Archive for May, 2009
May
31
Understanding Major and Minor Scales for Lead Guitar Playing
Posted by: | Comments
Why are you learning the guitar? The most obvious answer would probably be to master the various scales and to play the solo on stage. Well! Playing the guitar is one thing and playing a lead guitar on stage in a live gig is another thing.
The place where it all starts - as in the practice to play the lead guitar is with the minor and major scales. The major and minor scales are normally separated by just about four frets and they are known as the relative scales. They are known as the relative scales because of one reason: they have the same tones. In major scale the tone is DO - RE - MI - FA - SO - LA - TI and in minor scale it becomes LA - TI - DO - RE - MI - FA - SO.
Whether you are gearing to get into the Rock scene or into heavy metal, the major as well as minor scales will be the backbone of lead guitar. You need to master them thoroughly before you can move forward and learn some of the other advanced scales and this is going to do you a lot of good when you actually get down to playing lead guitar. The major scale is used more often and is the most familiar of them all. Let us take a look at the attributes and values for major scale
• Scale Formula: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Step Construction: W-W-H-W-W-W-H
• Distinguishing Degree: M7
• Good over Chords: M , M7 , M6
• Good with Progressions: I-IV-V , II-V-I , I-VI-IV-V , I-III-IV-I , I-IV-I , I-V-I
In the minor scale the attribute will be:
• Scale Formula: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
• Step Construction: W-H-W-W-H-W-W
• Distinguishing Degree: m6
• Good over Chords: m, m7 , m6
• Good with Progressions: Im-bVII-bVI , Im-IVm , Im-Vm , Im-bIII-bVII
The major scale is also quite similar to the Ionian mode and is made up of 7 notes like any other diatonic scales. The Ionian scale is the one that is the first of the 7 notes. So if your note was C, D, E, F, G, A and B then your Ionian note will be C-major. The other important scale in the Major scales is the major pentatonic and it is one of the most popular one too because without it lead guitar playing is incomplete. The different pentatonic major scales include A, A#, Ab, B, Bb, G, G#, Gb, F, F#, E, Eb, D, D#, Db, C, and C#.Let us take a look at a comparison chart that has C Major, C-Chromatic and Pentatonic scales:
• Chromatic C C# D D# E F F# G G# A Bb B
• Major C D E F G A B
• Major Pentatonic C D E G A
For over 1000 Professional Guitar Backing Tracks, check out Planet of Rock, The #1 Secret Weapon For Guitarists.
Eugene is the founder of Planet of Rock Music Studios.
He is a professional guitar teacher and an ex band member of Black November which has toured and performed in Australia and Asia since 1997. He has contributed to publications as Guitar Player, Guitar World Acoustic, Maximum Guitar and dozens of magazines and websites worldwide.
In 2005, he has founded Planet of Rock Music Studios to provide affordable Guitar Backing Tracks for guitarists. As featured in Guitar Player, these professional backing tracks for guitar are great for lead guitar practice or live performances.
Jam with your favourite bands at the comfort of your own home or studio with backing tracks for guitar. It has also been used heavily in live performances by customers across United States since its inception.
Play like you have the entire band backing you up!
P.S: Remember to sign up for your free Ultimate Guitar Tone eBook (worth $29) at Planet of Rock!
Planet of Rock - You Rock. We'll Back You Up - For The Rock Star In You ....
Traffic Light Changer for Motorcycles
May
30
Rap Music – History and Genres
Posted by: | Comments
Those who are young or relatively new to the HipHop culture don't realize that Rap Music has many different genres:
East Coast: The East Coast, most notably New York City, was the genesis for rap music hitting the mainstream. Run-D.M.C. led the pack, with Rakim and Big Daddy Kane also breaking through to make rap emerge as a national phenomenon.
West Coast: While HipHop was cooking in the East, West Coast rap music gained national recognition in the mid-1980s with performers like Ice T and Too $hort.
Dirty South: While most of the music world's attention focused on rap coming from New York and Los Angeles, HipHop artists in the South were turning to independent music labels to release their work. Geographically, the Dirty South genre encompassed places as diverse as Houston, Birmingham, and Miami, and was greatly influenced by Ghetto Mafia in the mid-1990s. Musically, Dirty South rap is known for is danceabilty and rhythmic delivery.
Gangsta Rap: Some say Gangsta Rap first emerged on the West Coast with N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" release, while others credit Ice T with taking Gangsta Rap to national acclaim. Characterized by lyrics glamorizing elements of a criminal lifestyle, violence, promiscuity, misogyny, and materialism, Gangsta Rap's controversy came to a head with the murder of the West Coast Tupcac Shakur in 1996, and the subsequent murder of the East Coast's The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.
Pop Rap: Known for its widespread, mainstream appeal, Pop Rap's first breakout star was LL Cool J. The Fresh Prince and MC Hammer quickly rose to the top of the Pop Rap scene and the music charts with lyrics that were less controversial than those of the Gangsta Rap genre, and thus were more likely to receive radio airplay.
Christian Rap: While HipHop was garnering a reputation for less than savory lyrics and artists for questionable activities, other artists were expressing their faith through HipHop. Christian Rap took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s with rap groups like P.I.D. and S.F.C.
Jazz Rap: Although Jazz Rap has never enjoyed mainstream commercial success, the genre often incorporates Afrocentric and political themes. Gang Starr and Gil Scott-Heron are often cited as two of the first Jazz rappers.
Conscious HipHop: Similar to Jazz Rap, Conscious HipHop has never enjoyed mass commercial success. With an emphasis on social issues, Conscious HipHop isn't overtly political, but rather deals with issues such as poverty and religion.
Electro HipHop: A combination of dance music and rap, Electro HipHop first emerged in the 1980s on the West Coast from artists like Arabian Prince and Egyptian Lover. By the mid-1990s, Electro HipHop had pretty much run its course.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Rap Music: History and Genres or Majon's Music directory.
Traffic Light Changer for Motorcycles
May
30
The Hierarchy of Attraction – The Ranking of Qualities That Attract Women
Posted by: | Comments
In a previous article, I stated that confidence is the biggest source of attraction for women. I had numerous emails in subsequent weeks asking me to detail what other factors make up the attraction matrix. In order to fully illustrate this hierarchy, I will explain each characteristic by example.
Here goes...
- Looks are more important than money. An attractive, handsome poor man will, all other things being equal, attract more women than an ugly rich man
- Status is more important than looks. An ugly dj who is the resident dj of a major club will, all other things being equal, attract more women than an attractive man who does not have that kind of visible position
- Power is more important than status. A (non famous) dj with a label deal will, all other things being equal, attract more women than a dj who is merely a resident dj at a local nightclub
- Personality is more important than power. A dj with a good, fun personality who is a resident in a local night club, will all other things being equal, attract more women than a (non famous) boring, no-personality dj with a major label
- Confidence is more important than personality. A confident, aggressive man with a good personality will, all other things being equal, attract more women than a fun, humorous man with little confidence- those guys are called clowns
Important note: There is an X-Factor in all of this which trumps all of the previous characteristics- FAME. A famous artist, musician, athlete, politician, world leader, or whoever will be instantly attractive to tons of women without having to do a single iota of effort. They can be dull, boring, meek, ugly and with low self-esteem but they will still be able to date tons of women. Fame is truly the biggest aphrodisiac, but so few people have it, that it is not worth examining. Hence, for 99.9% of the male population, confidence is the biggest attractive characteristic for women.
Recap: Confidence beats personality which beats power which beats status which beats looks which beats money.
Conclusion? Guys focus on developing your confidence and personality and less on making money solely as a way to attract women. Rich guys who dump money on women have lots of attractive women in their company, but those women are almost always just using them for their money and have no attraction for them at all. Don't focus your energy on buying a woman's false affection, become the kind of man who women fall in love with just because of who they are.
http://relationshiplaboratory.com/the-hierarchy-of-attraction-the-ranking-of-qualities-that-attract-women/
For more helpful relationship advice and tips, please visit http://relationshiplaboratory.com
Disc Jockey Equipment
May
29
The Return Of Britpop?
Posted by: | Comments
Just recently I was trawling through my own personal myspace page, which incidentally I don't use that often. I noticed that I had a few new friend requests. On inspection there where the few obvious spammers and a few actual people, but, there was one particular bands music profile which stuck out!
That band where called The Vouch. I thought at first, what a cool name, so I accepted the add.
A few weeks passed and I began using myspace page a little more, to stay in touch with friends. I then began noticing I was getting harassed with messages, constant bulletins and quite frankly it was bothering me. I made the decision that I was going to block them from my friends list. So I proceeded to click on there profile for the first time, a moment I wont, forget may I add. A huge sound passed through my small pc speakers and monitor. A soft broken melodic voice and piercing lead guitar followed. With nothing short of breath taking drumming!
I couldn't believe I had ignored this for so long! I was robbing myself of a brilliant experience! The tracks on the page where comparative to those of a certain Mr Lennon and McCartney and a Mr Davies. Very raw very British and very catchy.
Now I must say that I have removed myself from the current music scene, as quite frankly it is tripe! I spend my time listening to the Beatles, the Kinks, the Stones and any bands which have really stood the test of time! So I was quite taken a back by the ability of a small town unsigned band! So I did a little more digging, compared them to other local unsigned acts, nothing came close! This is why I urge you to listen to The Vouch.
They are a 5 piece from extremely humble beginnings. They originate from Cannock which believe me is a place best wiped off the map, voted 5th worst place to live in the country! Its a former mining town, and with no intention of offending people there, it has become a breeding ground for zombies born and breed to work underground. There music is often dreamy mixing facts with fiction to create a real experience, when listening!
After really getting into the bands recordings I decided to make the journey to one of there live shows. They appear regularly at the Rock Cafe Cannock but this was not really a venue I wanted to visit. So on closer inspection of their gig guide I found a gig at the dirty south club London, the band had arranged coach travel. So I decided to get in touch and get down there. They where due to support a dj set from former oasis guitarist 'Bonehead', so I thought it would be a good night.
The Day Of The Gig
The coach arrived at 4 o'clock on a Saturday to pick us up from the dreaded 'Cannock bus station'. I hoped on to find it full of drunken teenagers and thought what am I doing. I sat at the front alone for around an hour, before a chubby young lad introduced himself to me. He walked to the front of the coach, carling cans in hand one of which he passed to me, and said "Ort, I'm Beaver."
The trip on the coach took around 4 hours and was extremely wild, not for the faint hearted. I felt really sorry for the coach driver!
We arrived in London at around 8.30pm local time and went into the venue. I was very surprised to see the band just instantly mingle with there friends and fans and drinks where exchanged immediately. Time slid by as I spent most of the time with my new acquaintances ,'Beaver' , watching the other support acts. Several pints of Guiness later and toilet breaks, the band arrived on stage. With the front man and bass player tuning in to the dirty pretty things anthem 'Bang Bang You're Dead'. They immediately threw there instruments to the floor and jumped into the growing crowd to dance and....... well......... go metal really.
Was this a ploy to create mayhem I'm unsure, but it did work! They took to the stage in a venue, that you wouldn't imagine would have much of an atmosphere....... but they seemed to create there own. Track after track of exhilarating music, the crowd loving it, with some minor stage invasions.
All in all I sum up that The Vouch are a must see!
Josh Smithyman
Motorcycles, Accessories and Riding Gear
May
28
Track by Track – OK Computer – Radiohead (1997)
Posted by: | Comments
Radiohead's OK Computer is a landmark album. It is considered by many to be the best album of the 1990s. This article takes a look at each song on the album.
1. "Airbag"
Perfectly sets the mood for the album. Warped strings, DJ Shadow inspired drums & glitchy weirdness.
2. "Paranoid Android"
The most "epic" song on the album, it's really three different parts stitched together. Thom Yorke said he was inspired by The Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" in creating this stitched together arrangement. Certainly one of Radiohead's most popular songs and definitely features some of Jonny Greenwood's most incredible guitar playing.
3. "Subterranean Homesick Alien"
A beautifully dreamy song that features spaced out guitars & keyboards.
4. "Exit Music (For a Film)"
Possibly Radiohead's most emotionally intense song. It begins simply with Thom Yorke's ***** voice and a strummed acoustic guitar low in the mix. But things don't stay simple for too long as other worldly synths come in during the first chorus to take the song to the next level. And when we get back to the verse there's some very strange atmospherics that have been added. But the really incredible part of the song is when the huge bass kicks in. Goosebumps every time. One of Radiohead's greatest moments.
5. "Let Down"
A polyrhythemic song that has a lot going on but manages to stay very "poppy" in it's effect (at least by Radiohead standards.) One of the more popular songs on the album.
6. "Karma Police"
Probably the most well known song on the album due to it's radio play. My favorite moment from the song is the "This is what you get" part. That always gets me.
7. "Fitter Happier"
This experimental track is the only "song" from the album that Radiohead has never played live. Of course it's not really a song in the classic sense of the word. I do think it's a very interesting track and I think it works perfectly to split the album into two parts, as the next track "Electioneering" sounds like a new beginning.
8. "Electioneering"
"Electioneering" is the most straightforward "rock" song on the album and in some ways sounds like it would be more at home on their 1995 album The Bends.
9. "Climbing Up The Walls"
This spooky song has always been one of my favorites on the album. The atmospherics are incredible, one of the great things about Radiohead is how they manage to place their songs into evocative soundscapes that make the songs more than just songs, they become experiences.
10. "No Surprises"
Features a beautiful repeating guitar riff that automatically lets you know what song you are listening to.
11. "Lucky"
This song and the next "The Tourist" are probably the two most "Pink Floyd" sounding songs on the album. Big slow motion rockers. They're the perfect slow burn way to end an incredible album.
12. "The Tourist"
This song with it's "slow down" lyric actually fits perfectly going back into the first track "Airbag."
OK Computer Music Videos
OK Computer Live Performances
FREE, No Obligation Insurance Quotes
May
25
Growing Up With Elton John – His Self-Titled Album
Posted by: | Comments
Your Song kicks this album off to great expectations, and the collection of music delivers. Your Song owns arguably one of the finest fusions of lyric and music in rock history. When the drums kick in midway through the song, you can tell the composer, lyricist and musicians were all on the same page. No wonder Elton has nearly always ended his live performances with this song.
The second track, I Need You to Turn to begins with a harpsichord massaging our ears. Elton used this instrument to great effect early in his career. This ballad is plaintive and well worth a listen.
Take Me To the Pilot is the "rocker" on the album. It gained great popularity with die hard Elton fans. Pilot's frenetic pace can get you worked up by the studio version. Live, the song is, as Taupin would write later in Bennie and the Jets, solid walls of sound. Elton's uptempo prowess appears to be born with this song.
No Shoestrings on Louise is a country flavored tune that I have always felt suited Elton well. On his next album, Tumbleweed Connection, Elton shows off more of his versatility with more country music. This tune is fun, and amazing to people who are not aware of Elton's musical diversity.
First Episode at Hienton is the best song on this album along with The Greatest Discovery. Yes, I know Your Song is on this album, but the lyrics depicting a girl's loss of virginity and the haunting, soft composition is emotionally moving on a level Your Song can't begin to touch. The bittersweet episode is lyrically painted by master brushstrokes of language. Metaphors bring us as listeners to a near voyeuristic view emotionally. Those who are unaware of Elton's album music should listen and revel in beauty.
It is difficult to listen to Sixty Years On and not state this is the best song on this album. I always wanted to hear this one live. I have two live versions of the song, and its power is immense. The lyrical treatment of aging is powerful. Poignant, fully orchestrated and full of intense imagery, Sixty Years On possesses the force necessary to induce depression about one's age. The orchestral pieces within this song are beyond well done. Guitar and flute mesh with Elton's understated piano work to create a masterpiece. His passionate singing is no slouch either.
Border Song was a concert favorite for many years. The songs begins melodically enough, then kicks in with more tempo. Better served up live with Elton's passion, this version is more ballad than the rocker he presents when he performs the song live. With a choral background of singers, Elton kicks the song up to a limited imitation of his live performances. This version stands well on its own, but you must hear it live to really get the full force of the song.
The Greatest Discovery begins with a beautiful violin, joined by the rest of the orchestra, and then, the lyric. The description of the discovery of a newborn brother is so poignant, so emotionally moving, it cannot be listened to without being moved. I wish everyone who ever thought Elton's singles were his best music would have an opportunity to listen to this song. If I were to compile my list of Elton's absolute best music, (and I am sure I will), this song would definitely be on the list. The beautiful picture painted here of family is an ideal we all dream of. There are not enough superlatives to do this song justice.
The Cage is a rocker fronted by Elton's piano. I have always thought this song never got enough attention from Elton. It moves with horns, guitars, tambourines, again, solid walls of sound. I never was graced by this song live at his concerts, but I bet it was incredible when he played it early in his career. I must interject here that there is no "soft" spot on this album where you have a throwaway song. Throughout Elton's career, on nearly every album, you get a quality effort from him and his band.
The King Must Die is tour de force. A piano lead-in brings us to soft melodic contemplations of life thanks to Taupin, but it belies an upcoming storm of passion. The title is well suited to the lyric and Taupin's imagery is superb. This is a song well suited to a live performance, but this studio version is wrought with power. Notice how I use the same words in my descriptions like power, poignant, passion and others. Listen to this album beginning to end and see if you don't have struggles with adjectives that pale in light of the music falling against your ears, whether the music be soft and gentle or hard and driven.
There are a few bonus track additions like "Bad Side of the Moon" which is an uptempo song, "Grey Seal" the original version which pales next to the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road version, and "Rock and Roll Madonna". All three of these songs move well, have excellent lyrics, and would have made most artists' albums back in the day. The fact that such quality material couldn't make it to his albums is a testament to Elton and Bernie's talents.
While this album is still unpolished a bit like Empty Sky (compared to his more famous, later works), both make the most of that rough edged quality. The raw talent is exposed in impossible to ignore. This is truly a great album. I realize it sounds like I believe Elton does not have a bad album, but he does. Everyone is entitled to his mistakes, but early on, you will not find any work by Elton that is not full of, yes, I'm going to use them again, power, passion, poignant as well as many other intense emotions. Taupin's early career lyrics were so spot on, and so fresh that they listen well even today, nearly forty years later.
Treat yourself to some great songwriting. Listen to his self-titled album and smile.
Michael Ray King http://www.michaelrayking.com
I am the father of six children, ages 2, 9, 11, 13, 21, and 26. Four girls and two boys. My first book, "Fatherhood 101: Bonding Tips for Building Loving Relationships" was published in June, 2008. To get a copy of the book, check out http://www.clearviewpressinc.com or look the book up on Amazon.com.
Outdoor Living
May
25
Future Of Mobile Phone Ringtones
Posted by: | Comments
It was expected to have died a natural death of a fad. But by the looks of it, it is all but ready to breathe its last. Mobile phone ring tones are not just here to stay. They are here to evolve. The future structure and operation of this industry will bear little resemblance to the past and present as well for that matter, with the way the industry is experiencing rapid metamorphosis. From the basic sequential tones at different frequencies called monotones, to the polyphonic discovery of 2003 that with its greater permutations and combinations offers snazzier better quality sound. And finally to the more personalized version of music or real tones which are original pieces of music and lyrics for the more ambitious; looking for having personal compositions of sorts.
And they say it's the ambitious that dictate the future. Ring tone DJ's are the next most talked about thing on the music circuit with numerous websites encouraging users to turn their interests into a profession and telling them how to do it. These websites list the top few ring tones for a period of time and invite ring tone users to rate the ring tones. Many of them even have free downloadable software(s) to mix songs and create one's own ring tone that could be listed on the website. The United Kingdom market has already been the first to test the waters for ring tone DJ competition followed by local awards, according to local sources.
The drawing together of cultures globally is only lending itself to this burgeoning industry. Bollywood with its wide reach has become a popular theme for mobile phone ring tones across countries, and International pop artists music enjoys its fair share of popularity in India as well. These ring tone artists have downloadable ring tone clips of their songs posted on the websites, in an attempt to prevent any kind of public infringement of their work. Heaps of websites cater to the specific linguistic demand of users with their palette of ring tones in various regional languages.
With the growing popularity of downloadable songs in various formats such as MP3, WAV, WMA, et al, the music industry is forced to deal with the issue of piracy on yet another front. Although service providers charge their users for downloading a ring tone the first time round, there is no way to lock the forwarding of that ring tone to other users. There have been reports of retailers offering bundled ring tones along with the handsets at the time of sale, without actually paying royalty for the same. The presence of pre - loaded chips, under - reporting of downloads from operators of websites and retention of higher revenues by service providers are just some of the problems that have begun to surface within the industry. Add to this the ready availability of sound editing softwares that allow for easy manipulation of music. There have been reports of some mobile phone giants investing in such softwares for the larger interest of their users, thereby giving them the creative freedom to personalize their ringtones.
A substantial amount of blogs and web articles have already been dedicated to the mobile phone ring tone industry. Ring tone DJ's and artists having already arrived, and it won't be long before industry awards and professional courses for ring tone compositions come around. What remains to be seen is how the music industry tackles this yet another form of music piracy and which next tune would be sweet music to the capitalist's ears.
To find out more and download free mp3 ringtones please visit http://ringtones.orion-cs.com and http://www.milesringtones.com
FREE, No Obligation Insurance Quotes
May
23
American Idol Party: Party Favors, Karaoke, and Fun
Posted by: | Comments
If you live in a large city, there is a good chance that American Idol has been there. American Idol is a show televised in the U.S. It is based on the UK show, “Pop Idol.” The basic premise of the show is a panel of judges audition talented, but unknown singers to discover the best of the group. The winner is crowned an “American Idol.”
Nielsen Media Research, a company that measures what television audiences watch, reported that more than 26 million people tuned into the premier season of American Idol. The ratings for the show increased by at least 10% for the 2006 season. After five seasons of top rating, the American Idol show has proven that it has a formula for success. The popularity of the show has spawned karaoke clubs everywhere. A group of people and a karaoke machine can equal an evening of fun and entertainment. Both young and old enjoy American Idol. If you’re interested in a unique way to celebrate, you may want to take hints from American idol.
So, what makes an American Idol party? Bright colors and lights will set the mood. A karaoke machine, microphone, and appropriate music are a must. If you don’t already own a karaoke machine, you don’t have to rush out and buy one. Karaoke rentals are prevalent and depending on your area can cost between $35 and $100. What is considered appropriate for your party depends mostly on the age range of the partygoers. Unless the group all has the same taste in music, it is probably best to use a CD with a variety of music. You can pick these up for$5-$10 at any store that sells music. If you cant find what you want and you don’t mind spending about $50, you can download software to create your own karaoke CDs.
Once you have all the essentials, you are only left to how the competition will work. This is really up to you. For young children, you may want to allow everyone to sing and win a prize of some kind. For older people, you can follow the traditional American Idol format and have an audience and a panel of judges vote on the singers.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for birthday party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.
Traffic Light Changer for Motorcycles
May
21
Prime Yourself For Radio Broadcast Jobs With Podcasting
Posted by: | Comments
In the past, after attending broadcasting school, a radio professional who dreamed of radio broadcast jobs would have to put in years of hard work behind the scenes, learning about the industry and developing skills, before they got a ***** at one of the radio broadcast jobs where they actually got to sit behind the mic and host a radio show. And today it's pretty much the same. But while paying dues is as important to landing that great radio job as it ever was, these days those who dream of radio broadcast jobs now have more options than ever to develop their on-air personalities, thanks to the Internet.
The easiest way for someone to practice for radio broadcast jobs is through podcasting. Podcasting is simply creating a digital audio file that can be downloaded on the Internet and listened to at any time. The host of a podcast show is known as a podcaster. Although the name suggests otherwise, you don't need an iPod to listen to podcasts. Any computer and most portable digital media players can handle them. And with appropriate software, you can easily subscribe to a podcast, which means listeners can automatically download the latest podcast episode and listen to it at their convenience.
While there are podcasts of university courses and podcast tutorials on how to do things like brew beer or tune up a motorcycle, podcasting's most popular use is to allow people the chance to easily broadcast their own radio-style shows. Developing a podcast is an excellent way for someone to work on developing skills needed for high-level radio broadcast jobs.
There's no one way to record a podcast. Depending on your skill level with computers, you may want to do everything yourself or you may want to join a site or service that sets up a lot of the technical stuff for you. If the idea of creating and packaging a radio show that will help you secure radio broadcast jobs in the future sounds intimidating, then we'd recommend BlogTalkRadio. A promising service, BlogTalkRadio is a Website that makes it easy for anyone to create their own radio show. The service lets you host your own live call-in/interview radio show for free. It's as simple as calling the site's phone number. Everything you say will be recorded and made available online.
But of course that format raises a few questions. First, it's long distance, so unless you have VoIP, unlimited or cheap long distance (or you live in New York City, where the service is based), you might end up spending a pretty penny. VoIP can be a great service for anyone practicing for future radio broadcast jobs. We'll talk more about it later.
The second issue raised is that you'll be hosting a show over the phone - and holding a receiver to your ear for an hour can get tiring. The solution to this would be to buy a simple telephone headset, the kind that's available in just about any electronics store. You can grab a decent headset for about $25.
If you have a headset and a cheap long distance solution, then you're set to start practicing for great radio broadcast jobs by starting your own online radio show. After registering with BlogTalkRadio and signing in, you'll come to an online switchboard page. This will allow you to set whether you want to have callers contact you during your show. That's right - you can have callers and all the wonderful interactive possibilities that come with chatting with the public. Your show will be assigned a unique phone number that listeners can call if you want them to. You can talk to up to five separate callers at a time. BlogTalkRadio also lets you upload music that can be used for background effects and intros and outros - perfect for practicing your production skills.
But BlogTalkRadio is hardly the only way to record podcasts and prepare for radio broadcast jobs. If you have a computer, an internet connection, and a headset with an attached microphone, you can craft a podcast without having to use your phone. Headsets can be plugged into your PCs microphone jack. If you find that you lack a microphone jack, you can get an external one, like Griffin's Lapel Mic or the iMic, for about $15.
Most PCs don't come with recording software, but fortunately there are several free programs that are both easy to use and powerful. The recording software called Audacity is the most popular. It's free and should do everything you need it to do for preparing for radio broadcast jobs. It's pretty simple to record your own voice, and still easy enough that in no time you may even feel comfortable to start experimenting with editing your recordings.
Most serious podcasters like to have people other than themselves on their shows. This could be solved as easily as getting another headphone and mic set and having guests right next to you. Or you could call them through a method known as Voice-over IP, or VoIP for short. There are several services, most cheap, some free, which will let you transmit your voice through the Internet. In other words, you can call someone using the Internet. The most popular VoIP service is Skype. Signing up for Skype lets you talk with other Skype users for free, and calling long-distance landlines is usually much cheaper than the average long distance prices and a great tool for anyone who dreams of one day landing a radio broadcast job.
Podcasting is a powerful new method where you can sculpt your radio voice, try out new talk show ideas, and get critical feedback. It's a great opportunity for people to get ready for future radio broadcast jobs.
Tim White is the director of admissions for the Ohio and Illinois Centers for Broadcasting, among top radio broadcasting schools, and a manager of several national bands and artists. He has been FCC licensed since being a college radio DJ.
Outdoor Living
May
19
Podcasts Create a Value Added Service to Your Online Marketing Strategies
Posted by: | Comments
Podcast is a popular term often heard in conjunction with the internet. Do you know what this is and what it can do for your online business?
Description
A podcast allows you to create a personal touch to assist in explaining what your business has to offer. A podcast is an mp3 audio download from your website with a message recorded that allows your target audience to listen to specific issues in which they are interested.
Value Added Service
Podcasts are an ingenious way to offer a value added service to your target audience as well as promoting your company's name. For example, if your company is selling vitamin supplements, you could record some health tips or any type of health information that would be of interest to this type of audience. You can include your company's name or product in this podcast. Anyone can download this to their computer or mp3 player and listen to it at any time. By doing this, your company's name will stand out in their mind when they want to buy vitamin supplements because you have provided this service to them free of charge. In addition, they will continue to return to your site for additional information.
Advantages over Text
Podcasts have a distinct advantage over text based information in two ways:
1) With so much information on the internet, it is very difficult to attract attention and communicate effectively. Users want to find information quickly, and they can easily become bored by reading text.
2) They create a personal contact for the user. It is a personalized voice explaining something to them versus the traditional text that forces the user to sometimes search through volumes of text to find what they need to know. If done correctly, they are quite simply more interesting.
Creating Podcasts
The contents are only as limited as your imagination. You can record your own messages or many companies hire a professional speaker to host the program. Many radio DJ's are available for this service. These professional speakers can interview the business owner or another professional within a specific industry. As with any advertising, the more professional it sounds the bigger audience it will attract. If you have ever seen a television infomercial, you should be able to grasp the main concept of this. The costs may vary so it is a good idea to check around for the best prices.
How Popular is it?
It has been reported that as many as 18.5 million people in the U.S. in 2007 listened to podcasts. This is one of the fastest growing methods of online marketing. The numbers of listeners are greatly increasing with a prediction there will be 65 million by 2010. Why not jump ahead of the competition and be the first to enjoy the incredible benefits that podcasting can create for your online business?
Brad Lessard is the owner of EbizCommando, an online membership site specializing in helping people develop the fundamental building blocks of a successful internet business.
For more information please visit http://www.ebizcommando.com
Nothing is impossible!
Traffic Light Changer for Motorcycles