Music Concerts

Do you know where to go for wonderful free entertainment? Do you love music and dancing? Do you like to meet new people? Do you look for places the entire family can be entertained? If the answer is yes, read on.

Summer is here in full swing. We’ve had a heat wave that could melt butter and fry and egg without trying. It’s time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors in the early evening when the heat dies down.

I just came from a free concert in my area. They are all over the city on different days and areas. They are at the beaches on the weekends and they rock and roll and attract hundreds of music lovers at each gig.

The park I was in tonight had a great band and singer. They sang various songs and played music going back to the 40’s and worked its way up the ladder ending with popular now music.

It was wonderful watching the people clap their hands and dance in their chairs if they were not out on the dance floor. It was a wonderful evening and the whole family was throughly entertained.

The children dance and run around the park having a great time. The children can dance with their moms and dads and other children. It is a wonderful, positive family fun time together.

They have a short intermission and have a drawing. There were three wonderful baskets to choose from or you could have chosen all three baskets to win in the drawing. All you needed was the right ticket.

Every week there is a different band and singer at numerous parks and beaches around town. The admission is free. You can bring your own food if you like. It is a wonderful time for the family to spend time together.

If you do not have any free concerts in your state start them. They are a wonderful way for the community and family to reach out to each other.

Thank you for reading my article. Please feel free to read any of my numerous articles.

Copyright 2006 Linda E. Meckler

Even though the summer concert series are winding down, there’s still things the smart music lover will want to consider before, during and after attending one of these events. These suggestions are meant to enhance your enjoyment while keeping you and your friends safe.

Before The Concert

Have a good, hearty meal before heading out to the concert. You don’t know when you’ll get to “eat right” again and you’ll need the energy. The place that’s holding the event may have all kinds of food but then again they may only have snacks. Hydration is just as important as good nutrition. Make sure you drink plenty of water before during and after the event.

Bring a sweater, sweatshirt or coat. Even on a hot day, if the concert is held outside, the temperature can drop substantially during the day and especially after sunset. Being cold and uncomfortable will put a damper on the fun. And, speaking of damp, be sure to bring a sheet of plastic, a poncho or even garbage bags are ok. If it rains, you’ll want to keep dry and have something dry to sit on.

Ok, so there’s no rain in the forecast, should be good to go right? Wrong!… Even on a cloudy day the sun can do an number on your skin. Anyone who’s had a sunburn is in no hurry to get another. I know we all want that healthy, bronzed look. Well you’re in luck, today’s sunblock manufactures have got you covered by including pigment in the lotions. Oh and whether it rains, shines or somewhere in between, it’s a good idea to where a hat. There may be birds attending the event!

Bring your cellphone, but pre-arrange a meeting area at the concert in case you get separated. Cellphones are great but don’t rely on them. Common sense and preparedness are better!

Another good idea is to keep your driver’s license or some form of picture id and contact information on your person. If something happens and for some reason you’re at a loss for words, your ID can speak for you. If you’re a Diabetic, have Asthma, Alergies or some other medical condition, be sure to where a medic alert bracelet if you have one and if you don’t, let your friends know about your condition. Again, in case of an emergency, you may not be able to communicate with medical personel giving you aid, and this bracelet or the knowledge you impart on a friend could save your life.

Plan on doing a lot of walking. Depending on the parking situation, you may have to walk a mile or more to attend the concert after parking. You don’t want to arrive in pain and you may be standing for long periods; wear comfortable shoes. Women: don’t wear anything with a high heel…Guys: don’t try to break-in that new pair of boots.

During The Concert

Everybody thinks the best seats are up front and while they do provide a great view, that’s where the crowd is most dense. I’m not saying don’t get those seats, but be aware of the potential for danger. Chances are, aside from your friends, you won’t know most of the people there and sometimes even good people make bad choices.

I do not understand the lure of the mosh pit! Thank God my generation missed that. People purposely inflicting harm on others in the name of fun? One word – STUPID – ’nuff said.

It goes without saying but don’t go anywhere alone – both guys and girls – restrooms, snackbar, anywhere. Take someone along. I know it’s not the macho thing to do guys but macho isn’t going to help much if you get into trouble.

Drugs and alcohol: It’s my opinion that it’s a personal choice but if you choose to do it, be prepared to deal with the potential consequences. Disorietation, nausea, blurred or double vision are some of the possible effects of abusing drugs and alcohol, but they’re not the worst. You could die. The best answer if someone asks? No, thanks. Period. You may not know the person offering and you most definitely don’t know what they’re offering no matter what they say.

After The Concert

Stay with the group you came with. Meeting new people is one of the great things about concerts but it’s not the best environment to “hook up” with them. Take names and numbers, follow up later, after the excitement of the day’s events have subsided. If you still think it’s a good idea to stay in touch the next day or the next week, then go ahead and call.

Don’t Be Part Of History

There have been some terrible tragedies at concerts, due in part to poor decisions on the part of the attendees and or poor crowd management by security for the event. The Who concert back in December of 1979, where 11 fans were crushed to death. The Perl Jam concert in Denmark back in June of 2000 – hundreds of fans rushed the stage crushing 9 fans, smothering them to death. And more recently in Rhode Island when a pyrotechnics display went horribly wrong and 100 people lost their lives in the blaze. There are many others that could have been avoided with a little forethought and better planning.

The Who concert tragedy prompted a report by a special Cincinnati citizen task force. In it they outline recommendations intended to prevent disasters like these from happening. Google “concert tragedies” to view story and to find a link to the report.

I would like you to consider these suggestions as a way for you to have fun and be able to talk about it later. Be smart and think them and even come up with some of your own. Your safety is your responsibility. The people who you care about and who care about you would like you to consider them.

In this article we’re going to indulge in a debate on concert performances versus studio recordings.

It should be pointed out that there are no personal views in this article. The following is a composition of arguments made by critics and fans of music since the early days of both live and studio recordings.

Let’s first cut to the question we ultimately want to get answered in this article. Which is better, seeing a group live or listening to one of their studio albums?

Well, to answer that it first needs to be pointed out that the question of better in itself may not even be the definitive answer. A live performance may be better than a studio album, worse than one or simply a different experience depending on what you are trying to get out of it.

If you’re a purest who wants to hear your favorite group’s songs done exactly as they were done on record then more likely than not you will probably be disappointed. Why? Well, there are several things that factor into that equation.

For starters, a studio recording is done in an environment that is totally different from a concert hall. The acoustics are manufactured as opposed to natural. Also, in a studio, you have millions of dollars in equipment that you just can’t lug to a live performance, no matter how hard you try.

Then there is the recording process itself. Anyone who thinks that a group records each song they do in one take has an unrealistic view of studio recordings. Songs take multiple takes. Also, many parts are overdubbed and even triple dubbed. In a live performance there is no dubbing. Everything is done there on the spot. No chance to take back a wrong note. If the lead singer has a sore throat you can’t skip over his parts and do them another day, as can be done in a studio. It is do or die at a live performance. Therefore, a live performance is going to be different from a studio recording.

Naturally, if you are going to see somebody who just plays guitar in the studio and is going to be playing that same guitar live, there is a better chance that what you will hear will more closely resemble what you’ll hear on record. But with a big ensemble rock group that uses twenty keyboards in the studio, the chances become quite slim.

However, if you are someone who is going to a concert to hear and see the energy that a group puts into something live, or even hope to hear something a little different from what you get on record, then most likely you live for live performances. Recordings to you are simply a matter of getting some idea of how good that group will sound at a live venue.

But disappointments happen. Many critics claimed how a band by the name of “Boston” from back in the late 70s sounded absolutely terrible in concert because the lead singer could not hit the same high notes that he hit in the studio and it was obvious that the musicianship was just not there. This is a group that most likely needed the studio to sound as good as they did.

And then there is the concert enthusiast who isn’t so much looking to hear the record duplicated or to hear energy or something different. They’re just going to the concert to hear a band they just happen to like. Their experience at the concert will most likely be a simple matter of “did it sound good”? Since sounding good is a relative term, we won’t try to answer how to qualify what “good” is. That is an individual’s taste. In most cases however, just to generalize, if the concert sound is of “professional” quality and the songs are recognizable as the “hits” from the record then most people will walk away from the experience saying that it was a “good” one. But again, that depends on what you’re hoping to get out of the experience itself.

Hopefully though, the above will serve as a guide of what to look for based on what type of person you are and what you are personally expecting. That way you can get a decent idea of what a concert experience will be like for you. If you need your music note for note to the record then most likely you will be disappointed by most concerts.

Notice we didn’t actually answer our question of which is better. As was stated, concerts may simply be different.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

The first three concerts on June 22nd, 23rd and 24th will be Beethoven’s Mass in C major. This is a work written at times filled with storms, overshadowed by Napoleon’s wars, like the 5th Symphony. “Of my mass, I believe that I dealt with the text as it has only seldom been handled before.” The great depth of this work reflects one of the most important desires of the people of Europe in those times – their longing for hope and their urgent wish for peace. This concert is featuring Julia Kleiter (soprano), Elisabeth von Magnus (mezzo-soprano), Herbert Lippert (tenor), Geert Smits (baritone), the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

The fourth and fifth concert on June 30th and July 1st will be Haydn’s “The Seasons”. The English poet Thomson from the ‘Europeans of the Enlightenment’ was the Magna Carta of a new era. In his description of a beautiful new world, civic virtues such as being industrious, cheerful and godfearing, are most important. Being the son of a blue-collar worker, these rhymes left an impression on Haydn and he gave them free interpretation in his “Seasons“. Together with an all-star ensemble Harnoncourt angles Haydn’s rich colorful musical score formation to it’s peak. This concert is featuring Genia Kuehmeier (soprano), Ian Bostridge (tenor), Christian Gerhaher (baritone), the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and the Concentus Musicus Wien (Vienna).

The sixth and seventh concert on July 7th and 8th will be Schubert’s “Intende voci” and Beethoven’s “Christ at Mount Olives” – this is the turning point of our history from the point of view of Christianity: Jesus drinks from the chalice of affliction and starts to approach the Passion and Resurrection. In his oratorio of 1803, Beethoven focused on the events of that night in the “Gardens of Gethsemane”. Performed not as often as the Mass in C major, it is nonetheless one of his greatest influential pieces. It is featuring Laura Aikin (soprano), Herbert Lippert (tenor), Florian Boesch (baritone), the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and the Concentus Musicus Wien.

Tickets to these events range from Euros 10 to 110. Many other events are scheduled during the Styriarte festival, which will take place between June 22 and July 22, 2007.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s musical career spans almost 60 years and his career as a conductor of both orchestral works and opera comprehends Viennese Classicism, the Romantic repertoire and works from the 20th century. In 1953 he founded the Concentus Musicus Wien (Vienna) together with his wife Alice, a violinist, to provide an outlet for his increasingly intensive work with instruments of the Renaissance and baroque period’s musical tradition.

The Austrian conductor Harnoncourt was born in Berlin, brought up in Graz and studied music in Vienna. His mother was Ladislaja Gräfin von Meran, Freiin von Brandhoven and she was the granddaughter of the Styrian Archduke Johann. His father, Eberhard de la Fontaine Graf d’Harnoncourt-Unverzagt was an engineer working in Berlin. The family eventually moved to Graz, where Harnoncourt still resides.

Founded in 1985, the Styriarte Festival of Music, under the direction of Harnoncourt, has built its reputation on attracting high-profile musicians, such as principal players from major orchestras, in addition to stars like violinist Riccardo Minasi and piano virtuoso Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Artists like Viennese Symphonics principal oboist, Paul Kaiser, return year after year to share their talents with the community and to relive the invigorating spirit that is found in the people and the beauty of Graz. Harnoncourt encourages the Festival to be a rediscovery of long-lost variations of our musical heritage and with this years motto “Wanted: Europe” the Styriarte 2007 sets out on a search for the abducted princess of a mythical past, while at the same time strives to explore the continent of Europe and its changing identity.

Magnificent German soprano Julia Kleiter sets examples that wonderful music can even be more elated with her flawless artistic direction as a musician. Kleiter has a pure, rich, chime sounding voice with no rough edges whatsoever. The connoisseur of music can only respond with pleasure to the quality of her singing. She is a terrific Beethoven interpreter and has a true feel how to shape the phrasing.

Austrian mezzo-soprano Elisabeth von Magnus, who is also Harnoncourt’s daughter, and probably best known for her work in sacred music with her velvet and warm voice, is a steady mezzo-soprano, rounded and beautiful and with a great deal of temperament. No matter what — her interpretations etch themselves into ones memory.

Herbert Lippert from Vienna, a smooth and engaging tenor is a real standout. “In mir brennt das Feuer ganz gross!” – “In me the fire is burning very high”, says the polite and straightforward thoroughbred musician. Above all he shows that he is feeling good when singing while enjoyment and beauty are transferred to the listener.

Vibrant baritone Geert Smits, who was born in Holland, manages a convincing portrayal of his roles with a pleasing vocalism. He handles the passages with precision, displaying a beautifully resonant tone.

Sweet and young soprano, the exquisite Genia Kühmeier from Salzburg is full of undoubted gifts, simply golden!

London born tenor Ian Bostridge is well known for his Schubert interpretations and admired for his high approach to singing the songs. He has a perfect glorious, light and radiant tenor that indicates emotional weight and intensity with some transparency.

Young German baritone Christian Gerhaher who has studied with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, shows a considerable care for coloration, phrasing, articulation and enunciation with his fine-spun tone.

World renowned American soprano Laura Aikin is considered a leader amongst the generation of dynamic young sopranos today. She possesses a range of over three octaves and has a mesmerizing stage presence. She is impressive, both in musical accuracy as well as dramatic pertinency.

Austrian baritone Florian Boesch sings with a deep, resonant, crystal-clear voice that is forceful and dramatic where required, but can also be gentle and soft whenever it is called for.

The Arnold Schoenberg Choir is an established and highly praised choir among conductors, critics and the musical scene in Europe and the Concentus Musicus Wien, founded by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, plays early music on instruments of that period and has paved the way for historical performances with great success. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe draws its membership of fifty musicians from fifteen countries and are performing with the world’s leading conductors, besides recording albums and winning many international awards.

Harnoncourt shows the world with “his” Styriarte that music is opening horizons beyond borders, scrutinizes all prejudices and shows that Europe is not a frozen entity, but always inventing itself anew again: as vision, chance and hope.

Recitals, concerts, rehearsals, classes. The list can simply go on for the overwhelmed music major.

By the middle of the first semester, even an average music major can easily fall prey into the crackpot-genius category, walking with blood-shot eyes towards the next class while humming incoherent pam-pa-ram-pam-pam tunes from last night’s rehearsals. So what do you get with an hour’s lecture on counterpoint? Drool.

Start shaping up your schedule. How do you intend to do that? Start by accepting and appreciating your calling. Not everyone is called to be a musician, or lucky enough to grow muscles ample to carry your cello around and get through past that nerve-wrecking college auditions in the first place. Since you are reading this article, you are probably one of the few chosen thousands. Understand that without love for music, a college student just flirting with a music degree is definitely bound to fail.

Your music is an inspiration in itself. Appreciate what you do. Appreciate the privilege that while the rest of the world is at war, you are safe indoors playing music. Once your major has sunk in, you will definitely find less time to complain about the many rehearsals you need to rush to.

The second? Rhythm. Rhythm I say? Yes. Somehow, there is a very beautiful metaphor between what we do, which is playing music, and how we live it. Find a “rhythmic pattern” in your everyday routine. Plot out your schedule among your activities. Start with actual activities (classes, rehearsals, violin lessons, choir practice, music club meetings and the like.) Next, fill up the empty space with what you think you need to do (practice Bach’s Double Concerto, do research for music history class, etc.)

In every activity, always include a time frame. A time frame will always help you focus and direct your energy. It will subconsciously set your mind on the work at hand. The more things overlap, the less you get anything done.

Get used to the fact that musicians, especially when you are still a student, can never get away from the fast-becoming tedious task of practicing your instrument. Why do I say tedious? With so many things to do, you can become unconsciously too tired to do any of those things which you’re supposed to do! Thus, the more you think about the load of things you need to do, the more tired you become and the less you get anything done.

The key to a well-utilized, productive practice time is compartmentalizing. When you need to study period pieces, devote at least an hour of practice for each period. Jumping from one piece to another piece, from one period to another period never helps. It clutters your mind more and thus, it becomes a tragic source of energy leakage. Focus your mind on one piece. It is always helpful to analyze a piece and single out difficult and technical parts. Start with those difficult technical passages and from there, proceed to easier parts.

Lastly, experiment on a schedule that you think works best with you. Consider at what time of day you are most active and productive. Maximize the use of those hours.

Being a music major can be a time-confusing, schedule-juggling experience. But for some music majors who know how to identify between energy leakage and productive activities, their college years as music majors have been one of the most rewarding experiences they ever had. At least, they can play music and choose to worry or not about grades. When one goes professional, though you play music, this time you will have to worry about earning a living! It is just a matter of choosing your activities, plotting a schedule, sticking to the schedule and enjoying every single minute of music making!

The 101 is one of the most interesting and useful features of the DIRECTV satellite TV service. This channel has been included in the service since 2000 and has consistently introduced new artists to the public. Back then, The 101 was a continual showing of various concerts, and is a part of every package on DIRECTV. While several original shows have been added since 2005, The 101 still features a good number of free concerts for subscribers to enjoy.

One of the more interesting things about the free concerts on The 101 has to be the lesser-known acts. Take, for example, the Automatic Automatic concert. Automatic Automatic is a four-piece Welsh band that has an eclectic “electro-disco-metal-rock” sound. They are known for energetic live shows, and The 101 allows you to watch them from the comfort of your own home. Another example of this is Mando Diao. This Indie band from Sweden can also be seen in concert on The 101. If neither of these types of music is your thing, you might like The Oohlas, a psychedelic/alternative trio, also shown in concert, for free on The 101. Other unique and hard to find artists include a pianist and songwriter from America’s heartland, Jon McLaughlin.

There are also several big name headliners to be found featured in the free concerts on The 101. While these fall into many different genres, you can always count on a good Country Music concert like Sawyer Brown, Trace Adkins, Gretchen Wilson, and Gary Allan. If you’re not into Country Music, don’t worry. There is plenty of rock and pop lined up on the free channel as well. The ever so popular power pop band that put Stillwater on the map, the All-American Rejects, is featured. Heart, one of the legendary rock bands, can be seen for free in concert, as well. The 101 has even featured the legendary alternative band REM in concert, performing in Dublin, Ireland.

Other free concerts on The 101 have included, or will include, Earl Thomas Conley, Bowling for Soup, Ian Moore, Ozomatli, Rocco Deluca, The Bravery, nad Marc Broussard. Truly, This free channel is the best place to find concerts for free. Whether you want to experience your favorite band or artist in concert from the comfort of your own living room, or whether you want to explore some different sorts of music, the free concerts on The 101 are the best way to do it.

A concert is a live performance of music before an audience. This kind of performance may be performed either by a single musician, referred as recital or by a musical ensemble like an orchestra or a musical band. Concerts are held in different types of settings or venues like pubs, nightclubs, concert halls, and large multipurpose buildings and sometimes in sports stadium. For a musician concert is that platform where the person is exposed to public. Not only this, concerts are sometimes organized for the sake of charity, where the money collected goes to some causes of benefit.

But this same concert can go very elaborate and expensive if any musical group expects large audiences. In order to make the atmosphere more exciting they add some special entertainment devices like stage lights that changes according to the beat of the music, large video screens that show some per recorded video etc. These things to some extent can be considered as concert music gear.

In concert music one of the important music gears is the drum kit, which is arranged in such a way that makes convenient for one drummer to play it comfortably. The component of a drum kit varies according to the genre of music, personal preferences, financial resources and transportation options of the drummer. The individual instruments of every drum kit are struck with the help of hands, sticks, brushes and mallets. One interesting fact about drum is that it is one of the oldest instruments of the world whose basic design has remained unchanged for nearly thousands of years.

Synthesizer, a kind of electronic musical instrument that has the capability of producing or manipulating audio tones like musical notes through the process of audio signaling. It resembles some of the old traditional musical instruments like piano or an organ because it comes with a keyboard. Analog, digital and software are the three major kinds of synthesizer. In addition to this there are certain synthesizers that is built up using these three combinations popularly knows as hybrid synthesizers.

Violin, a popular musical gear, preferred single performing musicians during concerts tune a bowed string instrument with four strings in perfect fifths. Viola and cello also belong to this family. The player of the violin is known as violinist or fiddler. This musical gear is also used in the various genre of music like classical, jazz, Indian classical music and folk music.

Another popular and well-known concert music gear is piano played by the means of a keyboard. The word piano derived the name from Italian language. There are three types of piano namely grand, upright, and modern. Pianos are generally made of hardwood, maple and beech etc.

Guitar is instrument that comes generally with six strings but four, seven, eight, ten and twelve strings guitars are also found. Guitars can be divided into two broad categories namely acoustic and electric. An acoustic is that one that is not dependent on any external device rather uses a soundboard fixed on the front part of the body of the guitar. While electric guitar have solid, semi hollow bodies and produce little sound without amplification. This kind of guitar is used widely in jazz, blues, and rock and roll.

Other than these there are many other concert musical gears that are extensively used