Piano Lessons and Perfectionism

Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy of music making. Most of us learned how to be perfectionists as children, trying to please Mommy or Daddy. We wanted their approval so we tried to get it right.

In the process, we learned that getting it right meant giving up happiness. It wasn't enough that we could express ourselves musically. We had to do a good job of it as well. As good as we could make it. Getting all the notes right. Trying to please music teachers who could care less if we were enjoying ourselves. All for what? To get a grade or a "that's good?"

It's a shame but this happens all the time in music schools. It's not until we become adults that we realize the damage that has been done. By then, it's usually too late and most never pick up an instrument again. What a pity that is. What a shame that we all must create to someone's standard of what good is. And worst of all, when you finally achieve that high standard, you are told that it is never good enough anyway.

The way out of this perfectionist's rut is to let go of the need to please others and refocus on pleasing ourselves. Now there is room to make mistakes and explore what art really is - namely EXPLORATION OF THE UNKNOWN! Here is where the real adventure begins my friends. Here is where excitement truly is! Not knowing what is going to happen next. Not judging what comes out of us but being beholders of it all.

Improvisation is the key that unlocks this door. It is the one art form that is invention from one moment to the next. Experience the joy of improvisation and all need to get things right disappears. Just for a moment you feel like the music is playing you. Isn't that enough?

Music Licensing

Music licensing can be a very confusing subject. My intent with this article is to give you enough details on what music licensing is and what are your rights to use music in advertising and / or video productions.

A few months ago I was contacted by a company that was celebrating 20 years in business. They wanted to put together a radio commercial that highlighted their celebration. Their request was to use Kool and the Gangs song Celebration in their radio spot. I explained to them in order to do this they would have to obtain a licensing which would cost them quite a bit of money. This was not an option for them due to their limited budget and ultimately they told me that they "went another direction" with their advertising.

If I had agreed to use this song without obtaining a licensing I would have put both of our companies at risk. It was not worth the risk just to make a sale. Beware that there are unscrupulous production companies that will do this type of illegal activity so the best protection you have is knowledge.

The copyright law protects writers of music by giving them exclusive right to their music. Once a piece of music is under copyright protection it is illegal to use it without getting permission to the owner of the copyright.

There are actually two types of copyrights in the United States. One is the actual copyright which is denoted with the familiar C with a circle around it. This protection is for the actual melody, lyrics and arrangement of the music. The copyright is usually owned by the actual artist that wrote the piece or their publishing company.

The second form of copyright is the actual recording itself. This is denoted by a P with a circle around it. This protection covers the performance of the song caught on tape or digital media and released on CD or other media. Many times a record or production company will own this performance right.

If you want to use a song in a production, you need obtain a Master Use license from the owner of the copyright and a Synchronization license (often called a sync license) from the owner of the performance of the song.

The fees for synchronization licenses vary greatly. Low-end TV usage (music is playing from car radio in a scene) can cost up to $2,000. In a film, the fee may be as high as $10,000. A popular song is worth more, possibly $3,000 for TV and $25,000 for film. A song used as the theme song for a film might get $50,000 to $75,000. Commercials can get even more money. Fees for a popular song can range from $25,000 to $500,000 plus per year. The typical range for a well-known song is $75,000 to $200,000 for a one year national usage in the United States on television and radio.

I think you will agree with me that that is allot of money and usually way over budget for many video and radio productions.

To get around these outrageous fees, music production companies sell buyout music. When you purchase a buyout CD you do not need to obtain a licensing to use the music. You can use the music hassle free and at a much lower cost.

Buyout music or royalty-free, as it applies to my products, means that for your one-time purchase price, you can legally use the music in your productions for life of ownership. All copyrights of the music remain with Zebra Music LLC. My jingle licensing agreement allows a protected area of 200 miles. By doing this no other companies in a local market will have the same jingle.

Many other production companies offer a similar buy out music licensing. I would advise you to read the licensing agreements with other production companies and ask questions if you have concerns.

Network broadcast and international broadcast of buyout production music is cleared through a performance organization (like BMI or ASCAP). The revenue that these songs produce when they are aired is paid directly from broadcast station licensing, NOT from you as a producer. These performance organizations then in turn pay each artist based on the amount their song or songs were aired on the radio or TV.

How to Play What you Feel

Many students think that being able to play what you feel is difficult. They believe you must have years and years of training in improvisation and theory.

The truth of the matter is that playing what you feel is easy when you understand what feeling is. Feeling is not emotion, yet it contains emotion. For example, If I'm in an ecstatic state of happiness and rush over to the piano and play, what I am doing is tapping off of the emotion.

To play what you feel does not require high or low emotional states. On the contrary, feeling is always with us and to just sit down and play is all that is required. Our feeling is what comes out of us in the moment. It lies in wait but is always there. Think of freewriting as an analogy. To put pen to paper and just write what comes to mind, the writer is expressing feeling. Emotions may come up during this process, but they gradually return to the pool of feelings from which they came.

To play what you feel requires nothing more than being present at the piano and having a little skill in being able to improvise. For example, in creating Lesson #35: "Moss Garden" certain decisions were made in the beginning. The sound was determined (pentatonic). Chords were chosen and a technique was chosen too (broken chord).

With these decisions out of the way it becomes a matter of playing around with the possibilities. And from this playing comes a music that is not forced or willed into being. On the contrary, feeling is allowed to be expressed normally and naturally. It becomes an easy thing to do, just like freewriting.

Everything I Play Sounds the Same

Many students want to create music that has a certain emotional quality. For example, I once had a student ask me to show her how to play something that sounded happy.

Of course, this student missed the entire point of my teaching - to play where you are emotionally and to not try and come up with something. I tried to explain to her that if she were feeling happy, then the natural outcome of the music would be flavored with this emotion.

As a natural outgrowth of the proceeding statement, there will be times, many times perhaps, when the music that comes out of you sounds the same. Many interpret this as being uncreative, when in fact, you are being true to yourself. When you don't try and come up with material, but instead, let the music come up, you are not forcing or willing the creative act. Instead, you are allowing yourself to express in the moment - whatever the sound may be.

If someone tells you that everything you play sounds the same, acknowledge it silently as a compliment and know that you are being true to yourself and the integrity of the artistic process!

When you are more concerned with enjoying the act of creating then trying to come up with material, you'll be way ahead of the game!

A Quick and Easy Composition Method

Here's the method I use every time I want to capture an idea. I draw out 8-bars (or measures) first. Why 8 bars? Because it is an ideal framework to work in. Eight bars of music are enough to generate a complete musical sentence and can usually be repeated once or twice. Next, I improvise and see what comes up. THEN I will write down the chords I am playing and the first 2-bars of melody.

Writing down the first 2-bars of melody helps me remember the entire theme for the 8-bar phrase. I usually stay within one key to make it easy. This means I'll have 6 chords to work with. In C Major, the chords would be, C Maj. - D min. - E min. - F Maj. - G Maj. and A min. This is more than enough material to work with. In fact, I rarely use more than 3 or 4 chords for the first 8-bars.

Once you get your first 8-bars down, your more than halfway home. Why? Because you already have the beginning. The rest of the piece, if there is a rest of the piece, can be finished by drawing more bar lines AND LISTENING FOR THE NEXT SECTION OF MUSIC. This is always accomplished through improvisation.

Your best material will ALWAYS come from improvisation because you are not thinking about creating something. Instead, you are allowing the music that is inside of you to come to the surface without forcing it or willing it into being. You use the 8-bar framework to hold your ideas so to speak.

There is no rule that says you must work within 8-bars. You can use 4 or even 16 bar phrases, however, its good to be able to feel the form and structure of an 8-bar phrase first. It is the structure used by most composers and it is wise to understand it.

How to Get Past Creative Blocks

When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there were times when the music just wouldn't flow. No matter what I did, I couldn't make it go any further. Blocked and frustrated, I wondered why this happened. One minute I would be in flow and enjoying the process of playing the piano. The next, I would find myself trying to come up with material

I soon realized that the more I tried to "come up" with something, the more blocked I became. The solution to this particular problem is simple, yet many find it to be frustrating in itself.

The answer is simply to walk away. That's right! If you're playing the piano and it just won't come anymore, I suggest getting up and finding something else to do. Why? Because you can not force play! It's that simple. And that difficult because we want to get back into the "groove." But getting back to this place requires you to ease up a bit.

You see, the creative process is somewhat similar to meditation. Meditation can't be forced or willed into working. It must be allowed to work. So too the creative process. There are times when I won't touch the piano for weeks on end. This used to bother me until I saw that I needed time away - a regenerative period so to speak.

Natalie Goldberg of "Writing Down the Bones" fame describes this lackluster period as composting. Don't worry about losing your creative ability. You never lost it. Just give it time to compost and when you return to the music, you will hear something new and wonderful!

The Joy of Spontaneous Expression

Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it was. How exciting to be able to dip your fingers into a color that called out to you and put it on paper. The excitement of it all came from the feeling that you were an explorer, looking into uncharted territories of your own creative source.

Now music can be that way too! All that is necessary is to understand that you don't need any special talent or ability to create music with. Two chords are enough to begin experiencing the joy of spontaneous expression. In the lesson "Oriental Sunrise" we have 2 chords to play around with. And two chords are more than enough to create with

The problem that most adults have is the ability to relinquish control. They want to be able to make decisions and direct the music to where they want it to go. And of course, they lose the ability to create. Why? Because they believe they must make decisions as to what notes to play, what chords, how fast, etc. It can be very threatening for some to allow for "mistakes."

Many adults feel that they must be perfect. But it is this perfectionism that destroys the spirit and stops any creative impetus dead in its tracks. The solution to all of this is to remember the finger-painting child within each of us. Each of us knows intuitively what colors call to us the most. The key is to be able to trust that intuition, and let it guide you!

Composing for Dummies

When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think of classical composers like Mozart or Beethoven. This is the point where many "would be" composers freeze up because they tell themselves that their music could never be as good. And this is also the point where would be music makers end their desire to create.

When you compare yourself to another person you are really defeating the whole idea of creating to begin with. Why? Because your music is as unique as you are!

There will never be another person like you and there will never be anyone else who can create music like you. So give up your notions of becoming a great composer. Instead, focus on the joy that comes from being n the moment and creating your own music. To do this, learn how to improvise first.

You must have the ability to move forward without censoring what is coming out of you. Just like writers do with freewriting, so you too must do with improvisation.

Once you are able to just sit down at the piano and play without worrying if it's good enough, you'll be ready to put pen to paper and compose. Of course you could compose without learning how to improvise, but chances are the music will sound stodgy and foursquare. It may not have the "life" that most composers shoot for.

Five Secrets to Playing in the New Age Style

1. Learn how to Improvise

Learning how to improvise is the key to playing in this style. Period. You must learn to experiment and take musical risks - within certain frameworks of course. You're not going to bang on the keys and expect to make music. This is not the kind of risk I'm talking about. Students thrive best when given a certain set of rules or guidelines to move around with.

For example, in the lesson "Reflections in Water" you are given a few chords and a specific scale to make music with. In other words, I give you a set of limits from which you play the game of improvisation. This will free you up from the thousand and one choices you could possibly have. In fact, if you didn't have a set of limitations, you probably would end up banging on the keyboard because while it is important to be free and spontaneous, it is equally important to understand how the game is played.

2. Develop the proper attitude

This one ties for first place. In my opinion, what stops most students from learning all they can from this style is the attitude that they either aren't good enough, or are not ready to learn how to improvise and play piano. Please don't think that. No one person will ever know all there is to know about any one subject let alone piano playing. You will always be growing but you must start somewhere and you must start from SIMPLE means.

Here's a quote that sums it up best: "In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the experts mind there are few." This means that you have an advantage over so called experienced piano players. Your attitude should always be one of receptivity. That is, never force anything to happen because when you force you are already setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.

3. Forget what you were taught

Perhaps you were taught that you must learn your scales first and that you must learn how to read music before you can do anything else. I'm here to tell you that I can't read music, yet somehow, I've been able to put out two CD's of original music! In fact, if anything, reading music will slow you down creatively! If you want to create your very own music, you must forget what you were taught about music in general and focus on learning how to improvise first and compose second. Both of which can be taught!

I think I read every book at the library on composition and improvisation and what helped me out the most was a very slim volume on chord changes using 8-bar patterns. By playing the chords in a set framework (8-bars) I was able to see how to use repetition and contrast to create with. And of course, I listened to the people I loved and learned a lot from just listening. So forget about what you were taught and start thinking about what you want to accomplish and you can do it!

4. Learn chords

You've heard it before. Learn chords and you can make music. Just learn the 144 chords and voila - you can do it all. Don't believe it! You need to learn chords, but you don't need to learn one hundred chords right away. No. You need to learn probably about 3 chords or less to begin improvising in the "new age" style. And if you think that you need to learn more than this at the beginning you are wrong.

Of course you can learn as many chords as you want but what's the point if you never use them? It's like learning a new vocabulary word each day for the sake of massaging your ego. Nice, but unnecessary.

5. Learn how to use Chords

Let's assume you've learned a few chords. Now what? What are you going to do with your new chords? You are going to use them to create music with and the best way to do that is to choose a key or mode to play in. This automatically limits your choices.

For example, let's say I sit down and start improvising and I start using a C Major 7 chord. I like what I hear but a problem arises - where do I go from here. Now this won't be a problem if you say to yourself. "OK. I started on C Major 7. Let's just stay in the Key of C Major and see what happens." Now, you are ready to go forward because you do not have a thousand and one confusing choices ahead of you. Do you see how this can free you up? You've limited yourself to using just 6 chords from the C Major scale.

Learning the Piano and Playing the Piano

Many piano students spend much time learning how to play the piano. Years upon years of study time devoted to perfecting technique, tone, dynamics, etc. All the while, many of these same students have never really played the piano. That is, they have spent their time practicing in preparation for the moment when they can "perform" for others.

Wouldn't it be refreshing if instead of learning how to play other peoples music, we could feel confident enough to create our own? Why is it so daunting a task for most of us? I think it's because we've been taught that only a very few gifted individuals are capable of producing music from scratch - whatever the genre. Rock, jazz, classical etc. Unfortunately, this belief is enough to stop most dead in their tracks and for those, whose spark of interest was lit in childhood, it soon turns cold and lifeless.

Now, playing the piano is entirely different than learning the piano. Here we are at home. Why? Because we are playing. So different an approach it is too! Children are allowed free-play and are even encouraged to do so. But as we grow up, we decide we must "make something worthy of performance." What a tragic error in thinking! Yet one that pervades the music world.

The solution is to understand that we all have our own special music inside of us and each and every one of us has something wonderful to share with the world. This something comes through when we stop learning how to play the piano and begin to play it truly for the first time.

The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons

How would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because that's what thousands of piano music students do each day.

They sit in front of their piano or keyboard with sheet music of a dead composer in front of them. Then they are told to "play it right." Have you ever heard of such nonsense? Imagine a budding writer forced to copy another novelists work? In essence, this is what classical piano students do. They copy.

Although many think this is a creative act, it is not. It is a re-creative one. It's purpose? To give people who are told how to listen to music a chance to hear what is considered "good" music. Only in classical music is there such pomposity. And it exists because a very few people wish to hear the classics.

Let me tell you something. I love classical music. But I don't spend my time trying to recreate what has already been created. No. Instead, I want to connect with my own source and allow the music that is inside me to come out. I want to be creative too! And my philosophy is that anyone can be "a composer."

All it takes is the desire to create - to want to hear ones authentic self expressed through music. Difficult? Not at all! It's as easy as putting fingers to keys and playing. Hard to believe but true. You see, music students have been cheated from the get go by an academic snobbism that destroys the spirit and the will to create.

The suggestion is that the best music has already been created so why bother. The answer is crucial to our own well being. We bother because it makes us feel good. That is all that is required and that is all that is needed to make music.

What is Guitar Tablature and Can I Find It Online?

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments and the online guitar community probably the most popular of its kind. There are thousands of guitarists connected via online communities sharing guitar tabs, tips and stories and there are many of websites dedicated to sharing guitar music, tablature and even guitar lessons. Some you have to pay for, but there's a lot out there for free.

Beginning guitarists and professionals alike can take advantage of what is available for free on the Internet. It's true, you can really download guitar tablature for free on the Internet. There are literally thousands of pieces available for download, everything from classical and jazz music to rock and pop. Try typing "guitar tablature", "guitar tabs" or "guitar sheet music" into your favorite search engine. This will bring up a plethora of websites which offer music for download. Some sites will charge a membership fee, but offer samples for free so that you can try them out. At first it is difficult to sift through all the sites and find one that is suitable for your needs, but stick with it, and you'll find exactly what you want.

Some sites specialize in specific music genres, such as classical or rock. Some sites have audio samples of the sheet music so that you can actually listen to unknown pieces before you download. In the end you may choose to pay a membership fee to take advantage of added services that these sites provide.

But before you do that take advantage of everything that's free. The Internet is such a great place for picking up guitar tricks and tips or even learning the instrument on your own.

Start by doing a Google search for "Free guitar lessons" (use quotation marks) and the top five search results will yield websites with archives full of free guitar lessons. These lessons are designed with the absolute beginner in mind. The advantage of learning the guitar on the Internet is that you can take your lesson whenever you have time or are in the mood and you never have to leave the comfort of your own home. You'll start off with all the basics: learn about the parts of the guitar, learn how it works, learn scales, strumming patterns, chromatic scales, as well as many songs to play. Despite the relative ease of the Internet, lessons should be taken in the order that they are written.

And remember, your Internet lessons may be free, but they aren't miracle workers, you still have to commit to a regular program of study and practice.

Guide to Finding Music Online

Are you frustrated because finding your favorite songs on the net has become more of a chore than an enjoyable activity? Read this simple guide to finding music online and your troubles will be out of mind before you download your next Green Day hit!

MP3s are compressed music files that are one-tenth the size of regular audio files. As a normal audio file requires about 40 megabytes to download, and MP3 requires four. Although this is still a substantial number, it is much more manageable for the average computer. Thus began the MP3 downloading, sharing and trading craze. There are a variety of options when it comes to playing your MP3s. Media Player comes with Windows, QuickTime 4 comes with Macintosh, and Win amp is the industry standard product.

Music can be downloaded from websites or FTP sites. Websites are easier to use. Songs download automatically when you click on the titles. Finding good websites to download from is difficult. The sites that used to work well now dabble in other venues. AlltheWeb.com and MP3.com usually only contain independent, unknown bands that may be great, but if you're looking for the stuff you've heard of, you'll be wasting your time. Audiofind now carries radio stations instead of music files, and Audiogalaxy.com Music

Search requires a subscription.

Good websites to use are LycoMP3 Search, MP3 Search on Altavista, MP3 Search at Astraweb, and MP3Bot Search Engine. FTP sites usually require special software. Some free software options include WS FTP and FTP Explorer. Oth Net (Kermit search) is a clean fast way to download from FTP sites directly from the browser that works even better than the software options.

In the wake of the Napster downfall, it has become mostly illegal to download and share free music files on the web. Musicians are opposed to the practice, and rightly so, because the free music sharing significantly affects the commercial success of their CD sales in stores. Downloaders tend to think musicians are being unfair by revoking the free music files from the net, but one must remember that selling music is their career. It is nearly impossible to find full albums on the web.

These days, musicians will release a couple of new hits onto the net to try to entice the web surfing crowd to wander into the music store and buy the full album. Remember, if all else fails and you MUST have the MP3 of a song, there are thousands of sites to which you can subscribe and pay for the downloads.

New bands are always willing to put their music out on the Internet in hopes of getting heard, so free downloads are limitless if you are willing to lend your ear to some new tunes.

Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 1

Introduction

The fact that you are holding this in your hands suggests that you have got to the point in your explorations of, and curiosity about the guitar that the next step is the modes. Maybe it's because you have read somewhere that Steve Vai loves the Lydian mode, or you have listened to music by Frank Gambale and wondered what he was up to. Whatever the reason, the material you have here should set you on the road to opening up new ways to express yourself, to get different sounds into your melodies and harmonies.

First off you need to know that this material alone will not have you ripping exotic solos up and down the fret board, smoke and fire on your fingertips. It will take the same process and work that has brought you your level of chops with the pentatonic, major and minor scales, arpeggios and your own licks. What it will do is give you the information you need, and the backing tracks so that you can practice and familiarise yourself with the patterns of the modes, and get used to the sounds.

Ultimately it's down to the time you put in and your motivation to go beyond what you find within these pages. But if you're serious about learning the modes, you knew that already. Anyone promising you a quick fix, whether conscious or subconscious, is at the very least pulling your leg.

The second thing you need to know is that a certain facility and knowledge is assumed. If you find yourself flailing in a sea of non-comprehension it is hopefully only because you're not ready to move on to this stage of learning, and you need to tuck this back under the bed and give yourself a little more time with the basics. You could ignore the theory section altogether. It's up to you what you want to do with this now it's yours, but hopefully, if you do ignore it now, perhaps you will come back to it and then it should make some sense and help you with other aspects of using the modes.

Let's start with the good news. There are 7 modes built on the major scale and you already know two of them. The major scale is a mode itself, called the Ionian, and the minor scale is another mode, called the Aeolian. So, more than a quarter of the work is done. If you thought that getting to grips with those two scales wasn't too complicated, then you should get on fine with the other material here. If you are in a state of experience where playing the major and minor scales in 5 positions on the guitar neck, in any key, is not something that you are familiar or comfortable with, back this goes under the bed. Although both of these modes will be covered you really should be worrying about the basics at this point. Any half way decent book about playing the guitar, or song writing, should provide you with the information to get these two modes under your fingers. For the rest of you, let's go.

The Modes

Before we get to anything even remotely like playing a scale, we need to have a think about the theory to understand where these modes come from. It is not essential to understand this to learn the modes, you could just learn the patterns, but, knowing some of the theory should help you to know when the modes could be employed, why they sound different etc. There are seven modes, named Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. The reason why there are seven modes is because each mode is built on a different tone of the major scale and there are 7 different tones in the major scale. If we take the scale of C Major as an example, so we don't have to worry about sharps and flats, this should be clearer.

As you are probably aware, the C Major scale consists of the following tones:

C D E F G A B C

If we think of the major scale as a mode, then what we are saying is that if we start on the tone C, and then play all seven tones of the C Major scale, we are playing C Ionian. The same is true for any other major scale. If you start on the tone B and play all 7 tones which make up the B Major scale, you have played B Ionian.

Another way to think of this is to consider the way in which this scale is constructed. All major scales are constructed with the same distance between pairs of tones. Again, considering the C Major scale, the distances between the pairs of notes is:

Note Pair.......Tone distance............Fret distance

C to D..........a whole tone (T)...........i.e., 2 frets)

D to E..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

E to F..........a semi-tone (S)...........(i.e., 1 fret)

F to G..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

G to A..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

A to B..........a whole tone (T)..........(i.e., 2 frets)

B to C..........a semi-tone (S)...........(i.e., 1 fret)

So, we could say that the structure of any major scale, or Ionian mode, is

T T S T T T S

We can check this. You should check this on your guitar neck to convince yourself that it is true, but here we'll do it on paper. Let's say we want to construct the G Major scale.

Knowing that all major scales are constructed using the formula T T S T T T S, and starting on G we would get the following:

G up a whole tone to A

A up a whole tone to B

B up a semi-tone to C

C up a whole tone to D

D up a whole tone to E

E up a whole tone to F#

F# up a semi-tone to G

Producing the scale

G A B C D E F#

Do this with other major scales just to check that there's no trickery here. If you didn't know that the G Major scale has an F# in it, back under the bed this goes and find a theory book!

Ok, so we can think of the Ionian (from now on the Major scale will always be referred to as the Ionian, as we are thinking in modes here) as having a particular structure. The next theoretical step we'll take is to build the other modes on the notes of the Ionian, and then look at their structures in exactly the same way. Taking C Ionian again, and only using the tones of this mode, consider the following.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on C

C D E F G A B

We are playing C Ionian.

Now we'll look at the other modes, remembering that as we are building them on the tones from C Ionian, these are the only tones we can use, i.e., C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on D,

D E F G A B C D

We are playing D Dorian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on E,

E F G A B C D E

We are playing E Phrygian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on F,

F G A B C D E F

We are playing F Lydian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on G,

G A B C D E F G

We are playing G Mixolydian.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on A,

A B C D E F G A

We are playing A Aeolian, also known as the minor scale, which you know.

If we take all the notes from C Ionian, and only those notes, and we start on B,

B C D E F G A B

We are playing B Locrian.

If you know your Ionian modes, then you will have instantly seen that the scales we are producing in this way are not the same as the Ionian modes you know. For example, the G Mixolydian we have built does not have an F#, which the G Ionian does and the F Lydian we have built does not have a Bb in it, which the F Ionian does.

Noticing these differences means you have noticed one of the key aspects of the modes. The reason why, for example G Mixolydian does not sound like G Ionian is because the relationship between the notes has changed, the pattern of tones and semi-tones between the notes has changed and as such the tones in the scale are different. These changes in the relationships are what give the modes their characteristic sounds and determine why they can be used in some instances, and not in others. But more of that later.

You could now start comparing some of your modes. For example, you could play a D Ionian, and then play D Dorian and compare the sounds. You'll probably hear that your Dorian sounds slightly more 'minor'. Part of the work you need to find time to do is to start to hear these differences, but when we get to the playing part of this package you'll be doing that anyway, so just hold on one moment. The next thing we will do is look at the structures of each of the modes, again using as our base example C Ionian. Below you will find each of the 7 modes built on C, starting with C Ionian, the others built on the tones which make up the C Ionian mode (C, D, E, F, G, A, B).

Starting Tone.....Mode Name.....Mode Notes...Mode Structure

C,.....................C Ionian........CDEFGABC......T T S T T T S

D,.....................D Dorian........DEFGABCD......T S T T T S T

E,.....................E Phrygian......EFGABCDE......S T T T S T T

F,.....................F Lydian........FGABCDEF......T T T S T T S

G,.....................G Mixolydian....GABCDEFG......T T S T T S T

A,.....................A Aeolian.......ABCDEFGA......T S T T S T T

B,.....................B Locrian.......BCDEFGAB......S T T S T T T

As you can probably see, each of the modes has its own, unique structure of tone and semi-tones between notes in the scale. What this means is that if you learn, for example, that the Locrian mode is constructed by spacing notes according to the formula of S T T S T T T, you can play the the Locrian mode in any key by choosing your start note, and then building the scale according to this formula.

One final way we can think of the modes shows very clearly how each mode differs from its own Ionian mode. Again, taking as our basis the C Ionian, we will number each of the notes in the C Ionian scale, as below.

C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Now, we will look at the modes based on C Ionian, and show how each mode differs.

D Dorian

D...E...F...G...A...B...C

1...2...b3..4...5...6...b7

This merely means that D Dorian differs from D Ionian by the third degree of the scale and the seventh degree of the scale being flattened. So, whereas in D Ionian the scale has an F# and a C#, D Dorian has an F and a C. We'll look at the other modes in the same manner.

E Phrygian

E...F...G...A...B...C...D

1...b2..b3..4...5...b6..b7

F Lydian

F...G...A...B...C...D...E

1...2...#3..4...5...6...7

G Mixolydian

G...A...B...C...D...E...F

1...2...3...4...5...6...b7

A Aeolian

A...B...C...D...E...F...G

1...2...b3..4...5...b6..b7

B Locrian

B...C...D...E...F...G...A

1...b2..b3..4...b5..b6..b7

What the previous list demonstrated is how each of these modes differs from the Ionian mode starting on the same root node. So, for example, A Aeolian differs from A Ionian by the third, sixth, and seventh degree of the Ionian mode being flattened. Once again, you could learn how the individual modes differ from their Ionian modes and alter the way you play the Ionian to take account of this.

By now you have probably got a bit of an ache in your head from all this theory. It's not crucial at this stage that you have got all of this committed to memory and have it all worked out. Give it a little time, and when you have had a chance to get a bit of modal playing done, you can pick the ones that you like, or that fit your style, and then just get your head around those ones.

This is end of the main theoretical section. Bits will creep in, or will seem to creep in when we look at chords for each of the modes, but really, as long as you have a basic understanding of music it shouldn't be any more troublesome than what you've been through already. I hope.

Suzuki Violin Vs Traditional Violin

The Suzuki violin method has come to dominate the way violin is taught in America and throughout much of the world. Mention the Suzuki violin method to music educators, and you will get a variety of responses. While it is common for some teachers to mix elements of Suzuki violin method with the traditional approach other teachers either love or hate the Suzuki method. Let's examine the Suzuki violin versus the traditional violin below.

The Suzuki violin study method emphasizes passive modes of learning - watching and listening. Before engaging in formal study, Suzuki violin students are exposed to recordings of the first and subsequent pieces they will play, as well as recordings of great performances from the general classical repertory. This continues when students begin formal study and as they progress. Recordings are played as "background music", for hours each day and at low volume levels. Here, the thinking is that exposure to recordings is similar to the effect of immersion that naturally occurs in the process of primary language acquisition. Successful study is enhanced by prolonged repeated exposure. Suzuki violin students develop an internal model of the music to be studied. They memorize the music and internalize the nuances of pitch, tone, timing, articulation, and dynamics demonstrated in recorded performances.

Traditional violin study favors a type of training that virtually ignores passive learning approaches. While students may be encouraged to listen to recordings of the more advanced repertory played by concert artists or symphony orchestras, beginning students are generally not given the opportunity to listen to recordings of the beginning pieces that they are or will be studying.

Suzuki violin incorporates the passive mode in class. Before Suzuki violin students ever receive the violin, they observe others who are doing what they will eventually do. Even after receiving and working with the violin, they continue to observe others in the masterclass setting and group lessons. While, the more traditional violin lessons are modeled on an environment of isolation. When students do interact, competition between individual students is often used as a means to motivate them. Cooperative learning techniques are neglected or ignored. With the one-on-one model, students don't get much opportunity to study and play music with peers.

The Suzuki violin method imparts technical skills needed to play the violin in a way that has similarities with the approach used in traditional Asian martial arts. There is meticulous attention to form, detail, and movement and it is usually taught by a master who has been handed the skills by other masters. Suzuki formulated a highly original violin technique that is radical and remarkably efficient. He has disseminated these ideas to teachers and students in the form of "teaching points" - specific descriptions, each dealing with a single aspect of technique and recommended exercises for its mastery. In the process of renovating violin study, Suzuki dramatically improved the way the violin is technically mastered.

Things To Know When Shopping For A Guitar Amplifier

Guitar amplifiers are a major part of your tone. Some amps can do many things well, while others excel at producing specific tonal qualities. When shopping for a guitar amplifier, you will have to choose between a Tube or Solid-State model, and whether you want a combo, or separate head and speaker cabinet.

Tube based guitar amplifiers use old fashioned vacuum tubes to produce their power and process the guitar's signal. They are very loud, and generate a large amount of heat during operation. Generally, tube amps provide a warm tone that when pushed hard will produce a natural, overdriven distortion that is very sought after by many guitarists. Tube amplifiers will require maintenance as the vacuum tubes need periodic replacement.

Solid-State guitar amplifiers rely on transistors and integrated circuits to amplify and process the guitar's signal. Although they can't match the raw power and smooth, natural distortion of a tube amp, Solid-State amps tend to be much more versatile. Modern electronics are often used to produce a broader range of tones than found in most tube based guitar amplifiers. They also run cooler, and are relatively maintenance free.

Choosing between a combo or separates is often a personal decision. Combo guitar amps use a single cabinet to house the electronics and speakers. They take up less space, and are generally easier to transport. Separates give you greater flexibility with respect to speaker size and type. Since there's more room for components, some argue that separates are built to higher standards than combos, but this is not always true. One really big advantage of separates is that the head can be isolated from vibrations produced by the speakers, extending the life and reliability of the electronic components.

Whichever type of amp you choose, keep in mind that your guitar and amp work as a team. Plugging an expensive, well voiced instrument into a cheap amplifier won't allow the instrument to reach its full potential. A good amplifier will last you for many years... so don't skimp!

A Brief History of Fender Guitars

Perhaps no other guitar maker has touched the hearts of so many players and collectors as Fender. By producing excellent guitars at reasonable prices, Fender has been the instrument of choice for many guitarists throughout the world. Both the famous and not so famous have relied on Fender guitars to define their signature sounds.

The Fender company was founded by Leo Fender, and produced its first solid body electric guitar in 1951. This guitar was called the Telecaster, and was soon followed by the Precision Bass, and the legendary Stratocaster in 1954. Over the years many changes would take place at Fender which had a great impact on the types and quality of instruments they produced.

The first "mile-stone" year for Fender came in 1965. During this year, Fender was bought by corporate giant CBS. Quality began to decline during CBS's reign, and although Fender still remained popular among players, CBS lacked the commitment and understanding necessary to satisfy the needs of serious musicians. As a result, the guitars produced during the "Pre-CBS" era would become prized collectors items demanding large sums of money in the vintage guitar market.

In 1985 Fender enjoyed another "mile-stone" year as a group of employees purchased the company back from CBS. For the first time in 20 years Fender was in the hands of musicians and artisans committed to producing world class guitars. A new manufacturing facility was built in Corona California to handle the production of USA made guitars. In 1987 the Fender Custom Shop was established, reaffirming the company's dedication to producing top quality guitars, and catering to the needs of top musicians.

From 1985 to the present day, Fender has been steadily expanding its operations within the United States and abroad. The company now produces a vast array of musical products from strings to mixing boards. In spight of such massive growth, Fender's commitment to the production of quality guitars remains very high. Fender remains one of the few companies that can successfully provide quality products to both the "budget conscious" and "price no object" musicians.

A Brief History Of Gibson Guitars

Gibson guitars have been around forever. It's funny, but although Gibson has produced some of the most amazing guitars in history, perhaps the company's largest contribution to music has been through their advancements in pickup technology. Gibson's first electric guitar the ES-150 was produced in 1936, and is still considered one of the best sounding electric jazz guitars in the world.

In 1946 Gibson introduced the P-90 single coil pickup, which was eventually used on the first Les Paul model in 1952. The Les Paul was Gibson's first solid body electric guitar. In 1957 Gibson introduced the legendary Humbucker pickup on the Les Paul model, and an instant classic was born. The P-90 and the Humbucker quickly became the pickups of choice for Gibson's expanding line of solid body electric guitars.

1961 marked the introduction of one of Gibson's most successful models ever, the double cutaway SG. This was followed by the Firebird, and Flying V models, each a classic in its own right. In addition to electrics, Gibson produces some of the finest acoustic guitars available.

Gibson's commitment to excellence, and support of top musicians is demonstrated most deeply through its well known Custom Shop. The Custom Shop produces specialty instruments for artists, and discerning musicians. In addition, many well known historic classics have been faithfully reproduced by the Gibson Custom Shop, allowing a whole new generation of guitarists to experience Gibson's hallmark guitars.

Say Something

The music of Rush influences and inspires, at least that's what it's done for me over the past 25 years. Now, the question is, is the music that powerful, or am I just too easy to inspire? Both I guess.

When something really hits me I tend to pay attention to it, like a smack in the face. It's tough to ignore something that's truly eye-opening. I pay attention to things that open my eyes, things that make me think and feel, like music. When I listen to Rush sometimes I laugh because of their comical aspects, sometimes I cry because of the impact of certain phrases or melodies, or indeed the combination thereof. I'm also often floored by the power of the music, and the sheer talent that created it.

The music of Rush can be incredibly gentle, and touching, stuff I would play for mom, unlike my old AC/DC or Ozzy Ozbourne (there's a story for another day), though I'm sure she has heard them vibrating the walls of my room one time or another. Rush also makes great wall-rattling tunes that you just have to crank up, songs with drive and power that make you want to play dashboard drums while you cruising along the highway. I'm a frequent dashboard drummer, though I can scarcely keep up with Neil Peart's double bass thumping -- my gas pedal gets in the way.

Sorry about that, back to my initial thought...

I feel many emotions when I listen to music, whether it's Rush, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, Coldplay or a host of other great musicians and bands. The fact is, music inspires. A great song puts on its gloves and gives you a good one two punch.

Okay, some great songs just have a good grove, or catchy chorus, but when you're listening to not-top-40 music like Rush, stuff that's not at all heard on mainstream commercial radio, you're listening to a band that's made it as far as they have because of their influence and talent. Their fans love them because of what they say, what they play, and how they play and say it. Don't trip there.

I can't imagine what my life would be like without some of these great musicians and writers. And while their music inspires greatly, we must understand that they're still human, and humans make mistakes. Do as I say, not as I do. :)

When something hits me, I look to see what it was. How often do you feel an impact? I guess that's why I write and record music as well, because I'd like to influence people the way I've been influenced, positively. I have stuff to say, do you? Say it. If we say enough good things, we won't have to worry about what the papers say when we make a mistake, the people we've influenced won't dwell on it.

I was hit by the Bob Marley song "Could you be loved" that ends with the repeated phrase "Say something... say something...say something.."

How Any DJ Can Increase Their Gigs and Profits By This Simple Strategy

The DJ industry is very competitive. There are many DJ's who are making huge amounts of money and then there are other DJ's who are struggling to find any gigs at all.

If there are some DJ's who are thriving with their business and you are not, there is something you can do to change that completely around where you become booked with as many gigs as you can handle.

To do this, you have to understand how to use a concept and differentiate yourself from the other DJ's.

So I need to ask you this question.

How different are you from any other DJ?

Do you provide services or products that another DJ doesn't? Do you provide better quality? Do you have the cheapest rates? Do you offer follow up services? Do you offer advice? Do you offer more solutions?

What do you offer your customer's that is different from your competitors?

This is the million-dollar question you need to be asking yourself.

A lot of dj's don't have any idea how they are different from their competitors. The answer is usually - 'we offer great service and excellent sound quality' or 'we offer the best range of music'. This is not being different from your competitor's as this would be exactly the same answer they would say.

The problem is you look the same as everyone else.

If you look the same as your competitors, how does your customer know whom to choose? They just choose whoever don't they?

I will put it simple. Pretend all of your competitors and yourself were in a room and a customer opens the door and has to choose only one of you. Your competitors and yourself scream out - 'pick me, pick me'. The funny thing is you don't get picked because the customer didn't even see you. You all 'looked' the same.

To overcome this, you need to be unique. Stand out from the crowd and be different. Be different means you are going to get noticed. But you have to go a lot further than that. You have to develop a Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

A USP is some area of your business that offers a solution to your customer's problems. A USP is the reason why a customer does business with you. It determines whether they choose you or not. Not only that it allows you to charge above your competitors without losing any customers. This way, you don't get bogged down in a price war and lose profits.

There are several areas that could be a USP for a business:

Price

· At Electric DJ Services, we offer the lowest price. Guaranteed.

· At Joe's DJ World, we offer the cheapest prices. If you find it cheaper somewhere else, we will match it and give 5% off our price

Service

· At 'Dj Sound', we are open longer than any other DJ from 8.00am to 11.00p everyday

· At 'hillside sound quality' we understand that sometimes your guests at parties want to hear certain tracks. Well have nearly all tracks available and we will play upon request. And if we don't have it available you get an extra ½ hr of our playing time.

Value

· When you book us for any children's party, you get a free dance video thrown in for each child to take home.

· Our business services provide the best sound quality there is. If you find that our sound quality isn't the best you heard, you don't pay. We stand behind our equipment 100%

Exclusivity

· At 'Big Bens' DJ services, we only use a special sound system that there is only three other companies are using in the world.

· At Electric DJ's, we have the largest range of music tracks available anywhere.

By having any of these areas (you may have a niche one) allows for customer to choose someone who is providing the benefit and solution that they are after.

How do you choose an USP?

That comes down to understanding your customers. What are their needs, wants and desires? What questions do your customers ask themselves before they buy? For example:

Why should I choose this business?
What are they going to do for me?
What promises will they make for me?
What exceptions will be granted for me?
How much value are they going to add to my life?
What cost is it?
What support systems are in place?
How convenient is it to use this business?
Will I suffer any consequences from going to this business?
How much pleasure will I receive from doing business here?

And so on.

Find out what your customers wants. ASK THEM.

The easiest way to develop your USP is to find out what is your customer's problems are in dealing with your competitors and solve that problem.

Here's how Jay Abraham describes how to put it into practice.

You know how?

Well, what we do?

· You know how you have to wait in a line for over 20mins in banks to be served. Well, what we do is if anyone has been waiting in line for more than 10mins in our bank, we credit your account $10.

· You know how most mechanics need your car overnight to fix and leave you stranded without a car. Well, what we do is supply you with a car to use overnight so you wont be inconvenienced.

· You know how most personal trainers charge you and if you don't get to your desire weight, they charge you more sessions. Well, what we do is if you don't reach your desired weight within a given period, you don't pay any money until you reach your desired weight.

Now your turn. Grab a piece of paper and write a few responses.

You now how??.

Well what we do is??

It's that easy. Find a problem that your customer's are experiencing with a competitor and solve it. You have then developed your USP.

You must therefore investigate what your competitors are doing. For instance:

You must know how they are treating their customers.
What they are offering them?
What their prices are?
What extra benefits do their customers get?
What support and advice do they get?
Where are they letting their customers down?

By knowing these answers is very powerful. It allows you the feedback on how to develop your business and not fall in the trap that your competitors are setting for themselves.

You must do the opposite to what they are doing. Offer more solutions than your competitor is the key. Offer more value. Offer more convenience. Offer more advice. Offer more.

Now you can understand that when most DJ's say our USP is that we offer better quality and service, this doesn't stand up because that is what your competitor is also offering. You must fine a problem in the quality or service and solve that area.

If you don't do this, you will become a business of 'pick me, pick me'.

When someone goes to the Yellow Pages, they are looking for a solution aren't they? They are trying to find someone to provide that solution.

This is what a customer's says - " I want?and who can provide that for me?"

What does your yellow pages or advertising say? Does it tell your customers you have a solution to their problem? Or does it just describe the features?

You must advertise your USP everywhere

In every little bit of your marketing, you must state your USP.

It is no use having a killer USP that will bring an unlimited amount of customers if nobody knows about it.

It must be in your sales letters, headlines, when you answer the phones (if applicable), your ads, your yellow pages ad, your brochure etc?

Everyone must know what it is.

How about having this as your headline:

The average mark up for a DJ is 70%. Our mark up is 40%. You save 30% off the industry rates every time you book through us (USP: Price)

Or

Most DJ's don't take request. Well with any of our DJ's they take all requests no matter how old the song is. (USP: Service)

Everyone knows what you are on about.

Creating Web Content Using Audio Recordings of Expert Interviews

Creating Web Content Using Audio Recordings of Expert Interviews

The easiest way to create content for your websites is also one of the best ways to create value for your clients. It's a wonderful technique that when used well can make a big difference to how professionally your work is perceived in the marketplace.

One of the Biggest Mistakes You Can Make Doing Business Online is Trying to Be the Expert on Everything

Many online business owners think that if they don't create their own content, they can't offer it or sell it. This is absolutely untrue. Moreover, if you don't get over this mental block, you will end by exhausting yourself and likely not completing many of your projects.

Instead of getting stuck in this way, try using audio recording to create content quickly and relieve yourself of the pressure of having to do everything yourself.

Find Experts on Your Topic and Interview Them "on the record."

Send an email to 5 people you'd like to interview, inviting them to chat with you for 30-45 minutes by telephone. Do this as often as you like, but at minimum twice a year.

Be sure to provide a few sentences about what you'd like to ask them and tell them what you're doing the interviews for. Let them know you'll be recording your interview so you can share their expertise with your online visitors.

Most experts will find your invitation appealing because they have to do very little preparation, they don't have to travel, and it gives them added ongoing exposure to your network. It's a great way for them to reach lots of new people with little effort.

There are Two Methods to Record Interviews: Use a Professional Service Or "Do-It-Yourself"

Using a Professional Service

There are different levels of service in the "audio recording" industry and lots of bells and whistles to choose from. At this point, to create an audio recording for your website visitors, all you will need is a way to put a link on your website in MP3 or RealAudio format.

You won't need CD or cassette duplication, but you may wish to consider it down the road.

Choose from the recommended services based on your budget and how much of the legwork you're willing to do on your own.

Doing it Yourself

"Doing it yourself" has its benefits: You can record almost anything at the last minute without having to call a supplier. Over time, there are significant cost savings. And of course, becoming more technically savvy brings you a measure of independence that will add to your confidence as an online business entrepreneur.

There is a learning curve that involves a time commitment, and requires about a US$200 investment to get you started. If you are at least somewhat technically capable, and plan to record more than 15-20 hours of audio in the next year, have a good look at the following resource on doing your own recordings. You will save money by doing it yourself. In fact, perhaps it's worthwhile hiring a virtual assistant to learn this for you.

This article on how to record TeleClasses and create passive revenue is clear, detailed and quite technical. It contains everything you need, including step-by-step screen shots, to get started recording interviews from your telephone in your very own office.

Consider this: Interviewing people "on the record" not only helps you add content to your current websites, it is also a tried-and-true way of creating a complete information product. Set up three people to interview in the next two weeks, then package the recordings into a quick and dirty information product for sale. If you make sure your interviews provide answers to a specific problem your clients experience, you'll have a winner.

There's no reason why you can't open a brand new revenue stream just that quickly and simply.

7 Ways to Use Website Audio in Your Marketing Arsenal

Most visitors to your website are using computers with audio capabilities. Recently introduced techniques make it easy to take advantage of this capability.

In the past, web audio was primarily decorative, consisting of musical fanfares or other clichéd sound effects. Now, you can use audio to multiply the impact of your message and create stronger bonds with your visitors.

Audio's power comes from its ability to engage more of your visitor's senses. The more senses you engage, the easier it will be to effectively communicate. Instead of just reading your words and looking at your picture, you can communicate with your voice - and the voices of your clients.

The power of audio can be appreciated by comparing the newspaper column version of Tom and Ray Magliozzi's Car Talk with the program aired each week on National Public Radio. Although the newspaper column and radio program address the same topics, it's far more fun to listen to Car Talk - where you can experience Tom and Ray's intonations and phrasing - than to read the same words.

Here are some of the ways you can employ audio on your website:

- Welcoming messages. You can create closer emotional bonds with website visitors by personally welcoming them to your site and introducing some of the features they should explore.

- Testimonials. Audio testimonials are far more powerful that written testimonials, especially if you include a photograph of the individual speaking the testimonial. The next best thing to a face-to-face referral is a recording of a client explaining their satisfaction with your product in their own words.

- Guarantees. Your satisfaction guarantees gain impact when you deliver them in your own voice. Place them on your order form, at the point of sale. People are inherently cautious about ordering products and services from the Internet. Reassure them that their credit card and personal information are safe with you.

- Seminars and teleconferences. Short excerpts about upcoming events can make your event even more appealing. Snippets from past seminars can whet visitors' appetites for more.

- Tips. Add interest to your site by describing an audio 'tip of the day' or 'tip of the week' in your own words. Be sure to offer access to previous tips, too.

- Audio postcards. You can include audio invitations and testimonials as links in email sent to clients and prospects. To arrange an audio testimonial, simply provide your client with a phone number and password, and invite them to call up and express their satisfaction with their purchase from you. Audio postcards are a great way to stay in contact with your clients and prospects with an announcement of an upcoming product or service. They are also a quick way to acknowledge a special occasion.

- Streaming audio can be used to allow visitors to playback longer events, like seminars or teleconferences.

When you add audio to your website, allow your visitors to maintain control. Don't begin playing your message when the webpage loads. Instead, invite visitors to 'click here' to hear your voice. Keep your messages as short and concise as possible.

And avoid 'scripting' your introductions and guarantees. Write down the key ideas you want to communicate, but deliver them in your own words as conversationally as possible.

Web audio is no longer a futuristic luxury. Web audio is here now and it's as close as your telephone. It is an affordable and easily added feature that can set you apart from the competition and help communicate your message with added impact.

The Ten Commandments To Creating Amazing Audio Products

1.Thou shall create audio products as the fastest way to come out with a product.

Forget about e-books. They take to long to create especially if you're a slooooow typist. You can create an audio product in a day instead of weeks or months with an e-book. If you must create an e-book, do the audio first and have someone transcribe the audio into a word file. You than clean it up and add some chapter heads and an index and Bam! You have an instant e-book

2.Thou shall use a headset microphone for your recordings.

I find that using a headset mic is a lot more versatile than a standard microphone. A headset mic gives you the freedom to move your head around and you don't feel restricted as far as being positioned in front of a table top mic.

3.Thou shall not be afraid to record your voice.

Many people hate the way they sound on tape (me included) and feel that they cannot put together a "Professional" product. The first time you hear yourself on tape you are just going to die. It takes practice to actually speak properly. You get struck by the dreaded Uh and Um syndrome and the monotone voice virus but take heart ?you can do this. Slow down and concentrate on what you're saying and interject some emphasis and pitch changes to your voice. Bottom line?add some personality.

I'll admit I'm no professional speaker myself? It takes practice and you will get better.

Here are a couple books you might want to check out: The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie Secrets of Successful Speakers: How You Can Motivate, Captivate, and Persuade by Lilly Walters

4.Thou shall add intro and outro music to your audios

If you really want to add a professional polish to your products you must add the intro and outro music. You know that cool music you hear at the beginning of the audio just before someone starts the introduction.

You could give this site a try: frontandbackmusic.com for some demos.

5.Thou shall use different formats for your audio info product

A couple of ways to create an audio product is to interview someone over the phone and record it or just do a straight forward gab session on your own. To keep it simple when I'm recording on my own, I write down some bullet points to use as memory joggers to keep me on track during the recording sessions. Also, when using the computer software it allows you to pause so you can get your thoughts together and then just restart the recording process without a skip.

6.Thou shall use different listening formats for your audio product.

When distributing your audios you have different formats to choose from. You can use .wav, .mp3, .ram files. Wave files take up the most space and are megabyte hogs. Mp3 and ram (real player files) take up the least amount of space and are good for streaming audio on the web. If you are distributing your audio on CD it is best to use wav. That way you will be able to listen to them in any CD player. Here is a little warning when recording your audio projects. Be aware of the space you have on your hard drive. A two hour recording session will take up to 1.3 gigabytes of space in wav. I like to record and edit in smaller intervals and burn them to a CD-RW just to get them off my hard drive.

7.Thou shall use cheap resources for your audio.

I get all my bubble pack shippers and CD cases off of Ebay. They have some great deals. I get my CD's duplicated at Diskfaktory.com because they can run small quantities of 50. I wouldn't get any more made until you know you have a winner.

8.Thou shall have fun when creating your audio products

I have to say I really enjoy the creation process and it's really neat when you go to record a product and can play it back and listen to it on the fly. You get a sense that this thing is really coming together. And when you add the music you really get a sense of satisfaction. Creating audio is really instant gratification when it comes to creating info products. I love it?

As of this writing, I'm working with my wife on a product and I'm interviewing her and we are having a blast. She makes mistakes and I make them and we just sit there and laugh. My wife has the UH and UM syndrome so we are trying to get cured of that? But the point is that we are having a good time.

Quick Tip: I use a splitter to add two microphones to my computer. You need to raise the volume to get it normalized.

9.Thou shall build a audio information empire

If you really want to get a jump start in the information product business this is the easiest and funniest way to do it. As fast as you can record and edit these things the faster you can crank them out and start making some money. Also audio CD and tapes have a higher perceived value and you can get more for them then by just selling an e-book.

10.Thou shall learn what software to use for your audios.

Software can be expensive. Many of the gurus recommend Sounforge but I prefer a program from Cakewalk called Plasma. This software is half the price of Soundforge and is very versatile.

Well there you have it. Some good tips to get you started on building your audio empire.

The Ten Commandments of Using Streaming Audio On Your Website

When it comes to placing audio on your website there are Ten Commandments you absolutely must follow. Break one of these Commandments and you can watch your website drive visitors away faster than the speed of sound. Fortunately, if you follow the Ten Commandments you can get people to stay at your website longer, inquire about your product or service more often, and even buy more of what you are selling. Doesn't that sound good?

So without further ado, here are the Ten Commandments you must follow when placing audio on your website.

Commandment #1

Don't set your audio to play automatically when people arrive at your website. Your visitors all have different computers with different speakers, some have the volume turned all the way up, some are already listening to music, some don't even have speakers to begin with. If you start playing your audio automatically you risk losing potential customers. It's much easer to leave a website or hit the back button then it is to search around for how to turn off your audio. One exception to this Commandment is the use of pop-up windows. Pop-up windows can be closed by the visitor yet they still leave them at your website. The same goes for exit pop-ups, these windows can be very effective at grabbing the visitors attention, although some people may not like it, it has proven to be very successful in some uses.

Commandment #2

Sounding like a Pro! You must have professional sounding audio on your site. Anything else will make you look like an amateur. If you are showcasing your own poetry, or telling a personal story, or marketing yourself, then you should use your own voice. But, if you are trying to sell something and your voice doesn't quite cut it, then have a professional voiceover person record your audio. It will make all the difference. You can find a list of affordable voiceover professionals at

Commandment #3

When using audio to sell or promote, keep it short! Long audio messages have their place online and rarely are they on the main page of a website. Keep your messages short, concise, to the point, and easy to follow. This can make all the difference in your audio message. Try to keep your promotional audio message around 30 to 90 seconds. Commercials are only 30 seconds and get their point across very well, follow their lead and do the same thing.

Commandment #4

Be prepared! If you or someone else is recording your audio then write out a script. Write out a complete word for word script, practice it out loud and change it as necessary. If you just "wing it" then it will sound like it. Have others listen and critique your script before you record it. Fine tune your script by removing unnecessary wording, trimming down the overall length, and wording it for maximum impact.

Commandment #5

When recording your own audio, smile! It will come across in your voice. But remember, if you don't sound like a pro even when you smile, then get one!

Commandment #6

Don't overload your site with audio. If you have too many audio buttons to choose from most people will choose none. Whereas when you only have a few audio buttons on your website it will encourage people to listen to your audio message. A single audio button done right is usually enough to get your point.

Commandment #7

Use music! Using music in addition to your voice will make your audio sound 100 times more professional and engaging. Add some easy listening intro music that fits the theme of your site, even sound effects if done right can make a tremendous difference in the way your message sounds. Remember to use music that is royalty free or music you have rights to use. Placing your favorite Beatles song on your website could get you in trouble. You can find several royalty free music resources here.

Commandment #8

Have a point! This may sound obvious, but many people place audio on their website just because they can and for no other reason. No one cares about how fancy your audio is if it doesn't have much of a point to it. Have a purpose and reason for using audio.

Commandment #9

Tell people to listen to your audio! Just having an audio button on your website isn't good enough. You need to tell people what they will hear, what it's about, how long it is, and where to click to listen. Don't assume people will figure it out on their own, people need to be told what to do online, and the same goes for telling them to listen to your audio. Also, by telling visitors the length of your message they won't be afraid to listen to it because they will know how long it is. Research has shown that sometimes people will not listen to an audio message in fear that it may be too long. If it is a long message then tell your visitors so they will be prepared for an hour long audio message.

Commandment #10

Test your audio! Don't just place audio on your website thinking it will increase sales. Test it out, get opinions from your visitors, friends, and family, and then do split testing. Find out if the sales are greater with your audio. If you don't split test your site with different audio messages and without audio then you will never know if it's helping or hurting your website.

Teleseminars, Audio Downloads, Podcasts: Listen Up So You'll Learn and Earn More

Internet Marketers love audio. You can't blame them. They used to have to spend weeks, or even months, writing an ebook to have something to sell. Now, they just pick a hot topic, interview an expert for a couple of hours with the recorder turned on, and Bam! They've got a hot new information product.

The audience for these products seem to love audio too. It's certainly quicker than reading a book. Because it can be produced more quickly, information can be more timely. One late summer day in 2005, Google changed how it ranked AdWords. That same night a teleseminar on the subject drew thousands of listeners.

Audio is Great Except for One Problem

Audio looks to be a perfect medium for online learning and communication except for one thing. A lot of folks don't know how to listen very well. Not the kind of listening you need to do if you're going to learn something.

Check with participants right after a teleseminar ends and they say they learned a lot. Ask them about it a few days later and most report they've forgotten exactly what it was they learned. That's true whether it's a seminar, a podcast, or even an audio download. Even when they have the file, most people don't listen more than once.

Listening to learn and to retain is actually a skill that has to be developed. It's not hard. You just have to know a few tricks. Once you do you'll be able to hang on to the key parts of what you hear. You'll remember new knowledge so you can apply it to your own marketing and business efforts. You'll start listening to learn and earn more.

5 Tips For Honing Your Listening Skills So You Can Learn More

Prepare. Give some thought in advance to what the speaker will talk about. Try to determine what you know and don't know about the subject. That way, when the presentation starts, you'll be ready to pick up on those areas you don't know as much about. Download and review any material provided in advance. If you have time, search for related material online and scan to get more background on the subject.

Focus. Once the speaker starts, concentrate. That's actually not as easy as it sounds. Our minds think 4 times faster than a presenter speaks. That's why it's so easy to find your mind wandering while listening. Three quarters of the time your mind is twiddling it's virtual thumbs! You've just got to keep bringing your attention back to the subject. Also, make sure you eliminate distractions. Instead of gripping a phone handset, use a speakerphone or headset. If you're attending a seminar, make sure to sit where you can see and hear clearly.

Find Your Purpose. Determine both before and during the presentation what makes it important TO YOU. It needs to have a purpose - a concrete, vivid reason. You won't have much motivation to listen without one. If it turns out you can't find a purpose, stop listening. Go on to something that uses your time more effectively.

Look for Patterns. Visualize the patterns of organization in what's being said. It will help you remember key points. Patterns are easier to recall than isolated facts. For example, how does the speaker begin and end each topic? With a brief summary of the main idea? What about details or examples? Are they used to make certain points? Can you easily see the relationship between the points presented? It's likely you'll find more organization in prepared speeches and seminar presentations than teleconferences, particularly interviews. But presenters almost always start with some idea of structure even if they drift off course. Do your best to find it.

Take Notes. It's true what they told you back in school. Taking notes enhances listening and recall. When you take notes, though, don't go overboard with detail or they just become another distraction. Tie them to the patterns and structure you find. Not everything is equally important. Be selective. Think of your notes in terms of review. The one thing that really helps recall is what almost no one does: review notes after the presentation and in the future.

Listen Well and You'll Learn and Earn More

Listening to learn is a skill you have to develop. You've just seen five tips that will help. Once you do you'll be able to more easily remember what you hear in teleseminars, podcasts and audios. You'll remember new knowledge so you can apply it to your own marketing and business efforts. You'll start actively listening and you'll learn and earn more.

Ronald A Murphy is a Copywriter and Graphic Designer specializing in Direct Response and Internet Marketing. Murphy writes and designs sales letters, direct mail packages, inserts, web sales pages, direct email, newsletters for marketing, Internet articles, white papers, and other sales focused materials. He provides expertise to clients serving financial, business, technology, health, opportunity and fundraising markets.

Get Personal by Adding Your Voice to Your Site

Many customers in today's online business world are shopping around online for a reason; either they are too lazy to go to stores, do not like the masses of people, or they might just want to shop in the comfort of their home. What ever the reason might be, we can conclude that they are not in a store, but rather they are on your site. Just because your businesses is online doesn't mean that you can't conduct your business like that of a normal store. Compare your site to a clothing store in a mall for example. When the customer comes in, a sales representative normally comes to the door and asks if they need help. A web site doesn't normally do this, but you can if you want to. Record an audio clip that not only includes a sales pitch and introduction but also a site map that includes the important parts of the site. Not only are you getting personal with your customer, you are also pointing them in the direction of your product. Here are a few tips to keep in mind about audio clips:

#1 - Make Sure They can Turn it Off

There is nothing worse than listening to someone drone on on how they made massive amounts of money, and so can you! If you do include audio with your site, make sure you include a stop button. You might think you sales pitch is interesting and informative, but the customer might not. They might also want to play it over again to catch a part they missed, so make sure to include a play button as well.

#2 - Include a Picture

Maybe is just cause we watch TV alot but when we hear audio, we want something to look at. Take a picture of yourself and put it above your new stop and play buttons. It will add to the personal touch and also give the people something to look at while they listen to you.

#3 - Don't Take too Long

People have short attention spans so introduce yourself and your site, make your pitch, point them in the right direction, and then stop. You can always include more audio files with success stories elsewhere on your site.

#4 - Don't be too Loud

It is hard to know how loud to make your clip but it is better to be soft than to be loud. The user can always turn up the volume if they are interested. Adding a volume "slider" next to your play and stop buttons and below your picture will round off the audio clip look.

So there you have it, four great pieces of advice when looking to add an audio file to your site. If you can do it yourself, put one up there, but if you can't, get someone to help you. It is relatively easy and so it should not be too expensive. Good luck and be creative!