Problem: Article: Simply put, how much money do you want or need to take home each week, month, or year to support your lifestyle? The goal of this exercise is to figure out how much gross pay you need to earn in order to take home your target amount of net pay. Let's say, for example, that you have determined that you need to take home $2,100 per month in order to pay your monthly expenses and have a little bit left over to save (or spend). Let's also assume that your current monthly net pay is $1,800. For example, if your weekly paycheck lists your gross pay as $600 (or $2,400 per month), and you take home $450 per week ($1,800 monthly), Your net pay is 75% (.75) of your gross pay. The calculation: 450 / 600 = .75 (weekly), or 1800 / 2400 = .75 (monthly). If you need to bring home $2,100 monthly, and you know you currently bring home 75% of your gross pay (because of taxes and other deductions), you can determine your gross pay target. The calculation: $2,100 / .75 = $2,800. So, if you want to have $2,100 in take-home pay each month, your target is to earn $2,800 per month ($700 weekly) in gross pay. Please note that this method only provides an approximation, and works best when your current pay and desired pay amounts are close. Varying tax withholding rates, for instance, will throw off the figures if your current net pay is $1,500 monthly and your desired one is $15,000. If you have your target net pay in mind already, there are also numerous online options for determining just how much gross pay you need to reach that target amount. One benefit of these so-called "reverse tax calculators" is that they are calibrated to the taxation and deduction structures of specific countries, and allow you to tailor your withholding criteria, thus providing a more accurate representation of your target gross income. Note that it is not advisable to change your withholding amounts for the sole purpose of achieving a target net pay. You are obligated to pay a certain amount in federal, state, and city tax (where applicable) based on your taxable income. The fact that you have withheld less will not change the amount of the tax due, and you may end up owing money at tax time.
Summary: Set your net income target. Use a recent pay stub to establish a rough net-to-gross pay percentage. Divide your target net pay by that percentage. Use a reverse tax calculator.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Instrumentalists of all skill levels need to warm up to play their best. Warming up and performing exercises regularly will improve your speed, technique, and knowledge of your instrument. Tune your instrument every time you play so that you learn the correct notes for the song. Try new scales and rhythms in different keys and tempos to prepare for new songs. Take care of your instrument with new strings, reeds, drum heads, etc. so that you get the sound you want. You should be familiar with the entire song, but you need to know your instrument's part like the back of your hand. Search the internet for a copy of the song without any vocals, if applicable. Playing with your music player's equalizer can help isolate your instrument. Pump up the bass, or turn up the treble to hear the drums. The snare drum is often easiest to hear, so learn the whole snare drum rhythm first. Then add the ride cymbal rhythm, then move on to the kick drum, etc. Get the basic rhythm down before trying any wild solos or drum fills. Most songs are composed of several bars of music that are repeated many times. Once you know a few "building blocks" of the song you can learn these separately and combine them later. Most parts are either 1,2,4, or 8 bars longs. Different parts of songs (verses, choruses, bridges, solos) often have slightly different parts that repeat. Learn each part individually. To make sure that you can play the song cleanly and without mistakes, start practicing the song around half the tempo you eventually want to play it. As you get comfortable, speed up your play while practicing. A metronome is an invaluable way to practice your rhythm and work your way up to the right tempo. This let's you hear if you played each part correctly or missed notes. If you can gather some musicians together, play the song with a full band, where can play your instrument without any guidance or support. Improvisation is the act of spontaneously composing new parts over an established song, and is the best way to know if you can play a song. By taking inspiration from the song and adding your own spin, you deepen your connection to the song and make it your own. Remember-- you need to stay in the same key and keep the same rhythm. Scales are collections of notes that sound good together and are the basis for melody solos and improvisation. Play around with a scale in the correct key to start improvising. The most common scales in modern music are the major scale and the minor pentatonic. If you keep the same number of beats you can change the speed by doubling or tripping your percussion hits. For example, if a song is in 4/4 (4 beats to a measure), you can play "double time" by playing twice as many notes in the same rhythm, making 8/4. Play around to the original song. If you have a recording of the song, play it in the background while you try to invent new parts over the top of it.

SUMMARY: Perform warm up and technical exercises to improve your play. Listen to the song 3-4 times paying specific attention to your instrument. For percussionists, add one drum at a time to help you learn the song quickly. Figure out the song's pattern. Start practicing at a slower tempo, then build up speed. Play your instrument along with the original song. Improvise new lines over what you've learned.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: If you are leveling a small area and it is mostly level, you probably will not need to remove the grass. However, if you have a large area and a lot of leveling to do, removing the grass will be much easier. A simple shovel is all that's necessary for a reasonable amount of space. Depending on how much ground you have to cover and what will be going on the ground afterwards, you'll need to level your land with differing mixtures of soil, sand, and compost/manure fertilizer. If you want to grow grass in this area, the cover will need to be nutrient rich. If you want to level for a pool or shed, soil and sand will do just fine. Use a garden rake to spread the material evenly, checking using your level and a measuring tape to make sure it's staying level. If you have a large area to cover, there are small versions of ground moving equipment that you can rent from your local hardware store. They will be able to advise you on what will work best for your property. If you are leveling a small area, you can tamp the soil using your foot and the bottom of your rake. If you are leveling a large area, or it is especially important to keep the ground level (such as if you are building a structure), get a tamper or plate compactor to compact the soil. Give the soil plenty of time to settle. It needs at least 48 hours, if not several days or weeks to settle properly. Mist the area with water if your area does not get rainfall during that time.
Summary:
Remove the grass if necessary. Add your ground cover. Spread the topsoil. Tamp the soil. Let it settle.