Music - The Heart Healer

Music, the name itself is lyrical. As if the 'seven notes' flow in a single word. Music is the same wherever you go - The seven notes denote its existence and the songs exist from it. Music has delighted the singers and audience from time unknown. The Raags are considered to be an integral part of Music. Nothing is complete without them. The same music is given different names - as in the south it is known as the Carnatic Shastriya Sangeet and to the north it is termed as Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet or the Indian Classical Music. In any musical style, the grammar and the way each notes are pronounced are taken care of.

There are basically twelve Swaras (Notes). They are grouped in saptak (octave) out of which seven are Shuddhas (pure) and the rest five are called Vikrit (sharp/flat).

The seven shuddha (pure) notes are:
Sa Shadja
Re Rishabh
Ga Gandhar
Ma Madhyam
Pa Pancham
Dha Dhaivat
Ni Nishad

And the Vikrit Notes are:
Komal Re (flat)
Komal Ga (flat)
Tivra Ma (sharp)
Komal Dha (flat)
Komal Ni (flat)

Hence, when sang together they come out:
Sa Shadja
Komal Re (flat)
Re Rishabh
Komal Ga (flat)
Ga Gandhar
Ma Madhyam
Tivra Ma (sharp)
Pa Pancham
Komal Dha (flat)
Dha Dhaivat
Komal Ni (flat)
Ni Nishad

The seven notes are sung in three ways:
Aaroha: Ascending of the notes. Here each note is higher than the preceding note.
Example: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni

Avaroha: Descending of the notes. Here each note is lower than the preceding note.
Example: Ni, Dha, Pa, Ma, Ga, Re, Sa

Two Awesome Music Reviews

Good Vibrations, Second Edition: A History of Record Production
Mark Cunningham

Mark Cunningham created Good Vibrations which is a fun and fascinating journey through the history of record production. If focuses on a particular studio and the musicians who produced albums there. It gives insight as production evolved for many of the major pop recordings in our history, including Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pet Sounds, The Dark Side of the Moon, Telstar, Bohemian Rhapsody as well as others. It shows how the productions evolved, gives insights and images not found elsewhere and on the whole, tells an interesting story.

Some of the interviews are of Sir George Martin, Les Paul, Trevor Horn, Hugh Pagham, Tony Visconti, and scores more. The interviews are really fascinating and create a sense of the entire world of record production.

Mark Cunningham's Good Vibrations is an insightful book but fell a bit short with American record productions. Because it was based on a particular studio, I believe much American innovation of music production was left out of the store. Good companion of a book that covered the entire world's record production history.
Sanctuary Publishing

The Techno Primer
Tony Verderosa

The Techno Primer is a superb introduction to techno trends and engineering. The writer, Tony Verderosa, does a one-man techno/remix show, called VFX, and certainly understands the subject. The book includes a multi-media CD which has samples of numerous techno styles, together with a few videos with the creator playing as well as demonstration variations of a bit of music software.

This publication is split up into three parts. Part 1 offers a bit of framework for the techno genres. Verderosa begins with a short background of digital music. This offers enough to newbies to be aware of exactly where techno originated from, without becoming a dissertation. Then the writer discusses the impact of today's technology on dance tracks, which includes computer systems and platters.

Verderosa additionally features a section which does a great job at detailing most of the apparently limitless styles of electronic music. He offers a brief description of every style, along with a small demonstration of the particular styles which he includes on the included CD. For numerous styles, he gives samples of both songs and artists. For instance, his Hip-Hop model brings together low-fi vinyl examples and Acid loops.

Section 2 in the book describes producing Techno Music by computers. It is an extremely high-level overview, yet offers sufficient material to supply individuals serious about starting to create their own techno music certain focus about how to start. It offers short conversations about lots of the well known audio/MIDI programs, and views a bit of the computing devices required for generating audio. Additionally, it includes a brief intro to sound synthesis, along with a conversation on the way the writer produces live techno.

Section 3 is an accumulation Musician Interviews. Verderosa interviews people who take part in techno in a number of capacities. The writer is not a powerful interviewer - he uses the identical set of queries with all of the musicians, even if they don't make a lot sense. Lots of the interviews are with musicians which readers might not have been aware of.

Even so, the interview part is among the finest areas of the book. The interviews demonstrate there are all sorts of individuals creating in electronica, using a variety of talents, skills and passions. For anyone thinking about creating digital music, it is useful to note that there are numerous folks building careers from this, and they're all engaging in various things.

In general the guide will do an excellent job of presenting techno styles. It is mainly geared to people who would like to explore the types of electronic music and producing their very own loop-based audio. Verderosa's The Techno Primer is superb for young techno enthusiasts and musicians, since the book supplies a framework for the different styles of digital music, along with highlighting a number of recent methods to producing electronica.

Why Vans Warped Festival is Famous

There are a zillion reasons why Vans Warped Touring Festival has become the greatest of all times. Out of all the reasons, the most predominant one is their insistent tendency to 'stay ahead of the curve' which in turn, provides them with a competitive advantage to gauge the changing tastes of the crowd. As a result of which, they are able to take tactical decisions such as calling upon the newbies and hooking them up in the tour. Once they do it, they build curiosity around the same. The feeling of 'not knowing what's in store for them' triggers the audience to explore, and people happen to pour in- in large numbers.

Many a times, Vans Warped Tour has been able to showcase snowboarders performing their latest moves months before X-games could telecast them.

All in all, because of their pro-activeness, Vans Warped Tour happens to stand out in the front among other touring festivals held in North America.

The other reason which makes Vans Warped Tour greater than the rest is the variety. And why not- after all, there is no other place on the earth where you can witness more than one hundred bands jamming live along with a dozen of extreme sport athletes performing brave stunts! The kind of musical instruments, lights, stages, merchandize outlets and ramps make it nothing less than a pure entertainment package deal.

And if you think it is all about the youth then you are terribly mistaken. Vans Warped Tour has a 'Reverse Daycare' tent where you can leave your folks/ guardians and explore the attractions of the tour. You may check out the skateboarding ramp, BMX Stunt bikers, merchandize, play videos games or even grab a bite and once you are done with it, you can come back to the 'Reverse Daycare' and leave home with your folks.

In terms of audience, Vans Warped Tour swanks of a having a diverse one. Since the tour features a whole lot of bands featuring different styles of music such as Alternate Rock, Punk, SKA, Goth, Reggae and many more, it is obviously bound to happen. But the best part is, no matter how crazy the fans are for their favorites, yet they have a lot of respect for one another and for the universal appeal of music.

The kind of activities involved in the tour makes it easy to set up almost anywhere- be it a park, stadium or even a green pasture. As a result of which, Vans Warped Tour happens to be the most approachable festive event for the audience.

In true sense, the Vans Warped Tour can be called as a 'Road Trip'. The Vans Warped Tour begins in middle of June and concludes in middle of August. For two months, the tour travels to different cities stretching across different parts of North America and Canada. In fact, a couple of years ago, the tour held fifty shows in less than sixty days entertaining more than seventy thousand people in North America. The tour has become so popular that off lately it has been able to go abroad to nations, such as Japan, New Zealand and Europe.

But if you are attending the Vans Warped Tour and you wish to add more fun to the experience, then there are a few things that you have to keep in mind. Firstly, you need to carry enough cash to buy food and drinks. But if cash is too heavy for you, then you may carry a credit card, because most of the vendors in here accept major credit cards. Secondly, do not forget to get your mobile phone. It could be a trouble to arrange change for calling up from phone booths. Thirdly, check the weather before you step out of your home. You may carry a sunscreen and a cap if it is hot. If the weather is cloudy, then grabbing an extra pair of shorts and a T shirt would be a good idea. But whatever it is, it is essential for you to wear comfortable shoes because you would have to run around a lot.

Unsung Heroes - People Who Make it Happen

We are pretty much aware about the tasks of music bands and the extreme sports athletes at the Vans Warped Tour but have we ever thought about the people who are raison d'être for putting together such a great show?

With over 100 bands performing live each day on the Vans Warped Tour, it takes a colossal task to plan and execute properly, so that things are up and running. Who are the real heroes behind the success of the grand festival.

You will be surprised to know that there are more than 400 people who travel with the tour for the entire duration of the rock festival. These folks toil all times of the day, every day to make it happen. Each day they get up at 6 AM in the morning to set up lighting rigs, stages, sound systems and vendor booths. They meet up well before time to schedule the performances for the day. So, who are these people and what do they do?

1. Bus Drivers: There are more than 17 band buses and 19 productions buses (excluding the extra ones) which run day and night, from one place to another. These buses and trucks cover a distance of approximately 500 miles each night and it requires mettle to drive non-stop with almost no rest.

2. Tour nurse: A typical tour nurse hands out more than 1000 Band-Aids and drains out more than 4 bottles of aspirin in each tour. And of course it has to be; after all they are the only ones accountable for the health of artists, fans, crew and the athletes.

3. Caterer: It is virtually impossible to cook for more than 400 people 5-6 times a day but the tour caterer has done it over and over again. With his very own 18 wheeler mobile kitchen, the caterer is ready to cook almost anything any time of the day.

4. Production engineers: It takes a challenge to organize more than 100 music bands and make them perform their best on 10 different stages on a single tour. Production engineers are the ones responsible for it.

5. Security: To ensure that everyone has fun and yet are safe in the entire tour, Vans Warped Tour employs more than 70 security personnel each day.

6. Merchandise Vendors: Fans often wish to collect a souvenir, a T-shirt or a CD so that they remember the fun they had at the tour. For this purpose, merchandise vendors set up and break down their booths each day of the tour.

7. Road crew: Road crew members are in charge to test and tune musical instruments, setting up and breaking down lighting rigs and arranging things in case of emergencies.

8. First Aid tent Personnel: They are always there to treat minor injuries, bandage cuts and even to rehydrate the drained out folks at the tour.

9. Tour Clean-Up Personnel: Once the show winds up, the tour clean-up personnel begin with their work. They collect garbage in large poly-bags and sometimes, the trash weighs up to four thousand kilograms. The personnel work all through the night so that the next morning when the fans return, they find a clean place to hang around.