Buying Music Equipment

Friday, September 5, 2008

Fender Starcaster® Electric Guitar/Amp Package - FlameTop Finish

Play like a rock star on the Starcaster® by Fender®. This package, perfect for the enthusiastic novice, comes complete with 10 watt amplifier, guitar strap,cable, gig bag, and instructional DVD. The Starcaster® offers the quality you've come to expect from Fender and will certainly provide hours of playing enjoyment.
Customer Review: Be real, this is a good entry guitar
I have this guitar pack and I have to say that the number of negative comments is amazing. I am not sure what people expect for $200.00. No! This is not a $1200.00 dollar American made strat, nor is the $500.00 Mexican made strat. It's a low cost made in China strat. Regardless of where it was made, I found the workmanship to be very acceptable. The guitar is beautiful and the rosewood fretboard is very nice. The whole guitar has a solid feel. My only real complaint is that the center pickup has an unusually low level output. But there is no way I would return this guitar just because of a single pickup. At worst case I'd just have Fender send a replacement. And Yes! As other reviews have noted, the amp hums a little (especially at higher volumes). But, this has more to with the single coil pickups used in the guitar. If you want humbucker pickups, you're going to pay more. Also the amp is just a small 10W practice amp. It works fine for lower volume practicing. I have fallen in love with mine and play it quietly in the evenings to relax from the world. I have a family and very little extra money. I am greatful that Fender has provided these low cost kits. It gives me the opportunity to own and relax with a Fender, something that would be questionable with a better (read more expensive) guitar. And, if the kids develop an interest, I won't cry too much if they add a few scratches to it. Folks need to keep things in perspective. This is a low cost entry level guitar. Understanding those limitations, I highly recommend this kit to anyone just starting out.
Customer Review: Fantastic Package
Do get this from Sams, much cheaper. This is a great deal for the price and the quality is fantastic. I would recommend reading the wikipedia article on the Starcaster by Fender to better understand the type of guitar you are looking at.

Unlimited Downloads

Unlimited Downloads is close with a library of over 95 million files and 7 million users. The bundled software lets you enjoy your downloaded music, video, books and games on your computer. That is nice. Because of its off-line features, the site comes in a very respectable second place.

Where to Download Games, Music and Videos For Zune

Zune Access

We probably should have saved this one for the end, to build suspense! Rated as the "best music resource", by pc magazine, Zune Access is our #1 Zune download site. Over 250 million files that include music, games and movies and providing 100% Zune compatible downloads. Zune Access is definitely the site to beat. You must give it a try.

My Online Downloads

Other than games, videos and music what else would you like? CD covers? DVD covers? Screensaver? Sure, MyOnlineDownloads delivers it all. The interface does not look as slick as the other guys, so we have to dock some points. A very respectable third place finish.

Save yourself the hassle of looking at site after site after site, and check out the ones listed here. You will not be disappointed. Check out my blog, listed below, for full reviews and helpful links.

Zune Video Pro

Songs are great, but what about videos? This is the spot you need to visit if you want video. Features: music, movies, music videos, cartoons and TV shows. Zune's video can be fully enjoyed, but files will be significantly larger to download, which means you will benefit from having a faster internet connection. Fourth place, because a variety is nice to have and if you don't have super quick internet, you might feel a bit of a slow down with your downloads.

Musicalgear

Rogue RG-624 Left Handed Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Natural

The RG-624 Lefty Guitar features a spruce top for a great sound, die-cast tuning machines for precise tuning, inlaid body binding, and world famous Martin strings.

The Renaissance and Beyond

Did you know that when you picked up your acoustic guitar, you're picking up an instrument with 5,000 years of history attached to it? Acoustic guitars are descendants of stringed instruments that were found in a variety of cultures thousands and thousands of years ago. As civilizations merged and the world became smaller, the guitar began taking on a unified shape and style. Since then, there has been a lineal evolution of several hundreds of years of instruments that can be directly compared to today's acoustic guitars.

While in the Middle Ages, the guitar instruments were not terribly popular, being overshadowed by other contemporary instruments, in the Renaissance the guitar began to take a real hold. It was in Italy in 1779 that the first six string guitar was created. Gaetano Vinaccia created this instrument in Naples. Following that, the man known as the "Father of Modern Guitar" made his permanent mark on the course of the guitar and how it would be designed and played.

The instrument that Antonio de Torres created and made popular was the Classical guitar. The acoustic guitar is commonly misinterpreted as being the same as the Classical guitar. This is not true, there are many key differences in the design of these two separate guitars. The most important of which is that the acoustic guitar has steel strings, while the Classical guitar is strung with nylon strings.

The acoustic guitar was actually developed in America from European immigrants. The last major development of the acoustic guitar is the electrical-acoustic guitar. These acoustic guitars can be plugged into an amplifier for increased volume or can be left unplugged and played as is.

The Medieval Period

History of the Acoustic Guitar

The body was also made larger and sturdier still. The acoustic guitar was much better for performing in larger areas as it was increasingly louder than the Classical guitar; the two guitars also produce different ranges and textures of sounds which various styles of music correspond to.

During the Medieval Period of European history, there were several different forms of guitars. These guitars had between three and five strings and were much smaller than the guitars we know today. There were variations of these instruments which had pairs of strings, known as courses. The popular guitars of this period were commonly separated into two groupings. The first, the Guitarra Latina was likely developed from Spain, while the Guitarra Morisca was brought to Spain by the Moorish culture.

The Acoustic Guitar

So next time you pick up an acoustic guitar, remember the history you hold in your hands.

Musicalgear

Friday, August 22, 2008

Yamaha Presents Guitar Basics for Acoustic and Electric Models Hal Leonard

**EASY GUITAR INSTRUCTION! 30-Minute Video To Teach You Everything You Need To Know To Keep Your New Guitar In Great Playing Condition. Tom Kolb Demonstrates Step-By-Step: The Parts Of The Electric And Acoustic Guitar, How To Hold The Guitar And The Pick, How To Tune With An Electric Tuner, Keyboard, And By Ear, How To Change The Strings, Common Chords, Strumming Patterns. No Additional Materials. Video Only.

Where to Download Games, Music and Videos For Zune

Victory Multimedia Mk6101 Stand Alone Midi Controller With 61 Full Size Keys

Martin MSP4100 Light SP Acoustic Guitar Strings

High-quality strings specially designed for studio and stage applications where optimum string performance is required. Core and wrap wires meet strict requirements in order to make the grade. Bronze alloy provides brilliance and long life. Martin Strings are wound to precise specifications.
Customer Review: Martin Guitar Strings
The Martin strings arrived in a timely manner in great condition and I saved money. Can't beat that.
Customer Review: Great Strings for the price
If you looking for rich bronze sound of your steel string, but on the tight budget this could be a great option for you. strings sound great even on cheap chinesse guitars, so make them bearable. Wouldn't recommend putting them on classic 12 fret guitars, cause they definitely have steel sound to them

Largest Concert Venues to Listen to Your Favorite Groups

Lincoln Center in the Amsterdam district for Performing Arts consists of 3 buildings located just about the square: New York State Theater built in 1964 is the site for the NYC Ballet, Avery Fisher Hall (built in 1962) hosts the concerts of NY Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera built in 1966. Other concert halls in New York City are New York City Center, Carnegie Hall and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The largest concert venues in New York to listen to your favorite groups include: Madison Square Garden, Roseland Ballroom and the Radio City Music Hall.

Radio City Music Hall: The Radio City Music Hall, located in the Rockefeller Center in the New York City is an important entertainment center. It has been nicknamed as the Showplace of the Nation and was among the favorite tourist destinations. Radio City has the capacity of seating 5,933 spectators and was the World's largest movie theater at its time of opening. The interior of Radio City Music Hall was declared landmark in the year 1978.

Roseland Ballroom: Roseland Ballroom or the Roseland Dance City, located at New York City in the West 52nd Street of the theater district. It is a music venue/dance hall /catering hall with a multicolored ballroom pedigree in a transformed ice skating ring. The venue can accommodate around 32,000 standing and about 2,500 for the dance party with about 1,500 to 1,800 in the theater style and 800 to 1000 for the sit down dinner. The venue has hosted events like Hillary Clinton birthday party, movie premiers and musical performances from celebrities like Nirvana, Madonna, the Rolling Stone, Ramones and the Phish.

Madison Square Garden: Madison Square Garden or MSG is the name of 4 arenas in the New York City. It was also the site of the original Madison Square. The first Madison Square opened in the year 1979 at the north eastern part of the Madison Avenue and the 26th street. This is the place where many fights of the legendary boxer Jack Dempsey were held. The 2nd Madison Square Garden replaced the first in 1889. It was designed by the famous Stanford White. The building features a theater, concert hall, and a roof garden. The building was demolished in 1925 and the Madison Square Garden was relocated to 8th Avenue and the 49th Streets in the New York. Presently, the Madison Square Garden is situated at the Penn Station.

New York is the theater center of the United States. The Americans have a very rich culture with the music and theaters being an integral part of it. Only in West 40 & 50 streets and Broadway, there are around 38 theaters opened in winter and autumn. In mid eighties, there were more than 200 theaters in the New York apart from Broadway which were generally located in Chelsea and Greenwich Village. New York also has more than 400 cinemas, from the very well known Radio City music concert hall to the local cinemas where small halls run elite movies. New York entertainment industry is just unimaginable without its cafes, bars, discos and nightclubs.

Korn Untouchables Rock Music Cd Review

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Hal Leonard Favorites Of Mahalia Jackson - Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook

15 favorites of the world's greatest gospel singer: Amazing Grace God Spoke To Me One Day I Can Put My Trust In Jesus Move On Up A Little Higher What Could I Do If It Wasn't For The Lord? more. Includes biography. Table of contents: Amazing Grace Consideration Dig A Little Deeper In Gods Love God Spoke To Me One Day I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy I Can Put My Trust In Jesus I'm Getting Nearer To My Home I'm Going To Live Life I Sing If You See My Savior Jesus Met Woman At The Well Move On Up A Little Higher These Are They Walk Over Gods Heaven What Could I Do If Wasnt 4 Lord What Then

While buying outdoor speakers, you should keep certain things in mind that will help to enhance the musical experience of outdoor speakers. The weather resistant outdoor speakers are a good option if you want them to be installed in the yard. This will ensure that the speakers will not seize up at the first sprinkling of water.

They comprise a plurality of advantageously located speakers connected by speaker wire to a stereo system. Typically, the speaker wire runs under the roof space of the house or other structure or is buried in the ground in such a manner that each outdoor speaker is connected to the speaker output of the stereo system.

All About Outdoor Speakers

Outdoor speakers are those speakers that are portable and can be placed outside our home. Actually these speakers help to carry our musical interest outdoor without literally moving any music player with us. We can enjoy our favorite music sitting at the back of our terrace while spending time with friends and family. These speakers are good for outdoor projecs.

After one has considered the features, testing the speakers is a crucial step. The best way to test the outdoor audio speakers is to listen to them outside, since sound is distributed differently outside. It is advisable to carry a CD so that you can check the speaker while buying it. Comparing prices in various stores can give you an opportunity to buy the best quality of speakers at the lowest rate.

Currently there are various types of garden speakers that are quite popular. One can also find various kinds of such speakers that look like rock, teddy bear, mushroom, frog, etc. Let us get some details about these unique kinds of speakers. The rock-looking speakers are used in the gardens and look great with the color of natural brown rock. The frog and teddy bear speakers not only add spark to the music, but also provide a romantic atmosphere to the garden, as if it were the birthday party of the children.

Let us go through some of the recommendations while wiring the speakers. The speaker wire should be run through the walls and not through a window or doors because there is the possibility of creasing the cable and a risk of short circuit. The speaker cable should be brought through the exterior wall close to each speaker location. It is always better to use less wire outside the house. Always make sure that the hole from where the speaker wire exits is sealed both for the insulation and as an insect barrier.

If you want it on the ground or out of ground installation then you must decide on which position you want to set the speakers. Some speakers are intended to be set in ground and they are mounted either on the stakes, or just atop the soil or plants. For speakers meant for deck, porch or patio mounting stands should be considered.

300 Watt Powered Mixer

Left Handed Stratocaster Electric Guitar Metal Belt Buckle

Battle of the bands competitions and side stages at major music festivals have also proved to be effective marketing tools for the promotion of a bands music. It may take a lot of time and effort, but a relentless touring schedule may be the only avenue left for an indie band to make their mark.

Effective Indie Promotion

It used to be that independent musical artists could start with their local scene and create an in to bigger fame that way, a sort of osmosis effect. However, the modern era has seen a huge rise in conglomeration, where most radio stations, even those touted as local, are in fact owned and their programming controlled by corporations. Like the big labels, these media giants have business, and not necessarily quality, governing the bottom line.

Without being able to count on a lot of local support in the form of airplay, independent artists are now forced to rely on the other tool to get their message out: touring. Again, the life of an indie group in this area is made more difficult due to the lack of support. Venues need to be sought out and sealed by the band or individual themselves, and events are hard-won.

One of the hardest things about choosing the independent route for any artist is how to get your product out to the masses. Rejecting the road the big labels have paved (and blocked!) means that you retain control over your product, but it also means that all of the advertising techniques used by the big guys to flood the market with the latest hit are not available.

Russian Real Estate Battle Imperils Global Tube Amp Production Electro Harmonix Founder Mike Matthews Does Battle With Russian Real Estate Company In Forefront An Article From Music Trades

S.o.s. Guitar Tuner

The revolutionary Planet Waves S.O.S. Guitar Tuner pulses two out-of-phase LED light beams directly onto the vibrating string. When the string is out of tune the two lights will visually dance on the string being tuned. As you approach in-tune status the movement slows down and eventually stops when you are perfectly in tune. This revolutionary visual tuning system enables precision tuning in silent or noisy environments with the need for audible sound or sensing of any kind. Features: Ergonomic pick-sized design Light Based Tuning Precisely tune in dark or noisy environments
Customer Review: You get what you pay for
S.o.s. Guitar Tuner It certainly is cheap but as a tuner it has some pretty severe limitations. If one or more of the stings on your guitar are in tune, or very close to it, then this gadget can be useful, but there are situations where it's basically completely useless. If a string is way out of tune and there's enough noise around you that you can't hear the string and compare it to others you could spend an hour trying to find the right pitch and never find it, or you could just keep twisting the tuner until the string snaps. Even under optimal conditions, it's much harder and time-consuming to use than most tuners. I can tune much faster and just about as accurately using a pitch pipe. This tuner does have an advantage over many otherwise superior tuners in that you can use it in low light situations, but that hardly excuses its shortcomings. I suggest you spend a little more and get something that works faster and better. For example, the Intellitouch PT1 and PT2 tuners are way better than this thing. I haven't tried the Intelli IMT500 Backlit Clip Style Tuner, but it looks like it matches up well against the Intellitouch models and comes at a more affordable price.
Customer Review: Good for a cheap strobe
This thing works great for a cheap strobe tuner. It works approximately like any other strobe tuner, and takes some getting used to; but I really like it. The needle in my chromatic tuner (a needle drawn on an LCD) wobbles a lot and when it's "close" the display stays stable; with this I can fine-tune a bit. I really find this thing useful with relative tuning; once I get the low E string in tune, I can use the strobe to check the A string and also visually and audibly compare it to low E at fret 5. I can use it on its own or use a chromatic tuner like the Korg GA-40 to give me a second type of visual reference. If you need to do non-standard tuning, you'll have to use the strobe against a fretted string; for Drop D tuning, for example, you'll need to fret the low E at 2 and use E6 for comparison. If you want to tune up, i.e. have low E play an F, you'll have to fret it up to D5 (fret 4 in this case). Make sure your intonation's proper if you do this.

Information About The Theremin

If you want to start learning how to play the Theremin, you must be ready to dedicate time to master the tricky hand and finger manipulations. Of course, it's fun to discover all the sounds the Theremin is capable of making! You can use your skills with the Theremin in any walk of music - from recording to live orchestras there is an overwhelming need for gifted Theremin players!

The modern Theremin is set up as such: There are two antennas, the right and left. The right antenna, which is vertical and looks like a rod, converts the players right hand into varying pitches. The left antenna, which is horizontal and hoop-like, lets the players left hand control the volume. For left handed people, the Theremin is reversed.

Theremins are still popular instruments today, for their potential is seemingly endless. Theremins can create great special effects, but they can also be used to perform avant-garde and progressive music.

Visually speaking, the Theremin is fun because the sound is produced from moving hands in "thin air". The Theremin is never touched. Imagine playing air guitar - wouldn't it be awesome if real guitar sounds occurred while air-guitaring? The Theremin actually DOES create sound when playing in air, and its sci-fi, futuristic appearance only adds to the appeal.

The Theremin is actually a complicated instrument to play. Like all musical instruments, dedication, practice, and commitment are required ingredients to play a Theremin successfully. While there aren't as many Theremin instructors as say, flute instructors, there is still a decent amount of teachers that can give you professional guidance.

Theremins are amazing instruments that are very underappreciated. Developed in the early 20th century, Leon Theremin (a Russian who moved to America) discovered that by arranging antennas in a certain way, and by capitalizing on radio frequency via RF machines, sound can be controlled.

Theremins can hardly be discussed without mentioning Clara Rockmore, the legendary Theremist who created many of the techniques to create constant, clear, and varied Theremin sounds. Many of the best Theremin music books were created by her, and they are still available today.

Beatles Black Tote Abbey Road Silhouette Silver Foil