Showing posts for January 2005
Rhythm (Greek ρυθμός = tempo) is the variation of the duration of sounds over time. When governed by rule, it is called meter. It is inherent in any time-dependent medium, but it is most associated with music, dance, and the majority of poetry. The study of rhythm, stress, and pitch in speech is called prosody; it is a topic in linguistics. All musicians, instrumentalists and vocalists, work with rhythm, but it is often considered the primary domain of drummers and percussionists.
In Western music, rhythms are usually arranged with respect to a time signature, partially signifying a meter. The speed of the underlying pulse, called the beat, is the tempo. The tempo is usually measured in 'beats per minute' (bpm); 60 bpm means a speed of one beat per second. The length of the meter, or metric unit (usually corresponding with measure length), is divided almost exclusively into either two or three beats, being called duple meter and triple meter, respectively. If each beat is further divided by two it is simple meter, if by three compound meter.
Some genres of music make different use of rhythm than others. Most Western music is based on divisive rhythm, while non-Western music uses more additive rhythm. African music makes heavy use of polyrhythms, and Indian music uses complex cycles such as 7 and 13, while Balinese music often uses complex interlocking rhythms. By comparison, a lot of Western classical music is fairly rhythmically simple; it stays in a simple meter such as 4/4 or 3/4 and makes little use of syncopation. In the 20th century, composers like Igor Stravinsky, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich wrote more rhythmically complex music using odd meters, and techniques such as phasing and additive rhythm. At the same time, modernists such as Olivier Messiaen and his pupils used increased complexity to disrupt the sense of a regular beat, leading eventually to the widespread use of irrational rhythms in New Complexity. LaMonte Young also wrote music in which the sense of a regular beat is absent because the music consists only of long sustained tones (drones).
Clave is a common underlying rhythm in African, Cuban music, and Brazilian music.
A rhythm section generally consists of percussion instruments, and possibly chordal instruments (e.g., guitar, banjo) and keyboard instruments, such as piano (which, by the way, may be classified in any of these three types of instruments).
Narmour (1980, p.147-53) describes three categories of prosodic rules which create rhythmic successions which are additive (same duration repeated), cumulative (short-long), or countercumulative (long-short). Cumulation is associated with closure or relaxation, countercumulation with openness or tension, while additive rhythms are open-ended and repetitive. Richard Middleton points out this method cannot account for syncopation and suggests the concept of transformation.
A rhythmic unit is a durational pattern which occupies a period of time equivalent to a pulse or pulses on an underlying metric level, as opposed to a rhythmic gesture which does not.
You have decided it is the right time to buy your son/daughter a drum set to encourage them to develop a love for music and hopefully learn to play well. There are many options available to the consumer that it becomes difficult to decide where to go. First rule of thumb, don't be fooled by the cheap toy drum sets. These are the sets that come in a box and run around $40. Even if you aren't sure your child will take a serious interest in playing drums, purchasing a quality drum kit is worth paying for.
Toy drum kits are of low quality and not put together in a manner that can withstand the hard playing that all drums inevitably sustain, especially when being played by smaller children. These kits are likely to become destroyed before your child has even had a chance to grow fond of the skill required for playing a good rhythm.
You can find beginner drum kits that will help to reduce your costs and last for years to come. Here are a few tips to get you started in the right direction.
Drums that are made by popular brands are going to hold up against the wear and tear of any drum enthusiast and come with a warranty. Other benefits to buying brand names include ease of buying replacement parts, higher trade-in and resale value as well as competitive service. When you are considering which drum kit to purchase always consider your money spent as an investment, so be sure to purchase a quality case to protect it.
There are many things to consider when you are going out to purchase your first drum set, especially for beginners. In most cases it is wise to purchase a kit rather than individual pieces. Kits are available in a variety of sets. The standard basic set includes 5 pieces however you can purchase 4 or even 3 piece sets to better suit your needs. Some kits come fully equipped with stands, cymbals, pedals, thrones, and everything you could possibly need while others are sold without hardware. If you are a beginner take advantage of the knowledgeable staff available to help you pick the right kit for your needs.
When you first begin to play, whether you are a youngster or an older beginner there is a bare minimum you will need to get started. These include:
Kick Drum (with pedal)
Snare Drum (with stand)
Tom Drum (usually mounted on kick drum by an arm)
Pair of Hi-Hat Cymbals (on stand with pedal)
Throne (a round seat allowing for height adjustment)
Pair of Drumsticks
When considering your cymbal, some players may prefer two instead of the hi-hat mentioned above. This is due to having the ride cymbal used for continual rhythm playing and the crash cymbal used for the big bang during a song. Having two cymbals is ideal however one will do the job to get you started.
For those that are taking the plunge and buying a more advanced drum set be sure to purchase your Snare drum first. This is by far the most important drum in your set and is worth paying extra money to ensure a high quality drum.
Stores are good for flashy displays that often lead consumers to purchase what looks cool over what sounds best. Enter your music store with your eyes closed and ears open. You are buying for sound quality not visual pleasure.
When you are purchasing individual pieces take the time to find good, quality stands. The sturdiest stands are double-braced and can withstand aggressive playing. The same goes for your drum pedal. Don't settle for cheap costs. It could lead to a cheap pedal.
When selecting your throne (seat) there are a few things you need to keep in mind. The seat needs to be adjustable to accommodate the player. If they can't properly reach the kick and hi-hat then they will be unable to play half of the drum kit. The use of a round padded throne gives the player the ability to pivot as they reach for higher cymbals. The padded throne also offers comfort for those long playing hours.
Tempo
Dynamics
Style
Miscellaneous
Having trouble finding and maintaining speed in your
double-kicking? Here's a list of methods and techniques to improve
speed.
A musical ensemble can be defined as a group of several or many musicians that are playing a piece of music together. There are a few types of ensembles named according to their size and the instruments used.
The terms duet, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, and nonet describe an ensemble by its size. The names range from duet meaning 2 musicians to nonet meaning 9 musicians. Some of these are found more often than others, below are some of the more common ones:
String Quartet
2 Violins
A Viola
A Violoncello
String Quintet
2 Violins
2 Violas
A Violoncello
Piano Quintet
2 Violins
A Viola
A Violoncello
A Piano
When an ensemble has more instruments it is usually called an orchestra, with a small orchestra known as a chamber orchestra. Symphony orchestras have more than 20 and often over 100 musicians, divided into groups of instruments:
Violins (I and II)
Violas
Violoncellos
Basses
Woodwinds
Brass
Percussion
and more
The terms symphonic and philharmonic are mainly used to distinguish different symphony orchestras from each other.
Some other terms you may encounter are:
Some interesting facts about birds:
The oldest bird was known as an Archaeopteryx and lived about 150 million years ago. It was the size of a raven, was covered with feathers, and had wings.
The most yolks ever found in a single chicken's egg is nine.
An ostrich egg needs to be boiled for 2 hours to get a hard-boiled egg.
The Royal Albatross' eggs take 79 days to hatch.
The egg of the hummingbird is the world's smallest bird's egg; the egg of the ostrich, the world's largest.
The now-extinct elephant bird of Madagascar laid an egg that weighed 27 pounds.
Precocial birds like chickens, ostriches, ducks, and seagulls hatch ready to move around. They come from eggs with bigger yolks than altricial birds like owls, woodpeckers, and most small songbirds that need a lot of care from parents in order to survive.
Air sacs may make up 1/5 of the body volume of a bird.
A bird's normal body temperature is usually 7-8 degrees hotter than a human's. Up to three-quarters of the air a bird breathes is used just for cooling down since they are unable to sweat.
A bird's heart beats 400 times per minute while resting and up to 1000 beats per minute while flying.
The world's only wingless bird is the kiwi of New Zealand.
Migrating ducks and geese often fly in V-shape formations. Each bird flies in the upwash of its neighbor's beating wings and this extra bit of supporting wind increases lift, thereby saving energy.
Pigeons can reach speeds up to 100 mph.
Swifts, doves, falcons, and sandpipers can approach 200 mph.
Penguins, ostriches, and dodo birds are all birds that do not fly.
Hummingbirds eat about every ten minutes, slurping down twice their body weight in nectar every day.
The homing pigeon, Cher Ami, lost an eye and a leg while carrying a message in World War I. Cher Ami won the Distinguished Service Cross. Its leg was replaced with a wooden leg.
The only known poisonous bird in the world is the hooded pitohui of Papua, New Guinea. The poison is found in its skin and feathers.
The American turkey vulture helps human engineers detect cracked or broken underground fuel pipes. The leaking fuel smells like vulture food (they eat carrion), and the clustered birds show repair people where the lines need fixing.
Most commonly heard music has copyrights. A copyright is a acknowledgement of ownership by law that permits the owner of a copyright to prevent others from reproducing, displaying, performing, or distributing ideas expressed in a fixed medium such as text, film, videotape, sound recording, computer disk, or 3-dimensional form. Music falls into this 'copyrightable' category.
If you play, perform, or record any music that you have not created, you are using copyrighted music. This is only exempt if the composer has been dead for more than 50 to 70 years (depending on the country). Which is the case for most classical and traditional music and from all around the world (excluding arrangements).
You need a license to play or use any copyrighted music. When you buy to a CD, you have brought a licence to play the music on the CD for your own personal use. If you want to do anything more with the music, like playing it in front of an audience, use it in a work (like a video), reproduce or record your own version, you will need another licence.
There are three general types of licences.
The process of getting permission to use a piece of music is often referred to as "clearing the rights" to the music or securing a "license" from the owner of the copyright. Since nobody can track down all composers or publishers to obtain such permissions, agencies have been established.
Which agency is responsible for your licensing depends on the country you live in, but each agency knows the others very well and they will direct you to the right one, if you come to them by accident. Especially in the USA there are several agencies doing the same type of licensing for only a part of copyright owners but all know of the others and have the address. If you are unsure, ask one of them and they can help direct you.
Canada
United States
Germany
United Kingdom
A bond with no maturity date. Perpetual bonds are not redeemable but pay a steady stream of interest forever. Some of the only notable perpetual bonds in existence are those that were issued by the British Treasury to pay off smaller issues used to finance the Napoleonic Wars (1814). Some in the U.S. believe it would be more efficient for the government to issue perpetual bonds, which may help it avoid the refinancing costs associated with bond issues that have maturity dates.
Since perpetual bond payments are similar to stock dividend payments - as they both offer some sort of return for an indefinite period of time - it is logical that they would be priced the same way. The price of a perpetual bond is therefore the fixed interest payment, or coupon amount, divided by some constant discount rate, which represents the speed at which money loses value over time (partly because of inflation). The discount rate denominator reduces the real value of the nominally fixed coupon amounts over time, eventually making this value equal zero. As such, perpetual bonds, even though they pay interest forever, can be assigned a finite value, which in turn represents their price.
In music, a melody is a series of linear events or a succession, not a simultaneity as in a chord. However, this succession must contain change of some kind and be perceived as a single entity (possibly gestalt) to be called a melody. Most specifically this includes patterns of changing pitches and durations, while most generally it includes any interacting patterns of changing events or quality. Melody may be said to result where there are interacting patterns of changing events occurring in time.
"The events occurring in time must involve change of some kind to be understood as related or unrelated...The essential elements of any melody are duration, pitch, and quality [timbre, texture, and loudness]" Melodies often consist of one or more musical phrases, motifs, and is usually repeated throughout a song or piece in various forms. Melodies may also be described by their melodic motion or the pitches or the intervals between pitches (predominately conjuct or disjunct or with further restrictions), pitch range, tension and release, continuity and coherence, cadence, and shape.
If she exhibits one of the above signs, it doesn't bode well for your cause. If she exhibits two to three of these signs, you can be pretty certain that she's not interested. If you are noticing more than three of the above signs, listen carefully, because it's never going to happen.
I know from experience that an unreciprocated crush can be a big blow to one's self-esteem. So do yourself a favor and don't prolong the inevitable. If, after reading the above list, you can gather that she isn't going to respond to your advances, put yourself out of your misery -- just cut your losses and move on. Repeat this mantra to yourself until it sticks: She's just not into you.
Free-reed instruments are musical instruments that produce sounds from a reed vibrating in a chamber, as opposed to "fixed reed" instruments, which use a vibrating reed to set a column of air in vibration.
In a free reed instrument, it is the physical characteristics of the reed itself, such as length, cross-sectional area and stiffness, that determine the pitch (frequency) of the musical note produced. This contrasts with the situation in fixed reed instruments where the pitch is determined by the length of the column of air which vibrates in sympathy with the reed.
The oldest known free-reed instrument is the Chinese sheng, widely accepted as the musical ancestor of the harmonica and accordion. Other well-known free-reeds include the concertina, bandoneon, melodica, and reed organ.
1. Women want to be treated well
The same rules of gentlemanly conduct that apply in life,
apply on the Net. Woman want to be treated well. Respect her and you'll
be a winner. Offend her, and you're out of the game.
2. Lovers come and go,
Friends last forever
Although there are some women who are looking for a casual
one-net stand, most women want a Cyber-Seduction to grow out of a
friendship. If you can create a comfortable & safe place,
chances are she'll want to play more. Even the most sensuous encounters
are still all about creating relationships. They may not be permanent,
they may not have the deepest emotional intimacy, but the guidelines
for good relating apply to Cyber- Love as well.
3. Recognise the various
stages of seduction
Different rules apply for each stage of seduction . Recognize what stage of the seduction you're in: First Stage: Making Contact. Second Stage: Flirting and Courtship. Third Stage: Cyber-Seduction. Success comes to the man who recognizes what stage he is in.
4. Getting to yes - The first stage of seduction
The first stage is making contact and determining if the woman is interested in your attention. At this initial stage most woman are still in the no thank you mode. This is not the best time to start sending her direct, sexual private messages, because she is still in the no stage. Establish a friendly connection first. Make sure she really wants to play before you escalate the game. Assuming you have determined that she is responding to you, the next step is establishinga connection that is personal to the two of you. The art of the first stage is knowing how to make it personal without making it too personal. It requires sensitivity to know where her boundaries are at each stage.
5. Let the games begin! The second stage of seduction
The best flirtation is like a good game of tennis. Both players return volleys. If she is not responding at your pace, SLOW DOWN. There is no point in trying to `ace' her at this stage in the game. Be interested in her, who she is, not what she is! Ask questions, but don't make her feel like she's the subject of a `60 Minutes' interview. Never ask questions about her body parts, or her dimensions unless she's willing to volunteer that level of information. Ask open-ended questions like how do you feel about....? what do you like best about...? -- rather than closed questions like Do you like Classical music? Those kind of questions tend to lead to yes or no answers, perhaps bringing the conversation to a halt. Keep the game going. Always respond to her, never let a comment or question go by unanswered. If you don't have an answer, speak up (softly). Don't just be silent. Remember, she can't read your mind. It's easier to keep the connection going than it is to re-start it.
6. Lay your cards on the table
Be honest! If you don't look like Mel Gibson, why say you do? You might as well take the risk to find out if she is interested in who you really are. She will be very angry at you if she finds out later you have mislead her ABOUT ANYTHING. Be truthful about your intentions with her at this stage. If you are not looking for a romance, don't pretend to be. If you have other important relationships on the net or in life, TELL HER NOW before the situation escalates, otherwise there are bound to be hurt feelings. Ask her the same questions about her love life and intentions. Reveal something about yourself FIRST. THEN ask her to do the same. In the second stage, Be first to tell her how you feel. In the long run she'll respect and trust you more for being open and honest.
7. Let her take the lead
As you move through the levels of the second stage , if possible, let her take the lead toward becoming more intimate. If she initiates deeper levels, you will know that this is what she truly desires, and it will allow her to feel more in control of the situation. If she feels in charge she's less likely to become afraid of more intensity. If she is shy, you can still help her feel in control by inviting her rather than taking her down the path of Cyber-Seduction. Ask her: Tell me about what you're wearing? This is better than asking her, What are you wearing? (if you haven't reached this level of intimacy yet.)
8. Stage three: Her senses may be different from yours
If you've gotten to the cyber-seduction stage three, you may be speaking very directly about sex and sensuality. Remember, all of the above rules still apply, and a few more come into play. First, her sense of choice may be different from yours. You may want her to paint pictures for you. You may ask her to describe what she looks like, what she's wearing and other visual descriptions. This may do nothing for her. She may want to hear words that turn her on. Or she may want to feel through descriptions of sensations. She may initially prefer one modality, and then another as things heat up. Get to know yourself and your lady and you'll be able to play her like a fine violin. Here's an example of how the different senses can be used. One simple act (escalating the action at a dinner table), can be handled in a multitude of ways: Visual Sensation: ....I push away the dinner plates and lift you onto the table. I can see from the look in your eyes that you are mine. Your red lips part with longing... Sound Sensation: ....I can almost hear you purr --- I know I can't wait any longer, "You are mine' I whisper. Shoving away the dinner plates, I don't care who hears us now, "You are my most sinful dessert' I sigh.... Touch Sensation: ...I reach under the white linen tablecloth, my hand slides teasingly slowly up your trembling thigh. You let me gently part your legs as your moist heat attracts my fingers like a thousand invisible magnets...
9. A rose by any other name...
....May not smell as sweet. What kind of words does she use to describe body parts or acts of love? Does she like poetic & colorful innuendo, or graphic dirty words and explicit descriptions? One false step in this department can cause weeks of delicate feelings to unravel in a moment. Find out what she likes before you find yourself typing away like a wild man in the heat of action. Erotic and (porno) graphic are very opposing styles. The different impact of these two approaches is considerable. She may not respond to one, whereas she may be delighted by the other. Here is an example of an erotic approach: ...my hands find their way to the source of your desire, awakening an almost forgotten longing.... Graphic approach: (....maybe I'll just let you imagine this one....!) Don't assume you know her tastes -- ask her. It may sound a little clinical, but that's where the great lovers are separated from the crowd. Get good at eliciting her love-strategy in a way that is fun, provocative and passionate.
10. Bringing net-fantasies to life
If you've been having a Cyber Love affair, you may be wondering about taking it to the next level of reality. Assuming that you are both single and available, you may be curious to speak on the phone or even meet in person. WARNING: Are you willing to let go of a fantasy in order to have a real life experience? If the answer is yes, and you are willing to accept any possible outcome, then you know what you need to do next. Call her! If it goes well, get on an airplane!!! But be honest with yourself. Are you ready to have your life (which you have some control over as long as you are at the keyboard) disrupted? Are you ready, willing and able to face the fact that the goddess you have been imagining and sweet chatting is different from a living, breathing, real woman? Real women have real needs, hopes and dreams. But if you're ready for reality...
The Jew's harp is known world-wide by many different names, depending on the country of origin. Some examples are:
The jaw harp is a one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. Originally called a trump or gewgaw, in different cultures it is known as the Jew's harp, khomuz, kubyz, mungiga or vargan among other names.
The instrument is an idiophone consisting of a flexible metal (or bamboo) tongue attached to a frame. This tongue is placed in the performers mouth and plucked with the finger to produce a note. The note thus produced is constant in pitch, though by changing the shape of their mouth and the amount of air contained in it the performer can cause different overtones to sound and thus perform simple melodies.
There are many theories for the origin of the name Jew's harp (see the external links below), one being that it may derive from its popularity amongst Eurasian steppe-peoples like the Khazars perhaps being introduced to Europe from that direction.
Many people struggle in the dating scene. You may feel that you're doing everything you can to meet that special someone, but bad luck is keeping you from achieving what you want. Perhaps it is your assumptions about love and the opposite sex that's really stopping you.
There are many myths regarding romance and if you find yourself out of options, it might be time to do some myth busting.
Do you feel you should have succeeded by now? Are you approaching dating with a sense of entitlement? Then you might be going at it with the wrong attitude and unknowingly ruining your own chances. Nobody is entitled to happiness, it is something that requires hard work.
If you believe that you deserve a certain outcome you are less likely to go after it and assume it will simply come to you. Unfortunately, that is not how the world functions. Some are lucky enough to find the woman or man of their dreams in high school. You have to accept that you are not one of those people.
Once you have, announce your positive attitude to the world at large in subtle ways. Show that you're comfortable with your current situation by understanding that you will not necessarily follow a preset time line. Have patience with yourself and those you wish to date; nothing is as attractive as someone who seems content with their life and comfortable in their own skin.
Some tend to believe that they will meet Mr. or Mrs. Right by chance simply because they are destined to be together. If you are one of them, you need to reconsider your point of view: It is unrealistic.
Think about the couples you know. How did they meet? A majority of the people in the world find their loved one at work, in their home town or at school. Fate doesn't usually come into it; availability and common ground does.
Fate may bring two people together. However it will not make you seem interesting or ask the other person on a date for you.
You may accept that relying on fate or destiny to arrange your dates is a bit too idealistic, but you're still clinging on to the idea of whirlwind romances and love at first sight. If you have refused a second date with someone because the spark wasn't there, this may apply to you. Maybe you have set your expectations too high.
Dates can't always be perfect, relationships never will be and people shouldn't be. Some couples end up living happily ever after, simply because they gave each other that all important second or third chance.
Some men get uncomfortable when a woman approaches them romantically and some women believe men should always make the first move. Both of these groups may be losing out on many potential partners for absolutely no good reason.
Women tend to worry about what image they are portraying if they actively go after what they want, but most men will find it flattering and intriguing if they are asked out. Those men who don't, are not right for you anyway.
In other words, get with the times and realize that both sexes may initiate contact.
It might be hard for you to initiate conversations with strangers or you feel anxious around large groups of people. While it might seem harder for you than for those blessed with a forward and outgoing personality, there are plenty of reserved people who have found love. There is no reason why you should be the exception.
If the thought of walking over to a stranger just to chat with them seems too daunting, there are other ways to go about it. Smiling is always attractive and within reach for most; it might get them interested. Asking a friend to introduce you and to help you spark some conversation is another option. If you are more comfortable when communicating online, you can sign up for a dating service or just actively participate on forums and in chat rooms.
The key is to not let your shyness stop you, but rather work around it.
Do you feel that if you meet a friendly, easy-going girl, she must be a rare exception? Do you think that because your last relationship was a failure, you are likely to experience the same again? If so, you are probably judging to soon and coming off as hostile to those around you.
Bitterness is not attractive and will most likely repel any approaches from the opposite sex faster than you can say: “My ex was really bitchy”. Women are not a group consisting of similar personalities, neither are men. If you continuously make bad choices in regards to partners, you may want to look at the type you are attracted to. Judging 2,5 billion people is not the answer. Open your mind and focus on being approachable and easy-going, as well as concentrating on the positive personality traits of those around you.
Do you sometimes feel that you just have bad luck when it comes to romance and love? Did you know that those people who are viewed as lucky, are usually those who make sure to be at the right place at the right time?
Life is in many ways about creating opportunities for yourself. The bigger your pool of potential partners is, the bigger chance you have of finding the one who is right for you. So get out there! Go to social events, take up popular hobbies and show yourself off. Perhaps your luck will turn?
The musical clock is a mantelpiece clock made up of clockwork and organ pipes. They were common in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Through the history of Clock Music, we hear clock music performed by many others: symphonies, chamber groups, organists, pianists and more. Many times, when the music is performed away from its intended venue, it becomes changed into the typical performance of the new instrument and/or artist. Tempos vary, volumes change, emotions enter and leave. Whether this is a good thing or not, will not be judged here.
Musical clocks do not provide opportunity to slow down and/or speed up the tempo during play; they do not offer the opportunity for crescendo and/or diminuendo during play. It is a tribute to the Great Masters, who composed for those instruments that did, and for these instruments that did not!
Clock Music is usually a specific length. The three Haydn/Niemecz instruments used a pinned barrel of about 6 inches in diameter and the Haydn Clock Music used this space on the barrels to operate the organ mechanism. Likewise, the Handel Clock Music was designed to occupy like space on the Clay instruments in England.
Never underestimate the power of the perfect kiss. Get it right, and the rest will fall into place.
It has been theorized that a woman decided within five minutes of meeting a man whether or not she will have sex with him. Possibly true, but there is one catch. Most women I know, myself included, may initially decide we'll have sex with a guy, but when we find out he's a bad or a mediocre kisser, we change our minds entirely. We decide we will never have sex with this guy. He won't even get asked for a nightcap, much less for breakfast the next morning. As our lips part while we stand on the doorstep, we will announce that we have an early-morning meeting or (if you were really awful) that we're actually already married to someone else.
What we will never, ever say is, "God, you're a lousy kisser. I was going to have sex with you until just this moment." This is one of the ways in which men and women differ. If a man is very attracted to a woman but discovers she's a bad or mediocre kisser, he'll probably have sex with her anyway if presented with the opportunity. A woman can't get past a bad kiss. (Unless, of course, she's a horrible kisser herself, but we're not talking about those women here.) Experience has shown most women that a bad kiss only spells trouble down the road, so to speak. After all, if he hasn't mastered kissing and fails to see its sensual possibilities, what hope is there for, ahem, anything else?
The disappointment of a bad kiss is a recurring topic of discussion among a group of single women I run with in the park several times a week. "It tuens into a fabric softener thing," says Nora, a blond from Dallas, when describing the previous night's date. "You know, where the guy kisses you and it's so bad but you've got to finish it up so your mind wanders and you start wondering if you have enough fabric softener to do two loads of laundry the next day?" She laughs. "So I'm thinking about that, and the guy says, "Wow! You're very passionate."
Oh, the egos we would crush if men could hear the post-mortems. If any guys happen to be running with us, they immediately demand to know what exactly constitutes a bad or good kisser. So we tell them about the all-purpose litmus test: A bad kisser, reguardless of whether he likes to secrete a gallon of drool or waggle his head like a dog menacing a bone, seems to be simultaneously thinking: " When can we get to step two? And three and four? Is she aroused yet? can I put my hand on her breast now?" He sees kissing as the next step on a carnal quest. The good kisser, however, sees the kiss as the destination itself. He kisses as if he will never do anything else with this woman, as if he never wants to do anything else with this woman. He kisses as if this is what he's been dying to do for years and he wants to savor every moment. I guarentee you that this is when the woman decides there will be other activities on the agenda.
The first thing to remember: When in Doubt, Go Slowly. make that first kiss slow and gentle and easy. While you may want to demonstrate that you're a cauldron of seething desire, save that for later, when you're both sufficiently warmed up. In the meantime, resist the urge to mash your face against hers so hard your teeth collide and she ends up with brush burns from your stubble. One woman in our running group actually passed out during a particularly bad kiss of this sort, when the man pressed his face to hers so tightly he blocked off her nose with his cheek, mistook her thrshing for passion, and suddenly felt her body go limp. "i was out for maybe thrity seconds," she says. "Fortunately, he had me in a bear hug, so I didn't hit the group. Of course, he thought I passed out because the kiss was so good." This is what's known as the Harrison Ford School of Making Out. Watch him in the movies,a nd watch his costar's face get twisted out of shape from the sheer force. this is also why they're panting afterward. It's not from desire, it's oxygen deprivation. So the second thing to remember while kissing is to make sure she can still breathe through her nose.
There are other movie stars who perpetuate bad kissing styles. There's the Tom Cruise Method (as seen in Top Gun), whereby his tongue is already slithering out before he's met her lips. This is also referred to as the Lizard-King Style, and once lip-locked, it may also feature the rather grotesque tongue-insterted-rapidly-in-and-out. Most women do not cherish the idea of kissing a large anaconda, which is what this must be similar to. Equally unappealing is when the guy's tongue seems to be on a thorough search for any food trapped between the woman's molars. This is her tongue's job, not yours. The only response possible is for the woman to open her mouth wide and remain motionless while he finishes his routing, a posture that calls to mind trips to the dentist.
Like good sex and great dancing, any tongue action should involve a give-and-take, with both parties allowed the opportunity for interaction in a saliva-laden minuet. Get into a groove with this, and every now and then you may want to stop for a short time while still joined at thelips. Like being on a dance floor and suddenly holding your partner motionless, it can have the galvanizing effect of heightening the sensation. this is ideally practiced in places like a dark booth in a dive bar with a great jukebox. Just make sure your sleeve doesn't catch fire from the candle on the table.
So although no one wants a tongue completely jammed down her throat, neither do we want its exact opposite, as favored by Woody Allen, one of the screen's all-time-worst kissers. Check out the last scene in Hannah and Her Sisters, and you'll see him pecking away at Dianne Wiest. This Road-runner-eats-birdseed style of dry, repeated kisses accompanied by inordinately loud smacky sounds is not what any woman fantasizes about--even if she's weird enough to fantasize about kissing Woody Allen. The occasional smacky sound is inevitable and can exciting, but go easy on the moaning and groaning. Its sounds fake at best and, at worst, like an unconscious habit, like tuneless whistling.
Daniel Day-Lewis belongs in the kissing hall of fame for Best Use of Hands. He gently caresses his costar's face and touches her hair, a model of how hands can increase the erotic pleasure of the moment. Bear in mind the hands should not be used to prevent the woman from going anywhere or to clamp her head into one uncomfortable position. Remember most women like men to toy gently with their hair. After decades of bad press about sticky hairsprays and helmet hair, most of us have been using products to enhance "touchability" and are favoring hairstyles that look good a bit tousled. So go ahead and touch hair. And quit using all that sticky hairspray and goo so we can go back to touching yours.
Finally, I offer this suggestion: Try opening your eyes. I once cautiously opened my eyes while kissing and saw a pair of brown eyes staring back at me, which made the kiss even better because it became more intimate. Some people find this to be an impossible task (like sneezing with your eyes open), but while the prevailing belief is that we must try to block out all other sensations, you may find that kissing with your eyes open is the sensual equivalent of making love with the lights on. And if you're going to be kissing for several hours in a make-out bar, it's a good idea to peek periodically at the where-abouts of your drinks, her purse, and your wallet.
A musical instrument plucked from the toolshed, the musical saw is often a standard, manual wood-cutting saw. However, it is often the case that professional "sawyers" might opt for a custom-made musical saw, which tends to have a longer blade for a greater range, and thinner metal for sweeter notes.
Custom or no, the saw is played seated, with the handle squeezed between the legs, and the far business end held with one hand. The player creates sound by bending the saw into an lopsided S shape -- the top curve is imperceptible -- and drawing a bow across the bottom curve. The note produced depends on where one draws the bow, and the shape of the curves.
It is also possible to play this instrument by tapping it with a mallet rather than drawing a bow. A particular practitioner in the late twentieth century was fond of substituting his harmonica for a mallet, thus being able to say that he was "playing the saw with the harmonica". However produced, the sound made has an eerie, vocal quality.
The musical saw, though not normally struck when played, is often considered a percussion instrument. In any case, it is classified as an idiophone under the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification.
You met her, you talked to her, you got her number and, so
far, everything is going great. But now comes that awkward point,
…
If it is a girl you are really interested in your mind might be filled with doubts and insecurities :
All of these fears, although natural and common, are dumb. If
you want a date with this girl you have the right to ask her out. Don't
allow your life to be ruled by doubt and insecurity.
There are several cheesy techniques you can use to lower your
chances of rejection (such as making a bet with a girl and the loser
has to make them dinner) but these kinds of games are unnecessary. If
you are straightforward, and don't beat around the bush about what you
want, a girl will respect and admire your confidence.
Optimally, you would ask her in a face-to-face setting.
However, if that is not possible, either because the opportunity won't
present itself or because you aren't confident enough, your best
alternative would be over the phone.
Avoid, at all costs, asking through email or any other written
medium (Instant Messenger, a note, etc.). Not only do these methods
scream "CHICKEN!" they also leave behind a paper trail that may or may
not come back to haunt you.
One way to avoid looking like an idiot is to have something in
mind to say for these three possible reactions to your question so you
won't be caught off guard:
Have a plan in mind; know your schedule and have an idea to
suggest.
Don't act shocked or offended. Just be like, "Alright." Then
carry on the conversation as if you never asked. Be friendly and
polite. Too often guys take a "no" personally and get ticked off. Girls
don't admire or respect a negative reaction. The fact that you were
able to brush off her rejection so easily may actually raise her
interest.
Have a plan B in case she is busy. If she still acts like she
has too much to do it's probably because she's not interested and
doesn't want to hurt your feelings. Accept it as a rejection and move
on.
Of course, you go into it expecting her to say "yes" but it's,
as with most things in life, it's important to be prepared for the
worst.
Tips on how to ask a girl out
The real key to getting women to say "yes" when you ask for
the date is to make sure
that they are attracted to you.
If a woman is attracted to you then why wouldn't she want to go out on a date with you ? It makes sense but most guys don't think of it that way... they miss the point and focus on "how to ask" rather than focusing on raising her attraction.
A pitchpipe is a small device which may be described as a musical instrument, although it is not actually used to play music as such.
The earliest pitchpipes were instruments rather like a recorder, but rather than finger holes, they had a plunger like a slide whistle's (also known as a swanee whistle). The pipe was generally made of wood with a square bore, and the plunger was leather-coated. On this plunger are marked the notes of either the chromatic scale or the diatonic scale, and by setting it to the correct position, the indicated note will be produced when the instrument is blown.
Pitchpipes of this sort were most often used in the 18th and 19th centuries in churches which had no organ to give the opening note of a hymn. They are now quite rare, and hardly ever used for what they were intended, but may still be used as an alternative to a tuning fork. They are also useful for establishing what pitch standard was being used at a particular place and time.
Another kind of pitchpipe is a tuned-reed instrument which can produce only a few notes. These are used for tuning instruments; for instance, one used for tuning guitars produces the notes E' A' D G B e. These are also used to "give the note" to a capella singers.
Researchers have found the first evidence that young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year compared to children who do not receive musical training.
The findings, published today (20 September 2006) in the
online edition of the journal Brain [1], show that not only do the
brains of musically-trained children respond to music in a different
way to those of the untrained children, but also that the training
improves their memory as well. After one year the musically trained
children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with
general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory,
visiospatial processing, mathematics and IQ.
The Canadian-based researchers reached these conclusions after measuring changes in brain responses to sounds in children aged between four and six. Over the period of a year they took four measurements in two groups of children -- those taking Suzuki music lessons and those taking no musical training outside school -- and found developmental changes over periods as short as four months. While previous studies have shown that older children given music lessons had greater improvements in IQ scores than children given drama lessons, this is the first study to identify these effects in brain-based measurements in young children.
Dr Laurel Trainor, Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University and Director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, said: "This is the first study to show that brain responses in young, musically trained and untrained children change differently over the course of a year. These changes are likely to be related to the cognitive benefit that is seen with musical training." Prof Trainor led the study with Dr Takako Fujioka, a scientist at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute.
The research team designed their study to investigate (1) how auditory responses in children matured over the period of a year, (2) whether responses to meaningful sounds, such as musical tones, matured differently than responses to noises, and (3) how musical training affected normal brain development in young children.
At the beginning of the study, six of the children (five boys, one girl) had just started to attend a Suzuki music school; the other six children (four boys, two girls) had no music lessons outside school.
The researchers chose children being trained by the Suzuki method for several reasons: it ensured the children were all trained in the same way, were not selected for training according to their initial musical talent and had similar support from their families. In addition, because there was no early training in reading music, the Suzuki method provided the researchers with a good model of how training in auditory, sensory and motor activities induces changes in the cortex of the brain. Brain activity was measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG) while the children listened to two types of sounds: a violin tone and a white noise burst. MEG is a non-invasive brain scanning technology that measures the magnetic fields outside the head that are associated with the electrical fields generated when groups of neurons (nerve cells) fire in synchrony. When a sound is heard, the brain processes the information from the ears in a series of stages. MEG provides millisecond-by-millisecond information that tracks these stages of processing; the stages show up as positive or negative deflections (or peaks), called components, in the MEG waveform. Earlier peaks tend to reflect sensory processing and later peaks, perceptual or cognitive processing.
The researchers recorded the measurements four times during the year, and during the first and fourth session the children also completed a music test (in which they were asked to discriminate between same and different harmonies, rhythms and melodies) and a digit span memory test (in which they had to listen to a series of numbers, remember them and repeat them back to the experimenter).
Analysis of the MEG responses showed that across all children, larger responses were seen to the violin tones than to the white noise, indicating that more cortical resources were put to processing meaningful sounds. In addition, the time that it took for the brain to respond to the sounds (the latency of certain MEG components) decreased over the year. This means that as children matured, the electrical conduction between neurons in their brains worked faster.
Of most interest, the Suzuki children showed a greater change over the year in response to violin tones in an MEG component (N250m) related to attention and sound discrimination than did the children not taking music lessons.
Analysis of the music tasks showed greater improvement over the year in melody, harmony and rhythm processing in the children studying music compared to those not studying music. General memory capacity also improved more in the children studying music than in those not studying music.
Prof Trainor said: "That the children studying music for a year improved in musical listening skills more than children not studying music is perhaps not very surprising. On the other hand, it is very interesting that the children taking music lessons improved more over the year on general memory skills that are correlated with non-musical abilities such as literacy, verbal memory, visiospatial processing, mathematics and IQ than did the children not taking lessons. The finding of very rapid maturation of the N250m component to violin sounds in children taking music lessons fits with their large improvement on the memory test. It suggests that musical training is having an effect on how the brain gets wired for general cognitive functioning related to memory and attention."
Dr Fujioka added: "Previous work has shown assignment to musical training is associated with improvements in IQ in school-aged children. Our work explores how musical training affects the way in which the brain develops. It is clear that music is good for children's cognitive development and that music should be part of the pre-school and primary school curriculum."
The next phase of the study will look at the benefits of musical training in older adults.
