U2s lead singer Bono isn?t content with being part of a top band. Fashion and Music ? well I?m sure they can mix! Bono was born Paul David Hewson in 1960 in Dublin Ireland. His stage name is Bono.

Bono is the lead singer of US, he is also a songwriter. He married Ali Stewart in August 1982 and they have 5 children. Bono is also actively involved in as an activist and screenwriter.

Paul was a curious child who seemed to see the world from a different perspective from the rest of the world. When Paul was 15 he suffered the loss of his mother who he was very close to. In high school Paul found himself drawn to music and playing the guitar, spending a great deal of time involved with the school theater.

The name Bono was the brain child of his close friend Guggi who took it from a Hearing Aide store located in Dublin. Bono Vox also means good voice in latin.

In 1976 a flyer was posted at his high school by Larry Mullen who was looking to form a band. Paul was jumped at the opportunity. The band became U2 which is now known around the globe.

Ali Hewson [nee Alison Stewart grew up in the suburbs of north Dublin. She met Bono at high school. He tried to chat her up but she ignored him. Over the years he continued to pursue her.

Their relationship moved very slowly because Alison wasn?t interested in becoming one of the Bono girls. After his mother died, Ali being the practical person she is, helped Bono with the essentials like food and clothing. Ali was 22 when they wed.

Ali Hewson appears to be open and down to earth in all respects. She appears honest and never puts on that she knows more about a topic than she does.

She smiles often and appears to be a happy human being. She earned her degree in social science, politics, and sociology at the age of 33. She also became involved with Greenpeace. It was having children that put Ali Hewson on the path of thinking more about the environment.

She became concerned about what they would grow up to have, what would be left of the environment. Ali got involved with Greenpeace campaigning against the Sellafield nuclear power plant.

Over time, U2 also became actively involved in the protest against the Sellafield nuclear power plant. She had not direct responsibility for U2 becoming involved but because Bono and Ali share the same concerns, it was a natural outcome.

Ali feels as a wealthy person she has a responsibility to do what she can to raise awareness on such issues.

So isn?t it natural that Bono and Ali have now evolved to another level of involvement with social politics. Bono and his wife Ali Hewson now have their fingers in the Fashion industry. But wait ? this isn?t just any old fashion venture. This one has a new twist.

Their goal is to involve developing countries in the producing of their clothing line, improving the quality of life for these people and their economic welfare.

A new line of clothing has hit the market ? Edun ? anyone catch that Edun is Nude spelt backwards? The Eden line consists of a casual collection of jeans, T-shirts, chiffon dresses, and blazers. The line is available at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Bono and his wife are attempting to become actively involved in social activism and the betterment of people in developing countries. Their goal is for the Edun collection to be soooo hot that it will be able to provide employment for people in developing nations around the world, developing stable long term relationships with these countries.

Great thought goes into selecting which country will produce which clothing. Selection is based on the resources and talent of the developing countries. They attempt to make ?good? matches which are beneficial to Edun and the developing country.

They believe that the developing countries and their people will benefit financially and emotionally. But the big picture also means that these developing countries can become part of the global economy.

Bono and his wife might be on the right track with this concept with Edun, as the consumers are becoming much more interested in knowing where and by whom the clothes they purchase are made. The consumer has become social conscious. So this concept could be a win win for everyone!

Sher from Estate Jewelry International has been serving customers for over 20 years, providing fashion, jewelry, and wedding help. Please visit us at http://www.estatejewelryinternational.com/

There are a number of factors to consider when looking to purchase your first electric guitar. This report will be divided into four sections each covering a specific topic that will help you to choose your guitar. This text is intended as a guide only and in no way claims to be definitive. It does not promote or endorse any particular brand of instrument over another. The information contained is the result of nearly thirty years of playing, repairing and selling guitars.

Section I ? Price Range

The first issue to address and perhaps the most important (unfortunately) is the price that you are willing to spend on an instrument. Nowadays, unlike twenty or thirty years ago, you are able to purchase a very good quality guitar for a low price. It is a good idea to establish a minimum and a maximum that you would like to spend. Say for instance you choose a model that starts at $125.00 and goes up to $250.00 for the model with the most options or features (better bridge, tuners, etc.?). If your maximum price is only $200.00, you might opt for the in-between model that is still a great guitar that has everything you need! However, make sure that you shop around for your best deal. The same instrument could vary in price from one store to the next; so do your homework you won?t regret it!So when choosing your first electric guitar, only you can decide how much you want to spend. The point is to realize that there is usually more than one model of the same line of a particular guitar at different prices. It can get rather confusing, but that is what this guide is for; so you have an idea of what to look for!

Section II ? Visual Aspects

It is important to consider the appearance of the instrument you are seeking. This section of course varies with each individual person. However, it is important that you are happy with the way your guitar looks. After all, you?re buying your first guitar and you will probably keep it for a number of years. Do you like solid colors such as blue, red, green, or white? What about clear finishes or sunburst? Is the body style appealing to you? This is all personal choice right? Well, yes and no. If you have the money obviously you can pick whatever you want, but keep in mind that within just about any particular brand of guitar, solid colors generally cost less than clear finishes and sunbursts. So visual aspects are largely a matter of taste, but you might be limited again by your budget.

Section III ? Sound and Playability

When you pick up a guitar in the store and begin to play, it should feel comfortable. The neck should fit your hand size and the body should rest against you comfortably while standing up as well as sitting down. The sound must be pleasing to your ears or else you won?t be happy with the instrument. Ask to try out guitars with different pickup configurations. Pickups are the bars under the strings near the bridge that ?pickup? the string vibrations. Pickup configurations are simply the arrangement of the pickups that will produce different sound combinations when switched. The guitar should also fit the style of music that you intend to play. The salesperson at the music store can be helpful for this, as they should have a pretty good idea of which guitars are used for what. This might seem self-explanatory but so many times I?ve seen people (including myself) settle for something less or different than what they had in mind. Only to fall victim to the persuasive salesperson who is thinking about his commission rather than your satisfaction or happiness. So when choosing, keep in mind your personal needs alone, not what someone else tells you or tries to push you into.

Section IV ? The Bottom Line

What is the bottom line? Your personal satisfaction! You have to like or even love the instrument that you purchase, even if it is an inexpensive beginner?s model. Of course there is a lot more that could be said about this subject but the idea is to give you a guide that will help you in your purchase, not to write a long commentary! So have fun and don?t rush. You won?t be satisfied if you?re hasty so take your time and you will find your first electric guitar with as little stress as possible.

The Author is a guitarist of 30 years with experience in the studio, live performance and teaching. He also builds replicas of vintage amplifiers from the fifties. At the Guitars For All website you will find this article and also a collection of Free Guitar Lessons, so don’t hesitate to look for them HERE.

So, you want to buy a new piano or upgrade your old piano. There are so many options when it comes to purchasing one of the oldest musical instruments, the piano. You have the choice of purchasing a new piano, a 2nd hand piano, or even a digital piano. There are so many choices and so many brands to choose from. But, be careful? there are also many traps along the way.

The piano has been around for about 300 years and over that time the essence of the piano has not really changed. The cabinets have changed over the years and have improved but the internal workings have not really changed from the first models produced in the 1700?s. The basic workings are that you play a key then a hammer hits a string and it vibrates and the sound is reflected off the soundboard to produce the musical tone (sound). There are approx. 10,000 parts in a piano and many of these are very finely tuned. The moving parts within the piano are called the ?action?. Just like a car the ?action? is the engine of the piano. If the action has problems or is not maintained then the piano will not perform as it should. A piano is generally considered to be one of the hi-end purchases or investments that we make in our lifetime. It is very important to spend time researching various options like new, 2nd hand, brands, warranty, etc. before jumping in on an impulse and purchasing a lemon.

Does size matter?

The answer to this question is? Yes and No. Size/height of an upright piano does not really matter. The difference in pianos in relation to size, means that in an upright piano the soundboard and also string length are greater therefore give the piano a richer tone and an increased resonant sound. For instance? in an upright piano with a height of 108cm compared to a larger upright of 121cm there is a height difference of 13cm. Therefore there is approx. 13cm more in the height of the soundboard and also greater length of the strings. The soundboard of a piano is like the speakers in a stereo system, the bigger the speakers the greater the bass response and deeper the tone. This is exactly what happens in a piano. You must also keep in mind the size of the room in which the piano is going to live. In some rooms that have deep pile carpet and heavy curtains the smaller pianos will loose their volume because of the ?soft furnishings? absorbing the sound. If the player is just a beginner or has only been learning for a short amount of time then a smaller size piano like the 108cm or 112cm will be fine. If the player is a serious student, teacher or a person that has been playing for sometime, then a 121cm or larger would be required, maybe a grand piano. The reason for this is that the player has experience and performance ability and would be looking for a better tone and resonance in the piano which they are playing or practicing on.

New or 2nd hand?

I guess the short answer to the question of 2nd hand is?

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

This is for several reasons. There are a lot of people selling 2nd hand pianos who are making a lot of money playing upon the ignorance of the piano buying public. They have found that they can take an old piano and clean up the instrument, make the metal parts shine, polish the wood and in general tidy up the appearance of an otherwise useless piano and then place a high price on the instrument. There has always been a sense of ?the higher the price the better quality?, this is not the case. When it comes to second-hand pianos you need to ?do your homework?. Its like buying a second-hand car!! You need to get the advise of someone in the industry like a Qualified Piano Tuner, or a Piano Teacher who knows what to look out for. One of the pianos to try and avoid is the ?over-damper? pianos. These usually have problems with the damper mechanism and have been found to be a lot of hassle to repair by tuners and technicians.

Be aware that there are a lot of second-hand pianos being imported from Asia and you really need to ?proceed with caution? on these. You will probably be told that they are great pianos, excellent condition, etc. But, consider if they are all that they are made out to be, why did the Music School, University, etc. in Asia decide to replace these pianos??? Also, the comment by the salesperson, ?they have not had much use!!? is something you need to think about. Remember that about 75% of these pianos have come from a Music School, University, etc. and are from 5 years to 20 years old and have countless students practicing on them for maybe up to 14 hours a day over every day of the year for 5-20 years. That?s a lot of work that these pianos have been receiving and it makes you wonder if over this time if they have been properly maintained and serviced.

There are some good models coming in to Australia as second-hand Imported Pianos and these are from homes and have been used as private pianos. When purchasing any of these instruments from a store or a private piano tuner selling these types of pianos is to make sure that they have some type of warranty which include the pin block, frame, soundboard. The person selling these instruments should be able to place a 5 year warranty on the above. Also make sure that the piano is tuned in your home after delivery, this is usually done about 1 week after delivery with a new piano and should also be done with a piano that is second-hand .

Why maintain a piano?

The piano is a highly developed and complicated piece of equipment. It contains about 240 different lengths of high tensioned wire. These lengths of wire make up to 85 to 88 notes spread across the music tonal range. For each note there exists a mechanism which in the upright piano contains up to 14 different moving parts and in a grand piano up to 22 moving parts per note. This means that there is around 2000 moving parts in a piano!! Since the piano must be maintained at a specific tension to achieve a good musical sound the matter of maintenance becomes an ongoing process. If you play the piano several hours a day and work to a performance standard you may need to have your piano tuned frequently. This could be mean that your piano would need to be tuned 5-6 times a year, or more!! A finely tuned and functioning instrument will make practice and performance much easier and encourage students to practice more because their instrument is performing at its best. It will also give you peace of mind that your investment in the piano will last. Having the piano maintained will ensure that it will always be performing at its best and will stand the test of time. You should realize that a piano will never stay in tune, no matter what brand it is or if it is an upright or a grand. However, a piano that is manufactured to a high standard and using better materials will stay in tune for longer periods. Also keep in mind that a new piano will require several tunings throughout the first 2 years. This is usually every 3-4 months until the strings and pin block have time to ?wear in? and settle down.

Does the brand name make a difference?

The answer has changed a great deal over the years. Brand names do not really make a great deal of difference when it comes to buying a new piano. When it comes to buying a 2nd hand piano which has had many birthdays (30 ), the brand name will make a HUGE difference in the quality of the instrument and also the purchase price. In regard to new pianos most brands have a model (usually the height is the model number, 121cm 108cm, 115cm, etc.), and you will find that all brand names have a model in the same height. The price is usually around the same or maybe $500.00-1000.00 difference. The difference in price does not mean that the more expensive one is any better or is going to last any longer or not less tunings each year. Warranty varies on new pianos from 3-5 years, to 10 years to a Lifetime Warranty. The longer the warranty the better off you will be because the manufacture is willing to provide a warranty like this to their instrument, which means they are certain that the piano will be fault free for the warranty period. The only advice really when it comes to buying a new piano is to shop around and be sure you purchase a well known brand name from an authorised piano dealer. If in doubt talk to your piano tuner or call the importers of the product and talk to them. The best advice is to? get advice!!

Acoustic or Digital?

This is really a matter of preference. With today’s digital pianos becoming better and better it is very hard to make judgment between digital and acoustic. I guess the best way to work out which is best for you is to think like this?An acoustic piano is essentially the same instrument that has been around for about 300 years. Music was and is still composed for the piano and for piano performance with orchestras, concert halls, etc. It is a pure instrument and always will be. The digital piano however has a multitude of instruments and drum samples with disk drives, etc. It is more like a computer with a keyboard!! It is an excellent composition tool with various voices like, piano, strings, brass & woodwind sounds and of course the rhythm unit and disk drive to save your work. You can then transfer your work to a computer and using MIDI software printout your composition as a musical score. The digital piano is also great for the younger student providing all these features to help keep their interest in learning the piano. So, as you can see either acoustic or digital, you need to work out which is best for you and what you see to be long-term value for yourself and your family. Although acoustic pianos have been around for 300 years, the digital models change with technology about 12-18 months. So, the digital piano you buy today will be out dated usually within 1-2 years.

Conclusion…

A piano purchased today will always be a piano. Unlike the digital piano where the features are increasing and becoming more impressive each year as technology gets better and better. You will not see on an Acoustic Piano a rhythm unit (drum machine), auto chords, display screens like the star ship enterprise, or a blender or even a milkshake maker!! The piano is a ?true? instrument that requires dedication and determination to master. It takes years of lessons, practice and a belief in oneself of achieving an ability to be able to perform on such a majestic instrument.

Before purchasing any piano keep the following points in mind and your purchase should then be a happy one!!

Best advice is to? Get Advice!

Paul J. Kenny

Paul’s extensive musical career spans over 20 years. His accolades and degrees include several Bachelor of Arts (Music) Degrees, Associate of Music, Licentiate in Composition, Bachelor in Business Administration, Doctorate Degree in Music and Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education. Paul is also a Fellowship Member of the Academy of Saint Cecilia London and a Fellowship Member of the Cambridge Society of Musicians, as well as a Professional Member of the Australian Society of Music Educators.

Paul has been a music teacher and performer for over 20 years. Some of Paul’s students have gone on to be professional musicians or continuing studies at a University or Conservatorium of Music.

Music downloads are very popular right now and rightfully so. Just image having access to thousands of songs with the ability to get your own digital copy. The proliferation of iPods, iTunes, Napster, MP3 players, high speed internet connections, and CD burners has made the world ripe for digital music. How do you get digital music? You download music to your PC. That?s how.

Where can you find music downloads? There are several services online that provide music download to their customer. You can download music from Walmart for $.88 per song. That is a pretty good deal and they have a nice selection of songs. For the iPod owners out there, you can download music from iTunes. They also have a real nice selection of music and they charge $.99 per song.

If you don?t want to use either of those services then you may want to try Napster. Napster actually popularized music downloads back when they gave users access to songs for free. The free music swapping was, of course, shut down and now they charge $9.95 per month for unlimited access to their music library. They currently advertise a selection of 1,500,000 songs.

Today?s version of Napster is called Kazaa. It allows users to share music files amongst themselves. Music downloads through Kazaa are free for now, but expect Kazaa to eventually go the way of Napster. Music companies do not like people to download music for free so the free music downloads will not last forever.

MP3.com also provides visitors music downloads. They actually sell songs through other sites, but they allow you to find and listen to songs before you make a purchase. They have a good selection of songs and even off some music downloads for free.

One last place to look for music downloads is in music user groups. It is common for users in those groups to share music, so you should be able to find music to download if you look hard enough.

For more information on cell phones and the companies that provide cell phone service simply run a search for ?music download? or download music on Google and you will get plenty of addtional information.

Jason D. Barrett is currently focused on writing informative articles for InfoBriefs.com, child insurance articles for ChildInsure.com, and technology articles for ScoutTechnology.com. This is part of his highly successful internet property development approach. Please feel free to contact Jason through one of his sites to see how he can help you develop your own internet property!

Parents often don?t realize how much progress their young child in piano lessons can make. Some parents don?t even take their young children in piano lessons seriously! It?s hard to believe but I’ve even heard parents say things like, ?Well she?s only 6 years old, you can?t expect her to really play piano!? The problem with this thinking is where does it end? ?She?s only 7?..? ?He?s only 8?..? She?s only 9?.? This is a defense parents sometimes use because they?re afraid their children will fail in piano. It’s understandable, but it sends their child in piano the message that their effort doesn?t matter. How sad!

The truth is that children are very capable so don?t underestimate your child?s intelligence. Here are three practice strategies for young piano students that matter! Encourage your child in piano lessons to use these Best Piano Practice Tips and I guarantee it will make a huge difference in their success.

1. Keep your eyes on the music – don?t look down at your hands.

2. Sing the note names as you play them.

3. Keep a rounded hand position over the keys and stretch your fingertips down to the keys from the top knuckles.

4. Sit back on the piano bench and reach your arms out to the piano.

5. Swing your arms away from your sides so the tips of your elbows point in a horizontal direction.

Without effective piano practice habits it won?t matter how long your child practices. However, by helping your young student stay focused during home practice with these effective learning tips, they will achieve more and enjoy playing more, because they?re so successful.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You?ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child – right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f?ree internet newsletter so you can download f?ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

Sliding is another legato technique used by all guitarist. They are very simple to learn, just pick a note or notes and slide your finger slides to another note(s).

This is presented in most TAB format as a ?/? slide up and ?s? slide down. First let?s do a simple slide up. Use your 3rd finger on the A string 7th fret pick the note and slid up to the 9th fret smoothly and without stopping. Don?t pick the note on the 9th fret! The Tab is below