Museum of Making Music

Check out this YouTube site - http://www.youtube.com/museumofmakingmusic

You can see some video clips from the Museum of Making Music as well as a few videos showing you some of the qualities important in violins.

Want To Learn Excel?

Yes - it's been since April since this blog was updated. Hopefully, I will continue to update.

I wanted to point you to a great blog that will teach you some great tips for using Microsoft Excel. - http://www.thecompanyrocks.com/excels/

The blog is written by Danny Rocks who works very closely in the music products industry. Danny worked at Alfred Publishing and now runs his own company - The Company Rocks. I have had the great opportunity to meet Danny and have come to know him and find him to be someone full of knowledge and someone who is so willing to share that knowledge. I encourage you to check out his blog - well worth the time to view the lessons.

Create and Judge Marching Shows Online

Check out http://www.micromarching.com/ You can design your own marching band drill (without music) and judge other shows and leave comments.

Might be good practice for you aspiring drill designers.

The Beat Goes On: Gibson Sues "Rock Band" Game Creators

From the MMR E-Mail Newsletter

On Mar. 21 Gibson Guitar filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Viacom's MTV networks, Harmonix, and Electronic Arts relating to the "Rock Band" video game and Harmonix's previously developed game, "Guitar Hero."

The suit, filed in Federal District Court in Tennessee, relates to the same patent involved in another suit Gibson filed earlier against mass-merchant retailers of "Guitar Hero," including Wal-Mart and Target (MMR Update, Mar. 21.)

Gibson claims the games violate a 1999 Gibson patent for technology to simulate a musical performance.

Harmonix developed the first "Guitar Hero" game and was later bought by MTV. Electronic Arts publishes "Rock Band" and another company, Activision Inc.,{doesn't make sense} and the retailers either develop, distribute, or sell one or more of the games in the "Guitar Hero" series.

As reported in MMR Update on Mar. 14, Activision responded to Gibson's complaint by filing a preemptive suit against Gibson. Contrary to myriad online reports, however, Gibson has not filed a lawsuit against Activision on the 1999 patent claim.

The Activision lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for Central California to declare Gibson's patent invalid and to bar it from seeking damages.

Gibson has been a high-profile partner in the "Guitar Hero" games. Activision licensed the rights to model its guitar-shaped video controllers on Gibson models and to use their likenesses in the game.

Activision has said that by waiting three years to raise its claim, Gibson had granted an implied license for any technology.

Pittsburgh Pictures

I just came across this site - http://pittsburghskyline.com/

Some amazing pictures of Pittsburgh. It will make you fall in love with the skyline all over again.

Guitar Hero No More?

Gibson Files Suit Over "Guitar Hero"
Gibson has told Activision Inc that its popular "Guitar Hero" video games infringe one of Gibson's patents. Gibson said the game violates a 1999 patent for technology to simulate a musical performance. A copy of Gibson's patent included in the court filing showed a method for simulating a live performance using a musical instrument, a 3D headset with stereo speakers, and a pre-recorded concert.

"Based on our preliminary analysis, the 'Guitar Hero' software (including any expansion packs) and the guitar controller provided by Activision being used as a musical instrument (packaged with the software or sold standalone) are covered by the ... patent," Gibson's law firm said in its January 7 letter. "Gibson requests that Activision obtain a license under Gibson's ... patent or halt sales of any version of the 'Guitar Hero' game software."

On Tuesday, Activision filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court for Central California to declare Gibson's patent invalid and to bar it from seeking damages.

Gibson made its claims in a letter sent to Activision in January, a copy of which was included in Activision's lawsuit. Gibson has been a high-profile partner in the "Guitar Hero" games, with Activision licensing the rights to model its controllers on Gibson guitar models and to use their likenesses in the game.

"Gibson is a good partner, and we have a great deal of respect for them. We disagree with the applicability of their patent and would like a legal determination on this," Activision general counsel George Rose said in a statement.

Activision said its games did not infringe Gibson's patent, and that by waiting three years to raise its claim, the guitar maker had granted an implied license for any technology.

(Source: Reuters)

Ticking package strikes a bad chord at Duquesne U.

Friday, March 14, 2008
By Anya Sostek, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A ticking care package shut down a Duquesne University building for several hours this morning.

A Pittsburgh Police bomb squad investigation revealed the culprit to be a metronome, which turned on as the package was transported. The package also contained food and medicine, said university spokeswoman Bridget Fare.

The building, Rockwell Hall, houses the campus mailroom along with the School of Business, various computing and technology operations and other offices.

A mailroom employee noticed the ticking sound around 7:30 a.m. and evacuated the building, said Ms. Fare. No classes were in session that early in the morning, she said.

Police gave the all-clear to re-open Rockwell Hall around 10 a.m., she said.

First published on March 14, 2008 at 10:47 am

How rockin' is your high school marching band?

I stole this from the YEA! website - wouldn’t it be great to have a Western PA band on this show?
Is your high school marching band rockin' enough for MTV?
The network's producers want to know!
MTV News & Docs is casting a new show which will chronicle the inner workings and outside lives of a high school marching band.  The chosen band will share their experiences of rehearsals, half-time performances, competitions and fundraisers all the while balancing the normal pressures of high school.  The network is looking for outgoing, interesting, diverse band members to share their lives with them… and a proud, dedicated school that’s willing to open up their doors to its producers.
Interested parties should contact Claresa Mandola, Casting Director, to discuss making a video application: (212) 654-4871 or mailto:castingspring08@mtvstaff.com.