Showing posts for January 2005
The guiro is a percussion instrument that is played by running a wooden stick or scrapper along the notches and groves to produce a sound similar to that of a ratchet. It is a hollow, open-ended gourd with notches and groves cut into the side. The guiro is commonly found in Latin-American music and Cuban music will often use a guiro to obtain the Cuban style sound.
The guiro was adapted from a pre-Colombian instrument that originated from the Taino people. Instruments similar to the guiro were also used in other parts of South and Central America and brought to Puerto Rico by the Arawak Indians.
A guiro is played by holding the guiro in your left hand, with your thumb in the back sound hole. This helps keep the guiro in place. Your right hand holds the scraper and runs the scraper along the instrument. The correct name for the scrapper tool is a “pua”. When the guiro is played, both short and long strokes are used to create short and long sounds. This is normally done by the singer.
One of the first references of the guiro is by Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra in 1788. The guiro was said to be one of the instrument used to accompany dancers.
Miles Davis (1926-1991), American trumpet player and bandleader, one of the most innovative, influential, and respected figures in the history of jazz . Davis was a leading figure in the bebop style of jazz and in combining styles of jazz and rock music. Asa player, he was a master improviser (one who invents melodies while playing; see Improvisation) who played seemingly simple melodies with great subtlety and expressiveness. As a combo (small ensemble) leader, he assembled classic groups and allowed them the freedom to experiment and develop. The recordings of Davis and his groups have been imitated by musicians around the world.
Born Miles Dewey Davis III in Alton, Illinois, he grew up in East Saint Louis, Illinois. Davis began music lessons after receiving a trumpet on his 13th birthday from his father. Two years later he joined the musicians' union and began playing with a local band on weekends. About this time he met trumpeter Clark Terry, who helped and encouraged him. In 1944, after graduating from high school, he went to New York City to study classical music at the Juilliard School of Music. While there, he also began playing with alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and other pioneers of the new jazz style known as bebop. In 1945, at the age of 19, he began playing in a combo led by Parker. The recordings he made with Parker that year demonstrate that Davis had excellent tone but an immature style of improvising. However, he refined and improved his style of improvising during the next few years with Parker.
In 1949 and 1950, Davis made a series of recordings with a nine-person group that appeared on the album The Birth of the Cool (1950). The terms cool and cool jazz referred to a slower, more subdued style of bebop. By the mid-1950s Davis had developed one of the most distinctive styles in all of jazz. Unlike Gillespie, the first great bebop trumpeter, Davis preferred simple, lyrical melodies to speedy, flashy ones. Using delicate pitch-bending (a slight lowering or raising of a note) and a light vibrato (a gentle and regular wavering of pitch), he created a beautiful and expressive style. Often he used the harmon mute (a metal mute) to get a pinched, quiet sound. In the 1960s he began playing louder and used high notes and quick phrases more frequently. Still, he maintained most of his uniquely beautiful playing style to the end of his life.
Beginning in 1955 Davis led some five- and six-person groups that were among the finest in jazz. Between 1955 and 1970, his various groups included saxophonists John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and Wayne Shorter; drummers Jimmy Cobb, Philly Joe Jones, and Tony Williams; bassists Paul Chambers and Ron Carter; and pianists Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock. The albums recorded by these groups, such as 'Round about Midnight (1956), Milestones (1958), Kind of Blue (1959), E.S.P. (1965), Miles Smiles (1966), and Nefertiti (1967), represented major landmarks in the evolution of bebop. In particular, Kind of Blue is considered by many to be one of the finest jazz albums ever made. His other important albums of this period include Miles Ahead (1957) and Sketches of Spain (1960), which he recorded with big bands led by arranger and composer Gil Evans.
At the end of the 1960s Davis began to make use of the electronic instruments, rhythms, and song structures of rock music. His manner of playing the trumpet did not change much, but his musical surroundings were dramatically different. The album Bitches Brew (1969) is one of Davis's first significant fusions of the jazz and rock music styles. Although many jazz fans disliked his move into fusion jazz, many bebop musicians followed his lead and took up the new style in the 1970s. His accompanists of the late 1960s and early 1970s included guitarist John McLaughlin, keyboardists Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul, and drummers Jack DeJohnette and Billy Cobham.
Beginning in 1975 Davis experienced a period of inactivity and reclusiveness because of injuries suffered in an automobile accident and the subsequent onset of several illnesses. He returned to performing fusion jazz in 1980, playing with musicians such as guitarist John Scofield, bassists Darryl Jones and Marcus Miller, and saxophonists Bill Evans (not the pianist of the same name) and Branford Marsalis. Albums from this final period include The Man with the Horn (1981); Decoy (1983); and You're Under Arrest (1985), which contains recordings of the popular songs “Human Nature” by singer Michael Jackson and “Time After Time” by singer Cyndi Lauper. In 1990 Davis performed a leading role as a jazz musician in the Australian motion picture Dingo (1991). His album Doo-Bop, released the year after his death, was one of the first to fuse jazz with the hip-hop and rap music styles.
Since 1960 the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) has honored Davis with eight Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. In 1986 the New England Conservatory awarded him an honorary doctorate of music.
Maracas are simple percussion instruments (idiophones), usually played in pairs, consisting of a dried gourd shell (cuia - 'kOO-ya') filled with seeds or dried beans. They may also be made of leather, wood, or plastic. Often one maraca is pitched high and the other low.
The instrument is of prehistoric American origin. The word maraca is thought to have come from the Tupi language of Brazil, where it is pronounced 'ma-ra-KAH'.
Maracas are heard in many forms of Latin American music and are also used in pop and classical music. The are considered characteristic of the music of Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. In rock and roll, they are identified with Bo Diddley.
Although a simple instrument, the method of playing the maracas is not obvious. Because the seeds must travel some distance before they
Some of the advice given out by various relationship experts does not work. Some of us have found ourselves apparently 'failing' to follow their advice and then wondering, 'What am I doing wrong'. But, it is the advice which is flawed not us.
Often the advice makes a basic assumption about human nature that I believe misses the point. If the basic assumption is wrong then the advice won't work; no matter how clever, insightful or helpful it may seem.
A lot of advice I've come across makes the assumption that what blocks people creating good relationships is lack confidence of some kind. While there is some truth in this, the advice goes astray after that. They assume this is down to some kind of 'fear', or ‘nervousness’. They assume 'shyness' is just a form of fear. That is simply not true.
What is behind shyness is not 'fear'; what is behind shyness is actually 'shame'. Shyness is not a fearful state; it is a 'shame' state. Shyness is a feeling of low self-worth. Low self-worth will often masquerade as fear, anger, resentment, bitterness and so on. When that is the case than trying to tackle those issues head on (i.e. a fearful or angry attitude) does not work.
Trying to handle the 'apparent' issues head on can actually do damage, because we can end up 'failing' and our sense of self-worth sinks even lower.
Let me give you an example from the male world. This is the advice given by one notable expert (who usually gives good advice) in order to overcome 'fear around women'. He suggests that men go to their local shopping mall and walk up to every attractive woman that they see and (after talking to her for a few minutes) ask for her phone number.
This advice will either sound appallingly simple, or simply appalling, depending on whether you are a shy guy, or not. This is supposed to help men 'get over fear'. However, many shy guys will read this advice and know that they just cannot do it. Their low sense of self-worth will kick in, fill them with anxiety, and block them. Or, they may try it and crash and burn.
They have just been told that 'fear' is the root of their problem. It sure looks like fear is the problem because they feel intensely anxious even thinking about acting on the advice, never mind making any moves to try it. They then quietly assume that they are a 'coward', or something, for not being able to get over their supposed fear. They end up feeling really bad about themselves.
The presence of anxiety does not mean fear is the problem! The feeling of anxiety is just a 'warning light' that there is something deeper. It is a sign that part of us is feeling threatened and needs protection. And, maybe it is right! Maybe we ought to listen to it and find out…
Anxiety is actually a form of wisdom. Rather than trying to bludgeon our way through it, or try and ignore it, we need to work with it a bit.
One way to manage a situation we find fearful is by using our imagination to work on it before trying it for real.
Start
Take a couple of deep breaths and go back to the 'Start'. Go around the loop a few times to see what that does to help you overcome your fear and your sense of shame / shyness.
In doing this, you may find that the process seems to go nowhere; or you may find that your fear goes away, you feel great about yourself and you know just what to do next. Most of us will experience something in between these two extremes.
In doing this you are creating a healthier relationship with yourself - no matter what the outcome. You are giving a subtle message to your inner self that you want to work with it rather than fighting with yourself. If you use it a number of times, this process will allow you to tap into your own wisdom and build your sense of self-esteem. This in turn will help you feel better about yourself and lead you to feel more confidence and far less fear or anxiety in social situations.
In this way you can overcome shame and its symptoms of fear, anxiety and lack of confidence. In this way you can overcome the real problem.
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. Keys or bars (usually made of wood) are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as a pianos are, with accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the 'regular' keys to aid the performer both visually and physically.
The marimba is pitched an octave lower than its cousin, the xylophone. Both xylophone and marimba bars are usually made of rosewood, but the bars of the marimba are wider and thicker than those of the xylophone, which gives the instrument a richer tone. Whereas the xylophone's key widths are constant along its entire length, modern marimba keys are usually short (both lengthwise and widthwise) at the higher pitched end and gradually expand into the bottom octaves. This ensures that larger marimbas, such as 5 octaves, have enough material to generate low notes and overtones.
Most marimba mallets are actually xylophone mallets with several layers of yarn wrapped around them. Since xylophone keys are smaller and thus harder, keylon, plastic, acrylic, wood, and other materials serve as ends of xylophone mallets, each having a characteristic attack and sound, attached to a long, thin piece of wood. Each of these mallets are then covered with different types of yarn and thicknesses to generate various timbres from the marimba. Typically, softer and thicker mallets are used on bottom octaves and harder, thinner mallets used on the top octaves. Mallet choice is typically left up to the performer, though some compositions specify if a certain sound is desired by the composer.
Modern marimba music calls for a range between two and six mallets to be used simultaneously. This allows for much wider range of musical styles, especially for solo performances. When more than two mallets are needed at once, two mallets can be held in the same hand using several methods, most notably the Steven's grip (invented by Leigh Stevens). With the wrist turned so that the top of the thumb is parallel with the ceiling, one mallet is placed on top of the index finger with the end inserted into the pocket generated by the thumb, and the second is placed on the top of the ring finger between the joints closest to the palm. Rotation of the hand either way allows the respective mallet to strike a certain key, where the interval of the mallets can be controlled primarily by curling of the index finger or extension of the thumb. To strike both mallets at the same time, flex the wrist up and then down in a concerted motion. Beginners typically complain of pain in the wrist for the first month or so because of the unusual grip and striking strategy. However, the Steven's grip has revolutioned marimba compositions since it allows a much greater degree of interval freedom and mallet control than other methods.
Key to the marimba's rich sound are its resonators. These are metal tubes below each bar, the length varying according to the pitch of the note. The bottom end of each resonator is closed, and the column of air inside resonates and amplifies the sound of the vibrating bar above. In large instruments (typically above 4 1/2 octaves) the length of tubing required for the bass notes exceeds the height of the instrument and the resonators are bent at the bottom.
Modern marimba uses include solo performances, percussion ensembles, marimba concertos, and, least often, wind ensemble or orchestra compositions.
The term marimba is also used to refer to various traditional folk instruments, the precursors of which may have developed independently in West Africa and in Pre-Columbian MesoAmerica. In the most traditional versions, various sizes of natural gourds are attached below the keys to act as resonators; in more sophisticated versions carved wooden resonators are substituted, allowing for more precise tuning of pitch. Traditional marimba bands are popular in Guatemala and parts of the highlands of southern Mexico; gyil duets are the traditional music of Dagara funerals in Ghana.
This is a survey taken from 500 women ages 25 through 45 years old, single and married. When a woman knows the pleasure of dancing in the arms of a man, it is next to impossible to settle for anything less, unless he has some incredibly exciting career in which they can experience unlimited financial freedom together or he is unbelievable in bed or both! Yes, it is true in the order of importance according to our survey. Dance, Financial Success then Sex. Of all the women surveyed not one said she did not enjoy dancing in the arms of a man. To top it off, if he knew how to dance really well then sex was the best she had ever experienced! All women agreed sex is best when both man and woman are in love! In fact 90% of the women said they could tell what kind of a lover a man would be by the way he danced with her and they could tell his level of sincerity towards her by observing the way he danced with other women. Either he is a player, shy, inhibited or uninhibited, aggressive or passive.
Women love a man who has a certain level of refinement. A man who is masculine but who also enjoys the arts as well. A man who is interested in becoming more than just his job. Seeking more out of life than just eat, sleep and work.
Music and dancing touches women in a very profound and unique way. It "Stirs the Soul" and can enable her to let the every day problems of life seem less significant and help unlock the playful and sensuous side of one's personality. What could be better than sharing that with a special man!
Women said that the old dinner and a movie routine for a date has become so boring. First of all standing in line on a Friday night with hundreds of strangers is not real fun after a long day at work or after driving the kids to and from school and soccer practice. Eating high calorie junk food and sitting for 1 1/2 hours in a dark theater without conversation is of course not helping the figure any and not what most women want to do on a date unless they are under 20 years old and have nothing to talk about. Women do like to get dressed up and looking their best when out on a date. Women love to be complimented by their date and on their appearance. After all, there is always something nice a man can say that is complimentary about a woman at any age.
The ultimate experience is dancing with a man and being romanced in a sincere way, getting to know that man on and off the dance floor and being courted where the sexual pressure is off! Eventually revealing deeper feelings for one another and it is mutual and then becoming intimate! This is the ultimate dance dream come true!
A smart man learns how to dance because he knows that is where all the women are, out dancing! A lucky man meets a fabulous woman while out dancing who loves him and admires him. A smart and lucky man recognizes a good woman when he finds her and continues to nourish the relationship with dance and romance!
10 qualities women look for in men (On and off the dance floor)
Of all the women surveyed, all enjoyed compliments on their appearance, dancing ability, intelligence and cooking abilities. Of course only if they do know how to cook. Women also said they knew if a man was giving insincere flattery, it is like a sixth sense women have. So men beware, only sincere flattery please!
10 qualities
women do not like in men
95 % of the women said they would put up with all the negative
qualities (with exception to numbers 2, 5, and 8) if the man was a very
good dancer.
If men only knew what a powerful aphrodisiac dancing is for
women, every man in the world would learn how. Up until now it has been
the best kept secret on the dating scene. Try it and see for yourself.
Where do I
start? How do I learn how to Dance?
A rainstick is a long, hollow tube which is filled with small baubles such as beads or beans and has small pins arranged helically on its inside surface. When the stick is upended, the beads fall to the other end of the tube, making a sound reminiscent of a rainstorm as they bounce off the pins. The Rainstick is generally used to create atmospheric sound effects or as a percussion instrument.
The rainstick is generally considered to have been invented by Chilean natives in South America, and was played in the belief that it could bring about rainstorms.
Rainsticks are made from the dead wood skeleton of a cactus plant. After the cactus plant dies, the exterior thorns and flesh fall of leaving the skeleton. The thorns are then pressed back into the skeleton. Tiny stones and pebbles are poured into the hollow stick and the ends are sealed. A rain like sound is made when the small stones hit the thorns.
A proxy server is a server that sits between a client application, such as a Web browser, and a real server. It intercepts all requests to the real server to see if it can fulfill the requests itself. If not, it forwards the request to the real server.
Proxy servers have two main purposes:
The tambourine is a percussion instrument that has a single drumhead mounted on a frame with small metal disks or plates. It is held in one hand and struck or tapped with the other hand. Another method to play the tambourine is to strike it against your leg or hip.
The tambourine is found in a lot of music ranging from rock, pop and classical to gypsy and gospel music.
Modern tambourines often lack the drum head and are just the frame and jingles.
Trance is a style of electronic dance music or slow ambient music that developed in the 1990s. Dance trance music is generally characterized by a tempo of between 124 and 148 bpm, featuring repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and down throughout a track, often crescendoing or featuring a breakdown. Sometimes vocals are also utilized. The style is arguably derived from a combination of largely electronic music and house. 'Trance' received its name from the repetitious morphing beats, and the throbbing melodies which would presumably put the listener into a trance-like state. As this music is almost always played in nightclubs at popular vacation spots and in inner cities, trance can be understood as a form of club music.
Early electronic art music artists such as Klaus Schulze have proven to be a significant influence on trance music. Throughout the 1970s Schulze recorded numerous albums of atmospheric, sequencer-driven electronic music. Also, several of his albums from the 1980s include the word "trance" in their titles, such as the 1981 Trancefer and 1987 En=Trance.
Elements of what became modern club music also known as trance music were also explored by industrial artists in the late 1980s. Most notable was Psychic TV's 1989 album Towards Thee Infinite Beat, which featuring drawn out and monotonous patterns with short looping voice samples and is considered by some to be the first trance record. The intent was to make sound that was hypnotic to its listeners, this would also lead to a strain of trance known as Euphoria being developed which caused an uplifting sensation among its listeners who became somewhat euphoric during listening.
These industrial artists were largely dissociated from rave culture, although many were interested in the developments happening in Goa trance which is a much 'heavier' sound than what is now known as trance. Many of the trance albums produced by industrial artists were generally experiments, not an attempt to start a new genre with an associated culture — they remained firmly rooted culturally in industrial and avant-garde music. As trance began to take off in rave culture, most of these artists abandoned the club style.
The trance sound beyond this acid-era genesis is said to have begun as an off-shoot of techno in German clubs during the very early 1990s. Frankfurt is often cited as a birthplace of Trance. Some of the earliest pioneers of the genre included DJ Dag (Dag Lerner), Oliver Lieb, Sven Väth and Torsten Stenzel, who all produced numerous tracks under multiple aliases. Trance labels like Eye Q, Harthouse, Superstition, Rising High, FAX +49-69/450464 and MFS Records were Frankfurt based. Arguably a fusion of techno and house, early trance shared much with techno in terms of the tempo and rhythmic structures but also added more melodic overtones which were appropriated from the style of house popular in Europe's club scene at that time. This early music tended to be characterized by hypnotic and melodic qualities and typically involved repeating rhythmic patterns added over an appropriate length of time asa track progressed.
Of worth to note, the album that is generally accepted as THE definition of the frankfurt trance sound, and which subsequently influenced all of the early pioneers mentioned above, was the Pete Namlook "4Voice" album. Of note, one of the studio engineers who worked on this pioneering effort was one Maik Maurice, otherwise known as ½ of Resistance D, the famed Hard Trance duo. If you are a fan of the frankfurt sound, this album is the beginning.
At about the same period of time in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a musical revolution was happening in Goa, India. Electronic body music (EBM) bands like Cabaret Voltaire and Front 242 came to Goa and began influencing artists like Goa Gil, Eat Static, The Infinity Project, Doof, and Man With No Name who heard the psychedelic elements of EBM, expanded on them minus the vocals and guitars to create Goa trance. Goa music is heavily influenced by Indian culture and psychedelic drugs, as seen in numerous references to both in track and album titles. Goa trance was brought back to the electronica hubs London and Sheffield in the UK and around the world.
The original Goa sound played heavily on scientific and technological themes, overlappingwith the techno-pagan movement and the dot.com bubble. Later these influences (most notable though vocal samples dropped into the music) faded away, along with the more baroque complexities of countermelodies, leaving a more minimalist psy-trance.
Immensely popular, trance found itself filling a niche as 'edgier' than house, more soothing than drum and bass, and more melodic than techno, something that made it accessible to a wider audience. Artists like Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, DJ Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond and Armin van Buuren came to the forefront as premier producers and remixers, bringing with them the emotional, "epic" feel of the style. Many of these producers also DJ'd in clubs playing their own productions as well as those by other trance DJs. By the end of the 1990s, trance remained commercially huge, but had fractured into an extremely diverse genre. Some of the artists that had helped create the trance sound in the early and mid-1990s had, by the end of the decade, abandoned trance completely in favour of more underground sounds - artists of particular note here include Pascal F.E.O.S. and Oliver Lieb
As trance entered the mainstream it alienated many of its original fans. As the industry became bigger, record labels, Ibiza, clubs (most notably Ministry of Sound) and DJs began to alter their sound to more of a pop based one, so as to make the sound more accessible to an even wider, and younger, audience. Female vocals in particular are now extremely common in mainstream trance, adding to their popular appeal. This mainstream trance is also known variously as commerical trance, vocal trance, euphoric trance or uplifting trance.
Eventually trance became so commercial that even Madonna and All Saints released a trance-like songs, through their collaborations with William Orbit.
The original trance scene has largely died down, partly by having been overrun by the commercial mainstream; some would also argue that the original Goa and Psy- trance has exhausted the possibilities of its musical niche. An open question is where non-commercial trance will go next. One lively underground scene is "dark" or "goth" trance, also known as "neuromantic", which reunities the original EBM influences with Psy-trance and modern synthesizers. This music is characterized by low -- usually male -- vocals, and also borrows heavily from the 1980s new romantic and gothic movements. In the mid 2000s, other new bands like Tony Reed and Synthetik FM began to fuse rave styles of music with synthpop and new wave and use the new medium of the internet to distribute their music. The evolution of Goa trance into dark trance is well illustrated by the changing population of London's Cyberdog store, which has notably started to attract goths into its previously goa/psy culture. An alternative evolution would be to fuse trance with other stagnating genres such as drum'n'bass, various artists have attempted this but it has still to break into acceptance even in the underground. Frustrated, extreme versions of trance have mutated through gabba into violent fringe genres such as terrorcore and drillcore.
Trance developed alongside the increasing use of the drug ecstasy in the club scene. Ecstasy invokes a feeling of intense optimism and goodwill, and when taken while listening to loud trance music the feeling can become euphoric and highly energetic. The structure of trance music came to develop, deliberately or not, so that it became ever more effective at provoking these euphoric feelings. The metronomic beat, simple distorted waveforms drenched in large amounts of reverb, and long build-ups with snare rolls leading out of a breakdown all trigger a huge predictable response from ecstacy users. At the end of the 1990s, it is likely thata large number of clubbers in clubs such as Gatecrasher in Sheffield and Passion in Coalville (both in the UK) were using ecstasy. Trance songs were included in the heroin flick, Trainspotting.
Trance employs a 4/4 time signature, and has a BPM of 130-160 beats per minute, somewhat faster than house music. Early tracks were sometimes slower. A kick drum is placed on every downbeat, a snare or clap on each second beat, and a regular open hi-hat on the off-beat. Some simple extra percussive elements are usually added, but, unusually in dance music, tracks do not usually derive their main rhythm from the percussion.
Trance is produced with keyboards, computerized synthesizers, drum machines, and music sequencer software connected via MIDI. The 909 drum machine is widely used to create the drum sounds. The unwavering drum mechanism may be constantly tweaked with for effect, with the Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release (ADSR) all given liberal treatment.
Synthesizers form the central elements of most trance tracks, with simple saw sounds used both for short pizzicato elements and for long, sweeping string sounds. Rapid arpeggios and minor scales are common features. Trance tracks often use one central "hook" melody which runs through almost the entire song, repeating at intervals anywhere between 2 beats and several bars. Much, but by no means all, trance music contains minimalist vocals.
Trance records are almost invariably heavily loaded with reverb and delay effects on the synth sounds, vocals and often parts of the percussion section. This provides the tracks with the sense of vast space that trance producers tend to look for in order to achieve the genre's epic quality. Flangers, phasers and other effects are also commonly used at extreme settings - in trance there is no need for sounds to seem in any way authentic, so producers have free rein.
Like much dance music, trance tracks are usually built with sparser beginnings and ends to the tracks in order to enable mixing more readily. As trance is more melodic and harmonic than much dance music, this is particularly important in order to avoid dissonance between tracks.
Some Sub-Genre Classifications Of Trance| Name Of The Sub-Genre | Description | Noticeable Artists |
|---|---|---|
| Acid trance | An early '90's style. Characterized by the use of a Roland TB-303 bass machine as the lead synth. | Hardfloor, Art of Trance, Union Jack, Eternal Basement, Emmanuel Top, Solar Quest, Kai Tracid |
| Anthem trance/Uplifting trance | Style of trance that emerged in the wake of progressive trance in the late 90's. Characterized by extended chord progression in all elements (lead synth, bass chords, treble chords), extended breakdowns, and relegation of arpeggiation to the background while bringing wash effects to the fore. | Vincent de Moor, Ronski Speed, Tiësto, System F, 4 Strings, Ayla, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, ATB, Neo & Farina, Blank & Jones, Marco V, Matt Darey |
| Classic trance | Original form of trance music, said to have originated in the very early 90's. Characterized by less percussion than techno, more melody, arpeggiated melody, and repetitive melodic chords/arpeggios. | Dance 2 Trance, Jam and Spoon, Sven Väth, Oliver Lieb, Cosmic Baby |
| Euro-Trance | Euro-Trance is a hybrid of hard trance and Eurodance music incorporating hardstyle bass drums and trance elements. The trance synths at times sound like techno hoovers with trancey effects and strings backing it up. The vocals are often pitched up for the most part, but sometimes they can be heard as in normal pitch range. This is often confused as vocal trance because of its use of vocals. The lyrical content is usually pretty simple, containing an introduction to the song with usually no or little drums, and often includes renderings of classic happy hardcore anthems or melodies. Also some of the middle 90's happy hardcore producers started to produce tracks in this style. | Jan Wayne, Nemystic, Rob Mayth, Milk Inc., Special D, Starsplash, Mark'Oh, Pulsedriver |
| Goa trance | A complexly melodic form of trance named for Goa, India, and originating in the early 90's. Often uses the Raga. | The Infinity Project, Transwave, Man With No Name, Astral Projection, Juno Reactor, MFG |
| Hard Trance | Aggressive and faster trance sounding, Originating in Frankfurt, includes influences from hardcore. This style has its first tracks in 1993 and decline in the late 90's. | Pascal F.E.O.S., Resistance D, Legend B, Nostrum, Gary D, Genetic Line, The Hooligan, Flutlicht, Mat Silver & Tony Burt, Jones & Stephenson, Yves Deruyter, Cosmic Gate, S.H.O.K.K., Mauro Picotto |
| Hardstyle | Closely related to nu style gabber and hard trance. Its sound is usually characterized by a mix of gabber and hardcore like kick/bass sounds, trance like synth stabs and sweeps and miscellaneous samples. However, Hardstyle usually has a lot slower BPM (between 140 and 150). | Lady Dana, DJ Luna, Trance Generators, DJ Isaac, Blutonium Boy |
| Progressive trance | Style of trance that originated in the early-mid 90's. Differentiated from the then "regular" trance by breakdowns, less acid-like sound & bass chord changes that gave the repeating lead synth a feeling of "progression". | BT, Humate, Sasha, John Digweed, Sander Kleinenberg, Slacker, Breeder, Narcotik |
| Pizzicato Trance | This style of trance that originated in the mid 1990s. It's a Progressive Trance variant with pizzicato violin sounds from the late 1990s, especially 1997 and 1998.[citation needed] | Faithless, Sash!, Dj Quicksilver, Brainbug, Future Breeze. |
| Psychedelic trance | Better known as psytrance; ambiguously synonymous with Goa trance, less melodic (also focuses less on eastern melodies) more abstract, metallick and futuristic. Also while goa tracks can be even slow as 130 bpm, psytrance tracks' speed rarely goes under 140bpm (except Progressive Psytrance tracks). | Shiva Chandra, Etnica, Infected Mushroom, Astrix, Absolum, Total Eclipse, Hallucinogen |
| Progressive psytrance | Emerged from both progressive house and psytrance. Identified by slower BPM range (roughly between 125 and 138), deep, low bass line, similarities to house in percussion, track structure and other things as well as psychedelic trance depth and relative musical unpredictability. | Magnetrixx, Ticon, Phony Orphants, Son Kite, Atmos |
| Tech Trance | A merge of techno and trance, Tech Trance is a fairly new genre that originated in the late 90's and early 2000's. | Marco V, Carl Cox, Randy Katana, Marcel Woods, Ron van Den Beuken |
| Tribal | A trance derivative that took classic trance and overlaid it with polyrhythmic percussive beats, ethnic samples, bongo sounds. It emphasizes the rhythmic core of trance. It shares many things with early Goa trance and Balearic House. Tribal can also be understood not so much as a style in itself, but as a component of any other trance style that has a bongo polyrhythm to it. | Tarrentella, Etnoscope |
| Vocal trance/Epic Trance | Broad term referring to trance with a full set of lyrics, which may or may not be any of the above genres. Oftentimes an artist will borrow a singer's talents as opposed to the singer himself or herself (vocalists are typically female), or sample from/remix more traditional pop music. Note that there is some debate as to where the divide lies between vocal trance and Eurodance. | 4 Strings, Lange, Ian Van Dahl, Above & Beyond, Fragma, Lost Witness, Armin Van Buuren, Oceanlab, Chicane, Lasgo. |
| Electro trance | This style has been influenced by electroclash and takes some elements from Uplifting Trance. Originated around 2004. | Ferry Corsten, Elevation, Marcel Woods, Gabriel & Dresden |
| Ibiza Trance/Chill Trance/Ambient Trance | This style has been influenced by various relaxed music genres, especially linked to Ibiza's ( Spain ) chill-out style of life parallel with the huge rave scene that is present in the islands. Very melodic and mellow, sometimes with ethnic features, it often samples seaside elements like seagulls and ocean waves. Also known as balearic house. | Chicane, Solar Stone, Chiller Twist, York, Miro, Salt Tank |
| Deeptech Trance | This style has been influenced majorly by breakbeat. It is a chilled out blend of reggae beat matching and more notably the use of excessive synth pads, blended to create an almost euphoric state of relaxation. | Chicane, Shifted Phases |
The triangle is an idiophonic musical instrument of the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, most usually steel in modern instruments, bent into a triangle shape. One of the angles is left open, with the ends of the bar not quite touching - this causes the instrument to be of indeterminate pitch. It is usually suspended from one of the other corners by a piece of thin wire or gut, leaving it free to vibrate. It is usually struck with a metal beater, giving a high-pitched, ringing tone. In folk music it is more often hooked over the hand so that one side can be damped by the fingers to vary the tone. The pitch can also be modulated slightly by varying the area struck and more subtle damping.
The exact origins of the instrument are unknown, but a number of paintings from the Middle Ages depict the instrument being played by angels, which has led to the belief that it played some part in church services at that time. Other paintings show it being used in folk bands. Some triangles have jingling rings along the lower side.
Although the instrument is nowadays generally in theform of an equilateral triangle, these early instruments were often isosceles triangles.
The triangle has been used in the western classical orchestra since around the middle of the 18th century. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven all used it, though sparingly, usually in imitation of Janissary bands. The first piece to make the triangle really prominent was Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, where it is used as a solo instrument in the second movement.
The triangle appears to require no specialist ability to play and is often used in jokes and one liners as an archetypal instrument that even an idiot can play. The Martin Short sketch comedy character Ed Grimley is the best known example. However, triangle parts in classical music can be very demanding, and James Blades in the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians writes that "the triangle is by no means a simple instrument to play". In the hands of an expert it can be a surprisingly subtle and expressive instrument.
Most difficulties in playing the triangle come from the complex rhythms which are sometimes written for it, although it can also be quite difficult to control the level of volume. Very quiet notes can be obtained by using a much lighter beater - knitting needles are sometimes used for the quietest notes. Composers sometimes call for a wooden beater to be used instead of a metal one, which gives a rather "duller" and quieter tone.
Among the tricks used to exhibit sexual attraction, flirting
remains a well-tested strategy. It is used by both sexes. Many men makea habit of flirting with women. The following article examines what
motivates such flirtatious behavior, and it studies the current
effectiveness of this age-old method for catching the attention of a
member of the opposite sex.
While a young adult male may believe that flirting with women can help
him to somehow expand the pool of women whom he might chose to date,
the facts argue against such an illusory idea. In fact, Edward Laumann,
Ph.D., the coauthor of Sex in America, has said, "...most of us end up
with partners much like ourselves...You've got to get close for sexual
chemistry to occur. Sparks can fly when you see someone across a room,
but you only see a selected group of people."
In other words, when a man starts flirting with women he is normally
trying to initiate a sexual relationship with a small, select group of
women. More likely than not all of the women targeted by the man's
flirting share with him some characteristic such as age, race,
ethnicity, socioeconomic class or education. By flirting before only a
select group of women, a man automatically limits the pool of women
whom he might have the chance to date.
Still, the act of flirting with women can satisfy an important need.
Flirting with women, especially a select group of women helps to
alleviate some of the uncertainty inherent in the start of a
relationship. Flirting with women provides a man with a way to respond
to the fact that a woman's attractiveness has sparked his interest.
The question men must ask, however, comes down to this: How can the act
of flirting with women convince a member of the opposite sex that their
search for a suitable partner has come to an end? In order to answer
this question, a man must examine what it is that women want.
In the past women sought man with power, wealth and status. These
constituted the items that might assure a woman that a man had the
ability to provide her children with security. Flirting with women
frequently has the ability to convey to some degree a measure of a
man's wealth, power and status. Present-day women, however, do not
always look for evidence of those three character traits.
In the 1990s Psychology Today did a survey of young adult females,
those who might be targeted by men flirting with women. The respondents
said that thy looked for men who could empathize with their feelings,
think on an intellectual level and have a sense of humor.
The survey results showed that younger more immature girls may remain
attracted to men with a pleasant facial appearance or a striking
physique. These young ladies could provide a young man with a good
reason to flirt with girls. As both sexes mature, however, the rewards
that once went to the boy who used to flirt with girls do not always
translate into similar rewards for the men who insist on flirting with
women.
So if the more practiced methods for flirting with women no longer have
the same ability to catch a woman's attention, then men need to
concentrate on other skills. They need to develop the ability to
empathize with women, to see more of life through the eyes of a woman.
Most importantly they need to develop an unquestionable sense of humor.
This seems to give the modern man his strongest guarantee yet of
sparking the interest of an attractive lady.
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal, typically brass, tube, one and a quarter to one and a half inches in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Tubular bells are typically found in chromatic sets of one and a half octaves witha range from C5 to F6. Two-octave sets that extend to F4 do exist, but they are extremely heavy and not commonly used.
Tubular bells are typically struck with a rawhide- or plastic-headed hammer. They are commonly used to mimic the sound of heavy and impractical church bells in programmatic classical music pieces such as Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Mike Oldfield used tubular bells to similar effect in his 1973 debut album, Tubular Bells.
Another type of chime is the wind chime or aeolian chime, which is a set of chimes hung outdoors so that the bells strike one another when blown by the wind.
Jazz is sometimes referred to as “America’s classical music”. It has become a diverse genre with its roots in native American and African music; in particular, the blues, spirituals and rag time. Jazz first became a defined music form in the early 1920 springing from the US cities of New Orleans and later Chicago. Early Jazz was characterized by traditional rhythms and melodies being taken and improvised upon, giving a combination of swing and syncopation. Early Jazz performers of note included Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Domino, Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong. A good taste of this period can be gained by listening to recordings of Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Hot Seven ensembles.
By the 1930 Jazz had spread out of its local bases in South American and became more mainstream attracting white musicians as well. One development of Jazz was the big bands such as Ben Goodman and Glen Miller. Glen Millers big band became very successful and popular, but offering little scope for improvisation jazz aficionados saw it as more of swing rather than real jazz. However other big bands such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie provided some of the all time great Jazz recordings.
Whilst the Big Band led jazz in a more conventional direction.
The late 1930s and 1940s also saw jazz develop in another direction
through the creation of the new “Be Bop” craze. Be
Bop is epitomized by the great musicians such as Charlie
“Bird” Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sonny Rollins.
These musicians took Jazz to new heights of improvisation, loosening
the adherence to harmony’s and rigid chord structures.
Unlike previous forms of jazz, Be bop was not designed for
dancing but was seen more like an opportunity to showcase the musical
expertise of the performers. Some of the great be bop recordings came
about as the performers played off each other, each striving for
greater excellence and improvisation. One of the greatest recordings of
this period was “Jazz at Masey Hall” 1953 featuring
Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker amongst others, it is a very good
example of live jazz music. In the 1960s Be bop evolved into a form of
“free jazz” with little if any adherence to
conventional harmonies and chord structures. One of the best selling
jazz recordings which characterized this new form was “A Kind
of Blue” by Miles Davis.
Alas many of the great jazz performers led tragic lives, a
seemingly very high percentage died prematurely, inevitably from drug
and alcohol misuse. Unfortunately many young performers came to
associate drugs with being a successful jazz performer so jazz
developed a strong reputation for association with narcotics.
To play Jazz music successfully a classical background is definitely an advantage. To be a successful jazz player you need to be able to learn the chords and scales of the song. With this basic structure you can then improvise around these chords to give the improvised or jazz effect. However to be a great jazz musician a lot more is needed than formal training, successful improvisation is a difficult skill that appears to come easily to a rare few.
Cymbals (Fr. cymbales; Ger. Becken; Ital. piatti or cinelli), a modern musical instrument of percussion of indefinite musical pitch, whereas the small ancient cup-shaped cymbals sounded a definite note.
Cymbals consist of thin round plates of various cymbal alloys, see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. They are used in orchestras and in contemporary music.
Orchestral crash cymbals are traditionally used in pairs, each having a handlestrap set in the little knob surmounting the centre of the plate, and these are called clash cymbals. The sound is obtained not by clashing them against each other but by rubbing their edges together by a sliding movement. Sometimes a weird effect is obtained by suspending one of the cymbals by the strap and letting a drummer execute a roll upon it as it swings; or by holding a cymbal in the left hand and striking it with the soft stick of the bass drum, which produces a sound akin to that of the tam-tam. All gradations of piano and forte can be obtained on the cymbals. The composer indicates his intention of letting the cymbals vibrate by "Let them vibrate," and the contrary effect by "Damp the sound." To stop the vibrations the performer presses the cymbals against his chest, as soon as he has played a note. The duration of the vibration is indicated by the value of the note placed upon the staff; the name signifies nothing, since the pitch of the cymbals is indefinite. The instrument is played from the same part of the score as the bass drum, unless otherwise indicated by senza piatti, or piatti soli if the bass drum is to remain silent. Although cymbals are not often required they form part of every orchestra; their chief use is for marking the rhythm and for producing weird, fantastic effects or adding military colour, and their shrill notes hold their own against a full orchestra playing fortissimo. Cymbals are specially suited for suggesting frenzy, fury or bacchanalian revels, as in the Venus music in Wagner?s Tannhäuser and Grieg?s Peer Gynt suite. Damping gives a suggestion of impending evil or tragedy. The timbre of the ancient cymbals is entirely different, more like that of small hand-bells or of the notes of the keyed harmonica. They are not struck full against each other, but by one of their edges, and the note given out by them is higher in proportion as they are thicker and smaller. Berlioz in. Romeo and Juliet scored for two pairs of cymbals, modelled on some ancient Pompeian instruments no larger than the hand (some are no larger than a crown piece), and tuned to and
The origin of the cymbals must be referred to prehistoric times. The ancient Egyptian cymbals closely resembled our own. The British Museum possesses two pairs, 5 1/8 in. in diameter, one of which was found in the coffin of the mummy of Ankhhape, a sacred musician; they are shown in the same case as the mummy, and have been reproduced by Carl Engel. Those used by the Assyrians were both plate- and cup-shaped. The Greek cymbals were cup or bell-shaped, and are to be seen in the hands of fauns and satyrs innumerable in sculptures and on painted vases. The word cymbal is derived from icbufli1 (Lat. cymba), a hollow vessel, and ,d~u5aAa = small cymbals. During the middle ages the word cymbal was applied to the Glockenspiel, or peal of small bells, and later to the dulcimer, perhaps on account of the clear bell-like tone produced by the hammers striking the wire strings. After the introduction or invention of the keyed dulcimer or clavichord, and of the spinet, the word clavicymbal was used in the Romance languages to denote the varieties of spinet and harpsichord. Ancient cymbals are among the instruments played by King David and his musicians in the pthcentury illuminated MS. known as the Bible of Charles the Bald in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. (K. S.)
Particular types of cymbal include: Crash cymbal Hi-hat cymbal Ride cymbal Sizzle cymbal Splash cymbal Suspended cymbal
Coffee improves short-term memory and speeds up reaction times by acting on the brain’s prefrontal cortex, according to a new study.
Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine how coffee activates different areas of the brain in 15 volunteers.
“Caffeine modulates a higher brain function through its effects on distinct areas of the brain,” explains Florian Koppelstätter, who carried out the research with colleagues at the Medical University at Innsbruck, Austria.
Prior to testing, the group fasted for 4 to 6 hours, and abstained from caffeine and nicotine for at least 24 hours. Then they were then given either a cup of strong coffee – containing 100 milligrams of caffeine – or a caffeine-free placebo drink. After 20 minutes all participants underwent fMRI scans while carrying out a memory and concentration test. A few days afterwards the experiment was repeated under the same conditions but each received the other drink.
During the memory tests, participants were shown a fast sequence of capital letters, then flashed a single letter on a screen and told to decide quickly whether this letter was the same as the one which appeared second-to-last in the earlier sequence. They had to respond by pressing a “Y” for yes or “N” for no.
“The group all showed activation of the working memory part of the brain," Koppelstätter explains. "But those who received caffeine had significantly greater activation in parts of the prefrontal lobe, known as the anterior cingulate and the anterior cingulate gyrus. These areas are involved in 'executive memory', attention, concentration, planning and monitoring."
“This type of memory is used when, for example, you look up a telephone number in a book and then mentally store it before dialling,” he adds.
Koppelstätter stresses that the study is preliminary and that he has yet to discover how long the memory effects last or what other effects coffee has on brain function. He adds that the long-term impact of caffeine use is also an important consideration.
But he says the study shows that coffee has an effect on specific brain regions involved in memory and concentration that tallies with anecdotal evidence of the drink's “pick-me-up” effect.
Caffeine is known to influence adenosine receptors which are
found throughout the brain on nerve cells and blood vessels. It is
thought that the drug inhibits these receptors and that this excites
the nerve cells in the brain. “This may be the mechanism
involved,” suggests Koppelstätter.
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
In areas where cattle, sheep and goats are free to roam, bells may be used to identify those belonging to a particular herd and help trace their whereabouts when the herdsman needs to gather them in. They are commonly trapezoid, cylindrical or cup-shaped. These bells have been used in various musical contexts.
Greek herdsmen often use several bells attached to principal animals which produce a distinctive chord. The scale on which this chord is based is then reproduced in the herdsman's pipe - so he can play along with the herd! Similar bells have been used in Western European "Classical" music where a pastoral mood is invoked.
Clapperless cowbells made of metal are an important element in Latin-American music. These are struck with a stick - the tone being modulated by striking different parts of the bell and by damping with the hand holding the bell.
In several parts of the world (notably in West Africa) pairs or trios of clapperless bells are joined in such a way that they can be struck separately or clashed together. The Brasilian name for these is "agogo" bells. Cylindrical woodblocks played in the same way are also called "agogo". Many popular recordings have featured the cowbell, most notably War's Lowrider.
During a popular SNL sketch, Christopher Walken playeda famous producer insisting that "More Cowbell" is the key to making Blue Oyster Cult's "Dont Fear the Reaper" a success.
Some people seem to flirt effortlessly, almost without knowing they are doing it. Others are more reserved and have to give a lot of thought to expressing interest in the one they want. The key to flirting successfully lies in managing to stay within the norms of social interaction and at the same time suggesting interest or intimacy. Sound complicated? It doesn't have to be.
Before you can begin flirting you will need to initiate contact with the person you wish to express your interest in. If they are a total strangers you may want to use a subtle approach by asking for the time or directions to somewhere. In bars or pubs a polite greeting and the offer of a drink might get the job done.
In either scenario it is good to start with catching their gaze and a smile, either from a distance or when you are close enough to speak.
Flirting can be as simple as pushing the normal social boundaries in your society without crossing any lines. Keeping eye contact for a few seconds longer than what is normal, smiling to a stranger or briefly touching someone during a conversation can give them the subconscious messages they need to know you are attracted to them.
Sometimes being intimate through words can help as well. If you share a little bit more about yourself than you normally would when you're with someone you've just met, you may create a bond that makes flirting and showing interest easier.
Most people love compliments and giving one is always rewarding. If you make someone feel good about themselves the chances are they will feel good about you too. Sincere and somewhat original compliments will have the highest chance of success.
Noticing someone's beautiful eyes is an old classic for many reasons. Eyes are an important part of how we look. Eyes can express a vast variety of emotions and commenting on them suggests that you have spent time noticing little details.
You can also compliment on a change in their appearance and in that way tell them you pay attention to them. Better yet, get even more intimate and mention a personality trait you like. “You are always so kind” or “I love your sense of humour” will do the trick.
You may not know it, but your body tells more than you might want it to. When we are attracted to someone we display several subtle signs with our body to let the other person know where we stand.
If we see someone we like, our faces tend to “open” and make us appear more approachable. Our nostrils flare slightly, we lift our eyebrows and our lips part. We often start preening ourselves without being aware of it. Things like straightening our tie or adjusting our pants come naturally as we wish to look our best. Another sure give away is mirroring. You have a sip of your drink, they have a sip of their drink. They run a hand through their hair, you do the same.
However, there is no reason why we can't help nature along a bit and use some conscious body language as well. Leaning in during a conversation tells them you are interested in what they have to say and maybe them as well. Avoid crossing your arms over your chest or even crossing your legs. Both of these gestures can indicate that you're defensive, anxious or bored.
Keep your focus on the target of your attraction instead of yourself, and your interest will shine through.
The claves are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short wooden sticks that are struck together to produce a clean clicking noise. Cheaper claves can be made out of plastics, but the sound is not of the same quality that wood can achieve.
Afro-Cuban music like Son and Salsa widely use the claves. They are used in these particular styles of music to play a repeating rhythm for the entire duration of the piece.
Originating from Cuba, the term clave is applied to a diverse range of rhythm sticks found throughout the world. The plural term of claves is most commonly used as claves are nearly always in pairs.
One of the key ideas behind playing the claves is that one of the wooden blocks should resonate. This is normally achieved by holding one lightly with the fingertips and thumb. The space between the palm of the hand and block create a resonating chamber. The dominant hand holds the other with a firm grip. This second block can now strike the first block.
Flirting can serve many purposes in every day life, such as showing romantic and sexual interest or engaging an acquaintance in a light form of communication. Children learn early on how to flirt subtly and acquire positive feedback from those around them.
A smile, a look and some light touching is often all it takes to catch someone's interest, so there is no reason to overdo it. Women in particular are often approached in a less than flattering way and if you really want to get someone's attention you should avoid the more extreme methods.
Shouting “Hey baby!” at someone while driving past them in a car is not as becoming as you may think. While your friends might laugh and you have been noticed, the man or woman being screamed at will in most cases feel offended. Try to hold it in, you don't know if you might meet the person walking down the street again and in a more appropriate setting. Any attention is not better than no attention.
There are probably many attractive people with sexy parts you wouldn't mind touching moving around the world. There is nothing wrong with feeling this way and even fantasizing about doing so, but keep your hands to yourself! Chances are that the person who owns the butt you wish to grab does not actually want to be touched by you. There is a time and place for everything and if you start off with an unwelcome grope, you will probably never get any further. Showing respect for people's physical and emotional boundaries is very important if you wish to flirt successfully.
We have all heard the urban myth about the time a pick-up line actually worked. Don't chance it, though. In most cases and by most people pick-up lines are considered lame. It can be a little intimidating to express your interest in someone with words and a rehearsed comment is less scary. If they turn you down, it was just a joke, right? However, saying “Pardon me, but are you a screamer or a moaner?” to a potential partner will most likely make sure you never find out. Why not go for a simple “Hello”?
Romance is great, but it is generally best suited from the first date and onwards. Overblown gestures might make your potential someone feel uncomfortable and out of place. Keep romance personal and on a small scale, and your chances of charming instead of scaring away will enhance greatly.
Successful flirting is all about keeping your cool. If the thought of approaching someone romantically brings out your childhood stutter and makes you sweat excessively, you may want to reconsider your attitude towards it. Remember that flirting is meant to be a casual form of communication, it can be everything from a little smile to a well-thought out compliment. Find your comfort zone instead of coming off as nervous and jittery.
