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There are many myths surrounding the art of singing. Many people believe that only "special" people can sing, that you have to be "born" with the ability or that it is "too late" for them to learn. However, almost all vocal coaches agree that anyone, yes anyone, can learn to sing!

Expensive lessons are not necessarily the best way to learn to sing. Not every singer who becomes famous took expensive singing lessons early on in their careers. Mimicry and self confidence can often help the most.

Don't be intimidated by what you see on pop culture television. Remember that shows such as American Idol are cleverly produced for shock value. Many of the terrible candidates you see trying out are the worst case examples of people who have no control of pitch or volume. They were selected purely for entertainment; most of them could learn to sing properly if they applied themselves and spent some time on vocal training exercises.

To dispel another singing myth, very few people are really "tone-deaf". It's a term often used to identify someone who sings badly off key, off pitch or with too much volume. The reality is less than 2% of the population is tone deaf. People who cannot sing on pitch simply need ear training. This can be done with the help of a qualified vocal coach or by investing in a good quality learn-to-sing program.

Anyone can learn to sing but not every voice is suited for all kinds of music. The human voice is an instrument, much like any other musical instrument and part of studying singing is learning about your unique instrument and what it is ideally suited for.

When you start your singing career you might not have any of your own songs. That's fine but remember,if you do not sing your own material, it is important to choose the right songs for your voice. If you have a gentle voice if would not be wise to sing the hugely powered vocals of a Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston song as you could end up damaging your voice!

Sing within your ability but be passionate about your work. The tone of your voice is much more important than the range. People will love or hate your voice based on its sound character, not how many notes you can hit. Never sacrifice tone for range (stay inside your range). There are instances of professional, commercially successful singers with only a single octave range (Billie Holiday and Johnny Mathis).

The only standard for what makes a professional or commercially-viable singer is the ability to sing in pitch and to be unique. Do not simply copy your favourite singer's voice. It takes a lot more than voice if you are interested in becoming a professional singer. You need to have a unique style about you and your voice is just one extension of that style.

Singing well is a skill, improved upon with proper breathing coordination. It is an extension of speech. To become a "good" singer you must be able to breathe properly, sing with power (resonance) and sing in pitch. To become a "great" singer you'll need to add dynamics and develop a style that's all your own.

Find the joy in singing. There's nothing like watching someone performing in their "element." If you love singing, then it'll show no matter how well you sing. Believe and trust in yourself and don't assume that you know it all. It takes time to develop your sound AND your voice. Sing proudly, no matter what your level of expertise or experience, and remember that learning to sing should be an enjoyable experience. Smile and have fun whenever you sing!

Sophie Curran is a singer and chief editor at "The Sing Studio.com" where you can find more free singing tips, breathing and vocal exercises and advice on how to start your singing career, how to promote yourself and sell your music online. To learn more visit http://thesingstudio.com

For a bride, her wedding is one of the most important days in her life. And not only for her but for her groom and her family and friends as well. Planning the wedding ceremony, the reception, and honeymoon takes a great deal of time and effort with the end goal to make the bride's wedding day as memorable as possible. Planning a wedding can be exciting, but can be stressful as well. There are so many things to arrange and it always seems like too little time to get them done.

A recent study done for the wedding industry indicates that about one half of all brides will use a wedding consultant or a wedding day coordinator to plan their special event. The other half of brides are do-it-yourself when it comes to planning their weddings.

Why do brides to be do the majority of the planning themselves? Simply, because they can't afford to hire a wedding consultant or coordinator to oversee the planning of their wedding. From rising prices in everything to the fade in traditional family support, the brides to be are finding themselves with limited budgets and little time. The 10 to 15 percent of what a wedding planner or coordinator takes off the top of the event is a nice chunk of change that can mean a huge difference in much of what the couple and their families can afford to put into the event.

Statistics from the Cost of Wedding website that is owned by The Wedding Report (Wedding Statistics and Market Research for the Wedding Industry) tells us on average, couples U.S. couples spend $28,800 for their weddings. You should note that wedding cost can vary widely and this is just an estimate of what couples will likely spend based on the research at The Wedding Report. Results are based on their research and responses from other married users of the site. Understanding the average wedding cost now can help you with your wedding budget later.

On average, couples will spend for their wedding in the areas of Vallejo and Fairfield, California.

$2,710 on Wedding Attire. These items include Bride Accessories, Groom Accessories, Groom Tux or Suit, Hair & Makeup, Headpiece & Veil, and Wedding Dress.

$2,627 on Wedding Ceremony. These items include Ceremony Accessories, Ceremony Location, Ceremony Site Decorations, Officiate, Pastor or Priest, and the Rehearsal Dinner.

$3,836 on Wedding Photography & Video. These items include Photographer and Videographer.

$1,166 on Wedding Favors & Gifts. These items include Attendant Gifts, Parent Gifts, and Wedding Favors.

$2,048 on Wedding Flowers. These items include Boutonnieres & Corsages, Bride Bouquet, Bridesmaid Bouquets, Decorations & Centerpieces, and Flower Girl Flowers.

$2,148 on Wedding Jewelry. These items include Wedding set for His & Her Rings.

$991 on Wedding Music. These items include Reception Band, Musicians, or DJ.

$14,737 on Wedding Reception. These items include Bride & Groom Hotel, Reception Beverages & Bartender, Reception Food Service, Reception Venue & Rentals, and Wedding Cake & Cutting Fee.

$881 on Wedding Stationery. These items include Invitations & Reply Cards, Save The Date Cards, Thank You Cards, and Other Stationery.

$426 on Wedding Transportation. These items include Limo, Car, Carriage Rides, or Other Transportation.

Modern day brides are independent women. And they do a lot! Mostly by design... they have a standard of living, goals they are determined to reach. They do their best and work with what they have. So what does the do-it-yourself bride do? Simple, they become overnight wedding experts. They buy wedding books and wedding trade magazines. The Internet savvy bride sifts through countless web sites looking for ideas and help. They interview vendors and order everything themselves. They coordinate with venues and vendors and request help from family and friends.

More and more the DJ is now being requested to handle the day of the event director duties. Coordinating with the venue and vendors to ensure the flow of the day of the event is seamless. Ensuring the bridal party, family and friends are where they need to be at the right times. As well as making sure the announcements' and songs are played at the right times. The line between DJ and Wedding Coordinator is getting blurrier every day. Finding a DJ service that offers the support of a second person to handle the day of the event director duties and online event planning forms is one way the do-it-herself bride can save a little dough.

Kisty Rose is the co-owner of In The Mix 916, a full service DJ catering to Northern California

In The Mix 916 provides their clients with a completely interactive DJ experience with quality equipment, personalized customer service, and entertainment designed just the way they want it. This husband and wife duo offers the talents of music knowledge and mixing featuring DJ Justin Rose, as well as the day of the event director Kisty Rose ensuring the flow of the event is seamless.

Finding and booking entertainment for a wedding reception can be time consuming and costly. As DJ entertainment we work with an assortment of brides who are the do-it-herself kind of bride. We can help eliminate one of the trying issues by professionally working with the bride and her family to plan the wedding reception entertainment they want at affordable rates.

To find out more about In The Mix 916 featuring DJ Justin Rose & Day of The Event Director Kisty Rose logon to http://www.inthemix916.com or simple call 916.201.8270

With a standard DVD player, you could choose a how to play guitar DVD, sit in the comfort of your own home with guitar in hand, and learn everything you need to know for producing beautiful music. Just as with any program, some DVDs are well worth the money while other DVDs are a waste of time. Most importantly, when choosing a how to play guitar DVD, consider your level of skill, if any. For instance, if you have never played before, you need a DVD for beginners, one that will provide step-by-step instructions whereas if you have played before, a DVD for intermediate or advanced playing would be best.

Another tip when choosing a how to play guitar DVD is the way in which the DVD would be watched. For instance, you might choose a product that includes only one or more DVDs, a product that adds in CDs, or perhaps a program that includes internet software. Keep in mind that when it comes to price, many learning to play DVDs are very affordable so this should not be a major contributing factor when making your choice. To help you get stared in choosing a how to play guitar DVD, we have provided some great recommendations.

- Learn and Master Guitar Rated as the number one DVD collection, as well as CDs and a large volume instruction book, this how to play guitar DVD will guide you through the process of learning to play songs, as you never thought you could. The DVDs are high quality and professionally made. Although a bit pricey at $250, this is an investment worth making. You will learn quickly using this complete DVD instructional product.

- Beginning Metal Guitar If you are interested in a how to play guitar DVD for heavy metal, this is a great option. Priced around $15, you will have the opportunity to learn techniques and styles of many of the favorite heavy metal bands to include Metallica and Black Sabbath. A few of the focuses include heavy chord, evil intervals, power chords, picking methods, riffs, and so on.

- Learn Guitar Techniques: Metal Another heavy metal guitar DVD that provides Zaak Wylde styling, you will have two full hours of teaching. Additional features include rhythm and solo lessons, as well as jam tracks.

- Guitar Songs AU This fundamental DVD course is simple but also a good choice for beginners. Covering 50 songs, this how to play guitar DVD takes a straightforward approach.

- Learning Acoustical Guitar (2006) Affordably priced around $20, this particular how to play a guitar DVD is taught by the famous performer Charles Sedlak. Throughout instruction, you will learn various techniques to include strumming, chords, progressions, and arpeggios.

- Acoustic Rock Guitar DVD Created by Peter Vogl, this how to play guitar DVD is merely $10 and a great investment. You will learn the basics for playing guitar, starting from holding the guitar in the right position, playing chords, strumming, and more. In addition, the DVD teaches specific songs, many favorites that have spanned the years.

Nick Siegal is a professional guitarist and has been a private guitar instructor for over 15 years. To read his own in-depth Best Guitar Software Reviews along with other DVD recommendations, head over to his site at http://www.bestguitarsoftware.com. You can also grab some cool free guitar software while you're there.

Online acoustic guitar lessons give you the flexibility to work at your own pace. Make a folder and save all of these acoustic lessons together. Be organized and your acoustic guitar lessons will be more productive. Keep your songs together and your technical exercises together. Over the years I have found that for the most part, the more organized a student is, the more they learn.

Another great benefit of online acoustic guitar lessons is you get to work on what you want when you want. If you want to spend all your time working on your repertoire, you can. Be careful though to not let too many days pass without doing some technical studies. I would say no more than 3 days in a row only doing songs.

The first things you are going to want to do are getting your chords together and build your repertoire. Put together a little list of songs that are easy to play. There are thousands. Here are a couple of examples.

Wild Thing: A D E D

Knocking On Heaven's Door: G D A- G D C

Add these to your list and build on it. Memorize the songs so you can go to a jam and teach others. Then they teach you the songs they know. Before you know it, you have a huge repertoire going. Make your goal to learn 3 tunes a week. Do this each and every week. Imagine I year from now. Also every time you go to a jam session you will probably pick up more than 3 new tunes. Add that to the three tunes you learned on your own! You can even be the life of the party when you take out the guitar and show everyone what you have been doing. Again imagine I year from now.

Learn basic blues progressions as well. This will give you hours of jam material. Learn the shuffle rhythm too, as many guitar players will know how to do this and everyone can play off each other. It's a great addition to the jam!

Want to know even more about playing acoustic guitar and easy ways to speed up your learning? Visit my site below.

http://FreeAcousticGuitarLessons.wordpress.com

Looking for easy acoustic guitar lessons? Well, here are a few suggestions on what to look for when searching for an easy acoustic guitar lesson.

1. The lessons should be what they say... easy! Seriously, lessons don't have to be long and drawn out or difficult to understand. Look for lessons that focus in on just the basics so that you will be able to start playing songs very quickly. This helps to give you a sense of accomplishment ,too.

2. Find lessons that teach with 4 chords or less. This way everything stays easy and playable and you'll learn songs very quickly.

3. Ready to play your favorite songs? That's probably why you're looking for easy acoustic guitar lessons in the first place, right? So find lessons that teach you your favorite songs! It can be very boring to learn a song you don't really like. There's just no motivation. So don't settle for anything less than learning what you like!

4. Learning to play the guitar should be a fun and restful experience so don't settle on any so called easy acoustic guitar lessons that that don't do just that! The lessons should be simple and easy to understand and should produce some immediate results (that is...a song played by you!) in a short period of time.

5. When looking for easy acoustic guitar lessons , make sure you feel good about the instructor that is teaching you. Is he/she clear about what they are teaching. Is their style compatible with what you enjoy listening to and playing?

Did you know that you can actually learn how to start playing the acoustic guitar in just one weekend?

Check out easy acoustic guitar lessons and see how!

Even a few years ago when the recording technology underwent a metamorphosis people all over the world sang out praises for the growing convenience with which music was being produced. Following the digital boom however the scene has undergone a further development. No longer do you need to queue up in front of a studio to get your little track recorded. No longer do you need to coax your parents to lend you the money for the hi-tech studio equipment you would need to turn your practice pad into a swanky recording patch. And its all because of the wonder box we have all come to know and love as the Personal Computer.

Thanks to the PC you can now not just record but also edit your own musical creations right in the comfort of your own home. All you need for the process is a proper music production software (not exactly a rare breed and available easily on a number of free download sites on the net) and some great hardware.

If your budget is permissive get yourself a proper software package for as little as a few hundred dollars. Also, acquire a good, professional-quality audio interface (which will set you back by about $100 but no more) and get your own virtual recording studio right in your garage!
If the large variety of recording softwares available in the market appears a tad bit bewildering relax, play safe and go for the best. Cubase, ProTools, Sonar, Sound Forge etc. are some of the names to reckon with in this field.

Once your track is recorded, mixed and edited, get ready for the final step of your quest - distribution. Simply upload your track on to the net. A number of sites and P2P operations allow you to upload files so take full advantage of this opportunity and show the world what you are really made of.

Once the uploading has been done use community sites such as Orkut or Facebook to advertise your creation amongst friends and others. While you are at it, encourage them to simply download music (the music being yours in this case, and the downloading being completely legal for a change).

Who knows quite how the recording industry will be affected by this recent trend. But whether it crumbles or manages to survive and flourish, you will definitely earn your own name amidst all the action. And for all you know maybe the guy next door will be humming your song while in the shower very soon!

The author is passionate about music and everything to do with it. A wannabe disc jockey, she keeps up with the latest in music production software. She has a recording studio set up in her garage.

Guitar tabs are an easy solution for you if you have no idea of how to read sheet music but are constantly bugged by the notion that you want to be a guitarist. Guitar tabs are easy to learn and allow you to begin playing songs right away, even if you are not familiar with them. Once you have bought your first guitar, it is time to begin looking for easy guitar tab versions of some songs to find out what it feels like to be a guitar player. Which songs you need tabs for depends on how you see yourself as a musician. Do you want to play your favorite songs chiefly for your own amusement or do you want to aim your repertoire at a potential audience? Let us look at your audience for a minute. The most popular songs in the world are all from years gone by. If you sit a bunch of people aged between ten and fifty down and play songs at them you will find some universal favorites, and they will all be old songs. If you want to please a random audience, your ultimate goal should be to have about one hundred popular songs ranging from the 1940's to the present, but you could probably narrow the range to just include songs going back to the sixties.

So what are the easiest songs to learn from tabs? What can a beginner guitarist learn quickly without too much trouble? Well, I did a little searching on the internet concerning that question, and I found that "Horse With No Name" contains only two chords, and dead simple ones at that! You could be playing that song in a convincing fashion today! "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" makes use of the chords G D C and Am - all easy chords. Building on chords you have acquired learning these songs, you can go onto "House Of The Rising Sun" which uses Am C D F E and E7. Once you have learnt that, it's only natural to go onto another beautiful song, "California Dreamin'" which has the same chords. If you do not like the idea of beginning your guitar playing with these songs, do an internet search in the country music and blues genres. Actually a working knowledge of twelve bar blues is very useful for a guitar player just starting out.

Now for a short list of songs that are both easy to play and have proven to be popular with audiences of all ages. You can find tab arrangements for these songs by typing the titles into a search engine.

"Angie" by The Rolling Stones

"Blowin' In The Wind" by Bob Dylan

"Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison

"A Day In The Life", "Here, There And Everywhere" and "Hey Jude" by The Beatles

"I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash

"Tears In Heaven" by Eric Clapton

"Gloria" by Van Morrison

"Hotel California" by The Eagles

"Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who

"Scarborough Fair" by any number of performers, and

"White Room" by Cream

Once you have some guitar songs under your belt, you could learn more popular favorites that do not fit into the "Easy Guitar Tabs" category. Wilson Pickett's "Dock Of The Bay" and "American Pie" by Don Mclean come to mind. But do not let the tastes of the masses be your only guide. If, for example, you decide you would like to do a folk guitar arrangement of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" then you could use tabs for the original electric guitar version as a basis for your new work. With a bunch of easy guitar tabs at your disposal, the only limits to your musical achievements are your imagination and your audience's supply of tomatoes.

Ricky Sharples has been playing guitar his whole life, and is presently engaged in building a blog called Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free Ricky's blog features free tools, lessons and resources for guitarists of all ages and stages. Ricky updates the blog regularly so if you are interested in learning to play guitar there will be an enormous variety of tip, tools and tutorials for you.

Drum machines are popular electronic music machines consisting of digital signal processing circuits and memory. These are widely used as the backbeat for all types of music such as pop, jazz, salsa, funk and hip-hop. Structurally similar to a small box, a drum machine has a number of small buttons that enables the player to create many different sounds and beats.

The history of drum machines dates back to the 1930s. Early drum machines were referred to as ?rhythm machines.? The first successful drum machine was introduced during the 1970s. It was known as the first programmable rhythm machine that allowed players to create their own beat. The programmable machine allows drummers to create a drumming pattern simply by pressing the trigger pads though a drum kit or using step sequencing. The beginning of the 21st century witnessed many innovations in drum machines. Software based sequencing and sampling, the use of loops, and integrated drum sounds sequencing are some of the latest additions.

Drum machines duplicate the sound of drums and other percussion instruments for any type of live musical programs and recording. You can record your patch for later use or modify the existing patch by adding your own sounds. Drum machines also support many inputs and outputs. Modern machines serve as sequencers with sample playback or synthesizer component that can reproduce the drum timbres and the sound of traditional percussion instruments. Some models have pressure sensitive pads for finger drumming. Each pad is assigned unique sounds such as bass, snare, low-tom, cymbal crash, hi-tom, etc. The LED screen on the machine pad displays the selected patches or the tracks. If your machine has some advanced features like MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) connectivity, you can easily program it with other MIDI devices or a computer.

Some of the main advantages of drum machines include easy programming and provisions for faster beats. Moreover, they are convenient and portable and simulate a variety of sounds. The technical features may vary from one model to another.

Drums provides detailed information on Drums, Drum Sets, Steel Drums, Custom Drums and more. Drums is affiliated with Electronic Drum Sets.

You may have come across the ads in the paper, magazine, internet or even in a shop window; 'band seeks guitarist/vocalist', 'bass player', 'dancer', nowadays there are varied posts for many styles of music, musician's and artists that are advertised. Preparing for an audition is very important and key factors have to be considered while preparing for such a role.

I would first suggest to try and find out what type of band or group you would be auditioning for, it would be obvious that it would be a rock, reggae, soul or metal outfit but it would be better to break it down and find out if they specialised in original, revival, old school, tribute or cover songs, if you are calling on the phone do ask questions like how long they have been together? what the line up consists of? where are they based? type of songs they perform? and what role are you expected to take within the band.

If this is all comfortable with you then get the date, time and location of the audition. With all this information to hand practice any cover songs that were included in their set, if the band only work on original material they'd have to give you some guidance anyway so don't spend too much time worrying about it, if possible, if the band is gigging during this process by all means attend the gig and check them out and introduce yourself to the band members, by this stage you can have an idea if the band is for you or not.

If you do want to join the band you would still have to attend an audition, I know it can be nerve wracking but do try and relax beforehand, although I often repeat myself on this section over and over again but do be on time or even slightly earlier for your audition, be prepared with your equipment ( most auditions will provide backline and amplification for you to plug into and play which saves time on continuous setups in between auditionees) also be calm and alert, don't try to be too cocky or over confident, this could put a 'cold damper' on the mood of the band, don't worry about being a little nervous, this is normal and the band would understand this. If you are not familiar with certain songs, riffs, chords or keys, don't be afraid to ask but do keep a steady control of what you are doing without getting lost in any complexed arrangements.

Once the audition is over thank everyone for their time, you may be told on the spot whether youre accepted or not, but the band usually talk it through by themselves before a final agreement is made and they will call you as soon as possible, like a job interview, if you don't hear from them after a week just presume it's a no, don't let this put you down, there could be many reasons why you weren't chosen and it may not have anything to do with your playing or performance, do remember that there are a lot of bands out there to work with and if you stick to the right guidelines you shouldn't have any problems, to sum it all up I would say 'don't hang about, go ahead and get started'.

Professional guitarist, songwriter and musical director residing in Kent, United Kingdom, currently writes for magazines and ezines between tours and music workshops, music styles include jazz, soul, rock, blues, funk, latin and pop.

Whenever I go to a Borders bookstore here in San Diego, I make it a point to look at the art instruction books. I'm not a visual artist, but I've always enjoyed the step-by-step approach authors of the better books take to teach students how to create a finished painting.

You get to see it all demonstrated within 2 pages or so. Everything is explained and while I may not understand it by just reading about it, (you have to do it!) a complete finished painting was always the goal - a very attractive goal too for someone wanting to learn how to paint!

You have something worth working for by doing this. I've always
wondered why music instruction couldn't be more like this. If you
could explain, in a step-by-step approach, how to complete a piece of music, then students would be able to sidestep the tiresome harmony and theory courses taught at college and University.

This is what I've tried to do with my online piano lessons and while there is nothing wrong with learning theory, it's not the end all be all that many piano teachers would like you to believe.

Instead, a step-by-step method, where students get the materials they need to create with right away (scale, chords, technique) can be used with great success! Students are able to use these materials to create unique compositions and improvisations of their own!

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

Many people have PSP today and many of us cannot imagine their life without one, but with all those music, videos and games it can be quite expensive. You see, a PSP game costs nearly $50, songs and movies are less, but still you have to pay. But what if you could get PSP music video downloads, download movies and games for free?

It is possible, because I have actually found a way to do it, I can get PSP music video downloads, games and all the stuff I want for free? Want to know how? Simple, I have become a member of a PSP download service. If you don't know what a PSP download service is, then let me break it down for you.

A legitimate PSP download services provides the opportunity for you to download movies, games, songs, wallpapers, themes and other stuff for free. Notice, that I've mentioned legitimate, it's because lot's of PSP download services are really fake and do not deliver what they claim.

However, there are a few sites that you just ought to be a member if you're a PSP fan. Imagine how much money you could save and how happy would your kids be if they could download everything they wanted? I have tried over six different download services, but only one one could deliver high quality PSP music video downloads, high quality song downloads and high definition movies.

I have been using such PSP download services for like seven weeks and I can't really count how muhc money I've already saved and will save in the near future. I admit, I am a PSP addict, and I need to have new games, songs every other day, that's why a PSP download service is like oxygen for me.

But enough about me, the reason I am writing this article is because I want to share my personal experience and excitement with you, and recommend you the best PSP download service on the Internet. I've created a blog where you can read more about it and, hopefully, the information will be helpful to you!

Walter Seth is a PSP fan who runs a site dedicated to free PSP downloads. If you want to learn more about free PSP Music Video Downloads visit PSP Giant.