American Idol Advantage
May 14, 2008
If you have always had the dream of being the next American Idol and would love an opportunity to broadcast your talents on the show, then you have come to the right place for that information. In case you didn’t know, some of these American Idol contestants were just regular people, with regular jobs like Mr. Chris Daughtry who worked as a service clerk, but onstage his singing talent spills out and he has such emotion and passion. Mr. Rueben Studdard work at a department store and when he sings, its like hearing a young Luthur Vandross. These two guys are my favorite American Idol contestants and winners, (Chris should have won). Isn’t it amazing that these Idols are just like you and me? The only difference is that they were given the opportunity to showcase their talent and I would like to share with you a great source that could give you that opportunity to be the next American Idol contestant OR winner.
You Can Make it Past the First Round of the Auditions with 4 Simple Techniques! Really, there are 4 simple techniques that will get you through the first auditions and straight on the show. The American Idol Advantage:
The first is tip #1: Understand How The Early Auditions Work. You need to know exactly what the show is really about before you get there to audition.
Tip #2: Realize That The Initial American Idol Auditions Are Not Really About “Talent.” Truth is, talent and star quality are a dime a dozen in the tryout phase of the show. Everyone who has any singing skills at all (and even those that don’t) show up and tryout.
Tip #3: You Have To Win The Judges Over. All you have to do is satisfy something that the judges are looking for in a performer
And finally, Tip#4: You must prepare to win the judges over. After you really understand Tip # 3 you need to take that thought 1 step further and begin to formulate a game plan to win the judges over.
There is no other way to explain it, you need to do your homework if you’re going to make it past the very first auditions. This book, is in all, specializes in audition training and preparation. I am not saying that you will definitely win American Idol BUT it is quite easy to audition and make it past the first round and get selected for the show. I know that we all have hidden talents and have those dreams of becoming a star and catch ourselves singing and performing in front of the mirror. We have all asked the famous question, “What if?” We have our passions, dreams and most definitely, our doubts. We all have allowed fear to invade our dreams and lives. So, take a look at the past Idols and realize that if they can do it, so can you. Never, ever give up on your dreams. Never believe that you aren’t good enough, basically, never give up! Don’t wait another minute to make YOU happy. Unleash your talents to America, full fill your passion. Life rewards action. Start believing in yourself and show America that you are the next American Idol!
COPYRIGHT 2008
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Guitar Lesson - Getting Through Those Sticky Parts - Simplify!
May 12, 2008
By Lee Griffith
What do you do when you can play an entire song quite well and at a nice, even tempo–except for one little sticky part? There is that one chord change that slows you down–or one note in that bass run you just can’t stretch your finger quickly enough to reach (and keep the beat going). What can you do? The answer is simple: Simplify!
If you have trouble getting your hand in the position to play a particular chord fast enough, or you can’t seem to position your fingers to play the chord cleanly, the solution may be to play the same chord in a different way. There are usually several ways to play a chord. Do a little research–you can find many chord shapes by just using the Google search engine. One thing you can often do is substitute a chord which you only play with three or four strings for a chord which you’d rather play using all six strings. No, it won’t sound as full, but, hey, we’re talking about being able to get through the song smoothly! I remember in my early days of playing guitar, I played the B minor chord using 4 strings instead of six.
What about a trouble spot in a bass run or lead guitar lick? The first thing you might try is picking the sequence of notes an octave higher or lower. If you have just one note giving you problem–maybe you just can’t reach it in time to keep up with the pace of the song–try either playing the note an octave higher or lower or using an entirely different note, as long as it works. I play mandolin, and about a year ago I was working on Bach’s Bouree I from a Mel Bay book. I could play the song pretty well, except for C note to a D note that I had to awkwardly stretch my fingers up to the 8th and 7th frets on the E string to reach. I just changed the two notes to the same notes, but an octave lower, on the 3rd and 2nd frets of the D string. No one would be aware that anything was even changed except for a real Bach enthusiast! Actually, I think those two notes sound better in that run the way I play them!
When dealing with tricky spots in the songs you are practicing for your repertoire, always look for ways to simplify. Rather than spending endless hours of frustration trying to learn a difficult chord or series of notes, don’t be afraid to make a few minor alterations!
Copyright © 2008 Lee Griffith. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Griffith is an avid acoustic guitar player and a vintage instrument enthusiast. He invites you to receive a FREE REPORT on a revolutionary acoustic guitar lesson kit, along with his weekly newsletter via email. just click on http://optin.flatpickpost.com.
Check out Lee’s blog, “The Flatpick Post” at http://flatpickpost.com.
Write Lyrics? Simple - The How to Write Lyrics Beginners Guide
May 11, 2008
By Hannah Quinn
How to write lyrics is one of those ephemeral subjects. Some teachers utilize poetry forms but really, the two - poems and songs - are not the same thing. That’s not to say that lyrics and poems can never be swapped, or used first one way and then the other. In fact, when my children were small, if I came across an anonymous poem which they really enjoyed, I often set it to music. Some poems are like ballads, and some ballads are also poems. There can be much switching, swapping and sharing. Another aspect of How to Write Lyrics being a difficult subject to teach to others is whether or not the student reads, writes or plays music, and also what type of instrument they play. It is one thing to write lyrics to music played on the piano or guitar for example, and quite something else if you play flute or trumpet.
In my previous article How Do You Write Lyrics? I suggested one way for the absolute novice to get a feel for how to fit words to a tune, is to take a well-known song and change the lyrics. Traditional tunes are often best for this technique but not necessarily the only ones. Any tune you know very well, like and is similar to what you want to write will do. Here are a couple of examples:
Original Lyrics: Yankee Doodle
Yankee Doodle went to town
Riding on a pony
Put a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni
New Lyrics:
The rain fell heavy from the sky
As heavy as my hea-rt
The sun went down when she left town
And left me on my o-wn
This tune is basic, well known and has simple lyrics, which I’ve replaced with simple lyrics. I’ve also made a couple of other changes to show you how to do it. The original song is bouncy, happy (regardless of its original political connotations); but the new song is sad and heavy despite the tune. Also, in the original song the lyrics all have one beat, but in my new song, the second and fourth lines finish on a single word with two beats.
Here’s another example:
Original Lyrics: A Hard Day’s Night (Beatles)
It’s been a hard day’s night
And I’ve been working like a dog
It’s been a hard day’s night
I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you
I find the things that you do
Will make me feel all right
New Lyrics:
I saw him standing alone
Old and coughing in the frost
His coat ragged and torn
Skin worn hollow by the cold
With no home or family
The streets are all he has
Does anybody care?
You’ll notice in the new lyrics, the rhythm is not identical. This is usually something which happens naturally and will lead you on to writing originals of your own, whether you are a musician or not; or even if you sing or not. The last line - Does anybody care? - could make the start of a chorus or refrain. That too often happens naturally.
Once you have a basic idea for a song, think of a tune or similar song and see how it affects the mood, aids the telling of the story, paces the rhythm and then apply that to your own writing. Again, you can start with a suitable tune and start adjusting it as your lyrics and song develop.
Whether you want to rise to the top of the charts, compete with Andrew Lloyd Webber or just have fun, writing lyrics is not as hard as it seems. It takes practice, trial and error and like all writing, determination.
Don’t just throw something together though and decide that is good enough. Occasionally, number one hits have been quickly put together, but that’s rare. Work on your lyrics. Change the words around, move the verse order, experiment with your rhythms and melody, change the key, and keep fine tuning until you have more than you thought you could have.
Most of all have fun. And maybe get the family involved. It’s more fun than watching TV and is a change to board games. So come on, give it a go. It’s time to write your lyrics!
Hannah Quinn is an Australian author with a variety of national awards, produced plays and public readings to her credit. Novels and plays are her main focus when writing, but she also loves writing articles, short stories, ebooks, poetry and ballads. She is currently working on her fifth novel ‘Olivia’s Breath’.
Hannah co-owns Too-Write! an editing and professional writing service, specializing in resumes/cvs, including answering Selection Criteria, tertiary assignments and business writing. She moderates The Creative Corner too-write.com/creative and The Job Jungle jobs.too-write.com
