Tuesday, June 29, 2010

How to Buy the Best Drum Set?

A drum set is one of the musical instruments that are the collections of cymbals, drums and other percussion instruments including cowbells, triangles, chimes and woodblocks etc. All these instruments are arranged as well as played by a single user and the user is known as the "drummer". During the year 1700, the instrument was named as "drum hit" in the Britain region. The same instrument is known as a "drum set/ trap set" in the United States region. In order to buy a best drum set, there are certain tips that you need to follow.

Initially, you should concentrate on the number of drums that you need to practice with it. If you are in a beginner level, then it is better to start with five piece sets. However, an experienced drummer will seek for more number of drums and also with certain features that produce unique as well as quality sound. For quality sound, material is very important factor and it is necessary to choose a wood that perfectly matches with it. The only difference is with the sound because most of the drum sets will sound same and people who have some knowledge on drum can be able to judge the unique sound produced from various drums.

The next important thing that you need to consider is regarding the drum size. Selecting the drum set with necessary diameter as well as depth will be the best factor for quality outcome of sound. Hence, manufacturers are concentrating more on size, depth and also with the diameter to ensure the quality sound. The only thing is that you should be able to recognize with the sound quality after the instrument has been played.

Finally, you should definitely check with the price from various stores. Price for drum sets will vary according to their material as well as size. A beginner level drum set (with 5 drums including the bass drum) will cost up to 500 USD to 1000 USD. Though it seems to be expensive, the quality of the sound will be great. If you want an instrument just for practicing in your free time or at a cheaper price, then you can find a best deal in any one of the auction sites in the internet. During recent times, several websites deal with online sales and also some websites provide best deals that suits best to your budget.

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Choosing the Best Electric Guitar For You

When it comes to choosing the best electric guitar, many considerations come into play. The best guitar for me may, for a variety of reasons, not be the best guitar for you. Why is that? For the simple reason that we are not all built the same way and neither are guitars.

When evaluating guitars, price is usually a major concern. Most of us are operating within a budget and a Gibson Les Paul Custom, even a used one on eBay, is going to set you back a cool $3700. You can still find excellent guitars available for less than $400, so don't think that just because a guitar is expensive that it's going to be right for you. My advice is to find the best instrument for you and then save up your money if necessary.

Probably the most important features of a guitar are tone and playability. These two factors vary widely from instrument to instrument. A single-coil Fender Stratocaster made from alder is going to sound different from a mahogany-bodied Gibson Les Paul equipped with humbucking pickups. The single-coil pickups will give it a sweet, pure, rich tone. Great for playing the blues. The humbuckers will be more suitable for the rock or metal music genres (although one can certainly play blues with them as well).

Alder wood gives a brighter tone than mahogany which is deep and rich. Guitars made from basswood are a bit lighter sounding than alder, not quite as solid sounding. This is highly subjective of course. Many great guitarists like Joe Satriani have favored basswood guitars for years. Basswood is lighter than alder which is much lighter than mahogany. Pete Townshend gave up playing his Gibson Les Paul on stage for 2 hours every night because the thing was so heavy (typically about 11 pounds). He switched to a Gibson SG which is far more comfortable to play although it has a different tone due to its smaller mahogany body.

Playability refers to how your hands fit around the neck, the smoothness of the neck, its width and radius. Some guitars fit your hand like a glove and others make playing them a chore. Everybody's hands are different, some with longer fingers or smaller hands, so playability is very much an individual thing. But it is a hugely important thing because you will be playing that guitar a LOT if you are at all serious. The best necks I have ever played were on an Ernie Ball JP6 and a Charvel So-Cal. The worst was on a Gibson Les Paul Custom that has a painted neck and was tacky (sticky) when your hands perspired even a little bit).

So for these reasons it is wise to never buy an electric guitar online just because it looks cool or because your favorite guitarist plays it. It's fine to shop online and pick out a few models that you like, but always go to a local music store and actually play them before you buy. Hear the differences in tone. Notice how the neck feels in your hand. It doesn't matter if you can't play yet. Let the sales clerk plug you into an amp and just strum a few easy chords. Notice how wide is the neck? How thick is the neck? Some are like a baseball bat and others are flat and built for shredding.

Here are some of my favorites:

For a guitar under $400 you can pick up a good used Mexican Strat off eBay. These guitars are built very nearly as well as the American Strats except they are built just across the border in Mexico. Excellent value for money and a well-made guitar that almost anybody will love. But again, always play one first and make sure it feels good to you. Then go shopping for a price.

For the blues you can't beat an American Fender Stratocaster. These run about $1200 brand new but you can always find a cheaper used one on eBay. They come with a variety of pickup configurations so you can get a humbucker if you want one to play slightly more raunchy numbers. But the single coils sound so pure and heavenly (especially the 1969 reissue pickups) that they're perfect for the blues.

I have always been partial to Gibsons, both the Les Paul and the SG models. Great for blues as well but also excellent for rock, especially the SG. These guitars are typically played with some degree of distortion, so if you're into rock or metal then these are always a good choice. I don't like the painted necks however for the reason mentioned above.

Ibanez makes a huge line of guitars covering almost every style of playing. They are known for being well-made and relatively inexpensive when compared with Fender or Gibson. They cater to shredders and metal players so many of their necks will be flatter and thinner as compared with other makes. Because of their low cost they make good first guitar choices. But again, always try before you buy.

Rosemary has been writing articles for 4 years. Check out her latest website at http://flatscreentvstandsdeals.com where you can find the best deals and tips on a Flat Screen TV Stands.

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How to Promote Your Music and Get Music Contracts - Without Wasting Your Time!

If you want to know how to promote your music and get music contracts, you might feel like you've hit a dead end. Maybe you've been playing with your band for awhile. Maybe you even have a local following and everyone seems to love your music and has a good time at your shows. But if you want to make it big in the music industry, it can feel like an elusive dream. You want it to happen, and you have a burning desire to make music your full time passion... but how do you get there?

The music industry seems like it's full of secrets and insiders, and no one wants to let a newcomer in. Sure, you hear stories about bands or musicians who are discovered on YouTube and signed to million dollar music contracts. You can even hear about a local band who plays the right gig and all of a sudden is offered a record deal. But if you've been trying to get your band out there and trying to promote your music, when is that going to happen to you? Do you really need a "big break" to make it in the music industry and score music contracts?

When it seems like you need pure luck to get signed to a record label, it can feel defeating. After all, how long can you really keep doing the same thing over and over and still desire to do it? Even if music is your life and you don't want to do anything else, it can get old playing the same venues weekend after weekend. So what should you do?

You definitely need a plan. And it starts with treating your music, and how to promote your music and band, as a business. Yes, music can be fun, but if you want to get signed and you are tired of waiting on lightning to strike, it's time to get serious.

Here are a few things that can help you get music contracts without constantly beating your head against the wall. Want to promote your music and get yourself a recording contract? You need to get these things straight. It will make your life easier.

1. Do you have a definite image? Let's say you like to play punk music. But your band members don't have the "punk" image. Maybe you all look like you belong in a country band. Now, this could work for you if you want to use that as your image and your music falls in line with it. But if your music is completely disconnected from your image, your band will be harder to promote. You need a brand. Think about every major product on the market -- anything that is popular has a brand. It is marketable. Make sure your band and image is marketable, and it will be easier for you to promote your music to record labels and get music contracts.

2. Do you treat your music as a business? If your music or band is a hobby that is fun for you, then that is fine too. But don't expect to get a record label to sign you anytime soon. If you want to get music contracts, then you have to treat your music as a business. Get a plan together for marketing. That way you can show a record label exactly how easy it will be to promote you if they sign you.

3. Start the grassroots movement yourself. With the internet, you can get tons of people listening to your music, which will make it easier to get signed. Get your band a website, a Facebook page, a MySpace account, and an account on iTunes. None of these things cost very much, and once you start interacting with people you will get tons of followers. Just think of how great it will look to a record label if you can show them that your music has been listened to by millions of fans on MySpace. Record labels will fight over you to give you music contracts. Don't forget, if you can show a label you will make them money, it will be easier for you to get them to sign you. The more promotion you do for your band yourself, the better off you will be in the end.

Want more ideas to help you promote your music and get a music contract? Check out this site for more tips: http://musiccontract.org

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