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Are there really secrets to becoming a really good piano player? Or is it just a matter of practice, practice, practice?

Practice is necessary, of course, but you could practice until the cows come home without understanding what you’re doing at the piano, and all you would end up with is fingers that behave obediently to whatever the sheet music or score tells them to do.

Understanding how music works in terms of form and content is the key to productive practice. Then you are not just playing mechanically by rote like a machine, but you can get “inside” the music and eventually let it flow out of your brain and heart as well as your hands.

“There are at least 33 elements that contribute to becoming a good pianist,” says Duane Shinn, pianist and owner of Keyboard Workshop in Medford, Oregon. “There are probably more, but without these 33 principles a pianist cannot hope to rise to the level of his ability.”

So yes - there really are secrets to becoming the piano player of your dreams. It’s not that anyone is purposefully trying to keep a secret from you, but it’s a rare teacher who has the ability to not only play well but to be able to explain music theory - chords, melody, rhythm, dynamics, and all the other elements that contribute to playing the piano well and with feeling.

In our piano teaching studio at Piano University we have identified 33 distinct skill that must be developed if a person wants to play up to the limit of her or his potential. Here they are:

1 - Hand & Body Position — Should you look down at your hands? How to use “eye flips”

2 - The key to productive practice — Spaced repetition

3 - Attitude — how it affects your learning

4 - How & when to pedal. Using explosive dynamics

5 - Exposure: why it’s critically important

6 - Ear Training — Intervals from 2nds to 13ths

7 - Fingering — which finger do you use when?

8 - Chord substitutions that create fantastic sounds

9 - Chord recognition — how to recognize what chord is being used

10 - Musical vocabulary: tempo words, form words

11- Arranging: how is your “bag of tricks” coming along? “Head arrangements”

12 - Melodic sense: how does the melody relate to the chords?

13 - Sight-reading: 7 fundamentals you just cannot ignore

14 - Key orientation: Can you think in the key you’re playing in?

15 - Scanning the score before you start playing

16 - Mental practice — how to learn music in bed

17 - Repertoire: Why you need one to be prepared for any opportunity

18 - Goal setting: How good can you get? Is there a limit?

19 - Rhythm awareness — samba, bossa nova, bolero, etc.

20 - Why knowing music history is important to you

21 - Idea stealing — how and where & from who

22 - 12-bar blues; creating a motif; “blue notes”

23 - Extended chords: 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, suspensions

24 - Technique acquisition: rubber balls, fingering drills

25 - Harmonization: Using I, IV & V to harmonize

26 - Key identification: Recognizing key signatures

27 - Voicing: Open, closed, registers, color tones

28 - Improvisation: Making music right out of your head

29 - Harmony & theory: How much should you know?

30 - Stylistic devices: Western, boogie, jazz, etc.

31 - Analysis: How to understand what you’re hearing

32 - Riffs & runs & fills: How to develop them

33 - Cross-pollination: The best of all worlds!

While reading music is important, the individual who develops these 33 basic skills will be light years ahead of the person who simply plays sheet music the way it is written. There is no longer any reason to be “tied to the written music” when you can master these techniques that allow you to play from the heart.

A complete list of the 33 essentials of exciting piano playing can be found at http://www.playpiano.com/33-tips.htm
Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His 4-CD and 33-card course titled “33 Tips For Becoming a Great Piano Player!” is being used by pianists around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled “Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions” with over 70,000 current subscribers.

Before you choose a lens, decide what sort of photography you are likely to need it for.

Do you do mainly portraits and “people” shots (in which case you’ll want a short telephoto, say 100mm), landscapes (best with 24 -28mm) or sports / nature (300mm+). You can’t take good portraits with a long telephoto. Neither can you get action sports shots with a wideangle.

Nowadays, you can get zoom lenses in all focal lengths. An 18-55mm lens will cover landscapes and most standard work. 70-200mm will suit portraits and some action shots. Longer lenses will suffer from smaller maximum apertures unless you are willing to pay. They will also be harder to hold steady.

The quality, and the price, will vary depending on your needs. Your long telephoto will have a maximum aperture of perhaps f5.6, making it hard to undertake action photography in low lighting. The bigger the aperture the greater the price and usually the better quality the lens (in general).

Manufacturer’s lenses are fit for the job and usually of good quality (although even this may vary). However, don’t discount the independent manufacturers who often will give great quality and service at a much reduced price.

Spend the most you can afford - there is no point getting a great camera only to use a poor lens.

Eric Hartwell is an enthusiastic photographer. He owns and runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums http://www.theshutter.co.uk/forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com Anyone interested in getting involved contact him at shutter@theshutter.co.uk

Models, Music Artist, Photographers and Entertainers

I am hoping you are creating online visibility strategies to help you increase your presence, gain a fan base, get work and eventually turn all these into revenue.

Back in the day it was very difficult to market people unless you had a big marketing budget. But now with the Internet you can market yourself to create revenue before you become a famous model, actress, musician, hip hop star, personality or fashion photographer
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Many of you know me as Trent Partridge (Radar my basketball name) the photographer. But I have a dark side (Darth Vader) Trent the Internet Marketing Consultant. One tough task I have is getting words ranked in the top 20 in Google, Yahoo and MSN. Search Engine Optimization takes a lot of work because search engines are always changing their algorithms. But I do have over 5000 words ranked in the top 20 in the search engines. I also have had over a million screensavers downloaded(viral marketing) and handle $50,000 plus a month in pay per click advertising. Pay Per Clicks are the advertisement in text on the right side of the search engines. I am also completing a book called Internet Marketing for Models, Music Artist, Photographers and Entertainers.

I create long term Internet Marketing Solutions for companies and individuals.

I do get mad at my entertainment buddies who do not try to work their own website, MySpace or Yahoo Group. These 3 different type of website can create great opportunities.

First you have to recognize that you must gain a fan base. Do not have users come by your website and not try to grasp their email address in some capacity. Offer a newsletter, free exclusive pictures, screensavers, wallpapers, ringtones, memberships or an autographed picture giveaway.

Go to Walgreen’s or CVS and print a few pictures for under 30 cents. Then have a free autographed picture giveaway. For under 75 cents(mail) you can gain fans that can be worth way more than that in the long run. Big companies like Dell, Wal-Mart and Amazon use a cost per customer acquisition formula to figure the cost to gain a customer. We know that if you mail 3 autographed pictures to fans(future customers) at 75 cents you have the ability to have an incredible low low low customer acquisition cost.

Remember this formula Fan = Customer = Revenue. While the castings, touring and gigs are not happening and you are at home chillin jump on the net and get fans.

If you are model, music artist, photographer right now and are not planning to sell a calendar DVD, t-shirts, hats, autographed pictures, CDs, a CD of Pictures, ringtones etc.. then you need to rethink your strategy. These are very basic ways to earn income. I am not saying it will cover your mortgage, car payment and health Insurance, but any money helps even the richest man would say that.
I often trade services with entertainers to help them and myself create better product or content to sell.

Please use the Internet as a tool to gain customers. Do not put a website up and think that casting agents, A&Rs, directors and your friends come to it alone. Users love to see people who are talented and enjoy viewing beautiful models. Pictures. So take advantage of the looks or talent that your were born with to generate money.

Feel free to contact me at anytime. I am the man when it comes to marketing. I have bought to many programs and tested every theory, postulate and hypothesis in the online marketing field. Once my book is published Internet Marketing for Models, Music Artist, Photographers and Entertainers, the world will know who is one of the top Internet Marketers in the industry.

Always contact me if you want to create a synergistic relationship. I am always working with models and artist to help move their careers and mine. If you don’t mind next time I will tell you how to get your own name ranked in the search engines and a few link strategies

Trent Partridge
Media55.com

Trent Partridge is an Internet Marketer/Photographer/Music Producer and CEO of Media55.com.
His Internet marketing techniques include SEO, PPC, article, blog, link management, viral, desktop and screensavers.
He is writing a book called ‘Internet Marketing for Models, Music Artist and Entertainers’
He shoots photography in Miami and producers R&B and Hip hop tracks.
Contact at trentpart@gmail.com

Love, the feeling that makes a person new and feel heavenly. Love, a feeling that changes life within a moment. Have we not heard of love at first sight? One who was happy go lucky in the morning, gets deep and dreamy looks in the eyes by the time the evening arrives. What happened? He/she fell in love during the day and now does not know what to do?

The very first response of such people is dreaming. They have dreams during the night and more often during the day. They lose all attention to their work and the only work left for them is to think of their latest sweetheart. Then begins the planning of where to meet again? How to spot that lovely person again? Through friends, or what? Depends on where the love was found at the first place. After getting few glimpses more, the love deepens and the dreams become more frequent. But at the same time, fear sets in. What if the other party refuses to reciprocate? What if the other one does not like me? So looks are given immediate attention. ‘What if the other party is already in love with someone? That will be horrible. Let me not think of that at all. And if it comes to that, I will move heavens to win my love.’

And the final question. How do I say, I Love You? Shall I send a letter with flowers? Shall I send the message through some friend? Shall I meet and dare to tell across the table? How about sending an anonymous letter saying that so and so is madly in love with you. How about you? Shall I first ask for a date and get to become more friendly and then come up with my proposal? One keeps on thinking of so many alternatives and then suddenly one day, blurts out. Please I love you. How about you? And the response is - I also love you since I saw you for the first time, but did not know how to say?

CD Mohatta is writer for screensavers, wallpapers and ecards in the websites of screenenetwork.com. Some of them are EcardUniverse, CupidEcards, and Valentines Day Ecards.

For many thousands of years, civilizations all over the world have relied on their faith in spiritual or mystical powers to accomplish truly amazing feats. Long before modern medicine came on the scene, most health concerns were traditionally handled by applying a dose of spirituality, voodoo, witchcraft, astrology, or psychic power from any number of paranormal sources. One simply couldn’t get through the day without help from the “unseen” world. Of course, that was in the “dark ages” before we were enlightened by the miracles of modern science. But is it wise for people today to scoff at all that seemed to work for so many people, for so long?

In a world where mainstream religion is often mocked, it’s so easy to laugh at those believe in the powers of the paranormal, occult, magic, psychic or new age remedies. We often label them as misguided kooks or blind followers of today’s trendy Hollywood scene and counter-culture. But as humans, it is built into our composition to search for truth, and solutions to the many problems we face. And let’s face it, today’s world is filled with day-to-day problems that we strive to overcome… issues dealing with love, money, health, just to name a few. Life is a difficult struggle for millions of people worldwide who seek relief, and solutions to their problems by turning to magic spells. Just go to Ebay and do search on love spells or magic spells. You’ll find an endless potpourri of psychics and spell casters who can make your problems disappear, or bring you amazing results for just a few dollars. Think that’s funny? It gets better. When asked, most people who buy these spells will tell you that they really work… and they do.

So how can a love spell performed by a psychic actually attract a soulmate to a lonely person seeking a love partner? Did that money spell really make that struggling secretary get a job promotion and a salary raise? And what about that healing spell that cured my neighbor’s back pain? The unbelievers will likely point to coincidence, some sort of logical explanation, or attribute the results to simply “mind over matter.” But those who believe in psychic powers and the paranormal world think otherwise - there must be a spiritual or metaphysical helping hand involved.

As a self-professed psychic and paranormal expert, who has studied spirituality, psychic phenomena, and the art of spell casting, I personally believe that there is much more to this than meets the eye. Most mainstream religions accept the power of prayer as a way to receive blessings, protection and goodness from spiritual sources. Even medical professionals are now recognizing that an individual’s faith and beliefs can play a major role in improving quality of life and health. However, while many doctors will admit that there is some benefit to holistic and alternative medicines, you’ll be pressed to find any who will publicly encourage seeking answers from a psychic or magic spell.

There has always been, and will always be a stigma in going to a fortune teller, psychic or spell caster that keeps people from easily accepting their virtues. As an industry, the psychic business has brought on much of this skepticism itself. Shoddy late night television infomercials for psychic readings, con artists or carnival fortune tellers are the images that come to mind for many, when they think of psychics. Just look at how astrology and other psychic-related ads have that tiny disclaimer at the bottom that says “for entertainment purposes only.” It’s about as phony as pro wrestling, right? Well, don’t be too quick to agree.

There are more people than you think who use money or love spells on a regular basis, in an attempt to restore a bad relationship, or gain financial freedom. And these are folks from all walks or life, professions, income levels, religious affiliations and nationalities. Sure, some may rely too much on seeking guidance and help from the psychic world, but most of them are die-hard believers of the occult and would not have it any other way. They will tell you that these spells work for them, their lives have been enriched, and you are the foolish one who chooses to miss out on something wonderful.

People always ask me, “Are these spells real? I mean, can they actually make things happen that I can’t do on my own?” If spells can do what they claim they can do (improve love life, attract more money, better luck at gambling) then the answer has to be “Yes.” A spell that does what it is supposed to do has got to be real. Of course, it helps if you have a positive outlook, and believe that the spell can truly help you. But if the spell delivers results, then it has to be real. Believers will tell you that those who refuse to open their minds to the possibilities of magic spells and spiritual solutions will never know what they are missing. Perhaps it is the unbelievers who are experiencing “mind over matter,” only their mindset is narrowly fixed on the opposite end of the belief scale.

Why limit your world to just the few things you can see and touch? After all, what you see isn’t always what you get.

© 2006 KPS Services.

Katerina Guarente is a paranormal specialist, owner of KPS Services, and Ebay’s #1 psychic. On free-love-spells.net she offers money and love spells to clients worldwide.

When most of us think about taking piano lessons, the last thing we think about is turning on our computer. But now, thanks to the Internet, you can take piano lessons online and learn from an online instructor. Let’s see how this might work.

First, you need a computer with speakers. Most computers today either come with speakers or have them built in. If you need them, they are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at any electronics store. It’s important that your online lessons include audio samples. These will help you immensely as you get to hear your online teacher perform the example for you.

Second, you want to be able to communicate with the instructor. You’re going to have questions so make sure there is a message board or forum available for questions and comments. Also, make sure your instructor actually exists! There are some websites that say they provide feedback to students but this just may be an interactive forum with no instructor present.

Third, make sure the lessons you take are easy to understand. Do you want to learn classical piano? Then make sure the lessons you’ll be taking aren’t over your head. Do you want to learn how to improvise? Take a look around and see if you can actually do it from the examples provided.

Taking online piano lessons is a good choice for you if you like to work on your own and take your time. There’s usually no pressure to perform or complete tasks, so you can relax and work at your own pace.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

Steve Jobs and company are crossing their fingers as they face another lawsuit filed this July 2008. The whole gang of Apple big shots is now facing securities fraud for backdating schemes that transpired in the early part of this decade. Company stocks fell 2% after the lawsuit was filed.

Though not the first time that Jobs and the rest of his crew were accused of backdating the company shareholders’ stock options, the evidences of the current charge strongly points at Jobs and the rest of his entourage as directly responsible. So where does this put Jobs and his company? The first time Apple’s senior executives played with backdating, an investigation was launched and though Jobs was declared innocent, the blame was put on former CFO Fred Anderson and former counsel Nancy Heinen.

Backdating is a class-action lawsuit and if Jobs cannot wriggle his way out of this one, Apple will suffer for sure. The 2% plunge of stock value was a clear indication of that. The case is still pending though and it’s still uncertain when the verdict will be handed down. In the meantime, there is no way of saying whether the company will recover from such crisis fast.

Official biography of Steve Jobs.

Other technology leaders such as Richard Li are profiled on Leaders in Technology.

In this inteview of Richard Li, Mr. Li shares his vision for Pacific Century Cyberworks.

Find out how you can enhance your communication skills by utilizing naturally occurring processes. These methods when used properly, can help you very much to communicate with your inner selves.

1. Choosing your Direction:

Most of the well meaning gurus of modern life have taught us to have goals. I too talk about this on my website(http://www.communication-skills-4confidence.com) .Some of the gurus have gone to the extent of telling us to create the reality in our mind and live it until it manifests in the real world. This is good thing to do and it does work. What we have to understand is that, it is a creative process. We should not use our logical and rational thinking to destroy this process. It is necessary to have goals in life as goal posts, as indicators and route maps. But not as the final destination. Many people get confused with goal setting and set themselves up for disappointment.

All our goals should be aimed at inner satisfaction first and then external manifestation.
It will be lot easier when you take the tension off a destination and create a goal post for yourselves.

2. Build your Self worth:

Getting a snapshot of our inner self and communicating with it is the stepping stone for lasting success. We may have to tweak that picture a little to make it better. After all the inner torment many of us have gone through, this is high time we dive in for a quick look and fix. How can we do that?

Many successful people believe that building one’s self worth is the best investment one can make. They have always emphasized on the goodness and importance of giving. Most of the people look at this idea with scoff and feel that they can give out only when they have more than enough, a typical indicator of lack of self worth. The only way to build self worth is by doing good to others and by giving. The good news is that you need not give away money all the time. You can give your time, donate food, blood and lots of other things.

Important: The Intention of giving should be to satisfy oneself and not for appreciation or publicity. It is an act to build your self worth. If you keep seeking approval of others, you will be chasing a mirage. If you actually begin to work toward self approval and build your self worth, you will automatically get all the approval or recognition that you need. This is the natural way and the best way to do anything.

3. Interrupting and Empowering: The Right way to use…

Most of the communication skills courses tell us not to interrupt. I think they are leaving out an important and natural power. Interrupting need not be only in a conversation. It has many garbs. You may be interrupting your sleep to read this article and some times, it is a good thing to do. So instead of casting away it as an unnecessary behavior, utilize it in the following way.

Due to the ritualistic living that we are undergoing, it is quite easy to adjust ourselves into a stereotype and react to circumstances. This is one of the reasons everything stays mediocre instead of the Grand. We often interrupt our grand ideas and empower mediocrity because it is familiar and we won’t be seen as fools. If you reverse this process, i.e. interrupt mediocrity and empower creativity, you will have lot more satisfaction and success.

Next time you catch yourself thinking of a problem, interrupt that thinking and empower yourself to look for the solution, rather than keep staring at the problem. Who says learning communication skills can be boring? We got a whole new perspective didn’t we?

To sum up, Build your self worth and master your internal communication.(See http://www.communication-skills-4confidence.com/characteristic-of-leadership.html) Use the power of interruption to the max and finally, take off destinations and put up goal posts.

When you have these three criteria with you, it’s like mastering the accelerator, gears and brake of your fine tuned engine. Drive wherever you like. Your communication skills will be awesome and powerful.

Sri Hari has been developing new insights in communication skills helping thousands enjoy a happier life at www.communication-skills-4confidence.com/©SriHari200

There are many musical instruments to choose should you decide you’d like to play one. If you like listening to classical music, then you should perhaps take up an instrument like the flute or clarinet. But if you like rock-and-roll music, there is no other instrument like a drum set to set the pace and pull a band together. Pretty soon you’ll need to buy your own drum set, but don’t make a rash decision by buying the first set you see. There are some things to keep in mind first.

If you’re a novice to the world of drumming, you don’t need a drum set to get started. You can start to learn to play drums with a t a practice pad, drumsticks, and some foot tapping. The first important lesson to learn about drum playing is how to keep a beat and how to use drumsticks. In no time at all, you’ll be ready to move on to your very first drum set.

Before you purchase a drum set, keep in mind that you are not a professional yet. A professional set can cost thousands of dollars, but is not really necessary for a beginner. Brand-name starter drum sets can be found for under $500, and some non-brand drum sets for half that.

Practice makes perfect and after awhile, you can start thinking about forming a band or joining one. Bands always have a drummer, guitar and bass player. Who knows, if your group practices long enough - you may earn a living playing drums.

Climate change and the credit crunch, these dual perils have let off the European Alps, at least for Christmas. But it may have been so altogether contrary. Prior to the holidays villages in the Hautacam locale were cut off when avalanches hammered down. Motorway cols such as the all important Col du La Grave were cut. There was no mains or phones, locals had to be evacuated to temporary housing, it seemed like a double of 1997.

Perhaps all publicity is good publicity. Les Deux Alpes featured every evening on the French news. Immediately electricity was reconnected reservations commenced to come in, pulled in by the good snowfall.

Bessans and nearby Val Cenis claim virtually four m snow on the higher pistes at 2000 meters alt. and 2.5 m at the bottom of the resorts. Currently the deepest in the Alps. Tignes states that there is 3 metres at the the highest point of the resort. Unfortunately a snow storm has damaged a pylon of the chair lift that serves the area. They will be broken until mid March.

Elsewhere in the Southern Alps inquiries have increased 18% in Montgenevre, Flegere and Flegere. Savoie has 2% occupancy and traded a record number of lift passes last Wednesday. That is timely for luxury ski chalets and main ski operators.