Kamis, 22 November 2012

Sejarah Musik Emo


Emotion yang berarti emosi adalah sebuah bentuk pengungkapan jiwa. Bermain musik dapat dikatakan sebuah pengungkapan jiwa dari karakter yang memainkannya. Seiring perkembangan jaman menghadirkan sebuah bentuk perpaduan dari aliran musik dan menciptakan sesuatu aliran atau trend bermain musik yang baru dan dikatakan oleh media sebagai Musik Emo. Diartikan dari akronim Emotional. Sebagian orang mengatakan Musik Emo sebagai perpaduan dari permainan musik Hardcore dan Punk. Penamaan Musik Emo sendiri diberikan oleh kalangan media. Musik Emo sedang trend saat ini, dan banyak sekali Band-band baru di berbagai pelosok dunia yang memainkan musik ber-genre ini.
Sebenarnya siapa asal mula pencetus genre Musik Emo dan bagaimana perkembangannya dari masa ke masa? berikut akan saya jelaskan sedikit mengenai sejarah Musik Emo.
1980an
Setelah bubarnya Minor Threat pada akhir 1983, scene hardcore-punk Washington.DC yang sedang bergaung dan meledak di 1981 nampaknya mengalami kejenuhan dan kehabisan ide segar dalam sound DC hardcore yang established. Piringan hitam paska bubar sang Minor Threat 7" "Salad Days" rilis pada 1984 dan akhirnya menancapkan nisan pada scene DC hardcore-punk.
Band - band di seantero negeri mulai mengkasting hal - hal baru untuk ditawarkan. DRI dan Bad Brains mulai memainkan cheeze-metal, band-band New York mulai melakukan moshing yang brutal, 7Seconds mulai terdengar jangly U2 alternative, dll. Perubahan paling mendasar pada D.C. adalah terhadap melodic rock dengan punk sensibilities dengan kata lainnya semacam new wave atau ini mungkin yang di britania raya disebut era Post-punk namun karena di amerika yang berada pada titik kulminasi adalah hardcore punk maka media menyebutnya era Post-Hardcore.
1984 menandai rilisnya Zen Arcade oleh band Minneapolis Hüsker Dü, mendokumentasikan sound yang lebih matang menggabungkan amarah, pembawaan vokal yang intense and gitar yang menderu layaknya motor dengan tempo rock yang dipelankan dan songwriting melodik yang lebih rumit.
Pada musim semi 1984, sebuah band bernama Rites Of Spring terbentuk dari anggota - anggota The Untouchables/Faith dan Deadline. Band ini membawakan kecepatan punk and disonansi suara.Namun membawa pendekatan vokal yang sama sekali belum pernah ada terhadap campuran ini. Sang vokalis Guy Picciotto membawa sebuah gaya-kehabisan-nafas punk setiap saat, sembari tenggelam secara intens dalam lirik yang personal ditingkahi dengan emosi dan keringat. Suaranya pecah pada momen klimaks menjadi rontaan serak, berkerikil layaknya jalan dan penuh penjiwaan.Untuk kemudian gaya ini diteruskan pada bandnya paska Rites Of Spring dengan gitar lebih mengawang melodis dan lebih indie-rock yaitu One Last Wish.Dengan penulisan lirik lebih fokus pada pertemanan dan cinta yang ditulis dengan indah penuh metafora.
Musim panas 1985 menjadi dikenal dengan "Revolution Summer" ketika gelombang baru band - band dengan rock-tempo, melody based, vocal bernyanyi terbentuk dari kumpulan musisi DC punk dengan sound rock beragam - Three, Gray Matter, Soulside, Ignition, Marginal Man, Fire Party, Rain, Shudder to Think, dll. Beberapa band tetap membawakan sound fast hardcore punk-based dengan pendekatan vokal yang baru, Dag Nasty menjadi perkecualian yang terlihat.
Vokalis Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye, bernyanyi pada band Embrace (bandingkan dengan nama DC bandnya sebelumnya - Minor Threat, Void, and State Of Alert) yang mana liriknya emosional dan secara mendalam mempertanyakan diri(filosofis berbau pencarian jati diri) ,namun masih jernih dan tak ambigu. Secara musikal, grup ini(dibentuk oleh sebagian besar anggota ex-Faith) menulis musik midtempo, somewhat jangly dengan banyak melodi dan hook gitar pop . Vokal MacKaye mendapat trademarknya yaitu deklamasi tegas dengan hanya sesekali percikan emosional yang muncul.
Beberapa sound dari band-band ini kemudian dikenal sebagai "suara D.C" klasik. Beberapa darinya secara turunan dilabeli "emo," sebagai kependekan untuk "emotional.".entah berasal darimana istilah ini, namun ada rumor bahwa istilah ini terdengar ketika Guy Picciotto pertama bermain salah seorang penonton berkata "oh God,your singing is so "emotional" . Lainnya dikatakan bahwa istilah ini muncul pertama saat interview Ian Mackaye dengan majalah Flipside . Tak lama kemudian DC bands mendapatkan label "emo-core."
Sesaat setelahnya (1986), beberapa band mulai untuk fokus pada elemen "emo" itu sendiri. The Hated di Annapolis (dekat D.C.) nampaknya menjadi post-Rites of Spring pertama yang melakukan ini. Setelah itu, Moss Icon muncul di kota yang sama. Moss Icon mengejawantahkan elemen "emo" sampai pada intinya ,dan memberikan beberapa melodi gitar yang mendetail, terarpeggiasi (oleh Tonie Joy, nantinya bergabung dalam Born Against, Lava, Universal Order of Armageddon, dll.) dengan fokus pada dinamisme keras/pelan. Vokalnya pula, sebuah gebrakan baru dengan membangun teriakan aktual di-puncak-nafas pada klimaks lagu.
Moss Icon, sebuah band yang relatif terkenal dan menjalankan beberapa tur, memperkenalkan kepada scene punk pada musik yang core emphasis pada emosi daripada energi punk. Mungkin Rites Of Spring memperkenalkannya namun Moss Icon menyempurnakannya. Nantinya emo bands akan terpengaruh secara berat dari dinamisme Moss Icon , gaya guitar ,dan pembawaan vokalnya.
1990an
Tak nyaman rasanya membicarakan emo 90an tanpa Jawbreaker dan Sunny Day Real Estate. Jawbreaker dengan rilisan 1992nya yaitu Unfun dan Sunny Day Real Estate dengan rilisan sub pop 1994 yaitu Diary ikut merasakan getah dari new emerging punk hero yaitu Nirvana dengan Nevermindnya.Ya "emo" perlu menyatakan terima kasihnya atau kekesalannya pada media 90an yang mendewa-dewakan grunge scene yang ikut mengimbas pada scene emo yang saat itu sebuah populasi besar yang terabaikan.Jawbreaker dianggap sebagai batu loncatan dari emo kontemporer, besar dari scene HC-PUNK San Fransisco,mereka menggabungkan nafas hardcore-punk dengan sensibilitas pop-punk yang terlihat pada irama dan gaya bernyanyi Blake Schwarzenbach yang cenderung street punk namun masih in tune dengan lirik yang bertemakan frustasi dan introspeksi diambil langsung dari buku hariannya sendiri menjadi magnet yang universal bagi fans dan penonton.Blake juga sebagai "emo" idol pertama karena fans lebih relate kepada sosoknya daripada lagu itu sendiri.
Album "24 hour revenge therapy" menjadi yang paling disukai dan favorit fans .Kemudian mereka mengikat kontrak dengan Geffen Record untuk merilis album major "Dear You". Mereka beberapa kali tur dengan Green Day dan Nirvana namun album mereka secara luas kurang diminati.Kemudian Blake membentuk band lain di bawah nama Jets to Brazil yang kemudian bubar pada tahun 2003.Mungkin keberadaan mereka kurang terlihat massa namun banyak band-band setelahnya mencatut nama Jawbreaker sebagai influencenya.
Sebaliknya Sunny Day Real Estate berkebalikan dengan image Jawbreaker yang tegas dan hantam kromo dengan kurangnya skill mereka.SDRE terdiri dari personil yang melek musik dan berkemampuan tinggi , alat mahal dan ambisi musikal besar. Dengan pembawaan musik yang lebih mendayu namun tetap keras terkadang hampir seirama dengan Nirvana. pada album Nevermind .Jeremy Enigk sang vokal bernyanyi dengan falsetto terkadang seperti menenggelamkan diri dalam lirik yang pretensius romantik.Inilah yang membuat emo semakin diasosiasikan dengan lirik cinta dengan balutan hardcore-punk slow tempo melodis daripada akar politis punk rocknya yang dulu masih terdengar pada Rites Of Spring,Gray Matter dan Embrace.
Kemudian pada pertengahan 90an band-band baru yang menggabungkan kerasnya HC-Punk dengan intelegensi Indie-rock bermunculan.Dengan beat dan bpm tak terduga dan gaya bernyanyi lembut transisif ke keras dengan tak terduga pula menghiasi dunia emo underground kala itu juga meleburkan kekuatan anthemik punk rock dan etos kerja DIY yang diwarisi dari HC-PUNK.Dengan suksesnya Dookie dari Green Day dan Smash dari The Offspring, kepopuleran underground menuju mainstream membuat para musisi era post-hardcore mengolah musik mereka,memutasinya dan membuatnya lebih rumit atau bahkan lebih simple.Beberapa band dari amerika serikat bagian tengah seperti Braid dari Champagne-Urbana,Illinois, Christie Front Drive dari Denver, Colorado, Mineral dari Austin, Texas, Jimmy Eat World dari Mesa, Arizona, The Get Up Kids dari Kansas City, Missouri, dari The Promise Ring dari Milwaukee, Wisconsin disebut - sebut sebagai yang berpengaruh pada gaya bermain band - band setelahnya.
Braid dan Cap N Jazz yang sama-sama dari midwest america dianggap sebagai pelopor peleburan kompleksitas math rock dengan lirik metafora yang sangat sulit diinterpretasikan.Dengan lagu "Harrisson Ford" yaitu bertemakan introspeksi diri tentang menjadi seorang laki-laki tegar dan ideal dibalut tempo yang mengagetkan dari pelan kemudian dibawa ke serangan tiba-tiba beat kencang yang kemudian dikembalikan lagi ke pelan.Cap N Jazz dengan lagu Little League menggambarkan
semangat olahraga dan semangat cinta SMA dengan balutan lirik yang terkadang susah diinterpretasikan karena penggunaan istilah yang aneh namun dinyanyikan secara mentah namun berfluktuasi seiring irama lagu dan anehnya semua lagu bernada ceria walaupun ada tema patah hati dan bullying,juga mereka yang pertama menggunakan terompet pada lagu-lagu mereka sungguh hal yang di luar kebiasaan.Hal ini diikuti oleh sekelompok pemuda di bawah nama At The Drive In namun dengan lirik lebih politis dan penuh amarah dalam balutan latin ,progresif rock dan serangan hardcore kental yang bisa didengar secara jelas lewat teriakan-teriakan Cedric Bixler Zavala layaknya Guy Picciotto dulu.
Kemudian disusul band yang mengedepankan vokal mentah dan cenderung teriak tanpa arah dengan mengikuti alur lagu seperti Portrait, clikatat ikatowi ,Unwound, Funeral Dinner, Mohiner,Swing Kids,Hot Snakes,Orchid dan Saetia, yang lebih mirip grindcore namun lebih halus namun diselingi melodic hardcore.Band inilah yang kemudian disebut sebagai Screamo yang mengandalkan vokal tanpa bernyanyi namun atmosfir lagu dibuat semelodius mungkin dan se hardcore mungkin.
Adapun dari New York yaitu Texas Is The Reason menjembatani indie rock dan emo secara gamblang dalam masa hidup mereka yang selama 3 tahun.Dengan lirik yang langsung dari buku harian tanpa metafora dan lebih straight to the point diliputi ironi dan sinisme terhadap cinta.Tahun 1995 album mereka Do You Know Who You Are? dirilis oleh Revelation records dan terjual ribuan kopi,sebuah jumlah yang lumayan untuk band emo saat itu dan menginspirasi band - band New Jersey dan Long Island macam Thursday, Glassjaw,Taking Back Sunday,Saves The day ,Senses Fail,Midtown dan bahkan My Chemical Romance sekalipun.
The Promise Ring kemudian mengambil jalur lebih halus,pop punk dan merakyat dengan lirik - lirik cinta diikuti The Get Up Kids dengan mengurangi kompleksitas math rock dan lebih mengandalkan beat catchy daripada berusaha menjadi cerdas.Yang kemudian diteruskan oleh solo act Dashboard
Confessional,mantan vokalis Further Seems Forever yang kemudian membentuk Dashboard Confessional di tahun 1999 dengan penampilan pertama bersenjatakan gitar akustik namun dengan jangkauan vokal luar biasa dan lirik cinta yang puitis aktual tanpa mengurangi estetika atau terkesan komersil.Band ini mencapai keterkenalan mainstream setelah lagu Screaming Infidelities mencapai nomor 5 pada tangga lagu billboard 2002 dan Vindicated menjadi soundtrack Spiderman 2.
2000an
Awal 2000an menjadi tahun yang subur bagi band seperti Story Of The Year,Yaking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, Dead Poetic,The Used, My Chemical Romance dan Dashboard Confessional mulai mendapat perhatian massa,karena media mulai memblow up mereka dan atas kejenuhan musik di penghujung tahun 1999 maka media pun mencari mangsa baru. Dengan pendekatan The Promise Ring dan The Get up Kids untuk emo yang lebih pop dan catchy Dashboard Confessional dan Story Of The Year memikat fans dengan lirik cinta mereka.My Chemical Romance dan The Used mengambil juga jalur cinta namun dengan balutan lebih gothic gelap lebih ke mengambil influence dari Texas Is The Reason untuk gaya bernyanyi dan Orchid atau Saetia untuk dinamika lagu.
Dengan gaya rambut poni lempar menutupi wajah dan baju gelap-gelap mungkin ini yang jadi inspirasi para fans membuat cult of personality dan cult of fashion dari emo sendiri . Media kemudian mendowngrade hal-hal tersebut dan mengasosiasikannya dengan term "emo" dan menjadi sumber hujatan banyak pihak bahkan di meksiko pada tahun 2008 sekelompok pemuda bergaya emo dipukuli sampai kritis bahkan mereka menyatakan perang terhadap kelompok yang mengasosiasikan diri dengan segala hal berbau "emo".8 Mei 2008 seorang gadis bernama Hannah Bond ditemukan mati gantung diri setelah beberapa hari pernyataannya tentang bunuh diri yang glamor karena inspirasi dari album My Chemical Romance yang bercerita tentang pria yang sekarat karena kanker dan kehilangan semangat hidup.
Namun terlepas dari itu banyak band yang kembali menggali kearifan emo lama seperti Cap n Jazz dan Embrace dan menambahkan unsur lainnya seperti post-rock dan bahkan noise rock.Seperti band City Of Caterpillar, Envy, Mutiny On The Bounty, Appleseed Cast dan Street Small Cyclist.Tanpa dandanan yang self-associated to emo atau segala macam pernak-pernik fashionnya.Inilah mungkin yang seharusnya disebut Post hardcore.
Jadi kesimpulannya post hardcore atau istilah paling merakyatnya "emo" adalah suatu subgenre dan tidak lebih dari itu karena dalam ethic dan radikalisasinya menganut DIY dari pendahulunya yaitu Hardcore Punk.Bukan sebuah subkultur yang mempunyai pakem gaya rambut,gaya berpakaian, filosofi dan sebuah komunitas, bukan pula sebuah cult of personality layaknya hitler atau stalin yang setiap gayanya atau gerak geriknya ditiru dan mungkin masa kini bisa dilambangkan oleh pemujaan para muda terhadap gaya berpakaian Gerard Way dkk atau The Used.
Bukan pula ajakan untuk bunuh diri namun lebih ke sebuah pencarian jati diri, introspeksi pada tiap liriknya dibalut metafora dan puisi yang sama sekali tidak cemen dengan kata demi kata penuh perhitungan.Karena pada dasarnya emo masih mempunyai unsur hardcore punk dan banyak band yang terdengar bernyanyi emosional atau dengan alur lagu yang angular lebih memilih disebut band punk atau membiarkan media melabeli mereka dengan sebutan lebih beradab yaitu Post Hardcore.


How to Choose a Piano


When making a piano purchase we are often asked whether it is better to buy a new or pre-owned piano. Our response is to point out that it is a very subjective question based on one's circumstances, personal tastes and budget. In fact we believe there is no definitive answer.  Everyone is different and each piano is different. The key is to find the right piano to suit you!
New Pianos
New pianos generally have a clearer tone, particularly important in helping young children learn accurate aural skills. They also come with comprehensive warranties, ensuring you receive a quality piano and reassurance it will remain at a high standard. New pianos each have their own personality and characteristics and will suit one individual, but not another. So it is best to try as many as you can, preferably side by side, to compare brands and choose the sound you prefer.
The sound or tonal qualities of a piano are generally directly related to the scale design. Scale designing involves calculation of the string speaking lengths, diameters, tensions and the determination of the string layout. A good scale design imparts to a piano its particular tonal character and timbre and enables the discerning pianist to shape sound.
Digital Pianos
Electronic or digital pianos cannot perfectly imitate this living sound, which has evolved over a period of centuries. They do however have other redeeming qualities e.g. eliminating the need for tuning and maintenance, plus an ability to transfer data to computer, so they may be more practical in a variety of circumstances.
Secondhand Pianos
Some people prefer pianos with a history, or the character and style of a previous time (e.g. Edwardian, Art Deco) to better suit their home. Some particularly love the more mellow, nostalgic sound of an old piano.
Larry Fine has addressed the question whether to buy a new or used piano, extensively in his excellent publication, ‘The Piano Book’. He says, ‘…good quality pianos, new or used, are made of better raw materials, prepared to more exacting tolerances and stricter standards of production.’ The difficulty of course is making sure you choose a good quality piano .
Fine says, ‘…when buying a used piano generally more time and care is needed to find what you want. It is especially important to buy from a well respected dealer or to have a competent piano technician to inspect the piano before you buy.’ For this reason, Hutchings Pianos personally inspect all secondhand pianos prior to purchasing and they provide a five year store warranty on all pre-loved pianos.
Price & Warranties
When buying pianos, Fine explains that many factors affect the price. The consistent high quality and durability of the more established brands like Schimmel from Germany and Yamaha from Japan, who have both now been manufacturing pianos for over 100 years, has earned them a reputation which ensures their prestige, popularity and investment benefits if you purchase new, due to their high resale value.
Pianos made in the more recently emerging economies of Korea, China and Indonesia, are more affordable and also produce excellent quality pianos. They are also keen to prove their merit with long warranties on new pianos i.e. Beale provides a ten year warranty and Alex Steinbach, a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser! Yamaha Music has more recently set up factories in other parts of Asia and has therefore remained competitive in their pricing with the more affordable piano manufacturers.  
Assistance With Making a Decision
Come and visit us, or call. At Hutchings pianos our approach is to help our customers better define their preferences and requirements, thereby helping you to choose the right piano and achieve the greatest possible satisfaction from your piano. We also provide first hand experience of a range of different pianos, which we believe is the best way for buyers to make an informed decision.
Free Piano Buyers’ Guide
For further information click on the link below to request a copy of The Australian Piano Buyers’ Guide. We will post this 36 page booklet with diagrams, explanations and useful tips to you free of charge.

Minggu, 02 September 2012

Music Discs

Did you know that you can build a Jukebox that will actually play music in your home?  Well, it will play music once you actually obtain some of the Music Discs that are available as loot in the game that is...  The Discs are obtained either by luring a Creeper into a position to be killed by a Skeleton's Arrow (which can spawn a Music Disc as a drop), and as rare loot in dungeon Treasure Chests.

Each Disc plays original music that was composed by a player named "C418" (Daniel Rosenfeld).  In addition to producing the music for the Discs, C418 is also credited with producing many of the sound effects as well.

At the present time there are a total of 11 Music Discs in the game -- and some are considered more desirable than others -- but none are really rare since they are mostly a random drop and you have about as much chance of getting one as another for most of them.  There are exceptions to this, though they mostly apply to Disc 11 and variations of Discs.

Discs 13 and cat are found in roughly 8% of dungeon chests, and are also dropped when a Creeper is killed by a Skeleton's arrow.  All of the discs except for 11 can be obtained in dungeons, strongholds and dropped by Creepers killed by Skeletons. 

The following Discs appear in the game:

-- 11 -- The contents of Disc 11 is not music, but is a collection of sound effects including a person running over different block types and other actions.

-- 13 -- Another Disc that contains sounds rather than music, though mostly the sounds on this Disc are mechanical in nature.

-- cat -- An upbeat synthetic melody.

-- blocks -- An upbeat melody.

-- chirp -- An upbeat melody.

-- far -- A calm and relaxing melody.

-- mall -- A calm and relaxing melody.

-- mellohi -- A slow, creepy guitar piece.

-- stal -- A very cool jazz piece (widely considered to be the best Disc in the game to find).

-- strad -- A reggae tune.

-- ward -- Chopin's Funeral March.

Selasa, 28 Agustus 2012

Practicing music for only a few years in childhood helps improve adult brain: research

A little music training in childhood goes a long way in improving how the brain functions in adulthood when it comes to listening and the complex processing of sound, according to a new Northwestern University study.
The impact of music on the brain has been a hot topic in science in the past decade. Now Northwestern researchers for the first time have directly examined what happens after children stop playing a musical instrument after only a few years -- a common childhood experience.
Compared to peers with no musical training, adults with one to five years of musical training as children had enhanced brain responses to complex sounds, making them more effective at pulling out the fundamental frequency of the sound signal.
The fundamental frequency, which is the lowest frequency in sound, is crucial for speech and music perception, allowing recognition of sounds in complex and noisy auditory environments.
"Thus, musical training as children makes better listeners later in life," said Nina Kraus, the Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology and Communication Sciences at Northwestern.
"Based on what we already know about the ways that music helps shape the brain," she said, "the study suggests that short-term music lessons may enhance lifelong listening and learning."
"A Little Goes a Long Way: How the Adult Brain is Shaped by Musical Training in Childhood" will be published in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience.
"We help address a question on every parent's mind: 'Will my child benefit if she plays music for a short while but then quits training?'" Kraus said.
Many children engage in group or private music instruction, yet, few continue with formal music classes beyond middle or high school.
But most neuroscientific research has focused on the rare and exceptional music student who has continued an active music practice during college or on the rarer case of a professional musician who has spent a lifetime immersed in music.
"Our research captures a much larger section of the population with implications for educational policy makers and the development of auditory training programs that can generate long-lasting positive outcomes," Kraus said.
For the study, young adults with varying amounts of past musical training were tested by measuring electrical signals from the auditory brainstem in response to eight complex sounds ranging in pitch. Because the brain signal is a faithful representation of the sound signal, researchers are able to observe how key elements of the sound are captured by the nervous system and how these elements might be weakened or strengthened in different people with different experiences and abilities.
Forty-five adults were grouped into three age- and IQ- matched groups based on histories of musical instruction. One group had no musical instruction; another had 1 to 5 years; and the other had to 6 to 11 years. Both musically trained groups began instrumental practice around age 9 years, a common age for in-school musical instruction to begin. As predicted, musical training during childhood led to more robust neural processing of sounds later in life.
Prior research on highly trained musicians and early bilinguals revealed that enhanced brainstem responses to sound are associated with heightened auditory perception, executive function and auditory communication skills.
"From this earlier research, we infer that a few years of music lessons also confer advantages in how one perceives and attends to sounds in everyday communication situations, such as noisy restaurants or rides on the "L," Kraus said.
A running theme in Kraus' research is "your past shapes your present."
"The way you hear sound today is dictated by the experiences with sound you've had up until today," she said. "This new finding is a clear embodiment of this theme."
In past research, Kraus and her team examined how bilingual upbringing and long-term music lessons affect the auditory brain and how the brain changes after a few weeks of intensive auditory experiences, such as computerized training. Their current research is investigating the impact of socioeconomic hardships on adolescent brain function.
"We hope to use this new finding, in combination with past discoveries, to understand the type of education and remediation strategies, such as music classes and auditory-based training that might be most effective in combating the negative impact of poverty," she said.
By understanding the brain's capacity to change and then maintain these changes, the research can inform the development of effective and long-lasting auditory-based educational and rehabilitative programs.
Provided by Northwestern University
"Practicing music for only few years in childhood helps improve adult brain: research." August 21st, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-music-years-childhood-adult-brain.html

Why music so importan

Music participation provides a unique opportunity for literacy preparation. Whether the children are singing, playing, or listening, teachers direct them to listen and hear in new ways which exercises their aural discrimination. Playing instruments and adding movement to the lessons teaches children about sequential learning which is essential in reading comprehension.

 
Plato once said that music “is a more potent instrument than any other for education”. You will find many teachers of young children who would agree with him. Recent research has found that music uses both sides of the brain, a fact that makes it valuable in all areas of development. Music affects the growth of a child’s brain academically, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Music is academic. For some people, this is the primary reason for providing music lessons to their children. A recent study from the University of California found that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. Second graders who were given music lessons scored 27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than children who received no special instruction. Research indicates that musical training permanently wires a young mind for enhanced performance.
Music is physical. Music can be described as a sport. Learning to sing and keep rhythm develops coordination. The air and wind power necessary to blow a flute, trumpet or saxophone promotes a healthy body.
Music is emotional. Music is an art form. We are emotional beings and every child requires an artistic outlet. Music may be your child’s vehicle of expression.
Music is for life. Most people can’t play soccer, or football at 70 or 80 years of age but they can sing. And they can play piano or some other instrument. Music is a gift you can give your child that will last their entire lives.

Best Japanese Rock Bands

No limitations. Put your favorite Japanese rock band here and vote for them. Rock/punk, Rock/Pop, Rock/Visual Kei and similar genres are accepted. Don't agree with the list? Vote for an existing item you think should be ranked higher or if you are a logged in, add a new item for others to vote on or create your own version of this list.

1Gazette
+257The most professional modern rock band what I've ever heard. They're fantastic. Very very good musicians, and they're the BEST band for me. I had a lots of impression of them to make my own music /I'm rock-musician too/
+214The GazettE is by far my favorite band simply because their music touches me and moves me. they have the ability of making me happy, accompanying me when I'm sad, cooling down my anger and just being fun to rock out to. It's the combination of vocals and instrumental that make the songs so touching. Every member is so talented. Uruha's and Aoi's guitar, Reita's bass, Ruki's voice and Kai's drums are just awesome. Their lives are always amazing and prove their talent and dedication to what they create and do.
+182The GazettE will be the band that every kid in japan will look up to, like how they did when X-japan or luna sea was together. They simply have every variation of music, from rock to metal to alternative metal and rock and of course BALLADS too. They are so awesome I will still listen to them until I get married...
More comments about Gazette
2X Japan
+76X Japan does somethings other bands can't.
They actually HELP people, their lyrics touch our hearts.
They disbanded 1997 and came back. Why?
Because not only are they the gods of J-rock and Visual Kei, They love what they do. And we can hear it. :)
We are X.
Forever.
+34X Japan has changed my life completely last 20 years. They showed me 'The dream WILL come true, if you try very hard' YOSHIKI never betray me. How long take it, once he said so, he will do. 20 years ago, YOSHIKI said he wanted to go to the world. 20 years on, he is now conquering the world. As I'm Japanese, I'm really proud of X Japan. They are loved all over the world now.
+29I can't imagine my life without their songs. I'm a fan of X-Japan since 8-9 years and their songs are the best medicine for my sadnes. This year is unique, because I was at X-Japan's gig in Berlin. I must say that it was the best day in my life! And... how couldn't love Yoshiki?
We are X! Now, tomorrow, forever.
More comments about X Japan
3L'Arc~en~Ciel
+89you are the best l'arc en ciel...

you are my inspiration..

never die l'arc en ciel...
+63I just love them! I love every single of their songs. Each of the member have their own specialty and getting it all together resulting a very great and beautiful tone. Their music gives the same feeling when we see a rainbow on the sky, so beautiful, warm heart, comforting, and... Majestic! They are just the best! Simply the best!
+59L'Arc en Ciel is the first band I've ever admire since I'm a child and I will never stop listening to them. their music have its own style and I love all of their songs. I always get crazy when I saw them on TV.

Laruku! Never stop composing new songs! I wish to hear more great songs from L'Arc en Ciel! HYDE! TETSU! KEN! YUKI! YAMENAIDE KUDASAI YO!
More comments about L'Arc~en~Ciel
4Dir en grey
+70I love Kyo's voice, it's great! And I find their music special. No other j-rock band doesn't have similar style.
+49I've followed them for over 12 years and have not gotten bored of their music. They really know how to reinvent themselves and keep their fans interested.
+28"I think that we have the courage to do what the others are scared to. I mean, musically we go beyond the format established elsewhere. Our visuals and videos are meticulous, outrageous and grotesque. The whole identity of the band is unique. This is our strength. We motivate each other, the idea is to grow together, develop together, and continue to inspire each other with what we each bring to the band. It's definitely a plus. Also, most of the bands try to be friendly to the people, to the media ; this is not our case. We are not here to please anybody and we have the courage to do what we want to do in every level. " - Die

Need to say anything else?
More comments about Dir en grey
5SCANDAL
+131SCANDAL Must be the first, SCANDAL have the fastest guitarist girl ever, the beat is impressive, all of them is Beautiful, Kawaii, Moe I'll always supporting SCANDAL, keep up the good work girls, I'll always waiting for you Mami chan
+106SCANDAL may not be the #1 Rock Band, but they're definitely the #1 All-girl Rock Band! They had it all---Talent, Looks, Attitude---and they're still improving! And the combination of Haru's and Tomo's voices is just so amazing! I'm so looking forward to what these girls can do in the future.
+101Scandal is the most powerful girlband! They must be the first. Other than that, their songs was really great and awesome just like them! So COOL! And take note! All of them were GIRLS!
More comments about SCANDAL
6Versailles
+68Beautiful. Visual. Elegant. Skillful. Everything that contributes to an amazing band is seen with Versailles, even now that they have a new member they are still going and reaching new limits. Soon they will rule above most and when that day comes and it will, it will because of their musical skill and artistry. They will be on top one day!
+55Definitely deserves #1; these guys will go down in J-Rock history, if you can even classify their music in that genre. Kamijo's vocals are outstanding, Hizaki and Teru's solo leave me speechless. Seriously these guys are so underrated.
+40Versailles must be the First! They're simply perfect. The Visual Kei are based on lyrics, ero guru, the costumes and overreality videos, and Versailles is more completly and their sound is like the GODS. The Versailles music expresses all you wanted to hear all your life. I love the Visual Kei and Power Metal, my favorites of all genres I listen and Versailles is a combination o both and more, and their customes reflect the greatness and superiority, when the members are like kids and have good heart. X JAPAN must be the second, but Versailles is the new generation and a young band with excesive tallent an charism above these other bands 'cause in Japan are very commercial. WE ARE VERSAILLES!
More comments about Versailles
7Alice Nine
+33Alice Nine should be no.1! Some bands don't deserve to be higher than alice nine! Try playing "the last empire", "shunkatshuutou", "blue planet" and "kousai"... And also "akatsuki" then reconsider...
+24"They are definitely a band that is unique from the rest. They have a classical visual kei look and more rhythmic songs. Good catchy music and all are very HANDSOME!
+24I love this band very much! Shou's voice is so beautiful! The lyrics are meaningful and touched my heart. Hiroto & Tora & Saga are talented on compose and I love Nao's drumbeat! All of them are talented! I love them very much
More comments about Alice Nine
8UVERworld
+65I just LOVE them, I can't explain it. They don't give me a headache like L'Arc~en~Ciel and Dir en Grey give me. They're just AWESOME! I can listen to them all the time and not get tired of them. They have such a great variety of songs that I just enjoy listening to them all the time.

UVERworld FOR THE WIIN!
+44yes I can listen to UVERworld songs at least a hundred times in a row!
+37I don't know much about UVERworld but they have the most number of songs here in my playlist above all of these j-rock bands. All I can say is I love their music and I support them!
More comments about UVERworld
9Nightmare
+40I FREAKING LOVE THIS BAND! I GOT HOOKED TO THEM AFTER I HEARD THEM IN DEATH NOTE OMG I LOVE THEM
+24This is a band that I feel is slightly underrated in the VK world. Their style has evolved much since their indies day and is more polished in terms of musical skills and performance.
+21They're the best band in the world in my opinion. I really love them and their music, they experiment with a lot of different styles and every one of them are amazing.
More comments about Nightmare
10SID
+79I like there music, it sounds great... Just follow what you see about SID, you'll love theme and there music, my heart... can't hide the emotion when I hear any song of SID! I love Mao's voice, so sweet like candy~ ^_^ Anyway, SID is the best Jrock Band in my life...
+62Mao's voice is the best! I believe he really puts soul into his music. Also he's so hot :3 I LOVE THEM! I can tell Mao really cares for his band members, and when I was watching the concert on youtube, they all seemed to be having fun making the music they were singing and playing. Which is important to me when doing stuff like that. You gotta love what you are doing to make it good. And they do that. They aren't just good they are epically awesome!
+45the best music ever! SID is my favorite band ever!
and Shinji is so handsomee

Drum roll

Snare drum roll

Create Your Own Guitar Effects Pedal

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This is a general instructable about how to build your own pedal clones. It's not hard to do, just take care that you read up on some info beforehand. There's numerous schematics and layouts on tonepad. If it's the first build you're doing it's best to start with the easier stuff, like a simple fuzz or overdrive. In this instructable I'll be building an Electro Harmonix Pulsar clone, and a TychoBrahe Octavia clone.

Step 1Equipment Needed:

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Necessary equipent:''
General:
Soldering Iron with a small tip.
Thin solder
Blank copper PCB board
Iron (preferably an older one, as it might get a bit dirty and scratched)
etchant (I used Ammoniumpersufate)
Drill with a 1.0 or smaller head (I used a Column Drill of some old east german fashion to prevent breaking to many heads, it might be good to see if it's possible to gain acces to a similar drill.)
Acces to a laser printer
Glossy photo paper.
Some plastic or glass trays to perform the etching ceremony in. (do not use any metal object during the etching process, the etching fluid burns through any sort of metal.)
One stereo and one mono jack input
A 3DPT footswitch button, it is advised to get one of these, even though they're expensive, they save you from making a millenium bypass or something similar, unless ofcourse, you can't stand a good true bypass)
Thin wire.
A case to put the end result in.

Other parts:
The specific parts you need to depend on what pedal you want to make. D'OH
In this case I decided to make a two in one pedal. One side is a clone of the EHX Pulsar tremolo pedal. The other side is an octave up pedal, based on the Octavia. I got both the schematics, layouts and directly printable PCB etching drawing from www.tonepad.com. This is a very helpfull site, tons of layouts and schematics and some helpfull tutorials. Other good sites to check are: www.diystompboxes.com and (...)
Lots of components can be gotten from electronics shops, but most shops don'st stock the more effect pedal specific parts, so it is advised to buy everything online. I used the store www.newtone-online.com, but it's based in holland, americans and other could use smallbearelectronics and the like.

Step 2How to get started:

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Print the layout on the glossy photo paper. I used Canon Glossy Photo paper for this. Don't go too expensive, just cheap glossy paper. Make sure to print it on a laser printer. Print the layout 2 or 3 times on the same sheet, so you have an extra print if something goes wrong. Now you can start to clean the copper board. Use a sponge and some fat removing cleaning fluid. Make sure you clean the copper thoroughly, and don't touch it with your fingers (or anything else that could put fat on the copper), that might give you some troubles while ironing the layout on. After you've cleaned and dried the copperboard you can start heating up the iron. Use the hottest setting your iron has. Place the layout on the copperboard (yesss with the toner facing the board 0.o), and place the hot iron on. Apply a little pressure, and make sure the paper doesn't move anymore after this. Keep the iron in place for about a minute. Then carefully start moving the iron around over the paper, still making sure the paper doesn't move. The whole process usually takes me about 10 minutes. If you think the toner is transfered onto the copperboard, take of the iron, and feel if the paper is attached to the copper or not. If it comes loose really easy, just take it off, if you really need to pull it, put the whole board in a bit of cold water and carefully peel the wet paper off.

If everything went well the circuit should be on the copperboard, without any gaps in the copper leads. If this is not the case, use some aceton or nail polish remover to clean the copperboard and start again. If the transfer of the toner went well, it's time to get to the etching.

Step 3The Etching:

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There's a few different fluids you can use to etch the copper of the board, and reveal the circuit. I used Ammoniumpersulfate. You should check the descriptions that come with the product you're using to etch. The Ammoniumpersulfate I used had to be used at a temperature between 80 and 50 degrees celcius. Use plastic or glass containers only. I used a small tray to put the etchant in, and perform the etching in, and a larger one filled with hot water to keep the etchant hot, and to make sure that if some of the etchant was spilled it wouldn't to any damage. The duration of this process depends on the etchant you're using. If all of the copper is dissapeared you can carefully take the board out, and use water to clean all the etchant off. Store the etchant in a plastic or glass bottle to use it another time, or to dump it at a chemical disposal point. DON'T THROW IT IN THE SINK, unless you feel like sponsoring the local plumber. Also, be sure to wear latex gloves the whole time.

Be patient and careful during this step. Not to scare you off, but you're working with aggressive fluids here, and messing things up can really cost you.

Step 4Drilling the holes:

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If the board is all clean, and you've got rid of the etchant you're ready to drill the holes in the board. This can be pretty much a pain in the ass, especially if you haven't got acces to a column drill, the drill heads are so thin you can break it really easy, so you really have to make sure to drill straight down, and don't try to correct the direction while drilling.

Most people use 0.8 mm drills, but I advise using a 1.0 mm drill. The 0.8 mm might be a bit small for some components.

Step 5Soldering The Components

Once you've finished drilling all the holes we're getting to the fun part: SOLDERING. For some reason I really enjoy locking myself in my room with a nice beer, soldering iron and an interesting project. The soldering is pretty easy, just put all the pieces on their places and solder them onto the board. Try to do this as tidy as you can. Use a soldering iron with a small point, and thin solder. Don't make too many big blobs all around the board, it only makes things look bad, and might have consequences for the way things work. Use thin, flexible wire for the pots.

Step 6Offboard Wiring:

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The term offboard wiring is used for everything that's not placed on the circuit board. Technically, pots are also part of the offboard wiring. The wiring diagram depends on the type of switch your using.

When the on board soldering is ready, it's time for the offboard part, the stompswitch and inputs. In my optimism of almost being done with a project I really have to be carefull not to make mistakes near the end, it's easy to get so anxious to try your project that it's not unlikely that you'll make a little wiring mistake, and spend hours of troubleshooting. Tonepad has really good offboard wiring layouts, and once you get the principle it's easy to think them out yourself. If you start soldering wires onto the 3DPT switch, remember to start with the middle connection, that saves you a lot of forking solder through small spaces etc. Various schematics can be found on Tonepad.com.

Step 7Casing the Thing

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Test the whole thing before you start putting it in the case. Make all the wires as short as possible to prevent the inside of the pedal to look like a plate of spaghetti. I wasn't sure about what case I was gonna use, so mine has a lot of spare wire inside.

If you're ready to put it in the case, find some drills that match the width of the pot shafts, and stompswitch. If you have installed status LED's get some LED holders, and another right sized drill.

Achieving Better Vocal Sounds

Circumstances michael jackson

Jackson arrived for rehearsal at Staples Center around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, according to Ed Alonzo, a magician who was there. The singer complained of laryngitis and did not rehearse until 9 p.m. "He looked great and had great energy,"[8] Alonzo added. The rehearsal went past midnight.[8] The next morning Jackson did not come out of his bedroom.[9] According to the attorney of Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, Murray entered the room in the afternoon and found Jackson in bed and not breathing. Jackson had a weak pulse, and his body was still warm.[10] Murray tried to revive Jackson for five to ten minutes, at which point he realized he needed to call for help. Murray stated that he was hindered because there

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Listening to music releases dopamine, a feel-good chemical associated with addiction.


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Selasa, 28 Februari 2012

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