Dora The Explorers New Daring Image

My little cousin was so disappointed when she saw this. She almost cried. Oh well… I guess people do change. But don’t you think Dora is too young for this? Hahaha! Hey guys! Grab a copy now!

I can’t wait to see all of the 69 Dora moves. Maybe she’s “doing” her backpack in one of those. I learned a lesson today: Don’t be fooled by innocent looks. LoL!

World's Most Expensive Guitar

The world’s most expensive guitar was previously held by Jimi Hendrix’s Stratocaster; Then by Eric Clapton’s Blackie -- another Stratocaster. And in 2004, the record was broken by yet, another Stratocaster! Are you seeing a pattern here? Haha!

This Fender Standard Series Stratocaster was auctioned in Qatar and now cost a whopping $2.8 million! That’s about $1.84 million more expensive than Eric Claptons Black Strat that cost about $959,500.

Physically, there’s nothing really special about this guitar. It’s your regular Stratocaster in construction and materials used. What made it that expensive is the fact that it contains signatures of guitar music legends and icons. The proceeds for this guitar were aimed to help victims of the 2004 tsunami disaster.

Artists who signed:

- Paul McCartney
- Sting
- Noel Gallagher
- Jimmy Page
- Eric Clapton
- Mick Jagger
- Brian May
- Liam Gallagher
- Jeff Beck
- Bryan Adams
- Tony Iommi
- Mark Knopfler
- Angus Young
- Malcolm Young
- Keith Richards
- Ronnie Wood
- Pete Townshend
- Ray Davies
- David Gilmour

This guitar is pretty cheap considering you’ll be getting a piece of guitar history. That’s true only if you have a billion dollars in your pocket! :-)

How To Increase Alexa Rank

First of all, what is Alexa Rank? In simplest words, it is a ranking system in which the ranking scheme is based on the number of people visiting a website with an Alexa Toolbar installed on their browser. You can go to alexa.com for more details. Bloggers would want to increase their alexa rank for monetizing reasons. The higher your ranking, the better bargaining power you’ll have in ad pricing. Well, some people say that it is an unreliable ranking system. But since the majority of people rely on this, you should increase yours as well. These methods are very effective for me. When I followed these steps with my new blog, my Alexa Rank jumped from 10,000,000+ down to 565,076 in just two months!

1. Install the alexa toolbar and set your blog as your homepage.

2. Put an alexa widget on your site.

3. Visit web forums with topics about alexa. Make an interesting comment and don’t forget to leave your URL. People who are visiting these forums probably have an alexa toolbar installed. They might visit you back if you have an interesting comment.

4. Post in social networking website or forums located Asia. Asians are big alexa toolbar fans!

5. Join Entrecard and gain traffic.

6. Write articles that are keyword rich. You’ll have better chance of getting traffic from search engines if your articles contain high ranking keywords.

7. Join in as much social book marking sites as you can such as “Digg”, “Del.ic.ous” or “Stumbled”. These sites usually bring massive number of visitors which has alexa toolbar installed.

8. Lastly, write something about Alexa. People who are looking for ways to increase their alexa rank might find your site in search engines. They might already have alexa toolbar installed.

You’ll find a couple of methods on the net. But here’s a list that that actually worked for me.

Guitar Hero vs. Rock Band

I have mentioned these two video games in my previous posts. So what now? It’s time to buy and test it! So which should you buy? That’s a good question. Both games promise arena-filling rock-god dreams, and both are good. The first thing to look for is where these two games are set apart. Hmmm? It’s pretty hard to answer since both games can give you a rock star gaming experience.

One of the latest versions, “Guitar hero World Tour”, has added a feature -- It has a six-drum kit. That’s a big jump from previous guitar hero versions which is made for guitar acts alone. That’s why it’s called “guitar hero” right? Now with the Rock Band, it can be played for solo guitar acts as well. But they won’t call it Rock Band for nothing. It’s is primarily designed to be played with fellow wannabe’s since it has the capability to be played with microphones and drum-kits. hahaha!

Probably, if you really wanted to throw a party with these kinds of games, here’s where Guitar hero is left behind. You have to unlock all the songs! You need to have a Guitar Hero marathon and unlock all the songs by yourself before you can call out your friends. This way, you won’t disappoint them with just a few choices of songs. Rock Band’s songs are easier to unlock because you have the option to have a “No Fail” mode. Let’s put it this way. Rock Band is made for the musical enjoyment, and Guitar Hero is made for the game experience itself. Yeah? Yeah? I know… You’ll have more sense of accomplishment when playing Guitar Hero.

To sum it up, both games are excellent. They all come in several game console formats. But when it comes to the integration of microphone and a drum kit to this game format, Rock Band is a winner since they’ve been doing it for years. I’m afraid there might still be glitches with Guitar Hero’s. BTW, guitar hero also has a version for Nintendo DS.

Whaaat?!

This picture needs no further elaboration. I won't mind if such a subculture doesn't exist. Yuck! I think I need to puke!

Top 10 Shred Albums of All Time

Here's a list from guitarworld.com. I can say, this is one great list. I personally listened to most of these albums. It's not just speed that put these albums in this list, it's also about excellent melodic taste.

10) Greg Howe (Shrapnel, 1988) Greg Howe A funk-savvy speedster, Greg Howe injected the shred scene with some much-needed shake and soul. The funkdafied “Kick It All Over” kicks off the festivities, and the following track, “The Pepper Shake,” offers a spicy display of Howe’s legato and alternate-picking chops.

9) Speed Metal Symphony (Shrapnel, 1987) Cacophony Speed Metal Symphony, a mighty opus featuring first-chair guitar virtuosos Marty Friedman and Jason Becker, uses “speed metal” rhythm beds and shifting time signatures to help break up the cacophonous onslaught of all-out shred.

8) Michael Lee Firkins (Shrapnel, 1990) Michael Lee Firkins A unique shredder, Firkins employed hybrid picking, subtle whammy wobbling, and country-flavored intervallic leaps to craft some surprisingly listenable tunes.

7) Powers of Ten (Warner Bros., 1992) Shawn Lane From his debut, the now out-of-print Powers of Ten, to his fusion work on Tri-Tone Fascination, the late Shawn Lane exhibited a tremendous sense of melody, even while melting picks with his incendiary technique. If Eric Johnson were a pure shredder, this is what he might sound like.

6) Surfing With the Alien (Relativity, 1987) Joe Satriani Just how badass is Joe Satriani? Well, his list of students includes Steve Vai. And “Satch Boogie” was (and still is) the only shred tune that FM radio would touch. But the real highlight of this release is Side 2, which contains the gemini-like clean and distorted tones of “Circles” and “Lords of Karma,” as well as the clean-toned two-handed tapfest “Midnight” and the hypnotic “Echo.”

5) Passion and Warfare (Relativity, 1990) Steve Vai Remember the cute MTV video for Vai’s “The Audience Is Listening”? What school-age guitar player didn’t want to live out that fantasy? Melodic, flashy, humorous, and filled with hooks, Passion and Warfare is the bar by which all other instrumental guitar albums are measured.

4) Edge of Insanity (Shrapnel, 1986) Tony MacAlpine The album that launched Mike Varney’s Shrapnel Records, Edge of Insanity shows off Tony MacAlpine’s fearsome shred chops not only on the six-string (“Quarter to Midnight”) but also on the ivories (“Chopin, Prelude 16, Opus 28”).

3) Mind’s Eye (Shrapnel, 1986) Vinnie Moore Only one year after Yngwie unleashed his fury on U.S. shores, Vinnie Moore responded with the “Oh yeah? Check this out” release Mind’s Eye. On “Daydream,” Moore demonstrates his grasp of classical themes and motifs; then, on “The Journey,” he shows he can do it with “feel.”

2) Live: Extreme Volume (Shrapnel, 1988) Racer X In the mood for a steaming bowl of notemeal? Check out this 1988 live release from shred poster boys Paul Gilbert and Bruce Bouillet. The best part? There was no pretense of cultural significance with these guys; Racer X was simply speed for the sake of speed.

1) Rising Force (Polydor, 1985) Yngwie Malmsteen I’m laying it on the line right now: Yngwie J. Malmsteen was, is, and always will be the greatest shredder of all time. Hell, he invented the genre with his 1985 debut. The standout track “Far Beyond the Sun” was far beyond what any guitar player had ever imagined possible.

If you really want to train your ears to listen to some kind of really good shred albums, try looking for these albums on record stores or ebay. Please don't try to look for MP3's on the net! You don't want to be fined $1.9 million for illegal downloads. Rigtht?

Say Goodbye To “Guitar Hero”. Say Hello To “The Beatles: Rock Band”

OK! Guitar Hero may be the leading rocker mockup game. But for those who want to try a different twist to this game genre, you can try this game called “The Beatles: Rockband”. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series and, like other games in the series, it will allow players to simulate the playing of rock music by using controllers shaped like musical instruments.

So what’s the twist? Up to six players can play the game. (Wait? Did I just say six players? Hahaha!) So how’s that possible? The game includes three game controllers and three microphones. Fans will surely enjoy this since the controllers were modeled after those used by the The Beatles: a Rickenbacker 325 guitar, a Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, a Höfner bass and a Ludwig drum set.

What made this different from previous Rock Band games is that it allows three players to sing vocal harmonies. The game will include 45 master tracks chosen from twelve of The Beatles albums recorded during their 1962–1969 tenure with EMI Records. Besides that, additional songs will also be available as a downloadable content.

This game is almost complete. I hope they also include four suits and neckties. What would The Beatles experience be like without those?

LoL!

I’m not sad that Michael Jackson died

Why should I be sad? I never actually met him. He doesn’t even know I exist. We all know him as a black guy trying to look like white a guy. Well, excluding his illness, Vitiligo, that caused his whiteness; we are all aware that his appearance is the result of all the cosmetic procedures he has gone through.

It's has been almost two weeks since he died. You might be wondering why there’s no trace of Michael Jackson in this music blog before now. And do you think it’s because Michael is a pop star? Not a Rock star? For your information, Michael has been inducted in the Rock and Roll hall of fame twice! Do you think I hate him? I hate his music? The answer is a big NO! As a matter of a fact, I love his music.

The question still lingers: Why am I not sad? The truth is I’m just trying not to! I grew up with his music. I’m not referring to the Jackson 5 era because I was born in the mid-80’s (I’m not as old as Obama!). Ever since I was a kid, I really enjoyed watching his music videos together with his “moon walk” and his “crotch-grab” action. I’m not much of a dancer but c'mon’? Who wouldn’t enjoy watching his moves? And probably my favorite MJ songs are “Heal the World”, “Black or White”, and of course, “Man in The Mirror”. I specifically like these song’s because it’s MJ’s channel for delivering the message for the good of mankind. (I think I’m gonna’ start to cry. LoL!)

Oh well, I guess we just have to accept it. Michael Jackson’s memorial service is televised and people from all the four corners of this planet are in grief. The king is dead but his spirit is still within us. His music brought joy into people’s life. We all have to die in God’s time someday. What makes me sad is not his death: It’s the fact that this poor little boy never had the chance to be a kid.

Music Quotes by Famous Musicians II

1. "I'd rather be a musician than a rock star."
-George Harrison

2. "All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff."
-Frank Zappa

3. "A band ought to have a sound all of its own. It ought to have a personality."
-Glenn Miller

4. "A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated from it."
-Hanns Eisler

5. "A good composer does not imitate; he steals.
-Igor Stravinsky

6. "A good composer is slowly discovered a bad composer is slowly found out."
-Ernest Newman

7. "A lot of people are singing about how screwed up the world is, and I don't think that everybody wants to hear about that all the time."
-Mariah Carey

8. "A lot of pop music is about stealing pocket money from children."
-Ian Anderson

9. "A musicologist is a man who can read music but can't hear it."
-Sir Thomas Beecham

10. "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
-Aldous Huxley

Guitar Comic #3

Here's another comic I've found. This might insult metal fans (people who listen to metal music), but I'm afraid that this is somehow true! Hahaha! I love metal music but I have a pretty huge brain! Unlike those on this comic.

Music Poem

When music sounds, gone is the earth I know,
And all her lovely things even lovelier grow;
Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees
Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies.

When music sounds, out of the water rise
Naiads whose beauty dims my waking eyes,
Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face,
With solemn echoing stirs their dwelling-place.

When music sounds, all that I was I am
Ere to this haunt of brooding dust I came;
And from Time's woods break into distant song
The swift-winged hours, as I hasten along.

by Walter de la Mare

My Opinion:
Music is so powerful. The emotion that lurks in our soul is really something beyond logical reasoning. Music is full of mysteries and it has inspired generations; And will continue to inspire for all eternity.

Guitar Hero #2: Paul Gilbert

Paul Brandon Gilbert (born in Illinois, USA on November 6, 1966) is an American instrumental guitarist. He is a well known lead guitarist for the bands, Racer X and Mr. Big and has recorded several solo albums as well. He also joined the G3 tour with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci on the 2007.

When we talk about Paul Gilbert, we are definitely talking about speed! Paul is very skillful in producing thousand-notes-per-second compositions (of course this is an exaggeration) which helped him be named as one of the "Top 10 Shredders Of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine. Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, funk and classical. Gilbert stated that he does not have perfect pitch but has a "pretty good relative pitch."

What I like about Paul besides his speed is his excellent gift for teaching guitar techniques. He has made about four instructional videos that beginners and pros can take full advantage of. I’m glad to say I have all four of them! Paul is so talented that he makes playing his guitar look so easy. What sets these instructional videos apart is that Paul has a lot of sense of humor! I think you'll enjoy watching the videos even if you're not a guitarist. (Take that Marty Friedman and John Petrucci!)