Entertainment Arts Music

In this series of articles we will be looking at the history of drums and drumming.

Primitive drums were the first musical instruments known to man and probably appeared as far back as 6000 BC. Yes, man has been drumming for almost as long as he has been around on the Earth.

The first “drums” (or perhaps percussion instruments would be a better term) were probably logs which early man would beat on with clubs to make sounds which could have been signals, or perhaps intended to scare away animals or other primitive humans. Later on the logs were hollowed out and skins or membranes stretched over the open end and fastened tightly to create early versions of the drums we know today. It is actually the drum skins or membranes that produce the sound, and the body of the drum simply acts as an amplifier.

Drums have been used throughout history for music, religious ceremonies, tribal ceremonies and celebrations. They have also been used by armies going into battle as signalling instruments and also to frighten the enemy. Medieval drums were called tabors, and a medieval forerunner of kettle drums were know as knackers, which were essentially two bowl-like drums worn around the waist on a belt and played using sticks in both hands. These are said to originate in the Middle East and you can imagine the fearsome sound of 20 knacker players riding into battle along with a few hundred sword-wielding Saracens!

Well that’s about it for this first article, but if you are a drummer or are interested in drums, be sure to return to check out Part 2 of The History of Drumming.

Thanks to Elvis Presley and those earlier rockers who were of that era like buddy holly and some truly great blues guitar players, the guitar has gained an unprecedented popularity that still holds today. It must surely be the most popular instrument to learn in the world!

• It’s cheap to buy a basic beginner model
• It’s easy to transport and take with you
• It’s considered the coolest modern instrument to learn how to play
• There are a ton of online guitar lessons, see here, where you can learn how to play cheaply

Those who aspire to entertain in the rock industry know that being able to play the guitar is surely a requirement if one is to find their own place among the stars and boy are there 1000′s trying to do it. Most will fail of course.

Well learning to play guitar like Elvis can be learned online just like most things! All you need are the basic chords and some simple strumming patterns. You’ll be amazed at just how easy it is to start playing songs on guitar once you’re armed with the proper knowledge a few weeks of practice.

The flat screen TV industry is a competitive one with tight margins. But LG has come a long way to be an HDTV powerhouse in a matter of years. They are now a big player and their products are cheaper than most Japanese TVs.

Take the large 60 inch LG 60PX950. It comes from the popular INFINIA line of plasma TVs costing around $2000. It is a THX certified for both 2D and 3D playback. It has a 600Hz Sub Field drive, for smoother motion great for games and fast action movies. The high def 1080p resolution delivers clearer details and more vivid colors. The LG 60PX950 has a Magic Wand remote that works almost similar to the Nintendo Wii. It allows you to manipulate menu items by waving the remote. The elegant design and comfortable user interface certainly make it an appealing TV.

You can check out the full HDTV review and other brands and models for a better comparison before you make a purchase decision.

You’ve finally decided to take singing lessons, but have you found it a little difficult to choose singing lessons online because there are so many available? Yes, the opportunities to learn how to sing are endless on the Internet, but you want to find the one that is best suitable for you.

Before choosing singing lessons online you need to know what kind of music you enjoy the most and if this is the kind of music you want to sing. By reading this tutorial many of your questions about singing lessons online hopefully will be answered, so click on now for some valuable tips about singing lessons online.

Start your search today for the online singing course that you feel comfortable with and can have fun with.

Get More From Your Wii
The buzz of the Wii console has led most people to ask themselves if we could possibly download Wii games. But there is a lot more you can do with your Wii. For people who’re not technologically minded, they don’t realize the capability of the Wii and how varied it is; it definitely does a lot more than just let you play Wii games. If you learn how to mod a Wii you will find it becomes a lot more diverse object than simply a gaming system. Just for beginners, if you unlock the DVD reader of your Wii, you can settle-back and watch your favorite DVDs with your Wii.

Option 1: Hard Modding: Among the options available to you is hard modding. The whole process of hard modding means adding a chip to your Wii in order to give it more and varied features. This could be risky as you have to open up your console and solder a chip in. With hard modding there’s always the chance of damaging the device and of course the warranty is void. Hard modding is also an expensive choice for your Wii, particularly if you weigh it up against the risks. You almost certainly won’t attempt this yourself, and this naturally will add a lot more to the cost of the process.

Option 2: Soft Modding: If you don’t think that hard modding is a great idea for your Wii then you might like to try the other, called soft modding. When learning how to mod a Wii you’ll find that a soft modded Wii has had the software program modified rather than having the actual hardware modified.

Your brand new Wii console will come with what’s called Firmware. Firmware is actually the standard software that makes all of the hardware parts of the console work. This firmware is programmed to limit the capabilities to playing just Nintendo Wii games which are original and from within your area. In order to soft mod your Wii, you will not have to take it to a professional as you’d for hard modding. Soft modding just involves adding to the current software of your console and is a process which anyone can do. The majority of Wii owners desire to soft mod their Nintendo wii and instructions on how to mod a Wii are extensively found.Be Cautious: You will have to pay attention to detail since making the wrong decision might lead to bricking your machine, which means that the machine will no longer work. If your soft modded Nintendo wii console tries to do an automatic update, it may not recognize the new software that has been added and this will brick your console.If you’re contemplating soft modding your Nintendo wii then take great care that the software that you’re adding to your system is indeed virus free. Keep in mind also that although some people may be giving assistance with good intentions, not everybody knows what they’re doing so you should only follow suggestions from what you believe to be a dependable source. If you do the soft modding on your Wii properly and with accuracy then you will be left with a fantastic and versatile console. If you correctly soft mod your console, you’ll be able to enjoy movie playback and also play backup discs of games. Whatever the reason is that you want to learn how to mod a Wii, a soft modded Wii could well be your best option.

Last week DC Comics, now known as DC Entertainment, announced that the 70 year-old company is overhauling their comic book line in an attempt to make comics more accessible to new readers. In the wake of this announcement, DC has released new information regarding these changes including changes to existing characters like the infamous women of DC comics, as well as starting the issue numbers of their comics back to issue #1.

This last move may sound strange, but for those who have not walked into a comic book store recently it can be a little daunting to want to read a Batman comic with an issue number of 678. I mean, what has been going on for 677 issues?

DC will also be offering at least 52 of their titles in digital format as well as the traditional comic book format meaning that those people who don’t have access to a comic book store can finally get in on the action.

There is already a lot of buzz, both positive and negative around these announced changes. Will it be enough for DC to wrestle its way to the top? The last time they beat out Marvel comics was 2002.