Patterns. That’s an interesting word and one that applies well to music. There are patterns everywhere in music. Repeating patterns, note patterns, chord patterns etc.

For New Age piano playing, a pattern that comes up frequently is a crossover technique for the left hand. The left plays a repeating pattern that uses more than an octave of the keyboard while the right plays melody notes, chords, etc.

For example, in the lesson “Ocean Pacific,” we have 4 chords to play with and the technique with which to play them - a repeating crossover pattern.

Now, what’s so great about this is that you have an aural background over which you may freely improvise your melodies. In essence, what is created is a repeating loop. This loop can also be looked at as a section of music. When you start thinking in sections, you’ll be doing what composers do.

This pattern for the left hand is used frequently in New Age piano playing because you can create sections of music very quickly and easily. And it’s attractive because it gives you the New Age sound quickly too!

How many patterns are there? An infinite amount. In fact, there are so many that it may be impossible to create them all. That’s why music is so limitless. Experiment with your own patterns and you’ll see how easy creating in the New Age style can be!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

Are you well past puberty and have always had a hankering for tickling the ivories? Maybe you didn’t have the money as a child. Or your family was always moving. Or you probably didn’t even know there was such a wonderful thing as the piano. Whatever the reason it is never too late to start. Really!

I began my quest to learn to play the piano at the late great age of 24. I had always wanted to play but was too busy pursuing my other interests one of which was gymnastics. I’m not even sure I knew note names but in all my innocence, after receiving a keyboard from my father for my birthday, I ran out and bought the first method book I happened upon. It was the Alfred Chord Series and I made it all the way through book 3 before finding a piano teacher.

Meanwhile I had been asked by my church to become their pianist. What follows is 10 years of struggles, learning adventures and opportunities that have molded me into what I am today. A PIANIST!

I had no goals of becoming a classical performer. I just wanted to play music. And I do. I have played at weddings, given piano lessons and I am still the church pianist. I have also added guitar to my list of skills.
What I’m trying to say is don’t let age stop you or even time. Most people think I studied as a child. And I know more music theory than many college piano majors. Being an adult puts you ina unique situation on knowing what you want to learn and how. Trust me this will all make sense once you start. If you’ve always wanted to learn then go ahead. It’s actually very easy and there is a wealth of information to start you on your way. If you have no idea where to start just type “Free Piano Lesson” into your search area on the internet. Then when you’ve become overwhelmed visit the book store and pick up Alfred’s Adult Piano Method series. Many adults learn to play with this series and while it’s not the only one out there it will get you started.

Happy Playing!

K Quinn is a church pianist and author of the book The Struggling Church Pianist. Visit her website and download some free musician tools at…
http://www.strugglingchurchmusician.us

The long wait is over for Canadians. Satellite radio is finally here at long last. Canadian Satellite Radio is officially available since November 2005. The CRTC (Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission) finally came to an agreement that will change the landscape of Canadian radio from here forward.

XM satellite radio was the first provider to be licensed in Canada by the CRTC. They signed a six-year deal to provide the service across the airwaves to Canadians. You can rest assured that with the initial success this agreement will be renewed when it comes due. An interesting point to be made, once the agreement with the CRTC had been signed several of the car manufacturers in Canada inked deals to provide satellite ready units in their cars.

As Canadians we’ve heard about the satellite radio rush that was happening in the US. Because of this Canadians have long awaited the arrival of such a service. Like their US counterparts, Canadian Satellite Radio customers are able to subscribe to a wide array of broadcasts including news, entertainment, sports, comedy, and about any music genre you can think of.

So what is Canadian Satellite radio going to cost you? Subscribers will be required to pay a monthly fee the same as US customers. This fee will give users access to all the content available. To be able to receive the signal you will need satellite radio receiver. The receiver is the actual radio/device that will play or receive the signal.

One of the biggest benefits to potential Canadian Satellite Radio subscribers is the service is highly affordable! For less then the cost of most Internet services per month you can enjoy access to all of the non-stop music and entertainment available. XM radio will also be offering advertisers a new channel to get their message to the masses. With small spots of advertising available on several of the all talk channels businesses will be able to tap into the growing pool of Satellite radio subscribers.

So on a whole what does Canadian Satellite Radio really mean to the country? More great news, music and entertainment for subscribers, advertisers will be offered a benefit of more airtime to get their messages out. Consumer electronics stores will have a new product line with multiple brands to sell, as well as a new installation revenue stream for Satellite car radio units. Of course it is the subscriber that will have the biggest benefit, but all looks bright to benefit both entertainment and commerce in the coming years for Canadian Satellite Radio.

For more information about Canadian Satellite Radio, and other services and products to do with the industry please visit out website Satellite Radios

Is there such a thing anymore as free downloadable music? I know that with lawsuits and copyright plus royalty laws there is a real push to make sure that artists get their money when their music is downloaded, but what if you just want to put something together for marketing or a business website? It turns out that there is such thing as downloadable music that can be used for marketing at a cheap price. You simple need to get out there and look for royalty free music in a downloadable state.

If you are a web designer or marketer, you likely will from time to time want to use flash or video clips on a website or CD Rom. Likely there will come a time where such materials will need music, and avoiding the high fees of royalties on this downloadable music will be essential to keeping your costs down.

There are, surprisingly, tons of places to find royalty free downloadable music. There are so many sources, in fact, that choosing the right royalty downloadable music may be a real challenge. Your client will likely be requesting music from his favorite album or something he got inspired by on the radio on his way to the office this morning. However, the price tag that comes with those songs will quickly help him get over that. Royalty downloadable music sites use music that sounds up to date and timely, but you will have to sift through all of the canned 70’s sounding music. Take the time to check out all of the music you can, and you will be rewarded with modern sounding music at a good price for your client.

When you purchase a usage license from a royalty downloadable music site, it will likely be very flexible. You will be able to use the music on all of your sites and projects, but you cannot steal it. In other words, the license will entitle you, as the purchaser. It does not, however, allow your customer or anyone else to sell the CD with the music on it. You area also not allowed to transfer the license to anyone else by simply copying the CD and selling it to them. The truth is that you don’t own the music, you have simply purchased, from the original creators, the right to use it.

Music licensing can be very expensive. If your client wanted to hear the latest from Coldplay on his new website, he would have to spend more money than in is likely in his entire marketing budget. So what is the answer? Royalty free downloadable music can offer you the chance to put a hip sounding, newly produced piece of music on the site that may give you and your client the sound you are looking for without the high price tag. The only thing you have to be aware of is the limitations on the user license you will get with your royalty free downloadable music track. With that in mind, though, you have the solution you need in a world of high priced licensing and copyright laws.

If you would like the latest information on online music, or find more of my personal articles like the one you just read, visit my computing site.

There are several editions of CD mastering software on the market today. Many of these programs are a good purchase for recording artists who adhere to the “do it yourself” philosophy. CD mastering software is also well-suited for novice recording artists who have a limited budget. Software programs are available for most major platforms, including Microsoft, Apple, and Linux. These software programs range in price from around $75 to over two thousand dollars for packs of high-end software. The more expensive programs have many more features, but they are also very complicated and may confuse users.

Many programs that are included with most computers, such as Real Player and MusicMatch offer some types of mastering services. Both of these programs allow users to burn CDs and choose the order of the songs. There are add-ons to these programs that let people equalize the volume of the tracks on the CD and even add a delay between the songs as needed.

Some CD mastering software gives users almost as many options as the professional CD mastering facilities. A major advantage of CD mastering software is its easy incorporation with home recording software like Pro Tools and other similar programs. Most CD mastering software programs support music 16-, 24- and 32- bit music files.

These CD mastering software programs can perform countless functions. Many are designed to have the same “drag and drop” operation as Pro Tools and other recording and editing software. Aside from traditional mastering functions like song sequencing, fades, and setting time between songs, some software allows users to add effects such as reverb and echo. Most programs have features that can remove excess noise from tracks as well. Many high-end software programs can produce masters that sound as good as those made in expensive facilities.

CD mastering software programs can provide a great cost-effective way to master a CD. Many programs have recording features that go along with the mastering programs. CD mastering software is perfect for independent recording artists and artists who want to have control over all aspects of the production.

CD Mastering Info provides detailed information on CD mastering engineers, facilities, and software, as well as online and free CD mastering. CD Mastering Info is affiliated with Original Content.

If your identity is stolen, your finances can quickly become a nightmare. A less obvious problem is the effect identity theft can have on your taxes.

Identity Theft

Generally, thieves steal your personal data for the purpose of running up credit card charges or opening and abusing new accounts. A developing trend in the identity theft field concerns schemes impacting your taxes.

Selling Social Security Numbers

Identity thieves have created a new line of business - selling your social security number. Who would want to buy it? The list is surprising long, but undocumented workers, individuals with bad credit and people trying to obtain a new identity lead the list. This can create a huge problem for you since any income paid to those individuals is reported to the IRS as being paid to you. This results in the IRS having inflated income numbers and, often, audits when you “under report” your income.

With the creation of the Real ID Act, better known as the National ID Card, things will only get worse. Under the Act, all workers will be required to submit social security numbers to obtain jobs. With our leaky borders, there will be a high demand for your social security number.

False Tax Filings

It doesn’t take much to file a tax return. What’s to stop an identity thief from filing one under your name to generate a refund? Nothing. To generate the maximum refund, you can be all kinds of frivolous deductions will be claimed. After all, it will be you that has to attend the audit.

What Can I Do?

If you receive a notice from the IRS that leads you to believe someone may have used your Social Security Number fraudulently, you should notify the IRS immediately. Indicators can be found in notices from the IRS that state:

1. More than one tax return for you was filed, or

2. IRS records indicate you received wages from an employer unknown to you.

Don’t hesitate or be nervous about contacting the IRS. The agency knows this is a growing problem and not an “opportunity” to pound on taxpayers.

Richard A. Chapo is with http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - recovery of business taxes through tax help and tax relief. Visit http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com/articles to read more business tax articles.

Here’s a great playlist of tracks from the 80’s that were either redone/remade or original tracks remixed. All of the tracks on here are very recognizable.

The playlist starts with Hyper doing an awesome version of Adam & The Ant’s classic, early 80’s tune Ant Music. It’a a very upbeat and energetic version, perfect to set things up for a 80’s themed party.

I then head off to Laidback’s White Horse remixed by Funkstar De Luxe, This track keeps keeps to the original sound but it’s perfectly remixed and given the extra “oomph” by Funkstar De Luxe. Funkstar De Luxe did an awesome remix back in 2000 of Bob Marley’s Sun Is Shining and it was part of a remix CD he put out called Keep On Movin. Other great remixes on the album Keep On Movin include Tom Jone’s She’s A Lady, Pull Up To The Bumper by Grace Jones and Ring My Bell by Anita Ward. It’s a great album and definitely worth checking out if you are at all into remixes.

Electric Avenue (21’s Century Mix) by Eddie Grant is an upbeat electronic dance club stormer. It has thee full on beats for the best house party/club nights out. It’s several years old as a remix but still sounds fresh today.

Duran Duran’s Girl’s On Film remixed by Salt Tank keeps to the original track but has been updated with the current beats and sounds. It still has the feel of the original song but has the feel of an extended re-edit. It’s definitely fun for the 80’s music lover.

I found the next track off a free cd that I received from a magazine back in the late 90’s. It’s a remake of Gary Numan’s Cars by Dave Clark. It’s still sounds like the original tune but extended and the vocals are by I’m assuming Dave Clark the techno artist/DJ.

The next track on the playlist is Something To Do (Black Strobe Remix) by Depeche Mode. Of course everyone knows Depeche Mode and alot of you know who Black Strobe are. A great French duo who did an awesome track called Me And Madonna a couple of years back. A dirty, sleazy sounding gem that’s great to listen to over and over. Anyway this remix is off the Enjoy The Silence remix single from 2004. The track has been given the modern stripped down electronic club sound and the track still hangs onto the original melody of the track. It’s definitely great to listen and dance to. Of course Dave Gahan’s vocals are great too!

Everyone knows the next track as it’s very popular and has been licensed to many compilations and featurned in countless films. It’s Soft Cell’s Tainted Love remixed by Soulchild. This version comes from Soft Cell’s greatest hits cd from 2003 and I assume this version that’s on the CD is an edit clocking in at just under four minutes but still sounds awesome. The remix basically has made the track much more upbeat and energetic. I think it’s definitely perfection!

Ok this next track is basically a mash-up. It’s taking I Begin To Wonder by Danni Minogue and mashing it with You Spin Me Round Round by Dead Or Alive called Begin To Spin Me Round. It’s a marvelous remix and a great job whoever did the work in creating this work of art. The original Dannii Minogue song is ok but this makes the song sound like the 80’s all over again thanks to Dead Or Alive’s great beats!

I love Buffalo Gals by Malcolm Mclaren and this updated remix by Roger Sanchez is also great. It’s upbeat and fun to dance to. I wish alot more of Malcolm Mclaren’s music would get remixed. Like one of my all time favorite tracks of his is Deep In Vogue from 1989.

Everyone knows Blue Monday by New Order and Hardfloor did an amazing perfect remix of that track back in 1995 so I decided to include that remix up next. It’s a big beat techno floor filler and the remix still sounds awesome after 10 years just like the original sounds great today.

Culture Club’s Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (TMS-PMS Mix) is another fresh sounding update/remix of the classic 80’s track. It sort of has an electro 80’s sound as a remix. Fun to dance too!

Rapture (Guru’s Fly Party Remix) by Blondie has been given the sped up hip-hop sound. It’s fresh sounding and perfect to dance to. Although the remix 12 years old it’s still sounds great and it includes a new rap which complements the remix and Blondie’s singing.

Up next is one of my favorite remakes, an updated remake of Crockett’s Theme by FPU. It’s quite pleasant to listen to and has that added moody element. It’s definitely hundred times better than the original. Hate to say that to fans of Jan Hammer but this is perfection!

This remix of Erasure’s Who Needs Love Like That was done in the early 90’s, I believe 1991 to coincide with their Pop! Greatest Hits CD. It’s a good update but still sounds like the 80’s. I guess alot has happened in the world of electronic music and remixing and things just sound better nowadays versus how remixes sounded in the early 90’s. It’s still a fun track.

The Jason Nevin’s remix of Run DMC’s It’s Like That is a great update/remix. It keeps to the original sound but again giving that extra added “oomph”. Nice and upbeat and a little sped up for the dancefloor!

I end the playlist with a cheesy (I can say that because it is) remake of Bryan Adams’s Heaven by DJ Sammy. It’s an overplayed pop/dance track and it’s fun too.

Ant Music by Hyper

White Horse (Vs. Laid Back) by Funkstar De Luxe

Electric Avenue (21st Century Mix) by Eddy Grant

Girls On Film (Salt Tank Mix) by Duran Duran

Cars by Dave Clark

Something To Do (Black Strobe Remix) by Depeche Mode

Tainted Love (Soulchild Remix) by Soft Cell

Begin to Spin Me Round (Extended Verison) by Dannii Minogue

Buffalo Gals Stampede (B-Gals Stampede Radio Mix) by Malcolm McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team

Blue Monday (Hardfloor Mix) by New Order

Do You Really Want 2 Hurt Me (TMS~PMS Mix) by Culture Club

Rapture (Guru’s Fly Party Mix) by Blondie

Who Needs Love Like That (Hamburg Mix) by Erasure

It’s Like That by Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins

Heaven by DJ Sammy & Yanou Feat. Do

So, I ask myself, what is the big deal with free laptops with mobile broadband contracts these days? Are we really getting something for nothing or is there a catch we just haven’t spotted yet?

I decided to try and little undercover investigation work at broadbandgenie.co.uk to see why these companies are giving away free laptops with mobile broadband contracts and this is what I came up with…..

First of all, giving away free laptops is a great way to get more customers pushing and shoving their way through the shops to sign up for long term contracts. We all love a good freebie offer, and with the promise of a brand new and shiny laptop ready and waiting in its box for you to collect is just too tempting for some people.

It works as a great marketing strategy for the companies to lure in more consumers, especially now when the economy seems so bad and no-one, including myself, is buying anything simply because they cannot afford to.

Not only that but the tempting thought of opening your new mobile broadband to get started on the bus on the way home from the shops is enough to have anyone rushing in to any store to sign a contract for free laptops with a mobile broadband contract.

Today Lavaine is doing well and able to go about life in a manner which would never have been thought possible in 1986. This was the year which he was diagnosed as HIV+. The first treatment for HIV was called AZT, in 1988.

By 1995 other treatments had been developed but with very limited success. At that time much research had been done and it was found that more drugs than just one or two used together could in most cases ‘demolish’ the HIV to such an extent that it was unable to replicate in the body.

This was to save countless lives and those people who are fortunate enough to live in countries where these drugs are available have a very good chance of living with HIV, and not progressing to Aids.

The HIV virus is notorious at being able to ‘hide’ in the human body, so there is no cure. The drugs available are in various classes and although they work in different ways, are formulated to prevent the virus from replicating. HIV attacks the very cells which are there to fight disease and mop up pathogens which are entering the body every moment. A lack of these cells inevitably leads to infections going unchecked, which in turn lead to serious illness.

There are cases of a very small number of people who are resistant to HIV. Some will never become HIV positive, Whilst others who do are very slow to become ill, and are termed ‘Lon-term non-progressors.’

Perhaps Lavaine is one of these but doctors have always treated him as any other patient, with similar treatments.

So the book is available and is downloadable from the website: HIV-Muscles.com. It costs $9.99 and for every book sold 1$ will be donated to Aids Charities.

Written by Ray Penn, Author of HIV-Muscles.

Marone Memoirs - An immigrant Story by author Sarah E. Lingley is the story of her great grandparents Raffaele and Rosa Marone and their voyage to freedom in America. This book chronicles their journey and subsequent life in America.

Raffaele Marone, tired of his life in Laurenzana, Italy, travels to New York to begin a new life. Raffaele continually travels between America and his homeland of Italy where he is to meet, fall in love with and marry Rosa. His marriage is welcomed under the strict understanding that he does not take Rosa to live in America (the reasoning behind this comes from an incident in Rosa’s childhood explained in the book). This restriction is to be revoked later and both Raffaele, Rosa and their children immigrated to begin a new life in America.

The story portrayed in this book is that of the lives of Raffaele and Rosa Marone and that of their children. Author Sarah E. Lingley with the help of Marone’s living daughters recalls this story beautifully and reminds us all of family and family love.

Sarah Lingley has an extraordinary gift for story telling and keeps readers intrigued throughout this book. Her attention to details is also outstanding. This book is a definite must for anyone with a keen interest in family history or if it is just a love for reading you will enjoy this also. This book is available from all leading book sellers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also receive more information by visiting the website of the Author Sarah Lingley http://themovingpen.com

Amanda Evans is webmaster for http://www.amandawrites.com a website dedicated to helping others achieve their dreams of becoming writers. You can subscribe to the free monthly newsletter Writers Passion. Amanda Evans is also the author of the newly published “From Those Death Left Behind” a collection of poetry and stories describing the grief and emotions of a family that lost a member to suicide. This book can be purchased at http://www.lulu.com/content/120733