Month: November 2023
Salsa music is sometimes referred to as Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban or Afro-Carribean music. Played in dance clubs or performed in concerts, this is the sound of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela and New York. This is Cuba’s musical legacy that rose from its street culture, which shaped the country’s popular music throughout the past several decades.
Literally meaning “sauce” in the Spanish language, salsa is the type of music requiring the perfect amount of essential ingredients. To its enthusiasts, the spicier, the better.
The music starts with a clave rhythm, which commonly is eight beats long and has a 2-3 or 3-2 pattern. This serves as the heartbeat of this genre. The clave should be learned, applied and felt in order to play or dance this colorful and spicy music. Other ingredients in the salsa music recipe are montuno, tumbao and guaganco, among others. These are ostinattos, or patterns, played by the piano, bass, strings and horns all throughout or in certain parts of the song.
This Cuban original music has landed in different parts of the world years ago. Later on, its powerful tunes influenced its various destinations and vice-versa. This Latin music has evolved as it toured several countries. While it is one of the most famous genres today, it is, at the same time, one of the most specialized, since a certain level of musicality and skills is needed for it to be played, sung or danced. Once it is learned and owned, endless jamming and dancing fill the place with the distinctive energy that characterizes Latin culture.
Dance clubs around the world use salsa music frequently. The ballroom dancing boom worldwide only added to the demand for this Latin beat. Salsa clubs and Latin dance federations have grown in number internationally. Schools and universities in all continents of the world started to have dance and music organizations dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of the genre to the extent of flying in bands and instrumentalists from Cuba and Puerto Rico.
The heat of salsa became unstoppable like wildfire and influenced other genres, even classic jazz. Jazz performers and composers started to utilize Latin music in their pieces, either in a certain part of a song or for a featured solo section. The great Dizzy Gillespie, for example, did this in “A Night in Tunisia,” an ingenious mix of Latin and jazz standard.
Other genres influenced by its contagious rhythm are disco, funk, pop and even one of its roots, African music.
Salsa bands use a smorgasbord of percussion instruments including the clave, guiro, maracas, bongos, timbales, conga drums and many others. Their rhythm section is usually a party of bass, piano, guitar, strings or horns, a chorus and a lead vocalist. In some groups, they use a special type of guitar, either a tres or a quarto, a guitar that has three or four strings only.
The next time you listen to these bands, listen very well and you will hear them infuse other music styles into their salsa tunes. Other genres you may hear within a salsa piece are cha-cha-cha, bolero, guaganco, Cuban son montuno, Puerto Rican bomba and plena, and Dominican merengue.
If you are a fan of salsa or Latin music, you would love favorites like “Che Che Cole” (Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe), “Hechicera” (Oscar D’ Leon), “Congo bongo” (Larry Harlow) and “El rey del mambo” (Tito Puente), among others. If you would like to try listening to this genre for the first time, some recommended tunes for you would be “No Sabes Como Duele” (Marc Anthony), “Campina” (Afro Cuban All Stars), “Juliana” (Coco Valoy) and “Melao de Cana” (Oscar D’Leon).
Man is a social animal, this is an established fact. He likes to party and have fun. For most of us, having a good time is a real stress buster after a hectic work schedule. Partying with your friends is exactly what you need. Party is time to relax and have some good times with friends, its the time to move and groove. Yes, how can we think of a party without music? We love music and in particular, we love our music – Bollywood music. It is music that can either light up a party or ruin it. It is music that lightens up the mood and it is dancing on those tunes that make us forget about everything and enjoy the moment. It is a good music track that gets stuck in your mind even after a party is over and that makes a party memorable. But being bombarded with the same music all the time can be a party pooper. There is a need to innovate if you really want to get the party moving. So then, if you are planning to throw a party soon what is your new idea to rock the party?
A lot of people have found karaoke music to be the new party trend. What is karaoke music? And how can this help rock your party?
Karaoke music means replacing the voice of the original singer in a track, with your voice or that of an independent artist or band. The vocals are removed from the track but the background music is left unchanged. There is also an option of improvisation, which can make a song catchier or personalized through karaoke. You can also have an instrumental music recording and sing along as it is played.
Where will you find a collection of such music and how will it help your party?
There are many online karaoke shops that make customized karaoke bundle packages available, which you can order online. These shops have a huge collection of Bollywood music that can be accessed by you to select your favourites. Hits from the 40s to our time, all less than one roof. If you would rather sing along than sing alone, you also have customized Semi Vocal Karaoke with female and male vocals to accompany you. From time to time, these shops also come with customized festive packs which make it easier for you to get your tracks customised for different occasions.
Now if you are throwing a party and are short on time, you can pick a customized package that suits you best and your music is organized in a snap. These tracks are made available at a very reasonable price and can be downloaded directly from a secured link provided after payment. These online karaoke shops regularly keep updating their collection with the latest hits and ensure that you have all the tracks you want.
The new way to party is Karaoke music and it is here to breathe life in your party. Get online today to have a feel of the music on offer. One such online shop that gives a complete collection of Bollywood music along with a wide range of Ghazals, Bhajans, Punjabi karaoke, and many more is Hindikaraokeshop.com, check it out for some cool music on offer. So then, 1 2 3 4 get on the dance floor, Karaoke is here to make you want more!
Q: I just got the new Moto Verizon Droid and I would like to put iTunes library onto Droid to replace my iPhone. Does anyone know how to transfer iTunes music TV shows movies to Droid? I’ve already tried Motorola Media Link….didnt work, I also want to transfer iPod music to Droid Milestone, any help?
A: It is the DRM (digital rights management) and media formats to blame since Motorola Droid Milestone CLIQ Rival only support non-DRM .mp3 .aac .wma .ogg .wav music and .3gp .mp4 video files; while .m4p music and .m4v novie from iTunes have DRM license protection — the same situation with the .wma music and .wmv video movie from other online store like Windows Media Centre, Napster, Rhapsody, Nokia Music Store, Spiralfrog, Bearshare, eMusic, Puretracks, MusicGiants, CinemaNow, Movielink, Amazon Unbox, as well as the Microsoft Zune MarketPlace.
Part 1: Transfer iTunes music movie to Droid Milestone CLIQ with Motorola Media Link
Motorola Media Link is a good application to transfer iTunes music movie to Droid Milestone CLIQ, but it cant support DRM-protected files as MML’s statement — that explains why you cant use Media Link to transfer iTunes music to Droid Milestone.
Sync iTunes music movie to Droid Milestone CLIQ (MML only fits these two Moto smartphones) is a easy Drag & Drop job.
1. Mount your Motorla AnDroid Milestone phone Micro SD card to make sure Media Link can recognize it.
2. Connect Motorla AnDroid Milestone phone to computer.
3. Motorola Media Link will automatically locate music video files sourced from iTunes
4. Setup your music library via the ‘SETTINGS’ tab then select ‘Music’ to configure your music source.
5. Select the files you want to transfer, hold mouse and drag over phone icon, then transfer iTunes to Droid Milestone done.
Part 2: Transfer iTunes DRM’ed m4p music m4v video Amazon wma wmv files to Droid Milestone
To sync DRM’ed iTunes m4p music m4v video Amazon wma wmv files to Droid Milestone, a 3rd party DRM Removal Software is a must-have tool to strip license protection and convert files to Droid Milestone compatible formats.
1. Free download this DRM Removal Software, install and luanch it, the default settings work well with your PC, you don’t need to make anymore configeration.
2. When come to the main interface, you can directly drag-drop the DRM-protected source media files (.m4p .wma music amd .m4v .wmv video movie) to the conversion window, or hit the top-left ‘Add’ button to import the target files.
Since Droid Milestone CLIQ play MP4 best with 848480 resolution, H.264 codec, 1500kbps, AAC 48KHz 160Kbps, you can find all the parametres needed on ‘Settings’ board, like Bit Rate, Resolution, Aspect Ratio, and Frame Rate as well.
3. When finish the preceding 2 steps, hit ‘Start’ button lower-right on the main window, when conversion done, you can freely transfer iTunes music movie to Motorola Droid Milestone CLIQ.
(1). Connect Droid Milestone to a computer via USB cable
(2). ‘My Computer’ -> Removable Disk icon -> Click to access the Memory SD Card
(3). Drag and drop the converted files into the right folder of the Memory Card
Hip-Hop music includes violent and abusive lyrics that could possibly mirror other illegal activities used for sexual intent. The music identified as hip-hop verbally violates basic human rights, particularly the rights of women. Excessive and blatant sexual abuse connotations can be found in almost every musical score, as women are portrayed as whores and assets worth no more than existing for man’s sexual pleasures. Much of the lyrics in rap songs are abusive and degrading to all women.
Hip-Hop is a manifestation and spin on exploitation of African-American and Latino-American youth, and is often considered to have sexism and misogyny attributes. New York City blacks and Latino youths originally started the hip-hop culture, with included rapping, deejaying, break-dancing and graffiti-writing. But, it has evolved into something much more than just local expressions.
Hip-Hop is a lifestyle for many people between the ages of 13 and 30. It involves music, videos, fashion, club-scenes, and the ways that young people interact with each other. The media has embraced and adopted the hip-hop culture, as well as big corporations, such as Coca-Cola and Burger King. Versions of hip-hop can be found in marketing media and corporate advertisements. The Brooklyn Museum of Art even has an exhibit dedicated to hip-hop culture.
The most influential part of hip-hop has become known as rap music. Rap music is a form of poetry, recited over musical instrumentation. Many consider rap music to be brutally honest, violent, and misogynistic. But to others, the violence to and hatred of women appears blatant and offensive.
Much of rap music portrays black women in negative images. The hip-hop culture views all women, but mostly black women, as sex objects. Most hip-hop videos show women dancing or displayed in explicit sexual poses, clothed in bikinis (or less), with the focus on their body parts. The images go hand in hand with the explicit language that suggest women are nothing more than sex objects or money-generating commodities. Many rappers describe themselves as ‘pimps’ and women as second-class and sexual commodities. Many rap songs, not only, glorify the pimp lifestyle, and refer to women in ways a pimp might describe their prostitutes, but the lyrics promote violence to women that disobey.
Of course, not all rap music is misogynistic, and not all black men think of women in this light, but large percentages within the hip-hop culture do. The name calling in the rap music dishonors, disrespects, and dehumanizes women. When society accepts labeling women in this manner, will physical and psychological abuse become acceptable? Unfortunately, many black men battle racism or oppression within hip-hop culture, and have been conditioned to distrust intrusive feelings of trust and love.
Many women consent to these collaborations, and believe racism or subjugation are viable excuses or justification for the practice of degrading and exploitation of women. The numbers of women that show up for unpaid try-outs for video shoots indicate that significant amounts of hip-hop consumers are women. Groups of women can be seen loitering in concert backstage areas, expressing their willingness to perform sexually in return for money and jewelry, or perhaps realize a feeling of being wanted.
Black women have, historically, been used as sex instruments, and continue to fight for power and material wealth. When slavery was legal and rampant, black women were routinely sexually abused by any man that wanted her. They could be used for breeding purposes and create more slave trade for their owners. Black women, also, used sex in order to lower chances of cruel treatment by the slave masters. They were paying with their bodies to survive and achieve better treatment within the uncontrolled, abusive slave life.
Black women emerged out of slavery as oversexed and promiscuous. Some viewed themselves as society dictated, and believed they did not have control over their bodies. As they tried to fit into white societies, some black men wanted the women to be employed in subordinate roles in a white household; while some black women wanted the men to acquire jobs and be the sole provider. Hip-hop culture displays similar oppressive obsessions. Some black women prefer to use sexual powers to reap economical gain. And, many black men have learned how to manipulate women by using money. In order for many black women to get what they want, they accept mistreatment and allow themselves to be exploited through hip-hop images.
Sometimes black women are uneducated and have no job skills. Many believe their bodies are all they have to offer to gain status. Many dysfunctional relationships can be found within the hip-hop culture. Some women believe men are instruments of use to gain access to money; some men think women are only have value when it comes to sexual gratification.
Would censoring hip-hop music and lyrics be an answer? Perhaps, the solution would be to change the hip-hop society and ideology by discontinue negative and misogynistic lyric promotion. But, the first step to change gender relations within the hip-hop community is education. People need to be made aware of the negative and derogatory connotations that continue to violate the rights of women, in sexist lyrics, physical interactions, and at hip-hop gatherings. But, of course, people need to be receptive to the devastating results that violating human rights cause, and be willing to change.
Are human flesh traders alive and well in the United States? Of course, we all know trafficking women is illegal, but considering the more than 45,000,000 dating websites on the Internet, is this a modern legal tool that continues the exploitation of women?
Speaking out against exploitation of women in hip-hop cultures, and for women everywhere, can help change ideologies. But, if women are not interested or willing to stop exploitation tactics, they will continue to be used and considered as just sexual instruments.
Although women have come very far, their work is not finished, and they have a long way to go before equality will be realized.
Indian Classical Music is all about ragas. A raga portrays a mood, a sentiment, expressed through a microtonal scale. There are a number of ragas, each with its own mood and its own corresponding microtonal scale that is based on the natural harmonic series – the natural law of vibrations.
Today, Indian Classical music is influenced by a foreign tonal system that is not based on the natural harmonic series. This is the Western tonal system that has had a big influence on Indian Classical music. Many Indian Classical musicians, nowadays, make use of Western instruments such as guitar and drums.
Most Western audiences find Indian Classical music to be quite exotic. Two major reasons are the differences between the two traditions in tuning and scales.
The subtle differences
Let’s straightaway delve into the differences between these two vast genres of music to get a better idea:
Indian Classical Music (ICM) is primarily homophonic, which means that it focuses on creating melodies using a sequence of notes, whereas Western Classical Music (WCM) is to an extent polyphonic, which means multiple notes are played/sung together, where the counterpoint, harmony, and texture created using multiple voices is very important.
WCM is composed, whereas ICM is improvised. WCM compositions are formally written using Staff Notation, and performers usually follow that. But in the case of ICM, the Teacher-Student tradition of learning leads to each performance being an improvisation.
ICM uses “Taal”, where Taal is a cycle of beats that is centered on “Sam” that repeats itself. In the case of WCM, there aren’t any complex beat cycles.
WCM is modal and so has a chord for each note of the scale. On the contrary, ICM is tonal and, hence, is based on a single scale (a single drone, chord, and key).
Fusion all the way
But then again fusion is a growing concept in India. So, their differences and some similarities make fusion music even more interesting and challenging. If we take a deeper look, we will actually find a number of similarities. Today, “guitar” has acquired prime position and popularity in Indian Classical Music with Indian Ragas being played on guitar.
There are two types of Guitars that is used for fusion in India: Spanish guitar and Hawaiian guitar.A wide variety and mix of instruments ranging from Guitar, Drums, and Saxophone to Sitar, Tabla, and Flute are used for fusion music/concerts.
My band, known as Kaivalyaa, is also a fusion band, where we fuse various western genres with Indian Classical music. The Western and Indian instruments we use include Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Mouth Organ, Bass Guitar, Harmonium, Flute, Sarod, Tabla, and a number of percussion instruments. Some of the big names in the Indian fusion scenario are Indian Ocean, Avial, Advaita, Raghu Dixit Project, Mother Jane, Tabla Beat Science, and Bandish Fusion. With varied influences, experiments, scales, tones, and sounds, fusion is the next big thing. So, if you want to know more about the Indian Classical scales/Ragas, you are at the right place.