No Problems - Just Solutions Not Yet Found!

She called me her little problem solver, but I said to her, "There are no problems, just solutions we have not yet found".

This situation is very typical when most people come across difficult situations in their lives. They immediately refer to it as a "problem." Life in general is difficult and we are often faced with challenges that we either have no experience in dealing with or have trouble coming to terms with. So, why do we immediately want to call everything difficult in life a problem?

An optimist would say that there are no problems, just solutions not yet found.

Most people that refer to difficult situations as problems have probably not thought about the solutions to their problems. They are in a panicked state (like my friend was) and their first reaction is to think negatively about it. I will give you an example. Imagine you are walking along a footpath and you come across a brick wall. What are your thoughts?

If you are like most people you will see this as the end of the journey. However, if, like me, you think in terms of what the solution may be then you will see that you can do one of many things.

Now I'm not saying any of these solutions are easy and it all depends on the tools and facilities you have available to you at the time. Each one (including turning back) requires additional effort - but then no one said life was easy, did they? However, by expending that little bit more effort you achieve your goal.

Creating An Original Instrumental On Guitar

When I first set out to create a guitar instrumental, I really wasn't quite sure about how to go about this. I've always been fascinated with Jeff Beck and I would always wonder how he came up with his music. Well, I think that its very hard to get inside someones head, so to speak, to figure out the way that they do in fact create an instrumental on the guitar.

I believe that this is something that happens naturally as I sit with my guitar, and begin to play what is within me. And the most awesome thing about an instrumental is that each person who listens to it comes to develop they're own interpretation as to what the piece is about and how it can relate to something in they're own life.

When I set out to record another song, with vocals, I had the basic 12 Bar blues structure in mind with a particular feel to it that I was very fond of. I started to write the lyrics and they were very simple ones. The funny thing about this is that the song lyrics were about having a relationship with my guitar.

As I started to ad in a bridge and then onto a section that was to become the chorus, I found that something wasn't quite right. I really liked the chord progression that led in to the chorus, but I couldn't fit any actual lyrics into that particular section. So, I had this song that was going to be cool, but I just couldn't come up with a suitable chorus.

I then began to play some lead lines over the basic chords that were the verses, and I loved what I was able to come up with. It fit really well and the song was coming together nicely. That's when at this point in the song that I decided to drop the lyrics and make it an instrumental. It just seemed to flow in that direction. So its kinda funny how this whole instrumental thing came together.

Things You Need To Look For When You Download Rap Beats

If you want to go far in the hip hop industry, you will need high quality rap instrumentals. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of lyrics, but without an instrumental, nobody will want to listen to your music. You could of course rap a capella only, but there are few people who listen to a capella only.

I mean, think what it would have been like if Tupac rapped only a capella. You probably wouldn't have even heard of him. Now think of what it would have been if he didn't get production from Shock G, Dr. Dre and Johnny J. Tupac wouldn't have been as widely known as he is now. I think you are now beginning to understand the importance of the instrumental in rap music. The instrumental usually sets the mood for the entire song. Without it, your lyrics probably won't have the same impact. And if you don't have an impact on your listeners you won't be remembered.

While Tupac is a very talented rapper, and some even regard him as the best ever, his success is also due to the high quality production that backed him up. Now, if you take some of the beats that Tupac rapped on, it would be really hard to make a bad song with them, even if you put a bad rapper on them. In Tupac's particular case, his lyrics and the beats usually were in perfect harmony.

You will need an instrumental that matches the subject of your lyrics, no matter what are you rapping about. As a matter of fact, this is the most important thing you should look for when you look for beats to rap to, whether your lyrics fit the beat, or the beat fits the lyrics. I mean, think of what would have been if Tupac rapped "Only God Can Judge Me" to an instrumental like Lil Wayne's "Lollipop". The instrumental just doesn't fit the subject of Tupac's lyrics.

Suffering From Success

From the onset Khaled raises the bar for compilation albums by including the biggest star in the free world. Including Obama on an album already flush with stars tells the whole tale from track one "I'm suffering from success." With the presidential announcement out of the way the CD leads itself to constant claims of bravado and odes to spending on materialistic ventures. Though these claims have always been present in hip hop, they take a different turn here because Khaled, being the coach that he is, assembled an all star team worthy of those nineties NBA all star games, and their whole premise is ode to the Joe Budden's song: Never Broke Again.

Lyrically, for a compilation album, this seems to have some strong hip-hop quotables for this year, at least until the Rap God drops his new album. Songs by J Cole, Vado, and Lil Wayne respectively flip metaphors and dish simile's as if to say we know you guys miss the word play so lets serve up some idioms for your enjoyment. Elsewhere on the album the lyrics are not the brightest but do lead to some hilarious quotes that will have you reaching for the rewind button such as the 2 Chains boast: "We the best Khaled tried to told 'em, you the second best Kelly Roland." Now the best lyrical exercise comes from Vado on "Black Ghost", he rides the beat, back flips and summersaults through sentences to give you the thought that New York has not lost its touch on hip hop, while T.I gives a tutorial on following the script by using the names of various Tupac and Biggie songs to create a verse that is both comprehensive and tributary to the fallen greats. Not what we expected, but in today's market of throw away rhymes this is a welcome turn giving us all facets of the lyrical spectrum.

The mixture of thumping drums, hot lyrics, eerie instrumentation, and super guests makes this a good buy but will also lead to ear numbness. One would assume that there could be more, or less in some cases to make this album more cohesive and allow a person to enjoy from beginning to end time and time again. This is not the case, as soon you will tire of hearing Future yelling on tracks especially when you could have replaced him with a young decent upstart such as Kirko Bangs or an established vet such as Z-Ro.

Starting to Play the Drums

There are arguably dozens of methods to learn how to play the drums. If you asked 5 different drummers you could well end up with 5 different answers. However, that does not mean that either it is all nonsense or that all the methods are equally effective. It is simply a question of matching your personal square peg to a square hole. You may think that this is a hassle, but testing a few methods and finding the one that is right for you will save you tens of hours in the future.

Forget about spending all your money on a drum kit. Especially as a beginner you should focus on building basic rhythm and solid foundational skills first and foremost. Luckily, you can do this without the need for expensive equipment. What you will need is dedication, hard work and discipline. These will come in handy too:

• Drumsticks
• A practice pad
• A metronome
• Learning materials

Getting the Best Seats Possible at Music Concerts

Getting the best seats you can get is on your mind when you find concerts that you are interested in attending. You want yourself and your group to have an amazing night out. To enjoy the music, you want to be sitting where you can see all of the entertainers and take in all of the excitement of the show.

Find out when the tickets will go on sale and write down the date and the time. You do not want to forget this because you want to be on the telephone ordering your tickets the minute they go on sale or you want to be ready to camp out at the location to purchase your tickets.

When it comes to concerts, being prepared may mean standing in a line waiting all night. If you want premium tickets for the event, you need to be as disciplined as possible. Pack yourself a survival kit to take with you the night before the tickets go on sale. If you are going to wait with friends for the box office to open up in the morning, bring lawn chairs or sleeping bags, as well as food, blankets, and something to entertain yourselves. Make sure you wear a warm jacket because it can get cold when you are sitting outdoors all night.

Music Is The Best Way To Attain Peace Of Mind

Music is one of the few activities that involve the whole brain. It is intrinsic to all cultures and can have surprising benefits not only for learning language, improving memory and focusing attention, but also for physical coordination and development.

Of course, music can be distracting if it's too loud or too jarring. But for the most part, exposure to many kinds of music has beneficial effects:

1- Effective therapy for pain

Music can be helpful to those suffering from physical pain; studies have shown that people who listen to music that is soothing have requested less pain medication after surgery and that relaxation music can also help them manage chronic pain.

2- Reducing blood pressure

By playing recordings of relaxing music every time, people with high blood pressure can train themselves to lower their blood pressure - and keep it low. According to research reported at the American Society of Hypertension meeting in New Orleans, listening to just 30 minutes of classical, Celtic, or raga music every day may significantly reduce high blood pressure.

3- Medicine for the heart

Music has been proved good for heart. Some experts even say that it can work as a medicine for your heart. When you listen to your favourite music for sufficient time it produces 'happy' hormones, which make you happy. Music beats also helps in improving your heart rate and in breathing a great deal.

4- Speeds Post-Stroke Recovery

Music works on the autonomic nervous system - the part of the nervous system responsible for controlling our blood pressure, heartbeat and brain function - as also the limbic system - the part of the brain that controls feelings and emotions. According to one piece of research, both these systems react sensitively to music.

When slow rhythms are played, our blood pressure and heartbeat slow down which helps us breathe more slowly, thus reducing muscle tension in our neck, shoulders, stomach and back. Experts say that apart from physical tension music also reduces psychological tension in our mind.

In other words when we feel pain, we become frightened, frustrated and angry which makes us tense up hundreds of muscles in our back. When you listen to music on a regular basis it helps the body relax physically and mentally, thus helping to relieve - and prevent - back pain.

5- Chronic headaches & migraine remedy

A new study from Austria's General Hospital of Salzburg due to be published in The Vienna Medical Weekly Journal could hold the key to back pain. In the study, 65 patients aged between 21 and 68 with chronic back pain after back surgery were divided into two groups.