The Cultural Significance of Irelands Bodhran

By Benedict Perez

The Irish frame drum bodhran has a diameter of 10-26 inches. Its sides measure three-and-half to eight inches deep. Its head can either be made of greyhound, sheep, goat, calf, deer, or horse skin, although goat is the normal choice. The head is cleaned and treated with the use of a secret process; it is then stretched over a shell, glued, fastened, and dried.

This plain and ancient frame drum can be seen in other including Algeria, China, Egypt, Morocco, and Russia. Native Americans of North America also use a frame drum. Irelands frame drum is distinctive, even though frame drums in other countries bear a resemblance to the Irish version in appearance and technique.

One to two bars of a crosspiece are placed inside the shell. The crosspiece makes it easier to grip the bodhran, making it possible for the player to play it and walk at the same time. This is important because the Irish frame drum plays a significant role in Irish festivals.

Every year on Dec. 26 during St. Stephens Day, Wren Boys move a wren from house to house, playing the bodhran and singing as they do it. Sports fans also use this drum while rooting for their favorite clubs. As traditional music moved indoors to concert halls and recording studios in Ireland, players recognized that the crosspiece was not required anymore, as they came up with new techniques minus the crosspiece.

A double-ended stick called a cipin or tipper is used to play the frame drum. This use of the cipin and the playing methods are what make the Irish frame drum distinctive. Most frame drums are played using only the bare hands.

The real origins of the Irish frame drum are not known. One theory is that in ancient Ireland, even until the 1950s, a sieve or skin tray was utilized in sifting various materials. One of the names given to this skin tray was the bodhran.

In Gaelic, it can mean tray, deafening, thundered, or dull sounding. While using this skin tray, people soon took notice of the soft rhythmic sound made by it and from there the frame drum was developed. The Roman overlords of the ancient Celts may have brought with them a form of frame drum from the Middle East that became the bodhran. - 18758

About the Author:

A Bodhran originates from Ireland and is made up of goatskin to produce a distinctive sound of music. It is similar to a drum but it is open on the other side and many musicians have tried to integrate modern type of music with this musical instrument. Simply visit this site at http://www.yourworldinstruments.com to know more about it.

Buying A First Guitar

By Brian Hughes

When you are buying a new guitar one of the most relevant things you should ask the seller or at least have in mind is what kind of music do you want to play with this new guitar.

Whether you want to play hard rock, heavy metal, country, jazz and everything in between, the most recommended is that you should start using an acoustic guitar. After you are comfortable with an acoustic, you will find playing the electric guitar much easier.

Absolutely anybody can start playing rock with an electric guitar with a terrific multi effects unit. But you should start using an acoustic guitar or even an electric acoustic guitar. The main difference between an electric acoustic guitar and a regular acoustic guitar is very simple, both guitars are acoustic, but the difference is that the electric one has electronics in it to be able to use it with an amp as well.

On the other hand between a classical and a regular acoustic guitar is a clear difference in the make of the strings. In the classical guitar, the string is manufactured by nylon which produces a more opaque and dull sound. A traditional acoustic guitar produces a more brilliant sound with steel or nickel strings.

Once you have determined the purpose you need a new guitar, the next step is comparing brands, quality and prices. There are several brands in the market but I always recommend that you try to find the best quality of the instrument you can afford.

Sometimes you are playing something and if you are a newbie or beginner performer you are going to think that the problem is your playing. Sometimes the instrument doesn't help you to move forward and this is the reason why you should choose a high quality instrument. - 18758

About the Author:

Find some of the best sell used musical instruments online and get a great deal.

The World In Writing

By Robert M Petrie

Writing has always fascinated me, the reason is that we all have access to the same amount of words and after all there are only so many words. Yet there are so many different combinations to put all these words into that we all have the same opportunity to create a great Story or Poem.

If we produce our own work then how do we know if it is worthy of the public to read. Up until recently it has always been down to some body within a Company of Publishers that decides whether you work will see the light of day. This is what can be so soul destroying for anyone that writes.

In my opinion this is all wrong, there are probably great Books or Poems etc.. that have not seen the light of day because one or two people within a Publishing Company decided that they were not good enough.

The work of many individuals with different ideas have never been recieved by the many different people with their different tastes is something that should have changed long ago.

There can be much more material avialable for the public to enjoy thanks to the Internet. Because if you write it, you can Publish it and not have to rely on anyone else's opinion. You can get your work to the world.

If I write a Story or Poem then I would like the choice of deciding if I want others to read it. I have that choice and my work can be seen on the Internet. You never know you might like it, but I have the choice to let you read it and you have the choice to then read it or not. The point is the choice.

Bypass the Publishers and get your own work out there for the people of this world to read. We have the stepping stone before us in the form of the Internet. - 18758

About the Author:

If you would like to check my work out then you can find what is available so far at my Blog. This Page will tell you a little about myself. If you do decide to have a read then I Thank You and hope you will return for many more releases in the future at Robert M Petrie.Com

How To Play The Blues On Guitar Like A Pro

By Mark Clarence

How to play the blues on guitar? is a question that every beginner asks an advanced level guitarist. This article will help beginners to learn this important skill, from the best sources possible.

Rock, alternative, pop, folk, country, metal, and blues etc. are some of the most important genres of music. Everyone has his/her own choice towards a type of music. To learn how to play the blues on guitar, it is necessary that you know the most appropriate source. You can do almost anything through the internet, and even that from the comfort and safety of your home.

The most vital thing to do here is that you must develop a good listening capability, so you can get a better inspiration for playing guitar.

There are a number of famous artists, who are good in playing blues. In fact, you will find a large number of sources that offers to help you learn how to play blues on guitar, and a major reason behind it is time and money constraint.

Fortunately, the internet hosts various sources that aim to teach you how to play the blues on guitar through a number of education videos, tutorials, forums, lessons and even software.

A complete program offers a number of benefits to a customer, including DVDs, books, and online support for lessons. All the learning sections offered by these programs are quite helpful in learning how to play the blues on guitar. This can be done through checking reviews from experts about the potential source, or assessing feedback from people like you who have used the same source in order to learn how to play the blues on guitar.

A complete program offers a number of benefits to a customer, including DVD s, books, and online support for lessons.

By reading reviews, you can always get a good understanding of a guitar learning program. Practice is necessary, and the more you will practice, better will be the playing ability. Patience is also a key factor in learning how to play the blues on guitar, and by taking everything gradually and slowly, you can get to learn every basic in its entirety.

This is will ensure that you take a wise decision and invest your money in the right place. When learning how to play the blues on guitar, you need to remember the reliability does not ensure you get favorable results.

Getting stuck at one point or making the same mistake is a standard part of the training process and should not deter you from following your interest. Learning the basics will make you a better guitar player, and you'll be liked by everyone.

Of course, its a dream of every guitarist to play in front of crowds, so when you will learn all the necessary skills, you will be confident enough to play in front of a crowd. - 18758

About the Author:

If you want to learn how to play the blues on guitar, then you need to realize the numerous benefits Learn and Master Guitar.

Procedure To Convert MP3 Files Into CD Format

By Susan Reynolds

MP3 files are the compressed WAV files. In other words, the high quality Wav files are reduced in size to create the MP3 format. MP3 files have some very interesting advantages to them, such as the small size and portability. It is possible to store over a hundred MP3 files into one CD ROM. The music quality is also kept intact. Although the MP3 files have so much on offer, you may still need to convert the MP3 files back to CD format. This is because many CD players do not identify the MP3 format, and hence do not play it. Most car CD players fail to play the MP3 format.

MP3 files are actually the data files that can be played on a computer with utmost ease. Converting the MP3 files back into the CD format would require you to have a decoder. The decoding utility makes it possible to convert the MP3 files into the wav files.

If you are lucky to have a CD writer installed on your PC, you may find it extremely easy to convert MP3 into CD. You need to look out for a utility that came wit your CD writer, capable of burning CD. In case you can not find the utility, you could browse through the CD that came with your writer and install it. Different utilities would have their own user interface. However, the following steps would help you convert MP3 into CD on most utilities.

Once you have installed and opened the utility, you should find a few options to begin with, such as data, audio, photo and video, backup, favorites, and extras. However, the option that says audio, or something similar to it is the one that should interest you. You need to click this option, and then you should find a dialog box that has an empty panel, and probably a button that says "Add? or may be "browse?. The window may have some more options, but you need to be clicking on the "Add? button. Once the "Add? button is clicked, you would be able to browse through the MP3 files you want to convert. As and when you add the files, an indicator would let you know how many more files you can add. The indicator could be a progress bar some thing else. Before the files are added to the empty panel, they are converted into the CD format by the application.

You may click the "Next? button available on the window. This will open up another window that prompts you for some more detail, such as the CD title and artist name. Once you have filled up the details you can click on the "Burn? or "Next? option given to you. This will initiate the burn process. It could take a few minutes for the burn process to complete. Once the burn process is completed, the utility will come up with an alert box to let you know the same.

With the above sequence of steps, you can convert the MP3 files into CD format. If you do not have a CD writer or the required software, you may download and install a decoder from the internet. The decoding software you install would also function more or less on the same pattern. - 18758

About the Author:

Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for Free Music Download website. For more information visit: http://www.musicdownload3mp.com