Wish to become a song writer? Song writing carries something magical with it but at the same time it can be a frustrating process. To become a good song writer you need to have a lot of patience as the process is lengthy. It may even take a month, sometimes, to complete a song.

One of the most important yet difficult tasks in songwriting is the beginning. Half the battle is own if you start the song off well and then the song itself tends to dictate where it wants to go from there on. Many times you know what topic you want to write the song about, but you just don’t find the exact words which can explain the topic you have chosen. This can be very frustrating and, hence, songwriters usually have to invest a lot of time when it comes to starting the song. To start the song well you should be convinced about the topic you have chosen. The topic can be about a break-up, or to show how much you love your partner or about friendship. It is very important for a songwriter to keep the song focused on that topic. This will make life easier for the song writer.

A good tip for developing outstanding lyrics and becoming a better songwriter is to listen to loads of different types of songs. You should listen to the lyrics carefully and decide for yourself if the writer of that particular song has been able to convince you about the emotions that he is trying to display through that song. Lyrics are probably the backbone of the song. All the number one hits along the years have had extraordinary lyrics. You have to be careful about the fact that your lyrics should match the subject of your song. There is a great chance of the song becoming a hit if the lyrics are written in a conversational manner. Lyrics should not just appeal to emotions, but also appeal to the ear. One of the obvious ways to achieve this is by incorporating a rhyme scheme into your lyrics. It is observed that a listener connects to the song in a better way if the lyrics rhyme with each other.

A song is incomplete without good music. Once you are set with the subject and ready with the lyrics, the next important hurdle is making sure what kind of music will set the mood of the song. If you are writing a sad song then you would want the music to evoke sadness. At times a sad song is also backed up with upbeat music to create that tension. If you have written a fast number then you should back it up with fast paced music so that the listeners can tap their feet along with the beats of your song. To become a good song writer it is very important that he/she plays or sings the song once it is complete in front of family or friends to get their opinion and feedback. You should be ready to take criticism in a positive way and work on the mistakes. You should also understand that you may need to write lot of songs before you finally end up with one people like.

Presto Music Store has officially launched our digital library!

If you would like to view our library, you can do so by clicking the link in the menu bar of our homepage, or simply by CLICKING HERE.

So what exactly is our digital library all about?  Well, this is a place where we are offering 100% unique musical products for you.  Some of these items are completely free resources for you to use as you wish.  Others are larger production materials which we offer at a great rate.

If you would like to view an example of our free content, have a look at this item. Circle of Fifths: Visual Learning Aid Presentation

We have also put together some more comprehensive educational materials for you to check out in our digital library. Here is an example of one of these items Didgeridoo How To.

Didgeridoo How To is a complete DVD course created for Presto Music Store which teaches you all about playing the didgeridoo.

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For all of our digital products, you can purchase them directly through our store by adding them to the shopping cart, as you would for any of our other items.  You will then be sent a link with special download instructions for the item.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking the subscribe button on our homepage and submitting your primary email address.  This will ensure that you keep up to date with us as we create more and more of these unique products for you (and no… we never send out spam and we hate it too).

Also, if you have any suggestions on an item that you would like to see developed for our digital products, please post it in the comments below.

Here is a quick video showing you how to view our products.

It is said that the Didgeridoo is one of the oldest musical instruments in the history of mankind. It originates from Darwin and Arnhem in Northern Australia, Kimberly in Western Australia, and the Gulf Country in Queensland and was created by the Aborigines of Australia. The Didgeridoo is a wind musical instrument played by blowing air and adding ones voice. It is a strange action but one that emits a very melodious sound.

The Aborigines were nomads, on the move all over the countryside in search of food and water under extremely hard climatic conditions. The men used to carry their hunting weapons like the spears, boomerangs and woomera, while the women traveled with things that were essential for them and the children. The days were spent in hunting and moving while nights were spent around the campfires listening to stories and singing songs. Now who has heard of singing without any musical accompaniment? The Aborigines weren’t traveling with any musical instruments either!

The innovative Aborigines solved this problem by creating the Didgeridoo, a wind blown musical instrument, out of the termite infested hollowed fallen tree log. Eucalyptus trees are used to make didgeridoos. The didgeridoo can be created anywhere without much ado. The hole of one end of the log is smoothed as far as possible and then bee wax is applied around it to enable the player to blow air into the log more comfortably. The didgeridoo is then decorated with some traditional artwork.

One has to blow air gently into the didgeridoo and then simultaneously add your own voice to it. Strange though it may sound the sound effect is most amazingly soothing and unbelievable. The didgeridoo is also called Yidaki, didjeridoo, didjeridu or digeridoo. This instrument is not very easy to play as it involves you to breathe in through your nose and simultaneously breathe out through your mouth! The didgeridoo is played to the accompaniment of stories to create an effect of reproducing the sounds heard in the jungles during the story telling sessions and also during their ceremonial dances.

Normally the didgeridoo is played by the male Aborigines. The click sticks, or clapping sticks, are used to play the didgeridoo; the sticks are either clicked on the sides of the didgeridoo or clicked together. The didgeridoo today is used in healing, meditative music, massages, and also in the music you hear on a regular basis. This is one interesting instrument you can learn without a lot of hard work and enjoy learning to play it.

Here at Presto Music Store, we have a great variety of Didgeridoos. We have a beginner didgeridoo series that is made of PVC pipe. These are highly decorated to have a traditional look, and due to the size, material, and weight of these didgeridoos, it is easier to create that initial drone.

For our more advanced didge players, we have hand made original didgeridoos to offer. These have a fantastic tone and each one plays with its own character. Be sure to check out the sound clip for a taste of that instruments’ sound when played.

Click here for the link to the didgeridoos available on Presto Music Store.

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We strive to reach out to the folks in our community through our blog by offering informative articles about our products and services. We will be ever thankful to those of you who bookmark our articles. Social bookmarking is an easy thing to do, and this will help us to better evaluate what content everyone is interested in discussing and therefore better shape the future of the blog! To bookmark this site, please click the button below the post that says “Bookmark.” Thanks for spreading the word!

Let the sounds be heard,

-Presto Music Store Team

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Music is a mantra that appeals to everyone. Even though people around the world speak different languages and follow diverse cultures; music is something that unites them in a unique manner. Music soothes nerves and releases tension after a hard day’s work. Musicians all over the world provide that comfort and enjoyment to people. There are various career options for musicians.

Indian music is of two types. One is Hindustani and the other is Carnatic classical. Both are melody based and go by a set of fundamental ragas. Western Music is based on harmonics and played by chords. In this article we shall concentrate on western music and career options for musicians.

Some of the common music careers that an individual can opt for are music therapy, music bands like (rock, pop, jazz, R&B, classical, soul &funk, opera),wedding bands, music management, solo instrumental, solo vocal, orchestra, background vocalist etc.

A career in music therapy involves communicating with clients to improve their physical, mental and social health by using music as a medium. This therapy is used by the therapist for treating psychiatric disorders, sensory impairments, aging and interpersonal problems. This therapy improves self-esteem, helps in rhythmic physical exercises. Since 1944, music therapy exists in U.S. The study of this therapy was first started in Michigan state university. There are different designations which can be obtained in this therapy (in U.S.) like CMT, ACMT and RMT. These degrees are certified by CBMT (Certification Board of Music Therapists).The individual aspiring for these degrees must have knowledge in music history, voice, piano etc.

Rock music consists of drums, lead guitars, electronic keyboards, vocals, etc. Jazz music consists of bassoon, piano, flute, oboe, trumpet, percussion and saxophone. There are different careers in music management like artist manager, booking agent, concert promoter, Independent Radio Promoter, The artist manager helps the artist reach great heights by giving him creative inputs and his advice is taken by the music group to make business decisions.

The role of a booking agent is to secure the artist’s and group’s engagement in performing during the event. A booking agent gets a percentage of the artist’s payment as his wage. He negotiates the fee for the music events with the promoters or clubs. A concert promoter organizes, advertises and sometimes he finances the concerts in different venues like church buildings auditoriums etc. He secures the funds for the concerts. The role of IRP is to set up appointments with radio stations, DJ, music directors. They are involved in releasing and promoting new albums.

Solo music is where the musician plays or sings a part of the music alone. The solo musician generally performs a classical number. There are different types of solo music like solo piano, solo flute, and solo violin etc. Sometimes the solo musician is accompanied by orchestras. Solo music can be vocal or choral music. The credit of the show is attributed to the solo musician.

An orchestra is a collective group of musicians playing different instruments at a time. The instruments played here are string, wood wind, and drums. There are two types of orchestra chamber (smaller group) and symphony (bigger group).

Anyone aspiring for a career in music can choose from a wide range of options available.

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We strive to reach out to the folks in our community through our blog by offering informative articles about our products and services. We will be ever thankful to those of you who bookmark our articles. Social bookmarking is an easy thing to do, and this will help us to better evaluate what content everyone is interested in discussing and therefore better shape the future of the blog! To bookmark this site, please click the button below the post that says “Bookmark.” Thanks for spreading the word!

Let the sounds be heard,

-Presto Music Store Team

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Can you imagine a day in your life without music? It is an unimaginably essential part of our life and a something that has no barriers; any one can speak it. Music can be formal or informal we can learn to either sing or play an instrument. If one feels there is a lot of talent and motivation in the child one can go a step further and learn to formally play, sing and read music. Here is a brief list of reasons children should be encouraged to pursue music.

1- A baby is put to sleep with a lullaby; all over the world you need not know to sing or read music for this. Music is present in all forms of worship. Marriages are conducted with some form of music or the other. Almost everyone sings at some point in their life, don’t you remember having heard a loved one driving you up the wall with their tuneless humming of a song being played on the radio. So, you see we all love to sing, it doesn’t matter if we have learned to sing formally or by ear.

2- Music is used in different forms to aid learning; in families many traditions are handed down from one generation to the other through songs and music, in the junior classes story’s are built around songs, nursery rhymes are sung, and of course we all have had our share of fun with “Ring Around The Roses”, in fact there are so many memories built around music and growing up it is difficult to start citing them. Many of us have learned to play music in our childhood, but few have not learned to read it.

3- Music is said to aid in the learning process in formal education. It helps one with learning mathematical concepts, paying attention in class, and also helps in improving reasoning skills. Thus it is important to introduce music to children from a pretty young age. Along with learning to play an instrument if a child is taught to read music early there are very good chances that they may take it up more seriously and make a career out of it.

4- Normally, most of the children start banging on pots and pans from a very young age, this should be encouraged; they should be allowed to learn to play any instrument that would suit their size and interest. There is no point in forcing a child to play the guitar if he is interested in playing the piano. Allow them to play whatever they want to, and then when you realize there is a strong motivation to do better get him to learn to read music. This will definitely help him to learn better and faster. It will make him enjoy his lessons better and within no time you will see him accomplishing a lot more in music then you had ever imagined.

5- Learning to read music at a young age makes a lot of sense for those who have an aptitude in the field of music. They will naturally understand what they are being taught, practice by themselves in the absence of a tutor. Accomplishing more laurels in their world of specialization will come a lot easily to them.

So if you have a special little person in your life, please take the time to introduce them to the world of music! Then, listen to what they say to you about it. This encouragement may seem simple at the onset, but can ultimately provide a lifetime of enjoyment!

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We strive to reach out to the folks in our community through our blog by offering informative articles about our products and services. We will be ever thankful to those of you who bookmark our articles. Social bookmarking is an easy thing to do, and this will help us to better evaluate what content everyone is interested in discussing and therefore better shape the future of the blog! To bookmark this site, please click the button below the post that says “Bookmark.” Thanks for spreading the word!

Let the sounds be heard,

-Presto Music Store Team

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Hello World of Music Enthusiasts!

Have you seen this anywhere?

Or how about this?

Or Maybe even?…

Are you catching the pattern here?

That’s right! Presto Music Store has our very own stickers now available! But here is the catch…

They are FREE!

Yes, we love the free stuff! Who doesn’t?!?

In fact, not only are they free, but if you ask us for these free stickers and then submit a picture that we post of where you placed the sticker, we will give you 5% off any item in the store!

Free Stuff that Saves you Cash!

Seriously, does it get any better than this? Okay, so maybe there are things in life better, even we can admit that. But, this is a great deal for you and it can be fun to find just the right place to put one of those sneaky little stickers. So, if you would like to participate in this grassroots campaign, all you have to do is send an email to:

info@prestomusicstore.com

In the subject title please write “I want my free stickers!” So that we will be able to quickly sort out the fact that you are an awesome person and enjoy free stuff. Be sure to put the address where we should send the free stickers in your message.

That about sums it up! We look forward to seeing some great pictures from you.

Presto Music Store
Bringing the World of Music to your Door

p.s.-bonus points for comedic uses of the stickers in the picture.

A Jug Drum is an instrument made out of clay, similar to a pot. Compared to the clay pots, which are made for domestic purpose, this jug drum is modified for a musical purpose. The mouth of the jug drum is kept narrow and is made out of a mixture of clay and iron-fillings. This modified clay pot, which was initially made in Southern part of India is also popularly known as Ghatam. This jug drum or ghatam is commonly used as an accompaniment to the vocalist.

There are two main types of Ghatams. One has thick walls and the other is made with thin walls. The thick walled Ghatam is supposed to produce a better sound than the thin walled. However a lot of skill is needed to play the thick walled jug drum. Only talented artists can comfortably manage with it. Both of these types of jug drums are tuned to have only one fixed pitch. It is for this reason that this a musician specializing in this particular instrument will own many pots so that he/she can tune to any pitch of the vocalist.

Creating the sound with this jug drum is just amazing. When an artist is all set to play this instrument, his/her hands and the knuckles have to be kept flat against the sides of the pot. Finger strokes can be given at the center, neck or the bottom of outer surface of the pot. If the artist wants to have even notes and controlled tuning, in the lower octave, he/she has to hold the pot in such a way that it is kept against his stomach.

The jug drum can be played in several different positions. The pot can be held vertically that is with the mouth facing upwards and can be held horizontally, where the mouth of the drum would be facing the audience. The other position, which is used in the end of a performance, is when the pot is thrown up in the air and the artist catches the pot successfully synchronizing it with the rhythm.

Inside some of these pots, which are called as matkas, water is poured and tapped on the surface to give different kind of sound. This sound is very soothing to hear and can really take you out of the world.

Here is a video of a solo Ghatam being played:

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We strive to reach out to the folks in our community through our blog by offering informative articles about our products and services. We will be ever thankful to those of you who bookmark our articles. Social bookmarking is an easy thing to do, and this will help us to better evaluate what content everyone is interested in discussing and therefore better shape the future of the blog! To bookmark this site, please click the button below the post that says “Bookmark.” Thanks for spreading the word!

Let the sounds be heard,

-Presto Music Store Team

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Presto Music Store is now on Myspace!

Here is our myspace URL:

Official Presto Music Store Community Myspace Page

If you have a myspace account, please stop by and add us as your friend! If you don’t have a myspace account, and you are a musician, you should make one! It is a simple sign-up process and is free! See the article below for more reasons that all musicians, no matter your level should be leveraging the power of the myspace platform!

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HOW MYSPACE MUSIC IS OPENING UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNSIGNED MUSICIANS

You there! Are you sitting in your drawing room playing the piano and worried that no one has recognized your music or patted you on the back? Do not worry. Are you interested in getting into limelight? If so there is no looking back. The next few minutes may really create a positive impact on your career. Do not get scared if you are anonymously threatened by the music industry or any of the licensing agencies. Your dream of becoming a great musician can be unleashed with Myspace music.

My Space music is extremely useful for independent musicians. The encouragement and feedback given by the internet audience is remarkable. The web page caters to all the people of the world minimizing the task of creating mailing lists. My Space is one opportunity where small musicians can make their performance equal in context to very famous musicians and performers, putting everyone on an even playing field. Music enthusiasts all across the globe should use this chance to display their talents. One fine day your nuances in music displayed might strike fine chords in the hearts of the millions who visit Myspace web.

To talk a bit about merchandising, My Space provides the viewers a full e-commerce store - online downloads, CD selling and concert tickets - to any unsigned artist who is assigned a site. Myspace music has created a newly designed music player for the 130 million users around the globe. Another huge bonus of myspace is the ability of your online friends to add your song to their profile. Each time this is done the audience of the song to be heard multiplies!

Myspace Music has recently opened “My Music personal” music management toolset with free unlimited advertisement support, full-length audio streaming free and enormous play list functionality free discography. Users of Myspace music can create public or private play lists and transfer their audios into their profile pages. Some rare tracks also find their place in the play lists. With the help of myspace music we can share our favorite music bands with our friends.

Now is the time for unsigned musicians to take this opportunity and make use of the Myspace music platform as a medium to achieve fame and fortune!

How To Read Guitar Tablature

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If you are someone aspiring to be a musician, it is beneficial to learn to read music. While reading music is standardized with many other instruments, guitarists have developed their own method to ease the reading of music in tablature. Unique to guitarists all over, tablature though not perfect, is a simple method of effortlessly reading and sharing music with others, especially with other guitarists. Below you will find a quick primer on how tablature works.

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Basics of Tab

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Guitar tablatures are available online. In the above diagram, six horizontal lines comprise the tab staff for the guitar. Each line symbolizes each string of the guitar. While the second line from the bottom denotes the A string, the bottom most line denotes the E. guitarists find this simplified tablature very easy to use and follow.

When you notice carefully, you will find there are numbers in the center of these lines which actually denote the strings. The fret has to be played by you according to these numbers. For example, if you look at the above diagram you will note that you have to play the third string and the seventh fret. Number zero in the tablature tells you that you have to play the open string.

Tablature is one of the most basic and easiest methods of reading music which can also be found online. Reading chords involves a more advanced method of reading notations in the tab.

Reading tabs does not take much time to learn. The most basic tab reading can be learned by almost anyone. As opposed to other instruments like the piano which requires intensive training for a prolonged period of time, most of the guitarists learn to play on their own after a set of basic lessons. Piano involves training in sight reading as well as rigorous coaching in theory lessons.

As a guitarist, if you are trying to learn songs on your own, you may find it difficult to read music. Sight reading is quite complicated, especially for beginners and self taught musicians often avoid doing this. By using online tablatures, you can learn various songs.

Reading guitar tablature online is also simple. If a series of numbers are displayed vertically by the tab, it means you are supposed to play all the notes simultaneously. According to the tab picture above, the notes in the E major chord has to be held down and all the six strings must be strummed simultaneously. To make things simple for the guitarists, the chord name is displayed in the tablature. This enables them to identify the chord easily.

Fundamental Flaws of Guitar Tab

There are however a lot of flaws in this tab system including the rhythmic notation. For example if you have no idea about the part where the guitar has to be played in a particular song, you will be at a loss to know how long to hold the key. Without rhythms it is next to impossible to determine this.

There are attempts to include rhythms in some guitar tabs. This is done by including stems on the numbers. This however is difficult for the guitarist to read, recognize and play fluently. Instead of doing this, it is easier to actually going in for the basic standard notation. Guitar tablatures can be read only by guitarists as opposed to the standard notation which can be read by every musician.

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Your comments are priceless! Another valuable tool for the Presto Music Store Team in connecting to the community is through the use of the comments form with the blog. Feel free to post any questions or comments that you may have!

Let the sounds be heard,

-Presto Music Store Team

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Hello Everyone, and welcome to the official blog of the Presto Music Store Team!

For this first article, we have done a bit of research about two of our more interesting items, the Shruti Box and Harmonium. Now without further adieu:

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What is the difference between a Harmonium and…

a Shruti Box and how are they played?

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A Harmonium is a musical instrument which is similar to a Pipe Organ or a Reed Organ. When air is blown through the reed, it produces a sound similar to that of an accordion. The British introduced this instrument in India and the type used in Indian music is hand-operated.

Alexander Debain invented the harmonium in the Paris in 1842. In the late 19^th century, this instrument began to attain popularity in the West. Small churches started using harmoniums instead of pipe organs. Harmoniums were popular because of their light weight and ease of transportation. It also works well regardless of the heat and humidity.

Harmoniums are generally with one, two, or three sets of reeds and occasionally up to four sets. Classical instrumentalists use one-reed harmoniums; The three reed harmoniums are used by musicians playing for gawalli. To play the instrument, it requires a pumping of the bellows with one hand and taping of the keys with other.

French-made hand–pumped harmoniums have become very popular in India because they are easy to learn. Further additions of the drone stops and scale changing mechanisms in India have developed in the harmoniums. Hand-held harmoniums were introduced in India. This had a quick response because the musicians played the instrument sitting on the floor.

The qualities of harmonium suits well for group singing, large voice classes and also as a template for standardized raga grammar. This instrument was banned by All India Radio (1940 to1971) because of its inability to produce slides between notes. Hindus and Sikh largely use harmoniums for bhajan and kirtan.

Here is an example of the Harmonium being played:

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A Shruti Box is a traditional instrument based on a system of bellows. It is used to provide a drone in the concert of Indian classical music. It is usually accompanied with other instruments, particularly the flute. The electronic shruti box is used widely nowadays. It is called “shruti petti” in Tamil and the “sur peti” in Hindi. Since it is hand-pumped, it produces a pulsating constant chord that supports the right rhythm for the music being played.

A German company exported shruti boxes to India. These boxes were manufactured by a company in India as well. The craftsmanship on these shruti boxes are the of best quality and the reeds are made by top reed makers. The dimensions of the shruti boxes are 11 ¾”L x 9”H x 3″W. It has a padded bag and a shoulder strap. There are three models in shruti boxes – C to C, a lower G to G, or the lowest F to F in chromatic half steps.

Here is a video sample of the Shruti Box being played!

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We strive to reach out to the folks in our community through our blog by offering informative articles about our products and services. We will be ever thankful to those of you who bookmark our articles. Social bookmarking is an easy thing to do, and this will help us to better evaluate what content everyone is interested in discussing and therefore better shape the future of the blog! To bookmark this site, please click the button below the post that says “Bookmark.” Thanks for spreading the word!

Let the sounds be heard,

-Presto Music Store Team

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