I got a good laugh out of this one. It’s that crazy scientist Beaker from the Muppet Show singing Beethoven’s Ode To Joy. That Beaker can really lay out some serious music! Of course things get quickly out of hand like they always seem to do when you turn Beaker loose. All I can say is go Beaker go!!
Beaker Sings Ode To Joy
Ah yes, the Oscars are an annual tradition for all movie lovers. As for we musician’s the show represents another important avenue for using our craft. That’s why at Live Musician Central we will be reviewing the show’s live performances of the songs nominated for Best Original Song.
The four songs nominated for Best Original Song are:
I said I wasn’t going to watch the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards this year but I just couldn’t help myself. One of my favorite live musicians of all time, Mr. Jeff Beck, was up for a couple of awards so I tuned in to see if he won. It was held on Febuary 13, 2011 and I do have to say I DVR’d the whole show because I just couldn’t fathom sitting on my couch for three and a half hours watching lame acceptance speeches directed at people I neither know nor care about. As usual, I’m looking primarily at the live performances that were featured on the 2011 Grammy Awards show. (more…)
I know that everyone and their dog is reviewing the Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl performance but let’s face it, Live Musician Central is the place to get the definitive “musician’s” review. As you know, here at Live Musician Central we don’t just review how the perfomers looked or how well they danced. We review whether or not the performers actually were able to play their music effectively in a live performance. (more…)
So you’ve been playing in your live band for a while but it just seems like it’s not what you wanted. Believe me, we’ve all been there. I remember playing in a band where I had steady gigs three weekends a month and all I had to do was learn the songs, show up with my gear and play. But it was becoming a hassle trying to juggle band practices and gigs with my personal life. I also wanted to write and perform my own music live. I knew the time had come to quit that band but what was the best way to do it?
Well, quitting a band is just like quitting a job. There’s a right way and several wrong ways to quit a band. Let’s discuss the wrong ways first. (more…)
One thing I’m always looking for is a way to make things more convenient in my live band. The Fishman FT-1 Digital tuner is a great tuner to use if you want a quick, easy and fast tune. While not as accurate as some other tuners such as my Peterson 490-ST Strobe Tuner, the FT-1 is a great tuner to use if you need a quick tune on the fly. It’s great for tuning before practice or mid-song at a gig and is easily clipped on and off the guitar. You can also use this tuner on both your acoustic guitar and your electric guitar. (more…)
Well it’s that time to reflect on the past year and start making our top ten lists. For all you musician’s out there playing in a live band I hope you’ve found Live Musician Central useful. I’ve had more traffic than ever to the site this past year and there have been some very popular posts. So I’ve put together a list of the top ten posts of 2010 on Live Musician Central. I wasn’t too surprised that the Fender Cyber-Twin SE Amplifier preset downloads were so popular. I’ve had a lot of good feedback on those. I was surprised that my post on the Musician’s Friend Stupid Deal Of The Day got so much traffic though. Without further ado, here’s your top ten posts of 2010! (more…)
I’m always looking out for tools to help me practice or to help me out in my live band. One of the coolest things I’ve seen lately is the new Amplitube offering from IK Multimedia for the Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad. In a nutshell it will give you the ablility to plug your guitar into your iPhone, iPod or iPad and use it as a guitar amplifier. You’ll be able to make your guitar sound like a multitude of famous guitar amplifiers.
If you’re unfamiliar with Amplitube it’s basically a software based guitar amplifier simulation that takes your guitar signal and processes it to sound like one of many different famous guitar amplifiers. Your guitar will sound like it’s being played through a Fender blackface amplifier and with the press of a button your guitar can sound like it’s being played through a full Marshall stack. You’ll get bluesy tones, metal tones, country tones and jazz tones using Amplitube’s guitar processing. (more…)
If you’re a musician who just happens to have some kids running around at home I’m sure you’re always looking for music toys to stimulate their musical imagination. It can be tough to find good musical toys for the kids to play with. I know I’ve spent hours searching on various websites looking for the perfect musical gifts for my children only to find a limited selection of low quality musical toys. (more…)
Every year at Christmas my friends that know I play in a live band shower me with music related gifts. I really appreciate the thought but I have to admit that a lot of those presents get put into the equipment bin going unused simply because they’re not exactly what I would have chosen for myself. How many of you have received a guitar strap that just wasn’t cool enough to wear onstage? Or how many of you have had a spouse buy you a brand new guitar without knowing what to look for in a quality guitar? That’s why I’m telling you that Musician’s Gift Certificates are the best gifts you can give to your musician friends. (more…)