Modellivesmusic Part The Grammy Awards

Modellivesmusic Part The Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards—No Phonys Please
By DA Jack Hayford
The Grammy Awards have been an American music institution for nearly half a century. But what is a "Grammy" anyway? "Grammy" is short for "Gramophone" and the actual Grammy Awards given out each year are modeled after this prototypical record player. Notice I didn't call it a prototypical "phonograph." The phonograph and the gramophone, while similar, were different designs. Adding to the confusion, in between the two was a device called the "graphophone." Thomas A. Edison, the famous American inventor, invented the phonograph (which from the Greek literally means "sound writer") in 1877. But his invention didn't play "records" as most of us think of them. Edison's device played cylinders. (The graphophone also used cylinders but they were engraved rather than embossed, as specified by Edison's patent.) It was Emile Berliner's Gramophone, patented ten years later, that played discs, or "records" as they came to be known, and still are to this day, spawning the modern music recording industry. Perhaps it is for this reason that the founders of the most prestigious American music award chose to name their ultimate prize, the "Grammy." (I am speculating that the "Phony" would not have been a good choice, except in the case of Milli Vanilli+, and that the "Graphy" may be reserved for National Geographic nature recordings!) The Grammy Awards are given by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. which was formed in 1957. "In the beginning The Recording Academy owed its survival to members who donated long hours to the emerging professional association. A labor of love, the young Academy may not have prevailed had it not been for the dedication of its charter members...The GRAMMYs are the only peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position." —Grammy.com The first Grammy Awards were held in 1959 in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton. The big winners that year were Domenico Modugno for "Nel Blue Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" which took home Record of the Year and Song of the Year and Henry Mancini for The Music from Peter Gunn which won Album of the Year. Ella Fitzgerald won for Best Jazz Performance, Individual and The Kingston Trio won for "Tom Dooley" in the Best Country & Western Performance category. (Hmmmm...we thought they were Folk. Oh well, guess they added a category here and there...uh yuh, about a hundred.) The 49th Grammy Awards will be held on February 11th, 2007 and will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS. +"Milli Vanilli was a pop and dance music ensemble formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988 and fronted by Fab Morvan (b. May 14, 1966) and Rob Pilatus (June 8, 1965 – April 2, 1998). The group's debut album achieved high sales internationally and garnered them a Grammy award for Best New Artist in 1990. However, their success turned to infamy when the award was revoked after it was revealed that the purported singers did not actually sing on the record." —Wikipedia

Modellivesmusic Part Jimi Hendrix

Modellivesmusic Part Jimi Hendrix
The Guitars of Jimi Hendrix
By: Daniel Lehrman
To most people the truth about when Jimi Hendrix got his first guitar and what types of guitars he played throughout his career is somewhat of a mystery. Although, he was unarguably the greatest guitar player ever, and with his fertile musical mind, perhaps the greatest composer of our generation or ever for that matter. No disrespect intended, putting Jimi in company with Bach, Beethoven and the likes. True Genius.

The path that will be described here is what I would consider the most accurate, after a lot of research and a little voodoo-magic. Realistically though, boiling down the mixture may leave some people to disagree with me, and I welcome the input.

The evidence and consistencies suggest that his first guitar was a cheap acoustic his dad gave to him, as early as eleven years old. The story goes as such, that even at a young age of six years, his school teacher mentioned to his dad, Jimi obsesses over having a guitar so much that it may be contributing to some mental health issues. Not to discount todays teachers, but that was a very perceptive statement at that time.

His first electric guitar was bought from Myers Music in Seattle in 1959. Professed to be a white, single pickup Supro Ozark. The next axe that Hendrix played was a red Danelectro single pickup Silvertone, nicknamed Betty Jean. In'62, while doing some gigs with the King Casuals in Tennessee, he traded his Danelectro for an Epiphone Wilshire, which had dual pickups and a glued on mahogany neck with a solid mahogany body, as opposed to the bolt on Fender Stratocaster guitar necks.

In 1964, Jimi would play rhythm guitar for the Isley Brothers. During this nine month gig, he finally got his first Fender guitar, a blond'59 Duo-Sonic. He next played with Little Richard in '65, and briefly played a Fender Jazzmaster. However, he switched back to a Dou-Sonic when he played with Curtis Knight and the Squires. Even though Jimi later returned to the Jazzmaster.

A point of interest is that none of the gigs he had with the bands mentioned above lasted very long, because Jimi's guitar work stole the show. His unbelievable guitar abilities were noticed by all immediately, which took the focus away from the musical-icons he worked for.

Jimi purchased his first Strat from Manny's Music in New York in '66 in the summer. Early on he would use a variety of CBS Strats with rosewood fretboards. While he was staying in Greenwich Village in late '66 and '67 he narrowed down his choices to a '60's era Reverse Fender Stratocasterblack or white Fender Strats using maple fretboards. Which, most likely is the reason the Fender Stratocaster is the most important guitar in the history of guitars and music.

From then on he played Fender Stratocasters with large headstocks. One of his many unusual playing techniques was to play a right handed guitar backwards, or in the left handed position, obviously because Jimi was left handed. In order to do that one must reverse the strings and (bone) nut so the low E was still on the top. My understanding was that he preferred the controls on the top of the guitar. Apparently he could work his magic easier with the voluminous amount of tricks he performed, partly by messing with the volume control knob. Jimi was not much on tone controls or guitar setup. Mostly Jimi spent the bulk of time modifying his tremolo to do things like lower the pitch more than usual and create trem sounds otherwise unheard of.

Naturally Jim Hendrix had purchased and played a tremendous assortment of guitars in his lifetime. During my fact finding mission, this is the list of the other guitars Jimi most likely owned and played; a Gibson ES-330, a Gibson Firebird, a Mosrite electric resonator guitar, a Guild 12 string acoustic, a Black Widow Spider acoustic, several Rickenbacker's including a bass Rick, a double neck Mosrite, a Hagstrom 8 string bass(it was the on played on Spanish Castle Magic from the Axis Bold As Love album', a '67 Gibson Flying V, a '67 Gretsch Corvette, a lefty Guild Starfire Deluxe, a Hofner electric, a '55 Gibson Les Paul, a Gibson Dove acoustic, a Martin acoustic, a '68 Gibson SG Custom and a black lefty Flying V. Wow!

It is not surprising that Jimi owned so many guitars. The depth of knowledge and pure unadulterated playing style was not limited to just electric guitars and Stratocasters. His unique abilities allowed him to play any guitar with the deep soul jarring vibes that were all his. It would be unrealistic to think he was limited to one style of guitar. Or for that matter, one type of music. Jimi's interest in music extended to the world of classical music as well.

Lost to many, is the fact that Jimi was one of the best rhythm guitarists ever, most folk know him for his lead and solo guitar work, he was also an adept bass player too. And last, he was a master at the acoustic guitar, using chords in a manner unknown to mankind at that time. This combo of skills and abilities produced the man who will be forever the patron saint of rock guitar.

A long article to read indeed. A true joy putting the info together. It turned out to be a long path to find the truth. Enjoy it.

Modellivesmusic Part Flutes

Welcome to my Modellivesmusic blog Again.Here you will learn about Modellivesmusic tips and how to find good information
Playing Native American Flutes For A Unique Spiritual Journey
By: Craig Chambers
Native American flutes are extremely popular for use in ceremonies and rituals, or as home decor collection pieces. I have always enjoyed Native flute music for its pleasing sound quality and ability to bring a tranquil calm to the atmosphere where it is played. Hearing Native flutes always reminds me of my mother's kitchen where she often had flute music playing to bring a peaceful calm to her home. The mesmerizing flute music revives the soul and brings about a calming affect on the spirit of all who hear it.

If you look at the history of Indian instruments, you will realize that along with the drum, the flute has a big role in the daily lives, festivities and traditions of many Indigenous people. Native American flute music takes you on a spiritual journey where generations look to their forefathers to lead them, and use their instruments to connect them with the spiritual world.

Flutes in one form or another have existed for hundreds of years and have been part of many Tribes and cultures around the world. The research of flute instruments in history shows us that they did exist in ancient cultures. The origin and design of the Native American flute is a little more difficult to research due to the fact that there were no written languages among North American Tribes at that time. It wasn't until travelers documented their discoveries, that record of the Native American flute is found in history.

You can't take in the true value of Native flute music until you realize that society came close to crushing this amazing art from with severe assimilation rules. The 1900's brought with it harsh rules for Native Americans that almost succeeded to forever silence their culture and people. Along with many other Indigenous traditions, these rules stopped the dispersion of Native flute music. It wasn't until the mid-1900's that assimilation laws started to decrease and Native traditions were able to be practiced within the Tribe and out in the open once again.

Over time, the prestige of the Native American flute flourished to the point that flute makers began producing these instruments in large numbers to sell, and not just for personal playing purposes. The materials used to make the flutes also advanced from undeveloped crude instruments to more refined, with the use of power tools and the ability to find various types of woods, plastics and metals.

Now days, there are a variety of choices available when choosing a Native style flute, and it is just a matter of personal opinion. There are some recommendations you should keep in mind though when buying an instrument. There are various styles of flutes, but all have one of two different sound qualities. The sound tone of the flute is based on whether it is a Plains style or a Woodlands style. A Plains style flute produces a buzz type sound while a Woodlands style will produce a bell sound.

No matter which sound style of flute you buy, it is essential to check the characteristics of that specific instrument, including the mouthpiece, size, shape and number of holes, in order to find one that is right for you. Native American flutes also come in many different types of wood ranging from exotic, rather expensive woods, to simple pieces of pine, cane or bamboo.

Thanks to the general enjoyment of flute music, you can conveniently buy Native American flutes online, in various music stores, and in decor shops that sell Indian musical instruments and southwest home decorating accessories. If you are looking for a simple instrument to learn to play, or are looking for real Indian musical instruments for playing in Indian powwows and ceremonies, consider keeping the culture and instruments of American Indians alive with the peaceful harmony of Native American flutes.

Modellives Part Progressive Rock

Modellives Part Progressive Rock
Progressive Rock Bands that Inspired the World
By: Groshan Fabiola
Progressive rock appeared in the late 1960s when rock artists wanted to break down the barriers of radio formatted pop and rock and progress this music genre to a place where it could achieve a more sophisticated sound, similar to that of classical music or jazz. Progressive rock is very hard to define in one conclusive way and we have progressive rock bands to prove that. Some of the most important bands of the 70s that defined this rock form did not have the same sound.

Psychedelic music is believed to be the starting point of progressive rock. Some people also believe that bands like The Beatles contributed to the progressive rock movement. However, the two progressive rock bands that most people see as being the first of this new- found genre were King Crimson and Yes. These progressive rock bands appeared at the end of the 1960s and although the first band was attributed to hard progressive rock sub- genre and the second to symphonic rock, they were both catalogued as progressive rock bands, as their sound was unique and more sophisticated. Genesis is yet another rock band that aspired to progressive rock. Their third progressive rock album set things straight for this band. They were a symphonic rock band and thus a progressive rock band.

Great Britain was the first country that started the progressive rock movement, but Italy was not far behind either. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorco and Premiata Forneria Marconi were progressive rock bands that led the way for all rock bands all over Europe to progress and define this rock genre. As far as the progressive rock movement is concerned, these two European countries were the ones that opened all doors and invited all rock bands to evolve and give the world great progressive rock albums. However, Great Britain is still the top promoter of progressive rock bands, with Caravan, another progressive rock band from this country, being the one that defined the third sub- genre of progressive rock: Canterbury. So, at the end of the 1960s, progressive rock bands established three sub- genres: hard prog, symphonic and Canterbury.

The 1970s represented the crowning of progressive rock as a genre and some of the greatest progressive rock albums were released in this decade. Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a brick” or Rush’s “2112” are only two of the most appreciated progressive rock albums released in the 70s. Moreover, this decade brought another ten sub- genres of progressive rock to life, and many progressive rock bands came forth in this period. As if progressive rock was not complicated enough, art folk, classical prog, folk prog, ambient, Rio, pomp prog, jazz fusion, electronic, Zeuhl and krautrock were listed as sub- genres of the 60s rock genre.

In the next two decades, progressive rock did not progress as much as it had up to that moment. In the 80s, it was dethroned by the punk movement and progressive rock bands chose to give birth to another sub- genre: neo progressive. There were few progressive rock albums released in the 80s, some of the most prolific ones being Rush’s “Moving Pictures” or Fate’s Warning’s “No Exit”. Progressive metal rock was also listed as a sub- genre in this period. The 1990s were dominated by the development of metal prog, through Dream Theatre. This decade is mainly characterized by the revival of the progressive scene of the seventies.

Modellivesmusic Part Backing Tracks

Modellivesmusic Part Backing Tracks
Why Every Guitarist Should Use Guitar Backing Tracks
By: E Walker
Guitar backing tracks are essential armory that every lead guitarist should have. Without it, it would be difficult to play solos or lead guitar.If you have moved from the basic stage into the advanced stage then it doesn't mean that you are ready to play the solo or lead live on stage. There are many more aspects to playing a guitar solo and one of them is learning to play with guitar backing tracks.

The good thing is that you can purchase some of best professionally recorded guitar backing tracks from companies such as Planet of Rock. It will come for a cost depending on the track and the band. These guitar backing tracks are a must for all those who are dreaming of playing their own solo someday in the near future.

What it really does is that it replaces the need for a band playing the background. For example: if you want to practice your solo with a Eddie Van Halen or a Jimi Hendrix number, you don't really need a bassist, drummer and rhythm guitarist. All you need is the guitar backing track for that specific number and you will be good to go. These tracks are perfect for a nice jam session when you are practicing without a band.

The reason why every guitarist should use guitar backing tracks is because they are options you can have for practicing advanced lead guitar techniques. This is a type of tool that will help you especially when you want to work on new licks or practice different type of scales like the blues scale, the pentatonic scales etc. You can even use guitar backing tracks for rhythm guitar.

One of the important aspects of guitar backing tracks is that it will help you to improve your timing immensely. You will never go out of tune or end up playing the wrong scale. The reason why most guitarists in their advanced learning stage use guitar backing tracks is because it helps them to prepare for live gigs.

Playing at a live gig is very different from playing in a studio. You will not have any room for mistakes as you will be playing right in front of an live and responsive audience. So you will need to hone your skills and the most effective way of doing that is by playing with guitar backing tracks. Guitar backing tracks are available for some of the top numbers in rock, metal, blues and alternative.

Modellivesmusic Part Play Guitar Quickly

Modellivesmusic Part Play Guitar Quickly
Learning How To Play Guitar Quickly
The guitar lessons of expert instructor Ben Edwards, even if they were nothing else, would still represent a breakthrough in technological innovation for learning the guitar. Many people who once upon a time would have been put off from learning the guitar or advancing to a higher level on the instrument can now use the power of 21st century technology and the magic of the Internet to have better odds of making new musical discoveries.

Such guitar lessons give whole new dimensions to the universe of mastering the guitar, regardless of what genres you want to play or do play. Whether you are a rocker, a country girl, a blues man, or fueled by classical gas, or anything else, there is something here that is likely to help you improve your playing.

A long time instructor, he became absolutely fed up with two things about all the traditional forms of guitar lessons: they were boring and none of them were comprehensive enough. Chord books did not teach you anything about lead playing. Books about playing lead left you in the dark about chord progressions, chord building, and playing rhythm.

Guitar player magazines would include lessons in everything, but these lessons were isolated and left the student needing to only hope he had played the lessons the right way; and if he had not, he ultimately harmed his guitar playing. Laying out a lot of cash over time for private guitar lessons could be frightening and discouraging, and once a lesson came and went the student never knew for sure if he remembered it correctly as he practiced alone.

Edwards decided to add dynamics never before seen in guitar lessons; not even in past attempts at DVD or VHS guitar playing videos (for these, too, lacked comprehensiveness unless one put out a ton of money to build a large library of them). Leveraging the Internet and the most modern digitization and videography technologies, he created a special all-in-one set of guitar lessons as well as some guitar tools, like an electronic guitar tuner, that could simply be downloaded and easily played over and over again anytime at ones convenience.

You will most likely not become a guitar virtuoso in one week (although maybe you will feel like it), and some people have tried this type of guitar lessons having very unrealistic expectations. But, such revolutionized guitar lessons will help you along much faster with more in-depth material and cheaper cost than any guitar lessons ever known before.

Perhaps that is why its best quality is simply that it makes you really want to practice the guitar, and not perceive guitar practice as a burden or chore. There are certainly more reasons now than ever before to begin learning guitar. It is truly getting easier for everyone, regardless of their age, education or experience.

Modellivesmusic Part III

Modellivesmusic Part III
The Difference Between Electric Guitar Bodies And Acoustic Bodies
By: Victor Epand
Because electric guitars are quite different in the way that they produce the sound, the body of an electric guitar is built quite differently to that of an acoustic or classical one. On a classical guitar, the strings, when plucked or struck, resonate, vibrating the air inside the body cavity. This hollow body cavity vibrates with the sound of the strings, and amplifies the notes. On an electric guitar however, the sound is amplified only by an external, electronic amplifier, and so the body of an electric guitar is usually solid, since no air vibration or cavity is needed. Indeed, without the external amplifier the sound of an electric guitar on its own is fairly pitiful. The body of an electric guitar is usually made of wood, although the pick guard is normally plastic.

Prior to the 1970s guitars were often made from a solid piece of hardwood, but in the last thirty or forty years, the worldwide stock of hardwood has been so depleted that finding a piece large enough and suitable for a guitar body is not only difficult, but exceedingly expensive. Therefore, today, most electric guitar bodies are made from at least two pieces of hardwood, with a seam that connects them together running down the centre of the body. The hardwoods most often used for constructing the body of an electric guitar include maple, ash, poplar, basswood and mahogany, all of which provide a solid, firm body that is unlikely to warp or bend as a result of either humidity, or the constant pressure of the steel strings. When you look at a guitar, it is not always obvious what type of wood is used, and this is because the normal hardwoods, by the very nature of being hardwood, are less patterned.

To create a visually striking and attractive appearance, designers and manufacturers of electric guitars usually apply a very thin piece of a more attractive wood to the outside of the body, to create an attractive wood finish, whilst still retaining the solid hardwood body. Typically these veneer coverings of wood, which are usually glued to the main body, are made from such woods as maple, which usually produces a very striking flame effect, and guitars that use this flame appearance through the use of maple are called flame top guitars or simply 'flame tops'. Because a number of other pieces of the guitar need to be attached very firmly to the body of an electric guitar, the hardwood is usually gouged or routed to accept these other elements being slotted in. For an acoustic or classical guitar, the inside can be accessed to attach braces to increase the firmness of these extra components, such as the bridge and neck, but as an electric guitar's body is entirely solid, this is not possible.

Today, there are some electric guitars being made which do not use wood in the construction at all, and instead are using modern alternatives, usually synthetically produced. These alternatives to wood include carbon composites and even plastic based materials such as polycarbonate. In some instances electric guitars have been made with aluminium based alloys, which whilst very strong, is also extremely light. Electric guitars, more than most other types of guitar, are usually decorated and designed as much for appearance as sound quality, and so the body of an electric guitar is often lacquered and polished to a high sheen, to either bring out the wooden effect, or to simply produce an even more vibrant appearance. Often electric guitar bodies are decorated with extravagant designer labels or motifs to create a strikingly visual instrument, as well as one strong enough to withstand heavy use.