2008 reissue housed in a deluxe cardboard slipcase. This single disc anthology brings the legendary guitarist's best recordings of his Arista Records era together with his greatest classics from the Columbia Records years on a single compact disc. Among the 18 tracks are the chart toppers 'Smooth', 'Maria Maria', 'Black Magic Woman', 'The Game Of Love' (with both Michelle Branch and Tina Turner), 'Oye Como Va' and many more. Sony/BMG.Customer Review: big mistake
YUK! I just recently started downloading mp3s and really screwed up when I bought this thinking it would be the Carlos Santana music I knew in the 60s. What else would "Ulitmate Santana" mean? Instead most of the album is just Santana accompanying some bozo singing stupid disco type songs. My bad. Remember, when it says "featuring so-and-so" it usually means you better like so-and-so and not care too much about who the titled performer is.
Customer Review: Great songs, but...
Carlos Santana has very few bad albums, or even bad songs. (Stay away from his collaboration with John McLaughlin though.) If you're looking for a one-disk compilation and are familiar with his later songs plus his late 60's hits, the songs here will be familiar. But... try Caravanserai, Borboletta, or some of his other unbelievable albums from "in between". If this is all you know of Carlos Santana, you have a lot to discover! What you hear on this disk is just an introduction. I give this review 4 stars rather than 5 not because there are bad songs on this CD (there aren't), but because you, as a Santana listener, deserve more.
People usually have some goal or dream that inspires them to take up a musical instrument. But after the initial excitement, its not uncommon to give up, many decide its too difficult, theyre too busy- and whilst theyd still really love to be able to play well, they get stuck in a rut without making progress.
The fact is, mastering a musical instrument is difficult. But its not too difficult for anybody. To succeed, you will need to build your skills in self- control, discipline and determination. Achieving your goals in learning piano or keyboard isnt impossible. If you started out with good intentions that have now fallen by the way-side, read on to discover how to make a fresh start.
Accept you wont become an instant virtuoso
I dont think anyone is a born natural piano or keyboard player. One of the skills to develop as a good player is to make the music appear effortless and natural. But if you think about it, playing an instrument is a pretty unnatural thing to do. We werent designed to do it. And reading music requires uses different parts of the brain to other activities.
If you think you can be really good after just a few weeks of playing, then you will be disappointed and disillusioned very quickly. From the outset, accept that you are going to have to work at many different skills. Realise that at whatever stage you are at, you can always improve. I think this is one of the beauties of learning music everyone is always learning and improving.
Use your current burst of enthusiasm to set you on the right path
If your reading this, youve probably resolved to improve your keyboard playing and practice more. When you finish your internet research, youll most likely feel motivated, resolve to pull yourself together and go and practice for three hours.
But tomorrow, you wont feel so motivated, youll realise your marathon practice session made no difference and youll have about a million more important things to do anyway.
Rather than repeating this cycle again and again, use todays drive and enthusiasm, to make it easier to achieve your goals over a long period of time. Set things up for when you dont feel quite so motivated.
First of all, decide what you really want to ultimately achieve, so that your efforts are focused. Then plan how you can achieve this. Find and book lessons with a teacher, if you havent done so already. Doing this today will commit you to weekly lessons where youll be given you something to work for. Youll also have someone else to monitor your progress.
Next, rearrange the room where you keep your keyboard or piano. Identify any problems with its current location which may be providing an excuse to stop practicing. Perhaps its in the same room as the television or something that causes distraction. Can it be moved? Maybe your practicing disturbs other members of your household. If you have an electronic keyboard or digital piano go out and buy some headphones. Maybe your piano is covered in clutter and junk, sort it out so you can easily get to it and practice. Check that your stool is suitable and not causing you back pain. Make sure you have all the sheet music you need to hand, and organise it so you can easily find what you need.
Identify anything thats going to make it difficult to practice and eliminate it, so you can begin your practice sessions in ease and comfort everyday. This will be more productive than sitting down right now and playing your way to exhaustion.
Build up to good practice habits
The final task for today to plan when youre going to practice. Dont plan too much because youll never stick to it. Start small. Practice in short manageable chunks which you can then build on. Why not try practicing in the advert breaks of the TV shows you watch in the evening- so you only practice for three minutes at a time. You can fit short exercises into this time slot, and you wont be sacrificing anything else. Once you can manage this, then you could try scheduling 10 minute slots during the day.
Practicing in lots of little sessions is usually more effective than sitting down for an hour a day. Also, youll find if you play more often, then youll probably end up getting carried away and practice for longer anyway. Its better motivation for yourself if you aim to play for 5 minutes and actually do 7, then if you schedule 30 minutes but never get round to it at all.
Accept there are no real short cuts. Be prepared for some hard work.
Some times, you will need to keep practicing certain things over and over. Theres just no way round it. If your prepared for this from the outset, then you will be entering your challenge with the right frame of mind. Sometimes things will be time consuming, but simply knuckling down and getting through it will pay off in the long run.
This is different to practicing things with no real thought. If you are working on a piece, identify sections that need the most work. Try not to over practice things that your already good at. If you keep your practice sessions focused, you will achieve much more.
Keep your goals clear- persevere at them.
To stay focused, make sure you are clear about why you wanted to learn keyboard or piano in the first place. What were your goals? To be able to play your favourite song well? To write songs and have a top- ten hit? To play carols with your family at Christmas? To pass grade five? To be in a position to help your children with their music studies? Whatever motivated you initially, dont forget it.
How about making a sign with your music goals written on it and keeping it on top of your piano? That way, youll be reminded of your motivation every time you walk past it. If youve lost sight of what you wanted to achieve, youll find it difficult to get out of your rut.
If you keep focused on your goal and persistently work towards it, you will eventually achieve it.
Polly Powell runs a keyboard and piano tuition centre in Weston super Mare, UK. Her website is packed with ideas and resourses for current and potential keyboard and piano students around the world.
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