Hidden Gems From The Kinks Discography

In a recording career that spanned over 30 years, The Kinks created a huge catalogue of records. 24 studio albums, 6 E.P.s and 78 singles, as well as a mass of live and compilation albums, are clearly a huge body of work.
Most people will be familiar with the big hits and best known albums, but there is a wealth of lesser known hidden gems from The Kinks discography.
Here are my picks of these hidden gems - one album and one single.
Album - Phobia
The last Kinks studio album was released in 1993. It failed to chart in the UK and charted at only 166 in the US. This I find a travesty because not only is this my personal favourite Kinks album, but I think it's as fine a rock album as you're ever likely to hear. The listener is treated to no less than 16 tracks, with a 17th bonus track, Did Ya, on some formats, in some territories. It's one of those albums that if you didn't know better, you'd swear it was a greatest hits package. There are so many great songs. Wall Of Fire, Drift Away, Still Searching, Over The Edge, The Informer and Hatred - these were all good enough to have been singles. As it was, Scattered (UK / Europe only) and Only A Dream (UK only) were the singles. Scattered was the pick of the bunch - a truly fantastic record.
Single - Sweet Lady Genevieve
This track, from the Preservation Act 1 album, was released in the UK only in 1973. It failed to chart. It is a beautifully uplifting ballad with a strong 4/4 beat but with lots of 2/4 bars thrown in. It's the song of a tramp, yearning for the love that he lost, and all because he went and blew it. My favourite lines are those of the first verse: -
"Once under a scarlet sky, I told you never ending lies,
But they were the words of a drunken vagabond
Who knew very well he would break your heart before long
Oh forgive me Genevieve"
This really is the lost Ray Davies masterpiece and Kinks Classic.
There are many other hidden gems in The Kinks catalogue and you may have your own favourites, but if you have a listen to my recommendations I'm sure you'll agree that despite their lack of "hit status" these were both utterly fabulous records.

Tips In Singing High Notes

It is the goal of every singer to be able to reach high notes. However, this can prove to be a frustrating endeavor especially during the beginner phase when you are still learning the basics of proper singing.
Let us take a look at some tips that will help you to increase your vocal range. Through patience, hard work and constant practice, you will be capable of singing high notes in no time.
The knowledge of voice registers is vital to learning how to sing high notes. The most commonly used terms for voice registers by beginners are "low voice", "regular voice" and "high voice". These should not be confused with the volume registers of "heavy voice" and "light voice".
The trick to singing high notes is to reduce your consciousness or awareness of voice registers. If your voice breaks or cracks when you attempt to reach high notes, this is because there is a lack of coordination between your laryngeal muscles and resonators and air flow.
The three main registers consist of the following: for males, you have the chest, head and falsetto and for females, you have chest, middle and head. Training you voice in these three registers will enable you to reach those high notes.
In trained voices, each of these registers are an octave (or 8 notes) in length. Certain notes will need to be sung in a specific register or at points wherein these registers overlap. Most beginners will tend to use the chest register more often than the others. To counteract this tendency, you need to exercise your voice by singing through the entire octave.
When there is an overlapping of registers, you should use the register that is the best for you and the one that makes the best sense musically. By doing so, you will be able to glide through registers effortlessly to sing both low and high notes.
This should not be a cause of frustration for you, however. By knowing what you need to work on and how to do it, you can gradually but surely develop your voice so that you can reach the higher range.
To be able to sing high notes, warm up exercises for your vocal cords are a must. The best exercises are ascending and descending scales and other voice strengthening exercises. Gradually expand your range by moving up one note at a time during each practice.
Just like in athletes, a good warm up keeps your laryngeal muscles flexible and well-oxygenated so that damage to the vocal cords can be minimized. If you don't warm up properly, the sound you will produce sounds raw, rough or "cold". It is ideal to do warm-up exercises, like humming, opening the throat, breath control exercises, and sustained notes, 10 to 30 minutes before a practice session or performance.
If you want to learn how to sing high notes, the best way to do it is by warming up your vocal cords and by exercising your voice through the various scales. With time, hard work and patience, you will soon find yourself singing those high notes.

The Best Way To Easily Create Killer Hip Hop Beats

In this article I describe how to make nice Hip Hop Beats easily with very little equipment. The only equipment you need is a good beat maker which can handle high quality stereo files, has a drum editor, a good sample keyboard and different samples like keys, basses and other instruments. Also the beat maker need to be able to edit your tracks and to set all the volumes independently ie. missing the whole track.
I recommend you use DUBturbo for these tasks as I found that it's simply the best beat maker out there and it comes with great samples and everything you could wish for right of the box (Also it costs just 30$ which is a joke for this). Anyway this is just a suggestion and the steps mentioned could be done with other tools too.
The first step in the process of creating tight hip hop beats is setting up a nice grooving drum track. Make sure to set the tempo to the right speed, choose a nice sounding drumkit and start with one measure. Now loop this beat. A good way to start for beginners is to put a bass punch on the 1 and 3 beats and a snare on the 2 and 4 beats first. Hit the play Button and examine what you've created. It's a little minimalistic right? But that's the very basic structure of thousands of beats.
In the next step we will tune this up a bit and extend it to a more complete drum pattern. So you can try to put hi hats on every 8th beat. Always check your result or let the loop running and make changes in real time.
Also add bass drum punches to the 3 AND.
Well that sounds like a nice basic drum track to start our beat with. Now it's time to move on to the baseline. So pick a bass you like fro your library and fire up the sampling keyboard to create the bass notes. Make sure you have your fist beat looped. The big question now is: Where to put which bass tones?? Here comes a little secret from me: Put some Bass notes on the up beats. This creates a nice pumping sound which goes right into your feet. Just try it out, I bet you like it! As this a beginners guide we will focus on rhythm here. So easily choose just the same bass note for the whole measure. Ich chooses this pattern:
1+ 2+3+4+
x - - x - x x -
Now that we have a nice drum part and a baseline we can duplicate the measures sometimes to have more room to play with for our keyboard part. When you are ready choose a good sounding keyboard sample and fire up the piano roll again. Draw a small melody and loop the whole track while you are working on this. Keep what you like and quit the editor.
Now we you just created a basic beat to start a whole track with. Listen to it several times. Do you have any ideas which come to your mind. Put them into your track. Adding some scratches, adding synth, adding vocals or fills could be good start. Be open minded for everything, you can't make a mistake here. Just try things out, if you don't like em just delete the part.

Voice Over Recording Equipment - How to Choose the Right Ones

It is very important to choose the right voice over recording equipment for your studio to get the perfect sound clarity and resolution. You could be recording for any kind of digital media like movies, cartoons, websites, television or stores but the rules and equipment are same for all in the case of recording.
One of the best microphones that you have for a voice over recording is the Shure SM57 which has a large A81WS windshield. The best thing about this microphone is that is hugely directional and can block out sounds from everywhere except from that coming in from the front of the microphone. This one is best for a non-broadcast narrations like phone messages, greetings and store announcements. A cheaper alternative to the SM57 is the Electrovoice CO4 which is very similar in appearance to the former but has an extended response that can go as high as 18kHz. This model will cost you only half of what an SM57 will cost but can give you good sound definition and clarity.
AKG C414 is another great microphone for voice over recording purposes. But do not use this if you are recording in a room with very poor acoustics as this equipment is extremely sensitive and can pick up even the slightest external and background noises. You also need to speak into the mike from a considerable distance for producing a natural sound with this one. The Audio Technica AT2020 is another great buy at 70 pounds and will be of great use for voice recording purposes. Made in China, it comes with a 16mm diaphragm and has a thick foam windshield. The best thing about the AT2020 is that it can be used in rooms with very less acoustic treatment and is a good purchase for the amateur or beginner.
Acoustics is another important part to get the perfect voice over recording experience. There are various ways by which you can improve the acoustic setting of a room to enhance sound clarity and resolution and also block out external and background sound interference. Lining the walls of your studio or room with 40 x 40cm foam acoustic tiles is a great way to lessen the resonance. The SE Electronics Reflexion filter can also be used to improve sound absorption but do not expect a hundred percent result out of this.
One of the best headphones that you can purchase for a voice over recording is the Audio Technica ATH-M40fs which is simply superb. Try to purchase a custom made PC with is relatively silent and has water cooling. If you have the space, it is best to place the PC outside the recording room with the monitor, keyboard and mouse inside to lessen the noise from the PC. Last but not the least, a good sound card is also an absolute must to complete your voice over recording set up.

Passing the Sting Symphonicity Tour Baton to Sarah Hicks

Sarah Hicks seems perfectly suited for her recently announced appointment as conductor for the latest extension of the Sting Symphonicity Tour scheduled with twenty-nine dates in Europe over June and July of 2011. This cosmopolitan virtuoso was born in Japan, raised in Hawaii and holds an impressive musical pedigree, first as an accomplished piano and viola player in her youth, and then as an adult earning degrees from Harvard in music composition and the Curtis Institute of Music in conducting. Known in orchestral circles as an enthusiastic supporter of new music and contemporary works, Hicks already maintains a crazy schedule traveling back and forth between her three positions as Principle Conductor of Pops and Presentation for the Minnesota Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony and Staff Conductor of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She has extensive experience with the pop/rock genre after working with such notable rockers as John Mayer, Ben Folds and frequent Sting band trumpeter Chris Botti.
Hicks is also the epitome of a 21st century Orchestra Conductor 2.0 as a woman embracing the internet and social media to spread her musical message to a younger, hipper and tech-savvy audience through platforms including her blog "Inside the Classics" and a Twitter profile, where her bio announces succinctly, "Have stick, will travel; conductor-girl on the loose." She is also a self-proclaimed pop culture junkie devouring the latest entertainment news applicable to music through such unlikely sources as Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and In Touch. For all these reasons, the Symphonicity podium awaits Sarah Hicks, who was kind enough to share how she landed this impressive gig, what audiences can expect during the upcoming leg of the tour, and her quest to find the perfect pump.
First, congratulations on your appointment as conductor for the summer 2011 extension of the Symphonicity Tour. How did this opportunity come about for you? You probably didn't respond to a help wanted advertisement seeking an "experienced conductor for rock star orchestra tour." Were you previously acquainted with Sting or have you worked together in the past?
I got hooked up with this gig via the "Botti connection." I first met and worked with Chris Botti nearly 3 years ago, and we hit it off musically. He had me come and conduct many of his orchestra dates, and he thought I'd be perfect for "a big symphony tour that Sting's planning," as Chris said. An opportunity to do a short Russian tour in the winter of '10 fell through, and then soon after the team decided to go with Steve Mercurio (who conducts all of Andrea Bocelli's tours). As the tour continued, they decided they wanted to go in a different direction, and they came back to Chris's recommendation (me!). I got the phone call in February. I was so thrilled but had to contain myself because I was in an airport security line, and it's probably wise to not act too crazy!
Were you a fan of The Police in their heyday?
Yep, from back in the "Ghost in the Machine" and "Synchronicity" days.
Would you call yourself a fan of Sting's solo work?
As of that February phone call, I had every one of Sting's studio albums on my laptop except "Symphonicities - Live in Berlin." Of course I immediately went out and bought it.
Are there any Police or Sting songs you consider favorites or that hold special significance for you?
"Wrapped Around Your Finger" was one of the first videos I remember watching on MTV. We weren't allowed to watch much TV when I was growing up, so I'd often sneak into the den late at night to get my MTV fix (they actually played music back then). I was obsessed with "Ten Summoner's Tales", in particular "It's Probably Me" and "Shape of My Heart". I lived in Prague for awhile in 1994, and listening to that album nearly every day got me through those first few really lonely weeks in a new town. As for favorite songs, there are really too many!
How are you currently preparing for the tour?
First, I had to clear my schedule of prior commitments, and there were a lot of those. One set of shows that's still on my docket though are concerts with Chris Botti and the San Francisco Symphony in mid-July; Sting didn't want to take me away from Chris, so I'm flying overnight from Europe to the West Coast and back. And this was really sweet; Chris called me the day I met with Sting and his team to let me know that he wouldn't be offended if I decided to drop the San Francisco dates. There's a lovely mutual respect between them.

Music Libraries: Shaping Barren Career of Talented Musicians

Background music accompanies any entertainment product. While watching television serial or a movie, even if the characters do not speak, the music being played in the background gives you an idea about what that particular scene implies. The background compositions have a personal appeal which touches the strings of the viewers' heart, thereby making them responsive to what they see and listen to. Advertising the goods and services through various medium ensures their increased sales. Thus, even in the TV commercials which aim at enhancing the number of customers for the products, the background music is introduced so that the customers could see them and be convinced to buy the same.
The influence of introducing background music within the entertainment product has now compelled the makers of such series to search for some impressive compositions so that they could place them within it. With an aim of finding out something unique, the producers contact the agencies that keep a wide collection of such music pieces. These pieces range from sad tunes to full-on rocking beats. The agencies collect the variations separately and arrange them in a sequence within a music library. Music libraries act as catalogs of the musical compositions that contain variety of opuses. Among these instrumentals, however, the makers of different entertainment products get a chance to choose one based on their requirements.
The compositions that form the content of the music libraries are the creations of well-skilled musicians. The library does not only contain the pieces created by the well-known composers of the industry, but also the ones composed by the struggling artists. In spite of being extremely talented, several individuals do not get a chance to prove themselves. They, no doubt, possess the quality of becoming a rising start of the music industry, but lack of opportunity compels them to keep their talent hidden forever. With the help of music libraries, the producers notice their creations and hence provide them a chance to develop their career in a desired direction.
The compositions made by the strugglers, listed in the music libraries are original and unique, which attract most of the makers towards those pieces. The entertainment industry has been found to dishearten the audiences with its copied and remixed musical pieces in current times. The presence of original compositions created by the budding artists gives the producers, a fair chance to place unique musical pieces within their entertainment products, which have never been heard before. The companies add the music of the new artists within their music libraries and help the producers get a desirable creation, thereby enhancing the chance of proper career growth for the struggling composers.
One thing to note in this context is that before an artist places his composition in the music libraries, he must make sure to have a license on that specific piece. Not possessing a copyright or license on the song will result in rejection of his appeal to add the composition in the library. This is because having no license on the instrumental increases the chances of claims from someone else, which might harm the reputation of the agencies helping the artists.

Outfitting Your Electronic Drum Set

If you have an electronic drum set, the next thing you will want to do is buy all the right accessories and extra equipment needed. While you may get by with just your drum set in the beginning, after a while you may want to upgrade certain features. You'll also want all the necessary parts to allow you to play comfortably at home as well as on stage. Here is a quick overview of some of the extra parts you may want to buy for your set.
Headphones
One really important component that anyone with an electronic drum set should have is a good pair of headphones. One of the best features of having the drums is that you can play them without making a lot of noise and disturbing your neighbors or roommates. However, if you want to drum quietly and still hear what you are playing, you'll need to plug in some good headphones. This will also allow you to listen to tracks while you play. The three things you should consider when purchasing the headphones are comfort, accurate music reproduction and isolation. You will want them to completely encircle the ear, which will block out outside noise much better than the type that fit directly into your ear. Some good brands to consider are Alesis, Fender, Audix, Roland, AKG and ION.
Amplifiers
Having headphones is great for playing on your own in a busy area, but in order to get a real sense of how the drums sound, you'll want to get a good amplifier. You'll also need an amp if you plan on playing in a band and on stage. Your amplifier should be made specifically for electronic drums. It needs to be able to reproduce the high, mid and low range sounds so that you get an accurate representation of the music. You could have the best, most high-tech drums around, but if the amp is not great, your sound will be bad as well. Take a look at some of the smaller, more compact amps and monitor systems by brands like Roland and Simmons for playing at home.
Cases
If you are going to move your drums at all, you'll need some good drum cases. Chances are you spent a lot of money on your electric drums, so spending a little more to ensure they're well protected is a very good idea. It's especially important if you plan on touring or going on the road. All the jostling around can reek havoc on your drums if you don't secure them in a good case. When purchasing your cases, it's a good idea to have a couple different ones so that you can keep each component separate and secure. You have the choice of either soft or hard cases. Soft cases are good for people with little storage space who don't plan on touring. However, the hard cases are much better for the road and will keep your drums in pristine condition. You may also want to look for a case with wheels to help take the load off your back and arms when moving the kit around.

The Voice: No Idol Knockoff, Part 1

The great thing about NBC's The Voice is just what the title implies: what an artist sounds like over what they look like. Highly entertaining and an emotional rollercoaster a times, this is 'reality' TV at its best.
When I first heard the concept, I--like most everyone else--was a bit skeptical. With X Factor and America's Got Talent already established, did we really need another singing talent show? When I saw the panel of judges, I was immediately more interested. Instead of Simon Cowell, who probably couldn't sing his way out of a wet paper bag, you've got monster vocalists Cee-Lo and Christina Aguilera, savvy country music star Blake Shelton and (my personal favorite) the new century's answer to Sting: Adam Levine.
That lineup alone had me interested. And the playful interaction between the four wildly diverse personalities just adds to the effect. But let's face it, the real stars are some of the absolutely unbelievable vocalists who risk everything to face the backs of four Star Trek-looking chairs. It's a great effect. In fact, so much of the music industry was based on appearance, that it's exciting to see four stars actually fly in the face of tradition and go solely on the sound of an artist.
Cherie Oakley, who barely made it through the first time due to song choice, was one of the more amazing performers. And Oakley has some serious experience in songwriting and backing gigs for both Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson. Still, she really made a risky (and poor) song-choice to try and get Blake Shelton's attention. And let's face it, once you've been let down, a singer's nerves have to be absolutely ragged upon heading out for round two. Amazingly enough, her second (and better) song-choice got Adam Levine to hit his button and feel pretty good about it. But singers like Jeff Jenkins, whose voice is an absolute revelation get the kind of level playing field that a 'visual' might otherwise rob them of.
Whereas great (and hot) singers like Kelsey Rey or Sonia Rao would have the old music industry standard of looks weighing in as equally as sound, Jenkins, Frenchie Davis, Tyler Robinson and Sara Oromchi get a solid audition based on some serious vocal firepower. And frankly, this is what the old, moldy music industry doesn't get: we want sound! Yeah, some artists will always have a visual advantage, but with new direct-to-fan models being cultivated by the culture of the internet, fans are far more likely to snap up recordings by artists who have a great sound and come off as regular people!
As it is, contestants who didn't make it through probably picked up a good 20,000 fans if they have any kind of online presence and downloadable material. More on that in our next installment...

Find Album Artwork

In order to get album covers for your missing album artwork it is highly recommended that you use a software program instead of trying to do it yourself manually. With a software program it makes it much easier for you and it frees up some of your time.
The only downfall to using a software program is that most of them don't work. They fail to deliver what they promise. However, when searching for a software program for your album covers, let me suggest that you look for one with plenty of positive feedback.
The software program that I would like to mention is Tuneup media. This is a powerful music cleaner that can easily find all the album covers your need for your music library. It is considered to be the number one program for album artwork.
This Is How It Works:
1. It scans your music collection for album artwork that's missing.
2. After it has scanned your music, it will show you which albums need album covers.
3. Then you can choose from one of the four options to add album artwork to your music tracks.
This is an incredibly easy way to add album covers to your music collection. It makes your music collection look very good.
Tuneup Media is your best choice for cleaning up your music, especially if it's iTunes or Windows Media Player. Tuneup Media is a superior iTunes cleaner that can check your entire music collection for mislabeled and missing song information. The program is more than just a cleaner, it can find album art, remove duplicates, and is able to get you information on concert alerts, plus watch music videos, and read artist bios & much more.
This program pretty much runs on its own. Once you launch the program it will begin to clean up and organize your iTunes music library. This program is an absolute live saver for those who have a large amount of music tracks. Even if you have a small itunes library, this powerful software program can still help keep your library organize and clean. So if you are looking for a quick way to add album art to your iTunes or windows media player all you need to do is just follow the simple steps mentioned above.

New Song Ideas and Where to Find Them

Coming up with new song ideas can be one of the most difficult aspects of songwriting. It's not always easy to find something interesting to write a song about. Here are some songwriting tips that will help to get the creative juices flowing!
1. Read a Good Book
Or watch a movie! Anything that is moving or thought-provoking can do the trick. Take the story you just saw or read about and distill it down to its essence. This is a task unto itself and is where the rewrite comes into play. But you will have conquered one of the hardest steps of writing a song: Finding something to write about! You don't even have to write about the whole story. Choose one aspect of it, or describe the nature of the relationship between two of the characters.
2. Are You Playing Around?
Just noodling around with a melody on the guitar or piano can trigger some great song ideas. I always prefer to start with melody anyway, so this is a method that tends to work well for me. To keep things fresh try playing and writing a song in a different tuning or a key you don't normally play in. This will help to spark your creativity and it will keep you excited because those unfamiliar chords will sound so new to you.
3. Good Morning Pages
In Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way, she suggests adopting the practice of writing three pages of whatever pops into your head right after you wake up each morning. She calls them Morning Pages. You needn't worry about whether or not they make any sense; just write them. When you read over them later you may be surprised at what jumps out at you. I have come up with many good song ideas this way.
4. Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Keep your ears open for interesting phrases when you're out and about. You never know when or where you'll hear one but you'll know it when you do. A great line can practically write a song all by itself. However, don't overlook the common or the cliché. "It's Complicated" and "See You Around" aren't bad song titles.
5. What Lies Beneath
Take some time to ponder the meaning of life. You don't have to get all religious (but you can if that's your thing). Try to catch a glimpse behind the curtain. What's it all about? The so-called "coincidences" we all experience, the extra special connection you share with that particular person. Write a song about these things! The mystery of our existence is a gold mine of great song ideas.
6. Love of My Life
This one's obvious! Writing a song about your significant other is always a great idea. Love songs will always be the most popular of all song ideas. They will never go out of fashion and they will always take on a special meaning for anyone who has ever been in love. Write a song for the special love of your life. Take your time and make it a good one. It will bring you closer and you will have a great love song in your repertoire. I'm going to go and write a song for the special love of my life. It's going to be a good one.
7. Go Shopping
Yes, you read that right! "But what does going shopping have to do with songwriting?" you ask. Nothing! Sometimes you just have to get away and treat yourself to a new pair of shoes. Pamper yourself with a facial. We have to remember that we are people first. We must get out there and live. Go for a hike in the woods and soak in all of the sights and sounds. Go to the local museum and learn something new about how we used to live. The deeper our knowledge and the richer our experiences, the more we have to draw on when writing a song. Don't neglect this last tip. It may be the most important one of all. Happy writing!

Choosing Music for Your Event

Selecting the right sort of live music for an event is just as crucial a decision as the venue, catering style and the time of day. Live music creates an ambience and memorable atmosphere if correctly chosen. We all want events to be a success, so here are my top tips for ensuring you choose the right music for your event.
• Type of event: If you are organising a reception with a 'networking' element to it, or a dinner where people wish to speak to each other, loud music isn't going to work. On the other hand, after dinner entertainment where guests want to dance will require a band playing louder music.
• Venue: The size of the venue is crucial. A harpist playing in a huge hall with high ceilings is likely to be lost. Likewise a large band playing in a small room is going to be overpowering, with the music sound being 'muddied'. Choose the size of your musical ensemble and instruments based on the size of your room. Also, if you have a space with two or more rooms, you will need to consider where to locate the musicians, so that they can be heard.
• Size of the event: A small event where there are 20 guests is unlikely to require as loud background music as at a larger event. However, it is down to personal taste as to whether a large band is required later on!
• Theme of the event: There are plenty of musical styles that theme an event just as much as dressing a venue or servicing specific food. A steel band playing as guests arrive or a Scottish Piper serenading guests creates an impact as people arrive. Flamenco musicians and dancers for after dinner entertainment or a jazz band playing will enhance an event creating a memorable ambience. When you are researching a themed event, include music as well as the food; it makes a huge difference to the event.
• Time of day: During the day, most events involve guests wishing to speak to each other and to meet new people. Loud music doesn't work in those situations. As the evening progresses, guests relax and they might consider dancing. They have spoken to their friends and associates and want to let their hair down. As a rule, as the evening progresses, the volume and energy of the music should increase.
• Acoustic of the venue: Some venues are 'louder' than others. Rooms with plenty of fabric and wood absorb sound better than venues with hard or metal surfaces - where the sound tends to echo more. The latter is a challenge generally because people's voices will also echo!
• Location: Is the event taking place inside or outside? If it is outside, you will need to consider where to place the musicians. Many musicians that play valuable instruments will need to be out of direct sunlight and rain. Electrical equipment also needs to be kept out of the rain. Acoustic instruments such as string quartets and harps will need to be located next to a wall, so that the sound will carry.
• Volume of music and restrictions: A number of venues have restrictions on the level of volume. It is worthwhile checking this when you choose the venue. Some venues allow recorded music but not live music; however I would argue that acoustic instruments such as guitar, harp or string quartet could be a lower decibel reading than a CD!
• Space available: If there is limited space, you will be restricted in the size of ensemble you choose. As a rule, instruments that take up most space are grand pianos. Other instruments can be relatively close to each other and they take up less space than you expect. My advice would be to calculate the area available and ask the musicians if they can perform within that area.
• Instruments available: If there is a Steinway Grand piano available at the venue, it seems a shame not to use it! Pianists could play classical/crossover music, or a jazz pianist would be thrilled to perform on it!
• Age groups: As a rule of thumb, as we get older, we appreciate loud music less. Also, different age groups have varied tastes. We always recommend discussing the music with the musicians and to agree a range of musical styles before the event to suit different tastes. A dance band would offer music "From the 60s to the noughties" to cover every taste.
Live Music at an event, and more crucially, choosing the right music, makes a huge difference to the success of an event. Ask the right questions of your music suppliers; ask yourself what role you wish the musicians to play at the event, and choose wisely! Good luck!!

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Celebs Reveal their Bikini Secrets

Here are some secrets to get the stars that cut lean, and hot research organization, reported the Sun to do.

Ex-member of the Spice Girls Geri Halliwell, 38, the super good and super tonic is both mentally and physically, she keeps her figure with yoga and healthy diet.

Halliwell ditched crunchy rice crackers and chocolate for the seed, and now takes yoga classes three times a week, working the body and mind, while your muscles toning.

Actress Halle Berry, 44, has a body to die and it keeps that way by making a strenuous cardio workout for a five times a week with a personal trainer.

Berry worked on the elliptical (coach of the cross), then do freeweight keep the arms tight and give kickboxing, a factory six-pack.

For the actress Cameron Diaz, 38, she prefers to keep forms of outdoor sports such as surfing, working the abdominal and hip, as well as hiking and snowboarding on the legs and buttocks to strengthen.

Diaz also holds her lithe body and long, thin legs do yoga three times a week.

Model Naomi Campbell, 40 draws, to skip it, which is the best way the heart pumps to maintain and strengthen muscles is.

With him, it makes a complete detoxification three times a year by a cocktail of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and water for up to 18 days.

And to speak to the lingerie model Danielle Bux, 30 years, Pilates and walking around the dog.

Pilates works the core muscles is a good posture and muscle definition.