Rock music separates itself into broad categories to help fans find their way. One group forced the rock establishment to invent a new category: symphonic/gothic rock.

When listening to the rock group Nightwish, the most striking initial characteristic is the operatic quality of the lead, female vocals. Readers may react that women have been in the world of rock since its inception and that a few have been frontliners: Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, and Pat Benatar come to mind.
Yet Nightwish stands out not only for feminine vocal talent in a male-oriented rock strata, but for the passion and hauntingly theatrical qualities of their music. Of Finnish origin, they have delighted audiences and fans around the world for well over a decade.
A Brief History of Nightwish
According to the Nightwish band biography, the “idea” for the group was born around midnight at a campfire in July of 1996. The first three members were Tuomas and Emppu, who played acoustic guitars, and Tarja, who sang. They considered their new sound “mood music,” and soon wondered how it would sound if drums were added. This brought a fourth member to the group, Jukka.
Shortly after the addition of drums, the group also switched to electric guitars. Initially, they enjoyed success in their native Finland, with one of their singles reaching number eight on the musical charts there, but early concert tours were rare. Jukka and Emppu were in the army and Tarja was busy with her school studies.
By the late 1990’s and early 2000’s they ironed out most of those conflicts and began to record and tour extensively. The CD’s Wishmaster and Century’s Child brought the group prominence in Europe, and by August of 2004 they finally made it to the United States to the delight of their new fans on this continent.
Focus on Tarja Turunen
The resume of the original lead singer of Nightwish reads more like the list of accomplishments for an operatic soprano than a heavy metal rock and roll singer. While Nightwish was in its beginning stages, Tarja also sang for the Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir, where she sang Wagner, Verdi, and other classical composers.
Onstage and off, Tarja possessed astounding beauty and charisma, which complemented her angelic singing voice. Her picture illustrated magazines around the world and her stunning theatrical talents lit up video screens for the Nightwish songs “Nemo” and “I wish I had an Angel.” From 2000 to 2004 Ms. Turunen managed not only to tour with Nightwish but to continue her musical studies and perform classical opera for ballets and stunningly beautiful a capella solos for Christmas concerts.
One of the best examples of the power of both the band and its Junoesque lead singer was the Nightwish peformance of “The Phantom of the Opera” from 2002. Late in 2003, Tarja started to distance herself from the band and aim for a solo career. By early 2005, her Nightwish band mates wistfully dismissed her.
Nightwish from 2005 to the Present
The search for a new lead singer led Nightwish to listen to thousands of tapes from singers around the world. By early 2007, they found Anette Olzon, a singer with a similar style to Tarja, and promptly released two new videos and a new CD: Dark Passion Play.With their new singer leading the way, Nightwish toured extensively in late 2007 and into the first half of 2008. Ms. Olzon braved the great expectation and inevitable comparisons and put aside her nervousness, performing admirably. A Nightwish concert review from May, 2008 describes how American fans received her.
While the band has been on hiatus at the time of this article, early 2010, their music and epic videos remain wildly popular and easily accessible on music download and P2P sites. The video “Amaranth” features a story about villagers rescuing an injured angel, intercut with studio footage from the band and gloriously showcases their unique style.

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On The Resistance, their fifth studio album, Muse have created a difficult collection of songs which may take casual listeners time to digest.

Casting off the Oasis and Radiohead comparisons that have plagued them for most of their career, the band’s dense follow up to 2006’s Black Holes and Revelations hangs off intense ideas of corruption, the end of the world and difficult love.
Releasing an album in 2009 is risky business; in a singles-dominated music scene, releasing an album with a theme threading through 11 songs is even more risky.
But Muse do just that and more with The Resistance, an album that changes musical style with each track, skimming through 70’s glam rock, 80’s hair metal, 90’s Britpop and cumulating the experiment with a three part symphony in just under an hour.
United States of Eurasia (Collateral Damage)
Song structures and musical styles fluctuate to the extreme on The Resistance from the Queen influenced “United States of Eurasia (Collateral Damage)”, a track built around an imaginary opera concerning the emergence of a new world dominance, to the pure pop leanings of “Undisclosed Desires” a song dealing with secrets shared between lovers.
The album opens with the full blown rock chant “Uprising” a glam rock mantra influenced by 80’s synths and riots with a throwback to Queen’s “We Are The Champions”. The rebellious lyrics “They will not force us / They will stop degrading us / They cannot control us / We will be victorious” directed towards world leaders, sound off a general mistrust in bankers, global corporations and politicians.
Fully embracing their pop leanings, “Undisclosed Desires” explodes with layers of synths and a wobbling baseline to full effect. This could be Muse’s most straight forward song ever. Creating the sound the Killers hoped to master on 2008’s Day & Age, which blends rock, electronics and pop, it doesn’t summarise the album’s sound and what it attempts to achieve, but deserves to become Muse’s biggest single to date.

Uprising Resistance
From the straightforward rock/ pop of the opening tracks, the album skews towards varied musical styles as the album plays out. After a brief stint in rock/ pop land, Muse switch gears once more on the epic “Guiding Light”.
Muse swing back to 90’s lo-fi garage rock on “Unnatural Selection”, as if further proof of this album’s toughness were needed. Yet, at the same time, despite their varied sound and structure, all the songs stitch together in a coherent stream, proving the simple genius of this band.
Tucked away at the back of the album, Muse serve up another stand-out track. “I Belong to You”, also featured on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack New Moon, before going into the distant past with their three-part symphony complete with overture.
Muse – The Resistance
Divided and dissected, The Resistance makes no sense. This isn’t a singles album but rather one made in the traditional sense with a beginning, middle and end and deserves to be listened to in that order.
If aliens came to earth and asked someone to hand them an album of evolving musical styles since the beginning of recorded music, Muse’s The Resistance would serve as a fine place to start. Bridging symphonies, 70’s Rock Opera, 90’s Brit Pop and electro-charged rock/ pop, Muse has most bases covered.
The Resistance will not please everyone, but those brave enough to embrace this album have lots to keep them happy on the trip.

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Amidst an ongoing “World Magnetic Tour,” Metallica played back-to-back nights to sold out crowds at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

For nearly twenty years fans were left scratching their heads – their once beloved thrash-metal pioneers were going soft, or so it seemed. Fast-forward a decade to the release of “Some Kind of Monster,” internal conflict and clashing artistic visions threatened to separate one of musics all-time largest acts once and for all.
Just when things were looking irreparable and utterly bleak, redemption came in the shape of a roughly 5 in. x 5 in. case: Death Magnetic was released to a combination of critical acclaim and a resounding sigh of relief from one enormous fan base. Following the release of the album, Metallica went on an extensive tour that began in early 2008 and will go well into 2010, stopping to play New York’s famous Madison Square Garden two nights in a row to sold out crowds.
Opening Acts
All the way from Copenhagen, Denmark, Volbeat joined Metallica on tour to play a fusion of rockabilly, hard-rock, and heavy metal. Next up were Lamb of God, the face of a new wave of heavy metal that came with the early 90’s. Both bands sounded great, and were a good fit for the many different types of music Metallica have experimented with throughout their career.
Metallica Fights Fire with Pyrotechnics
If you have ever been to a Metallica show, you know the drill by now. Loud music, enormous fires, a dazzling laser show – everything bigger, louder, and faster. The band took the stage to their signature intro, “Ecstasy of Gold” from the 1966 film “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” a tribute to the ethos of the stoic anti-hero portrayed by Clint Eastwood.
Dressed mostly in black, James, Krik, Lars, and Robert took the stage under the cover of dark, meanwhile the palpitating heart intro of Death Magnetic’s opening track “That Was Just Your Life” permeated the arena. Then the guitars came crashing in with laser-like speed and intensity accompanied by an explosive light show. During their fan-favorite “One” band members navigated between enormous explosions of fire that shot up from the stage.
Metallica November 14th Madison Square Garden Setlist
1. That Was Just Your Life
2. The End of the Line
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls
4. Holier Than Thou
5. One
6. Broken, Beat and Scarred
7. Cyanide
8. Sad But True
9. Turn the Page (Bob Seger cover)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master of Puppets
13. Fight Fire With Fire
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
Encore
1. Helpless (Diamond Head cover)
2. Whiplash
3. Seek and Destroy
Madison Square Garden Review
The band sounded fantastic, and they always put on an energetic and lengthy show. During their final track enormous black beach balls with the words “Metallica Death Magnetic” printed on them are released into the audience, giving the moment a true rock show feeling.
However, for fans who have seen the band before there has been very little variation between setlists and antics during this tour. Kirk and Trujilo did interlude solos at the same moments, Hetfield said nearly all the same things. The set list for this particular show was even a little weaker than others; the band neglected many of the fan-favorites like “Fade to Black,” “Creeping Death,” and “Battery.”
The highlight of the night was the often unsung gem from their second album, “Fight Fire With Fire” which had Hetfield barking like it was 1984 again. Otherwise, Metallica puts on one of the biggest and most professional and competent live shows out there.

This is an interview with Mamane Barka, the last master of the Biram, a traditional African instrument in Niger.

In a world where entire animal species and ethnic tribes can be lost, it should come as no surprise that musical instruments too, can become extinct.
Standing firm against the disappearance of the ancient African instrument the Biram, is the musician Mamane Barka- the last master of the Biram.
There is an urgency in Barka’s voice as he strives to fulfill his ambition to keep the Biram going, amidst ever changing musical tastes and the nonchalance of the political elite in his native Niger.
He said: “Culture is disappearing. I can’t believe that in a country like mine, where you can get a lot of important traditional instruments, these instruments are allowed to disappear. The old periods are dying and there is no one who can continue – that is not good.”
He added: “I may be only one person, but I can do something that another man can continue after me.”
Barka spoke to Suite 101 about how he learnt to play the Biram and his efforts to secure the instrument’s continued legacy.
Learning a Sacred Traditional Instrument
Barka’s journey to becoming the last surviving player of the Biram is as fascinating as the music that he conjures from the instrument.
The Biram is a sacred, traditional instrument used by the small Boudouma tribe in Eastern Niger. Traditional fishing nomads, they live on the border of lake Chad.
A 5 stringed instrument somewhat similar to a harp, the Biram is played only by initiatied masters within the Boudouma tribe. In the Boudouma language, Biram means ‘family’ and the 5 strings represent the father, mother, and three children. The instrument is sacred to the Boudouma people and evokes images of their nomadic, peaceful life.
But Barka is not from the Boudouma tribe. He hails from the similarly nomadic Toubou tribe and only discovered the Biram in 1998 as part of ethnomusicological research he was conducting with academics.
He explained: “In 1998 I went with a professor of music to do research on music from different tribes in my country. When we met the man who became my master (Boukar Tar), he was crying. He said he was not happy because there was no one who played the Biram now. He played a song called Bulanga, which is a song he did for his friends and other masters of the Biram who died. ‘Now’, he said, ‘I am alone’. ‘What will be the future of the Biram?’ He cried in front of us. The professor told me: ‘Barka, the Biram is a very important instrument for your country and you shouldn’t let it die. You must go back and ask him to teach it to you’, and I agreed.”
Becoming the Last Master
However it wasn’t until 2002 that Barka was able to return to the coast to find the old master. Difficulties in identifying financial support delayed his dreams, but it was a UNESCO scholarship that finally gave him the opportunity to return to the tribe.
The 51 year old Barka explained: “When I went back to the village in 2002, the old master looked at me in surprise. When I told him that I had come to be his student, he was very pleased.”
After many rituals of purification the old master agreed to educate Barka in the holy instrument and the lyrics of the mystical songs.
Barka’s timing was just right as his master died the following year.
Armed with his master’s 47 year old Biram given to him as a gift, Barka is now truly the last master of the Biram in the world and considers it his duty to teach others about the instrument.
Most of the songs he performs are traditional Boudouma songs that talk about the life of the ancestors, the spirits and animals; the beauty of the water in the lake, the beauty of the desert, and the braveness of the warriors. He sings in the Boudouma language as well as in Haussa, Toubou and Kanuri, all different languages of Niger.
Teaching Traditional Music
Barka bemoaned the loss of interest in the instrument amongst young people in his home country.
“The population doesn’t want the Biram now,” he said.
“The young people don’t want it. They don’t want traditional music- not just the Biram but all traditional music. My country is full of important and very good music but the young people want rap music, or to learn the guitar or the piano or the saxophone. I am only doing this now, going around the world with the Biram, to get the youths to love the culture.”
Thankfully, the future for the Biram looks bright. Barka has three keen students– all anxious to get their own instrument soon.
“They want their own instruments,” he explained.
“I tell them one day I will get some money so that everyone can get his own Biram. I don’t want to be like my master- if I die there is no one anywhere with a Biram. My master gave me his own Biram; the one that his father gave to him- he had it for 47 years. It is very old and I am scared to leave it in my house with my two wives and nine children!”
Prior to learning the Biram, Barka was a well known musician in Niger, famous for popular music.
His devotion to the Biram now has taken him around the world and he hopes that his recent UK tour in November 2009, will continue to raise the profile of this beautiful instrument.
“The Biram is not a sacred instrument to me as it was to my master,” he said.
“Its music and melodies and the words are sacred, but it is a universal instrument. It is an instrument that everyone can learn to play without doing the purification rituals. You come to see me and I will teach you how to play the Biram.”

Research has shown how good sight-readers are successful, but how should we be teaching these skills to music students?

Sight-reading seems to be something that private lesson teachers just assume that a student is practicing on his or her own. Realistically, many students are not practicing sight-reading on their own and most probably don’t know how unless it is explained to them. Also, sight-reading is a skill that takes practice to become good at. Teachers should monitor their students’ sight-reading progress carefully, just like other skills taught in lessons.
A teacher can teach their student good sight-reading habits by isolating skills and teaching them to students, just like other concepts taught in a lesson. Research has isolated certain habits of good sight-readers, so teaching those ideas in a lesson setting should prove beneficial. These habits are scanning the music before playing, knowing common patterns in music, reading rhythms accurately, and practicing well.
Scanning the Music Before and Reading
The best sight-readers note the time signature and key signature before playing. It seems simple, but research shows that when the music is covered up after a student has started, many students don’t remember what key they’re in. By establishing the importance of the key signature, the student can make a step toward good sight-reading skills.
Knowing Common Patterns in Music
This skill comes with hour of scales, arpeggios, and exercises. Spending lesson time on these skills at any level beyond beginners can be a waste of lesson time. However, to recognize common patterns in music, a student must also know how to scan ahead enough in the music to find the patterns. Many students are not aware of their peripheral vision.
They can be taught how they can use their peripheral vision to scan ahead in music to find recognizable patterns. While doing this, the teacher can encourage the student to try to take in larger and larger “chunks” of information.

Reading Rhythms Accurately
The brain takes in sight-reading information incredibly quickly when it recognizes something familiar, and slowly when it doesn’t. By taking time to go over difficult rhythms in a lesson when they come up in an exercise or solo, the student has a much better chance of recognizing it next time.
Practicing Well
Students often don’t know how to practice properly. By talking about what a student should be doing during personal practice time, that student can learn good habits that will make practice time much more profitable.
Practicing scales, arpeggios and challenging rhythmical etudes at home are some ways students can improve their sight-reading skills at home. To make sure that the student is progressing, a teacher should make sure in the lessons that the student is practicing these skills at home.
Consistently teaching sight-reading practice in the right environment should yield a highly efficient sight-reader, and a student who can have more fun playing music.
Sources
MacKnight, Carol B. “Music Reading Ability of Beginning Wind Instrumentalists after
Melodic Instruction. Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Spring, 1975), pp. 23-34.
McPherson, Gary E. “Factors and Abilities Influencing Sight-reading Skill in Music.”
Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 42, No. 3 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 217-

Finding a well-made, quality instrument for a new band student can be intimidating for parents, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few tips, it can become simple.

For most parents, starting a child in a school band program can be a confusing time. Parents are exposed to a whole new world of instrument and musical terms that many times are totally unfamiliar. Parents want the best for their child, but don’t want to pay a huge amount of money for an instrument in case their child doesn’t stay with the band program.
There are ways to buy good instruments at reasonable prices. With a few tips, unmusical parents can buy a quality instrument for a good price.
Become Familiar with Good Brands
Before shopping, look up some well-known local or online music instrument stores to become familiar with good brands. Woodwind Brasswind and Musician’s Friend are both very large and respected instrument stores that sell student models.
Most stores will have a section for the student model of the instrument that the child needs. Write down those brands and model numbers to become a more informed consumer.
Look Locally…
After looking around and writing down recognizable brands and models, start looking locally and online. Check area music stores for used instruments first. Most music stores will only stock well-made working instruments, so they are pretty free of junk instruments. Craigslist also can have some quality used instruments, but be cautious, because some people will be trying to get rid of off-brand copies.

…Then Try Online Musical Instrument Stores
If searching locally isn’t working, try looking online. There are some better deals online, but the shipping costs can sometimes negate those savings. Make sure to add everything up before clicking “buy.”
There are many more scams online on large-scale second-hand sales sites like ebay. Make sure to come armed with that list of what is good so that it’s easier to sift through the junk. Don’t be tempted by the other brands. If an unfamiliar instrument breaks, repair services usually can’t fix them because the parts aren’t available. Also, many of these off-brands brass instruments are made from sub-standard metals that can warp soon after purchase.
While shopping online look for these warning signs:
· No brand name on the instrument description
· Bids starting at 99 cents or an unusually low price
· Sellers based in India or China marketing almost exclusively to Americans
Check with Someone Before Buying
The school band director has seen it all when it comes to instrument purchasing mistakes. Before buying an instrument, check with him or her. Most band directors will be happy to help a parent approve an instrument. However, band directors do have many students, so don’t expect him or her to help with shopping.
Selecting a band instrument for a beginner can seem like a big, confusing task. With a few tips and some common sense, it can be easy and rewarding to start a child off on a new music-learning experience.