Self Taught Musician

More Free Music - Not Just for Kids

2006-08-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool free service that gives you 25 free MP3 downloads that can be played on any MP3 player or on your computer.

Get 25 FREE MP3s!
Choose from over 1,000,000 songs!
Works on any MP3 player, including the iPod®!
Click Here

If you cancel before the trial period is over, you can keep the songs you've downloaded (up to 25) and there will be absolutely no charge!

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guitar piano instruction learn music

The Mozart Effect and Babies

2006-07-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

I've been reading on the subject of the Mozart Effect, and stumbled onto this gem:

In 2001, the ‘Mozart Effect’ phenomena hit where a study found that babies can remember sounds they heard in the womb more than a year after birth after 11 one-year olds where tested. The research demonstrated that one-year-old babies recognize music they were exposed to up to three months before birth. Previously experts thought that babies could only remember anything for a month or two.

For the full article, see the New Zealand based "Arts Calendar":

http://www.artscalendar.co.nz/article/1863

Here's more:

Mozart came to the fore over other classical composers because of the pace of some of his music but there had been no evidence that playing classical music to babies helps to make their brains develop. NZSO Principal Flute, Bridget Douglas performed as part of the orchestra until a month before her 18mth daughter, Georgia was born. “She heard a lot of music in-utero,” says Bridget. “She certainly enjoys music. She hasn’t heard the full orchestra, but she perks up when she hears the flute.”

And in further health developments in 2001, British scientists found music, particularly Mozart, was seen as having a therapeutic effect on epilepsy. Short bursts of Mozart's Sonata K448 were found to decrease epileptic attacks.

Studies on rats showed that those that had listened to the K448 sonata were able to negotiate a maze faster than those that had been played minimalist music or left in silence. However further research on the ‘Mozart Effect’ must be pursued before this becomes authoritative.

In breaking news listening to Mozart helps patients perform more reliably in sight tests. The "Mozart effect" has also been associated with improved mathematical skills and improved learning among college students. Where will it all stop?

The latter issue: the more general subject of the effect of music on overall learning ability, is fascinating, isn't it?

Again, for the full article, see: http://www.artscalendar.co.nz/article/1863

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guitar piano instruction learn music

Free Children's Music

2006-07-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a neat site with (you guessed it) free children's music:

http://freekidsmusic.com

I haven't explored it in detail, but will soon. Looks like a great find!

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guitar piano instruction learn music

Another example: Danny Elfman

2006-07-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Elfman's Serenada Schizophrana coming October 3 from Sony ... - SoundtrackNet

Whether you like his music or not, including his soundtracks for films, Danny Elfman is quite a accomplished musician and songwriter.

Cool Free Recording Software

2006-07-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

If you haven't tried using Audacity, you should.

What is Audacity?

Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.

You can use Audacity to:

Record live audio.
Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files.
Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together.
Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
And more! See the complete list of features.

All you need is a microphone to record yourself playing your instrument. You can record and manipulate songs and send them to your friends or post them on a website.

Go to:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net

You'll be glad you did.

Self Taught Musician: Kerry Livgren

2006-07-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Many pop artists of the last several decades have been self-taught.

One of my favorites, Kerry Livgren, is a whiz at the guitar and keys. And an excellent songwriter too.

Of course, he achieved fame with his band Kansas. Though he left Kansas years ago, they are still making CDs and touring. You can find out more at www.kansasband.com.

Livgrens current group is named Protokaw: www.protokaw.com.

Check it out!

First post

2006-07-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first post for my new blog. It exists to provide tips, tools and tricks for folks who are dedicated to learning their instrument with or without a teacher.

If you provide your name and email on the form to the right, you'll receive updates in your email inbox.