Loving it

On this page we're going to feature how to play, sing, dance etc. Here's the first one - if you want to learn how to play guitar! We'll give you links to get more information to help you get started.

Want to Play Guitar – Go online

If learning to play guitar has always been a dream, you're not alone. Millions of guitars made their way into homes last year, and thousands more will appear under Christmas trees this year.

The good news is that with loads of multimedia and websites now available, learning to play guitar has never been easier or more convenient.

With video and online instruction techniques now available you can skip the time-consuming process of learning scales, notes and music theory.

One such web resource is iPlayMusic which offers guitar lessons online at http://www.iplaymusic.com.

The lessons offer more than two hours of step-by-step video demonstrations, with training on how to play songs and "karaoke-style" scrolling lyrics and background music included to encourage playing and singing along.

You begin with the basics. By learning just three chords -- Chord D, A and G -- you can play literally thousands of songs. You can then mix in a few strumming patterns and you’re off.

It’s better to learn a little often by practising a few minutes each day, than sitting down for two hours just once a week.

The secret to success is practise, practise, practise.

LEARN TO MIX like a Pro

This is the basics of CD mixing – this is the easy stuff.

First get yourself a CD player – I said it was basic stuff !
You need to understand the ‘cueing process of a CD deck – you need to set up a cue point this is normally the first kickdrumbeat. This is the point at which the track will play when you press ‘Play’. Your CD deck will store this point in its memory and return to it each time you press the cue button. You can find the same kind of thing on most CD players. So now you know how to ‘cue’.

You can control how long the cue point sample plays by holding down the cue button. You can tap the button to create some fantastic sounds, in time with the other track you are playing. So, press play, when you hear your cue point, then once you hear your kickdrum, press the pause button. You will hear that part of the track being played – sounding like a digital noise.

When you have pressed pause after you heard your kick, you will have to rewind the track until you hear the beat again. You can use the skip button but most machines have a ‘jog’ wheel that you can spin. Ease the jog wheel round until you can hear the start of the kick , now press ‘cue’ to store the exact point that you selected. Now press play.

If you have a mixer you might have an FX unit so you could delay or adjust the pitch or recreate a melody sequence by taking your sample through various notes. You can loop on most CD players, all you do is copy a section of a track and it will play continuously in a loop.( Use the loop-in /out buttons on your CD player).

You’ve got to be pretty slick to get the timing just right – play the track 60 seconds or so before you want it to play, so that it’s in time with the music. At the right moment hit the ‘Loop-in’ button and this will start the start point of the loop , then hit the ‘Loop-out’ button to mark finish point of the loop.

You can get it right, but it will need some practice and you can always adjust the timing to fit.

For excellent info on DJing try www.i-dj.co.uk ( learn to mix)

Learn to be a singer

You have to present a professional front. Like any audition first impressions impress.

The first thing you need if you want to be a singer is a professional looking and produced CD. Then create a business plan around your music. It's simple really, all you need is a quality CD presented in a quality case and cover. Some professional photographs are required, not some quick snap shots taken by your best mate's partner who can borrow the latest digital camera from his dad !

You will need a written profile that features your career – about you and what you have done, your commitment and where you want your career to go. If you can afford it, get a video produced. You might be able to shoot some video clips yourself and then get a professional video company to edit it to your music. You might even persuade the video company to produce the video and give them one of your original tracks to use on their commercial videos in exchange for producing your video.

Now the difficult bit, getting your demo pack in front of the right people. You could get an agent or DIY by using any existing contacts or the Net to get to know the names and contact details of any company your interested in. Take any opportunity you get to be heard, give your CD to friends, your Mum’s local hairdresser, the school club night – really anywhere you can get your sound heard.

Getting your CDs out there can really help! CDs are inexpensive to produce and for a small investment you can make huge strides in promoting yourself. Sing wherever and whenever you can, it will help you develop your own style. Watch singers on TV and really study the singers you admire. Mimic them at first and eventually you’ll develop your own style.

Discover yourself , push yourself to be professional about your approach to singing and promoting yourself at every opportunity. This can mean putting lots of time in at weekends and evenings, but if you keep promoting yourself and don’t give in at the many disappointments you’re bound to encounter, you’ll get there in the end. If you produce a decent CD, promote it to your fans on your website, give free downloads maybe, exposure is the key at the beginning – getting as many people as possible to listen to you ‘live’ or to your CD.
There are lots of ways, but practice ,presentation and promotion are the key to success.