So there you go with new artist trends. If you on the other hand is a party-person who'd like to get the first-hand ear to new music or free music, search for a new DJ in town. Know that a disk jock is a competitive profession considering the glamour and prestige to be the "It" DJ in town, you'll definitely find one good DJ promotional site where you can listen to free online music. And that's not all. DJ loves to show off to his/her audience so you'll get extra scratching on board for his/her prospective clients-you, marketing company, music industry owners and of course, radio stations all over the place.

If you are a consumer who has been stuck listening to one genre of music, you can actually browse for free online music and target other music genre. Usually, music artists have their own promotional releases that's made available online for you to listen. With such promotional material, artists get to be recognized and get paid at the same time when advertising companies or websites promote their music. So it actually works out for both consumers and artists in the end.

Now what if an artist scores a hit song and the public is clamoring for more of this artist's work? For sure this artist keeps his or her own websites where you could browse through and listen to the artist's music. You also have the option to purchase the artist's CDs in the same site. If there is a downloadable music option, go ahead and take advantage of that option, it's free anyway!
Another perk of listening to free online music is that you get to enjoy some of the promotions associated with your listening time. Most often than not, new artists promoting their new releases are being advertised in most music websites with your chance of winning tickets for free concert. So just imagine a gathering of thousand people to listen to the new artist's music during the concert. At least, this is the ideal situation that both artists and music labels hope will happen.

Listening to free online music is also a way of recognizing the new artists and returning singers. Regardless of the perks associated with it, free online music for the public just create positive commendation to the artist. Further, free online music helps artists and music labels test the waters before taking the bigger risks that come as part and parcel of the music business

Mark Rollingston is an MP3 enthusiast,For more information on Free music visit http://unlimitedmp3music.blogspot.com Where you can get informative articles and see many of the latest MP3 players and accessories.

Christian Music's Finest Hour

In February of 2005 Judson Cornwall one on America's finest teachers and a prolific author on the subject of praise died peacefully after a four year bout with cancer. For the last quarter of his life he taught thousands how to praise God. He started his emphasis on praise and worship in the church at a time when the praise and worship element of the music industry was still in its infancy.

Sometime before this grand old gentlemen of faith died I heard him tell a story I have never forgotten. He was called to a Christian home to counsel with a family that had been experiencing a great deal of discord among them. He advised them on several levels on how to deal with their problems. Finally he said that he noticed that all the time he was in their house that he could hear the TV playing in one room and from the other rooms came the sound of the radio with rock and roll, loud hype and advertising clamor.

He told them to shut off all the noise and replace it with praise music, gospel songs and hymns. They took everything he said to heart and replaced the sound clutter with good Christian music. On his next visit to their house he found a peaceful setting where each family member conducted themselves quietly, courteously and with respect. Sound too good to be true? Make no mistake, it is true and it will always work. It is the combined power of the gospel and of music.

The Bible says that just a few things from this present time will cross the great divide and traverse to the presence of God. They are the souls of men, the product of loving deeds, and yes, music. We will be making music and singing for all eternity. What does all this say about music? Simply put music, anointed Christ honoring music has connected to it an eternal quality. It is with good cause that those who are gifted with the power to communicate Gods message with musical craft call their work a "music ministry."

Those who labor in a music ministry today have more tools and opportunities available to them than at any other time in history. Modern technology has spawned electronic production and replicating devices that can host an entire orchestra in a tiny bit of circuitry.

Even with just traditional acoustic instruments the means of publishing and distributing the sounds of the many Jubals God has raised to serve him with music can be spread around at the speed of light. MP3s, hi-tech digital editing gear, and the means of publishing and reproducing the sound by almost anyone even at home has nearly transformed the old lumbering and hapless kind of promotion known in the past.

So what's going around these days? It is an understatement to say that the best is getting better and the fledgling sounds of the newbies is bringing up the rear with great promise and skill.

Cross genre is becoming mixed genre in gospel music. Seeing Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver appearing with Bill Gaither was only the beginning. Bluegrass gospel is being woven into the fabric of Southern Gospel and old time quartet gospel music harmoniously, to borrow a musical term. Hillsong is now in the good company of dozens of great contemporary praise groups and the sounds of worship are popping up in country gospel and Southern gospel as well.

Perhaps only a musician might notice that there is a kind of admixture of instrumentation going on these days. I have played five string banjo for thirty years and guitar for over forty years and I listen carefully to instruments and their places in the overall presentation of any particular piece of music.

It is not uncommon today to hear instruments once reserved for a specific genre being incorporated into the new sounds of ecleticity's finest productions. Celtic and British Isles instruments like the penny whistle are carrying melodious strains in the backgrounds of many of today's praise songs. The mandolin and the hammered dulcimer normally associated with Appalachian mountain music are showing up in every genre both as studio instruments and stage accompaniment.

Christ has promised that he would pour out his Spirit in the last days to aide all those who labor to get his gospel out to the world. (Joel 2:28) There is little doubt that Christian musicians and artists are experiencing some of that outpouring and it is readily apparent that their music is rising to meet the day.

This great company of music makers perhaps will lead thousands in music for ages to come. We have so many of them we expect to hear once again as they bring us a new song in a new and wonderful time. Who are they? The names are far too many but for a cross section just look at the names I found on just a couple of CDs featuring Christian music from various genres in my own recently purchased collection.

You can imagine the songs; I'll give you the names. The Chuck Wagon Gang, Porter Wagoner, Tennessee Ernie Ford, George Beverly Shea, The Lewis Family, The Oakridge Boys, The Statler Brothers, Bill Gaither, Dottie Rambo, Wendy Bagwell, Melanie Walker, Suwannee River Boys, The Ruppes, The Melody Trio, Keith Green, Hillsong, Amy Grant, John Michael Talbot, Jeremy Camp, The Katinas and many others.

Most of us in the Body of Christ cannot imagine our worship experience in or out of our respective churches and gatherings without the sounds of these wonderful artists and musicians. I hope I may speak in some small way for all of us in offering our thanks to you all and this bit of encouragement. Keep up the good work because as the Lord pours out his Spirit you will see the best is yet to come.

Rev Bresciani is the author of two Christian books one that is entirely on the second coming of Christ. He is a contributing columnist for several online news and commentary sites. His articles are read throughout the world. Please enjoy a visit to http://www.americanprophet.org

The Misfits - A Band With A Place Music History

Few rock bands can define the musical genre of punk rock as well as the Misfits. Along with popular acts such as the Sex Pistols, this band helped to define punk rock, as well as create an offshoot of its own, referred to as horror punk. This band has had several transformations in its members but has always kept the punk rock spirit alive.

When the band first formed in 1978, Glenn Danzig was the front man of the band. He wrote several songs, played the electric piano, and was singer for the band. The other members at this point were Jimmy Battle, Manny Martinez, and Diane DiPiazza. Jimmy and Diane only stayed with the band about a month before they were replaced by Jerry Caiafa. When the band was set with its members, they went to the studio and began recording.

The Misfits' very first single was called "Cough Cool." They released the song themselves through their own recording label, Blank Records. Though they played a few shows and did not immediately have a large fan base, the band continued to play and worked on its own particular sound. By October they began to be influenced by other punk rockers, such as the Ramones, and brought in a new guitarist, Franche Coma. It was around this time that they caught a break and had the opportunity to record a full-length album. They recorded 17 songs, including "Teenagers from Mars" and "Return of the Fly." By the end of 1977, The Misfits were beginning to gather a fan base, and Manny Martinez was replaced by Jim Cantania. There were no labels that were immediately interested in The Misfits' first album, so the band took four of its songs and released them as an EP under their own label.

The band began touring in support of their EP and began to take on a ghoulish appearance. Two of the band's members were not happy with the direction the band was taking. Franche Coma and Jim Cantania left the band and were quickly replaced with Joey Image and Bobby Steele. The band started touring together over the next year, and Jerry Caiafa began his signature hairstyle to be known by many punk rockers as the "devil lock." The band's fan base was growing, as was their popularity. They were perfecting their horror punk style all along, and they decided to start a fan club dubbed "The Fiend Club."

The band suffered a bad experience on an England musical tour that led to the loss of Joey Image as a band member, though they released another EP shortly after their return. They took some time off to recover and regrouped with more ideas for new band members and replacing some of the old.

This band has had its ups and downs. Their turnover rate has been high, but in the end, The Misfits is a band that helped to define what is now called punk rock. They were not afraid to stand out from others and look to a dark and negative theme to sustain them as rockers. Their devotion and dedication has won them two decades of being involved and very influential in the music business. The Misfits created their own successes and have persevered in the punk rock movement.

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Play Guitar Faster With Online Rock Guitar Lessons

Not so long ago there were only a few ways to take a rock guitar lesson. Pay for expensive private lessons, purchase multiple books from the local music store, or rely on your friends to teach you the correct techniques. However, since the internet came along there is a new, better way to take a rock guitar lesson.

Online rock guitar lessons offer many advantages over the methods listed above. First, you have the flexibility of taking a lesson anytime you want. With a private instructor you only get one or two lessons a week at specified times and your friends are not exactly available to teach you a new song at 3am. Online lessons also cost less than private lessons. A complete online rock guitar lesson system costs about as much as one or two private lessons.
 
Another benefit over private lessons is you can pick the style of music you want to learn. Want to learn a rock guitar lesson? No problem. What if you are feeling more like country guitar lessons? Great! Online lessons give you, not your instructor, control over they style of music you want to play.
 
Online rock guitar lessons offer advantages over traditional paper books too. With an online lesson you still get the benefit of watching the instructor form the chords and strum the strings because online lessons can have video and audio. This is huge as it gives you the benefit of a private lesson in a book format.
 
The biggest reason for online lessons is the speed of your results. Having your rock guitar lesson available anytime you want will dramatically increase the speed at which you learn to play. Online rock guitar lessons are designed to allow you to learn at your speed, so you can be playing at an advanced level in just a few short months. You can download these lessons today and be playing in a matter of minutes.

Jared has been playing guitar for over 10 years. Rock guitar lessons are no longer difficult to find. Find out more at http://www.gigginguitars.com

History of the SXSW Music Festival

The South by Southwest Music Festival has been running strong, and getting stronger, since it originated in 1987. Austin considers itself the live music capital of the world, and though cities would like to battle that claim, musicians and music industry types clamor to the capital of Texas every March from around the globe.

Austin has had an entertainment district for several decades. As the home of the state government and the University of Texas, Austin has always had lively nightspots, some of which date back to the 1800s, when many of General Custer's troops poured into clubs after the Civil War. The majority of these clubs were located along 6th street and 4th street, where the entertainment district is still located today, and the musical styles varied widely due to the mix of Mexican, colonial and German settlers. The area today hosts the highest concentration of original music nightclubs of any other city worldwide.

In 1986, the New Music Seminar in New York invited many of Austin's local bands to their popular music convention, and discussed having another one in Austin the next year, and it would be called the New Music Seminar Southwest. Though the New Music Seminar group pulled out shortly after their announcement, Louis Black and his cohorts ran with the idea, and started up their own festival and conference, calling it South by Southwest.

In 1986, those working on the festival announced the idea at a BMI seminar at the Hyatt, and the buzz began. A few of those working on the event were also working at The Chronicle at the time, and they began getting the word out to other alternative newspapers around the country. Knowing they didn't have the serious industry connections on the east or west coast, an ad and story was run in Billboard magazine, which really fueled the fire. Executives from major record and publishing companies from New York, Nashville and Los Angeles began to register for the conference. Though the South by Southwest crew originally shot for 150 registrants their first year, more than 700 turned up.

Having the SXSW Music Festival in Austin was beneficial for the music industry as well as the local musicians: the music business was curious about Austin's live music scene and had a reason to visit the city, and the musicians, who are normally isolated from the rest of the country in the middle of Texas, get a chance to do business with the industry from the comfort of their own backyard.

In 1988, SXSW fever had hit the international stage, after the hometown bands found some success in Europe, and the interest from those attending the festival in seeing international acts perform. Now SXSW has offices in Europe, Australia, and Japan to help those international bands with their travel arrangements, get their visas in order, and find housing upon arrival.

As Austin changed and grew, hi tech companies moved in and the film industry deemed Austin as "The Third Coast." In 1994, SXSW added a film festival and an interactive festival that tied into their music festival, stretching SXSW over two weekends during spring break, when many students have left the town. Now the festival, which started with 700 in attendance, has grown to 10,000 participants this past year.

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