Rascal Flatts is a country music group made up of Gary LeVox (lead vocalist), Jay DeMarcus (bassist), and Joe Don Rooney (electric guitarist). Upon getting a record deal with Lyric Street Records, the group released their first album, Rascal Flatts, which would climb up to the #3 spot on the U.S. country albums chart.

The group?s next album, Melt, would peak at #5 on the U.S. albums charts and #1 on the U.S. country albums charts. Rascal Flatts, next two albums, Feels Like Today and Me and My Gang, both debuted at #1 on both the U.S. general and country music charts.

In 2003, the Rascal Flatts would find themselves waist deep in controversy, stemming from their controversial music video for ?I Melt?, off of their Melt album. Some fans objected to the music video, which contained brief nudity of model Christina Auria in some sensual scenes with group member, Rooney.

While such a music video would hardly cause a stir on MTV or VH1, being showcased on the more conservative CMT and Great American Country music channels, the video inevitably brought the group much notoriety. The Melt album would garner the Rascal Flatts their first No. 1 country single, ?These Days?.

In 2005, the group performed their hit single Bless the Broken Road live with contestant Carrie Underwood, on the popular television program American Idol. That same song was nominated for three Grammy awards including Song of the Year, Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Country Song. The group would take home the Grammy award for Best Country Song.

http://rascal-flatts-ringtones.com

Having been a guitar player for over 20 years, I am often amazed at the number of guitarists that have never taken the time to learn the notes on their fretboard. I have met guitar players that gig on a regular basis, and yet are unable to find a C# on the 3rd string, an A natural on the 4th string or an F natural on any string! Little do they know that by learning this one simple thing, their playing and enjoyment of the instrument will increase ten fold!

It was while studying at the Guitar Institute in London that I first realised that many players do not develop this part of their playing. This realisation prompted me to want to find a way that guitar players could learn this simple thing with the minimum of effort. Some of them could play every guitar solo Jimi Hendrix recorded, yet couldn’t name one single note!

My feeling was that most guitar players just didn’t want to spend time on something that they felt wouldn’t benefit them that much. Unless their practice time resulted in them learning a flash guitar lick they just didn’t want to know. Always one for a challenge, I decided it was my duty to show these poor souls the light. How would I do that?

I decided to use my good friend, Paul, as a guinea pig. Although he played quite well, he, like countless others, hadn’t learnt his fretboard. I asked him why. His reply went something like this: Why would I want to spend time learning the notes on the fretboard when I could be working on a Jimi Hendrix solo? No, it’s not for me, it just seems like so much effort for nothing. I’d rather learn a new chord shape or a hot guitar lick. I honestly don’t see the point.

Paul’s response was pretty much the same as the other people I asked. Waste of time, one said. I’ll probably get round to it one day, chirped another. Little did any of these people know, familiarising themselves with their fretboard would not only improve their guitar playing it would DRAMATICALLY improve their musicianship!! I set to work on Paul.

I wrote out a diagram of the fretboard with 12 frets and 6 strings. I then wrote in all the notes and handed it to Paul. What do you want me to do with this? he asked. I want you to learn it, I replied. Take it home, study it, and then let me give you a test. He wasn’t overly keen on doing this, but I managed to persuade him. I gave him two weeks to learn it all. He placed the sheet into his guitar case and took it away with him.

It was actually three weeks later that I next saw Paul. How did you get on with the fretboard study,? I asked him. Ok, he replied. Right, let me test you. Paul took out his guitar and placed it on his knee. Ok, an easy one to start. Show me an A on the 6th string. Paul thought for approx 15 to 20 seconds and then successfully placed his finger on the 5th fret. I congratulated him, Well done Let’s try another. Show me where to find an E flat on the 3rd string. Paul’s face sank. He thought about it, and then he thought some more, and then, he played me……F sharp! I was disappointed. Wrong! Let’s try another one. How about D on the 2nd string? This is quite an easy one, but once again, after some thought, Paul failed to find D. Ok, a C natural on the 3rd sring. Once again Paul couldn’t do it. I asked him why. Well, I did try, but it is just too mind numbingly boring. It’ll take ages for me to learn the whole neck, Paul complained. Now I couldn’t let this go. It wasn’t a light hearted challenge any more. Paul was going to learn the fretboard whether he liked it or not.

I set to work on an instructional booklet that would make learning the fretboard easy and fun. I also knew that I had to make it motivational and inspiring. I worked hard typing up the study. In 5 days I had a rough copy. I printed it off and took it round to Paul’s house. Not again, muttered Paul when I handed him the booklet. Just humour me, and give it one more go, I pleaded. He reluctantly agreed. I didn’t want to push my luck too much, so I quickly left and wished him well.

Four days later there was a loud knock on my front door. Ok, ok, I yelled as I rushed to answer it. As I pulled open the door, I found an extremely excited Paul with his guitar case in hand. Test me again, he demanded. He pushed past me to the living room and opened up his case. Go on, ask me any note on any string. I sat down and called out G flat on the 3rd string. The words had no sooner left my lips when Paul was on the 11th fret playing me the requested note. And another, my friend requested confidently. Ok, C sharp same string. Paul played the C sharp. I then asked for a D on the 1st string, an F sharp on the 2nd, a C on the 4th. Paul played each one without any hesitation. What do you think about that? he asked smugly. Oh no, I thought, I?ve created a monster!!!!

Paul then went on to play notes all over the neck, calling them out as they sounded. I couldn’t believe it, I knew my fretboard study was good but I didn’t expect these results. Paul was delighted. He thanked me for the study, and also for encouraging him to master his fretboard. He said he now knew what I had meant when I told him how much this knowledge would improve his playing. That study is dynamite, he told me. Maybe he had a point.

Now, a few years down the line, I realise just how true Paul’s words were. The study IS dynamite. I have used it with many of my students and they have all reported results that are equally as impressive as Paul’s. After much encouragement from my students and friends, I have now decided to make it available worldwide. For the small price of ?5.00 (five pounds), you too can experience what Paul did all those years ago, and also what countless other people are experiencing today. If you are serious about being a guitar player you really need to know your fretboard. Visit our website at www.jack-sky.com for your copy of this great ebook. You will not be disappointed.

Improve today – Grab the Fretboard Master!

Peter Jones is the Managing Director of Jack Sky Ltd. Based in the great city of Liverpool, Jack Sky is committed to providing 1st class guitar tutorials to all of its customers. A warm welcome awaits you at http://www.jack-sky.com

There is no way to avoid the saying It’s all about who you know. We’ve heard that phrase all over the place and specifically anytime we wanted to break into anything new. This philosophy tells me that I can get a great car at a great price depending on who I know. It also tells me I may be able to get my foot in the door with Universal Records, depending on who I know.

But that’s very broad to me because any and everything can be boiled down to – who you know. When it comes to music industry contacts I’m very skeptical and I think alot of the selling points are manipulative. The one thing that is needed most in the music industry is a directory of individuals who can actually help you with your career. Even if you do have the contact information for Steve Lunt , you still need to get his attention and get an incredibly good product.

I tend to think that if a contact is easy to get, then it’s probably easy for thousands upon thousands of other people just like me to get the same contact information. That’s actually just a fact because anyone serious about their career should be able to scrape up 40bucks to get a directory full of contacts. I would spend more time making sure I am familiar with publicists, A&Rs, A&R assistants, and Interns.

When you do obtain contact information for an exec, you are sure to spend more time talking to their assistant or an intern anyway. So instead of talking to them on a (secretarial or assistant) level, make sure to get them actively involved in what you have to present.

People always say know the names of the assistants, as they are gatekeepers, but it’s more important to be able to get as much information as you can about what’s happening in the department, which projects are most important to them at the moment, what’s going on in their week, etc. This information is just as valuable as the contact and will help you in your decision making.

A few resources I am most familiar with:

• A&R Directory
• Indie Bible
• Galaris

When I need to be very specific about contacts for a specific artist or celebrity – I use – Celebrity Access; although they are out of reach for most people – this is still another advantage. Most people will work so much longer and harder to get this kind of quality information that is not offered in the above resources.

Howard Britt is the owner of Music Oxygen, a music industry resource that unsigned bands and independent artists use to promote their music and connect with fans. More information and resources can be found on his Music Industry Blog.

Born out of a religious devotion to one of the greatest exponents of all that was ever Metal; Metallica, Alien Ant Farm housed a quartet of cheeky, wholesome Californian nerds. Perhaps, four of the most unpredictable and unimaginable rock stars ever to grace the U.S, these ordinary looking kids off the block blazed into teenage vulnerability around 1996.

In strange and extreme arrogance, their first album was titled ?Greatest Hits,? released in the U.S in November 1999. In America, it managed to con the teens into submissiveness and an award was promptly handed out to the band the same year at the L.A Music Awards. The Brits, on the other hand, were having none of that and the LP failed to create even the slightest dent over here. After all, we invented Metal. We already knew what it was like to feel our ear drums bleed – we had Ozzy?

Thunderous, thrashy and somewhat Alice In Chains tinted, the band, visually, can only be described as The Beastie Boys meets the Myth busters, or perhaps even Adam Sandlers lost cousins, yet there is something disturbingly appealing about these guys with their shaved heads and Scooby Doo tee shirts. They reflect a certain mood within all teenagers, but perhaps mostly towards kids in the U.S. Sniggering still at their farts and whistling at girls, it is not difficult to imagine that these fellas, loaded and famous as they are, still ring old ladies door bells in the middle of the night and run away laughing.

Their contribution to the rock industry is merely down to taste. If you like your rock heavy on the bass and minus any real noticeable guitar riffs yet you prefer the lead vocal to actually sing in key, then AAF is certainly the band for you. If you ever become fortunate to see them live, then please don?t be put off by the fact that they are not famous for putting on a show. The all-American named Dryden Mitchell does nothing to promote a form of eye candy. His hunched over stance with mouth busy tonguing the microphone is almost an imitation of Grindcore Gods, Napalm Death. Despite their visual effect and their ability to perform good, and surprisingly tuneful Metal music, they have, unlike a lot of their hero?s, stayed far away from making any social comment. Choosing, I believe, to distance themselves from anything too political and topical, they have, in previous years, met only criticism from the media on how they were a bad influence on the youngsters of the Nineties generation. Although the critics were harsh, it was how the band unitedly stood their ground with great maturity that was perhaps, more shocking.

AAF gave us another shock in September of 2001 by releasing their own take on Michael Jackson?s ?Smooth Criminal.? This shaky, club classic dance number filled with all the glitz and styled glamour that was Jackson in his element, was probably one of the very last pieces of cover that any rock band would ever dare to take on, let alone endanger their already growing respect from other long haired rock giants already masterful. This daring take on such a record was tarnished with all the right amount of bass, heavy drums and chain saw styled guitars that was needed and leapt, peculiarly to number three in the singles charts in the U.K. The British kids were buying it at last. As a ?make sure? marketing ploy, the song was released again in February 2002 as the B side to the single, ?Movies,? which, again had enjoyed such huge success that it was released twice and instead of it?s humble number 55, it sat readily at number five the second time around.

For a group of four young lads, all born between 1971 and 1977, it is surprising that in the years of Alien Ant Farm being around, they have only managed to release five singles. Four of which were two songs released twice, and only two chart positioning albums to 2003. At a glance, one could argue that they are the laziest rock band in existence, failing to produce a decent single and record a fairly passable album, but a closer look shows us that these musicians (and isn?t it a blessing from God that we see a band that can actually play instruments? This is the only reason why I think Ben should win the X Factor?) we can see that apart from the obvious single, these fellas have written everything. Like their counterparts of today and the giant Metal bands of the past, they are proud to say that they have not once leaned on others for their musical contribution to teenage album collections. They are humorous, thoughtful and, most of the time, polite. They are melodic, play in time and are good to their mothers. In my book, they posses all the makings of a fairly decent heavy rock band.

Their music can?t always be described as custom built heavy metal. In fact, many of you out their will be disagreeing with their title of Metal band as it is. For example, the jolliness of the backbone of ?Glow,? from the album ?TruANT,? (2003) is more Manic Street Preachers than Anthrax. Yet, ?These Days,? taken from the same album has a more grinding feel to its theme, hanging in the air with the heaviest of cobweb guitar riffs, the density of some of their work would have even Miss Havisham reaching for the duster. They had even tried their hands at deliberately mixing Spanish guitar with a darkly forcible bass line yet keeping the vocals strained and cutting. Working these layered Latin themes, this band takes on a whole knew meaning and far from the Metal legends they are supposed to be. Although they still appear to be a bunch of guys fresh out on vacation from high school, they seem friendly, alluring, shy and very attractive to English speaking teens across the world.

However geeky and freak loving, these giggling, immature youths on a Blair Witch Project trip shouldn?t be regarded as what they appear to be. Frighteningly in 2001, the band came close to a major loss. Dryden Mitchell suffered a severe broken neck when the band?s tour bus crashed after colliding with a big truck on route from Spain to Portugal at two o?clock one morning. After the initial shock and then being shown the devastating pictures of the remains of their twisted coach, the band took the incident as a true near death experience for all of them. Their work has since taken a more serious turn. Passing fans, probably won?t notice anything different about this heavy metal band, but for Alien Ant Farm, their next album, ?TruANT,? released in August 2003, certainly lent towards a more definitive and reflective key. Though the bands style and lack of responsibility will pretty much, always shine through, it is their inner most souls that had been tarnished with the freak accident two years before. Due to extensive surgery to Mitchell following the smash, the band took time out whilst Mitchell lived for months in a halo brace around his head, holding it in place with screws and wires.

The band now take on a whole new meaning yet again, yet this time, matured, edged and introspective, we wonder where the band go from here. After the release for the long awaited ?TruANT,? they seemed to have died a death as far as the Brits are concerned. Even though it had been noted that they are one of those rare bands that genuinely appreciate their fans, nothing seems to have come from the AAF camp for quite sometime. It is a shame as I do believe that we haven?t, in many ways, not seen the best of Alien Ant Farm yet?

Dryden Mitchell – vocals
Terry Corso – guitar
Tye Zamora – bass/vocals
Mike Cosgrove – drums
DreamWorks records

Album releases;

Greatest Hits – November 1999 (cd)
ANTology – March 2001 (cd)
TruANT – August 2003 (cd)

?michelle duffy 2006 Also on ciao and dooyoo (sam1942). 2006.

Michelle is a freelance writer in the South of England and owner of the websites, www.generationsounds.co.uk, nevermindthebloggers.bravehost.com and their successful sister, ?Never Mind The Bloggers? at paperback-writer29.tripod.com. She has been writing over the last year, for five major consumer websites across the world and is one of the only two music category advisors for one website in the U.K. Her websites promote young, amateur and professional bands/artists and their fan clubs whilst also reviewing them for local and world wide promotion. She has also recently launched the blogs; ‘The Ramblings Of An Old Rocker,’ ‘Bohemian Waffle,’ ?The Rhythm Rock And Blues Machine? and ?The Moped?s Musings? and ?Generation Sound Suite.? She is currently working on two shops selling her music styled artwork and now sells on Ebay.

When I first met my husband, Larry, he said, If Madonna was playing in my front yard, I would go out the back door and take a crap. Needless to say, he did not go with me to Chicago, July 2004, to see her in concert. While I watched her, I told my friend, Suzie, My soul aches to know I may never befriend her.

Once in an interview, Madonna, talked about people that have been standing at her gate for twenty years, not listening to the lessons she was trying to get them to hear. These fans choose to disrupt her privacy and life, instead of appreciating and applying her experiences to theirs. I don?t want to be a person at the gate; rather my soul yearns to know what she knows and what must be expressed. I am comforted by her creativity and respect this individual that needs to know more and continue to grow.

As we returned from dinner one night, I played ?Paradise Not For Me? by Madonna. Larry said, My God, that was great who was it? The weeks that followed, I played more songs and we watched videos from her Madonna Video Collection 93:99. By spring 2005, Larry’s Material Girl, sexually exploitive, irreverent opinion of Madonna was abolished. He is an advocate for her creativity, beauty of expression, individualistic talents and now says, You know, Patti, people are going to look back on her and think, ?what we were thinking, we should have listened when she was living.? She is amazing; everyone should pay attention to this girl.

You don’t have to like her, understand her images or ideas, but you must listen and try to apply what you hear to your life and experiences. Like my Larry and Madonna, you too can change, grow and be better. Pay attention to this beautiful soul while we still have her.

A former computer professor turned Internet writer, I have combined elements of the film,music,and publishing industries to create a new genre exclusive to the Internet- Digi-Tome’s. Interested in a different way of learning and beautiful way of living, I created the world’s first digi-tome, life.

Respectfully- Patti Pacifico
http://www.pattipacifico.com
http://www.respectfully-pattipacifico.com

We all love music in some form or another and many of us have pined for the ability to play the guitar in our lives. Well nowdays there are many options for learning how to play the guitar whether you like folk, rock, jazz, or classical among the many types of music out there. Here are some of the more common ways to learn to play theguitar. Try each method to see what works best for you.

Group Lessons: Learning guitar in a group setting can be lessintimidating for the beginning musician. You not only get thebenefit of having a teacher to help you along you can often judge your progress by where the other students are in the class. Theworst part about taking guitar lessons in a group setting is the teachers time is divided so you may not get as much attention as ou might need.

Private Lessons: This is the best way to learn to play the guitar if you can find the right teacher. The instructor can gauge your progress each week and custom design your lessons for you. You have your teachers? undivided attention and you can ask anything you feel is not clear.

CD Lessons: There are many instruction CDs available in nearly any style you can think of. The advantage of this style of learning is you can listen to the CD as many times as you want. Any part that is not clear can be replayed as many times as needed. The disadvantages include the songs may not be the ones you desire to learn and the instruction is more general without any way of knowing where you are in your musical journey.

DVD Lessons: Instruction on DVD includes all the good and bad points of the CD instruction. The number one advantage to learning guitar by watching DVD video is you can see what the instructor is doing. Visual learning goes a long way toward answering the questions burning in your mind. Music Books: Music books are a time-honored way to learn how to play the guitar. You can find more books on more different styles than most any other way to learn. You need to be proficient in reading music if you do not know the song you are learning. Most folks have a hard time getting the song right if they do not know the song they are learning.

Playing With Other People: The very best way to learn to play the guitar is to get together with other people and play. This is the fastest way to learn. You will learn more by getting out and playing with other people than you ever will sitting at home playing by yourself.

Internet: In these modern times the Internet is a wonderful resource in learning to play the guitar. There are many websites that will show you how to play the exact notes your guitar hero plays. Membership sights are plentiful where for a small monthly fee you can learn most any style you choose.

Slowing Down Recordings: You can purchase software that slows down your favorite recordings. This allows you to hear each phrase at a speed where you can pick out the different notes. This is a great way to learn to play.

Friends: Do not overlook your guitar playing buddies. Most guitar pickers are a friendly bunch who will be more than happy to help you along.

The method you decide to use to learn to play guitar is up to you. Try to practice four or five times a week for 30 minutes at a time and you will be playing guitar before you know it.

Find your best guitar lesson resources at guitarngear.com