Free, Legal Music Online

Almost everyone has heard about the massive crack down on Internet music piracy that has been occurring over the past few years. Napster was taken down (although it has now returned as a pay service), other file sharing programs now require users to pay for a license and the RIAA and other similar organizations are doing their best to hunt down copyright offenders and put an end to their crime sprees. The consumers on the other hand argue that their actions hurt nobody, that there is no damage done to anyone by their not buying an album. Furthermore, they claim, MP3s allow them to sample a CD before purchasing it, thus actually helping sales.

I'm not here to argue the pros and cons. Basically it's not worth it, as neither side of the argument will ever see the opposition's point of view. What I'd like to do is take a look at the completely free and legal alternative to 'stealing' music. Those wonderfully talented musicians who are willing to put their creations online to download for free, solely for the joy of spreading their creations to the masses.

Free music is surprisingly easy to come by, even music by famous bands. Sometimes it needs to be 'streamed' from the Internet, meaning that you can only listen to a song while you're online, but with the ever-growing popularity of broadband Internet this is really no longer a problem. Sites such as MP3.com and purevolume.com provide free music by almost any band you can think of, although there is a large amount of it that has to be streamed and not downloaded. A search for 'free legal MP3 downloads' will reveal a huge number of pages to visit.

For something specific, try visiting the artist's website, or the site of their record label. These will often offer a few sample tracks to download for free. It's not quite as convenient as having access to every song that you want, but it's not a bad alternative.

But how about we forget about the mainstream for just a while and move towards the alternative? Towards the hopefuls, the talented bands that have yet to be 'noticed'. There are a huge number of these smaller bands out there that are sticking their stuff online for any and all to listen to, just so that they can be heard. These can be easier to find, because most MP3 sites will be filled with these smaller acts. A great place to start is http://www.garageband.com/ or the aforementioned http://purevolume.com

The great thing about smaller bands is that you can often find bands that come from your local area and then go and see them play live. Being able to see a favourite band live more than once a year (or lifetime) without expending huge amounts of money and time is pretty cool. Many music search engines will let you search for bands of a particular genre in a particular area, which makes it all quite easy.

A fairly major contributor to the online music scene is the remixer. These people take other tunes and redo them, often in a techno style because one person can do this competently. Chief among the tunes selected to be remixed are those old ditties that used to play through the simplest of sound chips on now aging consoles: the video game theme songs. People now go and grab the main tune line from an old favourite and fill it out, making real the work our imaginations used to do for us to turn the single tone melodies into orchestral masterpieces. A few good places to start are http://remix.kwed.org and http://remix.overclocked.org as well as a personal favourite band http://machinaesupremacy.com

I hope this has given you something to think about. It's not hard to come across illegal MP3 rips, in fact it's often hard to avoid them, but if you give the free music scene a look you may find something completely different and new that will really do it for you. With web hosts already being penalized hugely for illegal content being stored on their servers (having an entire server taken down because of one inconsiderate user is damaging and irritating beyond belief) and moves being made to charge ISPs for the content being accessed by their users, it makes more sense than ever to get out there and grab yourself an awesomely original and completely legal music collection.

By Daniel Punch

Motorhead Inferno

Motorhead-"Inferno"-Review by Les Lewellyn


When David Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame release the sensational CD "Probot" this year it rekindled my metal tastebuds. For those of you not familiar with his project I'll explain. He recorded songs on which he played all instruments and he had guest vocalists come in and sing as well as write the lyrics and play whatever instrument they might also play. The cd features vocalists such as King Diamond, Snake from Voivod, and many other great singers/musicians. The whole cd flows like it was a gift from God or at least the Heavy Metal God. On that cd Lemmy from Motorhead does a fantastic job on the tune "Shake Your Blood". On first listen I was excited to hear Lemmy singing on such a awesome tune and the excitement was enough for me to do some google searching and that is where I found out that the boys were back and had a new CD released on the indie label Sanctuary entitled "Inferno". Like Monster Magnet, being on an indie has enhanced their sound big time!

Always a rough and tough rocking band, Motorhead has never rocked like they do on this CD. What's amazing is how great Lemmy's vocals sound. I have loved the band since their beginning and my fondness for Lemmy dates back to his Hawkwind days. I have to say I have enjoyed Motorhead whenever I've bought a cd and listened. But NEVER have I been entrapped into their sound like I am today.

The opening song, "Terminal Show", features Steve Vai on guitar. I have to admit even though I'm a guitarist I respect Steve Vai but I just can't get into the instrumental cds he's released. Actually, I dig them I just don't find myself playing them very often. But Steve takes hold of "Terminal Show" and sounds like he's in the band. He refrains from overplaying his part and he fits Motorhead like a glove. Philip Campbell, Motorhead's guitarist, allows Steve Vai to play with no conflicts and it's sweet as honey! But Philip Campbell then goes on to play lead on all the rest of the tunes like a banshee in heat except the end of "Down On Me" on which Steve Vai returns. What's cool about this is the fact that the two tunes on which Steve Vai plays guitar are not necessarily the best on the cd. It's a seemless collection of tunes that will rock the toughest crowd. I can only imagine how great they sound live and I can't wait to catch them on their current tour.

Mikkey Dee returns on drums and this cat pounds the hell out of them. Lemmy attacks the bass like a maniac and his vocals are his best to date. The cd never gets politcal but it does paint a dim look at life in these troubled times. It's really kind of creepy how convincing Lemmy sounds on the tune "Killers". Obviously the dude is fascinated with murder because he sings three tunes about the topic. I'm glad he's got his bass and band to keep him busy!!!!

I know I claimed Monster Magnet have the best cd this year but I have to say that Motorhead are coming in with a tie at least! "Inferno" is a must buy cd for any hard rock fan. From start to finish the album soars past and demands repeated plays. I am sure that Motorhead's old fans will freak out over this cd and also they've created a cd that will hopefully get them some new young fans.

Tips for a Great Recording Session

You know your songs are great (and so does your girl/boyfriend, family, pets etc), and you finally decided to record an album in a real studio. That's great! But what actually happens when you get there?

When you finally do pick the perfect studio, one that you feel comfortable at, there is a certain routine that must be followed in order to get the best performance and the best recording for your budget.

1. Tune Your Instruments. This also includes your drums and any tunable percussion instruments you may have. There is absolutely nothing worse in the world than to have a perfectly written song with a perfect performance be ruined because someone didn't take an extra 2 minutes to check their tuning. Tuning takes a few minutes; a recording lasts forever.

2. Be Well Rehearsed. You'll be surprised how many bands suffer shock when they get the final recording bill. The main reason for this is because they confuse rehearsal time with recording time. Rehearse at home, in the garage, at your uncle's house; anywhere but at the recording session. When you arrive at the studio, you should know your songs inside-out and be ready for the red light.

3. Practice with a Click Track. A lot of drummers aren't able to play with a click track. Make sure yours can. A click track is essential in getting a good basic rhythm track that the rest of the band can lock in to, and to sync-up loops and delay times.

4. Be Early. Many studios start charging their clients from the exact time agreed to in the contract. Just because you decide to show up late, doesn't mean that the studio should give up that time for free. Be early and be ready to go.

5. Get the Sound Right. Never, ever try to "fix it in the mix". It doesn't work like that. Take an extra few minutes to tweak the sound before recording it. Turn that knob, tighten that string, have another sip of water. Remember again, tweaking may take an extra minute, but the recording will last forever.

6. Know When To Quit. Recording often leads to diminishing returns. Spending 20 hours in a row at the recording session isn't going to make your song twice as good as spending 10 hours. This rule also applies to mixing. If you're tired, call the session and come back the next day fresh and ready.

7. Record Alone. Don't bring your friends, family, parents or anyone else into your sessions. As fun as it may be, you are there to do a job and record the best music possible. If you are a millionaire, then by all means, have a party at the studio, but don't count on getting anything done.

8. Mix and Match. After letting the engineer do the first rough mix alone (which he should) do an A/B comparison of your mix to some of your favorite CDs. Remember that the production CDs you are listening to have already been mastered. But it's a good way to compare levels and panning.

9. Bring Spares. Always bring spare strings, drum heads, bass strings, water bottles, throat lozenges, etc to a session. You'll always need the one thing you forgot to bring, so bring it all and leave them at the studio until your recordings are finished.

10. Have Fun! This is THE most important point of all. Creating and recording music isn't rocket science. Although there is a science involved, you should let the engineer worry about that. If you're not having fun, then you're in the wrong business!

By Richard Dolmat

How Has Eminem Risen to the Top?

How is it that a little white boy from Kansas City has become the most well known rapper in the world? Starting from nothing and eventually moving up to a multi-millionaire, Eminem over the past seven years has been in the eye of the public everywhere you look. He has essentially entered a black man's business and gone to the top over the course of a few years, but how?

On October 17, 1972 Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St. Joseph, MO by his 15 year old mother Debbie. Six months later his father was gone and this began the struggle for Marshall and his mother; one that was just the beginning. Throughout the course of his childhood Marshall and his mother moved numerous times into different houses from Kansas City to Detroit. The maximum time spent in one house was only 3 months, which caused Marshall to attend many different schools making it difficult to cope to the different surroundings and make friends. Every new school he attended he was bullied as he was the new kid. This was something that he could not change as he was never stationed in one school for a long period of time. At the age of 12 he and his mother finally settled in a house in Detroit. He would later use the bullying to his advantage fueling him to get back at all his bullies through songs.

By the age of 4 Marshall was already beginning to rap and put words together rhyming them. At school he was rather successful considering the circumstances, but it was lunchtime that he enjoyed as he often battled schoolmates through freestyles. At the age of 14 Marshall began to get serious about rapping and felt that he had a shot in the business. When he got to the ninth grade he failed it three times before eventually dropping out as he felt school was not for him.

When he turned 17 he came up with the name M&M for himself by combining the first letters of his first and last name, which later was changed to Eminem. Now that he didn't have school as a distraction, he focused solely on rapping with the goal of making it to the top. He faced constant struggle on the way to stardom as he was continuously rejected by most rappers because of his race, despite his true talent. This grew anger inside of him that he uses in his music today. Knowing that it wasn't going to be easy and that he would have to work, Marshall forced himself onto radio shows and freestyle battles to prove everybody wrong. He eventually got a first album titled "Infinite", but it only sold 1,000 copies. It wasn't until 1997 that Marshall would make a name for himself.

In 1997 he was married with a child trying to support his family with very little cash to do it with. He went to the Rap Olympics in Los Angeles hoping to win the cash prize of $1,500 for first place, but instead was spotted by a few sponsors from Interscope. Furious that he had come in second, he later found out about the sponsors and he gave them a copy of the "Infinite" tape, which was later sent to Dr. Dre. Dre was extremely impressed with the talent of Eminem and got contact of him, where the two recorded his second album; The Slim Shady LP. This album set the tone for his style of rap, as he lashed out on everyone that had bullied him throughout his life. It was a different style than anyone had ever heard, which brought him to stardom.

Eminem is by far the most popular rapper that is seen most in public. He has been seen in Rap Pages, VIBE, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Source, URB and Stress and continues to strive for more. He became the first white person to ever be on the cover of The Source. Throughout his life he has starred in the movie "8 Mile" based on his life growing up, has had over 20 guest appearances on TV, has featured on numerous different rappers CD's, and has recorded 5 CD's of his own. His second LP, "The Marshall Mathers LP", sold over 8 million records in the United States alone, 1.76 million copies in the first week setting a record for a solo artist. This album became the first rap album ever to be nominated for "Album of the Year" at the Grammies. He would go on to win 3 Grammies for the album that night. In the year 2002 he made $29 million in earnings of his fourth album "The Eminem Show LP" and touring for it. Then on March 23, 2003 the song "Lose Yourself" from his movie "8 Mile" became the first rap song to ever win an Academy Award.

While being known for his explicit behavior and horrendous lyrics on his albums and in the eye of the public, it is difficult to overlook all that he has achieved. Coming from where he did and rising to where he is currently, it is remarkable what he has done not only for himself, but the rap world as well. While it is hard for most to like him, there are not many that do not at least respect him for what he has achieved as of now, and what he may do in the future to come.

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By Jeff Schuman II

Is it Possible to Download Music Legally Anymore?

Throughout the past few years downloading music on the internet has increased in popularity. At the same time though, it has become illegal through many companies to download music as musicians and artists have been losing money on their CD sales. With many people being sued in the past couple years for downloading music, is it really possible to download music legally anymore? If so, at what price will it cost you to download music?

As music sites such as Napster and Kazaa and many more have attempted to create sites to download music for free, they have just increased the problem that much more. Some of the users of these programs have learned the hard way that music does not come free, as they were sued for illegally downloading music.

Today there are many sites in which you can download music at where they claim it is 100% legal. The latest music file formats used are Windows® Media (WMA), Advanced Acoustic Coding (AAC) and Atrac 3, and are very popular as it increases the sound quality making it closer to an actual CD bought in stores.

Another great advantage is that many sites such as SonicSelector Service on MSN allow you to preview the music before buying it. Many sites today also offer a three-day trial of their music downloading site, and then after that you will have to begin paying a monthly fee. So it is possible to download music legally online, but at what cost?

Pressplay.com offers unlimited music for a price of $9.95 per month and then you also have to install the software from their site. The downloaded music is non-burnable and once your subscription runs out you no longer have access to any of your songs. Rhapsody at listen.com also charges $9.95 per month for non-burnable music, but instead of downloading the music you download a music player that gives you access to the songs.

Now you can download music and you know the basic price per month for non-burnable songs. However, most people download music so that they can burn their favorite CD with a variety of songs. Transferring these songs onto a CD or a personal MP3 player will cost you even more. Many sites offer packages for songs capable of burning as oppose to a set price per song.

For example, Pressplay offers 5 burnable songs for $5.95, 10 burnable songs for $9.95, 20 burnable songs for $18.95, and then on top of those prices you are still required to pay the monthly fee to use the program. MusicNet offers a package for $17.95 a month that comes with unlimited downloading music and 10 burnable songs.

There are other sites such as apple.com/itunes that is priced at 99 cents to download a song and there is no monthly fee, but you must own a Mac in order to do this. Sites such as mp3.com, peoplesound.com, and soundclick.com all offer free music to download and burn. The catch is that these sites offer a majority of unknown artists and songs.

With the exception of the last few sites I have mentioned, you will find a relatively large selection of music to choose from in all of these sites. Not one of the sites offers less than 300,000 songs to choose from with all of the biggest names in the music industry such as Eminem, Britney Spears, and even oldies such as Elvis, The Beatles, and Frank Sinatra.

There are websites out there that are 100% legal for you to download music at. The question now is how much money are you willing to pay to download all of the hottest songs today, and are you willing to pay extra to put those songs onto a CD?

By Jeff Schuman

Guitar Tuning Tips

Most new guitar players and even some experienced ones have trouble staying and playing in tune. I'll try listing here some of the common mistakes and there solutions.

When putting new strings on your guitar you must always make sure you stretch them as you tune them to pitch. I always hold them down on the neck around the 24th fret with my left hand while pulling them away from the guitar body with my right hand. You don't have to use too much muscle, a few firm tugs should do the trick.

Whenever you tune a string down in pitch, be sure to use the string stretching technique described above. Remember ALWAYS TUNE UP! It's always better when tuning down, to get close to the note, stretch the string and then tune up to the intended pitch.

You should purchase a quality tuner from a music store like zZounds.com . You don't need to spend your life's saving. An inexpensive tuner should be fine to start out. Remember, this thing will be traveling to gigs and jam sessions with you. I would recommend a good Boss tuner or Korg tuner. Both brands have low cost tuners that will do the job just fine.

If your guitar has a tremolo bridge, always remember that each string that you tune will go down in pitch as you tune the next string. One solution to this is to over tune the strings. That is to say, you may need to tune your low E string to an F in order to have it be around an E note by the time you finish tuning the other strings. Over time you'll get a feel for how much you need to over tune each string and it will become second nature.

If you play in a band, it is a good idea to always tune to the same pitch. Standard pitch is 440 but some bands like to tune down to 430 or even 420 for the heavier sound or vocal reasons or both. My point is that if you're practicing at 430 then you have a gig and your band tunes to 440, everything will suddenly sound different, your singer might not be able hit all the notes he or she did at practice, your solos might even sound wrong. This is because everything is now a half step higher in pitch. Make things easy on yourself, pick a pitch and stick with it, at practice and gigs.

Free online guitar lessons presented by guitarmetal.com

By Edward D Cupler

Downloading MP3s Made Easy

The MP3 movement started out with a huge audience of music enthusiasts on the internet. The MP3 digital music format has had, and will continue to have, a huge impart on how people, gather, listen to and share music.

The MP3 format is a compression system for digital music that helps reduce the size of a digitized song without disturbing the sound quality. Digital music is converted to MP3 format and made available for use, usually via the web. MP3 files can be downloaded onto your computer from the internet and special software, either commercial or freeware. Using your computer and software you can convert digital music from a CD into MP3 format.

MP3 files can be played in three different ways:

1. They can be played directly onto your computer.

2. They can be decompressed and recorded onto a CD.

3. These files can be played on a portable MP3 player.

The advantage of MP3 players is that they are small, lightweight and rugged. They are a great way to carry your MP3 files with you!

With a portable MP3 player, a personal computer, and the appropriate software, you can do the following:

1. Obtain free or low-cost music from the web.

2. Create your own mix of music by downloading MP3 files from the web and converting the tracks from CDs.

3. Listen to near-CD quality music wherever you go.

4. Listen to more music (up to 10 hours' worth).

If you want to convert your songs from your CDs into MP3 files, you can use ripper and encoder software. A ripper copies a song's file from the CD onto your hard disk. The encoder compresses the song into the MP3 format. By encoding songs, you can play them on your computer or take them with you on your MP3 player. The ripper and encoder software may come with your MP3 player.

The specific instructions will vary with the individual software programs, but the following steps will definitely take place:

1. Place the CD from which you want to convert songs into your drive.

2. Select the track(s) that you want to convert to MP3 format.

3. Convert the selected track(s).

4. Copy the new MP3 files on to your computer's hard disk.

Now you are ready to download these MP3 files into your portable MP3 player.

Once you have MP3 files on your computer, you can use the software that came with your MP3 player to download the files into your MP3 player. Again, the specific instructions will vary depending upon your software program and player, but you will:

1. Create a playlist from your MP3 files.

2. Plug the player into your computer's parallel of USB port.

3. Transfer the MP3 files according to the instructions.

Once you have downloaded the MP3 files into your portable MP3 player, you are ready to take your music anywhere. Most MP3 players are small, lightweight, and solid-state. Because most players are solid-state, there are no moving parts to break down or skip, so the sound quality is uninterrupted regardless of your physical activity. MP3 players are equipped with various types of headphones or earpieces.

Portable MP3 players can play music longer than a portable CD player. The length of play for a CD player is about 74 minutes, the length of one CD. However, the length of play for an MP3 player depends upon its memory capacity, which can be upgraded on some models. A standard MP3 player can play for about half an hour (32 MB) to a few weeks (40 GB)! Some models can be upgraded with additional memory devices.

By Keith Kingston