Problem: Article: Trying to record a song you haven't finished writing yet is like trying write a novel without any ideas about the plot or characters you're going to use very tricky. Whether you're recording in your garage or at Abbey Road studios, you'll want to have your entire song figured out before you start to record. This saves you the time of having to re-record numerous takes as you figure out your song and, if you're using a professional studio, the money needed to pay for studio time. This means that your song's structure needs to be more or less decided-upon when you arrive at the studio, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you need to have every note pre-planned. Some artists, for instance, record their solos live in the studio. In some genres of music, like Jazz, entire sections of the song can be improvised still, even in these cases, the musicians know when to begin and end each part of the song and how to stay in time with one another. For more information, see How to Write a Song. Not every song you record has to be an original. You can also record your own version of someone else's song (called a cover). There are no significant legal hurdles to recording a cover, though you are obligated to give the original songwriter credit if you sell your version commercially. Some of music's biggest hits have been covers (though this is not always well-known among fans of the songs). Below are just a few famous covers: "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell (originally by Gloria Jones) "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper (originally by Robert Hazard) "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley (originally by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton) "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix (originally by Bob Dylan) "Jolene" by the White Stripes (originally by Dolly Parton) "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany (originally by Tommy James and the Shondells) No matter when and where you're recording, it's always in your best interest to practice your song until you know it like the back of your (hopefully callused) hands. By the time you turn on the mics, you'll want to be able to reliably play through the entire song without making anything rather than insignificant, tiny errors. If you can't, you risk wasting lots of time playing your song over and over as you try for a perfect take. This is especially important if you're using a professional recording studio. While you can easily get away with making a few mistakes when you're recording in your garage, showing up to a recording studio unprepared can be embarrassing and costly. Studio time can be quite expensive (it's not rare for the services of a reasonably high quality studio to run at $100 per hour or more), so every time you make a mistake and need to start over, you're losing money. Plus, experienced sound engineers are present when you record in the studio do you want to mess up in front of them over and over? Just like you'll want to be able to play through your song without mistakes before you begin recording, you'll also want to have all of the equipment and accessories that you need to make your music sound just right before you step into the studio. While many professional studios will have various amps, cables, effects pedals, and even instruments handy, there's no guarantee that they'll have exactly what you need to sound the way you want, so don't count on this. Instead, have all of your equipment with you to avoid the hassle of adjusting to a new setup. Obviously, if you're recording at home, all you'll be able to use is the equipment you have (or whatever you can borrow from a friend).
Summary: If you haven't already, write a song. Alternatively, pick a song to cover. Practice, practice, practice. Have whatever equipment you need to sound "just right".

Problem: Article: Never strike or yell at a puppy if she disobeys you. Bernese Mountain Dog tend to be very mild tempered and obedient but they, like all dogs, will take some time to train. Hitting it will only make the puppy fear you and confuse her never strike your dog. If you in the middle of a training session and she doesn't fully understand, do not become impatient and scold her. After all, the puppy or dog is only learning. If you find that you are losing your patience, step away from the dog and try again later. Bernese Mountain Dogs are extremely affectionate and want to please scolding or punishing may have an extremely detrimental affect on your Bernese. Focus on positive reinforcement instead of punishment. This could be with a tiny tasty treat or just praise as the dog develops. If the dog knows he gets a treat for good behavior, and bad behavior is ignored, then he is likely to reproduce good behavior it was rewarded for. When you catch your dog or puppy chewing or destroying something he shouldn't, remove either the dog or the object from the dog and distract him with something it can "destroy" or chew on, like a toy. Then praise him for chewing on the right thing the toy. Keep a bag of treats in a Ziploc bag in your pocket or in a "fanny" type bag at your waist. This means you will always have a treat handy. You never know when an opportunity to train will pop up during the day! During the first few weeks of training a puppy's attention span is short, usually less than five minutes. As your puppy gets older and starts to associate training times with pleasant interaction with you, the training time can be increased. You will know the dog's attention span is increasing when the puppy focuses more on the training sessions than on wandering off and playing. You can teach your puppy commands from the moment she arrives home. Keep training sessions short (less than five minutes) and practice three to five times a day. Your Bernese Mountain Dog should be able to learn a variety of commands. Start with leash etiquette and commands that limit bad behavior, and move on to more specific commands.
Summary: Be patient. Reward good behavior. Keep training sessions short. Start training your dog immediately.

Problem: Article: Since the cake will be unwieldy once it is layered and iced, it's best to use the same plate on which you plan to serve the cake. Hold the knife parallel to the brim of the cake and slice about 14 inch (0.6cm) off the top. Be careful to slice straight across, holding the knife level as you go. Try to create a flat, even surface. This will serve as a base for the second layer. Remove the rounded top of the cake and discard it, or save it to eat. Don't attempt to cut off the top of the cake with a small knife, as this will result in an uneven surface.
Summary:
Turn one cake onto a platter. Use a long serrated knife to trim off the rounded top of the cake. Finished.