Aerosmith at the O2

It started of as what i thought was just going to be another average day, come back from school, relax in front of the TV, do some homework maybe. But my sister had had an exam that day and wasn't feeling to great about how she had done so my parents decided to treat us to going out for a meal. While we were there i got a phone call from a good friend of mine and he asked if i wanted to see Aerosmith live at the O2 Arena tonight, amazed and slightly confused I, of course, said i would love to. I came of the phone to some confused looks from my parents i explained what he said, then came the obvious question; Where, When, How and of course. how much? After explaining all of that a few phone calls later to my friend, my Dad drove me upto the nearest train station and i took the first train to the O2 arena. I met my friend halfway and after getting the tickets, we walked into the O2 Arena and looked around for abit before going into the concert hall.

When it was time, we walked into the arena, I was instantly taken aback by the sheer size of it, i hadn't been there since the Millennium back in 2000 and i couldn't remember much of it. We took our seats in the stands and waited for the show to begin. The band Airbourne were supporting Aerosmith but unfortunately we were too late to see them play.

A few minutes later a long chord and cymbal crescendo sounded around the whole arena. The show had began. They opened with the fantastic tune 'Love in an Elevator' which got all the crowd in a great mood and prepared us for a fantastic show. They played some of their greatest songs such as 'Living on the Edge', 'Dream On' and 'Sweet Emotion' as well as Joe Perry playing a blues song and singing as well which was a great addition to the show. Steve Tyler then introduced the pianist who then played an impressive solo before going into the introduction of 'Don't Wanna Miss a Thing'. As soon as he did so it was instantly recognized and the crow went crazy. I was so impressed by the beautiful and rich tone to Steve Tyler's voice. Even after year of performing his voice is still as good as ever. As the song gradually progressed into the chorus, Steve Tyler and Joe Perry both interacted with each other perfectly, the years of experience defiantly paying of in that field of performing.

After 'Sweet Emotion', Aerosmith had finished, much to the disappointed of the crowd, they thanked us and went of stage. I was getting ready to leave, however my friend insisted that they would come back on stage and play an encore. A few minutes later, after constant cheers from the crowd and chants of 'Encore!' i was getting sceptical, but sure enough they came back on to greet thousands of delighted spectators and play some of their finest and finished with the great tune 'Walk this Way'. After that they truly were finished. Everyone left and after a long journey home on the train, i got home and told my family all about it, then of course told he next day at school, every single one of my friends, after all, you don't see a legendary band like Aerosmith everyday, do you?

How will the UK's major political parties improve music education?

With the UK currently in a hung parliament, the nation seems undecided as to which political party they favor, with the possibility of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats teaming up to make the majority and thus coming into government or the possibility of another election being called. However, the policies that are commonly overlooked are that of music and how music education will be made better for children, music is such an important part of life and can inspire and influence people to endless limits.
After a bit of researching I've found out what the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour are planning to do to make music better for children at school.


First up; Labour:

Labour claim that they believe music is a fundamental core need for all children and that everyone should have the right to a music education. They continue by saying that 'The establishment of the Music Manifesto in 2004 by Labour was a major step forwards in our commitment to improving this country’s music offer, bringing together people and organisations from across the diverse music sector behind a common aim of achieving access and excellence for every child'. Labour are currently half way through a 3 year, £332 million commitment to improve the opportunities that young people will receive in England. They affirm that this commitment has meant that many new opportunities that otherwise would not have been available for youngsters are now accessible.
They remind us of the Wider Opportunities programme which they say has been a huge success, the Wider Opportunities programme is a promise that every primary school student will be able to have free instrument lessons for a whole year and then be able to carry on with affordable lessons if they want to. And true, it has been a success, with a large proportion of children wishing to carry on after their 1 year trial and by 2011, a predicted 80% of schools will be signed up to the programme.
In 2007 Labour funded the national programme - Sing Up, aiming to make every primary school a 'singing school' by 2011. Currently 87% of primary schools are signed up to the agreement and thousands of teachers have been trained to be confident in singing in their lessons.
Labour ends by saying that it is important that they reach their target of getting every child learning an instrument and to "continue to promote their belief that music has the power to change lives."


Next up; The Conservatives:

The Conservative's main policy regarding music and music education is the implementation of the annual 'National Music Week' which they say will involve teachers, students, community groups, the music industry and broadcasters.

The Conservatives 'National Music Week' will be a week long festival which will focus on music in schools and by involving students in events which they hope will inspire and encourage them. The Conservatives say the festival could culminate in a televised national competition to find the finest school orchestra.

This proposal will also include visits by famous UK artists to schools, performances in schools by local music groups and Links to the BBC’s youth music competitions including Young Musician of the Year and Radio 3’s Choir of the Year.


Finally, The Liberal Democrats:

Similar to its rival parties, the Liberal Democrats also believe that music is a large and fundamental aspect of education. They say they want to free music education of targets and quotas, instead they want to encourage creativity and state that they want to 'rip up' the 600 page National Curriculum and instead have a scaled down Minimum Curiculum Enlitilement.

Why shouldn't music play a part in other lessons aswell?" The Liberal Democrats ask. They say that they will improve teacher training to make this kind of flexability possible and they also want to encourage music graduates to enter teaching.

They also hope to get much more artists and musicians visiting schools to inspire and support childrens learning, children look up to many musicians and meeting them face to face in a social enviroment would influence them massivley.

The Liberal Democrats want to help amauter performers to be able to perform in smaller and informal venues to increase their freedom and develop their skills in playing and performing. However, they claim that the current Labour licensing laws make it very difficult to stage smaller performances by increasing beaurocracy to very high levels.

The Lib Dems end by stating that they believe that access to music for students would be much better guaretenteed through their Minimum Curiculum Entitlement as apposed to the current funding from the Labour party.

My Top 5 Greatest Guitarists

1) Jimi Hendrix

In my opinion Jimi Hendrix is without a doubt the best guitarist of all time. This incredible musician has inspired generations with his songs and incredible guitar solos. Many current musicians have take inspiration from Hendrix's unique tone and ability to engage a world audience with his innovative style. The expression and emotion he conveys in his music puts him in a different league to many other guitarists. Some stunts that he pulled in his career such as setting his guitar alight and playing with his teeth amazed audiences and are aspects of a life that was tragically ended too soon.

Whether you agree or not with popular opinion that Hendrix is the greatest guitar player alive, it cannot be argued that his unique style and sound has been an inspiration to many musicians around the world and if his life had not been so tragically ended at such a young age, he would be continuing to amaze people with his incredible playing. Jimi Hendrix will be forever mimicked but never matched.

2) Chuck Berry

A pioneer in the rock & roll genre; this exceptional musician has inspired generations with his individual sound and engaging stage presence. Songs such as 'Johnny B.Goode' and 'Maybellene' developed Rhythm and Blues into the genre that we recognize today. Berry's captivating stage presence delighted a world wide audience and made him into a a true entertainer as well as an incredible musician.

Chuck Berry established Rock & Roll as a musical genre and wrote songs and riffs that influenced millions of musicians, for that accomplishment his name will be forever remembered.

3) Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton's outstanding guitar riffs and solos have influenced numerous musicians within his lengthly career. Songs such as 'Layla' and 'Cocaine' adopt a unique, gritty tone that guitarists still attempt to recreate to this day, while his inspiring 'Unplugged' album takes a wonderful acoustic spin on his electric hits. Eric Clapton has been involved with many other bands such as 'Cream' and 'Derek and the Dominoes', he has written and performed some amazing songs with these bands which are worthy of the credit they enjoy.

Eric Clapton's exhilarating solos and riffs will go down in history as some of the finest ever.

4) Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page was the founder of the legendary band 'Led Zeppelin'. With this incredible band, he, along with the other members, wrote some exceptional songs that have been broadly influential. One of those many songs includes 'Stairway to Heaven'; in my opinion one of the greatest songs of all time. It includes a slow, delicate acoustic guitar part which builds up to a truly inspiring guitar solo which is widely considered as one of the greatest ever. Jimmy Page has written some other incredible riffs such as that in 'Whole Lotta Love' and 'Kashmir' which has inspired a breed of musicians to aspire to be like this great guitarist.

Jimmy Page has written some truly exquisite riffs and solos that will go down in history as some of the most impressive ever.

5) BB King

This expressive guitarist, along with his companion - a Gibson ES-335 he named 'Lucile', have written and performed blues licks which almost every blues guitarist since has taken inspiration from. His passionate soloing rooted around flowing string bending and soft vibrato combined with tender vocals make BB King a truly unique and unequaled musician who will continue to inspire and influence the blues world for many years to come.

John Mayer - A True Inspiration

The guitarist, John Mayer is a big name in America, while over in the UK he doesn't appear to be such a household name. However i believe everyone should know the wonderful works of this amazing musician.

The first time i heard John Mayer's music was when a friend sent me his live acoustic cover of Tom Petty's 'Free Falling' from his live album 'Where the Light Is'. As soon as i started listening to the song i was truly memorized by the beautiful, rich tone to John's voice, also the way he has changed the electric guitar parts adopted in the original version into ones that perfectly suited the acoustic guitar and steel guitar blew me away. The occasional backing vocals from the two other guitarist gave the song a very mellow and calm feel while adding strength to the lead vocals. When it comes to the bridge, the guitar is strummed clearly on the ofbeat of the 4/4 beat with little fills from all the guitarists in turn which creates a professional and experienced aura between the 3 musicians on stage.

After hearing 'Free Falling' i went out and brought the whole 'Where the Light Is' Live in Los Angeles CD. A particular favorite of mine being the song 'Gravity'; the way the song builds up gradually throughout the blissful 9 minutes into a truly memorizing guitar solo and ending with a prolonged drum crescendo takes my breath away.

John Mayer is a truly amazing guitarist worthy of one day being considered a musical legend in the same category as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, 'Free Falling' along with other acoustic songs on the live album such as 'Neon' and 'Stop this Train' inspired me so much with its steel string guitar playing that i later went out and brought a Cort Steel String Acoustic of my own in an attempt to recreate the same enriching sounds as heard in the album, it's not the same standard guitar as Mayer plays on stage, however Ive fallen in love with its the rich and gutsy tones the steel strings creates.

John Mayer has been the biggest inspiration to me as a guitarist and if i had not discovered this amazing musician the guitar as an instrument would not have such a broad appeal to me.

Gibson Dusk Tiger - Another Attempt at a Super Guitar

Gibson’s most recent musical contraption is the rather attractive-looking Dusk Tiger. The most obvious design feature is the stunning marblewood top and chrome tailpiece which fits around the pickup and snakes around the bridge; giving it a flowing display and some of the untamed character suggested in its name. The appearance of this guitar may not be to everyones taste but personally i think these features give it distinct persona that no other guitar i have seen holds.

Unfortunately for many people hoping to experience this guitar, it comes with a costly price tag of £2,799 and is limited to a reserved 1000 production line, the Dusk Tiger will be an instrument available to only a minority of guitarists.

The Dusk Tiger inherits the same Robot technology as Gibson’s last attempt at a super guitar – the Dark Fire. This means it acquires the redesigned Master Control Knob, the MCK II, which, when activated, allows you to access a range of 11 tunings. Although apparently it’s much quicker and more precise than the one on the Dark Fire, it still fails to achieve 100% accuracy on all tunings.

A neat feature on the Dusk Tiger is that you have multi-function toggle switch which allows you not only to change between the magnetic pick-ups, but also has a blend function which means you can embrace the perfect ratio of magnetic to piezo tone in the guitars output.

If your one of the lucky few who will be getting a Dusk Tiger, it also comes with Gibson’s edition of Ableton Live 8 and a Robot Interface Pack (RIP) which is everything you need to connect your Dusk Tiger to your Windows or Mac and record your ideas , it will also give you access to hundreds of effects and amplifiers and the ability to create backing tracks.

The initial signs from Gibson look positive on their 4th attempt of a super guitar, however, when it comes to using the Dusk Tiger for heavy gigging and long hours in the studio will it perform to the high standard we all expect from one of the most famous guitar makes in the world?