On this day in 1970, Simon and Garfunkel went to No.1 on the UK chart with Bridge Over Troubled Water. The album went on to stay on the chart for over 300 weeks, returning to the top of the charts on eight separate occasions and spending a total of 41 weeks at No.1.

It’s one of those songs, isn’t it? A timeless classic which can still, to this day, send a shiver down the spine. The single won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1971.

Paul Simon wrote the song while his partner Art Garfunkel was filming in Europe for the black comedy Catch-22 that starred Alan Arkin. The duo were coming to the end of their relatively short career, tensions were high, and by the time their fifth and final studio album was in the charts, Simon and Garfunkel were no longer.

Paul Simon told Rolling Stone in 1972 that he now regrets his insistence that Art Garfunkel sing this song as a solo, as it focused attention on Garfunkel and relegated Simon to a secondary position. Art initially did not want to sing the lead vocal, feeling it was not right for him, stating that Simon should have sung the song. But after all these years, as a listener, you can’t imagine anyone else but Art singing this beautiful song.

When Simon first presented the song to Garfunkel it had just two verses and the singer suggested Simon pen another verse, which he did. The final verse was written about Simon’s then-wife Peggy Harper, who had noticed her first gray hairs, inspiring the line, “Sail on, silver girl.” The first two verses had been recorded in New York and the final new verse was laid down in a studio in Los Angles.
Simon has also said he took inspiration from the Swan Silvertones’ 1958 song “Mary Don’t You Weep,” which includes the line “I’ll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in me.”

So many great artists have recorded the song. Aretha Franklin saw her version reach No.1 on the US R&B chart. The Supremes, Dionne Warwick, The Jackson 5, Roberta Flack, and Whitney Houston all delivered their own soulful versions.

Arguably the most famous cover of the song was by Elvis Presley, who recorded it in Nashville in 1970 for his album That’s The Way It Is. The song became a permanent fixture in his sets in Las Vegas. During one season in Vegas, Paul Simon attended one of the shows, and, after seeing Elvis perform the song, was reported to have said, “That’s it, we might as well all give up now.” Presley continued to use this song throughout all his live performances, including his final live appearance in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977.

Bridge Over Troubled Water has since sold over 25 million copies worldwide making it one of the best selling albums of all-time and I’m not surprised. Along with the title track, other classics on the album include “The Boxer,” “The Only Living Boy in New York,” ‘Cecilia,” and “El Condor Pasa (If I Could)”.

So the duo who had started life known as Tom & Jerry in 1957 bowed out on an almighty high, but like all great stars, they returned — their 1981 Concert in New York’s Central Park attracted more than 500,000 people, making it the seventh most highly attended concert in the history of music.

And what of Tom and Jerry? Well, we all know the story: Art went off and did a bit of acting and made a few solo records and Mr Simon went on to make some of the finest albums of the ’80s and is still making great records today.

Today is Kurt Cobain’s birthday. He would have been 45 years old.

A musical icon and the figurehead of the grunge counterculture, his influence stretches on into the sounds and styles of the present day. Regardless of the tragic events surrounding his untimely passing, Cobain’s influence on music endures.

Here are 10 marks left by Kurt Cobain and Nirvana upon modern music makers and bands today.

10. His influences

It may seem odd to begin a list of a person’s influence by listing their influences, but Cobain’s disparate and wide ranging tastes were both key to his song writing and the legacy it left behind.

From The Beatles to Neil Young, King Crimson, Lead Belly, Daniel Johnson, KISS and hardcore punk and beyond, Cobain created something both powerfully melodic and brutally immediate that was greater than the sum of its inspired components.

According to Jonathan Poneman, co-founder of Sub Pop, “Part of what was so captivating about Nirvana’s music was not so much its stunning originality, but its remarkable fusion of so many different strands of influence.”

9. …and influence

Or perhaps impact. Cobain is often credited with slaying the bloated beast of stadium-rock (or any of the derogatory prefixes available poodle-, cock- etc.) that Nirvana’s success signalled the death knell of.

It seemed that no longer were the likes of Guns’N’Roses and Motley Crue allowed to dominate rock with all their meaningless, arena filling bombast. Kurt Cobain’s raw emotion and the stripped back sound of Nirvana snatched back the zeitgeist.

Vernon Reif of Living Colour sees the front man as a lightning rod: “Cobain changed the course of where the music went […] There are certain people where you can see the axis of musical history twisting on them: Hendrix was pivotal, Prince was pivotal, Cobain was pivotal.”

Cobain’s influence has spread far and wide, to artists you wouldn’t necessarily expect. M.I.A., Friendly Fires, Blink 182 and Nickelback have all gone on record in the past to speak of how his music has affected their own work.

8. Making music accessible again

As mentioned above, the over-the-top stadium-rock of the 80s had become too big by the time Nirvana were ready to make their presence known. Their costumes, attitudes and music was seemingly detached not only from reality but the feelings of a whole new, downcast generation.

Nirvana smashed through the pretentiousness, leaving a huge, wrecking ball sized hole for ‘alternative’ music to climb through after them.

Whilst ‘alternative’ was hardly new, the attention and opportunities Nirvana’s success brought allowed people to reconnect with music that felt more real, intimate and relevant. It was like punk mk. II!

7. A call to arms!

One of the most powerful elements of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana and Grunge’s success was that, at least initially, the entire scene sprung up from the oft-forgotten, back water city of Seattle to conquer the world.

Suddenly, remote scenes were empowered. Teenagers were inspired to pick up a guitar, form a band and do it for themselves!

Whilst music had hardly been cleansed into a pure artistic pursuit, for people switching onto Grunge, it no longer had to be some distant, cynical career path full of gimmicks and commercialism. Cobain gave rock’n’roll its soul, bite and energy back for the disenfranchised youth of the early 90s.

Chris Cornell, the former singer for follow Seattleites Soundgarden, remembers Jonny Ramones thoughts on the city in the late 80s: “the Seattle scene was the first scene he ever came across where all the bands were friends. In the New York punk scene he grew up in, everybody was a rival.”

6. Being a great guitarist without being a great guitarist

Kurt Cobain was not a virtuoso guitarists my any means. He’d never trouble technocrat metal heads or perfectly polished exhibitionist soloists, but his playing had a sort of contagious charm and musicality that didn’t require breathtaking feats of musicianship to be great.

Cobain had power, presence and a natural ear for a song. He somehow made his blocky, heavy handedness utterly captivating, and was another way in which he opened up music for others. You no longer had to be perfect to be a lead guitarist. Expression could win the day.

5. Popularising loud-quiet dynamics like never before

As with many of these points, Cobain and Nirvana spread ideas rather than invented them.

The Pixies were arguably the band that worked the alt-rock loud/quiet contrasts to perfection, but Cobain took this simple technique to the world.

With Nirvana, this simple dynamic trick became a tidal wave with every chorus.

4. Pedal power

From fuzz distortion to chorus and wah-wah effects pedals, Nirvana brought weirdness and dirt back into the guitar sounds of the day. Things could be messy and textured rather than preened and perfect. Guitars could roar like monsters rather gently weep.

For audiences brought up on Prince and Madonna, hearing a cacophony of fizzing, biting noise coming out of your radio was fresh, new and exciting.

3. Pop sensibilities and underground bite

Cobain matched the feral energies of Nirvana in full tilt to his wit for a verse or memorable melody.

Tracks such as ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘Come As You Are’, ‘Sliver’ and ‘Heart Shaped Box’ are headed up by a strong sense of melody and song writing balance.

Nirvana songs were catchy, fun and easy to hum along to, with an engrossing snarl that kicked every track into overdrive. What wasn’t there to like?

2. Legendary live shows

Once more, neither Kurt Cobain nor Nirvana invented intense live shows, but, as with their music, attitude and approach, they reminded the mainstream of what a rock gig should be like.

There were no glitter ball space ships or over-worked stage props, just a band playing their music at painful decibels to a fully committed crowd.

Take Nirvana’s now legendary appearance at Reading festival for instance:

Somehow, over thinking the design of your bassist’s dorsal cape seemed horrendously out of touch.

1. The cult of the outcast

The main reason for Kurt Cobain’s success as a musician and an icon is that large swatches people could relate to him and his music.

Danny Goldberg, manager of Sonic Youth commented on the first time he saw Nirvana live: “I was stunned how intimate the relationship was between Kurt and the audience, even with material that a lot of people didn’t know. There was something about the way he performed that made him seem like a member of the audience and being on stage at the same time.”

Cobain appeared as ‘one of them’ in the way he dressed, the songs he wrote and the things he said. Rather standing out as a figure of aspiration, he was more like a summarised vessel of their thoughts, feelings, despair and anger; at least he was to his fans.

Today, the likes of My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds To Mars tap similar tactics, albeit rather more obviously and costumed up.

Did Nirvana influence you as a musician? Has their music ever influenced your playing? Maybe you just don’t get what the big deal is with them? As always, let us know in the comment box below!

After a turbulent 2011, the British music industry is looking ahead to a positive 2012 and according to Paul McManus, chief executive of the Music Industries Association (MIA), there is a lot to work towards in the coming months.

Two of the biggest aspects of 2012 will be regarding music education and the Live Music Bill.

For the latter, the Bill is just moments away from becoming law, as it now waits for the final stage of Royal Assent, a date of which has not yet been set.

When it becomes an Act of Parliament, small gigs will no longer be subject to the 2003 Licensing Act, meaning that more musicians, particularly those starting out, will be able to play in more venues.

Currently, venues such as pubs face huge fines if they allow live music without a licence but this could completely transform and strengthen the British music scene.

Elsewhere, the National Plan for Music Education, which was published last November, will be brought in this year.

Writing for Mi-Pro.co.uk, Mr McManus noted that the MIA has lobbied hard on the “critical importance of children continuing to have a statutory right to learn a musical instrument at school”.

Related to this, he added that 2012 will mark a huge transition as the Local Authority Music Services become new music hubs as part of the National Plan for Music Education. They will see regions apply for funding to become hubs and offer music services inside and outside of schools.

In the government’s plans it states that every child will have the opportunity to play a musical instrument and Mr McManus explained that the MIA is working closely with the Department for Education to ensure that purchasing of new instruments is being done cost-effectively.

Away from the education sphere, the exec said that the MIA will this year be working to secure government grants to help manufacturers exhibit at major overseas trade shows, support music events like Next Brit Thing and monitor US and EU law on the sourcing of woods for musical instruments.

How will the Live Music Bill effect you? Will you be able to play and attend more local gigs and shows?

What are your thoughts on the National Plan for Music Education?

On this day 20th Feb 1980, Bon Scott, singer of AC/DC, was pronounced dead on arrival at a London hospital after a heavy night’s drinking. Scott was found in the passenger seat of a friend’s parked car in East Dulwich, South London. The official coroner’s report stated that he had drunk himself to death, eventually “suffocating on his own vomit.”

It’s a tough call knowing which way to turn after you lose your friend and band member. Zeppelin decided to call it a day after the death of their drummer John Bonham, who was found dead at guitarist Jimmy Page’s house during band rehearsals. Jimi Hendrix went in a similar way, as have many other musicians. In the July 2004 issue of Classic Rock, Scott was rated as number one in a list of the “100 Greatest Frontmen Of All Time” ahead of Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant, which just shows how much respect and admiration Scott has gained over the years since his untimely demise.

Like his future band mates Angus and Malcolm Young, Scott was born in Scotland; his family emigrated to Australia in 1952 along with thousands of other Brits who were tempted by a new life down under. The Scotts settled in Freemantle in Western Australia. His father, who worked as a baker, was also a keen piper and through this a young Scott started his musical career as a drummer in a bagpipe band. He continued with this until he was 17 when he won a Novice Champion for his drumming.

After working as a postman, bartender, and truck packer, Scott formed his first band, The Spektors, in 1964 where he played drums and also sang. A couple of years later he formed The Valentines who had a local hit with a song called “Every Day I Have To Cry”. During this period, The Valentines supported The Easybeats, where Bon met George Young, the elder brother of Angus and Malcolm Young, whom he would later join in AC/DC.

Scott’s next group, Fraternity, found themselves opening shows for British groups Deep Purple, Free, and Black Sabbath as they toured Australia. Bon’s life as a musician was taking shape. In 1972 he toured the UK where they opened for Status Quo. The Oz band changed their name to Fang where they also found themselves supporting Geordie, who ironically featured singer Brian Johnson. Two years later and back in Australia, Scott was offered the job as lead singer with AC/DC who had just sacked their singer.

During the next four years AC/DC worked nonstop, sometimes playing three gigs in one day. The group played everywhere and anywhere in Australia as well as touring Europe and the US, gaining cult status as one of the best new hard rock bands on the planet. Their 1979 album Highway to Hell reached the top 20 in the United States, and the band seemed on the verge of a commercial breakthrough. However, on 19 February 1980, Scott died after a night out in London.

Scott, who was just 33 at the time, passed out after a night of heavy drinking at the Music Machine in London. He was left to sleep in a Renault 5 owned by his friend Alistair Kinnear, at 67 Overhill Road in East Dulwich, South London. The following afternoon, Kinnear found Scott lifeless, and alerted the authorities. Scott was rushed to King’s College Hospital in Camberwell, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Pulmonary aspiration of vomit was the cause of Scott’s death, and the official cause was listed as “acute alcohol poisoning” and “death by misadventure.” Scott was cremated and his ashes were interred by his family at Fremantle Cemetery in Fremantle, Western Australia.

AC/DC briefly considered disbanding, but the group quickly recruited vocalist Brian Johnson of the British glam rock band Geordie. AC/DC’s subsequent album, Back in Black, was released only five months later, and was a tribute to Scott. It went on to become the third best-selling album in history, behind Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

Scott never saw or enjoyed the success that AC/DC went on to achieve, unlike Hendrix, Morrison, and Bonham, who all died too young, but lived long enough to enjoy some fame and fortune. Mr Scott, we salute you.

David Blunkett has called the government “dishonest” for claiming that its music education review offers more while it actually includes cuts of £16 million.

The former education secretary under the Labour government hit out at the National Plan for Music Education, which was published in November, and criticised the lack of places for music students at higher education institutions.

He even called on high profile musicians to speak out against the proposals.

When it was published last year, the government’s music education plan pledged to give every child in England the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through the creation of new ‘hubs’ across the country.

The Department for Education (DfE) said that funding for music education would be £111.6 million in 2011-12.

However, the plan was met with scepticism by many musicians and teachers as the funding is actually a cut of £16 million, or 12.5 per cent in the past year.

This means that there will also be fewer government-funded places for postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE) courses in music, Mr Blunkett recently highlighted.

He cited figures which show that in 2010-11, there were 555 government-funded courses in music teaching but in 2011-12 there are just 315.

“To claim more, while offering less, is dishonest and the kind of politics which reinforces cynicism amongst the public,” Mr Blunkett said.

“Government cuts, coupled with the near demolition of the role of local government in music education, is reversing both the progress made and the equality of treatment which has been achieved.”

He claimed the cutbacks would “undermine the life chances of youngsters, not merely in accessing the wonderful creative opportunity and use of talent but also the spin-off effect of music teaching of attainment in other key subject areas”.

In defence of the proposals, a spokesman from the DfE told the Huffington Post that funding has been withdrawn for one-off projects, while long-term external funding has been allocated to schemes such as Sing Up.

He added that the figures do not “tell the full story” and called the existing system “complex and totally inefficient”.

What is your view on the National Plan for Music Education? Will it improve or worsen music education in the UK?

Stradivarius violins are some of the most famous and expensive instruments in the world.

In late 2011, ABRSM and Pure Solo ran a competition offering one lucky, and highly talented violinist a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play one of these multi-million pound instruments.

Laura Ayoub was the winner who headed to Sound West Studios in London to get her hands on the 300 year old violin.

Check out the video below of her amazing day!

As Laura put the £4 million Stradivarius through its paces with V. Monti’s Czardas and the theme to Schindler’s List, little did she know that Nicola Benedetti was waiting in the wings to impart some knowledge and offer a one-off opporunity to duet with the world famous musician. Afterwards, she was full of praise for the compeition winner:

“I was thrilled to meet Laura Ayoub. She is a talented, wonderful young musician and it was thrilling for both of us to talk about technique and repertoire and share our experiences of studying the violin. I was extremely impressed with her commitment, hard work and dedication to violin and I wish her the best of luck for the future.”

What would you do to get your hands on such a wonderful violin? If not a Stradivarius, what would be your dream instrument? What would be the first thing you played on it?

Miriam Grossman Menascé headed to the musicroom facebook with a query:

“I would like to have some information about the composer I. Burnell. Our chorus is going to sing his passiontide cantata, “For us men and for our salvation”, but we don’t know anything about his life.”

We answer!

Even on the internet, information on I. Burnell was scarce. Through checking our databases, we discovered a score published in 1931 for Burnell’s Surely The Lord is In His Place, a choral piece specially written for the dedication of Bromsgrove School’s memorial chapel in the same year.

Through searching for Burnell and Bromsgrove School online, we found a page from the 1917 Bromsgrove directory on a cryptography site, The Crypto Barn. The page states that I Burnell was director of the Bromsgrove Musical Club at this time.

After contacting the webmaster for more information, we were sent the scan of another page from the directory, entitled the Bromsgrove Almanack. This page stated that I Burnell was a master at Bromsgrove School.

From here we turned our attentions to the archives of Bromsgrove School and the Bromsgrove Musical Club, latterly known as Bromsgrove Choral Society. The choral society unfortunately didn’t have any information dating back to this period as the original club disbanded before the war, with their current organisation forming in 1947.

The foundation department of Bromsgrove School did however hold records of a school master by the name of I Burnell.

Though only mentioned briefly in five pages from old copies of the Bromsgrovian Magazine, it appears that Burnell was president of the Bromsgrove Musical Society.

As president, Burnell organised and lead musical programmes, debates, readings of papers on orchestral and choral composition and lectured on the pressing musical issues of the time, including the lack of government support given to English opera. From the fifth and final source we also know that Burnell had a wife. These records from the Bromsgrove School archives date from 1916 to 1918.

This is unfortunately all the information we could gather on I. Burnell. Whilst it is far from a definitive biography of the composer, it has hopefully shed some light upon his career as a school master and musical academic.

Do you have a question for the musicroom team? Can you top our answer with yet more interesting facts? Ask or let us know in the comments box below!

Love is in the air, poems are in the post and yet ideas are still hard to come by for the hopeless romantic on Valentines Day.

Making a big impression is never easy, but here at musicroom we don’t think you can go far wrong with a time tested classic: the serenade.

Expressing your inner most feelings is hard enough at the best of times. Nerves, fears and confidence all play their part in wilting the enthusiasm of potential Casanovas.

To help you find that spark of inspiration, we thought we’d put together a quick 5 step ‘How To’ guide for musicians seeking the right sentiments on this most mushy day of the year.

Step one: pick the right song

Choose something in your singing range!

Barry White’s earthshaking tones are a romance standard, but such a rumbling range is off limits for most singers. Instead, find something in-line with your natural voice – something you’ll find comfortable and easy to sing. You want that special person to focus on your expression of love, but your off-track wailings as you butcher a Valentines classic!

Sing one of their favorites!

Find out what your beloved’s favorite track is and learn it. Not only will they appreciated a song they’re already familiar with and enjoy more, but showing you’ve gone that extra mile to find out what they like is exactly the sort of spark that can send a serenade into the stratosphere!

On the other hand, choosing a track that YOU love, or assume they’d like can be a recipe for disaster. Your impassioned Cradle of Filth cover may allow you to scream out your feelings, but if they’re not interested in Filth, they could soon become disinterested with you!

Step two: find the perfect place

Quiet and private is more romantic

The balcony is the classic hotspot for a serenade, but not everyone is lucky enough to have one. Instead, a nice, relaxing venue such as a riverbank, garden or somewhere private and secluded will help make your serenade much more focused, personal and romantic. Again, find out where they like to go or any special quiet places they enjoy.

Don’t go too public or choose an inconvenient time to play

A full, round moon is another romantic staple of the picture perfect serenade, but don’t leave your serenading till it’s too late. Nobody likes being woken up in the dead of night, and rocking up at 2am is a sure fire way to catch your Valentine in the wrong mood, or even miss your chance to woo completely. Go for a dusky evening instead if you want your performance to shimmer in the tender light of the moon.

Avoid large apartment buildings of offices at all costs, or at least take a helmet. You’re more like to annoy the neighbors or invite abuse if you don’t take into account other people and their proximity. Its hard to make the right impression under a rain of boo’s, heckles and rotten fruit.

Step three: accompaniment?

Can’t sing or play? Want to make a BIG impression? Call up some friends.

Singing isn’t everything! Whilst the stereotypical image of the serenade is a singing muso, pouring out their heart through vocals and guitar strings, bringing an accompanist or singer to cover your weaknesses can make your intended listener feel even more special. The extra effort goes a long way and strumming along can be just as impressive as singing your heart out when done with some real feeling! Of course, covering your deficiencies is a much better option than stumbling through, trying to cover both.

Some extra voices or instruments can also ramp up the scale of your display of affection. Maybe you know a few guitarists and a bongo player that could form a backing band for a one-off, under-the-window performance? Just make sure the focus is on what you’re trying to say and avoid inviting Brad, your face melting, shred solo guitarist friend. His arpeggios may be impressive but your sentiments will soon be obscured as the purpose of the performance is lost.

Make sure you can play!

As the old adage goes ‘practice makes perfect’- make sure any performance is well oiled and ready for display, and contains musicians who can actually play. No one wants to be serenaded by a hopeless mess of bum notes by a clueless quartet out of time with each other.

Step four: accessorise!

Bring a gift and add some atmospheric touches

Flowers, chocolates, teddy bears or something more personal or fun (a shirt from her favourite football team? A rare Bolivian addition to his stamp collection?) always make an impression and can add a nice finish to your serenade, as you present your Valetines offering.

Adding some candles, rose petals or other hopelessly romantic touches can also set the tone and create the right atmosphere. Just don’t go over elaborate! Reconstructing the main stage of Glastonbury where you shared your first kiss may sound like a good idea at the time, but in practise you’ll end up being disruptive and annoying rather than thoughtful and clever. Again, the focus should be on your intimate musical expression, but the size of your Pyramid stage!

Stating the obvious…

Practical accessories such a guitar tuner or strap can also save you the embarrassment of a dodgy G string or unwieldy saxophone.

Step five: Go for it!

Break into song! Show lots of passion with a smile and pour out your love

The key to the perfect serenade, regardless of the fixtures, fittings and planning, is putting as much passion into your performance as possible. This is supposed to be the ultimate declaration of your love for the lucky person listening intently to you and your playing.

Don’t throw a diva strop if you make a mistake, or stare out your beloved as if you’re grinding through a serious recital. Smile, have fun and enjoy it! If you slip up, laugh it off. The key is to make them know you really mean it. Don’t sound bored, sad or play half-hearted. Just go for it!

If all else fails however, you can always just ‘do a Cusack’!

Stuck for ideas of what to play? Check out the Greatest Love Songs app for iPod, iPhone and iPad!

How will you be showing your affections today? Will you be seranading a loved one from beneath a picturesque balcony?

Do you have any anecdotes of serenades gone good or even gone bad?!

Calling all Guitarists!

To celebrate the launch of the Pocket Guitar Songbook App for iPad and iPhone, we’re offering you the chance to win a brand new Fender Stratocaster guitar worth £1,200!

All you have to do is record a video of yourself playing a track from the app and upload it to our Facebook page!

Simply download the free App from Itunes, record your video and post it on our wall!

The competition will run for 1 month and will close on 12th March 2012. The winner will be announced shortly after.

Visit our facebook page for more details!

On a night that saw his band pick up five Grammy awards, Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl took to the podium with the ‘Best Album’ statuette in hand to say a few words.

Whilst his speech contained the usual thank yous and nods of recognition, the former Nirvana drummer also had something to say about the importance of musicianship to the audience of the 54th Grammy awards held last night in LA:

“This is a great honour, because this record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio in the world down the street in Hollywood and rather than use all of the fanciest computers that money can buy, we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine…

“To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what’s important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do.

“It’s not about being perfect, it’s not about sounding absolutely correct, it’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here [your heart] and what goes on in here [your head].”

How important is being able to play an instrument to you? Do you appreciate music more knowing the technique, dedication and hard work required to write and perform songs? Are you a digital performer or producer who feels that your skills and musicianmanship is all too often over looked?

On Saturday 11 February 2012, Whitney Houston passed away in Beverley Hills, Los Angeles. She was ‘the voice’ of the 20^th century and a true global singing superstar, leaveing behind a legacy of incredible vocal performances and timeless pop hits.

The tragic sense of a one-off talent who lost her way will forever linger around Houston’s life, but her career featured some undoubted highlights, with her incredible voice catapulting the New Jersey born diva to the very top.

Many of Whitney Houston’s songs are now popular classics, and her singing will continue to inspire and amaze for years to come. Here are five of her greatest tracks to remember Whitney at her very best.

Didn’t We Almost Have It All

I Wanna Dace With Somebody

Saving All My Love For You

Greatest Love Of All

I Will Always Love You

How will you remember Whitney Houston? What is your favorite song to sing by the Bodyguard icon? Have you ever sung a Whitney Houston song? Let us know in the comment box below.

Whitney Houston: Greatest Hits is available from musicroom.com

1998, Police at Manchester Airport arrested former Stone Roses singer, Ian Brown after an incident during a flight from Paris.

On 24th Oct 1998, Brown was jailed for 4 months after being found guilty of disorderly behaviour during a flight from Paris to Manchester. Brown had threatened to chop the hands off an air stewardess after she mistakenly offered him duty free.
The 35-year-old singer had threatened stewardess Christine Cooper and hammered on the cockpit door as the British Airways flight from Charles De Gaulles airport France began its descent into Manchester Airport.

A court was told how the stewardess had been offering drinks to customers when she thought Brown had gestured to her. But then she realised he had simply been putting something into his pocket.

She told the court, “I realised I had made a mistake, and I offered him an apology with an open palm gesture. As I was about to continue, I heard him shout: ‘Hey you’.” She said he told her not to wave at him, or he would chop her hands off.
Flying in a tin tube at 32,000ft seems to make some pop stars go a bit funny in the head! And their appears to be a bit of a pattern breaking out here – they all come from Manchester, England!

In 2001, British Airways staff complained about Oasis singer Liam Gallagher after he had grabbed a stewardess’ bottom, refused to stop smoking and had thrown objects around the cabin during a flight from London to Rio De Janeiro.

This wasn’t the first time the lads from Manchester had been in trouble after a flight. In 1998 all the members of Oasis were banned for life from flying Cathay Pacific Airlines after “abusive and disgusting behaviour” during a flight from Hong Kong to Perth, Australia. One report stated that Liam had threatened the pilot with a scone. Yes a scone?
All five members of The Charlatans were arrested by 24-armed police after a flight from the UK to New York. The band were accused of trying to disrupt the planes flight path, and passengers complained of the group being drunk, spitting and interfering with in flight TV sets. Just sounds like a normal long haul fight to me.

Someone who isn’t from the North England is Courtney Love. The widow of Kurt Cobain was arrested at Heathrow airport in 2003 for ‘endangering an aircraft’ on a transatlantic flight. The singer was said to have hurled abuse at the cabin crew on the flight from Los Angeles to London after her nurse who was in an economy seat was barred access to sit with Love in the upper class cabin. Twenty minutes after landing, Love emerged from the aircraft wearing bright red lipstick and sunglasses and was shepherded into the back of a police van with an officer taking each arm.

Love appolgised to all involved and continued to go about her promotional activities. Just a couple of months before the ‘air rage’ incident, she took part in a photo-shoot in London. During the shoot she is said to have had a bikini wax, poured champagne over her head, stripped off in a taxi cab and streaked down Park Lane in central London in the early hours of Christmas Eve. Later she halted traffic by lying down in the road clad only in a pair of knickers and knee-high boots. All in a day’s work for Mrs Love.

In 2001 R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck was charged by police at Heathrow airport with being drunk on an aircraft and assaulting British Airways crew. Buck was taken into custody after landing on a flight from Seattle and questioned by police for 12 hours.

The 44 year old guitarist was detained at the Heathrow police station and was later released on bail after being charged for common assault on the crew members, disobeying an aircraft commander, being drunk on an aircraft, threatening and abusive words and behavior, and “criminal damage to a quantity of crockery.” Oh no! he broke one of those plastic forks! But worst than that, Buck was said to have thrown a full carton of yogurt at a stewardess across the luxury first class cabin. Another report said that Buck had knocked over a trolley which included 10 breakfast trays and various kinds of food. Now we all hate airplane food but come on!

Buck was later found not guilty by a jury who during the trial had friends and fellow celebrities, including U2 singer Bono, describing Buck as the “politest, gentlest” person imaginable.

She will perform for the first time since going under the knife at the Grammys.

Adele has spoken out about her painful voice problems and subsequent surgery days before her comeback performance this weekend.

The British singer had to have vocal chord microsurgery last November in the US after suffering a haemorrhage in her throat from excess strain.

In an interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes, she described the moment when she knew something was wrong during a performance on French radio.

“It felt like someone put a curtain over my throat,” she said. “It felt like something popped in my throat.”

Adele first suffered from hoarseness last May and was forced to cancel some concert dates as she rested her voice.

Only her problems returned in October and the singer was this time forced to cancel all of her US tour dates.

She tweeted an apology to her fans at the time by posting a picture of herself with a notepad that she had to use in order not to speak.

The timing of her vocal strain has not been good. Her second album 21 was becoming the biggest-selling album of the year in the UK and the US.

Indeed, the album has now broken records for staying at number one for the most cumulative weeks and Adele has become the first woman to have two singles and two albums in the UK’s top five at the same time.

Ahead of her first performance at the Grammy Awards this weekend (February 12th), Adele will no doubt be taking plenty of time to warm up her voice and use the right muscles to avoid straining.

However, in true Adele style, she had other things on her mind during her singing ban. She told the programme that she found it infuriating not being able to swear, so she managed to find an app that read aloud her expletives.

Not only will she be singing on Sunday, but Adele is up for six Grammy Awards.

The NYO Inspire Day will offer peer-to-peer mentoring and the chance to perform in an orchestra.

Young musicians can learn from the very best and improve their music-making skills at an event in April with the National Youth Orchestra (NYO).

The first NYO Inspire Day will take place on April 3rd at St Hild & St Bede College, Durham University, as the NYO gets ready to kick off its annual residency in the north-east of England.

Before the prestigious orchestra gets going with rehearsals and performances they will dedicate this one day to local children keen to develop their individual musicianship and group skills.

Principal players at the NYO and professional members of the Northern Sinfonia will offer one-on-one tuition completely free to participants and section and full orchestra rehearsals will also offer the chance to play in an orchestra, perhaps for the first time.

An informal performance to friends and family will close the day, giving participants the experience of playing in the country’s leading youth orchestras.

The only condition is that participants must be aged between 11 and 18-years-old and must be at Grade 6 level or higher.

NYO Inspire Day is meant to do exactly that, inspire young musicians to excel at their instrument and fulfil their potential.

Sarah Alexander, Chief Executive and Artistic Director at NYO, explained: “Making music at the highest possible level gives our members, and everyone they engage with, a profound sense of who they are and what they can be.”

The scheme is funded by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Ms Alexander said this will help NYO members “meet and inspire more young people nationwide, passing on their own passion for making music to the next generation”.

NYO starts its spring residency at the Sage Gateshead on April 17th where players will explore folk music and how it has a role to play in old and new classical music.

Hip-hop stars like Jay-Z are of much influence among today’s plaintive singer-songwriters as Bob Dylan, one commentator has suggested.

Noticing the rise of Lana Del Rey and British stars Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sande and Michael Kiwanuka, Neil McCormick wrote an article in the Telegraph about how they have taken deep and introspective ballads and given them an urban twist.

Ed, who has been nominated for four Brit Awards thanks to his debut album +, told the Telegraph that he writes lyrics in rap form and then puts a melody to them.

“I’ve always really been into hip hop. Growing up, Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur satisfied my thirst for lyrics,” he explained.

“I like the way they put words together, and then if you can mix it with melodies, you get something really special. Plan B does it, so does Jason Mraz; you can hear it coming through.”

Ben Drew, also known as Plan B, started his career as a rapper who played acoustic guitar before his second album The Defamation of Strickland Banks turned him into a hip-hop soul singer.

Lana Del Rey, too, has cited hip-hop as inspiration for her music. She has been described as a ‘gangsta Nancy Sinatra’.

“The hip-hop world has crossed over into all of the world, and it crossed over into mine too,” she was cited by the Telegraph as saying.

McCormick noted that by incorporating hip-hop into traditional song forms, music is coming “from the inside out, emerging through a natural affinity with the genre rather than being artificially grafted on in pursuit of a gimmick”.

However, he also noted that rappers like Drake have also been pushing hip-hop towards more introverted subjects that are usually the realm of ‘me and my guitar’ singer-songwriters or they have collaborated with these types of musicians.

“It is a reflection of a general blurring of boundaries in the internet generation,” he claimed.

The Beach Boys are to make their comeback in style this weekend (February 12th), two decades after their last appearance together.

Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks will perform live at the Grammy Awards in front of millions of people from all over the world.

It has not been revealed what they will play, but the iconic Californian band will be joined on stage by two Grammy nominees, Foster The People and Maroon 5.

While the band have not played live in years, last year saw the release of a remastered album featuring previously unheard tracks.

The Smile Sessions includes a verson of the album Smile, which was record in 1966 and 1967 but only released in 2004, and session highlights and outtakes.

Smile was, until its release, regarded as one of the most famous unreleased albums of all time.

Grammy.com also announced further additions to the show line-up, including an exciting collaboration between Foo Fighters and Dadmau5, singing a remixed version of Rope, while David Guetta will perform with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne.

Also making a kind of comeback at the show will be Adele, who has not performed live since undergoing vocal cord surgery last year. She is also up for a string of awards.

Her album 21 is up for Album Of The Year and Rolling in the Deep is a contender for Record of the Year. She also has a nomination for Best Solo Pop Performance.

Kelly Clarkson, Tony Bennett, Coldplay and Rihanna and Sir Paul McCartney are also set to perform along with many others and an even bigger list of presenters from the world of music.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl recently told the Associated Press that he is glad to be competing with Adele in six categories including Best Album.

“It means we’ve done something right. I think she gives us all hope,” he said.

Happy birthday to John Williams! The veteran film score composer is 80 today, and to mark the occasion, we’ve compiled a list of 10 vital pieces for players wanting to explore his long and varied career in Hollywood for themselves.

The suggestions below are not instrument specific but since many of his greatest pieces are written for orchestras and large ensembles, players shouldn’t struggle to find a solo or smaller scale arrangement to fit their requirements. Some players may even discover the inspiration for an epic cinematic jam along of their own design.

First up, Jaws…

Melodically, Jaws’ main theme may be dominated by those two ominous notes, E and F, sawing away at your nerves, but the building, stabbing tension that slowly bubbles up around that simple yet effective motif feels great to play on instruments in the mid to lower registers.

Whilst pianists, cellists and their ilk can enjoy cranking up the anxiety from the depths, players in the treble clef can enjoy sharp stattacco and weaving melody lines that drive home the terror, uncertainty and confusion of Spielberg’s psychological shark thriller masterpiece.

The Imperial March from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

In comparison to the stressed out, flinching scare tactics of the Jaws main theme, The Imperial March is far more fluid and grandiose, with a memorable main melody motif reinforced by every section of the arrangement.

Recreating the bombast of The Imperial March for yourself is a lot of fun, and feels immediately epic and atmospheric, from the marching bass lines to the fanfare, soaring highs.

Lumos from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

There’s an almost whimsical feel to the drip-drop bass and woodwind lead of Lumos; a piece that takes us on from the full and heavy footed thrillers mentioned above.

With its almost spooky, main melody and floating, breathy accompaniment, Lumos is all about expression, demanding an eerie and delicate treatment from players in order to reproduce the theme’s mystical feel.

Minority Report – Sean’s Theme

Sean’s Theme is a track rich with emotion and nuance, conveying the jarring mixture of grief, guilt and warmly remembered memories of a lost son felt by the film’s protagonist, John Anderson. For the score to 2002’s Minority Report, Williams took inspiration from the work of Psycho composer, Bernard Hermann, and the soundtracks of film noir.

The piece is full of interesting melodic nuances and harmonic contrasts as the character’s emotions and thoughts flow and conflict through the music. Whilst written for piano, other instrumentalists can find space and purpose within but to the theme’s rich contrasts and layers.

Theme from Schindler’s List

It must be said first and foremost that the theme to Schindler’s List is not one for beginner pianists or violinists, and is rated as a grade eight standard piece.

Players comfortable with such difficulty levels however, will discover a tempered and gentle piece, reliant on a subtle, underlying sense of humanity and tragedy to accompany this unforgettable film.

Theme to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games

To many, John Williams’ Olympic opening ceremony composition is the definitive theme to not only the 1984 games in Los Angeles, but the Olympics itself.

Whilst obviously written for a full orchestra, amateur ensembles and soloists can enjoy picking out highlights to play from Williams’ regal sporting theme due too.

Theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark

The theme to Raiders is another big John Williams arrangement, and perhaps the greatest example of a swashbuckling action score from his vast body of work.

With its highly memorable leading motif, excitable, driving momentum and engrossing sense of frontier adventure, Raiders of the Lost Ark will have you bobbing along as you play.

Theme to Catch Me If You Can

The theme to Catch Me If You Can is something of a departure on out list considering what has gone before it. Its jazz inspired could well shock listeners who have tended towards the large scale action adventure soundtracks that John Williams is perhaps most famous for. In many ways, it harks back to the composer’s early works within 60s cinema.

The main theme to Catch Me If You Can is a lively, jostling piece to enjoy as a listener or player, full of intricate contrasts and shifts to keep you on your toes.

Theme to Jurassic Park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6q0mVhms1I

Another iconic theme from John Williams, Jurassic Park captures the majesty and size of the film’s CGI dinosaurs with this stately, full orchestral score.

As with many of Williams’ large scale pieces, there is a real sense of gravitas and weight to the music, making Jurassic Park a fulfilling piece to play and enjoy.

Theme to E.T.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPhE1XZXw3s

The main theme from E.T. is unmistakable, and one the best loved themes created by John Williams. It is at once suspenseful and climatic yet playful and calm with a main melody that sweeps you up off your feet every time.

As with all of the legendary composer’s blockbuster scores, it’s an engrossing and powerful piece to play full of emotion and imagery that sucks you right into musical narrative Williams masterfully conveys.

Discover John Williams in printed sheet music at musicroom.com! From woodwind guest spots to full band scores – lose yourself in the works of one of cinema’s all-time greats.

What’s your favorite John Williams theme? Are you a dedicated player of his music or just curious about giving it a try? What we to hear from you!

Fresh from organising a huge concert in aid of Children in Need, Gary Barlow has announced the initial line-up of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert, which he is also helping to organise.

Veteran British pop royalty Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney are all set to perform on June 4th, while new rising stars like Ed Sheeran will appeal to the younger audiences.

Unlike the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002 which saw the Prom at the Palace and Party at the Palace take place in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, this concert will be held in front of the palace, using the Queen Victoria Memorial as part of the stage.

The change of venue means that hundreds of thousands more people will be able to watch the gig, which celebrates the Queen’s 60 years on the throne.

What’s more, 10,000 free tickets are to be delivered via a national ballot. Applications are open unitl March 2nd and they will be allocated according to regional populations.

As well as the legendary Elton John, other acts secured by Barlow include classical music from Alfie Boe and pianist Lang Lang, jazz from Jools Holland, 80s pop from Annie Lennox and Madness, and contemporary pop from the likes of Jessie J and JLS.

More acts will be announced over the coming months but Barlow did not confirm if Take That would make an appearance.

He promised it will be one of the “biggest and most exciting live music shows in recent years”.

“With Buckingham Palace as a backdrop, it’s going to be a fantastic event which transcends multiple decades of music,” he added. “It’ll be a great, unique, experience for the thousands attending, watching on TV and listening on Radio. I can’t wait!”

The concert will be broadcast live on the BBC.

Ten years ago in March the BBC launched 6 Music as part of its digital radio output and the broadcaster will celebrate the milestone with a series of live shows from Maida Vale studios.

From March 12th-16th, DJ Lauren Laverne will host the shows from London’s iconic studios and welcome 6 Music favourite guests including Orbital and Spiritualised.

One of the Orbital duo Phil Hartnoll extolled the virtues of the radio station, calling it “brilliant”.

“For me it takes over from where John Peel left off to be honest but not just one night, it’s 24-7,” he said, revealing also that the band will play some new tracks although a set list has not been confirmed.

On March 16th, the station will take residency at London’s Southbank Centre where Laura Marlin, Gruff Rhys and Anna Calvi are among those set to perform.

Artists will perform in three different spaces within the venue and the shows will be broadcast on the BBC Red Button, the broadcaster announced. Tickets for the shows have sold out.

Other celebrations include a new feature – 6 Music Playlist – where popular guests will take control of the station’s playlist with their favourite songs.

A decade of ‘alternative spirit’ music broadcasting has not been plain-sailing. In 2010 6 Music was under threat of being closed as part of the BBC’s cost-cutting measures. A campaign by listeners led to the station being saved and subsequently doubling its audience thanks to the publicity.

The station now brings in an average audience of 1.4 million listeners.

Phil Jupitus launched 6 Music on March 11th 2002 with his breakfast show, choosing Ash’s Burn Baby Burn as the first track.

It launched alongside urban music station 1 Xtra, the now-defunct Asian Network and BBC 7, which has since been rebranded as Radio 4 Extra.

This year marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic and more than 400 children in Cumbria are using the disaster as musical inspiration.

They will lend their talents for a new commission by Composer David Bedford, to be premiered at a concert in Carlisle on April 16th.

Called The Wreck of the Titanic, the work is a choral and instrumental interpretation of the disaster which killed 1,503 people on April 15th 1912.

Children from the Cumbria Youth Orchestra will perform at the concert, as well as primary school children starting out in their musical instrument tuition, the News and Star reported.

Other performers include established youth choruses from across Cumbria, children’s choirs, a music technology group from Whitehaven and Sing Up! platinum award winners. They will perform alongside professional musicians as part of Cumbria council’s learning support services.

Cumbria’s talented young musicians will then take their talents across the country to perform the piece.

More than 100 schools in the county are set to get involved in the project, which also includes a silent film, inspired by lost footage from the liner, made by children and families from Maryport.

Maryport was the home of the Ismay family who owned the White Star Line, the Titanic’s operators. The ship’s chief engineer and chief steward also hailed from the area, giving Cumbria close ties to the vessel.

One of the famous stories of the Titanic was that of the ship’s band who reportedly continued to perform on deck to entertain first class passengers waiting to climb into lifeboats. A band will be recreated by eight members of the Lancashire Sinfonietta orchestra to recognise the story.

David Bedford was commissioned to write the work in 2010 and it reflects the north-west’s Titanic heritage. His inspiration also came from newspaper reports and music from the era.

Do you remember I Want Love, the 2001 single by Elton John? The song’s video famously featured Robert Downy Jr miming the lyrics in the singer songwriter’s place. Who needs to star in their own music videos when you’re Elton John anyway?

Fast forward to 2012, and former MP Lembit Opik has taken up the position of music video lip-syncer-in-chief for London band, Good Suns. The result is surprisingly watchable, although I doubt the same would be said if the song featured were anything other than distractingly good.

For fans of ex-politicians going viral and Johnny Marr inspired washy indie rock only!

Elaine James asked the musicroom facebook page. “who can hold the longest note? I’ve noticed Andrea bocelli can hang on, so can noah Stewart! Anyone else?”

We answer!

Currently, the world record for the longest note held by a vocalist belongs to Richard Fink IV, an American singing instructor who managed to hold a single continuous note for an incredible 1 minute and 43 seconds!

Your question though was of course relating to a singing performance – something entirely different to Fink’s focused but highly impressive feat.

There are a number of contenders for the record of longest held note in a popular or classical song.

Starting with recorded music, the longest note held on by a woman on a single release was performed by Donna Summer in her 1979 hit Dim All The Lights, in which she held on for a mighty 16 seconds.

Bill Withers’ 1978 hit, Lovely Day is often cited as the record breaker for men, clocking in at 18 seconds, but in fact, Morton Harket of A-Ha managed 20.2 seconds during the group’s 2000 comeback single, Summer Moved On.

If we include non-hits and album tracks however, Barbra Streisand jumps in the lead with her 25 second ‘to you’ that can be heard within the song On My Way To You from her Till I Loved You collection.

The record holder for the longest note held on a musical recording however is Freddy Curci, the singer from Canadian arena rock band, Sheriff, who managed a whopping 30 seconds during the 1989’s When I’m With You.

Live performances are another matter however. The likes of Whitney Houston and Barbra Streisand have been known to hold notes over 40 seconds in length! Since the claims cannot be referenced without empirical proof, and such performance flourishes are usually at least partly spontaneous, neither hold any such record for the longest note held live during a musical concert.

Do you have a question for the musicroom team? Can you top our answer with yet more interesting facts? Ask or let us know in the comments box below!