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	<title>Sound and Gear</title>
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	<link>http://soundandgear.com</link>
	<description>Audio equipment reviews, musical instruments, audio equipment, digital audio, audio systems</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:05:34 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Music Business Productivity</title>
		<link>http://soundandgear.com/music-business/music-business-productivity/</link>
		<comments>http://soundandgear.com/music-business/music-business-productivity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:17:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Music Reviewer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soundandgear.com/?p=15</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you are a serious musician, you might take your artistry on top of everything. There may be times when you had to accept gigs and deals which might not really translate into getting monetary revenue, just as long as you get publicity or you get to make your music available to a wider public [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you are a serious musician, you might take your artistry on top of everything. There may be times when you had to accept gigs and deals which might not really translate into getting monetary revenue, just as long as you get publicity or you get to make your music available to a wider public base. This usually ends up with the artist spending a lot more for the publicity and his &#8220;musical expression&#8221; rather than earning from it.</p>
<p>Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. After all, the real essence of art cannot be measured in terms of how much it is sold for. However, as you go on and pursue a musical career, you will incur expenses along the way. Also, you&#8217;d want to grow bigger and bigger as a musician, and that usually means more expenses. Want a new guitar? Want new clothes to wear during gigs? What about communication expenses? Truly, the financial aspect of being an artist can get in the way of your artistic success.</p>
<p>This is why, if you are given a chance to earn (and really earn!) from what you already love doing, why not push your envelopes and make money out of it? Perhaps you can sign up with legitimate music business programs which can help you manage your finances well while helping you move forward as musicians.</p>
<p>Look at the people who earn from what they love doing. They maximize their productivity well. If they earn, they can buy things to upgrade what they already do. Anyone can always use a better phone, laptop, car or a musical instrument. Or maybe get extra assistance from a PR entity, use the money to produce your next album, invest in other non-music related things (music as a career is not that stable, after all), et cetera.</p>
<p>Also, another advantage with enrolling yourself with legitimate music business programs is that you will learn some technical music handling stuff, some things you might find difficult to ride on with if you just plunge into the music industry without any form of orientation. Such programs will help you understand and appreciate industry essentials such as artist royalties, proper trainings, professionalism and networking. The certifications that you get from such music business programs will help you build a more solid repertoire in music once you get across the hardcore technical managers, producers or hotshot music network.</p>
<p>Most likely these programs were made with emphasis on helping the young indie artists get their names on the mainstream music. So the design that you will be working with will be a ladderized design, something which won&#8217;t overwhelm you.</p>
<p>Are you convinced with taking a look at some music business programs which boast of the potentials they&#8217;ve made famous? One of these artists could be you! So do you research as soon as now and get hooked with the best programs in your side of the country. This is one musical investment you don&#8217;t want to miss out on!</p>
<p>Eugene Sturdivant is the CEO of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.streetdreamerz.com/" target="_new">www.StreetDreamerZ.com</a>, an online project oriented entrepreneurship program that gives everyone a chance in training and real-world experience in the music industry. This site offers a project-based curriculum that teaches you on starting up your own music business and making it big in the long run. Get involved in their <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.streetdreamerz.com/" target="_new">music business programs</a> now and you&#8217;ll get extra benefits to reap in the future.</p>
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		<title>The Restoration of Guitars</title>
		<link>http://soundandgear.com/guitar/the-restoration-of-guitars/</link>
		<comments>http://soundandgear.com/guitar/the-restoration-of-guitars/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:14:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Music Reviewer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[guitar restoration]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soundandgear.com/?p=11</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It was around four years ago now, when I decided to make an electric guitar for a course I was studying on. It was not a great feat of musical and design genius, but it inspired me to continue working with musical instruments. The restoration of guitars in particular is not as hard as one [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It was around four years ago now, when I decided to make an electric guitar for a course I was studying on. It was not a great feat of musical and design genius, but it inspired me to continue working with musical instruments.</p>
<p>The restoration of guitars in particular is not as hard as one may think. Once you have basic woodwork skills, the specialist skills required for instrument restoration are easily picked up. I think, by the time I had worked on my fourth parlour guitar I understood the methods sufficiently well.</p>
<p>I began my restoration projects by firstly identifying and writing down every small detail about the instrument I was to work on. I began with guitars because I am a classical guitarist. Once I had identified the jobs I needed to look over or correct I got started.</p>
<p>Usually the first thing I did was to either remove or replenish (by sanding and re-applying) the coat of varnish or lacquer. Quite often I would entirely remove it and replace it with a French polish finish. Next I would attempt to fill and re-glue any cracks in the bodywork. With these old guitars there are often many hairline cracks that need to be dealt with sooner than later. The next thing to do was to check the bridge and top-nut and if the either was broken beyond repair, it would have to be replaced. I replaced them with a handmade bridge of my own (design based on an original, of course). Once the actual body of the guitar was in good order, and the action of the strings had been checked (and lowered if necessary). Between 3-4mm is ideal. The guitar often just needed a good clean before selling it on.</p>
<p>Occasionally with some jobs, the fretboard would have groves in &#8211; these can be filled with ordinary wood-filler. As long as they are coloured to look like the original wood used. If you happen to have a large problem, i.e. the neck has warped and needs replacing, you can either sell the guitar with a warped neck and declare it to be so, or replace and rebuild the entire neck (including frets I&#8217;m afraid). Now for an amateur restorer that is perhaps not advisable without a lot of practice. In which case you could also buy a pre-built neck from a registered luthier, if you like.</p>
<p>Otherwise, simple problems like &#8216;bad tuning pegs&#8217; can easily be replaced with the use of a screwdriver.</p>
<p>The most important thing to remember when restoring instruments is their sound! If you loose the sound, the instrument has no value other than the wood it is made of. I cannot stress that point enough. Many people restore these instruments as they would a chair. The most important thing to do whilst restoring it is to play it and check that what you are doing isn&#8217;t damaging the fundamental sonority of the instrument.<br />
Happy restoring!</p>
<p>Alex McCartney-Moore was born in York in 1991, there he studied the classical guitar from the age of 7 with Mark Curry. Whilst performing regularly in prestigious venues, he performed several solo recitals to much acclaim. During this time, Alex won the district final of The Rotary Club&#8217;s &#8216;Young Musician of the Year&#8217; competition. Alex is now studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with his current tutors Robert Brightmore and David Miller. He also studies the renaissance lute and archlute with William Carter. During his first year Alex has been involved with several musical projects, including the performance of a world premiere by Mark Troop at the Draper&#8217;s Hall as part of the City of London Festival. Alex also regularly performs in master-classes, the most recent of which was with Graham Devine. copyright alexmccartney</p>
<p>http://www.guitarlute.co.uk</p>
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		<title>The Music Business Plan</title>
		<link>http://soundandgear.com/music-business/the-music-business-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://soundandgear.com/music-business/the-music-business-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:12:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Music Reviewer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music Business Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music marketing Plan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soundandgear.com/?p=9</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As we all know, a musical career is never a sure path. This is why no matter how well we play the guitar, drums, piano or sing, we were never encouraged to take on music full time. In fact, our parents are most likely to even discourage us from this path, and motivate us to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As we all know, a musical career is never a sure path. This is why no matter how well we play the guitar, drums, piano or sing, we were never encouraged to take on music full time. In fact, our parents are most likely to even discourage us from this path, and motivate us to take the more &#8220;normal&#8221; path like get a college degree and land a good job or start a business.</p>
<p>However, music, for some people, is not just a passion but a calling. After all, you can still do music part-time, but some people really go for tackling it full time and taking on the musician&#8217;s life. Maybe it&#8217;s the rock star bling that&#8217;s pulling them further. Maybe it&#8217;s the income that some stars make. Or maybe, just maybe, they really treat music as their life.</p>
<p>So if you want to take on the full time musician&#8217;s path, the best way for you to go through it while keeping your finances stable is to develop a great music marketing plan. Music marketing is difficult; you may have to incur a lot of expenses / investments at the beginning but eventually you will reap good results if you just go the right path.</p>
<p>Aside from that, music marketing also is time consuming. You need to keep your brand on top of people&#8217;s heads at the niche that you belong to so that you continue to be in the mainstream. You have to keep up with the latest trends in marketing and go head-to-head against the top musicians who have already made a mark in the music industry, and those who really have ample-paid talent managers to work with.</p>
<p>Now, for you to not lose yourself at the complex web of music marketing, here are a few tips to have your goals set straight for your music marketing plan:</p>
<p>First, you have to start with the people you trust and the systems which worked for them. You can bank on their loyalty to you to help you develop a great marketing strategy. Once they start talking about you and your music, people will eventually begin to see it and they will get curious. After that, you can also get them to help with the promotions. Gain their loyalty. Eventually you can widen your breadth and who knows, you might be opening your very own fan base.</p>
<p>Next, when you find the people who will be willing to work for the betterment of your music and your music marketing plan, you do your research. The internet is a wide hub of information; you can do so much while sitting down. Be open to changes and make sure that you&#8217;re moving forward.</p>
<p>Lastly, remember to develop a system that you find most efficient and don&#8217;t stop persevering. Be organized. Have a schedule and keep it. Track your development well. Numbers don&#8217;t lie.</p>
<p>Those are the crucial parts of developing your music marketing plan. At the end of the day, take time to evaluate your efforts and have a clear view of where you&#8217;re headed. Don&#8217;t hesitate to drop something if it doesn&#8217;t work for you anymore; trends will keep on changing. And don&#8217;t forget to develop your artistry as it is your ticket to having a successful musician&#8217;s life.</p>
<p>Eugene Sturdivant is the CEO of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.streetdreamerz.com/" target="_new">www.StreetDreamerZ.com</a>, an online project oriented entrepreneurship program that gives everyone a chance in training and real-world experience in the music industry. This site offers a project-based curriculum that teaches you on starting up your own music business, contrives a fantastic <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.streetdreamerz.com/" target="_new">music marketing plan</a> for you and making it big in the long run.</p>
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		<title>Improve Bad Guitar Habits</title>
		<link>http://soundandgear.com/guitar/improve-bad-guitar-habits/</link>
		<comments>http://soundandgear.com/guitar/improve-bad-guitar-habits/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:09:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Music Reviewer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guitar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bad Guitar Habits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soundandgear.com/?p=6</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[First-timers are anticipated to make several mistakes but eventually want to correct them. You can also find musicians who have played out for quite sometime who never progress since they&#8217;re accustomed to bad guitar playing from patterns they have formed over time. Don&#8217;t fall prey to these improper habits which will guarantee bad playing. Trying [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>First-timers are anticipated to make several mistakes but eventually want to correct them. You can also find musicians who have played out for quite sometime who never progress since they&#8217;re accustomed to bad guitar playing from patterns they have formed over time. Don&#8217;t fall prey to these improper habits which will guarantee bad playing.</p>
<p><strong>Trying to play slack</strong></p>
<p>The truth is that there are a few types that are somewhat sloppy and a few skilled musicians who play this way. Even if that&#8217;s your thing, you still need to perform is accurately with good quality. If you can play rapidly with appropriate technique, then you&#8217;ll become a certainly better musician as compared to beginning sloppy and staying that way every year.</p>
<p><strong>Being helpless over beat</strong></p>
<p>You can easily tell if a guitarist does not have control over beat. The individual will accelerate on components they are fully aware really well then decelerate on parts that are more and more difficult. This can be a trait that&#8217;s developed in rehearsal. When on your own, it isn&#8217;t very recognizable, however in a group it is a real problem. Play with songs as well as use a drum beat in the background to help keep yourself truthful about your tempo. If you find yourself wanting to decrease the pace, it means you need to put into practice that technique much more till it&#8217;s all-natural.</p>
<p><strong>Not tuning or not tuning your guitar appropriately</strong></p>
<p>Do not rehearse through an untuned guitar. Any time you pick up the device during the day, tune it. This is because you are trying to develop an ear for the guitar when you practice. If you happen to hear some thing incorrect everyday, you are likely to understand all this inappropriate mentally. In case you are not sure if you are tuning effectively or not, spend money on an electric tuner to help.</p>
<p><strong>To be completely unfocused</strong></p>
<p>Some sit down to experiment with the guitar and will eventually start off with a few riffs from tracks, play these for around 15 min&#8217;s, and set the guitar down. There&#8217;s nothing erroneous with possessing remarkable time and taking pleasure in your time on the guitar. However it is a challenge when it turns into the same routine every single day with the same songs. Get good guitar training course material that you can work on and focus on particular lessons and techniques. It&#8217;s doesn&#8217;t seem as enjoyable as just performing; however this really is necessary if you want to become a more rewarding guitarist.</p>
<p>Elaine Abigayle has been in the field of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://batteryloadtester.org/schumacher-bt100-100-amp-battery-load-tester/" target="_new">Car Battery Load Tester</a> for a long time and maintains a website about <a rel="nofollow" href="http://batteryloadtester.org/" target="_new">Battery Load Tester</a> where you can get answers to the rest of your questions.</p>
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		<title>Starting Online Piano Lessons</title>
		<link>http://soundandgear.com/keyboard/starting-online-piano-lessons/</link>
		<comments>http://soundandgear.com/keyboard/starting-online-piano-lessons/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:06:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Music Reviewer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keyboard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Piano Lessons]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://soundandgear.com/?p=4</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you ready to start learning how to play the piano? Well, you may want to consider taking online piano lessons. This is a much cheaper way of learning the piano and you can find out if the piano is really for you. The piano is a very popular instrument and millions of people have [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Are you ready to start learning how to play the piano? Well, you may want to consider taking online piano lessons. This is a much cheaper way of learning the piano and you can find out if the piano is really for you. The piano is a very popular instrument and millions of people have learned to play the piano over the years. Because of the way technology advances, it is now possible to learn the piano right from the comfort of your own home. So, if you are going to take piano lessons online, what should you look for? Read on to find some useful tips for finding the right online piano course for you.</p>
<p>Before you buy an internet course on the piano, there are a few things you should be looking for. For instance, has the site received positive reviews? Do a large number of people use the website? Pay close attention to testimonials and customer reviews with the website! This is very important.</p>
<p>You also want to make sure that you will be able to learn at your own pace with the internet piano course that you choose. The course should offer you the opportunity to complete each lessons on your own time. That way you can truly understand the lessons and have it down before you move onto your next lesson. It&#8217;s better to go too slow in your lessons then go too fast!</p>
<p>Learning online is a great option of course for those who have a busy schedule. Or perhaps you are really shy? This also is a great reason to consider online piano lessons. The great thing about online piano lessons is that there is no scheduled time for those lessons. You aren&#8217;t pressured to hurry and try to make it in time for those piano lessons! This alone makes online piano lessons a very appealing option.</p>
<p>Also, when you learn the piano on the internet, you don&#8217;t have to worry about the hassle of trying to find a piano teacher in your local area that is qualified. You can focus on testimonials from other people that have taken the same online course. Remember, you want to come out of these piano courses having enough confidence so you can play the piano for your family and friends!</p>
<p>If you do go with online piano lessons, you will definitely be excited as you excel through the course and make progress. When you learn to play your very first song, it will give you an amazing feeling as you can hear right before your ears that you are making progress! You are learning the piano! It&#8217;s an exciting feeling and will keep you wanting to learn more and more. Sometimes all it takes is one first piano lesson to get you hooked. So go get started!:)</p>
<p>Aaron Stewart has been playing the piano for many years and enjoys helping people learn more about the piano. Are you considering learning the piano online? On Aaron&#8217;s <a rel="nofollow" href="http://beginner-piano-lessons.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Beginner Piano Lessons</a> Blog, he provides his recommendations for internet courses that teach the piano. Not only are these courses cheaper, but they are also much easier to fit into your schedule. So check it out!</p>
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