Jumat, 06 Juni 2008

Know About Different Types Of Ivory

If you ever come across real elephant ivory during today's collections, it must have been crafted before the time period of the ban or illegal elephant tusks. Make sure that you collection has only very old, but legal elephant tusks or the currently legal mammoth ivory.

The most common ivory of today are the older elephant tusks, the extinct mammoth , the sperm whale , the hornbill and the walrus ivory. Because of the mammoth being extinct so long ago, all though seemingly plentiful today, there will be a time when mammoth ivory will again be extinct in the another way.

vory has long been considered a very beautiful artistic material to the human eye, and has a long standing history dating back many centuries of humans using ivory for carving exquisitely capturing works of art, and for working functions too. All though some people may not even realize it, there are many different animals that ivory can actually come from, but what is considered to be absolutely "Real" in the true meaning of it is, to be from the teeth and tusks of mammoths and elephants.

Since elephant hunting for ivory was banned in the 1970's, the only real remaining source of what would be considered "Real" material allowed today is the 10,000 year old extinct mammoth. If you ever come across real elephant ivory during today's collections, it must have been crafted before the time period of the ban or illegal elephant tusks. It is best to NEVER support any type of purchasing of today's real elephant tusks,if you have knowledge of it coming through illegal means. Make sure that you collection has only very old, but legal elephant tusks or the currently legal mammoth ivory.

The most common ivory of today are the older elephant tusks, the extinct mammoth , the sperm whale , the hornbill and the walrus ivory. There is also the hippopotamus teeth which is also very common, and maybe more than that of the others in some areas of the world, including the mammoth tusks. It is Hippopotamus ivory that is often commonly used for inlays, buttons or most any other flat surfaced items or upon most any flat surfaced area. It is walrus and the sperm whale ivory that is more commonly used in the makings of smaller objects of usage or artistically hand crafted collections of design. Highly popular in China, is the hornbill beak for making small brooches, buckles and other small wearable and collectible designs.

Even with so many choices it is the mammoth ivory that may be the most valuable due to it being the only one of two "Real" ivory originals, but also for the fact that mammoth tusk is unique within its self because of how many thousands of years old it is, and because of being directly from an extinct animal. Because of the mammoth being extinct so long ago, all though seemingly plentiful today, there will be a time when mammoth ivory will again be extinct in the another way. Even though the true number of mammoth still to be excavated is really unknown, there will be a time when there will be no more mammoth left to excavate for the makings of new mammoth tusk collectibles.

Top 10 Ways Musicians Can Get More Money From A Gig

You are an artist, it's true. But just because you're an artist doesn't mean you don't need to get paid. Money makes a lot of things possible, including time in a recording studio, new and better instruments, and paying your rent so you don't have to live in a cardboard box and burn your guitar for warmth. There's nothing wrong with making money from your shows, and if you're smart you'll try to optimize that earning power. You don't have to be a marketing genius or a public relations guru-just think outside the box and make the most of what you already have going for you.

1. Don't be afraid to ask for what you're worth.

Just because you want the gig doesn't mean you have to beg for it. If you've got experience performing, and you regularly draw a crowd, your venue stands to benefit as much-if not more-than you do from the show. So don't let them tell you that you're not worth paying as much as a "bigger name". It is also a good idea to go in and tell them exactly what you're doing to generate a buzz about the show. If they can see that you're working to get a crowd in, they'll be a lot more willing to pay you a good rate.

2. Don't run up a huge bar tab.

Take a lesson from the Blues Brothers. If you're buying your own drinks at the show, it's going to eat in to your bottom line. You don't want to end up owing them money for playing a show. A couple beers to keep you loose isn't a big deal, but when you start buying round after round of top shelf drinks you're going to rack up quite a bill. Not to mention that it's going to affect your performance. You might not think it's a problem...but then, neither does Amy Winehouse. Stay on top of your game while you're on stage. There's plenty of time to party after the show.

3. Sell T-shirts, bumper stickers and CDs at the show.

A small investment in your own marketing merchandise can help generate income. Make sure whatever you're selling is cool in design and functionality. You can't go wrong with T-shirts, as long as they don't look cheesy. Don't try to sell them for $40 each. You're not Pink Floyd (yet). The kids that are going to your show aren't loaded, but they'll gladly buy and wear your shirt around if it's affordable and looks good. That's free advertising. Stickers and other inexpensive items can also bring in some extra money. Remember, you're not trying to get rich off this stuff-just clear a little profit and get your name out there.

4. The Tip Jar

It never hurts to set it out there. And even if you only get a few bucks, it's a few bucks more than you had before. Make sure that you sincerely thank the audience for their tips before you close the show.

5. Generate a buzz to ensure a big crowd.

If you're getting part of the cover, you want to do everything in your power to get people in the door. That means going out and hitting the streets for weeks before the show, printing flyers and cards, asking friends and family to spread the word, and using your contacts to get people to the show. Even if there's no cover, the more people at your show, the more opportunity you have to sell your CD's and T-shirts and get tips. Don't leave it to chance-work hard to get people to the show and it'll pay off in more ways than one.

6. Make sure your venue will attract people who will like your music.

If you're an acoustic singer/songwriter, don't try to play at a club that is known for head banging. It sounds simple enough, but there's something to be said for playing up to the regulars that are used to going to the venue where you're playing. Go to a few shows at the same venue beforehand and hang out. See who's there and talk to some people about your upcoming show. People that are already at the venue are more likely to come back than people who've never been there before-even if they know who you are.

7. Look for different types of venues-not just the same old bar scene.

There are lots of places you can play to earn a few bucks. Big corporations often throw parties a couple times a year to celebrate holidays or sales performance. Schools have festivals and events. There are endless places where you can attract a crowd and sell your CD's. Think outside the box!

8. Make sure you have a website and blog-and a mailing list to remind people where they can see you!

This is such an important piece of getting recognition and money. Make sure people know how to find you online. Every piece of advertising or marketing you do should have your website address on it. Keep your site updated regularly and post information about upcoming shows. When your shows are over be sure to immediately post pictures and videos. Respond to inquiries from fans, prospective venues, and press. You can also sell MP3's of your songs or the entire CD on your website to generate income. There are literally endless possibilities, and with today's web tools, it is easier and easier for anyone to create and manage their own website. Most importantly, once you're on the web, people from all over the world can find you and hear your music. Think big, and make yourself available to an unlimited fan base.

9. Treat your booking professionally.

Make sure you keep track of phone numbers, dates, and venue contacts. This is going to ensure repeat bookings. Until you make it big and have yourself a real business manager, you're going to have to keep things organized. Some people are naturally good at this, and some people, well...aren't. Bare minimum, get a big calendar and scribble phone numbers and important dates and times on it to keep track. The more you treat your band like a business, the more money you're going to make.

10. Stick around after the show and work the room.

Don't just pack your stuff and high tail it out of the club when you're done playing. Unless it's closing time, spend a while chilling out with the crowd and talking to people. When you've finished your show, you've got a little bit of 'star quality' that comes from having been the center of attention for the duration of the show. When you take the time to walk around and thank people for coming, introduce yourself to people and tell them your CD is for sale, or hand them your card with your website on it, you are doing yourself an invaluable service. Try this for three shows in a row, and I guarantee you're going to see huge results.

World Of Warcraft Faster Leveling Tips

Here are some tips to help you in your quest to be the best Warcraft play yo ever do it. These quick tips should help you save time leveling, and getting better than the competition.

Work on your skills. Being a miner will help you find rocks and the being a skinner will help you skin animals. Grinding also helps you get gold cheap in world of Warcraft. If you are a higher level you will get some more gold in the end. You can also sell those items back at a auction house and make some gold!

After you make some gold, use can then use it to power level if you are a crafter. Strategy guides are invaluable if you plan on having an all night leveling session. So get out there, grab your mouse, fire up your copy of World of Warcraft and get ready to level up as fast as possible.

World of Warcraft is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the fourth game in the Warcraft series. Right now 10 million different orcs and elves make up the game's playing subscribers, it such a phenomenon. At any given time, up to 8 million players could be logged in to play.

World of Warcraft has is like the holy grail of computer gaming in some eyes. The game world is always intricate and full of tasks and quests. You may need some more help to complete tasks in the World of Warcraft tips so I want to remind you about the fact that the game is centered around playing style. There will be a time and a place for all the other guides and exploits. However, you can be resourceful by reading any of the tons of tips online, compiled by the best players around the world. These tips are sometimes complied into tips guides with the best collection of money tips, hints and advices for World of Warcraft gamers in them. Every player needs some help from others if they are going to survive the game.

In the end, World of Warcraft is a great adventure which can be played in several different ways. It is a MMORPG that will take you into the persistent state world of Azerorth. In simpler terms, it is the most advanced and popular game in the genre of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, or MMORPGs. This is a revolutionary online game. Like I said, there are around 10 million players in their gaming universe right now.

When they make changes to online games it is always a touchy subject among users, but, at the same time, subscribers do expect MMORPGs to evolve and grow. No doubt in Warcraft power leveling, and harvesting gold are very popular aspects of the game. These haven't changed much but more preventative measures are put in everyday to fight against rapid cheating and exploration of the game. However, if you are going to play a MMORPG today, I'd consider WOW.

How To Become A Good Guitarist

Want to become not just merely a good guitarist, but a great one, then you must master the guitar fret board. A guitar fret board is the flat section on the front of the neck of the guitar. You play guitar chords and select notes to play on the fret board. There are metal bars embedded across the board dividing it into several parts and these parts are called frets.

Yes, it may seem at first almost impossible, especially for the novice guitarist to know every single note on every single fret, however, if you want to be a great guitarist, it is critical to learn them all. It may be more difficult than learning the notes on the piano but with dogged determination, you can master all the notes and chords on the guitar fret board.

Some people suggest that you can practice the guitar mentally. Frederick Noad the author of "Solo Guitar Playing" suggest mental practice methods such as "Learning by Equivalent Notes", "Transfer of Position" and "Learning by Fret". You must keep memorizing the notes and positions until you know when to play the notes instinct even with eyes closed.

Position-to-note and note-to-position are also mental practice methods. This means that whenever you think of or see a position you must know exactly which notes are there. Similarly, whenever you see or think of a note, you must know exactly where to play it on the fret board.

You can also design yourself some memory games or download some that are available on the internet. These games usually use memory cards, which have on them either the fret numbers or the position, or both. You must look at each card and give the relevant information straight out from your memory.

For instance, if you pick up a card which says "Fret 3", you will have to say "G C F A# D G" out loud. Mnemonics are used for all sorts of learning include learning how to play the guitar. It is a very useful tool in helping you to master the guitar fret board.

Here is an example of Mnemonics - An Elephant was chasing an Ape with a Dog but tripped over a Gator out popped a Bird eating an Emu, helps you learn the open notes of fret 12 and 24. The capitalized letters in bold are the open notes. If you are witty enough, you could come up with your own mnemonics to make your learning the guitar fret board much more fun.

It is also critical to know your 'sharps' and 'flats' very well. C sharp and D flat is the same note, right? However, when you are playing away on your guitar, do you remember that? You must know how it is played, both ways, equally well. This will show that nothing can confuse you or make you hesitate while playing the guitar. This makes you an expert on the guitar fret board.

The guitar fret board has pearl markers strategically located which are embedded in the wood. Usually, these markers are laid in the exact same positions on every guitar. A standard guitar will have these markings on the third fret, the fifth and the ninth.

The twelfth fret has two markers because it is exactly one octave higher than the open string. The fifteenth fret again has a single marker. These markings are not only useful but important as well because they can guide you to find and play the right notes on the fret board more easily.

Mastering the guitar fret board is an extremely time consuming and tiring work. However, the effort is well worth it because once you mastered learning the guitar fret board because you will become an awesome guitarist. This is because most guitarists do not master the fret board and your guitar playing skills will be far ahead of them.

Motivate yourself by learning one fret a time and set a realistic time table when you will know every single note on the fret board. Simply mastering the guitar fret board will make you a much more proficient guitarist and who knows, you may one day become a good superstar guitarist.

Plan Out Your Own Stag Party And Surviving It!

Stag parties usually follow a very predictable pattern - guys get together to drink beer, go to strip clubs, drink more beer, and more importantly, to put the groom in the hot seat. This usually means requiring him to wear ridiculous outfits, making him drink more than he can really stomach, and then there's the part where the groom's loyalty to the bride is put to test.

While this may be the type of stag party you're familiar with, it isn't necessarily the only stag party there is. Believe it or not, you can have an organized stag party that can actually be fun for you. After all, it's your day, right?

Instead of having your best man plan out a party by himself, why not get involved in the preparations? This way you get to put in suggestions for activities you'd like to happen, and most important of all, you can make sure that there are no embarrassing surprises.

How Long Should a Stag Last?

An activity-based stag do can go on for as long as a whole weekend, or a quick one-nighter. For a weekend stag, you may want to organize fun activities that you and your buds like to do - like paint-balling, go-kart racing, war game competitions, or whatever interests you. If you want your stag to be a one-night stand, or a one-day stand event for that matter, why not think of other fun, outdoor activities that won't have to last longer than 24 hrs? But if you prefer to stay indoors, ask your best man to come up with fun activities that will keep everyone entertained.

Where Is the Best Place for the Event?

You can choose to have your party right in your own city, in another city, or even in another country! Deciding the location of the stag will be dependent upon the type of activity, the duration of the activity, and of course, your budget.

Looking for a place to spend your stag in your own locality won't be much of a problem. If you aren't so familiar with the area, all you have to do is ask around - dial a couple of phone numbers, or surf the web.

The same thing applies when you want to travel to another city. The only thing you'll have to consider is the transportation expenses, the event itself, and of course, the availability of your guests.

On the other hand, if you want to travel across the world for the ultimate stag party, you'll have all the above-mentioned things to worry about, plus a few thousand dollars more. You can try contacting companies that specialize in this area, tell them what you need, what you want, and then have them give you a quote. If it sounds practical and fair, then you'll have it easier. If not, you'll have to do the asking by yourself.

Anything Else?

Actually, before anything else, you'll have to make arrangements for the meals. A stag party is never a stag party without beer - and drinking on an empty stomach is not such a good idea. If you're hosting a modest party, why not ask a friend who can cook to help you out? If you're expecting at least 50 guests, hire a caterer!

And above all else, remember to have fun! But then again, be careful not to have too much fun, otherwise, you might end up missing out on your wedding!

The Life of Memphis Musician B.B. King

B.B. King is an American blues guitarist and was born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925. His name is the most recognizable in the blues genre and he is arguably one of the most respected and admired blues guitarists of all time. He began his career as a Memphis musician in Tennessee in 1946.

B.B. King only worked as a Memphis musician for a few months and after struggling to make it he returned to Mississippi. King decided that it would be easier to go back to Mississippi and spend a few years getting prepared for the scene as a Memphis musician because he had learned quickly that it was much different then what he was used to. It did not take too long for him though because he ended up returning to Memphis only two years later. His very first job as a working Memphis musician was at the R&B local radio station WDIA as a singer. By 1949, he had begun to record songs for the RPM Records label that was based out of Los Angeles. B.B. King recorded most of his early songs with producer Sam Phillips who later became the founder of Sun Records. As a Memphis musician, King had a myriad of jobs in the area and one of them was working as a disc jockey which is where he got his nickname Beale Street Blues Boy. This nickname was later shortened to B.B. and is still what he goes by today.

Throughout the 1950s, B.B. King became on of the most important names in all of R&B music with hits like You Know I Love You, Woke Up This Morning, Please Love me, When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer, Whole Lotta Love, You Upset Me Baby, Every Day I Have the Blues, Bad Luck, Ten Long Years and Sweet Little Angel. By 1962, King was very popular and landed a music contract with ABC Paramount Records which later became part of MCA Records. Now, he works on his current label, Geffen Records, which is what became of MCA Records.

B.B. King has a lot of success outside of the blues market as well, but it was definitely his time working as a Memphis musician that claimed him his fame. This popularity was what allowed King to go into the mainstream parts of the music scene in the 1980s all the way through to today.