If you've ever heard a radio station, you may have wondered how they decide which songs to put in the air. The answer is simple and complex.

You be surprised to know in order to demonstrate that music every election is very rare until the Air personality. Today, the repeal of the songs is also contains sophisticated computer programs.

How it works

Most radio stations, or sometimes groups of stations use music director. It is his ortheir task of listening to all the new releases that are sent each week from record companies. These are known as promo copies and distributed freely. Stations they get to hear very first ever broadcast. It may be 20 or 30 of these by post or online as an audio file a week. Record companies do this because the song on the radio stimulates sales. If you hear a song, like you, trying to buy or order from Music Store.

HearingMeeting of the music director, often linked by the Program Director, and a group of presenters (DJ), of which a small commission. Listen and evaluate the suitability of each individual song for the Sound Station and its "potential to be a success will be. Most of the bids will be rejected and only a small part is to make the air. This active group of songs is current playlist.

In small stations, the program manager may require all the decisions. Companies sometimes record The personnel to bring representatives of the songs, the attention of radio stations. Pluggers are called. In many parts of the world, it is illegal for them to offer any kind of financial incentive to get airplay. This is known as Payola and there are numerous scandals that have this type of activity. However, bikes are often lubricated by the provision of tickets for the public or press interviews artist.

Once a song makes the library veryuse> Radio sophisticated techniques, market research, to ensure that playing with the optimal rotation. This is the frequency of repetition, the listener hears the request met, their favorite song. The basic objective is to play the songs not too often and not too rare.

Stations with a sample of their audience for radio, a general popularity of this view. Usually play short sections called hooks (remember bits) bysongs and asks whether to hear the respondents said they want more or less often. The results are then entered into the computer program, or raise or lower airplay. Because this test is conducted by telephone, the word is given to this call-out tracking. This method is generally applicable to the current song category. These are perhaps 20 rounds fashion.

When a song loses its attraction, he said, was burned. The newest songs are called to debutBreakers.

Radio programs are often evaluate large groups of songs with a different system called Auditorium Music Testing.
To do so again with a group of samples representing a strong cross section of the target group. Perhaps a hundred people or so are invited to attend a theater, where the radio station to play a greater number. As the clips are played, people have the participation of guests, the songs on a scale of 1-5. This correspondsthe level of objections hate to love. If these votes are tabulated, including information on social classes and age groups are playing an exact picture of what songs should the station. To ensure that this information is correct with the station Repeat this a few times a year.

The central group of songs is called Core. Most important are the songs that define the sound station. This creates a special musical presence that identifies the productand differs from another radio station.

The radio is very competitive economy and, above all, advertisers spend only stations with the top ranking. The use and application of music research provides revenue for both the public and radio stations compete.
About the author:

Gavin McCoy is a British award winning Radio and marketing consultant.

As you probably know, there are thousands and thousands of different chords in music – everything from basic major chords to minor 7ths to 13ths to suspensions to poly-chords. Someday, you might want to learn all those chords if you don’t already know them.

But meanwhile, there are 3 chords — just 3 — that you absolutely, positively have to know. If you don’t know these three, there’s hardly a song in the whole world that you could play. But by knowing just 3 chords, you can play hundreds, if not thousands of songs!

Really?

Really.

Are you ready? Here they are:

I IV V

Huh? What’s all that about?

Here’s what:

In every key there are 3 chords — just 3 chords — which are known as primary chords — chords that occur way more than other chords. They are like family members of that particular key. They are groups of notes built on the 1st note of the scale, the 4th note of that scale, and the 5th note of that scale. (Those are 3-note chords called triads — in another article we will get into 4 and 5 note chords.)

For example, here is the C scale on the keyboard. It runs from C up to C and octave higher. The I chord is built on the first note of the C scale, and so on:

So if I build a chord on the I — every other scale note up from C, the chord is C, E, and G — known as the C major chord.

If I build a chord on the IV — every other scale note up from F, the chord is F, A, and C — known as the F major chord.

If I build a chord on the V — every other scale note up from G, the chord is G, B, and D — known as the G major chord.

Please notice, if you haven’t already, that those 3 chords contain ALL the notes in the C scale!

So what?

So any melody – tune – in the key of C (as long as it just uses the 8 notes of the scale) can be harmonized just by playing one of those 3 chords!

Think about that — that’s a HUGE insight that most people never get.

So, in any given key you can play in, there are PRIMARY CHORDS — chords that occur way more than other chords. They are like family members of that particular key.

At your house, let’s say you have 3 people in your family — your spouse, your child, and you. On the same block, but down the street a few houses, lives your cousin and her family.

At any given moment, who are the most likely people to be in your house?

The Terminator?

Hillary?

Dubba?

I don’t think so.

It’s possible, of course, but not too likely. If I had to guess, I would say it would be either you, your spouse, or your child. It might be your cousin down the street — there’s a much better chance of that than, say, David Letterman or Prince Charles — but my best odds would be to guess that the family members would be there.

It’s the same way with chords. In any given key, there are 3 family members that are residents of that key — the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord. They are far and away the most likely chords to occur in any given key.

For example, if I am playing in the Key of C, and the first chord is the C chord and I have to guess what the next chord is, I would guess that it would be either the F chord or the G chord. Why? Because those are the other family members. So we have narrowed the odds a great deal just by knowing who the members of the family are.

Does that mean that there are always just 3 chords in a song? No, but there are literally hundreds of songs that are made of just 3 chords.

The Primary Piano Chords (the fam) Of All the Major Keys

Here are the primary chords (the family chords) of all the major keys (remember that the primary chords are the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord based on the scale of that particular key):

Key of C: C, F, G

Key of G: G, C, D

Key of D: D, G, A

Key of A: A, D, E

Key of E: E, A, B

Key of B: B, E, F#

Key of F: F, Bb, C

Key of Bb: Bb, Eb, F

Key of Eb: Eb, Ab, Bb

Key of Ab: Ab, Db, Eb

Key of Db: Db, Gb, Ab

Key of Gb: Gb, Cb, Db

Do you have to know all these chords in all these keys?

No.

You can choose to play in just one key, or just a few keys.

But what you MUST know is the 3 chords in whatever key you want to play in! That means that the stark beginner can learn 3 chords in just a few minutes, and be able to play along with thousands of tunes, because most folk songs, hymns, country songs, and many rock songs just use the 3 basic chords. That’s why people who know zilch about music can pick up a guitar, learn 3 chords, and strum along while singing everything from On Top Of Old Smoky to Amazing Grace to My Country ‘Tis Of Thee to Auld Lang Syne to Silent Night to……………………..well, you get the idea. And not only a guitar, but a piano, keyboard, or whatever.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds an advanced degree from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon.

He can be reached at http://www.chordpiano.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions with over 56,000 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com

There’s a reason Apple Computer dominates the legal 99-cents-a-download digital music scene: It does it right. Apple’s iPods set the style and ease-of-use standards that other portable music players must try (so far unsuccessfully) to match. Its iTunes Music Store and iTunes software are equally unparalleled.

Still, as I wrote in a column on the Napster To Go subscription service, Apple’s path isn’t the only one that makes sense.

I remain an unabashed iTunes junkie. But an alternative model ? the portable music subscription ? is growing on me. Now, with the addition of RealNetworks Rhapsody To Go service ? and especially with the debut this month of Yahoo Music Unlimited ? I imagine it’ll grow on others, too.

I did encounter some sour notes with the two services. Yahoo Music is still in beta testing, though the more serious snags actually occurred inside Rhapsody. But overall, both Yahoo and Real left a melodious impression. Each claims more than 1 million songs in its catalogs ? though they’re light on classical. (Apple says iTunes exceeds 1.5 million tracks.)

I’m guessing that Apple will eventually introduce a subscription service of its own.

Why? Under a subscription or rent-a-tune model, you can listen to a boatload of music for a lot less loot than on a buy-only download site. And you can carry those tunes in your pocket, via compatible portable digital music players. Buying 2,000 songs on iTunes would cost nearly 2 grand.

Under Yahoo, you could rent those same tracks for a fraction of that sum. And you can’t beat Yahoo’s introductory price of $59.88 a year, equal to $4.99 a month. If you prefer to go month to month, you’ll fork over $6.99. Subscribers who wish to buy, instead of rent, certain tracks will pay 79 cents each, non-subscribers 99 cents.

At $14.99 a month, Rhapsody To Go is costlier than Yahoo but still a bargain, on a per-song rental basis, compared with iTunes. RealNetworks subscribers can buy downloadable songs for 89 cents a pop. Nice touch: Those who don’t subscribe can still listen to 25 full-length streams and 25 radio stations a month.

(Napster To Go fetches $14.95 a month and 99 cents a track.)

As with Napster, there’s a catch to Real’s and Yahoo’s rental plans: You must remain a paying subscriber, or the songs you’ve rented will no longer be playable.

And forget about transferring Yahoo or Real rental tracks to an iPod. (You can still transfer to an iPod songs ripped from CDs and, in Real’s case, songs you buy.)

Why rent when you can buy? Aside from the cost savings, you may want to listen to something on a whim. Maybe you’re just curious about an emerging artist.

Renting can be complex, though, reflecting conflicts over digital rights. You’ll have to buy tunes to burn them to a CD. But some songs can’t be bought. Others can be streamed but not downloaded. Some can be downloaded but must stay tethered to a PC. And some can be downloaded and moved to a portable device. Got it?

I prefer Yahoo to Real, and not just because of the lower prices. Yahoo jukebox software (called Yahoo Music Engine) also worked more seamlessly than its Real counterpart. Using both services, I synchronized music with iRiver H10 and RCA Lyra RD2762 devices, though not all tracks ended up on the Lyra. That’s because, for now, this model can receive only purchased music, not rented tracks.

When I downloaded or transferred tracks to a portable device, Yahoo displayed a helpful status bar on the Music Engine screen to show the download progress. On Rhapsody, you must visit a separate screen.

Yahoo boasts other sweet touches. Yahoo Music is integrated with Yahoo Messenger. So you can see the music your IM pals are listening to and legally listen along.

You can also search for members who have similar tastes. Members can control who gets to see their collections. People you follow are called influencers; their highly rated songs will play on your personalized LAUNCHcast radio station. Those who seek your recommendations are deemed followers.

There were a few annoyances. Yahoo lets you search by album, artist, song or member, though not all at the same time. When I searched Yahoo for certain albums ? the soundtrack to the movie Fever Pitch, for example ? Yahoo showed a picture of the album cover and listed the songs. But there was no way to stream any of the album tracks. It happens that Yahoo lacks the rights to play those songs or to make them available for sale. Still, I felt teased.

I ran into bigger trouble with Rhapsody, at least at first. Real’s software kept freezing and crashing on an HP Pavilion notebook computer. I called Real for help. Disabling a feature in which Rhapsody is supposed to automatically search for and import new tracks into your music library fixed the problem. But that feature is one that many users will want. Real says a fix will be included in the next release.

What’s more, if you decide to buy a track as a Rhapsody subscriber, good luck figuring out how. I had to call the company to determine one way: I right-clicked on a song title and then clicked on the menu item buy track(s).

Though Rhapsody doesn’t have an instant-messaging component as Yahoo does, there are ways to share and discover free MP3 music. You can press a share button to publish a playlist on Rhapsody, e-mail that list to friends or write a blog about the contents. Rhapsody can show an instant playlist based on songs you’ve been listening to.

Microsoft’s digital rights software underpins both Rhapsody and Yahoo Music. So when something goes wrong with the software, it affects all the music services at once. When licenses on my machine somehow became corrupted, rental tracks on Rhapsody and Yahoo failed to play. I had to reinstall Microsoft’s software.

I don’t expect Apple to slip off the online music throne anytime soon. But Yahoo and Real are at least giving digital music fans plenty to think about.

Mary works in US for a media company, occasionally writing for the biggest MP3 music news portal, and drinking too much coffee.

Nelly Furtado is a Canadian author/composer/interpret.

Nelly Furtado was born on December 2 1980 at Victoria (capital of British Columbia in Canada) from Portugese parents. Nelly Furtado parents named her Nelly because of the Russian gymnastic champion Nellie Kim who won 5 gold medals (3 in 1976 and 2 in 1980) and 1 silver (in 1976) at the Olympic games.

Nelly Furtado learned to play the trombone, the guitar and the ukelele at the age of 9 years old and synthesizer at the age of 11. Passionate by music since her early age, Nelly Furtado already knows at the age of 4 years old she wants to become singer. Nelly Furtado sung with her mother at the choir, especially during the national day of Portugal. Nelly Furtado speaks fluently Portugese, English, Hindi and Spanish.

Since she is a teenager, Nelly Furtado starts to write songs and belong to a brass band. During this period, Nelly Furtado listens to R&B, hip hop, alternative rock, alternative hip hop, trip hop, fado, bossa nova and Indian music. The artists that Nelly Furtado like (and influenced her) are Jeff Buckley, Caetano Veloso, Amalia Rodrigues, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Cornershop, Mariah Carey, TLC, Mary J. Blige, Digable Planets, De La Soul, Radiohead, Oasis, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Verve, U2, and Beck.

Nelly Furtado thanks her parents to have taught her hard working and ethic. Indeed, Nelly Furtado has spent 8 summers working as chambermaid with her mother. Nelly Furtado declares that coming from this background has positively contribute to forge her personality.

During a visit in Toronto, last summer, Nelly Furtado met Tallis Newkirk, member of hip hop band named Plains of Fascination and have contributed to their album in 1996 Join the Ranks on title Waitin’ 4 The Streets. After achievement of her studies in Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996, Nelly Furtado leaves for Toronto where she finally formed duo/group Nelstar in 1997 with Newkirk. The experience has brought her back to her influences and allowed her to be more confident in the writing of her melodies and rhymes. Despite, Like, one of the Nelstar songs, received a subvention from VideoFACT to cover the production of the clip, Nelly Furtado estimated the duo didn’t reflect her personality and didn’t allow to demonstrate her vocal competences. Therefore Nelly Furtado quits the music band with the idea to come back to Victoria.

Before leaving, Nelly Furtado decides to take part to a contest (quite famous at that time), the Honey Jam which takes place at Lee’s Palace, a nightclub. Impressed by her performance, singer Gerald Eaton (Alias Jarvis Church) from band (The Philosopher Kings) offers Nelly Furtado a collaboration. It results a sample with participation of another member of The Philosoper Kings, Brian West. But Nelly Furtado leaves to travel in Europe and wanted to go to university to take courses about writing. Finally, Nelly Furtado comes back working with them and signs a contract in 1999 with DreamWorks Records.

Nelly Furtado continues to work with Eaton and West, who co-product her album, Whoa, Nelly! (….On The Radio (Remember The Days), Baby Girl, Hey, Man!, I Will Make U Cry, I’m Like A Bird, Legend, My Love Grows Deeper Part 1, Party, Scared Of You, Trynna Finda Way, Turn Off The Light, Well, Well), released in October 2000. The success comes from the singles I’m Like A Bird, Turn Off The Light, and …On The Radio (Remember The Days). Nelly Furtado album was nominated 4 times at the Grammy Awards in 2002. But Nelly Furtado has only received the award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for I’m Like A Bird, her first single. Moreover, Nelly Furtado has received a good critic for her innovative mix of various styles with different sounds. Then Nelly Furtado did a tour called ?Burn in the Spotlight? and also the one of Moby, Area:One.

The second album, Folklore (Build You Up, Childhood Dreams, Explode, Forca, Fresh Off the Boat, Island of Wonder, One-Trick Pony, Picture Perfect, Powerless (Say What You Want), Saturdays, The Grass Is Green, Try), is released in November 2003. The album shows more diverse sounds, a more rock approach, an acoustic approach. As Nelly Furtado concentrated more on the writing, the BBC estimated that there was double more originality than in her first album. Nelly Furtado has attributed the maturity of her album to the fact she was pregnant most of the time of the recording.

Her title For?a (which means courage and strength in Portugese) which is on her album Folkore was used for the European Football Championship in 2004 which took place in Portugal, at Lisbon. For?a was sung during the final. However Dreamworks Records is sold to Universal Music during the release of Nelly Furtado album and that is why there wasn’t much promotion. In 2005, Nelly Furtado is taken by Geffen Records because Dreamworks definitely closes.

Nelly Furtado should be soon seen in an independent film on Iraq war. The movie is called Nobody’s Hero. But Nelly Furtado also prepared Loose at the same time that the filming. Nelly Furtado has also tried to make a film in Hindi but it didn’t make it.

Nelly Furtado just releases Loose (Afraid, All Good Things (Come To An End), Do It, Glow, In God’s Hands, Maneater, No Hay Igual, Promiscuous, Say It Right, Showtime, Te Busque, Te Busque (Spanish Version), Wait For You) in June 2006. The first Nelly Furtado single is Maneater for Europe and Promiscuous (feat. Timbaland) in America. Anybody needs to know there are different versions of this album according to the countries. Chris Martin, leader of group Coldplay, was to make an appearance in song ?All good things (come to and end)?, but it didn’t make it, which has regretted the singer. Nelly Furtado has also collaborated with Juanes on her song Te Busque which we can also find a version in Spanish. Nelly Furtado has already done a duo with him on title Fotografia from album Un Dia Normal of the Colombia singer.

Loose is the Nelly Furtado album the most successful of her career, reaching #1 in several countries including the US and Canada. The singles Promiscuous and Maneater, are also ranked #1 in the US, Canada and the UK.

According to rumors, the next Nelly Furtado single should be Say It Right.

Nelly Furtado has had a child, just before Folklore, whose name is Nevis (born September 20 2003 at Toronto, in Canada).

The father is her ex boy friend, DJ and producer Jasper Gahunia alias Lil’Jaz. Nelly Furtado and Gahunia, who are separated in 2005, were together during 4 years and friends during many years before that. Nelly Furtado wanted to rise up Nevis at Toronto due to the cultural diversity, open minded and political activism of the city.

If you are a Nelly Furtado fan and love to listen to Nelly Furtado, then you can customize your cell phone by downloading Nelly Furtado ringtones. Ringtone Jam Jam Famous Singers has it all: Nelly Furtado lyrics, Nelly Furtado videos, Nelly Furtado pics, Nelly Furtado songs, Nelly Furtado biography, Nelly Furtado music, Nelly Furtado wallpapers, Nelly Furtado new album and Nelly Furtado ringtones.

One of the most well-know eras of music is the nineteen-eighties. In this period the virus AIDS hadn?t been quite discovered yet and everyone was still under the notion that having a good time with as many people as possible was the best way to live. Hair styles and clothing looked as weird they could, with long hair and mullets being in fashion throughout the decade. And of course, the musical genre was forever changed as many, many rock bands made a name for themselves and created well-known hits we still play on the radio today. The eighties was a great time period for musical lyrics, and this article will focus on what made them so great and some of the more popular ones that were created.

To start out with, the nineteen-eighties was the time to rock and roll. Many songs words said nothing besides this fact. Everyone wanted to rock and roll and they went ahead and did so. The songs would often be filled only with fun lyrics, as the American economy and culture prospered throughout the decade without any problems, none like we have today at least. In addition, a common theme attached to rock and roll was sex and drugs. Drugs were not as highly banned as they are today, and it would be quite common to see people smoking a bag of weed or other drugs while at a concert of a high profile rock band. It makes sense, therefore, that many rock hits focused on the good times of this era and what made it so great.

Upbeat is the keyword when it comes to the eighties. It would be a hard matter indeed to find musical lyrics as depressing as sad as one can find today. Whereas today it is easy to hear about child abuse, suicide, and massive terrorist attacks through the radio, those were topics unheard of in this golden era of rock and roll. Many songs would focus on dancing and having a good time, as mentioned before. But there would also be songs intending to lift the spirits of the listeners. The most popular of these was written and performed by Journey. ?Don?t Stop Believin?? is still a popular hit for people of all ages even to this day.

Van Halen was another popular eighties band that was good for many great lyrical music pieces. While their hits about being hot for a teacher, smoking in school, or running with the devil certainly aren?t as deep as some of the hits today, that doesn?t change the fact that they reflected the time period they played in perfectly. Eighties lyrics, above anything else, showcased the prosperity and good times of the decade we left behind twenty years ago.

Overall, the eighties was a great time for the country and nation as a whole and it shows in the musical lyrics still played on radio stations today. While the clothing and hair styles have long since been out of fashion, the music remains to inspire and cheer up people all over the world and sends the message that good times do exist and can happen.

Joe Kenny is the webmaster at the free music lyrics website, http://www.lyricspost.net

Visit today: http://www.cardguide.co.uk/

After a long illustrious career, the one and only, the original piano man, Billy Joel, is still touring strong. Billy Joel tickets are a hot commodity among young and old fans alike.

Joel is many things: a singer, a songwriter, a performer and a pianist. From his humble beginnings in 1973 to his so-called retirement in 1993, Joel has written pop music for many generations of fans around the world. Like an old friend, his songs are the soundtracks of his fans? lives. A Billy Joel song can be playing on the jukebox in a bar and suddenly all the patrons will begin singing every word in unison, bonding in a collective consciousness of song. That is the power of this incredible songwriter. His lyrics hit a cord in the hearts of people worldwide. Whether he is singing about a lover or a blue-collar town called Allentown or the Cold War, Billy Joel?s lyrics are thoughtful, insightful and poignant. He has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and is the sixth best selling artist in the United States. He was inducted into the Songwriter?s Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Even after retirement, you can still get Billy Joel tickets and see this musical icon along with fellow piano man, Elton John. Perhaps Billy Joel?s most popular song, which became his signature song, is ?Piano Man?. Written in 1973, this song became his first single selling over four million copies. He continued making albums like Streetlife Serenade, Turnstiles, The Stranger, Glass Houses, and Songs in the Attic, among many others. In total, Billy Joel wrote over 20 albums during his 30 years in the music business. Beyond just his music, Billy Joel?s private life has also been exciting. Among his three marriages, one included a union with international supermodel, Christie Brinkley, and his most recent to a lady, Katie Lee, thirty years his junior. Billy Joel has also had bouts with alcohol abuse, having many car accidents and being admitted to rehabilitation centers twice.

As one of the best in the history of pop music, Billy Joel is a phenomenon not to be missed. Get your Billy Joel tickets and witness this legend of rock and roll.

Jake Tyler
Stage Front Tickets, Inc.
http://www.stagefronttickets.com

Drum loops and sample loops are a great starting point for building a song. Whether it’s on a computer and loop editing software, or just simply playing an audio sample loop on repeat on your CD player, having ‘someone else in the room’ is a great buzz. And it’s that buzz that gives rise to wonderful new ideas and leads when making up new songs.

USING DRUM LOOPS AND SAMPLE LOOPS ON A COMPUTER

When songwriting with a computer and audio software you can lay out your structure and feel quickly. But there are dangers. You can find yourself with a very under-developed idea becoming a producer all too soon; finding drum patterns and string arrangements and harmonies – all over 8 bars! (I also use this method and will talk about it in another article. It requires a very strong time management muscle and I don’t recommend this for newbies to songwriting. The world is dotted with computers in home studios FULL of brilliant 8 bar arrangements loosely referred to as songs).

Load Drum Loops and Sample Loops into Your Computer Library

After loading a library of loops into your onboard sampler you can simply trigger one groove after another – each to a separate track. It is a straight forward process to add samples to your sequencing rig.

Buy a CD of AIFF/WAV samples and load it up. You will be guided by a wizard to load it correctly. You, however, must choose the destination of your new loops library. Go to any existing loop libraries on your computer and read the whole name. In that name will be where those samples/loops are held. For instance

D://Program FilesDigidesignDAEPLug-ins

The Program Files is where you want the new sounds to be held when asked to select a destination in the upload process.

ASSIGNING SOUNDS LIBRARIES TO TRACKS

For happy, healthy songwriting you need to have your basic rig organised so you can hop in fast and get going. I have a songwriting template in my Audio Logic. I load this up and it has in it a preset of instruments I mostly use for composing: audio 1 for voice mike in, audio 2 for guitar line in, Audio Instrument tracks for piano, bass, drums and organ etc…

By playing with a preset songwriting template I can always begin with a known combination and work quickly. As ideas flow I may make a few alterations to the instruments. But I don’t focus on too many changes when I’m first creating a song. My main concern/focus at this stage is to get the whole damned mess out. I don’t get into producing at this writing stage. It’s distracting and addictive. I work horizontally – getting as much of the story and the different tunes laid out across the page.

For me, much of producing music is a vertical process – drilling and dusting down to give underlay and dynamic to a song. In this process producing comes later.

BEGINNING YOUR SONGWRITING WITH AN 8 – BAR LOOP

When using a new sample library start at sample #1 and go through it systematically. Don’t just skip and pick the ones you like or the ones that ‘make sense’ to you. To do this defeats the purpose of using drumloops and samples as starters for songwriting; that is, to go into unfamiliar territory. You’ll be amazed what can come out of creating songs over loops you’ve never heard before. Don’t be too choosey. Give each one a go.

So let’s say we begin with sample loop 1. Open up your songwriting template, assign the drums to your new sample and load sample 1 into your drum track. Select a tempo. What will it be this time – a walk (80bpm), a jog (120bpm) or a dance(160bpm)? This is a rough start point and is all that is needed at this stage.

Trigger the loop for eight bars then LOOP that track so it continues for around 15 minutes. Why 15? I’ll tell you soon. For now simply set the length of your ‘song’ by placing the end tab on your screen template at that many bars. Look at the time clock on your software to see how many mnutes it is.

SET THE DRUM LOOP OR SAMPLE LOOP FOR 15 MINUTES – WHY?

I recommend about 15 minutes because the most surprising events and insights happen in songwriting when you keep going. Don’t stop. Even when you feel like it’s ‘all wrong’ and ‘nothing’s happening’.

I can guarantee you that at some point in there will be a gift in the mish mash. And what point is that? When you surrender. When you stop conversing about what the piece is not. Give in. Lean over your instrument and breathe deeply. Even say to the music ‘OK. I’m here. I’m listening.’

Once you begin go right to the end of your 15 minute sequence. Then, and only then, stop. Walk away from the machine and water the plants or clean the toilet. Doesn’t everybody clean and cook when they’re creating? Then return and listen through. I often do my listening through while I’m doing the dishes (in the sink across from my computer). What I’m listening for is something that sparks my attention whilst my focus is elsewhere. (I’ve got to admit I think it’s also an Aquarian thing that I’ve got to get into water often – even if it’s elbow deep in dishwater!)

BRING ON THE DEVELOPMENT MUSCLE

Once you have spilled the beans across 15 minutes of sample loop it’s then time to select the point of interest in the mish mash and start to tease it out gently so the new brilliant song can emerge.

Select the section that grabs you. That is your starting point for your new song. Begin there and start the above process all over again. You might even want to copy and paste this segment into another new songwriting start up template and work from there.

WOULD YOU LIKE A FANTASTIC SELECTION OF SAMPLES TO TAKE YOUR SONGWRITING TO NEW HEIGHTS?

I have compiled the most fantastic selection of Sample and Drum Loop CDs I highly recommend that you begin with a basic drumming one and then be more adventurous in the selection of a style that is COMPLETELY different to yours. It’ll shake things up. And get you writing songs with a slightly different twist to your usual fare.

WON’T I JUST SOUND LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?

Don’t panic about originality! You can produce or play the song live in any way you want to. Later. Using sample loops and drum loops is a starting point to give you energy and support in creating new songs. You can choose to leave the samples in the final mix or replace it with something more simple.

But I promise, you’ll be really excited to hear the fresh little kicks in your songs that have been created over a bed of luscious rhythm and sound.

Andrea rieniets is a singer/songwriter/composer/producer/musical director/community artist in Australia. ‘A rarity amongst Australian musicians.’ Black and White Magazine. Her blog is Crikeymoses! Tips and tools for Creatives – getting your expression and activism out into the world where you live! Andrea’s gorgeous music can be heard at gorgeousworld.com ‘Intensely tuneful songwriter with a swag of techno savvy’ Rolling Stone

Often times music lyrics are simply used to create catchy words that people hear. These words are designed to appeal and convince people to buy CDs and attend concerts of a certain artist. There are other reasons, however, that artists choose their lyrics as they do. Lyrics are heard by all of an artist?s audience and can occasionally be beneficial to a cause or an idea. This article will explore the different reasons artists create lyrics in the way that they do.

A common usage of lyrics in this day and age is to critique the current state, or even form, of government in a country. It is quite common for folk of any nationality to be unhappy with their governing powers for one reason or another. In the United States there is much concern over the way President Bush has handled the issues of terrorism, oil, and even immigration in recent days. Rather than coming out publicly with speeches, many artists hide messages of their disgust into their lyrics. Often times people will hear their message more often and more clearly through music than in a boring speech in which people can simply change the channel. A musical group who created these type of lyrics often was Rage Against the Machine, although they have been broken up for quite some time now.

Lyrics can also be used to reminisce about good times or bad times had as a child or teenager. Often times these years are the ones that shape a person and who he or she is going to be when they grow up. So it makes sense that as an adult, many artists feel the need to pay homage to this crucial part of their life. Many of these song?s lyrics focus in on past relationships long forgotten, good times had with best friends, and even sometimes traumatic experiences with abusive or uncaring parents or relatives. Whatever the topic is, being able to sing about their past memories allows artists to release whatever emotion they are feeling.

Of course it would be a mistake to claim all lyrics are meaningful and are made with some ulterior message underneath. Often times artists are simply looking for songs to make them more money and just garble together some nonsense about dancing and making money into a song. While these lyrics certainly do not have any real positive message, most of the time, they are still among the most popular of the youth today. There is no real problem with this, however, as kids shouldn?t be worried about deep meanings at every point of their life. They should be able to feel good about themselves and have fun for no reason when they are young!

Song lyrics are something that almost every genre of music has, and it is important to realize that some songs are made with interior meanings. Without recognizing that a song may mean more than simply the words it displays from the exterior, it is easy to overlook an artist?s true creation and art and to give them less credit than they deserve.

Joe Kenny is the webmaster at the free music lyrics website, http://www.lyricspost.net. Visit today: http://www.cardguide.co.uk/

If you are an indie-artist like myself, then you probably realize how important it is for you to get your music heard. In order to accomplish this you will need to get as much exposure for yourself as possible.

Thankfully the internet offers many opportunities to do just that and much of it is free! But before you can take advantage of these opportunities, you will first need to record some of your original music. This can be done in any number of different ways. The choice you make will likely depend on your budget, preferences, time, and technical ability. Here are some recording options you might consider:

1. using a professional recording studio
2. using computer recording software such as CakeWalk
3. using a multi-track recorder, or other type of recording device

After you’ve recorded your songs you will have the ability to copy them from your CD onto your computer. The next step will be to convert each of the song files into an mp3 format.

Once your songs are available as mp3′s you will be able to upload them onto any music site that offers free hosting for your songs. One of the sites that I am currently using to do this is Soundclick, but their are many other sites as well.

The nice thing about Soundclick is that it’s absolutely free. Once signed up, you are given a place where you can tell others about yourself and your music. Your visitors can listen to, or download, any mp3 song file you decide to make available to them. It’s completely up to you. You can even have your songs added to their free online radio station so you can see how well they do in the charts. Besides the great free services that are offered, the serious artist may also choose to purchase a more aggressive advertising campaign if they want to.

Soundclick recently added a new feature that allows the indie artist to sell mp3 song files either one at a time, or as a complete album. Though Soundclick receives a certain percentage of the profit from each song sold for this service, you can establish your own price and it’s free to set up. This is a cost effective way for the indie artist to promote their music because it saves on the expense of creating, packaging, and marketing CD’s while gaining the potential to reach a far greater audience with your music via the internet.

Anyway, if you want to see how it all works just click the link at the end of this article. Then scroll down the page until you see the blue banner link that says: Soundclick . Clicking that link will take you to my own indie artist page where you can check out all the various features they have to offer. Then, go ahead and take the plunge yourself. Just click here and get started today. You’ll be glad you did.

Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit:http://www.abclearnguitar.com

Barson Huey, the debut album from Sanjo and Chandrani launched in New Delhi recently, represents an encouraging trend being witnessed on the Indian music scene. Like the albums put out by Rabbi and Indian Ocean, Barson Huey is an intensely acoustic album, rich with earthy instrumentation created using six and twelve string wood guitars. The songs themselves are refreshingly different with memorable tunes and deep insightful lyrics. What is thankfully missing is the standard bundle of tin-can techno rhythms, computer generated loops and other synthesizer-based sounds that characterise much of pop music these days.

The ten tracks on Barson Huey offer a refreshing potpourri of brilliant song-writing, excellent melodies, complex arrangements and intricate instrumentation, rounded off with great vocals and backing vocals. Even though the album will inevitably be classified under the Indipop category, a more accurate description of the music would be fusion. This element of fusion comes from the blend of inherently Hindi songs with diverse Western influences ranging from pop, rock and country to reggae, flamenco and salsa.

The artistes behind the album are Sanjo and Chandrani. Sanjo is, in effect, a one-man army. In the course of this project, he has worn many hats almost all the hats, actually. He has composed the music and arranged it. He has played all the musical instruments needed to make the songs come alive. Sanjos oeuvre includes the six-string acoustic guitar, the twelve-string acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, bass, keyboards, flutes, harmonica, tabla, drums, bongos and various other percussion instruments. Then he has also sung the songs and provided backing vocals in a number of tracks. And rounded it off by supervising the studio production and mastering processes. It is this ability to close the loop that makes Sanjo the consummate musician he is.

His partner, Chandrani, is equally talented. A trained classical vocalist, she has a special talent for writing sensitive, evocative, emotionally charged lyrics that add immense depth and meaning to the songs that she crafts. Since her childhood, Chandrani has always had a lyrics-centric way of listening to songs. Its the words that she focuses on first. If these pass muster, the song as a whole gets a hearing. Otherwise she just passes it by. Her tastes are very well-defined she doesnt believe in wasting time on stuff that she doesnt care for. And she applies this stringent, exacting yardstick to her own songs as well. She is her own worst critic.

Thus, as a lyricist, Chandrani demonstrates an admirable ability to use words as constructs for expressing ideas and emotions powerfully and meaningfully. Songs like the title track, Barson Huey, along with others like Sapno Ka Ek Shahar, Aanchal, Shayad Kabhi and her own favourite, Palkon Pe Tha, demonstrate this aptitude for making the lyrics look sparse and deceptively simple, while the underlying conceptual framework is complex and multi-layered.

In the studio, Chandrani is an amazingly versatile vocalist, doing lead vocals, backing vocals as well as harmonisations. She often multi-tracks, harmonising with her own voice, thereby providing both the lead vocals as well the backing vocals for some of the songs.

Chandrani is also the de facto Project Manager for the album. She is proactive and her managerial skills are considerable. Sanjo recalls the various roadblocks the project hit along the way and says that without Chandrani as a driving force, Barson Huey may never have happened.

Interestingly, Chandrani initially joined the project with a very limited role as a singer; she was supposed to do the female vocals and also provide backing vocals. A colleague of Sanjos, Gaurav was the lyricist on the project. However, after completing just four songs, Gaurav (in his own words) faced a personal tragedy he got married! While there is no known correlation between bachelorhood and song-writing skills, his marriage actually put paid to his role as a songwriter. Thats when Chandrani stepped into the lyricists shoes quite effortlessly, as a matter of fact and completed the remaining six songs. And thus, Barson Huey stayed on track.

To connect with fans and enable them to listen to sample tracks, the producers have also launched a website (www.musicbysanjo.com) with short bio-sketches of the artistes, lyrics of the songs, plenty of photographs and Mp3 downloads of clips of all the songs.

So what the future hold for this dynamic twosome? Sanjo and Chandrani have no intention of being a one-album duo they have already finished working on the material for their second album. Sometime during the summer of 2006, they will be back in the recording studios to produce the new songs. The as yet unnamed album is slated for release later this year.

(Taffa is a New Delhi-based music producer who specialises in finding new talent and releasing their debut albums. His company, Shaman Productions, is named as a tribute to the album Shaman by Carlos Santana – one of Taffa’s guitar idols.)

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