http://articlesurvey.com/ Articles at ArticleSurvey en-us http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/why-do-people-want-to-learn-how-to-play-piano.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/why-do-people-want-to-learn-how-to-play-piano.html Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400
Now, you are probably wondering why choose to play the piano and not any other instruments. My reply is very simple. I am biased and because I can play the piano better than other musical instruments. So if you are thinking of learning how to play the piano, here are some reasons to help you to make your choice.

As discussed earlier, being proficient in playing a musical instrument is a very satisfying experience and that is why everyone should learn how to play at least one instrument and make fabulous music.

Being a proficient piano player makes you feel and look elegantly sophisticated. Somehow, a pianist just exudes some kind of mystical charm more than other musicians. Perhaps I am biased, but what do you think?

Piano playing keeps your brain active and your brain is doing mental exercises on all your ten fingers when you consistently throw it the musical language to interpret. There are studies which show that pianists are more mathematically inclined too.

Also, learning how to play the piano can kill any boredom you may have. If you do not have anything to do, go do some ivory tickling and serenade to yourself. You can experiment playing the songs in different styles and different interpretations or simply just start learning new songs.

Perhaps you can also think about a family gathering or entertaining your friends when they drop by for a visit with all of you having fun and developing stronger bonding with you directing sing along sessions. That would be fun wouldn't it?

It is also a fact that many people will actually respect you more and even thinking that you are very talented. Most people actually admire someone who can play the piano well and I have often overheard people saying that I play the piano like a maestro and this could be you.

A good pianist never quit learning. Since there is absolutely no way to memorize every song and if you can play by ear, you are learning new tunes every time from the TV, radio or from whatever medium without you even being aware of it until someone ask you whether play a certain song and although you have never learnt that song before, the tune just pops into your head with your fingers running beautifully over the piano keys.

I supposed deep down in most people, they wished that they are able to play the piano. If not, then why are you reading this article? Oh, you are already an accomplished pianists?

Have you ever read other people's New Year's Resolutions? No? Perhaps you may not be as busybody as me. Would you believe me if I tell you that one of the most common New Year Resolution is that people resolving to take up piano lessons?

Learning to play the piano proficiently is also a fantastic ego booster. There is no better feeling and satisfaction like playing a difficult song effortlessly and flawlessly. It is like being in heaven already. If you are thinking of picking up a musical instrument, why not choose to learn how to play the piano? ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-get-musical-perfect-pitch.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-get-musical-perfect-pitch.html Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400
Having a perfect absolute pure pitch is a skill all musicians and singers would love to develop except that there are only about 10% of music students having this amazing musical identification ability. However, the percentages gets better and higher with better quality professional musicians and singers.

For example, a typical symphony orchestra will have 20-40% of its musicians with absolutely perfect pure pitch and it is estimated that about half of today's most popular recording artists and singers have this unique ability with the number rising up to 87% for top concert performers.

From these statistics, you can infer that perfomers with pure pitch are definitely more successful with their career as a musician or singer. Is it any wonder why all musicians and singers strive to attain the absolute pitch? The answer is pretty obvious, isn't it?

In other words, if you have the ear for pure pitch, your chances of being wildly successful as a singer or a musician is phenomenally higher and could be your ticket to superstardom. This is why most career minded singers and musicians take perfect pitch ear training lessons to catapult their career to world class level. So if you are interested in music as a career, then you should train to develop this abililty.

It is indeed a myth and contrary to popular belief that having the perfect pitch is a born talent. Yes, some may be born with this skill naturally, but you can be trained to develop perfect pitch. This skill can be learnt and aquired. That means that anyone who wants to can develop pure absolute pitch through good ear training and practise.

Some of the more famous musicians, composers and singers with perfect pitch, just to name a few, are Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein, Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews, Stevie Wonder, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Jascha Heifetz, Paul Shaffer and Yanni.

Many musicians and composers, such as Danielle LaRocco, cited the importance of perfect pitch as an excellent tool for arranging music. While most people will have to sit by the piano and play a key in order to arrange a piece of music, those with perfect pitch ears can simply arrange it directly on a piece of paper without reference to any musical instruments. That means that you can also write and arrange music anytime anywhere!

So how can you acquire relative absolute pitch? While some people have the innate ability to instantly recognize musical notes and tones, others develop perfect pitch ear training by creating a mental template of notes in their heads as they are exposed to music, usually at a very young age. Many more are trained with hearing by ear to acquire this amazing skill.

So if you want to take your musical career to another level, then isn't it about time you learn how to develop the perfect pitch? ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-be-a-terrible-singer.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-be-a-terrible-singer.html Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500
Well, you see, many people think that they can sing pretty well, but you know better. They aren't any good at all. Just go to any karaoke club and you will know what I mean.

So how about looking at it this way. If you know how to avoid terrible singing habits, then you will be able to sing better, won't you? Below are some tips to improve your singing.

Shouting instead of singing - Unknown to many amateur or even some professional singers when doing a fast tempo song, they are shouting instead of singing.

Sometimes this happens because of bad sound check by the sound technicians and the singer could not hear herself/himself and thus resorting to shouting. Other times it is through sheer singing bad habit or ignorance.

Shouting out a song, unless the song requires you to do so, like in certain rock or heavy metal songs not only sounds awful and terrible to your audience, if done persistently over a period of time can cause permanent damage to you vocal cords.

Singing Without Warming Up - Warming up your voice before a performance is crucial for voice care. Singing when your vocal cords are cold, especially when singing high notes will make your voice sound very tight and stressful. Furthermore, it could also lead to permanent voice damage in the long run.

Not Cooling Down - Cooling down your voice with the right vocal exercises is just as important as warming up. After a performance, your vocal cords are strained and stressed. You need to cool it down to ensure good voice care so that you can continue to sing powerfully and beautifully.

Smoking - Think of all the tar, poisons and heat pelting at your vocal cords every time when you smoke. Don't you think you are destroying your voice? Is it any wonder why singers who smoke have raspy voices?

Drink Alcohol - Alcohol consumption dehydrates you. That means that your vocal cords are vibrating without enough lubricant fluid and the constant rubbing of your dry vocal folds during singing will damage them. Furthermore, if you drink before a performance, you may forget the lyrics of the song you are singing and makes you look like a drunken dork on stage. Isn't that terrible?

Not Getting Enough Sleep - When your energy level is not at its peak, do you really think that you can put up an energetic singing performance?

Singing Out Of Vocal Range - You may want to impress your audience by singing very high or very low notes which are not in your vocal range. This is a terrible mistake as your voice will not only come out as sounding badly strained, it is also awful for your audience's ears.

If your vocal range is limited, then source out vocal exercises that can widen your range. Some vocal exercises can even increase your range up to more than octave in just weeks.

Drinking Honey Or Milk - Ok, I hear your howls of protest because many people think that drinking honey actually sooth their throats. Well, drinking honey, sugary drinks and dairy products will cause a build up of phlegm. When your vocal folds are coated with a sticky film of phlegm, do you think they can vibrate freely enough to create the resonance for a good singing voice?

So if you want to sing terribly or cause damage to your vocal cords, then follow the above bad sining tips. If not, just stay away from these bad singing habits and develop a fabulous singing voice through good vocal exercises. ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/learn-good-singing-breathing-techinques.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/learn-good-singing-breathing-techinques.html Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500
You see, if you want to develop a wide singing vocal range or to improve your stamina to hold your notes, it is then imperative for you to develop good breathing techniques.

A good breathing technique is essential for breath control, vocal stamina and to even increase your vocal range. If your breath is restricted only to your chest area, you will never be able to get the effortless floating voice, excellent tonal quality or hit the really high notes.

Unknown to most people, most of us are prone to faulty breathing habits which we developed unconciously since we were children and these bad breathing habits follow us into our singing.

For example, if you find your chest and shoulders heaving when you inhale you, then you are not breathing correctly. Many people do not practice deep abdominal breathing for fear of looking fat. However, you cannot sing powerfully or hit the high notes unless you use deep abdominal breathing.

Another wrong assumption amongst novice singers is that noisy breathing equates to deep breathing. How can that be? Because if you breathe noisily, it is an indication of a constricted throat and pray, how can you sing well if your throat is tightened by your breath?

The correct way of breathing is to breathe in deeply but yet silently. So try breathing in sips rather than in gulps which will put more pressure on your throat and lungs. Your belly should move out effortlessly with each inhalation.

The following are just a few breathing exercises to develop your singing breath.

Begin by lying flat on your back. Take a deep breath and feel the wave of movement start at your chest and diaphragm area which is about around your stomach area. Feel your chest and diaphragm expanding but make sure you do not move your shoulders. Relax your belly muscles and let the wave of breath reach your belly and feel your tummy expands as you fill your lungs full of air.

Exhale and feel your belly deflating and then practice another deep breath and once again feel your chest and stomach expand with no movement of the shoulders. The expansion of your tummy should be outwards and not upwards. Close your eyes and feel your chest, diaphragm and tummy expand outwards. Then feel the muscles at the sides of rib cage expand at the same time. This is the correct way of breathing technique of a good singer.

In this next exercise you will need a lighted candle placed about 7 to 8 inches away from your face. Then breathe in deeply as you have learned in the previous exercise, expanding your chest and abdomen with no movement of the shoulders. Then exhale by letting out the air in the direction of the flame, bending it in the process but not flickering it or extinguishing it.

You will need to breathe out in a steady stream in a controlled way and not in gasps. Your objective is to bend the flame and not to flicker or extinguish it. By doing this, you are practising how to hold a note steadily when you sing.

So if you want to be a good singer, one of the most essential thing you must to is to master your breathing technique. ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/the-story-of-legendary-guitarist-jimi-hendrix.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/the-story-of-legendary-guitarist-jimi-hendrix.html Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500
Jimi Hendrix, even until now is well regarded as one of the most influential guitarist singer in the history of rock and roll music.

Hendrix first became well known in England, and then became famous worldwide after he played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He was a self taught guitarist and was usually seen performing with his Fender Stratocaster. As the hendrix was left-handed, he would play the guitar upside down with the strings attached in reverse order. In the year 2003, some three decades after he passed away, the Rolling Stone magazine named him the Greatest Guitarist Of All Time.

Hendrix had a hard childhood life as he grew up in a poor family and saw his parents divorced when he was only nine years of age. His mother passed away when he was only 16.

His love for guitar playing was so passionate that when he was 15, he finally managed to own a proper acoustic guitar for $5 from his father's friend. His first electric guitar was a white Supro Ozark that his father had bought him. Since Jimi cannot afford to have proper guitar lessons, he picked up his guitar playing skills by watching the legendary greats like of Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.

The Jimi never got to complete High School education and he told reporters in the late 1960's that he had failed High School because people were racist there and did not like him because he was an African-American, although some people think that it was just because Jimi did not get good enough grades to continue his education.

The young was a Elvis Presley fan and he. He watched "The King" Elvis played life at Sick's Stadium in Seattle on September 1, 1957. His admiration for Elvis stayed with him until his adult days. Even as an adult, he still loved Elvis.

Jimi also liked other musicians and bands such as Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Lightning Hopkins. The young Hendrix even managed to get a gig to play alongside R&B star Little Richard. Unfortunately, Hendrix and Richard couldn't get along and so, they fell out after onlyu a brief stint.

After being arrested for stealing cars two occasions, Jimi had to choose between going to prison for two years or joining the US Army and he chose the latter and entered military services on May 31, 1961. While in the army, his officers complained that he was often caught sleeping on duty and needed to be watched at all times. But it was his tenure in the army that he met another soldier and bass guitarist called Billy Cox to formed the band The King Kasuals.

Jimi's unique style of left handed playing on a guitar made for right-handed people made him a delight to watch. He later joined a band called The Velvetones, who played at the Yesler Terrace.

After leaving the army, Hendrix and Billy Cox moved together to Clarksville in Tennessee where they played in their group, The King Kasuals. They performed in small clubs and bars but they did not make much of an impact and so they moved to on to play in Nashville.

After the Nashville stint, Jimi moved on to Northern New York City to ply his trade. In 1964, he moved to Harlem where he played at bars and clubs there. He eventually won first prize in an amateur guitar contest at The Apollo Theatre.

In 1966, Hendrix formed his own band, Jimmy James and The Blue Flames instead of joining other bands. In 1966, he became friends with the girlfriend of Keith Richards, the lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones, Linda Keith. She liked Hendrix' music and introduced him to Chas Chandler, the manager for The Animals. Chandler told Hendrix to write a rock version of the song "Hey Joe". Subsequently, Chandler brought Hendrix to London to sign a contract with him and Jimi's new band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was borned.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience made its first album, "Are You Experienced?" in the year 1967. In June 4, 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their last concert in London before going to on to perform in America. Jimi has already hit big time and his audience in America included big guns in the music industry such Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Brian Epstein.

Jimi launched his second album "Axis : Bold As Love" in 1967. The album had famous songs in it, most famous being "Little Wing". There have been several other versions of the song by other musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Henry "Hank" Marrion, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Sting and Pearl Jam. The album reached number 3 in the US charts and number 5 in the UK charts.

In 1969, August 18, Hendrix played at the famous Woodstock concert taking the stage with world famous singers and musicians. Hendrix was supposed to play on Sunday evening, but did not arrive until Monday morning, which was unfortunate because of the half a million people who had paid to see him play, around one third had already left.

Hendrix then went on to play a two-hour concert that was described as awful. His band had not practiced enough and could not keep up with Hendrix' fast guitar playing. But to make up for all of this, Hendrix played a version of Star Spangled Banner. He played this anthem with heavy distortion and screams from his guitar that people thought that he was being anti-American and was making fun of their anthem and country.

September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix was found dead in a basement of the Samarkand Hotel in London on September 18, 1970. It was said that he died after drinking too much and taking too many sleeping pills. He choked on his vomit and did not regain consciousness. He was buried in Renton, Washington in Greenwood Memorial Park on October 1 1970. ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-compose-your-own-songs.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-compose-your-own-songs.html Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500
Only the composers themselves know and can portray the feelings behind those songs and perform the songs the way they are meant to be because they are the ones who wrote the songs after all.

So, you have decided that you want to write your own original songs and I believe the first and foremost question on your mind is 'Where do I start'? or 'Should I write the melody first or the lyrics first'. This is the most common dilemma for most amateur songwriters.

The answer to this perplexing question is simply do whichever comes first to you. However, there are some complexities to this short answer. Let us then examine these songwriting tips and perhaps learn something from here.

Now, think about it. What are you better at? Lyrics or music? Which one do you find easier to you? Are you the type to write a few lines first or the type who hums a tune in your head first? Or are you the type who creates some chords and rhythms first? Ahhhh, not as simple as you first thought, isn't it?

The answer is no matter what you are better at in composing a song, you should write a verse and chorus first, whether it is the tune for the verse and chorus or the lyrics for the verse and chorus. As simple as that.

Now go ahead and write the lyrics of the first verse and chorus without any melody line or put a tune to the lyrics. Simply put, don't write the tune until you are done with the lyrics for the verse and chorus.

Alternatively, if you write a tune or some chords for the first verse and the chorus, then get it done without thinking of any lyrics for the tune or the chords. Just get the music out first.

In this way, you can then go back to the song by adding the lyrics or the tune next and this will take out a lot of complication and confusion if you were write the melody and the lyrics at the same time. I am sure you have encountered the confusion in your earlier attempts at songwriting and making cumbersome corrections all the time, didn't you?

The important thing about composing songs is to start composing, but one sequence at a time. It does not matter which sequence first.

Now that you have learnt how to start writing songs, the next step to your songwriting career is to get your ultimate guide to writing and selling your songs and who knows, your original songs may be picked up by popular singers and catapult you to become a prolific songwriter composer! Hope you have enjoyed this songwriting tips article. ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/michael-jackson-life-story.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/michael-jackson-life-story.html Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Born as Michael Joseph Jackson in Gary, Indiana, The world first got a glimpse of this superstar when MJ appeared on TV with his siblings, then known as The Jackson Five in 1968.

Although still a member of The Jackson five, he launched his solo career in 1971. His popularity as a great singer and dancer kept on spreading until in his 1982 album, Thriller became the world's best selling album of all time.

Actually, the Thriller was only a precursor to 4 more of his chart busting albums - Off the Wall in 1979, Bad in 1987, Dangerous in 1991 and of course, HIStory in1995.

In the early 1980s, Michael went on to become the first African American entertainer to amass a legion of strong crossover fans following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos, such as Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller transformed the music video from a promotional tool into a a truly professional art form.

In his heydays, Michael Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial and charitable causes through his foundations.

A sad chapter of his life was when he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. However, the criminal charges against the singer were dropped due to lack of evidence. Then in 2005, MJ was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. His life was a miserable shamble then.

Michael Jackson was said to have a very unhappy childhood. Jackson recounted several times that he was physically and emotionally abused by his father from a very young age and was forced to do incessant rehearsals, had whippings and name calling. But he also credited his father's strict discipline as playing a large part in his success as a top notched singer, performer and entertainer.

Michael Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He said that during his childhood he often cried from loneliness and would sometimes start to throw up upon seeing his father.

In another high interview, the singer covered his face with his hand and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse. Jackson recalled that his father, Joseph Jackson sat on a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed and that "if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get at you".

The entertainer's biggest moment was during the period of Thriller when his lawyer John Branca negotiated what he proudly announced then as the highest royalty rate ever in the music industry, approximately $2 per album. Meanwhile, MJ raked in more profits from The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a documentary by himself and John Landis which sold over more than 300,000 copies at that time.

March 25, 1983, gave birth to the Moonwalk dance routine. He debuted this new dance form in live on the Motown 25's Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, both with The Jackson 5 and on his own singing "Billie Jean". His Moon Walk during the event were seen by more than 47 million viewers during its initial airing and drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

MJ's compassionate golden heart was seen when he co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to help the poor in Africa and the US. Jackson was also one of 39 music celebrities and singers who performed on the record. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.

Another celebrity Jackson worked closely with was Paul McCartney and together, the duo had two hit singles "The Girl Is Mine" and "Say Say Say". But unfortunately, this partnership fell through after some business disagreements.

In 1986, the media ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow down the aging process. However, the report was not true as it was later known that Michael had disseminated the fabricated story himself. He was promoting his upcoming film Captain EO and wanted to promote a science fiction image of himself.

In 1988, some two years after he was diagnosed with vitiligo, Jackson bought and befriended a pet chimpanzee called Bubbles, an act which extended his eccentric persona. In 2003, the singer claimed that Bubbles shared his toilet and cleaned his bedroom. Then it was reported that Jackson bought the bones of The Elephant Man.

Again these were stories that Jackson disseminated to the media. These incredible stories inspired the nickname "Wacko Jacko" although Michael would eventually despise the nickname. Realizing his mistake, he stopped leaking untruths to the press. However due to the profits raking in from these sensational stories, the media and the began making up their own stories.

Michael was born with medium-brown skin, but from early 1980s, his skin gradually grew paler. This change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that Jackson was bleaching his skin.

Then in the mid 1980s, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus, the latter was in remission in Jackson's case, and both illnesses made him sensitive to sunlight. The treatments he used for his condition further lightened his skin color and with the application of pancake makeup to even out blotches, he could appear very pale.

The structure of his face changed as well with many surgeons speculating that Jackson had undergone multiple nose surgeries, a forehead lift, thinned lips and a cheekbone surgeries. Some of his colleagues also reported that Jackson was often dizzy and speculated that he was suffering from anorexia nervosa.

In 1992, MJ founded the "Heal the World Foundation". The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch, to go on theme park rides that Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it. The foundation also sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war and disease. The Dangerous World Tour began on June 27, 1992, and finished on November 11, 1993.

The entertainer with the compassionate heart performed to 3.5 million people in 67 concerts. All profits from the concerts went to the "Heal the World Foundation", raising millions of dollars in relief.

In a high-profile visit to several African countries, his first stop to Gabon was greeted with a reception of more than 100,000 people in "spiritual bedlam", some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael".

In the Ivory Coast, Michael was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief. He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed official documents formalizing his kingship and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.

One of MJ's most acclaimed performances came during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. As the performances began, Jackson was catapulted onto the stage as fireworks went off behind him. As he landed on the canvass, he maintained a motionless "clenched fist, standing statue stance", dressed in a gold and black military outfit and sunglasses, he remained completely motionless for several minutes while the crowd cheered.

The entertainer then slowly removed his sunglasses, threw them away and began to sing and dance. His routine included four songs - Jam, Billie Jean, Black or White and Heal the World. It was the first Super Bowl where the audience figures increased during the half-time show, and was viewed by 135 million Americans alone.

In May 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of the other "King", Elvis Presley. They had first met in 1975 during one of Jackson's family engagements at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and were reconnected through a mutual friend in early 1993.

As child molestation accusations became public, Jackson became dependent on Lisa Marie for emotional support. She was concerned about his faltering health and addiction to drugs. Lisa Marie explained, "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it."

Jackson finally proposed to Lisa over the phone towards the late part of 1993, "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?" Lisa Marie Presley and Jackson were subsequently married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy. At the time, the tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson's public image in light of prior sexual abuse allegations.

Their marriage felled through when Jackson and Lisa divorced less than two years later. However, they remained as good friends.

Michael then kept a low profile in most of 1990s and pleasantly surprised the world with the released of Invincible in October 2001. To promote the new album, a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden occurred in September 2001 to mark the Jackson's 30th year as a solo artist.

Michael appeared onstage alongside his siblings for the first time since 1984. The mega celebration also featured performances by Mya, Usher, Whitney Houston, 'N Sync, and Slash, alongside other celebrities.

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Michael helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The concert was aired on October 21st October 2001, and included performances from dozens of celebrity entertainers, including Michael himself who performed his song "What More Can I Give" as the finale.

Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (also known as Blanket) was born in 2002. The mother's identity was never known because he said the child was the result of artificial insemination from a surrogate mother and his own sperm cells.

In November 2002, Jackson brought his newborn son onto the balcony of his hotel room in Berlin, as fans stood below. Holding him in his right arm, Jackson briefly extended the baby over the railing of the balcony, four stories above ground level, causing widespread panic and criticism in the media. Michael later regretted and apologized for the incident, calling it "a terrible mistake".

Then in a 2003 Granada Television documentary "Living with Michael Jackson", he was seen holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a boy named Gavin Arvizo, who would later accuse him of child sexual abuse.

MJ denied the sexual abuse allegations vigorously, saying that the sleep overs were in no way sexual in nature. His good friend, celebrity Elizabeth Taylor defended him on Larry King Live, saying that she had been there when they were in the bed, watching television and reiterated that there was nothing wrong about watching TV together.

During the investigation, Jackson's profile was examined by mental health professional Dr. Stan Katz. Dr. Katz spent several hours with the accuser too. The assessment made by Katz was that Jackson had become a regressed 10-year-old and did not fit the profile of a pedophile.

The trial came two years after Jackson was first charged. During this period, Michael became dependent on morphine and Demerol, a dependency which he subsequently overcame. He also suffered from stress-related illnesses and severe weight loss that would alter his appearance. The intensely watched trial lasted five months and MJ was finally acquitted in May 2005.

Michael was supposed to make a spectacular comeback and had been scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts to over a million people at 02 Arena in London from July 13 to March 6, 2010. During a publicity press conference, he had made suggestions of possible retirement after the concert series.

However, on June 25th 2009, Michael Jackson collapsed at his rented mansion at North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. Pending confirmation from toxicology reports, he was allegedly administered Demerol shortly before he stopped breathing. Attempts at resuscitating him by his personal doctors were unsuccessful.

The King Of Pop, Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at approximately 2:25 p.m. local time. Rumors and news of Jackson's death broke internet web records triggering a cyberspace traffic jam giving Google, Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo their highest traffic on record. ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-be-a-professional-singer.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/how-to-be-a-professional-singer.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500
You are basking with joy with all these compliments pertaining to your singing ability and is toying with the idea of becoming a professional singer, but you do know that to break into the music and entertainment industry is a very stormy ride. So the question is how are you going to become a successful professional singer and to be a good one at that?

First of all, let us be realistic. Making the all important transition from an amateur to a professional in any field can be a daunting task and even more so in a the entertainment industry like singing or acting.

By having a good singing voice and vocal talent do not necessarily mean that you can make the cut. Have I surprised you?

Ok, just take a look at major singing contests like the American Idol for instance. There are many contestants who have fantastic singing voices and talent that can make many professional singers blush with embarrassment and yet, they don't even make it to the finals of their respective contests. Why is that so?

Singing for fun with friends at a karaoke bar, a local jam club or in your church choir is a far cry from performing on stage professionally and getting paid for it. There are so many other factors to consider and to master other than just being able to sing well.

Most people just thought that by having a good voice, an accurate pitch and being able to stay in time to the rhythm are all it take to be a successful singer. Well, this may land you a gig or two, but not enough to go big!

So what does it actually take to be a good and successful professional singer? Needless to say, the first thing that you have to master is your voice quality. You may think that your voice quality may be excellent or even your friends think so, but do understand that it may not be the case and is usually not the case albeit with some exceptions!

Forgive me for bringing back the American Idol analogy again. Thousands of aspiring American Idol wannabes auditioned every year for a chance to become the celebrated winner of the country's most watched singing talent show, right? Then let me ask you a question. Weren't you laughing till your belly ache at the antics of thousands of those American idols wannabes in the early stages of the competitions?

You did, didn't you? I'll bet you agree with me that many of the contestants can't even hold a proper note, not to say they sing atrociously, right? Then what on earth make them think that they can win the nation's most prestigious singing contest? I hope I have made my point.

The reason is simple. They must be thinking that they have fantastic voices and all their friends must have been telling how them how great singers they are or how else would they have the gumption to think that they could have a chance of being the American Idol unless they are off their rockers?

This brings us to the stark reality that it would be useless to try and make it as a professional singer if you can't sing well. Period! So the first thing to become a good professional singer is to develop your voice quality!

Don't you ever make the mistake of asking family and friends to give you an honest appraisal of your singing because they won't want to hurt your feelings by giving any negative comments. Even if they are honestly frank about their opinions, what do they know about professional singing in the first place? Ask those American Idols who were knocked out in the auditions and you will know what I mean.

Don't even ask Simon Crowell for that matter as he will give you a comment that will probably bury any of your singing ambition forever. Just check with anyone whom you don't know well but are well qualified to give you an objective and professional opinion.

To be a successful professional singer you must master the way you present yourself to your audience. This is crucial to how you will be perceived and received by the listening public. Like in any profession, if you don't look presentable you will not be taken seriously.

If you sing in a rock band where jeans and T-shirt are appropriate, then make sure they are clean, fit you well and make you look as though you are indeed fired up about what you're doing.

The same can be said if you are performing a club or cabaret act, your attire and deportment should be immaculate. Common sense, you say? You would be surprised how many so called singers lack these basic "common sense".

If you are using sheet music and are working with live musicians, do make sure that you have professional arrangements for all the musicians. This is critical. You do not want to be messed up by other people making you sound bad although you are singing very well!

The next thing you must look into is your presentation and performing material. This may seem obvious but there is no use singing the wrong songs to the wrong audience. C'mon buddy, you can't be singing gospel to a bunch of roughneck bikers in an outdoor rock concert, can you? But these kind of things do happen, very often because the singers have limited repertoire, limited style of music and songs or worse, are completely unprepared! This is absolutely inexcusable for a professional singer!

As a good professional singer, you must be able to present yourself to an audience.This means you have to speak to them and show your personality. I have personally seen many good singers who can whip up the audience into exciting frenzies without any problems but when asked to talk, lost all confidence and don't know what to say. They just simply went blank and start to stutter on stage!

I mean look at all the great singers from Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble or even Madonna, all of them, without fail can speak so eloquently when interviewed on stage even when the interviews were on impromptu basis!

You must know that you are a performer entertainer first and then a singer. Good singing only make up about 40% of your performance with 35% on presentation and the other 25% on your personality and that is why your whole act must be well rehearsed, including introducing yourself as well as the songs you are about to sing. Hey, this is showbiz and not your kindergarten poetry reading man!

One way of breaking into professional singing is to do some charity shows. Find out about any local charity events and offer your services free. By doing this, not only are you doing good deeds, you also get the opportunity to gain public performance experience and who knows, may even get noticed by some entertainment venue owners or the local press starts giving you the publicity that you need for your break!

Furthermore, you get to practice in front of a live audience and the audience will be more tolerant if any part of your act goes wrong.

Getting your first paid gig depends on what type of music you want to perform. If you want to be lead singer in a band, a good place to start is to get information from your local music shop. Most of these shops have advertisements looking for singers and musicians to perform gigs and show engagements. They may even provide you studios for free practices and link you up with other musicians if you do not have a band of your own!

So you still want to be a professional singer? Then keep in mind the above pointers and don't make the mistakes other aspiring singers do.

The American Idol series can provide you with many tricks and tips and you can even learn a lot from the judges' comments. Do learn from them and you will be on your way to become a great professional singer! ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/slum-dog-millionaire-entrenched-bollywoods-challenge-to-hollywood.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/slum-dog-millionaire-entrenched-bollywoods-challenge-to-hollywood.html Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400
Mumbai, perhaps more well known by its former name, Bombay, is the capital city of India's Maharashtra state is home to a population of about 13 million people and is the largest metropolis in India. It is also one of the most populated cities in the world. Some people refer to Bombay as the tinsel town of India akin to Hollywood because Bombay is the centre of the Hindi movie industry.

Because of this association with Hollywood, Hindi movies are referred to as Bollywood made movies. The recipe for success in Bollywood is the usual poor boy meets rich girl theme interspersed with plenty of singing, dancing and costume changes. However this successful formula may have to be changed. While this formula is still a staple Bollywood fare, an increasing number of movies are experimenting with diverse story lines, from gritty dramas to horror flicks.

Industry observers say is the changes are related to, ironically, India's booming economy, which has produced a better educated middle class that demands more sophisticated and more complex plots. This evolution is successfully proven in the movie "Slum Dog Millionaire".

In a strange twist of events, the transformation is happening at a time when Bollywood's visual focused style of filmmaking is infiltrating into Hollywood, influencing movies like Moulin Rouge. Indian filmmakers in the United States are infusing Hollywood made movies with the colors and lavish aesthetics, Bollywood style.

oulin Rouge was reportedly influenced by a trip the film's director Baz Luhrmann made to India and his fascination with Bollywood style movies. The movie even featured a closing number based on the Hindi song "Chamma Chamma".

Because of the popularity of Bollywood made movies, Mumbai is attracting tourists from all over the world and also domestic tourists, just like its counterpart, Hollywood. To satisfy the estimated 14 million or so Indians who troop to the cinema every day, the Bollywood churns out more than a thousand movies a year. This is at least twice as many movies as Hollywood produce in a year.

The Bollywood actors and actresses will break out into songs and dance routine anytime, something which often leaves Western movie goers somewhat perplexed and puzzled. Earlier made movies may even include up to 40 songs per movie. However, these days, the song and dance segment has watered down to about seven or eight per film. Location shoots in the movies often take place in beautiful foreign locations, something industry sources believe is made to appeal to the poor and to attract domestic tourists.

"Most Indians go to the cinema purely for escape. When there are characters singing and dancing in beautiful locations in Europe, say, like Switzerland and that, for most Indians is the only way they will ever get to see those places" said Ramchandran.

However, with India's booming economy, millions of people have moved out of poverty trap into a the middle class and film productions seem to be moving in tandem from pure escapism to more sophisticated stories and plots.

How much changes are to be made to Bollywood style of film making will be seen from the years to come. In the meantime, Bollywood has certainly made Bombay famous as a holiday vacation destination for tourists visiting India thanks largely to Slum Dog Millionaire. ]]> http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/singer-crooner-nat-king-cole-story.html http://articlesurvey.com/recreation/entertainment/singer-crooner-nat-king-cole-story.html Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400
Although Nat King Cole was a pianist of excellent deterity, his meteoric rise to musical fame was largely due to his sweet velvety singing, crooning out heart melting melodies that made his throngs of female fans swooned headily!

The King also made history as the first American of African descent to host a television variety show and was wildly popular worldwide even decades following his unfortunate demise in 1965 at the young age of 45 due to lung cancer.

As a child, the Nat's family moved to Chicago where young the young Cole's father served as a Baptist pastor in a local church. The boy learnt how to play the organ from his mother, Perlina, who was the church organist.

Nat began formal piano lessons when he was only 12 years old. This gifted musician was so talented that he could play almost any genre of music at that time and at a very young age. He was not only able to play gospel music which was his root, but everything else from jazz to classical masterpieces!

When his family moved home again to Bronzeville in Chicago. The lad would sneak out of the house and hang around outside the clubs, listening to and get inspired by musical greats such as Louis Armstrong, Earl Fatha Hines and Jimmie Noone.

Nat King Cole started his performing musical career when he was in his teens sometime in the middle 1930s. He teamed up with his elder brother, Eddie Coles, who played the bass and made their first album recording in 1936.

So how did the word 'King' sneaked into the singer's middle name? Well, it was thought that young Nat got his nickname 'King' while performing the nursery rhyme song 'Old King Cole'.

Not long after that, Nat King Cole along with three other musicians formed the band "King Cole Swingers" in Long Beach, Los Angeles and played in a number of local bars and clubs before getting a gig on the Long Beach Pike for less than a hundred dollars a week.

When Nat married dancer Nadine Robinson and moved to Los Angeles, he formed the famous Nat King Cole Trio with Oscar Moore on the guitar and Wesley Prince on the double bass. The trio played in Los Angeles throughout the late 1930s and recorded many albums and made radio appearances regularly.

Although the band was basically a music band, young Nat used to sing a song or two now and then and soon, be began to notice that people started to request more vocal numbers. This inspired him to sing more songs and more often.

When Wesley Prince left the trio during the second world war, Cole replaced the bass player with Johnny Miller. Johnny would in turn be replaced by Charlie Harris sometime in the middle of the last century.

Although, Nat King Cole Trio signed up with the then fledgling Capitol Records in 1943, Cole went on to stay with Capital Records for the rest of his glorious musical career. In fact, it was due largely to revenues from Cole's record sales which fueled much of Capitol Records' success story as a recording company during this period.

This revenue was believed to be the main source of funding for the iconic Capitol Records Building on Hollywood and Vine, in Los Angeles 1956. Capital Record's building was the world's first circular office building and many people called the building "the house that Nat built."

As a popular and excellent jazz pianist, Cole was featured in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. His revolutionary three piece band consisting of only a piano, guitar and bass in the time of the big bands became the trend setter for jazz trios henceforth.

This 3 piece band set up was emulated by many great musicians of that era and including the likes of iconic musical giants such as Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Tommy Flanagan, Charles Brown and Ray Charles, just to name a few of the great musical illuminaries.

The big break for Cole as a mainstream singer came with his own composition and a vocal hit recorded in 1943 called "Straighten Up and Fly Right". The album sold more than half a million copies and this was in 1943 when sales figures like this were billed as being astronomical.

In the late 1940s, Nat began recording and performing more pop-oriented songs for mainstream audiences, often accompanied by a full string orchestra and retched up golden hits after hits like "The Christmas Song", "Mona Lisa", "Too Young" and of course, his signature tune, "Unforgettable". With this shift towards more popular music, some jazz critics and fans accused the singer of selling out his jazz gospel roots.

Then the unthinkable happened. In 5th Novemberr, 1956, "The Nat King Cole Show" made history by debuting on NBC-TV as the first of its kind hosted by an African descent American. The program begun as a 15 minute show every Monday night and as its popularity grew, was expanded into a 30 minute show in July 1957.

The great Nat King Cole made his final television appearance on The Jack Benny Show and Benny allowed his guest star to steal the show at a time when racism was still rampant in the mostly white America. Cole was introduced by Benny as "the best friend a song ever had" and Cole sung and crooned "When I Fall in Love" in perhaps his finest and most memorable singing performance ever.

Throughout the 1950s, Nat King Cole continued to present the world with hit after hit songs such as "Smile," "Pretend," and "A Blossom Fell" teaming up with well-known music arrangers, composers and conductors of that era such as Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Ralph Carmichael.

Cole went on to record more hits during the 60s such as "Ramblin' Rose", "Dear Lonely Hearts," "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer" and "That Sunday, That Summer". Nat King Cole recorded his last album, "L-O-V-E" in early December 1964 and the album was released just prior to his death.

As a heavy smoker, Nat King Cole finally succumbed and died of lung cancer on February 15, 1965. In a radio interview on the day before he passed away, Cole said, "I am feeling better than ever. I think I've finally got this cancer licked." However, sadly, that was not the case.

Among his many many honorable citations, Cole was inducted into both the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990, and in 1997 was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Although the 'King' of crooers have left us long ago, the man's songs still live on with us and can often be heard in many jazz clubs throughout the world. Such is the love of the great Nat King Cole and his songs! ]]>