Need a Professional Tuner But Don't Want to Pay the Price? No Problem!

One of the biggest hassles, and yet most important aspect of a musician is the need to have their instruments tuned correctly. In the older days it obviously would have been a lot more difficult to get an exact sound without the modern marvels of today's technology, but at least it was cheap. A drum tuner alone will cost a person 60 dollars, and that's not even half your band! So is there a cheap alternative to this that will get you the same results? The answer is yes. Now you can take your tuning technology anywhere you have your itouch or iphone, by downloading one of the many instrument tuning applications that can be found in the iTunes Store. The best part to having the availability of a tuner you will never forget to remember? The price. These applications cost anywhere from 99 cents to $6.99, which compared to having to pay over a hundred bucks for enough tuners to cover what these applications can tune, is just sensless. Once again iTunes proves that no matter what problem you happen to stumble upon... There's an App for that.

Johnny Cash's Graphic Novel App.

Arguably one of the greatest rock artists of all time Johnny Cash now adds an iTunes app, in which you travel through a graphic novel of the great rock legends life, to the long list of available items that his fans can get a hold of in his memory. In this iTunes exclusive app, you can relive the life of Johnny Cash and enjoy the music that made this man a legend. With colorful and creative displays and an archive of the greatest moments in this rock legend's history, it is a must have for any of his long time fans. Johnny Cash seems to have almost everything possible done now to commemorate his life now after this application. Some of the more spectacular and worthwhile items is the movie about his life called "Walk the Line" in which the title is one of his more famous songs. The movie made great success, and if this iTunes application is anything like it, it will be a great treasure for all his fans to add to their collection.

Photo courtesy of iTunes

Solid Covers

A lot of times the only place you will find a cover is when you're watching your favorite band perform live, but recently, its not the only place you will find it. Bands such as Shinedown are releasing their cover songs on their albums now for their fans to buy it, and with the kind of covers that bands like Shinedown, Bullet For My Valentine, Hinder, and Buckcherry have been performing, why not? I saw a Shinedown concert this summer, and judging from the chants in the crowd, a lot of them came to the show to hear their cover of "Simple Man," by rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd. And this shows as Simple man is one of their most top downloaded song on iTunes. And iTunes isnt the only place you can get the song, as it is being featured in the deluxe version of their album "Sound of Madness."

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Acoustic Albums Make a Big Splash at iTunes Store

Rock superstars such as Theory of a Deadman, Bullet For My Valentine, and Papa Roach, just to name a few, have recently dropped acoustic recordings of some of their favorite songs in the iTunes Store. These albums are Exclusive to the iTunes Store, and provide their fans with their favorite songs in a different tone and vocal atmosphere. The difference in acoustic compared to the normal songs can range anywhere from subtle differences to complete flip flop of the songs. One of the best examples I can think of is Bullet For My Valentine's acoustic version of "Tears Don't Fall." The regular version of the song provides a hardcore and fast-paced song that will get your heart pumping and your head banging. However, the acoustic version, provides for a more softer and sad tone that seems to give the song a deeper sense of meaning than its hardcore original. Instead of heart pumping and head banging, it will get your vocals vibrating and really shows the talent and range that these rock stars have. Either way, I can't decide if I like the acoustic versions of these songs better or not, but it definately brings a new and interesting feeling on an already awesome song.

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Puddle of Mudd Come Out With New Album

Puddle of Mudd finds their place in the Christmas shopping market with their new album: "Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate. Their new album includes popular songs such as "Spaceship," and "Stoned." Their last album "Famous" was a big success as they topped charts early on after its release with "Famous" and "Psycho." Their new album sticks with the familiar sound and vocals that have been a staple for this band through out the years. So for those Puddle of Mudd fans out there, or anyone who enjoys a good uptempoed rock tune, taking a look at this album is definately not a bad idea.



Picture from iTunes

Live Albumns Left and Right

Can't wait for your favorite rock band to come out with a new album? Try your luck on i tunes, because chances are they've got a new live album out. Buckcherry, Linkin Park, Tom Petty, Saving Abel, OK GO, Hinder, and the Fray are just some of the rock bands that have come out with live albums in the last two years. The albums feature their own little twist on their best songs, and definately give their fans a little bit of something to keep them interested or atleast remind them how awesome their concerts are. Although they aren't any new songs, the stuff that goes down exclusively in their concerts are definately worth the cd, as I can remember seeing Buckcherry this summer at Lazerfest, and some of the crazy shit they did is well worth hearing again and reliving. So if you got some last minute shopping to do for a family member or friend that loves to rock, or if you yourself are a rock lover, consider checking out your favorite rock band for a live album.

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When it comes to music and video games, don't miss a beat

Have you ever noticed that people who are really good at dancing, or have had dance experience in the past are not as good as Dance Dance Revolution as you might think? My roommate danced her entire life until she came out here for school. When I got DDR as a Christmas gift freshman year I was excited to bring it back and set it up in our dorm. Not only is it fun, but it got my fat butt moving. It was a win-win. But I was a little nervous to compete against my roommate. I thought for sure with all the competitions and productions she had been in for dance she would kick my ass. Boy was I wrong. She kept getting confused and wasn’t able to stay on the mat as well as I was. I won practically every single time. It was great. I understand when you think about it DDR isn’t really dancing, but hey, it’s fun.
I noticed that this same kind of thing relates to Rock Band or Guitar Hero. I have friends who play instruments in bands (guitar, drum, bass). They hate Rock Band. They find it so much more different than the actual instrument they can’t get acclimated. But just like DDR, I am pretty good at it. Since I have no background experience, I have nothing else to compare it to. So I get used to playing the game pretty quickly.
Even if I can’t play the drums perfectly on an easy level, I just listen to the song. Which I think is something most people (who play an instrument or not) don’t always do. They get too wrapped up in trying to figure out which fingers go over which button. They forget to do something that could help them even more-like listen to the beat. I have tried many times to tell them this, but they won’t hear it. Which I guess is fine with me, because I’ll beat them every time.