I suppose you think that you learn guitar by playing guitar. Well, do you learn to say the right things by talking all the time? Let’s take a look at the art of not playing guitar…

How can you learn to play guitar by not playing? Is it really possible to develop as a guitarist without touching the instrument?

In weight training it is an established fact that muscle growth takes place during rest, for example when you sleep. It doesn’t mean that you will become a famous muscle builder by sleeping. Sleeping is just a part of the overall picture called muscle growth.

Don’t ever think that you will become a good guitarist by not playing guitar at all!

But I define a good guitarist as a good musician. A good musician can convey his musical emotions to somebody else and this ability takes more than just practicing moving the fingers among all those guitar strings.

What can you do to become a better guitarist and a musician when you don’t play? Let me give you a few suggestions:

1. If you play classical guitar, get into the habit of often reading guitar sheet music without your guitar. This practice gives you training in the art of hearing the sheet music in your head and also gives you a better chance to really learn notational symbols in the music and rhythmic subtleties.

2. Take a week off from your guitar playing every now and then and use all your musical energy listening to good music or just being a good citizen. Learn to spot musical and artistic heights in the music. Listen to all types of instrumentalists. With concentration. My best listening position is laying flat on my bed with headphones on forgetting the rest of the world. Maybe you have another approach.

If you feel and enjoy musical and artistic expressions in the music these will probably be implemented in your own guitar playing sooner or later.

3. Be a good musical friend by helping somebody else to play. It will help you become more unselfish and like people more. Well, maybe you already like people sufficiently but to learn to like people is part of our development as musicians as we are supposed to give of ourselves to others when we play.

4. Prepare your body and mind for playing guitar by learning the art of relaxation and stretching your muscles. You can of course find articles on these subjects on the net. Performing in a relaxed manner will help you enjoy your own music more and will help your public to relax and enjoy your music too.

5. Take time to sit down, or stand up if you like, and ponder about what guitar playing means to you. Is there something that you would like to develop in your guitar playing that will give you more joy and happiness. Set a realistic goal and write down what you can do every week to accomplish that goal.

I believe in practicing on my guitar of course but I hope that these pieces of advice concerning not playing guitar will increase your love for your guitar and the art of playing and giving musical joy to others!

When you go and eat an Italian restaurant there is a section on the menu labeled “Antipasti”. My family took some friends out the other week to a famous Italian Restaurant in our town and we all brought our children with us. Our friend’s fourteen year old son asked the table if Antipasti meant that there was no pasta in the dish.

It was a great question and it was interesting how he would pick up on that and want to learn more about it. It does not mean without pasta, it means food served before the meal. I found the question so interesting because I do not speak Italian or know much about the dining that after the meal I went home and did a little bit of reading up on the subject. I found out that the “Antipasti” is something new to enter the Italian Restaurant scene and the Italian dining. It came about just fifty or some odd years ago, so basically it is not traditional. Just about every restaurant these days has an appetizer menu, smaller dishes filled with a whole lot of flavor and taste, just enough to get you wanting more. When you go out to eat you can end up eating some major food calories, you could use Acceletrim for appetite suppression and weight loss to help cut back on the amount that you eat. Enjoying great tasting food is a must, and it can be done in the right sized portions.

The harp that once through Tara’s halls the soul of music shed,
now hangs as mute on Tara’s walls, as if that soul were fled.
So sleeps the pride of former days, so glory’s thrill is o’er,
and hearts that once beat high for praise,
now feel that pulse no more

To tell the history of the Irish harp is to tell the history of the Irish people. This ancient folk instrument with its beautiful, delicate sound is played today despite being ignored, derided and proscribed for centuries. Harpers, who in earlier days would have been hanged for their art, now flourish throughout the world, as do the Irish themselves

Legend tell us the first harp was owned by Dagda, a chief among the Tuatha De Danaan. At one time during a war with the Fomorians, the gods of cold and darkness, his harp was stolen but later recovered by Lugh and Ogma. When it was returned it had aquired two secret names and the ability to call forth summer and winter. From then on, when Dagda played, he could produce a melody so poignant, it would make his audience weep, he could play an air so jubilant it would make everyone smile, or bring forth a sound so tranquil, it would lull all who listened to sleep. So thus did the harp became the dispenser of Sorrow, Gladness and Rest.

Harps are played throughout much of the world. From ancient artworks, epic tales and poetry, we learn of harps in Babylonia and Mesopotamia. We see them in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses III , votive carvings from Iraq and sculptures of ancient Greece. From Africa, which has more than 100 harp traditions, the instrument travelled north to Spain and soon spread throughout Europe. Strung with sinew, silk or wire, harps vary in size, structure and decoration according to the physical and technological environments of their origins. African harps have been made from wood and gourd covered with cowhide, the Burmese sang auk has an arched soundbox similar to the Turkish ceng while European harps feature a triangular frame, There is one feature that all harps share: the strings run vertical (rather than parallel) to the sound box.

Griffith of Wales employed harpists in his court at the end of the 11th century and the monk-historian Geraldus Cambrensis admired the great skill of the Irish harpers and remarked that some even considered the Scots to be better players. For Irish and Scottish harpers commonly visited each other’s countries to study, to learn and exchange tunes and their music was admired throughout Europe. Another twelfth century archivist, John of Salisbury, wrote that ” … had it not been for the Irish harp, there would have been no music at all on the Crusades.”

These harps were quite different from the large pedal harps we see in modern symphony orchestras. They were much smaller, originally held on the harper’s lap, leaning against the left shoulder, had no pedals, and usually were carved in one piece from bog wood. The Trinity College Harp and Queen Mary’s Harp are the oldest surviving Celtic harps and both date from the 15th or 16th centuries and illustrate the similarity between the Irish and Scottish harps. A distinguishing characteristic of these Gaelic harps was that they were wire-strung, rather than gut strung. The word “harp” has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon, Old German and Old Norse words which mean “to pluck.” In Gaelic they were known first as cruit and later as clarsach or clirseach.

The harp isn’t peculiar to Ireland but subsequently became its national emblem. (Nowadays you can even see it on the Guiness label) Harpers were highly trained professionals who performed for the nobility and enjoyed political power - so much so that during the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I issued a proclamation to hang Irish harpists and destroy their instruments to prevent insurrection.

Sadly, while this oldest emblem of Ireland is still with us today most of the ancient airs and melodies it once produced are long gone, but younger harpers are taking up the challenge to reawaken the pride of former days.

Susanna Duffy is a Civil Celebrant, grief counsellor and mythologist. She creates ceremonies and Rites of Passage for individual and civic functions, and specialises in Croning and other celebrations for women. http://celebrant.yarralink.com

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Email marketing is undergoing rapid changes. Now, more than ever, both the creative and demographic selection and targeting of a message must be highly relevant and qualified.

Microtargeting has become a valued strategy. At VIBEdirect, we have seen the industry withstand incredible changes based on bandwidth, creative, message perception and the fickle marketing factors that affect both open and click through rates with today’s campaigns.

Consumers received an average of 3 marketing related emails per month in 1999. This number is expected to jump to over 130 marketing related emails per month by 2005 due to the success rate of email marketing and the number of companies sending optin email. The problem is that this trend has caused email open rates to drop.

In the past, our success had been built on wholesaling opt-in email campaigns to brokers and agencies. But as business conditions changed, we evolved by providing our clients with a microtargeted approach for cost effective results and a positive return on investment. As a result, we have maintained a sustained, strong period of growth.

Our opt-in lists offer marketers a “politically correct” way to reach their target audience on the net. While using bulk e-mail lists is cheaper, the practice in itself is extremely controversial. You must be very careful when considering using bulk e-mail to market your wares on the Internet. This can lead to some unexpected and unwanted results. For example, some of your recipients may decide to “flame” you by clogging up your e-mail system with angry responses to your marketing message. Other recipients will complain to your Internet Service Provider, who may decide to discontinue your account.

We have more than 2,000 opt-in lists with more than 40 million unique names to choose from. All of our email addresses are ALL opt-in from a variety of quality web sites, banner ads, e-surveys & e-zine lists.

The Power of Microtargeting

Email microtargeting is really a distinct form of “niche” marketing, differentiating consumers by segmenting them into identifiable, targeted groups. It’s the depth of relationships that counts, not the quantity. Studies show that closer relationships increase the likelihood that email advertising will make an impact.

For the higher quality (more targeted and uniform) audience, advertisers have traditionally paid a higher cost per impression, although the overall cost for advertisers is lower with email campaigns since the number of impressions is lower. In addition, the ability to modify and adapt the creative to confront rapidly changing marketing conditions makes this medium especially attractive and cost effective.

Our microtargeting approach has been very powerful. This strategy focuses on increasing market share–that is, on selling a product to as much of the market as possible. Once a product succeeds on a microtargeting level, we can eventually modify it to appeal to a larger group. When properly and effectively executed, microtargeting leads back to the masses.

Instead of trying to reach the greatest number of people, microtargeting focuses on earning more of an individual customer’s business. This strategy doesn’t target groups of customers, it targets units of one.

The foundation of our microtargeting approach lies in the idea that 80% of a company’s business comes from 20% of its customers. The most active frequent fliers account for the bulk of the airline profit. So, rather than aiming to reach all possible fliers, airlines realize they can more efficiently market themselves by trying to win over the top level, and by encouraging those frequent fliers to fly as frequently with them as possible.

Our microtargeting email practices help businesses provide better, more personal services. It is an equally effective strategy for both business acquisition and retention.

About The Author

David Moceri is President and CEO of VIBE Direct Media, a full service online marketing agency. A complete description of VIBE Direct Media services can be viewed at www.vibedirect.com.

With all the negative Publicity that S.pam is Getting, Permission Based E-mail Marketing is frequently too often overlooked as the Misunderstood step Child of Internet Marketing. Unfortunately Many people confuse Permission Based Opt-In E-Mail Marketing with that Ugly 4 Letter S-Word S.Pam.

Permission Based E-Mail Marketing is Sending E-Mails to People who have agreed to receive them. Many Top Internet Marketers go to great lengths to build an Opt-In Mail List. Creating an Opt-In List is fairly easy. If you know the Right Steps

1. Generate a Lead Capture Page

2. Drive Traffic to Your Lead Capture Page.

Simple yes Easy No. You could spend Years Building Lead Capture Pages and sending traffic to them and still have a List of only a few thousand at Best. Here are a few more methods you can use to help improve your Lead Capture Efforts

1. Pop-Up Subscription Box on All of Your Web Pages
2. A List Sign Box on All of Your Web Page
3. Going Viral by Creating an E-Book or Free Software that you allow everyone to give out. Of course you would require people to sign up for your list before you give them the freebie.

If you haven’t built a large Opt-In E-Mail List or If just want to send some extra E-mail you could ‘Borrow’ Someone Else’s Opt-In List. Here are a 6 Methods to ‘Borrow’ the Opt-In E-mail lists of Other’s

1. Pay a Fee - You can pay someone with a list anywhere from $5 to many Thousands of Dollars to send an E-Mail to their Opt-In E-Mail List

2. Joint venture - This Method is Often used with a Digital Downloadable Product. The Joint Venture Partner would get a Percentage (10% to 75% are very Common) in return for sending an E-mail to their List. The List members would download from a Special Link so that orders could be tracked

3. Barter - A Good Friend of Mine would offer a Free Solo Ad or Solo Mailing in his E-Zine in return for a Digital Product.

4. Ezine Ads - You could run Solo Ads or Solo E-Mails in E-Zines.

5. Submit Articles - When you submit an article they are often picked up by E-Zines and Republished. Your Resource Box is then seen by all the Members of the E-Zine.

6. Paid to Read - This Method works best with Free or Low Cost Products. Do a Google Search on Paid To read and you will find hundreds if not thousands of them. The Members are often Paid anywhere from 1 cent to 5 Cents to read an E-Mail and Click on a Link. As an Advertiser you would pay $5 to $20 Per Thousand clicks.

Now that we know how to borrow someone else’s list the next question you may want to ask is Should I borrow someone’s list. Let’s do a Simple Cost Benefit analysis

A Solo Mailing to an Opt-In List of 100,000 Members costs $100 is it a good deal for you. In order to decide if this is a good value you need to know 2 Numbers, Your Conversion Percentage and your Profit per Sale. If you do not know your conversion Percentage use a real low number like 1/10 of a Percent or 1 in 1,000. So for a Conversion rate of 1/10 of a Percent with 100,000 E-mails you could expect 100 Sales. If your Profit per sale is more then $1 then this is a Good Deal.

If Your profit per sale is less then $1 it still may be a good deal if you can get some of those 100 Buyers to Purchase additional Products Later.

About The Author:
Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built an Organization of over 100,000 Members using Permission Based E_Mail Marketing Methods
http://ewguru.com/hbiz/amazingoffer.html

Get Mike’s Newsletter:
http://ewguru.com/newsletter

More Articles by Mike:
http://ewguru.com/tips

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

The facility used to master the CD is nearly as important as the engineer. CD mastering facilities are distinct from recording studios, and while a facility can include both recording and mastering equipment, most high-end CD mastering facilities are separate. The type of equipment used in different CD mastering facilities varies greatly. Some facilities use all analog equipment; others only use digital gear, while others have both kinds of devices.

Many CD mastering engineers think it is a good idea to use a different facility for recording and mastering. Furthermore, many believe that it is advisable for completely different people to record the CD and to master it so that the artist has different people provide feedback. It is always smart to get some fresh ears to give input that the producer and mixer of the recording may not think of. Of course, the recording artist should have a hand in all aspects of the production, from recording through mastering.

CD mastering facilities differ from recording studios in some very important ways. Mastering facilities are not usually acoustically designed in the same ways that recording studios are. For instance, mastering studios usually have large consoles and monitoring devices that would impede recording. There is usually less variance in the gear found in mastering studios.

CD mastering facilities normally have either analog or digital gear. While both types have their advocates and detractors, either type can be used to create great sounding CDs. Analog equipment is more old-fashioned, but creates warm, organic sounds. On the other hand, digital technology has begun to replace analog in most areas of production, and many people believe that recording and mastering will be completely digital in the future. Part of the reason is that digital processors and monitors are useful for making very precise adjustments and for eliminating extraneous sounds from a recording.

CD mastering facilities are state-of-the-art rooms designed to provide the best environment for hearing every aspect of a recording. An adequate mastering facility used by a knowledgeable engineer can make a good mix into a phenomenal master.

CD Mastering Info provides detailed information on CD mastering engineers, facilities, and software, as well as online and free CD mastering. CD Mastering Info is affiliated with Original Content.

There are a number of things you’ll want to procure when you start cycling. The 1st and most obvious is good quality bike that fits you! Though that might appear like a no-brainer, ample of people start out on bikes that are either too little, or manufactured with very poor quality components, basically because they are a great deal less expensive. The correct fit & a well made racing bike can make your journey a lot easier, but, don’t be tempted to bargain shop for your mountain bike. However, instead procure one that will last you a substantial amount of time. Once you have a mountain bike that is just right for you, it is time to buy the other cycling items that will help you to become a happy cyclist.

Lights: The minimum required by law for your bike is a few reflectors. However, a headlight & tail light are great even in daylight hours. When it is dark and rainy, they can make a large impact in your visibility to motor cars.

Tools: Just like driving a motor car, accidents do take place whilst you are on your bike. Therefore, it is important to keep some type of tool kit with you at all times to take care of flat tyres, uncooperative chains, loose bolts and other issues.

Helmet: Whilst it’s legal in most places to go without a helmet, in loads of others, one is essential. If you’re planning on biking often, it’s prudent to have one even in places where no helmet law exists.

Clothing: Whilst special cycling clothing is unquestionably optional, it is prudent to pay close attention to what you’re wearing. Loose garments should be avoided, or tucked up so they don’t get trapped in the chain. Visit Sportswear-Equipment.com today for great cycling equipment sales.

Locks: If you are lucky enough to live in a place where you are able keep your bike inside all the time, padlock is important. Even in country, there are people who will gladly steal & resell your bike.

Related topics of interest include: Formula 1 Racing & Buy Toys.

Two types of exercise bikes are available. The design of the upright bike resembles that of a typical road bike but they are stationary. The pedals are positioned below the rider and puts added stress on the joints. The seat on the recumbent bike’s seat resembles chairs and the pedals are out in front of the rider so that pedaling is more natural and puts less stress on the joints.

Other types of exercise bikes are available as well. Dual action exercise bikes are upright bikes that have moveable bars or arm handles. You use both of your arms and your legs on this bike. While using this bike you will experience aerobic activity and upper body toning.

There is variety with resistance bikes as well. With direct tension bikes you can manually adjust the resistance you use. The cycling motion on a bike with flywheels is like regular cycling motion. Bikes with air assistance get resistance by pedaling against the airflow of a fan blade.

The most sophisticated resistance bikes are magnetic frictionless resistance bikes. These bikes provide greater variety of workout levels. On more advanced bikes there are feedback mechanisms that show the following readouts: speed, time, distance , total calories and fat burned, program mode, resistance levels, pulse, heart rate, and work out levels (RPM, watts, METS, mpm’s, and mph/kph).

The bike you choose to purchase will depend on your wants and needs. The type of workout you’re looking for will also influence your choice of bikes. A great cardio workout focused on the quadriceps is provided by an upright bike. You are seated in a reclining position on a recumbent bike.

Your back is supported by the seat and your legs are out in front of you. The hamstring muscles and the gluteus muscles get worked. Your lower back is less stressed on a recumbent bike. Some upright exercise bikes will have handlebars that move in a simulated rowing motion.

Your back and chest and your arm and back muscles will get a workout. You will get an excellent cardiovascular workout and calorie burning experience with both of these bikes. The bike should be matched to your size. Exercise bikes for the most part are easily adjusted for almost any body type.

There is a variety of reasons why people use exercise bikes. Cyclists use them to keep up their level of fitness in the off season. Many people feel embarrassed about exercising in front of people so they use them at home. Physical therapy programs also use exercise bikes in their programs to promote healing and the regaining the use of knee and hip joints.

Some cardiac rehab programs use them as well, to promote endurance and greater cardiac health. Exercise bikes can be purchased in sports stores, department stores like Wal-mart or Sears, as well as online. Buying them from a store makes it easier to match the bike to your space, to your body size, and your budget.

Buying online creates the risk of you not getting exactly what you ordered. The bike you ordered may not have the exact specs or may be bigger or smaller than what you ordered. Taking delivery is another problem with ordering online. It is very likely that the delivery company will not bring it into your house, you will have to bring it in and set it up.

Even though you are buying it in a store this is true, unless you contract with someone to do the entire process including setting it up. You can purchase service contracts from a store like Sears, in case of a problem. No matter what the reason you have for purchasing an exercise bike, it will only work if you use it.

You should check with your doctor to make sure you are healthy before starting a new exercise routine. At first you should start out slow and build up endurance. Your endurance will improve if you start out slow.

Have fun, be safe and be healthy.

If your looking for tips and advice on Exercise Bikes or fitness equipment in general, Martin Smith had a resource of information available. From Exercise Bikes to Home Fitness Equipment you’ll find something.

As I have said before, I am not a writer I am a guitar player and you probably are too. That being said I want to talk about play-along Cd’s.

A few months ago my cousin was visiting from New York and her husband, a guitar player, wanted to hang out in the studio and play my guitars. So we were jamming and I grabbed some play-alongs and asked him if he had any. He said no so I played “Jam Band Jams”. Once he started playing to it he was like a kid in a candy shop and kept saying, “this is awesome, I can’t believe I have never heard of these things”. The guy lit up. He didn’t want to stop playing. I gave him some of the play-along CD’s from my collection and told him to take them I would buy new copies. Of course I also gave him a copy of “Jam Band Jams”. I could not let him go back to New York without being assured that he would have some play-along CD’s in his practice room.

When was the last time you were this inspired to pick up your guitar and play?

This stuff is the same no matter what instrument you play. A friend of mine is an amazing piano player. I lent him some of my CD’s to play along to because he wanted to work on some new stuff and get some new inspiration towards playing. A week later he told me that all he had been doing all week was jamming to them. “Those things are awesome, I have been burning on them all day. I even play them in my car and when I get home I go right back to jamming”.

Again I ask, when was the last time you were this inspired to play?

Too many times just getting started is what keeps people from practicing. How many times have you been sitting in front of the T.V. thinking that you should probably be playing your guitar but you don’t, and the next thing you know another day of playing has passed you by? What if you had a band waiting to jam with you anytime you wanted? Would that make you want to play more? I bet it would. You need play-alongs.

My friend Doug, who worked on “Jam Band Jams” and is also working on “Hard Rock Band Jams”, always says that he would of killed for these when he was a kid learning how to play guitar, especially when he was learning scales and improvisation. He also has a large collection of play-alongs now and uses them constantly.

Aside from giving you a kick in the seat to get practicing and inspiring you to be a better player, play-alongs are one of the most important tools for you to have for improving on guitar. You have to have them. Get them and gets a lots of them. They are second only to jamming with and learning from other people. No play-along will ever replace the need to get into a room with real musicians and jam, but with them you can play with a band even if there is no one around. You will get better at soloing, scales, arpeggios, guitar technique, phrasing, timing, and a million other things. It’s also really important to learn the chords and rhythms to the backing tracks you are jamming over to improve that area of your playing. Unfortunately rhythm playing is still overlooked by too many guitar players but we shall address that another day.

Once again, thank you for listening

Colin O’Brien is a guitar player, teacher and member of the cko Music family. He is the author of “Left Hand Red- Finger Exercises and Practice Techniques”, and creator of “Jam Band Jams”. In May 2006 “Hard Rock Band Jams” will be released. Visit cko Music on the web and sign up for the free online guitar courses. http://www.ckomusic.com