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Posts Tagged ‘entertainment’

Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage is a story of a seventeen year old girl named Frances “Baby” Houseman. Set in the summer of the year 1963, Baby goes on vacation to the New York Catskill mountains resort with her family where the staff have all night dance party with sexy dance moves and musical rhythms and tempos that Baby hasn’t seen nor heard before. After seeing and hearing the dances and the Baby can’t wait to be a part of this hypnotizing scene especially after she first sets her eye on the very attractive dance instructor of the resort, Johnny Castle. There is a show at a nearby resort that Johnny and his dance partner wish to participate in but his usual dance partner is unable to participate so Johnny teaches Baby to be a better dancer as well as teaches her his sick partner’s part in the routine so that she can be the replacement. Baby and Johnny’s tempers clash but despite this a romance begins. There is a turmoil of events happening during this with Johnny’s dance parter (Penny), Johnny, Baby’s family, and Penny’s current boyfriend. The events all unfold and all lead up to a climatic ending.

The musical Dirty Dancing : The Classic Story on Stage is based on the movie Dirty Dancing that was originally released in 1987. This version of the movie, however, is a live, musical show. The live version of the show actually broke records in the UK and Germany for having advance that were the highest in history.

In London, the show sold out for the first six months of it’s showing before it had even opened. After the musical was first performed in Sydney, Australia at the Theatre Royal it went on a national tour of New Zealand and Australia. In these two places alone it was shown for eighteen months and sold out every single time.

A new production opened in Hamburg, Germany in March of 2006 and it continues to play there to sold out crowds. This show actually just sold it’s one millionth ticket. As if all of this success wasn’t enough there was even more to come. When the show opened at London’s Aldwynch Theatre it brought in eleven million dollars in advance ticket sales. After the show’s opening night the advance ticket sales to the show increased to be even more than they already were.

There is, predictively, a lot of wonderful music in the musical. Some of the songs include This Magic Moment, Wipe Out, and the infamous song (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life. There are fifty five times in the musical where music is played with thirty times being in the first act and twenty five being in the second act.

The cast of the show includes Hannah Vassallo as Baby, Martin Harvey as Johnny Castle, Nadia Coote as Penny Johnson (Johnny’s original dance partner), and fifteen other talented actors and actresses.

The writer of the show is Eleanor Bergstein who also wrote the movie. James Powell is the director but was also an actor for twelve years and appeared in the show Les Miserables. The choreographer for the amazing dance moves for the musical is Kate Champion.

The show is said to be ‘spectacular’ (Financial Times, Alastair Macauley), ‘magnificent’ (Mail on Sunday, Georgina Brown), and ‘the biggest live theatre sensation of all time (Observer, Polly Vernon)’. The fact that is has been sold out many, many times is proof enough that the show is, in fact, sensational and a must see.

There are various performances happening March 29, 2010 through October 23, 2010 with multiple price options, assisted performances including wheelchair access, help for people who are hard of hearing, and people with guide dogs, and a premium seating option. The show is currently being shown at Aldwych Theatre in Aldwych, London.

This show is definitely a must see show so book your tickets today!

Author Bio: Click here for more information about Dirty Dancing or to book tickets

Lil Wayne is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper who became one of the top-selling artists in late 2000. Also known as “Weezy Baby” he is one of the most talented, controversial, and famous rappers in the world. His freestyle abilities in singing, his unique songs, fantastic lyrics, and rhythmic hip-hop have made him a celebrated rapper.

Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. on September 27, 1982. He grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. In a CBS interview with Katie Couric, Wayne described why he uses the name of “Wayne” instead of his birth name, Dwayne. He explained, “I dropped the D because I’m a junior and my father is living and he’s not in my life and he’s never been in my life. So I don’t want to be Dwayne, I’d rather be Wayne.” Katie Couric asked Wayne if his father knew and Wayne replied, “He knows now.”

Lil Wayne’s biological father left him when he was just a baby. He did have a stepfather who died when he was young. Lil Wayne found a father figure in Cash Money millionaire Birdman (aka Baby) who took him under his wing. Lil Wayne recorded freestyle raps on Birdman’s answering machine to get his attention. Lil Wayne calls Birdman “daddy” because he mentored him since the age of 11. Birdman was the one who brought him into the rap world. He would eventually help Lil Wayne launch his rap career.

Lil Wayne began rapping at block parties when he was a child. He wrote his first rap song at age 8. He began his career as a member of rap group, The Hot Boys, but he is especially known for his stellar solo career. His solo debut, “Tha Block is Hot,” went double platinum. Lil Wayne’s career surged with the release of 2008′s “Tha Carter III .” The album featured several hits including “A Milli,” “Mr. Carter” and “Lollipop.” In 2005, “Tha Carter” was followed by “Tha Carter II”. It sold over 200,000 copies during the first week. Lil Wayne then became the president of Cash Money Enterprises and during that same year he founded Young Money Entertainment. By 2007, he handed over his responsibilities of the companies. He began to work on his next album but four tracks were leaked, and as a result, he released a short-term album by the name of “The Leak” and followed it up with his original album, “Tha Carter III”. The album was a hit selling over a million copies in its first week. In 2008, Lil Wayne was the frontrunner in Grammy nominees, with eight nominations.

Lil Wayne has two children. His first child, Reginae Carter, was born when he was a teenager with high school girlfriend Antonia “Toya” Carter. Carter and Lil Wayne married on Valentines Day of 2004 and divorced in 2006. On October 22, 2008, his son, Dwayne Carter III, was born at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. He had his third child with actress, Lauren London.

Fans are sure to see more from this American Grammy Award-winning rap star known as Lil Wayne.
Information Source: wikipedia.org/Lil_Wayne

Author Bio: View the largest collection of music videos online featuring all of the most popular artist and bands including Akon, Lil Wayne, Eminem and more!

If you want to know how to rap better, then continue reading. You will learn to rap and will learn the secrets that will see you win many rap battles.

Step #1: Use The 1-2-3-4 Formula

If you want to learn how to rap, then understand and follow the 1-2-3-4 phase formula. Every hip hop song can be turned into a 4 step beat formula. Every time an emphasis is made in the rap, that is one of the 4 numbers.

To help you, move your hand from left to right every beat. Doing so makes it easier to make your flow rhyme. You need to create a pattern, for example, the 1st and 4th beat rhyming.

Step #2: Rap With Other Friends

Another secret on how to rap better is to freestyle rap with your friends. It is much more fun to freestyle rap with friends than to do it yourself. You will build confidence and can tell each other what was good and what was not so good. This will make your freestyle rapping skills improve much faster.

If you can’t find anyone to rap with, go to an online voice Internet chatroom and look for a chatroom that has many hip hop fans. You will easily find people who are willing to freestyle rap with you or battle. You may well find that some online friendships soon become offline ones too.

Step #3: Create Your Identity

Another tip to learn to rap is create your own rapper identity. A lot of hip hop emcees copy other people. They want to be like the next big hit so wear clothes and style their hair in a way that isn’t true to themselves. But when you do that, you lose a lot of your own originality.

You need to be yourself, and make a statement or originality. Look into past experiences and be proud of what makes you unique. By doing so you’ll find that people will more easily remember you, which is just what you want them to do.

Once you create your own rapper identity, you will feel more comfortable and ease when you’re rapping, and that will come across in your rapping, which will sound more natural and relaxed.

Step #4: Use A Rhyming Dictionary

To improve your rhyming skills, get yourself a rhyming dictionary. As you can probably guess from the name, this is a dictionary that lists words that rhyme with each other. This will save you a ton of time, and means you can focus on the rhythm and style of your raps.

Step #5: Focus On Your Particular Talents

Too many wannabe rappers spend too much time checking up on what other rappers are doing. That is not good because you can end up being discouraged if you see others doing better than you currently are.

So, don’t focus on other peoples lives or their rapping skills. Instead, focus on your own skills. The more you focus on your own freestyle rapping skills, the faster you will improve as a hip hop artist.

Author Bio: If you want to find out how to rap better, then sign up for my free newsletter at http://www.FreestyleMethod.com.

Sound design is a very competitive, tricky and time consuming process, new trends appear, and die very quickly. Good wholesome sound design requires innovation, a great amount of patience and sometimes a good nights sleep! If you stick to the simple yet effective fundamental theoretical approaches and techniques listed here, then in no time you’ll be the elite Vanguard sound designer you always dreamed to be. Yep, you too can achieve the sound of that French guy with the long hair…

Think of artists such as Spor, Noisia or Dirtyphonics. These people use conventional waveform selection, usually saw and square, but go crazy on everything else. Curiosity gets you places. So let’s throw the rulebook out of the window.

Try literally randomising your settings to start with: slam together different oscillator wave forms, envelopes & fllter settings. For example go crazy on waveform selection sometimes, mix and match. What you thought was a no go, is usually a ‘$%@k me that’s a crazy!’ sound. Your next step will be to refine your raw sound into something more usable and more importantly controllable.

Messing around with the LFO is great it adds depth to your sound, try to add LFO into your sounds and keep the speed low to give a fattening washy effect. Nearly every sound in ‘Oxygene’ by Jean Michelle Jarre (one of my synth programming heros) uses LFO.

Don’t use too much release in a dance lead, sometimes just a little will do, try using hardly any attack, a mid amount of sustain, and a mid amount of decay.

The detune control is a killer and can be the key to any anthem based dance sound. Try taking a sound with no detune and turning the detune knob to around 54% and compare the results.

You often don’t need 16 or 32 voices, sometimes just 5 can be enough, you’ll find turning the voices down can give your mix a more minimalistic sound. This Approach can also relieve essential CPU resources too if your running low!

The Vanguard’s filter can be extremely versatile: for plucky sounds try a low 24 decibal. For bass try low 12 db. For acid sounds try band+shp, notch and format. Being careful in this department can really help determine how your sound sits in the mix, so take your time and experiment.

The Vanguard’s trancegate effect can give some really cool effects – for more subtle fx don’t have it on max, keep the contour control knob low and the gate to around 60%. You can also get some crazy results by playing with the stereo and speed controls of the trancegate.

I’m not a big fan of the Delay unit on the Vanguard. It works better for me on background noises, so if your sound’s the centre piece I’d set the delay to ‘Widen’ with a short delay time to give your sound more stereo width.

The reverb unit on the Vanguard is great for electro. To get the ‘Benassi’ type reverb try this: adjust the mix to around 35%, pre-delay to around 40%, room size to around 15%, damp all the way up & width to 50%. This gives your sound that ‘sidechained’ feel. Glide can also be great on this kind of sound when you have overlapping notes in your sequencer.

So there we have it – a few points to consider when making your own Vanguard sounds – good luck!

Author Bio: Mark is a passionate DJ who loves to remix and make tracks with various Synthesizer Patches and electro loops. Mark works for dance midi samples in the UK who sell various DJ producer packs. Click for more information, here.

Marimbas are wooden keyboard instruments in the percussion family of instruments. Players usually strike the keys with two – four mallets and one instrument may be played by one or two players; depending on the orchestral piece, you may even see three or more marimbists playing the same instrument. Marimbas are wooden instruments that resemble xylophones and they accentuate the unique harmonies and rhythms of the music. Other instruments in the percussion family include such instruments as cymbals, chimes, the triangle, bells, to name just a few. The marimba is a pitched percussion instrument. Other pitched percussion instrument examples include the timpani, the vibraphone, the glockenspiel, and chimes

Marimbas are used mainly for 20th Century music orchestral music, usually, as a sound effect or as a solo instrument. The marimba actually had long solos in the soundtrack to the film American Beauty.

The marimba keys are arranged like the keys of a piano and they may have as many as 4 ? 5.5 octaves of professional Orff-style marimba bars. The bars are tapped to play the notes, similar to the xylophone. Marimba bars are finely crafted from hardwoods such as rosewood, mahogany and padouk. The keys are fine-tuned to reflect the tones played in African societies.

For marimbas in the United States, the resonators under the wooden bars are usually metal and most likely aluminum. They are hollow metal pipes of different lengths with holes covered by thin cellophane (similar to the West African balafon). This is so that when the marimba is struck, you can hear the buzzing sound characteristic of these instruments.

The mallets generally have wooden shafts but may be made of fiberglass, as well. Rattan shafts are also available and they have a little bit of “give” to them while other materials do not. Depending on training and preference, a marimbist may like the flexible shaft better than the ones with no “give” or vice versa. The material that actually strikes the key is usually some type of rubber wrapped in yarn. The marimba keys themselves will define which type of mallet is used on which part of the keyboard. The harder mallets are usually used to strike the high notes and the softer mallets for the lower notes. This is particularly important in playing the marimba because a mallet that is too hard for the keys it strikes may damage the instrument.

Most marimba music calls for several mallets to be used in one composition. It is not uncommon to find 2-3 players stationed at the marimba during a performance. Because two or three people will wield four to six mallets, it is possible to hear beautiful chords coming from the instrument. Many marimba players also play with more than one mallet in each hand. Different methods have also been developed to hold the mallets necessary for a piece of music in one hand. The Burton grip and the Musser-Stevens grip are the two common methods of gripping multiple mallets and each has its advantages and disadvantages.

The repertoires of bands in the United-States tend to overlap, probably due to the fact that most of the marimba music is composed by the Zimbabwean musician Dumisani Maraire. He is one of the key people who first brought Zimbabwean music to the West, moving to and working at the University of Washington in 1968. He was a master at playing an instrument known as the mbira which greatly resembles a small hand held instrument known as the thumb piano.

A marimba is an expensive but beautiful instrument. Professional marimbas start in the $2,000 range for a used instrument. They add an open tone to many different compositions that makes them very unique and sought after in the instrument family.

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Most people associate Karaoke with going out to a bar and wailing away in front of complete strangers or being prodded to get up there and sing when they know they can’t sing at all. Especially after a few drinks, people tend to put pressure on you and some just don’t like that feeling.

Well, many are finding a new way to enjoy Karaoke – with their family. Karaoke is now being enjoyed in the home too, and for some very good reasons. Kids love to watch their parents get up and sing and have fun, and parents love to see their kids do the same thing. Karaoke is fun for the whole family because everyone can participate.

Everyday living and the stress associated with it can put strains on the family, and when it comes to looking for something they can all do together, there aren’t a lot of common ground areas that are for the whole family, that don’t cost a bomb. That in itself is stressful ? knowing that you have to pay around a hundred dollars just to start so that the whole family can do something together.

With Karaoke, it is relatively inexpensive to get a machine that has all kinds of tunes on it. Getting a Karaoke machine at home lets the kids practice not just singing but feeling comfortable doing it. There is nothing a child in their formative years likes better than the approval of their family when they get up and sing. It builds confidence and character, not to mention boosting the confidence of that special child who has “it”, and is the next rising star.

The beauty of Karaoke is that the technology of it has come a long way. With most songs now, the Karaoke version is out very shortly after the song has been out. It is now, easy, up to date and above all, affordable to have Karaoke in the home. All different kinds of songs are available with Karaoke and there are literally thousands to choose from.

A family can pick and choose the songs that they like, so if dad loves classic rock, he can have that, and if mom likes country and western, she can get that, and for the kids, they can have whatever they like as well. This means that the whole family can participate and have fun while they’re doing it, so that the family is together as a unit, doing the things together that each of them enjoy.

Karaoke is an inexpensive and fun way for all in the family to have fun together. There is nothing more wonderful than the whole family getting together to have a lot of fun together watching each other do what they enjoy doing. It brings a family closer with each other and it builds confidence in the kids. So, next time you’re wondering what the whole family can do together, try Karaoke ? you’ll be glad you did!

Author Bio: Get over *500,000* karaoke midi songs to sing on your computer now. Click on the link to find out more below: karaoke midi These ultimate karaoke midi songs DVD disc contains over 500,000 files and comes with a PC software and scrolling lyrics to sing on your computer…

It’s hard to describe how to play the 12 Bar blues on the guitar when you don’t have one in front of you. It’s also hard to play it if you have never done it before and you are interested in playing the 12 bar blues . What isn’t hard is writing about it so that you can get fired up enough to want to play it, or, if you play , and have lost your way, to re-kindle that passion so that you can learn the proper way.

Many who hear some music that they love and want to play it, often see themselves up on stage having the time of their lives with mobs of screaming fans who just can’t get enough. Well, learning should be that way too if you approach it properly.

The first thing you need to know if you are bitten by the bug is to know how to go about learning properly, and that means, wanting to really learn. If you go about it recklessly, then you won’t go far before you lose interest, and you may never touch the guitar again, and that would be a shame because all you really needed was to learn how to learn.

Start by finding a good instructor. You can usually find one by seeing where all the real musicians go. If you begin your instruction there, then you will be introduced to the world of 12 bar blues in the right way, by taking it slow at first so that you get the chords and the progression right, and then, getting it smooth. Never worry about speed, which will come once it’s fluid enough.

Once you have the basics then you can get into the theory, which is all about structure and form, and that has to with tonic chords, dominant chords, sub dominant, etc., then the 12 bar blues progression that is blended in with it. Remember, this all takes time, but if you take the time, you will get out of it what you have put into it.

There are three main chords that you need to know, and they are A7, E7, and B7, and from there, once you’ve got those down, you can move on to different keys, fifth notes, and how it all combines into that sound you first fell in love with, and wanted so much to learn. Once you do get proficient, there is a tendency to show off how technically good you are by trying to cram all you know into everything you play, and that is where the style gained through confidence is learned, and that is what makes you stand out.

So keep in mind that you must be technically proficient enough so that you can create an emotional impact, and when you do that, there will be someone else out there who will want to play the 12 bar blues guitar just like you!

Author Bio: Download 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks now: Click on the link below: 12 bar blues Get access to the best 12 bar blues guitar jam tracks recorded by real musicians now…

When playing blues guitar, as with anything, you always start with the basics and gradually you advance to where you get to riffs, style, and that thing they call phrasing.

Phrasing is how you take all the techniques and all the details that go with it and make it yours. In other words, phrasing is the way you have made all the technical stuff that you’ve learned sound the way you feel.

In any kind of music, it’s the phrasing that makes the piece unique, because you’ve learned how to express yourself through all the techniques and mechanical aspects of the music. Phrasing is your way of playing and singing and your ability to create an emotional impact with all you’ve learned. However, with everything, there are pitfalls, and here is a short guideline.

It is easy, when playing to get lost in the notes themselves. What distinguishes your style from others is rhythm ? pacing, or timing. Doing a solo without this crucial element will only run everything together, and eventually it will all sound the same. It is the timing and knowing of when to add something new or let the effect of what you are doing linger.

The second thing to watch for is to avoid doing the same interval all the time. Good players always mix and match for effect, it breaks up the same pattern into interesting pieces and shows your versatility at the same time.

The third pitfall is to try to do too much. Don’t try to cram in as many notes as you can. The idea is to keep it simple which means refrain from getting it bogged down. Remember, that it is layered simplicity that, when put all together, sounds like a very complex piece that has depth and peaks interest.

The last pitfall concerns too much technique. Players who are too technical are boring because they don’t have the “fire” that makes an emotional impact. The idea is to have sufficient technique that is adequate, in and of itself to make an emotional impact, and that goes for any form of communication, be it painting, writing, photography, or music.

Really, what these pitfalls are all about is your common sense. It is easy to get so involved with your playing that you concentrate on how technically good you are. Nobody cares about the technical way you did that last riff, they only care about it makes them feel.

To summarize then, be sure that once you are technically proficient, you don’t forget the emotion behind it. It is the emotion that an audience wants, and if you are just technique then you don’t convey an emotional impact, and you will turn off your audience by boring them to death. If you are wondering about the emotion part, just remember what got you into this in the first place ? it was the passion, and that is what drives everyone who has any life in them at all.

Author Bio: Download 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks now: Click on the link below: 12 bar blues Get access to the best 12 bar blues guitar jam tracks recorded by real musicians now…

If you want to play Blues guitar there are many different methods to choose from, even hundreds of them. The style has many variations and is the most traditional and well-known forms of music in the world. It would be too difficult to exactly describe how to play blues so instead here are a few tips that may help along in your quest to play a very rewarding and soulful type of music on the guitar.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #1

First off, understand that you don’t have to be the best at technique or know lots of tough cords to play the blues. The best blues sound originates from the heart using your feelings about true life and real situations. Later your technique will improve and you can add more difficult chords to try different variations of the blues but at first just get across the emotions of the song and you will be a good blues player. Remember to play with feeling and the speed will later come.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #2

You have to get used to the rhythm of the blues. A pretty common style is known as a “swung ” feel. Just think of the sound of a heartbeat to guide you along for the beat. Most of the blues as well as other types of music are played in straight 4/4 timing which can be easy to play and is easy on the ear. Once you get comfortable with this style, you’ll be well on your way.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #3

Picking the notes of the blues will get you familiar with the fret board of your guitar. Learning different licks can be great for all types of music but are the heart and soul of the blues. Take the licks your comfortable with, play well, and experiment with them all over the fret board. This will give you different keys and get you used to the various positions on the neck.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #4

Another style of the blues that makes for quite a different sound is playing slide guitar. It’s not always easy to play a regular guitar and is ignored by a lot of other guitarists for this reason. It’s definitely an art form in itself and if you learn this art you will stand out from the crowd of blues players and regular guitarists.

Play Blues Guitar Tip #5

The final tip and probably the most important is to learn the blues scale inside and out. Many different kinds of music incorporate this scale and can open the door for a more rewarding experience of the blues. It’s an easy scale to learn and if you want to try solos, it’s a great scale to practice with.

These tips, while not teaching you how to play the blues will help in honing your techniques and help you find your own style of the blues. One thing is for certain they are going to help you to enjoy many hours of guitar playing.

Author Bio: Download 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks now: Click on the link: 12 bar blues Get access to the best 12 bar blues guitar jam tracks recorded by real musicians now…

So, you want to play the blues just like all the blues greats who are out there. Good, hold on to that desire. It is the love of the thing that endures and grows with you as your playing gets better and better.

So, now that you’re hooked, what about the actual reality?
The twelve bars refers to a musical term called measure, measures are informally referred to as bars, which is how the notation looks. It looks like vertical bars, and with the twelve bar blues progression, there are twelve. When you marvel at your favorite blues artist and how they do all that wonderful stuff, just remember that it is simplicity itself, and it is only one layer atop the other that gives the depth style and rhythm that you hear.

The progression part is the chord changes, and the blues part is the style. There are only three chords in blues and they are called seventh chords. The blues chords are A7, B7, and E7, and again, all the fancy stuff that you love so much is only technique and personal style in combination with those three basic chords. The actual blues style is to sing a line, and then repeat it, followed by additional lyrics that tell the story.

The first line has that all too familiar, “Woke up this mornin’ start followed by the situation, Like “Woke up this morning”, and I couldn’t feel my head. Said I woke up this mornin’, and I couldn’t feel my head”. Then the next line describes why he is this way ? “I know I lived through last night, and that’s why I feel half dead”. The pattern is repeated in the second verse.

As far as the playing goes, there are as many styles out there as stars in the sky, but what you are listening to is called a riff. A riff is a certain way of playing that sets this player apart from the others. A riff can also be called a lick. This is what the artist has learned from others on the way up, and eventually made his own. It is best not to try to figure out the fancy playing, and why it is this way or that, it is always best just to allow yourself to feel, as all the greats have.

It is easy to get lost in all the technical jargon of dominant sevenths and tonics, to sub-dominants, etc. The best advice is to either mentor with someone who knows, learning as you go, or take lessons from a qualified instructor. It is crucial that you get off on the right foot. If you don’t. Then it is easier and easier time to lose interest, and eventually give it up, because you start to think that being good is for someone else, but not for you.

So, remember to keep it simple, that’s what the blues is all about and that’s where you’ll get your enjoyment.

Author Bio: Download 80 of the best 12 bar blues backing tracks now:

Click on the link below:
12 bar blues

Get access to the best 12 bar guitar jam tracks recorded by real musicians now…