Best CCR Songs - And Why

The band Creedence Clearwater Revival was only together for five years (1967-72) yet they left an impression on popular music that will never be forgotten. John Fogerty's brilliant songwriting harked back to the Golden Era of Rock and blended it uniquely with Roots Music at a time when Psychedelic Rock bands like The Byrds were popular in his native California.

Recently I was listening to the Greatest Hits of CCR and thought how fresh and exciting their music still sounds. Although I can honestly say that I love every one of their songs and could listen to their music on repeat all day long, four songs stand out which I believe guaranteed their legacy in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Here are the songs I came up with:

1. Proud Mary rates as one of my favorite CCR songs. It is essential listening for any true fan of American music. The intro, in the words of John, 'sounded just like the (paddle) wheel at the back of a boat', while the opening line 'Left a good job in the city' sums up what many hard working urbanites fantasize doing; throwing in the towel to live a simple life away from the bustle and fumes of the city. This is CCR at its best.

2. Bad Moon Rising, with its apocalyptic sentiment and lively tempo, rates as one of the best CCR songs. It's simple lyrics and catchy chorus make it unforgettable. It is easy to see why it was one of their most successful singles back in 1969, from the album 'Green River'.

3. Fortunate Son is a classic Creedence song. Those opening bars instantly bring to mind the discontent of people for the Vietnam War that seemed to have no end and no purpose. It seethes with hatred for the political elite and I'm sure that many a soldier or protesting civilian heard those lyrics 'it ain't me' sung in that angry defiant voice and felt understood.

4.Lodi is a clever song that traces the hard luck of touring musician who finds himself stuck in Lodi, a small backwater farming town near where John Fogerty lived in Berkley, California. Every musician that has ever felt the sting of playing to disinterested people and not making enough money to make ends meet can sympathize with this song. This song has a soul and depth that make it outstanding.

Even if you don't agree with my choice of the best CCR songs, you have to agree they lived up to their name by reviving Rock and blending it with Roots music in a way not heard before. For that they will always be remembered in the history of popular music.

If you like Creedence Clearwater Revival then you will love Stewart Maclennan. His album 'Maybe For A While' is a great collection of songs cut from the same American musical cloth.

Download the single FREE from Stewart's album 'Maybe For A While' HERE

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The Violin: A Review of Five Electric Violins Part One

In this article I intend to take you through an honest review of five electric violins I have played recently with a view to purchasing. This is my own personal choice and I was looking at features that were important to me about an instrument. These were, price, sound, playability, X factor. Playability means the overall feel of the violin to play and includes string action, weight and comfort. The X factor is something which will illogically want you to buy or not to buy.

The first violin I am reviewing is the Harley Benton HBV 400.

Price. £140.00 5 out of 5

Sound. OK 3 out of 5

Weight and comfort. Heavy 2 out of 5

String action. Not too bad 2.5 out of 5

X Factor 2 out of 5

The Harley Benton is a cheap violin which for the price is good value. As with all cheap electric violins, the problem is the pick-up which at high volume gives you a "hiss;" this can be resolved by using good amplification. The instrument is too heavy and difficult to play for long periods because of this. My conclusion is that it is good value for the little money you pay.

The Stag electric violin.

Price. Under £100.00 5 out of 5

Sound. Not great. 3 out of 5

Weight and comfort adequate. 3 out of 5

String action. Not too bad. 2.5 out of 5

X factor 1 out of 5

I didn't like this violin though I admit that for the price it is good value. The bow was cheap and nasty, and the headphones which came with it poor. I got the feeling that the electronics were not built to last, but the sound if played through a decent sound system was adequate. My conclusion is that you pay for what you get.

The NS Design Wav4

Price. Between £450.00 to £470.00 5 out of 5

Sound. Beautiful. 5 out of 5

Weight and comfort. Unusual at first but you get used to it. 5 out of 5

String action. Adjustable. 5 out of 5

X factor 5 out of 5

I didn't fall in love with this violin by accident, though it looks odd, and takes some getting used to. After playing it for about half an hour I was hooked. Close your eyes and it feels like a normal electric. With adjustable string action you can get the strings in a position to suit what you need. it sounds like an acoustic violin so if that is what you are looking for, then this is the violin for you. My conclusion. Great value.

The Yamaha SV130

Price. Around £ 550.00 5 out of 5

Sound. Very good. 4 out of 5

Weight and comfort. Good 5 out of 5

String action. As you would expect from a Yamaha. 5 out of 5

X factor. 4 out of 5. Don't ask me why; it's an x factor

This is an excellent violin, and like all Yamaha products is well-built. Great sound, action and feel. As an entry-level "good" violin it is up there with the best. Used as a practice tool with headphones, you even get reverberation with three different settings. My conclusion. This is a great instrument.

The fender FV1

Price. £ 500.00 5 out of 5

Sound. 5 out of 5

Weight and comfort. Brilliant. 5 out of 5

String action. It's a fender; enough said. 5 out of 5

X factor. I love it. 5 out of 5.

This is great value for the money, and plays and sounds like a dream. As with all fender products you are assured of quality. Looks like a "real" violin and tone controls are sensitive to your needs. My conclusion. Get one.

So which one am I going to purchase? Still deciding between the NS Design and the Fender. Will probably flick a coin, but order the NS Design.

If you love violins, you will love this site.

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Tips To Make Your Own Rap Beats

A good beat created will make a beginner to achieve good heights in the field of rap music. Choosing of beats plays an important role in making our own rap beats. The first and foremost requirement of choosing is that the beginner should fully understand his style of music and he/she should also know whether the selected rhythm will support his/her style.

Identifying the Style: The instruments selected for creating might sound better when heard alone and the voice of the artist might also sound better alone, but these two should give a better result when combined together. Here comes the role of the style of the music. If the producers make a hip hop beat that will suit their style, they will be able to attain good popularity. It is better for the beginners to identify their style rather than adopting the style of other musicians. To identify the same, the beginners should listen to rhythms composed by others professionals and should add his flavor to the rhythm wherever possible. Identifying of the style will be useful to the beginners to stand alone in the crowd of musicians.

Making the music and selecting the instruments: The musician should then select the appropriate musical instruments that will best suit his style. But, it might be difficult and expensive for the beginners to find the different instruments and recording studio for practicing the style. Here comes the role of internet; different websites sell cheap and good quality instruments and rhythms for helping the beginners to shine in their desired field.

Demo CD: Once the beginner has understood his style and rap beat and musical instruments suitable for his style, he might record the beat produced by him on a Demo CD and he can play these CDs in front of the professionals in the music field and get their suggestions and tips regarding improvising. The beginners can also register in the Future Producers Forum, from which he can get the advice of the experts.

Producing in a comfortable environment: Once the beginner has acquired the advice of the experts, he/she should start improvising the beat produced. He/she should start music production in a comfortable environment without any disturbance. He/she should start composing hip hop beats with the base line. Once he/she has decided the base line, the other instruments and beats might be added accordingly to produce the final result. He/she should take his/her own time in composing the music; the composing should not be made in a hurry.

Jine Lamper is a professional writer and publisher. Writes articles on several subjects including music. So many of people looking for some hip hop beats online. Makehitmusic offers different types of beats, rap beats, instrumental music and much more for free. Want to know more about unique hip hop beats, please visit our website.

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Review: Dot To Dot Festival - Manchester

Since its humble beginnings seven years ago, Dot To Dot Festival has gone from strength to strength and has served up sets from bands that have gone on to see incredible success. In the past, this has meant shows from the likes of Mumford & Sons, Florence & the Machine and The XX - but this month it focused back on some lesser-known acts hoping to break through in the same way.

Taking place across three cities - Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester - the event has a pretty ambitious mission statement. In Manchester alone, it uses seven different stages at venues like The Ritz, Sound Control, The Deaf Institute, Zoo and Joshua Brooks, but while this is probably something of a challenge for the organisers' in terms of business liability insurance, the backing of sponsors Fred Perry probably provides some small comfort.

The festival got off to a mild start with a set by Milk Maid over at Zoo that gently rocked the crowd into a frenzy and lead nicely into a half hour show over at the HMV Ritz from Bastille that had a fantastic turnout for so early in the day and revved things up a notch - getting everyone in the mood for more. More soon came thanks to the wonderful Lucy Rose, who's warm and fuzzy acoustics proved to be a huge hit. Her new single Lines could well be the song that takes her closer to mainstream success, but at this point it would probably be a good idea to catch her while she is at her hottest.

Things were already starting to kick off elsewhere with The Dunwells and Jake Bugg at Zoo, Eyes on Film and Last Dinosaur at Joshua Brooks, The Night and Hyde & Beast at The Deaf Institute and all manner of shenanigans across the three stages over at the fantastic new Sound Control - a former guitar shop that has fast become one of the most interesting venues in the city. However, the temptation to stay within the walls of the fabulous HMV Ritz to see the very much buizzed about Dog is Dead was too much and proved not to be a disappointment.

After a quick bit of tucker over at Oddest - a lovely little Oxford Rd bar with a fine selection of ales - it was time to get into the evening of the festival. The highlights of the night, which ran into the very early hours indeed, had to be the always entertaining The Drums at The Ritz, the incredible Lulu James over at Joshua Brookes and finally Islet at the Sound Control live lounge. It has to be said, that as the music shifted the latter hours at the club, things may have gotten a little blurry for some of us - but after a day like this I think it's fair to say we deserved it.

I had been working hard on my Adventures In VHS book for weeks and decided I needed to get away from my desk and check out some live music. Dot To Dot 2012 was the perfect tonic to get me recharged. Bring on 2013!

Noel Mellor is the author of an upcoming book and supporting podcast entitled Adventures In VHS. You can read more about him and check out his various projects by visiting his online home, Film Rant.

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Differences Amongst Used Pianos

Buying previously used items has advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the nature of the item there are circumstances where acquiring a used one is not an option, and other cases where it is a wise investment. For large mechanical devices there are many reasons why buying a used model can be advantageous. Cars depreciate by a considerable amount the minute they are driven off the lot, and conversely many heavy-duty machines will run for decades if properly maintained. When well build equipment is used properly and regularly serviced it will perform just as well as new equipment.

Pianos are mechanical devices that will vary greatly in quality between manufacturers, and these large musical instruments are similar to cars in a number of ways. There are thousands of moving parts that all work in unison to perform a specific function, and there are many different ways to get from point A to point B as some ride in the lap of luxury and some take the bus. The overall design of the vehicle, the nature of the components and the manufacturing process separate luxury vehicles from entry-level sedans, though both will get you to where you need to be. The same can be said about pianos, in that a factory build instrument comprised of the cheapest available parts will allow you to play music, but it won't sound as good as it's luxury counterparts.

Furthermore it won't perform like its well-crafted counterparts or last nearly as long. Again, as with cars, you need to be very careful when buying a used piano. These big-ticket items last for years and you may have no idea how the previous owner treated it, or how the salesperson 'fixed it up' just a day before you arrived. However when you are looking at a used Steinway piano, you can rest assured that this heavy-duty piece of equipment is in top performance shape and you have nothing to fear. If only buying used cars was this easy.

Steinway & Sons pianos are hand built pieces of art constructed with years of craftsmanship and dedication to the art of creating world-class instruments. There is a level of excellence that one expects when they sit in front of a Steinway, no matter what decade or century it was build in. Owners who appreciate the excellence of these instruments (as they have decided to own one) know the importance of regular maintenance. It is fair to say that the 'average' household piano probably gets tuned once every 5 years. Owners of Steinway pianos generally have their instruments services annually, and maintenance comprises three basic steps to maintain the sound and feel of the piano. Tuning brings the piano back to pitch; voicing affects the piano's tone or quality of sound; and regulation is the process of adjusting the action mechanism, which affects the touch of the piano.

Simply put, nothing else sounds like a Steinway and their used models will often outperform other companies' new models. Various Steinway Piano Galleries carry an assortment of used models that you can go physically see and hear in person, as they offer excellent opportunities to invest in one of these prestigious instruments. Whether you are looking for a used vintage piece or simply hoping to have an instrument to pass on through generations, know that when you acquire a used Steinway piano there is only incredible sound to look forward to.

Stop by Steinwaypianogallery.ca to see what a high quality and magnificent instrument looks like. You should also check out http://steinwaypianogallery.ca/used-steinway-piano to see which vintage and used pianos are available.

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Fender Guitars - A Standard Of Quality

The legacy of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation began in 1938, when a man named Leonidas Fender became a fan of musical instruments and started to work as a radio repair technician. After doing some business ventures and enhancing his skills, Fender finally released his first Tweed Amp in 1948 which led to a never ending rock and roll home era. His first instrument became a hit, and he continued working to bring more of his creations into the market. Soon, Fender's company became highly famous and his instruments set new standards of quality. The Telecaster was one of Fender guitars; it had a Spanish design and was the very first of its kind. The creations of Fender can even be considered as inventions, as many instruments created by him were totally different from any previous versions of their class.

Buying Fender Guitars

If you want to have high performing guitars at a low cost, used Fender guitars are the perfect choice. There are three models that perform really well and can be bought for a decent price. The very first option is the Stratocaster. It can be considered as an old fashioned vintage vibe, which matches American standards. This model can be bought in good condition for around six hundred dollars or even less, but if you want a cheaper Stratocaster, then go for Squier Stratocaster which can be bought for around $200. The Squier is made in China or Malaysia, and it doesn't have the perfect sound like the standard version, but it is great for beginners. In case you are looking for a model with brighter sound, then choose a Telecaster. This guitar also comes in a couple of different varieties such as the Telecaster Standard and the costlier Telecaster American Standard. Salient features of the Telecaster are: Signature S-1 switching system traditional physical radius complementing pickups

Modern Day Fender Guitars

The founder of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation became ill and was not able to run the company efficiently by 1965, and sold his beloved company for $13 million dollars to CBS. CBS owned the company till 1985, and then it was sold to the employees. Today, Fender still equipments are still considered as a standard in music world and several famous stars like Jimmie Hendrix, Dave Murray, Tom Morello, Hank Marvin, and Eric Clapton have used guitars made by the company. The employees of the firm have put lot of effort to increase revenues and bring new models into the market, and there seems to be no ending to the success of this company.

If you would like to know about other fender guitars. Please visit my website at http://gretschreview.com/

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Singers' Auditions - What Do They Mean?

Singers' auditions can be fun and exciting or they can be brutal. But until you become a household name, auditions are inevitable in a number of wide ranging situations. Some auditions may have little more consequence other than to provide an outlet for a singer to hone those all-important audition skills. Others, like auditioning for work, can be important if you and your band want to eat next week. Auditions for nationally-broadcast competitions or for a major record label can be career making (or breaking).

But what do singers' auditions really mean? You should try not to take the outcome of auditions too seriously. Those who have been on both sides of the judges table know that many, many factors influence the outcome of all singers' auditions. If you lose, it doesn't necessarily mean you didn't sing well or had a bad hair day. It simply means you weren't the one they were looking for. If you were, they would have hired you or immediately moved you forward to the next round. And, if you do win or get the gig, it doesn't mean you're the next Aretha; it just means that you were what they were looking for that day. Period.

Take a moment to put yourself in the shoes of the person auditioning you as a contestant on American Idol, or to sing in their club, or for a record deal from a major record label. Then ask yourself; what is it that they want? Here are three auditions situations with different issues in play. Typically, these venues are not looking for the same things in a singer, therefore each must be skewed its own singular way.

Contestant for American Idol and AI-type competitions

American Idol's choices indicate that they appear to be casting for a show. They audition so many singers that they can easily cobble together a diverse, well-balanced cast. So, if you are the wild and crazy girl with the weird hairdo type and they've already got 15 others of the same type, you're out of luck. American Idol is in the entertainment business and not necessarily in the A&R business of grooming young singers -- which is their right. So relax and just do your best knowing that Fate plays a large role in this behemoth competition. Oh, and you night want to brush up your high notes and elaborate vocal fills too.

Nightclubs and honkytonks

During singers' auditions for booking club dates, they are not necessarily looking for the best singers either; they are looking for someone who can sell beer. That's about it. Or at a more pricey venue, it would be wine and cocktails. If a singer can convince the club owner he or she can sell drinks, they'll get the job. Solution? For the honkytonks, present to them a high-energy, audience-engaging, rowdy show and you will do well. For fine dining and cocktails, you may want to show that you can keep your music from interfering with romance or business talk.

Record Deals

These are probably the most intimidating singers' auditions of all. At some point during the negotiations you are going to be asked to sit in an office and sing with just a guitar or a piano in front of people you are asking to gamble at least half a million dollars on your career. That's scary! But again, how can you know what they are looking for?

You might know which other artists are on the roster at the label, but you don't necessarily know how the label is planning to round out their roster and who else they may have committed to. So, if they are looking for a Latin act and you are from Norway, don't be surprised if you walk away empty-handed.

Should you do singers' auditions? Of course, if only for the practice. But don't judge yourself too harshly if you don't succeed. or get, what we in the South call "The Big Head." if you do succeed. You simply may or may not be what they're looking for this time. But, take heart, it's a big ocean and there are still a lot of fish out there.

Nashville vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams helped make stars out of many top artists: Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...

Click Here to receive her free weekly Vocal Video Lessons and PDF of "Answers to Singers' 7 Most Important Questions."

Author of "Voice Power" AMACOM (NY). She offers insider's information via on-line lessons at cybervoicestudio.com.

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