The Treble Clef - All Things musical » Music http://www.the-treble-clef.com Discuss your musical likes and dislikes online Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:31:53 +0000 en hourly 1 Piano http://www.the-treble-clef.com/piano/ http://www.the-treble-clef.com/piano/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:32:09 +0000 A Former Camper http://www.the-treble-clef.com/?p=4084 With all the musical instruments in the world, the most classical, elegant and refined of all of them is the piano. In a piano, unique and distinct sounds are created by keys beating the hammers and hammers hitting the strings. As far as learning to play a musical instrument, piano is perhaps the most challenging and the longest to master of all.

To learn and master a piano will acquire years of dedication and practice. Unlike other contemporary musical instruments like guitars or drums, to learn to play the piano proficiently takes patience including note memorization.

Learning to play the piano may be challenging but a lot of legendary composers like Beethoven and Mozzart have composed notable musical symphonies and styling with the use of pianos. Today, pianos and keyboards are indispensable to the music industry more than ever.

But what gives pianos their musical tune? How do they produce a diversity of sound and why do they have to be so large and cumbersome? A piano’s whole form all play a role to its well-defined sound-generating quality and one is made by way of a careful and lengthy process.

Assembling pianos is just like that of an assembly line for vehicles. The piano’s frame, keys, strings, and other workings are manufactured independently and put together. Up to 12,000 sections make up a single piano.

The Frame

The piano’s frame is made of wood from either cherry, oak, or maple. Pianos with curved frames like those of grand pianos call for further elaborate methods to assemble. These curved frames are composed of thin, glued layers of maple that are bent while the glue is wet and set to harden.

The Sound Board

A piano’s sound board should be elastic and bendy. The kind of wood frequently used to make piano sound boards is spruce because of its flexibility and this flexibility allows it to vibrate. A sound board needs to vibrate together with the strings in order to deliver a concise, clear and audible sound. The key to have this synchronization is a bridge and this bridge is the reason why the sound board and the strings produce synchronized tunes.

The Piano’s Strings

The one in charge of arranging and attaching all 230 strings is the piano stringer. Attaching piano strings is both long and risky. The strings themselves are very sharp and can certainly cut the stringer’s hands and fingers.

The 88 Keys

A piano’s 88 keys are its trademark. These carefully positioned keys made from ebony and ivory are what allow piano players to make diffeent melodies.

After the piano’s assembly, the next phase will be to tune it correctly. Voicing a piano demands someone who has years of tuning skill as well as good hearing. To accurately tune each piano key, the piano tuner sands each single hammer that is connected to every individual key.

Once the piano has been tuned and toned, piano players can now play their favorite music and even compose their own symphonies.

]]> http://www.the-treble-clef.com/piano/feed/ 0 The Benefits Of Learning And Playing Musical Instruments http://www.the-treble-clef.com/musical-instruments/ http://www.the-treble-clef.com/musical-instruments/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:55:04 +0000 A Former Camper http://www.the-treble-clef.com/?p=4080 As we live our day to day lives busy by either job or education, a lot of us need some form of entertainment just to get by or to basically put behind the not so good things that happened on that day. A lot of people play video games, watch TV, or surf the internet for hours, but nothing is more simpler than listening to a favorite music.

Listening or singing along to our favorite songs not only relieve stress and fatigue but also make us ponder what we feel in some ways. Music can calm people and even become a channel to express their emotions. Highest selling records and albums were hits since nearly all of them relate to people’s interests and feelings.

Satisfaction really comes when we ourselves can perform the songs and tune from our favourite musicians by playing their songs in our own rendition with a musical instrument. Using a musical instrument to play your favorite song or make one yourself can be a past time for some as well as a passion. If learning to play your favorite songs offers you a momentary satisfaction, being able to craft and play your own song might make you a positive future in the music industry.

Learning to play a musical instrument is never too late for somebody keen to learn. If you have the will and passion to learn, you’ll sure to master it. Whether you select to play a string, woodwind, percussion or brass instrument, if you will devote your time and concentration, it is just a matter of time before you can easily read notes on music charts and translate them into a melody.

Among the forms of musical instruments popular with a lot of people are the stringed instruments. Musical stringed instruments like guitars, violins, cello, et. al. are part of a classic and modern culture that gave popularity to different music genres like early Spanish and Latin music and the modern rock music.

Wind instruments such as woodwind and brass are the type of instrument where control over your breathing and the flow of air are the main factors to emit their rhythm. Jazz and Rhythm and Blues are the main genres for wind instruments. If you wish to be the next soul artist, you better choose the proper wind instrument for you.

The last category of musical instruments are percussion. Percussion instruments comprise pianos, drums, cymbals and all other musical instruments that make different sounds and notes when they are hit or shaken with hands or sticks. Many individuals believe that percussion instruments are the easiest musical instrument to play. That is affirmative for most percussion instruments, but not all percussion instruments are as easy as shaking a pair of maracas. Drum sets that we often see in almost any type of band performances needs balance and the correct stroke to generate a sequenced and orderly beat and piano takes the longest time to master among the percussion category.

Whatever type of instrument you desire to learn about, the same concentration, passion and commitment should be poured in just like you would give to your schooling or job.

]]> http://www.the-treble-clef.com/musical-instruments/feed/ 0 Learn to Play Bass http://www.the-treble-clef.com/guitar-music/ http://www.the-treble-clef.com/guitar-music/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:38:31 +0000 A Former Camper http://www.the-treble-clef.com/?p=4072 Bass guitar playing might not be as trendy as playing the six-stringed guitar, beating the drums, or playing the piano, but it is an important piece of instrument for any first time or established rock band.  all have bass players.  Some of which are The Beatles, Nirvana, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The purpose of the bass guitar is generally for providing a well-defined low sound that gives all types of song their beat.  If you have no knowledge in playing a bass guitar but interested on learning how, this article is for you.  In order to learn how, you must first know about the instrument itself.  Reading this article will supply you an idea of the essential parts and functions of a bass guitar.

In order to play the instrument, one should know the parts and their respective functions.  If you already have played a the bass guitar, then you may by now know each of its pieces purpose.  For those who are just beginning, though, here’s a little info about the bass.

Strings

Much like a six-stringed guitar, the bass guitar creates sound when strings are plucked and vibrated.  The only difference between a normal guitar and bass guitar is the number of strings.  Regular guitars have six strings while bass guitars only have four.  These four strings also vary in thickness and are placed in order.  The thicker the string, the lower the sound it produces.

As a result, the thickest string is set at the top, followed by the less thicker, followed by the lesser-thicker, with the less thickest string at the very bottom.

Strings are tuned via the tuning pegs located at the very end of the guitar.  Tuning pegs hold the string in position and allows you to change each of the string’s pitch.  There is a certain sound pattern that comes with the position of the pegs and how much tension every string should bear.  If you do not know how to fine-tune a guitar, let someone who knows adjust it for you.

Frets

Frets are divided by metal strips on the guitar’s neck.  The function of these frets is for the player to produce different notes by pressing the strings against a corresponding fret.  The closer you get to the guitar’s body, the higher the pitch of the tone.

Amplification

The most sophisticated part of a bass guitar is its pickups.  These are the ones that picks-up and translate the sound generated from the strings and turn it into electrical signals to be passed on to an amplifier which change the same electrical signal into sound.  Just like a telephone, the guitar’s pickups is the transducer.

]]> http://www.the-treble-clef.com/guitar-music/feed/ 0 Learn to Play Jazz Guitar http://www.the-treble-clef.com/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar/ http://www.the-treble-clef.com/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar/#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:44:40 +0000 A Former Camper http://www.the-treble-clef.com/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar/
Sam Bateman asked:

One of the reasons that people devote their time to learning the guitar is that they love the idea of making up their own songs and music. Simply by sitting down at an inspired moment, a guitarist might come up with a great song in only one session. Some guitar styles differ greatly from another, but it is by learning the jazz guitar that many musicians have experienced the liberty it brings. The deviations in styles that somehow hold to one rhythm and work together in the name of improvisation are why jazz musicians are said to be filled with “soul”.

When training your ear or your mind to learn how the jazz guitar fits into an entire ensemble of musicians, it is important to first know how jazz music works, at the root level. Much like an athlete prepares for a race, a jazz musician also prepares for a performance. The jazz musician needs to warm up, have an introduction, and be allowed to have some time to get used to the atmosphere of a place and an audience. Some musicians, however, especially those who have played a long time together will jump right into a tune without warming up, giving listeners an awakening into what’s about to take place.

A jazz guitarist in a band may or may not lead the group through a melody. Many jazz performances may not have a singer, but instead a trumpet, or some other horn instrument will take this lead. If a horn isn’t present in the ensemble, then the guitar or piano might work to lead a session. Since jazz music is made up of a band, each person in the band has a certain role to fill before they begin their improvisational role. The jazz guitar tends to hold the players together within a certain chord so that other band members can stick to what’s being played. A jazz guitarist in this role, will not necessarily strum a rhythm such as in other forms of music, but will instead move rhythmically with the rest of the players involved.

In the game of jazz music, improvisation is key. If you know how to play another instrument, learning the jazz guitar might be a little easier. And, if you love improvising on the piano, for example, then you might love it on the guitar. “Improv” as it is sometimes referred to, is one way music can be highly addictive and liberating. When that liberation happens with a group who is playing together, the soul and reaction from the audience involved can be magical. Overall, learning to play the jazz guitar will be rewarding on many levels. Learning to play the necessary chords and knowing when and how to strum to the rhythm of others in the group takes time and practice. Give yourself plenty of time and dedicate yourself to listening to and learning how jazz music works and you’ll be on your way to playing along with a jazz group in no time.

]]> http://www.the-treble-clef.com/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar/feed/ 0 The Importance Of Drums in Classical Music http://www.the-treble-clef.com/the-importance-of-drums-in-classical-music/ http://www.the-treble-clef.com/the-importance-of-drums-in-classical-music/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:18:06 +0000 A Former Camper http://www.the-treble-clef.com/the-importance-of-drums-in-classical-music/
Malcolm Blake asked:

The warp and woof of music are rhythm and melody, and the drums are the rhythm instruments par excellence. It is easier to recognize a song by its rhythm without melody than it is by its melody without rhythm, which shows what a basic part of music is rhythm.

Primitive music is more rhythm than it is melody, Some of this primitive music is tremendously expressive. Melody could add very little to the foreboding pulsations of the African war drums.

In fact, melody would detract more than it would add. There is something in the constantly recurring rhythmical beat of the drums which pulsates in the blood. There is something in the incessant and ominous boom of the drums which pounds in the brain.

Melody would relieve the tension, would break the spell. But the dread rhythm of the war drums, beating in the ears, booming in the brain, speaks a terrible message which could be spoken in no other way.

If it be a dirge, how little is melody missed when the drums begin their lament! With a rhythm peculiarly expressive of grief and sorrow, the drums beat out a mournful elegy which asks nothing of either words or melody.

By contrast, what can be gayer than the castanets and tambourines of Spain or the bongas and maracas of Cuba? The quickened rhythm, the joyous accents of these instruments sing a song of gaiety and happiness which melody could scarcely supplement.

What can the melody of the bugle add to the stirring rattle of the military drum, sounding assembly or commanding a charge? The weird, the mysterious, the terrible all can be portrayed with tremendous drama and reality by bare rhythm without melody.

It is no wonder that all peoples, from the most primitive and barbarous to the most educated and cultured, have been lovers of the drum and other percussion instruments.

In earliest history we learn that the Egyptians, Assyrians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans all used instruments corresponding to our kettledrums, tenor drums, tambourines and cymbals. Of these, the most important soon came to be the kettledrums.

In early Europe they were used not only in military affairs, but in the court of Edward I as musical instruments. Later, in 1347, when Edward III celebrated his triumphal march into Calais, kettledrums helped make the music.

Chaucer often speaks of the “nakers” in his Canterbury Tales, and nakers is an Arabic word meaning “kettledrums.” In a carving in Worcester Cathedral, believed to have been done in 1396, a pair of kettledrums is shown strapped to the waist of a player, one on each side.

These were small kettledrums, similar to those brought by the Moors into Spain and carried by the Crusaders from Arabia, but larger-size kettles were developed by the Germans, which are practically like our modern tympani. Henry VIII introduced these larger kettledrums into England in the first half of the sixteenth century.

The German historian of music, Virdung, writing in 1511, describes the kettledrums of his day. He even draws some pictures of them which look much like the modern kettledrums. About a hundred years later, Praetorius, another German historian of music, talks about the kettledrums; and so does the Frenchman Mersennus, writing in 1627.

These ancient kettledrums were hemispherical and had skin heads stretched across the top by hoops which were held in place and tightened by adjusting screws around the rim.

Kettledrums graduated from the army and the military band into the orchestra during the time of Lully and were used commonly by him and other French composers of the seventeenth century.

As early as 1713 kettledrums had become popular in Germany, for Johann Mattheson, of Hamburg, composer and musical authority, writing of the musical instruments of his day, says that kettledrums were often used in both church and opera.

These he says were used in pairs and were tuned a fourth apart, a practice which existed for many years. Handel knew about kettledrums, using them in his “Water Music.” Bach also used them, as did Haydn and Mozart and all the other great masters who came later.

These early kettledrums, or tympani, as they are now called, were hand tuned and were pitched in C and G, the tonic and dominant of the key in which the music was written.

The large kettle was tuned to the G below the C, while the small kettle was tuned to the C, making them a fourth apart. The reason for this inversion was the limitations of the instruments.

If the tonic had been given to the large kettle and the dominant to the small kettle, the dominant would generally have been higher than the small kettle’s compass. Therefore, the tonic was given to the small kettle, and the dominant an octave below was given to the large kettle.

Kettledrums were treated mostly as military instruments, for they were hardly ever allowed to play except with the trumpets, in marches, overtures and other such music. This is only another example of following custom.

Trumpeters and kettledrummers used to accompany royalty wherever it went and were used to signify rank, much as rank is signified today by cannons, a certain number for each rank.

Later, when trumpets were admitted to the orchestra, the kettledrums naturally followed; also, when the trumpets played, the early composers thought it appropriate that the kettledrums play, too.

It was Beethoven who freed the tympani from these shackles, not only those imposed by the custom of pairing the kettledrums with the trumpets, but also the universal tuning to G and C, a fourth apart.

In his First Symphony in 1800, Beethoven startled the tympani player and the audience by having the tympani play a sort of bass part to a melody of violins and flutes. Seven years later, in his Fourth Symphony, he elects the tympani to the great honor of stating a theme of two notes which was repeated by the other instruments.

The following year, in his great Fifth Symphony, the same symphony in which the piccolo, trombone and contrabassoon all make their debut in the symphony, Beethoven causes the tympani to make their debut as a solo instrument, creating for the tympani a solo effect in the scherzo movement.

In 1814, in his Eighth Symphony, he tries still another innovation by having the tympani play in unison with the bassoons. By this time the fatal tie between the Siamese twins had been broken and the tympani was no longer restricted to duets with the trumpet.

]]> http://www.the-treble-clef.com/the-importance-of-drums-in-classical-music/feed/ 0 Zune Movies: What to Consider When Downloading http://www.the-treble-clef.com/zune-movies-what-to-consider-when-downloading/ http://www.the-treble-clef.com/zune-movies-what-to-consider-when-downloading/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:44:51 +0000 Anthony Galz http://www.the-treble-clef.com/zune-movies-what-to-consider-when-downloading/ by Rashel Dan

At first glance, your Zune may look like any other multimedia player. Unknown to most people though, one of the best things about the Zune player is the ability to store and play Zune movies. A typical player is about 30 gigabytes and this device can be a serious multimedia workhorse especially for movie buffs and TV show aficionados. The movies are not difficult to transfer to the device either because the software that the device is packaged with makes it straightforward.

Movies on Zune – Another great thing about the Zune player is that you can sync the movies to be able to play on iTunes or on Windows Media Player which is the default setting. So what is the problem? Well, when it comes to downloading files, there may be a few things to keep in mind when doing so.

Unwanted Software

Make sure you know a few things if you are looking into investing a bit of cash and time in other sites for your downloads other than the Zune Marketplace. One of these things is that you must know that you risk downloading other elements other than movies when you get these files from third-party sites.

Downloading From Third Parties – Downloading from third-party sites exposes your computer to all sorts of harmful software and viruses. You are also exposing your computer to adware, Trojans, and worms especially when you are downloading from free sources and sites that have little or no reputation. What these unwanted software can do is lessen the processing speeds of your computer and corrupt other data that is stored on your hard disk. Keep this in mind when you decide on downloading from third-party sites.

Speed

When it comes to downloading, speed is of the essence. This can’t be truer when dealing with Zune movies. Movie files are quite large and so you will want to get these files that are available to serve them to you at fairly large bandwidth levels.

When downloading, it’s not enough to have a good internet connection. The site that you are paying for content has to be able to serve fast upload speeds as well for you to be able to download fast. Free and unlimited Zune downloads are usually parked in areas of the Internet that cannot offer these speeds and this can affect the way that you want to enjoy your Zune.

Corrupted Files

Ever thought that your file finished downloading and when you tried to play it on your Zune, it just wouldn’t work? This kind of file is known as either a corrupted or incomplete file. These are the kinds of files that you might expect from content providers who offer free Zune content. This means that you re just wasting your time in downloading large files only to find out that they don’t work on your Zune at all.

Risking Your PC – You are also again risking the fact that the files will affect your other PC files and slowing down your PC system. When it comes to movies, the chances are bigger that they are incomplete mainly because the files are much larger. The only way to make sure that Zune movies are complete and working is to download them from reputable sites.

About the Author:
Check out where you can find the best zune downloads. Get unlimited zune movies download now!
]]> http://www.the-treble-clef.com/zune-movies-what-to-consider-when-downloading/feed/ 0 Adding Midi Files to your Webpage http://www.the-treble-clef.com/adding-midi-files-to-your-webpage/ http://www.the-treble-clef.com/adding-midi-files-to-your-webpage/#comments Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:05:07 +0000 Cliff Odenkirk http://www.the-treble-clef.com/adding-midi-files-to-your-webpage/ by Cliff Odenkirk

Large music files can cause a webpage to load slowly. Using midi files for background music on a webpage can solve this problem

How do I put midi files on my page? is a question I frequently receive. The code I use to embed midi files on some of my web pages is: EMBED src=”midifile.mid” width=145 height=30 autostart=true loop=true surrounded by brackets

In the same directory as the webpage, place your midi file Replace midifile.mid with the name of your midi file . Width and height display a console on the page. If you do not want a player to display on the web page Enter 1 or 2 for the width and height (0 width and height might cause problems with some players).

autostart=true means the file will play automatically when the page loads. autostart=false would not start the file automatically

To have the music playing in a loop use loop=true – loop=false will play a file once, then stop

Your WWW Browser can access MIDI files (or any files for that matter) and play them within Internet Explorer, or other browsers. In Internet Explorer, you can determine which program will play a midi file on the web Look in the “Programs” tab (under “Tools”, then “Internet Options…”). Select “Internet Programs/Set Programs/”Associate a File Type or protocol with a program”. You will see a list, look for “.mid or .midi” in the “Name” column. From those entries, you can see the program in the “Current Default” column. This determines what program will be used to play your midi when you click on a MIDI file on a www page.

Some midi files are “zipped” files to make then easy to download. If you are using “Winzip”, or another file zip utility program the zipped file can be played without alot of trouble. Make sure your unzip program is the default application to open .zip files. Then, you just click the mid file when your unzip program show the contents, and it plays!

Oh, and another tip: If you set up your Helper Apps to “play” the midi song when selected with a particular program, you can always save it (download it) instead of playing it by right clicking on a file and using the “Save Target as” to save the file to your hard drive. That way, you don’t have to delete your “Helper apps” entry for .mid files if you want to save it or have to hunt through your Temporary Internet Files directory, to find the file (which might have a temp name, like “V0ONCDV4″ or something).

About the Author:
Cliff Odenkirk has been on the web with midi since 1997. Cliff is webmaster for Midicity.com music and entertainment news as well as an accomplished midi musician. You can find more music news and articles at Midicity.com music and entertainment articles Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
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