My Music Mix http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com My eclectic mix of music styles, instruments and artists Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:34:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 en Is The Accordian Now Cool? http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/is-the-accordian-now-cool/ http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/is-the-accordian-now-cool/#comments Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:34:23 +0000 Tom http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/is-the-accordian-now-cool/ It is strange to see an instrument as traditionally ridiculed as the accordion enjoying a resurgence among young people. These days, you can buy accordions and accordion sheet music in almost any music store. Meanwhile, bands like They Might Be Giants, and Tom Waits have had tremendous influence in popularizing the accordion among young, hip kids, and what was once the subject of jokes is now virtually challenging the guitar for musical predominance.

I started learning how to play the accordion myself when I was just ten years old. Those days, I had to hide my accordion sheet music from friends, because if they saw me carrying it along with my school books, they would laugh at me. Everyone thought that learning how to play the accordion was an occupation for ridiculous old men from France, and that the squeezebox was for squares. So while they were all playing guitars in bad hard rock bands that sounded virtually identical, I was playing my squeeze box studying polkas, waltzes, Cajun zydeco, and old European folk melodies.

When I got to college, though, things started to change. My skinny, geeky demeanor suddenly was hip and cool to my compatriots. No one wanted to hear the standard lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums, bass rock power lineup any more. People were looking for something different, something new, or perhaps a new incarnation of something really rather old. I was in the perfect position to put my accordion playing to work. I would do open mikes at first, then as I became more confident, I would start to play accordion shows. I had a band backing me up consisting of mandolin, violin, doumbek, and electric bass, and we’d play the most strange melange of haunting old world music and modern funk this side of San Francisco. It was one of the best times of my life.

Of course, the band didn’t ever completely work out, but it has remained a hobby of mine since then, and we recently took a small tour after completing our most recent album. As I have refined my accordion and song writing skills, and my band mates have grown in their abilities as well, our music has done nothing but improved. I also recently played the accordion at the wedding of my best friend, Arthur, taking a moment to get up on stage with the other musicians and perform his favorite song. Life is perfect when there is time to do what you most love!

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]]> http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/is-the-accordian-now-cool/feed/ Have You Thought About Learning To Play A Key Board? http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/have-you-thought-about-learning-to-play-a-key-board/ http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/have-you-thought-about-learning-to-play-a-key-board/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:41:16 +0000 Tom http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/have-you-thought-about-learning-to-play-a-key-board/ Though I never really thought my brother’s old key board would be important one day, I am very glad that I saved it. It is not very big, and I don’t think it cost very much when he bought it, but is has actually come in very handy when I thought it was just a cheap toy that no one would ever use. My daughter has a love of music, and she knows many people who are in rock bands. This leads her to believe that she wants to be in a rock band one day too. She wanted to play a guitar, but at age three she just couldn’t handle it.

Finally, I dug into my closet and found the key board. This was something that she could play with without needing assistance, and it made just the right amount of noise to keep her happy. What I didn’t remember was that my brother had written the name of the note on each key for some reason, and apparently my husband explained to her that they were the names of the notes. After a few days, she came out with her key board and explained to me that these were the notes and she played them for me. Not bad for a three year old.

It has been two years and she is still playing the key board in her room. She loves the different sounds she can get it to make, and many of the preset songs are there for her to play along with whenever she wants. She has gotten a lot of fun out of it, and she has even started to write her own songs. Granted, they aren’t really songs, but as long as she thinks they are, and she has fun playing and singing them, then who am I to complain?

I would recommend a small key board for any child to play with, just make sure it has a volume adjustment on it. Some children love everything to be loud, and it might make a parent nuts after a while. They are easy to play with, and it is great for learning and imagination, which are both essential for all children. A decent key board does not have to cost a lot of money either. Not only will it be a great gift, it will be one that can be easily and cheaply replaced if something were to happen to it.

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]]> http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/have-you-thought-about-learning-to-play-a-key-board/feed/ More About Children’s Musical Instruments http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/more-about-childrens-musical-instruments/ http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/more-about-childrens-musical-instruments/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:37:08 +0000 Tom http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/more-about-childrens-musical-instruments/ The right kind of childrens musical instruments to get depends very much on the age. You have probably seen children musical instruments before in an elementary school, or even a kindergarten, so you know what I am talking about. As a teacher who works with very young children, I can tell you that some things make better kids musical instruments than others. For example, for very mature little ones, violins can sometimes be used as children’s musical instruments, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Violins are difficult to play, easy to break, and can not be banged against anything. All of these are obstacles to good childrens musical instruments, especially if the instruments are to be used in a group setting.

Everyone knows that kids get rowdy when they are all together, and so the types of childrens musical instruments that you select should really reflect this fact. Drums are good. Not only drums, but anything percussive works well as childrens musical instruments. You should also take care that the childrens musical instruments that you buy are durable and not too expensive, but there are a wide variety of percussive childrens musical instruments designed with just these purposes in mind. Some of my favorite childrens musical instruments are hand drums, xylophones, guiros, noise makers, and all sorts of similar gear. Recorders and penny whistles also make good childrens musical instruments, as do cheap, simple digital keyboards. In the case of using keyboards as childrens musical instruments, a note of caution must be sounded. If one kid gets a musical instrument that is, by far, more complex and interesting than those that the others get to used, jealousy can flare up. Caution is always advised when buying more elaborate or expensive childrens musical instruments.

Of course, if your kids are very serious about learning to play, it is often a good idea to get them more sophisticated childrens musical instruments. One of the favorites of these is the guitar. Guitars are available in a variety of sizes, including those perfect for a childrens musical instrument, and so your kid can learn to play early, even if he or she does still have little fingers. In addition, and unlike the keyboard or violin, a kid’s guitar is likely to be very inexpensive, and fairly durable as well. There really is not a better choice out there for musical instruments for children.

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]]> http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/more-about-childrens-musical-instruments/feed/ Musical Instruments For Children http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/musical-instruments-for-children/ http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/musical-instruments-for-children/#comments Sat, 02 Jun 2007 19:34:19 +0000 Tom http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/musical-instruments-for-children/ One of the best ways to encourage your kids to be creative and develop their imaginations is to get the children musical instruments. Kids musical instruments are, in many cultures, an indispensable part of growing up. It is thought in some places that growing up without music is almost just like growing up without a soul. Buying your children musical instruments, and helping them to learn them is one of the most important things that you can do as a parent. But of course, buying childrens musical instruments is not enough in itself.

Many people, when they buy children musical instruments, make a mistake about how they go about it. Parents will either pressure their children too much, making the music a chore, or else they will let the children musical instruments be treated as just simply another toy. Both of these approaches are deeply flawed. A good parent will encourage his or her children to succeed in their musical endeavors, while at the same time allowing the music to be fun for the kids, and not too much of a chore. I like to think of getting children musical instruments as a new step in responsibility, kind of a little bit like getting them their first pet. It is something that they can have fun with, but also something that demands that they grow up a little bit. In the case of a pet, this means taking care of it every single day. In the case of children musical instruments, it means making sure to practice every single day.

Of course, getting your children musical instruments alone will not make them play those instruments. You must make sure that the kids are exposed to a wide range of different music, so that they can get ideas. It is so much easier for people of every age to learn when they are inspired by people who are a little ahead of where they are, and the situation is no different when you get your children musical instruments. The fact is that they will not learn how to play children musical instruments on their own, so they must hear other people do it. They also should get lessons, as this will greatly increase the speed with which kids learn their musical instruments. If you do all of these things, you can be sure that your kids will not disappoint you, but will succeed in their children musical instruments.

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]]> http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/musical-instruments-for-children/feed/ Where To Find Cheap Musical Instruments http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/where-to-find-cheap-musical-instruments/ http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/where-to-find-cheap-musical-instruments/#comments Sat, 02 Jun 2007 19:30:34 +0000 Tom http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/where-to-find-cheap-musical-instruments/ You can buy musical instruments at any number of places, but if you are looking for cheap musical instrument, your options are a little bit more limited. Many people, when looking for a cheap musical instrument, make the mistake of either relying on their local store and skipping other sources all together, or else doing the exact opposite, and only looking at the instruments that are offered in their local music shop. Both of these approaches are really quite serious mistakes, if you ask me. Although you are less likely to find new cheap musical instruments in your local shop, they will often sell used ones for way below market value. Although you can buy used cheap musical instruments online, it does not make sense to buy them if you can not try them out and make sure that they work alright. This is important, because many of the places that sell cheap musical instruments used do not offer money back guarantees. At a local music shop, by contrast, you can try out any cheap musical instruments that you pick up and make sure that they really are in good working order. And, as a bonus, should something break down after you buy musical instrument, you can always take it back in. They usually will be happy to help you, if not to refund your money completely.

Of course, there are a whole lot of other places to look for cheap musical instruments, so unless you really find something that you fall completely in love with right off the bat, you should by no means end your search at the local shop. This would simply be foolish to do, when there are thousands and thousands of sources for cheap musical instruments out there. If you are set on buying new, your best bet for cheap musical instruments will probably be the Internet, and that is no lie. You see, you can almost always find stuff for cheaper if you are willing to get it mail order, and cheap musical instruments are no exception. The problem is, again, that if something does go wrong with your instrument, it will often be a big hassle to get any help with it. What the mail order companies do for you in price is canceled out by what they do not do for you in service, if you know what I mean. But they are worth a try.

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]]> http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/where-to-find-cheap-musical-instruments/feed/ Would You Like To Learn An African Musical Instrument? http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/would-you-like-to-learn-an-african-musical-instrument/ http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/would-you-like-to-learn-an-african-musical-instrument/#comments Sat, 02 Jun 2007 19:20:56 +0000 Tom http://www.mymusicmix.no1-source.com/would-you-like-to-learn-an-african-musical-instrument/ One of the neatest ways to really express your love of world culture is to learn to play an African musical instrument. There are thousands upon thousands of African musical instruments, and each one has a unique and beautiful tone. My favorite African musical instrument is called the dono drum. The dono drum is one of the most expressive African drums. It is also known as the talking drum, and essentially consists of two heads at either end of an hourglass shaped body. The heads are connected by strips of hide. The whole African musical instrument is held under one arm, and the strings are tightened and loosened by squeezing it with the arm. This changes the tone, allowing this African musical instrument to “talk.” But of course, there are thousands of other African musical instruments to chose from, and each of them definitely has its strengths.

A really great African musical instrument is the Djembe. It is a bowl shaped drum, with a cone projecting out from the underside. I have loved playing this African musical instrument in drum circles since I was very small. It has this powerful, high, ringing tone that is perfect for playing with other people. Not only does it have that great high end, but it has a booming bass that is just amazing, and that is no joke. It is probably the most popular African musical instrument in America, and perhaps the best known one around the world, and there is a reason for that. It just has an incredibly powerful tone, that is almost guaranteed to cut through other sounds to create a really driving percussion.

Of course, not every African musical instrument is created equal. When you are buying one, you have to make sure that it is of the highest quality, or you are sure to run into a bit of disappointment down the road. For example, some drums have their heads attached in flimsy ways that make sure that they will fall apart sooner, rather than later. Other times, the head of the African musical instrument is itself of low quality, so that it will rip when it is played aggressively. If you do not like the tone, this can be another problem. There is no bigger disappointment than playing on an instrument with a lousy tone. It can really make any jam not as fun, and any player sound lousy, even if he really has a good bit of talent.

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