Clicking on a link will open a new page. When you are finished with that web site, just close the page and you will be back here again.

MUSIC

----DIGITIZED, DOWNLOADABLE

          (Back to Top)

napster - http://www.napster.com/

Rhapsody - http://www.real.com/rhapsody/

MusicNet - http://www.musicnet.com/

Apple Computer's iTunes - http://www.apple.com/itunes/

If you don't want to pay anything, there's free music to download and burn, but it's mostly from unknown, unsigned artists:
MP3.com - http://www.mp3.com/
Peoplesound - http://www.peoplesound.com/
SoundClick - http://www.soundclick.com/

Midi Files - electronic music to download free and play on your computer:
http://www.docmelster.com/songsnew.html
list of midi sites - http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?ring=midiwave;action=list
huge list of midi sites - http://aitech.ac.jp/~ckelly/SMF.html
Big selection of midis to download - http://www.smickandsmodoo.com/master/masterindex4602.shtml

J's Magic Galleries - short list of links to exceptionally high quality Midi music - http://jsmagic.net/midis/

Audiofind - http://www.audiofind.com/

Launch.com (f/k/a MusicVideos.com) - http://launch.yahoo.com/musicvideos/

Nullsoft Winamp - http://www.winamp.com/index.jhtml

Music MIDI Archive - If you'd like some of the latest Top 40 pop hits in MIDI format, you will find them here. Catagories range from rock to pop to hip hop - http://members.tripod.com/midihits99/

Classical Music Archives - thousands of MIDI sound files by over 1,500 classical composers - most of the content is free, but you are limited in the number of files you can freely listen to per day; more features with a paid subscription - http://www.classicalarchives.com/

MIDIsite.co.uk - over 800,000 free MIDI files and a search engine to help you find what you need. - http://www.midisite.co.uk/

Fresh MIDIs - hundreds of MIDIs, including tunes by many popular artists - also a forum where you can post requests for a specific MIDI. - http://freshmidis.fateback.com/

FindSounds.com - noted for being family-friendly, all obscenities are filtered out - search engine for easy location of sounds, in several formats, including .WAV, .AIFF and .AU. From explosions to tweeting birds, it's all here. - http://www.findsounds.com/types.html

The Daily WAV - high quality, well-done, extremely popular since 1997 - numerous sound files from cinema, TV and even commercials - Past selections archived alphabetically - http://www.dailywav.com/

A1 Free Sound Effects - over 700 free WAV sound effects, including everything from breaking glass to crackling thunder, from creaking doors to wailing sirens. The site also accepts requests, if there's a particular sound effect you're looking for. - http://www.a1freesoundeffects.com/noflash.htm

Theme Music - over 100 free theme songs from dozens of vintage and new TV programs made in the U.S. and the U.K. - several formats available, including MP3, AU and WAV -http://www.uktvindex.net/ThemeTunes/index.php

Sound Explorer - fast, dictionary-style search engine for quickly locating a particular WAV file - indexes over half a million WAV files. Sound Explorer shows all of the different versions of WAV files and can quickly locate rare songs. - http://www.musicrobot.com/

Movie Sounds Central - hundreds of high quality movie WAV sound files, including many memorable bits from the silver screen; easy to navigate; no popups or other ad clutter. - http://www.moviesoundscentral.com/

WavSource.com - over 3,600 sound files and a search engine. WAV categories include cinema, TV, sound effects, computer system events, politics, humor and more. - http://www.wavsource.com/

Making Your Own WAV Files - It's easier than you might think -http://www.clayloomis.com/makewavs.html

Free Children's Music MP3s - Artists include Joe Thompson, Jeff Eisenberg, Ronnie Caldwell and more. -http://freekidsmusic.com/

MP3Nut.com - large, searcable catalogue of MP3's and comprehensive lyrics archive - from the classics to the latest Top 40 hits, and a budding guitar tabs archive; no popup ads. - http://www.mp3nut.com/

Shareware Music Machine - "The world's biggest music software site." - http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/

HealingPiano.com MP3s - soothing, original solo piano music; featured as a resource for people experiencing "tough times due to illness, loss of loved ones, or any other type of personal pain." - http://healingpiano.com/

VoiceOfTheWeb.com MP3s - free professionally recorded voice prompts for Web sites, Flash animations, multimedia, etc. - recorded by voice artist Chuck Brown, available in four "moods." - http://voiceoftheweb.com/

FreeSoloPiano.com MP3s - A well-done site specializing in solo piano and piano-dominated instrumental music. You may preview files before you download them. - http://freesolopiano.com/

Dismuke's Virtual Talking Machine - "This site is devoted to vintage music from the early decades of the 20th Century. All recordings have been transcribed into streaming Real Audio from the original 78 rpm discs in my personal collection. It is my hope that this site will help further the creation of a new generation of enthusiasts for an exciting, vibrant and, sadly, all but forgotten era of American popular culture." - http://www.dismuke.org/

Morpheus - one of the most popular freeware programs around for hunting free MP3 (and other media) files - excellent search features - for Windows only. - http://www.morpheus-os.com/

Music and Sounds Freeware - for a wide variety of soundware to play your collection of music and sounds - http://www.thefreesite.com/Free_Sounds/

----GENERAL

          (Back to Top)

Big Bands Database - http://www.nfo.net/

Bell Ringing as Art and Science - We recently happened by accident on a site about the art of change bell ringing, something we'd never heard of before. There was just enough information at the site to pique, but not sate, our interest. Change ringing is not the chorale music with which we might be more familiar. The bells that we know may be part of a carillon, perhaps controlled by computers, most often played from a keyboard, usually in recognizable tunes. Bells played in this style are generally stationary, and only the clapper moves to produce the tone. In change ringing, the bells, each requiring a dedicated player, swing so freely that they arc a full 360 degrees. The compositions are more tonal than melodic, and follow patterns that rely in good measure on mathematical intricacies. We couldn't find a single site that entirely answered our curiosity once it was raised, but this esoteric activity has inspired a surprising number of sites that address one aspect or another of change bell ringing. We're directing you to one site, belonging to the North American Guild of Change Ringers. It's informative in and of itself, but it also offers a set of links that open on to dozens of other sites that speak to the art, physics, and mathematics of change ringing. - http://www.nagcr.org/index.html#mainindex#mainindex

Variations 2 - University of Indiana's digital music library - http://variations2.indiana.edu/

Mouseum. Find the lyrics to your favorite kids' songs, listen to the song play or checkout related links. - http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/

Sing-Along Songs. - Can't remember the words to a favorite song? Don't remember the tune? Search this site and find both lyrics and music files for many classic songs. - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/music.htm

----HARDCOPY (CD'S, ETC.)

          (Back to Top)

Sheet Music Online - both free and to buy, after you register with them - http://www.8notes.com/

All Music Guide - An extensive site depicting the evolution of all music genres in the western world. Impressive music maps and studies of musical styles, along with the artists who played them then and play them now. Direct linking to the purchase of recorded music, even hard-to-find selections. http://www.allmusic.com

The Good Old Songs that we all remember so fondly. Recorded on the honky tonk and antique pianos in the old mining town of Virginia City, Nevada, USA. - sample the songs online, then order tapes or CD's - http://www.goodoldsongs.com/

----MUSIC STUDIES

          (Back to Top)

Piano on the Net. - A complete set of piano lessons on the Web. Put a PC keyboard next to your music keyboard and you're ready to go! With many links to other music sites. - http://www.pianonanny.com/

The "March King" himself, John Philip Sousa (1854 1932) A real gem! Requires downloading of audio files but well worth it. - http://www.dws.org/sousa/

Classical Net - point-of-entry into a wide array of informational files about classical music. - http://www.classical.net/

Metropolitan Opera - Met History, Schedule of performances, meet the Met family, stories of many of the operas -http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/home.aspx

PBS: The Blues - Companion site to the Public Broadcasting Service series, "The Blues," anchors a multi-media celebration that raises awareness of the blues and its contribution to American culture and music worldwide. Under the guiding vision of Executive Producer Martin Scorsese, seven directors will explore the blues through their own personal styles and perspectives. The films in the series are motivated by a central theme: how the blues evolved from parochial folk tunes to a universal language. - http://www.pbs.org/theblues/

Essentials of Music - Whether you're a casual listener or a serious music student, here's the site for basic information about classical music. Created in cooperation with W.W. Norton & Company, it's built around Essential Classics, the series specially designed to introduce you to the best music of every period. All through the site you'll find almost 200 excerpts from Essential Classics. - http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/

The Mechanical Music Digest (MMD) - musical instruments that play themselves - The virtual Gallery includes images and sounds. Explore the Links to other interesting places on Mechanical Music - http://mmd.foxtail.com/