I think that YouTube is really neat. I can browse around it for hours but recently I discovered that some are using in what I'd describe as an underhanded manner. NOt that I didn't expect this with human nature being what it is. but they are using YouTube to promote their carreers. Not that I mind advertising but they are misrepresenting themselves as what they are not. In this case, young adult singers represent themselves as kids who just love to sing tunes and share them on the internet. They create a "buzz" with some free publicity in order to launch their so-called careers.
The equivalent would be if one found out that the recent winner of American Idyl was, in fact already a professional singer before they auditioned for the show.
I think the general approach to anything in Internet (and in TV, I must say) is not to trust anything too much.
You mention American Idyl (I do not know this program), but I suppose it is similar to our local "Operacion Triunfo" (Triumph operation). Ours is based on a competition of beginner singers, with the candidates attending an internal Academy to learn singing and acting, English pronunciation and other related techniques- and eventually win and become the selected singer.
But most of the candidates are searched and brought in by the producers from private singing academies and are in no way real beginners (although they are not professionals of course). But this is not what the public believe is going on and in this sense they cheat.
The Cuatro in Venezuela was originally a genuine folkloric instrument also played in lively dances as the Joropo, )but in the Caribbean region people have rhythm in their veins and they use it combined with all kind of percussion instruments to make their lively music that invites everybody to dance.
I spent many years in that country and I do not exaggerate too much if I say that one of the reasons that made me decide to go and live there was its music, particularly folkloric music from south of the country and form the islands (like the "Polo margaritegno").
I have a few very beautiful recordings with Cuatro; some are played by truly virtuosi masters of the instrument,who have pushed the technique to unthinkable levels.
They can combine the melody and the accompaniment in just one instrument and it is difficult to believe that you are listening to just four nylon strings played with one hand...
I could send a partial mp3 to your address if you would like to listen to a sample.
searching...
