The Dart Maker Blog

X-Factor star Cheryl Cole is to host her own TV show this Christmas. The show will be titled “Cheryl Cole’s Night In” and will feature guest appearances from a host of music stars from around the world.

Cheryl Cole has been busy this year with her work as a judge on reality TV show, The X-Factor. Cheryl has also been busy in the recording studio and with her solo music career. She has already had great success with her solo career, reaching number 1 in the UK singles chart with her single “fight for this love”.

The show will also feature Cheryl Cole performing songs from her new album along with performing songs with some of the guests. The full line up is expected to be confirmed over the next few weeks. Cheryl Cole recently said “2009 has been an incredible year for me with a Number One single and a Number One album and being part of the X Factor.”

The latest Cheryl Cole single from her album “3 Words” will actually be the title track of the same name. The single is set for release on 21st of December. The date of the single release will actually put her in direct competition with the winners from the reality TV show X-Factor.

YouTube has finally reached an agreement with Warner Music Group to bring the label’s music videos back to the video sharing site.

The music videos were removed on request of Warner Music nine months ago, after the pair couldn’t come to an agreement during licensing talks.

However, their differences have now been resolved and the videos will be making a comeback by the end of the year.

As previously, YouTube will share its advertising revenue with Warner Music, with Warner taking the reigns on advertising sales for its videos.

It is thought however, that the new deal leans in favour of the music giant, although neither camps have confirmed details of the deal.

Here’s hoping YouTube will be able to strike up a similar deal with the PRS to bring UK artist music videos back to the video sharing website.

Do you use YouTube to watch music videos? Let us know what you think to the news below, and be sure to check out our top 10 laptops to see what you should be watching them on.

The music labels, meanwhile, are eager to explore new sources of revenue to help offset plummeting CD sales, which fell 25% in the last year, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America.

“These are two parties that really couldn’t need each other any more than they already do,” said Sonal Gandhi, an analyst with Forrester Research. “YouTube needs music videos because, despite all the user-generated content, [the videos] are responsible for getting a lot of people and keeping them. Warner needs YouTube because that’s how young people discover music these days.”

Digital music players caused a furore when they first arrived on the scene, as music moguls everywhere feared that without the need to purchase a hardcopy of an album, consumers would enjoy artists’ hard work for free, and the profits derived from an enormously lucrative industry would be depleted in a serious way. A few years on, it’s obvious that the industry of music creation hasn’t collapsed under the weight of such digital music players as the iPod, which holds a ninety percent share of the digital music player market. But now, it seems, another area of the music industry is in fear of its life.

You may have heard the term ‘iPod wedding’ being bandied about, but rest assured that humanity has not yet lost all respect for the sacred bonds of marriage and begun to indulge in formalized commitments to their electronic gadgets. The term, in fact, refers to the new, money saving trend of ditching the wedding singer or DJ in favor of another musical mediator. Newly wed couples are now celebrating their nuptials to the sounds that emanate from their iPods.

And with the expense of weddings rising, seemingly, every year, who can blame them. To have a live band play at your wedding can cost upward of a thousand dollars, while a DJ can cost less, but not much, at a price tag of about six hundred. For many brides and grooms, the opportunities for cutting financial corners are slim, with many couples unwilling to compromise on other such other wedding essentials as the rings and the bride’s gown. Setting up your iPod then, with its enormous capacity for storing a huge variety of songs, to take care of your music for the occasion seems to make a whole of sense.

There are a multitude of other advantages to choosing an iPod as your wedding day entertainer. The newly married couple are free to choose precisely the music they want played at their special event, without worrying about the weird and wonderful tastes of a band or DJ. An iPod is also around half the price of a DJ, and as the couple can use it after the wedding for their own personal use, represents a double bargain. With the giving of favors to wedding guests a popular tradition, a wedding iPod is also a wonderful favor for the couple to give themselves, allowing them use and enjoy every day an item that is likely to evoke wonderful memories of a happy day.

An iPod is an ideal way to save money at any big occasion, and allows you to share the music you love with the people you care about. But while the iPod is a powerful tool, DJs and bands shouldn’t throw in the hat just yet - the iPod didn’t kill the music industry and with the continuing popularity of live music at weddings, it’s unlike to ruin their business either.

Dave is the owner of buyipod4less.info and ipodcovers4me.info websites that provide information on iPods.

As a vocal coach, I hear it all the time. I love to sing but when I do, I get hoarse and need to shout to be heard after only a few hours. Some days I just want to give up. What am I doing wrong? What can I do about it?

Sadly, this is an all too common problem for many singers. The good news is that it is not your fault. Many people sing from a place of passion without having the control to protect their voice. We are encouraged to do so from other musicians, choir leaders, friends, our audience etc. Oh yes, and because we love to belt out our favorite tunes. It is no wonder we forget that the voice is “our” instrument and that it is to be treated with care and respect.

Some singers are born with a gift to sing but most need to understand how the voice functions naturally and take considerable care not to sing in a way that will limit their ability.

What are you doing wrong you ask? While you are probably doing many things right, I suspect you have developed one or two bad habits throwing everything off track. Let me explain. The throat does only two things. One, it produces the tone that differentiates one sound from another. This is what makes you sound the way you do and me sound the way I do. Second, the vocal cords vibrate creating a pitch. Slower vibrations occur for lower tones with faster vibrations for the higher tones. If we push too much air through the vocal cords to reach up to high notes or sing louder then we are able to control, the vocal cords slam together cutting off the sound. If done for an extended period, the voice will get tired and sore. If done on an ongoing basis, it will cause damage decreasing your ability to sing. Many people who sing well in their 20’s lose their voice early in life because of this lack of information. Sounds simple doesn’t it? That’s because it is.

What can you do about it? Singers have an enormous amount of fear when it comes to singing. They worry about what people think so they inevitably put far too much emphasis on the throat. This must stop. What you need to realize is that only 25% of your voice comes from the gift you have been given. 75% comes from understanding how the voice works and how to bring out the best in your voice. Taking the emphasis off the throat will eliminate the tension that cuts off the sound we produce. Use proper breathing techniques to support your singing, taking in only as much air needed to sing a phrase. Remember, the voice has the ability to get stronger and better as it matures rather then deteriorate.

From time to time, we all push our voices beyond their limits, become ill, or need a little something to sooth the throat. Please consider products without sugar or alcohol. They will only dry the vocal cords. Herbal teas such as mint is very soothing. Choose natural products and not products that only have artificial flavors. They will not take the edge of an already overused and tired throat. Drink lots of water 48 hours before singing and more if you are ill. Avoid anything that will coat or dry the vocal cords the day of singing such as dairy products, greasy food, decaffeinated drinks, alcohol, high-carbohydrate foods and smoking.

To wrap things up….what I am saying is please stop putting emphasis on the throat when the throat has very little to do with your singing ability. One last thing….relax, relax, relax. Singing was meant to be enjoyed by you and your audience, so don’t take things too seriously. In time, with a little practice, it will all fall into place. Trust that you are on the right path and that you will reach your goals. It’s really that simple!

All the best, Donna

After moving to Toronto from Montreal 22 years ago, Donna began a journey of vocal training that connected her with coaches in Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, as well as the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.

Although she found the techniques to be practical and was taught scales designed to improve the voice, she soon realized that no one was able to offer a method that allowed her to sing the many different styles of music she enjoyed singing.

It was clear that the only way she would find training that would bring out ALL the qualities that are UNIQUE to her voice, would be to develop it herself. So she did………..

Over the years, Donna has developed a complete mind / body / spirit / voice method designed to access the energy from the body to eliminate any pressure that may prohibit us from singing our best. She combines yoga and tai chi breathing along with specific exercises designed to building proper breath support while gently working the entire vocal range, top to bottom.

http://www.vocalcoach.ca

Do you know why the guitar is the most popular instrument in the world? It’s because it’s easy for a complete beginner to pick it up and actually create something most of us can call music right away.

Do you think a beginning piano student can do this? Not really. That’s why learning how to play chord piano is becoming so popular. Most students don’t want to wait years before they can create music. They want to be creative like their guitarist counterparts - and why not?

Learning how to play chord piano is actually easier then playing chords on a guitar. It’s because you don’t have to hurt your fingers on the strings. No finger calluses here. Not at all. In fact, the piano may be the easiest of all instruments to play. Just press on a key and you’ve sounded a note. Press on three or more keys and you have created a chord.

Now, when most beginners think of playing piano chords, their minds immediately turn to triads. While triads are OK and are frequently played in most music, it’s not the best chord structure to start out with. This is because we do not live in the 19th century anymore! Most piano students want to learn something that sounds a little closer to the century we’re living in and this is where the open position chord structure comes in.

This modern sounding 6-note chord covers more than 2 octaves of the piano making it the best starting place for the beginner to create modern sounds. It is a seventh chord too! Used frequently in Jazz and New Age music, this chord type is easily modifiable into larger chord extensions as well.

Don’t let guitarists have all the fun. Learn chord piano and you’ll soon be the envy of guitar players everywhere!

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