5 Creative Ways to Incorporate Music Themes into Your New Build Home Design

Music,

A modern living room with a sleek grand piano near large windows, blending elegance and light.

While planning to build new homes, affording homeowners the chance to personalize their new homes matters a lot. And, for people who appreciate music, there is nothing like making music the basis of the design of your home.

Music is an inspirational aspect of human life, so integrating it into your home design can be a real deal, whether in subtle forms or full-blown professional-styled rooms.

Here are five music-themed design ideas to help you create the perfect harmony in new build homes London.

Music-Inspired Wall Art

Adorn your walls with vinyl wall art with some sheets of music arrangements, posters of legendary musicians, and wall paintings that bring out the concept of music.

You may sprinkle your more personal touch by using wall graphics with the words of your most beloved songs on them.

This helps to emphasize the style of the room and serves as an art of wall decoration in every room.

Soundproof Music Room

If you are a devoted musician or just want a space to relax in a room with good-quality sound, reserving a room for music sounds like a good idea.

Soundproofing this area allows you to practice or listen to your preferred records at maximum volume without bothering the other household members.

Modern Additional construction can be easily addressed since newly built houses these days come with spaces that can be flexible in terms of their use.

Musical Illumination Decoration

Lighting rends out so fast and can even overwhelm one with the surroundings. Consider fixtures for lights that are musical in some way.

Consider light fixtures inspired by musical instruments, like drum pendants, and chandeliers shaped like guitars.

These unusual structures are excellent because they double up as decoration and have a huge impact without the rest of the decor.

 

ALSO READ: Harmonizing Art and Music: Exploring the Creative World of Oliver Anthony

 

Piano as a Designer Element

A piano can also be the focal element for an accent living room or foyer.

To all piano lovers, whether you play or not, a grand or an upright piano always adds class and elegance to a contemporary or classical home décor.

Vintage Records’ Nook or a Listening Corner

Devote a space in your house for a vinyl records listening corner.

For the golden age of vinyl record-listening fans, ensure you have a basic yet killer setup of a record player, a comfortable chair, and many classic records on the shelf.

Conclusion

Including music-oriented features in your newly constructed home design capture your love for music and create an interesting, warm, and personal environment.

Whether it is a fully-fledged music room or just some creative accents, these ideas will help you get the right feel in your new house.

Harmonizing Art and Music: Exploring the Creative World of Oliver Anthony

Music,

Oliver Anthony

Oliver Anthony is not just a musician or artist; he is a creative force that seamlessly fuses the worlds of sound and visual art.

In this article, we will delve into the captivating journey of Oliver Anthony, an individual who has mastered the art of transcending boundaries through his unique blend of music and visual expression like his song Rich Men North of Richmond (check out https://chordsworld.com/oliver-anthony-rich-men-north-of-richmond-chords/ for chords and lyrics).

A Multifaceted Artist

Oliver Anthony’s journey in the realm of creativity began at a young age. With a passion for both music and art, he embarked on a path that would allow him to explore the depths of his artistic soul. What sets him apart is his ability to harmonize these two distinct forms of expression, creating a synergy that is nothing short of mesmerizing.

The Soundscape of Emotion

Oliver’s music is an auditory journey through the landscape of human emotion. Each note, each lyric, is carefully crafted to evoke feelings and sensations. His melodies have a way of reaching deep into the soul, resonating with listeners on a profound level. Whether it’s the hauntingly beautiful strains of a piano or the raw energy of an electric guitar, Oliver’s music has the power to move, inspire, and comfort.

Visual Storytelling

But Oliver’s artistry doesn’t stop at music. His visual art is equally captivating. Through paintings, drawings, and digital creations, he tells stories that are as vivid and emotive as his music. His visual pieces are a reflection of the same deep well of emotion that fuels his songs. Each stroke of the brush or click of the mouse is a testament to his ability to convey complex feelings through visual language.

The Symbiosis of Art and Music

What truly makes Oliver Anthony a standout artist is the way he intertwines his music and visual art. His music videos are a testament to this synergy, where every frame is a visual masterpiece, enhancing the emotional impact of the music. It’s a rare gift to be able to create not just songs, but entire sensory experiences, and Oliver does it with finesse.

 

ALSO READ: 5 Ways Musicians Can Succeed on Instagram

 

Connecting with Audiences

Oliver’s artistry is not limited to the studio or the canvas. He actively engages with his audience, sharing the stories and inspirations behind his creations. His authenticity and willingness to connect on a personal level have garnered him a dedicated following. For his fans, Oliver is more than an artist; he’s a kindred spirit who understands and expresses the intricacies of the human experience.

The Ever-Evolving Journey

In the world of art and music, stagnation is the enemy of creativity. Oliver Anthony understands this well. His journey is one of constant evolution, a commitment to pushing the boundaries of his own artistry. Each new song, each new piece of art, is a step further into uncharted territory, where the possibilities are endless.

Conclusion

Oliver Anthony is not just a musician and artist; he is a storyteller, a creative alchemist who transforms emotions into melodies and visuals. His ability to seamlessly blend the worlds of music and art is a testament to his boundless talent.

As we follow his journey, one thing becomes clear: Oliver Anthony is an artist who reminds us that creativity knows no bounds, and that, in itself, is a beautiful work of art.

5 Ways Musicians Can Succeed on Instagram

Music,

Musician

 

Especially for musicians who are at the beginning of their career and have not been able to gain a foothold in this business for so long, it can sometimes be difficult to build up a certain reach. But this is essential to become successful in this industry. That’s why more and more musicians are turning to the social media platform Instagram, where they create an account, promote their music, and even buy Instagram likes. Because there is a lot of potential slumbering in this medium because you can reach so many people and draw attention to yourself. However, the work behind maintaining such a profile is often underestimated, which is why success on Instagram often fails to materialize. What you have to do to use Instagram effectively as a musician and which 5 tips can help to expand the reach, you will learn in this article.

#1 Be active

Maybe you know it yourself from personal experience that an Instagram account without regular content can be relatively boring and offers no real added value. Therefore, in order to gain new followers instead of losing them, you have to be active as a musician on the platform. This includes posting posts, videos, reels, and stories. Especially at the beginning, you can feel overwhelmed with all the different features, but it is extremely important to deal with all of them. It is not necessary to share personal insights.

Hint: However, if you want to build a closer bond with your community, it is advisable to show private moments.

However, it is much more relevant that the content is topic-related and focuses entirely on the music and the artist himself. To achieve this, a content plan can be very helpful and useful. This means that posts are planned in advance in order to create, edit and publish the postings in a timely manner.

#2 Build a bond with followers

With the help of Instagram, musicians want to gain new fans and build a community. What plays an important role in this is not only regular posting but also interacting with followers. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Visit the profiles and like pictures
  • Reply to comments
  • Write with followers about direct messages
  • Involving fans in decisions, for example through story voting

What can also improve the bond with the followers is to give tips. Because usually such accounts are followed by people who have a strong interest in music and maybe even make music themselves. Advice on how to practice properly or which classic beginner’s mistakes to avoid is therefore usually very popular. In addition, it can be an advantage if you get used to talking into the camera, as a kind of “face-to-face” communication is perceived much more personal and can thus make you look more likable.

#3 Qualitative contributions

Another important factor if you want to be successful as a musician on Instagram is the quality of the posts. But especially at the beginning, musicians may rely more on quantity on their accounts, as they want to stick to their content plan and be as active as possible. However, this can sometimes also mean that followers can perceive the postings as a kind of spam and annoying. Therefore, you should always pay attention to the image resolution and the quality itself before publishing posts. If you want to approach the whole thing more professionally, you can also equip yourself with additional equipment, such as:

  • Professional Camera
  • Additional camera equipment, such as a tripod or ring light
  • Microphone for sound recording

In addition, the use of apps for image and sound editing can also contribute a big difference to the quality.

 

ALSO READ: How to Gain Self-Confidence as a Musician

 

#4 Link music

Normally, musicians use other platforms that are specifically used to listen to and stream music. This includes:

  • YouTube
  • Spotify
  • Soundcloud
  • Apple Music

Instagram can therefore also be helpful to draw attention to other profiles. So you should definitely include links to other platforms and always record the most relevant updates and information. For example, if the last release was a well-known song on the piano, it should also be linked directly in the biography, as it is most noticeable there.

#5 Using hashtags correctly

Using hashtags is still trendy, as it allows users to find other profiles this way. Therefore, it is very important to bet on niche hashtags to increase the chance of being found.

Tip: Especially musicians should focus more on English hashtags, as the majority of users on Instagram use English search words and are therefore easier to find in other countries.

It is equally important to know that you need a public profile to be found using the search function.

Result

Instagram is one of the most well-known and popular social media platforms nowadays and can be used for both personal and professional purposes. Because with the right strategy and a content plan, you can build up a wide reach, which is why this medium is particularly suitable for aspiring musicians. You can not only market your music via links but also gain new followers and thus fans. Therefore, if you want to be successful with your Instagram profile, it takes a lot of work and time, as you have to post regularly, interact with the followers and pay attention to the good quality of the posts.

The Impact of Games on Music That We Listen To

Music,

PC Gamer

 

It is common practice for game developers to use pieces by musicians for their trailers for upcoming games such as Call of Dragons, who are sometimes more, sometimes less known. In this way, many players find access to new artists and songs – including Susanne. She shares her top list of songs and artists she found thanks to games. And what about you?

I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about how many artists and musicians I’ve found access to just because I like to play games and watch game trailers. Until I wrote an article about the music of Final Fantasy 7 Remake last week. It wasn’t until I typed the name Survive Said The Prophet into Spotify that I thought that I’ve often found musicians and bands just because I liked a song in a game or in a trailer. And I thought to myself that there are certainly a lot of gamers among you who feel the same way. That’s why I want to share with you some of the songs and artists I’ve come across over the years – and maybe you’d like to share your discoveries with us in the comments section.

Poets of the Fall (Alan Wake)

Poets of the Fall is a Finnish band formed in 2003 and quickly caught the attention of Sam Lake, his character script writer at Remedy Entertainment. Poets of the Fall then got the chance to contribute a song to the game Max Payne 2, Late Goodbye. But it wasn’t Max Payne 2 who drew my attention to the band, but another game in which the band Old Gods of Asgard performed – Alan Wake. Under this pseudonym inspired by Norse legends, Poets of the Fall recorded the songs Children of the Elder Gods and The Poet and The Muse, as well as Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, as well as the title Balance Slays The Demon. The song War is also the title song of the game, and maybe the song that excited me the most… until I heard Carnival of Rust ^^ Marko Saaresto just has a fantastic voice.

Asobius (Let It Die)

Let It Die is a Free2Play game released in 2016 for the PlayStation 4 and 2018 for PCs. It’s kind of a mixture of Dark Souls and Diablo. In the near future, shifts in the earth’s crust will lead to destructive catastrophes (Japan sinks sends its regards); the southwestern part of Tokyo is separated from the rest of the city and further quakes create a kind of tower that is taken over by the inhabitants of this new island. Your task: to climb the top of the tower. The super funny and rather brutally difficult game is underlaid with a fantastic soundtrack, which plays in different places of the tower. For the game, numerous, mainly Japanese, bands have recorded songs that almost all bear the same name: Let It Die. Yes, it fits. I got stuck with Asobius’ Let It Die, here too there are songs of the band that I think is better. Fun fact: Listen to singer Shinsaku Takahashi and try to figure out when he sings in English and when he sings in Japanese ^^

Mike Oldfield (Metal Gear Solid 5)

Here comes the fun fact right in the first place: Whenever I see a trailer for Metal Gear, I know even without a title overlay at the end that it is an MGS game. This has to do with the back view of Snake. When I saw the trailer for MGS5 and the song by Mike Oldfield was played, I was immediately thrilled. Not that I’ve never heard of Mike Oldfield before. The trailer reminded me that it still exists. And the song is just epic! Hideo Kojima has made a fantastic choice with Nuclear.

 

ALSO READ: 5 Ways Musicians Can Succeed on Instagram

 

Archive (Cyberpunk 2077)

Remember the very first trailer for Cyberpunk 2077? (buy now 57,99 € )? Of course, I was super hyped at the time that there is a trailer for the new CD Project Red role-playing game, even though I now have the feeling that there is not much left of the vision at that time. At the end of the year, of course, we will be able to find out. The trailer was accompanied by the song Bullets by the British band Archive, which is a bit reminiscent of Massive Attack in terms of setup and sound – so this group of artists fits perfectly into my loot scheme. However, I have to admit that I didn’t really warm up to any other song from Archive.

The Chain Gang of 1974 (GTA 5)

A similar phenomenon to Archive also applies to The Chain Gang of 1974, whose song (it’s a 1-man band, the artist is called Kamtin Mohager) Sleepwalking conveyed to me more than any other song of the game the feeling of freedom in the American sunshine state, where Los Santos is located. Give me a golf cart, a sunset, and Trevor, turn on sleepwalking and let me get into town on the freeway… And I’m happy. Alternatively, Queen’s Radio Gaga also works in this scene. And yes, golf carts can get pretty fast in GTA 5, so don’t laugh!

Twin Shadow (Tales from the Borderlands)

The great thing about the Telltale adventure Tales from the Borderlands isn’t just that it has fantastic voice actors (Troy Baker is just as great as Nolan North), that you’re not just doomed to watch like many Telltale games before it, and that the story is big. No, it’s also fantastic that each episode begins with an epic sequence accompanied by the appropriate music. Jungle’s Busy Earnin’ fits just as well into the opening scene as Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestras Kiss The Sky. Actually, every song is great and I recommend every Telltale and Borderlands fan to play this game so you understand what I mean by the magic of the moment. Because these opening sequences with the background music are magical. But Twin Shadows’ To The Top, the intro song of the fourth episode, really stuck. It fits perfectly to the Slomo walk and the upcoming launch of the spaceship.

Bonus: Troy Baker

By the way, did you know that Troy Baker, who can also be heard in the games of Naughty Dog (such as Joel in The Last Of Us and Nate’s brother Sam in Uncharted 4), makes music himself? If not: please.

How to Gain Self-Confidence as a Musician

Music,

Guitarist playing live on stage

 

For making music, especially when we want to be on stage, we need self-confidence or self-esteem. Many people use self-affirmation techniques like the ones you can find at Affirmations websites to help them boost how they look at themselves. But even if we want to start learning an instrument (again), we have to be brave and go into unknown waters or leave our comfort zone.

How many times have I heard from friends or acquaintances: “It’s great that you dare to go on stage! I couldn’t do that! I’m way too excited and I don’t have the necessary self-confidence!” or also: “I’d love to start with an instrument, but I’m sure I’m stupid!”

That’s why I want to put the cart before the horse in this article. And to point out that making music not only requires self-confidence, but can also help you build it, expand your comfort zone, and ultimately achieve things you didn’t think were possible before.

Making music can give you self-confidence and make you more self-confident. And of course, you can transfer this self-confidence to other areas of your life.

How do you build your self-confidence by playing a musical instrument?

#1 Expand comfort zone and boost self-confidence

When we learn an instrument, new things are constantly waiting for us that do not play a role in other contexts. For example, we try to understand and implement a new rhythm or play together with others in an ensemble or a band.

These new tasks challenge us and force us to leave our comfort zone. If we take on these challenges regularly, we can grow from them and gain confidence in ourselves and our abilities.

Things that were outside this zone only a short time ago will soon no longer be perceived as so demanding. Bit by bit, we learn to cope with bigger and bigger things.

#2 Grow musically and gain self-confidence

Whether you’re just about to start playing an instrument, you’ve been doing it for a while, or it’s a part of your life. Basically, it’s always about growing or getting better at music.

For example, we start with light pieces of music and then develop step by step into heavier virtuoso works. Exactly the same goes for performances or concerts. Normally, we do not give our first concert in a large concert hall in front of many listeners, but play in a small, protected circle, at a class audition or a family celebration.

With the growing tasks, we gain more and more confidence in ourselves and our abilities as well as the self-confidence to master the next step.

#3 Self-confidence through “journaling”

Creatively looking for solutions and overcoming obstacles boosts our self-confidence. Often, however, we do not reflect on what we have already achieved. Rather, we think about what we still want to achieve or where we can improve.

Therefore, it can be very helpful to record your process in the form of notes. So you can read from time to time what you were working on a month ago and where you are today. This “journaling” allows you to visualize what challenges you have overcome and what goals you have achieved. By writing it down, you become much more aware of your development and you gain confidence for future tasks.

#4 Self-confidence through discipline

Working on something regularly can also go a long way toward self-confidence or confidence. At least I always feel great when I implement my plan and meet deadlines. And especially the days when my pig dog was particularly loud or when I was particularly exhausted and still practiced filled me with pride and give me self-confidence. It is therefore worthwhile to establish an over-routine for this reason.

#5 More self-confidence by playing concerts

Perhaps by far, the biggest challenge in making music for many is the appearance that goes on stage or the concerts or competitions played.

Because the moment we want to present our results, we are confronted with our expectations and demands. Most of the time we want everything to be “perfect”, put ourselves under a lot of pressure, and do not feel able to call up our performance due to stage fright.

Please also read my two blog articles. These show you tips and tricks for stage fright during the preparation for concerts and on the concert/exam day.

But isn’t it almost always the case that after a concert you are very happy, proud and grateful that you have taken up this challenge?

And that’s allowed to be. Because with every performance you grow a bit and expand your comfort zone by a few centimeters. You pursued a goal and implemented it. And I mean deliberately “implemented” here, because it does not always have to be about delivering something perfectly, but about taking the step at all. In doing so, we also gain self-confidence.

 

ALSO READ: How to Write Musical Notes Using a Keyboard?

 

Tips for “hobby musicians” and “professionals”

Tip 1

For those of you who see making music as your hobby, you may be interested in the idea that you can transfer the self-confidence you have gained through making music to other areas of your life. A classic example would be a lecture at university or at work.

Tip 2

For those who consider music to be their job or are currently studying, the following may be worthwhile. If you have the feeling that you do not have so much self-confidence in making music at the moment, it can help to look for another activity with which you can rebuild this self-confidence.

Because in another activity you are free from perfectionism and your extreme expectations and approach the matter with more ease.

My “side job” to this day is running, where I gain self-confidence and shift my comfort zone. For example, a few years ago I could not have imagined running a half marathon. Actually, I encountered my mental blockage already at 10 km. Over time, however, I fought my way up to the 21 km and gained confidence that I could master this length.

Today I don’t really worry about whether I’m able to run the 21km. It depends more on how trained I am right now, and whether I can run the course. I also gained the confidence to run a marathon one day. And since I’ve already done the “half”, I have no doubt that I can do the whole thing with enough training.

In addition, I am absolutely convinced that this confidence has also had an effect on my self-confidence while playing.

Result

No matter from which side you come: Whether you need more self-confidence for your music making or whether you want to work on your self-confidence to find confidence in other areas in your life. Playing an instrument can be the key for you here!

Making music is a wonderful way to generate self-confidence and thus better deal with new challenges. Something that may have been unimaginable to you at an earlier point in time is moving into the realm of possibility over time.

I wish you much success in all your next challenges and that your self-confidence can grow through music!

How to Write Musical Notes Using a Keyboard?

Technology,

Music Notes

 

How do music marks and music signs get onto the (virtual) sheet music today? The sharpened pencil behind the ear and a sheet full of blank lines of music may seem like a romantic idea – but the reality is digital.

Even with songwriting, digitization does not stop and so there are corresponding music notation programs – and you can conjure up music characters and music marks yourself in Word using the keyboard that you modified. This article takes a look at the possibilities of songwriters.

Writing music characters and notes using the keyboard in Word is easy and does not require expensive equipment. This also works easily with the help of a keyboard and this guide.

  • Keyboard shortcut for eighth note – Hold down the Alt key to the left of the space bar while 1 and 3 are typed one after the other in the number field.
  • Bound eighth notes Keyboard shortcut – Hold down the Alt key to the left of the spacebar while 1 and 4 are typed one after the other in the number field.

What sounds so simple and practical does not require any special equipment. The basic technical requirement is a keyboard with a numeric keypad. This must be activated so that the key combination in the document also has its effect.

More sheet music & music characters in Word with free font

If the simple possibilities with single and bound eighth notes are not enough, larger guns have to drive up to write music symbols on the keyboard. Admittedly, no real sheet music can be generated with this method either. But the most important musical symbols and musical notes are available as special characters as well as clefs.

This is made possible by the musical notation “Fughetta”. It comes up with the most that the musician’s heart desires: From various notes to music characters such as clef and various signs, you can draw notes on the keyboard.

Instructions for the font music symbols Fughetta

  1. Download the font for music icons
  2. Install font »Fughetta« as shown in the picture (above)
  3. In Word:
    1. Insert > symbol > more symbols…
    2. Select font

Alternative: Music notation program

If it is not enough to write down some notations on the keyboard in other programs, you have to resort to larger guns. MuseScore is a free music notation program that allows compositions to be written digitally on a virtual sheet of music.

If you value additional instrumentalization, you can resort to Forte.

The title must be entered in the document, as well as the instruments used for them and a key. Comments can also be accommodated directly. Composing takes place almost far away from the musical instrument, just as composers used to do on sheet music.

After note by note has been entered, the computer lets you hear how the sequence of notes sounds. The file can be exported in MSCZ format.

So if you don’t just want to enter a note as a symbol in Word, but need the music symbols and note marks on the keyboard ready for songwriting, you should look for such a solution.

DAWs can also score notation

Film fans know the scene: Piper Perabo, alias Violet Sanford, jingles tone by a note on her keyboard in the film »Coyote Ugly«. The notes appear digitally on the screen of her laptop, where she not only sees all the musical characters but can also edit the digitized notes.

Such a program is called Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and can do much more than display aks music marks on the PC. These programs can record and playback entire songs so that they are later released as CDs.

This solution is far too complex for most to simply represent a few notes and is primarily aimed at musicians.

 

ALSO READ: The Benefits of Music When Playing Video Games

 

Music Characters and Sheet Music Marks Selection

Before you can write music characters using the keyboard, it is helpful to know which music characters and note marks exist. Below we have put together a selection of the most important music and sheet music signs in our opinion.

clef: treble clef

A clef is always at the beginning of a grading system. There are several different clefs. The most common is the treble clef. The attachment point of the inner curl indicates the grade f.

clef: bass clef

The second most common clef is the bass clef. This is used for instruments that mainly play very low notes.

In a clef notation system, the notes would be mainly below the notation system and would be difficult to read. The tone on the line between the two points of the bass clef is the f.

Time signature

The music sign for the time signature indicates how many counting times fit into a bar. In our example, four quarter notes fit into one bar. The four-quarter time is also one of the most common time signatures.

Music mark: Whole note

Notes indicate which notes need to be played. To understand how long a note needs to be held, there are different note marks. A whole note must be held over four counting times. It is not filled in and has no music neck.

Musical mark: Half note

Half a note has a note neck and is not filled. It must be held half as long as a whole note. This means you have to hold them for two counting times.

Musical mark: Quarter note

The quarter note differs from half a note by the completed note head. The quarter note is held for a counting time.

Score: Eighth note

An eighth note has a flag on the neck in addition to the note neck and completed note head. It has a length of half a counting time.

Rest

Music only lives through breaks. That’s why pauses are at least as important as the notes themselves. The music characters for pauses also vary according to the length of their counting time. In our graph, you will find from left to right a whole break, half a break, a quarter break, and two eighth breaks.

Cross sign

Other important music marks are signs. A cross increases a note by a semitone step.

B-sign

In addition to the sign of the cross, there are also B-signs. These lower notes by a semitone step.

Natural

Resolution characters resolve previous cross and B signs in one bar.

Tenutostrich

If the music sign Tenutostrich is found below or above a note, this note must be played particularly wide. The distance to the next note is significantly shortened during the game.

Staccato point

The note mark staccato point is the opposite of a tenuto line. If a note has a staccato point, it must be played particularly short. This creates a larger gap to the next tone.

Dynamic designations

Dynamic designations are also represented with music signs. In ascending order you will find the music marks for piano, mezzoforte, forte, and fortissimo in our graphic. One after the other, you have to play quietly, moderately, loudly, and particularly loudly with these characters.

Conclusion: Write music characters & notes via keyboard

That was a lot of input on the subject of writing music characters & notes via keyboard. The summary is as follows:

  • If you only want to write a few notes in Word, you can use the »keyboard combination Note«.
  • If you want access to all music marks and music symbols, install a musical notation for Word.
  • If you need it a little more precise and realistic, you can use a so-called music notation program.
  • A DAW can also write music but is too complex for simple music writing on a PC or Mac.
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