Added on 04-01-2008

“Well, three DT items were added to iTunes today….
And iTunes f*cked up 2 of the 3!! (ugh….why us???????)

1. Forsaken EP (with 2 live tracks) – this one seems to be correct…(however because of some ridiculous iTunes EP rule, we weren’t allowed to include the live version of TDEN because it was “too long”….)
2. Greatest Hit (and 21 other pretty cool songs) – Disc 2 seems to be labelled incorrectly on this….so you have to relabel it yourself or wait a day or two for them to correct it.
3. Greatest Hit (and 5 other pretty cool videos) – that’s right! The first 6 DT promo videos are now available on iTunes – unfortunately the actual “greatest hit” itself (Pull Me Under) is currently missing from the bundle….once again, this should be fixed in the coming days….

Don’t get me wrong, I love and support iTunes and find it an incredibly convenient way of shopping for music….but it isn’t exactly DT-friendly!!!

MP”

You can buy “Greatest Hit (and 5 other pretty cool videos)” at iTunes through these links:

• Pull Me Under
• Another Day
• Hollow Years
• Take The Time
• The Silent Man
• Lie

Greatest Hit (…and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs) is a compilation album by progressive metal band Dream Theater.

The title alludes to their only Top-10 radio hit, “Pull Me Under“. It features three songs from their breakthrough album Images and Words remixed by Kevin Shirley: “Pull Me Under“, “Take the Time“, and “Another Day“. It also features the song “To Live Forever“, from the Images and Words sessions and B-side of the “Lie” single, which was previously unreleased on studio albums. Several single edits are also featured on this compilation.

The songs have been divided in two discs: the first one, dubbed “The Dark Side“, features heavy, metal-influenced songs, while the second one, entitled “The Light Side“, spotlights the band’s melodic side. The set spans the years from 1991 to 2005, therefore it doesn’t include any songs from Dream Theater’s debut album, When Dream and Day Unite, or from their latest release, Systematic Chaos.

Tracklist:
DISC 1: THE DARK SIDE:
Pull Me Under (2007 Remix) – (2007 remix)
Take the Time (2007 Remix) – (2007 remix)
Lie (Edited Version) – (Single Edit)
Peruvian Skies
Home (Edited Version) – (Single Edit)
Misunderstood (Edited Version) – (Single Edit)
Test That Stumped Them All, The
As I Am
Endless Sacrifice
Root of All Evil, The
Sacrificed Sons

DISC 2: THE LIGHT SIDE:
Another Day (2007 Remix) – (2007 remix)
To Live Forever
Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
Silent Man, The
Hollow Years
Through Her Eyes (Alternate Album Mix) – (Alternate Album mix)
Spirit Carries On, The
Solitary Shell (Edited Version) – (Single Edit)
I Walk Beside You
Answer Lies Within, The
Disappear

Dream Theater adalah salah satu grup progressive metal paling terkemuka di dunia saat ini. Didirikan oleh Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci dan John Myung, mereka telah merilis delapan album studio, empat rekaman live dan satu album pendek (EP). Album pertama mereka, When Dream And Day Unite direkam dengan Charlie Dominici sebagai vokalis dan Kevin Moore sebagai pemain keyboards. Dominici berusia jauh lebih tua daripada anggota lainnya dan ingin memainkan musik yang lain, sehingga ia kemudian keluar dari grup. Mereka kemudian mencari pengganti yang ideal selama 2 tahun sampai akhirnya bertemu dengan James LaBrie, vokalis dari Kanada melalui audisi.

Bersama LaBrie mereka merekam Images And Words yang melambungkan nama mereka ke jajaran internasional dengan hit “Pull Me Under” dan “Another Day”. Awake adalah album terakhir mereka dengan Moore yang kemudian digantikan oleh Derek Sherinian untuk album Falling Into Infinity. Pada akhirnya Sherinian juga digantikan oleh Jordan Rudess dan formasi ini masih bertahan sampai hari ini. Mereka telah meluncurkan album konsep Metropolis 2: Scenes From A Memory dan album ganda Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. Pada tahun 2003 mereka memutuskan untuk merekam album non-konsep Train Of Thought yang sangat dipengaruhi oleh grup thrash metal seperti Metallica.

Album terbaru mereka yang berjudul Octavarium dikeluarkan pada tanggal 7 Juni 2005 dan selain merupakan album studio kedelapan juga mengandung delapan lagu.

Setelah Dream Theater meluncurkan album Live mereka dalam memperingati 20 tahun Dream Theater terbentuk yang berjudul Score yang direkam pada tanggal 1 April 2006 di Radio City Music Hall,US. Mereka kembali bersiap meluncurkan album ke sembilan mereka dengan membawa bendera label record baru yaitu RoadRunner Records, mereka telah merampungkan album Systematic Chaos yang berisi 8 lagu.

Sejarah
Dream Theater dibentuk pada bulan September 1985, ketika gitaris John Petrucci dan bassis John Myung memutuskan untuk membentuk sebuah band untuk mengisi waktu luang mereka ketika bersekolah di Berklee College of Music di Boston. Mereka lalu bertemu seorang pemain drum, Mike Portnoy, di salah satu ruang latihan di Berklee, dan setelah dua hari negosiasi, mereka berhasil mengajak Mike Portnoy untuk bergabung. Setelah itu, mereka bertiga ingin mengisi dua tempat kosong di band tersebut, dan Petrucci bertanya kepada teman band, Kevin Moore, untuk menjadi pemain keyboard. Dia setuju, dan ketika Chris Collins diajak untuk menjadi vokalis, band tersebut sudah komplit.

Dengan lima anggota, mereka memutuskan untuk menamai band tersebut dengan nama Majesty. Menurut dokumentasi DVD Score, mereka berlima sedang mengantri tiket untuk konser Rush di Berklee Performance Center ketika mendengarkan Rush dengan boom box. Portnoy lalu berkata bahwa akhiran dari lagu tersebut (Bastille Day) terdengar sangat “majestic”. Pada saat itulah mereka memutuskan Majesty adalah nama yang bagus untuk sebuah band, dan tetap bagus sampai sekarang.

Pada saat – saat tersebut, Portnoy, Petrucci dan Myung masih berkutat dengan kuliah mereka, juga dengan kerja paruh waktu dan mengajar. Jadwal mereka menjadi kiat ketat sehingga mereka harus memutuskan antara mengejar karir di bidang musik atau mengakhiri band Majesty. Namun akhirnya Majesty menang dan mereka bertiga keluar dari Berklee untuk berkonsentrasi di karir musik. Petrucci mengomentari tentang hal ini di dokumentasi DVD Score, berkata bahwa saat tersebut sangat susah untuk meminta kepada orang tuanya untuk pergi ke sekolah musik. Dan lebih susah lagi untuk menyakinkan orang tuanya agar ia boleh keluar dari sekolah.

Moore juga akhirnya keluar dari sekolahnya, SUNY Fredonia, untuk berkonsentrasi dengan band tersebut.

Karakteristik penulisan lagu
Beberapa teknik penulisan lagu yang unik telah dilakukan oleh Dream Theater, yang kebanyakan terjadi di masa – masa sekarang, ketika mereka bisa bereksperimen dengan label rekaman mereka sendiri.

Dimulai dengan Train of Thought, Dream Theater sudah memulai memasukkan elemen – elemen kecil dan tersembunyi di musik mereka, dan memuat elemen tersebut kepada peminat yang lebih fanatik. Karakteristik yang paling terkenal (yang biasa disebut “nugget”) tersembunyi di “In the Name of God”, yang merupakan sandi morse dari “eat my ass and balls” (makan pantatku dan penisku), yang merupakan kata – kata terkenal dari Mike Portnoy. Sejak saat itu, banyak peminat – peminat Dream Theater mulai berusaha menemukan hal – hal kecil yang biasanya tidak menarik bagi peminat biasa.

Beberapa dari teknik mereka yang terkenal termasuk:
Suara dari fonograf di akhiran dari “Finally Free” di album Scenes from a Memory adalah suara yang sama di awalan “The Glass Prison” di album berikutnya, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Dan akhiran kunci terakhir di “As I Am” sama dengan kunci yang digunakan di album selanjutnya, Train of Thought. Juga, not piano yang dimainkan di akhiran “In the Name of God” di ‘Train of Thought adalah not yang sama dengan pembukaan “The Root of All Evil” di album berikutnya, Octavarium.
Tiga bagian dari “The Glass Prison” di Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, dua bagian dari “This Dying Soul” di Train of Thought dan dua bagian dari “The Root of All Evil” di Octavarium menunjukkan tujuh poin pertama dari dua belas poin – poin di program Alcoholics Anonymous oleh Bill Wilson, yang mana program itu diikuti oleh Mike Portnoy. Ia juga berkata bahwa ia akan membuat lagu – lagu lain yang memuat lima program lainnya, yang akan ditujukan untuk Wilson
Dream Theater kadang menggunakan teknik penulisan lagu dimana bagian – bagian dari sebuah lagu dikembangkan tiap kali mereka dimainkan. Contohnya, lagu “6:00″ dari Awake. Setelah awalan lagu, mereka hampir memainkan chorus, tapi mengulang lagu tersebut dari awalan lagi (di menit 1:33). Dan ketika chorus sudah seharusnya dimainkan pada saat berikutnya, mereka mengulang lagi dari awalan, di menit 2:11. Teknik ini bisa juga ditemukan di “Peruvian Skies”, “Blind Faith” dan “Endless Sacrifice”
Penggunaan notasi yang berulang – ulang juga digunakan, yang sudah dikenal dari lagu – lagu Charles Ives, contohnya:
Tema lagu “Wait for Sleep” muncul di “Learning to Live” (menit 8:11) dan juga muncul dua kali di “Just Let Me Breath” (menit 3:39 dan 5:21)
Tema lagu “Learning to Live” muncul di “Another Day” (menit 2:53)
Tema lagu “Space-Dye Vest” digunakan beberapa kali di album Awake.
Tema pembukaan dari “Erotomania” digunakan di “Voices” di Awake (menit 4:51).
Satu dari melodi – melodi di “Metropolis Pt 1 (The Miracle and the Sleeper)” diulang di chorus kedua di “Home” dari Metropolis Pt 2 (Scenes From A Memory), dengan cuma pengubahan satu kata. Beberapa lirik dari “Metropolis Pt 1″ just digunakan di “Home”. Pada dasarnya, keseluruhan album “Scenes From A Memory” penuh dengan musikal/lirikal/konseptual variasi dari elemen – elemen musikal dari “Metropolis Pt 1″ dan “The Dance of Eternity” sebenarnya dibangun dari variasi – variasi elemen musik di lagu – lagu dalam album tersebut.
Bagian – baguan dari tiap lagu di album “Octavarium” telah digunakan di bagian kelima dari lagu berjudul sama, “Octavarium”.
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, studio album ke enam mereka, memuat enam lagu dan mempunyai karakter – karakter angka enam di judul – judul lagunya. Train of Thought, studio album ke tujuh mereka, memuat tujuh lagu. Octavarium, studio album ke delapan mereka memuat delapan lagu dan judul albumnya diambil dari kata octo, yang merupakan kata Latin yang berarti delapan, berarti satu oktaf dari istilah musik, yang mana merupakan jarak dari satu not ke not lain adalah delapan not di tangga nada diatonik. Judul lagi dari CD ini adalah 24 menit, kelipatan dari 8. Halaman depan albumnya juga memuat karakter – karakter yang berhubungan dengan 5 dan 8. Contohnya, satu set dari kotak – kotak putih dan kotak – kotak hitam, mempunyai arti satu oktaf dari piano.
Lagu “Octavarium” dulunya ingin diakhiri dengan seruling yang bergema serupa dengan awalan lagu tersebut. Namun diganti dengan not piano yang sama dari awalan album Octavarium. Mike Portnoy telah mengatakan bahwa seri awalan – akhiran album akan berhenti disini, karena album ke sembilan mendatang tidak akan diawali dengan akhiran “Octavarium”.(Berbagai sumber/Farell, Peggi)

copycat from http://8school.wordpress.com

Everybody wants to learn how to play the guitar by themselves. They want to learn guitar now and show everybody that they taught themselves. Nobody wants to take lessons. However, lessons of some sort are a requirement if you want to get good. Chords, notes, and timing is all information needed for advancing in music.

Sure you can use your musical ear and make your own melodies but why do that when we have thousands of years of human development that has resulted in a solid definition of musical theory.

Learning the guitar by yourself can result in bad technique, improper holding of the guitar and a number of other problems. You will also have no guided direction to do anything. If you have no musical background then lessons are very important.

Lessons do not have to be the usual instructor student lessons. Nowadays there are online courses that teach you with videos that show you what to do. You can also find a friend to teach you. Books are also another resource to learning to play the guitar. However, the internet is better since there are videos that show you how to do the stuff. Books are good, however, for theory and learning musical concepts.

Nevertheless, anybody can teach themselves how to learn the guitar. With the right amount of dedication it is possible. However, you still need some resources to learn chords, notes, etc which were written by authors. It is probably nearly impossible to learn to play guitar chords without some guidance.

When learning, take your time and don’t rush. That’s what I did when I was trying to learn a second instrument, the violin. What happened? I eventually quit. If you properly learn the guitar you can use that knowledge in furthering your musical scope to include other instruments. And as long as its western music, the information will be the same

For this article when I refer to finger exercises I am talking about the 2,3, or 4-finger chromatic type exercise.

It seems like there are two schools of thought when it comes to finger exercises. One is that they are totally necessary when learning. In 10 years of teaching guitar I find this to be about 95% true. The students who work hard on this area of their playing always do better than those who don’t.

The other school of thought is that they are totally useless. For some players who absolutely tear it up on guitar, this is true. They became amazing players without doing any finger exercises but for the most part, players need them. I have read interviews with Yngwie Malmsteen where he mentioned that he didn’t practice this kind of stuff. (Like his playing or not the guy can throw down with anybody.) There are always exceptions.

Steve Vai has reported to have practiced finger exercises as much as 3 hours a day. They were that important to him. Robin Trower is said to have practiced them “religiously” for a year. I have read articles with B.B.King, Zakk Wylde, Tom Morello and a boatload of other players who all worked on their technique using exercises. I personally know jazz players, classical players, country players and metal players all who completely tear it up and still work on exercises everyday.

Think about this. How much have you improved as a player over the last week, month or year? If it’s been a lot, great! Keep doing what you are doing. If you are not where you want to be as a player, grab a metronome, finger exercise book and your guitar and spend some time trying these out. You will see results. Go slow and keep track of your metronome settings. Only increase the metronome by one or two clicks each day. It may not sound like a lot but after few months you will have sped up quite a bit. Also by tracking your progress will keep yourself motivated because you will be able see your results. This in turn will make you want to work harder. One of the reasons some people give up on guitar is because they can’t see the results of their practicing. So make sure to do this.

It’s very important to remember that this is only one part of playing guitar. There are so many other areas to address but if you aren’t happy with your fingers better start here.

Anyway, Thank you for listening.

Great guitar tone is something that every guitarist wants. The quest for tone is one of the biggest reasons guitar players drop so much money on amplifiers and effects.

If you’ve found yourself spending a lot of money lately on various ’sound tweaking’ gadgets, take note: the solution to your sound problems just might be closer (and cheaper) than you think!

Whether you want killer distortion or country-twang, the secret of great tone begins with a pure, clean signal.

In other words, no matter how many effects you intend to use, you’ve got to make sure the basic, unadulterated “dry signal” coming through your amp sounds just as good as anything else.

The reason for this is simple: every effect you add to that signal brings in a little bit of noise. So, you need to start with as clean a signal as possible so that the cumulative impact of noise and signal degradation from your effects is kept to a minimum.

The first step here is as easy as proper maintenance of your guitar. Not only do you need to keep your strings fresh, and your neck in alignment, you also need to eliminate any sources of buzz or hum coming from faulty cords or poor electrical wiring in your pickups or input jack.

The second step is to run the same maintenance check on your amplifier. Now, the fact is, some amps are just noisier than others. If you can find nothing physically wrong with your amp, it may just be that you need to do upgrades for better tone.

For example, your amp’s factory-installed speakers are probably not top-of-the-line. In the case of tube amps, especially, this can make a HUGE difference.

Along similar lines, you might also consider upgrading your tubes and/or the transistors used in the pre-amp stage.

Why?

Because your amp’s sound is greatly influenced by the way each of these components responds to the guitar signal. Cheap parts have a slower dynamic response, and can also add unwanted coloration to the signal. This is one reason why some amps will sound great at a lower volume, but start to break up and distort as soon as you turn things up.

Last, but not least, take a look at the effects pedals you currently have in your arsenal. Maybe you’ve purchased 2 or 3 different distortion pedals, for example, in an elusive quest for that perfect ‘crunch’?

There’s nothing wrong with owning multiple pedals for the same type of effect; but, if you still aren’t getting the sound you desire, it could be that you need to add something very basic into the mix, like an EQ pedal.

A good EQ pedal will allow you to shape which frequencies are emphasized. You can, for example, cut the mid-range for a heavier tone, or boost the highs so that your treble notes punch through.

Try mixing and matching EQ and Volume pedals in different places along your effects chain in order to boost or limit the characteristics of other effects. You’ll be amazed how many different sounds you can create with a little experimentation!

Intervals are the fundamental building blocks of music allowing us to read and write music, and most importantly, to help us construct chords and harmonies. However words like major, minor, augmented, diminished, enharmonic and compound leave many people a bit confused, hopefully this article will throw some light on the subject.

The ‘distance’ between two notes is known as an interval. This is the difference in pitch between two notes. The size or amount of distance is measured numerically.

If we consider the C scale there are 8 notes; C D E F G A B C numbered from 1 through to 8. As an example the interval from C to G is a 5th as G is 5 notes above C. The interval from C to F is a 4th as F is 4 notes above C.

All intervals are measured from the first note of the scale. These intervals are given a name as well as a numeric value and in order of progression they are: C-D is a major 2nd, C-E is a major 3rd, C-F is a perfect 4th, C-G is a perfect 5th, C-A major 6th, C-B major 7 and finally C-C is a perfect octave.

The intervals that are perfect are so called because they have a certain purity about them that comes from the overtones and upper-partials that are contained within them (these will be explained in another article)

Intervals can be raised or lowered by a half-step/semitone. If a major interval is chromatically reduced by a half-step it becomes a minor interval e.g. C-E is a major 3rd, if it is lowered by a half-step (from C-Eb) the interval becomes a minor 3rd.

If a perfect interval is chromatically reduced by a half-step it becomes a diminished interval i.e. a perfect 4th lowered by a half-step becomes a diminished 4th.

If major or perfect intervals are raised by a half-step then they become an augmented interval i.e. a perfect 5th would become an augmented 5th.

Compound intervals are those that extend into the 2nd octave. C to D (in the next octave) is called either a major 9th or a compound major 2nd. C to F (next octave) is a perfect 11th or a compound perfect 4th.

Enharmonic intervals are those that differ in name but not pitch, for example C-G# is an augmented 5th and C-Ab is a minor 6th.

When intervals are inverted they reverse the relative position of the notes. C-G (perfect 5th) becomes G-C which is a perfect 4th, a 3rd would become a 6th. Perfect intervals when inverted remain perfect e.g. C-G being a perfect 5th would become a perfect 4th when inverted, a major becomes minor, minor becomes major, diminished becomes augmented and augmented becomes diminished.

These rules apply to all scales.

You’re engaged, congratulations! Now what? If you’re like most brides you’re probably overwhelmed with all the planning that goes into creating a fairy-tale reception. Did you know that finding the perfect DJ is one of the biggest responsibilities you have? THAT’S RIGHT! “One of the biggest responsibilities”. Let me prove it to you. Ask yourself what would you love to hear as your guests are leaving? Could it be…?

“WOW that was the most fun I’ve ever had at a wedding, your reception was absolutely beautiful, every detail was perfect!” If that’s what you want to hear, then finding the best DJ is the most important job you’ll have when planning your reception. This is because the DJ has one of the biggest roles in creating your perfect day. You need to place a lot of TRUST and CONFIDENCE in this person. Why, you ask? Well consider this; you’re probably going to spend thousands of dollars on a reception site, catering, flowers and a photographer to name a few expenses. While all these components are important, what do you think most people remember about your reception? Here are the most common top 3 answers:

1. the Fun
2. the Food
3. the Location

Keeping this in mind, let me ask you this; if the location is breath-taking and the food is “to die for”, could a bad performance by your DJ sour the whole day? Conversely, if the location poses logistic problems and the food is just o.k. could a spectacular, fun-filled, jammed packed dance floor make up for those problems?

If you answered yes to both questions you now understand how important the DJ is. The reality is, you spend so much time and money to create the perfect reception it seems ashamed to ruin it by choosing the wrong DJ. So what’s a nervous bride to do? Get the best DJ now!

I know that if you’re reading this your in the process of gathering information. Booking your entertainment should be a top priority. Doesn’t it make sense that the best DJs book early? (as early as 12-18 months in advance) This means you need to find someone now. The less time you have, the more you need my help.

I’m a retired DJ of 25 years and my goal is to help you understand the DJs role by revealing a DJ secret that most people in the business don’t want you to know.

DJ Secret #1: The majority of brides’ think the DJ’s role is to make a couple of announcements and play good music. This is because that’s all they see. While these are very important to the success of your reception they only represent one-third of the DJs responsibilities. The other two-thirds of the DJs role happens behind the scenes. Helping you plan and managing the flow of the day’s events is just as important as playing the right music. Consider this; the function manager’s role is to make sure the food is hot and on time. That’s their job. When the food service is finished they’re gone. But the DJ is there from the beginning to the end. The timing of the food is only one of a number of factors the DJ needs to consider. A keen awareness of every aspect of your reception is the key to maintaining a flow that results in a packed dance floor the rest of the night. You might be asking yourself “how does a DJ prepare for all these factors?”

The best DJs begin their preparations far in advance. Over the course of several conversations with the couple, the DJ should have a good feel for what they are looking for. The final details will be carefully choreographed at the planning meeting with bride a week or so before the reception. Here is where the bride discusses her vision of the perfect reception (order of events, music, announcements, etc…) It is the DJs responsibility to work with the bride in developing a time-line for all the special moments. Together the bride and the DJ should have a clear understanding of exactly when these moments will take place. If the DJ did his job correctly the bride should leave this meeting 100% confident that the DJ will make her vision a reality.

Carrying out your vision the day of your reception takes a team effort.

The best DJs contact the bride’s wedding vendors before the reception to go over the agenda. This is where any conflict with food service or photography issues should be discussed. By doing this the DJ can avoid any obstacles that could cause the reception to get off schedule. You can bet a wedding team that understands and agrees on the bride’s vision will work more smoothly behind the scenes to make it happen.

What does this mean to you? You should be looking for a DJ who can reassure you they represent your needs behind the scenes; that they are working for you. I can tell you this; there will always be wrinkles at the reception that the vendors must work out. But a wedding team (led by the DJ) that is on the same page will handle it without you ever finding out.