How to Write Songs and Teach Yourself the Guitar

Hello guys and welcome to my article. Should you write the lyrics first, or the music? This is often something I contradict myself with, and it all depends on the songwriter. When bands write songs together they usually split the music and the lyrics between them. My concern is that sometimes, when you have written the music and lyrics separately, you can tell. The words sound very broken and sometimes rushed, because the singer is trying to fit the lyrics and syllables into the music.

I find the best songs I write come from jamming on a guitar or playing on a piano and singing along. Singing anything that sounds good. Even gibberish. Once I have the structure of the song, I then start putting meaningful lyrics in place of the gibberish. Sometimes I even keep some of the gibberish. Take the band Sigur Ros. If you have never heard of them, I suggest you legally download some of their music now. They believe the vocals are an instrument, and they treat it that way. The singer sings utter gibberish, but it sounds good. It sounds totally improvised and natural.

Another good way to get ideas for a song is to start jamming with others. Think of a little riff. It could be something at random. Get the other band members to join in with something that fits in.

Lyrics wise, I think you should do what I said. Use gibberish at first to work out the melody and syllables, then when you have finished the structure of the song, write around the gibberish!

There's a lot of software available that aids in writing songs like Garage Band for the Mac, and Cubase for Windows. You might want to check out our Guitar Player World's song writing for guitarists.


* Teach Yourself the Guitar

Playing a really nice guitar rhythm with the songs can be so fulfilling. But to get to that place it will take some time. Do you sometimes feel that your practicing consists of boring mindless exercises and your improvement on the guitar is slow?
There are three ways you can improve your playing.
First you can find a local instructor and get them to show you the techniques they used to stay focused on training.

Second you can download some free lessons from the internet. When you want learn to play guitar, the internet is a lifesaver. Compared to finding a formal guitar instructor, setting up a schedule, and travel time to the instructor and back home, online guitar lessons are a breeze. Not to mention the amount of money you save when you download guitar lessons. But free lesson can sometime lack in substance, you get what you paid for.
Third option is of course to find a superior guitar teaching site and pay a bit of money for the videos and lessons, but the results can be unbelievable. These professional lessons are inspirational, easy to follow and great motivators.
Ask yourself this question. What type of guitarist do I want to be? The answer will determine which type of program or course you should choose. Your ability level, desire and overall attitude will determine which course is right for you.

Music Licensing is a Vital Tool for all Music Aspirants

Music is a passion for millions. In fact, people of all ages prefer to spent hours for music. Every time a music album launches in the market, the musical stores get suffused with enthusiasts. Moreover, the Internet has made it all easy for people to download their favorite collections from certain websites. Owing to these technological advancements, music has been transformed into a craze. However, this has consequently given rise to both positive and negative factors. Certain individuals are found to upload the latest tracks of a musician to a certain website and thereby hamper the authenticity of the creator. Therefore, music licensing is a must for musicians and artists to protect their original compositions from getting duplicated. Besides, music licensing ensures an artist for a stable income and a secured career as well.

For those dreaming to build a career in the music industry, it takes a lot of hard work and passion to get to the top. Inborn talent is in fact a per-requisite criteria for any music aspirant. Freshers are generally unaware of the benefits of music licensing and they often land up in serious issues related to authenticity. There are many individuals who by means of malpractices make use of the original compositions of artists and therefore earns good money. Thus, its quite essential for an artist to license music so that his long hard labor gets justification. You often come across artists singing in concerts and functions and these help certain listeners to execute their dishonest plans. In fact, there has been a number of instances where the original song of a certain singer has been recognized as the one sung by another. Well, music licensing is the only way out to stop such malpractices.

As far as the license music goes, the artist and the licensing company draws an agreement between them. The primary aim to license music is to legally protect one's composition from any sort of fraud issues. Once the agreement is done, no one can access any musical piece of that particular singer. If one shows his guts in doing so, he will be heavily penalized or might be compelled to go behind bars. Owing to the high population of frauds all over the world, licensing music has become a necessity among musicians and singers. Without music licensing, even a successful musician cannot remain secured until he gets the lawful right of his creation.

The benefit of license music helps you to create an independent identity of your own. Well, most of the artists in the music industry struggle for individuality and therefore licensing music can help them achieve it. Being independent, you will be able to draw audience in bulks and can be recognizable for many advertising agencies who hire singers for their company ads. Now, once you prove yourself in the advertising industry, you are bound to get calls from various TV production and also film making companies. Therefore, if you are yearning to grab these opportunities, music licensing is a must for you.

How to Make Video Karaoke on Sony Vegas

Making Karaoke Video on Sony Vegas 7.0 is simple and easy if you know the basic steps. It just needs a little hard work in the beginning but once you familiarize the steps, you can do a lot of video karaoke as fast as you can. Just follow the simple steps below.
1. Open the Sony Vegas 7.0 and create a video karaoke project.
2. Insert two audio tracks for the project, one is for non-vocal audio, the other is for the audio with vocal. Put the non-vocal audio to audio track 1 and the audio with vocal to audio track 2.
3. Play the audio with vocal and create a marker for every word in the song.
4. Insert Video Track to the project. Put the video or photos to the video track.
5. Add four video tracks to the project. One for the normal text on the Top Line, one for the highlighted text on top line, one for normal text on the bottom line, and one for the highlighted text on the bottom line.
6. Create four karaoke text presets. One for the normal text on the Top Line, one for the highlighted text on top line, one for normal text on the bottom line, and one for the highlighted text on the bottom line.
7. Plot the lyrics on the video track using the presets for each video track.
8. Create presets for the Karaoke Effect. One for the Top line and one for the bottom line. Apply the karaoke effect to Top line then to the bottom line.
9. Save the project using the title of the song.
10. Render the project as VCD or DVD.
There is a free ebook for step by step procedure on making video karaoke in Sony Vegas available Free Karaoke Tutorials. The tutorial works perfectly on all Sony Vegas application including the latest Sony Vegas 9.0. The steps are easy to follow since it consists mostly of graphical presentation.

Rickenbacker Guitar

A guitar can be the present of a lifetime, or it can be a great way to spend your money on something that, if looked after properly, will stay with you for a long, long time and give you and your friends/family plenty of good times. Whether you want a Rickenbacker guitar or a Gretsch guitar you'll find the best deal online.

Rickenbacker Guitar

If you're looking for one of the world's finest electric guitars then you should consider a Rickenbacker guitar. Originally from the 1930's, the Rickenbacker guitar models has enjoyed a history steeped in celebrity tradition; John Lennon from The Beatles had a Rickenbacker guitar which he used for their debut on the 1964 The Ed Sullivan Show. Other members of The Beatles (Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison) also had Rickenbacker Guitar's, proving the quality and popularity of the brand.

The unique aspect about a Rickenbacker is that both guitars and basses are equipped with something called a "Rick-O-Sound" unit which allows two pickups to be connected to amplifiers. Both acoustics and electric Rickenbacker's can be purchased.

A Great Present: A Guitar!

Are you searching for the perfect Birthday or Christmas present? Perhaps you want to say thank you to someone? There's no better way to make someone happy than by giving them a brand new guitar covered in wrapping paper! Why is a guitar such a great present? Not only will it last for decades if looked after properly, it provides someone with a new hobby/activity to get involved with that will bring joy to the ears (once they learn how to play it well!) of friends and family!

When deciding on what guitar to purchase for that special someone, ensure you do your research and speak to people who have played the instrument for many years – they will know what to look for in a guitar and also what type of guitar to get depending on the level of ability the person you're buying it for is at.

Ringo Starr's Childhood Friend Marie Maguire talks to David Bedford

Born in The Dingle, Marie Crawford, nee Maguire remembers the young Ritchie Starkey well. Her family moved into 10, Madryn Street in June 1943, immediately opposite Elsie and Ritchie's house.
Recently interviewed by David Bedford, she was asked:
What do you remember about The Dingle?
"It was a lovely place to grow up: not the squalid slums that some writers portray it as, especially when they've never been near the place. I remember that you could walk in and out of each other's houses, with your door being open all the time. Everyone knew everybody else. You knew who your neighbours were and we helped each other out. That was what it was like, and why I was happy to help out. Ritchie's dad had moved out when Ritchie was only three, and so Elsie had to work to pay the rent.

"When our family moved to Madryn Street, we lived opposite the Starkeys who lived at number 9. Mum became good friends with Elsie Starkey, and I was regularly called in, and trusted, to baby-sit young Ritchie. This would often entail going to Ritchie's grandparents' house at the bottom of Madryn Street where I would collect him—often fast asleep. I would carry him home and put him to bed.

"Mum and Elsie became good friends and I spent a lot of time with young Ritchie. When he was near his seventh birthday, his appendix burst and he contracted peritonitis and was very ill. On 7 July 1947, Elsie was called into the hospital, as they weren't sure if he was going to make it. I remember that day, because it was the day my father died. But mum still went with Elsie and sat with her through the night, even though she had lost her husband that same day: she wanted to stay with her in her time of need".

If you want to know what growing up in a community like The Dingle was like, then this selfless act sums it up. For those who don't know the area, then it is hard to describe. Those who do understand Liverpool will not be surprised. Ritchie went to St. Silas School but Marie went to Mount Carmel, the local Roman Catholic School. However, this brought up an interesting point about the clash of religion.

"I was brought up a Catholic by my mum, and Elsie was a member of the Orange Lodge—staunch Protestants who normally hate the Catholics. However, mum and Elsie celebrated the 12 July (Orange
Lodge celebration) and 17 March (St. Patrick's Day for the Irish Catholics). They would sing the songs together and enjoy the day, and proved that not all Protestants and Catholics had to hate each other".

Ritchie became ill again and most books say it was pleurisy. Marie disputes that long-held belief.

"Ritchie contracted tuberculosis (TB) which of course was serious. At the time, there was a terrible stigma attached to having TB, and so the family said it was pleurisy. He was at the convalescent home in Heswall on the Wirral. That is when I took him Eric Delaney's record, ‘Bedtime for Drums', which he loved".

While convalescing, children with TB would spend a lot of time in bed, often outside in the sunshine and fresh air. Part of the therapy to relieve boredom was to give the boys some ‘noise time'. This consisted of giving them a toy drum or tambourine to bang and crash while sitting on their beds. It was here that Ritchie developed his love for drumming, helped along by Marie's simple but memorable gift.

The other Beatles moved their parents out of Liverpool when they became famous. John moved Mimi to Poole in Dorset; Paul moved Jim to Heswall and George moved Harry and Louise to Appleton near Warrington. Elsie didn't want to move too far, so Marie helped Ringo to find a house for his mum and stepfather.

"Elsie wanted to be close enough to come back to see her friends. Admiral Grove was surrounded by fans twenty-four hours a day, which was awkward, particularly as the toilet was still in the yard. So I went and found three houses which I thought could be acceptable. She and Harry chose the bungalow in Heath Hey in Woolton, which was a lovely house".

Marie and Ritchie moved on in their adult lives. Marie has been a leading tour guide in Liverpool for many years. She has fond memories of the young boy who went on to become one of the most famous men on this planet. Her viewpoint is refreshing: no dirt, no scandal, just great memories of a special area that produced a famous son—a lad who grew up to become Ringo Starr. But to Marie he will always be Ritchie.

Jane's Addiction Is Busy Writing New Album

t's been seven years since Jane's Addiction have released new material, but according to guitarist Dave Navarro, a new record could be out as early as next year.

In an interview with PopStop TV (via Spinner), the guitarist revealed the band will hit the studio next month to begin laying down tracks. "We're actually writing quite a bit and getting ready to go into the studio," he said. "We will start recording tracks and hopefully have something by early next year."

The band has had tumultuous line-up changes over the years. Founding bassist Eric Avery returned to the fold in 2008, only to leave the band two years later. He was replaced by Guns 'N' Roses' Duff McKagan earlier this year, but he quit in December. According to Spinner, bassist Chris Chaney has replaced McKagan for the new album.

Linkin Park to Tour U.S. in January

Rock juggernaut Linkin Park will hit the road in North America for the first time since 2008, kicking off a 21-date arena tour January 20 in South Florida. See the full itinerary below.

In a move befitting the techno-ish sound of their latest album, A Thousand Suns, the California sextet has tapped a trio of electronic-leaning acts as their opening acts: the Prodigy, Pendulum, and Does It Offend You, Yeah?

As a bonus to fans, anyone who purchases a ticket for this tour will be able to download a free live recording of the show they attended.

Linkin Park tour dates:
1/20, Sunrise, FL (Bank Atlantic Center)*
1/22, Tampa, FL (St Pete Times Forum) *
1/23, Atlanta, GA (Phillips Arena) *
1/25, Detroit, MI (Joe Louis Arena) *
1/26, Chicago, IL (United Center) *
1/28, Minneapolis, MN (Xcel Energy Center) *
1/29, Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center) *
1/31, Philadelphia, PA (Wells Fargo Center) *
2/1, Boston, MA (TD Garden) *
2/4, New York, NY (Madison Square Garden) *
2/7, Montreal, QC (Bell Centre) *
2/8, Toronto, ON (Air Canada Centre) *
2/10, Washington DC (Verizon Center) *
2/11, Uncasville, CT (Mohegan Sun) *
2/15, Houston, TX (Toyota Center)#
2/17, Dallas, TX (American Airlines Center) #
2/19, Las Vegas, NV (MGM Grand – Garden Arena) #
2/20, San Diego (Viejas Arena) #
2/23, Los Angeles, CA (Staples Center) #
2/25, Salt Lake City, UT (Energy Solutions Arena) #
2/26, Denver, CO (Pepsi Center) #
* with Pendulum and Does It Offend You Yeah
# with the Prodigy