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The lyrics of "My Way" tell the story of a man who is nearing death, and introspectively looks back at his life whilst fictionally speaking to a friend who is sitting next to him.

The man's personality as described in the song involves a strong-willed, confident and determined man who is not reliant on others to progress further through life. He is happy with how his life has turned out, and what he has achieved; he acknowledges that he too has regrets and has suffered sadness. However, he remains upbeat and amused that he has made it this far:

"And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing...

To think, I did all that, and may I say, not in a shy way

Oh no, oh no not me, I did it my way"

Frank Sinatra's 1969 album My Way, "My Way" was at first a modest hit for Sinatra in the United States, reaching number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in spring and early summer 1969. However it fared better on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching number 2.

In the United Kingdom, "My Way" was a more immediate hit, reaching number 5 on the UK Singles Chart in Spring 1969 and becoming the year's best-selling single there. Remarkably, the Sinatra "My Way" then re-entered the singles chart six more times during 1970 and 1971, achieving placements between numbers 18 and 39.

In all this "My Way" holds the UK Singles Chart record for most total weeks on the chart, across all these runs.Even beyond chart performance, Sinatra's recording of "My Way" had staying power, and soon became the signature song for the latter stage of his career, even though according to his daughter Tina, "he always thought that song was self-serving and self-indulgent."[1] It was the closing number on his 1974 concert document The Main Event - Live and is also featured as the penultimate song on his Live from Las Vegas 1986 performance. A DVD of a 1978 Vegas performance of it is included in the Sinatra: Vegas collection.

Sinatra also duetted the song with two performers in the last years before his death: Luciano Pavarotti (released on the album Sinatra 80th: Live In Concert) and Willie Nelson (recorded for the Duets series in the mid-1990s but not released until 2005 in the Collector's Edition Set). Both recordings use the same Sinatra vocal and instrumental track.

The streaming video tutorial can be viewed at address:http://www.bithear.com/index.php/Piano-Tutorials/My-Way.html

Starting from 12 years old studying in Yamaha Music Foundation majoring Electone music instrument and finished after 5 years, I directly moved on intermediate level in piano instruments to learn more about classic, pop, and jazz.

I began my first international concert in Auckland, New Zealand in front of Governor of Auckland in January 1992 as participant from Indonesia in International Festival of Genuine Culture Exchage - Rotorua, New Zealand. I played many traditional music instruments from Indonesia like Angklung, Calung, and Seruling before finally got on stage to play Indonesia's traditional songs in Piano.

Website: http://www.bithear.com

There are so many different ways to learn the piano, but as a teacher I always keep in mind one thing: keep playing fun! My students always learn better when they are having fun and embracing their passion for music. I'm sure that passion for music has been sparked inside of you, which is why you are pursuing piano. Great, that's the first step!

I love to incorporate different methods of learning such as flash cards, games, and musical duets so that my students can play together. A little while ago at a teachers convention, I was introduced to the idea of using computers to help make learning fun.
When you are looking to download a piano course, these are tips that you will want to keep in mind.

Step by Step lessons - You don't just want a few lessons. You want many many lessons. You want a large variety of music to learn from so that you can keep advancing (and get your moneys worth). You want to make sure that the courses you choose covers all of your questions if you are learning on your own.

Lots of Audio Files - When my students hear the song they are learning, I find that most of the time their playing improves immediately. It helps them to become more familiar with the rhythm and the feeling of the song. Reading from a book on piano is helpful, but not for all students. Having audio files is "key" when you are looking to download a piano course online. Download a piano course that has a good amount (at least 100) audio files for you to listen and play along to.

Video lessons - This a wonderful feature to have on the computer...probably the next best thing to having your own teacher. You will have a variety of different lessons that will help you advance on your technique and skill. The best part is that you can go back and repeat lessons whenever you want!

Games - This is the best feature you should be looking for when trying to download a piano course. I really promote having fun when playing piano so if you download a piano course with Games that teach you the basics AND make it fun to learn, you've got a huge headstart. There are some wonderful games out there too.

As a teacher, my favorite is Jayde Musica Pro. This game teaches you notes easily by challenging you to beat your own high scores. Notes fly across the screen and you identify them as quick as you can. My students love this game and it really helps them get familiar with reading sheet music.

Beginner to Advanced - The biggest drawback with most piano courses available is that they only teach you the Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced Level.. I really don't think you should be paying for something that becomes useless shortly after you've bought it. You want to download a piano course that changes with you and gives you the most bang for your buck.

Just remember, play for your love of playing and you will stay motivated to keep learning more!

Take a journey from beginner to advanced piano playing by fast-tracking your learning through Fun and Play! Visit http://www.squidoo.com/onlinepianocourse

When I first started playing the piano I wanted to learn how to compose. The idea that I could create something tangible really appealed to me.

So much so that I read everything I could get my hands on to learn the great art of musical composition. The problem was that these books assumed that you knew certain things like form, structure, harmony, and counterpoint. What a disappointment! It was hard trying to take the feelings I had on the inside and put them down on paper.

The real problem was that I had it backwards. Instead of trying to learn composition first, I needed to learn how to improvise - how to free the inner voice from criticism and judgement so I could be free to create the music that was inside of me.

And so I began to read about how to improvise, Again, I was disappointed. I couldn't find good books on the subject, or books that would show me how to play in the New Age style - the style I loved. Eventually, I stumbled on a simple book that showed how to play using chord changes with 8-bar phrases. Now, here was something I could do! All I had to do now was learn chords. Once I knew how to play a few chords I began to see that in order to really be creative there had to be a set of limitations. An irony, yet one that works!

By playing chord changes within a set framework, I was learning how to create within limits. Even so called "free improvisation" has certain rules. For example, you may decide that you'll improvise using the chords and scale of D Major. That's creating within limits. It's not necessary to use limits to create music, but it definitely helps one to focus in on expressing yourself. Instead of thinking about what to play, you've already made that decision and are now free to create.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

"Everybody has talent. It's just a matter of moving around until youve discovered what it is."

Growing Up

Lucas was born on May 14, 1944 in Modesto, California. He did not excel in high school, but dreamed of being a race car driver. A serious car accident that collapsed his lungs and kept him in the hospital for three months changed his mind about his career choice. He decided then to stop living dangerously, work hard and try to make something of himself.

At Modesto Junior College, Lucas became enamoured with cinematography and settled on becoming a filmmaker. He was accepted to the University of Southern California and Lucas' life was suddenly immersed in film. While at school, he worked on documentaries and made abstract science fiction films (one of which, "THX-1138", would be remade with Warner Brothers backing and released in 1971). These early films were seen and praised by Francis Ford Coppola who in turn invited Lucas to sit in on the filming of "Finnian's Rainbow".

Starting The Business

Lucas' "THX-1138" did not perform exceedingly well at the box office and reviews were middling and the film earned him the reputation of being a technical director lacking in humour and emotion. However, his talent was recognized by the studio and he was given $780,000 to make "American Graffiti", the movie that would launch him into stardom. It was released in 1973 and would gross $120 million.

Lucas felt betrayed by some minor changes that the studio made to his final cut. He became determined to get himself to a place where he would own his own cameras and the film he shot on and so have final say on everything.

While negotiating the contract for "Star Wars" in 1975, Lucas cut his director's salary by $500,000 and traded it for ownership of merchandising and all sequel rights, things the studios thought worthless at the time. The move would give Lucas the control he hoped for. "Star Wars" broke all box office records and the tie-in merchandise has brought in more than $4.5 billion over the last twenty-five years. Lucas now could go and freely make the sequels on his own.

He financed "The Empire Strikes Back" himself, getting loans totaling $30 million to get the film made. If the film were to flop at the box office, Lucas would be bankrupt, but the success of the first film encouraged him, and "Empire" and the second sequel, "Return of the Jedi" were both huge hits.

After producing the three Indiana Jones films and made more than $100 million from them, Lucas stopped making films and turned all of his attention to experimenting with digital technology.

Building An Empire

In 1975, Industrial Light and Magic was started because there was no special effects company that could handle creating the effects for "Star Wars". The first ILM innovation, the motion-control camera, allowed Lucas to simulate flight. ILM began accepting requests to do the special effects for other films. This helped fund Lucas research to improve the techniques he'd pioneered and experiment with new effects. At the cost of around $25 million for a film, ILM was an immediate success. Lucas took some of the profits and created Skywalker Sound which focussed on a film's sound in the post-production phase. And from this the THX digital surround sound system for home and public movie theatres was introduced. Later, LucasArts Entertainment got Lucas involved with video-game production, releasing games like X-Wing and Rebel Assault.

As Lucas began work on Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, he marketed wisely and created excitement around the new film by re-releasing a special-edition of the "Star Wars" trilogy. The films earned over $475 million at the box office and got a new generation enthused about the films. Lucas was also able to finance the production of the Phantom Menace (for $115 million). Once again, this financial control would let Lucas have the final say. Its release in May of 1999 broke all box office records, earning $42 million on the first day alone. Episodes II and III have, profit-wise, followed suit.

Lucas is responsible for age of the blockbuster, the introduction of technology in cinema that enabled us to realize visions of a hyper-reality, and the popularization of the highly lucrative area of merchandizing. As a hard working risk-taker, confident in the quality of his product, he has been able to set his own high standards and change the nature of how Hollywood makes movies.

Evan Carmichael is an entrepreneur and international speaker. His webpage is among the top 10 Internet sites globally for entrepreneurship and contains profiles of famous entrepreneurs, lessons learned from successful business owners, and expert opinions and analysis. He also runs Entrepreneur Mastermind Groups to give business owners important insights from their peers into managing and growing a small company. Learn more at http://www.evancarmichael.com.

A lot of new age piano music consists of repeating patterns, or textures in the left hand while the right hand improvises a melody. This approach is really a good one! It frees you up to create in the moment. First you decide what chord or chords you'll be using in the left hand. You then create an ostinato or arpeggio that lays the foundation for the entire piece.

It's like the background a painter uses before the foreground is drawn in. In the case of music, the background would be the textural patterns in the left hand. Then the right hand comes in "to paint" in the rest of the picture - in this case, the improvised melody.

George Winston used this approach in the piece "Rain." First you get this beautiful textural background created exclusively by the left hand. He covers more than an octave with the left hand using the thumb to reach past and make the music sound fuller. Now, in this piece he uses only a few chords, but interest is maintained through the improvised melody. In my piece, Flashflood, from Anza-Borrego Desert Suite, I use the same technique.

I start by playing an ostinato in the left, than add in the melody in the right. I keep playing the ostinato for as long as my intuition says, "this sounds good," then add in some contrast, either by changing chords, or by adding in new material.

It's important to realize that complete textural backgrounds can be created using the left hand alone. In fact, entire pieces of music can and have been created using this very versatile approach. It's especially suited for new age music. So, here's a step-by-step procedure for creating textures:

1. Choose your chords - These can be triads, or Open Position Chords, or any chord structure

2. Create a pattern for your left hand

3. Improvise a melody with your right hand

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

When was the last time you went to a presentation and came away impressed by the slides?

It is, of course, fashionable these days to speak negatively about PowerPoint, and how most on-screen presentations put audiences to death with an onslaught of one bullet-pointed paragraph of words after another. It is also true that the same people who like to trash PowerPoint often create mind-numbing program themselves, and then claim that its not their fault their bosses make them beget slides that turn brains to butter.

Although businesspeople are pretty much stuck with PowerPoint these days, and probably will be for the foreseeable future, there have been a few pioneers out there who are trying to change the ways we use slides to convey information or persuade others to see things our way. And so even though PowerPoint is still very much alive and kicking, we think that bullet points as knowledge builders might be doomed: some designers at the cutting edge are trying new forms and structures.

One person whose work you should know if you dont already is Cliff Atkinson. According to Michael McLaughlin, coauthor with Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants, Cliff Atkinson believes he's built a better mouse trap. He wants us to dump boring, bullet-riddled slides, and he has a creative solution: he taps Hollywood-style storytelling to transform PowerPoint presentations from endless lists of bullet points into compelling communications.

Atkinsons book Beyond Bullet Points shows you how to use the power of storytelling to make PowerPoint presentations effective communication tools, not just speaker notes. With Atkinsons method, you not only produce presentations that are not boring, but you are also forced to think about what you are saying in a way that all audiences relate to: telling them a story.

You should also be aware of Lawrence Lessig, who has created a buzz over the last couple years with what he believes is a "minimalist" presentation design approach. It's interesting, and definitely worth getting up to speed on it if you're in the presentation business. The best example of this style that we've seen is in a keynote given by a guy named Dick Hardt. You really need to watch this performance to appreciate its power as an antidote to the common business presentation. Here is just one link: http://identity20.com/media/OSCON2005/.

The problem I have with this approach is that while its followers consider it minimalist because there is typically no more that one word or image on the screen at a time, virtually EVERY word in the narrative is projected, so that with a little practice, the presenter simply delivers a completely pre-written script. It is interesting to watch and definitely holds your attention throughout, but rather than putting the presenter at the center of the process, the result is that 99% of the audience's attention is drawn to the screen.

The really scary thing here is that it probably will have huge appeal to NewGens and younger, who unfortunately have no idea how to relate to another human except thru the interface of some electronic device. So this is presentation as video-game / hip hop / text-message-me-from-the-end-of-the-bar. The presentation IS the screen, and the presenter gets kudos for his electronic design skills rather than her ability to be human.

Of course, your Master of the PowerPoint Universe here has not been asleep at the switch for the past couple years, and this May 23rd will see the World Premiere of what PublicSpeakingSkills.com is offering up as a whole new language of presentation design, with its own very tight grammar, all based on using minimalism to focus the audience on the presenter.

We haven't yet decided how to brand it ("Beyond Bullet Points" is already taken, and "Pointless" doesn't sound very value-added). Internally we've been referring to it as The Language of the Bar because we use vertical lines (bars) instead of bullet points to both set off paragraph levels and also presage to both the presenter and the audience how much more (if any) will follow on the screen after the last reveal.

It occurred to us a while ago that whereas bullet points do work to set off one huge group of words from another huge group (the 3-line 'paragraphs' we usually see), they don't make a lot of sense when you do what you should do and never have more than a few words on each line. The line itself sets off the one point from the next. So if you're using PowerPoint properly, that is, to simply key the audience where you're going and key you to what you're going to say, bullets become superfluous. Bonus: your slides look a lot cleaner without them.

Back to this new presentation language: although both Atkinson and Lessig dispense with bullet points, we believe that rather than just throwing out structure altogether, there are increases in both comprehension and retention when the presentation conforms to a set of predictable rules - a grammar, if you will. We believe that when your grammar presages what's to come (in a haiku, for instance, you know exactly how many words are coming next), you create both heightened expectation and the comfort of knowing how much brain RAM you have to reserve.

Long-term readers know were committed to showing the world that PowerPoint (and also Apple's Keynote, which weve been using lately) is NOT the problem. We don't know if this is the answer, but we know you'll really, really like what you see. See you on the 23rd?

J. Douglas Jefferys brings twenty-five years of corporate training experience to his role as a principal of PublicSpeakingSkills.com http://www.publicspeakingskills.com His firm changes presenters lives forever with their unique approach to training presentation design and delivery skills. Discover how to design and deliver presentations that audiences actually listen to by visiting their website now.