Discover How To Use A Download Movie Site So You Can Stop Renting Videos

Like many other internet users, I was pretty skeptical about visiting a download movie site. I've heard nightmare stories of people who download movie, new computer virus comes with it! On top of that, I also had doubts concerning the legality of downloading movies. We all remember the little girl that got sued because she was downloading music for a school project, right?

Well, I did some research on download movie site. It seems that websites like Kazaa still cause many people to end up with spyware and adware on their computer. I immediately ruled this company out because of that one fact. Still, if I wanted to download movie new computer protection software would do me some good.

This wasn't too much of a problem for me because my company pays for my internet security costs. On top of that the movie website that I chose provided free spyware and adware removers.

I also learned that the illegal download issue is still a problem, but much less of a problem now than it was a few years ago. It seems security has gotten tighter and the rules are less strict now. Fortunately, there are still some download movie sites that allow you to download exactly what you were looking for.

I signed up with a company called based on hours of research and comparing of sites. Click here for more tips about the correct selection process. I happily started searching through all the files, but I think I went a bit overboard. I somehow managed to sit there for 3 hours searching, downloading movie & music files, and burning them onto CDs. This leads us to the one major drawback about this download movie site.

Although I could download movie new and old alike, my first day after joining the NMD website was very unproductive. I forgot to take out the trash and wash the dishes because I was glued to my seat searching for songs and movies all day! That download movie site is lots of fun but no one should be sitting around downloading music all day!

I have to admit that downloading legal movies was easier than I thought. There are a million places that claim this, yet there are hardly any websites that really deliver. It's all a matter of finding the right download movie site. However, please don't let downloading movies turn into an addiction. You still have to keep up with work, household chores, and exercise. Don't let all the free movies seduce you into forgetting reality.

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tito puente cuban

107.9 FM - KOOL 108
... Pop, Salsa, Latin Jazz, Mambo, Afro- Cuban Jazz, Big Band Latino, Cuban Jazz ... Santana, Tito Puente Jr., Aura, Orestes Vilat, Edgardo Cintron, Billy Cobham, ...
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Tito Puente : King of Latin Music > Shopping Discounts
Tito Puente : King of Latin Music at Discount Prices | DVD ... of the legendary Tito Puente and a brief history of Afro- Cuban /salsa music that ...
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Enrique Jorrin Downloads On Rhapsody
Enrique Jorrin Downloads - Sign up now for a Free 14 Day Trial and get unrestricted legal access to the entire 4,000,000+ song Rhapsody catalog. Download, listen and
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Catgorie : Cuban -Jazz. Puente , Orquesta Tito . Puente goes jazz ... (Cyril Scott) / 5. Lucky dog ( Tito Puente ) / 6. Birdland after dark (Oscar ...
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101.5 La Preciosa
... Pop, Salsa, Latin Jazz, Mambo, Afro- Cuban Jazz, Big Band Latino, Cuban Jazz ... Santana, Tito Puente Jr., Aura, Orestes Vilat, Edgardo Cintron, Billy Cobham, ...
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Tito Puente Fania re-issues... - Salsa Forums
Tito Puente Fania re-issues... Salsa Music ... Specialising in " street style " Cuban Son/ Mambo / Salsa / Guajira, Bachata , Bolero etc. ...
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95.3 OLZ
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Search Results for Cuban mp3 download
The Cuban Brothers - A Million Stones (Diesler Mix) - Various ... Cuban Fantasy. Tito Puente . Cuban Carnival. 1:55. 192 kbps $0.09. Da Skunk - Cuban Cigar ...
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Weceedee
Home. Feed. Contact. His sound is a mix of Cuban heat and Canadian cool( Tito Puente ) ... Posted in Michael Jackson, Tito Puente , Agua del Pozo, Amor Infinito ...
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Spanish Music
China Tito . Puente . Cielito Lindo. Paco de Lucia. Cuban Pete. Tito Puentes. Decidete. Orquesta Aragon ... Tito Puente . To Be With You. Joe Cuba. Was I ...
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Greatest Underrated Guitar Players

Ask anybody who the greatest guitar players in the history of rock music are, and youll likely get the standard answers. The big three, Clapton, Beck and Page; certainly Eddie Van Halen; maybe Stevie Ray Vaughn. The metal-heads will cite Randy Rhodes and George Lynch. These are all valid answers, but if you would put forth names like Elliot Easton and Andy Summers, you might be likely to get a blank stare in return. Too often great guitarists are overlooked simply because they lack the flash of a star like Eddie Van Halen or because they are part of a group that simply has an overabundance of talent and they tend to be moved to the background. Take Andy Summers, guitarist for the Police. Everybody knows who Sting is, and there is no doubt that he is tremendously talented, as is drummer Stewart Copeland. As part of that unit, however, Summers was often overlooked. What is so amazing about Andy Summers is not only his command of the instrument, but his overwhelming versatility. From ska to punk to reggae to straight ahead rock and roll, nothing is outside of his ability. His style has been described as minimalist, but that minimalism is a plus, and he is to be credited for not falling prey to his critics and trying to overplay to compensate for a lack of complex layers of sound. Below, in no particular order, Ive listed some of my favorite underappreciated players, and the reasons why I consider them to be great.

Elliot Easton (The Cars): Elliot Easton is probably the greatest reason for the success of The Cars. Without Eastons accessible rock guitar cutting through the synth driven Cars sound, they never would have found the mainstream acceptance that they did. Imagine the spacey pair of Ric Ocasik and Greg Hawkes playing over an equally new-wave influenced guitarist and you have a style of music that would not appeal to people on a large scale. Eastons Buddy Hollyesque sound, however, served to make The Cars commercially viable. My Best Friends Girl from their debut album is an excellent example of how Eastons contribution was essential in creating hit records for The Cars.

Warren DiMartini (Ratt): What impresses me most about DiMartini is that fact that despite being known as a speed demon who is content to throw a startling flurry of notes at the listener, is that he knows the value of a rest. Too many metal artists try to play as fast as possible, and DiMartini can keep up with the best of them, but Im more taken with the fact that on songs like Lay it Down, Wanted Man and Round and Round, its DiMartinis artful use of pauses and mutings to lend depth and character to what would otherwise be just another ripping metal tune.

Kathy Valentine (The Go-Gos/solo): The Go-Gos will never be known for stunning musicianship, but Kathy Valentines reputation suffered from being thrown together with a group of girls who were far less proficient in their playing. Not to say that the Go-Gos were not any good. Their style of music was based on catchy beats and fun lyrics, so being technically perfect was not a requirement. Unfortunately, the fact that this was an easily exploitable fault that the critics could grab a hold of, the band was unfairly criticized for being a bunch of girls who could barely play their instruments. If they had bothered to check, they would have found the Valentine was actually an experienced and talented guitarist, making the switch to bass to fill the spot with the Go-Gos. Actually, a casual listen will show that Valentines bass playing stands out more that Charlotte Caffeys or Jane Wiedlins guitar work. At times its almost melodic. Since the Go-Gos Valentine has gone solo, along with a side project called the Delpines. I would strongly urge you to check out Valentines appealing mix of rock and punk on her Light Years album.

Slash (Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver): Guns N Roses now Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan once claimed that Slash had the fastest right hand Ive ever seen. While it may be argued that the left (fretting) hand is more important for a guitarist, after hearing Slash play, there can be no discounting the value of a fast right hand. Sweet Child of Mine, Paradise City and Welcome to the Jungle received more radio play, but to hear one of the best examples of Slashs work, check out Mr. Brownstone on Appetite for Destruction.

Steve Steamin Clark (Def Leppard): It seems that all great artists have their demons and Steve Clark was no exception. Before alcohol claimed his life at too young an age, Steve Clark had built up a legacy of fine work that will live on. Steves gift was an ability to build spatial separation into his phrasing. It was almost as if he was playing in a huge empty amphitheater in which each note rang out perfectly and separately and yet, along with the complimentary work of bandmate Phil Colin, fit tightly together like pieces in a puzzle. The song Love Bites from the Hysteria album perfectly illustrates this point. Unlike previous member Pete Willis, Colin provided a perfect foil for Clark to play off of. Unfortunately, Def Leppard seemed to be associated more with the fact that drummer Rick Allen played with one arm, the result of a 1984 auto accident, taking some of the attention away from the fact that Clarks playing made Def Leppard one of the finest pop metal bands of the 80s.

Howard Leese (Heart): Fated to share the stage with two of the most beautiful and talented women of the rock era, Howard Leese continued to lend his creative talents to Heart long after its other founding members had departed. It was Nancy with her beautiful blond tresses that stole the spotlight, but it was Howards guitar that powered the group. Secure in the knowledge that he was a key component in Hearts driving guitar based sound, he was never bitter about the fact that his name was only recognizable amongst true fans of the group. Listen to Barracuda or Magic Man or Even it Up and you are instantly struck by the inherent coolness of the opening riffs, and his mastery of harmonic overtones is second to none.

Mick Mars (Motley Cre): Mostly thought of as a fair to middling heavy metal guitarist, Mick Mars phrasing is perfect for the Cres sound. Chunky, dirty and staccato at times, it still manages to be melodic. Upstaged by Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee and their bad-boy images, Mick stays cool and aloof behind his powerful music. Despite the darkness inherent in some of their tunes, you cannot fail to be uplifted by Mick Mars musical skills.

Really there are so many worthy players that I could go on and on, but this is just a listing of those few that have bugging me for years. Its true that people have their own tastes, and for some, these guys wouldnt even make the top 10, but it makes me feel better to have my sentiments known. If Im lucky there may be a few of you out there just a few who will say, Man, Ive been saying for years that he (or she) has never got enough credit.

Kenny Auyoung: Webmaster @ GetMeABand.com - Looking for a band? Search through thousands of musicians profiles to find the right band members in your local area. Find musicians, start a band, and play music - http://www.getmeaband.com

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Polyphonic Ringtones: Calls, Court Cases, and Copyrights

Ringtones are big business. The Yankee Group announced that over the last five years, these musical tones have sent people literally singing to the bank, with a total revenue of $2 billion since 2001, and $50 million in one year alone.

The figures show how popular ringtones have become among cell phone users, who download the files to personalize their caller functions. They can pick from millions of songs, from the latest hit R&B single, to quirky sounds like cows mooing, to the classical pieces of Ludwig van Beethoven. Technological development has also made the audio quality of the ringtones much more realistic. From the ear-piercing, tin-like sounds of the first downloadable tunes, todays music pieces have a near-radio quality. You could dance to it, except youd look pretty silly shaking your booty while taking a call.

Unfortunately, the realistic quality of the musical pieces have raised a few ethical issues, namely violation of copyright. Since the sound of the ringtones and the sound of the actual songs are so close, record companies are saying that they count as reproductionsand because of that, they should pay some kind of royalty to the labels and the singers.

In a celebrated case, rap artist Eminem filed injunctions against five ringtone companies, supposedly because they had used his songs without his prior consent.

Some would argue that the ringtones only use ten seconds, maximum, of the actual song. How long should a snippet be before it becomes copyright infringement? Nokia representative Matthew Courtney believes that it has nothing to do with length. "Every reproduction of a musical excerpt involves payment of copyright fees to the copyright owner," he says.

There are some songs that fall beyond this rule, such as those that fall into public domain: classical pieces, national anthems, and yes, a cow mooing. (To date, there are no records of cows suing any major ringtone company.) Others still require the permission of the artists, and may even be subject to royalty fees.

Luckily most artists are not that inclined to sue, seeing the ringtones as a way of promoting their music, and perhaps a compliment to their own popularity. In a way, being immortalized in a ringtone has become a gauge of how ones music has infiltrated public consciousness. Besides, nobody actually downloads a ringtone as a replacement for an actual record. A real fan would want more than a ten second recording out of a three minute song, although would probably use that snippet to announce to the world, Hey, this tune rocks.

However, trends do indicate that fans may actually be willing to pay for their polyphonic ringtones. Music label EMI representative Jay Samit estimates that the earnings form ringtones could contribute as much as 10% of the record industrys total revenues. Apparently, the appeal of ringtones is that strong people arent just downloading it because its free, but because its a valued feature.

Of course, many polyphonic ringtones still allow people to download the tunes for free, generating their revenue from ads instead. Others use a mixture of the two business models, offering some for free (or a weekly rotating list) while requiring a small download fee for premium ringtones.

Either way, lawsuits notwithstanding, the fact is that ringtones are here to stay.

Polyphonics.eu.com provides fully licensed polyphonic ringtones as well as all the latest real tones.

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Why You Should Buy Karaoke Music Online

Karaoke is one of the most fun activities to do with family and friends. It doesn't matter if no one can carry a tune or not. Singing with the ones you love, especially from the comfort of your own home, can be a great way to stay entertained. Karaoke is a form of entertainment that gives anyone the chance to sing along with their favorite songs. With the help of a PA system and microphone, you can project your voice so that it can be easily heard above the music. Most of the time the music consists of well known pop and rock songs where the voice of the original artist is removed or faded into a lower level. You sing the lyrics from a sheet or from a prompter. Colors or moving symbols will guide the singer along with the lyrics so they know when to sing which words.

If you want to start having karaoke parties in your home, you will need to invest in a few things. You will need some sort of a microphone setup, and you will need karaoke music as well. A monitor to display the lyrics is option, although many times you can turn your television set into a monitor with the aid of DVD technology. You can also have a computer set up to be able to display the lyrics to the singer. Either way, your hands will be free to hold the microphone and dance while you sing.

You can get karaoke music in a variety of places, but the best place to get cheap, fun karaoke music is online. There are many online resources where you can purchase CDs and DVD videos of karaoke music. That way, you can turn your television set into your very own lyric monitor. But the cheapest way to get karaoke music online is by downloading mp3 files. This way, you will get only the songs that you want and you can purchase them one at a time if you are strapped for cash. There are also some outlets on the internet where you can score free karaoke music.

Getting karaoke music online is a lot more convenient than trying to find CDs and DVDs in a store. And with the option to download the files straight to your computer, you can save on shipping costs and waiting at the mailbox for your karaoke music to arrive. After downloading a few karaoke tunes, you can start having a karaoke party in a matter of a few minutes.

It is a good idea to invest in some type of karaoke music. You never know when you will need it. Whether you want to get eh family together in order to entertain yourselves or you are hosting a party and need another form of entertainment to get the party going, you will be glad that you have some karaoke music and equipment on hand. It is a fun activity for everyone, young and old.

Jordan Mcpelt is a professional author who specializes in Karaoke and Karaoke Music. For more information on Karaoke Songs please visit http://www.karaoke.com

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Beijing 2008 - Basic Facts

Like Fu Mingxia (Asian/ Olympic multi-medalist diver), Wang Junxia (track and field/ world record holder), Gao Min (world/ Olympic multi-medalist in diving) and Li Ning ( gymnastics/ Olympic gold medalist, 1984), Yao Ming (basketball player) is one of the favourites to light the Olympic flame on August 8th 2008. For his training, Liu Xiang -110m hurdles/ Olympic, Asian, world outdoor and world indoor champion- will probably not light the Olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Xiang's father said, "He has such a weighty responsibility on the track, he will not be the one to light the flame". Liu is one of the most famous athletes in the history.

The sports competition program of the 2008 Beijing Games can include only sports of International Federations recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC): archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoeing (canoe/ kayak), cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, football (soccer), gymnastics, handball, field hockey, judo, rowing, shooting, softball, synchronized diving, synchronized swimming, swimming (aquatics), table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, water polo, weightlifting, volleyball, wrestling (freestyle & Greco-Roman) and yachting (sailing).

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29^th Olympiad (BOCOG) sent invitations to all National Olympic Committees around the world (205 countries and territories). Curiously, China does not have formal diplomatic relations with Belize, Burkina Faso, Chad, Costa Rica, Dominica (former British colony in the Caribbean), Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gambia, Guatemala, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niger, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tonga and Tuvalu.

This Asian country has hosted many world championships/ international games:

The 1961 ITTF Table Tennis World Cup, Beijing

The 1991 FIFA Football Women's World Cup, Guangzhou

The 1993 East Asian Games, Shangai

The 1996 Asian Winter Games, Habian

The 1999 World Gymnastics Championship, Tianjin

The 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship, Beijing

The 2002 FIBA World Championship for Women, Beijing

The 2005 AIBA Boxing World Championship, Mianyang

The 2005 East Asian Games, Macau

The 2006 ISF Softball Women's World Cup, Beijing

The 2006 Lusophony Games, Macau

The 2007 Asian Winter Games, Changchun

The 2007 Asian Indoor Games, Macau

The 2007 FIFA Football Women's World Cup, Shangai

The 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championship, Beijing

The non- Olympic sports are: aikido, billiards, bodybuilding, bowling, chess, cricket, golf, Kabaddi, karate, kendo, kuoshu, racquetball, roller skating, rugby, sepaktakraw, squash, water skiing.

During the XXIX Summer Olympic Games, the Beijing Hotel will serve as the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and guests. It is one of the most distinguished hotels in the world.

China -it is a little bigger than the United States- has won 112 Olympic gold medals. After their first appearance at the 1984 Olympic Games, the Chinese team has been the most successful team in Asia.

Hosts................Gold...Silver....Bronze...Total...Ranking

L.A'84...................15.......8..........9............32........4

Seoul'88...............5.......11........12..........28.......11

Barcelona'92.....16......22........16...........54........4

Atlanta'96............16......22........12..........50........4

Sydney'2000......28......16........15...........59........3

Athens'2004......32......17........14...........63........2

The following countries will participate in the Olympics in China:

1.Afghanistan

2.Albania

3.Algeria

4.American Samoa

5.Andorra

6.Angola

7.Antigua & Barbuda

8.Argentina

9.Armenia

10.Aruba

11.Australia

12.Austria

13.Azerbaijan

14.Bahamas

15.Bahrain

16.Bangladesh

17.Barbados

18.Belarus

19.Belgium

20.Belize

21.Benin

22.Bermuda

23.Bhutan

24.Bolivia

25.Bosnia Herzegovina

26.Botswana

27.Brazil

28.British Virgin Islands

29.Brunei Darussalam

30.Bulgaria

31.Burkina Faso

32.Burundi

33.Cambodia

34.Camerron

35.Canada

36.Cape verde

37.Cayman Islands

38.Central African Republic

39.Chad

40.Chile

41.China (The People's Republic of China)

42.Chinese Taipei

43.Colombia

44.Comoros

45.Congo

46.Congo Republic

47.Cook Islands

48.Costa Rica

49.Cote d'Ivoire

50.Croatia

51.Cuba

52.Cyprus

53.Czech Republic

54.Denmark

55.Djibouti

56.Dominica

57.Dominican Republic

58.Ecuador

59.Egypt

60.El Salvador

61.Equatorial Guinea

62.Eritrea

63.Estonia

64.Ethiopia

65.Fiji

66.Finland

67.France

68.Gabon

69.Gambia

70.Georgia

71.Germany

72.Ghana

73.Greece

74.Grenada

75.Guam

76.Guatemala

77.Guinea

78.Guinea-Bissau

79.Guyana

80.Haiti

81.Honduras

82.Hong Kong

83.Hungary

84.Iceland

85.India

86.Indonesia

87.Iran

88.Iraq

89.Ireland

90.Israel

91.Italy

92.Jamaica

93.Japan

94.Jordan

95.Kazakhstan

96.Kenya

97.Kiribati

98.Korea, North

99.Korea, South

100.Kuwait

101.Kyrgyzstan

102.Laos

103.Latvia

104.Lebanon

105.Lesotho

106.Liberia

107.Lybia

108.Liechtenstein

109.Lithuania

110.Luxembourg

111.Macedonia

112.Madagascar

113.Malawi

114.Malaysia

115.Maldives

116.Mali

117.Malta

118.Marshall Islands

119.Mauritania

120.Mauritius

121.Mexico

122.Micronesia

123.Moldova

124.Monaco

125.Mongolia

126.Montenegro

127.Morocco

128.Mozambique

129.Myanmar

130.Namibia

131.Nauru

132.Nepal

133.Netherlands

134.Netherlands Antilles

135.New Zealand

136.Nicaragua

137.Niger

138.Nigeria

139.Norway

140.Oman

141.Pakistan

142.Palau

143.Palestine

144.Panama

145.Papua New Guinea

146.Paraguay

147.Peru

148.Philippines

149.Poland

150.Portugal

151.Puerto Rico

152.Qatar

153.Romania

154Russia

155.Rwanda

156.Saint Kitts and Nevis

157.Saint Lucia

158.Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

159.Samoa

160.San Marino

161.Sao Tome and Principe

162.Saudi Arabia

163.Senegal

164.Serbia

165.Seychelles

166.Sierra Leone

167.Singapore

168.Slovak Republic

169.Slovenia

170.Solomon Islands

171.Somalia

172.South Africa

173.Spain

174.Sri Lanka

175.Sudan

176.Suriname

177.Swaziland

178.Sweden

179.Switzerland

180.Syria

181.Tajikistan

182.Tanzania

183.Thailand

184.Timor-Leste

185.Togo

186.Tonga

187.Trinidad & Tobago

188.Tunisia

189.Turkey

190.Turkmenistan

191.Tuvalu

192.Uganda

193.Ukraine

194.United Arab Emirates

195.United Kingdom

196.United States

197.United States Virgin Islands

198.Uruguay

199.Uzbekistan

200.Vanuatu

201.Venezuela

202.Vietnam

203.Yemen

204.Zambia

205.Zimbabwe

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jos Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee ,1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is Jos Gamarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. Jos played an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "

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Electric *Violin* Shock Treatment!

An annoyed grimace spread across my conductor's face upon hearing a Bach concerto played with crunchy distortion in the band room before an orchestra rehearsal.

Expecting to find a headbanger guitarist mocking the establishment by shredding away at a time-honoured classic, his fury slowly melted into a pitying look of concern and sad loss, as if inside his head he was thinking, Dear God, there goes another one.

My dad had bought me an electric violin and I was making heads turn with my heavy variations on the classics.

The Zeta Strados Modern violin, with it's funky profile, maple flame finish and revolutionary bridge pickup design, has been the height of electric violin technology for some time. Technology aside, this violin made it possible for me to be regarded as cool by my peers, even though I was still playing music by dead guys with wigs.

My model even had five strings, which made it more of a violin/viola hybrid, the low range being perfect for raunchy power chords and guitar-like riffs.

Despite my conductor's fears, the arrival of the Zeta did not mean the end of my classical playing, though it did make me humbly aware of the huge proverbial iceberg of music that lay hidden beneath Beethoven and Mozart.

The electric violin made it possible for me to play in heavily amplified situations free from a fussy microphone and a clumsy mic stand and completely eliminated feedback. Word got out that there was an electric violinist at school and I played in all sorts of bands, from country to heavy-metal, jazz to pop and disco to swing.

I soon discovered this violin wasn't limited to playing in loud venues entirely. My Zeta became very useful in studio situations where consistent levels, tone and timbre are required. No microphone is needed here, so engineers don't have to fuss to get the mic in the exact same spot every session and the room doesn't have to have good acoustics. I just plug in my patch cable directly into the main mixer and play, leaving reverb and levels up to the engineer.

Forget the noises of passing trains, cell phones and even the player's breathing into the mic wrecking a good take. This gal stomps to the beat, playing free from headphone or isolation booths, and chatting it up with the engineer between solos. And since Zetas are designed to sound exactly like an acoustic violin rather than a bowed guitar, the end result sounds unmistakably like a regular, old-fashioned violin.

Granted, there are things you can do to tweak your violin into sounding quite unlike a violin. I plug into an effects box and play with chorus, reverb and distortion effects. Better yet, Zeta makes the Synthony, a synthesizer that converts the violin's analogue signal to MIDI.

Jargon aside, with this tool you can make your Zeta sound like anything from a trumpet to a Chinese gong or any other sound imaginable. With more features than I can list, the Synthony isn't cheap, which explains why I'm still stuck in analogue mode.

Which brings up cost: Even though electric violins have no acoustic body, there is still a vast difference between low and high end models. Dont be swindled into buying a cheap $150 instrument from anyone, no matter how nice the thing looks in the photo.

Remember that you get what you pay for and electric violins, like any new technology, have become a market for suckers. You wouldnt buy a $150 stereo system, whyd you buy a $150 instrument and amp? Such bargains sound nothing like a violin, feedback terribly when amplified and never last very long due to cheap components. Just like acoustic violins, youre better off saving up for a good violin rather than throwing good money after bad.

Heck, its worth getting a fine electric violin just for the looks you get from other players! Ive always enjoyed the double and triple-takes I get when I play the Zeta anywhere. I also reserve full bragging rights when speaking to other electric violinists. Denis Letourneau, one of my violin idols in BC, Canada, has a green one- of-a-kind Thompson violin, Green Dragon. Hed kill to have a Zeta though, so Ive always got something to hold over him whenever we talk shop!

As a year-end treat I the Zeta into lessons and teach my violin students about reverb, distortion and the concept of studio recording. Shocked faces, similar to the aforementioned expression of my former conductor, meet the music as concerned parents witness their children creating gruesome variations on their lesson songs.

The kids absolutely love playing on it, especially with distortion and reverb. The shyest of students are rock stars as they bang out a G major scale at full volume. That's the beauty of this instrument: even a scale or arpeggio becomes fun for students.

I usually teach students a pentatonic scale or show them how to pull off power chords in 5ths. This literally keeps them occupied for the entire lesson and they leave only grudgingly. This at the final lesson of the summer when most kids are not at all keen to be indoors or learning scales. They leave the lesson motivated to practice their butts off and prove to their parents they are dedicated enough to deserve one too.

I've created a monster, I say to myself, knowing these parents will be inundated with requests for in the car on the way home.

Check out Zeta at http://www.zetamusic.com and tell them about my endorsement of their 5-string Strados Modern violin! Maybe they'll sponsor me...

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years.

She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia's "Music Teacher Magazine." Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be!

Rhiannon's business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her commitment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit http://www.fiddleheads.ca

Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society which promotes violin & fiddle music and helps young musicians in need: http://www.violinsociety.ca

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