All About Guitars

DO YOU prefer working regular hours under a reasonable supervisor in a well-established city office? Many people do. A person with such employment may enjoy greater security than one starting out fresh in a Business of his own.

In the Philippines, however, there are those who prefer taking the risk. They want to enjoy working hours suited to their needs. There will, of course, be no promotions, no occasional raises in salary and no possibility of receiving a gold watch upon retirement. But this does not particularly concern these individuals. They find satisfaction in making a living by using their own skills and sound Business sense. For them, nothing can compare with the opportunity of working with wife and children all day long and counting their blessings together when evening falls.

Filipinos often start a small business right at home. Consider what some of the possibilities are.

What Kind of Business?

Do you have a hobby that could become a full-time job? Perhaps you make toys for your children. If so, could you also make toys for other people’s children? In the Philippine city of Cebu, the production of toy guitars is not simply a hobby but a profitable business. The craftsmen work at home, producing toy guitars, ukuleles, bandurias and even very professional guitars that are sold at airports and music shops. Often at the end of the workday, the hills come alive with the music of thousands of stringed instruments, as family after family plays together.

Industrious Bicol folk produce handbags, slippers and numerous ladies’ accessories from abaca fiber. Deft hands in Bulacan and Quezon provinces weave buntal hats out of the petiole fibers of the buri palm tree. Here, try this on. Cool and dignified, is it not? Here is another one. Why, it makes you look 10 years younger!

Beneath Zamboanga’s lazy blue waters are found the tapering “antlers” of black coral. Craftsmen in Quezon City and Manila fashion the coral into tiepins, cuff links, rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. In the sandy seabeds off Surigao, Samar, Leyte and Panay, one can discover a treasure trove of shells—tiger cowrie, conch, lupo and kapis. Nimble hands make these into curtains, lampstands, windowpanes and chandeliers, which inhabitants of Paris, London or New York city would be proud to display in their homes.

Shoemaking may seem like an unlikely venture. But, in 1884, young Kapitan Moy bought a sturdy pair of British shoes. Back home he got more interested in the shoes. So he took them apart, and then put them back together again. Soon he set up a shoemaking shop and began sharing his new skills with neighbors. Almost a century later, the town of Marikina is going full speed ahead in the shoe-manufacturing business. In many, many homes of this town, grandpas, grandmas, papas, mamas and children home from school, busy as bees, are making the shoes that some of us will probably be wearing tomorrow. “Today,” says the Marikina Shoe Trade Commissioner, “we export shoes to many countries, including the source of Kapitan Moy’s shoes which he bought back in 1884.”

The growth of Marikina’s shoe trade has meant more business for other towns. For example, Meycauayan in Bulacan supplies Marikina with much shoe leather. In turn, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon and other islands keep Meycauayan supplied with hides from cattle and carabaos. They also furnish alligator, goat, pig and snake skins for shoes, handbags and belts.

Many Filipinos open small stores or operate stalls in the public markets. Family members usually take turns tending these stalls in the markets of Kamuning, Cubao, Tondo and elsewhere. Divisoria Market in Manila is said to be the biggest market of its kind in the Philippines. It is not one vast supermarket owned and run by a single individual or company, but consists of thousands of small family stores under one roof. Haggling over prices here is an art honed to perfection.

The Government Lends a Hand

Aware of the potential of “cottage industries,” the Philippine government offers some aid to enterprising Filipinos. There are free seminars on various crafts. A course is even offered on raising mushrooms.

Government assistance is also provided to help people to improve the quality of their products. In Albay, for instance, many have advanced from making clay pots to the study of ceramics. In Ilocos Norte, people are learning how to make bricks and tiles.

The Philippine Daily Express, in an August 17, 1974, editorial, reported that the National Science Development Board has sent food-training experts to 39 Philippine provinces, “propagating different methods of food processing, so that items like coconut water, excess vegetables, seasonal fruits and small fish may be put to commercial” uses. This has resulted in the formation of “18 cottage industry cooperatives.”

Cooperatives? Yes, these are formed when several small businesses join together for mutual protection and profit. They are duly registered with the proper government bureau. The government encourages the establishment of cooperatives by granting them tax exemption and various forms of protection. These cooperatives enable the group to buy at factory prices, to sell at lower prices than they could individually and then mutually to share the profits.

For people who still prefer to be in business on their own, help is offered through the National Cottage Industries Development Authority (NACIDA). This agency gives valuable pointers on making Philippine handicrafts. The government also grants a five-year tax exemption for those registered as having their own “cottage industry,” enabling many to continue in operation and to prosper.

Financing the Business

But where do people get the money to start in business? Actually, very little may be needed. For example, a young man sold a ring. With the proceeds he started a small jewelry business. Today he can also sell, not only jewels, but even the dust in his workshop for good money. Why? There is gold in every pinch of it!

Another man discussed the matter with his in-laws. They liked his project and provided some 200 pesos (about $30, U.S.) each. Now his coral craft brings in a sizable income, and all share in the profits.

Some banks maintain lending offices in public markets to assist stall holders financially. Wise Filipinos avoid unscrupulous money lenders whose high cumulative interest rates can quickly gobble up not only profits but the entire business capital as well.

Is It for You?

Going into business for yourself has some advantages. A person is usually freer to make his own daily schedule for work and recreation. He is not responsible to any supervisor and he may have more time to relax with his family. By choosing the type of work that appeals to him, he avoids being tied down to a boring job just to make a living. He can also enjoy the challenge to his ingenuity that his business provides.

But there are risks. A person can lose his capital through bad management or unforeseen problems. Competition or inflation could cut profits. Then there is the anxiety about being successful, since running one’s own business may lack the security of being in someone else’s employ. It may be, too, that more time has to be spent in caring for the business than had been anticipated.

Flor Ayag
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-ideas-articles/starting-a-business-philippine-style-713106.html

All people love Music. Good music soothes the soul, calms the heart, and fills the ears. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a world without music.

If you are a musician, a recording artist, a member of a band, a businessman engaged in the music industry, or merely a music lover, it would be a cool to have a music Room in your house. This could be a spare Room, a cozy corner, or even a specifically constructed room where you could practice your musical skills, hang out and practice with the band, or just relax and unwind while listening to the soft strums of a guitar.

If you are planning to have a music room, here are some ideas to make it more conducive to its purpose.

1. A music room is usually a place for relaxation. Therefore, you should put chairs, tables, or couches for people to relax while listening. Even a single very comfortable chair, a recliner, or a love seat would suffice.

2. Preferably, your music room should have an outside view, and that outside view should be a pleasant one. For example, through your music room’s window, you may see the city skyline, a garden, or the beachfront.

3. Add some wall decors. For instance, musical metal wall art of your choice may be metal notes that are cut or photo-etched from sheet metal or brass. You may also want to put posters of your favorite singers or musical groups. Do not just stick the posters on the wall; it is usually better to frame it.

4. You can also add other decorations such as lava lamps, flowers, and plants. Lamp shades and blooms usually brighten up any room, and it would be very good to have one in your music room. Choose blooms and light accessories with bright colors. Just make sure that vases and lampshades and such do not stand in the way; a swing of a guitar or the thrusting of a violin bow can knock them off from their perch.

5. The way you arrange the furniture in your music room plays a big part of its composition. For example, if you are using your music room as a place where you can sit and relax while you are playing your guitar, then avoid clutter and put your recliner or seat near a window. If you are using the room as a practice venue, place all large instruments, amplifiers, speakers, and other equipment against the room’s walls, leaving the center clear for you and other members to practice. In case your members are carrying portable instruments such as guitars, make sure to have enough space to swing the instruments around.

6. Aside from music metal wall art, sculptures, and posters, you can also use your own instruments or paraphernalia as decorations-guitars, jackets, album covers, the list is endless.

7. Lighting also plays a big part in setting the mood in your music room. For example, if you are in a rock band, a red light would give your room a “dangerous” feeling, very conducive for a rock theme. However, if you are the one who likes classical or instrumental music, install pin lights and soft lighting.

Alyssa Davis
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/music-room-ideas-710543.html

Leo Fender and George Fullerton are the founders and inventors of the electric Bass guitars that was first introduced in the 1950s. The split up feature of the first Bass guitar was introduced in 1957. This feature is the one responsible for producing the humbucking effect attributed to bass guitars. A violin shaped guitar was then released by Gibson followed by a more modern designed six years thereafter. Because of the success and popularity of guitars, several small guitar companies followed the ranks of Fender and Gibson and manufactured their own versions of bass guitars. In the 1960’s, rock music became widely popular making bass guitar a common household name.

Wood and graphite are the most common materials used to manufacture bass guitars. But each part of the bass guitar uses different types of materials like alder for the body, maple for the neck, and rosewood for the fretboard. Lacquer, wax and oil are used for the finishing of the bass guitar. Bass guitars are usually flat or curved. Some bass guitars appear to be headless with the tuning machines in the bridge. More expensive types of bass guitars and acoustic bass guitars are usually made of ovangkol, wenge, or ebony.

Electric guitars and bass guitars have similar amplification functions. To connect an amplifier to a speaker, a patch cord is used. Most electric bassists use a combo amplifier, with the amplifier and the speaker in one cabinet.

Musicians who regard playing instruments and creating music as a real career path spend a great deal of their time and effort in practicing and improving their talents on playing the bass guitar. Plucking techniques differ with each guitarist; pizzicato style would be when the strings are plucked with the fingers. James Jamerson played his “The Hook,” a style of plucking that only involved his index finger.

Several musicians from different genres use the slap and pop style of plucking. Funk uses tones and percussive sounds by slapping a string with the thumb and snapping the strings with the index or middle fingers. Rock and Fusion also use this method and this was popular all throughout the 80’s and 90’s.

When a guitarist wants to speed up his play, picks or plectrums is used to make the strumming more articulate and sound perfect and distinct. Picks for bass guitars are thicker and heavier because of its heavier strings.

There are several different bass guitars and amplifiers you can choose from. You can single handedly search online for the best types and even find several accoutrements you might be interested in.

Mitch Edwards
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/What-you-need-to-know-About-bass-guitars-and-amplifiers-671684.html

The advent of electric guitars has made Acoustic guitars take a back seat among musical instruments. But that has not reduced the panache associated with true blue acoustic guitars. Whenever we think of a desperado wooing his senorita with a serenade, the image of a Spanish guitar, which indeed is acoustic in nature, flashes in our minds. An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to make people hear the sound made by its strings. In literal sense, every guitar except electric guitars is acoustic in nature. Electric guitars also produce sounds with vibrations, but those sounds are amplified using electronic enhancements built into the guitar body itself.

Acoustic guitars are great for first timers, for whom the complexities of adjusting an electric guitar might be a little too much. Most acoustic guitars have soundboards and sound cavities built into them. The soundboard vibrates when the strings are plucked, and sound waves are produced from both the front and back faces. The sound box in the guitar provides both a support for the sound board and a resonant cavity and reflector for the sound waves produced on the back side of the soundboard. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrations of the string, further increasing the volume of the sound. This sound mixes with the sound produced by the front face of the soundboard. The resulting sound is thus a mixture of the two that gives the guitar its unique sound.

All the sound energy in an acoustic guitar is produced by plucking the strings, and no external medium is present to amplify the sound. All enhancements are built into the same guitar. This is why acoustic guitars are easy to carry around and also easy to maintain for new guitar learners.

Before purchasing an acoustic guitar, the first thing that should be considered is the kind of music that the player wants to create. If it is country music or classical tunes, a nylon-stringed guitar is the best choice. But if playing heavy rock music is the target, the nylon stringed guitar would seem a bit sissy. The steel string guitars are certainly the best options in that case. Steel string guitars will initially make the fingers sore, but with time one will develop protective calluses on the fingers.

Playing an acoustic guitar signifies style and elegance. Learning an acoustic guitar is one of the best steps that a novice music learner can undertake.

gardnerwilkinson
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/acoustic-guitars-going-retro-675236.html

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