Steve Vai Opens the Vault

Guitarist Steve Vai is opening his vault of unreleased material and starting a digital download series entitled VaiTunes. VaiTunes are tracks that are culled from his personal archives, brushed off and released as digital singles.

Each single will be accompanied by a digital booklet explaining the origin of the song, the story behind the session and what gear was used. So far in the series, Vai has released three tunes. The first one, "Without Me," was released this past February with two other tunes released since then.

For more information, visit Steve Vai's official website.

News courtesy: GuitaREDGE

Guvera, a Free and Legal Music Download Service Now Available in the US

Guvera is a music destination site that delivers free music from global music labels and artists – provided on individually branded channels. Designed exclusively to solve the crisis facing marketers today: TV, online and radio advertising are all losing value as customers take more control. With Guvera, advertisers align their brand with consumers’ passions and become the hero, providing them with free content rather than a disruptive presence. It also provides a way for content owners to generate revenue from their music, making it readily available and 100% free and legal to consumers.
Advertisers and media buying companies create branded channels, housing relevant styles of music and other digital content and showcasing the particular aspects of a brand’s personality. Once the channel is completed, brands can create a campaign establishing the target audience they look to reach and the total campaign spend. Guvera’s algorithms dynamically determine which brands should be paying for which content based on live consumer preferences.

Click here to register with Guvera and get free music!

News Courtesy: GuitaREDGE

Songwriters Hall of Fame Inducts Bob Marley, Earth, Wind and Fire and More in 2010 Awards Ceremony

At the 2010 Songwriters Hall of Fame 41st Anniversary Awards show, SHoF Chairman/CEO Hal David and President Linda Moran recognized and celebrated some of the key songwriting legends of our time. Icons such as Leonard Cohen, Jackie DeShannon, David Foster, Johnny Mandel and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn, and Al McKay were inducted into the hall of fame. Honored with special awards were Phil Collins who was presented the Johnny Mercer Award; Taylor Swift, who received the Hal David Starlight Award; the legendary Phil Ramone received the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award; Paul Simon who was presented the Towering Song Award for “Bridge Over Troubled Water;” and Keith Mardak received the Abe Olman Publisher Award. Also honored were posthumous inductees Tom Adair and Matt Dennis, Bob Marley, Laura Nyro, Sunny Skylar, and Jesse Stone.

The Johnny Mercer Award, which is the highest honor from the Songwriters Hall of Fame as only previous inductees can be eligible, was presented to Phil Collins. Best known for his work as drummer and vocalist for the British rock group Genesis and as a solo artist, Phil Collins has created some of popular music’s greatest hits, including "In the Air Tonight," "Against All Odds," and "Another Day In Paradise," and such energetic hits as "Sussudio," "You Can’t Hurry Love," and "Two Hearts." Phil Collins was presented his award by Bruce Hornsby, who performed in his honor.

This year’s Hal David Starlight Award, given to gifted songwriters who are making significant impact in the music industry via their original songs, was presented to Taylor Swift by John Mayer, who previously won this award. Swift accepted the award by thanking those who have supported her since the young age of 14 and explaining that her songwriting capabilities come from her inability to speak her true feelings face-to-face. Swift joked that often people in her life don’t find out she loved them until months after when hearing one of her songs.

The legendary Phil Ramone was this year’s recipient of the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award, which was presented by the renowned Billy Joel in a hilarious presentation speech at the piano. Joel eloquently narrated stories about Ramone’s ability to hear the missing element in a song and to make them runaway hits. Ramone is one of music’s well-respected producers with 34 GRAMMY nominations, 14 GRAMMY Awards, an Emmy and numerous awards and honors to his credit. Working with a variety of musicians from country to pop stars, Ramone created some of today’s best hit songs, such as: Billy Joel’s "Tell Her About It," "Uptown Girl" and "Modern Woman," "Late In The Evening" (Paul Simon), "Too Late for Goodbyes" (Julian Lennon) and many more. He has worked with many notable artists including Bono, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Quincy Jones, BB King, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor to name a few.

This year’s Towering Song Award for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was presented to Paul Simon who wrote the song in 1969 and recorded it in 1970. "Bridge Over Troubled Water," with a powerful performance by Broadway great Brian Stokes Mitchell last night, was honored as one of the most enduring songs from the past four decades. It won the GRAMMY Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1971. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970 and stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks. Following these prestigious awards, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was re-recorded and performed by many iconic musicians such as Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and many more.

Keith Mardak, Chairman/CEO of the Hal Leonard Corporation, was the recipient of the Abe Olman Publisher’s Award. The Hal Leonard Corporation has experienced a dramatic annual expansion since its beginning, especially with the 1985 purchase Mardak headed by an internal management group. The Hal Leonard Corporation currently is the world’s largest music print publisher with a catalog consisting of over 200,000 publications, covering a broad spectrum of printed music.

At this year’s Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards Gala, Paul Shaffer and Elizabeth Withers remembered songwriters who have passed before us by performing a medley of songs. These legendary songwriters include Tom Adair and Matt Dennis, Bob Marley, Laura Nyro, Sunny Skylar, and Jesse Stone.

2010 Special Awards:

• Johnny Mercer Award - Phil Collins
• Abe Olman Publisher Award - Keith Mardak
• Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award - Phil Ramone
• Towering Song - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
• Hal David Starlight Award - Taylor Swift

2010 SHoF Inductees:

• Leonard Cohen
• Jesse Stone
• Sunny Skylar
• Laura Nyro
• Bob Marley
• Matt Dennis
• Tom Adair
• Jackie DeShannon
• David Foster
• Johnny Mandel
• Earth, Wind & Fire

News Courtesy: GuitaREDGE

Karz Theme Music Full - Tabs

This piece of composition is one of my all time favourites. So I thought of posting the tabs here in my blog which will help others as well.

The music is in Em.
The bpm is 94.2

MAIN LINE 1
E----------------------------------
B-7-5-7-8---7-5-7-8---7-5-7-8-5-
G----------------------------------
D----------------------------------
A----------------------------------
E----------------------------------

MAIN LINE 2
E------------------------------
B-4/5-5---7-4---4-5-7-6/7-5-
G-------6---------------------
D-----------------------------
A-----------------------------
E-----------------------------

PICKUP AFTER MAIN LINE 2
E--777-555----------
B------------8-7-5--
G--------------------
D--------------------
A--------------------
E--------------------

REPEAT MAIN LINE 1
REPEAT MAIN LINE 2
REPEAT PICKUP AFTER MAIN LINE 2
REPEAT MAIN LINE 1
REPEAT MAIN LINE 2

INTERLUDE
E---------------7-10-10s12s10--7-7--
B--888-8-8-10------------------------
G--------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------

E-12-12-14-10-10-12-7-7-10-----7-7-7-7-|-7------
B--------------------------------10---------|-----10-9-8-
G-------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------

E---------------7-10-10s12s10--7-7--
B--888-8-8-10-----------------------
G-------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------

E-12-12-14-10-10-12-7-7-10-----7-7-7-7--
B------------------------------10-----------
G-------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------

THE FAST PART
E-15-14-15-14-12-14-12-14-15-14-12-15-14-12-14-12---
B----------------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------

E-14-12-14-12-10-12-10-12-14-12-10-14-12-10-12-10---
B----------------------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------

E-12-10-12-10-8-10-8-10-12-10-8-12-10-8-10-8-
B---------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------

LAST LINE OF FAST PART which directly takes it back to MAIN LINE 1
E--7-77-7-7-7s8s7----7-8-7----
B-------------------10-------10-8-
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

REPEAT MAIN LINE 1
REPEAT MAIN LINE 2
REPEAT PICKUP AFTER MAIN LINE 2
REPEAT MAIN LINE 1
REPEAT MAIN LINE 2

Hope this will help you. If you face any problem reading these tabs, please leave a comment here with your e-mail id and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Les Paul passes away

Les Paul, acclaimed guitar player, entertainer and inventor, passed away on 13^th August from complications of severe pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York.

Guitar player, entertainer and inventor… Those three things only hint at the breadth of Les Paul’s genius. As guitarists we are all conscious of the instrument that bears his name, and that his (and Leo Fender’s) development of the solidbody guitar has shaped the way that music has been made since the mid twentieth century. Many are aware of his other inventions, including tape echo and overdubbing, not to mention an early form of live looping. Fewer know that after a serious car accident that shattered his right arm and elbow, Paul had his arm set permanently in a position that would allow him to continue to play the guitar. Fewer still know that in the forties he ran one of the first pirate radio stations, out of an apartment basement in Brooklyn, broadcasting live shows by Glen Miller, the Dorseys, and Benny Goodman. And the list goes on…

Born Lester Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he was encouraged by his mother to entertain and by his auto mechanic father to tinker. A music teacher told his mother not to waste her money on lessons because he wasn't "musically inclined," but by age 13, as Red Hot Red, the Wizard of Waukesha, Lester was a local star. Soon after, he was performing hillbilly music as Rhubarb Red and Django Reinhardt-influenced jazz as Les Paul. His trio and Jazz at the Philharmonic series records are required listening for anyone wishing to hear how he influenced rock guitar, from rockabilly to Jeff Beck; his rapid-fire tremolo picking, pull-offs, and open string work have become an integral part of the electric guitar lexicon.

Ever the tinkerer, Paul created his first electric guitar by jabbing a phonograph needle into his acoustic and wiring it to his mother's radio. He built his own microphone, using the mouthpiece part of a telephone and his father's radio. His first recording machine was constructed from the flywheel from a Cadillac and a belt from a dentist's drill.

Backing Bing Crosby in the forties, Paul had his first million-seller, “It’s Been a Long, Long Time.” He acquired an Ampex tape recorder from Crosby in 1949, adding a fourth head to the machine to enable sound-on-sound recording. Using this overdubbing technique, as well as some of his other innovations—tape delay and close micing vocals—he recorded the masterpiece “How High the Moon.” Performed as a duo with future wife Mary Ford, it was the first of what was to be a string of hits for Capitol Records and it changed the face of studio production.

Dissatisfied with the thin tone, lack of sustain, and feedback problems inherent in commercial big box electric guitars, Paul sought a new concept. “I was interested in proving that a vibration-free top was the way to go,” he has said. “I even built a guitar out of a railroad rail to prove it. What I wanted was to amplify pure string vibration, without the resonance of the wood getting involved in the sound.” In 1941, Paul used Epiphone’s plant machinery to realize this vision, dubbing the resulting guitar “The Log.” In the early 1950s, Gibson Guitar helped him refine this idea into the guitar of his dreams. Beginning with the 1952 release of the Les Paul Goldtop, Gibson and Paul began a line of instruments that would become objects of desire for generations of guitarists.

Later, he produced 11 number one singles and 36 gold discs with his wife Mary Ford.

He was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

"Les Paul was a shining example of how full one's life can be. He was so vibrant and full of positive energy. I'm honoured and humbled to have known and played with him over the years," the BBC News quoted Slash, Guns N Roses guitarist as saying.

G3 member Joe Satriani called him "the original guitar hero," and added that "Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed."

Gibson president Dave Berryman: "As the 'father of the electric guitar', he was not only one of the world's greatest innovators but a legend who created, inspired and contributed to the success of musicians around the world."

Paul's career is not just marked by the electric guitar; he was also a highly appreciated musician.

News Courtesy: Premier Guitar & DNA

Opodartho (Fossils) - Guitar chords

"Opodartho" is a beautiful song by the great bengali rock band Fossils. The key scale of the song is A major and the bpm is 81.2.

A...
Opodartho jonmo amar,
E...
Opodartho kormo amar
A...
Amar opodartho ta ke
E...
Mahatto bhebo na
D......................A
Bhabo onno karo kotha,
D.......................A
amar byartho biponnota
Dm.....................A
Dyakha ar-chokhe ojotha,
A...
Chere dao.
A...
Orjito sompotti ke,
E...
Chorchito chouhoddi ke
A...
Bortomaner utkochke
E...
Upohar bhebo na
D..........................A
Thako jyanto peeta mataye
D..........................A
Kono byanger soccholotaye
D................A
Aropito e somjhota
D....
Chere dao...

F...
Tomaye niye bekar bhabi,
Cadd9...
Tumi porer ghorer chabi,
G...
Bullet proof boddho jamaye,
A...
Nirapottar nirobotaye,
F...
Aanupatik premer rashtaye,
Cadd9...
Nirbhorotar mrityu sojjaye,
G...
Pounopunnik gorbe lojjaye,
A...
Na bojhar byakulota.
D.....................A
Tader onno kono asha,
D......................A
sikhe onno bhalobasa,
D...........................A
Jani ami tuchcho o tamasha
A...
Orjito sompotti ke,
E...
Chorchito chouhoddi ke
A...
Bortomaner utkochke
E...
Upohar bhebo na
D..........................A
Thako jyanto peeta mataye
D..........................A
Kono byanger soccholotaye
D..................A
Aropito e somjhota
D...
Chere dao...

A...
Orjito sompotti ke,
E...
Chorchito chouhoddi ke
A...
Bortomaner utkochke
E...
Puroshkar bhebo na
D..........................A
Thako jyanto peeta mataye
D..........................A
Kono byanger soccholotaye
D..................A
Aropito e somjhota
D...
Chere dao...

I hope this will be helpful for all you guys out there looking for the chords of "Opodartho". If you need the chords for any other Fossils' song, please leave a comment here.

My Internship at 20:20 Media, Chennai

Off late, I had been staying in Chennai for my internship at 20:20 Media, Chennai office. This is one of the top PR agencies of India and I must say I was really lucky to have got a chance of doing my internship at such a place. No doubt, when I am saying this, it means that I must have seen something unique in this agency which makes it different from other agencies. Of course, I have; the work culture and the approach towards life.

When I was in the first year of my MBA, I used to hear from my seniors and my faculties that the corporate world is a very tough place and one has to be “at his toes” all the time to meet the deadlines. Of course, that’s a big truth. But what makes all the difference is the approach towards your work – the way you look at it and the way you want to perform it.

The moment you enter the office of 20:20 Media, Chennai, you will feel that you have entered a club with all your friends around. The work load will of course be there, but the stress will go off at once. Gradually you will realize that this office is more like home. People helping each other, elders guiding the youngers, making fun, having lunch together, sharing the dishes and of course, offering true and sincere love for each other. Man, I miss that place…

I think I should sincerely compel myself to dedicate a full paragraph here, towards the work culture and working conditions of the office; otherwise, I will keep on writing about my pleasant memories and will jumble things up. Here it goes… -

To be short – the working condition is state-of-the-art. Digitally locked front door, executive standard furniture, split air-conditioners, computers with latest configurations, video conferencing facility, mini library – all add up to the comfort of working. The environment of the office itself gives you the confidence that you can finish off anything and everything which is assigned to you. The guidance of the seniors is such that it will drive you automatically to perform better. What I mean to say is that, in this office, the work load no more remains a load – it becomes enjoyment. More so, because you will learn here, how to love your clients as your own company. Rejoice at your clients successes, weep at their failures. I guess this is what makes 20:20 Media the top PR agency of India.

The practice of having training sessions on Friday mornings provide the employees with new insights and latest information on the industry. These sessions may take place within a branch or across all branches through video conferencing and webinars. The first day I witnessed this, I remembered a famous saying of the great dramatist, George Bernard Shaw – “You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?" In that context, 20:20 Media has, no doubt, brought a silent revolution in the corporate working culture.

Apart from these, what I remember the most is the daily lunch together. Everybody would sit in the conference room with the director Mr. R. Narayanan (respected Naru Sir) at the head of the table – much like the way my father, as the head of the family, sits at the head of the table, when we have lunch at home. Then they will start sharing their dishes with one another. I must admit here that I rarely took part in this dish sharing since I was not very fond of South Indian dishes, apart from masala dosa. This was a big subject of humour in the office that how can a guy go on having masala dosa each and every day!!? He must be crazy (that’s me, of course…). Jokes apart, these lunch sessions together indeed imbibed extra warmth for one another.

All the people whom I met in this office; I hate to call them my colleagues. No – all of them are my real good friends. As such, I will try to describe them in my own way, with one liners (which Nikhila may judge as my “Last Impression” as well) –

Shankar – The Versatile Genius

Twinkle – The Magic Smile

Nikhila – The Erudite

Jaani – A real friend indeed

Nachu – A true gentleman

Vinita – Very very cute

Ambika – The symbol of Ceasefire

Shraddha – The real hard worker

Bala – The Zoozoo (as Naru sir aptly calls her)

Nishant – The KoooooooL guy

Balaji – Call him in the middle of the night and he is ready to help you

Ramya – Peace

Hema – Dainty

Naru sir – I am dazzled with his knowledge.

One last note – I really wish that someday I will be working in an office, where, after half a day of hard work, I will suddenly feel relieved hearing a voice calling out to everyone, “Guys, lunch…?”