Posts Tagged ‘Music’

Where the Unknown Music Roams – Expand Your Music Library

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

You’ve heard all your favorite music and artists on your local radio station. You’ve tuned in while hoping to hear something new and exciting. Unfortunately, the radio stations usually play the same tunes over and over. This causes other musicians to get left out in the cold. You may never hear of many fabulous rock singers, R and B artists, jazz professionals and Gospel greats if you only listen to what your radio station has to offer. Here are some tips to show you how to expand your music library with great songs you’ve probably never heard before.

Media Players: Entertaining Us Through The Ages

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

You have been entertained with media player software for years, so it may be that you have not even noticed it. How could you, it looks so real. Everyone has a favorite or several favorite movies that they have to watch repeatedly; movies that they just cannot get enough of. Let us peek into how media player software has improved the experience of watching a movie today, and a little history on how we got here.

Going way back in time, media player history started around the 1700s when magicians in Europe entertained the royalty with a little smoking mirror. The magicians actually used lanterns to produced smoke. However, it seemed to entertain the court. Later on in the early 1800s, the ability to project images from far away onto a screen was invented. With mans insatiable appetite to entertain, technology continued to develop. Silent films came into vogue and eventually fade, stop actions, CGI and Virtual Reality landed square on our square movie screens.

It is hard to believe that media player software is connected with magicians lanterns and silent films, but that is the path. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. There is no way to cover totally the entire film history that lead up to CGI today, but hitting the highlights is both interesting and entertaining.

Media players and digital software have taken off because of several films and has continued to grow in the movie industry. Of course, everyone should remember the first Star Wars movie, but it was not until the Star Wars, Episode I The Phantom Menace in 1999 that CGI played a major role in the movie. Interestingly over 92 percent of the movie was nothing but CGI effects on the movie screen.

Other films led up to the popular media player inspired Phantom Menace movie. A full 10 years before was released a movie called The Abyss used media player software for the water scene of faces. In The Abyss, 3 D special effects were used for the first time. Audiences were captivated by it. Virtual Reality was brought to screen in the Lawnmower Man movie in 1992. After that, the Walt Disney Company made their first film in 3 D with the hit Toy Story in 1995.

It only got better as media player software guided the next movie, Titanic in 1997, into the outer stratosphere of technology. No one can forget the scenes of the ship crashing into the iceberg or the fateful breaking in half of the ship! In the new millennium, CGI got into the full swing of influencing childrens movies such as Shrek. The software and special effects were toned down before its release to the public. Why were they toned down? Because the characters in Shrek were so real, Disney felt it had no cartoon affect, and children might be turned off by the movie.

It is hoped that in this short review of movie history, anyone can see and understand the importance that media player technology has had on the entertainment industry. In the future, we might have to be warned that all characters in a movie are CGI and Virtual Reality created. What a concept to think about, and who knows when it will happen.

History And Use Of The Bass Guitar

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

The bass guitar has been derived from the double bass, which was used in the late 1950’s. Having 4 strings, these instruments add the lower tones to a musical performance. Experimentation with the bass had started as early as the 1920’s. It wasnt until the 50’s however, that a proper bass instrument was formed.

In the mid 20th century jazz became popular. As double bass’s were used those days, they were often not heard due to the lack of amplification. The drums, banjos and other instruments in the band drowned out the sound of the bass. Until the 1950 when the first electric bass came into existence with modern amplification techniques.

The bass guitar is played like all guitars with the player holding it close to his body in a horizontal position. The strings are plucked with hand or with the plectrum. In the 1970’s, the slapping technique became popular.

Today, the bass guitar ranges from 4 strings up to 11 strings. The 5, 6 and 7 strings providing the mid range while the 11 string starts from a lower than human hearing going up to a very high active. Electric bass guitar players use various configurations. These changes are made by using preamplifiers and speaker sets. Signal processors are also varied to provide new soundscapes.

In night clubs, combo amplifiers are used. These amplifiers are fixed with single loud speakers to make them portable and effective.

The body of the instrument can be of wood or graphite. A wide range of finishing is applied to make it look good. IT can be colored or simply clear white. The work done on the body is fine engineering and delicate balances have to be maintained.

A hot debate rages on what to call this instrument. For non musicians, the term bass guitar is common, while hard core players like to call it electric bass or simple electric bass. Slowly but surely however, this instrument has gathered a large following which likes to use its own jargon.

The electric bass is a part of modern country music, post 1970 jazz and funk. Used mainly to provide backing, it adds a depth to the music. This instrument has added a whole new color to our musical pleasure. In sole music particularly, the bass guitar is effective.

Are sound effects used? Well, yes and no. As the bass guitar sets the tone for the rest of the band, sound effects are not often used, unlike electric guitars. Modern bands however have started experimenting with distortion units to add a new flavor to the bass and low key that they provide behind the music.

As we go into a new century, electric bass’s become more and more popular. All bands use it today to add a subtle background. Many groups like U2 even use it to give a haunted feeling increasing emotional attachment with the music. Newer techniques have made this instrument a crucial part of any musical group today.