| Getting ringtones for your cell phone has become one | | | | 2. "Stairway to Heaven" Led Zeppelin |
| of the hottest ways to set yourself apart on today's | | | | The calming woodwind that accompanies Page's slow |
| scene. If you want to stand out in a crowd, the | | | | guitar picking makes for rock and ringtone heaven on |
| ringtone you choose can be a big step in the right | | | | earth. Several portions of this song have been made |
| direction. | | | | into ringtones, but the tone depicting the song's |
| So you want a great ringtone, but have no idea what | | | | introduction is truly a classic. |
| makes one great? Follow the advice below and learn | | | | 3. "Sweet Home Alabama" Lynyrd Skynyrd |
| where the bar has been raised by the top 10 list below, | | | | Music fans of all ages get a smile on their face at the |
| dubbed the first class of the ringtone Hall of Fame. | | | | first sound of this southern-rock classic. Change a |
| Separating great ringtones from the rest of the bunch | | | | party's atmosphere from get together to jamboree by |
| requires a series of judging criteria. First and foremost, | | | | a simple "ring-ring." The MP3 version is a required tone |
| a great ringtone must come from a great song. While | | | | for country and classic rock fans. |
| it is possible for great songs to yield disappointing | | | | 4. "Super Mario Brothers" Game Theme |
| ringtones, the opposite is impossible. The ringtone must | | | | The essential ringtone for gamers. The polyphonic tone |
| also be easily recognizable to many people. Everyone | | | | is an exact replication of the track from 16-bit Nintendo. |
| wants that ringtone that makes people smile and say, | | | | 5. "Halloween" Movie Theme |
| "I love that song" when your phone rings. | | | | Perfect custom tone for friends named Michael Myers. |
| From a musical standpoint, the ringtone must be | | | | One of the most popular ringtones of all time that can |
| created from one of three song portions: the intro, the | | | | outsell pop hits year round. |
| hook, or the solo. The success of these three parts to | | | | 6. "The Next Episode" Dr. Dre |
| the musical equation are make or break for hit songs, | | | | While many hip-hop ringtones sound poor due to the |
| making them essential to the success of a ringtone. | | | | overuse of dull bass lines, "The Next Episode" features |
| Because of the technology format, songs that make | | | | thumping bass and a pulsating G-funk guitar lick, |
| great ringtones also need to have simple layers. Songs | | | | creating the bench mark for multi layered ringtones. |
| with dueling drums or guitars cause a ringtone to sound | | | | 7. "Mission Impossible" Theme Song |
| cluttered, making it difficult to identify by ear. The intros | | | | Another incredibly popular ringtone despite its age that |
| to songs like "Stairway to Heaven" and "A Thousand | | | | will only get more popular after the fourth installment of |
| Miles" make great ringtones because they are catchy | | | | the movie franchise begins filming. Perfect as a |
| and easy on the ear. | | | | custom tone for those over-demanding bosses in the |
| In addition to coming from a particular section of a | | | | workplace. |
| song, great ringtones must also feature a strong, | | | | 8. "Sandstorm" DaRude |
| repetitious percussion line. Whether that persistent | | | | Like "Super Mario Brothers," a distinct song replica is |
| pulse comes from the bass line of "Drop It Like It's Hot" | | | | created by the polyphonic ringtone. A must for fans of |
| or from the synthesizers in "Take On Me," the ability | | | | techno music and another, sure fire, party-starter tone. |
| for many people to recognize a specific song comes | | | | 9. "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" Theme Song |
| from that repetition. | | | | The only hip-hop song your father can rap over is one |
| While the final keystones are being cemented into the | | | | of the most recognizable ringtones available. The beat |
| ringtone shrine, here are the first ten inductees into the | | | | is so contagious that setting it as your default ringer in |
| Ringtone Hall of Fame: | | | | a public place will cause a room to begin rhyming along |
| 1. "In Da Club" 50 Cent | | | | as if they were Will Smith. |
| Besides being Billboard's inaugural Ringtone of the | | | | 10. "The Jetsons" Theme Song |
| Year in 2004, 50's first #1 hit has a bass line built for | | | | While the Jetsons had a lot of great things in their |
| making heads bob. The strings section adds suspense | | | | future world, one thing they don't have is their own |
| to the song and puts high notes on top of the gutter | | | | song as a phone ringer. We don't have flying |
| base line. Having "In Da Club" as a ringtone means the | | | | automobiles yet, but show off the evolution of cell |
| party is never farther away than your phone. | | | | phone technology with the upbeat polyphonic ditty. |