Being told that one has no musical talent can be emotionally and psychologically damaging to a person, and influence decisions to pursue music as a hobby or career. While there are other types of hobbies and careers that require skill and savvy, few seem to elicit the same negative emotional response as the belief that one is not musically talented or inclined.

There are those of us who are athletes, mathematicians, physicians, educators, scientists, business executives, etc. If a person is not good at math or is not able to run fast for example, there may be feelings of inadequacy that can affect the person’s viability in fields related to these skills. When someone is not good at music, particularly singing, there are the added components of ridicule and criticism (perceived or quite real).

This may have an even greater negative effect on one’s desire to pursue the arts than when deciding whether or not to pursue a traditional career discipline. Musical talent represents much more to people than just the ability to create attractive sounds. There’s a tremendous emotional component. Having musical talent vs. not having it may influence a person’s feelings of self-worth due to talent being associated with a certain glory evident in our culture today.

In today’s culture, talent is associated with wealth and fame and being regarded as special and unique in some way. People who have obvious talent get attention and are viewed as having something special. When those who try to emulate this do not succeed or are told point blank that they have no talent, they may feel left out of receiving this special type of positive validation. Students seeking lessons often begin with feelings of trepidation and a lack of confidence due to preconceived notions about themselves. This can be more crippling than a student’s actual level of ability.

This "no talent belief" often starts in childhood. Robert (a client) was in first grade and was asked along with the other children to individually come up and follow a melody the teacher played on the piano. According to what they sang, she separated them into the you can sing/you can’t sing sides of the room, the latter being where he was sent. This incident convinced him that he had no talent, and was a major obstacle when he sought out and began voice lessons later in life. It was compounded even more by a thoughtless comment made in passing by his mother: "you’re tone deaf." Let’s keep in mind that a true educator would never help a child discover their talents in such a callous, damaging way, and that his mother had no background in the performing arts. Yet these two comments made by those who probably didn’t have any malicious intent profoundly influenced Robert’s self-esteem.

People often allow incidents like this to discourage them from pursuing their musical dreams. More often than not, a lack of obvious talent has more to do with our belief system than our actual ability. While there are mechanics and a genetic predisposition that influence the ability to sing and play musical instruments, musical ability is largely emotional, psychological, and driven by desire.

Dispelling the belief that one has no ability can open the floodgates to talent that would otherwise not have the opportunity to emerge. New musicians should surround themselves with other like minded people, not leave themselves open to criticism by asking those around them (particularly those with no music background) how they sound, send a clear message that their music is important to them, find supportive coaches whose teaching methods are self-esteem supporting, and not react to the jokes and snickering (often times people who are critical who are just trying to get a rise out of us) of others.

The Musicians’ Resource is a source for music training items, instruments, downloads, karaoke, pro-audio equipment, sheet music, and more. For more on music related resources and topics, please visit http://musicians-resource.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Cichinski

Based in Des Moines, Iowa, Slipknot has been entertaining adoring fans for more than ten years with their alternative metal, heavy metal, nu metal, and rapcore albums and singles. The group, which is currently on hiatus, has been attracting a following with their rather extreme musical and performance style since 1995.

Background Information

Consisting of nine members, Slipknot has produced the majority of their music under the Roadrunner label since 1997. The band utilizes a common guitar arrangement, showcasing the talents of a lead and rhythm guitarist, as well as a bassist. A unique characteristic associated with the band is that unlike other groups, Slipknot includes two percussionists alongside their primary drummer. Through their evolution, Slipknot moved from near growling vocal sounds to the more recent melodic-infused style, while the lyrics have always presented aggressive tones and dark subject matter, including anger and nihilism.

Brief Career History

The group was known during its early years as The Pale Ones, Meld, and Pyg system before settling on their current name. It was during that time that most of the songs appearing on the album "Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat" and later productions were created. Before Joey Jordison became a part of the band, the lead drummer position was given to Shawn Crahan (the founder of the group). It was Crahan who wished to create a distinct tribal resonance and what he called a wall of sound by using three drummers. Jordison is credited with later designing the band logo, which capitalized the k to pay homage to one of their major influences, Korn.

Over the years, many changes occurred in the lineup of the band. After the release of their first album on Halloween 1996, lead vocalist Anders Colsefini was moved to percussion and replaced with Corey Taylor. Colsefini left the band soon after, just before the group solidified a deal with Roadrunner Records. A self-titled album followed, and the group began to make their rounds touring with Ozzfest and achieving platinum sales status in 2000. This was a first for any album associated with Roadrunner Records.

A second album, "Iowa," was released in 2001, as the band once again toured, appeared in several different concerts, and was nominated for a Grammy in 2002. After the release of their fourth album, which continued to experiment with different song structures, additional tours were booked; a live album was released; and after a Grammy win for Best Metal Performance for "Before I Forget" in 2006, an interview with Corey Taylor revealed the group would take a break until 2008 while band members worked on side projects.

Current Members

Designated numbers and the masks identify current Slipknot members. Sid Wilson (0, turntables) wears a skull mask; Joey Jordison (1, drums) wears a white Japanese Noh mask with black lines; Paul Gray (2, bass guitar) wears a Hannibal-Lecter-type mask; Chris Fehn (3, custom percussion and backing vocals) wears a Pinocchio-style mask connected to a leather hood with zippable mouth; James Root (4, rhythm guitar) wears a white Jester mask; Craig Jones (5, keyboards) wears a mask with black needles coming from all directions; Shawn Crahan (6, custom percussion, backing vocals) traded a happy clown face for the look of a bloody, bandaged clown; Mick Thompson (7, lead guitar) wears a metal face with a grill-style mouth cover; and Corey Taylor (8, lead vocals) wears a Leatherface stitched face mask.

Former Members

Over the years, Slipknot has made a handful of changes to their lineup, especially with their guitar players. Former band members include Donnie Steele (guitar); Greg Welts (percussion); Josh Brainard (guitar and backing vocals); John Green (guitar); Quan Nong (guitar); and Patrick Neuwirth (guitar).

Discography and Musical Achievements

Released under a small record company based in Nebraska in 1996, "Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat" became Slipknot’s first album. Under Roadrunner Records, the group has reached two-time platinum status with their second album, "Slipknot" (1999), followed by the 2001 platinum record "Iowa"; the 2004 platinum record, "Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)"; and the 2005 "9.0 Live." An anticipated album is currently scheduled for a 2008 release. The single "Duality" from their 2004 album reached the Top 10 lists across U.S. modern rock and mainstream rock charts.

Slipknot’s work has also appeared on a series of major motion picture soundtracks, including "Rollerball" (I Am Hated); "Resident Evil" (My Plague); "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (Vermillion); "Scream 3" (Wait and Bleed); and "Freddy vs. Jason" (Snap). Over the years, the band has released a couple of DVDs which have reached a multiple-platinum sales status. "Welcome To Our Neighborhood" (1999), "Disasterpieces" (2002), and "Voliminal: Inside The Nine" (2006) has all become popular DVD selections.

Overall, the band has appeared on a wide range of major national and international tours, such as Ozzfest and various events in Stockholm and Japan. The group easily reached the level of Grammy award status, as nominations for the Best Metal Performance and Best Hard Rock Performance were bestowed upon singles from three out of four of their albums. In 2006, they took home their first Grammy.

If You’re After Slipknot Merchandise… We’ve got the largest range of rock, punk,metal and goth merch available online. Geteverything from band buttons to T-shirts. Visit: http://www.planet13.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christina_Dee

With roots firmly planted in Los Angeles, California, the rock band Tool was formed in 1990. Throughout a rather active and commercially embraced career, the group first displayed a heavy metal sound characterized by what some describe as a slam and bang kind of approach. At the time, the group stood out because heavy metal was then associated with a thrash type of metal sound. After the release of their second album in 1996, Tool became recognized as the forerunners for the alternative metal movement.

Background Information

Tool comprises four band members, who have presented an array of progressive rock, art rock, alternative metal, and progressive metal musical selections. Over the course of their ongoing career, the following labels have represented the group: Zoo Entertainment, Volcano II, and Tool Dissectional.

The band is also known for releasing long or complicated songs with controversial lyrics presented in an abstract manner, as well as unconventional music videos, which have led to the censorship of their creativity. To this day, Tool receives critical praise and sells out worldwide performances. When a new album is produced, their efforts top the charts and are embraced in many different countries.

Current Members

Currently, Tool is composed of Danny Carey (drums and percussion), Justin Chancellor (bass), Maynard James Keenan (vocals), and Adam Jones (guitar). Previously, the group included Paul D’Amour on bass, but in 1995, he decided to leave the band to explore more experimental projects. After departing Tool, he formed a well-accepted psychedelic pop band and later ventured into additional side projects.

Brief Career History

During the early days of Tool, the future members of the group had all moved to Los Angeles by the 1980s. With different pursuits on their mind, such as art and film, they took on a variety of jobs before meeting up through mutual friendships. First Keenan and Jones met one another through a friend and began to establish jam sessions by the end of the ’80s.

Carey lived above Keenan at the time and became acquainted with the group after being introduced by a mutual friend. Carey began to lend a hand to the duo when invited musicians didn’t show up for jam sessions. Bassist D’Amour was then initiated, and the band was now considered complete. Three months later, Tool landed a record deal with Zoo Entertainment and quickly found themselves touring with the likes of Fishbone and Rage Against the Machine.

Immediate respect in the industry came when their first commercial release, "Opiate" (1992) hit the airwaves. One year later, their first full-length album, entitled "Undertow," became a reality in 1993. Soon they earned a space on the Lollapalooza tour, and other notable performances followed. In 1994, a single titled "Prison Sex" generated negative criticism, as the music video was deemed too graphic and offensive for viewers. The subject of child molestation and the public’s reaction eventually caused MTV to ban the video after a few appearances.

In 1995, D’Amour left the band after the second album entered the recording process. Two months later, Justin Chancellor, who was once part of an English band called Peach, replaced him. Tool was familiar with his music because they had already toured with the band in Europe. Over the years, the group continued to face censorship and difficulty obtaining airplay. A brief snag in management also delayed their next album. As time passed, the group was able to overcome numerous obstacles and still continues to express themselves through their music.

Discography & Musical Achievements

Since their establishment, Tool has produced four studio albums: "Undertow" (1993; 2x platinum); "Aenima" (1996; 3x platinum); "Lateralus" (2001; 2x platinum); and "10,000 Days" (2006; platinum). With the release of their last two albums, the group enjoyed more than 550,000 sales each within the first week. They also captured the number-one position on the United States music charts. Some of the singles that have made an impact on the Top 10 and Top 20 music charts in both mainstream and modern rock circles across the world include "Sober" (1993); "Stinkfist" (1996); "Schism" (2001); "Parabola" (2001); "Vicarious" (2006); and "Jambi" (2007).

If You’re After Tool Merchandise…
We’ve got the largest range of rock, punk,
metal and goth merch available online. Get
everything from band buttons to T-shirts.
Visit: http://www.planet13.com.au
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christina_Dee

Have you ever aspired to be a great writer or songwriter? Whether a writer of novels, songs or short stories, do you dream of writing materials to be read by others who admire your talent? Maybe you’d like to write poems to express your feelings on paper. Have you ever dreamed of being a writer of songs to be sung by famous artists?
Songwriting comes from deep within and the lyrics are usually the expression of someone’s true feelings. If you have a desire and can express yourself in writing, then you have the making of a songwriter. Whether you’re a happy person and can express that happiness into a song, or a romantic person with the capability of writing a beautiful love song, your unique talents can shine through in a song. You can achieve your goals with the vast opportunities available in the music industry.
Numerous Ways to Get Your Songwriting Talent Noticed
One way to get noticed is to use your talent by entering a lyrics contest. Many are available now on the Internet. One unique songwriting contest in particular allows you to enter in a lyric and compete for a spot in which an actual song is in the making to help fight the battle against cancer. The song is called "Oceans of Love" and plans are underway to have it recorded by a well-known recording artist once all the lyrics have been chosen.
Some lyrics contests might allow you to enter lyrics and music you’ve written while others might allow you to enter the lyrics of the song without music.
If you have lyrics and a great tune but no sheet music, there are many programs available online today that will write the sheet music to your song for you with minimal effort. You’ll just enter the key notes into the songwriting software and the program actually writes the notes for the sheet music.
Also, you can ask a musician you know and trust to put music to your words. Don’t give up just because you don’t have the music. Your song could be a hit if you strive to get it recognized.
A Wide Variety of Music
Whether you’re into country music, contemporary Christian, gospel, or pop, the music industry offers opportunities for everyone. If you prefer alternative blues, jazz and everything in between, there’s a place for you among the music stars. The possibilities of entering into different types of songwriting contests are endless, especially if you have access to the Internet. This is a great way to get started. What do you have to lose?
Don’t Wait. Just Go For It!!
Whatever your dreams and aspirations may be and however you decide to achieve them, there is a world out there waiting for your talent. No one will ever know you possess the talent unless you reveal it.
You can get your talent noticed. Think of all the people who have talent but are afraid to venture out for fear of being rejected. There are many very talented people who will always wonder, "What could have been?" Don’t let life pass you by. Take a chance and at least explore the songwriting possibilities that are awaiting you.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.Learn more about Enter a Songwriting Contest! or Majon’s Music directory.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson

The modern world of high speed internet, microwave ovens, fast cars, and Television creates expectations of instant results that are neither realistic nor sustainable when it comes to learning a difficult instrument such as the piano. Children and sometimes parents expect overnight results. This perception of learning is based on what C. Wright Mills calls a Sociological Imagination, or what I call a shared illusion about reality, learned mainly from TV and the movies.

Here’s an example. Ever watch the show "Friends." This show glorifies people in their 30s who still act like adolescents. Wait a minute, that’s not really fair - my apologies. I know plenty of adolescents who are more responsible than the cast of characters in Friends. Sure. It’s a cute show but think about its content? What message does it send to young people? Certainly not the message that hard work and sacrifice pays off.

Learning to play the piano is more like the sustained effort of planning and growing your own garden, and then sharing your harvest with your family and friends. We have some blueberry plants growing in our back yard. They were very small when we first planted them, producing only a few berries. Now 15 years later, we harvest a freezer full of blueberries every summer! Many times we could have dug them up and planted some more attractive shrubs, but we always believed that one day they would grow into big blueberry "trees" and give us lots of yummy fruit. And now after years of care, they do.

Nurturing your child’s or your own musical talent is a lot like growing a garden. It takes time and patience. As well as attention to the simple things, like coming to lessons each week, attending recitals, developing a practice routine, staying focused on your goals, and believing that one day your dream will come true.

To learn the best way to share the gift of music with children visit Amazon.com for my Piano Bears Musical Stories for Children The exciting Piano Bears Musical Stories for children ages 5 to 11 feature the loveable characters, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Children love following along with Albeart to Mrs. Treble Beary’s piano studio in Musical Acres Forest. Here they learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand and appreciate! Piano students laugh and giggle while reading "Little Bear’s Musical Garden" and "Little Bear’s Piano Goals."

For a wealth of f’ree information and piano music online visit Piano Bears Music Education Resources Don’t Wait to Share the Gift of Music!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cynthia_VanLandingham

There is no need to be envious of those who seem more talented or skilful than you. Some experts say that if you work hard and practice for many hours, you can equal the abilities of the talented. You may even out perform them. You may see your own talent emerge out of nothing.

It is only too easy to become envious of people who appear more talented than you. Everything seems to come easily to them.

My web designer can run rings round me when it comes to designing a great website and organizing uploads and downloads etc.

However, my typing speed is superior to his! Why? Because I have practiced typing without looking at the keys for years and he hasn’t. If he had put in the same amount of time typing and using the same methods that I have, his talent for typing might well equal or even overshadow mine. .

If I put in the same hours that he has web designing, my skills in this area might equal his. I am still trying to catch up with him but it will be a long haul!

In some martial arts, students are awarded higher grades on the basis of the hours they train in class. Some students excel by training on their own at home as well.

The extra hours they put in soon become obvious when they attend class. They can even out perform the naturally talented who do not train as hard as they do. Hard work can give you the edge over the talented but lazy person

Studies by researchers have shown that the difference between expert musicians concerned the ‘amounts of time they had spent in solitary practice during their music development.’ It did not depend on their IQ and other traits in which they were found to be only average.

The best experts had put in 10,000 hours of practice by the age of twenty. The least accomplished experts had practiced for 5,000 hours. Serious amateur pianists had put in 2000 hours.

Studies by Ericsson, Sloboda, Starkes and others have shown that the ‘accumulated amount of deliberate practice is closely related to the attained level of performance of many types of experts such as musicians, chess players and athletes.’

In other words practice deliberately and consistently and you will attain high levels of performance which are superior to the performance of those who have practiced less than you. You will appear talented to any observer.

Such studies can give us all hope. Spending deliberate hours of practice can improve our skills and talents. Studies of the talented do not reveal higher IQ’s or special abilities beyond the norm. They just practice more than the average person. They are ready to work harder than the average.

Tony Buzan, the great educational expert, believes that great things can happen to all of us. He teaches:

“Genius is trainable. It is teachable. It is nurturable. If you look at all the people called geniuses in history they shared common characteristics. It wasn’t a bigger IQ. It wasn’t a bigger brain."

What was it then? Buzan answers:

“It was persistence in pursuit of a vision.”

Geniuses and high achievers show extraordinary self-motivation and focus. They are no cleverer than the rest of the human race but they are willing to work much harder than the majority.

We should all then expect great things of ourselves. We have the potential to achieve amazing things. We could all change human history.

Churchill was seen as a bit of a dunce at school but he knew how to ‘persist in pursuit of a vision’. He counseled the nation to never give up in the face of Nazi aggression. His vision of freedom came true because he kept fighting in the face of overwhelming odds. He held on to his dream of victory.

We all have awesome brains. Too often we don’t make the most of them. Some experts, like Tony Buzan, believe that anyone can be a genius. They just need to work hard and discover the potential within them.

However, there are other experts who believe you have to be born with great talent and then have to combine this talent with powerful character traits like determination, focus and persistence.

The notorious Simon Cowell, the pop idol critic, who is famous for speaking the truth as he sees it, believes that pop singers are born and not made.

When he went to America and was one of the judges on the ‘American Idol’ panel, many people were shocked at his comments. Part of the American dream is that anyone can achieve anything if they believe and try hard enough. With a dream like this, it is no wonder that the USA still leads the world in so many areas of life.

In the UK, many people are now sceptical about everything. Such scepticism did not make Britain great.

Simon Cowell exported this scepticism to the USA and exploded the dreams of hundreds of young Americans by telling them that they could not sing however hard they tried.

When one young man asked if lessons would help, he brutally replied:

“You could take two thousand lessons and still not be able to sing.”

One of Simon’s fellow panelists, Paula Abdul, was shocked at his comments and much preferred to let people down easily by saying that training might well help them. Cowell described her attitude as patronising.

However, after a year or so of mutual hatred, they are now the best of friends. Many Americans say that they appreciate Simon’s truthfulness.

There is, of course, some truth in Simon’s approach. Some dreams really are impossible. A power lifter is not likely to succeed as a ballet dancer and vice versa. Humans can run fast but they can’t take off and fly without the aid of machines.

SIimon can be amusing. It is easy to be amusing when you are criticizing others. He was asked if he could sing by a member of the audience. “No,” he replied, “but after hearing that lot last night, I’m beginning to think I can!”

I was slung out of the school choir at the age of eight for ‘growling’. After hearing some modern singers whose ‘growling’ voices enhance their popularity, I am beginning to think that I, too, missed a huge opportunity!

People like Simon can destroy the hopes of a whole group of people. Possibly they would all fail as pop singers but how can we be sure? Some of the singers criticized by him in the UK went on to make their names in the pop business.

In the end, the only way to find out which expert is right is to test out what they say.

This involves practising a skill for roughly an hour or more a day and recording the number of hours you spend practicing. It may take hundreds of hours of practice before you see indisputable signs of improvement or even talent. It may take much less.

It may take thousands of hours of practice to become world class at some skill. Progress also depends on how well you are taught the principles behind what you are doing and on your natural abilities.

Don’t give up when the first critic speaks. Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and The Beatles would never have made a dent in the music world if they had listened to their critics.

Don’t give up because of your age. Julius Caesar did not discover his military genius until he was in his forties. Churchill did not become a world leader until he was in his sixties.

In the world of the entrepreneurs, Colonel Sanders showed great persistence in pursuit of his dream. Kentucky Fried Chicken, with its eleven herb recipe, would not exist without his persistence. He was in his sixties when he started his first franchise. He is a great example to every pensioner in the world.

Don’t give up because results are slow in coming. Keep planting the seeds through daily hard work and eventually the results will show up. Even if they don’t, you will have transformed yourself into a powerful person who can follow through on their plans.

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith. Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include the resource box above

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Watson

Disney channel has released their new movie High School Musical 2. This movie targets not only the teenagers but also appeals to the adults. It showcases the age-old values and their significance in everyone’s life.

Disney is famous for producing movies that are suitable for children. Parents are carefree and do not have to worry about their children watching anything on the channel that would prove harmful; including graphic language, racy dialogue, violence, etc. High S. Musical 2 definitely falls in this category. High School Musical 2 is the sequel to the High School Musical and was released on August 17, 2007on the US Disney channel.

The movie has been written by Peter Barsocchini and directed by Kenny Ortega. It has a simple plot but still manages to hold the viewers attention. Stressing the importance of friendship, the movie covers the journey of the protagonists and how they win a talent contest organized by the local country club without compromising their values. With the clout and influence that Disney network has, especially with children under 14; it is not surprising that the "High School Musical 2" has gone on to become such a huge hit. It has also developed a large adolescent fan following for the two lead actors of the movie, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. Surprisingly, Zac Efron does not get his songs dubbed in this sequel like he did in the previous movie. Rather he has sung all his songs himself.

This is a fantastic sequel with some superb music. However, the middle of the movie sees a dearth of songs as the focus shifts to moving the story ahead. It has the distinction of being the most-watched made-for-cable movie ever. It averaged 17.2 million viewers when it was first aired on 17 August. The first broadcast of the film broke records.

It is interesting to note the fact that the movie was released when school was about to start up again, while the Online movie’s plot involved the gang going on summer vacation. Ironic, but this fact did not come in the way of its success.

If you would like more information on High School Musical 2 Movie and Price Comparison.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Marshal