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The idea originated with singer Jon Bon Jovi. Jon kept upping the ante with his label and ultimately they consented to a four-CD set of essentially new material. Here, he talks about this 20th anniversery project (100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong) and the things that make Bon Jovi unique.

100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong was released November 16, 2004

Steven:

Did it begin as a simple one or two CD box and then just started to grow?

Jon:
I didn’t know what it would be, to be honest with ya. It was dependent on what the record company would allow and what kind of package they would want to do. So, being brutally honest with you, it was dependent on what they were willing to pay for. It came down to what they would sell it for and there was this whole discussion [about that]. So they were cool. At first they were like, ‘Well, we’ll do a 24-song set’ and I said, ‘Keep it, that’s not a box to me, it’s a two-record set.’ And then they said, ‘Well, what do you want to do?’ and I said, ‘Well, how ‘bout 50 songs?’ And they said, ‘OK, we’ll do that.’

Steven:
Was there a lot of re-mixing and re-mastering that had to be undertaken?

Jon:
No; 40 of these songs nobody in the world has ever heard. Forty. And the other ten are rare soundtracks and things that people wanted us to release and we didn’t have the vehicle. Like there’s a song called ‘Edge Of A Broken Heart’ that was a fan favorite from the Slippery When Wet era that was on a soundtrack for a little movie called The Disorderlies. And so this was an opportunity to release it finally. So, that was like a no brainer. Things like that.

Steven:
Jon, not having heard the record, can I randomly choose some titles here and have you talk about them?

Jon:
I think it would be better for me to tell you a couple songs because you haven’t heard them. You know what I mean? It would be a better story. There’s a couple things on the first CD but there’s one called ‘Why Aren’t You Dead?’ Certainly would be a fan favorite and it was during the period between ’90 and ’92; we wrote it, having written songs in the past like ‘Bad Medicine’ and ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’ so we knew how to write those kind of tongue in cheek, cute choruses.

When we tried to do it because we knew how when we did it for what was to become Keep the Faith, it didn’t ring true anymore. We knew it was time to move on, so this is the classic case of this is the one that got away. So, people who were big fans of that era of the band will hear this one and go, ‘Yeah, that’s what I love.’ So that’s a good example of that.

‘Miss Fourth of July’ is a great one. That one and a song called ‘Only In My Dreams’ that Tico [Torres] sang, very influenced [when I was] in my Tom Waits era. Tom was such an influence on me in those great ballads that he writes and the great picture lyrics. And I wrote songs like ‘Bed of Roses’ because of Tom but while I was knocking out songs like this, these didn’t make it. But ‘…Fourth of July’ which is really a pretty neat song, something that perhaps I’d love to hear Don Henley sing, really talks about the loss of innocence and youth and how at that point in my career, I was really dis-enfranchised by what the business of music had become.

Steven:

Speaking across the board, when you’re trying to determine what songs will eventually make their way onto a CD, you try to determine what really makes the song work, the poignancy of the lyrics and …

Jon:
What works for a record when you consider that, for me, a record has to say something about who you are at that point in your life and that it’s not repetitious and then finally that there’s continuity in the record so it has, in fact, a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can’t have two songs that are a 6/8 waltz, the Tom Waits-influenced thing. You can have one and then you move on and the other one doesn’t get hurt.

Steven:

As you were sequencing the material and re-listening to this music, could you sense a growth in the songwriting and your own profile as a musician?

Jon:
Oh, sure. I think we’ve gotten better with time but that’s subjective, I guess. It depends on who you ask and how the song touched people. You know, you get a song like ‘It’s My Life’ and it moves the masses; you get a song like ‘Everyday,’ you think it’s the end all, be all, and it’s not a hit single, it doesn’t mean I don’t love it just as much. So, am I supposed to judge everything by hit singles? No. It’s a hard question to answer. I think we’ve gotten better; we’re certainly diversified, we’ve grown. We’re not still writing ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’ twenty years later, or trying to. Let’s put it that way.

Steven:

What about your relationship with Ritchie as a guitar player? How would you explain that?

Jon:
Ritchie is twenty times the guitar player I’ll ever be. I play guitar as good as a songwriter, to be honest with ya. You know what I mean? Jeff Beck’s got nuttin’ to worry about with me. The truth of the matter is what I wanted to do with the guitar was write songs and the way I learned to play was about that. It wasn’t mimicking some guy’s hot solos, it was ‘What chord progression was that?’ and ‘What inversion is that?’ That stuff actually never ends either; you never stop learning.

In fact I really feel humbled on this new studio record by John Shanks who I think is going to surprise a lot of new people. Because he and Richie went just crazy with guitar stuff like tunings and different instruments and it was really fun to watch. You know when to chime in and when not to but those guys, they’re great.

It [new record] sounds like us but it’s very contemporary. It’s hard to describe what it is but it’s pretty rockin,’ I can tell you that. And there’s only one song that’s a slow song on the record. That song is called ‘These Open Arms’ but that’s it, man. This is a rock record.

Steven:
You just mentioned how this new record sounds like you and at the some time has a modern feel. How have you been able to consistently change without ever losing your core integrity?

Jon:

When grunge came along, we didn’t pretend we were from Seattle; when rap came along we didn’t add a scratcher. And a lot of times, guys are real guilty of that stuff, they jump on the bandwagon. Even the great Stevie Tyler was out there singing with Britney Spears and ‘N’ Sync [during the halftime ceremonies of a Superbowl game]. I wouldn’t have done it. A lot of my peers suddenly in ’92 pretended to be from Seattle and got all dark and pretend to be somethin’ they weren’t. Or, as much as I dig Gwen Stefani, when I heard them puttin’ a rapper in the middle of the record, I went, ‘Oh, that’s a different thing.’ That’s not for me, I’m not doin’ it. We stayed true to who we were, we grew with what we did.

Like it or not and trust me, there’s people on both sides of that coin, the one thing I can say is it’s honest. It is what it is but at least you know what it is. It’s not trying to be something it’s not.

Steven:

So you were honestly a bit skeptical about the reception of Crush in the marketplace?

Jon:
Not skeptical, I believed in it, but I didn’t know it was gonna find another generation of fans. That was the amazing thing because that record touched six-year olds and sixty-year olds. Everybody felt some reason to say, ‘No, it’s my life.’ And of course everybody wants to be in control of their own life. I didn’t realize that when we wrote it. When we wrote it I was selfishly thinking of my movie career. Like Frankie said ‘I’ll do it my way.’ Sinatra. I’m gonna get a president elected, I’m gonna make movies, I’m gonna make records, I’m gonna do everything you tell me you don’t want to hear from me. And that was exactly what that song was about and then you see athletes using it, kids chanting to it, and all this amazing stuff happened. Who knew?

Steven:
And that guides us to the final question: You have all the money and cars and prestige anyone could ever want so what is the guiding force?

Jon:
You know, I just really enjoy writin’ a song. That gives me greater pleasure than recording it, which is second, and touring it, which is last. I get great pleasure out of it. You know it’s gonna be there forever and that to me is the greatest feeling of all of them.

Thanks a lot for your time, you did a great job.

Steven Rosen is a Rock Journalist. Since 1973 he has accumulated over 1000 hours of audio content and 700 articles and interviews…all now available for licensing or purchase.

Contact Steven Rosen for more
information. Discover The Classic Rock Legends of rock and roll

Whisky Rocks Tara Slone!

Whisky Rocks Unplugged is a four-week promotion that runs into November 2005, in 600 LCBO (liquor) stores across Ontario, highlighting the world’s finest whiskies (including 20 new products in Canada) and one of Canada’s own: songstress TARA SLONE!

Tara Slone is the former lead singer of the Toronto-based band “Joydrop”. The band had their first release with “Metasexual” which included the hit single “Beautiful”. Joydrop’s juno-nominated follow-up, “Viberate”, contained the single “Sometimes Wanna Die”. The song was a hit at rock, and pop radio and won the band “best new group” at the Canadian Radio Music Awards. The video, featuring Tommy Lee, went to #1 on Much More Music. In the process of promoting their music, Joydrop toured North America extensively, playing hundreds of shows and making a name for themselves across the continent.

Having the LCBO support her is a wonderful surprise to Tara. “It’s nice to have had the exposure and the LCBO did call me up based on the INXS ROCKSTAR show, so it’s nice to have this chance to showcase my songs. Other opportunities are now starting to come my way and hopefully when my record comes out ……(which is?) who knows? The record is done, mix, mastered and ready to go.” I could have sworn that Tara Slone was a bit more of a beer connoisseur, but Tara insists, “I am all for alcohol. I am not as much of a whisky connoisseur, but I definitely recognize that whisky is all about the rock ‘n roll lifestyle. I am really happy to have the LCBO promote whisky and then show a little love with music. This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my songs and there is a lot of press that is associated with this too.” Spoken like a true rock ‘n roll gal!

Tara’s first performance at the LCBO on the QueenQuay went of without a hitch! A media circus ensued the talented Torontonian, but it went unnoticed by her as she belted out the tunes from her new album and a few from her former band THE JOYDROP. I have to say though, that everyone that attended the event seemed more interested in networking than listening to her. A heralded applause accompanied every set, but I just think if you are there to listen to an artist, that perhaps you should…I don’t know…listen? Anyway, unlike many other performances that we seen of Tara on television, the INXS songs of choice paled in comparison to hearing her sing her own! She really is “ Beautiful” inside and out.

Tara was seen around the world this past summer on the hit CBS show “Rockstar:INXS”. Chosen from thousands of candidates, Tara was one of fifteen singers handpicked by INXS as a potential singer for their band. Tara sang her way to the top ten and picked up an international fan base along the way! Sugarcain Entertainment was one of the first to feature her along with the other 3 Canadian hopefuls, before she headed off to compete. When asked if she enjoyed the experience, Tara had this to say, “Well, I got back in August and then I went back for the finale of the show. Towards the end I felt that JD FORTUNE was going to win. No particular reason, it was just more of a vibe than anything. I would have been happy to stay longer if I had felt like it was an easier experience for me, but the whole process was pretty stressful. I am a songwriter and the process of being molded into something other than what I felt I was, helped confirm to me that I was doing the right thing now.”

Tara is excited to be rocking the musical waters as a solo performer. Her debut album, “My Little Secret” is set for a 2006 release. Tara explains who is on this album and the differences between Joydrop and the Tara Slone album, “Joydrop had a lot of programming and this is a bit more raw, guitar based, drums - more so, this was an opportunity for me to write. In Joydrop there were 4 writers and with my project there is me and a guy named Jordon Zadorozy of Blinker the Star, whose drummer just happens to be Tony Rabalao.” She goes on to say, “ It was an easy process writing with Jordon, and for me it was just the right fit.” Two of the former JOYDROP members Tony Rabalao (drums - who is touring with a few bands now across Canada) and Tom McKay (producing with a variety of artists) will be accompanying Tara on her tour along with a couple of newcomers - Trent (seen in photo at LCBO) and Chris.

Many guitarists don’t have enough time to practice for long periods of time. But if you want to progress fast, you need the guitar in your hands as regularly as possible.

It’s better to practice for 10-20 minutes every day, than 4 hours on just one day of the week.Getting into a rhythm of regularly picking up your guitar for a quick practice session is a great habit to get into.

So if you don’t have enough time for a full practice session, and you have 10-15 minutes to spare, here’s some ideas for what you should practice:

Practice a chord change.
Perhaps switching from an F barre chord to a D open is causing you difficulty?
If you spend just ten minutes going over and over the change, you will increase your ability to do it at the level you require.

The key is to focus, and hone in on one skill that you can improve in a short period of time.

Work on a song you want to memorize.
This will give you a chance to actually play some music! You need to have fun in your practice to keep you fresh and focused.

Listen to a song on a CD and jam along.
This is a great way to improve your playing, and it’s particularly suitable for short practice sessions.

An important part of learning guitar is to train your ear, and jamming along to a CD is the perfect way to do it.

Work on a lick you want to learn.
You’d be surprised how many times you can work through a lick in just a few short minutes. You can also combine this practice technique with practicing chord changes.

This will improve your skills in a short period of time.

Work on picking skills - do drills up and down the neck.
You can use your metronome to work on speed picking skills, or you can slow everything right down and work on keeping your body in a relaxed so that you develop an ease to your playing.

Work up and down a scale.
In ten minutes you can play through a scale around 50-100 times. This will improve your stamina and also help you build speed.

Remember to use a metronome when you’re trying to build speed though. Because you want a smooth rhythmic sound to your speed picking, not a struggling, hurried sound.

So build up gradually.

Be Creative!
Play some chords in combinations that sound good to you, or play some single note melodies. Again, this improves your ear and you could maybe work out some parts to a song of your own.

Okay, that’s all the ideas I’m going to give you for now. Use your imagination to come up with more things you could try, and mix it up so it doesn’t get boring.

Also, keep your guitar ready and set-up. Sure, it’s protected all hidden away in your case, but if it’s ready for you to have a short practice session, then you’re more likely to pick it up and practice, even if it is just for a short time.

So keep that guitar out and ready to practice!

You may not think these short practice sessions help much, but doing this builds up your skills fast – and you’ll surprise yourself by how much you improve just be having the guitar in your hands regularly.

However, you don’t want to solely rely on these quick practice sessions. Like most things, you need to strike a balance. A good way of finding that balance is to set a routine.

When you have a routine, you will find it gets easier to find the time for practice. Once you’re in a habit of practicing regularly, you’ll find it harder to break out of, and that’s a good habit to have!

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.

© Written By: Michael Casamento

Michael Casamento is the founder of Guitar Pages Online - a comprehensive resource for guitars and guitar related merchandise on the Internet.

For more information visit:http://www.guitarpagesonline.com

This article may be freely reproduced so long as the above resource box is included in its entirety.

Visual Kei appears to be frequently used in videos and grab audience’s attentions. Visual Kei followers are characterised by a rather stunning, although freak appearance of a striking make-up and elaborate costumes, causing a shock effect.

To recall, for instance, Merlyn Manson, who is among few to follow the style in the US. The trend is popular among modern bands, irrespective of rumours, suggesting that the style suffered no popularity in the USA and Europe. The Visual Kei style is peculiar of the tradition to wear relevant make-up and clothing always and everywhere.

The style is credited to have started in Japan in late 80ies through early 90ies as a result of the gothic style’s influence. The word “visual” originates from English; the “kei” word is what Japanese name for style. The X-Japan and the Buck-Tick are believed to pose as catalysts of the movement. Their followers, including Luna Sea, Melice Mizer, Glay, L’Arc~en~Ciel, Dir en grey, Pierro are engaged in encouraging boom of Visual Kei media culture.

Each band seeks to vary from a similar one through creating gorgeous and insane images. Though a vast majority of the musicians are male, bend members would often give a priority to make-up and clothing, considered as “feminine”, which has nothing to do with their sexual orientation, but a combination of visual gothic elements and Japanese cultural traditions. Which is why Japanese gigs often resemble fascinating theatre performances.

Notably, the ancient Japanese “Kabuki” theatre involved actors, among staff, to play women’s parts. Thus, a j-rocker, wearing a lovely pink dress and having his hair styled into violet locks, wrapped around with numerous fillets should cause no astonishment.

Presently, Visual Kei remains as a diverse, ever growing music culture.

Article source: Visual Kei as a music world vision. Music Babylon is a site which gives you access to huge database of music lyrics, lively music forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Francisco, CA–October 17, 2005–Xisco Poncé Jr. was
born in the Philippines, raised in Hawaii, lived in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, CA, and traveled around Europe,
performing at an early age. After giving up a career and selling
his house to record his full-length debut album, a year and a
half later in a Los Angeles studio, all of his hard work and
sacrifice has reached its fruition. The album, titled
Suite, was developed to be a concept of three suites
consisting of major pieces of work in movements titled “Err,”
“Tear” and “Calling.”

Xisco’s voice is like a cross between Seal and Sade but he adds
a personal flare to his overall sound that gives him the
uniqueness that makes Suite a great CD. With musicians that have
played for Elton John, George Michael, Toni Braxton, Thomas
Dolby and Mister Mister gracing the entire CD, Suite offers
compelling and sparkling production values with crisp
combinations of stinging rock guitar, beautiful melodies, and
Xisco’s angelic phrasing. Even when the lyrics are serious and
true to life, it all sounds beautiful.

The release of Suite is scheduled for 11/05 in a Limited
Edition Digipack of 1,000 copies only, signed and numbered by
the artist. It is now available from UE3 Records. Many media
outlets are available online to listen to the music and interact
with the artist. Digital distribution is planned for Christmas
of this year with a street date of January 10, 2006 with all
brand new artwork for the release.

Personal podcast on insight to his music and thoughts at:

Podcast
Directory

Podcast Radio where Xisco’s music has been showcased at:

Indiefeed Electronica

My Cup
of Tea (Japanese)

Contact: Barry Coffing, Uprising Entertainment,
uprising@pacbell.net

Address: 322 Culver Blvd. #323, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
Telephone: (425) 675-3440 E-mail: xiscoponcejr@mail.com

Fax: (831) 300-4030

Website: www.xiscoponcejr.com

CD Baby: www.cdbaby.com/xiscopo
ncejr2

PR Created and Distributed By MuzikReviews.com

###

When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper doesn’t like you, how do you win over new audiences?

The good news: there are many, many ways. Here are ten of my favorites.

1. Approach a local college or alternative radio station or community access cable TV station with a programming idea, like a live songwriter showcase. Other musicians will want to be a part of your show, and you’ll build an audience for your own music–and theirs.

2. Write CD or concert reviews for a local alternative (or mainstream) paper.

3. Give copies of your CD away to public radio and TV stations for their fund drive premiums.

4. Organize, publicize, and perform at charity events for your favorite causes.

5. Lead songwriting or performing workshops in the schools (these are usually paying gigs, and all the parents hear your name). Invite some of the kids to perform with you; they’re sure to bring a bunch of relatives along who will pay for their tickets and maybe buy a CD.

6. Announce your gigs in every community calendar. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations, community web sites, cable TV stations–they all run event listings. Type out one paragraph that includes a tag line about what you do, such as “Sandy Songwriter, River City’s ‘Homegrown Bono,’ will perform labor songs and love ballads at The Trombone Shop, 444 4th Street in Downtown River City, Wednesday, January 15, 7 p.m.” If admission is free or there’s a charity connection, say so. Include contact phone number and e-mail.

7. Find Internet discussion groups related to your cause. Whether it’s immigration, voting reform, peace, safe energy, the right to choose…there will be discussion groups online. Post responses and include a “sig”–a short on-line business card. Use different sigs for different purposes. Here’s one of mine (in a real e-mail, it would be single-spaced):

__________________________

Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@frugalfun.com, 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388

“I make the world INSIST on learning why YOU’RE special”

News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, web copy, resumes, etc.

http://www.frugalmarketing.com * http://www.principledprofits.com

_____________________________

8. Set up a simple low-cost website. Include a couple of sound clips, pictures of you performing, a place for people to sign up for your fan newsletter, a link to your favorite musicians, and, of course, your tour schedule and gig availability.

9. Get exposure on other people’s websites. Write CD reviews, endorse their music with a blurb, submit articles on the local music scene…and always include your contact information and a statement that encourages people to visit your site.

10. Use the letters columns. Call in to talk shows. Post messages to Web forums…in short, use every feedback tool you have to spread the word.

Copywriter, marketing consultant, and speaker Shel Horowitz is the author of six books and publisher of five websites, five webzines and three ezines. His two most recent, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First (http://www.principledprofits.com) and Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World (http://www.frugalmarketing.com) have both won awards. He’s currently engaged in a campaign to get 25,000 people to sign–and spread–the Business Ethics Pledge: http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html

Your first drum set purchase is very exciting! You have probably waited a long time to buy your first drumset and have thought a lot about it. Even though it is exciting, it is important to be patient and do your research before you buy a drum set.

Where Do I Begin?

If you are new to drumming it can be pretty overwhelming and confusing when you start looking for a drum kit. The first thing that you need to know is that if you are just starting out, you should buy a starter drum kit. These drum sets are designed with the beginner drummer in mind because they come supplied with all of the drums that you will need to get up and running.

What Comes In A Drum Kit?

The typical starter drum kit comes with all of the drums that you will need to get started. The drums in the kit include:

* A bass drum
* A snare drum
* A floor tom
* Two mounted tom toms

You will notice that there are no cymbals included in the starter drum kit. That is generally because drum manufacturers do not usually make cymbals and vice versa. However you will want cymbals with your drum set as well, and you can also purchase a cymbal kit as well, which is usually called a pre-pack.

What Type Of Cymbals Do I Need?

When you are looking for cymbals, a good set to get you started will include a 20” ride cymbal, a 16” crash cymbal and a pair of 14” high hat cymbals. This is a good set to get you started and should serve you well.

If you are just starting out drumming you can buy a combination crash /ride cymbal and combine the two cymbals into one piece of equipment. This will help you save a little bit of money at the beginning of your drumming career, however as your drumming skills advance you will want to purchase a separate ride cymbal later on.

You will want to purchase your cymbals from a reputable cymbal manufacturer, and some good manufactures that put out some pretty good pre packs are: Zildjian, Sabian and Paiste.

What Else Will I Need?

Be sure to check out the drumkit that you are purchasing to see if it includes the hardware or if you have to purchase the hardware separately. Hardware is the term that is used to describe the stands, the pedals and the “throne” or drum seat that you will need.

When you are looking for a pedal you may want to consider investing in a medium to professional quality bass drum pedal. This pedal may cost a little bit more initially, however it will save you money in the long run as it will out perform and out last more basic, beginner pedals.

Many beginning drummers think that they can save a little bit of money by not purchasing a proper “throne” or drumming chair for their new drum set. However, even a bargain basement throne is a better choice than a kitchen chair or other stool that you have around your house. You need the proper seat to support you and absorb the impact of the drumming.

Can I Buy Used Drum Sets?

You can buy a used drum set and get a good set for a reasonable price. There are a few things that you should be cautious about when you are looking at used drum kits however.

Be sure to check for quality very carefully, check that the drum plastic is firmly attached to the shell of the drum and is not lifting anywhere. Be sure to check for the plastic lifting around the bearing edges and be sure that there are no air pockets anywhere.

It is also important to be sure that there is no chipping at all along the bearing edge. The bearing edge is where the drum head comes into contact with the drum shell. It is important that this is level as well.

Also be sure to check all of the hardware to make sure that none of the rims are bent and the brackets are all able to hold the drums securely. Do not be afraid to pull on the drums and twist them a little bit. You need to be sure that the used drum set will be able to stand up to your drumming.

What Can I Expect To Pay?

When you are shopping for drum sets you should be aware that the prices will range according the region that you are living in. However you can expect to pay anywhere between $400 to $1000 for an entry level drum set. A used drum set may cost anywhere between $200 to $800.

What Brand Should I Get?

You are probably going to want to choose a drum kit that is made from a reputable manufacturer. There are a few really well known makers of drums and it is best to stick with them. They include:

* Yamaha
* Pearl
* Ludwig
* Tama
* Gretsch
* Sonar
* Mapex

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that you should take your time when you are looking at buying your first drum set. Shop around a few different stores and find a dealer that you are comfortable with. It is best to find a store that has knowledgeable sales people who will be able to help you now, and in the future.

© 2005 http://www.drum-sets-now.com

About the Author
Kevin Brown is successful author and publisher of many informative websites including http://www.drum-sets-now.com. His websites offer tips and advice on a wide array of topics including drum sets, electronic drums, and other percussion instruments.

We all need to relax more, and music hath charms to soothe the savage beast. But, have you ever thought that you could create your own relaxation music? Doing so actually has more benefits for you than just listening to it.

Take the piano for example. This instrument is perfect for creating soothing, relaxing ambiences and has been used just for this purpose. There’s no need to create bouncy Jazz rhythms or sharp dynamic classical crescendos. On the contrary, the piano can be used to provide a lovely, delicate environment.

The good news is that creating relaxation music is quite easy. All you need are a few chords, a way to play those chords and a scale to improvise from. In fact, if people knew how easy it was, they’d be playing the piano more and more.

For example, let’s say you’re stressed out and in need of some musical comfort. You go to your piano or keyboard and place your hands on a E Major 7 chord. This could be the beginning of a nice improvisation. You choose a few more chords from the Key of E major and you can now use the music to help you unwind and forget about your busy day.

After a few minutes of playing, you start to feel more relaxed. In fact, it’s as if a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders. The music has done it’s work of soothing and healing and you feel refreshed and more in touch with yourself.

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

American Idol is getting stronger and this season has got to its most serious part. There are only four contestants left trying to achieve a goal that will change their lives. Fame and money will come along with the chance of developing what they like to do most: singing. The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17th, 2006.

Auditions for this season took place in Boston, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Greensboro, North Carolina and Las Vegas. Memphis auditions were cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina. 12 men and 12 women were selected as semi-finalists. American Idol’s fifth season has been noted for the diversity among its participants.

At the beginning, the favorite picks to become the new American Idol were: Paris Bennett, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee and Mandisa Hundley. But at the end there are four contestants: Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin.

Chris Daughtry is an intense and charismatic rocker.

Taylor Hicks, the gray-haired who knows how to entertain the audience has a very strong talent.

Katharine McPhee, the only girl left in the American Idol’s contest. Besides her ability to sing and stage presence she has her look on her side.

Elliott Yamin has a soft voice and a good personality. Plus, one of the judges: Paula Abdul said he was most consistent than any of the finalists.

Some analysts believe Katherine McPhee will be the first one to leave the foursome and then Elliot Yamin even though he has a refreshing personality and a smooth voice he has been victim of a bad selection of songs. And there would be just Chris Daughtry and Elliot Yamin running towards becoming the next American Idol. Tonight’s decision will depend on Elvis Presley’s songs, since they have a different style every week. The American Idol contestants have performed songs with themes like: 1950’s, the Billboard charts, country, Queen, The Great American Songbook, Stevie Wonder, Classic Love Songs and the 21st century.

About the Author:
Julie Smith is one of the most recognized copy writers on Sports Betting and currently writes for Instant Action Sports. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.