Do you recall the day you traded in your guitar for a job at the bank or gave up your piano lessons to become a doctor? Have you been thinking about rediscovering your musical roots as soon as your retirement kicks in? Are you still hoping that some day you?ll get to dust off your sax and join the local jam session? If this sounds all too familiar, you?re not alone. In fact, it?s more common than you think for people in the latter stages of life to get the itch to return to their musical beginnings.

Like most closet musicians, you likely arrived at a turning point in your life where you had to decide between the certainty of a job and the uncertainty of a life in the music business. And, like the vast majority, you chose the more stable path. Do you ever wonder though, what it would have been like if you had enough courage to pursue the other path – even if it would have totally freaked your parents out?

As a professional concert pianist I have people say to me all the time that they would give anything to do what I do. A lot of these folks wish they just could turn back the clock and get another shot at it, even if it might not have been the responsible thing to do.

That?s why I?m so grateful for the path I have chosen, not only because I love it but because, I never have to worry about what I might have missed. The truth is; I love music and what it does for my soul. I wake up every day with excitement because I really don?t know what?s going to happen or where I?ll end up. That to me is a gift, not a liability. The only thing certain in my life is uncertainty and that I can always count on.

But, our society is not programmed to think in these terms. We?re groomed in school to play it safe, get a job and pay the bills. It?s definitely the easy thing to do but is it the right thing? I think we were all born to learn something new and exciting every day. For most people who go to the same job day after day, a job they most likely hate – how is this learning?

Many people find themselves at a turning point in their latter years when they think to themselves, ?What exactly happened to my dreams?? But, then you think to yourself, ?I got married and had kids, it would have been completely irresponsible of me to follow my dreams because so few actually make it.? That?s true, except why couldn?t you have been one of the few?

In any case, I often say to people, ?Why don?t you quit your job now while you still can?? To my mind, living every day in a situation you hate will only lead you somewhere you don?t want to go. It?s important to choose a goal in life that you really are passionate about because, that?s what will make your life exciting and challenging. Anybody can get a job.

But, even if you absolutely cannot give up your job, why not take up music seriously at the same time? For now, start practicing in secrecy. Then eventually you?ll be good enough to perform for others. And, if you?re passionate enough, you may even get to be the performer that you?ve always admired from a distance. You know, the one you?ve often cheered for with mixed delight and sorrow because, you know you could have been that person?

The good news, it?s not too late!

Take my friend Bruce for example. With three years left to go to his retirement as a bank executive, he reintroduced himself to blues guitar. Shortly thereafter he reunited his high school band and now they?re actually booking themselves for dances, concerts and private functions.

And, my friend Mary Ann is doing the same thing. She had a music degree in classical piano which, she eventually gave up to become a family doctor. Now, several years later she?s formed a jazz quartet with some friends and another doctor on drums, and the band performs at least 5 nights a month around town.

These are just two examples of people who understand that they can have it all; both a successful professional career and a life in music. Like them, you don?t have to wait for your retirement to get back to doing what you love.

So next time you feel the need to rejuvenate your life with music, come on out of the closet. Because, the truth of the matter is the only thing stopping you, is you. Take my advice and start living your life the way you want and not the way everyone else expects of you. Live the rest of your life doing what you love because, the only risk in life is not taking one.

Paul Tobey is a professional concert pianist who is well-known for his motivational music seminars and popular free piano music downloads.

Hip Hop music is popular with today’s youth. The Hip Hop audience ranges in age from the very young to the seasoned at heart. The messages in the music are clear and often depict life in the real world. Most artist use their own life experiences to tell stories that reflect what their world is like. Hip Hop music is a venue that gives the artist an opportunity to tell it like it is. Many of today’s youth find that through the sounds and messages of Hip Hop they are able to see reflections of themselves and the world around them.

Although some of the messages conveyed by Hip Hop are viewed as negative, it must be understood that the lyrics in these songs are someone’s reality. Hip Hop artist sing about what they have seen and many of their personal experiences. Unfortunately, many of their experiences are not so pretty. Other Hip Hop songs carry a positive message and force the listener to think and dream beyond their current situation. Hip Hop music has taken America by a storm and it will continue to influence our youth. We must all these free expression and the growth of Hip Hop music because what we hear is relative to what’s going on in the world today.

GMP Records, Inc. http://www.godmadeitpossible4me.com also check out http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deepcover

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Learning how to play the guitar by participating in one of the many guitar courses available online is a great convenience. The Internet has become not only a vast marketplace, but it has also proven that it is an excellent learning environment. Just look at the number of colleges and universities and other institutions of learning that have made it possible to learn at home or anywhere for that matter. The most attractive feature of guitar courses that you can enroll into online is convenience. You can generally decide when you want to learn and your set. One thing you will discover when you research the available guitar courses that exist online is that you have choices. Settling on one particular course is a matter of deciding what works best for you.

About.com

Do you like structured learning with the ability to choose the lessons that you learn? About.com is a large network of information. You can find information on just about any topic by visiting this website. Guitar courses are only one of the many online courses you will find on this portal. The advantage of About.com is that you have options. You can read the lessons that make up the guitar courses that are available, or you can register for an e-mail course. When you sign up for this type of course, every day a lesson is delivered to you via e-mail. Either option allows you the flexibility to view the information when you want. In addition, professional guitarists write the guitar courses that are available on About.com, so you receive insight from someone who has played the guitar professionally. If you need information in addition to the guitar courses, About.com features a host of articles and resources that accompany each course.

Berkleemusic.com

Like the classroom environment, but don’t want to actually spend time in a classroom? Berkleemusic.com may work best for you. The online guitar courses featured through Berkleemusic.com are available on the same schedule as the Berkelee College of Music, the traditional classroom version of the school. Where the About.com guitar courses are free, you will pay upwards of $500 for these guitar courses. The courses that are available include learning the basics, using an amplifier, and recording. You have flexibility in what you want to learn, but the structure will vary according to the instructor for the course. If you’re not sure online learning is for you, Berkeleemusci.com offers a sample course for you to try.

ActiveBass.com

Have an interest in learning the bass guitar? ActiveBass.com is an online portal dedicated to teaching you everything you need to know about playing a bass guitar. You select the lessons you want to review and you’re off. This portal includes interactive learning so you feel like you are actually in a classroom setting. The interactive Ear Training lesson is especially interesting. Once you master a lesson, you may want to show off your skills. ActiveBass.com allows guitarists to submit an MP3 of featuring them playing their guitar.

For more more information about guitar courses online please visit http://www.guitar-directory.net

Flaunting any excessive or anti-social behavior is considered brazen. When it is no longer considered brazen it is proof that it has become embedded as part of our culture. Not to say this is a good thing, after all headhunting was considered a cultural norm in some societies. The question to ask here may be, was rap ever truly a part of our culture? Will it eventually run out of steam and go the way of things like doing the twist, afro haircuts or break dancing? I for one would argue that it is not truly a part of the American cultural scene, but is a forced, twisted and contrived money machine that appeals to only the basest passions of the youth in our country.

Long before the gangsta element slid over to hip hop the reasoning for the whole genre and style was generally purported to be, to show what life in the hood was like. That worked for a while and it even drew more sympathy from the otherwise estranged. But as lower passions would have it, the style and language of rap began more and more to take on a life and purpose of its own, namelysex. If by some magic stroke sex were temporarily extricated from every rappers thoughts and vocabulary, the entire industry would collapse quicker than the stock market in 1929. Now thats brazen!

Referring to rappers as artist and giving them full press doesnt guarantee that it is really an art form, all it says is that its here. But was it here before? Does it really have anything to do with the African American background, culture or heritage? I propose that it does not. Very few whites have succeeded in rap but even that does not prove that it is necessarily a black cultural thing. Growing up as a boy there were only two black families in our town. One of the boys from those families was my best friend. But to say that gave me even a basic knowledge of the African American culture would be an exaggeration. Later I arrived in the city of New Orleans just after the civil rights laws were passed. My exposure to the black culture increased exponentially. Finally I attended two seminaries the last of which was part of the National Baptist Convention a purely African American denomination. What I discovered about the African American culture will always be one of the greatest excursions of my entire life.

Our entire class would sit before some of the most dignified black gentlemen, professors and wait for the streams of their thoughts, opinion and knowledge to flow down to us. Most exciting was when they shifted their emphasis away from the curriculum and began to divulge elements of their private lives and their past. Life in New Orleans as a black man or women was no easy thing. Stories of their upbringing and their struggles would leave anyone with their heart in their throat. These old gentlemen for me were living examples of courage dignity and the best human qualities. What I learned about black culture in short is this. African Americans have a deep and ancient past; they are people with a lasting heritage.

I am sure that the blatant indulgence of sexual descriptive and four letter words that is raps most prevalent aspect, is not part of their ancient culture and history. It does not accurately depict their culture, their history or any other part of their experience. I dont think my protesting is such a big deal. But Id guess that if my old seminary professors could see and hear todays rap, you would hear the roar raising up from their graves and billowing down many an American avenue.

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote, Hook Line and Sinker or What has Your Church Been Teaching You, published by PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book recently released by Xulon Press entitled An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ. Rev Bresciani has his own website at http://americanprophet.org

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With all the new technologies emerging in the music world today, it would be a crime not to consider the home recording facilities for your own recordings. It has become more and more easy to do it at home without needing some engineer paid around 35$/h and over to do the job. But still the question remains, what should I buy to get started?

First of all you have to decide of the appropriate location for your recording equipment, because there can be many great spot, such as a garage, a basement, a living room, or maybe a bedroom. This question must be answered before you go and buy anything. If, for example, you choose your garage, you?ll have to look for ways to soundproof it, so you?ll have a minimum of control over the sound as you diminish the waves reflections on the surrounding walls. If it?s an apartment living room, you?ll have to find ways to reduce the sound coming from your monitors so that you don?t disturb your neighbors etc.

Second thing to consider is what are you going to record your music with. Will it be the good old analog tape machine or a digital medium such as computer based system? For purist, the analog way is still the way to go, for its warmer characteristic and distinctive sound. But for many, the DAW (digital analog workstation) is the path of the future. Everything can be replicate in the digital domain and everyday it?s becoming better, so take the time to decide what medium you?d like and be comfortable with. But as a recommendation, the computer-based recording system is the best value on the market right now, and will be the only standard use in the years to come.

Then comes the recording chain. Everything from which it is constitute is important, but usually is like a decrescendo in term of importance, as the first to consider and pay attention is the music quality. Technically if you?re a bad singer or a bad instrumentalist, no microphones, preamps, equalizers or compressor will make your performance better, all it can do is alter and modify the original sound source to some degree, nothing more. So you should always try to get the best performance possible before going to tape, Practice, make some good arrangements, make it enjoyable before you press the record button.

Let?s first look at the first component to buy when you decide to record on a digital system. You?ve probably heard a lot about soundcards lately, and with the explosion of various models, these digitals recorders can do a pretty professional task if you learn to use them properly. They all record in 24 bits 96 kHz samples and over, so for the home recorder hobbyist it won?t be a problem to find something that sounds good for a cheap price.

Then comes the choice of microphones, that?s maybe the second most important thing to consider in the signal chain after the performance. All microphones have their distinctive sound and characteristics, so when buying them, take the time, if possible, to listen as many as possible in your local store, Try to put your own voice or guitar on it to see if you like the sound that comes out. Someone else could try it and have a total different opinion of it. So take the time to figure if what you hear is pleasant to your ear. There?s plenty of choice available on the market, but there?s basically three types that you should be familiar with: the dynamic, the condenser and the ribbon microphone.

The dynamic microphone uses a simple design to create the electric magnet that will transmit the sound wave in the audio chain. It basically uses an electromagnet principle to operate. The diaphragm is attached to a coil, so when the diaphragm vibrates in response to the sound source, the coil moves backwards and forwards past the magnet element. This automatically creates an electrical current in the coil, which is passing from the microphone along wires. These mics are often very versatile; they can be placed on all kind of sources from snare drums to vocal overdub or a trumpets section. They are usually the one you take for live applications as they are robust and are less sensible to ambient noise, which also can be good in the studio to record a drum kit or a guitar amplifier.

Condenser mics use another principle to convert the sound. They usually require a battery or an external electric power producing 48 volts to work. These mics are build on a capacitor with two plates with a voltage between them. One of these plates is made with a very light material and plays the role of a diaphragm and then vibrates when attack by sound waves. When the distance changes between the two plates, the capacitance change also. When the plates are closer together, capacitance increases and a charge current occurs in the process. When the plates are further apart, capacitance automatically decreases and a discharge current occurs. These mics are more detailed than the dynamic microphones and are well suite for tracking a lead vocal, and acoustic guitar brilliance, as they capture more details and nuance from the instruments. They also have a flatter frequency response than the dynamics microphones

The ribbon microphone generates voltage by electromagnetic induction. Inside of this mic, there?s a very thin conductive ribbon that vibrates in a magnetic field; a small electric current is induced in the ribbon and preamplified to convert the sound. Considered by many as one of the most natural sounding mic, it has a soft and warm sound that is very pleasant, and can give a vintage presence in those days of sometime cold modern digital recordings. They tend to have a lower output level, so choose accordingly.

With all that in mind, the mic decision must be based on what your ears appreciates. Select one like a painter would play with his color palette: experiment and have fun.

Next comes the microphone preamplifier. Preamplifiers boost the signal to a standard line level, which all recorders can then capture easily. It acts like a gain stage for the mic, before it reaches the recorder. These machines can add texture and color to your recordings, like some microphones do. The microphone preamplification area is a whole world by itself, so I won?t be covering it in details. Let just say that it is an important part of your recording chain and it can maximize the capacity of your mics. Often, as a start, a good mixer with honest preamps can do a pretty good job, and some soundcards companies integrate them more and more inside of their products also.

After choosing a good mic and preamp setup, there?s one component that you can?t dismiss if you want to built yourself a good home studio. I?m talking about the studio monitors. These boxes are your reference for everything that is involve in your recording chain, so a well-taken time to buy a good pair is primordial. Studio monitors differ from hi-fi speakers by their flatter response range. They can give you a more realistic image of what?s going on in your recording and mixing process. Hi-fi speakers tend to sweeten the sound to make it pleasant for listening to commercial CDs for example, but lack the precision of what a good pair of studio monitors can offer. When buying these reference boxes, take the time to go to your local store with your best CD and try to analyze what you hear. Are they too boomy, too harsh or midrangey sounding for example? Try to buy a pair that sounds good for you and that will not create ear fatigue after several hours of listening in your control room.

Finally, you won?t be able to do anything if you don?t have multi-track recording software. That is where you lay down the tracks you?ve recorded. It?s also the place where you edit and mix your songs in real-time. There?s a wide offer on the market for this kind of software, but basically they all do the same things and you?ll find all the basic functions in all of them. If you don?t have the budget for now, you can find free legal versions on the net, which will respond to your basic needs. Most of these software come with default FX plug-ins like compressors, reverbs and equalizers that you can use instead of buying them in a hardware analog module. There?s also plenty of third parts plug-ins that you can buy that everyday emulates more and more the real thing.

This resumes what you need to get started with your home recording studio project. So let?s recapitulate: the location of your recording studio facility: decide where and how, and make adjustments depending of your possibilities. Then decide if you prefer to go the analog or the digital way for your recording medium, and consider that the computer-based system will be the standard in the near future. If you go digital, choose a soundcard that will respond to your needs. Start with one or two good microphones, depending of what you record, and combine them with a preamp or a mixer with good ones built-in. Then choose the best studio monitors you can afford. And finally have a good multi-track recording software to lay down your tracks, edit and mix them.

As a final though, trust your ears when you buy audio material, this will be your best judge in this long journey of audio recording market, and most of all, have fun in the recording process, that will always be the most important thing for the best final product results, which no audio material will do for you.

Rusty Blue runs a great website where you can listen and compare home recording equipments in waves and mp3 format. Take a look here GearAudition.com

The type of strings used on a violin has a great effect on the sound of the instrument. Different kinds of strings can have different tones and sound quality. Also, strings made of some materials stay in tune longer and often last longer than others. The three most common types of violin strings are all metal strings, synthetic core strings, and gut strings.

All metal, or steel core strings are known for their volume and their pure, clear tone. They have great pitch stability and stay in tune even after they are first put on the violin. Many country, bluegrass, and jazz players prefer to use steel core violin strings because their simple and direct sound does not have the complex overtones found on some other sets of strings. Steel core strings are the easiest to play and are popular among beginning and intermediate level players. One criticism of steel core violin strings is that they can have a slightly thin or metallic sound that is not well suited to classical music.

Synthetic core strings are usually made of a type of nylon called perlon. They have a thick, rich sound that is subtler than steel core strings. New synthetic core strings have less pitch stability than steel core strings and take a day or two to properly stretch out and stay in tune. Once they have stabilized, they do not need to be tuned often and have a good, consistent tone.

Gut core strings are known for having the warmest, most complex sound of any violin strings. Most classical players and soloists prefer gut core strings for their rich overtones. Gut core strings are not recommended for beginners or intermediate players because they are much harder to keep in tune and can have an instable pitch.

Each type of violin string has its own advantages and disadvantages. On kind of string is not necessarily better than the others, people who play different types of music on the violin prefer different strings.

Violins Info provides detailed information about antique and electric violins, violin music, sheet music, strings, and shops; violin makers and repair; and explanations of how to play the violin and a short history of the violin. Violins Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.

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When the practicing blahs strike, you just need an attitude adjustment. You don’t have to sweat blood to practice well. You don’t even have to think of it as work, or duty, or even something that you ought to do.

Stop a minute and think about it. You like music, and you want to play some special piece that really means something to you. You want it to sound through you – right through your fingertips.

Okay? Well, you practice it to fulfill that desire, not to frustrate it.

Pause here and ask yourself some questions:

What if you could look at a piece of music for the first time, and play it correctly straight off, just as fine as you please?

How would you feel about practicing then?

Or, what if you were practicing for the Olympic swim meet next year, and felt deep down that you had a chance? How would you feel then about the training? Would you plunge into it each morning?

What if you were interrupted at a good point in yesterday’s practicing? What if you had just about broken through a tough spot when you had to stop? Would you want to get back to it today as soon as possible?

You answer those questions, honestly, for yourself. There are ways to say YES! every day.

But, first, you’ve got to stop blaming yourself. You don’t have to be perfect every time. You don’t have to be the best player, today. And you don’t have to listen to what other people say about your playing – people who are only half listening, and don’t care the way you do.

Put all that out of your mind. What matters is your desire to play as well as possible.

Just start with playing – one note after another, and keep going. As the Chinese say, A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first, step. And, if the very first step leads to the first slip, be glad for it. You can’t, repeat, cannot learn without mistakes!

Now, start to think more personally about your instrument.

The piano, like the guitar, is a touchy instrument. Touch it, and you both produce and color its tones, like a potter molding clay. Think of the keys, all gleaming white, as the skin of the piano; you can either please them or hurt them. Stroke them, and the sound will come out mellow and purring. Poke them, and the sound will either bark sharply or woodenly thud.

Stop thinking of yourself as playing on or at the piano. Rather, think of the instrument as an extension of your own body. When an artificial leg is fitted to an amputee, he is then taught to walk with it. Gradually, it feels more natural – more like his own leg walking. The French call the keys les touches, or touch-points – as if the keys, not you, were doing the feeling.

Every musician wants to personalize this instrument. Take a look at the vocalist who hugs his guitar, or without a guitar, woos his microphone, or, without a microphone, simply woos the audience?

Every musician seeks to make his instrument an extension of his own body, the tool he or she needs to put across the strong feelings he as for the music.

Nadia Boulanger, one of the greatest teachers, put it best: Don’t speak to me of talent; speak to me of desire.

Go to the piano or keyboard not to reproduce a piece, but to experiment with your best way to bring out what is there. There is no one right way to play a piece – no matter how loudly some people protest that there is.

Artists in fact, vary greatly, and audiences return again and again to hear the same piece, as played by pianist X or pianist Y. You simply cannot play a piece twice the same way. Try it!

Here’s how to practice an exercise or a song:

Six quietly, upright and relaxed Hear the music in your head: hear it better than life. Sense its movement and pulse rolling through you, turning and adjusting your own pulse, you are the prime instrument of this music – sitting there alert, tuned by silence, vibrating to is rhythm, lending it your own life entirely.

As you feel the music filling you, heart and soul, you will know that it is getting ready to be born.

When it has stirred you, lift your hands to the keyboard. This is the reason you wanted to play in the first place: to bring alive what has already moved you. And, suddenly, by centering your focus, you’ve turned practicing from a duty into an attraction.

Copyright 2006 RAW Productions

Ron Worthy is a Music Educator, Pianist and Songwriter. He offers online instruction that focuses on Rock, Pop, Blues, Cocktail, R&B and Smooth Jazz piano styles. To Download Your FREE Piano Lesson Video, go to: http://www.playpianotonight.com/VC.html

Rating: 4 stars/ hip hop classic

Release Date is introduced by soft instrumentals and human voices in the background. The atmosphere is loaded with intense emotions. Balalaika sounds and keyboards will intensify the fire Xzibit puts into his songs. With his dark voice, Xzibit points out how long hes been patiently waiting for this day and how much hypocrisy he had to face from people. Xzibit has paid his debts and is ready to punch you right in the face with some offensive lyrics.

Symphony In X Major is a beautiful piece of work. Enjoy the contrast between the classical music background mixed up with a good hip hop style. Enter Xzibits universe; watch him taking over against his enemies. The video that goes with this song is really worth a look. It transports you into an interesting gangsta thriller. No contest hip hop lovers will probably enjoy it very much.

Break Yourself is based on harsh instrumentals. Xzibit conquers his audience in no time with his incredible flow and his incisive lyrics. The gifted artist strangles you lyrically and leaves you no chance of survival.

Heart Of A Man drives you into the heart of Xzibits struggle. Again, the song leads you in a lyrical world that Xzibit masters with an incredible verbal dexterity. Enjoy his self confidence and the energy that the West Coast artist puts into his song.

Harder featuring The Golden State P is built on a very rhythmic background. Good instrumentals and the spirit of a conquistador determined to take over make this track very much enjoyable.

Choke Spank Me Pull My Hair is a track aimed at groupies who are keen on getting tortured. A little pinch of humor, irony and some good instrumentals will make the listener enjoy this mnage trois atmosphere.

Lose Your Mind featuring Snoop Dogg is written in the same offensive style. Like a true soldier Xzibit shows his arsenal. Be ready to get (lyrically) gunned down. Face it: you cant fuck with Xzibit.

Violins and scary vocals introduce BK To LA featuring MOP. Let the lyrical master guide you into his world. Combined with Mops talent, the track is beautifully handled by both OG. If you like raw lyrics, raw instrumentals and an offensive spirit, you will probably like this track.

The song on Xzibits album you should definitely not miss is track Nr 11 My Name featuring Eminem. Organs and keyboards introduce the entertaining and rhythmic melody. Eminem and Xzibit are determined to punch their hip hop rivals right in the face. Better not fuck with both emcees unless you wanna get ripped off.

The Gambler featuring Anthony Hamil has a beautiful soul background. Enjoy the way Xzibit and Anthony Hamil combine blues and hip hop. Trumpets intensify the struggle of both men. I recommend this beautiful track to black music lovers. It is lyrically and instrumentally rich.

Missing U is an emotional track aimed at the mom Xzibit lost very early. Dont miss Right On and Enemies. Both tracks are instrumental jewels.

Globally Xzibits album is a beautiful piece of work that Id qualify as a hip hop classic. The album will draw the fight of an artist against the machine (the music industry). Xzibit is amazing hip hop artist who keeps it real. I recommend this album to anybody who loves good hip hop lyrics and sounds.

Copyright2006 by Isabelle Esling All Rights Reserved

My name is Isabelle Esling. I am an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist. I teach English and German at public schools

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Having worked in music radio, most of that at Country music radio stations, for the past 35 years, I recently stopped to reflect on the evolution of Country music that I?ve seen and way Country music radio has reacted.

As with everything, Country music and radio aren?t as straightforward or simple as they once were. When I first started playing Country in Eugene, Oregon in 1971 the raging discussion was the emergence in some markets of a ?Country-politan? format distinctly different from the traditional Country format that everybody else was playing. Essentially the discussion revolved around programming ?crossover? artists and music styles, and whether the ?harder? heritage Country acts were acceptable as Country music radio evolved.

To put this into perspective, in 1971 the debate was whether John Denver and Ann Murray were Country acts and should be played, and whether a contemporary Country music station should play Hank Williams in regular oldies rotation! By today?s standards this is laughable, but it does serve to make the point that as the Country radio format sought to broaden its appeal and attract a larger audience some felt that compromises would be necessary. More importantly it signaled the recognition that Country music fans were a more diverse group than they had been given credit for. This discussion of segmentation of the Country music format was the start of what we now have come to accept as the diversity of the tastes of Country music fans.

Today there are recognized music ?charts? for the traditional Country Singles and Albums, but there are also now Bluegrass, Americana and Texas Music charts as well, all under the umbrella of Country music.

I find it most interesting that while Country music has quite obviously diversified, AM and FM Country music radio stations generally haven?t followed this trend and branched out to any great degree. If you were to go into any market today I would lay odds that you will find the Country music station or stations will all be much the same ? playing 10 or 12-in-a-row, with a station playlist of fewer than 750 songs little of which will be older than 10 years. Some of these stations will have an ?oldies? or ?bluegrass? show as we did in San Diego, but the station that weaves these elements into the day to day format is very rare indeed.

To be fair I must acknowledge that in some markets you may also find a ?Classic? Country station, generally on an otherwise unused AM frequency, but I find these stations personally unfulfilling. I suspect that this may be because I like a good deal of contemporary Country music and want to hear it, and that by and large the people behind classic Country formats weren?t alive when these songs were hits, and, but that?s another gripe!

As one who has been part of the research and strategy behind the contemporary Country music approach I don?t criticize playing either extremely contemporary or exclusively ?classic? Country music. On the contrary I understand that this kind of conservative approach is dictated to capture the most desirable (saleable) segment of the audience possible. I do suggest, however, that stations do this at their own peril as they continue to narrow their focus and leave larger numbers of Country music fans disaffected and unserved.

This wouldn?t necessarily be a problem except that AM and FM radio no longer has a monopoly on delivery of music. The emergence of satellite and more importantly internet ?radio? where startup and operating costs are negligible now presents an alternative that will play an increasingly important role. The fact is no matter what your personal flavor of Country music is, there is an internet station playing it. If you like ?mainly current hits but some 70s and Bluegrass?, someone offers it. If you Texas Country and Bluegrass, it?s there.

Although internet radio has been around for more than a decade it is still in its infancy. Indications are, however that it will grow up to be a 900 lb. gorilla. Estimates are that something approaching 50% of the younger and more adaptable age groups are already turning to the net as their primary source for new music. At the other end of the spectrum, the 55 generation is the fastest growing segment of internet users. As the 55 group represents an increasingly economically attractive audience, and one that used to be the domain of Country music radio, this is an ominous sign for traditional broadcasters who will be increasingly forced to compete with low budget operators.

This will likely be a double-edged sword. On the one hand the audience will be able to find a ?radio? format either on a satellite service or more likely on the net that more closely approaches their ideal music mix. On the other hand the audiences for individual stations will be much smaller than broadcasters are used to working with. This will have the effect that the sterility and compromises of low budget broadcasting that has turned some listeners off will become more widespread. This will in turn further erode and put economic pressure on AM and FM broadcasters? in a vicious downward cycle.

John Peterson is a 35 year radio veteran who has announced, programmed and owned radio stations in the US and overseas. Currently John owns and operates The Ranch Online (http://www.theranchonline.org) which plays a traditional mix of contemporary and classic Country music. Send comments to jp@theranchonline.org.

The origin of hip-hop can be traced back as far as the ancient tribes in Africa. Rap has been compared with the chants, drumbeats and foot-stomping African tribes performed before wars, the births of babies, and the deaths of kings and elders. Historians have reached further back than the accepted origins of hip-hop. It was born as we know it today in the Bronx, cradled and nurtured by the youth in the low-income areas of New York City.

Fast-forward from the tribes of Africa to the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica in the late sixties. The impoverished of Kingston gathered together in groups to form DJ conglomerates. They spun roots and culture records and communicated with the audience over the music. At the time, the DJs comments werent as important as the quality of the sound system and its ability to get the crowd moving. Kool Herc grew up in this community before he moved to the Bronx.

During the late sixties, reggae wasnt popular with New Yorkers. As a DJ, Kool Herc spun rhythm and blues records to please his party crowd. But, he had to add his personal touch. During the breaks, Herc began to speak to his audience as he had learned to do in Jamaica. He called out, the audience responded, and then he pumped the volume back up on the record. This call and response technique was nothing new to this community whod been reared in Baptist and Methodist churches where call and response was a technique used by the speakers to get the congregation involved. Historians compare it to the call and response performed by Jazz musicians and was very much a part of the culture of Jazz music during the renaissance in Harlem.

Hercs DJ style caught on. His partys grew in popularity. He began to buy multiple copies of the same albums. When he performed his duties as a DJ, he extended the breaks by using multiple copies of the same records. He chatted, as it is called in dance hall, with his audience for longer and longer periods.

Others copied Hercs style. Soon a friendly battle ensued between New York DJs. They all learned the technique of using break beats. Herc stepped up the game by giving shout-outs to people who were in attendance at the parties and coming up with his signature call and response. Other DJs responded by rhyming with their words when they spoke to the audience. More and more DJs used two and four line rhymes and anecdotes to get their audiences involved and hyped at these parties.

One day, Herc passed the microphone over to two of his friends. He took care of the turn table and allowed his buddies to keep the crowd hyped with chants, rhymes and anecdotes while he extended the breaks of different songs indefinitely. This was the birth of rap as we know it.

Hip-hop has evolved from the days of the basement showdowns to big business in the music industry. In the seventies and eighties, the pioneers and innovators of the rap record was the DJ. He was the guy who used his turntable to create fresh sounds with old records. Then, he became the guy who mixed these familiar breaks with synthesizers to produce completely new beats. Not much has changed in that aspect of hip-hop. The guy who creates the beat is still the heart of the track. Now, we call him the producer. Even though some DJs work as producers as well as DJs (quite a few start out as DJs before they become producers), todays title DJ doesnt carry the same connotative meaning it did in the eighties. Todays hip-hop producer performs the same tasks as the eightys DJ.

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