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Stressed out with work? 5 of the best tracks of music to de-stress yourself
It’s not even halfway through your workday, and already the group assignment is quickly turning into a clash of personalities with everyone throwing bad ideas into the hat, the coffee machine broke and that inevitable deadline is rearing its ugly head, and the luxury bedroom furniture that you ordered 8 weeks ago isn’t arriving for another 3 weeks! If you have to stay late at the office tonight, Little Annie’s cupcakes for the bake sale will not be ready for tomorrow morning. Uh-oh, did you just send that email to the entire office?
Well, if you are like most people who are looking for effective ways to de-stress, there’s nothing like some rockin’ jams to transport you into a better state of mind and well-being.
Beethoven, a man of tremendous musical endowment, wrote some of his best work during periods of encroaching deafness. Adele has beautifully translated heartbreak and sorrow into Grammy Award-winning hits. Everyday there are stories about artists scribing moving vignettes of their lives set to music, and one can only ascertain that stress or some other poignant situation has spurred such creativity and marvel.
If you think only spa music is worthy of any calm-inducing status, consider adding these to your playlist:
1. “Do It Again”, Steely Dan.
This band defines the quintessential “I’m-having-a-backyard-bbq” discography for any commendable host looking to win extra brownie points with his guests. What this particular song is actually about is open to interpretation, but if you are reading too much between the lines on this one, maybe it is time to call it a day. Something about good old American jazz rock that works to calm even the most frayed nerves, so let’s not take it too seriously.
2. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin”, Michael Jackson. If you really want to get revved up, the King of Pop will get you out of your seat and onto the dance floor, of your office or wherever you happen to be working, that is! He’ll have you moonwalking that report to the boss’s door in no time!
3. “Comfortably Numb”, Pink Floyd. Okay, I am not advocating self-medication in any form, but there’s no denying this song has quite the soothing quality.
4. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” The Byrds. Despite its conception during one of history’s most tumultuous times, this song always evokes thoughts of long days, faded denims, braids and yes, peace.
5. “#9 Dream”, John Lennon. Whether this song was about feeling lost or about nothing at all in particular, it is quite ethereal and can make anyone temporarily forget about that troublesome workday.
How to Invest in Art
In today’s world, people like to collect work of arts and want to invest in beautiful creations, which can be either for the office or for the home. There is no doubt that when you invest in such art forms, you are bound to gain considerable returns on your investment. It has been jokingly said that when you invest your hard-earned money on art, you can enjoy it while you wait to reap the fruit of your investment. Investing in art is definitely a form of business and like any other business type; you are governed by the forces of supply and demand. There are other aspects as well which affect the arts business which is rarity, the state of the art form, validity and the aesthetic value. It is definitely important to have some basic knowledge about arts and paintings, so that you can make a good choice regarding your investment in art.
When you have made up your mind regarding making the investment in arts, you will find that you can do this through numerous ways. You can start by visiting renowned art galleries that have been known for selling authentic artwork. You will be surprised to learn that some of these galleries only sell limited artwork editions.
If you have been looking for some of the beautiful paintings, then you can search for these paintings at museums, galleries, auction houses and also on the internet as well. Also, you will find canvasses that can offer you a good sell. Equipping yourself with the first-hand information about art is quite important before you plunge into buying any work of art. If you want to find out the right knowledge regarding arts and paintings, you can get hold of books and magazines which will help you to educate yourself. If you are looking for such kind of magazines and books, you can look for them in libraries and bookstores and you can search them out in the arts and crafts section of the library.
You will be able to amass great knowledge by reading such books. Once you have got hold of the right knowledge, you will be able to buy the best of the paintings. Also, before you buy the painting, make sure that you carry out a good amount of research on that. Do not go in for buying any paintings in the peak season as you might end up paying double the real cost of the painting. While you are purchasing paintings online, make sure that you utilize the discount codes that are available to you.
Practical Craft Ideas: Making a Charm Bracelet with European-Style Beads
Make trendy charm bracelets using European style beads and tags from the Charm Factory – a shop that specializes in unique arts and crafts supplies for those who make jewelry. Imitate the popular Pandora, Chamilia, Biagi and Troll charm bracelet designs using silver or pewter Luv Link beads, Murano or Lampwork glass beads and funky letter and rhinestone beads as well as unusual colorful enamel pieces.
Customize your jewelry with tags that can be engraved with a message, date, name, image or logo. Put your creative talents to a practical use by designing a series of charm bracelets for Christmas gifts and attach a personal jewelry tag with your very own logo. Just like the designer Juicy Couture signature bracelets that come with a heart-shaped tag that says “Juicy”, you can create a charm with your name or brand, even a simple phrase like “made with love”. Choose your own charm bracelet tag design from the sterling silver, silver plated, stainless steel, copper or gold plated collections that include rectangular shapes, hearts, and ovals. There are funky charm-style tags in black oxide that can be engraved with what appear to be pink letters – actually achieved because the base metal is copper which looks pink against black oxide. No matter what tag you choose to customize, they’re all easy to attach to any bracelet using jump rings.
Want to go the extra mile to customize your charm bracelet designs? Then order custom cast pewter tags. There are crosses, butterflies, footballs, hearts, long slender rectangles, ovals and round shapes – each with a custom engraved logo, message or name. If you make arts and crafts through a church group, youth camp, or a club, get your name or logo set in pewter and attach the tag-charms to funky European style beaded creations. By adding a personalized tag to any handmade bracelet, you convert an ordinary item into a unique gift, a promotional giveaway, a school carnival prize, or an extraordinary summer camp souvenir.
If you would like to learn more there is a great article about charm bracelets over at 1forjewelry.com.
How Music Can Benefit Your Body And Your Brain
If you want to improve your health and keep your mind sharp spend a little less time watching TV and more time listening to or playing music. Whether you are stressed because you’ve recently discovered you have a gluten intolerance and need to start a gluten-free diet, need more motivation for your workouts or you want to boost your memory listening to music can help. There are a few specific ways that listening to music can provide benefits to your brain and your body.
Listening to music can relieve stress by lowering your heart rate and relieving stress can provide a range of other benefits. It can also improve your mood and take your mind off of those stresses for a while. Taking a break from stress can improve your ability to heal and it reduces the amount of stress hormones that are secreted.
If you spend about 30 minutes per day breathing along to music that has a slow, soothing beat you can reduce blood pressure. This specific exercise can also reduce stress and provide a sense of calm.
On the other end of the spectrum if you need more motivation for your regular workouts, or motivation to get you to start a workout routine music can be incredibly helpful. Using energetic music you love or simply music with a good, strong beat can help you get more out of your workout. It can help you workout longer or more intensely and it will make your workout more fun so you are more apt to make a habit out of it.
Listening to music fires neurons in your brain that help improve memory and helps improve other mental functioning. Besides stimulating your body it helps to stimulate your mind too.
Believe it or not music may even help you maintain better hearing, if you don’t turn up the volume too loud on a regular basis. Playing music seems to slow the aging process in the auditory cortex, the portion of the brain that can lead to hearing problems. It’s never too late to take piano or guitar lessons.
How To Teach Guitar To Your Child
I have been playing guitar since I was a small boy. Over the years I have found myself motivated greatly and greatly discouraged as well. Due to these highs and lows I have developed my own theory on how to teach guitar to children and I would like to share these details with you in this post.
When I was eight years old I took my first music lessons. I can remember that the guitar cost $25 and the lessons were $2.00 for 30 minutes. Times sure have changed since then…at least as far as prices are concerned. Anyway, the teacher started us off with a simple song book to teach us various notes and fingerings. I can remember that the first song was a rendition of “twinkle twinkle little star”. Anyway we did this over and over again til I was bored out of my mind. I didn’t like this song to begin with and I sure didn’t like it after this class was over…
You see, I didn’t care to play this song, and that was the problem. The reason I wanted to play guitar was because the Beatles were popular and I heard a lot of songs on the radio that I loved and wanted to play. “Twinkle twinkle little star” soon killed my desire… I soon quit those lessons and my guitar was soon sitting in the corner of the bedroom.
When I was eighteen I discovered the world of chords. With three simple chords I could play almost any song I wanted. Not perfectly or like the Beatles mind you…but good enough to strum along. This was what I was looking for all these years…a simple way to do the songs I loved so much.
Now that I’m a father I can add something new to the equation. This is the importance of involvement. Whether science lessons for first grade or learning an instrument or “whatever”…children love to have mommy and daddy involved. So, the key to teaching your child to play guitar when they are younger is to give them an inexpensive one to play with. As they grow older give them a bit more expensive one and teach them some chords. Then, while they are playing the chords, you can fill in the lead and accompanying work. They will soon get the feeling “Look mom, I’m playing in a real band”. This can become every addictive and will fuel their interest in further development in this area.
I hope that you liked this post and found it very informative. It is important to not kill the spirit of your child and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” can sure do it…
The Mobile Music Studio
The technology that we have access to today has made the production of independent music easier than ever. Every painter needs an easel and musicians need their instruments. I spend a lot of time on the road and that means that I have to find the best solutions for making my art in what little time I can find.
The most important single item I need is my laptop. I keep my laptop with me at all times because it is my connection to the world and it is my main instrument. If you are like me and need to always have the ability to upload or send files, you are going to want to take a look at air cards. Air cards are devices that use the same technology as cellphones to connect you to the internet anywhere that there is a signal.
I like to keep a small folding table in the trunk of my car so I can always have a work station. If I was a painter I would have my easel so if I want to work on my computer without hunching over like some troll, I like having a table. I spent a little extra money that I didn’t intend to spend because it is important to me that the table be stable. There is very little more annoying than typing and trying to mix while the table wobbles.
The next thing I suggest is an I-Pad. I know that this is a little clichéd at this point but I’m completely serious. If you combine the various mixing apps that an I-Pad can offer you with the power of a serious laptop with the proper editing software, you are ten steps ahead. You can have a whole studio that weighs a total of 20lbs even including the folding table that acts as your painter’s easel.
Enjoying Music While Relaxing With Inversion Therapy
Nothing is more relaxing to me than listening to music. Be it my favorite Opera or even the occasional heavy metal band (yes, I do have a ‘bad’ side to me some times), music really touches my soul and helps my mind to clear itself of anything and everything. Recently, I hurt my back while helping a friend lift a cello (it was a very big cello by the way), and my doctor told me I should try inversion therapy for my back pain. So, as a good patient, I immediate went out, found what I considered the best inversion table, and began my journey with this new therapy technique.
Unfortunately, after about 2 minutes I couldn’t take it any more. I would have packed up the dang machine and sent it back, but I couldn’t figure out how to take it apart after I had assembled it piece by piece (I think the companies do that on purpose by the way). So, I called my doctor and asked for suggestions. Because she knows me very well, it was easy for her to recommend something that worked – invert while listening to music. He explained that I just needed to relax a little bit, and since music is by far the best relaxant for me, to try inverting while listening to my favorite opera. So, needless to say, that is what I did the very next day – with incredible results I may add!
Seriously, if you are someone who struggles with doing something that is uncomfortable or hard, and where you simply need to relax and concentrate on something else, then think music! My personal experience, along with the experience of thousands of others, have shown the effectiveness of listening to music and how it can help everything, including my crazy chi 
. Trust me, using my Teeter EP-550 inversion table was not easy – but I am able to use it everyday to get rid of my back pain, all thanks to music.
Enjoy Music On The Go With Your Cell Phone
If you love music you most likely want to take it with you when on the go, while commuting, running errands, sitting at the coffee shop or going for a walk. There are a lot of great ways to take music with you, but the ability to play and download music on your cell phone means you only have to carry one device that can provide a variety of functions. Now even cheap cell phone plans offer cell phones that have multiple music-related capabilities making it easier than ever to take music with you or to get it on the go.
Cell phones have been able to play mp3s for a few years now, so that’s nothing new, but the music apps for smartphones have changed the way we are able to enjoy music on our cell phones. Some apps allow you to download free music straight to your phone and other apps, like Pandora Radio or iheartradio, allow you to stream local or online radio stations. There is even an app to help you identify a song you hear.
Some apps even help alert you to live music in your area allowing you to keep up with the music scene. The Songkick Concerts app can help you keep up with your favorite artists by letting you know when they are coming to town. Myxer Social Radio can help you find hot new artists before everyone else does and easily share or listen with friends in group listening sessions on Facebook.
If you love music it is worth exploring some of the great music apps available for smartphones. Not only can they help you enjoy music anywhere, but they can even help you find new music or live shows.
Personal Experience with Teaching Belly Dance
My best friend and I thought it would be fun to take belly dance classes together. We signed up for a class given by a lady who claimed extensive experience in teaching belly dance. She performed an Egyptian belly dance for us, and it was so fluid and expressive, we were sure we found the right teacher for us.
How wrong could we be! It was obvious during our first class that she had never gone through belly dance teacher training.
First, I expected to sign some sort of waiver for insurance purposes just as I had in other classes that I had attended for dance or exercise, but she did not require it. That fact alone should have alerted me to suspect that she knew less about teaching belly dance than she claimed.
The class itself started very late, was quite disorganised and did not seem to have any structure – it was very confusing. Her method of collecting fees was also slapdash – if we’d been less than honest, I think we could easily have left without paying.
We never returned for another class and have been looking for another teacher. This time we will make sure the new teacher has belly dance instructor certification!
The Evolution of Music and Headphones
Music has come a long way over the years. What started with records that could only be played at home or in a fancy restaurant has changed into MP3 players accessible within your own phone. We don’t just listen to music when we’re at home relaxing or enjoying a nice evening in the town; we listen to music everywhere. There are even sports headphones that allow you to listen to music underwater. Like I said above, we listen to music everywhere.
With the new year fast approaching you’re going to see the latest evolution of music: working out. People of all shapes and sizes will be making resolutions and promises related to fitness and they’ll be using music to fuel these promises. They’ll be listening to everything form Beethoven to Beyonce, but the constant remains: music.
Music is completely portable thanks to another technological evolution: headphones. Whether you’re walking down the streets of New York or driving through a park in Montana you’ll find people wearing headphones. With Bluetooth technology and smart phones, headphones are becoming even more prevalent. There’s in-ear headphones, in-ear canal headphones, over-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, headphones for working out, headphones for musicians, headphones for fashion, and much more.
The irony behind the evolution is that while everything changes, everything stays the same. The more music we make the more it seems to just be remade from past songs. Songs that were popular 20 years ago are now resurfacing. The same thing goes for our listening devices. We used to look down on headphones that were so large and bulky it felt like you were wearing an entire stereo. Now there are certain audiophile headphones that are even larger than their predecessors, yet more popular.
One thing is for certain though. Regardless where music takes us, it will always be a passionate part of our lives and our attempt to ensure it pervades every part of our life, whether it be with headphones or some other technology, will always be prevalent.