Thursday, October 15, 2015

This Article Teaches You Everything About Learning Guitar

Learning how to play the guitar is something countless individuals have dreamed of doing. However, not everyone knows how to go about the process. Fortunately, the article below is full of useful tips and information to help anyone get the ball rolling towards a wonderful new hobby that can delight friends and family alike.

 

One of the most important things to remember when learning to play guitar is to practice. While this sounds obvious, many people overlook it. Try to practice the guitar a little each day. You should shoot for 20 to 30 minutes each time. Eventually, you should see your skills improve.

 

Get plenty of practice. It may seem obvious, but practicing is the best thing you can do to learn how to play the guitar. Many people neglect practicing or get discouraged when practicing grows tedious or fails to show immediate results. Keep at it! It may take time, but practice will make perfect.

 

Switch up your routine on occasion. Practice is important, but practice can get boring. You don't want to lose your enthusiasm for learning, so be sure to try new things regularly. Every once in a while, try a song you love or attempt something challenging. Don't let yourself get bored.

 

Do not stress about learning how to strum. While it is something that you will have to figure out how to do, there is no right or wrong way to go about it. As you practice and evolve as a guitar player, you will slowly start to pick it up over time.

 

Try adding variety to your guitar practice. When you practice the same things over and over again, it can get boring. While routine practice is essential to playing well, you should also throw in some enjoyable items. Try playing songs that you like. You can even try playing in different locations outside your home.

 

Try learning new techniques when playing guitar. It is important that you learn all the basic like strumming and picking to start with. When you have improved your dexterity with those, you should practice using new techniques. Try mimicking some different ones from your favorite songs. Eventually, you will find the techniques that you play best.

 

Try not to be shy about playing for others. Playing for yourself can get boring. Even if your guitar playing is a hobby, try to get yourself an audience. Play for friends and family. Letting others see how far you've come can encourage and motivate you to improve even more.

 

While is certainly tempting to try to jump in and play some of your favorite songs on the guitar, you should initially stick with simple tunes that can be mastered with just a little bit of practice. Doing this will help you continue building skills without causing frustration and disappointment along the way.

 

Guitar playing is a pastime that many folks would love to be able to enjoy. The key to really learning how to play well is to acquire a thorough education on the topic in advance. Hopefully this article will help all aspiring players do precisely that and start their musical journey today.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Traveling During Christmas

Traveling During Christmas

Whenever you hear “Beethoven” you’ll probably think of two things. First, the deaf musician who is known for his “Moonlight Sonata” and his passion for music. Second, the gentle giant St. Bernard dog who has found its way in the big screen. Well, either one isn’t right. Our Beethoven is actually a cat. Seems not right, yes?

 

She’s actually a Siamese cat, given by our neighbor as a house warming present. It sounds strange that someone would actually give a cat as a present to newly found friends. I used to think that they just don’t want the cat, and was troubled about the idea of letting the cat live on its own in the streets. They gave this Siamese cat with a name tag already with “Beethoven” on it. I’m guessing that they heard that we’re musically inclined, and a cat named Beethoven would be a good addition to the family.

 

We don’t mind having Beethoven in the house. In fact, we consider her as family now. She has its own way of surprising you. One night, I went home late. As I open the door, found her waiting for me. For a moment there, I realized how grateful I should be. Good thing we have a neighbour who likes giving cats for a housewarming. As her Dad, I make sure that she doesn’t get too spoiled and that she knows that the living room or any room in the house is good for poop nor rhymes with Beethoven’s litter.

 

She did like it. Oh, we can tell. We were planning to wrap it and give it to her on Christmas day, but she couldn’t wait for that old tradition. The day we bought the litter box was also the day when people in the streets and people in the mall are on Christmas shopping rush.  

 

It was a really long day, and was exhausting. I was tasked to put the litter box in the library room, together with the other unwrapped presents. Of course, I forgot to do that and left it at the living room. One morning, we just woke up and saw Beethoven meowed from the litter box. Oh well, that’s one Christmas present that doesn’t need a wrapper.

 

Beethoven continues to surprise us. I’m really not a cat person, until now. If you have one or you’re planning to have one, Siamese cats will make you fall for them like an instant. Just make sure to make them feel that they’re not just pets. Make sure to treat them like family.

 

Sources:
http://www.eurocypria.com/

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Beginner Guitar: Tips To Help You Rock Out

Are you someone that wants to play music? Do you just wish you knew how to play songs that other people wrote for guitar playing? If either of these things are the case, you should read through this article. Here you'll get some tips on what you can do when you need to learn guitar.

 

Make sure you learn the proper way when learning to play the guitar. It is important that you take the time to learn the basic skills well. You can do that by getting a teacher or book or by taking an online guitar course. Just remember to not skip any lessons.

 

Play along with a CD, another guitarist or use a metronome. This will help you learn to play in time. When players first start learning to play the guitar, they often pause slightly to arrange their fingers properly. This will throw off your rhythm. You should practice playing slowly and quickly.

 

Learn the open strings and start out playing simple songs. Memorize the single notes because that will make learning the chords and scales easier later on. Although it's a good idea to try something more challenging on occasion, stick to playing simple songs for the first few months and practice daily.

 

Interact with other people who play guitar. Being around other people who play guitar can be a lot of fun. It can really motivate you. You can learn a lot by talking with them or even by having a jam session with them. You can push each other to improve.

 

Your finger will be sore until you develop calluses. If you use a guitar with nylon strings or one that is electric, this may be a bit less painful. One of the most painful and difficult instrument to play for beginners is the acoustic guitar with steel strings. Do not use turpentine if you want to avoid pain.

 

Figure out how to play some songs in various keys. You can learn different chords by playing the same song over and over again but in different keys. It will also give you a better all-round understanding of music. This will improve your overall talent.

 

It is important for new guitar players to spend some time developing the muscles in their fret hands. This can be done by squeezing a small rubber ball, or perhaps even a tennis ball in a repetitive fashion for a couple of short sessions daily. Though it is important not to overuse these muscles, they need to get stronger in order to play properly.

 

Always have extra high-quality guitar strings on hand. When you need to change your strings, do them one at a time. If you attempt to change all the strings on your guitar at once, you may put too much pressure on the neck of the instrument and break it.

 

Learning guitar games should now be something you're more comfortable with. It's a lot of work to get good at an instrument, but with these tips in mind you should be able to do just fine with getting into playing the guitar. Just stick with it and you should do just fine!

Friday, October 9, 2015

Learning To Play The Guitar

Learning To Play The Guitar

Throughout your childhood, teen years, and even as an adult, playing the guitar may be something you have wished to do. Perhaps no one has ever taught you this skill. Or, maybe it has been a long time since you have played it and you need a little refresher. Either way, this article has tips to help you become a skilled guitar player.

 

One of the most important things to remember when learning to play guitar is to practice. While this sounds obvious, many people overlook it. Try to practice the guitar a little each day. You should shoot for 20 to 30 minutes each time. Eventually, you should see your skills improve.

 

It is not easy to learn to play the guitar. Therefore, it is very important to stay motivated. One way to stay motivated is by setting short-term goals which won't to take that long to achieve. Finding a guitar buddy with whom to practice is also a good motivational tool. Staying motivated is key to not giving up.

 

Remember, learning the guitar is not an overnight thing. Go slow, and you'll get there. Practice at a regular time daily so that you can really get to know your guitar and play it well.

 

If you are a beginning guitar player, be sure to learn the different types of strums. Start strumming slowly, with a simple up-and-down strum, and once you have that down, you can move on to more difficult strum patterns. Learn the basics, such as country rhythms, and rock rhythms. You can learn many types of music with these simple strums.

 

Practice playing by ear. Once you have the basics down, try playing without any sheet music in front of you on occasion. Listen to a song you like and attempt to replicate it. Try playing along with the radio. Getting a good ear for music is an excellent skill to build.

 

Learn a new chord each week. Chords are part of your overall guitar education, and with two or three chords, you'll be able to start playing some of the songs you know and love. Start slow, and make sure that you can clearly hear every string in the chord when you play it.

 

As you begin to learn the basics of playing guitar, keep yourself surrounded by music, and great guitarists that are of course fashionable. The more you learn, the easier it will be to pick up techniques and ideas you hear in music you listen to. Watch other people play, and you will be surprised at what you can learn from others.

 

Playing guitar takes muscles that you may not be used to moving. So you may develop cramps that make practicing difficult or uncomfortable. So learn some exercises for your fingers and hands that will help to develop those muscles and tendons. These exercises can also help you to improve your fine motor skills needed to hit the right string. Exercises also help develop flexibility and agility in your hands and fingers that is essential to good playing.

 

As the beginning of this article stated, you may have had the desire to play the guitar for years, but never knew how. Or, you may have played in the past, but your skills are a bit rusty. Whatever the case may be, these tips will have you playing this awesome instrument in no time!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Music Industry the Past Decade

I cannot still grasp that idea that I have been working now in the music industry for decades. As someone who grew up in streets, I never realized that someone out there would be willing to help me and mold me to be the person I am today. I am grateful to my “maestro” who never gave up on me and taught me all the things that he knew although he’s not even a relative.
 

I never met my parents. They abandoned me when I was a child. They left me with nothing. Good thing that I met Rick, a street vendor, who treated me as his own child. He raised me well although he’s not earning too much. He couldn’t afford to send me to school that’s why I needed to work despite being young that time.
 

One day, while I was busy selling some candies and helping Rick with his small business, Maestro asked me if I could be his assistant. He didn’t have a child of his own. He spent all of his years in music and writing songs. I hesitated when he asked me, but I knew then that he was a good man so I grabbed the opportunity to work for him.
 

I cleaned his room every single day. He let me listen whenever he’s having a session with his students. He also taught me everything about music - from basics to advance. When he passed away, he left everything to me because his relatives are residing overseas. After that, I continued his legacy.

 

Music raised me from poverty and helped me build my own future. Currently, I am working as an instructor for a Symphony that performs in different countries. My goal of traveling the world has been fulfilled by music. As a form of gratitude, I teach  music to street children. I also visit charitable institutions and give donations for those who were also abandoned by their parents. I believe that these young people will replace this generation someday and I hope that they are going to build it better than what we did.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Having Difficulty Learning Guitar While Traveling?

Having Difficulty Learning Guitar While Traveling?

So many people are excited by the prospect of being able to pick up a guitar and start playing beautiful music. But, not everyone has sufficient information to make such a dream a reality. The information presented below is intended to help burgeoning guitarists find the right way to begin their learning process.

 

Make sure you learn the proper way when learning to play the guitar. It is important that you take the time to learn the basic skills well. You can do that by getting a teacher or book or by taking an online guitar course. Just remember to not skip any lessons.

 

You need to learn guitar tabs and music notations. Music theory is something that will allow you to figure out scales and chords. This can help you to create music without stress. This information will help a lot when it come to riffs and melodies.

 

If a piece of material is proving especially difficult, slow everything down. You may naturally feel inclined to play it fast, but that is only going to make things more difficult for you in the end. Get the hang of the passage at a slow speed, and then gradually up your pace. You will be surprised at how much easier the learning process becomes for you!

 

Buy the best quality guitar that will fit into your budget. Don't waste money by spending a ridiculous amount on your first guitar because you may give up on it. Try out several options to find out what feels comfortable. Learn how to tune your guitar and keep it properly tuned.

 

If you wish to learn to play guitar, start out by purchasing an affordable, or even used, guitar. Don't jump right in and spend a bundle on an expensive instrument before you know if you will like playing it, or have the ability to learn how. If you find you want to continue learning, you can always upgrade to a better guitar later.

 

Interact with other people who play guitar. Being around other people who play guitar can be a lot of fun. It can really motivate you. You can learn a lot by talking with them or even by having a jam session with them. You can push each other to improve.

 

Learn how to strum. Once you know your chords, it's time to move on to strumming. The transition can be difficult, but it's an important one to make. Don't be afraid to take things slowly. There's no single, foolproof way to learn how to strum, so find a method that works for you.

 

Whether you are a rock-and-roll fan, or love classical guitar music, it is wise to begin learning the simple way. Rather than attempting to learn hard songs, begin with simple tunes. The song about Mary's lamb may seem babyish, but it's going to be very easy to play when you're starting out.

 

Being able to strum away on the guitar and make music that people want to hear is something that lots of people dream about doing. The best way to realize that goal, however, is to spend a good amount of time learning about guitar playing and the best methods of learning it. We hope this piece has offered useful information to that end.

Sources:
http://www.cancunairporthotels.net/

Friday, October 2, 2015

Waltz of the Flowers

I was invited to a Christmas gathering at my nephew’s house. Almost everyone was wearing a sweater because of the cold weather. No one was alone because each of us have someone to talk to and has something to talk about. Holidays bring people closer, even those who just met each other at a concert or those who were invited by their friends to come over their house for a Christmas dinner.

I enjoy attending gatherings like this. I look forward to it because I think of it as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to know people and their views, to meet people and listen to their stories. This is what I tell my students “Be inspired”. When you’re unfamiliar with the piece given to you, then be familiarized. I’m not saying that when the “Piece” is about depression, you should also get yourself depressed. What I’m saying is that you should free your mind, listen and understand other music. Get yourself inspired by other people and their experiences. Let yourself feel what they’ve felt. Let yourself remember the times you’ve lost through the other person.

Everyone was busy, while waiting for dinner. Some can be found in the kitchen. Some are holding a glass of white wine, while defending his argument to a friend. Some are like me, waiting to be approached by a curious little ballerina.

This 6 year old ballerina caught me off guard, enjoying the canapés on the table.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
I replied “Well, Little Miss I’m judging if I should like this canapé”
“I know. What do you do when you’re not judging a canapé?”
“Oh, you mean what do I do?” I answered “I instruct an orchestra”
“You’re like a wizard with a wand, right?” she said

Then I laughed. That was how we started our friendship. I was amazed of what she knows about the orchestra. According to a 6 year old ballerina, an orchestra is a team composed of fairies from the land of snow and the land of sweets, and she is Princess Clara. If you know the famous “Nutcracker and Mouse King” story, you’ll certainly know what’s she’s talking about. Obviously, she’s a fan of the famous sugar plum fairy. She even hummed her favorite part. I told her it’s known as the “Waltz of the flowers”. She decided to show off and dance around the room. Good thing she was wearing a dress. Other guests noticed her immediately, and surrounded the room. She danced and danced, and I hummed “Waltz of the flowers” for her.  Then, she stopped and said “I’m ready to eat now”. We all laughed and gave her a round of applause.

We laughed and talked about her dance over dinner.  I was able to reunite with a high school friend who was teaching in high school. Before we leave, I said my farewell to the 6 year old ballerina and told her what she did back there was great, would love to see her perform onstage next time. She said “Couldn’t do it without you”. We left the conversation talking about this amazing new drink recipe book she found online, we planned to meet up and give the book a try during our next ladies night.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Music and Phones Today

Sometimes I really can’t get a hold of myself especially when it comes to music. Like for example, today.
Earlier today while at practice, I felt a sudden surge of excitement as we were practicing a particular piece. Suddenly the music took over my body and I had played with so much power that I accidentally dropped my phone and cracked its screen!
It was such a bummer because I’ve never broken a phone like that ever in my life before. I’ve always taken such good care of my phone but unfortunately, today was not my lucky day.
Not to say that my phone was not made out of a sturdy material or anything but in the phones defense, I dropped it at a pretty high height which explains the busted screen.
So, I broke my phone and now I need to find a way to sell my broken phone! My daughters were teasing me about it at first and were telling me to try a colored water project on my phone to make it at least look artsy. But at my “young” age, I highly doubt the appropriateness of that proposition.

I kept ALL my music on my phone, every music artist I love. It’s very important to me to get all the music back up and running on my new phone!!
So instead, I asked my friends around and they told me that there was an effective way to sell it online and with their expertise on the internet, I am currently in the process of finding a new home for my banged up phone. The only downside of having to sell a damaged phone is that of course, the value of it is decreased by more than a half even if it’s just the screen that’s damaged. But anyways, I don’t really care anymore- I just want a phone that doesn’t require me to squint whenever I look at it!
Hopefully, I’ll be able to buy a new phone by the new year so I’ll have enough time to figure out how to use it and also be able to take pictures of my family when the clock strikes 12 for new year. I’ve been thinking about getting an iPhone 6+ but I am also intrigued by the Sony phones since I’ve been reading a lot that the photo quality of the photos are top notch. But I guess I’ll have to decide later on when I’ve already sold my old phone.
Or better yet, maybe if I share this post my wife will buy a new phone for me!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Traveling Around the Holidays

So many great things are brewing at the talk show that is sure to keep everyone excited especially for those who haven’t done their Christmas shopping just yet!
 
Another exciting thing that will be happening on the show is that we will be serenaded by a choir of young children from an amazing school some time this week and they will be singing lots of Christmas songs to spread the holiday cheer. Hopefully, this will get everyone more excited about the season and lessen the stress brought my all the holiday gift shopping. We all know how stressful that can be sometimes so that should be an interesting segment.
We’ve also got a lot of other special prizes to give away, all in time for the Christmas season. We can’t divulge this information just yet so make sure to tune into the show to find out what we’re giving away and how you can win these amazing prizes we have in store for you. Yes, we like to keep it thrilling like that and trust us when we say, you will not regret it!
The station has been so festive lately and everyone’s really gotten into celebrating lately. We’ve got DJ’s dressed up as Santa Claus, stockings hung all over the office and people bringing in lots of food to make sure we’re just as fat as our favorite make believe man, St. Nick.
We’d love to hear how everyone is spending their Christmas season, stories from past Christmases- good and bad, holiday traditions and much more so feel free to call up the station or send us emails so that we can share them on the show. We might even give away prizes to the lucky people whose stories are chosen. So once again, make sure to stay tuned to the station every chance you get!

Traveling is always my favorite thing to do around the holidays. Having something to know what they're doing is always helpful! My girlfriend, Kristen Sawyer, knows how to travel like a pro!
We know Christmas isn’t mainly focused on the presents but you’ve got to admit, it is a really awesome part of Christmas anyways! We want to give back to our listeners who have supported us for a very long time so we hope you enjoy this.


Saturday, September 26, 2015

Music & Beauty

Who can know the depths and crevices of music more than me who has been into it even before he knew it. No kidding here, I am a true admirer of the best things in life – from Nutella to my baton that waves with a swish and music starts making life more worth it. Really, there is no point in not speaking highly of great things such as nature itself that endures us and nourishes us to the point of mortality.

Music helps me breathe, stay hopeful and act passionately in all that I do. Being an orchestra instructor, after all, has taken a toll on my life experience in terms of the immense amount of time I spent on just learning the basics of conducting an orchestra. Symphonies – sad or happy, lively or dull – are deeply weaved in my fabric and this is actually what I am made of. And you just can’t win the debate on how impressively music can affect one’s mood and outlook on life. It can make you verve with energy or get depressed with dark notes.

Music makes life beautiful, and beauty is the essence of everything that we love and aspire to. Not necessarily the flawless beauty of a ramp model – I am referring to beauty as an abstract emotion that you can relate to anything, even something that others find ugly. It’s a matter of perspective, and mind you, music also takes a lot of perspective and judgmental processing.
But yes, looking good (if not necessarily beautiful) is a fact of life.

I feel for it especially because I have hit my 40s and understand the pain that comes with a pot belly and uncontrollable body expansion. There was a time I was genuinely worried about my climbing weight despite the fact that I am no food freak and never had any genetic predisposition to overeating or obesity. But then, I realized that my sedentary lifestyle is the real culprit.