Advice on Learning to Play a Guitar Quickly

By Matthew James

People want to learn the guitar. Guitarists are sexy and cool and everyone wants to be that. However, there is not a lot of time in the day and many people don't have the time to fit in learning the guitar. However, there are many ways to learn the guitar fast. You won't be an expert guitarist but you will learn the basics.

Playing the guitar is a very popular thing to do. The guitar is cool. However, learning music takes time. If you want to be really good, you will have to practice a lot. There is no way around it. There are many tips and tricks to help speed the process along. However, know you won't become an expert.

Nowadays, concerns on how to learn guitar fast has been facilitated by vast selection of instructional guides. You can even find systematic guides on how you can achieve the professional level of playing the guitar. Learning the guitar would definitely require you to understand the basics of how to use the instrument. This would definitely relate to handling the instrument while you play such as finger positions and producing simple chords.

Several music stores allow rental of instruments for novice users. They even ensure that the instruments are in good condition and properly tuned to help their customers speed up their progress. You may even want to take advantage of the instructional materials these establishments offer to help your playing lessons effectively. The things that you can use to learn guitar fast are necessary for you earn the playing skills systematically.

You may want to learn guitar fast on your own through educational materials such as instructional DVDs. You may acquire the knowledge that you need as if you were being taught inside a classroom. These videos can be played back repeatedly which makes it a very effective tool when learning finger positions with accuracy. Additionally, if you need to take a break, you can simply hit the pause button and come back later.

If you follow the tips and tricks in this article, you can speed up the process in which you learn the guitar. You don't need to be an expert to play the guitar, you just need to learn a few different chords so that you can sit on a beach and relax playing your guitar and singing your songs. There are many ways to do that and I know you can do it too! - 18423

About the Author:

Matt James has been playing and teaching the guitar for over ten years now. For more information on how to play the guitar, check out his axebay's guitar blog which has many axebay's guitar forum.

The Story of Country Sensation Dixie Chicks

By E Walker

There's old country. There's new country. Then there are the Dixie Chicks.

Natalie Maines, Martie Seidel and Emily Robison have taken the Texas-bred sound of a fiddle, banjo, dobro and crystal-clear vocal harmonies into whole new territory. They are the rare act that comes along a few times in a generation that is destined to shake things up, rewrite the rules and become the new musical trendsetters.

The public has certainly noticed. The Dixie Chicks' first Monument album Wide Open Spaces has become the biggest selling album ever by a country duo or group - racking up some 6 million sales by the time their second album, Fly, was completed. The tremendous sales only demonstrates that while the Dixie Chicks have established themselves as a true country music act, they have also won over audiences outside the country genre. In a music field routinely known for selling to the conservative 30 and over crowd, more than 60% of the Dixie Chicks sales have been to consumers under the age of 25. Their concert audience is as likely to be comprised of entire rows of young women in their early teens and twenties as it is to include middle age couples and entire families complete with pre-teen girls dressed like their musical idols and singing every Dixie Chicks' song word for word.

The press has certainly noticed. Publications from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and People to Harper's Bazaar, In Style, Seventeen and TV Guide have documented how the Dixie Chicks are bending the music world to their will and making country music more 'hip' than ever. With the wrap-up of 1998, numerous national publications named them the "Breakout Act of the Year" and recognized Wide Open Spaces as one of the "Best Of" albums of the year. USA Today credited the Chicks with single-handedly returning the banjo to country radio and Rolling Stone summed it up when they called them "the badass queenpins of country." At a time when much of the press on country music has lamented the 'sameness' of the sound and the artists, no less than the Los Angeles Times conceded that "the Dixie Chicks are the perfect antidote."

The music industry has certainly noticed. The Dixie Chicks' fellow musicians and industry peers, in particular, have overwhelmingly acknowledged their contribution. In a year's time, they have been honored with two Grammy Awards (Best Country Album and Best Country Vocal Performance Duo/Group), two Country Music Association Awards (Group of the Year and the Horizon Award), plus three Academy of Country Music Awards (including Album of the Year), one American Music Award and two TNN Music Awards. On Nashville's Music Row, where the unspoken business strategy often seems to be "if we can make it work once, we can beat it to death," the music industry has obviously been taking notes. It's likely not a coincidence that almost every record label in Nashville has signed a female trio since the Dixie Chicks exploded on to the scene. But clearly what makes this act work is not just that they are a female trio. The difference is this: There simply is no other act in any musical format that sounds like the Dixie Chicks - 18423

About the Author:

Are you a country music lover? Want to play sensational country guitar licks? Download professional country backing tracks at Planet of Rock. These are great for karaoke or as guitar backing tracks!

What Does It Mean To Flash An XBOX 360?

By Daniel Thompson

Your XBox 360 is one of the most powerful and versatile gaming systems ever made. Not only can you play all of your favorite games on this console, but you can also go online for interactive game play, enjoy music and movies and much more besides. Even though the XBox 360 offers a lot of functionality to gamers, there are some limitations imposed by the default settings in these gaming systems.

The main limitation that generates much concern among gamers is the inability to play backup games and other custom games including hacked and homebrew ones. This is a common protection that older consoles utilized to reduce piracy rates and encourage users to buy the original games. Just like how people did it with the other consoles, people took the matter to their own hands and devised methods to bypass these security checks.

One of the popular methods of breaking these limitations is through the process of modding. Modding involves purchasing a mod chip and opening your system to install it by following a series of steps that people with hardware backgrounds can perform easily. While modding is generally an easy process, mod chips can be tough to get in certain areas and mistakes can be fatal to the system. This can intimidate some people especially since opening the gaming console is required.

Flashing is another method which can get around the limitations imposed by your XBox 360's default configuration and while you'll still have to open up your console, you won't have to do any soldering as you would when installing a mod chip. Flashing involves hacking the firmware of your console to allow your system to play back up copies of games and customized games without taking the risk of modding your console. Flashing isnt necessarily for people trying to play pirated games " in fact, many people would like to make backup copies of their games to play so that their original copies can stay in good condition and scratch free.

You will need an Xbox opening kit. These are not expensive and can be easily obtained. Once you have this kit opening the console will present no problems. To flash means that you switch the DVD connector with the computer?s SATA port. You will use a firmware tool to flash it using a disc. Sometimes there is no SATA port. This is when you can try using a PCI SATA card on the condition that it has the VIA 6421 chipset. If it does not, it probably will not work.

Before you start flashing, write down the type of drive you have. This may be Samsung, Hitachi or Benq, each of which will require a different flashing procedure. Usually, you'll need to use the firmware tools IXtreme or Dosflash, which are run from a disc.

If you'd rather avoid opening up your XBox 360, then there is another option. You can use an online service which will let you download the software you need to easily unlock your XBox 360. You'll typically have to pay a subscription fee for these services, but you'll also have access to technical support, firmware updates and tutorials to make sure that flashing your XBox goes according to plan.

If you want to get around the limitations of your XBox 360, flashing is a good alternative to modding. It's important to keep in mind that neither of these techniques are free of risk and Microsoft discourages these practices. If your flashing goes well though, you'll finally be able to play backup copies of your favorite games and custom games; as long as these are legal in your state, flashing your XBox 360 can be a rewarding experience. - 18423

About the Author:

See how to download xbox 360 games, you can at this site. You can also download movies and music for your system. At this site you can learn how you can burn xbox 360 games easily, and pay only a few bucks per back up on each game you want to play for DVD discs.

Download Movies To iPhone And Watch All The Movies You Want

By Davion Wong

Movie freaks must be practically dying to learn how to download movies to iPhone. If watching movies is more than just a past time, you certainly would wish you can have a device that lets you watch movies anytime and anywhere.

Even if you are not exactly a movie freak, but do not have the time to go to the movie theatres, you will certainly welcome the idea of getting to watch movies while on the go. Thankfully, there are many mobile devices that you can use to watch movies wherever you are, and one of these is an iPhone.

An iPhone is a small gadget developed by Apple to provide users a different breed of entertainment. Now available in different models an iPhone basically allows you to make a call or text message, browse the World Wide Web, listen to music, play games, and watch movies and videos.

If want the safest means of downloading iPhone movies, use the Apple?s iTunes store, but for you to make iPhone movie downloads, set up an account with iTunes first. You will be required to download the iTunes software application.

The iTunes software is necessary for you to enable the transfer of files from iTunes to your iPhone. You see, even with all the great features of the iPhone, making a direct download of movies to iPhone is not yet possible. Movie files from the internet will have to be downloaded to your PC first using the iTunes software, and then when you have all the files you need in your iTunes library in your PC you can simply plug your iPhone to your PC to enable the transfer of files.

Aside from iTunes, there are other sites where you can make downloads of anything you want. Some people choose peer-to-peer sites because they?re free. However you must be aware that these sites are not safe to download from. Viruses and spyware applications can get into your system if you insist on downloading from these sites. You certainly must know how damaging they can be!

If you must download from other sites besides iTunes, make sure that you are downloading from a legal site. iPhone downloading review sites are among the best places to find out if a site is safe or not. You can also visit some techno forum sites and get the opinion of the experts there.

I have posted on my blog some of the best sites on the net where you can download movies to iPhone. - 18423

About the Author:

Discover where to get unlimited iPhone downloads and start watching in minutes. For more tips, read this on iPhone music downloads.

Indie Musicians! How To Get Your Music Heard

By Jane Thomson

When you are an aspiring music professional, your single greatest challenge is likely getting your music the exposure it needs to make it to the next level. Many artists with talent and a substantial fan base simply never find the exposure and personal success they seek because they do not know how to get their music heard, and heard by the right people. Luckily, there are a few foolproof ways to get your music out there.

Are you available on the Internet? You should be available on the internet. For most people, this means having a blog and participating in social networking sites. Post videos and audio clips of your work, making sure all files are of the highest quality. Make meaningful connections with other bloggers and ask them to link back to your videos. Having more links will mean having more exposure and more people who have heard of your music.

Many artists also belong to groups that allow them to network and share information on the music. Online groups are useful because they give you yet more valuable exposure. Local and regional groups also are useful because they can help you network and make acquaintances that can turn into valuable leads.

Get some Live Gigs by seeking out live performances wherever possible. Whether you are playing at a large community festival or a friend's house party, getting more people to hear your music with create more buzz and open other doors. Don't be afraid to take nonpaying gigs if they don't interfere with paying work. Be sure to bring a few CD's in case someone is in the buying mood.

Now, to know whats going on, you need to keep up with the music industry. Music markets are constantly changing, so it's important to know what is getting the most buzz and what is hopelessly passe. Although you should remain true to your artistry, you should avoid sounding tired or out of touch. When you know what audiences and recording labels are looking for, you will be able to choose the videos and recordings most likely to get your desired response. - 18423

About the Author:

Jane Thomson is a Freelance Writer for YouMusic.com, The Social Networking Site for Musicians. YouMusic.com Music Community has Music Chatrooms, Real-Time Music Forums, Music Blogs, Instant Messaging, Music Groups and More.