The Difference Between Taking Guitar Lessons Online Versus a Private Instructor

Learning to play the guitar online is quickly catching on and reducing the number of students who enroll to take private guitar lessons from local teachers and instructors. This is nothing new of course since the Internet has been changing the way we do many things over the past decade. However when it came to visual demonstration of things such as guitar or piano lessons it took a little while for the technology to catch up.

Early attempts to provide online guitar lessons failed due to slow Internet connections, expensive video production equipment and lack of software to well make things look good.

Fast forward ahead to today and there are thousands of people who are taking guitar lessons online and more following suit every day. Whether you pay for a membership to an online guitar course or learn from free guitar lesson videos there are a few main differences that beginners should be aware of before they decide to go the route of teaching themselves via the web.

Lesson Structure

When you take private guitar lessons you don't have to worry or even think about what you're going to learn next. After all that's why you're paying $15-$20 a week for you lesson right?

There is great structure found when you take lessons from a quality teacher. Of course there are some instructors are lacking structure as well. If we compare that to online lessons you'll find that many of the membership websites available provide a ton of lesson content but they lack the structure some beginners need. This sometimes mean that beginners are left with gaps in their knowledge later on because they missed a key concept.

Practice Routines

Like lesson structure being given a practice routine means all you have to concentrate on is what you're told. Your instructor tells you to practice the C major scale until you can fluently play it 10 times without errors. So you go home that week and each day you practice the C major scale trusting that there's a good reason why your instructor has asked you do so.

With guitar lessons online you aren't always given a routine to practice. You're often left up to your own to decide what topics are important enough for you to practice each week, and how much time you should spend watching new videos versus practicing the material you've already watched.

Accountability

While lesson structure and practice routines are more a mechanical part of lessons this last difference is really about mindset.

When you take private guitar lessons you're paying another person to teach you how to play the guitar. There's a built in accountability there for most. No one wants to look like a fool in front of their teacher if they haven't even picked up their guitar all week to practice. Not to mention your weekly lesson fee begins to become a huge waste of money. This accountability helps keep beginners on track and also pushes them through the often boring and tedious beginner topics of learning notes on each string, scales and mastering scale shapes.

With online lessons it does take a special type of person to have the self motivation and discipline to teach themselves and stick to a practice schedule. After all the only person you're responsible to when you teach yourself is you.

It's a good idea to get into a routine where you maybe watch a lesson on Monday and Thursday and then schedule 20-30 minutes every other day to practice. Sticking to a routine will help you maintain structure in your learning and ensure that you make the most from your $15 or $20 bucks a month you pay the online guitar lesson site you join

Not Sure Which Online Guitar Lessons to Try?

If you've done some research but feel stuck on which guitar lessons online are best for you stop by our website where we've compared and reviewed several of the top online and DVD guitar courses available. We're actual guitar players and either own or are members of each course we review. Visit us at http://www.guitarlessonsreviewed.com/.

View the original article here

Producers Vs Beat Makers: Is There A Difference?

People often use the terms " beat maker" and "producer" interchangeably, however there are distinct differences between the two. To better understand these differences, one would have to first define what a beat maker is versus a producer.

Beat Maker

This individuals primary responsibility is the music composition of a song. They create the instrumentals and beats to set the tone for an artist's lyrics. Beat makers can produce a variety of beats ranging from pop & hip hop to rock and country. Experts in this area sometimes become composers.

Producer

A producer can make beats however it is not absolutely necessary. A producer's responsibility is to oversee the studio session to ensure that the completed, final production is executed properly.

A producer's duties may include the following:

Making the instrumentals or beats

Songwriting

Leading the recording session

Vocal Production

Vocal and Instrumental Arrangement

Audio Engineering

Mastering of the Final Session

A producer may or may not do all of the aforementioned tasks, but the end result or master recording of a song is deemed the producer's responsibility.

Executive Producer

A producer that oversees an entire album is called the executive producer. He/she is responsible for supervising many of the business aspects of putting an album together. This includes but is not limited to: making sure producer checks have cleared, ensuring split sheets are prepared, choosing the final songs on an artist's album, etc.

Based off of the definitions above, it is easy to see the differences between beat makers and producers. A beat maker's main responsibility is to compose the instrumentals and beats for a song while a producer is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of song creation are taken care of.

Determining Your Needs

A common mistake among upcoming recording artists, rappers, singers, and musicians is to request a producer when he/she may actually only need a beat maker. The opposite is true as well. An artist may say "I need beats" when actually he/she needs a producer. The simplest way for a recording artist to determine whether or not he/she needs a beat maker or producer is to identify his/her goals.

Questions an artist should ask are:

Am I working on an album?
or
Am I working on a mixtape?

What music services can I afford?

What do I plan to do with the music?

Asking these types of questions can be extremely helpful in determining an artist's recording needs.

Financing The Project

It is critical to know the difference between a beat maker and producer when it comes to financing an album or mixtape. Why? It could cost more to get music production services from a producer. This is because a producer can provide a wider range of services to the potential client. Recording artists should carefully consider their choices when it comes to their production budgets and financing their projects.

Concluding, knowing the difference between beat makers and producers is vital to a recording artist's career. Artists should understand that beat makers are responsible for solely providing the musical composition of a song while a producer may provide those services and more.

For more information like this and free beats visit, http://www.almostfreebeats.com/

View the original article here

Amy Winehouse - The Diva With a Difference

Nicknamed as 'Wino', Amy Winehouse, the stunning English singer and lyricist, has received the prestigious Grammy Awards for a record five times for her unforgettable hits 'You Know I'm No Good' and 'Rehab' among others. She is known for her musical excellence in genres like soul, jazz and R&B, but there are some crazy fans who simply love her for her power-packed contralto vocals too.

Amy was born on 14th September, 1983 in the city of London, England to Mitchell (father) and Janis (mother), a Jewish family. In her young age, the diva used to play her only brother Alex's guitar; and when she turned 13, she got one for herself. Many say that she was a rebellious kid and was once rusticated from her school in London for piercing her nose and painting her body with tattoos at the age of 14.

Amy Winehouse's professional career took off very early when she was in her teens. Initially, she performed club gigs and recorded demos at low prices. A turning point in her career came in the year 2003 with her debut album Frank. This jazz music album got her into instant fame with marking her nominations in several award functions. After this, she suffered a setback on personal front in her relationship and even took to substance abuse.

The year 2006 witnessed Amy Winehouse's comeback with her super hit album 'Back on Black' followed by 'Rehab' which sizzled the US pop charts capturing the No. 9 slot on the list of hits. These two releases got her a much desired global recognition. But, these were just not enough for a talent like Amy. On February 10, 2008, Amy broke all records by grabbing 5 Grammy Awards in one night. She was awarded in the category of 'Best New Artist' and 'Record of the Year' for Rehab. From here, everyone's lovely Winehouse was just unstoppable. The same year she gave multiple powerful performances to simply add more fans to her already huge fan-base.

Later in the month of June, Amy had to encounter some unfortunate health issues. She was admitted in hospital because of lung infection. But, to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, she went out of the hospital to reach London's Hyde Park. There she performed her hit numbers Rehab and Valerie and once again made a place in thousands of thumping hearts. She also gave an unforgettable one hour performance at Roman Abramovich's party which was held in Moscow. For this single performance, she was paid $2 million.

In the blink of an eye, Amy Winehouse became a rage for her fashion statement and musical concoction. In April 2008, she was voted the "ultimate heroine" by her British fans. But, because of her unacceptable behavior, the very next month she was voted as the most hated figure in the United Kingdom.

Nevertheless in the sphere of music, Amy is unbeatable with her heart-stealing, cross-genre performances. Her experimentation with different musical genres like pop, R&B, jazz, reggae and soul not only captured millions of hearts, but ruled them completely.

Love her or Hate her, Amy is Amy!

View the original article here