Purchase "The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years" from World Wide Jazz

Herbie Hancock has earned the respect and praise from critics and fans. His revolutionary musical ideas has transformed the landscape of jazz and music. He is truly one of the greatest jazz musicians to have ever lived. His numerous awards include an Academy Award for his original soundtrack for the1986 film Round Midnight. Hancock’s albums such as Empyrean Isles and Inventions and Dimensions gave him even more acclaim. In The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years, its nine tracks bring a satisfying set of Hancock’s brilliance and genius.

You can get Herbie Hancock's The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years from the Jazz CD selection of World Wide Jazz at: World Wide Jazz CD Collection

You should also read the World Wide Jazz CD Review of The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years at: The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years CD Review

Richard Henry
worldwidejazz@yahoo.com
http://www.worldwide-jazz-online.com/

WORLDWIDE JAZZ AND HIP HOP KNIGHTS WEBSITES LAUNCH WITH HUGE GOAL

(Houston, TX) -- Pianist Richard Henry has just launched World Wide Jazz and Hip Hop Knights which are websites geared towards providing content for listeners of jazz and hip hop. Both websites will offer merchandise, exclusive content and forums. The Hip Hop site however will offer a hip hop writing service.

Logo branded merchandise will be offered showing the companies’ logos in which fans can show their affiliation. Merchandise such as hoodies, t-shirts, caps, mugs and binders will be offered as well as other items.

“My background in music has made both of these websites possible as I expect to continually learn more to help me sustain these businesses,” said Henry. “Learning how to play jazz piano and rap has allowed me to pursue this vision.”

Exclusive content will be offered on the websites that will feature written articles at $3.95 per month. Forums will also be provided to allow fans of jazz and hip hop to share ideas and discuss topics.

Richard Henry graduated from the University of Houston in 2005, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Piano Performance. In 2007 he studied jazz and blues piano at Houston Community College and learned how to rap in 2009. He also studied jazz composition and wants to release jazz and hip hop cds in the future.

The Hip Hop Knight's website will have a hip hop writing service that will gather information from clients and write songs for them. Hip Hop Lessons will also be available for purchase on the website.

Those who want to advertise on the websites will be required to submit a photo, a press release and album information if applicable.

Both websites will also have a twitter, myspace, facebook, blogger and youtube pages to increase its audience and influence. World Wide Jazz and Hip Hop Knights wants to take advantage of different avenues to be known around the world.

"Through my experience as a musician and performer, I want to use my knowledge and abilities to reach others and to make an impact in jazz and hip hop. I feel that now I am ready to take on the responsibility to draw upon resources to help me achieve this,” said Henry.

Richard Henry will cover the industries, artists, albums, controversies and news of jazz and hip hop.

This is an excellent opportunity to provide more channels for people who listen to jazz and hip hop. Richard Henry wants the websites to continue to grow, flourish and will work hard to make this possible.

For further information, contact Richard Henry at:

http://www.hiphopknights.com/
http://www.worldwide-jazz-online.com/
knightsofhiphop@yahoo.com
worldwidejazz@yahoo.com

WORLD WIDE JAZZ SEEKS TO UNITE JAZZ FANS

(Houston, TX) -- 27 year old pianist Richard Henry has just launched World Wide Jazz which is a jazz website created for fans and listeners of jazz. This website will feature articles, news, interviews, a forum, cd reviews and merchandise. Those who are interested can also advertise on the website.

Jazz listeners who visit the site will be able to purchase World Wide Jazz merchandise such as t-shirts, hoodies and caps. There will also be jazz cds, dvds and books to buy. Newsletters will be sent to those who subscribe. A forum will also allow users to post and create threads.

Richard Henry began playing classical piano at age 5 and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. He also studied jazz and blues piano at Houston Community College in 2007.

"I learned so much when I studied jazz. It's a very complex musical art form and all musicians should study the genre as one needs to have much knowledge to become good at jazz," says Henry.

Henry’s experience in the world of classical and jazz music has helped him develop ideas for this website.

"I want to provide material that is relevant and full of interesting content for my members which will cause me to research jazz and learn more myself," said Henry. The articles will cover a number of topics and look at jazz at different angles. He also has plans to bring in other writers in the near future.

A forum will be necessary to allow for members to share ideas, post their performances, converse with other jazz musicians and possibly talk to music professors. The forum will serve as the heartbeat of the website.

Members will also be given a chance to show and display their affiliation by purchasing World Wide Jazz merchandise, which will have its logo shown on items such as shirts, mugs and caps. Other items will also be available in the form of merchandise. Prices will vary depending on the item.

Interviews of professional jazz musicians will be available through the exclusive page so that members can see more in depth into the lives and musical world of jazz artists. World Wide Jazz wants to interview jazz musicians around the country asking a variety of interesting questions to those who are experts in their fields.

World Wide Jazz will accept press releases from those who are involved in the jazz business as well and will be displayed on the home page. A photo and a press release will be required to be shown on the website.

"I also wanted to include jazz cds, jazz dvds and books dealing with jazz so that our members can have even more items to choose from instead of having to go to the store and look for them," says Henry.

Members will only have to pay $3.95 per month to access the exclusive content that will feature written articles.

For Further Information, please contact Richard Henry at:

http://www.worldwide-jazz-online.com/
worldwidejazz@yahoo.com

The Top 5 Ways to Learn How to Play Jazz

Here are the 5 steps you need to learn jazz. Get your pencil and paper.

1. Start listening to jazz albums. That's right, there are many genres to choose from like bepop, cool jazz, acid jazz, jazz rock, latin jazz, free jazz, jazz funk, modal jazz ect. By listening to jazz, you will develop a true feel for the music as well as how the instruments interact. Studies also say that listening to music has health benefits such as handling stress and there are lots of jazz songs that are soothing and relaxing. Don't just listen to jazz albums, go to jazz concerts and listen to live performances, then that way you will become more inspired by seeing jazz performers of different age levels. You can listen to jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Chick Corea, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Robert Glasper, Jason Moran, Billie Holiday and other old and new artists.

2. Learn to play an instrument. If you are a beginner and want to learn jazz, it would be best to learn the basics of music from an instructor first, such as note values, rhythm, dynamics, articulations, sight reading and especially music theory. Understanding music theory is especially important because in jazz you use scales a whole lot and an advanced knowledge of chords is vital to learning how to improvise and compose jazz. You must also have a natural feel for rhythm.

3. Join a jazz ensemble or group and take jazz related classes. You will need hands on experience so that you can get used to interacting with other jazz musicians. University and Community Colleges usually have jazz ensembles that you can join, it would help to have some experience on your instrument before joining. You can either get a degree or you can choose the courses you want to take. Jazz improvisation classes start you out with the basic elements of improvisation that will help you understand the concept. There are also jazz history classes available as well as jazz composition and arranging classes.

4. Read about the history of jazz. Jazz has a long and extensive history that includes decades of different styles and a wide variety of musicians. Understanding the history of jazz will help you in your comprehension and playing of the music. Books such as The History of Jazz by Ted Gioia and Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz by John F. Szwed are great resources. Libraries also carry good books on jazz. You can also search google for jazz articles. There are also jazz history courses available in colleges as mentioned above.

5. Study with a jazz musician. A real person can teach you so much and will help you bring the creativity out of you. You can either contact a jazz professor to take private lessons or you can try contacting jazz musicians on websites in your hometown. Books are good but from my personal experience, books are more effective when learning from an instructor. They can give you advice based on their expert experience about practicing habits in jazz, explaining jazz concepts, helping you one on one with your improvisation and help you when you have a hard time learning jazz.

Follow these suggestions and I guarantee that your jazz experience and enjoyment will skyrocket as well as transforming you into the next big jazz musician. Practice, practice and practice.

by Richard Henry
http://www.worldwide-jazz-online.com/

Practicing Habits In Music

How do I get as good as that concerto pianist? I wish I could get 1st place in that competition! How do I learn how to place those fancy runs like that clarinetist? What does it take to get good on an instrument? Does it take a lot of practice to master jazz improvisation?

If you have ever studied music or have an interest in studying music, these are probably the questions that you have asked yourself and others who are involved in music. Some people want short cuts that will magically make them better while others do not want to dedicate the time necessary to improve their skills. While nothing guarantees results, there are things one can do to improve.

One of the things that will make you better on your instrument is to learn your scales. That's right, learn your major and minor scales. In jazz you would do that but you would work on other scales such as the ones in the major and minor modes that include the dorian, aeolian, lydian dominant ect. Learn how to play them evenly at a slow tempo, then increase the speed. Use a metronome to achieve this. Set the metronome at a speed such as 40 per quarter beat or even a little slower depending on how fast you can go and then listen to each individual note as you play it until all the notes sound even. Then you will naturally want to increase the tempo to the point that you are playing up to 160 per quarter beat or faster! This takes time but you will get it. Consistent slow practice does wonders even for professional musicians.

The next thing you have to be sure to do is to not only start playing slowly but to maintain a consistent practice schedule. You basically achieve this by budgeting your time. You need to spend at least 5-10 minutes warming up on your scales before practicing your pieces. Seasoned instrumentalists can warm up much longer. It depends on what feels comfortable. As you get better on your instrument, you need to spend more time on your scales to the point you know all of them by memory. You need to try to practice everyday. If you cannot practice everyday then you must practice during most of the days in the week.

Technical exercises are excellent ways to increase your finger dexterity on your instrument. You can find them at music stores or online stores that carry music such as http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/. There are other stores that have them. These books generally give you a metronome speed that should be your goal and a variety of exercises to not only increase your speed but also strenghthen your fingers. You can also try to type in "music technical exercise", "jazz etudes" or "hanon exercise" in google.

Now that you are armed with this knowledge, I hope that you have a basic understanding of what it takes to achieve better finger dexterity on your instrument. These things definitely helped me as a pianist and I have seen other instrumentalists benefit from these tips as well. There are many resources out there to help you as a musician. Usually these resources are created by music masters themselves.

Richard Henry
http://www.worldwide-jazz-online.com/