| Ibanez Guitars At The 2006 NAMM Show |
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Thursday, January 10, 2008
The new model also features the signature JEM appointments of a "Monkey Grip" handle carved into the basswood body and a scooped tremolo cavity so pitches can be raised as well as lowered with the tremolo arm. "Bad Horsie" has joined a long line of variations Steve Vai's JEM signature models, which were first introduced at the Chicago NAMM show in June 1987. At the January 2005 show, Ibanez unveiled the new Exotic Wood acoustic guitar line featuring three different, visually striking and surprisingly inexpensive models in highly figured ash, curly maple and zebrawood. The introduction was so well received that Ibanez announced the first acoustic-electric version at the Indianapolis Summer NAMM show. "Even more radical is what can't be seen: a unique wooden top-support system under the bridge Ibanez calls "Sound Expand" construction allows us to use thinner bracing, which allows the top to vibrate more freely. It also provides a more even balance between highs, lows, and mids." - commented Irene Shvartsman of Ibanez Acoustic Guitars. "We found that the guitar sounds dramatically louder, and bigger in tone than the same guitar without Sound Expand construction." The amazing Ibanez guitar player Joe Satriani and Planet Waves Company will officially launch a line of new straps and picks at the 2006 Anaheim NAMM show at a private concert event during the show. The great news is, the concert will be webcast for Joe's fans at Satriani.com in early February! Stay tuned to the site for more details. Joe Satriani will also appear at the Planet Waves/D'Addario booth #4834 in Hall C of the Anaheim NAMM show on Saturday, January 21 at 1:30 PM. For further ibanez guitar reviews and information, please, visit Ibanez Guitars Guide. Rap Is More than Music This is a style that stays aside all the other music trends. Not aside, but somewhat deeper. The reason is it is a reflection of the race, the plurality of people united by roots and origin. Rap is the culture of Afro-Americans, the continuation of their language and traditions. Rap is a mixture of speech and music, actually it is speech laid on music or beat it's better to say. And when we claim that people are united through music, meaning every single human being on this planet, rap unites the ones close to blood by music and then everybody else, either welcoming or being hostile to a newcomer. What attracts people in rap? Is it catchy? Maybe. Those non-natives to rap often state the flow of speech is too quick and it is difficult to differentiate the words. Sometimes it seems rap music is only for those from the cradle. Foreigners are not invited. Rap is classified as urban poetry of lyrical resistance. Thus it is not the music for village like country music. It is the gathering power of those united by music in big cities. The aim is to resist the grieves because misfortunes are more dramatic and numerous in urban areas. Rap does not only speak to the mind and emotions, but speaks to the society all around people, for people. If the words or courage to say those words are not there, the subconscious takes over and the Rap lyrics kick in. But once captured by the beat, most people - mainly younger ones - begin to hear the words, and the words may describe just how they are feeling that day. If the boss came to work with an agenda to screw everyone, some people will "feel" the words and the beat, especially when enclosed in a car doing 70 on the freeway. It's something about riding with the music turned full-blast that has a way of absorbing the mind and supplying a means of temporal escape. Some songs have innocent words that impress upon the mind to be released later at the water cooler. Some choruses are catchy and when sung by certain artist will stay within the subconscious long after. Various rappers have unique voices that some people find attractive or along the same vocal tone as their own voice, which it makes it easier to sing along. First goes the beat, and then goes the lyrics! It is not as smooth and tender as classical music, not as glossy as pop, but it has the scream of pain of real emotion of the world's harshness. One may even state that rap is the most pain expressing music style. Those who sing it or it is better to say read it revive their feelings not only concerning love, as most of the other styles do. Their message is about life and the problems, especially the ones of the Afro-American people. The music of pain and oppression, rap is a remedy to the latter. Let all the pills be like that! Article source Rap is More than Music article @ AllTheLyrics.com The Origins and Magic of Slide Guitar The Origins and Magic of Slide Guitar by Denny Tryon It's a hot sultry night on the Mississippi delta. The full moon casts it's translucent light on the fields and swamp oak trees. The lingering smell of barbecue and wisteria mix with honeysuckle and tobacco smoke. Folks are sitting on the front porch trying to beat the heat. Someone picks up an old guitar and begins to play a familiar tune. The sound is unmistakable, cutting right to your heart, and emotions. It's distinctive voice, almost human-like, hangs in the night air like a soulful cry. That is the signature sound of the slide guitar. Where did this style get its start? The prevailing wisdom attributes its birth to the old single string instrument called the jitterbug, used by black musicians around the turn of the 20th century. This instrument was simply a length of thin wire stretched between two nails on a post and played using an old bone or heavy nail. Some used a bottle or other smooth objects as well. One could play a lead line or improvise an accompaniment to folk, blues, and spiritual songs. The jitterbug was essentially one of the first blues instruments. There are ancient African instruments much like the jitterbug but using a gourd resonator with the single string. It, also, was played with a bone sliding up and down a neck to change pitches. As guitars became more available, a lot of the early blues and folk players adopted them. These guitars had terrible action and strings were scarce. Using a slide allowed playing on some really horrible guitars yet produced a very appealing sound. Using a glass or metal slide would also save the fingers! Guitars were very popular in the early part of the 20th century. Frequently, rural musicians got inexpensive guitars from a mail order catalogs. Banjos were very expensive at the time, but there is little evidence that players ever used a slide on a banjo. Some musicologists suggest that Hawaiian music was the greatest influence in popularizing slide guitar. This was about the time (early thirties) when steel bodied guitars were becoming available. This music was played in "slack-key" or an open tuning as it is called today. The guitar is tuned to an "open" or major chord, such as a Gmajor or Dmajor. There are many variations in these tunings, but most tunes are played in one of the three main open tunings. Hawaiian music was very influential in spreading the slide guitar craze throughout the country. This gave rise to a great demand for slide style guitars from manufacturers. The Hawaiian lap steel guitars were more popular than standard guitars all through the 1930's. All of the major manufacturers had offerings: Gibson; National; Dopera Brothers; (Dobro) Regal, just to mention a few. Hawaiian slide guitar was incorporated into every style of music from Jazz to Mountain Music. This has continued on to the present. The list of today's accomplished slide players is large and ever growing. The adaptation of slide guitar techniques by early blues musicians is, perhaps, the ultimate marriage and is instantly recognizable. Some of the great masters of the past include: Son House; Tampa Red; Robert Johnson; and Muddy Waters, to name a few. These magical and soul filled sounds have captivated musicians and listeners alike. The voice like quality of a glass bottleneck or brass pipe sliding up and down a guitar string has a created musical tradition worthy of it longevity. It resonates with our emotions and has found a permanent home in our hearts. God bless those who aspire to the sound of the slide guitar. Denny Tryon author and slide guitarist. More slide and guitar resources can be found at my website; http://www.slideplayer.comDenny Tryon author and slide guitarist. More slide and guitar resources can be found at my website; http://www.slideplayer.comDenny Tryon author and slide guitarist. More slide and guitar resources can be found at my website; http://www.slideplayer.com |
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