Music in Ancient Sumeria - History and Importance

The Sumerians lived in what ancient Mesopotamia, where modern Iraq and part of Iran are located, from 5300BC to1940BC. They were the first in many different areas. They had schools, a strong mathematical system, geometry, astronomy, cuneiform writing, calendars, credited with the invention of the wheel, and many other signs of a strong civilization. Not only were they first in these, but also appear to be the first to establish music that would be recognizable to people modernly. Musicians were educated in Mesopotamian schools and they played an important part in ancient sumerian Life. Lyres were very popular and reflected the sumerians love for music.

Music Instruments discovered in burial sites and art include the Lyre, clappers and later even drums and wind instruments. Specifically, reed pipes, vertical flutes, lyres, harps, kitharas, drums, clappers, sistrum made for a wide array of instruments. Songs were often devotionals to the goddess Innanna. They were incorporated into religious and daily life. Another interesting discovery appears to be notation. A numeric system found on many hymnal texts seems to be a form of notation.

Music appears to have its roots in the temples, but soon became part of daily life. Musicians would purify their hands before playing stringed instruments such as the Lyre.

The music centered around the heptatonic-diatonic scale which is currently used in western music today. It had been believed that western music got its origin in later period Greek music, but scholars are now taking a closer look at Sumerian origins as a distinct possibility.

One must keep in mind that what could be attributed as musical Sumerian firsts could have very well been inherited from previous civilizations. We have little to no record of these prior civilizations, therefore, are unable to conclude concretely as to the origins of Sumerian instruments and scales. It is just simply fascinating though, to contemplate music from a civilization so incredibly ancient, yet so reflective of our very own modern civilization.

After the collapse of sumerian civilization around 2000 BC, you might think that all this knowledge had been lost. The Babylonians, however, used the knowledge gained from the Sumerians and continued the musical momentum.

To understand the role of musical theory in modeling the cosmos, one must realize that it involves: "the definition of intervals, the distance between pitches, by ratios of integers or counting numbers." For the ancient Sumerians music was a tool that helped them describe the cosmos.(McClain, Ernest G.; "Musical Theory and Ancient Cosmology," The World and I, p. 371,February 1994. Cr. L. Ellenberger)

Tinamarie Hite
http://www.musicxspot.com

Tinamarie Hite is a musician and a sound engineer. She has over 20 years expereince in the music business. Her experience covers a wide range of subjects from jazz theory to recording to the know hows of booking, gigging and live stage setup. She is currently working on several music projects. These include singer/songwriter productions, The Acoustic Duo, Cd recording, and a new band. Putting her experience to work comes naturally.

The Earliest Music In Western Civilization

Music tames the savage beast they say, and perhaps the creation of music in our species tamed us into a more, but not totally, civilized manner. The origin of music is not known exactly, it has its origins before pre-history, through humans using patterns, repetition and tonality to produce naturally occurring sounds, possibly as a way to lure animals into a hunt.

Essentially, the first musical instrument was the human voice because it can produce a wide range of sounds from singing and humming to whistling and clicking. If the hyoid bone, which is responsible for speech, is the judge of the earliest music, then it would date to 60,000 years old at least, beating the oldest bone flute by 10,000 years.

Clapping was probably the first type of instrument used, through hitting one's hands together, or using stones to create rhythm. When humans first began using stone tools, the sound of pounding seed and roots into meal was probably the first type of rhythm ever created by early humans.

The 'Neanderthal flute', which is a disputed find, dates to 43,000 years old. It is a hollowed out femur of a cave bear, containing holes like a flute. The earliest confirmed bone pipe dates to 36,000 years ago.

The harp, a complicated musical device, dates to 5,000 years ago based on statues found in Crete, as well as the double flute. In regards to song, this dates to 3,400 years ago, written in Hurrian, consisting of two melodic lines that utilizes major and minor thirds, while some interpretations of the music states it is monophonic.The Delphic Hymn is the earliest surviving example of notated music in the world.

Clearly, as can be seen from the archeological evidence, music is something that has evolved with our species over the past 60,000 years or so. It has been a companion for all of us, from the lonely hunter waiting for his prey while he hunts an animal, to large groups of people whose prayers become a form of song to their gods.

It is something which sets our species apart from others on this planet, and while birds have their song, humans have one completely different, that is varied and complex. Music is part of our lifeblood and what gives hope to our species as we venture into the unknown of the future. A world without music is a world where the vestiges of civilized humanity disappear.

Music and instruments have progressed over time. With the invention of a twelve tone scale, western music has become the prominent music form. With the creation of the twelve tone scale, new instruments were created. These instruments were able to play these scales and even more important, were able to play with one another. This lead to the creation of ensembles and written music. The next greatest invention , the printing press, allowed music to be shared worldwide.

Today, we still use the basic instruments such as the harp and flute, except that the are tunable and can play a wider range of notes and music. Music continues to tame the savage breast even today.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments. You can find the best marketplace for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments at these sites for used early music CDs, autographed early music CDs, and used early musical instruments.

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The Live Music Scene in Austin Texas

There is more live music going on in Austin, Texas on any given night than there is in any other city in the world. That's why the city has put a trademark on it's slogan "Live Music Capital of the World."

There are hundreds of live music venues in the city and its immediate environs. Many are situated in three main entertainment districts: Sixth Street/Red River, the Warehouse district and South Austin. Sixth Street/Red River is the famous sector in downtown Austin that is known around the world for it's live music scene and often boisterous crowds that fill Sixth Street on the weekends when it is closed to traffic. The Warehouse district runs west from Congress Ave. along Fourth and Fifth Streets. That's where Antone's is located, the venue that USA Today has named the best blues club in the country. In South Austin, there are a number of clubs on South Congress, South First St. and South Lamar that offer up some of the best new and original music in town.

The road to its live music capital status began way back in the 1960's when a spirit of eclecticism appeared with the hippies and anti-war protesters of that era. Inclusion was in and exclusion was out, no pun intended. With the 70's, this eclectic spirit gave birth to a form of music that was often called progressive country. Joe Ely, along with co-Lubbockites Jimmy Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, brought this music down to Austin and hooked up with Marcia Ball and Delbert McClinton and cosmic cowboys like Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphy, Rusty Weir and Ray Wiley Hubbard. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings came back from Nashville during that time to settle in Austin where they could take control of the production of their songs. A wild and powerful musical vortex formed that saw psychedelic rock and roll mix with straight out country and blues at venues such as the Armadillo World Headquarters, Threadgill's, the Soap Creek Saloon and the Broken Spoke. It was cool to dig the psychedelic sound of the 13th Floor Elevators and the uncompromising country licks of Alvin Crow at the same time.

Then, in 1975, a 30-minute University of Texas music program was accepted by a number of PBS affiliate stations and Austin City Limits was launched and has become the longest running program in the history of PBS. It has propelled Austin to the forefront of the music industry's consciousness in the US and around the world. That first program featured Willie Nelson, but has since put Texas music notables such as Marcia Ball, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Asleep at the Wheel and many, many others in the national and world spotlight.

In more recent years, the South by Southwest showcase every Spring that brings nearly 1500 musicians and musical acts to town to be seen and heard by industry executives and AR types, along with the Austin City Limits Festival in September, have kept the city on the national music map. In addition, dozens of other smaller festivals are held each year, as well as a number of nationally significant ones in the surrounding Hill Country such as the Kerrville Folk Festival and the Old Settlers Reunion in Buda, just south of town.

The Austin music scene has always been a free-wheeling, break-the-mold, think-out-of-the-box kind of affair. That early eclecticism lives on in the current scene, although some characteristics of the town's soundscape seem to have become entrenched. Sixth Street/Red River attracts a younger, party animal type of crowd with it's rock and roll, blues and punk scene. The Warehouse district caters to a bit older and more professional crowd in general. And South Austin retains the feel of Austin in the 70's with its nouveau hippie coffeehouses and crowds and its preference for good singer/songwriters. Still, there are always exceptions to those general tendencies just about anywhere you go.

Austin remains a city where musical creativity and talent thrive and defy expectations. That can be experienced close up and personal in any number of live music venues on any given night.

Escapeso Real Estate is a small company working in the Austin Texas real estate market. They provide a graphical search of the Austin MLS along with commentary on their blog about changes in the Austin real estate market.

Nokia 5800 Xpress Music - Our Review of This New Gadget

The latest addition to Nokia's XpressMusic line of phones has just been released recently - the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. So far it's been receiving rave reviews from users and mobile review sites alike.

Here are some of the features that keep this phone kicking into the spotlight:

Full Touchscreen Display - The most obvious thing about this phone is that there are no buttons and you get the full touchscreen interface of the future. With a 3.2in widescreen display and a resolution of 360 by 640, you get good display and plenty of touch room for easy navigation.

Multimedia Powerhouse - The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic comes with an 8 GB microSD card capable of storing around 4,000 music tracks. It also has support of 16 GB cards doubling your storage possibilities. You get the convenient 3.5mm headphone jack so you can start listening hassle free on your favorite headphones. You also get easy access to the music just by pressing a dedicated virtual media button. With it being in the XpressMusic line, the sound quality is superb and makes an excellent audio powerhouse. It is also capable of playing widescreen video in MPEG, WMV, and 3GP formats. The high microSD capacity should be good enough to store some movies as well.

Wireless Freedom - Wi-Fi support is surprisingly blended into this music phone allowing you to browse the web the same way you do with those other business inclined units. The web browser is fast and good display makes it great for viewing websites and checking e-mail. This also allows you to copy music files from other computers and devices much faster than using Bluetooth and USB cable methods.

Simply Accessible - Everyone's favorite onscreen keyboard makes an appearance in this model allowing you to easily input characters by touching the letters on the screen. It has the T9 predictive text and even a stylus enabling you to take advantage of handwriting recognition for texting.

Complete Guidance - Another big surprise by Nokia with the inclusion of A-GPS support turning your phone into a GPS device! And it comes complete with the new Nokia Maps 2.0 Touch software where the entire navigation is power by touch. The same voice-guided navigation in the other N series phones is included as well with walking directions support.

Powerful Camera - The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone not only comes with the standard 3.15 megapixel camera, but it also has the autofocus function, flash, and Carl Zeiss optics too making it a superior camera phone. The secondary camera is also there for all the video call fanatics.

Heart of Nokia - Just like the other late Nokia models, it runs on the late Symbian 9.4 OS and has some neat goodies too like an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotation and a proximity sensor to save on battery life.

All of these great features have all been fused into a futuristic touchscreen phone that looks great! Despite its name, it is safe to say that even Nokia lovers who don't need the audio functions can put this phone to good use. As long as you buy this wonderful phone from eBay or Amazon, you should be looking at a great deal that can get you more than what you're paying for.

For all of the latest products, news, videos and case studies please visit Nokia 5800 Xpress Music Review

Music Notes - The Basics of Musical Notation

The pitch of a note is represented by its placement on a musical staff (five horizontal lines) or on ledger lines above or below the staff. For example, the first line of the staff (treble clef) is the note E, the space between the first and second lines is F, and a note on the second line is the note G. As the notes ascend on the staff (on the written music), they are played as continually higher pitches, and as lower and lower pitches as they descend down the staff. These notes are played separately to create a melody, or in combination with each other to produce chords.

The following note names are used in music notation: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G (then they resume the same pattern an octave higher (or lower) beginning again with the note A). In addition to these "natural" notes, there are also notes named as sharp (A#, C#, D#, F#, G#) and as flat (Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, Gb). A sharped note is a half step (or one semitone) above the note it affects, and a flatted note is a half step (or one semitone) below the note it affects. In other words, a G# is played one half step (one piano key) above a G, and a Eb is played one half step below an E.

It is important to know that the notes B#, E#, Fb and Cb do not exist like other notes -- they are "enharmonic" (looking at the piano, you'll see there are places on the keyboard where two white keys exist without a black key between them). These notes are not included in scales or chords.

The duration (how long a note lasts) of a note or group of notes (chord) is marked by its appearance. A whole note, for example, is an "open" (oval not filled in) note without a stem and its duration lasts for a complete measure. A half note is a whole note with a stem, lasting for half a measure. A quarter note is "closed" (i.e., a filled in oval) with a stem and lasts for one beat.

Stems (attached to notes) extend below or above the note depending on where the notes appears on the staff. An eighth note (one half a beat) is written like a quarter note but with a "flag" appearing on the note's stem. A sixteenth note has two flags on its stem. Sometimes eighth or sixteenth note appear in succession. In that case, they are attached to each other with a bar that crosses the top or bottom of the stem where their flags would normally appear

Notes are tied together in a number of other ways including ties, slurs, glissandos and triplets. These have an effect on how the music sounds. For example, notes with slurs are played smoothly (such as one stroke of a violin bow or a passage sung without the singer taking a breath between notes). A smooth glide through a series of notes is called a glissando.

Ties add the time value of two or more notes, where triplets are three notes played against one beat (or two or more beats in come cases). Triplets are sometimes marked with the number 3 to indicate they are to be played equally in tempo.

A free email newsletter on exciting piano chords and chord progressions from Duane Shinn is available free at "Music Notes"

The Sachmo of Music and His Extraordinary Life

Despite the claim that he was born on the fourth of July in the year of 1900, baptismal records later confirmed that he was actually born on the fourth of August in the year of 1901. He was born into a poor family that broke up when he was still very young. His father left his mother for another woman and he and his sister often spent much of their time in the care of their grandmother or uncle, who was his mother's brother. It is believed that his first interaction with music came during the time he spent attending school.

From there his interest in music grew. At the early age of eleven, he was singing in the streets with other boys for money. Two of his friends also taught him how to play by ear and he was able to purchase his first musical instrument, the cornet, when he was loaned the money by a Jewish family who befriended him and who he had done some work for. It was when he started to receive lessons and training from a professor of music, who put him in a band that his reputation started to grow.

It was in 1918 when Louis Armstrong started to become well known. He had started to learn how to read music and was performing in a number of solos that allowed him to put in his own expressions through his music. He had his own unique sound that was well appreciated by the audience who listened to him. In 1922, he went to Chicago where he was invited to join Joe "King" Oliver's band. He thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this band, but his second wife encouraged him to leave the band in order to broaden his skills and build on his reputation.

After learning to play some classical music at some churches, he was invited to play with the Fletcher Henderson orchestra. From there his musical career continued to grow along with his reputation. Eventually, he was doing tours all over the place and at one point, during the 1930s, he was performing at more than 300 shows a year. He even appeared in films, on radio and on television. He was always a hard worker and loved what he did until he passed away in July of 1971.

By the end of his career, he was well known for his trumpet and cornet playing, and was known as a band leader, a vocalist and a music ambassador. He was also so influential that he is also viewed as the founder in much of the current music today. He was an extremely talented young man who found his passion in music. His hard upbringing was viewed more as inspiration than a hindrance for him and he used this inspiration to develop his innovative style; an innovative style that could be seen as a small revolution in music because of the change it inspired. Even today, young musicians are inspired by his work and his music is still played. He is yet another artist who will live on in history for his unique and innovative music.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments. You can find the best marketplace for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments at these sites for used Armstrong CDs, autographed Louis ArmstrongCDs, and used trumpets.

Key Facts About Indian Fusion Music

The collaboration story of the Indian and western music is not very old to the Indian music. The fusion became a genre in the year 1955, when the sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan performed with western musicians in the United States. During this era, various other legends including Ali Akbar Khan and Alla Rakha also worked with the western musicians.

In the 1960's, the great sitar player, Pandit Ravi Shankar occupied the stage of the Indian-fusion music. Pt Shankar along with Bud Shank started fussing the jazz music and the Indian traditional music. This trend of Indian fusion music was appreciated and adopted by the people, as a result of which George Harrison played "Norwegian wood" on his sitar in the year 1965. After this the trend was imitated by a number of artists and bands including Miles Davis, Bihari Sharma, Badal Roy, the Rolling Stones, String Band etc.

In the mid-1970s, John McLaughlin's orchestra 'The Mahavishnu' pursued Indian fusion music with the two imperative elements, integrity as well as authenticity. During this process John also joined hands with the legendary artists like L. Shankar, Zakir Hussain and others. Through this way, in the late 1980s, the trend of the Indian fusion music captured the Indian-British artists.

However in the new millennium, America started a new trend to fuse the Bhangra music with the Indian films. The great filmmaker of Indian film industry, Satyajit Ray also made an endeavour to bring the classical music to the limelight through the popular music tracks of his past productions which had the compositions of the great artists and singers, Vilayat Khan and Ravi Shankar.

For the first time in the history of the Indian fusion music, Vishwas Mohan Bhatt, the great Grammy award winner did a jugalbandi with Jei Bing Chen, the famous Chinese Erhu Player. This was the historical master piece of the Indian-Chinese music fusion.

Thus, the rising popularity of the Indian fusion music, with the help of vocals as well as instruments, highlights the multiculturalism and globalisation that are liked and appreciated by the music enthusiasts worldwide.

If you wish to know more about Indian fusion music, please visit http://www.freedownloadsongs.in

Shweta Suri
music reviewer
http://www.freedownloadsongs.in

Christian Sheet Music

You don't have to pay for Christian sheet music. It is available on the web for free. People can download Christian sheet music in gif format. Christian sheet music sites offer various types of sheet music, such as keyboard music, piano music and guitar music.

Let's check out the piano music first. Online Christian sheet music stores offer piano music. You can download Christian sheet music from those sites. Thanks to those sites, you can enhance your Christian sheet music collection. Some sites offer rare Christian sheet music samples that you won't find anywhere else. Christian sheet music sites have an extensive database of some great Christian sheet music.

Another vital aspect of Christian sheet music is guitar music. People taking an interest in this type of Christian sheet music can download guitar music notations from the web. Thanks to Christian sheet music sites, popular Christian Music titles such as Worship Together or Integrity Hosanna have become extremely popular. But, while downloading your favorite Christian sheet music, you have to be careful. It's always advisable to download Christian sheet music from renowned sites in order to prevent downloading viruses along with the music titles. Christian sheet music sites add new music titles all the time. So, you will get all the new Christian sheet music albums from them. The demand for Christian sheet music is always going up. The Internet has become the best place to buy Christian sheet music titles.

Add to that previews and customer reviews. You can check out the latest Christian sheet music albums before purchasing them. Some of the best-selling Christian sheet music titles are "Run the Earth...Watch the Sky," "Songs for Praise & Worship," and "Only Hope." Christian sheet music has opened up a new vista for Christian Music lovers. Christian sheet music is in vogue.

Christian Music provides detailed information on Christian Music, Christian Music Lyrics, Download Christian Music, Christian Sheet Music and more. Christian Music is affiliated with Southern Gospel Music [http://www.i-GospelMusic.com].

Music and the MP3 Revolution

Walkmans used to be all the rage. We all wanted one. We clipped one to our belt and off we would go. Now the music world has been evaded by these small, clever, devices called Mp3 players. Have you joined the revolution?

You downloaded some great songs off the internet. You may even transfer some of your own CD's onto your computer. Now you want to take them with you. You want to go out jogging, out for a brisk, bike ride or a nice nature hike. What do you do?

You buy a small little Mp3 player. It is even smaller than your smallest digital camera. You plug it into your computer. After learning the finer art of transferring the music data to the device, you attach the tiny little ear plugs or maybe you are still a headset type of person and you attach those instead to it. Now you are ready to go.

Why all the fuss about Mp3 players? Why they are so much better than that walkman's form long ago?

Well, you all ready know about the tiny part. You probably, also know that you can buy some really cool arm wraps that you can attach the player. This means no carrying it and no sticking it onto your waist.

Did you also know that even the most inexpensive Mp3 players will allow you to store over 100 songs at a time?

Some stereo systems you buy now have an additional jack for Mp3 players that will allow you to operate the player through the stereo's speakers, instead of the Mp3 player's headsets. This makes it easier to share your recorded music with others.

Did you also know that when we are talking about inexpensive Mp3 players, we mean inexpensive? You can actually find models less than twenty dollars. Yet, the more you pay the more options your player can have. What kind of options?

----The ability to store more songs.

---The ability to store videos.

----A video screen.

----The ability to record voice recordings.

You can even buy Mp3 players that come with additional equipment that will allow you to play them in your automobile, through your cigarette lighter.

You can also buy extra docking type devices for most Mp3 players that will allow you to play and listen to them without the need for a headset of any kind. (Some walkman back in their heyday could only be played through their headsets).

Of course, you know that you can buy Mp3 players in many different styles, sizes and colors. You can easily find one that fits the look you are wanting.

One drawback with an Mp3 player is the fact that they really drink of the juice regular batteries. For this, reason, you should try to buy high performance batteries or batteries that are specifically made for use in Mp3 players.

Music is always changing, as is the way we listen to music. Join the new music revolution soon and enjoy the benefits of an Mp3 player.

Jeffrey Meier at Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.thearticlehome.com blog offers even more detailed information on a wide variety of topics.

Rap Music - History and Genres

Those who are young or relatively new to the HipHop culture don't realize that Rap Music has many different genres:

East Coast: The East Coast, most notably New York City, was the genesis for rap music hitting the mainstream. Run-D.M.C. led the pack, with Rakim and Big Daddy Kane also breaking through to make rap emerge as a national phenomenon.

West Coast: While HipHop was cooking in the East, West Coast rap music gained national recognition in the mid-1980s with performers like Ice T and Too $hort.

Dirty South: While most of the music world's attention focused on rap coming from New York and Los Angeles, HipHop artists in the South were turning to independent music labels to release their work. Geographically, the Dirty South genre encompassed places as diverse as Houston, Birmingham, and Miami, and was greatly influenced by Ghetto Mafia in the mid-1990s. Musically, Dirty South rap is known for is danceabilty and rhythmic delivery.

Gangsta Rap: Some say Gangsta Rap first emerged on the West Coast with N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" release, while others credit Ice T with taking Gangsta Rap to national acclaim. Characterized by lyrics glamorizing elements of a criminal lifestyle, violence, promiscuity, misogyny, and materialism, Gangsta Rap's controversy came to a head with the murder of the West Coast Tupcac Shakur in 1996, and the subsequent murder of the East Coast's The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.

Pop Rap: Known for its widespread, mainstream appeal, Pop Rap's first breakout star was LL Cool J. The Fresh Prince and MC Hammer quickly rose to the top of the Pop Rap scene and the music charts with lyrics that were less controversial than those of the Gangsta Rap genre, and thus were more likely to receive radio airplay.

Christian Rap: While HipHop was garnering a reputation for less than savory lyrics and artists for questionable activities, other artists were expressing their faith through HipHop. Christian Rap took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s with rap groups like P.I.D. and S.F.C.

Jazz Rap: Although Jazz Rap has never enjoyed mainstream commercial success, the genre often incorporates Afrocentric and political themes. Gang Starr and Gil Scott-Heron are often cited as two of the first Jazz rappers.

Conscious HipHop: Similar to Jazz Rap, Conscious HipHop has never enjoyed mass commercial success. With an emphasis on social issues, Conscious HipHop isn't overtly political, but rather deals with issues such as poverty and religion.

Electro HipHop: A combination of dance music and rap, Electro HipHop first emerged in the 1980s on the West Coast from artists like Arabian Prince and Egyptian Lover. By the mid-1990s, Electro HipHop had pretty much run its course.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Rap Music: History and Genres or Majon's Music directory.