Fazioli Piano Care Tips

By A Nutt

If you are the owner of a Fazioli piano, you are in possession of a very high quality musical instrument. With the best of care, your Fazioli piano will last a lifetime, and then some, but it`s important that you treat it right. Never, ever attempt to do any maintenance yourself. It might appear like a relatively simple thing to do, a slight adjustment, but you can do serious damage to the piano by attempting to work on it yourself.

General Care There are a few common sense rules to follow when handling your piano. Keeping it protected from extreme temperatures is a given, you`ll want your piano to be kept in a room or studio where the temperature is constant and humidity is low. Direct sunlight will not only fade your piano, but can cause problems with the tuning. Using curtains to protect your investment is a good idea.

Avoid use of cleansers when cleaning the piano. A feather duster will help remove dust without scratching the finish, after which a cloth may be used to wipe it down. Your piano dealer may have specific recommendations regarding the cleaning of the piano, so be sure to ask. Make sure to use different cleaning cloths for the keys, one for white keys and one for the black keys to keep things neat and unspoiled. Again, no cleaners should be used unless your Fazioli dealership suggests one that is safe for use on the piano.

Specialized Care Your Fazioli piano is a delicate instrument and requires a certified professional to work on it. Make sure you only hire someone with experience in this particular brand of piano, since they will be familiar with the subtleties that make a Fazioli produce its high quality sound. To find a certified technician, you can speak to the dealership where you purchased the piano. They will most likely offer the service themselves or they will be able to refer you to someone who will do the job correctly.

Whether or not your piano is used regularly, you`ll need to have it tuned twice a year. This will help prevent warping and the technician can inspect for any other damage during the tuning, as well. Since a piano becomes out of tune slowly over time, our ears tend to adapt and we don`t notice that the sound is off until it is drastically so. Having regular tunings will ensure that your piano always sounds its best. The action and voicing of the Fazioli piano should be checked once a year. This will require a professional, as well. This is an area that requires specialized care and attention to ensure that your piano stays in perfect condition. Only an expert will have the right tools and expertise for the job, so don`t attempt to do it yourself.

Most of looking after your piano is simply common sense. Things like keeping food and liquids away from your precision musical instrument is something that everyone should know already. You may also want to cover the piano with a drop cloth when not in use to protect it from dust which can scratch the fine finish, as well as get inside and cause issues with the soundboard. By looking after your Fazioli piano, protecting it from potential problems and ensuring that it is regularly maintained by a certified profession, you`ll be able to use your piano for decades and perhaps even pass it on to your descendents, still in great condition. Talk to your dealer about any special care tips before you buy and then follow them for the best results. - 18758

About the Author:

Learn to play piano and drums with music lessons Mississauga. Begin your musical interest by starting out with a used piano.

Tips For Beginner Guitar Songs

By Payo G Perry

If youve been practicing your chords and strumming patterns for a while now these beginner guitar songs are probably starting to look pretty tempting but how do you know which ones are best?

Luckily for beginners there are lots and lots of them available but please make sure you have done all the necessary preparation " dont rush into easy guitar songs too soon or youre going to be frustrated.

Of course everyone will know of the standard beginner guitar song classics such as Stand by Me, Knockin on Heavens Door and A Horse with No Name but there are hundreds more to choose from. It all depends on your musical taste.

One of the most important things to own is a Capo. This simple device will allow you to play in many different keys and avoid, should you wish to, the challenge of mastering Barre chords.

A quick look through beginner guitar songs will show you that they are almost always built from open chords and not the harder Barre chords. Having said this, by using a capo even harder songs can be converted into open chords and made suitable for beginners to play!

It takes a little bit of music theory to be able to convert songs this way but if you cant do it on your own perhaps a tutor or sources on the internet can assist you. Its main advantage is to widen the number of beginner guitar songs you can play by 10 times or more.

Although beginner guitar songs can seem very easy at first glance you should still prepare properly for them. If you rush in before youre ready you risk becoming frustrated and losing motivation, perhaps even (falsely) thinking you have no talent for guitar.

I would advise that daily practice of the chords and strums youll need for around 4 weeks should be adequate preparation before starting to learn beginner guitar songs.

A technique well worth considering is to identify and separate each element of the song you are trying to learn. Isolate the strum required and practice it without chords, isolate the progressions involved and cycle them with single strums. Do this rather than attempting everything at once.

When you follow this process youll give yourself the best possible chance of mastering beginner guitar songs quickly and easily. Good luck! - 18758

About the Author:

The writer is a professional guitar tutor and has used his expertise to teach 1000s of students how to play guitar. Check out his popular website Guitar in a Nutshell for loads of free tutorials on beginner guitar songs as well as tutorials on every aspect of guitar playing.

Black Women in Film Screening Will Be Hosted by Founder of Colored Girl Movement

By Todd Rutherford

The minds of the attendants at the Black Women in Film Screening Program are going to be expanded on June 6, 2009. Not only will they be screening several amazing films from emerging and established black filmmakers, they will be asked a question that is destined to change the world. Are you proud to be a colored girl?

Jackie Christie, wife of NBA star, and creator of the Colored Girl movement, will be the guest host of the Black Women in Film Screening Program, part of the Hollywood Black Film Festival, at 5:30 PM on Saturday, June 6, 2009 at the Laemmle Music Hall #3 theatre, located at 9036 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 30211.

The Colored Girl movement has been launched by Jackie with a book, clothing line, and a song she commissioned R&B heart throb Bobby Tinsley to produce. The Colored Girl movement is based on Jackies belief that all women around the world are beautiful women of color. Jackie desires to unite women from all walks of life, nationalities and cultures. Jackie Christie hopes to remove the stigma that comes with the term "Colored Girl." The age-old stereotyping of African American women has gone on practically unchallenged for centuries. Jackie is ready to remove the stigma of the way people think and feel about the term Colored Girl.

Jackie was chosen by Hollywood Black Film Festival founder, Tanya Kersey, to be a major speaker during this monumental event because of her philanthropic endeavors and inspirational encouragement to women. With her Colored Girl book, clothing line, and song, Jackie seeks to empower, inspire, and assist women around the world. All proceeds from the franchise aid impoverished families and single mothers everywhere.

Jackie Christie is a multi-talented model, clothing designer, producer, speaker, and author of three best selling books. She also heads the successful record label Jean Rah Fya Records, home to some of the hottest new talent in the business. The label's roster includes teen sensation Chani, R&B heart throb Bobby Tinsley, as well as the dynamic teen singing group Small Change, to name a few. - 18758

About the Author:

It is time to become Proud to Be a Colored Girl

Xbox 360 Buying Tips

By David Johnson

If you have finally made the decision to go out and get an Xbox 360, there are some things that you should know about finding the best deal on your gaming console.

There are a number of places where you can find one of these fun consoles, but you should be very careful about where you make your final decision to buy.

A very good avenue to try is the Internet. Here you are bound to find the Xbox 360 being offered at a fairly good price, however you do need to exercise some caution. First of all, you need to be quite clear on what you are buying so make absolutely certain that you read the product description thoroughly first. Secondly, you need to be aware that although some of the consoles are new, there are others that are in fact reconditioned, meaning that they have been repaired.

It is about making an informed decision. Although reconditioned units would not be considered a bad thing, the fact is that they are not brand new. When a problem is discovered the console is returned for repairs to be made. That done, the console is practically new and there is no problem with that. But you should be aware of it before you decide to buy.

If you are looking for the best price, a reconditioned Xbox 360 is probably your best bet, but if you are not comfortable with that, you could try the online auctions. This is a good place to find an Xbox 360 at a better than retail price. Just determine how much you are willing to pay and make sure that you don't get caught up in a bidding war.

To compare prices for the best deal available go online and search there for comparisons. It is much easier to go from one site to another in the comfort of your own home without the expense of gas and shoe leather when going from one store to another. Just make sure the person reputable when shopping on line for your Xbox 360.

The retail stores are having some really great sales as more and more shoppers are holding on to their money. This may be a perfect time to get an Xbox 360 as retailers are trying to encourage consumers to spend their money with good deals on their merchandise. Keep an eye on the sales ads and you will find a great deal.

When it comes to the fun Xbox 360 you have made a good decision to buy and now that you are armed with some tips on where to purchase your console, you can go ahead and buy it! - 18758

About the Author:

Save your cash, you can learn to download XBOX 360 games from the net and burn XBOX 360 games on your 360. You'll see how to download xbox 360 games your 360 at all.

My Music Memories: My Time With U2 Concerts

By Ian Sawyer

The year was 1987, when I was 15 years old, my father took me to see U2 at, what was then, Foxboro Stadium. It was the Joshua Tree Tour, in support of their Grammy winning album that would go on to catapult them to the top of the rock 'n roll food chain. I was old enough to appreciate the vibrant synergy of the audience and the incredible hold the band had over so many people. But I was too young to fully commit to each song, and took away more of the awe of being amongst 50,000 people than the awe of being in the presence of Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton. I remember squinting to see Bono, in a cowboy hat and an arm sling (he had separated his shoulder the night before in New York) because he was so far away. For days after the show, I wore my concert t-shirt with pride even though it was too big for me and hung lifelessly off my bony frame. My friends, and even some strangers, would praise me in the hallway, impressed that I had actually seen U2 live. One year later, the t-shirt would be worn through and reduced to a dust rag.

When U2 returned to Foxboro in August of 1992, supporting Achtung Baby!, I had just turned 20. Things had certainly changed. While I wasn't technically of drinking age, I will admit that the pre-show tailgating before the concert was one of the most glorious times I'd ever had in a parking lotuntil then, at least. The show itself, featuring an immense stage, inspired set list, and compelling onstage antics, would go down in the history books as one the most over-the-top and impressive live concert events ever. To say that the crowd was into it is like saying a starving man is into filet mignon. It was awesome. Highlights of the Zoo TV Tour included a stage so tall that blinking air-traffic lights were required, a gorgeous belly dancer seducing Bono during "Mysterious Ways," and Bono phoning the White House to talk to President Bush between songs. In retrospect, the entire production was one long highlight.

5 years would go by before U2 returned to Foxboro, and I made sure I was there. The Popmart Tour, supporting a combination of POP and Zooropa came to town in July of 1997, and I was 25-a pretty good year all around. I was newly single, had a good job, and was living in the Boston area. I had already seen the band in Philadelphia on the same tour and was as big a fan as you could find back then. While many people consider POP and Zooropa to be less than stellar albums, at least by U2 standards, I've always found them quite enjoyable. Similarly, the Popmart Tour was considered, by some, to be weird and self-indulgent-a far cry from the successes of Zoo TV. The infamous giant lemon-shaped disco mirror ball, and the enormous yellow arch (suggesting half of the McDonald's golden arches) were meant to reflect the album's themes regarding pop culture and commercialism-elements that were lost on many concertgoers. However, I was a big fan of the set list and the techno-heavy nuances they brought to their songs, new and old.

In the 4 years between Zooropa and U2's next studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, the band shrugged off the flawed character-driven cultural study of the Popmart era and embraced their more personal lyric writing roots. Songs like "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On" were inspiring and uplifting. Appropriately named the Elevation Tour, U2 took the opportunity to leave outdoor stadiums behind, playing strictly arenas. Inside, U2's heart-shaped stage and cutting edge surround sound system were a welcome departure from the overwhelming grandeur of past tours. The Elevation Tour was more intimate, and more accessible for fans. I caught a couple shows at Boston's Fleet Center in June of 2001. Having an Irish-based affection for Boston, U2 pulls out all the stops when in town, and I am always proud to be present at a U2 concert in my hometown.

Nothing changed from the Elevation Tour to U2's next tour. Again taking place in arenas, the Vertigo Tour came to Boston's Fleet Center in December of 2005 in support of How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The heart-shaped stage was now a giant circle, and a vast curtain of high-tech light bulbs surrounded the stage, making a floor-to-ceiling see-through screen. The stage was nearly centered in the arena and fans enjoyed seating pretty much all around the stage, upping the intimacy factor. The show I attended was one of the best sounding concerts I have ever been to and, as usual, the crowd was hanging on every guitar riff and vocal chorus.

Recently U2 released No Line On The Horizon and is in the midst of warming up for their next world tour. On September 20, I'll be attending U2 360 in Foxboro. Early stage design research suggests that U2 will be playing in the middle of stadiums on a huge, circular, rotating stage. Reports claim that every seat in the place will afford fans a totally immersive experience. While ticket prices border on outrageous for high quality seats, I feel I owe it to myself to be as close to the band as possible since I've supported them on every tour since 1987. For almost 30 years U2 have provided me with a lifelong soundtrack that's gotten me though the best and worst of days. It's likely that this will be the last time I'll have this opportunity to enjoy the tailgating, the crowd, the stage, the lights, and, above all, the music. Hopefully it will feel more like a thank you than a goodbye. - 18758

About the Author:

Ian Sawyer is a Freelance Writer for YouMusic.com, The Social Networking Site for Musicians, Featuring a vibrant Music Community has Music Chat Rooms, Real-Time Music Forums, Blogs, Instant Messaging, Music Groups and Concert Tickets such as U2 Concert Tickets