MP3 Language learning

YouTube to MP3 – Simple Conversion guide

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:25:31 +0000

The purpose of this post is to describe the easiest way to convert YouTube videos to an MP3 format for non technical people. This is the only guide you will ever need, because it is simple and gives you options that fits your technical style, even if you have none. The three options presented in this post are:

YouTube converter from your browser
YouTube converting software for Windows
YouTube online conversion

Therefore, choose what is best for you so you can listen to the most music without stressing about technical issues.

Video to MP3 conversion

Why is this process useful? An application or software that changes the YouTube .FLV to MP3 is useful because if you want to store a large quantity of music on an mp3player, iPhone, or other cell phones, you can. You can create your own folders, sub folders and play lists and organize your music anyway you like. These are free MP3 files, just as if you purchased it.

Basically you can get all the free music you ever want from YouTube. I do not even buy music anymore. Why would you if you can download legal mp3s from YouTube?

When I listen to music I only sometimes care about he video images, more often I prefer pure sound. This is also useful if you want pure audio files to memorize dialogues in a foreign language.

OK, Lets look at the specifics of these three ways of getting you augmenting your music collection.

Browser conversion steps:

I personally like to do everything with browser plug-in, extensions or add-on. Here are examples of the two best add-on to your browser. I recommend you to download the and install the add-on here:

Firefox YouTube to MP3
Chrome YouTube to MP3
You can also find similar ones for different browsers and you can try different add-ons.

Most applications give you two choices, standard quality and high quality. I always choose high, there is no reason not to.

To illustrate how simple this process is, the following images are the steps I use in my Firefox Browser. It is no more complicated than a YouTube downloader add-on if you have ever used on.

You can choose low quality compression with a smaller file size or high quality compression with a marginally larger file size. I do not think file space is an issue with today's hard drive and storage space.

The next step is download the file, the whole process will be under a minute.

The whole process of changing one file to another will be less than a minute.

YouTube to MP3 software

Here is a simple program to allow you to convert file en masse. That is, you can convert an whole folder, even one thousand videos in a press of a button. It is the most efficient way, if you are really into music and want to upgrade your collection. Where can you get it?

Video to MP3 program <- download it here for free and change scores videos in a flash. It is an open source program called Guerilla.

Once unzipped and you run the program you will see a screen like this the following. The rest is obvious.

The above is the recommended method for people with a large music collection.

If you want know how to download files from YouTube use something like NetVideoHunter. You can download a hundred or more at a time if you want. The use the above tool to do the rest.

Online file conversion if good for a song or two

Here are three websites you can convert files directly. Just paste the url into a website which specializes in this type of conversion. I do no like it because I have to copy and paste, but it can be useful if your browser does not support an add-on or you do not to install software to your computer.

video2mp3.net
listentoyoutube.com
vidtomp3.com

You can search others they are all basically the same. Just set the default location of where you want to download your songs to on your computer so it is no chaotically mixed in with other files.

Best music to study a language

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:50:32 +0000

Music and foreign languages

The purpose of this post is to identify which music is best to study a language to. That means which type of music will help you learn a foreign language. I also will talk about when is the best time to study to music, that is before, during or after. The reason I know about this is I am a linguist and had personal experience with brain research. I also love music.

What is working memory and what does it have to do with learning a language?

Working memory is the ability to hold independent blocks of information and manipulate that information in your brain simultaneously. Therefore, if your wife is telling you about dinner and you thinking about golf this weekend, if you have a good working memory you can think about both ideas at the same time. In fact, if you are really smart you could somehow make a connection between the two.

On the other hand, there are some brain experts tell you that your brain can only really focus on one thing at a time. What happens is your brain will switch back and forth between two things incredibly fast. It will just seem like your brain can do two things at once.

Here is the truth based on my research. Your brain can multitask. However, if it is about unrelated subjects it will work harder. If it is about related subjects your brain will find it easier to make order out of chaos.

I stand in opposition to some brain experts will tell you that you can not study by music as your will be taking up RAM or working memory of your brain. Your brain will need to engage more energy to try to enhance focus, but I do not believe it. Music helps you lean and in particular a languages. Music and languages are connected.

Music and languages are related as they both are auditory and rhythmic. Therefore, if you can tune into the right music it will enhance your learning efforts for a foreign language.

Studying to music

There are three ways to study to music.

Listening to music if you have problems with learning in general or need linguistic confidence – Some people listen to relaxing music before they study to put them in an alpha or theta state to absorb information. These brainwaves as you know are associated with greater openness.
If you have problems with focusing for a long time – Some people listen to music while they are studying, this is mainly to keep it from getting boring. This is me, I need to increase my cognitive diligence. If music becomes distracting turn it off, but if you choose the right music studying will be less painful.
Memory problems – If you listen to music after you study for 20 minutes you will retain and process the information better. You can either just relax or try to review in your memory what you just studied, without picking up your text-book, just in your imagination.

Ideally I would like to do all three. But since I have time constraints I do the second one. Also if I had to choose between the first and last I would choose the last. That is I think the best way to study to music is after you are done, relax, listen to music and review in your mind’s eye what you learned.

The best music to study and learn by is the music you love

This is very cliché but it is true. I could not study to rock. I love Gregorian chants and classical music. However, try that, if Mozart is not your thing, I think you would get bored. Therefore not one shoe fits all. If you are going to study to music the best is relaxing. Maybe is good, as it does not mess with you. Or Ancient Celtic music. I like something spiritual as I feel like it helps me with motivation.

The most important factor to studying is motivation. This is were pleasant inspiring sound can help. Here is the way I see music and language study.

Gregorian chants and sacred- Delta brainwaves or at least theta brainwaves – opening, low-level of conflict. If you listen to this after you hit the books, I think this will really help. Try this genre if you can.
Polyphonic music – I find this too complicated with two melodies, although very beautiful. The ideal is to blend two or more melodies so it sounds like one in a sense. Maybe your brain can handle this.
Baroque – Alpha brain waves light and positive. Ah Bach. Mozart gets into true classical and a little more lively. Some like the former and some like the latter.
Romantic classical – Often too moving for me to study by.
Jazz – Many people like it, but too chaotic for me. I do not understand this. If someone wants to explain the idea of Jazz to me, I am all ears.
Gospel – Give me that old-time religion, I find hymns, spirituals and blue grass very motivational.
Country music – Believe it our not, cows produce more milk to this music than any other. If it is good for them, it can not be that bad. I like it from time to time.
Rock – no way for me, maybe if you are a teenager.
World music – I love this, especially if you connect it to a culture or country you are studying. If you are trying to learn Spanish, try some Latin music, or are you learning Arabic, try some Tunisian music. I like yoga chants, again it does not compete with other parts of my brain.
New age music and Enya type – works well, puts you in a deep alpha state
House, trance techno – I can actually study well with this. It is a little like formless Gregorian chants.

Please let me know your own personal experience with music and learning in general. I think it goes without saying that if you can leverage your time, in a pleasurable way, all the better.

Why music is important

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:23:18 +0000

Music is a very important part of my life. I can not imagine my life without music. It would be like going through life blind, that is a part of my awareness of the world would be blocked out. When we listen to music latent parts of our brain are tapped into and accessed that can not be accessed though words. Music is important because it brings us to another world, a world in which we can feel an

How music lost its importance in my life – A personal experience

Many years ago I could not imagine getting up without music. It was always the first thing I did, turn on some music. If I was in the shower or studying or in the car I always was tuned in. I love classical music but also reggae and popular music well just about every genre. I use to say there is only two types of music, good music and bad music. That is good blue and bad blues, but not genre of music that was not significant.

Then I had this bleeding in the brain. I am OK now, but at the time it affected my cognitive functions. One of the things that seemed to happen was I could not feel music as much. It no longer gave me this other worldly quality. It was amazing how some neurological physical brain change would change my personality and my sense of self.

I felt cheated. I felt something was taken from me. I tried playing my old favorites and it did nothing for me. I became much more intellectual and analytical without music. A lot of the joy left my life. I was still happy but my life seemed flatter, something was missing.

My MP3 collection was worthless. I played chess instead of listening to music.

How the importance of music came back into my life again

I got to a point where I felt mildly depressed my old self was gone. I was alone and started to look for very sad music. I remember sitting and trying to listen to this. There was not rush no joy as I think those sensory areas of my brain music have been damaged with some bleeding with my brain lesion. Again I was frustrated. Music was not important to me. I would almost cry.

However, I found myself enjoying this music because I was saying to myself, I can not feel it. This music is not important to me any more. It ironically got me more depressed. And there you have it. It is better to feel pain then nothing at all. Music was invoking feeling in me again. It was not because the sounds it make but because of what I could not feel and experience. Maybe not the way I remembered it did, but it was having an affect on me. Music was moving me.

Therefore, I kept listening. Slowly I would play healing music and other types of music. Gradually with time, I mean years, music got its old feel back. Music is important to me again. I guess the brain has a lot of plasticity and music actually I felt helped the healing. Now I love music again. If anything it has a even more special place and importance. It helped connect me to my old self. With usic I was brought back to the source.

How music was started

There is a myth that says when man first discovered he was alone on this planet in the forest he screamed. This was the first song. I think there is a lot of truth to this.

Best music to listen while studying

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 15:59:51 +0000

If you are trying to learn a language what is the best background music to listen to? This question raises some more questions connected to studying and music. The questions are:

Can your mind focus on more than one thing at once?
Should you listen to anything while trying to study?
Should you listen to music before or after you are learn?
What is the difference between background music and music that helps languages?
What is the connection between music and languages?
Which audio format is best for music? MP3 or wav etc?
Has anyone ever really learned a language with MP3s?

I teach and study languages. I also write MP3 music for language learning. So I have some background in this music, MP3s and languages. The above questions are very relevant if you want to learn a language and are feel you do not have the gift to speak a foreign language.

Working memory and the ability to focus on multiple tasks

Working memory is the ability to hold multi bits of information simultaneously in your brain. This is important as complex though requires you to hold pieces of information that applies to another problem your brain is working on. People’s working memory varies. But it can be developed. There was a theory about 30 years ago innate and working memory could not be developed in adults. However, working with people with brain lesions and rehabilitation – I believe the opposite. The brain is very flexible and if you practice working on multi tasks your brain will adapt.

In theory your brain can not work on more than one thing at a time, rather it quickly goes back and forth between two tasks so quickly that it seems like you are multi tasking, much like the RAM on your computer. This is what experts say. Marylin vos Savant the IQ genius claims this. I think the opposite, you can multi task as the brain is always working on multi task. You brain is regulating your heart and breathing while it is subconsciously listening for danger, squelching out sub conscious thought and working on conscious problems with your steam of thought.

I think proof of this is when you are looking for something or can not solve a problem then latter while not focusing on it you have the aha, that is where it is, or that is the answer. Have you had this?

What does this have to do with languages, music and MP3s?

Everything, it means your brain can do many things at once, including listening to music while studying.

Should you listen to music while you study a foreign language?

It depends is one of the lamest answers on the Internet. I see it everywhere. Therefore, I will give you a direct answer. Yes. Listening helps you study. It helps you because:

Music makes you enjoy studying – this is most important – time seems to be less tedious
Music relaxes you in general and with less stress you can learn better
Music endures brain waves conducive to learning

Listening to music after you study a language in a relaxed way helps the brain keep more information. For example studying for 40 minutes then laying down for 20 minutes listening to relaxing music will help your brain assimilate the information. Memories are built after the learning process. Like weight lifting your body breaks down musics during exercises and recovers and builds after. I think listening to music before as little effect.

What is the best background music to listen to while studying?

The answer is whatever you like and does not mess with you. I could never study to rock or jazz, it is too chaotic. On the other hand reggae is OK. Some people recommend Baroque music because of the timing brings you to an alpha state, but for me it’s too noisy and busy. I prefer chants or mystical music, anything that relaxes me and makes me want to stay in this place more. For me it is usually spiritually based, esoteric music, Gregorian chants or something peaceful and soothing. I guess I have to ask what music do you study with?

How are music and languages connected?

Rhythm and brain waves. If you’re using music to learn new words it has to have a rhythm that is catchy like a song kids sing. A strong simple melody. If you are listing to music for background music see the above. I think sound is the ultimate accelerated learning technique.

What is the best format for songs? The best format is MP3. Why? It is a compressed light weight MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3. You can fit like a million hours of word lists, dialogues, songs and music for languages on an iPod or cell phone.

Do you know anyone who has learned a langauge with MP3s or songs?

Yep, my wife learned English by talking to me and with listening to English language songs. I use sound to help me learn. I know many people who learn with music and even some polyglots. My daughter is learning languages this way. I think it is more a girl’s way to acquire a foreign language, but that is because women are really into dance. I think it goes right into your brain almost like a native because it opens your brain for learning.

If you want to try to create amateur MP3s for language learning music or word lists please contact me as I am trying to build a site for a free resource to others.

Bests songs to learn a language

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:29:25 +0000

The best types of songs for you to learn a language is where the music is integrated into the spoken word with rhythm.

Rhythm is what the basis for learning a language with music. If you like jazz, this is great but I do not think this is optimal for learning. Have you ever noticed children’s songs are very simple, clear and rhythmic. Forget alpha waves and complex theories on the brain and language learning. Keep it simple. Languages and sound are one. Music is the window to the brain at least when it comes to studying a new language.

I think learning a language with music is more of a girls way of learning. I know girls who are very good with languages only because they learned songs from the radio. They felt the rhythm and really enjoyed it. They translated the crazy lyrics and then walked down the street singing them. I am sure you have seen this.

However, as a male you can use songs to learn a language also. I just think they would be a different type of song. So not think they have to even be contemporary songs. Anything you like. It could be civil war marching tunes and hymns, if you are studying English that is. The main think is you need to enjoy it.

If you think you are even a little bit talented I invite you to donate your vocal talent to this site and create some simple songs in the language of your choice to help others learn a language. If they contain rhythm then these would be the best songs to learn a foreign language.

English MP3 colors

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:58:17 +0000

Download a free English MP3 for color words

The following is a list of words in English for colors. Colors are on the the first things you learn when studying a foreign language. They are pretty fun as everything in the world has color and you can start naming them at once.

You can use this list to study English or any language. Simply translate the words into your target language, and after each word in English speak the foreign word.

English color word list

black
white
blue
navy blue
sky blue
brown
gray
green
forest green
orange
pink
purple
red
yellow
silver
gold
tan
off white
dark
light

English MP3 file for colors

English mp3 colors

This file was created by me, Mark Biernat.

Thank you and let me know how if this file brightens up your world. Pun intended.

Further, if you want to create another word list relating to colors, please do. See the upload page for details.