When I started playing jigs, my default bowing pattern made a groove like Pop Goes the Weasel: Long-short, long-short, muberry bush, the long-short, long-short weasel.

And that still works for me without having to think about it. The one rule to keep in mind is: Do not slur from one string to another. This is unlike Irish reels. There, you can and do slur from one string to another. But not in jigs. Getting the hang of ornaments

I think of the Irish fiddle ornaments as falling into melodic and percussive categories.

The three most common melodic moves are, the grace note, the triplet, the roll. These moves all use neighbor notes. Any note within one step of the main melody note can be a neighbor note. In Irish fiddling, the neighbor note can be two steps away.

Grace notes are typically the upper neighbor, one whole step or half step higher. The grace note is usually played just before the beat.

In standard music notation it is shown as a very small note. In my tab charts I follow this convention by making the tab grace note much smaller than the main melody notes.

Triplets start with the melody note, go up to the neighbor note, and return to the melody note. The rhythm of this is a substitution of three internal beats for two.

Think of a shuffle pattern: dah-duh-duh. Now go: diddally-duh-duh. This ornament is very popular in Texas Contest style also.

The roll starts on the melody note, goes to the upper neighbor, back to the melody note, then to the lower neighbor, then back to the melody note. When the melodic note is played with the first finger, the upper neighbor is usually the third above, and is played with the third finger. In the roll, the neighbor notes are very light and quick, almost ghost notes.

Percussive finger and bow tricks

These next two moves are a lot of fun. They imitate the bodhran drum. I think of them as being rhythmic ornaments, not melodic.

The bow shake, (my term), is not intended to make three distinct notes. You should hear an interruption of the melodic sound when you do it. Yes, it is a triplet pattern, but done so quickly that you just hear the sound of the bow digging into the string.

Finally, the cut, which you execute by dragging your finger across the (usually) open string without changing the bow direction. This also creates an interruption of the melodic sound. The violin as a percussion instrument!

Slidin’ and Squawkin’

The first collection I found of Irish and Celtic tunes, way back in the day,was English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes by Robin Williamson.

This was published in 1976 and came with a vinyl recording of the author playing his tunes up to speed. I still play Carolan?s Concerto and Off to California, which came from this book originally.

Williamson writes about slides as being squawks and smears. A squawk is a quick slide and a smear is a lazy slide. The lazy slide has become a favorite of mine, often replacing several notes of a melody.

In slides the object is to start the slide flat to the target note. It can be a half step low or, sometimes, even more. When you slide up the neck, be sure to stop at the desired pitch.

Many times in my studio I coach students to do this correctly. The common mistake is to start at the target pitch and slide up. Be very careful to avoid this error. It just doesn?t sound right.

Quick slides, or squawks, can be done often. You will find some notes are better than others for a quick slide. The third note of the scale you are in, for example, is almost always good. The note attracts a slide, especially if it does not go by too fast.

The slower slide, the smear, will often take more time than the usual note allows. So you just steal time from another note. Then you take that note out back and shoot it. (Just kidding. You let the note back in later, when you don?t play the smear.)

You can find more fiddle tab charts for Irish tunes in the archive at Fiddle Tunes in Tab. Included are: O’Keefe’s Slide, Drowsey Maggie, Road to Lisdoonvarna and Tommy People’s Reel.

Elan Chalford, MM.–Fiddle Coach
Learn to Play Fiddle without Reading Music

Hip hop; the epitome of hyper masculinity often characterized with images of violence, degradation of women, and hostility towards gays/lesbians. Typically embraced by young urbanites, hip-hop music has actually gained a degree of mainstream acceptance with fans spanning the demographic charts in every direction.

Now a diverse offshoot of hip hop often called ?homo hop? or ?gay hip hop? is standing at the door of mainstream acceptance and loudly knocking. Openly gay hip hop artists must confront and overcome overt homophobia within the music industry all while running the risk of being solely characterized by their sexual orientation versus the most important factor of all, their talent.

The Who, What, When, Where and How of Homo/Gay Hip Hop

?I coined the term homo hop as a joke, hanging out with a few homiesexuals in Oakland back in 1999? states musical artist Tim?m West. In his reflection of the evolution of the term he added that as more openly LGBT artists continued to perform, that a ?unique identifier to rally and mobilize the community? was used, hence the current day use of the term ?homo hip hop? or just ?gay hip hop.?

West adds that ?Unfortunately, journalists get a hold of your joke and run with it. All of a sudden people are referencing homo hop as if it’s a whole new genre of music, when if fact, it’s just like other hip hop, but just performed, produced, etc… by LGBT/SGL people who are out of the closet as gay, lesbian, bi, queer, trans, SGL.?

According to Phat Family, an international organization of artists, writers and fans interested in exploring issues related to hip-hop music, culture, and LGBT identity, describe it a little differently. ?Homo Hop is not about infiltrating or integrating hip-hop, but in engaging in hip-hop?s elements with our full selves.

Homo Hop is hip-hop boiled down to its essence: blunt expression, individual and collective identity and sexuality. Homo Hop is just another generation of b-boys and b-girls who keep it real and say fuck you to those who would censor or control our expression? the organization states.

In fact mainstream hip hop artists have been notorious for their inflammatory lyrics which at one time had become the expected standard from some artists including DMX, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg to name a few.

With such hateful lyrics of violence and denegation, it makes one wonder why the LGBT community would embrace the hip hop music genre at all? Could it actually be a cry for mainstream acceptance, similar to how the Black Gay community tends to embrace homophobic gospel artists and ant-gay church congregations?

Are LGBT fans of hip hop actually attracted to the need for mainstream acceptance more so than the music itself? Well the answer actually may lie in a 2000 article written by Guy Trebay which was published by the Village Voice titled ?Homo Thuz Blow Up The Spot.?

Trebay interviewed Mark Tuggle an outreach coordinator who stated that ?I’m not necessarily pro the lyric. Hip-hop overall supersedes the lyrics. You have to remember where people are coming from. How can we expect hip-hop artists to embrace a sexuality they haven’t been taught? We’ve all been miseducated as a society about sexuality. At least hip-hop is founded on male-to-male love?the crew, the posse?and that appeals to our sense of art, poetry, and masculinity.?

Thus the allure of hip hop tends to be the commonality of community, urban angst, a shared degree of masculinity, and an emotional bond of brotherhood that draws in gay and straight fans alike. Listeners can relate to this overall theme, rhythmic beat, and messaging of the music which either speaks to their own personal experience or an experience in which they deeply empathize with. And since the imagery and the terminology of the word ?gay? is often viewed as weak or effeminate, it is instantly considered opposite of the masculine and rugged image of hip hop and thus immediately rejected.

Hence, there is a love-hate relationship with hip hop music as it relates to its LGBT fans, thus the birth and growth of homo/gay hip hop. Over the course of a decade dozens of openly gay hip hop artists have dared to go where others in the music industry have only dreamed up going; out of the closet. Tim?m West, Torri Fix, Cashaun, El-Don, Exodus, Miss Money, Aaron-Carl, Deep Dickollective, Punk of Da South, and dozens others in both America and Europe have stepped to the plate, put down their own money down, and self-produced and marketed much of their own works.

In every way it seems, LGBT artists and the genre of gay hip hop are standing exactly where mainstream hip hop artists and the genre once resided. So the questions is what is the next step and when does it happen?

Gay Hip Hop Radio Bring Mainstream Attention

He dishes the unabashed truth peppered with foul, four letter words of reality intersected with slamming rhythms of gritty hip hop shoved in your face. He has the wit of Wendy Williams, the urban approachability of Tom Joyner tinged with the flavor of rude determination oozing through his pores.

His name is DJ Baker, the host of the online ?Da Doo-Dirty Show? radio broadcast. For two hours, 5 days a week, we hear the latest in news within the Black LGBT community. From the latest Black LGBT issues to music, fashion and relationships; everything can be heard on this new groundbreaking show. In fact DJ Baker even shares intimate details of his own life from his past drug addiction to his HIV status combined with the ups and downs of his own dating life.

?I feel I have to share my personal life with the listeners cause I want the listeners to understand that they are not alone. We all have similar experience, so let’s share. I am always complaining that I don’t have the confidence to talk to dudes, but with this show I hope to improve on my confidence with my listeners. I want a relationship with my listeners. Not going to front… going to be as honest as possible. You have be honest to get honesty in return? Baker explains.

From having listened to ?Da Doo-Dirty Show? for at least two weeks now, it can indeed become quite addictive, listening daily in an almost real time fashion. You can always get the latest developments of the day which Baker discusses in a blunt, matter of fact detail. The result is a highly polished program that can compete with some of the most successful syndicated radio programs in urban markets across the country.

The music of the show is of course driven by both LGBT and mainstream hip hop artists alike. It?s fresh, its underground, and its also mainstream, but most importantly it reaches to listeners at the very core of who and what they are.

?The goal of the show is to offer a platform and medium for gay artist to come to promote their projects whether it’s art, music, literature, movies, or dance. This will be not only the home for gay hip hop, but hip hop in general. The integration of hip hop on all levels, from underground, popular, and yeah gay hip hop. The only expectation I may have on this show is for it to be successful in the equality through music and talk? Baker affirms.

You would think he would have a fully equipped studio staff at his disposal but in actuality DJ Baker meticulously assembles every component of radio show by himself.

?I record the show Mon – Fri from 1pm to 4pm. That includes all the edits, drops, and voiceovers. The actual time it takes to record the show and then upload it, it’s about 4hrs. The more I do shows the easier it gets, cause I have a method now.?

As Baker?s radio show continues to grow, so will the attention to LGBT hip hop. These are indeed exciting and groundbreaking times for the LGBT community as it witnesses a transformation of thought, sound and music.

Music Festivals and Documentary Shine The Light of Awareness

It is a gathering of ?family? and those who support the LGBT hip hop movement. Oakland, New York City, and the UK each have an annual gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer hip hop artists, activists, fans and supporters in order to celebrate their presence in hip hop. Each of the events features live music, DJs, spoken word, dance and art.

The original PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival was held in Oakland, California in August 2001 and has become an annual tradition organized by Juba Kalamka of Sugartruck Recordings. The PeaceOut East in New York is organized by Shante Paradigm.

PeaceOUT UK is Europe?s first gay hip-hop festival. Organized by Pac-Man and gayhiphop.com The event will focus on providing live performances by rappers, singers and scratch DJ ?s from the gay hip-hop scene plus include the other aspects of hip-hop culture such as beatboxin breakin and graffiti.

In addition to concert festivals, now the big screen is beginning to see fresh new imagery of gay hip hop artists. A bold new documentary titled PICK UP THE MIC is literally sweeping across film festivals telling the once untold stories of homo hop artists.

It was filmed over a three year period taking its crew to large and mid-cities from New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, to Houston, Minneapolis, and Madison, Wisconsin capturing LGBT artist issues dealing with rehearsing, performing, and struggling with the most intimate feelings dealing with homophobia, gender identification, and suicide

According to promotional material, ?PICK UP THE MIC features more than a dozen contemporary hip-hop artists, representing a striking range of sexual and ethnic diversity. Shot over a three-year period, the film traces their intertwining relationships from San Francisco?s underground music scene of the early ?90s through performances as recent as 2005.?

Additional information at www.pickupthemic.com, states that the documentary ?reveals artists and producers as they attempt to express their lives through hip-hop music – a medium from which they?ve often felt alienated because of it?s widespread misogyny and anti-gay rhetoric. But their stories resonate far beyond the music industry and queer communities, reminding us all of the surprising resiliency of the human spirit.?

So could music festivals and a documentary about gay hip hop really be the keys to breaking down barriers, stereotypes and providing the pathway to tolerance and diversity? Well the simple fact that gay hip hop history is being documented and recorded and that the movement is being celebrated around the world in venues large and small indicates that there is continued growth to come. The genre has room to grow and what we could be witnessing is the genesis versus the apex of the homo hop movement.

Will A LGBT Hip Hop Artist Ever Cross Over?

Everyone?s watching and waiting. Can or will an openly gay hip hop artist ever successfully cross over into the mainstream? And why would straight audiences embrace a gay artist?

?Eventually someone will cross over. It’s inevitable; just as white, or female emcees have entered the game with relative success in a genre dominated by black (perceived) straight males. As for why straight people would listen to a gay hip hop artist? Because the music is good and the artist is lyrically gifted. For example, I have more straight hip hop fans than gay ones? explains Tim?m West.

DJ Baker enthusiastically agrees, ?Hell yeah, but who I don’t know. Have we forgotten of the RuPaul’s and the Boy George’s of the world. Just a different time and different genre. In my eyes, they would have to be someone who must be able to gain respect from the general hip hop community. The more exposure these artists receive the more you get into the music, and you’re not preoccupied with who he or she is sleeping with or loving.

I can’t predict where or who, but the formula is the same for Homo Hop as it was for Reggeaton. Can we all remember a time when the radio and TV did not play any hip hop? It’s a struggle and if you asked me for artists to watch Punk Of Da South, Tori Fixx, Deadlee, and Godess. We’ll see, and Da Doo-Dirty Show will be there the whole way.?

Only time will tell who, when, where, and how an openly LGBT hip hop artist will crossover into the mainstream. But since history has a way of repeating itself, we can live with the assurances of knowing that the societal envelope will indeed be pushed further and eventually be ripped open to reveal a whole new realm of diversity, tolerance and creative talent to come.

To hear a radio interview with DJ Baker who hosts a Gay Hip Hop Radio show, www.gayradio.com/herndondavis/HDR071806GayArabs35.mp3

Copyrighted 2006

Herndon Davis is an author, Lecturer, and TV/Radio Host. He can be reached directly at www.herndondavis.com

Imagine being able to sit down at the piano and create your own unique music without years of study. Now imagine being able to do it within 1 hour! It’s possible when you learn how to play the open position piano chord!

The OPC is a special way of forming chords at the piano. You use both hands right away to create a modern sounding chord that’s perfect for today’s contemporary styles. It’s called open position because of the way the notes of the chord are spread out.

The left hand plays the root, fifth, and seventh notes of the chord while the right hand takes the third and seventh again. The sound is amazing but this isn’t the biggest benefit of this particular chord structure. The biggest benefit is what you can do with it!

For example, in the piano lesson Reflections in Water, you start by playing a C Major 7 OPC. Now that you have the chord what are you going to do to make music? You are going to improvise a melody with the right hand using the tones from the C Major scale. You see, all you really need to know in order to make your own music is chords and the scale the chords came from.

You need to know the notes of the scale so you can use them to improvise a melody. Now the beauty of the open position chord is that you don’t have to move your hands around too much in order to create a melody with. In fact, you can pretty much stay within this chord structure and create a beautiful piece of music.

Reflections in Water uses 4 chords to create a few minutes of music with. A beginner can learn to use this chord structure within 1 hour and create music with it. It really is that easy!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/pianolessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

Some could argue that the downfall of John Lennon came when he met Yoko Ono. After the releases of ?Two Virgins? and ?Life With Lions,? the somewhat controversial and humour enticing albums, (both within a year of each other), the future career of Lennon seemed lacking in all the speciality of The Beatles. Even Lennon was seen to be doubtful in his departure from the band. He married Yoko on the 20th of March 1969 which was then followed by the infamous 8 day peace protest in bed as their honeymoon. The Plastic Ono Band album was released almost immediately after The Beatles split officially in May 1970, yet the final ?Let It Be,? The Beatles swansong wasn?t released until after this date.

Moving to New York in September 1971, he released the album, ?Imagine? only a month later after his departure from England. It wasn?t long until immigration almost successfully got him packing his bags and heading home. Splitting from Yoko for about a year later, he went out on several heavy drinking sessions with old friend and known alcoholic, Harry Nilsoon. Together they recorded the album, ?Pussy Cats?, sadly I can?t find a listing for this anywhere as a chart entry here or over there. Eventually allowed his green card after Sean was born, he retreated from the music industry to be alone with his new family. Putting the lid down on his piano and closing the guitar case, he seemed to have found his perfect home. On the brink of a come back with the signing of a music contract, the future seemed bright for the Lennon family until the fatal meeting with Mark Chapman where he shot Lennon out side his home on the 8th of December 1980.

We take a look at one of the compilations that has graced our record shops since his death. It would appear that on every anniversary of birth or death, an album has followed featuring his best known music from his solo career. This is one of them?

?Imagine there?s no Heaven, its easy if you try..? First released in November 1975, it went straight to number one. Again issued in December 1988 and then again in December 1999, in total, it sold over a million copies, but still, the simplicity of this track was always destined to be one of the great anthems in human history whether he was still with us or not. The hands make very little movement across the keys and with a video piece in just the same vein, they are as uniquely powerful as each other. The essentialism is within the opening piano chords. Lennon was not the greatest singer, in fact, straining his poor voice in early Beatle recordings was not unusual. (The song, ?Twist And Shout,? always had to be left until the end of a show due to the anxiety it would have on his vocal chords.) He was primarily a poet, a collector or words, creating images for the heart and for the soul of his listeners. As Dylan as his constant musical guide in his head, Lennon was, it could be said, imitating the legendary folk singer, but naturally what shone through and essentially what we connected to was the person who enlightened us from within John. Love or loathe The Beatles, one cane listen to ?Imagine? and feel something. Whether it is thoughts for our own families and children or the world as a whole, this song is very much affective and will remain so for generations to come. The tragedy of this heart dominating piece of humanitarism, is that the song is forever remembered, but the words have long been forgotten?

?Instant Karma? is the second track on this compilation album. It has to be said that one is struck by the extent of the love that John shared with Yoko, not just for each other but for their dedication to the projects that they had together. Flicking through the sleeve, we notice that the simple black and white photography is relaxed and we feel welcomed into their world. The twenty tracks are performed by John but mostly by The Plastic Ono Band which on many occasions incorporated some well respected musicians including Klaus Voorman (the German friend from the days of Hamburg who designed the Revolver album for The Beatles) and Eric Clapton. One is also struck by not just the political strengths of this man but his diversity within his music. We shift from grief stricken soul to folk, pop and rock and roll, Lennon?s first being the latter. It was released February 1970, reaching number 5.

This track, I wonder is probably more autobiographical than a political statement. The extent of this track musically throws out to its audience the same crowd-filling-a -room feeling as ?Give Peace A Chance.? A lot of hand clapping and a cast of thousands fill our ears. These tracks are primitive in their recordings in following the Ono/Lennon theme of musicians jamming a song rather than playing it in a studio situation. A mumbled counting in at the intro gives the full feeling of a song almost made up as they went along. I felt, lyrically, it was a personal dig at his shallowed emotion from being the star of The Beatles. One gets the impression that Lennon, after leaving the band, spent the rest of his life reflecting and analysing his former existence.

?Mother,? is very definitely a self therapy track that was actually spawned by some sessions with a certain Dr Janov. It is crucially a very personal track and once the words have been digested by the listener, it feels as thought we are encroaching on something so intensely intimate that its is like extreme intrusion. The opening line may bring a lump to the throat; ?..mother, you had me, but I never had you? I wanted you but you didn?t want me?? is an incredibly disturbing statement for a child to make to its mother. Another line is???father you left me, but I never left you?? If we knew a small fraction of Lennon?s upbringing, we would know that he was abandoned by his father, whom in twenty years of John?s life, he only saw him twice. Also brought up by his mother?s sister, Mimi, so with this information in hand, it is a painful ballad about one?s parents to bear, even from the voice of a grown man. Released in December 1970, it failed to enter a chart.

Another self analysis mark of Lennon?s life is portrayed in the beautifully gentle, ?Jealous Guy.? Whilst hitting the bottle in a suicidal fashion at the temporary break from Ono, this simply tuned song offers a touching and affectionate plea for his lost one. For a man to open up his inner most feelings surely is a mark of dignity and strength. We see the sensitive side of Lennon, a side not seen whilst a foul mouthed, bad tempered Beatle. In this violin complemented ballad, we can surely be thankful for the presence of Yoko in his life. If not, he would never have penned such poetry. Released in November 1985, but failed to get any higher than number 65..

?Power to The People,? is back to the chanting, peace seeking days of the strong Lennon/Ono union. Again, a marching demonstration song easily shouted from the roof tops in great chorus. Yet with its anti war themes of such poignancy, I can only think of Citizen Smith shouting from outside Tooting tube station?Unlike Smith, Lennon found himself on many occasions being labelled as part of America?s radical left. Released as a single in March 1971, it managed a fairly decent number 7.

?Cold Turkey,? may have had all the signs of a drug addiction track but it was actually directed at the governments from both side of the pond. At the release of this track, it was at the same time as Lennon handing back his M.B.E to the Queen. Naturally, the timing for Lennon was appalling and the single flopped. A fairly mediocre rock track by John?s standards, it does not help with the cries and wails of his voice towards the end. Deeply analytical and self opposed, it denotes a less than happy time in his life. Released in November 1969, it reached a weak number 14, despite its surrounding situations.

?Love,? is again a personal reflection on the love in his life and the love lost from his parents. He describes ?love is wanting o be loved..? I feel with these tracks that it is Lennon?s attempt to quite openly bare his soul. We, the majority, only accept the musical quality of the sturdy piano and ever so soft acoustic guitar. Perhaps it is because we don?t know how to deal with someone else?s instantly personal feelings? Released November 1982, it reached only number 41.

?Mind Games,? is a whining track that may get on one?s nerves after too many listens. I do believe that John took his music too far sometimes in the respect of his introverted perspective view on the world. Being so disillusioned with the leading heads of state from both sides, he became withdrawn in his ideas, far beyond anyone?s comprehension, these were strange, avant garde pieces for his own personal benefit. Lennon totally looses himself in the immensely droning and brain washing theme of this song. I do believe he forgets, that there are people, in the future, out there who will be listening to this?A fairly awful song, it was surprisingly released as a single in November 1973 and got an average number 26.

?Whatever Gets You Through The Night,? is a jolly, happy clappy song that takes on a sudden change of theme from the rest of the album. It says, ?hey, forget everything I just said, its okay, whatever you fancy, gets you going, floats your boat, just do it..? Gone briefly are the overly emotional, 3-in-the-morning analysis of the plight of the world. We are awoken to this disco/party track to jump up and down and forget about life?s troubles?.. I?m all for that? Released in October 1974, only to struggle to number 36.

?#9 Dream? is what the title suggests. A dream state created by the distorted, drifting vocals of Lennon with slight Sgt. Pepper instruments. Floating violins, whispers and taps on tambourines have us swimming down a slow moving stream in the afternoon sun. Again, a track that probably held a deeper meaning for Lennon and Ono rather than the listener, who thought, ?hey, this is cool..? Its tracks like these that were wasted on us public.. Released in February 1975, it managed number 23.

?Stand By Me..? id the only track on this extensive album that is not written by Lennon. A classic track written for Ben. E. King by the ever legendary songwriters, King, Leiber and Stoller; the men who were responsible for some of the greatest rock and roll songs ever recorded. Lennon?s love for rock and roll was widely known. He later blamed Elvis for seducing him into creating his own band.. This was not a well liked cover but it still stands well with Lennon?s own backing track and vocal range. Although not his song, he had the ability to take such a song and create it as his own. Adding a croaky vocal and heavier guitars allowed him to do this.. Released May 1975, it failed to get any higher than number 30.

?(Just Like) Starting Over? was the ironic record which shot to number one a month after his death in 1980. A quivering rock and roll moment and somewhat retro aiming at the Teddy Bear re run moving through the younger set of the day. It?s popularity stemmed from Lennon?s untimely death. The ?starting over? theme personally related to his life re born with Yoko and Sean, their son. It was some what a macabre anthem in the feeling of life after death and the strengths his record selling abilities after his passing.

?Woman,? finds us soothing over with the gentleness and humbly inspiring themes of his obvious relationship with Yoko and some may say, the respect he had for his mother whom he had loved with equal tenderness. It is a sensitive tribute to any woman from a man feeling failed in his adoration for her. An emotional piece with just as much feeling musically as in the lyrics? Released January 1981, shot to number one.

?Beautiful Boy,? has the same tenderness as the previous track but now, more focused on the birth of Sean. Much a piece picked on by the media, they highlighted the pushed-aside Julian who had been almost rejected in his earlier life by his father, Lennon, and had been the subject of ?Hey Jude,? by McCartney. This had been written several years before as an arm around the shoulder comforter to Julian after the break up of Lennon?s first marriage to his mother, Sylvia. ?Beautiful Boy,? features the lyric, ? life is what happens to you while you busy making other plans..? A sweet song completed with the tinkling tune denoting a children?s music box in this swaying nursery lullaby. Never released as a single.

?Watching The Wheels,? follows and the nest four tracks take the tempo up a little. This song is particular lifting musically, but yet, still very middle of the road by today? standards. Even though the subject remains with its element of struggle in life and the man coming to terms with his own complicated mind, his mood seems more optimistic and on an even keel. His mood always was heavily reflected in his music. Like many of us waking up knowing we?re going to have a bad day, I guess Lennon felt much the same thing musically? Released April 1981, reaching number 30.

?Nobody Told Me,? is one of my favourite Lennon tracks from his solo career. Yet again, it is a stab at the human race but somehow tongue n cheek. A song for a day that isn?t going so well, a song that I have in my head most days! There is a great deal of electric guitar playing a looped riff on a melodic theme and percussion that lifts the track to a foot tapping, skipping down the road effect from a happier Lennon. Released January 1984, to a fairly impressive number 6.

?Borrowed Time,? is a little on the new wave, Ziggy theme with its abstract Level 42 riff and its fading in and out lyrics. I wonder if this may have been the way forward for him, if he had still been alive. Its fundamental basis is a calypso style for a summer?s day on a Jamaican beach. Lennon delights us in his won vocal percussion. An unusual turn for the rock and roll head strong artist and a refreshing approach for the listener. It prides us into an understanding that Lennon could lift our spirits with open and future forward thinking themes as well as the gut wrenching ballads that have us reaching for razor blades. Lennon enjoyed all music and could adjust his uniqueness to even such foreign and unravelled paths of sounds such as calypso? I just wish I could roll my ?R?s? like he could? Released March 1984, only to number 32.

?Working Class Hero,? will have us throwing away our bongos and reaching for that bathroom cabinet door. This was the titled that labelled Lennon from his death and beyond. In this track, he reaches out to another hero of his, Bob Dylan. With acoustic guitar and minus a harmonica, he extends his talents to hard minded folk music. He falls to the very depths of personal humanity lyrically and the very struggle faced by millions just to go and earn a crust. A cold, truthful legacy to the working class, which is all of us?It was the B side to ?Imagine? in 1975.

?Happy Xmas (War Is Over,) was admittedly, his greatest anti war, anti government chant which only became famously known after his death. Unfortunately, it took seven shots in his chest to make us sit up and listen. The one disadvantage of this track is that we can hear Yoko singing, of course, she couldn?t sing a note, so for this, it is amusing. The other down side is a personal one and it reminds me of Christmases of years ago with the family. With all the spangle and droopy tinsel of all that is festive, it will always be tinged with the tragedy of Lennon?s death. It is a song that will may the listener feel humble and sorrowful for perhaps not appreciating the man when he was still alive. On any account, I do find this song very depressing. Released in December 1972 to number 2 then again in December 2003 but only reaching number 33.

Our last track is ?Give Peace A Chance? and we have gone full circle in his career within this album. Released as a single in July 1969 and recorded at the famous ?bed in? with all sorts of hangers on, musicians, drop outs, press and intellectuals, one can almost smell the mustiness of the unwashed bedclothes and the sweatiness of the enormous crowd huddled into the small hotel room. Don a bed sheet and a guitar and invite a few hundred of your closest acquaintances round for a chanting session. You?ll find this track enlightening, spirit lifting, soul soaring and it will make you want to sway with arms and legs and sing to the top of your voice. The words are simple and effortless and very much Lennon?s finest moment. In my mind, he could have started and finished his career with the very release of this record and this one only. The rest of the songs could all have been recorded but perhaps left to one side for his own personal therapy and reflection. I believe the real tragedy was not the fatal introduction of Mark Chapman, but his career, his music and his thoughtful words, wasted on the shallow human race?

Violent and troubled in his youth, he found self assurance and peace in age. His power was sometimes immeasurable. During the 8 day bed in, he and Ono had boards erected across the world in 12 cities campaigning against the Vietnam war.

On the 28th of November 1974, he made his final public appearance in concert at Madison Square Garden.

All songs written by John Lennon (except Stand By Me by Leiber/Stoller/King. EMI Records Abbey Road. Bought in HMV for nine pounds.

?michelle duffy 2006. Ciao and dooyoo (sam1942) 2006

Michelle is a freelance writer in the South of England and owner of the websites, http://www.generationsounds.co.uk, http://nevermindthebloggers.bravehost.com and their successful sister, ?Never Mind The Bloggers? at http://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.

Like anything in life that you want to learn how to do or to be good at, you have to practice to make it happen. Diligent practice is the key to success if you really want to learn to play guitar. Steady practice helps you to improve on the skills that you learn and ingrains them in you until you can play what you have been practicing without even thinking about it. It does not take long at all to learn to play guitar, as long you have a constant practice schedule and stick to it.

To learn to play guitar, you should set small goals to accomplish each time you practice. This builds confidence each time that you make of your goals, and makes you feel that you are able to accomplish something even harder the next time. You should not jump in and try to follow your favorite song on the radio in the beginning. It would only discourage you from moving forward and get you down.

A very important thing to remember when you start to learn to play guitar, is to practice correctly. If you start off wrong and improperly practice, it will be a lot harder for you to learn to play guitar because you will have unlearn those wrong techniques which will take much longer than if you started off right. Posture and finger positioning are a couple of the techniques that you will want to get right in the very beginning to get you started on the right foot.

When practicing to learn to play guitar, you will want to have proper instructions or teachings to ensure your success. Although, there are plenty of guitar players that have learned to play all on there own, but the quickest and best way to learn to play guitar is to have someone to teach you. Preferably, you want whoever teaches you to be an experienced guitar player themselves for obvious reasons. There are probably many credible instructors in your area, or you can get online training from various sources on the internet. There are very good training programs on the internet to help you learn to play guitar, but there are also some scams out there by people who don?t even know how to play guitar, so be very careful.

Basically to learn to play guitar, you need consistent and diligent practice. You can?t cram and practice for a few hours every once and a while to be successful, practice must be steady over time. So find you a good instructor or some good instructions, make a plan to practice and stick to it. As long as you take small steps, you will be great and learn to play guitar in no time at all.

For more helpful information, visit my blog to learn to play guitar.

Lyric writing is much like any other style of writing, the more time you spend working on it, the more you will grow as a writer. So what exactly are lyrics? Song lyrics can basically be thought of as singable poetry. The Oxford dictionary defines the word ‘lyric’ as 1) (of poetry) expressing the poet’s thoughts and feelings, usually briefly and in stanzas, songlike (a lyric poem) 2) (lyrics) the words of a song. By using this definition, we can assume that the process of writing lyrics draws from some of the same techniques used in poetry.

Why write lyrics? This may seem like an odd question, there are literary hundreds of answers to this, but it is something you will need to ask yourself before you start. Is it because you have a story to tell, because you want to express a particular emotion to your audience? Some write purely for themselves, like a kind of personal therapy. Or perhaps it’s simply because the human voice is an important part of the style of music they are written for.

What do you want to say? Most lyrics are written with a message or some kind of effect in mind. You will need to have a clear idea of what you want out of the lyrics or you will run the risk of creating weak lyrics. Weak lyrics tend to resort to clich?d, generic and boring phrases when they are written solely to ‘fit’ the tune. On the other hand, don’t be carried away with the message, make it a point for the lyrics to be somewhat cryptic. Do not ‘spoon feed’ your audience, plant the seed of your idea and let the audience come to their own conclusions.

As with all forms of creativity, lyrics are an expression of personal ideas, beliefs and themes. Lyric writing is just a matter of expressing these beliefs and feelings. As with most forms of writing, it is best to write about what you know. Because everybody has their own experiences, emotions and beliefs, it becomes hard to give an exact instruction on how to write, everyone has their own opinions on how it should be done. The most I can do in this series is give a guide about how to go about finding your own style by learning from the music that you listen to. This is a great way to learn, as many of the bands you listen to have learned, and draw influences, from other established artists.

There are several ways you can write lyrics:

* Create a melody & write lyrics to accompany it; or
* Write a set of lyrics & add the melody to it; or
* A combination of the above two examples, i.e. do both at the same time.

So, where do you actually start with the writing process? Well, there are countless possible ways (too many to mention here). It really is a matter of preference; every lyricist has his or her own style, much like any artist. A couple of simple ways that are an excellent way to begin are as follows:

1) Start with a possible hook line or chorus and work around it

An example of this can be taken from Coldplay’s hit “Yellow”. The song was derived from a first line that came about from where the band was on the night, as explained in October’s SOS: “‘Yellow’ was written at Rockfield when we where there. The studio we were in is called the Quadrangle Studio – the studio is along one side of an open courtyard, and we went out one night, and because there were so few lights, the stars were just amazing. Guy just came up with the line ‘Look at the stars.’”

2) Start with a title and work around it.

For example, using “Written in Sand” as your title, you can brain-storm around this idea: The phrase suggests that which can be washed away; it also brings the phrase ‘written in stone’ to mind; the word “sand” brings to mind the words like flowing & changing, which brings the words time & water. The word “written” suggests fate or destiny. So a possibility that the song will be about how you can change your destiny. Now there is a basic theme that you can work around.

Tools Of The Trade

What are the tools of a lyricist? One would obviously think a pen and paper (or a computer & word processor) plus the creative mind of the lyricist and the possible use of a musical instrument. There are other tools available for the lyricist to take advantage of, these may seem painfully obvious, but they are quite often overlooked by many people.

Dictionary – A dictionary is an essential tool for any writer, not only for spelling but word meanings. English is a dynamic language, words are constantly being added so it is important to keep an updated dictionary on hand, a 20-year-old dictionary may’ no longer contain the latest words and meanings. It is important not to be too abstruse for your audience but neither is there the need to overuse the same monosyllabic words. It may be of use to keep a couple of different dictionaries (i.e. Oxford & Macquarie) this is because some word meanings may differ slightly, and can be used to colour your lyrics.

Thesaurus – A good dictionary can be supplemented with a thesaurus. The use of a thesaurus is a great way to avoid over-using words and can even inspire your ideas leading them to new directions. This can be very usefully whilst brainstorming.

* — * This is just a simple word-association game; that you can easily apply to any word. Look up the word ‘remains’ in your thesaurus, you are shown: debris, fragments, leavings, leftovers, remnants, and scraps. Now look up ‘debris’ and you will find it also has: flotsam, litter, pieces, refuse, rubbish, rubble, ruins, wreckage and waste to add to your word list. You can do this with as many of the words you like. Some of these extra words will have no use for what you are working on but there may be those one or two words that will fit perfectly.

Rhyming Dictionaries – These particular dictionaries are specifically generated for poets and lyricists. They do not define words as most dictionaries do; they merely list words that rhyme. Some scorn the use of this particular tool, sighting that it is all too easy to rely solely on the list of rhymes than to put a little thought into your rhyming structure. It is also true that many people waste a considerable amount of time listing the words they know to rhyme only to lose the train of thought they were on thus, killing the creative process. If used sensibly, like a thesaurus, a rhyming dictionary can be a very useful tool.

Other Dictionaries – There are other dictionaries available that may be of use to a lyricist. One that comes to mind is the ‘slang’ dictionary. I’ve only seen an “Australian Dictionary of Slang”. Most countries use their own form of slang so I would assume that there are others available. It really depends on what you are working on and who your target audience is, but they may help to put that finishing touch, or stamp of authenticity on a piece. Check your local bookshop for the range of other dictionaries available.

Other Means – What other tools are available? There are many other ways to help with the creative process. Listening to a wide range of music can be helpful, don’t just listen to your normal ‘style’ of music, there are thousands of different music styles around, explore these possibilities. Music has been inspiring people for thousands of years, so it seems logical to turn to it when it comes to your own musical venture.

You may not like some particular styles of music, but you can get an idea from them that you can convert or merge to your chosen genre. If done correctly, it has the potential of being a powerful piece of music that is unique. This is why it is important to be open to all styles and ideas. Some of the most ‘controversial’ bands have reached the popularity they have, simply because they have a unique sound and the ‘message’ they want to convey is something that their fans can relate to.

Bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Linkin Park and Disturbed are given the music ‘title’ of nu-metal (or nu-music) simply because they utilize a wide range of musical sub-genres within the ‘rock’ genre. This can be seen in other more established merges such as ‘country-rock’, ‘pop-rock’ and the recent surfacing of ‘Latin-pop/rock’. If you look throughout music history (particularly that of ‘rock & roll’) you can see this trend more clearly. What do I mean by mixing the different genres? Below are some examples of what I mean.

* ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen is a perfect example of genre mixing. The song has three distinct phase changes within it. It starts off similar to many ballads, then phase changes to a ‘light opera-ish’ stage, and phase changes to ‘rock’ before changing back to the ‘ballad’.

* Another trend that is starting up is adapting a song from one style of music and transforming it to another. An example of this can be taken from many of Staind’s songs. The album version of their song ‘Can’t Believe’ has a distinguished ‘rock’ sound. But if you listen to the MTV: Unplugged version, you will notice that (although the music has the same tune) it is acoustic and is sung in a more ballad-like tune.

* — * In Australia, the radio station Triple M’s Breakfast Show has a ‘Musical Challenge’ in place where they put musicians (both local & international) “to the test”. The Challenge: give a song to a band which is the total opposite to their normal style and get them to ‘remake’ it. Triple M has released some of these songs on CD (proceeds going to charity) if your interested in listening. Some of the songs used: Radiohead’s “Creep” performed by country singer Gina Jeffreys (one of the stations most requested songs); Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” performed by rock musician Richard Clapton, Men At Work’s “Down Under” performed by The Russian Red Army Choir (now one of their most popular songs); Silverchair’s “Freak” performed by country singer Troy Cassar-Daley; the list goes on. It’s well worth the listen.

Apart from listening to these different forms, you could simply go to a site like http://www.getlyrics.com and just read the lyric form of different musical styles. You can easily use the above example and apply it to just the lyric process of some of these artists and merge it to your own music. There is a wealth of knowledge to be discovered from established artists, only if you are willing to look. It may not be ‘conventional’ but then, throughout history, music has been about breaking down pre-existing barriers

As you can see, there is a lot more available to the lyricist besides the simple pen and paper. If used wisely these various tools can help to hone your skills as a lyricist, bringing the best out of your work. Naturally, there may be other tools available that haven’t been mentioned here that the lyricist can use. By all means, use whatever comes to mind. You are only limited by your imagination.

Look out for Part 2 of this series, where you will learn how to accompany words with music by writing Alternate Lyrics.

Chyna Dolores is an author on http://www.Writing.Com which is a site for Creative Writing. You can view her personal work at http://www.chynadoll.writing.com