volibarigm

2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures can tell us a lot about the main features of hair fashion for that year. Just a look at a website like hairstyleswatch.com shows that there are some great examples that you can learn from. If you want to know what is hot and what’s not in hair this year then give it a whirl. Just a taster of 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures will teach you something about what’s going on.

Long Styles seen in 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures

Just take a look at Diora Bird’s hair and you’ll see one of the things that 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures shows is the importance of a good cut. If you have long hair and you want it to be one length, with the exception of the sides that are framing the face and neck, then you can’t beat a good cut. Some straightening has been used in this style, either with a flat iron or custom made straighteners, along the front however, is blown dry towards the centre giving the cut plenty of movement.

Celebrity Variety

Just a look over the 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures of Reece Witherspoon demonstrate just how many different styles can be developed from one basic cut and style. The styles work particularly well on medium to long hair. Over the course of the year you’ll see that Reece is slowly moving away from the golden blonde look to a style with several different shades ranging from mid blonde to light brown. While the press might find the use of the same basic style ‘stuck’ it is quite clear that Reese finds a number of ways to wear it. Loose curls framing her face is achieved with large heated rollers – or simply pin it back with some trailing curls, or pinned up at the top and rolled and flicked at the bottom. 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures can teach you a lot about what can be done with one basic style and the different looks that can be achieved.

Layered Looks

If you like the layered look then there is plenty to choose among the 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures, in fact you can learn just how versatile a layered haircut can be. Maria Menounos, Kelly Carlson and even veteran actress Kathleen Turner all sport layered hairstyles in the 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures. Turner’s hair is permed and then layered at the bottom for ease of styling and a carefree look. Kelly Carlson’s hair is short, full of layers and swept back off the forehead, but be careful not everyone can wear this style. Maria Menounos’ look is achieved with the use of velcro rollers. The style is best achieved by taking out the rollers while the hair is still damp, then using a little styling gel pull into place by finger combing.

There are websites available these days that you can use to upload your photo and see what hairstyles will look best on you! This helps takes the guesswork out of using 2006 celebrity hairstyle pictures as a guide for your next hairstyle!

This free video shows you how to try on 5,000 different hairstyles just by clicking your mouse! 2006 Celebrity Hair Style Pictures

By far, one of the best gifts to give for Christmas is recorded music. It can be a tough thing to buy for someone else as music tastes are very subjective and you never know what the receiver already owns. For this reason I enjoy broadening the minds of the people on my Christmas list with new music I’m pretty darn sure they will enjoy.

The following list of music recommendations has been carefully compiled from my large and diverse personal collection. I know there is so much more fantastic music I left out, but this list is a darn good start.

For the hard rocker who thinks classical music is for wimps:

• Dvorak “Symphony #9”
• Holst “The Planets”
• Beethoven Symphonies 3 “Eroica,” 5, 7 and 9. Also the “Moonlight” and “Pathetique” Piano Sonatas
• Rimsky-Korsakov “Scheherazade”
• Prokoviev “Classical Symphony”
• Schubert “Unfinished Symphony, #8”

For the passionate listener who only has music by dead guys with wigs:

• Queen “A Night at the Opera”
• Led Zeppelin “Physical Grafitti”
• Beatles “Abby Road”
• Yes “Fragile”
• Radiohead “OK Computer”
• Alanis Morissette “Jagged Little Pill”

For the high-strung boss who can take a little mellowing:

• Bach “Brandenburg Concertos 1-6”
• Simon & Garfunkle “Greatest Hits”
• Antonio Carlos Jobim “The Man from Ipanema”
• Portishead “Portishead”
• Debussy “Le Mer”
• Any piano works by Chopin

For the tough guy who needs to get in touch with his feminine side:

• Heart “Dreamboat Annie”
• Madonna “Immaculate Collection”
• Sheryl Crow “Sheryl Crow”
• Sarah McLaughlin “Surfacing”
• Alanis Morissette “Under Rug Swept”
• Ani DiFranco “Revelling/Reckoning”
• kd lang “Ingenue”

For a lonely lady seeking male companionship:

• Billy Joel “The Stranger” and “52nd Street”
• Red Hot Chilli Peppers “Blood Sugar Sex Magic”
• The Beatles “Revolver” or “Abby Road”
• Sting “Ten Summoners Tales”
• Leonard Cohen “The Future”
• Elvis “Greatest Hits”
• Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong “Best of…”

For the Baby Boomer who missed the bus to Woodstock, or can’t even recollect if they were there??:

• Jefferson Airplane “Surrealistic Pillow”
• Jimmie Hendryx “The Ultimate Experience”
• Janice Joplin “Greatest Hits”
• Creedence Clearwater Revival “Greatet Hits”
• (Other Great 1960’s albums include anything by the Beatles)

For the poor sod who works graveyard shift:

• Propellerheads Decks and Drums and Rock-n-Roll
• Soundtrack from “The Matrix”
• Rush “Moving Pictures”
• Bjork “Post”
• Led Zeppelin “III” and “Zoso”
• Infected Mushroom “Classical Mushroom”

Safe bets for a “Secret Santa Gift Exchange”:

• Mozart Symphony 41 “Jupiter”
• Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
• Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
• Supertramp “Breakfast in America”
• Vivaldi “Four Seasons”
• Michael Jackson “Thriller”

For the violinist in the family (we all have one):

• Mark O’Connor “The New Nashville Cats”
• Itzhak Perlman “Sarsate: Carmen Fantasy”
• Eileen Ivers “Wild Blue”
• Leahy “Leahy” Ma, O’Connor & Meyer “Appalacia Waltz”
• Anything featuring Jascha Heifetz, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman and/or Stephan Grappelli

For the music buff who has everything:

• Corky Siegel “Chamber Blues”
• John Scofield “Uberjam” or “Handjive”
• The Baronics “Get Bach”
• Soundtrack from the Motion Picture “Amelie”
• Afro Celt Sound System “Volume 1: Sound Magic”
• Poe “Haunted”
• Soundtrack from That 70’s Show “Jammin’ Album”
• Horace X “Strategy” or “Sackbutt”

And when all else fails…

Gift Certificates!

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is an award-winning classical violinist/fiddler and music teacher who operates Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop. Fiddleheads has won several distinguished business awards and offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies with exceptional personal service: http://www.fiddleheads.ca

The guitar makes a great accompaniment instrument for instrumental duets with a melody instrument. If you are interested in playing with other musicians like this the collections below will give you a great repertoire for playing with flute, violin, or harmonica. Build your accompaniment skills and repertoire and you will always be in demand by instrumental players.

The guitar and the flute have been musical companions for a long time and in many parts of the world. They make excellent sounding duets that can be played in numerous styles.

* Celtic Music for Flute and Guitar, Allan Alexander and Jessica Walsh, ADG Productions

This is a collection of twenty folk pieces originating mainly from Scotland and Ireland. The songs span 400 years of folk music as well as five original pieces written by Allan and Jessica. The learning process is eased by an accompanying CD showing how the pieces should be played.

* World Music for Flute and Guitar, Allan Alexander and Jessica Walsh, ADG Productions

This musical journey takes you to the four corners of the globe. There is standard notation and tab for guitar and a separate pull-out performance part for the flute melodies. You can listen to examples of the pieces on the CD that accompanies the book.

* Flute and Guitar Duets for Any Occasion, Mark Hanson, Accent On Music

This is a varied collection of duets in classical, folk, Celtic and jazz styles. The music ranges from easy to challenging playing levels in standard and tab notation. The accompanying CD provides stereo recording with flute and guitar on separate channels so you can practice even when your partner isn’t around.

The fiddle is another instrument that works well with the guitar. It has been widely used in many styles of folk music. The song books below give you several styles to try.

* The Latin American Fiddler, Edward Huws Jones, Boosey & Hawkes

The exotic blend of Latin-American music with its Spanish, African and indigenous influences is great fun to play. This intermediate level collection of violin songs includes chords that can be played by guitar or piano.

* Jazz, Blues and Ragtime (Violin Edition), Edward Huws Jones, Boosey & Hawkes

This collection of favourite jazz and blues songs is suitable for all playing levels. It includes easy violin parts and guitar chords, as well as more sophisticated string arrangements for more advanced players. Songs include ever popular hits such as The Entertainer, Take Five, Makin’ Whoopee, House Of The Rising Sun.

* The Christmas Fiddler, Edward Huws Jones, Boosey & Hawkes

It’s always a good idea to have a few Christmas songs to play. This collection includes seven hundred years of songs from the medieval Song of the Ass, through traditional carols such as Away In A Manger and O Little Town Of Bethlehem through to the modern Sleigh Ride.

The harmonica is an ever popular instrument that has often been associated with the guitar in folk, rock and blues. Give your rock guitar skills a workout with these titles.

* Pop Rock Favourites For Harmonica, Bobby Joe Holman, Hal Leonard

Seventeen pop rock hits arranged for harmonica with guitar chords and tab. Pretty Woman, Blueberry Hill, Yakety Yak and Runaway are among the titles in this collection.

* Beatles Greatest Hits Harmonica Songbook, Hal Leonard

27 Beatles songs arranged with melody line, harmonica notation, guitar chords and lyrics. Performance notes are given for each song. Favourite hits include Eleanor Rigby, Get Back, Help, Let It Be, Michelle.

* Blues Harmonica Collection, Hal Leonard

Practice the classic sound of blues guitar and harmonica with forty classic blues tunes from the likes of Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin’ Wolf.

Instrumentalists with melody instruments will be delighted to have an accompaniment to play to. If you want to make yourself a useful and popular guitarist who’s always in demand spend some time to learn an accompaniment repertoire. You’ll have far more people wanting to play with you than the guy playing flashy guitar leads.

Ismail Mohd is the creator of http://www.virtualrockband.com where musicians can meet bassists, drummers, guitarists and vocalists living near them. They can also upload or download instrumental tracks to jam along to.

Classic rock - the definition defies most, and yet, everyone knows a classic rock song when they hear one. What makes it classic exactly? Well, for starters, it should be an older song. Nineties rock tunes do not qualify. Generally, 70’s, maybe a few 80’s and 60’s can qualify for the esteemed title of “classic rock.”

Generally, classic rock history begins with artists that still occupy radio time today, most of whom still generate huge crowds and pack large venues. The Who, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane - all of these artists are included in the classic rock genre. But does every song ever recorded by them qualify? No. Just the ones we remember, in our heads and in our hearts.

Classic Rock History - Come on Baby Light My Fire

The Doors with Jim Morrison leading the pack came onto the scene in the late 60’s, featuring dark themes (Riders on the Storm for one) along with cryptic song lyrics. Cementing them into the roots of rock and roll history was Jim Morrison’s untimely death.

Revolver, the Beatles’ thirteenth album released in America. A turning point for The Beatles because it represented styles from their original, earlier works as well as experimental stylings for their latter works. Revolver is often hailed as one of the best albums in classic rock history.

The Rolling Stones, with Mick Jagger still in the mix today, has given the world a bevy of classic rock songs. The album, Sticky Fingers, in particular, was released at a time when the band was experimenting and still struggling to sculpt its identity.

Who Are You?

It’s hard to turn on the television set these days without hearing one or two classic rock songs. Whether they are starting a television series or used for a commercial, advertisers know that nostalgia sells, especially for the middle-aged demographic. The Who has released a number of (now) classic rock songs and one of them starts the program CSI, making it even more popular than ever.

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd, those crazy Englishmen, have sold millions of albums world-wide. But what puts them at the top of the heap of classic rock history? Longevity. That’s what all of these bands and their songs that have stuck with us to modern day have in common. These songs are timeless. The album Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd may not have been their most popular album, but it does delve into some sticky mental issues that founding member Syd Barrett was having at the time.

Led Zeppelin - Enough Said

Led Zeppelin produced perhaps, the most agreed upon classic rock song ever: Stairway to Heaven. This song is comprised of several different and distinct “sections” that give a living, breathing feel to the music. This song is probably the single most requested song on American airwaves today. Composed by Jimmy Page with vocals executed by Robert Plant, this song is the anchor of all classic rock songs.

Classic rock is a genre well known and loved by people in their teens all the way into their later years. In it, we find comfort and excitement, a nostalgia that is timeless and one we firmly believe will never be duplicated.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about classic rock history, please visit Oldies Music Site for current articles and discussions.

The Beatles released 12 albums during their active career including Magical Mystery Tour (which was actually first released as an EP) but not including Yellow Submarine (which only had 4 new songs) or any of the mangled US versions of their albums.

This is my ranking of those 12 albums from best to worst.

1. The Beatles (The White Album)

The White Album was released in 1968 following the release of Sgt. Pepper & Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. The White Album was a big departure from the sound of those albums.

While the songs on Sgt. Pepper & Magical Mystery Tour are bursting at the seems with layers of musical ideas, many of the songs on The White Album are stripped down in comparison. While the Sgt Pepper album seemed to loosely tie the songs together into a theme, the only theme on The White Album appears to be that there is no theme.

Many detractors of The White Album say it has too many weak songs (by Beatles standards anyway) to be considered The Beatles greatest work. While I agree there’s certainly no song as weak as “Don’t Pass Me By” on Sgt. Pepper, I still disagree with that conclusion.

To my ears the drastic variation in style (and quality) of The White Album’s songs are what keeps it so interesting. It’s an album I’ve listened to countless times over the years yet I still hear something new and enchanting in it with each new listen.

And yes, I love that “Revolution #9″ was included on the album. While I often stop the album at “Cry Baby Cry,” I like having the option of taking that trip if I want to. I’ve listened to “Revolution #9″ many times and it’s always a different trip. Certainly it’s not a track for everyone but that makes it all the more special to those of us who appreciate it.

Highlights: Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I’m So Tired, Blackbird, I Will, Helter Skelter, Cry Baby Cry.

2. Sgt. Pepper

It’s become hip to say that Sgt. Pepper is overrated. Of course what’s hip is often BS and this is certainly such a case. Sgt. Pepper is a great album that deserves all of the accolades it has received over the years.

And while The White Album has long been my favorite Beatles album, Pepper is actually getting closer to overtaking that spot as the years pass by.

I feel it’s close to being a perfect album. There’s not a single weak track on it. The album is like a carnival and every song is a different ride at that carnival. Even over 40 years later it’s incredible that one band (a quite young band too, if you think about it) was able to write such incredibly different songs all in one short period and record them for one album.

Plus, I feel it’s impossible for any album that ends with “A Day In The Life” to be overrated. To this day it is the greatest album closer of all time.

Highlights: With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite, Within You Without You, A Day In The Life.

3. Revolver

Conversely, it’s become quite hip to say that Revolver is in fact The Beatles best album. That somehow everyone missed it at the time and it was the real ground breaker a whole year before Sgt. Pepper came out. Hearing “Tomorrow Never Knows” it’s understandable how someone could take such a view.

But while the songs on Revolver are nearly as forward looking as Sgt. Pepper’s (although I’d say not quite with the obvious exception of “Tomorrow Never Knows”), there is no theme that holds the songs together. The album plays like a collection of amazing songs, while in comparison Sgt. Pepper has a feeling of cohesiveness. The loose theme of Sgt. Pepper is what made people take notice of the idea of an album as “art form” at the time. While looking back that may not make as much sense today, I do still think there’s some merit to that idea when comparing the two albums.

My main reason for liking Sgt. Pepper more than Revolver is simple, “Yellow Submarine.” I’ve grown quite tired of that song over the years and I think it really sticks out like a sore thumb in the sequencing of the album. It would have worked much better as a single.

Highlights: Eleanor Rigby, I’m Only Sleeping, Here There & Everywhere, She Said She Said, Good Day Sunshine, And Your Bird Can Sing, For No One, Tomorrow Never Knows

4. Abbey Road

Abbey Road is the #1 ranked album of all time over at RateYourMusic.com and while it’s certainly an excellent album I do obviously disagree with that ranking. For me it’s just a bit too slick sounding and not quite as bursting at the seems with ideas as the three albums I’ve ranked above it.

That being said, the side 2 suite is incredible and I think I rank Abbey Road’s side 2 as my most enjoyable listen of any album side The Beatles recorded. Does that mean I hate side 1? No. It’s got some of my favorite Beatles songs including “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “Oh! Darling” along with the classic hits “Come Together” & “Something.” But I could do without “Octopus’s Garden” which like “Yellow Submarine” I’ve grown quite tired of over the years and I now feel it mucks up the flow of the album.

Highlights: Come Together, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), All Of Side 2.

5. Magical Mystery Tour

While Magical Mystery Tour was not technically an album release at the time (it was officially an EP), I’m considering it as one for the purposes of this list and since it included quite a few new songs (along with older singles like “Penny Lane” & “Strawberry Fields Forever”) I think it makes sense to think of it as an album at this point.

It includes many of The Beatles greatest psychedelic songs. “I Am The Walrus” & “Strawberry Fields Forever” in particular. If one really wants to get an idea of what The Beatles sounded like at their most purposely “psychedelic” then they should get this album.

I also quite enjoy the wonderfully bizarre film by the same name.

Highlights: I Am The Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane

6. Rubber Soul

1965’s Rubber Soul was the album where The Beatles really started expanding their sound and it includes some of the greatest songs they ever recorded. The album showcased The Beatles expanding musically such as with “Norwegian Wood” which was the first song most people ever heard a sitar in, and lyrically such as in “Nowhere Man” which was the first Beatles song to not have any lyrics pertaining to romantic love.

But the album did have a few clunkers too. “What Goes On,” “Wait,” and the awful album closer “Run For Your Life” are all quite weak tracks by Beatles standards.

Highlights: Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, Michelle, Girl, I’m Looking Through You, In My Life, If I Needed Someone.

7. Let It Be

Let It Be was the final Beatles album released but not the last one they recorded. It was actually mostly recorded prior to Abbey Road in January of ‘69 but released after it in 1970.

The album is inconsistent and sloppy sounding and probably mostly because of that (more so than because of the songs) has received more poor reviews than any other Beatles album.

But there are many great songs on the album and I do feel it is somewhat underrated. The album opener “Two Of Us” is one of my favorites. It also includes the classic piano ballads “The Long And Winding Road” and “Let It Be” along with the great rockers “Get Back” and “I”ve Got A Feeling.”

“Across The Universe” feels very out of place in the sequencing of the album and it should as it was recorded in 1967. But it’s still a great song. Which really goes to the heart of Let It Be’s problem. It’s got a lot of great songs (and a few clunkers, admittedly) but they just don’t seem to quite go together in sound or in style.

Highlights: Two Of Us, Across The Universe, Let It Be, I’ve Got A Feeling, The Long And Winding Road, For You Blue, Get Back

8. A Hard Day’s Night

A Hard Day’s Night was released in 1964 and it was The Beatles 3rd album. It was their first album to feature all original songs and actually is the only Beatles album to feature only Lennon/McCartney originals (as it was before Harrison was a frequent songwriting contributer.)

While I don’t like the individual songs as much as those on Let It Be, it does flow much better as an album and for that reason is sometimes more enjoyable to listen to.

The album is the peak of their early pure pop days before they began to experiment with more complex songs and recording techniques.

Highlights: A Hard Day’s Night, If I Fell, And I Love Her, Can’t Buy Me Love, I’ll Cry Instead, Things We Said Today

9. Help!

I find the best songs on Help! to be better than the best songs on A Hard Day’s Night but yet as a whole the album doesn’t hold together quite as well.

Unlike A Hard Day’s Night, the album includes a couple of covers (”Act Naturally” & “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”) neither of which do I care for at all. The album would be better if they were removed as they are quite out of place and mess up the flow of the album.

But the album does include some of their best pop songs including the classic “Yesterday.” While “Ticket To Ride,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” & “Help!” show that John Lennon was at an early songwriting peak.

Highlights: Help!, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, I Need You, Ticket To Ride, I’ve Just Seen A Face, Yesterday

10. Beatles For Sale

Sandwiched between the superior A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, Beatles For Sale is often overlooked. And when you see that 6 of the 14 songs were covers it’s easy to see why.

But there were some Lennon/McCartney gems on the album as well including “No Reply,” “I’m A Loser,” “I’ll follow the Sun” and “Every Little Thing.” The Beatles originals make the album worth getting. But I find myself quite disinterested in the covers on this one and since that makes up a large portion of the songs on the album, I don’t listen to it often.

Highlights: No Reply, I’m A Loser, I’ll Follow The sun, Every Little Thing, What You’re Doing

11. Please Please Me

The Beatles first album is mostly interesting to me as an historical artifact at this point as I don’t particularly enjoy listening to it. But the opening (”I Saw Her Standing There”) & closing (”Twist & Shout”) tracks are great.

Strangely enough, as I don’t like listening to most of their covers, I do enjoy some the covers on this one (”Anna,” “Baby It’s You,” and of course “Twist & Shout.”)

Highlights: I Saw Her Standing There, Please Please Me, There’s A Place, Twist And Shout.

12. With The Beatles

Their second album is much like their first without as much of the whole “historical significance” thing which means I listen to it very rarely indeed.

Highlights: All My Loving, You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me

I recommend obtaining at least the first 9 albums on this list and supplementing that collection with the Past Masters 1 & Past Masters 2 collections which include all of their singles that are not on these albums (and that includes many of their greatest songs.)

You should then get the Yellow Submarine Songtrack which isn’t really an album but does include some great songs you can’t get elsewhere (particularly “It’s All Too Much.”) and interesting alternate mixes of some of their biggest hits.

Then if you still need more Beatles (and if you’re like me, you will) get the Anthology series, particularly Anthology 2 & Anthology 3.

Johnny Moon is a contributer to the MusicByDay.com Music Blog. He recommends that you start downloading the Beatles music immediately if you do not already have all of their albums. Robotic Mushroom is also keen on the idea that people should be playing their own music. He suggests learning to play piano with Mr. Ron Worthy.

Radiohead’s OK Computer is a landmark album. It is considered by many to be the best album of the 1990s. This article takes a look at each song on the album.

1. “Airbag”

Perfectly sets the mood for the album. Warped strings, DJ Shadow inspired drums & glitchy weirdness.

2. “Paranoid Android”

The most “epic” song on the album, it’s really three different parts stitched together. Thom Yorke said he was inspired by The Beatles’ “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” in creating this stitched together arrangement. Certainly one of Radiohead’s most popular songs and definitely features some of Jonny Greenwood’s most incredible guitar playing.

3. “Subterranean Homesick Alien”

A beautifully dreamy song that features spaced out guitars & keyboards.

4. “Exit Music (For a Film)”

Possibly Radiohead’s most emotionally intense song. It begins simply with Thom Yorke’s naked voice and a strummed acoustic guitar low in the mix. But things don’t stay simple for too long as other worldly synths come in during the first chorus to take the song to the next level. And when we get back to the verse there’s some very strange atmospherics that have been added. But the really incredible part of the song is when the huge bass kicks in. Goosebumps every time. One of Radiohead’s greatest moments.

5. “Let Down”

A polyrhythemic song that has a lot going on but manages to stay very “poppy” in it’s effect (at least by Radiohead standards.) One of the more popular songs on the album.

Probably the most well known song on the album due to it’s radio play. My favorite moment from the song is the “This is what you get” part. That always gets me.

7. “Fitter Happier”

This experimental track is the only “song” from the album that Radiohead has never played live. Of course it’s not really a song in the classic sense of the word. I do think it’s a very interesting track and I think it works perfectly to split the album into two parts, as the next track “Electioneering” sounds like a new beginning.

“Electioneering” is the most straightforward “rock” song on the album and in some ways sounds like it would be more at home on their 1995 album The Bends.

This spooky song has always been one of my favorites on the album. The atmospherics are incredible, one of the great things about Radiohead is how they manage to place their songs into evocative soundscapes that make the songs more than just songs, they become experiences.

10. “No Surprises”

Features a beautiful repeating guitar riff that automatically lets you know what song you are listening to.

11. “Lucky”

This song and the next “The Tourist” are probably the two most “Pink Floyd” sounding songs on the album. Big slow motion rockers. They’re the perfect slow burn way to end an incredible album.

12. “The Tourist”

This song with it’s “slow down” lyric actually fits perfectly going back into the first track “Airbag.”

OK Computer Music Videos

OK Computer Live Performances

This has been the biggest challenge for so many musicians. It really is so frustrating to me as a musician to finish a song that I feel could be listen to millions on the radio but guess what?…. How in the world can you do that? How is it that you can get your music out to the millions with out the big record label budgets. I really think that these few steps is the key to getting stated in your networking business.

1. Never ever quit. If you have a product that is quality, all that is missing is a good amount of patients. Don’t be so quit to through in the towel.

2. Find free ways to put your music on the internet… a few examples networkmymusic.com, myspace.com, facebook.com. There are so many free avenues out there.

3. Build yourself a really good blog that you can be proud of, remember… you never know who will be looking at your site so make it look as professional as possible.

4. Keep at it… You really would be amazed at how many artist that made it big where just about to quit. They have played one too many bars, one too many cousin weddings but, just when they where done something happened. Remember if this truly is what you want and if you are passionate enough, it will come!

I will continue to update these articles because I still have frustrations about the music business too… maybe we can work through them together. Good luck

Aaron

No matter what your instrument of choice might be, when writing songs one thing remains consistent, the need for resolution. Resolution is the technical term for musical progressions that sound complete. Consonance which means a pleasant and stable sound, walks hand in hand with resolution. For example, in the key of C, where C is the root note, D is the 2nd, E the 3rd, F the 4th, G the 5th, A the 6th, B the 7th, and C is 8th note or the octave, a riff or chord progression will be resolved if it ends on C(root or octave) or G(the fifth). A C major chord is built with C as the root, E as the third degree and G as the fifth degree. In the key of C, the notes C and G are perfect fifths(five whole scale degrees apart) are consonant and leave the ear satisfied. Try playing a progression in the key of C that ends for example on A(the sixth note), does your ear want more? One rare example of a song that ends unresolved is Neil Young’s “Needle and the Damage Done.” This song is written in the key of D minor and ends on B flat which is the 6th degree of the key, at the end of song the ear is left unsatisfied. Perhaps this was the intent of Neil Young as the song is about how drug addiction brings no satisfaction or resolution.

If a riff ends on a 2nd, 3rd , 4th, 6th, or 7th note of a scale it is unresolved and the basis for dissonance. Dissonance in music means that the ear is left ear unsatisfied and it is often used to build tension in a song. Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” in the key of E minor is one such example. The beginning riff resolves by starting on a low E on the guitar and ending on the E note that is one octave higher.
Intro : 6x

|———————————————————-|
|———————————————————-|
|———————————————————-|
|———–5———————–5———————-|
|——-7————-7———7————–7———–|
|—0———-6—5——–0———–6—5————–|

The intro continues with the following riff:
|———————————————————-|
|———————————————————-|
|———————————————————-|
|———————————————————-|
|-2–2—5/7——-2–2–3—–2–2—5/7——–2–2–3—|
|-0–0——-6–5–0–0–1—–0–0——–6–5–0–0–1—|

This riff builds tension by ending on the F5 chord which is the flat 2 of E minor. The next riff leads into the verse of the song:
Main Riff : play twice

|———————–|———————————-|
|———————–|———————————-|
|———————–|———————————-|
|———————–|———————————-|
|-2—-2—–7———-|—–5——4——-4—5—4—–|
|-0—-0———6—-5-|—–3—0–2—0—2—3—2—–|

The first part of the riff ends on the 4th degree(the A note) and is repeated 3 times to build tension before releasing into G and resolving again at the root(E). Before the verse begins the listener is left with F#5(the second degree) wondering if they will ever have escape from frustration. The verse is a variation of the previous two riffs with pre chorus changing into F# minor:

|———————|—————————|
|———————|—————————|
|———-2———-|—————————|
|——4————–|—————————|
|————-3—2—|–4–4–4–4–2–3–4——|
|–2——————|–2–2–2–2–0–1–2——|

The chorus remains in F# minor, resolves to E minor, and then back to F# minor

|—————|——————————————-|
|—————|——————————————-|
|—————|——————————————-|
|——–5—-4-|—2—————————————|
|—4—-3—-2-|—2—————————————|
|—2———–|—0—————————————|

|——————————-|
|——————————-|
|——————————-|
|——————————-|
|—5——4——-4—5—4—-|
|—3—0–2—0—2—3—2—-|

|———————–|———————————-|
|———————–|———————————-|
|———————–|———————————-|
|———————–|———————————-|
|-2—-2—–7———-|—–5——4——-4—5—4—–|
|-0—-0———6—-5-|—–3—0–2—0—2—3—2—–|

The song modulates between the two key signatures heavy metal is most famous for E minor and F# minor.

Modulation is switching between two key signatures with a pivot chord(chord belonging to two different but similar key signatures) to create a change between a verse and a chorus, or a chorus and a bridge, to make a song more interesting. Where as a C major chord contains the G note, the F note is not part of the chord but is a perfect fourth which is consonant but to a lesser degree. Jazz, blues and popular music often use perfect fourths in modulation. Another example of modulation would be the Beatles, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, where the verse is in the key of C and the chorus changes to the key of F and resolves back to C to start the next verse.

The key to resolution is ending a progression on the root, fifth, or octave(consonant sound) of any given key signature. The element of dissonance, ending a riff on a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, or 7th note adds color, emotion, and tension to any musical composition. Ending on a dissonant chord can also be used for modulation between key signatures. As a general rule, a song should end resolved, however an exception can be created to accommodate a questioning audience.

Lori Mortimore

originally posted on http://www.musicxspot.com/

Lori Mortimore

More2moremusic

Between 1966’s Revolver and 1969’s Abbey Road (the last album The Beatles recorded) there was Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, Yellow Submarine, & Let It Be (although it wasn’t released until 1970, it had already been recorded.) It’s truly incredible how much great music The Beatles recorded in such a short period of time.

This article compares Revolver and Abbey Road. Both are truly great albums. For me, neither is quite as great as The White Album & Sgt. Pepper but that doesn’t make me appreciate either of these albums less, as they are truly remarkable even 40 years later.

I think Revolver is a more consistant album mostly because “Yellow Submarine” is a better track than “Octopus’s Garden.” The songwriting on Revolver is at an incredibly high level. Songs like “Eleanor Rigby,” “Here, There And Everywhere,” “I’m Only Sleeping,” & “For No One” show The Beatles to be at the peak of their game.

On the other hand, Abbey Road is a more cohesive album. It does, after all, have the medley on side two where the songs all blend together. It’s also The Beatles most “modern” sounding album (mostly because it was their only album recorded on the new 8 track studio at Abbey Road.)

And it’s not like Abbey Road doesn’t have great songs too. How about “Something,” “Come Together,” “Here Comes The Sun,” & “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” just for starters.

So, in the end, what would be my choice if I had to choose just one or the other? I think I would have to go for Revolver because of it’s slightly higher level of songwriting and that it’s just a more adventerous album (see: “Tomorrow Never Knows.”) This decision is in no way a put down of Abbey Road, it’s just that Revolver is that good!

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Rocket Piano Lessons Review.

Radiohead’s OK Computer is a landmark album. It is considered by many to be the best album of the 1990s. This article takes a look at each song on the album.

1. “Airbag”

Perfectly sets the mood for the album. Warped strings, DJ Shadow inspired drums & glitchy weirdness.

2. “Paranoid Android”

The most “epic” song on the album, it’s really three different parts stitched together. Thom Yorke said he was inspired by The Beatles’ “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” in creating this stitched together arrangement. Certainly one of Radiohead’s most popular songs and definitely features some of Jonny Greenwood’s most incredible guitar playing.

3. “Subterranean Homesick Alien”

A beautifully dreamy song that features spaced out guitars & keyboards.

4. “Exit Music (For a Film)”

Possibly Radiohead’s most emotionally intense song. It begins simply with Thom Yorke’s naked voice and a strummed acoustic guitar low in the mix. But things don’t stay simple for too long as other worldly synths come in during the first chorus to take the song to the next level. And when we get back to the verse there’s some very strange atmospherics that have been added. But the really incredible part of the song is when the huge bass kicks in. Goosebumps every time. One of Radiohead’s greatest moments.

5. “Let Down”

A polyrhythemic song that has a lot going on but manages to stay very “poppy” in it’s effect (at least by Radiohead standards.) One of the more popular songs on the album.

Probably the most well known song on the album due to it’s radio play. My favorite moment from the song is the “This is what you get” part. That always gets me.

7. “Fitter Happier”

This experimental track is the only “song” from the album that Radiohead has never played live. Of course it’s not really a song in the classic sense of the word. I do think it’s a very interesting track and I think it works perfectly to split the album into two parts, as the next track “Electioneering” sounds like a new beginning.

“Electioneering” is the most straightforward “rock” song on the album and in some ways sounds like it would be more at home on their 1995 album The Bends.

This spooky song has always been one of my favorites on the album. The atmospherics are incredible, one of the great things about Radiohead is how they manage to place their songs into evocative soundscapes that make the songs more than just songs, they become experiences.

10. “No Surprises”

Features a beautiful repeating guitar riff that automatically lets you know what song you are listening to.

11. “Lucky”

This song and the next “The Tourist” are probably the two most “Pink Floyd” sounding songs on the album. Big slow motion rockers. They’re the perfect slow burn way to end an incredible album.

12. “The Tourist”

This song with it’s “slow down” lyric actually fits perfectly going back into the first track “Airbag.”

OK Computer Music Videos

OK Computer Live Performances