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The attention spat between Cheryl Cole and Lily Allen keeps rumbling on after it appeared the Smile popstar entertains her tour buddies by ridiculing the Girls out loud star. Only weeks after the X Factor judge branded Allen a ‘little girl’ for continuing to ‘take the p**s’ out of her, one of the support acts on Lily’s tour has exposed that doing exactly that is one of her fave entertainments while on the road.

English rapper Example, who toured with Allen, twenty-four, last year, made clear the mickey-take on 95.8 Capital FM, announcing : ‘She’s very good, she is actually down to earth and terribly giggly and continually doing impersonations of Cheryl Cole, which is sort of hilarious.’ The 27-year-old added : ‘They’re extremely good impressions.’ Allen’s escapades are certain to wind up Cole, twenty-six, who frequently barked at Simon Cowell on The X Factor for mimicking her Geordie accent.

Lily Allen has triggered rumors she intends to try for a baby during her impending hiatus - after telling fans she’s feeling broody.
The Smile hitmaker informed the audience in a performance in Sydney, Australia on Thursday ( 21Jan10 ) that she is frantic to have children with husband Sam Cooper. Last year ( 09 ), the pop star related she is going to take a break from touring and recording after her last shows in London in March ( ten ) so she will be able to pursue her dream about running her very own record label.

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The Need4 Video Converter to convert your favourite videos in the Xvid format to MP4. They can be played on your computer, along with various mobile devices, cell phones or exhibited on video sharing files. Convert Xvid videos to MP4 quickly and easily. This technology can meet all of your needs, if you only want to convert a little segment at a time, or a whole video clip or audio extract at once.

Step 1. Launch

First of all you will need a video converter program, such as a Need4 Video Converter.

Download it and follow the following steps.

Step 2. Add Xvid Video To Converter

To add video that you would like to convert, click the +Video button.

In the Files of type field, select Xvid.

Select a necessary video file and click Open

The selected file will be added to the list of opened files.

Step 3. Select Output Format

Open the Profile list and select General Video.

In the Presets list opened on the right, select a necessary output format in the Presets list and click open.

Step 4. Specify Folder to Save Video

Enter the name of the converted video in the Save as field.

In the Save to field, highlight the folder where you want to store the converted videos.

Specify any additional options that you may need for saving video

Overwrite existing files and check it to replace any existing video files with the same name with brand new ones.

Open the output folder. You can then review the folder with a ready file.

Step 5. Select a Video Segment to Convert

If you would like to convert a particular part of your video, then click the Edit button next to your video in the list.

When opening the window, you can drag the left marker to the start of the video episode you want with the right marker at the end.

Step 6. Hit Convert to Save Xvid Video to MP4

It is best to be certain that, in the List of opened files, you can check the added video file.

Then hit Convert to convert it to MP4.

Come to Need4 Video for the best video converter software programs on the market.

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Karaoke. For some of us the word makes us want to lose our lunch. For others it’s a source of great fun and enjoyment. So what is it, what’s the attraction, and where did this form of entertainment even come from? We’ll try to answer some of these questions in this article.

Well, for those of you who don’t know this, Karaoke actually originated in Japan and has since spread throughout most of the world. How it actually originated is a bit or a mystery and maybe more myth than fact. One story that has circulated around the world is that it started in Kobe when a snack bar owner, when his entertainment for the evening failed to appear, put on tapes of music and asked people if they wanted to sing. The word itself comes from Kara, which means empty and oke, which is short for orchestra. Thus karaoke means “empty orchestra.” So rather than containing both vocal and instrumental tracks karaoke tracks have only music. The vocals are provided by a live person. The fun part of this is that this live person is not a professional singer. In a karaoke bar when the music starts somebody from the audience will get up on stage and sing to the music in the background. To assist them they have a microphone and the lyrics are displayed on some kind of a screen or TelePrompTer. The fun comes from many directions; either laughing hysterically at somebody who obviously can’t sing or cheering someone on who has a voice that belongs on Broadway. In a Karaoke bar you’ll get both types.

In the early days Karaoke tracks were recorded on tape. They have since moved to CD and finally incorporating on screen graphics and videos. Today you can download karaoke tracks off the Internet. Yes, this has become big business. But it doesn’t end there. You can buy for yourself home karaoke sets so that you can have your own karaoke night in your own home.

So why the craze? What is it about karaoke that people just can’t get enough of it? There are many theories to this but the most common psychological theory is that most people are closet pop stars. Many of us who dream of being on stage singing popular music for a living either don’t have the voice or the nerve or both. With karaoke they can get up on stage, live out their fantasy and not have to worry about how good or bad they sound. With karaoke the rule of thumb of etiquette is that you applaud for the person no matter what. So there is no fear of rejection or failure. Also this is a good way for many people to get over their stage fright if they have it.

An associate of mine tells me that if you’ve never gone to a karaoke bar and got up in front of a room full of people to make a fool of yourself you don’t know what you’re missing. Well, there must be something to it as karaoke has become a multi billion dollar industry. I guess people just can’t resist the urge to ham it up.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Karaoke
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As a songwriter, I’ve always been interested in the way other people write songs. Over the years, my research has turned up some varied methods. Famous people first: John and Paul in their early-fame days would sit opposite each other with acoustic guitars and take turns singing one or two new lines at a time, keeping the best bits. And of course, everyone knows the back-story on Macca’s Yesterday. He had the tune but not the words, so used to wander around singing: Scrambled eggs …think I feel like scrambled eggs… until the lyrics came to him in the back of a London taxi. Who says you can’t be creative in a taxi? Even with your clothes on.

It seems that the better a musician you are, the more likely it is that you’ll get the melody first and then try to find words to fit it. I’ve tried this and it just doesn’t work for me. Maybe it’s because I’m a crap musician and also because I spent years as an ad agency copywriter, so words are my business. However, there is one song I wrote that started with a small riff and a few chords. It’s called the Sins of the Fathers and you’ll find it on the S.O.L.A.R. CD . I got the first two lines with the chords and I did the smart thing. I stopped. Then I sat down and wrote the complete lyric out , before going back to the guitar.

Apart from this song, I always get the idea for the song lyric first, often the title, but sometimes just a catchy phrase: She said: I know that you’re leaving tomorrow…but there’s still time to kill you tonight… Then I work out where these few lines go. Are they the payoff to the chorus? Or the middle of the song after I meet the girl? Where would I meet her? What does she mean by kill you tonight? In this case, I decided to make them the first two lines of the song. I would not explain who the girl was, or how she got there. And this led me to the concept of the song, which was: holding out against temptation for as long as possible, but then giving into it in a really big way. Hey, it works for me!

I’ve always been glad to know that Elton John and Bernie Taupin work exactly the same way. Right from the kick-off, Bernie wrote lyrics independently and then handed them over without comment to Elton. When they were in writing mode for an upcoming album, Elton would be in one room with a piano and Bernie would slip the completed lyrics under the door when they were ready. It’s the best way to work if you’re going to co-write. Otherwise , it’s a constant trade-off and negotiation…why is this word here…shouldn’t it go to a major 7th…this needs a turn-around chord here…how about singing across the beat?…

Havng the completed lyrics in hand, I’ve often found that the tone of the lyrics suggests a rhythm or style of music. And that the lyrics will often show you the structure of the melody. Another secret is not to be afraid of spaces. That French guy whose name escapes me, said: Music is the spaces between the notes. With lyrics it’s often the same.

And-a one…two…three…

About the Author: Bill Dollar is a survivor of the record company wars. He currently lives on a small farm somewhere in the southern hemisphere, amongst cats,dogs and cobras.He writes songs he likes, because he’s not hearing anything worthwhile on the radio. Hear what he calls music at: http://www.billdollarmusic.com

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A saxophone is a musical instrument that belongs in the woodwind category. It is one of the youngest musical instruments, having been invented in the 1840s by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian. Saxophones were earlier used in the military and in big orchestras but are now found in smaller bands as well. They are generally used for big band music, pop music, concerts, marching bands and jazz music. There are four commonly used kinds of saxophones: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone saxophones.

The alto saxophone is the most common saxophone in use. It is a basic model, and is generally preferred for beginners because of its comfortable shape and size. The alto is of medium size. It is shaped like a “J” bent backwards. Some alto saxophones are also straight in shape with a slightly tipped bell. The alto is usually preferred for classical compositions from composers like Ibert, Glazunov and Debussy.

The alto, like all other saxophones, is a transposing instrument. It is in the key of E-Flat. It is slightly longer than the soprano, and also lower sounding. Hence, it is a preferred solo jazz instrument.

The main parts in an alto saxophone are: the mouth-piece, including the ligature and the reed; the main tube that has tone holes and keys; a series of rods that connect the keys to the tone holes; the pads that securely cover the tone holes and, most importantly, the bell.

The local music store, mail-order service, a private party or the Internet are different places where one can buy alto saxophones. The main aspects to be considered are the quality, service, price and the model. The Internet is a good source to find information about alto saxophones, but it is wise to test a few of them before buying.

Saxophones provides detailed information about saxophones, jazz saxophones, soprano saxophones, alto saxophones and more. Saxophones is the sister site of Violins Web.

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Form is the key that unlocks the musical map of a song or a musical compostition. Like a house has rooms, so a song has rooms or sections.

Chord progressions come in sections, like one room in a house. You can put several different rooms together to make a big house, or you can live in a one room house. Just like people. In most 3rd world countries people live in one room houses — which means, of course, that much of the world lives in one-room houses.

Those of us who live in the West generally live in multi-room houses.

But there are also musical houses — we call them songs — that are built out of several different rooms — several different chord progressions. Some of them, like mansions and castles, go on and on and get quite involved.

But most songs are like many modest houses — they have 2 or 3 rooms, sometimes 4 — built using 2 or 3 or 4 different chord progressions.

Each “room” in a musical house is called a theme, or a “motif”. The first theme is always called “A”. The next theme is called “B”, the next theme is called “C”, and so on. Most songs only have 2 or 3 themes, but these themes often repeat.

For example, let’s say we have a chord progression that goes like this:

C Am7 Dm7 G7

…and then it repeats those same 4 chords…

and then we have another chord progression that goes like this:
Gm7 C7 F Fm7 Bb7 Eb G7

…and then the first chord progression is used again as the song ends.

This song would have a musical form of A, A, B, A — main theme, repeat of main theme, contrasting theme, main theme.

If a song went like this:

Theme contrast theme

…it would be known as ABA musical form

If a song went like this:

Theme, theme, contrast, theme

….then the song would be in AABA musical form

The “B” section of a song is sometimes called the “bridge”, or the “release”, or the “chorus”. These terms usually mean the same thing — depending upon the form used.

Can you guess what this might be called?

Theme - contrast - theme - contrast - theme - contrast - theme - contrast

Right you are! A B A B form.

This is also known as “verse-chorus” form.

Most popular songs fall into one of these forms:

A B A

A A B A

A B A C A

A B A B

Why should you care?

Because if you know songs are constructed this way, you can look at songs with smart eyes — you know what to look for, and once you determine the form, you have a “mental map” of the song — you’re not just wandering from chord to chord anymore.

In addition, most songs are proportional. That is — 4 bars of section A, then 4 bars of section B, then another 4 bars of section A, and so on. You will find TONS and TONS of popular songs that are 32 bars long in A A B A form — 8 bars of theme A, 8 bars of theme A repeated, then a bridge of 8 bars, finishing with 8 bars of theme A.

Does that give you an advantage knowing that?

It gives you a HUGE advantage because you know what to look for, and you know that if you learn theme A you have automatically learned 75% of the song! All that remains is to learn the 8 bars of the bridge, and you’ve got it!

And that’s why you need to learn about form.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His courses have been written up in hundreds of newspapers and magazines. His book-CD-DVD course titled “How To Play Chord Piano” (http://www.chordpiano.com) has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds an advanced degree from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He has also logged time as an assistant music therapist, piano tuner, and working piano player. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled “Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions” with over 55,000 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com/

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Parents can play an important role supporting their child’s piano lessons and their piano teacher. However, about a third of parents do too much and try to take over responsibility for their child’s progress, which hinders their child’s ability to develop positive learning skills on their own. In contrast, about a third of parents don’t do enough, and fail to support and can get in the way of their child’s learning. The remaining 1/3 gets it right.

Take the survey below to find out which group you fall into.

1. Regarding your child’s progress, do you

a) feel personally embarrassed if your child is not progressing as fast as you think they should;

b) want your child to do their best;

c) feel that it doesn’t really matter how your child is doing, as lessons aren’t that important anyway.

2. When your child’s lesson is over, do you

a) come into the lesson at least five minutes before it ends so you can quiz the teacher about how everything is going;

b) pick them up on time and be available in case the teacher needs to talk to you about your child’s lesson;

c) try to get back to the studio within 15 minutes or so of the lesson’s end and figure that the teacher will come out and talk to you if anything really important is going.

3) Regarding bringing your child’s music books to lessons, do you

a) Send in other music books you would prefer your child play from;

b) Make sure your child brings them to their lessons;

c) Figure that the teacher has extra books in case you forget to bring yours.

4) if your child is going to have to miss a lessons, do you

a) demand an immediate make-up lesson to get your money’s worth;

b) call the teacher ahead of time to try to reschedule if a space is available;

c) figure it’s no big deal and the teacher will figure out that your child isn’t coming when they don’t show up.

5) When your child plays in a recital, do you

a) cringe with embarrassment if they miss a note and admonish them later for embarrassing themselves;

b) encourage your child to do their best but have fun with it;

c) tell your child it isn’t important enough to attend.

6) Regarding your child’s weekly piano lesson, do you

a) insist that your child practice and know every song perfectly before the next lesson;

b) know what they should be practicing each week and keep track of whether they are doing it

c) don’t sweat it if your child doesn’t practice during the week.

7) Regarding the music that your child’s piano teacher assigns, do you

a) want to be personally involved in picking the songs so that your child will play your favorites;

b) think your child’s teacher is the best person to assign music that is appropriate for your child’s skills;

c) try to avoid knowing what music your child is assigned.

Regarding your child’s practice, do you

a) tell the teacher each week in front of your child that they aren’t practicing hard enough to make them feel ashamed and spur them on to greater effort;

b) make sure you are home enough so your child can set a pattern of routine practice and make consistent progress over time;

c) Feel that your child shouldn’t have to practice if they don’t want to.

9) Regarding your child’s progress, do you

a) Compare how fast they are progressing to other children you know;

b) Encourage them to do their best and discuss their progress periodically with their teacher;

c) Believe that progress is all relative, so why worry about it.

10) If you are concerned that your child isn’t doing something right, do you

a) discuss it with your teacher in front of your child so they will know you are monitoring their progress;

b) discuss it with your child’s teacher, but not in front of your child;

c) don’t worry because it is the teacher’s problem.

If you find that you have answered “a” to several of these questions, you may well be taking TOO much responsibility for your child’s progress and can be viewing their progress as a reflection of your skills as a parent rather than your child’s own development. You may need to mellow out a bit and realize that your child’s piano lessons aren’t about you, but are a gift to them. If you find yourself answering “c” to several questions, you may well be abdicating part of your responsibility as a parent and may be missing out on a wonderful way to encourage your child’s success. If you find that you have answered “b” to most questions, relax. You are doing well as a piano

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

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