Archive for the 'Entertainment' Category

Mastering Lead Guitar By Using Blues Guitar Scales

Sunday, April 27th, 2008
by Zack R.

Playing best blues guitar scales include the Am Pentatonic scales, natural A minor scales, E minor, G shuffle licks and many others. These scales can help you not only to master the blues scales but also help you to play lead guitar and improvise your own lick and riffs over blues backing tracks.

There are different types of blues scales that can be used for lead guitar playing. You can also use them to make some blues backing tracks so that you can play along with the tracks and learn faster. Blues backing tracks can help you to play solo or lead even when there is no second guitarist present and the best thing is that you can even purchase some of the best blues backing tracks from the Internet from companies such as 50Blues. Let’s take a look at some of the most common blues scales used for lead guitar playing and for creating blues backing tracks.

Using Blues Scales

You can start with a natural A-minor scale also known as the A minor scale. Here’s how it looks:

A B C D E F G A w w w w w

You can start practicing the natural A-minor scale till the time you are extremely comfortable using it. You can use all the notes that are there in this blues scale for playing the lead guitar with a blues backing track. There are many blues players who use the A-minor pentatonic or the Am pentatonic scale in a mix with the natural A-minor scale.

Once in a while you should try and mix two scales together to bring out a different blues sound. To play the natural A-minor scale, you can tune it to play the Dm7 chord. The Dm7 comprises of D-F-A-C notes. The only chord that is not in the A-minor pentatonic scale is F because A-minor pentatonic comprises of A-C-D-E-G notes.

On the other hand, the natural A-minor scale comprises of A-B-C-D-E-F-G notes. So what you should ideally do is emphasize on the F taken from natural A- minor scale while playing the Dm7 chord. This will bring out a definitive blues scale and sound that can be played as lead with blues backing track.

Some of the best blues scales are just minor pentatonic scales with some added notes. This added note is commonly referred to as the blues note and helps in bringing out the specific blues sound. You can play a basic minor pentatonic scale or the basic blues scale, which will consist of 6 different notes.

When you are playing the lead or creating a blues backing track for a solo then you will need to play all the points for all the 6 notes that are within one position. For example: If you use a C blues scale then you will find that it consists of C E F G G and B notes. Here are the notes that are found in the basic C blues scale:

|–C–|—–|—–|-E–| -1st string |–G–|—–|—–|-B–| |–E-|—–|–F–|-G–| |–B-|—–|–C–|—–| |–F–|-G–|–G–|—–| |–C–|—–|—–|-E–| -6th string | 8th fret

The idea is that there are 6 different notes brought up above and once you’ve reached your 6th note, you will need to start back from the C note and go over the process over and over again to master playing lead guitar for the blues.

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There Is Great Demand To Own A Home Theater Audio System

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
by Shane Harrop

The demand for a home theater audio system is growing rapidly and will continue to do so in the future. This is attributable to the vast improvements that have taken place in audio systems that are now able to output high quality and extremely clear sound, with some additional effects thrown in as well, have led to enhanced audio listening pleasure.

It has led to the home theater audio system becoming more popular and now it seems that nearly every household wants to own a home theater audio system from which to derive added pleasure. They can now expect to get a totally different listening experience from such systems.

Dramatic Effect - When, in the seventies, the music world was introduced to the Dolby sound system, it had a dramatic effect on music lovers’ tastes and from the mere pleasure of listening to favorite songs, it gave rise to a need for more clarity and further sound effects and control as well.

Audio systems became trendier and were synchronized as well, and this new need blossomed further when the home theater audio systems hit the market, with its popularity continuing to grow and not showing any signs of slackening.

Thus, with so much pleasure to be had from owning a home theater sound system, it pays for you to first consider what essential factors it should have so that you get maximum listening pleasure and also a greater value for your money.

To begin with, you have to be very quality conscious and this is one aspect of the audio system where there should be no compromises. It is also almost a rule of thumb that the more costly the home theater audio system, the better will be its quality and though there are exceptions to this rule, it still holds well in most cases. You also need to ask for a demo of the audio system to ascertain its sound quality and being able to listen to it in a listening room will provide you with an opportunity to really test the sound quality.

Another aspect to the Home theater audio system is that when you choose a particular product; ensure that it will fit in perfectly with the size of the room in which you intend to use it. Choosing an audio system that is too big for the room or too small will defeat the purpose of having the best in audio listening pleasure and you really need to pay special attention to this aspect. Thus, you would need to choose different products depending on the size of the room; a large room would require as many as six speakers, while a small room would only need three.

Of course, you will come across many a different make and model in home theater audio systems and the market is almost flooded with products, which means that you will be spoilt for choice. However, you must choose a product that meets your needs, fits in the room where it is to be used and most importantly, is priced within your budget.

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Having Discipline In Blues Guitar Practicing

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
by Zack R.

Any professional blues guitarist will tell you this: Discipline is very crucial when it comes to practising the guitar. Learning to play the guitar is one of the most gratifying things I have ever done in my life but it was also one of the most difficult. The reason is that I became adept with my instrument is simple. I practised! Not only did I practise, I practiced a great deal; every day in my bedroom.

I spent most of my time practicing the fundamentals. Things like running up and down scales, changing between chords and trying to improve my repertoire of songs. Sometimes it was easy to make time to practice because I was in a good mood and I really wanted to play. At those times I could spend hours just listening to how cool it sounded when I changed from the chord D to the chord G.

But on other days, when my mood wasn’t so good, it was my discipline and desire to play and improve that made me practise and develop as a blues guitar player. There are two main factors when it comes to discipline in practice. They are practicing regularly, and practicing well. Both of these are important points.

Practicing regularly is the most obvious and easy thing to do. Basically, you should play the guitar every day. These don’t need to be mammoth, three hour long sessions, 30 minutes will generally be fine if you are focused during that time. Doing regular, small amounts of practice throughout the week is far better than doing one or two long sessions.

I know that in a busy life it can be hard to make the time to practise but to be honest, 30 minutes a day is accomplishable for anyone. There is no set time that is best for practice but I choose to do it in the evening simply because I find that playing the guitar is a great and relaxing way to wind down after a hectic and long day.

Practicing well is a much harder thing to do and there are many reasons why this is the case. Before I go on, I just want to say that bad practice affects even the most experienced players but it can be overcome with some help.

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Blues Guitar and Its Influence on Modern Day Music

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
by Zack R.

Join me as I examine the joys of blues guitar and the major influence it has had on modern day music. Learn how to make your guitar sing out what you’re feeling. Learn how to play with blues rhythm and try out some new chords and strumming patterns.

Blues - Soul Food

Blues guitar music is one of the most intriguing and fascinating music genre that is out there. It features a colourful history, interesting people and a way of expressing feelings unlike any other style of music. In essence, blues tells a story of one’s life experiences and has diverse themes ranging from travel to modern day events.

Blues isn’t as frilly as other genres of music. It is raw and uncensored and as far as the guitar is concerned, one of the best venues to let your creativity soar. You won’t be criticized for your technique here, rather, you’ll be praised for your ingenuity. Within the realm of blues guitar, there are many different subspecialties. There is delta blues and many more

A lot of blues guitarists fail to understand is that legendary players such as BB King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton were all blues players. Many of their songs were inspired by blues and produced a completely original and new generation of pumped up guitarists. Unfortunately, a lot people fail to arrive at that association and blues is oftentimes underrated by aspiring guitarists. The reality is that blues is only what you make it.

While I respect and understand those who decide not to play blues, I have little tolerance for ignorance. You have heard it said over and over again that blues has always been the cornerstone for many of your favourite styles that you love today. Blues lead guitar playing uses a multifaceted approach that is established upon smooth bends, hammer on’s, pull off’s and many other standard techniques. The way they are ultimately played and delivered is what sets blues apart. First off, blues rarely, if ever, follows a single one set rule.

However, there are numerous approach patterns that have made blues famous. You can branch out from these patterns into your own unique style. Ultimately, you can make anything sound bluesy with some simple scales. There are various kinds of blues scales. Many are derived from the pentatonic scale. However, a true blues scale has what is called a blue note. A blues note means a drop in pitch located on the 3rd, 5th, or 7th tone of the scale. If this flatted note isn’t included in the key signature, an accidental will be used to tell you to play that note as a flat.

That scratches the tip of blues scales and there are many other variations. I encourage you to go to your local store to buy a scale book to hone your skills and see the other blues scales available. I will also encourage you to purchase professional blues guitar backing tracks to take your blues playing to the next level.

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Humorous celebrity quotations about their tattoos

Saturday, April 26th, 2008
by Joyce Bordelon

Tattoos are a never-ending topic of conversation. Here are 10 incredible and surprising quotations from world famous people about this fascinating subject.

“I dropped my pants in a tattoo parlor in Amsterdam. I woke up in a waterbed with this funky-looking dragon with a blue tongue on my hip. I realized I made a mistake, so a few months later I got a cross to cover it. When my pants hang low, it looks like I’m wearing a dagger!” Angelina Jolie “I got my first tattoo, a Playboy Bunny, because I was young, dumb and drunk!” Anna Nicole Smith

From Anna Nicole Smith: “I got my first tattoo, a Playboy Bunny, because I was young, dumb and drunk!”

Charles Barkley: “White folks are not going to come see a bunch of guys with tattoos, with cornrows. I’m sorry, but anyone who thinks different, they’re stupid!”

From Drew Barrymore: “Sometimes I bust out and do things permanentlike tattoos and marriage”

From Cher: “For someone who likes tattoos, the most precious thing is bare skin”

About his tattoo “it’s kind a show biz lizard. Tattoos to me are the outward symbol of the inward change within my sole.” Nicolas Cage

Halle Berry: “I chose a sunflower because when darkness descends they close up to regenerate.”

“My skin is my canvas. I look at my skin as something of a living diary because all my tattoos represent a time in my life. I never wish to shut the door on my past so I carry it all with me.” Dave Navarro

“Every time I get a tattoo, it’s a little fuck-you to anyone who tells my not to.” Megan Fox

From Jack London (1883): “Show me a man with a tattoo and I’ll show you a man with an interesting past.”

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Choosing the Best Sites to Download Videos for Your IPod

Friday, April 25th, 2008
by Davion Wong

When you download videos for your IPod, you are well on your way to modern, instantaneous amusement anytime and anywhere. The amazing thing about the Video IPod and Touch IPods is that it allows for numerous storing for videos concurrently thereby giving you the opportunity at playing them whenever you feel like.

When you have the video storing capable IPod models, you are principally introducing yourself to a whole new way of instant entertainment. More than storing a wide range library of music downloads; you can also download videos for your IPod. This means that you can watch your favorite videos anytime and anywhere. Entertainment has never been this simple and easy.

On the other hand, there are a lot of selections to download videos. Also, there are other alternatives than having to pay for individual downloads. While these sites are definitely legal and highly credible, paying for too many downloads will eventually put a dent to your budget. There are sites that allow you to download videos for your IPod for a minimal fee in exchange for lifetime membership provided with unlimited opportunity of video watching as oftentimes as possible.

The better choice definitely would be to take advantage of video downloading websites that offer a one-time membership charge for a lifetime of endless video downloads. Most video files should be formatted as AVI, RM, DIV X, WMV and a lot more. These sites are lawful and present genuine services, and are certainly more cost reasonable than those websites that demand a particular charge of every video transfer activity. You can download videos for your IPod legitimately and without the needless hassle!

There are many ways with which to download videos for your IPod instantly. There are free downloading sites that present expense free opportunities at video storing. However, most of these sites are illegal and are not necessarily without hitches.

Now, you can lean back, zone-out, and watch your favorite movies, shows, and other videos whenever and wherever. Have a cup of coffee by yourself and still be entertained by your handy IPod. Show the videos to friends and have interesting conversation material.

You could experience downloading hitches or need technical support in the future. A site that can be relied on will ensure that you will be guided through out the IPod video downloads procedures.

There have always been novel rewards brought about by the speed and convenience of technology, now even more by the increasing popularity of IPod Video and IPod Touch. Start to download videos for your IPod and discover the easy ways to do it, and the many sites that offer reasonable charges. My website can be your gateway in getting the latest trends in music and videos. Log on now!

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BB King The Blues Legend Played On Street Corners

Friday, April 25th, 2008
by Zack R.

In his youth he played on street corners for dimes! Today B.B. King (Riley B. King) averages 250 ‘packed to the rafters’ concerts around the world each year. He was born on 16 September, 1925 on a plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, near Indianola. He spent his youth playing on street corners for pennies and dimes

In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis, Tennessee to pursue his music career and it is first love. His first major break came in 1948 when he performed on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio broadcast. As the years well by, King has developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles.

He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, incorporating his distinct and complex voice-like string blends and his left-handed vibrato, both of which have become vital components of a blues guitarist’s vocabulary. His economy, his every-note-counts phrasing, has been a model for thousands of players from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck.

In the mid-1950s, two men got into a fight during one of King’s performances. The men knocked over a kerosene stove and set fire to the venue. King raced outdoors to safety and then realised he’d left his beloved acoustic guitar behind. He rushed back in to retrieve it and almost lost his life. He found out later that the fight had been over a woman.

He named his guitar Lucille to remind him to never do a crazy thing like fight for a woman. Ever since, each one of King’s guitars has been called Lucille. Does your guitar have a name?

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Tips on Playing Blues Guitar Chords and Rhythm.

Friday, April 25th, 2008
by Zack R

My favorite chords are blues chords. While some of them may be a little more complicated, you can really get a groove going with them

O= Play string.

X= Don’t play string.

Most common blues guitar chordsl have the same name tag of seven. These are known as dominant seventh chords. They sound great when played together and give you a great deal of possibilities. You can also play a G7 chord by moving your finger from the third fret to the first fret on the high E string. It will expect you to change your fingering. Strumming patterns for blues are usually fast in pace. To do this, we need to keep things simple and rhythmic. Here is a great strumming pattern to learn:

Down Down Up Up Down

Change things up a bit and try alternating the up and down strums. Keep practicing them and you’ll be well on your way. You’ll find that I used a lot of rest in-between chords. These little pauses can be handled moving your fingers somewhat off the fretboard and discontinue strumming at the same time. You can stop strumming for that short moment and pick right back up again without breaking the pattern.

This will be challenging at first but you will soon grow into it. In musical language, it can be described as a “shuffle” feel.

Soloing Strategies

When playing blues, you may experience a problem where everything you play begins to sound similar. You may find that you continually revert back to what you know. In other words, you’re playing in a box. Here are some helpful hints to help you avoid this problem.

First things first, get yourself some blues backing tracks for guitar. You can get professional tracks from companies such as 50Blues. With the backing tracks, begin by playing short bursts of music that last for roughly 10 seconds. These short “bursts” should sound like a solo. Vary the tempo and the pause time in between these short rests.

Secondly, try key changes. Move into a new key and incorporate the techniques that you are already acquainted with. Use dynamics. Going from something soft to something hard really has a great effect and will develop your brain to think outside of the box. I also suggest that you learn how to play 16th notes and 32nd notes in quick succession so you will be as equally prepared to play the fast notes as you are the slow notes.

Focus in on your right hand and ensure that you give it a good blues workout exercise everyday by using alternative picking and rapid picking techniques. I urge you to focus in on that last tip. Stop looking at your left and right hand as two separate entities. Rather, look at them as one. You may notice that when you strum hard with your right hand, your left hand becomes tense even though it’s just holding a simple chord.

A problem like that can lead to serious health problems in the future such as carpal tunnel syndrome. To avoid that, practice playing with your left hand relaxed while your right hand strums. This will also increase speed and help you to add texture to your blues solos.

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Watch Live TV on the Internet without Monthly Fees

Thursday, April 24th, 2008
by Davion Wong

For television buffs and couch potatoes, one way to enjoy the timeless diversion of viewing live shows is to watch live TV on the internet. Television watching is one of the most common and easiest forms of entertainment, and most families or singles the entire world have at least one television inside their homes.

Do you love any kind of sports? Are you worried of not being able to watch live basketball or baseball games because your office does not allow televisions or that you are always traveling during field work? Why not try to watch live TV on the internet? You can do this definitely with an internet-attached PC or even with an internet ready laptop if you are always on out-of-town trips.

Now, you do not even have to settle for expensive cable TV monthly fees, or be bothered by untimely inconveniences when bad weather upsets the connection to your expensively installed satellite dish. The breakthroughs of the internet are steadily increasing over time, and now you can watch live TV on the internet for a more reasonable expense and at your own convenience.

Purchasing computer satellite television software offers the greatest advantages when it comes to watching television over the web. This is more favorable than other alternatives like choosing free internet television sites or purchasing PCTV cards. This software allows you to watch live TV on the internet with lesser drawbacks.

Apart from its being convenient, watching TV is also cheap entertainment. However, with skyrocketing cable and satellite television monthly fees, this commonly inexpensive recreation is rapidly becoming overpriced. The arrival of the cable connection has increased the appeal of the television, but with it also comes the eternally increasing regular fees.

Not all will be able to afford this, although the viewing quality is quite impressive. Now, you can watch live television from channels all over the world, for a single cost, at the comfort of your home.

A one-time expense PC Television software is the most viable option to watch live TV on the internet, both in the viewing quality and economical sense. Friendly on the pocket at approximately fifty dollars single payment, you do not have to endure exorbitant monthly cable connection fees.

View your favorite shows live anytime, anywhere. Choose a desktop computer, or a laptop to take during long travels. Watch live TV on the internet and experience a viewing pleasure only innovative technology can bring. You can also visit my website for the hippest show on the net.

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Bambi, Disney’s Moving Masterpiece

Thursday, April 24th, 2008
by Steve Collins

In 1942, Walt Disney released his fifth animated movie, Bambi. It was based on the Austrian book Bambi, A Life In The Woods, by Felix Salten. Published in 1923, the book followed the adventures of a male roe deer from birth to maturity. The book was popular both in Europe and the United States. Salten, whose real name was Siegmund Salzmann, was Hungarian by birth but spent most of his time in Vienna. The popularity of the book inspired Salten to write a sequel entitled Bambi’s Children.

The plot of Bambi, the animated film, follows the adventures the title deer, who is the Prince of the Forest, and his companions Thumper, a rabbit; Flower, a skunk; and Faline, a white-tailed fawn who becomes his mate. While Bambi was originally written as a roe deer, Disney took the liberty to make him a white-tailed deer as roe do not inhabit the United States.

In his trademark effort to capture realistic details, Disney sent his team of animators to lectures at the Los Angeles Zoo and even went so far as to have a pair of fawns shipped in from Baxter State Park in Maine. This allowed the animators to observe, first-hand, the movements of the white-tailed deer. This was a key factor in deciding to make the animated Bambi a white-tailed deer, and not the roe deer of Salten’s book. Maurice Day, of one the best known of Disney’s animators, was sent to Vermont and Maine to photograph and sketch the eastern forests. His research material was used by Tyrus Wong, a former painter whose Eastern painterly influence added a new dimension of emotion to the lush backgrounds.

Bambi was released by RKO in August of 1942, as World War II was raging. Although it did relatively well at the box office, it was still considered a failure by Disney at it barely covered the costs of production. It was in subsequent re-releases, in 1947, 1957, 1966, 1975, 1982, and 1988 that Bambi actually returned a tremendous profit. Indeed, it has been one of the most popular VHS and DVD movies the studio has ever issued. The Bambi Masterpiece release was the first Disney release to be THX certified.

The film garnered three Academy Award nominations for Best Sound, Best Song (”Love Is A Song”), and Original Music Score. Fans and critics alike hailed the animation, which showed a maturity and solidification of the Disney “style.” Disney would not try to make another animated feature until well after the war with Cinderella in 1950.

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