Biranda

You own a piano you love. But, you find that you need to put it in storage for a while. How should you go about doing it?

Many experts will tell you to avoid storing a piano if at all possible. It’s suggested to do everything you can to find a relative or friend who can keep the piano in their home or apartment until you’re ready for it again.

But what if that’s not possible?

A climate controlled storage facility is the best storage choice. Then the piano won’t be subjected to big temperature swings and big humidity changes, both of which can cause a lot of damage to a piano.

Pianos are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. Frequent, severe swings in temperature and humidity can wreck the wood piano case; doing things to it such as drying it out to the point of cracking if it’s too dry for a long time or warping it and wrecking the wood if it’s too humid.

Frequent or severe temperature and humidity changes will also cause the piano to go out of tune sooner than it normally would. It can also cause the wool cloth in the piano actions on better quality pianos to deteriorate.

If you have a piano at an unheated summer home or cottage, it’s probably better to keep the piano there during the cold winter months than to move it back and forth every year. If a person has to choose between storing a piano in a place that’s very hot versus very cold, the piano will usually fare much better in the cooler place. Some experts suggest placing moth balls in the piano during the winter storage period, taking care to make sure the moth balls don’t touch the finish of the piano. Just be sure to remember to remove them before you start using the piano again.

One additional warning comes from “The Piano Book” by Larry Fine (an excellent and comprehensive resource book on pianos). He says a piano that has been kept for years in an area that was damp or unheated should never be moved to a dry location or a well-heated location. Larry says pianos that have had this done to them have been known to “self destruct” in a short period of time.

D Ruplinger is a featured writer for www.pianoscentral.com For more information about pianos, both new and used, visit www.pianoscentral.com.

As a singer without any formal vocal training, you would probably have wondered whether to hire a vocal coach to train your singing voice. Well, your procrastination is hurting your singing career. A singing teacher can really help you improve your vocal technique.

Just name me any famous singer who never had any vocal training? Yes, some of them may have gotten popular without any formal singing lessons but all these popular singers, without exception realized that they have to engage a vocal coach at one time or another take their spectacular singing career to superstardom and to stay up there.

So what makes you think that you do not need vocal lessons? If you are already singing professionally, then it is vital that you take up voice training to separate you from the mediocre singers. This is how you can get noticed when you are above the pack and above your singing competitors.

If others do not believe in vocal training and you do, then you would already have won because you will be singing much better and control higher fees for your performances.

You need to take care and respect for your voice. That is your musical instrument and your voice determines whether you succeed or fail in your singing career.

Finding a good singing teacher can be a little tricky. There are many so called vocal coaches out there proclaiming themselves to be singing teachers after merely reading up a few books. As this industry is not regulated, there are many charlatans out there.

The best way to determine a good singing teacher is to ask good singers. After all, they are already good singers themselves and their recommendation won’t be all that bad isn’t it?

However, since singing teachers are human beings, it is thus important that the teacher student relationship is good and you can get along your vocal coach. The chemistry between you and your coach must be good, otherwise when you are singing under stress, your voice will come out as very strained and that voice is awful to the ears. If you can’t along with your singing teacher, then you may need to change your vocal coach.

One way of eliminating this human problem in learning how to sing is to get VCDs, DVD and video singing lessons of famous and proven vocal coaches. Not only is it much less expensive than hiring a vocal teacher, you can work at your own time and own pace. Since the teaching tools are yours, you can practice your vocal training anytime and anywhere. Better yet, you are learning from the best!

Lady Gaga – who is famed for her outrageous and revealing outfits – thinks she is changing people’s perception of what’s sexy.

Lady Gaga thinks she is changing people’s perception of what’s sexy. The ‘Poker Face’ singer – who is famed for her outrageous and revealing outfits – is glad her image is different from that of her fellow singers and wants to show there are different ways to be attractive. She said: ‘I don’t feel like I look like the other perfect little pop singers. I think I’m changing what people think is sexy.’ The ‘Paparazzi’ star recently revealed she will dress as a ‘monster’ at her upcoming concerts for her ‘Monster Ball’ tour. She told Rolling Stone magazine: ‘The fashion is going to be another exploration and another level from where we were with the previous tour, the ‘Fame Ball’. The theme of monsters is certainly going to be an influence, as well as the theme of evolution and change. It’s going to be a truly artistic experience that is going to take the form of the greatest post-apocalyptic house party that you’ve ever been to.’

Popstar Lady Gaga is helping her father recover after undergoing open-heart surgery. The Poker Face hitmaker took to Twitter.com to tell fans the procedure was successful, reports the Daily Star.

While writing on her Twitter page, she writes: “My Daddy had open heart surgery today (Thursday). And after long hours, and lots of tears, they healed his broken heart, and mine. Speechless.” She later updated her page to read, “At the hospital. Giving daddy a footrub while he falls asleep. He’s my hero.”

How to Convert MP4 videos to DivX

How would you like to transfer video from your mobile device to watch it on the computer or extract audio from videos to ipod, phone and Sony PSP among others?

Then you can use Need4 Video Converter to convert your favourite videos in MP4 to DivX . This can allow them to be played on your computer, different mobile devices or placed on video sharing sites.

You can convert MP4 to DivX quickly and easily.

Step 1. Get Need4 Video Converter.

To start with, you will require a video converter program, in this instance a Need4 Video Converter.

Download the latest version and follow the steps below.

Step 2. Add MP4 Video to Convert

• To add video you want to convert, click the +Video button.
• In the Files of type field, select MP4.
• Select a necessary video file and click Open.
• The selected file will be added to the list of opened files below.

Step 3. Select Output Format

• In the Output format field, select a necessary output format: DivX
• In the Presets list below, choose a mobile device for which you want to save converted video or select a level of video quality.

Step 4. Specify Folder to Save Video

In the Output Directory field, specify the folder where to store converted videos.

Same as input directory ” check it to save the ready file in the same folder where the initial video resides;

• Overwrite existing files ” check it to replace existing video files with the same name with newly created ones;
• Show output directory when done ” check it to open the folder with a ready file when conversion is finished. (Recommended)

Step 5. Select a Video Segment to Convert

To convert any segment of your video, simply drag the left marker to the beginning of a desired video episode and the right marker ” to the end of it.

Step 6. Hit Convert to Save MP4 video to DivX

Make sure the added video file is checked in the List of opened files and hit Convert to convert it to DivX

Need4 Video are leaders in the conversion of various video formats. Visit the web site to find out more.

Internet technologies will transform a music industry in which recording studio revenues have tumbled along with CD sales, according to those gathered for an elite Bandwidth Conference.

Music and Internet worlds merged on San Francisco’s posh Nob Hill as insiders brainstormed about industry rocking Web 2.0 trends from social networking to smart phones with cameras.

“The technology is really there to empower the consumer and the artist,” said Gracenote vice president of product and content management Stephen White.

“It is about creating better experiences around music, and we think the same is true for movies, TV, and other entertainment content.”

Gracenote specializes in music recognition technology and is used in Apple’s iTunes online shop. Sony bought the California company last year for a reported 260 million dollars. Online companies are already changing the way we view music videos.

CarStars unveiled by Gracenote this year lets drivers pick beloved musicians to be “musical guides” that orchestrate playlists based on what they think best fits a moment, whether it be touring a coast or commuting.

“We see in the future a much better experience; holistic offerings,” White said.

Fans will be able to interact with artists in more rewarding ways, White predicted.

Creative Allies plans to soon launch a test version of software that lets artists hire fans to create anything from concert posters and t-shirt designs to music videos and biographies, according to the startup.

The amount of money raked in from live concerts has rocketed, triggering an array of commission-based online services for hunting down tickets, according to JamBase chief executive David Rosenheim.

The JamBase mission is to be the ultimate online resource for live music fans.

The availability of recorded music online pressures musicians to deliver live shows that go far beyond playing songs from their CDs.

“Definitely, you have to put on a show,” said Diaris Alexander of Youth Movement Records, a group that works to cultivate music business savvy in young members of the Hip Hop generation.

“We look for interactive media…we need a greater experience otherwise why not just listen to their music online?”

Live shows drive sales of recorded music in the Internet Age and provide opportunities to cash in by selling fans videos of performances on flash drives or DVDs as they leave venues.

It appears that amateur video shared online at websites such as YouTube inspires fans to seek professional versions where money can be made.

“YouTube videos are the gateway drug,” said a professional music videographer at Bandwidth. “I think most bands do embrace the bootleg model as a way to get people to the pro sites.”

Artists can also cash in on data bases of contact information about fans, firing off emails or text messages to alert them to new songs, band merchandise, or show dates.