Tag: Best

Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why The Piano Is The Best Instrument Of All Time

Forget guitars. Forget the drums. Forget the bass. The piano is the best instrument of all time. Think we’re kidding? Well read on.

There’s nothing more beautiful in the world of music that a piano concerto. It’s an instrument which (believe it or not) is easy to play, versatile and social – yet complex and steeped in history.

With that in mind, here’s 7 reasons why we think the piano is the best instrument of all time – we hope you agree!

1. Teach Yourself. Although the piano is a difficult instrument to master, there is piano sheet music available for every level of capability, from beginner to expert. This means that, generally speaking, if a toddler has learnt to sit up properly, they can start learning to play the piano. These skills will then grow with them throughout their lifetime, accompanying and nurturing them whatever their circumstance. With a piano as their means for expression, they’ll celebrate life, lament loss and all the while continue to learn and develop as a pianist.

2. Versatility. The piano is an extremely versatile instrument. From freeform jazz to dreamy pop ballads, the ivories have been tinkered across a plethora of musical genres, and to great effect. Whilst other classical instruments, (flutes, trumpets, cellos) seem committed to their classical constraints, the piano transcends genre.

3. It All Starts At The Piano. Musicians from every field take to the piano because it offers an easy means for composition. Whilst it takes years of training to produce a simple note from woodwind or string instruments, the piano is the perfect platform for writing and rehearsing intricate melodic and harmonic arrangements. Once a piece of music has been composed, it can then be played on any number of instruments.

4. Sing-a-longs. Playing the piano is a very social, creative and unifying experience for everyone involved. Picture a soporific Sunday afternoon with the whole family stood around the piano, singing along to an old war tune. Sure, it sounds old-fashioned, but at least everyone is together and sharing in something positive. One person’s talent radiates into the lives of others which in turn encourages creativity and motivates musical innovation.

5. There’s Humanity In The Piano. The sheet music of Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven is centuries old and yet still extremely relevant. These pianists continue to resonate with listeners of today because they captured the essence of humanity and the complexities of emotion like no other instrumentalist can. Without lyrics for emotional manipulation or music videos as visual stimulus, these composers created something which everyone can relate to despite its apparent age.

6. Timeless Tinkering. And, surely, like the best wines, music only matures with time? Who will still be listening to Tinie Tempah in 200 years? Very few, it can be assumed. But names like Tchaikovsky and Handel and Schubert will remain eternally imprinted on the list of musical greats because they will always be significant. The piano has been around since the early eighteenth century and has turned men, who would otherwise have been lost to the sands of time, into musical deities. It’s rich and diverse history only accentuates its superiority.

7. One Instrument Band. The piano does not need the support of a choir, an orchestra or even a single voice. Whilst it’s versatile enough to cater for any genre, voice or orchestral composition, as a stand-alone instrument it’s powerful enough to lead a whole movement to a crashing and memorable crescendo.

This guest post was written by www.musicroom.com. For all your sheet music needs, please visit our website for more information.

April 25, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why You Need An LED TV

Long gone are the days when you could simply ‘rumble on down to Rumbelows’, choose your desired screen size and have your new TV delivered to your home. These days buying a new TV is like sitting a small exam on the latest technology. Aside from how big you want your screen to be, you also need to choose between LCD and plasma – which do you plump for? Well worry no more, as there’s a new boy in town that wipes the floor with the pair of them – the LED TV. Why should you choose LED over LCD and plasma? Here’s why:

All LED TVs Include Snowboarders Jumping Out Of The Screen As Standard

1. You Don’t Need To Re-Mortgage To Buy One Anymore. Okay, so let’s be honest, LED TVs have been around for a while, but the first wave of these new sets where pretty pricey and maxed out most of the credit cards in your wallet. However, the latest variants of LED TV are now much more affordable meaning they can be compared like for like alongside comparative formats without price being an issue.

2. Unlike Plasma, You Won’t Need Your Own Power Plant To Run One. LED TVs are currently much more energy efficient than their rivals with a typical 40 inch set using just 83 watts – as opposed to the 96 watts used by an LCD and the whopping 221 watts drained by similar sized plasma.

3. You’ll Remember What A Colour TV Is Supposed To Look Like. Remember the good old days of CRT televisions when colour TV was actually colourful? Well, thanks to LED TV those days are back! LED TVs are awash with colour and unlike their LCD cousins they can actually ‘do’ the colour black too!

4. Size Matters. Indeed size does matter, but in the case of the modern TV, the thinner the better. LED TVs are now available at just over an inch think, unlike LCD TVs and plasmas which are significantly bigger. As well as taking up less space and being easier to handle, this also makes LED TVs much more suitable to wall mounting than their chubby counterparts.

5. You’ll Be Helping To Save the Planet. As well as using much less power than their rivals, LED TVs are environmental friendly in another way too. Unlike LCDs and Plasma televisions, they don’t use mercury in their manufacture and therefore can be disposed of safely without any risk to the environment.

6. They Look Awesome. As well as having a great picture LCD TVs look pretty cool too. Their ultra slim appearance and skinny frames make them more about the picture than the set itself. Even when they’re turned off their sleek design means an end to that butt ugly lump of plastic sitting in the corner of the room we’ve all become accustomed too.

7. Your Mates Will All Be Jealous. A combination of slick design and awesome performance will have all your friends green with envy when they return home to their archaic plasma. And, when someone mistakenly refers to your awesome gadgetry as an LCD TV, make sure you’re on hand to say, “Erm, no, it’s an LED TV actually!”

February 27, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why A Credit Card Might Save Your Life

1. It Just Might Save Your Marriage Someday. Women love to shop. It is part of their genetic makeup. If you are married to a woman who thrives on shopping, and you deny her the fulfillment of this instinctive, natural urge, you could very well end up causing very real marital problems. You know the old saying “hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn”? That phrase was coined by a department store. So when your wife finds a way to spend all of your money, you will be owing a debt of gratitude (and interest and fees) to the best credit card companies.

2. Your Parents Refuse To Raise Your Allowance To Keep Up With Inflation. You need money to go out with your friends. You need money to treat your significant other on a date. You need money to put gas in your (parents’) car. You need money to buy the latest gadgets and accessories and to keep up with all of the stuff that your friends have. But when your parents refuse to give you the money to fund your lifestyle, and you can’t (or won’t) find a job, then a freshly minted credit card, made for students, can be a godsend.

3. You Get Trapped In An Elevator Or Locked In A Room And Can’t Get Out. Credit cards are notorious for getting you trapped… financially. But they can also help you get out of traps… physically! These slender little shards of plastic can help you unlock doors and windows, and can help you to pry open practically anything that needs to be opened. Who would have thought that a credit card just might help you get out of a difficult situation rather than get you stuck in one.

4. You Need To Do Your Part To Save The Economy. The economy is in shambles. We’ve all seen the devastation caused by the collapse of the housing market and the implosion of the job market. You might think that the prudent thing to do in during these tough economic times is to hunker down and keep tighter control over your money and reign in your spending habits. But if you do that, the economy is just going to worsen, isn’t it? If we want the economy to recover, then we all need to put our confidence back into the economy and start spending again. So get that credit card out and start spending, and do your part to save the economy!

5. Using Your Credit Cards Is A Matter Of National Security. One of the most sacred institutions of the United States is the pursuit of the American Dream. Indeed, keeping the American Dream alive is one of the stated goals that our politicians in Washington DC have been emphasizing in their attempts to revive the economy. Therefore, it is your patriotic duty as an American to keep the American Dream alive by keeping the credit card companies in business. After all, how long can we expect them to survive on government bailouts? Their bailout should come from the private sector. And what better way to help keep the credit card companies in business than to use your credit cards?

6. The World Is Coming To An End And You Need To Safeguard Your Cash. The Mayans predicted that the world will end in 2012. Scientists claim that an asteroid will be coming close enough to impact the earth during this century. World War III could happen at any time now. If a run on the banks would occur and people start hoarding cash, you could always rely on plastic to help you survive the economic uncertainty that lies ahead.

7. When You Run Out Of Money Every Month, At Least You Will Have The Credit Cash Back Rewards To Help You Keep Afloat. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, using one credit card to pay off another every single month, then at least you should be looking forward to your credit card cash back rewards! When you find yourself constantly running out of money every month, at least you know that all of the money you spent on your credit cards, keeping a balance and accruing interest, will pay off when you get those cash back rewards every month! A credit card can really help you out when money is tight!

January 25, 2012
7 Reasons That Kim Jong Il Is The Ideal Pet

Hello dear reader! At 7 Reasons, we’re not afraid to admit when we’re wrong and today, we do just that. Once, we were of the opinion that the Komodo dragon was the ideal pet but, though that would be amazing, we’ve realised that there is a superior one. It’s Kim Jong Il. Here’s why.

1. Kim Jong Il Comes In Many Colours. Whatever your interior colour scheme; whatever hue and shade your decor, there’s a Kim Jong Il to blend in perfectly with it. Even if it’s beige.

2. Kim Jong Il Is Independent. Don’t want a needy pet that requires you to take it out for walks or let it in and out five times per hour? Kim Jong Il is ideal: He comes with his own man-flap.

3. Kim Jong Il Annoys The Neighbours. All the best pets annoy the neighbours, whether it’s next-door’s dog barking at all hours, next-door’s cat pooing in your flower bed or next door’s snake being a snake in close proximity to you. Kim Jong Il does this too.

4. Kim Jong Il Is Loved By Women. That’s important in a pet. After all, they’re usually the ones that end up looking after them once the children grow tired of the responsibility. Surely there isn’t a woman alive that wouldn’t jump at the chance to care for Kim Jong Il.

5. Kim Jong Il Is Good With Children. This is an important consideration when choosing a pet. You need a pet that can help teach them social skills and engender a sense of playfulness in them. That pet is Kim Jong Il.

6. Kim Jong Il Makes Everyone Happy. Everyone loves the warm, fuzzy joy of pet-ownership (it’s one of the reasons we have them). They bring delight and wonder into our lives and spread happiness and warmth wherever they go. So does Kim Jong Il.

7. Kim Jong Il Is Easy To Feed. While other pets have special dietary requirements and often need to be fed expensive and exotic foodstuffs, Kim Jong Il prefers a simple diet of radishes.*

So there you go. Kim Jong Il is the ideal pet. The only drawback is that you might occasionally have to see this.

Seems a small price to pay. So let’s all go out and get a Kim Jong Il. Is a home really a home without one?

*Or sometimes fresh lobsters that he has airlifted to his train whenever he’s away travelling.

**For fans of looking at Kim Jong Il looking at things, this is the place to go.

June 2, 2011
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why Androids Are Better Than iPhones

We’ve had doors and hairy chests and alien invasions, so what next from 7 Reasons groupie Sam Murray? Well, quite obviously, it’s post about smartphones. So, if you’re thinking of upgrading your handset soon, here’s Sam with some invaluable information. (Just remember to ignore all he says and buy an iPhone).

Long gone are the days where playground bullies proclaim, “my dad is harder than your dad”, the latest insult is more likely to be, “my phone is better than yours”. And if that phone happens to be an android, then I am in their gang and will wedgie anyone that says otherwise.

I could give more than seven reasons why androids are better than iPhones but after discovering the site ’33 Reasons’ doesn’t exist I have come back to share my top seven.

1. Battery Life. iDrain is a more apt description of most iPhones, especially the 3GS or earlier models (as the iPhone 4 has improved) For a phone whose star attraction is the ability to download applications it is a shame that you play and surf at your peril. It is the equivalent of being given the keys to a new Ferrari only to find out the faster you go the less time you will have.

2. Browsing. Although I do like a Safari, the grass might be greener on the other side of the electric fence. Yes the Safari browser on the iPhone is fast and reliable, but flexible? No. It still doesn’t have the ability to operate with Flash which automatically restricts users viewing certain websites. No not those kinds of websites. On the other hand, the Android has a range of browsers which you can choose from ranging from; Dolphin, Opera Mini, Skyfire, Fennec and the default Browser. Everyone loves options and that is the beauty of Android: You have options which all have fast page-load speeds, extensive features, and video support.

3. Open 24-7 – Wider Choice Of Apps. Yes that’s right. 24-7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and without the baggage of paying overtime. The Android is open source so developers all over the world have the ability to tap into the API and create new applications or improve current apps. This freedom sparks ideas and innovations which can help push the Android community forward. It reminds me of the Kurt Russell film ‘Escape from L.A’ where people are left to fend for themselves but hey, Kurt came out of it ok so its fine by me.

4. Wide Range of Choices. I may come across as an anti-iPhone protester so it may surprise you to know that I have one, and I really like it. However, I like “it”, not “them”, or “they”, or any other plural reference as another sad face on the iPhone chalk board is the fact that there is only one phone. This is the 21^st Century; choices are imperative. What happens if you want your handset to come with a QWERTY keyboard? Or if you want a slightly larger screen on your phone? I have to decide what type of sauce I want on my sandwich, I expect the same type of problem when deciding on my handset.

5. Notification – “Excuse Me Sir, You Have A Visitor”. You don’t want to keep opening the front door of your home to check if you have a visitor. That is why we have invented door bells and knockers so why should that be the case on your phone? On the iPhone there is a very limited notification system which means if you want to check if you have a Twitter message or a Facebook comment you have to open the app to find out. However, the Android has a notification bar which alerts users to new voice messages, email messages, Twitter and Facebook notifications, new Gmail messages and plenty more. If an app has a notification, it can let you know quickly, and in the background.

6. Synching with iTunes. The amount of tears that has been the result of wiping music and contacts from your phone after an unsuccessful and stressful synch could fill the Thames. This issue stems from needing to use iTunes to synch your phone whereas with an Android this is not the case. In addition, at times with the iPhone you can sync it with only a limited number of computers. Android phones do not need any such application and you can simply connect the phone into any computer and gain access to pictures, contacts, videos and music.

7. If you can’t beat them, join them… If these six reasons weren’t enough to persuade you then maybe this seventh will: Charlie Sheen has an android. #WINNING

This article was written in association with My Phone Deals who provide a wide range of iPhone, Blackberries and Android phones for 2011. They have everything from the latest phone releases to classic and reliable Nokia’s.

April 16, 2011
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why Teaching Is (Mostly) The Best Job In The World

A few weeks ago, you may remember Liz Gregory telling us why Summer was great. There was so much agreement with her in the 7 Reasons HQ that we just had to get her back on the sofa. Thankfully, Liz was only too keen to make a reappearance. And this time she’s bought along her box of chalks. Or are they marker pens? I can never tell when I’m sans contact lenses. If you didn’t check out Liz’s blog – Things To Do In Manchester – last time, then you better do it today. Unless you want detention. Right, enough of the stupid school quips, I’m off to the bike sheds.

1. Holidays (Part One). We may as well deal with any resentment up front, so we’ll start with holidays. I get 11 weeks per year. Teachers in schools get more. I understand that people in the real world get insultingly poor amounts of annual leave, and I feel bad about this. But no-one, anywhere (that includes you, Cameron) will take my glorious six-week summer off me.

2. Holidays (Part Two). Last year the afore-mentioned six week summer break began on July 7^th. The Ashes series started on July 8^th. This point needs no further expansion.

3. The Students. Yes, I know this one is hard to believe; even a cursory glance at The Daily Mail will indicate that the youth of today are a snarling, feral mass, pausing from their casual sex and drug-taking only to mug passing old ladies and commit knife crimes. You may be disappointed to learn that actually, today’s teenagers are pretty much the same as any other generation of teenagers: moody, unpredictable, funny, witty, charming…in short, they are good company. Although I do query some of their musical taste, and the overall aesthetics of wearing one’s jeans halfway down one’s backside.

4. Talking About What You Love, All Day Every Day. I teach English, which means that rather than answer telephones and push bits of paper around a desk all day, a typical Monday might include reading Wuthering Heights (and indeed performing the Kate Bush caterwauling classic as a Christmas treat), acting out bits of Streetcar Named Desire (Stellllaaaaaaa!), and teaching how to write scripts, articles or short stories….it’s amazing.

5. Seasonal Celebrations. Christmas is fun, sure. Christmas in a college with hundreds of sixteen-year-olds who are desperately excited but are trying equally desperately not to show it is even better. Students are also very keen on the confectionary that tends to accompany such seasonal celebrations, and bring it in by the bucket load; there is surely not a teacher in existence who has not felt their waistband constrict at Easter or Christmas due to a surfeit of Quality Street.

6. Stationery. This may actually be specific to English teachers, but every September the pain of a new academic year is soothed by an almighty trip to Paperchase to stock up on novelty pens and notebooks with monkeys on. This is an essential part of teaching, and its impact on the economic stability of Britain must not be overlooked.

7. Students Suddenly Realising You’re Not Ninety. I am not particularly advanced in years, but to my youthful charges I may as well be approaching my hundred and twelfth birthday. Until, of course, you are spotted outside of work, wearing jeans, talking to friends, and maybe (gasp) drinking wine. This prompts much admiration, as students recognise you for what you truly are – a plucky old person with a life outside college. This will raise your kudos above every member of the maths and science departments almost instantly.

July 10, 2010
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Women Are Better Than Men

A few weeks ago we had Emily Clifford on our sofa showing us how it is done. Her post on reasons why men and women shouldn’t converse proved very popular – with women. Because we like women we thought we’d invite Emily back. Unfortunately she has gone AWOL in the Blue Mountains this weekend. Before she went though, she left a note for us under one of the sofa cushions. Jon’s side. It said if we wanted to continue the theme of making women feel superior to men we should speak to her sister. Well one thing led to another and before we knew where we were we found Natalie Clifford clawing at the sofa. We’ve allowed her to stay for the day in exchange for a hugely popular post about the brilliance of man. This is her effort. Oh dear.

1. Looks. It’s not my job to say who designed man and woman, but whoever it was clearly had a deadline and spent 97% of their time on the female body. And they have done a pretty good job with it. As for the man, well it looks as if they had a few left over bits and just cobbled it together. That penis thing. I don’t get how it could have gone so wrong.

2. Communication. Women are good at this as they can put words together to form sentences. Men are useless. Their favourite word is, “nothing”. As in, “What are you thinking about?”

3. Leaders. Men may like to think they are the head of the family but if they were why do they have to ask the woman to do something?

4. Multi-tasking. Men think multi-tasking is watching the football, drinking beer and looking after the remote control. In fact it is doing the ironing while cooking the dinner while helping son number one with his homework while telling son number two off for pulling daughter number one’s hair while she was asking mother if she could have a friend to play.

5. Better friends. When a man starts dating a woman, whose friends do they hang out with more? Yes, the woman’s. And when they get married, whose friends do they stay in contact with? Yes, the woman’s. Half the time a man’s friends don’t even know he has got married. They just think he went to the pub toilet five years ago and didn’t come back.

6. Memory. A woman can remember things like dates. And phone numbers. And names. And ages. And what school the children go to. And what the children’s names are. Men can’t even remember whether they wear glasses or not.

7. Vision. I am not sure what it is about men and their inability to see dust. I don’t adhere to the belief that they just can’t be bothered to clean, I honestly believe they are blind to dirt. Unless it’s on their shirt. In which case they give it to the woman to clean.

March 6, 2010