First up for the X factor top 7 performance show was Josh. Let me just say it looked uncomfortable from the get go. Josh was completely out of his element in this genre. His song choice was suspect and I wouldn’t have chosen that song. The whole stage show was over produced and didn’t add to who Josh really is. Nicole missed this one by a long shot. I can only think that part of Josh’s uncomfortableness was due to him being forced in to doing this song, this arrangement and with all the choreography going on. Afterwards, you could see it on his face that he was more than unhappy with the whole thing. I have to admit. This was probably one of his weakest performances. I’m actually a fan of his but tonight I wasn’t feeling it from. I have to see the other performances but he may be in trouble.

Well, Astro knocked it out of the park for the X factor top 7 performance show. If he keeps his head straight he may just make it to the top 3. Not sure if he can win it as I am not so sure America will allow him to win. His rap tonight was way on point and, for the first time in some time, he was in the pocket with his cadence. Another upside is that he looked like he was having a really good time and I believe America will pick up on that. I’ll also admit that he is really original with his rhymes. He’s really a prolific writer and I continue to be impressed with him. Great hook on the tune. When hearing the judges feed back he is finally dropping some “Thank You’s” as well. Good to see him be a little more respectful of his opportunity on the Xfactor. Could be the highlight of the X factor Top 7 performance show thus far. X Factor Top 7 Performance Show – the first girl….

The first of the girls for the X factor top 7 performance show was Drew. She’s got that “it” thing about her. She’s admitted she’s been a little uncomfortable in her own skin and I think that resonates with a lot of people, including me when I was getting started in the music business. And, you don’t need need to be in the music business to get that. Everyone can relate to that. A truly great rendition of the song. I believe someone on Idol did a version like this a few years ago and I think I coached and produced the vocal for his version. His name was David Cook. I was knocked out when he did his version and Drew hit it out of the park as well. His version was with an acoustic while hers was on piano. She looked vulnerable and sincere in her performance and it was really a stand out performance from her. Them bagging on her about not getting up from the chair was petty. She did exactly what she should have done. While Astro was my favorite of the night up to this point I now have a new favorite for the X factor top 7 performance show and her name is Drew! Nice job Drew.

The next girl up for the X Factor Top 7 Performance Show was our girl Rachel Crow. This girl is going to be a big star but I just don’t think she is ready for it yet. Her vocal was pitchy tonight and she just wasn’t reaching for and hitting the notes the way she should have and can do. And, she looked a bit uncomfortable with the performance and the song choice. She would have been better off choosing an old school Jackson 5 song. That is, if they could do J5 songs tonight. I’m not sure. She’s not improving or getting worse. She’s just flying under the radar, staying off the “suck radar” and getting by on the “cute factor” with some vocal talent. There are a lot of those every year on Idol and being that person isn’t such a bad idea. You can read about those in my book “My Idol Time”. Tonight for the X Factor Top 7 Performance Show she didn’t give us anything stellar. X Factor Top 7 Performance Show – the next boy…

I like Marcus. He seems like a genuinely nice character and has got that little bit of something that is appealing. THIS was the perfect genre for him tonight. Nice arrangement on the song, almost the right key (I would have bumped it up a half step higher to push him a little bit and get his tone right on the edge) and an overall really good performance from him. He’s right at home with MJ songs. However, his vocal performance wasn’t great and that is what he needs at this point of the competition. He looks like he had a good time on the X Factor Top 7 Performance Show but I wasn’t blown away. He needs to “go for it” a little more in his vocals. I’m not sure why these coaches on X factor aren’t figuring out the right song keys for these contestants. The keys they choose are always just about a half step off from where each contestant should be singing. It just seems natural for me to find that key first then get them working on the song. Looks like they could use some help behind the scenes…..

Chris Rene’ was up next. First off, did he fix his teeth? Looks like he had some dental work since last week. Anyhoo, his vocal started out a little rough. Pitchy. Song was, once again, about a half step off from his comfort zone on the bottom end. 1/2 step higher would have been best for him. When he broke it down it he was really connecting with the audience but that was about it. The ending was bad too. Not the best I’ve seen him do. Chris is a cool cat. I actually dig him and am rooting for him in a big way. He just needs a bit more vocal work and, considering that he has made it this far to the X Factor Top 7 Performance Show, I think he should have improved more by now.

Melanie was last and she looked great. The curly hair suits her better. Enough of that horse crap though. Her vocals for the most part spot on. But, for me, even if a singer is a little bit off, as long as they are going for it, I don’t care too much. But, it can’t be horribly off. She just barely missed a couple notes and didn’t reach high enough for them. She was great tonight. Probably the best of the night in my opinion. She’ got it going on and should be okay for next week…

My highlights of the X Factor Top 7 Performance Show night were Drew and Melanie. The weakest of the night were Josh and Chris….Well, who do you think is going home tomorrow night?

Dennis Duncan is a vocal coach and singer. Find more info on this summers 2012 American Idol auditions , then visit www.myidoltime.com to find the best advice on how to audition for American Idol .

Parents want to allow their children to do enjoyable and educational activities, but these have to be based on the observation of their natural inclinations. It is rather inappropriate to sign a little girl who ballets all day long for karate lessons. It is just as inappropriate to sign a three year old for piano lessons, if we try to be realistic and admit that however amazing our children may be they are not all geniuses.

When you think about guitar lessons then you must realize that this instrument is very attractive. If you worry about the popularity of your child these lessons will solve the problem. Both students and teachers like to have someone singing around the campfire when the class goes camping. People tend to join them either singing or listening to their songs. For a self-esteem boost, guitar lessons are a great step.

Despite this fact your child must first of all enjoy this activity. Usually those persons who strike you as being rather shy or too calm, find a good way to express themselves through a musical instrument. No matter the musical preferences of your kid the guitar is present in blues, pop or rock music so it can easily adapt to his personality.

When it comes to the age of starting guitar lessons, there is a certain age interval when a child is able to do that. Between the ages five to nine children are more aware of themselves, are more disciplined and therefore can learn easier. Every child has her own rhythm of acquiring a new skill and as long as the child likes this activity it is worth continuing.

Some children are easily discouraged by the theoretical part. Your job as a parent is to be able to point out the fact that all the details which are learnt now are the right way towards using effectively the guitar effects pedals.

You can surely improve the overall quality of your music, if you use the guitar effects pedals from Sounds Great Music.

There is one aspect of guitar playing that can be quite elusive, even for professional guitarists It can even become an obsession for those who can never seem to find it. This crucial and pivotal aspect of playing the guitar is the tone. Every individual who is serious about the guitar who strives to master the instrument understands that playing guitar is not simply about skill, but about playing that sounds good.

Trying to discover the perfect tone is like searching for the Holy Grail. You’re not sure if it exists, but there are a lot of myths and stories that seem to offer clues about where it can be found. There are a lot of myths about how one can achieve the perfect tone and sound from their guitar, and just about all of them are false.

One popular myth about achieving great guitar tones is that you have to have a certain type of pickup. While certain brands and types of pickups can improve the quality of your overdrive tones and give you some nice bottom end and some sweet highs, these pickups still won’t give you great tone. There are a lot of individuals who think that getting a new set of humbuckler pickups will solve their tone issues and that immediately they’ll begin playing like Eric Clapton! These individuals drop a lot of money to get these pickups put into their guitar, only to plug in and find that the sound they’re looking for still isn’t there.

Another popular myth about guitar tone is that you have to have a Marshall half stack in order to get professional, warm sounding tones. A lot of individuals get duped into thinking that if they buy the most expensive amplifiers from the biggest brand names it will automatically give them professional quality tones. While it is true that top notch equipment can really help you to fine tune your sound and help you expand your creativity, it’s still not going to make you sound like a professional, and it’s still not going to give you the sound quality you’re going for.

The only way to truly achieve professional sounding guitar tones is to focus on your playing abilities. As they say, the tone is in your fingers! You can have all the best selling, top of the line equipment there is and still sound like an amateur. In order to develop a great sound and a nice tone, you have to perfect your skills. The reason some of rock music’s greatest guitarists sound so good is because they are good. If you want great sound, focus on how you play and on mastering your instrument and that will take you down the path to achieving great sound.

Find out how guitar backing tracks will improve your guitar playing skills. Jam anytime anywhere with Professional guitar jam tracks

Solid State amps, as mentioned above are made of transistors, instead of tubes. Also unlike the tube amp, solid state rarely, if ever need replacing or repair, hence the name solid state. Solid states are pretty much a safe bet if you are just starting out, because initially you will want an amp that has a clean sound.

For those who are into high tech, there are the digital or modeling amps. Basically these amplifiers use digital processors and they imitate the sound of tube amplifiers by the use of software designed to duplicate the sound. The advantage of these amps is that they have different programs for different sounds, so you can alter it for whatever style you want to change to.

Hybrid amps, as the name suggests, use the parts of other amps to make one single amp. For instance, tubes can be combined with solid state, or analog. You can have an amp called a valvestate that use tubes in the pre-amp section and solid-state technology drives the power section.

Then there is the combination, or combo amps and they combine both the amplifier and the speaker into one unit, or you can do a combo of amplifier and speaker in different ways for a different sound, and easier portability. Amps that are purely for practice are normally solid state or a combo and generally have a lower power output.

For a decent amplifier, the wood should be half an inch thick at least so that it can take the vibration and that is an important thing to know when shopping for a good amp. When you are looking for an amp, also consider the speaker size, as it will matter what purpose you want to apply it to. Ten-inch speakers at thirty watts are ideal for practice and for a small crowd twelve inch at fifty watts is ideal ? large crowds need at least one hundred watts.

So, when you?re shopping for an amplifier, make an educated choice using this information as a guideline. Type of amplifier, speaker size and wattage and different built-in distortion effects are all crucial, as well as telling the sales rep what purpose you want it for ? they?re always happy to help. Make sure to tell them what price range you want to stay within as this narrows down the choices and find out what the return policies are.

E Walker is contributes regular to guitar publications worldwide. He is the founder of Planet of Rock. See how guitar backing tracks makes guitar practice more enjoyable! Jam to over 1000 professional tracks including 100s of backing tracks

The most important part of playing the lead guitar is playing it well and using the several techniques to your advantage without going out of tune. Such guitar techniques come into picture only in the advanced stages.

The tremolo or the whammy bar as many call it is a useful tool when it comes to lead guitar techniques and can bring out a distorted, sometimes melodic sound that is common in hard rock or heavy metal bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Dreamtheater. Some of the other lead guitar techniques include doing the slide and string bending.

Slides

Playing slide style guitar is great fun, and opens up a new world of sound and tones that you cannot get with fingers only approach. There is no end to the different types of slides and materials you can use to make slides. When doing the slide on a lead guitar, you need to take care of an aspect, which is raising the strings of your guitar a little higher of the neck. You can always use an extension nut for this purpose. For sliding you can use your hand or another instrument called the slide. When you press the slide against your guitar strings, the pitch of the strings change and you can even vary the pitch to an extent by moving your slide upwards or downwards on the guitar neck. Slide is a lead guitar technique that is also known as the bottleneck guitar. It is an effective technique because it helps you to create pitch transitions continuously on your lead guitar.

String Bending

String bending also known as radial pitch-shifting is an important technique of playing the lead guitar. String bends are an important part of your overall playing ability. This technique is great for allowing feel and emotion to come out in your playing. The two important aspects of string bending are: finger strength and ear training. To create string bending, you have to move the string that has been held down in a particular direction, which is normally perpendicular to the axis and is always parallel to your fingerboard. This is a type of pitch-shifting that is most often used by in a rock or heavy metal band. String bending is most commonly used with other distortion techniques for making the lead guitar playing sound smoothly and melodic. It is limited to not more than 1 or 2 semi-tones but you will get to use even 3 semitones once you are highly skilled. Instances of 5-semitones can also be seen especially when you hear the guitar solo played by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) in Another Brick In the Wall Pt.2 from the album “The Wall.” The biggest secret I learned about bending notes is that you MUST use supporting fingers!

Tremolo Picking

Tremolo picking is when you play one note rapidly. It’s basically alternate picking, but usually faster. When you need to play some fast phrases on your lead guitar, you can use tremolo picking. With the help of tremolo picking, you will be able to play a particular note multiple times in quick succession. It is also known as double picking and you can do it with your finger or with your pick. The main reason for using tremolo picking in lead guitar is because it adds more sustenance to melodic lines.

E Walker is contributes regular to guitar publications worldwide. He is the founder of Planet of Rock. See how guitar backing tracks makes guitar practice more enjoyable! Jam to over 1000 professional tracks including 100s of backing tracks