PiaNo....

GRANDPIANO

All else being equal, longer pianos with longer strings have larger, richer sound and lower inharmonicity of the strings. Inharmonicity is the degree to which the frequencies of overtones (known as partials or harmonics) sound sharp relative to whole multiples of the fundamental frequency. This results from the piano's considerable string stiffness; as a struck string decays its harmonics vibrate, not from their termination, but from a point very slightly toward the center (or more flexible part) of the string. The higher the partial, the further sharp it runs. Pianos with shorter and thicker strings, i.e. small pianos with short string scales, have more inharmonicity. The greater the inharmonicity, the more the ear perceives it as harshness of tone.

Inharmonicity requires octaves to be "stretched", or tuned to a lower octave's corresponding sharp overtone rather than to a theoretically correct octave. If octaves were not stretched, single octaves would sound in tune, but double—and notably triple—octaves would be unacceptably narrow. When a small piano's octaves are stretched to match its inherent inharmonicity level, it creates an imbalance among all the instrument's intervallic relationships, not just its octaves. But in a concert grand, the "stretch" of octaves retains harmonic balance even when aligning treble notes to a harmonic produced from three octaves below. This allows close and widespread octaves to sound pure, and enables perfect fifths (another interval that modern ears expect to be pure) to remain virtually beatless throughout the instrument's compass. This gives the concert grand a brilliant, singing and sustaining tone quality, one of the principal reasons that full-size grands are used in the concert hall, and smaller grands chosen for domestic use where space and cost are considerations.

 ELECTRIC PIANO

An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.

Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electronic signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented in the late 1920s; the 1929 Neo-Bechstein electric grand piano was among the first. Probably the earliest stringless model was Lloyd Loar's Vivi-Tone Clavier.

The popularity of the electric piano began to grow in the late 1950s, reaching its height during the 1970s, after which they were eventually replaced by synthesizers capable of piano-like sounds without the disadvantages of moving mechanical parts. Many models were designed for home or school use, or to replace a heavy and un-amplified piano on stage, while others were conceived for use in school or college piano labs for the simultaneous tuition of several students using headphones.

thE aMaZiNg KiNds oF dRuM...

BASS DRUM

the bass drums are of variable sizes and are used in several musical genres (see usage below). Three major types of bass drums can be distinguishe The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum (in Italian: gran cassa, gran tamburo). It is the largest drum of the orchestra. The 'kick' drum, struck with a beater attached to a pedal, is usually seen on drum kits. The third type, the pitched bass drum, is generally used in marching bands and drum corps. This particular type of drum is tuned to a specific pitch and is usually played in a set of three to five drums. The bass drum was imported from the Middle East.

In music, the bass drum is used to mark or keep time. In marches it is used to project tempo (marching bands historically march to the beat of the bass). A basic beat for rock and roll has the bass drum played on the first and third beats of a bars of common time, with the snare drum on the second and fourth beats, called "back beats". In jazz, the bass drum can vary from almost entirely being a timekeeping medium to being a melodic voice in conjunction with the other parts of the set. In classical music, the bass drum often punctuates a musical impact, although it has other valid uses, depending on the size, and how and where the drum is struck. Implements used to strike the drum may include bass drum beaters of various sizes, shapes, and densities, as well as keyboard percussion mallets, timpani mallets, and drumsticks. The hand or fingers can also be used (it. con la mano). The playing techniques possible includes rolls, repetitions and unison strokes. Bass drums can sometimes be used for sound effects. e.g. thunder, or an earthquake

AFRICAN DRUM

The majority of African music relies heavily on the playing of drums. It is also characterized by an intense rhythmic playing style. This style of fast-paced, upbeat rhythmic drum playing can be found in many of the drum playing of tribes all over the continent of Africa. It is especially true of the people and tribes of Western Africa. However, there are music styles that do not rely so heavily of on the use of the drum, such as Township music, which is prevalent in South Africa. The uses of the drum music are not limited to entertainment and dance, however. In many tribes, they serve a purpose to the local community and help in the conduct of daily routines. The beats and sounds of the drum are used in communication, as well as cultural expression^[1]

Many aspects of African drumming, most notably time-keeping, stem from instruments not categorized as membranophones. Items such as shakers made of woven baskets, shakers made of gourds, and rattles along with the standard African double-bell were used to organize a musical event. Each region of Africa developed a different style of double-bell. Made of iron and creating two different tones, double-bells are the time keepers of African drumming

 DOUBLE-BASS DRUM

In many forms of heavy metal and hard rock, as well as some forms of jazz, fusion, and punk, two bass drum pedals are used (one operated by each foot) or a double-bass-pedal is used (two pedals on the same bass drum). The idea for the double bass drum setup came from jazz drummer Louie Bellson when he was still in high school. Double bass drums were used initially by jazz artists such as Ray McKinley and Ed Shaughnessy in the 1940s and 1950s, and popularized in the 1960s by rock drummers Ginger Baker of Cream, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Keith Moon of The Who and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd^[8]. Double bass drumming later became an integral part of thrash metal and extreme metal. The Slayer song "Angel of Death", from their 1986 album Reign in Blood is considered a starting point for the double bass in modern metal, as this technique is common in many modern sub-genres. In the breakdown of the Metallica song "One", from their 1988 album ...And Justice For All, Lars Ulrich plays every single note from the rhythm guitar in the heavy part of the song.

KinDs Of Guitar

ACOUSTIC GUITAR

An acoustic guitar can be amplified by using various types of pickups or microphones. The most common type of pickups used for acoustic guitar amplification are piezo and magnetic pickups. Piezo pickups are generally mounted under the bridge saddle of the acoustic guitar and can be plugged into a mixer or amplifier. Magnetic pickups are generally mounted in the sound hole of the acoustic guitar and are very similar to those found in electric guitars.

Instruments with larger areas for the guitar top were introduced by Martin in an attempt to create louder volume levels. The popularity of the larger "dreadnought" body size amongst acoustic performers is related to the greater sound volume produced.

ELECTRIC GUITAR

 An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of electromagnetic induction  to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric signals. Since the generated signal is too weak to drive a loudspeaker  it is  amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker. Since the output of an electric guitar is an electric signal, the signal may easily be altered using electronic circuits to add color to the sound. Often the signal is modified using effects such as reverveb and distortion Arguably, no other musical instrument has had more of an impact on how music has evolved since the beginning of the twentieth century than the electric guitar. Conceived in 1931, the electric guitar became a necessity as jazz musicians sought to amplify their sound. Since then, it has evolved into a stringed musical instrument capable of a multitude of sounds and styles. It served as a major component in the development of rock and roll and countless other genres of music.

ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Electro-acoustic guitars have pickups specifically designed for the subtle nuances of the timbre of the acoustic guitar. This allows electro-acoustics to be plugged into a PA and they are essential for many guitarists who rely on using the house PA when they gig. The Ovation range of electro-acoustics is a prime example of the departure in design from ordinary acoustics. Ovation guitars use under-the-saddle piezo pickups and a synthetic bowl-back. Purists were derisory of Ovation's innovations but professional musicians found that the synthetic bowl-back provided a tough construction that stands up to the rigours of the road. Ovation were the first company to provide on-board equalization and this is now a standard feature found on most electro-acoustics. Electro-acoustic pickups are designed to sound neutral with little alteration to the organic acoustic timbre. Another famous electro-acoustic brand is the Taylor guitar range. Taylor uses the traditional all-wood construction and the necks of these guitars have a reputation for superb action and playability





TWELVE STRING GUITAR

The twelve-string is usually an acoustic though twelve-string electric guitars are available. Twelve-string guitars are not the same as double-neck guitars. Double-neck guitars are essentially two guitar necks bolted onto one body. Twelve-string guitars have the regular six strings and a second set of thinner strings with each string of the second set corresponding to the note of its regular string counterpart. The second set of strings are tuned an octave higher. The strings form pairs; so you still play the guitar in the same manner as a standard six-string.

Twelve-string guitars produce a brighter and more prominent tone and are harder to play than a standard six-string guitar. They are usually confined to niche roles, such as rhythm guitar. The additional strings require more pressure to press down and bending notes also requires an extra muscular effort. Twelve-string guitars are more expensive to buy than the standard acoustic or electric and may need more maintenance because of the strain the additional strings place on the neck.

 BASS GUITAR

The bass guitar has a longer scale-length and thicker strings than a standard guitar. These factors create a range of notes that are pitched an octave lower than the guitar. Often the bass is considered part of the rhythm section but there are some players whose skills are comparable to any other soloist. Acoustic and electric bass guitars are available but the electric bass is more common. The standard bass is the four string bass though five and six string basses are also manufactured. The four strings of the bass correspond to the lowest four strings of the guitar an octave lower.

 DOUBLE-NECK GUITAR

The double-neck guitar is basically two different kinds of guitar sharing one body. This design allows the guitarist to easily access and switch between either neck. Made famous by Jimmy Page, the double neck guitar typically will have a standard six-string neck and a twelve-string neck. Other combinations exist, such as a six-string and bass or a six-string with frets and its fretless version. Steve Vai has been known to play a triple-neck guitar. The double-neck guitar came about in the 1970s because of the changes in recording technology. The recording technology of the 1960s relied on only 4 tracks and multi-layered guitar parts, though possible, were not frequently used. The bands of the 1960s would usually have two guitarists and this achieved the desired affect. The invention of 8 track recording meant more freedom to create complex guitar parts. The guitarist could lay down the rhythm track using a twelve-string guitar and then record onto a separate track, the lead break using a six-string guitar. This left the problem of how a single guitarist could perform these parts live without stopping to change guitars and the double-neck guitar provided the solution.