How to Tune Your Drums: A Step by Step Guide

Learning how to play a musical instrument is a gift that you will have for the rest of your life. In order to maintain this gift you need to learn how to go about tuning your instrument. Learning how to tune your drums will be a simple process after reading this.
Music helps people to connect and interact. Which is why it is beneficial to learn how to play a musical instrument. One of the most popular instruments to learn how to play, is the drums. The drums are an extremely important aspect when creating music, especially when playing in a band. The drums help to keep the time and the beat, which in turn keeps the other musicians on track with their instruments. Therefore it is necessary to learn how to tune your drums properly so that you can stay in tune while helping to keep the beat.
Learning how to tune your drums is simple if your follow these easy steps:

• Purchase a drum key. A drum key is essential, without it you cannot tune your drums. When purchasing your drum kit make sure that you get a drum key.
• Check that everything is in place. When you first purchase a drum kit, you may need to place the drum skin on yourself. If this is the case, you will need to loosen the tension rods, before placing the skin down. Then you can begin the process of tuning the kit.
• Find the tone. Once you are happy with the position of the skin, find the tone you desire for that drum. Hit the drum with a stick and tighten and loosen the tension rods until you find the right tone.
• Know your drums. There are different drums that make up a drum kit. You need to know what sound the snare, toms and kick drum are supposed to make before tuning them.
• Listen. Tuning is a very delicate process, you will need to listen carefully to each individual drum to find the correct tone. This tone needs to be a smooth single tone. Once you are satisfied that you have found the correct tone for all of the drums you can begin to play them.
• Always check the tone. When you move your drum kit around you may disturb the tone. Always remember to check the tone of the drum kit before playing any events, so that you can rest assured that everything is perfect.

The tuning of any musical instrument takes patience and a good ear but once you have got the tone right you can begin to enjoy your drum kit.
Learning how to play a musical instrument is a right that every child should have. If your child has decided that they would like to learn how to play a musical instrument then you need to give them the opportunity. It will teach them valuable life lessons.

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The Best Musical Group Ever

I am going to indulge myself a little bit and take you along on a magical mystery tour as we go on one of my flights of fancy. I am going to share my selections of my picks for the best musical group ever. The criteria I used are simply the black box calculus or intricate gears whirring in my head of what I like or don't like. It is not based on a music survey, music critic think tank, music sales, or any other such criteria. Art is art. It is not an exact science. Haven't you ever seen some gobble-de goo painting sell for $20 million. You think to yourself, I could have created that by driving over paint cans on my way to work. Mozart died a pauper and Van Gogh never sold one painting while he was alive. The point is that you may disagree with some of my picks. However, you might also find some new artists to explore. You could also think about who you would pick for your best musical group ever. Since this is my imaginary exercise, I am going to have unlimited constraints. This will be a big group. Let's start with vocals. To me, there is one person that stands head and shoulders above everyone else as a lead vocalist. John Lennon (Mind Games) has THE VOICE. Let's throw in another male lead vocalist - James Taylor. If you know James Taylor by just his hits you have heard on the radio, you are doing yourself a disservice. Check out his songs Millworker and The Frozen Man. James is also a very good acoustic guitar finger picker, so we will benefit from that as well. For our first female lead vocalist I pick Annie Lennox. I could listen to Annie sing all day long. She sings with fiery emotion and passion in a blending of such styles as blues, r&b, funk, and rock that is irresistible. One of her best albums is Bare. I also have to add Karen Carpenter (Superstar). A lot of singers sing one word and go crazy by embellishing it by adding multiple extra notes and moving around the scale. Karen Carpenter can sing one note very simply and completely melt me. Fleetwood Mac will be our background singers. I like the mix of male and female voices. The iconic Fleetwood Mac album is Rumours. Of course, all of our singers can sing harmony parts. It's time for the rhythm section. Danny Seraphine will be our drummer. He was an original member of the band Chicago. The next time you hear an early Chicago song (Beginnings) pay special attention to the drums. You will be amazed. Michael Manring is our bass player. Michael who you say? Michael can make his bass sing the way David Gilmour's guitar sings. He is a session player who has played on hundreds of albums. He had a quickly forgotten album Unusual Weather (listen to the song Welcoming) he put out in the 80s. This is one of the best instrumental albums I have ever heard. Okay, let's get to the guitars. Main guitar can be no other than Jimi Hendrix. About every time Jimi's fingers touched a guitar he was doing something that was extremely interesting and mesmerizing to listen to. He is farther ahead of other guitarists then Lennon is of other singers. If you want to explore Hendrix get Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (listen to the song All Along the Watchtower). I will add two guitarists to complement Hendrix; Steve Howe of Yes, and Phil Keaggy. I pick these two for their depth of playing and because they play acoustic and electric. In Steve Howe's case, he will about play anything with strings on it. For Steve Howe, listen to Roundabout, or Starship Trooper. For the other guy, I can hear you asking Phil who? Phil Keaggy can tap, he can perform slap harmonics like Michael Hedges, and he can do whammy scoops like Joe Satriani (I wonder if it's vice versa). His playing is very smooth. Keaggy has an excellent all acoustic album called Beyond Nature (check out the song County Down). Oh yes, I also love the sound of slide guitar. I'm going to add Duane Allman on slide guitar. Listen to the song Statesboro Blues if you want to hear slide guitar perfection. Duane also plays the really high parts on Layla. Now we move on to keyboards. On piano will be Elton John (Tiny Dancer). We will also benefit from his vocals. On Hammond B3 organ and synthesizers will be Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. Keith can rip it up like no one else. Lucky Man featured the first synthesizer solo in a hit song. If you are really daring, then check out the Emerson, Lake, & Palmer album Tarkus.

I will add William Orbit as another synth player. I recommend William Orbit's album Hello Waveforms, especially the song Sea Green. I just need to add a few final touches. The Chicago players (Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is) will make up our horn section. The players from Electric Light Orchestra (10538 Overture) will be our string section. Our percussion section comes from War (Spill the Wine). John Coltrane (Stardust) will be our lead saxophone player. Miles Davis will be our lead horn player. Check out Miles Davis (So What) seminal album Kind of Blue.

Positive Songs: Positive Music And Sisterhood Moments In TV

The show R&B Divas: Atlanta contributes to the list of positive songs. One of those pieces of positive music happens to be the intro theme of the show. And some key moments in the show emphasize the lyrics in the song, which are about sisterhood. One of the characters, continuously confronted in the second season, now has the room to let more instances of sisterhood shine through her. One of these involved a financial dispute with cast member Angie Stone, who claimed to experience a mix-up with concert agreements. Although the show did not clear up the specifics of why the shortcoming took place, Syleena had the chance to display how she felt about the behavior. Evidencing the willingness to monitor her emotions and separate when they rose out of control, focusing on the positive, Syleena decided to forgive what she perceived as problematic. All seemed well with the group by the time of the wedding which ended season three of the series. A second show of sisterhood, also evidenced by Syleena, was during a vulnerable moment with cast member Latavia, who had some of her rawest moments revealed in the season. The uplifting positive music that started this episode was certainly supported by this event. Latavia in particular had emotional challenges this season. When revealing that her training as a singer was not completely her desire (and that it took place during a time where she was also dealing with other adult desires being forced upon her in ways no child should face), the road paved for a psychologist and or spiritual counselor was left empty and filled with the encouragement to act out the same behavior she was initially forced into: singing. With the opportunity in front of her (and also removed from another vocalist who may have joined the show in her place), Latavia chose to sing during a cast performance. When she stumbled in her words, Syleena, for the most part unnoticed by the audience, picked up her own microphone and continued the song for her.

Interestingly, this is the same behavior Syleena performed for former cast member Nicci during a previous season. As Nicci struggled to find her voice on the stage again, Syleena initiated the singing and physical support by adding her own presence on stage. This was followed up by the rest of the cast who joined Nicci on stage to help. Behavior like this may initiate a second wave of positive songs created for an album which tops the charts, using the show's platform for worldwide promotion.

Flutes-The Nerve of Melody

A musical instrument is a melodic framework to produce sounds. You might have seen many musical instruments such as Keyboard, Trumpets,Tabla, Drums, Flutes, Piano and Congo, etc. Some instruments such as Conch Shells, Trumpet and Drums are used in Hindu & Buddhist religious ceremonies. Later, the society developed musical compositions for entertainment purpose also. In ancient times, musical instruments were also used by warriors to mark their victory. Musical instruments are classified into five categories based upon the five prime elements such as earth, water, air, fire and space. The classification of musical instruments is given below:

 Gaiaphones: It is based upon earth and these instruments are solid in nature. e.g. Congo, Tabla, Bongos and Piano, etc 

Hydraulophone: These instruments are played with the physical contacts of fluids. e.g. Water Flutes. Aerophones: Aerophones primarily create sound by vibrating a body. e.g. flutes, trumpet, Bagpiper and saxophone, etc.

Plasmaphones: Plasmaphones create sounds in plasma or ionized gas.

Quintephones: Quintephones are based upon ideas or informatics. e.g. Keyboard and Electronic Guitar, etc.

However, it is not possible to classify every instrument into the above mentioned classes. It is difficult to elaborate each category and the instruments that fall into. Therefore, let's discuss about the oldest musical instrument of the world - 'The Flute'. The Flute falls under Aerophones. It is a believed that a simple flute is the oldest musical instrument of the world which came into existence approx 67000 years ago. To begin with, it was a woodwind instrument, which is a sub-category of wind instruments. Ancient flutes were made of wood, grass and reeds. But, now, Flutes are available in glass, tin, copper and bronze, etc. There are two types of flutes i.e. open flutes and closed flutes. You may be curious to find out how a flute produces sound and how it changes the pitch of that sound.

A flute produces sound when we blow air across its hole. It creates vibration of air at the hole. A flute player can direct the pitch of the sound by opening and closing the holes of a flute. He can also change pitch by varying the air pressure. An open flute produces sound when we direct a focused stream of air across the sharp edge of the flute. However, in the case of a closed flute, we need to blow air into a duct to produce sound.

The Power in Music

A musician can induce a variety of emotions through the rhythms and words integrated into compositions. But little do most of us know how truly powerful music is. Just as it can be a potent cure for nostalgia, it can be crafted into a tool of destruction. The Solfeggio tones are the universal musical notes, which were also utilized by the Gregorian monks for their chants. The 432 Hz was one favored by Master Classical Musicians. In particular, Mozart implemented the tones in his compositions, often tuning his instrument to achieve certain frequencies that vocalists had to struggle with. The 440 Hz that prevails nowadays is said to be a legacy of Hitler. During WWI, the Nazis were extremely engrossed with developing new ways of torture, making each one more formidable than the previous.

And they discovered that music is quite a powerful tool for this purpose. By altering the frequency of music to the high-pitch 440 Hz, they can trigger emotions of fear... increasing their manipulative powers over those within the concentration camps. Hence, simply setting the 440 Hz as a universal standard allowed fear to linger on long after the war. Unwittingly, the populace has been willingly playing and listening to 440 Hz music, without realizing they are submitting themselves to subjugation through the most cunning weapon used by those in power-and they have been winning without lifting a finger. Upon completely eradicating knowledge of Solfeggio tones and replacing it with a new set of notes, the Heptatonic Scale, media was fashioned into an indispensable tool, allowing those in power to continue sowing fear, anger, and separation among people even with the most sublime musical pieces. Everything is energy. Everything that enters our body (food, words, sounds, thoughts, elements, etc.) contain energy that influences our energetic field... and therefore, affecting our very being, especially if we are oblivious to how external factors can be absorbed into our energetic field. As we progress into a new era, humanity is re-acquainted to ancient knowledge once lost and hidden. During the 1970's, Dr. Joseph Puleo rediscovered the Solfeggio tones. Among Star Seeds, Crystal Children have innate healing skills. This includes creating healing music, which uses the Solfeggio tones. In essence, the Solfeggio tones are natural sounds that connect and converse with our body and energetic field.

They comprise the sound of the universe and everything that is in it (that includes us and all of Earth.) Yes, we emit sounds through our emotions. We emit tones caused by the energies of our very thoughts. When extrasensory perception is fully awakened and activated, the energies of sound, image, scent, and emotion can be perceived by all senses-this is how we will all come to experience the truth that emotions (and virtually everything) produce vibrations that emit sound, color, and even scent. In a nutshell, all is energy. And energy is light, sound... vibration.

Nas - Illmatic XX

When it was released in 1994, Nas' Illmatic was hailed by critics as a revolutionary album. Nas' genius wordplay and sublime backing beats gave the album the power to not only be viewed as a masterpiece in its own time, but to be revered as an iconic piece of hip-hop mastery long after its release. Though initial sales weren't terrific, Illmatic continued to sell copies over the years through its sheer staying power, and in 2001 it was granted certified platinum status. What separated Nas from other rappers of the time wasn't his accessibility-seeing as how he was outsold by other, more popular artists of the era- but rather his well-educated, muckraking lyrical style, as well as his raw emotional attachment to the lyrics he spouts. Nas was, and still is, motivated by a genuine desire to see things change for his people.

As such, his songs are mostly devoid of the braggadocio that typically characterizes hip-hop. Although few of the other albums Nas has produced have reached the critical appeal that Illmatic did, it remains difficult to find a more talented lyricist. For the sake of brevity, let me truly begin this review of the twentieth anniversary re-release of the album, Illmatic XX, by saying that you should never presume to judge a legend. The first half of the album is more or less what you'd expect: A remastered production of the original work. It's impossible to pick just one track to refer to when writing about this album, as every single one remains just as powerful as it was when it was released twenty years ago. "Halftime" is just as funky and original, and "The World Is Yours" is every bit as moving and poignant. It isn't until you begin the second half of the release that things become fresh. The second disc begins with "I'm a Villain," a previously unreleased track that shows what Nas is capable of when he doesn't limit himself to esoteric references and politically motivated rhymes. While it isn't entirely devoid of these, it centers itself around some chest thumping verses, and is backed by a loop of an altogether sweet bass line. The real centerpiece of the release it what follows, though: A recording of a live radio freestyle that Nas performed almost six months before the release of Illmatic. Not only does this track further showcase Nas' lyrical genius, but it offers a candid insight into his life before fame brought him to the spotlight.

From that point on, there are a solid number of remixes of the more popular songs on the album, and even here it's difficult to pick just a few to point to as the best. It would seem that after twenty years, there were quite a few remixes to choose from, and it's readily apparent after just one listen that only the cream of the crop were selected. LG's remix of "One Love" adds a melodic reimagining of the track to the beat, and Tip's remix of "The World Is Yours" not only adds a great percussive track and a perfect choral chant to the background, but it would also seem that it utilizes a different take of Nas' original delivery.

Tips For Making Your Own Music

Many people often consider making their own music difficult or hard to learn, however, making your own music & beats is not only fun, but it can be a very rewarding experience, whether you compose in the privacy of your own studio, or with your own band or musical ensemble. Music first starts in your head. Sometimes you find yourself humming melodies that just pop up from nowhere. It is very important to either write them down or use a recording device, perhaps your smart phone if you have one to record it first so that you won't forget it. This is crucial, because you will definitely forget it if you don't. When you listen to your own favorite music, try to listen carefully to how the arrangements of the songs. When you are using the music software, this will give you a good idea as to what kind of sound to go for. The next thing is to search for the music software.

There are some great software programs available for $60 or less or so that can not only help you to compose and produce your own music, but that also show you how to operate the recording mixers to properly adjust the sound to maximum effectiveness. It will be wise to get a music sequencer. There are also sites that have tutorials and e-lessons on how to learn the functionality and use them. If you are a keyboardist or familiar with keyboards, there are many models that have sequencers built in them. Many music makers like to start with the drums as the starting foundation. There is a ton of great drum beat software available for download. Making a great drum beat is not hard to do, but the key is getting good software that is easy to use. Most software packages can give you sampling of sounds and you can adjust the beats to how you want them to sound. After you lay down your drums, then you want to layer other sounds over them. This is when you record a sound patch (instrument sound) and layer them on top of one another.

For example, record the drum pattern, then the bass line, then the keyboards, then the guitar, then other effects, etc... You will always want multiple tracks so that you can stack them together to get a dynamic sound. Thus your song is made! It might take you a little bit of time to figure out the exact sound patches you want that will be to your liking. Then, depending on your genre of music, you would follow similar steps to record the vocals.

Real Drums Vs Programmed Drums

This is a great hot-button issue that has become more and more prevalent in recent years with the introduction of professional-sounding drum programming software. But are programmed drums better than a real flesh-and-blood drummer? I came across a really interesting article whilst going about my daily internet surfing. It really is a very good article providing unbiased looks at this issue from both sides. It comes to us from a man named Joe Gilder, who manages an excellent little musical blog called "Home Studio Corner." HSC is an excellent down-to-earth resource for anyone who owns a home studio. Look it up and check out his stuff. I bet you'll like what you find. As for this issue, personally I will always advocate for a real flesh-and-blood drummer. There are just simply some things that a human drummer can do that a program simply cannot replicate.

I'm not just speaking on an aesthetic level either (things like skill level, sound quality, etc.) but rather I'm speaking more to the deeper human element of a recording. For example, the chemistry that exists between band members when they're really locked in to what they're doing is something that cannot exist and cannot be replicated by a program. Not that programmed drums (such as work done with Superior Drummer) doesn't sound excellent when there's an engineer who really knows what they're doing behind the helm... but there is simply nothing like a real human drummer. Records aren't supposed to sound like robots played the instruments (except maybe EDM, I suppose.) They're supposed to sound human. Once again I'd like to make it clear I'm not bashing programmed drums. I think they have the ability to sound incredible. I just prefer a real human being behind the drum set. Call me old fashioned, but that's how you're supposed to record a record. I've also seen it many times (not all times, by any means) where a band goes into the studio and programs their drums and their record comes out sounding like a million bucks, but then you go see them live and you're just sitting there scratching your head because it's nowhere near the same, especially with the drums.

I've seen it get to the point where it's like it's not even the same guys playing the music in front of me that played it in the studio. Just not even close to the record. I like to call these types of groups "internet bands," because that's exactly what they are. A live performance from a band is supposed to be nothing short of mind-blowing. Something that cannot be captured on a CD, which is one of the reasons people are going to see it live, besides liking the music.

Singer Ledisi Talking