Technology and music {Robert(a)'s post}

Roberta- In the world of music today, there are three types of musicians. The first type of musician is the naturally talented, well rehearsed musician. This type of musician may be called old fashioned or simple. They are very good at composing/performing music live and are usually equiped with lessons, as well as somewhat of a natural ability to learn the music easier than most. The second type of musician is the digital musician. These people are incredibly talented with computers and technology. They are able to make themselves sound extremely talented, even though they may not be, by editing the recorded music and possibly using an autotuner to perfect the pitch of every sound. The third type of musician is well abled in both categories. A great way to desipher between this type of musician and the digital musician is to listen to vocal effects. Typically, the digital musician will have some type of vocal effect that will occasionally sound somewhat robotic. This, however is a tough call due to the fact that many multi-talented composers are experimenting with vocoders in order to achieve a new, unheard of sound.

"Long live the tape player."
-Nicholas Danger Rogers

Favorite guitar technices

MKLANE

So, me.. Being the metal head I am. There are a few technices that i like to use when i play. The main ones are pinch harmonices and sweep picking.

Pinch Harmonics is playing a note and giving it a "squeel" sound. It's used mainly at the end of riffs and before the next riff in a song. How you do this is with your picking hand. Most people play with the pick slightly slanted while picking or strumming. In order to do this technice you must keep the pick parrallel with your thumb lowered on the pick. Then when you pick your thumb will gently brush the string RIGHT after the pick has hit the string. This is a very hard technique to master but once you do it sounds very good.

The sweep picking technique is a way to "shred". Bands such as the human abstract and solo artists like Yngwie Malmsteen use this sound. basicly what you do is create a chord (typically a bar chord). You finger each note and pick each individual one and beggin to pick up spead until you are able to do this quickly. Once you are able to move your finguring hand quickly you should be able to move to different bar chords. The motion you begin to have with your picking hand is similar to a sweep motion going up and down the strings. It's not a strum but more like a sweep. Now. After you get this down. YOu have to be able to mute each individual string right after you play it by releasing pressure off your fingure to deaden the note. If you don't then each note will bleed together.

Is Rap The New Rock?

N- I see many ways that rap could be considered the next Rock and Roll. I have heard much talk on this comparing. Personally I think rock will never die, but rap is quite popular, in its own way. I see how modern rap is as hedonistic amd indulgent as rock in the 80's. 80's rock was popular and all about being the biggest, big hair, big sound all of that. Rap these days is almost the same, except the tight spandex are very loose jeans or something like that. Bling and getting money all of that good stuff. Sex, drugs and modern rap, eh?

M- In some ways i believe that Rock will always be rock and will never be changed. Rock will always be popular. But, for many years since rock came around it was the leading genra of music for a long time and in my opinion it still is. But, with all the Rap atists and Hip-hop singers out now. I think it is easily possible that Rap/hip-hop could become more popular with it's growth in the music world. I personaly would not like to see this happen because not that the music behind some of their music they produce isn't bad but it's mainly the lyrics that i dislike. Mainly the rap. I don't mind the hip-hop because many of those artists can actually sing. But, I hope that none of the Rap artist get big because personaly i believe that they don't deserve it... Mheh.. Blah.. Roar... yup.. the end.

Roberta Jackson- Ok...whew...here we go: upon hearing and trying desperately to comprehend the question, "is rap the new rock?", I have come to the conclusion that it is purely ignorant. If having to do with popularity, the answer lies in racial biasness. There are certain races that I will not name in order to avoid complication, that will only listen to certain types of music it seems. As far as rap being the next rock, what exactly do you want to know? Are you asking if rap is as popular or even more so than rock? In order to give you a clear answer, I must first recieve a question that is not so vague. There are many components associated with your question. So, are you asking about popularity? Are you asking about which will outlast the other? Or, are you asking if I am going to start seeing posters of Kanye West with a mohawk and tight leather pants? The power is yours. It's morphin' time. Peace. All those who are wanting to know...Matt...Nick...others...not especially Doc....

We're not webster or merriam...

but we define a cover song as another band replicating a song made by another band or artist, sometimes it will be an attempt at an exact copy, other times the coverers will take the song in a new artistic direction.

EXAMPLES:
Run-D.M.C.'s cover of Aerosmith's Walk This Way
Johnny Cash's reworking of Nine Inch Nails's Hurt
Devo doing The Rolling Stones "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"
I guess Mark Wood covered Hendrix, the Beatles, and many others

it's cool man, i'm just barrowing, not stealing.

M.K. Lane - So Apparently covering a song these days is pretty popular. Artists such as Madonna covering American Pie or Britney Spears covering I love Rock'n'Roll can be opinionated into a good or bad thing. I personaly think that it is ok to cover a song live, but i do not think that it is right to put it on a CD, even if credit is givin to the orginal artist. I believe it is their song and they have every right to it and that it should not be used as a filler to create a full length CD. Not to discredit Madonna or any other artist who has covered a song and put it on a CD, I believe they are talented but I do not think that that song belongs on their CD. If you play the song live then it's only a one time thing and giving credit to the orginal composer is needed. I think that playing a song live shows respect to the creater and showing them that they enjoy playing their song and that it is still a hit among the people. But, putting it on a CD can make people think that it was written by artist and not the orginal artists. It can be deceiving. I know for me I was like oh wow that alian ant farm song is cool, ooh yea smooth criminal..thats a good song, then I found out it was a cover by Michael Jackson. And, it just didn't seem as cool to me anymore. Not because it was by Michael Jackson but because i thought that they had written it. But, if i ended up going to an AAF concert and they randomly started to play this song, i bet the crowed would go crazy.

N.D. Rogers- Cover songs... not gonna lie, generally I like them. Not so much a like but at first listen they interest me. I like it when a band does a song completely out of their style for covers the best. As enjoyable as cover songs are, it disappoints me when the cover becomes the bands hit song. That tells me, "as a band we make awful songs, but we can make an enjoyable cover." Cover/Tribute bands are another thing i have a problem respecting. Yes you can play instruments, but you're no better than those guys in Las Vegas who dress up like Elvis. But cover songs do have their secondary benefits, if a popular band covers a lesser know artist work, more people may check out the original. That tends to be a good thing.

Roberta McNershA- About those covers...um...well I generally am just neutral about it. As long as the origional writers are given credit, I think it is ok. I don't have very strong opinions on the topic but, it is totally cool as long as the origional band gets credit. I have covered a few songs myself and it is a good way to find your own sound when you are a musician. It is a great tool.