The Gibson Bass Guitar first produced the EB-1 Bass and this was followed by the EB-0. The hum bucking pick up was placed directly on the neck of the guitar in the initial stages of design. The EB-3 was a much sleeker model compared to the earlier versions. The Gibson Thunderbird had dual hum bucking pickups placed between the neck and the bridge. Most basses have four, five and six strings and in the extended basses you will find 12 strings. The pickup of the bass electric guitar is magnetic which helps in producing a distinct sound which can be enhanced using a speaker and an amplifier.
There are a number of models of the Gibson Bass and some of the more famous ones include Tobias Growler, Thunderbird IV Bass, Thunderbird IV, Ltd Ed Silverburst Thunderbird IV, Grabber II Bass, Nikki Sixx Thunderbird Bass, Thunderbird Pro V, SG Standard Bass, SG Standard Bass Faded, Thunderbird Pro IV, Jack Casady, EB-0, EB-3, Goth Thunderbird IV, Les Paul Special, Nikki Sixx Blackbird, Allen Woody Rumblekat and Ripper II Bass.
So if you are a lover of good music and would love to learn the guitar then there is no better model to buy than the Gibson Basses who have different guitars to suit each individual's needs. A very interesting part about these guitars is that they have a standardized serial number at the back of each guitar which indicates the date they were produced and the order of production on that particular day.
The biggest disadvantage of the Gibson bass guitar if any has to do with the price, as most find it very expensive. Some of these guitars also have seven strings and most people who use the five string guitar find it a bit troublesome to use the two extra strings and think that it affects their style of playing.
Some people also find it very heavy and not an ideal one for beginners or novices who have just began to play the guitar. The advantages of the Gibson bass are so many that they have remained the hot favorite of musicians all over the world for the unique sound they produce.
Very talented Pop artist Alanis Morissette has released her latest album titled Feast On Scraps and Wow! It's good.
Alanis Morissette has been a super star in the Pop genre for quite a while now and Feast On Scraps is an excellent illustration as to why.
Feast On Scraps is a pleasantly varied, mix of 9 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly talented artist. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are her own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions like love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.
Overall Feast On Scraps is excellent from beginning to end. One of those CDs that after a few listens the songs are just etched into your memory. A must have for the Pop fan. Really sensational from beginning to end.
While this entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 2 - Bent For You, track 7 - Simple Together, and track 9 - Hands Clean.
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 - Fear Of Bliss. This is a great track!
Feast On Scraps Release Notes:
Alanis Morissette originally released Feast On Scraps on December 10, 2002 on the Maverick label.
CD Track List Follows:
1. Fear Of Bliss
2. Bent For You
3. Sorry To Myself
4. Sister Blister
5. Offer
6. Unprodigal Daughter
7. Simple Together
8. Purgatorying
9. Hands Clean - (acoustic)
The FEAST ON SCRAPS DVD included in this package features a live show from Alanis Morissette's European tour, studio footage and various behind-the- scenes clips as well as 8 previously unreleased tracks recorded during the UNDER RUG SWEPT sessions.
Personnel: Alanis Morissette (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Tim Thorney (guitar, bass); Nick Lashley, Joel Shearer, Dean DeLeo (guitar); Charlie Bisharat (violin); Larry Corbett, Ruddy Stein (cello); Richard Causon (piano); Jaime Muhoberac, Zac Rae (keyboards); Chris Chaney, Meshell Ndegeocello, Eric Avery (bass); Gary Novack (drums).
Although the Zoom Micro drum machine (Zoom MRT-3 Rhythm Trak) weighs less than a pound and a half, this thing is certainly a force to be reckoned with.
With 396 Preset Patterns, 99 User Patterns, and 99 Songs, the Zoom MRT 3B Drum Machine can accompany your voice, guitar, or other instrument right out of the box!
Of course, if you like to create your own drum beats, the Zoom Rhythmtrak MRT 3B has you covered, and then some! How does 199 sound sources, 50 preset kits, and 20 user kits grab ya?
Add to that the fact that this thing is fully portable, and you've got a pretty outstanding beat machine at your disposal. It takes 4 AA alkaline batteries to power the Zoom MRT 3 for a full 15 continuous hours! This is great for the street musician, as well as anyone who likes to take their music on the road!
And the sound quality is quite magnificent. Very rich and realistic sounding drum voices (comparable to the Alesis SR-16), coupled with total user-friendliness make this one of the best beat machines you can buy for the money. This is especially true if you run it through the right kind of amplification. I recommend any of the Roland KC (keyboard combo) amps... these things were born to bring out the best in your drum machine!
As far as the cost for the Zoom Micro Rhythm Trak drum machine is concerned, it's pretty reasonable for the quality you're getting. 10 years ago this thing would have cost you several hundred dollars (had the technology existed) - but you can pick up a brand new model for under a hundred bucks today.
This is one of the easiest drum machines in the world to figure out. There's nothing intimidating or "techy" about the the Zoom MRT3B Micro Rhythmtrak. Just plug and play - and even plugging is optional, thanks to its battery-powered capabilities!
Of course, this drum machine doesn't boast some of the incredible instrumental capabilities of its big brother, the Zoom RT-23 RhythmTrak, such as bass guitars and human beat-box sounds... but we're obviously looking in a different price range here! However, if you've got the extra 50 dollars or so to spare, you may be better off going with the "full meal deal" you get with the RT 23.
The Micro Rhythm Trak is definitely worth a look if you like great functionality coupled with true simplicity... and portability. Fantastic little drum machine and an excellent value!
Annuals is a six-piece (Indie) band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Their band members consist of Adam Baker (Songwriter/Vocals), Kenny Florence (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Mike Robinson (Bass/Backing Vocals), Anna Spence (keyboard/Piano/Backing Vocals), Zak Oden (Drums/Guitar) and Donzel Radford (Drums/Percussion). Their genre are mostly Indie rock, Alternative rock, Indie pop, Experimental rock. Their first album "Be He Me", was released when they were just around the age of 19. And according to major music critic from Rolling Stone to NME to Pitchforkmedia, "Be He Me" received incredible positive reviews. Very impressive if you ask me. :-) Such a young band, but already so big at such young age. What more would I ask for if I were a part of Annuals!
Such Fun contains a variety of musical arrangement and landscape, from relaxing country to orchestra ballad.
Their title track, "Confessor" starts off with Adam Baker singing "Pack up and leave..." When it comes to the chorus, everything seems so right, Adam sings in a voice that somehow sounds so soft to my ears. And with the delicious music that blend in so well with the vocals, anyone will have to confess to any mistakes/deeds that he/she committed after listening to song. :-) The Guitar of Kenny can also be heard on and off. Wonderful opener from Such Fun!
"Hot Night Hounds" has a cheerful and fun piano sound to it. It kinda reminds me of my sister's younger days where she played piano in our house every weekend or during her free time. This song can arguably be separated into 2 parts, where the first part is the piano-playing and the second part is the jamming and riffing of the guitar. 2 parts of this song make this song hot and cool!
"Springtime" is a slow and indie pop ballad where it starts off slow and steady. It gradually picks up in the chorus and the tempo of this song suddenly explode and all of a sudden the music background is getting richer, make this song sound so full and rich! Like Annuals are performing at an orchestra show! When Adam is not singing, the rest of the Annuals back it up with "Ba, ba, ba ba ba...." It's beautiful, and it made me want to sing along! :-)
"Down The Mountain" Wow! This song sounds like a song taken from a Cowboy Motion Picture. When I plugged in my earphones to my ears and listened to this song. I was imagining myself in a cowboy movie where I was riding on a horse and chasing, catching and hunting a group of cows/deers/goats/ or other wildlife. It's such fun and cute song to listen to. You can bet to play this song when you are having a game of "getting to the seat when the music stops"! It's just a suggestion. :-) But this song is definitely cute and funny! It made you wanna smile and sometimes, laugh.
"Always Do" made an impression on me that it is a beautiful love song. It's a love song, but angry love song. It seems that this song recalls the old memory of the love between 2 people. Annuals made an impact by exploding in this song. Remember "Brother" from their previous album, "Be He Me"? Well this song recalls me of "Brother". Where it started off slow, and gradually picked up and exploded near the end of the song! It's like building the momentum of this song, or even climbing up to the top of a hill or mountain and screams at his/her peak upon reaching the peak. Those who love "Brother", will definitely love "Always Do". :-)
"Talking" is a fast track where the sound of the guitar can be mostly heard throughout the whole track. The chorus is the only part of the song that made an impression on me, where Adam sings, "Don't let your love decay..." It sounds like Adam is really tired of talking. Honestly, I really think Annuals play and perform perfectly when they are doing a ballad orchestra or in other words, a slower tempo song. "Talking" is a good effort and it ended in a sudden after the riff of the guitar, but if you asked me, I prefer Annuals on indie pop, indie ballad or even indie orchestra if there's such a genre. ;-)
"Hardwood Floor" This song is just so awesome! :-) And I really mean it! It's supposed to be a sad song but I can't help but feeling good whenever listening to this beautiful song. Adam starts off with "I'm so scared I just can't go anymore, I keep patching my rooftop..." From the first listen, it's like singing about a wound that hasn't healed completely. But in reality, after listening to this song, all my wounds are gone, this song is capable of doing so. The part where Annuals sing what sounded to me like, "didn't told dai yo", it is one of the best moment on Such Fun. Well, if you asked me what does it mean, frankly I don't know but it really sound like some African langauge. :-)
"Hair Don't Grow" From the beginning to the end of this song, Kenny's guitar is awesome! Again, it resembles "Down The Mountain" as if it were taken from a Cowboy Motion Picture. But only this time, "Hair Don't Grow" sounds packer, heavier and louder. It's best when you play this song when you're watching some Cowboy movies when the good Cowboys are fighting and shooting against the bad Cowboys. And oh yes, this song would be perfect when Annuals perform them in a gig or concert. The guitar, bass, drum, hand claps and some whistling instrument (Maybe it's violin) just blend in and got together so well and tastefully. Don't blame me if you find yourself nodding your head or tapping your foot away when listening to "Hair Don't Grow".
"The Tape" After listening to this song, I can't help but think that this song is kinda cute and can be used to replace the old and somewhat boring "Silent Night" Christmas Song. :-) A picture of a man playing piano in front of the Christmas tree and his family came to my mind when I listened to this song. Or is it because of the Piano-playing that made this song embraces the atmosphere of the Christmas Season. Not only that, "The Tape" is well accompanied by a number of musical instruments which can be found in a brass band. On second listen, "The Tape" can be a wonderful song for children's brass band.
"Blue Ridge" Yet again, another beautiful song. :-D It begins with a man talking and whispering to a baby. Reminds me of fatherly love. Forget Barney! Let your baby listen to Annuals' "Blue Ridge"! Throughout the journey of this song, the music and vocals fit in so well. When Annuals sing together, "To be first in the Sun, to be cursed it might be fun, such fun..." The music that comes along will blow you away. It'll melt you away like a box of chocolate. The violin is brilliant. I wish this song can be longer..
"Wake" started off somewhat in a creepy way. But it continued with a cheerful and happy note. The chorus is a very happy one and the backup vocals done by the rest of the Annuals suits in just well. It also kinda reminds me of the Arctic Monkeys' "A Certain Romance" where it ended on a strong and powerful note! Wonderful indie pop rock song (If there's such a genre).
Rating: Compared to their previous full length album , "Be He Me". "Such Fun" showed that Annuals are evolving as an indie band/artist. They tried to venture into new musical landscape and sound in "Such Fun" while "Be He Me" was somewhat very consistent in their landscape and sound. Overall "Such Fun" was a really good ride. No kidding! It garnered a rating of 7.5 out of 10 from me.
Stand-Out Tracks (My Picks): Springtime, Hardwood Floor, Hair Don't Grow and Blue Ridge.
For the last few years, there has been a movement in education away from traditional subjects to a more interdisciplinary approach. The basic idea is to apply more than one discipline simultaneously. There is no doubt that cross-curricular approaches to education can be very effective when properly applied.
When our local school district moved this direction with communication arts, my first thought was to find a way to incorporate reading and writing into my daily routine without interrupting my normal educational process of rehearsing music. Halting this process to read a book or write a narrative seemed like a waste of our valuable rehearsal time. My discomfort toward this issue led me to this epiphany: I AM a reading teacher already and no changes are necessary.
As I thought about what it means to read a book or write a five-part essay, I suddenly realized that I already teach these skills to my music classes. I realized that the fundamentals of reading and performing music are identical to reading and writing printed text. The cognitive dissonance that I was feeling about this mandate suddenly turned to relief and reassurance.
The more I think about this issue, the more I realize how much of a communication arts teacher I really am. Learning to form a musical phrase from individual notes is the same as reading a sentence. Memorizing note names and then producing them through the instrument utilizes the same cognitive processes as reading aloud. Performing and rehearsing emotion, tone, timbre, articulation, pace, meter, and dynamics is precisely what I already teach through music. The hesitation I felt about having this burden handed to me was lifted with these sudden realizations.
This must be similar to what Oedipus felt when he realized that he killed his father and married his mother. In Greek tragedy, this is referred to as peripeteia, or sudden realization. Of course, peripeteia only comes after anagnorisis. Anagnorisis means sudden discovery, or moving from ignorance to knowledge. What I have to say next may move you from ignorance to knowledge when it comes to music education.
I would like to try to make the argument that reading music is fundamentally superior to reading text for enhancing overall cognitive ability. Further, reading music is the best basic starting point for a child 's first steps toward reading ability.
At first, this may seem like a ridiculous proposition. You may even be insulted by the very thought that I can make such a claim. Take a closer look and you may find a few surprises.
Rationale
The fundamental processes of performing music are tied directly to the same areas of the brain that are required for information processing and retention. Like reading, performing music taps into all of the same cognitive areas of the brain. If you can agree on this fact, then consider how these cognitive areas of the brain can be easily enhanced through music.
Rehearsing music, just like reading a book, has the ability to link certain spiritual, emotional and physical elements together. Reading music and reading text both channel various emotions into physical manifestations in the body and can permanently alter the way the brain receives and processes information. Regardless of how you examine the two, both reading music and reading text are very similar in nature. As you may find out, the similarities are not nearly as important as the differences.
When an individual reads a passage in a book, the mind is required to consider the meaning of what is being read. For retention to take place, the reader must decode, comprehend and retain what the eye transfers to the brain. The brain uses a complex set of neurological, cognitive and physical processes to accomplish this task. If everything goes well, we derive meaning and develop new memories and patterns of thinking from what is read. Aside from reading aloud, auditory processes are not used.
When an individual reads music however, the mind is required to do a few additional tasks. There are three main advantages that music has over reading. I will attempt to describe these advantages individually.
Argument
First, the brain is required to distinguish between rapidly changing sounds and an infinite amount of visual stimuli. The ability to distinguish between the two is constantly rehearsed and reinforced through repetition. As this rehearsal takes place, the brain is continuously asked to improve its performance through mental mediation (letting go of thought). This added task is known as rapid auditory processing and is required for the understanding of language. Young children are especially challenged in auditory processing and mental mediation. Early music training has been shown to drastically improve this skill set.
Secondly, the brain is required to translate auditory and visual stimuli into kinesthetic activity. Although movement in music is similar to pairing reading and writing skills together, music provides a reciprocal reward for the brain that combines all three processes together. The rehearsal of auditory, visual and kinesthetic processes combine to enhance the brains overall ability to translate data into meaningful information. Performing music is superior to reading and writing text in its ability to repeatedly reward the brain for good behavior.
The final area that deserves to be examined is with visual field articulation. This is the brains ability to focus on one item of information within a pattern or field of reference. Processing rhythmic information in notation is yet another feature of reading music and naturally enhances this area of cognitive ability. Visual field articulation is closely related to rapid auditory processing and is an indicator of overall reading ability. Music is a natural and fun way to rehearse these skills.
If these three differences were not enough, new research indicates that musicians are better able to chunk information together and retain long-term memories. This theory is tied to the way the brain uses harmonic frequency to bind and chunk information. A musician's brain is attuned to harmonic frequency in a deeper way, and therefore better able to chunk information together into meaningful relationships. For more on this idea, reference the book, How the Gifted Brain Learns by David A. Sousa.
Back to Oedipus
Throughout the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, many metaphors for vision and eyesight are used to illustrate knowledge and insight. It is my hope that you now see music reading differently than you did before. If I have failed to convince you of my main argument, you will at least have a deeper appreciation for the impact music can have on reading ability. I will leave you with a quote from the Wordsworth Dictionary of Musical Quotations, 1991, p. 45:
Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form - Plato
