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

Jcw-enterprise

***Click under “American Idol” category.***

squidoo.com/netdownloads
afirsttimers

In 1974, a little-known band from the Topeka, Kansas area signed with Kirshner Records and recorded their debut, self-titled album, Kansas. Thanks to good marketing by the Kirshner label and a fair amount of airtime on new album-oriented rock FM radio stations, Kansas quickly became quite popular. Sadly, when most people think of Kansas, they think of little more than Dust in the Wind or Carry On, Wayward Son, the group’s two most popular tunes. This is a grave mistake, as the music of Kansas has much more to offer than just the catchy tunes of those two songs. In fact, both those songs were added to their respective albums almost as afterthoughts. For example, Dust in the Wind was originally just a chord-progression guitar exercise that Kerry Livgren, a band member, used to practice! Nonetheless, the first three Kansas albums, Kansas, Song for America, and Masque, demonstrated a great deal of rich musical talent that many people do not hear.

This is due, in part, to the backgrounds and influences of the band members. Robby Steinhardt (violin, vocals) was trained from an early age in classical music. Kerry Livgren, the band’s principal songwriter, was schooled in classical and jazz music. The band as a whole was influenced by early 70s prog-rock groups such as Genesis and ELP (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer). All these factors contributed to the style of Kansas, though the unique instrumentation of the band also played a role. The first album, Kansas, contained one of the band’s more well-known pieces, Journey from Mariabronn. Youtube a live version of it (link at bottom) . This song, from the very beginning, is prog-rock through and through. The introduction is a synthesizer/violin-heavy segment in an irregular meter with, really, no discernible time signature which segues into the introduction of another theme through a violin solo. By virtue of being a six-piece band at the time, a large amount of complex layering happens in this song. Much like one would find in an orchestral piece, melodies move smoothly from instrument to instrument and different lines emerge from beneath other “flighting,” repeating lines. It’s almost like listening to modernized chamber music! What’s more, the lyrics to Journey from Mariabronn are intriguing, to say the least. Livgren wrote them, following closely the story of famous German poet/author Hermann Hesse’s Narcissus and Goldmund.

Kansas’ second album Song for America, and specifically the title track of said album, followed closely in the footsteps of Journey from Mariabronn and the first album. It is characterized by a number of signature violin solos from Steinhardt and a lyrical exploration of one of the band’s favorite themes, mother nature and man’s treatment of the planet. Album three, Masque, contains prog-rock gems such as Mysteries and Mayhem, Icarus, and The Pinnacle, but also shows a turn toward more radio-friendly songs such as Child of Innocence and It Takes a Woman’s Love (to Make a Man).

Kansas’ next few albums were also splendid in their musicality, but most agree that the early works of Kansas were, musically, the best. They stimulated listeners in many ways through their music and lyrics. So, next time you find yourself bored on a cool evening, dig through your old vinyl and spin up some older Kansas tunes. Listen for the subtle things, and you won’t be disappointed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QJvlPeP-nc

Tyler Hensley has been a prog-rock fanatic since the early 90s, when he branched into the genre as a learning experience. He plays guitars, keyboards, and drums and enjoys home recording. Read more interesting music and technology blurbs at his website: http://thehitlist.bravehost.com

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.

So much has happened to Britney Spears in the past year - almost too much for a fan to keep up with!

She’s removed some seemingly bad influences from her life and returned to her roots. So much so, in fact, that she recently returned to her hometown to attend her sister Jamie Lynn’s baby shower. Anytime a star like her can go back to Kentwood, Louisiana, for a baby shower - well that’s a good sign she’s on the right track.

Of course, her fans, while supporting her, are holding their breath and hoping she makes a complete comeback. Her detractors, and there are a few of those, are probably just waiting for her to slip up and go back to her old ways.

But given the steps she’s taken during her comeback, a relapse isn’t likely. Here are the top three reasons Britney’s return to the limelight is likely to succeed.

Family. Britney has reconnected with her family in a big way. She has turned over her affairs to her father, who was a central figure in her rise to stardom. She is hanging out with her family … from her sisters baby shower to just spending time with them at her home.

Plus she has was awarded extended visits with her sons after a child custody hearing. The extended visits with the children, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, were “recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress of structure and stability.” That is great news. In fact, her parents said, “We are so pleased with Britney’s progress and we are very appreciative of the court’s recognition of this progress.”

Friends. Britney has removed the toxic people from her life. She booted those hangers on out of her house and has reconnected with old friends like Las Vegas billionaire George Maloof. Britney was seen having dinner recently. Maloof owns owns the Palms Hotel and Casino in Nevada. The pair have known each other for years. It was a quiet night on the town for the embattled favorite of the paparazzi. She was also seen relaxing at a recent Alicia Keys concert, where she arrived with little fanfare or attention.

Health. Britney has been working hard to get back into shape. She has reportedly become a regular at Hollywood’s Bally’s gym, where she often works out with her father Jamie. Her trainer, Marc Corliss, is impressed her work ethic. “She’s been training hard for the past four weeks, doing about 500 or so abdominal exercises every day. And she’s seeing a major difference already,” he told America’s Life + Style magazine.

We won’t even go into some of the career successes she had, because if Britney continues to take care of these basics - family, friends and health - her career will take care of itself. She has too much star power, and too much talent, to not succeed as a singer, dancer and entertainer.

CJ Carroll writes articles about entertainment, most recently on Britney Spears exposed by the paparrazzi and general articles about Britney Spears for GoSpears.com.

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