Aussie's World's Longest Jam Session set Guinness Record

More than 850 artists contributed to the 150-hour recording session which began Monday at 6am (AEST) in Newstead, on Brisbane's CBD eastern fringe, and ended at midday today at the Riverstage in the Botanic Gardens.

The record attempt, which is yet to be verified by Guinness World Records, was organised by Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) professor of music Andy Arthurs.

”We have to work it out with Guinness yet,” Professor Arthurs said.
”he correspondence with them was it had to be verified and that it had to be over 24 hours.
”It's the longest continuous recording for multiple artists which they say is a new category, but it had to be 24 hours long at least.

”We reckon about 600 musicians have come through playing for the session and there's 250 on stage backing Deep Blue which I haven't counted.”

Brisbane is celebrating 150 years since it was proclaimed a municipality on September 6, 1859, and Queensland was proclaimed a self-governing colony two months later.

Numerous activities were being held on Sunday on six stages situated in or around Southbank and the Botanic Gardens.
Swimming sensation Stephanie Rice was one of the sports stars to do a meet-and-greet with the public on the Sports Central stage hosted by the cast of Channel Nine's afternoon show The Shak.

A number of multicultural acts were being staged in the Gardens of Origin and Celebrity debate on whether the northside or the southside of the Brisbane River was the better place to live.

It resulted in a tie.

Former Go Betweens and The Rip Tides member John Wilsteed and Ed Kuepper, who co-founded The Saints, took part in the record jam session. Prof Arthurs said they took a number of precautions to ensure there were no breaks in the jam.

The artists also continued to play on Sunday morning when they were transported by Cadillac from Newstead to the Botanic Gardens with the entire “road trip” recorded on camera and on digital audio.

They also had a house band on standby, the entire time, for back-up.

”We had a house band to mop up when things went wrong so that whatever happened we kept going,” Prof Arthurs said.
”It's recorded digitally on audio with two back-ups going.”

Brisbane celebrations culminate with eclectic Australian band Cat Empire taking the main stage.

Most Cameras Used in Creed Live Concert World Record

One of the most successful rock bands of all time staged a record setting concert performance in The Woodlands Friday night. Creed set the Guiness Book of World Records for most cameras used during a live concert recording.

The band shared the show with more than just the crowd at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. They streamed the concert live via the web to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and several USO locations.

"I hope they can grab a little piece of home, a little piece of sanity, whether it be from their high school days or if they just picked up listening to Creed," said Jerry Brown, a U.S. Navy Commander who has endured five deployments and attended Friday's concert.

Creed lead singer Scott Stapp says the band has always made the troops a priority.

"We've heard so many stories and met so many people that know what sacrifice is and commitment," said Stapp.

The band and crew committed to giving the fans a show no one is used to seeing. They invited an adjudicator with the Guiness Book of World Records to the concert.
Gavs Deaves counted 239 working cameras to record the concert, including 220 on the stage alone. That's more cameras than have ever been used in a live concert recording. The previous world record, according to Deaves, is 47 set by Justin Timberlake.

"It's exciting to see what people can do. If we didn't adjudicate, there would be no reason for people to try harder," said Deaves.

The show's director is in charge of bringing fans all the unique angles, including from a fly camera that travels 55 mph to and from the stage.

"We're always trying to change the game, one up our last production," said Dan Catullo.

He adds, "It's almost like our present to Creed. We wanted to help them come back in a bigger way. I can't imagine a bigger way to make a statement. Creed is back."

About 200,000 people were expected to tune in via the web. Just to film the show cost more than $1.5 million.

Asha Bhonsle - Sung Most Number of Song set World Record

Since 1994, Asha Bhonsle has been carefully documenting the number of songs she has sung. At last count, she says it stands at a staggering 13,000. As her 76th birthday approaches on September 8, Asha says that she is "pained" to see that nobody is recognizing her record attempt.

"I am glad that amazon.com has placed me and my album at 37 on the World's Greatest Music Albums of all times, ahead of even AR Rahman (who stands at no 44). I humbly accept the honour. But there's something I think I truly deserve and I was surprised when I was told that the record category (Most Recorded Artist) has been done away with," says Asha, referring to the Guinness Book of World Records, which has previously recognized Lata Mangeskar as the singer who has sung the most number of songs in the world (from 1974-1991).
"I have been carefully documenting the number of songs that I have sung. On my 60th birthday, there was a book published called Swar Asha. That book documented the number of songs I have sung. It stands at 13,000 now, mainly because of the large number of regional songs I have sung," she says.
But as she was readied to stake claim, a shock awaited her. "I am told that Guinness has done away with that record. I don't know what was the politics behind removing that record altogether and not allowing anybody to claim it again. I have been recording four to five songs a day for so many years to create the record," she adds.
But Asha says she does not intend to write to the Guinness authorities about it. What is occupying her energies right now is her plan to launch her grandson Chin2 Bhonsle (son of her eldest son Hemant) as a music director and opening a restaurant in Mumbai. "I have eight restaurants in the Middle East and now I want to open my restaurant in Mumbai. I am looking for a suitable location and should finalise it soon," she signs off.
Asha Bhonsle - Indian Bollywood (Movie) Singer Live Concert Video - She is Set World Record for Sung 13000 Songs.

Largest Guitar Ensemble

Concordstock sets world record for Largest guitar ensemble

CONCORD, CA, USA--On Tuesday night at Todos Santos Plaza in Concord, 2,052 people came from all over to play Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" simultaneously, setting the new world record for "largest guitar ensemble."

The record-breaking performance was part of Concordstock, a bevy of events all summer to celebrate 20 years of music in Concord. Photo by Contra Costa Times.


"We got 2,052 and it's all documented," said Jim Ocean, producer of Concord's "Music in the Park" program.

Country Joe McDonald, a Bay Area 60's iconic musician, led the crowd in "This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie. The Berkeley musician says he chose “This Land is Your Land,” because he needed a simple tune to lead an expected crew of more than 2,000 guitar-toting guests in song.


“It’s socially significant but not considered radical,” McDonald said in an interview about the Woody Guthrie song that was written more than 65 years ago. “It’s a song that most people know,” McDonald said, adding that some consider the ditty to be the “unofficial national anthem of the Untied States of America.” 

An enthusiastic crowd filled with professional musicians and novices alike sang and loudly strummed along.  

The previous world record for the " largest guitar ensemble": 1,802 people played Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" in June 2007 in Leinfelden, Germany.

Concordstock '08: Largest guitar ensemble video 

Largest pedalboard - World Record

Amazing World Record set by Jaux King for Largest pedalboard

NASHVILLE, TN, USA -- With 142 different pedals, 13 loaded pedal boards and truckload of guitar cable, Jaux King's pedalboard sets the world record for the Largest pedalboard.


The device performed as expected, without any glitches or noise problems, before a crowd of approximately 300 invited industry professionals.


"The night was a smashing success," says Jaux King, one of the founders of GearTrap.com. 

"We had a little bit of noise when we first fired it up last night, and it was a little worrisome. But we were able to reconfigure a few things and it all worked great.

It actually sounded as good as my little setup at home. We had two noise suppressors in the chain and they made all the difference.

"  King and GearTrap managed to secure several prominent sponsors to help make the pedalboard a reality, including Seymour Duncan, George L's cables, Creation Audio Labs, Visual Sound, and Pedaltrain. 

Now that he's achieved one goal, King says he's already thinking big about next year. "We're already working on breaking our own record," he says. "We have an undisclosed goal in mind. Suffice to say, it's going to be ridiculously bigger than this year's board. " 

5 Great Tips For Learning the Guitar By Sean Lloyd-Booth

One of the greatest tips for learning the guitar is the obvious - Practice makes perfect.

However, sometimes it doesn't matter how much you practice, as you might not be making the most of the time you're putting in. Ideally, you want to make sure that your practice time is efficient, and effectively allowing you to learn to play guitar as quickly as possible. Here are 5 quick tips for learning the guitar that should help optimize your practice time:

Warm up

Every good athlete knows they must warm-up before doing any activity, and every good guitar knows to warm up also. Simple techniques include clenching and un-clenching your fist, or squeezing a tennis ball, getting the blood flowing. Ideally, you should also play songs/chords/scales that you already know and can play well to start with, which should be enough to get you warmed up.

Know your learning strategy

Pick a learning strategy, and stick to it, whether it's learning from a DVD or a book, from a private tutor, or even on your own. That doesn't mean that getting help from other sources once you've began learning is bad, quite the opposite, but often people begin a course and start again with another before finishing the last.

Don't skip practice

The violinist Jascha Heifetz once said - "If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it." What Jascha said there was simple; missing practice just temporarily can affect your playing. Even if you just practice for 5 minutes one day, you're reinforcing what you've learnt previously, one of the essential tips for learning the guitar quickly.

Take breaks

Take breaks every now and then, especially if your fingers are sore or if you're playing something worse that what you usually would. I remember being terrible at bar chords, and used to spend hours practicing them, trying to stop the strings from buzzing! One day, I just stopped for a couple of hours and went back to it later, and I was playing them fine. Taking breaks allows your brain to make sense of everything new you're learning, so really, as long as you practice often, you're getting better at the guitar whilst you're resting!

Enjoy it!

Finally, and most importantly, enjoy yourself. There's no point learning to play any instrument if you don't enjoy playing it! Every now and then, take time out to play whatever you want, whether you haven't learned it fully yet, or you've practiced it off by heart. If you've just started learning guitar, and you're finding it difficult finding material to practice, check out this site on electric guitar lessons for beginners to get you started. Want more tips on learning the electric guitar? Check out my blog on the electric guitar for beginners.

Jackson no more with us, but his music will live forever

Tears flowed outside a hospital here Thursday as hundreds of Michael Jackson fans gathered to mourn the loss of the music legend, stunned by his sudden death at the age of 50, apparently from a cardiac arrest, at his Beverly Hills home.

Celebrities, stars and millions of his fans around the globe were overwhelmed by sorrow and shock as they sought to absorb the news of the sudden death of pop icon Michael Jackson.

"I'm absolutely devastated at this news," bestselling record producer and musician Quincy Jones told. "I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together and allowed us to do what we could do through the '80s," Jones said. "To this day that music is played in every corner of the world, and the reason is because he had it all -- talent, grace, and professionalism. I've lost my little brother today and part of my soul has gone with him."

Pop diva Madonna revealed she was left in tears over the death of Michael Jackson. ”I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.”

Britney Spears joining the chorus of musicians paying tribute to Michael Jackson said, "He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed".

California Governor Arnold Schwarzegger issued a statement lamenting the loss of "one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry."

"I'm just devastated, very sad. I pray that his soul is up there now," close friend Uri Geller told, after multiple US news outlets confirmed Jackson's death. "I'm still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it is not true. It is too surreal for me to absorb that Michael is no longer with us." "Michael was in good shape because he was practicing, he was training, he was rehearsing for the shows," Geller said.

US actor Jamie Foxx was in the middle of an interview with "Extra" TV when the news broke, and said he hoped Jackson would be remembered as a "brilliant musician" and not for "the circus sideshow" that his life turned into.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also posted his thoughts on Jackson's death on Twitter. "Never has one soared so high and yet dived so low. RIP Michael," Miliband wrote.

"Right today I can't believe we might have lost the best entertainer this world has ever seen," sobbed Lana Brown, 49, from Dallas, who described herself "as the biggest Jackson fan ever".

"I left my office. Everyone should. It's so shocking. Because you think someone like Michael Jackson will live forever, like Peter Pan," Yoshiko Plair, clasping a sunflower for her icon, told.

Many paid tribute to Jackson's influence on the world of music and dance. His album "Thriller" remains the bestselling album of all time with more than 41 million sales. And his iconic moonwalk has passed into dance legend, endlessly copied by millions of dancers around the world. "From a dancer's perspective, he was the epitome of the natural mover and popularized the 'moonwalk' from his Billy Jean video. Of course, the dance that he did for 'Thriller' is still performed, used and emulated constantly," Ashley Roland, co-artistic director of the Oregon-based dance company BodyVox, told. "He was an inspiration to so many, and I am one of them." British child actor Mark Lester, the godfather to Jackson's children, said he was in shock at the news, and praised Jackson's attributes as a father. "They're the most fabulous kids -- whatever they need, they've got me," Lester told.

You may post your thoughts and sentiments as well.

A.R Rahman invited onto Oscar board

Music genius A.R Rahman has got an invitation to be an Oscar voter. Rahman has been in news ever since he won two Oscars earlier this year for his score in Slumdog Millionaire.

This is another big news for Allah rakkha Rahman’s career. Rahman has won all the known awards for his music. He is the 1995 recipient of the Mauritius National Award and the Malaysian Award for contributions to music.

He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for his first West-End production. A four time National Film Award winner and conferred the Padma Shri from the Government of India, Rahman has received six awards for Best Music at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and eleven awards for his scores at the Filmfare and Filmfare Awards South each. In 2006, he received an honorary award from Stanford University for contributions to global music. A 2008 Critics Choice Awards winner for Best Composer, Rahman became the first Indian national to win a Golden Globe, winning for Slumdog Millionaire in the category of Best Original Score.

Wow, what an enormous achievement so soon, so young Allah Rakha Rahman, born A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1966, in Madras (now Chennai), India, to a musically affluent family--for him it seems sky is the limit

Listening right kind of music lowers blood pressure?

Listening to the right kind of music can slow the heart and lower blood pressure, a study has revealed.

Rousing operatic music full of crescendos and decrescendos is best and could help stroke rehabilitation, say the authors.

Music is already used holistically at the bedside in many hospitals.

Not only is it cheap and easy to administer, music has discernable physical effects on the body as well as mood, journal reports.

Music with faster tempos increases breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, while slower-pace music does the reverse.

Music induces a continuous, dynamic - and to some extent predictable - change in the cardiovascular system.

What is your experience and observation?