The Steely Dan Mu Major Chord [And Beyond] For Guitarists, Part Two

In Part One we discussed the essence of the Steely Dan Mu Major chord - a root position major triad with the 2nd added and voiced adjacent to the 3rd - and possible 3 note voicings on guitar. In Part Two we look at the evolution of the Mu Major concept in the music of Walter Becker and Donald Fagan, and how to apply these ideas to the guitar.
The Steely Dan Mu Major chord evolved in later albums as the music--and the West Coast Studio musicians performing it--leaned more towards a jazz interpretation of the chord changes, where dissonant intervals [major and minor 2nds], slash chords and quartal harmonies abound. Starting with Dr. Wu [from the Katy Lied album], the Mu Major concept expanded to include minor chord function as well. This approach relies on the bass player to indicate the tonality [root], as the chord voicing replaces root and/or 5th with other scale tones [tensions] to add dissonance and richness.
Home At Last, from Aja, is a good example of this. Although played on piano on the recording, these 3 note voicings are playable on guitar. The intro is a G minor root position voicing on strings 4, 3 and 2, with the 2nd degree [A] replacing the G on string 4 [can we call this G Mu Minor?]. The 2nd chord, same strings, is an F Mu Major, i.e. a root position triad with G replacing F. The other 2 intro chords are an A Mu Minor [same as G Mu Minor, 2 frets higher] and Bb Mu Major [same strings, C D F].
Following the G minor intro, the verse section ["I know this super highway, this bright familiar sun"] begins with an Ebmaj9 chord. This voicing is best described as a slash chord, Bb/Eb, i.e. a Bb major triad with an Eb in the bass. This 4 note voicing can be played on strings 5, 4, 3 and 2 [Eb Bb D F]. The bass player is playing Eb. Like the Mu major and minor chords, however, the function of these chords can change if the bass player changes the root. For example, with the bass playing a C root this becomes a Cmin11 Eb/b3, Bb/b7, D/9, F/11]. This voicing is also used in Green Earrings, from Royal Scam. Starting at bar 3 with the Bb/Eb, the voicing moves in whole steps [Ab/Db, Gb/Cb].
Green Earrings also has an example of quartal harmony, occurring during the Am7 vamp which harmonizes the 1st 8 bars of the verse. These are 3 note voicings stacked in 4ths. These voicings were explored notably by John Coltrane [McCoy Tyner's work on Love Supreme, My Favorite Things, Transitions], Miles Davis [the quintet albums with Herbie Hancock], Bill Evans, etc. in the '50's and 60's. The voicing for the Am7, played on strings 3, 2 and 1 is D G C. With the bass player sounding A this voicing sounds like Am11, but with a G in the bass it's a Gsus4 or G11, F in the bass an F13, etc. Quartal chords are built upwards in 4ths, unlike traditional triad- based harmonies [built in 3rds]. When we invert these stacked 4ths, we end uo with mu major and mu minor- type voicings. For example, the Am11 voicing from Green Earrings, when inverted, would be G C D, and, inverted again, C D G, low to high. This creates a major 2nd dissonance between the C and D. This interval is the essential characteristic of the mu major sound.

The Five Best Vocal Performances Of Any Paul Carrack Songs

Could someone within the realm of pop music sing the telephone directory and make a successful career out of it? I feel that ludicrous statement could be applied to the wonderful English rock/pop vocalist Paul Carrack who, over a varied career spanning 30 years or more, has proved himself to be an outstandingly gifted singer (and no mean songwriter). As a solo artist or in bands such as Ace, Squeeze and Mike and The Mechanics, he's applied a meticulously crafted, spine-tingling delivery to practically everything he's worked on (hence my telephone directory reference) and, in no particular order, I would like to list 5 of those songs that I feel best reflect his unique talent:
1. Eyes Of Blue - From his fifth solo album Blue Views, released in the UK in 1995. Quite a standard song, but elevated to something extraordinary by the great man's vocal. There exists film of a live performance executed in the key of A, as opposed to the recorded version in C, with only his own keyboard accompaniment and it is truly stunning (you can search for this gem easily enough on You Tube).
2. Tempted - From the 1981 Squeeze album East Side Story. One of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford's most soulful songs, produced by Elvis Costello no less, phrased beautifully by a master at work, it is a perennial favourite of many Squeeze fans.
3. Over My Shoulder - From the 1995 Mike & The Mechanics album Beggar On A Beach Of Gold. A fine example of Carrack's silky vocalising, underrated songwriting ability and whistling prowess! It was that album's most successful single in the UK, reaching no. 12 in the charts.
4. How Long - The hit single from way back in 1974 that served to introduce the world to Paul Carrack's vocals. Still pretty much exquisite, although I would say not yet a fully rounded voice, it was to be the zenith of Ace's existence and their only chart entry. They were to disband in 1977.
5. The Living Years - Released in the UK in December 1988, under the Mike & The Mechanics brand and described later by Burt Bacharach as one of the finest lyrics of the previous ten years, Carrack appropriated the lyric with supreme sensitivity and almost gospel-like fervour in its later stages. A deserved hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
There are, in truth, so many Paul Carrack songs I could list here, but this is just a personal selection which I hope will inspire others to comment.

Five Essential Paul McCartney Albums You Should Have

As an integral part of The Beatles, it is widely acknowledged that Paul McCartney is one of the most talented, versatile and hard-working pop composers that has ever lived. Since their break-up in 1970, ratified by a court ruling some 12 months later which dissolved The Beatles as a business partnership, McCartney has continued to produce music on a regular basis of a consistently high standard, although perhaps not scaling the heights he achieved with the Fab Four.
He has released something in the region of 40 solo albums to date, some of them one could argue with content comparable to his work in The Beatles. I would like to put forward a selection of albums that epitomise the man's breath-taking abilities as a musician, producer, bandleader and all-round good egg!

• Band On The Run - released 7 December 1973; Q Magazine in the UK later placed this at number 75 of the top 100 greatest British albums of all time. It reached no 1 in the album charts and was the top-selling UK album of 1974. Stand out cuts include the title track, Let Me Roll It and the Dustin Hoffman inspired Picasso's Last Words (Hoffmann had told McCartney what they were and asked him if he could write something about it, only to be astonished as McCartney began to create the chorus right in front of him)
• McCartney II - released 16 May 1980; reaching number 1 in the UK and number 3 in the US, it divided critics at the time but is now seen as McCartney at his multi-faceted best, from the bluesy guitar breaks of On The Way, the electronica of Check My Machine and the euphoria of Coming Up
• Chaos And Creation In The Backyard - released 12 September 2005; produced by Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, it showed a more reflective approach than of late and spawned hit singles Fine Line and Jenny Wren
• Venus & Mars - released 27 May 1975; a worthy follow-up to Band On The Run, it harboured the singles Listen To What The Man Said, Letting Go and a barnstorming Jimmy McCulloch song Medicine Jar
• McCartney - released 17 April 1970; amidst the aggrieved collapse of The Beatles, McCartney put out a collection of recordings he'd been working on alone during the previous six months, ignoring pleas from the other Beatles to delay release against Let It Be. The overall low-key production was punctuated by an absolute jewel, Maybe I'm Amazed.

A Comparison on the Best Bluetooth Headsets for Listening to Music on the iPad

Initially our intention was to compare every kind of Bluetooth headset and headphones available. As we were using the headphones in our day-to-day lives, we realized that certain headsets were better designed for particular functions. Optimizing a product design for one usage often involved degrading important characteristics of another function. This is analogous to building a car. If you want something fast that can go from 0-60 is 4 seconds flat; it's probably not going to get the best gas mileage, or be of much use hauling 3 kids around town. The bottom line is those who want the best headphones for listening to music, or watching videos, have a different product profile than mobile warriors looking to make VOIP calls (more on this topic at the end).
In this product comparison, we are looking for the best Bluetooth headphones to listen to music and watch movies on your iPad. While we emphasized sound quality for music and video playback, virtually all the Bluetooth headsets have built in microphones and VOIP capability. Next week we will have a product comparison for Bluetooth headsets designed primarily for voice conversations that are iPad compatible, and play stereo sound.
The criteria for our product recommendations are sound quality, fit/comfort, battery life, features, and build quality. The greatest weight is our scoring was given to sound quality (approx 40% of the weighting); with the other 4 categories given weights equally divided with the remaining allocation. All the Bluetooth headsets recommended were tested with both the iPad 1 and iPad 2 running iOS versions as early as 4.2. Going back to our car analogy, you cannot expect an inexpensive car like a Ford Focus to compare with the performance of a high end car like a Ferrari. With that in mind, we also broke our recommendations into the best iPad Bluetooth headphones within a given price range.
One last tip before we begin is there no such thing as a Bluetooth headset designed for just the iPad. So if you are browsing online, or walking through the aisles of Best Buy looking for products with the words "iPad Bluetooth Headsets" scrawled on the packaging, you will be severely limiting your selection. When shopping for a Bluetooth headset or headphones for your iPad, just look make sure it's a stereo headset or A2DP capable. The Bluetooth headset you buy for your iPad should work with your cell phone and Bluetooth enabled computer as well.
Best Bluetooth Headsets for your iPad under $40: Arctic Sound P311
Arctic Sound P311 (MSRP $39.99)
Overview:
Our winner for the best Bluetooth headset under $40 is the Arctic Sound P311. If you are a techie the name will sound familiar as Arctic Sound is a division of Arctic Cooling, a Swiss owned company that makes CPU cooling and computer accessories. While the MSRP of the P311 is $39.95, you will find this headset online for around $30. It does everything you want out of a headset at a fair price. We loved this headset over more expensive Motorola and Sony models. Sound quality was indistinguishable from the Motorola and Sony models but the features that won us over were the amazing battery life and the folding design. In addition to testing it with the iPad, we were able to pair this headset with a PlayStation 3, laptops (MAC & PC), Android Phone, iPhone, and Nokia Phone with no problems.
Sound Quality
We paired the Arctic Sound P311 with an Android phone, iPhone, and Nokia to test sound quality when making phone calls. Our friends on the other end could hear us just fine. Sound quality was crisp and there was no lag or choppiness in the conversation. For VOIP and cellular pairing, the P311 includes a hidden integrated microphone, built-in sound processor, and Advanced Clear Voice Capture (CVC) technology. The latter is just a fancy way of saying noise cancelling technology. While the microphone picks up on your voice during calls exquisitely, the noise cancelling function is not on par with higher end headsets such as the newest model Jawbone or Plantronic headsets. If you plan on speaking with a person in a noisy place such as Starbucks during the morning rush, the background noise will bleed into the conversation more than the high end headsets.
For music and video playback the sound was excellent for a device of this class. The music was crisp and vibrant at higher range. The built in high fidelity drivers were able to process sound in low range without any cracks or squeaks. The bass does sound flat when compared to higher end headsets and surround sound speakers. These are not the headsets to do sound editing on your MacBook Pro, but if you are watching Netflix on your iPad or listening to your iPod app, sound quality is excellent.
Fit/Comfort
Weighing just 2.5 ounces, the P311 is very light. The closed acoustic ear cups provides good comfort as we could where them all day without a fatigue or irritation. Some of our readers might not like the behind the ear design but we found this ideal if you are planning to use these headsets at work, as they will not mess up the hair like over-the-head headsets.
Features
One of the most useful features is the right earphone has 5 buttons that control certain settings. They allow you to answer a call, adjust the volume and forward/reverse the music. The device you pair the headset with must allow these functions but we found most do. If paired with a cell phone and there is an incoming call, the Inter-Call-Manager will play a ringtone into the headset. The music will then be paused and will resume after ending the call. Pairing to my iPad was not a problem and the controls worked for volume, skip, reverse, and pause. The Antic Sound P311 does not support multipoint Bluetooth.
Battery Life
The Arctic Sound P311 has a built in rechargeable 400mAH lithium polymer battery similar to the lithium polymer technology Apples uses for the iPad and MacBooks. The manufacturer claims up to 20 hours of listening/talk time for the Arctic Silver but you can only achieve that time under very unrealistic circumstances. When talking on the headset for over an hour and spending the rest of the time listening to music at mid volume, we averaged 12-14 hours per charge. While not the 20 hours claimed by the manufacture, this was enough for a full day's work and double the battery life of other headsets. Mobile warriors will love that the Arctic Sound P311 headset charges via mini USB instead of a proprietary design. If have a Blackberry, you can use that AC Adapter or USB cable to charge the headset leaving one less item to lug around. Charging time starting from a dead battery is about 4 hours. A USB cable is provided for you to plug into your computer or iPad AC adapter.
Build Quality:
The Arctic Sound P311 comes with a nylon hard case so they easily tuck away safely in your briefcase, purse, or backpack. The headphones themselves are made from hardened plastic. Because of its folding design, it can be damaged if you too much force is applied against the hinges. By no means does it make the headsets fragile as the headset was dropped accidentally a few times without any damage.
Bluetooth Compatibility: Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP 1.5
Honorable Mention:
Jabra CLIPPER Bluetooth Stereo Headset (Ear bud Style)
Best Bluetooth Headsets for your iPad under $100: Plantronics Backbeat 903+
Plantronics Backbeat 903+ (MSRP $99.99)
Overview:
The Plantronics Backbeat 903+ is the upgrade for Plantronics best selling 903/906 series. The Backbeat 903+ was released last year incorporating the newer Bluetooth standards. The most important feature this headset has over the Arctic Sound P311 is the multipoint Bluetooth technology. What multipoint allows you to do is pair two Bluetooth devices with one headset. As long as your devices support multipoint, you can pair your cell phone to the Backbeat 903+ while streaming audio from your iPad. Most new phones support multipoint including the Android and Blackberry platforms. Both the iPhone and iPad support multipoint as long as you are running iOS version 4.1 and above.
Why is multipoint so important? If you have multipoint, you will not miss a call if you are listening to music on your iPad or iPod! If your iPhone rings while your blasting away Metallica on your iPad, the Backbeat 903+ supporting multipoint will pause the music, and notify you of an incoming call. The one touch features on the Backbeat 903+ will allow you to answer the phone without having to physically answer it.
We recommend not paying MSRP by searching online for the best deal. We bought our Backbeat 903+ on Amazon for $69.99.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality when making phone calls, the Plantronics Backbeat 903+ is superior to the Arctic Sound P311. This is the result of the superior noise cancelling feature and windshield. The headset has two microphones instead of just one. Both microphones are positioned be shielded from direct wind. Plantronics calls their noise cancelling technology AudioIQ2. Basically what happens is they microphones pick of your voice and digitally erase the background noise to provide a superior phone conversation.
The Backbeat 903+ has a rich and vibrant sound, and can stream music, video, and app sounds from your iPad. The headset has an enhanced bass that provides a deeper, and more earth moving feeling than the P311. While the Backbeat 903+ does have noise cancelling technology, it should be noted that it is for voice calls and not streaming music.
Fit/Comfort
Like the Arctic Sound headset, the Plantronics 903+ is a behind the ear design with close fitting earpieces. Each earpiece adjusts three ways for a custom fit.
Features
The Backbeat 903+ has a unique technology called OpenMic that allows you to hear what's going on around you with a touch of a button. The Backbeat also supports one touch controls allowing you to start/end calls, and control music functions such as volume and pause/play. Voice alerts tell you if there is a low battery, when there is an incoming call, and when you have lost a phone connection. You can also monitor the battery level of the headset on your iPhone with built-in software. And as discussed earlier, the Backbeat 903+ supports multipoint allowing you to connect to your cell phone and iPad simultaneously.
Battery Life
Battery life provides 7 hours talk time. Standby time is 7 Hours. Charge time is 3 hours and the charging interface is micro USB. An AC Adapter is provided.
Build Quality
The Backbeat is constructed of high impact plastic designed for more abuse than a typical headset. If you are runner or plan to use the Backbeat in the gym, you will love its sturdiness and flexibility. The headphones can folded up and a soft protective bag is provided.

Origin of Inspirational Songs of Worship

They date back as far as pre 1800 but began to gain popularity in the 1900's and later. Their lineage dates back to early gospel music when American traveling preachers began to sing the songs along with groups of men (quartets) at tent revivals in the south. These revivals became the foundation for the formation of inspirational songs of worship in contemporary worship music today.
The songs began as a combination of hymns and American styles of music such as jazz and bluegrass. They would eventually become the standard music of worship in the 1920's from church to church and revival to revival. Their natural progression would be influenced by artists of the time throughout the 1950's with the introduction to rock and roll and began to focus more on reaching the youth of the generation. The 1960's were no different as the hippie generation began its transformation once again into songs of peace and love.
It was not until the 1970's before songs of worship would take the biggest leap into the next generation. So-called "Jesus people" where the younger generation and they were not singing the old hymns from the past, they were writing their own new and more hip versions. New music was coming out of the communes and churches like never before from coast-to-coast in particular in California where a new generation of hip pastors and missionaries were gaining quite the following of this new young movement. By the late 1970's and early 80s they had begun to fade a little until the early 1990's when they would make yet another transformation..
In the 90's a completely new generation of inspirational songs a worship began to emerge and on a large scale. They went from churches and commune congregations only to big screens in front of the church and a full ensemble of instruments from guitars to keyboards. This marked the beginning of contemporary worship music. The new generation of inspirational songs of worship was now considered similar to pop music and were called "praise songs" or "worship songs."
Today they are more popular than ever usually featuring a "worship band" as its called that includes a lead singer to sing the songs and the words are projected on the big screen for the congregation to participate. These inspirational songs have become the hallmark of the youth for each new generation, each with their own style and songs to inspire the next generation of worshipers.
There is no saying which direction this genre of inspirational songs of worship will go, but rest assured that it would continue to transform with each new generation and continue to inspire all believers. These songs are not just for the youth, they are by design to inspire and lift up every Christian of faith no matter what age. There may be different types of music for each generation hence the diversification amongst the entire genre and subgenres of Christian, worship, and gospel music but each in its own style will continue to lift up a generation just as its predecessor.

The 8 Best Mannheim Steamroller Songs From Their "Other" Albums

The Mannheim Steamroller "other" albums are considered to be everything but their Christmas and Fresh Aire CDs. Mannheim Steamroller is a pioneer of the new age music genre, and has continuously been producing original and arranged music for the last several decades. I am a huge fan, and have picked out, in my opinion, the 8 best Mannheim Steamroller songs from their other albums besides the Christmas and Fresh Aire series.
Here are my top 8 picks, in chronological order....
1. Tigers & Lions- Saving the Wildlife, 1986
I've been listening to this song for almost my entire life, and it's always been a favorite of mine. The ethnic sound makes you feel that you're in India surrounded by Tigers. This song plus several others were written for the soundtrack of a PBS special about saving the wildlife. Wolves is another excellent song from the album, and if you've never seen the music video for Wolfgang Amadeus Penguin it's hilarious.
2. Fugue- Impressions, 1993
When Chip Davis first met his very good friend Arnie Roth (Mannheim's violinist) he thought he was a really classical guy. But later found out that when he was in college he played in a heavy metal bad. So, Chip wrote this song for Arnie, which is why it's on the album Impressions (an album made up entirely of gifts that Chip Davis wrote for various friends and family members). He describes this song as a "Gothic Concerto Sounding Dooda Something or Other", and it's quite en excellent piece.
3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious- Mannheim Meets the Mouse, 1999
I hope I spelled that right! I love most of the songs on this album, and was especially pleased with this arrangement of my favorite Mary Poppin's tune, which recently had a successful run on Broadway. This album is an excellent collection of arranged Disney tunes and should be in your collection along with their Christmas albums.
4. You've Got a Friend In Me- Mannheim Meets the Mouse, 1999
I love the synthetic bass line of this song! Not only is this a classic Disney movie and a great Randy Newman song, but it's a brilliant Mannheim Steamroller arrangement. When this album was released I drove down to the music store during my lunch break in order to get it. I first heard about it when they performed Under the Sea at their live show during the Christmas in the Aire tour.
5. Slo Dancin' in the Living Room- Romantic Melodies, 2001
This song is quite different from all the others I have picked. For me, it just paints a very quaint little story about a loving married couple spending a few minutes of their busy day to be romantic and slow dance together in the living room. With, most likely, screaming children and burning food on the stove in the other room.
6. Mt. McKinley- Spirit, 2003
The feel of this piece is very American, which is why it blends so well into Mannheim's patriotic album- Spirit. It's an original composition by Chip Davis and channels Aaron Copland and other great American composers. It's short, but sweet. The Star-Spangled Banner is another wonderful arrangement on this album which also appears on the albums Impressions and To Russia With Love.
7. All Hallow's Eve- Halloween, 2003
This Halloween piece, an original composition by Chip Davis, fits perfectly into the season. It's always well received at Halloween parties. I wish they had thought to do Halloween albums back when they first started. I wouldn't mind if they released a few more. I've always thought it was funny that they put "Deranged by Chip Davis" on the album credits.
8. Creatures of the Night- Halloween 2, 2006
This creation was designed for dance clubs, and was the first time that Mannheim Steamroller did something for the Dance/Techno genre. In the music video you get to see Chip Davis play the Theremin creating all sorts of eerie sounds. They even went so far as to create a line dance specifically for this song for people to dance to in clubs.
Whether you agree with my picks or not, there is no disputing that Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller is the best contemporary composer/arranger of our time.

Do Kids Who Love Karaoke Learn to Read Early? The Educational Value of Karaoke

A modern karaoke machine is about the same cost as a new video game system. Parents may be wondering, what are the advantages of buying a portable kids karaoke machine for a young child instead of a Kinect or Wii game system?
The fact is, there is a lot of educational value in the hobby (or "sport") or karaoke, especially for impressionable young minds. Learning to sing at a young age can help a child to explore his or her creativity; he or she may even someday discover a natural talent for singing or writing his/her own songs. Learning to sing is also a wonderful confidence booster, and will give your child experience in performing and speaking in front of others. Karaoke parties are also a great way to make friends and encourage social interaction!
There are even some parents who have observed that regular karaoke activity in private and among friends can help children to become advanced readers in school. The Watts family, a California-based family interviewed for this story*, states that they bought a Karaoke player for their two-year-old daughter. For two years they watched as she played her karaoke songs and sang along with the prompts. Now at the age of four, she can read at an advanced level.
In fact, the family states that the four-year-old can read her own books and gets positive comments from her pre-Kindergarten teachers. The teacher even asked the parents what they are doing to improve her reading ability, to which they replied nothing out of the ordinary...except karaoke. The teacher theorized that the kids' karaoke player may be what is helping the young one to improve reading and communication skills.
The young superstar even sang karaoke in front of her classmates on her 4th birthday, bringing the house down and making her teachers teary-eyed. Now, she is karaoke singing during promotional events and has a score of 90+ on 10 of her favorite songs.
While individual results vary, it's safe to say that when you give a child an opportunity-whether a musical instrument or a karaoke machine-you encourage creative growth and exploration. If you or your spouse has singing talent or creative talent in your blood, then it's likely that you passed on some of this ability to your children. Karaoke is a great way to encourage a child to explore his/her performing gifts, to gain confidence and to have lots of fun singing karaoke songs!
*The family name has been changed, the story mentioned is based on actual facts.

Why Praise and Worship Songs Inspire Our Hearts

Music itself can inspire, it can motivate, and it can give us hope. However, nothing compares to how praise and worship songs seem to touch the very core of your being. Their words seem to literally seep into your very soul and make you acutely aware that there are greater things out there, than what currently surrounds you. Worship music let us us know that there is something greater than us at work here ready to motivate and lead us. Here are five reasons why praise and worship songs inspire our hearts.

• Inspiration - we all need and want to be inspired by something it is just part of the human condition. As humans, we all need inspiration in some shape or form to survive. Worship songs are the driving force behind that inspiration. They empower us to be better people, strengthen our belief in God, and motivate us to help each other grow.
• Lifts us up - as people we all get down from time to time it's just part of human nature. Whether it is your family, your job, your beliefs or just life in general there are going to be times when you are low. Worship songs can lift you back up and keep you on the right track when you need that boost.
• Reinforce our faith - no matter how devout you may claim to be there are always going to be times when either you or someone else may bring your faith into question. It is in these times that they can reinforce your faith, keep you inspired, and make you stronger in faith as well.
• Imagination - where would we be without this my guess is lost. Remember when you were a kid and everything was part of your imagination? Without spurring your imagination things can get very stagnate especially in your faith. Praise and worship songs can trigger your imagination like you were when you were a kid.
• Spiritually - they can take you to another level spiritually. The great praise and worship songs of today and yesterday all have one thing in common they move us and cause us to grow spiritually. Without our spirituality, we cannot serve, as we know best. These songs serve as a virtual tuning fork for setting the tone of our own personal spirituality.

It is been said that there is no greater gift than the gift of music. That does not ring any truer in any other genre than it does with praise and worship songs that inspire our hearts. We are all byproducts of our beliefs, the people we surround ourselves with, and the information that we ingest on a daily basis. Music is a big part of what you are listening to therefore taking in and music that does not support your core beliefs, inspire you and motivate your spirit, you truly are not growing. Praise and worship songs that inspire you and your beliefs can do more than just entertain; they cannot embolden your foundation.

Why Southern Gospel Music Inspires Our Soul

Many people believe that amongst the many benefits that Southern Gospel music provides the number one benefit is the inspiration to body and soul. Inspirational lyrics combined with soothing melodies can motivate the spirit and relax the soul. All music can have a therapeutic effect on us depending on the type of music you are listening to and when you listen to Southern gospel music, it can give you a sense of being calm and rested. Here are some ways that it can inspire your soul.
Higher Power - The message of a higher power is an essential part of the songs. When we believe in a higher power, it gives us the emotional ability to overcome many obstacles and fears no matter how great or insurmountable. When we believe we can do. This in itself can be the sole inspiration for listening to these types of songs.
Relaxing- it has been documented that listening to inspirational gospel music can put you in a state of calm or a relaxed state. When life is filled with stress coming from many different angles and directions it can serve as a tool for reducing your stress level and therefore increasing your overall health. The reason is stress has been related to many health efficiencies such as high blood pressure, heart disease and sleep disorders and a long-term health deficiency can result in a chronic issue.
State of mind - your state of mind can be related to many things such as your moods and your emotional condition. It is no secret that when you are under duress your state of mind will suffer and when your state of mind suffers it will eventually affect all areas of your life. Inspirational southern gospel music can have a positive effect on your state of mind with uplifting lyrics and messages of empowerment.
Inspire others - when we are inspired and in a positive state of mind, it becomes contagious. Inspirational gospel songs not only inspire us they can encourage us to inspire others by sharing the word of God. Alternatively, it can simply be helping someone who is going through a tough time and needs to be inspired. Either way it perpetuates a feeling of empowerment that spreads like wildfire to others.
Therapy for your soul - lastly and most importantly southern gospel music can inspire our soul. When we are sick or have a health deficiency, we can turn to medication or doctors for treatment. However, when our soul has a deficiency there are no modern medical methods for treatment. Gospel music can be that treatment with its inspirational lyrics and motivational message to repair a damaged soul.
We all have different reasons for the need to be inspired whether is emotional or physical and that is for you to determine. However, no matter what your reasons are or how difficult they seem to overcome rest assured that they could be tended to through the gift of Southern Gospel music.

How to Distribute Your Music Online

If you are a music artist and you are looking forward to breaking into the music scene with a bang, then you would need to have a demo and a way to distribute your music to as many people as possible. The crucial thing is to have your demo ready. Before you can look for distribution, you need to have some songs ready.
You can record your songs on your own or in a studio. There is no need to worry about spending too much money as you can always consider leasing or buying beats online.
There are ways that you can distribute your music online. You can do so for free and for pay. Before you discard the option of distributing for free because you believe it means no revenue, it might be fruitful if you learn more about developing a network economy.
First, assess your needs and the needs of your band mates. You need to decide together whether you are willing to let go of having control over your work and if you all have faith in the network economy concept.
Then you need to browse the internet for sites which work as distributors for music. You do need to exercise a lot of caution and choose your site with care. Speak with other artist friends about any experience they may have had and which sites they recommend. There are also reliable sites like iTunes and others that can help distribute your music. Contact the website and try to find out how things work at their site. Find out their terms and their policies.
There are things you need to keep in mind while searching for your distributor is to find out if that site has its own domain name. This may sound weird at first but, these days anyone can get their own website. There are a lot of sites out there and not all of them are reliable. If the web address of the site is so long and has so many squiggles, then the site may not be up to scratch.
Once you have decided on which site would be the best for you, you can upload your music. There are distributor sites that require a CD to be sent over to them. They do this because CDs tend to deliver better quality recordings that may require large bandwidths. You can offer to send them a recording of a few of your songs.
After that, you may go ahead and market yourself on social networking sites, communities and forums. The more people find out about your work, the more people will download your music. You can do all these steps even while on a budget.

Top Songs

If you love music, it is must for you to listen to the top songs. These songs provide you with great entertainment and rejuvenate your mind and soul. You can get the list of tops songs from the internet and enjoy them. These include tops romantic songs, top dance numbers, top funeral songs as well as top Karaoke songs. Each of these genres of music has its own importance and listenership.
You may like romantic songs or dance songs depending on your own taste of music and choice. Once you come across the top songs that you like the best, you can listen to them over the internet or get them in CD's. The option of downloading these songs and making them a part of your cell phones is also a great choice. You may listen to them in your car, while walking or just at any time that you like.
Since music has a lasting impression and a great impact on the mind and mood of a person, the importance of the top songs is pretty evident. They can help you to perk up your mood, make you feel relaxed or allow you to tap your feet. The top music releases are generally selected on the choice of the listeners. The more the listeners enjoy a song the better the ranking it gets. This is why listening to the top music releases allow you to enjoy the best music, lyrics and composition.
In order to find out the top music releases of any category you can simply Google and pick the songs that you enjoy the best. Searching for the top songs allows you to save your time as you can come across great music in an easy way instead of randomly searching for some songs that you can enjoy. As these songs make the popular choice, it is most certain that you would like them just as much as most of the music lovers do. Thus you can indulge in the songs and music that can satisfy your passion for sound and melody and provide you with a great way of entertainment.
Other than looking for the top songs online, you can also get them from the local music stores. There are great collections of top songs that you can find in CD's. You can get romantic, sad, dance and other collections and enjoy the music that you love the most in an easy manner.

The 5 Best Techno Songs From 1995 to 1999

I have picked out, in my opinion, the 5 Best Techno Songs from 1995 to 1999. I enjoy a wide variety of electronic music, so some of these picks might be better classified as Rave, Electronic Dance, Trance, Eurodance, Electronica or maybe even House. Genres are getting a little too specific anyway, and there are way too many different classifications. So, if the song was at least partly synthetic, and had a good enough beat to dance to it, then it made my list. Techno songs usually have several different mixes of the same song, so if there is a specific version that I like it will be noted after the song title.
Here are my top 5 picks, in chronological order...
1. Children (Eat Me Edit) by Robert Miles, 1995
I picked this specific mix because it contains the famous piano riff, which ironically was not in the original version of this song. One of the reasons this song was written was to have something more calm to listen to at the end of a dance to help reduce the number of car accidents. No matter what the reason was for its creation, it's a wonderful song.
2. Insomnia by Faithless, 1995
I was introduced to this song recently, so I didn't know about it when it first came out. This song was made by a British dance group and was released as their second single. It of course became one of their most popular. It's the best song to play late at night when you can't sleep.
3. Trip Like I Do by The Crystal Method, 1997
I'll be honest; the main reason why I like this song is because it uses lines from the movie The Dark Crystal. It's always been one of my favorite movies and most arguably Jim Henson's greatest work. Oh, and I almost forgot, the song is good too.
4. Believe by Cher, 1998
This song was the very first to use the vocal pitch correcting software called Auto-Tune. Since then many bands, especially in dance music, have taken advantage of this effect. I've used it myself, and it's very fun. Now, I wouldn't consider Cher a Techno artist, but this is still a fun dance tune with cool effects.
5. Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65, 1999
A lot of people misinterpreted the lyrics when this song first came out, some of them are quite funny, but in reality they were just nonsensical lyrics. The music video includes CGI animation of blue aliens and live band members fighting with them. I would recommend watching it with subtitles. It's a great song that's fun to sing with your own lyrics.
A few others I considered for the list were: Around the World by Daft Punk 1996, Barbie Girl by Aqua 1997 & Ray of Light by Madonna 1998.
Whether you agree with my picks or not, there is no disputing that Techno music is one of the most influential genres out there, and a dance is not a dance without it.

How Long Does It Take To Learn the Guitar?

Many people who take up wanting to learn to play guitar often start their lessons wondering how long it will take them to become reasonably good at it.
It's hard to give a time limit when it comes to learning a musical instrument because it really depends what level you want to get to. This is the same no matter what instrument or any other type of skill you want to learn to master.
And, learning a musical instrument, like learning anything in life, is something that will improve with more practice. So, you could take guitar lessons for a few months and become able to strum a few chords and maybe even play a few of the easy guitar tunes. If this is a good enough level for you then so be it. It might be that you will have reached a point where learning to play the guitar is not as great as you thought it would be. And that's fine too.
But if you want to carry on learning to play, for a couple of years, then your level of expertise and even the sheer numbers of hours that you will have practised and played the guitar for will mean you have so much more expertise under your belt and you will be that much better.
It really depends on whether learning to play the guitar is just a fad you go through or whether it becomes a burning passion of yours.
For those well-known guitar players, take Slash from Guns N'Roses or Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton, playing the guitar was more of a passion, more than that it is/was their vocation. These were incredibly gifted artists and remarkable with their command of the instrument but can you imagine how many hours they must have spent perfecting their craft?
For some, you can play guitar and never give up, you will simply get better and better and finally reach a point where you and the guitar are one. You are no longer at the point where you are "learning" to play anymore. It is now more akin to you becoming a part of the guitar and the guitar becomes your instrument through which you make sweet music.
When you attain this level, you can be said to have mastered the art of playing the guitar.
Of course, many people never reach this level and that is fine too.

How To Strum a Guitar?

One of the first things to learn, and definitely a vital aspect of playing the guitar, is how to strum. Although it looks incredibly simple, a lot more is involved in strumming than simply hitting the strings with a pick.
The first thing you might want to consider is the pick itself. They come in different sizes and shapes, all built for a particular purpose and all useful in their own way, but for the acoustic guitar however, especially at the early stages, you might want to go for a thinner pick rather than a thicker one. Thinner picks offer more flexibility, which allows more inconsistencies from your right hand. Also it gives a little bit more of an open brighter sound, which, on an acoustic guitar, sounds great. Up to this day in fact, I still opt for the thinner pick every time I play acoustic guitar.
Th next step is how to hold the pick. If you hold your hand out as if you're holding a mug or a glass your hand should naturally curve on the inside with the fingers closed together as you do it. If you position the pick on top of your first finger, with the flat bottom part of the pick lightly touching the edge of your nail and you get a firm grip with your thumb, you should be getting a little rounded gap between the thumb and the index finger. Once that feels right, bring it closer to the rest of the hand, and you're now ready to strum...
Strumming is by far what a lot of players struggle with at first, and if I had to boil it down to one reason it is this - tension. Having tension while playing can have an extremely negative influence on your playing, as well as your muscles and tendons.
Whatever you play, aim at executing it without any unnecessary tension in your right arm. Learning strumming patterns can help you with this. It is very often overlooked by most players, but the players who learn strumming patterns during the early stages of playing are the ones who can really focus on being creative and experimental with their sound. There are countless techniques and approaches to the guitar and the best way to introduce yourself to them is by mastering the basics. Learning how to strum is definitely one of the most important aspects of guitar playing, so make it your aim to learn how to do it properly.

Marlon Tarditi is a writer, player and teacher from London who regularly writes online articles and lessons for tuition websites

Modern Marching Bands

Marching bands have been around for hundreds of years, and in the UK they were usually connected to the Military. Troops would be led into battle by drummers, buglers or pipers, and these instruments were used to give signals for retreating, etc. Indeed, even during WWII platoons of fighting troops were led off the landing craft and up the beaches of France by a piper. Military bands still have an important role in todays armed forces, but mainly for ceremonial purposes, as often seen on Beating Retreat, Trooping the Colour or the Edinburgh Tattoo.
Various styles of marching bands are now in existence. In the UK we tend to have traditional marching bands, consisting of snare drums (with either bottom snares or both top and bottom snares such as the Premier 1049-S), bass drum, tenor drums, cymbals and then tuned instruments such as bell lyres,bugles, valve trumpets and other brass and woodwind. Such bands are often used by organisations including the scouts, air training corps, sea cadet corps etc and are a familiar sight at parades and festivals in British towns.
Another big part of marching music comes from Pipebands, which of course originated in Scotland but are now popular all over the world with many top bands coming from Canada and the USA. Whilst the melodies are played by bagpipes, the drum corps has a very important role to play, often with 6 or more snare drummers playing extremely complex rudimental phrases on High Tension snare drums (such as the Pearl FFXP or Premier HTS800). These drums have kevlar drumheads tuned up to an incredibly high pitch, so the drums have to be extremely strong to withstand the huge forces put upon them.These drums also have snare wires under both the top and bottom heads, giving a very crisp and clean tone which will pick up even the softest of grace notes. A bass drum of around 28" is used to keep the pulse of the band, whilst tenor drums add intricate mid-range tones, often using 3 or more tenor drums of different sizes and pitches. Some tenor players such as Tyler Fry have taken tenor drumming to a whole new level.
A huge growth area in the world marching scene comes from the American style Drum Corps or showbands.The drumcorps usually have not only snare drums and a selection of various sized bass drums, but also multi - tenors / quads, cymbals, and a pit at the front featuring a range of tuned percussion such as marimbas, xylophones, bells etc. The rest of the band is made up of brass players. These bands tend to play some extremely complex musical arrangements and are a big part of the music education system in the USA.
Marching snare drums have changed dramatically over the last 100 years or so, from crude drums with rope tuned calf heads, to todays high tension models made from the finest birch, maple, or even carbon fiber, with kevlar or mylar drumheads and hardware manufactured from lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum.
The British Military Bands of HM Forces still have huge popularity both at home and abroad. Tourists in London will often see the bearskins and red tunics of the bands of the Guards divisions on duty around Buckingham Palace, whilst the Drummers of the Royal Marines continue to wow audiences worldwide with their incredible skills and drumming displays. The musicians of Her Majestys bands tend to be extremely talented and versatile players capable of performing many different styles of music... indeed as an example, a member of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force may find themselves performing with a full military band one day, a fanfare team the next day, and swinging with the RAF Squadronaires dance band in the evening! Despite their musical skills however, these men and women are soldiers first and undergo the same military training as everyone else.
For drummers looking to start playing with a marching band,there are a few avenues... Youths can apply to their local Air Cadets, Army Cadets, Boys brigade or Sea Cadet band who will provide an instrument and tuition, with the possiblity of performing to many varied audiences. For adults, most towns have either a pipeband or drumcorps, and they will always welcome new members. Most Bands have a website, and these can be found under headings such as British Youth Band Association (BYBA) and Traditional Youth Marching Band Association (TYMBA) or for pipebands the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA).

Using an Alternative Guitar Capo to Imitate Hawaiin Slack Key and More!

Hawaiian Slack Key tunings can be imitated with the alternative tunings capo.
The most common slack key tuning is called "taro patch" and makes a major chord. Capo at the second fret, the fourth string, the third string G, and the second string B. We call this [0, 0, 2, 2, 2, 0] from bass to treble, thick to thin- strings. In the traditional taro patch the chord is a G chord, but with the partial guitar capo it is an A chord. However, the open tuning is exactly the same interval by interval. I often keep my entire guitar tuned down a whole step for a richer sound. So for me, the Taro patch is an actual G chord.
There are upward to 50 slack key tunings. Far to much to cover here, but be aware that some slack keys will require two alternative tuning capo's. For example, the G Wahine open tuning is: D, G, D, F#, B, D. This translates to: [0, 2, 2, 1, 2, 0] and requires Spiders at the 1st and 2nd frets.
The partial guitar capo also gives you options to address the huge variety of fingerboards in use today.
To achieve and important on place the capo tab flush against and in front of the fret rather than behind. This will result in the alternative tunings capo finger depressing the guitar string directly over the fret. The result is more precise intonation, but no fine tuning. Try this, many folks swear by it!
When you get your alternative tunings capo, take it apart. All you have to do is unscrew the knob and the slide fingers off. I put back four fingers and found, basically, unlimited tunings and less fingers to deal with. It's easier and you don't need all six unless you're going to use it as a full capo. Take them off!
Why is it that all the strings on the guitar are roots of sharp keys?
Let's see; E has four sharps, A has three sharps, D has two sharps, G has one sharp, and B has five sharps!
Horns on the other hand love to play in flat keys. For example, trumpet and tenor sax transpose a second, so their happy keys of C, G, F become Bb, F and Eb for us. All flat keys.No happy open strings. ugh. Any ringing open strings sound bad.
What's a guitar player to do?
Ans: 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1.
Huh? This means, "capo at the 1st fret, strings 6, 5, 2, 1." Your open strings are now F, Bb, D, G, C, F. All these notes are in the horns' favorite keys.
Recipe: play as usual, watch for happy surprises, experiment with open strings using the partial capo! Guitar meets Horn.

Lateralus by Tool: Fathom the Power Within You

'Lateralus' is an eloquent yet very powerful song by 'Tool'. It has so many aspects. Once you hear this song, you will know immediately that it's different. This beautiful song is written in distinct time signatures and the syllables are arranged according to Fibonacci's sequence of numbers: one, one, two, three, five, eight, and then going back in reverse order, five, three, two, one, one.
"Black and white are, all I see, in my infancy, red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me, lets me see." Yes, black and white are all we see in our infancy and then red, yellow, and other colors start to appear. They reach out to us one after another and let us see the unseen. As the song progresses, it tells us not to over-think, it pleads us to refrain from over analyzing, and very vitally, not to wither our intuitions, because that would be the utmost dangerous thing to do. Intuition is something divine and we have to deal with it very delicately. We have to trust our instincts which will lead us to listen to our hearts. Unless we do that, unless we embrace our instincts we'll only keep on missing opportunities. We have to be ready to embrace the unknown; we have to be ready to embrace whatever may come.
The song goes on and enters into the final stage. Maynard James Keenan pleads solemnly as he spreads his earnest desire to feel the rhythm of life, to feel inspired again, to fathom the power within ourselves, to witness the beauty underneath.
'Lateralus' ends with a blast, and this is the part that I like most. It simply blows me away every time when I hear Maynard singing with such mesmeric passion. The man calls us for reaching up and reaching out for whatever that will bewilder us. Please read it closely again, whatever that will bewilder us, what an invitation! And the last verse repeats four times, "spiral out, keep going!" Ah, what to say about it! I can write pages after pages and there will still be something more to write. The message is outright and straight. Don't confine yourself in a circle. Break out of your comfort zone, spiral out. Dare to draw more circles around you as you spiral out. As the circles will only get bigger, your horizon will only get broadened in the process. You'll never know where it will lead you to, and that's the beauty of the dare. Maynard has put it very neatly, "...following your will and wind, you may just go where no one's been."

Guitar Effects Understood

There are so many guitar effects pedals on the market and it is hard to know what the difference is between them. It has been difficult to find agreement on how to classify effects pedals.
There are six common classifications: Dynamics, time based, tone, filter, pitch/frequency, and feedback/sustain. This article will focus on the time based and filter Classifications.
Time Based Classification
Time Based includes: Delay/Echo, Looper Pedal, and Reverb.
"Delay/Echo units produce an echo effect by adding a duplicate electrical signal to the original signal with a time-delay." (1) There are 2 types of echos with this effect. One is a single echo or multiple echos. If you've ever listened to music in a large cathedral or sang in a large cave, this is what delay/echo effects sound like.
Examples of Delay/Echo pedals: Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy, BOSS DM-2 Delay, BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay, Electro-Harmonix Memory Man., BOSS Space Echo Twin Pedal.
Looper Pedal or "phrase pedal" allows a performer to record and later replay a phrase or passage from a song. Loops can be created to use right at the time of your performance or recorded to play later. Some types allow you to layer multiple loops. Digital loop effects use an electronic memory.
Examples of Looper Effects: BOSS RC20XL Loop Station Pedal, Radial Engineering's Loopbone FX Loop Controller
Reverb units create a large number of echoes that gradually fade.
Reverb Effect Examples: Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, BOSS Digital Reverb
Filter Classification
Filter includes De-Esser, Equalizer, Noise Gate, Talk Box, and Wah-Wah
A de-esser filters out the higher-frequency sounds such as "s", "z", and "sh".
An equalizer is a set of filters that strengthen or weaken specific frequencies. Stereos often have an equalizer that adjust bass and treble.
Examples of an equalizer: Dunlop MXR 10-band Graphic EQ, Dunlop Kerry King 10-band Equalizer
Noise Gate's reduce "hum", "hiss", and " static". Phil Collins used this with reverb in his song "In the Air Tonight"
A Talk Box takes the guitar sound into the mouth of a performer.. This sound is then picked up by a microphone. The guitar is then able to "talk". Bon Jovi used this in his song "Living on a Prayer".
Example of a Talk Box includes: Dunlop Heil Talk Box
A Wah-Wah pedal makes vowel sounds. Remember learning the sounds of the vowels in your early years of school. This is what a wah-wah pedal sounds similar to. A foot treadle is used to open and close a potentiometer.
Wah Effects include: Dunlop Cry Baby, Eddie Van Halen Signature Wah Wah, Slash Signature Crybaby Wah Pedal

Your Child's First Musical Instrument - 5 Things That Can Go Wrong

Getting your child started in music is an exciting and momentous occasion. Your child is entering the wonderful world of music. I want to begin by saying thank you for encouraging your child to learn a musical instrument. You are not only enriching and culturing your child's education and development, but you are also placing your child on a path towards prosperity in whichever profession he/she chooses. The point is that if your child can learn a musical instrument, anything can be accomplished.
Music is not a simple matter to get your child started in. There are many things to think about. You wouldn't buy a car without proper research or even a computer for that matter. Proper research ensures that you make the best investment for your own personal set of circumstances and preferences. Buying a musical instrument is not the only thing that you will have to research to make the right choice. There are many other purchases and issues worth considering. We'll discuss the first 5 out of 10 most commons mistakes in this article.
In order to ensure that your child gets started on the right foot in music education, I have listed ten mistakes that any parent could make.

• You could buy the wrong size instrument

Depending on the age and height of your child, you will have to buy a musical instrument that is appropriate in size. Certain instruments come in many different sizes like a violin, and others may only come in 2 or 3 sizes like a guitar. Another important point is that you want to buy the size that is appropriate for your kid's height now, not how tall you think she will be one year from now. In other words, a musical instrument is not like a coat. Don't buy the next size up because you think she'll "grow into it." The reason is because your kid will not be able to learn effectively because it will be too difficult physically to play the instrument.

• You could choose the wrong teacher

Choosing a teacher is a big decision. In essence, the teacher can have a great impact on the destiny of your child's musical development. There are many attributes to look for in a good teacher, but one that is a must, is that he/she must have at least a bachelor's degree in music. It's also possible that you may not know that you chose the wrong teacher for you kid until down the road a little. And that's OK. Once you learn that the teacher could be the reason for your child's progress slowing down or vanishing completely, you can switch teachers. You want a teacher that can customize their approach to teaching your child. Every kid learns differently. The main point is to stay involved in your child's music education so that you can make changes when necessary.

• You could be overcharged for the instrument purchase

Whether you decide to purchase your child's first musical instrument on the internet or at a local music shop, you will have to do some research to understand what the appropriate price range would be for the instrument. Not all musical instruments are created equal. It's important to understand which brands make better quality instruments and which ones are so cheap that they may have no value in a few months. Musical instruments are just like cars, there are chevy's, Lamborghini's, and everything in between. There is no need for the most expensive and highest quality instrument for a first-time purchase. My advice is to find a good quality instrument, that is reliable in quality, and is in the low to medium price range.

• A salesperson may talk you into buying some accessories that your child doesn't need

If you buy your child's first instrument at a local music store, the salesperson will most certainly offer you some accessories. The truth is that some you will need right away and there are others you may need several months down the road. Again, you will need to do a little research to understand which accessories your kid needs right away in order to get started with no delay.
For example, every student will need a music stand to place their music books and sheet music onto in order to learn to read music properly. If your kid has to learn reading music with the books placed on the bed, she won't learn to read music quickly and efficiently. Other accessories like a metronome for example, will not be needed til several months later or more. The music instructor will determine when it's a good time.

• You might not buy the right book that is best for your child's age

In my opinion, the first instructional book is a crucial part of early success in your child's music education. If the book is blas, boring, and not engaging, your kid is going to lose motivation to practice. No matter what, the child must learn discipline in order to practice daily and consistently. But, an engaging book will go a long way in achieving a consistent practicing regimen.
You want to get a book that is also appropriate for your kid's age. There are many beginner books out there and they are directed towards a certain age group. For example, a 12-year-old can concentrate much more than a 5-year-old could with a book that is in black-and-white. That 5-year-old is going to need a book full of lots of colors and drawings. Perhaps even a section for the student to draw in.

Tony Margiotta is the founder of The Musiconomy, a publishing company advocates musical training as an essential focus in childhood education and development. Sign up for the Free monthly newsletter and special report here:

Rockabilly Guitarists Love That Hollow-Body Sound

Over the years a lot of different types of electric guitar have hit the market. And various rockabilly guitarists have probably used just about every type there is. But one type of guitar has risen to iconic stature in the rockabilly world: the hollow-body guitar. And to narrow things down even more, the Gretsch guitar company has really ruled rockabilly since the early days with their 6120 and other models. So, what is this "hollow-body" business all about?
In a basic sense, all electric guitars create their sound in the same way. Just like any guitar, the vibration of a guitar string produces a tone. The thickness of the string combines with the length of the string to emit a particular tone, or note, when the string vibrates as a result (usually) of being plucked or strummed. When a guitar player says, "I'm going to tune my guitar," he simply means, "I'm going to turn this tuning knob and thus change the length of the string until it sounds the perfect pitch for the note it should represent."
Once the guitar is in tune, the guitarist changes the pitch of the note the string plays by pressing down on the string and in effect making it shorter. The shorter the string the higher the note it plays when plucked. So, to play a melody, the guitarist is constantly changing the length of the string in an organized manner.
All guitars work this way. But not all guitars sound the same--even when playing the same note--because there are many other factors that go into giving a particular guitar its sound characteristics. One of those characteristics is the way that the sound resonates through the wood (or other materials) of the guitar itself. And the density of the instrument matters.
So, an acoustic guitar makes its sound by having a hollow body and (typically) a large round hole under the strings. The sound from the strings resonates through the air inside the body of the guitar and bounces off the wooden inside to come back out the hole. This process effectively amplifies the sound of the string and you hear it as sounding like an acoustic guitar.
Electric guitars work basically the same way, but with a twist. Electric guitars have coils of wire under the strings. These coils create a magnet when electricity is run through them. When the metal strings are plucked, these magnets (called pickups) carry the impulse through the guitar cable and out to an amplifier. Of course then, the pickups and the amplifier have great influence on what the electric guitar sounds like.
But there's more to it than that. Just because an electric guitar uses pickups and an amplifier to make the sound, doesn't mean that all of the other things we talked about don't matter. The sound still resonates through the wood and air of the guitar.
Now, generally there are two types of electric guitar: solid-body and hollow-body (there are also semihollow-body guitars, but we'll leave those out of the discussion for now) and the two types of guitar sound very different. Since there is more air inside a hollow-body guitar (like an acoustic), the sound of the strings bounces around inside the body a lot more than in a solid-body. This changes the character of the sound.
These hollow-body guitars were used by many of the very early rockabilly players in large part because that's what the country guitarists that influenced them were playing. Many of them started out as country guitarists. Hollow-body Gretsches and Gibsons were their instruments of choice, although of course there were guitars made by other manufacturers as well.
The hollow-body sound gives those early Elvis recordings their distinctive sound as Elvis' guitarist, Scotty Moore, played hollow-body Gibson guitars on them. But it is Eddie Cochran who has probably influenced modern rockabilly guitarists the most with his iconic orange Gretsch 6120 model guitar. It's definitely the guitar of choice for many (if not most) modern rockabilly players. Stray Cat Brian Setzer cemented the guitar's hold on rockabilly when he hit the scene with the same model guitar during the rockabilly revival years of the late 70s and early 80s.
None of this is to say that the solid-body guitar has no place in rockabilly. The Fender Telecaster is a solid-body instrument that sees a lot of stage time in rockabilly. James Burton, who took over for Scotty Moore as Elvis' guitarist after a few years, is a master of the Telecaster. Carl Perkins played a variety of both solid- and hollow-body guitars. Many other players did too. But it's the hollow-body guitar that has come to mean rockabilly. It gives the music that distinctive hollow-body sound. You might not be able to put your finger exactly on that sound, but it's there. And now you know a little bit about how it's produced.