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Maxwell Murderers

Maxwell Murderers

Maxwell Murderers is a band which was formed in Rio de Janeiro by Eduardo Seabra and Helio Azem. The bands name is derived from the name of the founders street, to which they decided to pay homage, and their devotion to their favorite movie actor; Charles Bronson. Maxwell street is a dangerous street in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. The gory movie series Death Wish, of which Charles Bronson was the star, was their biggest concept inspiration.

The early days

In Brazil, mIRC, software designed for internet chatting, was highly popular among the youth. The Brazilian heavy metal fan base used to chat through mIRC using the popular #metaleiros channel. By that time, the biggest number of users of this channel were residents of Rio de Janeiro. Seeing the opportunity to create a channel for Rio de Janeiro metal fans, the founder, André Dias named it #metal-rio. The first users included André Felizardo, Denis Alves, and Luis Iwasaki. Soon #metal_rio became very popular, and was Rio de Janeiro's biggest heavy metal channel. On its one year anniversary, a meeting for the users was scheduled to happen at Shopping Tijuca, a shopping center located in Rio. At this meeting, Helio Azem, who by that time was a brand new user of the channel, was able to meet André, Luis, and Eduardo Seabra. About six months after that meeting, Eduardo, who played guitar, and Helio, who played drums decided to go to Staccato Studios to work on some music. They invited André to play lead guitar, Luis to add keyboards, and Felizardo for bass. Highly influenced by bands like Slayer, Ratos de Porão, Metallica and Dying Fetus, they first attempted to play a mix of thrash metal and hardcore punk. Long time friend Denis Alves was invited to take pictures and record the rehearsal on cassette. For some unknown reason, Felizardo did not show up on that day and Denis took his place on the bass. In this first rehearsal, the band did not have access to guitar distortion, causing André's guitar to take on a sound akin to surf music. A number of factors took place on that fateful day which would determine the course of the band. Eddy was extremely unskilled on guitar, so his contribution was minimal on the band's first songs. Helio played the drums very slowly which later generated complaints within the band who thought that he should speed them up somehow. Didi included some weird water-sounding keyboards, adding an extremely unusual atmosphere to a band that was supposed to play thrash metal. There were no vocals in the band's first rehearsal. As a result, the music created in this first rehearsal completely contradicted the band's original intentions. Charles Bronson - The True King of Killings, their biggest hit, appeared on this first rehearsal with a very raw version without any vocals. Another remarkable song was Hymn To The Unholy Necromantical Bull, a spannish-influenced song which many people claim arose from the band's world music influences. This rehearsal was released as their first demo, named Assassination Live. The record was soon spread through #metal_rio, with the band gaining a relative amount of fame on the Rio metal scene.

The Murderers rising!

With the first rehearsal becoming a huge success on mIRC network, Helio, Eduardo and André decide to make the project become a real band. The newly-formed band invited Angélica to fill in on the bass. Dide was also fired because keyboards were no longer necessary. Once again, Staccato Studios was the chosen place to the first official rehearsal as "Maxwell Murderers". Once again, the bass player did not show up, and this time there was no Denis to fill the post. As Eddy was not making much difference with his guitar playing, the relocated him to the bass, leaving only André with the guitar work (now featuring a high-level distortion) and HELLio with the drums. For the first time also, the band featured vocals, performed also by Eddy. The second rehearsal was not as productive as the first one. The only thing that came out of it was the original version of The Moshbringer, that in the future would become a classic and show opener. This first version was released as a single, titled A Lesson in How NOT to play Thrash Metal. Maxwell Murderers kept playing as a three-piece for a while, but with no outstanding material coming out. With the pressure beginning to rise it was time to change, again.

The Golden Years

Seeing that all their popularity was waning, HELLio and André, the band leaders, decided to once again change the line-up. Eddy was not able to play and sing at the same time, so they decided to call Denis once again, this time as a full time vocalist. This proved to be a very bad decision, since Eddy still was not getting along with the bass. So to fix this problem once and for all, Eddy switched places with Denis, becoming the lead vocalist of the band, with the second one being permanently allocated to the bass guitar. Rudy, a melodic metal fan and friend of Denis, was invited to join the band to play lead guitar. With this line-up the band recorded a new version of their classic Charles Bronson - The True King of Killings, which is regarded by fans as the best version of the song ever released. Also recorded was a cover for Merdisse Extrema's "A Grande Dúvida". Merdisse Extrema was a cult band from Rio featuring Maxwell Murderers´ friend Diogo Pesado. This was the first and only song performed in portuguese by the boys. The band also pulled out a short instrumental track simply called Intro and a remastered version of The Moshbringer, with much better production values. These four songs were packed together in the reMONSTERED EP. reMONSTERED also broke ground with its graphic design, featuring the band's most beautiful cover art ever released. This EP made the band recover all of their lost popularity and become a fever among mIRC, with thousands and thousands of downloads.

The Birth of a Genre: Bronson Metal, The First Album

Finally, Staccato Studios was booked for the band to record their long awaited debut album.

Discography

- Assassination Live - Demo, 2003
- A Lesson In How NOT to Play Thrash Metal - Single, 2003
- ReMONSTERED - EP, 2004
- Bronson Metal - Demo, 2004
- Bronson Metal (Re-Release) - Full-length, 2004

Current Line-Up

- HELLio - Drums, bass, and Vocals
- André Force Majeure - Vocals, Guitars

Past Members

- Rudy - Guitars
- Denis - Bass
- Eddy - Vocals
- Didi - Keyboards
- Colonia - Bass
- Trinity_Xuxu - Bass

Overall

- Genre: Death metal, Thrash metal, Grindcore
- Lyrical Theme: Charles Bronson, Violence, Humour
- Origin Formed in: Brazil - Rio de Janeiro
- Current label: Independent
- Status: On Hold

External Links

Official Links

- [http://www.maxwellmurderers.kit.net/ Maxwell Murderers Official Website]
- [http://www.fotolog.net/metal_jukebox HELLio´s Official Fotolog]
- [http://www.fotolog.net/forcemajeure André´s Official Fotolog]
- [http://www.fotolog.net/lord_saroth Denis´s Official Fotolog]
- [http://http://www.democlub.com/data/banda_musicas.php?cod_banda=7813 Full Demo for Download - Authorized By The Band]

Fan site

- [http://www.fotolog.net/maxwell Maxwell Murderers Fotolog]

Rio de Janeiro

:This article is about the city called Rio de Janeiro. For the state with the same name, see Rio de Janeiro (state). Rio de Janeiro (state)' song The Girl from Ipanema]] The Girl from Ipanema The Girl from Ipanema of Rio de Janeiro]] Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese), pron. IPA // in Brazilian Portuguese and / in European (African and Asian) Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in south-eastern Brazil. Commonly known as just Rio (particularly in English), the city is considered by many to be amongst the most beautiful cities in the world. It is famous for the hotel-lined tourist beaches Copacabana and Ipanema, for the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop the Corcovado mountain, and for its yearly Carnival celebration. It also has the biggest forest inside an urban region, called Floresta da Tijuca, or 'Tijuca Forest'. Rio de Janeiro is located at 22 degrees, 54 minutes south latitude, 43 degrees 14 minutes west longitude (). The population of the city of Rio de Janeiro is about 6,150,000 (as of 2004), occupying an area of 1256 km² (485 mi²). The larger metropolitan area population is estimated at 10-13 million. It is Brazil's second-largest city after São Paulo and was the country's capital until 1960, when Brasília took its place. Residents of the city are known as Cariocas. The city's current mayor is Cesar Maia.

History

The area where Rio de Janeiro is now was reached in January of 1502 by Portuguese explorers in an expedition led by Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos. As the Europeans thought primarily that the Guanabara Bay was actually the mouth of a river, they called it Rio de Janeiro, which means January River. The actual city wasn't founded until March 1, 1565, by Portuguese knight Estácio de Sá, who called it São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (St. Sebastian of the January River), in honour of King Sebastian I of Portugal. For centuries, the settlement was commonly called São Sebastião - or even 'Saint Sebastian' - instead of the currently popular second half of its name. It was frequently attacked by pirates and privateers, especially by then enemies of Portugal, such as the Netherlands and France. In the late 16th century the Portuguese crown began treating the village as a strategic location for the Atlantic transit of ships between Brazil, the African colonies and Europe. Fortresses were built and an alliance was formed with nearby native tribes to defend the settlement against invaders - Rio's neighbour, Niterói, for instance, was founded by a native chief for the purpose of supporting defence. Niterói] The exact place of Rio's foundation is at the foot of Pão-de-Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain). Later, the whole city was moved within a palisade on top of a hill, imitating the medieval European defence strategy of fortified castles - the place has since then been called Morro do Castelo (Castle Hill). Thus, the city developed from the current centre (Centro, see below) southwards and then westwards; an urban movement which continues today. Until early in the 18th century the city was threatened or invaded by several - mostly French - pirates and buccaneers, such as Jean-François Duclerc, René Duguay-Trouin and Nicolas de Villegaignon. After 1720, when the Portuguese found gold and diamonds in the neighbouring captaincy of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro became a much more useful port for exporting wealth than Salvador, Bahia, which is much farther to the north. In 1763, the colonial administration in Portuguese America was moved to Rio. The city remained mostly a colonial capital until 1808, when the Portuguese royal family and most of the Lisbon nobles, fleeing from Napoleon's invasion of Portugal, moved to Rio de Janeiro. The kingdom's capital was transferred to the city, which, thus, became the only European capital outside of Europe. As there was no physical space or urban structure to accommodate hundreds of noblemen who arrived suddenly, many inhabitants were simply evicted from their homes. When Prince Pedro I proclaimed the independence of Brazil in 1822, he decided to keep Rio de Janeiro as the capital of his new empire, but, by then, the city region was losing importance - economic and political - to São Paulo. São Paulos in Rio, it was built in the 1920s]] Until the early years of the 20th century the city was largely limited to the neighbourhood now known as the historic Centro business district (see below), on the mouth of Guanabara Bay. The city's centre of the gravity began to shift south and west to the so-called Zona Sul (South Zone) in the early part of the 20th century, when the first tunnel was built under the mountains located between Botafogo and the neighbourhood now known as Copacabana. That beach's natural beauty, combined with the fame of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, in the 1930s the luxury hotel of the Americas, helped Rio to gain the reputation it still holds today as a beachy party town (though, this reputation has been somewhat tarnished in recent years by favela violence resulting from the narcotics trade). Rio was maintained as Brazilian capital in 1889, when the military overthrew of the monarchy and imposed a republic. However, plans for moving the nation's capital city to the territorial centre were considered off and on, until finally in 1955 president Juscelino Kubitschek was elected, promising to build a new capital. Though many thought that it was just campaign rhetoric, Kubitschek managed to have Brasília built, at great cost, by 1960. On April 21 that year the capital of Brazil was officially moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília. Between 1960 and 1975 Rio was a city-state (such as Hamburg in Germany) under the name State of Guanabara (after the bay it borders). However, for administrative and political reasons, a presidential decree known as A Fusão (The Fusion) removed the city's federative status and merged it with the state of Rio de Janeiro in 1975. Even today, some cariocas claim the return of municipal autonomy.

City districts

cariocas The city is commonly divided into the historic centre (Centro); the tourist-friendly South Zone, with world-famous beaches; the industrial North Zone; the West Zone; and the newer Barra da Tijuca region.

Centro

Centro is the historic centre of the city. Sites of interest include both the historic Church of the Candelária and the modern-style cathedral, the Municipal Theatre and several museums. Centro remains the heart of the city's business community. The "Bondinho", a tram, leaves from a city centre station, crosses a former Roman-style aqueduct - the 'Arcos da Lapa', built in 1750 and converted to a tram viaduct in 1896 - and rambles through the hilly streets of the Santa Teresa neighbourhood nearby.

South Zone

aqueduct The South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is composed of several districts, amongst which are São Conrado, Leblon, Ipanema, Arpoador, Copacabana and Leme, which compose Rio's famous beach coastline. Other districts in the South Zone are Botafogo, Flamengo and Urca, which border Guanabara Bay and Lagoa, Gávea, Jardim Botânico and Laranjeiras, which are inlands. The neighbourhood of Copacabana beach hosts one of the world's most spectacular New Year's Eve parties ("Reveillon"), as more than two million revellers crowd onto the sands to watch the firework display. As of 2001, the fireworks have been launched from boats, to improve the safety of the event. To the north of Leme, and at the entrance to Guanabara bay, lies the district of Urca and the Sugarloaf Mountain ('Pão de Açúcar'), whose name describes the famous hump rising out of the sea. The summit can be reached via a two-stage cable car trip from Praia Vermelha, with the intermediate stop on Morro da Urca. It offers views second only to Corcovado mountain. One of the highest mountains in the city, however, at 842 metres, is the Pedra da Gávea (Topsail Rock), in São Conrado. Hang gliding is a popular activity on the nearby peak, called Pedra Bonita (Beautiful Rock) - after a short flight, they land on the Praia do Pepino beach in São Conrado. Since 1961, the Tijuca forest ("Floresta da Tijuca"), the largest urban forest in the world, has been a National Park.

North Zone

National Park The North Zone of Rio is home to the Maracanã stadium, still the world's highest capacity football (soccer) venue, able to hold nearly 200,000 people (the biggest stadium of any type is located in Prague, Czech Republic. However, it is not suitable for football). In modern times the capacity has been reduced to conform with modern safety regulations and the stadium has introduced seating for all fans. Currently undergoing renovation, it will eventually hold around 120,000 people. Maracanã will be the site for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and football competition of the 2007 Pan-American Games. Besides the Maracanã, the North Zone of Rio also holds other tourist and historical attractions, such as 'Manguinhos', the home of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, a centenarian biomedical research institution, with its main building fashioned like a Moorish castle, and the beautiful 'Quinta da Boa Vista', the old imperial palace (Paço), which is now the National Museum. The International Airport of Rio de Janeiro (Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport), the main campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro at the Fundão Island, and the Governador Island are also located in the Northern part of Rio.

West Zone

The West Zone is the region furthest from the centre of Rio de Janeiro. It includes Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá, Campo Grande, Santa Cruz and Bangu. Neighbouring districts within the West Zone reveal stark differences between social classes. The area has industrial zones, but some agricultural areas still remain in its wide area. To the west of the older zones is Barra da Tijuca, a flat expanse of formerly undeveloped coastal land, which is currently experiencing a wave of new construction. It remains an area of accelerated growth, attracting some of the richer sectors of the population as well as luxury companies. High rise flats and sprawling shopping centres give the area a far more Americanised feel than the crowded city centre. The urban planning of the area, made in the late 1960s, resembles that of United States' suburbs, though mixing zones of single-family houses with residential skyscrapers. The beaches of Barra da Tijuca are also popular with the city's residents. Barra da Tijuca is the home of Pan-American Village for the 2007 Pan American Games. Beyond the neighbourhoods of Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepaguá another district, which has exhibited good economic growth, is that of Campo Grande. Some sports competitions in the Pan-American Games of 2007 will be held in the Miécimo da Silva Sports Centre, nicknamed the 'Algodão' (Cotton) Gymnasium, and others in the Ítalo del Cima Stadium, in Campo Grande.

Social conditions

:Main article: Favela Favela] Rio is typical of the rest of Brazil in that there are enormous disparities between rich and poor. Though the city clearly ranks among the world's major metropolises, a significant proportion of the city's 13 million inhabitants lives amidst poverty. The worst of the poorer areas are the slums and shanty towns known as 'favelas'; often crowded onto the hillsides, where sturdy buildings are difficult to build, and accidents, mainly from heavy rainfall, are frequent. The favelas are troubled by widespread drug-related crime, gang warfare and other poverty-related social issues. A unique aspect of Rio's favelas is their incredible proximity to the city's wealthiest districts. Upper-class neighbourhoods such as Ipanema and Copacabana are squeezed in between the beach and the hills, the latter of which are covered with poor neighbourhoods. It is common for a flat in a wealthy district to face the ocean and beach at the front and to face poor slums at the back. The American School of Rio, the most expensive private school in the city, is located literally within a stone's throw of Rocinha, South America's largest slum, with an estimated population of 200,000; the school's basketball courts and classrooms are visible from the slum.

Carnival

The carnival in Rio de Janeiro has many choices, including the famous 'Escolas de Samba' parades in the sambódromo exhibition centre and the popular 'blocos de carnaval', which parade in almost every corner of the city. The most famous ones are the following:
- Cordão do Bola Preta: Parades in the centre of the city. It is one of the most traditional 'blocos de carnaval'.
- Ipanema's Gand: Gay parade, which goes along the Ipanema beach area.
- Suvaco do Cristo: Band that parades in the Botanic Garden, directly below the Redeemer statue's arm. The name, in English, translates as 'Christ's armpit', and was chosen for that reason.
- Carmelitas: Band that was supposedly created by nuns, but in fact it is just a theme chosen by the band. It parades in the hills of Santa Teresa, which have very nice views.

Sports

Rio de Janeiro will host the 2007 Pan-American Games. More notable sports events in Rio includes the MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix and the World Beach volleyball finals. Jacarepaguá was the place of Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix into 1978-1990. WCT/WQS Surf championships was disputed on the beaches from 1985-2001. The city is building a new stadium near the Maracanã, to hold 45,000 people. It will be named after Brazilian ex-FIFA president João Havelange. Rio de Janeiro was also a candidate for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Copacabana beach will be the site of the triathlon and beach volleyball with yachting competitions held in Guanabara Bay. Sports are a very popular pastime in Rio de Janeiro. The most popular is futebol (football/soccer). Rio de Janeiro is home to four traditional Brazilian football clubs: Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco. Other popular sports are beach football, beach volleyball, surfing, hang gliding, motor racing, jiu-jitsu, recreational sailing, and sport rowing. The peculiarly Brazilian dance/sport/martial art Capoeira is also popular. Capoeira Rio de Janeiro is also a paradise for rock climbers, with hundreds of routes all over the town, ranging from easy boulders to highly technical big wall climbs, all inside the city. The most famous, Rio's granite mountain, the Sugar Loaf (Pao-de-Açucar), is an example, with routes from the easy 3rd grade (American 5.4, French 3) to the extremely difficult 9th grade (5.13/8b), up to 280 metres. Hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro started in the mid 70’s and quickly proofed to be perfectly suited for this town due to its geography with steep mountains encountering the Atlantic ocean which provides excellent take off locations and great landing zones on the beach. Starting with amateur flights, this activity soon turned into a profitable industry of tandem hang gliding with some very experienced pilots at a cost for a ride around US$ 100.00. In the Summer, between December and March, it’s recommended to book in advance.

Airports

- Galeão International Airport
- Santos Dumont Regional Airport

Famous cariocas

The 'Cariocas', as residents of Rio de Janeiro are popularly called in Brazil, have made extensive contributions to Brazil's history, culture, music, literature, education, science, technology etc. - particularly when Rio de Janeiro was the federal capital and a great hub of Brazilian growth and innovation in all these areas. Some important Cariocas, who were born in Rio, are:
- Adolfo Lutz, physician and scientist
- Bruno Barreto, film director
- Carlos Chagas Filho, physician and scientist
- Carlos Lacerda, politician, governor of Rio
- Carolina Solberg Salgado, beach volleyball player
- Chico Buarque, composer, singer and writer
- Fernanda Montenegro, actress
- Fernando Henrique Cardoso, sociologist, twice president of Brazil
- Heitor Villa-Lobos, classic composer and regent
- Ivo Pitanguy, plastic surgeon
- Jô Soares, television entertainer and writer
- Machado de Assis, writer
- Milton Nascimento, singer and composer
- Oscar Niemeyer, architect
- Paulo Coelho, writer
- Emperor D. Pedro II
- Baden Powell, composer and musician (guitar)
- Romário, football player
- Ronaldo, football player
- Sérgio Vieira de Mello, diplomat
- Silvio Santos, entrepreneur, media mogul and television entertainer
- Tom Jobim, composer and musician, one of the creators of Bossa Nova
- Vinicius de Morais, writer, poet and musician
- Walter Salles, film director
- Zico, former football player, currently the Japanese national football team's coach.

Miscellaneous

In 1992 the city hosted the UNCED Earth Summit on Sustainable development. Rio has also been used as a backdrop for many films, such as 007 Moonraker (1979), Blame It on Rio (1984), Bossa Nova (2000), and City of God (2002). In The Simpsons episode Blame it on Lisa, the family visited Rio de Janeiro, only to encounter a myriad of ludicrously exaggerated problems. The episode angered several tourist officials and they threatened to sue the producers of the show. The Harbour of Rio de Janeiro was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World by CNN.
See also

- List of Mayors of Rio de Janeiro
Sister cities

- Acapulco, Mexico
- Kobe, Japan
External links

- [http://www.rio.rj.gov.br Official homepage] (Portuguese)
- [http://eayearbooks.com/rio_images.htm Images of Rio— Hundreds of images from the 1920s to the present]
- [http://transito.rio.rj.gov.br/ Rio De Janeiro Webcams]
- [http://www.rio.rj.gov.br/riotur/en/ Riotur]
- [http://www.puc-rio.br/ PUC-Rio] - the Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro
- [http://www.coppe.ufrj.br/ COPPE/UFRJ] - the largest post-graduate and research centre of Engineering in Latin America (part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro-[http://www.ufrj.br UFRJ])
- [http://www.uerj.br/ UERJ] - University of Rio de Janeiro State
- [http://www.unirio.br/ UNIRIO] - Another federal university located in Rio de Janeiro
- [http://www.wikitravel.org/en/article/Rio_de_Janeiro_(city) Rio de Janeiro at Wikitravel] Rio de Janeiro Category:Rio de Janeiro state Category:Coastal cities
- ja:リオデジャネイロ市

Charles Bronson

:This is about the actor. For other uses see Charles Bronson (disambiguation). Charles Bronson (November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor of "tough guy" roles. In most of his roles he starred as a brutal police detective, a western gunfighter, vigilante, boxer or a Mafia hitman. He was blunt, physically powerful, and had a look of danger that fitted such roles.

Early life

He was born as Charles Dennis Buchinski in the notorious Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania neighborhood of Scooptown, near Pittsburgh, one of 15 children of Polish immigrants. His family was so poor that at one time he had reportedly been forced to wear his sister's dress to school because he had no other clothes. [http://charles-bronson.biography.ms/] [http://celebrities.adoption.com/famous/charles-bronson.html] In 1943, Bronson was drafted into the United States Army Air Corps and served as a tail gunner onboard B29 bombers. Although Bronson was of Baltic descent, many people thought he looked like a Chicano or Mexican-American who was Mestizo (mixture of Spanish and Indian ancestry). Because of his look, Bronson sometimes played characters who were Mexican or who were part Indian.

Acting career

After the war, he decided to pursue the profession of acting, not from any love of the subject, but rather because he was impressed with the amount of money that he could potentially make in the business. Bronson was roommates with Jack Klugman, another starving actor at the time. Klugman later said of Bronson that he was good at ironing clothes. During the McCarthy hearings he changed his last name to Bronson as Slavic names were suspect. One of his earliest screen appearances under his new name was as Vincent Price's henchman in 1953 horror classic House of Wax. In 1961 Bronson made an appearance with Elizabeth Montgomery in The Twilight Zone, in the episode "Two." From 1958-1960, Bronson starred in the ABC Television Network detective series "Man With A Camera". Bronson portrayed Mike Kovac, a former combat photographer, free-lancing in New York City. Frequently, Bronson's character was involved in assignments for the Police Department, which frequently put Bronson's character in danger. A number of the series episodes, which were all in Black and White, are now available on DVD. Although he began his career in the United States, Bronson first made a serious name for himself acting in European films. He became quite famous on that continent, and was known by two nicknames: The Italians called him "Il Brutto" ("The Ugly") and to the French he was known as "le monstre sacré," the "sacred monster." Even though he was not yet a headliner in America, his overseas fame earned him a 1971 Golden Globe as the "Most Popular Actor in the World." That same year, he wondered if he was "too masculine" to ever become a star in the US. Bronson's most famous films include The Great Escape, (1963) in which he played Danny Velinski, a Polish prisoner of war nicknamed "The Tunnel King", and The Dirty Dozen, (1967) in which he played an Army death row convict conscripted into a World War II suicide mission. In the westerns The Magnificent Seven (1960) and the Sergio Leone epic Once Upon a Time in the West, (1968) he played heroic gunfighters, taking up the cause of the defenseless. Sergio Leone once called him "the greatest actor I ever worked with." In Hard Times (1975), he played a street fighter making his living in illegal boxing matches in Louisiana. He is also remembered for Death Wish (1974) which spawned several sequels (also starring Bronson), In Death Wish he played a Paul Kersey, a prosperous liberal New York architect until his wife was murdered and daughter raped. He became a crime-fighting vigilante by night, a highly controversial role, as his executions were cheered by crime-weary audiences. After the famous 1984 case of Bernhard Goetz, the actor recommended that people not imitate his character. Bronson was married to actress Jill Ireland from 1968 until her death in 1990. She was his second wife. He met her when she was still married to actor David McCallum. At the time, Bronson (who shared the screen with McCallum in The Great Escape) bluntly told McCallum: "I'm going to marry your wife." Two years later, he made good on his boast and married Jill. Bronson died of pneumonia while suffering from Alzheimer's disease at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, California. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife Kim, four children, two stepchildren and two grandchildren. A stepson, Jason McCallum Bronson, preceded him in death after succumbing to a drug overdose in 1985. With his death, Robert Vaughn is the only survivor of the seven main stars of The Magnificent Seven.

Filmography

- You're in the Navy Now (1951)
- The Average Joe Fishing (1987)
- The People Against O'Hara (1951)
- The Mob (1951)
- Red Skies of Montana (1952)
- The Marrying Kind (1952)
- My Six Convicts (1952)
- Pat and Mike (1952)
- Diplomatic Courier (1952)
- Battle Zone (1952)
- Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952)
- The Clown (1953)
- Torpedo Alley (1953)
- Off Limits (1953)
- House of Wax (1953)
- Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
- Crime Wave (1954)
- Tennessee Champ (1954)
- Riding Shotgun (1954)
- Apache (1954)
- Drum Beat (1954)
- Vera Cruz (1954)
- Big House, U.S.A. (1955)
- Target Zero (1955)
- Jubal (1956)
- Run of the Arrow (1957)
- Showdown at Boot Hill (1958)
- Ten North Frederick (1958)
- Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
- Gang War (1958)
- When Hell Broke Loose (1958)
- Never So Few (1959)
- The Magnificent Seven (1960)
- Master of the World (1961)
- A Thunder of Drums (1961)
- X-15 (1961)
- This Rugged Land (1962)
- Kid Galahad (1962)
- The Great Escape (1963)
- 4 for Texas (1963)
- The Big Sur (1965) (short subject)
- The Sandpiper (1965)
- Battle of the Bulge (1965)
- This Property Is Condemned (1966)
- Operation Dirty Dozen (1967) (short subject)
- The Dirty Dozen (1967)
- San Sebastian 1746 in 1968 (1968) (short subject)
- Guns for San Sebastian (1968)
- Villa Rides (1968)
- Honor Among Thieves (1968)
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
- Lola (1969)
- Rider on the Rain (1969)
- You Can't Win 'Em All (1970)
- The Family (1970)
- Cold Sweat (1970)
- Red Sun (1971)
- Someone Behind the Door (1971)
- The Valachi Papers (1972)
- Chato's Land (1972)
- The Mechanic (1972)
- The Stone Killer (1973)
- Chino (1974)
- Mr. Majestyk (1974)
- Death Wish (1974)
- Breakout (1975)
- Hard Times (1975)
- Breakheart Pass (1975)
- St. Ives (1976)
- From Noon Till Three (1976)
- The White Buffalo (1977)
- Telefon (1977)
- Love and Bullets (1979)
- Borderline (1980)
- Caboblanco (1980)
- Death Hunt (1981)
- Death Wish II (1982)
- 10 to Midnight (1983)
- The Evil That Men Do (1984)
- Death Wish 3 (1985)
- Murphy's Law (1986)
- Assassination (1987)
- Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)
- Messenger of Death (1988)
- Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989)
- The Indian Runner (1991)
- Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994)

External links

- Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles Bronson, Charles ja:チャールズ・ブロンソン

Slum

shows his find.]] A slum is an overcrowded and squalid district of a city or town usually inhabited by the very poor. Slums can be found in most large cities around the world. Slums are usually characterized by high rates of poverty and unemployment and are breeding centers for many social problems such as crime, recreational drugs, alcoholism, and despair. In many poor countries they are also breeding centers for disease due to unsanitary conditions. Though the terms are often now used interchangeably, slums and ghettoes differ in that ghettoes originally referred to a neighborhood based on shared ethnicity. In many slums, especially in poor countries, people live in very narrow alleys that do not allow vehicles (like ambulances and fire trucks) to pass. The lack of services such as routine garbage collection allows garbage to accumulate in huge quantities. The lack of infrastructure is caused by the informal nature of settlement and poor planning on the parts of government officials. Additionally, informal settlements often face the brunt of natural and man-made disasters, such as landslides, earthquakes and tropical storms. Many slum dwellers make up the informal economy. This can include street vending, drug dealing, domestic work, and prostitution. In some slums people collect the city cans for a living, later recycling them for the money. Recent years have seen a dramatic growth in the number of slums as urban populations have increased. In the Third World, this population increase is often tied to neoliberal development policies that cause migration from rural areas, as well as civil war and draught. Many governments around the world have attempted to solve the problems of slums by clearing away old decrepit housing and replacing it with modern (usually high rise) housing with much better sanitation. The displacement of slums is aided by the fact that many are squatter settlements and are not recognized by the state. This process of slum clearance is sometimes also called gentrification. Slum clearances tend to ignore the social problems that cause slums. Where communities have been moved out of slum areas to better housing, social cohesion may be lost. If the community is not moved, residents of the new housing face the same problems of poverty and unemployment.

External links

- [http://www.borgenproject.org/ Borgen Project]
- [http://www.victorianlondon.org/houses/slums.htm Slums of Victorian London]
- [http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1055785,00.html Every third person will be a slum dweller within 30 years, UN agency warns]; John Vidal; The Guardian; October 4, 2003. Category:Urban studies and planning ja:スラム

MIRC

mIRC is a shareware Internet Relay Chat client for Windows, created in 1995 and developed by Khaled Mardam-Bey. This was originally its only use, but it has evolved into a highly configurable tool that can be used for many purposes due to its integrated scripting language. Other uses may include:
- IRC bot / channel management
- MP3 music player
- DCC (a peer-to-peer IP-based chat or file send), HTTP, and IRC server
- Web page parser (usually for retrieving search results or headlines)
- Game platform (these games are called mIRC games) mIRC is highly popular, as it has been downloaded nearly eight million times from CNET's [http://www.download.com/ download.com] service as of August 2005. [http://www.internetnews.com/stats/article.php/3096631 Neilsen Net Rankings] also rated mIRC as among one of the top 10 most popular internet applications in 2003. Its popularity may explain why many mIRC users mistakenly believe that the name of their client is also the name of the protocol it uses, thinking they are "connecting to a mIRC server" or "joining a mIRC channel".

Main features

- Advanced integrated event-based and command-based scripting language
- Ability to connect to multiple servers simultaneously
- CTCP support
- DCC file transfer and DCC chat support
- Protection against malicious file downloads
- DCC file server (fserve) that allows a user to browse a specified folder and download files
- ANSI-style and mIRC-style text decoration support
- Speech recognition and synthesis via 3rd party products

Common criticisms

- mIRC scripting allows troublemakers to dupe naïve users into running malicious code merely by typing things in the chat window (for example, entering lines beginning with /write $decode()).
- mIRC-style text decorations and colors are not part of the IRC standard, but because of the program's popularity, competing IRC clients have been forced to include them in their program, although support sometimes ranges only to dumping the formatting entirely.
- mIRC does not support Unicode.
- mIRC does not support native IPV6.

Slap! function

A famous feature associated with mIRC is the ability to "slap" another user by right-clicking the target's nickname. This results in the line of text "A slaps B around a bit with a large trout". It serves no other function than to send the message, which is merely an execution of the "/me" command in IRC. Such an action can warrant a kick or even a ban in many channels. The sentence "A slaps B around a bit with a large trout" is a refrence to a Monty Python sketch in which a trout slapping occured to create humor. This function can be removed by editing mIRC's built-in script.

mIRC Scripting

For novice users this function may be a bit overwhelming, but it is an ingenious addition to the program. With mIRC Scripting (also referred to as "remote") you can make your client do specific tasks on specific events. For instance: You can make your client answer "I'm here!" when someone writes your nick suffixed with a question mark; "yournick?", in either all, or just some specific channels. Here's how you can do it for a specific channel: Say your nick is "wiki" and the channel you're in is "#wiki" (channels in IRC are prefixed with a hash sign)

on 
 - :TEXT:wiki?:#wiki:

If you now change your nick without editing the script manually, the script will not work. Fortunately mIRC provides several functions that makes this no problem at all. To list some from the examples:
- $me (your current nick)
- $nick (the one who triggered your event)
- $chan (the channel the triggered event occurred in)
- $+ (a function to concatenate two strings; "a $+ b" produces "ab")
- $1 (the first token (word) in a sentence; "a b c d e" a = $1, b = $2, c = $3 etc)

on 
 - :TEXT:
 - :#:

Now mIRC's if/else operators are being used. These are logical operators that you find in most scripting/programming languages. In addition we use a asterisk instead of a specific string to indicate that the event shall trigger on ALL text. #wiki has been changed with '#', this has the effect of triggering the event from ANY channel you're in, instead of just '#wikipedia'. If you use an asterisk '
- ' instead of a hash sign '#' you'll allow the event to be triggered by queries as well. To allow the event from triggering only by queries, you can use a question mark '?'. So for queries:

on 
 - :TEXT:
 - :?:

But what if you want the event only to trigger in specific channels? Then we'll use the logical AND operator '&&', and the logical OR operator '||'.

on 
 - :TEXT:
 - :#:

The extra parentheses are necessary to ensure that the logical AND operator "AND" the correct conditions. The rest is hopefully self-explanatory. If you want to know more about mIRC Scripting, all you have to do is download mIRC, and type "/help" in any window. As an example, if you want to know more about '$1' function, type: /help $1 For information regarding the events f.i the TEXT event: /help on text mIRC scripting is not limited to IRC related events and commands. There is also support for COM objects, calling DLLs, sockets and dialogs (for GUIs), amongst other things. Easter Eggs

mIRC has many eggs hidden inside the program. For example; clicking on Khaled's nose in the about dialog will play a squeaking sound, and right clicking on "mIRC 4.0" will show a ball bounce across the screen.

- List of IRC clients
- mIRC script

External links

- [http://www.mirc.co.uk/ Official website]
- [http://www.mirc.net mirc.net]
- [http://www.mircscripts.org/ mircscripts.org]
- [http://www.hawkee.com hawkee.com]
- [http://www.arune.se/~arune/mirc/ AntiUTF8-script for mIRC]
- [http://www.acko.net/blog/utf-8-mirc UTF-8 conversion support for mIRC]
- [http://www.team-clanx.org team-clanx.org]
- [http://users.skynet.be/jaguar/mircv6.html mircv6loader REAL IPV6 support for mIRC]
- [http://www.tinyirc.net/downloads.shtml Tiny IdentD - Small program support Userauthentification using IPV6 layer] Category:IRC clients for Microsoft Windows ms:MIRC

Guitar

A guitar is a stringed musical instrument. It is often played with the fingers of the left hand. The right hand plucks the strings with either the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick). The sound is produced by vibrating strings, which in turn resonate the body and neck. Guitars may be acoustic, electric (i.e. with electrical amplification) or both. Classical guitars are also present in the guitar family, although they are not as popular as the prior two. Guitars have a body acting mostly as a resonator, which can be hollow in acoustic guitars or solid in most electric guitars, and a neck. Typically, a headstock extends from the neck for tuning. Guitars are made and repaired by luthiers. Guitars are used in a variety of musical styles. Guitars are widely known as a solo classical instrument, and the primary instrument in blues and rock music. rock music, features steel strings.]] __TOC__

History

steel string Instruments similar to what we know as the guitar have been popular for at least 5,000 years. The guitar appears to be derived from earlier instruments known in ancient central Asia. Instruments very similar to the guitar appear in ancient carvings and statues recovered from the old Iranian capitol of Susa. The modern word, guitar, was adopted into English from Spanish, possibly from earlier Greek word kithara. Prospective sources for various names of musical instruments that guitar could be derived from all appear to be a combination of two Indo-European roots: guit-, similar to Sanskrit sangeet meaning "music", and -tar a widely attested root meaning "chord" or "string". The word guitar may also be a Persian loanword to Iberian Arabic. The word qitara is an Arabic name for various members of the lute family that preceded the Western guitar. The name guitar was introduced into Spanish when guitars were brought into Iberia by the Moors after the 10th century. ([http://www.iranian.com/Music/2002/November/Guitar/index.html See related article]). The Spanish vihuela appears to be an intermediate form between the ancestral guitar and the modern guitar, with lute-style tuning and a small, but guitar-like body. It is not clear whether this represents a transitional form or simply a design that combined features from the two families of instruments. (See the article on the lute for further history.) The electric guitar was invented by Adolf Rickenbacker, with the help of George Beauchamp and Paul Berth, in 1931. Rickenbacker was the inventor of the horseshoe-magnet pickup. However, it was Danelectro that first produced electric guitars for the wider public. Danelectro also pioneered tube amp technology.

Parts of the guitar

tube amp Guitar consists of several parts. Refer to appropriate article for description of a part: # Headstock # Nut # Machine heads # Frets # Truss rod # Inlays # Neck # Neck joint # Body # Pickups # Electronics # Bridge # Pickguard

Headstock

Pickups The headstock is located at the end of the guitar neck. It is fitted with the tuning machines for pitch adjusting. Traditional layout of tuners is "3+3" which means 3 top tuners and 3 bottom ones. Some electric guitars feature 6 in-line tuners or even 4+2.

Nut

The nut is a small strip of ivory, bone, plastic, brass, graphite, or other medium-hard material that braces the strings at the joint where the headstock meets the fretboard. It is grooved to hold the strings in place, and it is one of the endpoints of the strings' tension. The material used also affects the sound of the guitar.

Fretboard

Also called the fingerboard, the fretboard is a long plank of wood embedded with metal frets that comprises the top of the neck. It is flat on classical guitars and slightly curved crosswise on acoustic and electric guitars. The curvature of the fretboard is measured by the fretboard radius, which is the radius of a hypothetical circle of which the fretboard's surface constitutes a segment. The smaller the fretboard radius, the more noticably curved the fretboard is. Pinching a string against the fretboard effectively shortens the vibrating length of the string, producing a higher tone (a string, unfingered, will vibrate from the saddle to the nut; once fingered, it will vibrate only along the distance between the saddle and the fret directly before the finger). Fretboards are most commonly made of rosewood, ebony, and maple.

Frets

Frets are metal strips (usually nickel alloy) embedded along the fretboard which are placed in points along the length of string that divide it mathematically. When strings are pressed down behind them, frets shorten the strings' vibrating lengths to produce different pitches- each one spaced a half-step apart on the 12 tone scale. For more on fret spacing, see the Strings and Tuning section below. Frets are usually the first permanent part to wear out on a heavily played electric guitar. They can be re-shaped to a certain extent and can be replaced as needed. Frets also indicate fractions of the length of a string (the string midpoint is at the 12th fret; one-third the length of the string reaches from the nut to the 7th fret, the 7th fret to the 19th, and the 19th to the saddle; one-quarter reaches from nut to fifth to twelfth to twenty-fourth to saddle). This feature is important in playing harmonics. Frets are available in several different gauges, depending on the type of guitar and the player's style.

Truss rod

The truss rod is an adjustable metal rod that runs along the inside of the neck, adjusted by a hex nut or an allen-key bolt usually located either at the headstock (under a cover) or just inside the body of the guitar, underneath the fretboard (accessible through the sound hole). The truss rod counteracts the immense amount of tension the strings place on the neck, bringing the neck back to a straighter position. The truss rod can be adjusted to compensate for changes in the neck wood due to changes in humidity or to compensate for changes in the tension of strings. Tightening the rod will curve the neck back and loosening it will return it forward. Adjusting the truss rod affects the intonation of a guitar as well as affecting the action (the height of the strings from the fingerboard). Some truss rod systems, called "double action" truss systems, will tighten both ways, allowing the neck to be pushed both forward and backward (most truss rods can only be loosened so much, beyond which the bolt will just come loose and the neck will no longer be pulled backward). Classical guitars do not have truss rods, as the nylon strings do not put enough tension on the neck for one to be needed.

Inlays

Inlays are visual elements set into the exterior wood on a guitar. The typical locations for inlay are on the fretboard, headstock, and around the soundhole (called a rosette on acoustic guitars). Inlays range from simple plastic dots on the fretboard to fantastic works of art covering the entire exterior surface of a guitar (front and back). Fretboard inlays are most commonly shaped like dots, diamond shapes, parallelograms, or large blocks in between the frets. Dots are usually inlaid into the upper edge of the fretboard in the same positions, small enough to be visible only to the player. Some manufacturers go beyond these simple shapes and use more creative designs such as lightning bolts or letters and numbers. The simpler inlays are often done in plastic on guitars of recent vintage, but many older, and newer, high-end instruments have inlays made of mother of pearl, abalone, ivory, colored wood or any number of exotic materials. On some low-end guitars, they are just painted. Many classical guitars have no inlays at all; the player himself sometimes will make them with a marker pen or correction fluid. The most popular fretboard inlay scheme involves single inlays on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st frets, and double inlays on the 12th, sometimes 7th, and (if present) 24th fret. Pros of such scheme include its symmetry about the 12th fret and symmetry of every half (0-12 and 12-24) about the 7th and 19th frets. However, playing these frets, for example, on E string would yield notes E, G, A, B, C# that barely make a complete musical mode by themselves. A less popular fretboard inlay scheme involves inlays on 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 22nd and 24th frets. Playing these frets, for example, on E string yields notes E, G, A, B, D that fit perfectly into E minor pentatonic. Such a scheme is very close to piano keys coloring (which involves black coloring for sharps that pentatonic consists of) and of some use on classic guitars. Beyond the fretboard inlay, the headstock and soundhole are also commonly inlaid. The manufacturer's logo is commonly inlaid into the headstock. Sometimes a small design such as a bird or other character or an abstract shape also accompanies the logo. The soundhole designs found on acoustic guitars vary from simple concentric circles to delicate fretwork. Many high-end guitars have more elaborate decorative inlay schemes. Often the edges of the guitar around the neck and body and down the middle of the back are inlaid. The fretboard commonly has a large inlay running across several frets or the entire length of the fretboard, such as a long vine creeping across the fretboard. Most acoustic guitars have an inlay that borders the sides of the fretboard, and some electrics (namely Fender Stratocasters) have a black inlay running on the back of the neck, from about the body to the middle of the neck, commonly referred to as a skunk stripe. Some very limited edition high-end or custom-made guitars have artistic inlay designs that span the entire front (or even the back) of the guitar. These designs use a variety of different materials and are created using techniques borrowed from furniture making. While these designs are often just very elaborate decorations, they are sometimes works of art that even depict a particular theme or a scene. Although these guitars are often constructed from the most exclusive materials, they are generally considered to be collector's items and not intended to be played. Large guitar manufacturers often issue these guitars to celebrate a significant historical milestone.

Neck

A guitar's frets, fretboard, tuners, headstock, and truss rod, all attached to a long wooden extension, collectively comprise its neck. The wood used to make the fretboard will usually differ from the wood in the rest of the neck. The bending stress on the neck is considerable, particularly when heavier gauge strings are used (see Strings and tuning), and the ability of the neck to resist bending (see Truss rod) is important to the guitar's ability to hold a constant pitch during tuning or when strings are fretted. The rigidity of the neck with respect to the body of the guitar is one determinant of a good instrument versus a poor one. Conversely, the ability to change the pitch of the note slightly by deliberately bending the neck forcibly with the fretting arm is a technique occasionally used, particularly in the blues genre and those derived from it, such as rock and roll. The shape of the neck can also vary, from a gentle "C" curve to a more pronounced "V" curve.

Neck joint

This is the point at which the neck is either bolted or glued to the body of the guitar. Almost all acoustic guitars, with the primary exception of Taylors, have glued (or set) necks, while electric guitars are constructed using both types. Set necks usually feature dovetail joints, which offer stability and sustain. Other commonly used neck joints include mortise-and-tenon joints (such as those used by CF Martin & Co. guitars), and Spanish Heel style neck joints (commonly found in classical guitars). Bolt-on necks, though they are historically associated with cheaper instruments, do offer greater flexibility in the guitar's set-up, and allow easier access for neck joint maintenance and repairs. Some very high-end instruments may not have a neck joint at all, having the neck and sides built as one piece and the body built around it.

Body (acoustic guitar)

The body of the instrument is a major determinant of the overall sound for acoustic guitars. The guitar top, or soundboard, is a finely crafted and engineered element often made of spruce, redcedar or mahogany. This thin (often 2 or 3 mm thick) piece of wood, strengthened by different types of internal bracing, is considered to be the most prominent factor in determining the sound quality of a guitar. The majority of the sound is caused by vibration of the guitar top as the energy of the vibrating strings is transferred to it. Different patterns of wood bracing have been used through the years by luthiers; to not only strengthen the top against collapsing under the tremendous stress exerted by the tensioned strings (Torres, Hauser, Ramirez, Fleta being among the most influential designers of their time), but also to affect the resonation of the top. The back and sides are made out of a variety of woods such as mahogany, Indian rosewood and highly regarded Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra). Each one is chosen for their aesthetic effect and structural strength, and can also play a significant role in determining the instrument's timbre. These are also strengthened with internal bracing, decorated with inlays and purfling, and subjected to a lot of abuse.

Body (electric guitar)

Most electric guitar bodies are made of wood. This wood is rarely one solid piece, as laminating hardwoods in the proper way can produce a body of exceptional strength and superior tone. The most common woods used for electric guitar body construction include maple, basswood, ash, poplar, alder, and mahogany. Many bodies will consist of good sounding but inexpensive woods, like ash, with a "top", or thin layer of another, more attractive wood (such as maple with a natural "flame" pattern) glued to the top of the basic wood. Guitars constructed like this are often called "flame tops". The body is usually carved or routed to accept the other elements, such as the bridge, pickup, neck, and other electronic components. Many higher-end electrics have a nitro-cellulose laquer finish on the top, which promotes resonance.

Resonating chamber

Usually on acoustic guitars, the resonating chamber or sound hole allows the acoustic guitar to be played without amplification. It is normally a round hole in the top of the guitar, though some may have different shapes or multiple holes. This allows the vibrations from the back and sides of the guitar to be pushed forward toward the listener.

Pickups

The electric guitar is usually not very loud when played without an amplifier. Pickups are electronic devices attached to a guitar that detect (or "pick up") string vibrations and allow the sound of the string to be amplified. Pickups are usually placed right underneath the guitar strings. The most common type of pickups contain magnets that are tightly wrapped in copper wire. This allows the pickups to measure the movement of the steel guitar string within the magnetic field above the pickup. Some acoustic guitars also have microphones or pickups built into them for stage work. Pickups work on a similar principle to a generator in that the vibration of the strings causes a small current to be created in the coils surrounding the magnets. This signal is later amplified by an amplifier. However, a new type of pickup, called a [http://www.q-tuner.com/ Q-Tuner] pickup, has been developed that measures the magnetic flux density of multiple magnets located in the pickup. These pickups produce a better tone and pick up harmonic frequencies better than standard pickups, but they cost more and are more difficult to wire. Traditional electric pickups are either single-coil or double-coil. Double-coil pickups are also known as humbuckers for their noise-cancelling ability. The type and model of pickups used can have large effects on the tone of the guitar. Typically, humbuckers are used by guitarists seeking a heavier sound. Some guitars need a battery to power their pickups and/or pre-amp; these guitars are referred to as having "active electronics", as opposed to the typical "passive" circuits. Guitar Synthesisers may have specialist 'cluster' pickups, effectively giving each string its own pickup.

Electronics

On guitars that have them, these components and the wires that connect them allow the player to control some aspects of the sound like volume or tone. These at their simplest consist of passive components such as potentiometers and capacitors, but may also include specialized integrated circuits or other active components requiring batteries for power, for preamplification and signal processing, or even for assistance in tuning. In many cases the electronics have some sort of magnetic shielding to prevent pickup of external interference and noise.

Purfling and Binding

This is the decorative edge found around the body of an acoustic guitar. Its purpose is not merely decorative, however. Because of the construction methods, the edges of the body are typically the weakest point of the acoustic guitar. There is not much wood there, as the sides have to be thin to allow for bending, and the top and back have to be thin to allow the string vibrations to resonate. Trying to connect two thin pieces of wood at a 90 degree angle is an engineering challenge. So to help, the purfling is used. The corners are overbuilt, using a triangular piece of scored wood (called a kerfed lining) on the interior of the instrument to allow it to follow the contours, and is glued in place. During final construction, a small section of the outside corners is carved or routed out and then filled in with the purfling or binding material. In mass produced guitars, the binding or purfling is almost exclusively high quality plastic. Once the purfling is glued in place, it is an integral part of the guitar, and contributes greatly to the durability of the instrument, since plastic tends not to split as wood does upon impact.

Bridge

The main purpose of the bridge on an acoustic guitar is to transfer the vibration from the strings to the soundboard, which vibrates the air inside of the guitar, thereby amplifying the sound produced by the strings. On both electric and acoustic guitars, the bridge holds the strings in place. From there, the variations are astounding. There may be some mechanism for raising or lowering the bridge to adjust the distance between the strings and the fretboard (action), and/or fine-tuning the intonation of the instrument. Some are springloaded and feature a "whammy bar", a removable arm which allows the player to modulate the pitch moving the bridge up and down. The whammy bar is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "tremolo bar"; unlike the change in pitch that the whammy bar produces, a tremolo is a quick oscillation of the volume. Some bridges allow for alternate tunings at the touch of a button.

Pickguard

Also known as a scratchplate. This is usually a piece of plastic or other laminated material that protects the finish of the top of the guitar. In some electric guitars, the pickups and most of the electronics are mounted on the pickguard. On acoustic guitars and many electric guitars, the pickguard is mounted directly to the guitar top, while on guitars with carved tops (e.g. the Gibson Les Paul), the pickguard is elevated. The Pickguard is more often than not used in styles such as flamenco, which tends to use the guitar as a percussion instrument at times, rather than for instance, a classical guitar. Guitars have frets on the fingerboard to fix the positions of notes and scales, which gives them equal temperament. Consequently, the ratio of the widths of two consecutive frets is the twelfth root of two

\sqrt[12]

, whose numeric value is about 1.059463. The twelfth fret divides the string in two exact halves and the 24th fret (if present) divides the string in half yet again. Every twelve frets represents one octave. Guitars usually have six strings, although there are variations on this, the most common being a twelve-string guitar; the seven string guitar; the ukulele, which has four strings; and the bass guitar, which usually has four strings but also exists in five, six, eight, and twelve-string versions. There are also more exotic models involving multiple necks and pickups. The vihuela, a guitar variation which emerged in 16th century Spain, has six double strings made of gut. 16th century The weight of a string is determined by its diameter and is normally measured in thousandths of an inch. The larger the diameter the heavier the string is (with thinner strings being lighter). Heavier strings require more tension for the same pitch and are consequently harder to hold on to the fretboard. Heavier strings will also produce a louder note and for this reason steel-strung acoustic guitars will normally be strung heavier than electric guitars. On electric guitars, heavier strings may also produce a thicker tone, leading to their use by rhythm guitarists in rock music.

Tuning

A variety of different tunings are used. The most common by far, known as "standard tuning" (EADGBE), is as follows:
- sixth (lowest tone) string: E (a minor thirteenth below middle C—82.4Hz)
- fifth string: a (a minor tenth below middle C—110Hz)
- fourth string: d (a minor seventh below middle C—146.8Hz)
- third string: g (a perfect fourth below middle C—196.0Hz)
- second string: b' (a minor second below middle C—246.92Hz)
- first (highest tone) string: e' (a major third above middle C—329.6Hz) Standard tuning has evolved to provide a good compromise between simple fingering for many chords and the ability to play common scales with minimal left hand movement. The separation of adjacent strings by a 5-semitone interval (a perfect fourth) allows the notes of the chromatic scale to be played with each of the four fingers of the left hand controlling one of the first four frets (index finger on fret 1, little finger on fret 4, etc.). It also yields a symmetry and intelligibility to fingering patterns. The major third interval (two whole tones = four semitones = four frets) between the g and b' strings tunes the b' and e' strings a semitone flatter than if the pattern of perfect fourths were followed for all six strings. Though this breaks the fingering pattern of the chromatic scale (though only by making the little finger redundant on the g string) and thus the symmetry, it eases the playing of some often-used chords and scales and it provides more diversity in fingering possibilities. It also means that each open string is on a whole note, allowing it to be the root of a major scale, and that when the guitar is strummed with all strings open (as sometimes happens momentarily during difficult chord changes in frenetic passages of modern songs) it plays a tolerable chord. Some common alternate tunings:
- Symmetry (guitar): E-a-d-g-b'-e', has the same intervals as for a renaissance lute, matches the standard for tablature.
- Open G: D-G-d-g-b'-d', commonly used for blues or slide guitar
- Open D: D-a-d-f#-a'-d', commonly used in blues and folk.
- Open E: E-b-e-g#-b'-e', one step up from open D.
- Open C: C-G-c-g-c'-e', commonly used in country blues and by modern acoustic fingerstylists.
- Drop D: D-a-d-g-b'-e', frequently used in folk music and by metal and alternative-rock bands.
- All Fourths: E-a-d-g-c'-f', like that of the lowest four strings in standard tuning. Removes from the standard tuning the irregularity of the interval of a third between the second and third strings. With regular tunings like this, chords can simply be moved down or across the fretboard, dramatically reducing the number of different finger positions that need to be memorized. The disadvantage is that not all major and minor chords can be played with all six strings at once.
- All Fifths: C-G-d-a'-e'-b", tuning in intervals of fifths like that of a mandolin or a violin. Has a remarkably wide range, though it is difficult to achieve (the high b" makes the first string very taut such that it will break easily), and may not play well on an acoustic guitar (the low C is too low to resonate properly in a standard guitar's body).
- New Standard Tuning: C-G-d-a'-e'-g', the new standard tuning devised by Robert Fripp of King Crimson, used by most Guitar Craft students around the world. The tuning is like all fifths except the first string is dropped from b" to g'.
- DADGAD: D-a-d-g-a'-d' frequently used in Celtic music, and by artists such as Pierre Bensusan.
- Major Third Guitar Tuning: E-G#-c-e-g#'-c', devised in 1960's by jazz guitarist Ralph Patt.
- Drop Tuning/E-flat Tuning: Eb-ab-db-gb-bb'-eb', common in rock music. All the strings are flattened by a half step. Sometimes they are Drop D on top of that, with the sixth string lowered a further half step to D, allowing for fifth chords to be played easier.
- Nashvile Tuning: this is achieved on a high-strung guitar - a guitar strung with only the high strings of a 12-string guitar set. This is known as "Nashville tuning" when the strings are in standard tuning. Each of the six strings can be alternately tuned as low as a whole step lower and as much as a whole step higher without stressing the neck or the strings. With five possible tunings for each string (+2, +1, 0, -1, and -2), there can be as many as 16,575 possible tunings for a six-string guitar, according to Stephen Potts of "GUITAR DNA". Note that a standard guitar sounds one octave below pitch as written in standard notation. That is, the first string in standard tuning plays the E note that is a major third above middle C, and is written on the staff as a major tenth above middle C. There are also tenor guitars, baritone guitars tuned ADGCEA (or GDGCDG, GDGCEA, GCGCEG, etc.) a fifth lower than a standard (prime) guitar, treble guitars tuned a fourth higher than a prime guitar, and contrabass guitars, which are tuned one octave lower than prime guitars.

Acoustic and electric guitar

Broadly speaking, guitars can be divided into 2 categories: # Acoustic guitars: Unlike the electric guitar, the traditional guitar is not dependent on any external device for amplification. The shape and resonance of the guitar itself creates acoustic amplification. However, the unamplified guitar is not a loud instrument, that is, it cannot compete with other instruments commonly found in bands and orchestras, in terms of sheer audible volume. Many acoustic guitars are available today with built-in electronics to enable amplification. There are several subcategories within the acoustic guitar group: classical and flamenco guitars, both of which use nylon and composite strings, and steel string guitars, which includes the flat top, or "folk" guitar, the closely related twelve string guitar, and the arch top guitar. A recent arrival in the acoustic guitar group is the acoustic bass guitar, similar in tuning to the electric bass. ## Renaissance and Baroque guitars: These are the gracile ancestors of the modern classical guitar. They are substantially smaller and more delicate than the classical guitar, and generate a much quieter sound. The strings are paired in courses as in a modern 12 string guitar, but they only have four or five courses of strings rather than six. They were more often used as rhythm instruments in ensembles than as solo instruments, and can often be seen in that role in early music performances. (Gaspar Sanz' Instrucción de Música sobre la Guitarra Española of 1674 constitutes the majority of the surviving solo corpus for the era.) Renaissance and Baroque guitars are easily distinguished because the Renaissance guitar is very plain and the Baroque guitar is very ornate, with inlays all over the neck and body, and a paper-cutout inverted "wedding cake" inside the hole. ## Classical guitars: These are typically strung with nylon strings, played in a seated position and used to play classical music. Flamenco guitars are almost equal in construction, have a sharper sound, and are used in flamenco. In Mexico, the popular mariachi band includes a range of guitars, from the tiny requinto to the guitarron, a guitar larger than a cello, which is tuned in the bass register. The father of the modern classical guitar was Antonio Torres Jurado. ## Flat top guitars: Similar to the classical guitar, however the body size is usually significantly larger than a classical guitar and it has a narrower, reinforced neck and stronger structural design, to sustain the extra tension of steel strings which produce a louder and brighter tone. The acoustic guitar is a staple in folk, Old-time music and blues music. ## Resonator, resophonic or Dobro^® guitars: Similar to the flat top guitar in appearance, but with sound produced by a metal resonator mounted in the middle of the top rather than an open sound hole, so that the physical principle of the guitar is actually more similar to the banjo. The purpose of the resonator is to amplify the sound of the guitar; this purpose has been largely superseded by electrical amplification, but the resonator is still played by those desiring its distinctive sound. The type of resonator guitar with a neck with a square cross-section -- called "square neck" -- is usually played face up, on the lap of the seated player, and often with a metal or glass slide. The round neck resonator guitars are normally played in the same fashion as other guitars, although slides are also often used, especially in blues. ## 12 string guitars usually have steel strings and are widely used in folk music, blues and rock and roll. Rather than having only six strings, the 12-string guitar has pairs, like a mandolin. Each pair of strings is tuned either in unison (the two highest) or an octave apart (the others). They are made both in acoustic and electric forms. Big Joe Williams is a a blues musician famous for his 12 string guitar. ##Archtop guitars are steel string, instruments which feature a violin-inspired f-hole design in which the top (and often the back) of the instrument are carved in a curved rather than a flat shape. Lloyd Loar of the Gibson Guitar Corporation invented this variation of guitar after designing a style of mandolin of the same type. The typical Archtop is a hollow body guitar whose form is much like that of a mandolin or violin family instrument and may be acoustic or electric. Some solid body electric guitars are also considered archtop guitars although usually 'Archtop guitar' refers to the hollow body form. Archtop guitars were immediately adopted upon their release by both jazz and country musicians and have remained particularly popular in jazz music, usually using thicker strings (higher guaged round wound and flat wound) than acoustic guitars. Archtops are often louder than a typical dreadnought acoustic guitar. The electric hollow body archtop guitar has a distinct sound among electric guitars and is consequently appropriate for many styles of rock and roll. Many electric archtop guitars intended for use in rock and roll even have a Tremolo Arm. ##Acoustic bass guitars also have steel strings, and match the tuning of the electric bass, which is likewise similar to the traditional double bass viol, the "big bass", a staple of string orchestras and bluegrass bands alike. ##Harp Guitars. Harp Guitars are difficult to classify as there are many variations within this type of guitar. They are typically rare and uncommon in the popular music scene. Most consist of a regular guitar, plus additional 'harp' strings strung above the six normal strings. The instrument is usually acoustic and the harp strings are usually tuned to lower notes than the guitar strings, for an added bass range. Normally there is neither fingerboard nor frets behind the harp strings. Some harp guitars also feature much higher pitch strings strung below the traditional guitar strings. The number of harp strings varies greatly, depending on the type of guitar and also the player's personal preference (as they have often been made to the player's specification). #Harp Guitar Electric guitars: Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow or hollow bodies, and produce little or very low sound without amplification. Electromagnetic pickups (single and double coil) convert the vibration of the steel strings into electric signals which are fed to an amplifier through a cable or radio device. The sound is frequently modified by other electronic devices or natural distortion of valves (vacuum tubes) in the amplifier. The electric guitar is used extensively in blues and rock and roll, and was commercialized by Gibson together with Les Paul and independently by Leo Fender. The lower fretboard action (the height of the strings from the fingerboard) and its electrical amplification lend the electric guitar to some techniques which are harder (or impossible) to execute on acoustic guitars. These techniques include tapping, extensive use of legato through pull-offs and hammer-ons (a.k.a. slurs in the traditional Classical genre), pinch harmonics, volume swells and use of a Tremolo arm or effects pedals. ## 7 string guitars were developed in the 1990s (earlier in jazz) to achieve a much darker sound through extending the lower end of the guitar's range. Used by bands such as KoЯn and players such as Steve Vai. Meshuggah & Charlie Hunter go a step further, using an 8 string guitar with two extra low strings. The electric bass is similar in tuning to the traditional double bass viol. Hybrids of acoustic and electric guitars are also common. There are also more exotic varieties, such as double-necked guitars, all manner of alternate string arrangements, fretless fingerboards (used almost exclusively on bass guitars, meant to emulate the sound of a stand-up bass), and such.

Guitar terminology

The guitar has come to be called many different colloquial names over time such as: box, guit-fiddle and axe. The pitch bend arm found on many electric guitars has also had slang terms applied to it, such as "tremolo bar", "sissy bar", "whammy handle", and "whammy bar". The latter two slang terms led stompbox manufacturers to use the term 'whammy' in coming up with a pitch raising effect introduced by popular guitar brand "Digitech". Interestingly, Leo Fender, who did so much to revolutionize the modern electric guitar, also created much confusion over the meaning of the terms "tremolo" and "vibrato", specifically by mis-naming the "tremolo" bar on his guitars and also regarding the "Vibrolux" amps. Vibrato is a variation in pitch, whereas tremolo is a variation in volume, so the tremolo bar is actually a vibrato bar and the "Vibrolux" amps actually had a tremolo effect. A capo (used to change key without changing fingering) is sometimes called a "cheater". A Slide, (bottle or knife) used in blues and rock to create a 'gliss' or 'hawaiian' effect. Many times, the necks of bottles were used, thus creating the term "bottle-neck".

Guitar/synthesizer

A guitar/synthesizer is the adaptation of a guitar to control a synthesizer. Most commonly, a guitar/synth is a converter which analyzes the pitch of each string and sends an electronic message to a synthesizer, telling it what note to play. The pitches of the individual strings can be determined if a hexaphonic pickup is used. In modern implementations, the converter's output is a MIDI signal. This implementation led to the use of MIDI guitar as a synonym for a guitar/synthesizer or for the field of guitar synthesis in general. A guitar-like MIDI controller is also refered to as a guitar/synthesizer. Such a device is not actually a guitar, but the human-interface is designed to play like one, allowing a guitarist to play a synthesizer or other MIDI-enabled instruments. The SynthAxe was one notable example. One might also use the term guitar synthesis to refer to the field of programming synthesizers to sound like guitars, but this is far less common.

External links

- [http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/new/new_lute.html Wayne Cripps' lute pages] Photos of replica Renaissance and Baroque guitars
- [http://www.guitarmadesimple.com Guitar Lessons] Lessons, Guitar instruction, articles, tips
- [http://www.guitarnoise.com Guitar Noise] Articles on theory and practice of guitar.
- [http://www.tabwiki.com/ Wiki Guitar Tabs] Guitar Tabs site using Wiki-technology.
- [http://www.guitarwiki.com/ Guitar Wiki] — Wiki-based guitar resource.
- [http://www.wikiguitar.net/ Wiki Guitar] Another Wiki-based guitar resource.
- [http://www.guitartabs.cc/ Guitar Tabs] Guitar Tabs.CC
- [http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/vintage-guitar-photos-2.htm Photos of a variety of vintage guitars]
- [http://folkguitar.us/ Folk Guitar] How to play backup guitar to old time fiddle tunes.

Notes, References, and Sources

- Unlike most musical instruments, guitars are produced in both right and left-handed models. The explanation above is given from the perspective of the more common right-handed player. Interestingly, many left-handed players learn to play on right-handed instruments. This causes them to play certain notes with their thumb; an appendage that is usually reserved for pushing on the back of the guitar's neck. Some lefties have even restrung a right-handed guitar to serve as a left-handed one. Category:Musical instruments
- Category:String instruments ko:기타 ja:ギター

Drums

For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). drum (disambiguation) drum (disambiguation).]] A drum is a musical instrument in the percussion family, technically classified as a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drumskin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Drums are among the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has been virtually unchanged for hundreds of years. The shell almost invariably has a circular opening over which the drumhead is stretched, but the shape of the remainder of the shell varies widely. In the western musical tradition, the most usual shape is a cylinder, although timpani for example use bowl-shaped shells. Other shapes include truncated cones (bongo drums) and joined truncated cones (talking drum). Drums with cylindrical shells can be open at one end (as in the timbales) or, more commonly in the Western tradition, they can have another drum head. Sometimes they have a solid shell with no holes in at all though this is rare. It is usual for a drum to have some sort of hole in to let air move through the drum when it is struck. This gives a louder and longer ring to the notes of the drum, so drums with two heads covering both ends of a tubular shell often have a small hole halfway between the 2 drumheads. The membrane is struck, either with the hand or with a drumstick, and the shell forms a resonating chamber for the resulting sound. The sound of a drum depends on several variables including shell shape, size, thickness of shell, materials of the shell, type of drumhead, tension of t

Maxwell Murderers

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mIRC has many eggs hidden inside the program. For example; clicking on Khaled's nose in the about dialog will play a squeaking sound, and right clicking on "mIRC 4.0" will show a ball bounce across the screen.

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Guitar

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Acoustic and electric guitar

Guitar terminology

Guitar/synthesizer

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External links

Notes, References, and Sources

Drums

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