The Practice Room

Latest Lessons at WorkshopLive

Here's a brief summary of new music lessons WorkshopLive has added recently:

Guitar:

• Using Major Scales to Solo over Triads - Tom Dempsey
• The One-Finger G7 Chord and 3/4 Time - Lou Manzi
• The Full A Minor and E Minor Chords - Lou Manzi
• Time: Rhythms, Beats, and Measures - Lou Manzi
• Notes on the 2nd String - Lou Manzi
• Time: Rhythms, Beats, and Measures - Susan Mazer

Keyboard:

• 7th Heaven: Dominant 7th Chords - Andrea Amos
• Intervals Revisited: Minor and Major Intervals - Andrea Amos
• A Scale of Minor Importance: Introduction to Minor Scales - Andrea  Amos

New lessons are published constantly; check WorkshopLive's home page frequently or look for news in The Practice Room.

Peter

News from WorkshopLive

1. We have added a "What's New" link on the right side of the lesson selection screen. To see the new lessons added or updated in the last two weeks, simply click on the "What's New" link on the right or on the "What's New" link in the history/new favorites box. The color squares will remind you what filter selection is active. All new lessons will be listed; just click to preview or play them. Don't forget to change the filter back to "all" before looking for your favorite lessons.

2. We have added a great new feature to the Search tool. You can now access all the jam tracks and printable exercises from the Search tool. When searching by jam tracks or exercises, leave the keyword field blank and the entire catalog will be listed. Or, you can filter the results based on your desired criteria. You can play the jam track or open the exercise flash paper directly from the search tool list - no need to open the lesson.

If you have friends who are interested in learning to play guitar, bass, keyboard, or drums, please tell them about WorkshopLive. We have added 50 new sample lessons  that represent all the instruments, styles and skill levels available at WorkshopLive. Tell them to check out the sample lessons at this link: http://www.workshoplive.com/lesson_interface/lesson_interface.cfm?sl=byob&h=sample. (Or, if that's too complicated, just send them to The Practice Room.)

[TJH]

WorkshopLive news

We are pleased to announce that Akamai will be our new flash video content provider, delivering our high speed flash videos world wide.  This means that WorkshopLive videos, mp3's and graphic files will be delivered even faster. Flash users don’t need to do anything differently; it’s all automatic. (QuickTime users won’t be affected by this change.)

We’ve made some other improvements recently:

• New Study Guides - These guides to help you navigate through the lessons.
• Cool tools - tuner, glossary, jam tracks and more.
• New Search - Find lessons and songs by keyword.
• Over 450 jam tracks to play along with.
• New Drum lessons (including beginner rock) with many more to come.

Check us out!

[TJH]

Chris Kuffner

Just received this note from Chris Kuffner, a delightfully inventive bassist and one of WorkshopLive's top bass instructors:

Greetings all.  hope you're all having fun doing whatever you're doing.  I certinly am.  In fact, I'm having so much fun that I'm inviting you to come hang with me and join in said fun.  It lasts all weekend long.  aww yeah.

I know this message is beng sent a little late but nevertheless, there will still be lots of fun tonight (FEB 15th in case you weren't looking)....

8:00 PM
JENNY OWEN YOUNGS
Mo Pitkins
34 Avenue A
Manhattan

then 2 blocks away at 11:00
Ben Godwin CD Release Party
The Sidewalk Cafe
6th Street and Avenue A
Manhattan

TOMORROW (feb 16th) 8:00
Von Robinson
Arlene's Grocery
95 Stanton Street
NYC

SOLO BASS SATURDAY (feb16 plus 1 day)
Also a Set by the lovely Bess Rogers at 10:00 PM
Drama Cafe
341 5th Avenue
Park Slope BROOKLYN!!

Acoustic Funk with Tomas Cataldo

Acoustic guitar teacher Tomas Cataldo tells you all about chords: major and minor triads, seventh chords, diminished and movable chords and how to make them sound good. His lessons provide you with a solid chord knowledge that will enable you to put some new colors into your playing. For a special, he serves you some funky grooves on an acoustic. Log in and check him out!

Have an Odd Time with Tobias Hurwitz

Understanding rhythm and having a good sense of time is essential for every musician. In his lesson “Expanding Rhythm-Odd Time Signatures”, Tobias Hurwitz is exploring 5/4 and 5/8 time. An understanding of odd time meter will help you play and appreciate everything from classic rock to math metal, prog rock, fusion and, of course, classical and jazz styles.

Amanda Monaco Lets Fresh Air In

Female guitar players in the world of jazz are still a novelty, and a ‘guitarista ’ who has her own style is even rarer. WorkshopLive teacher Amanda Monaco is one of those unique musicians, and we are of course proud to have her on our faculty.

Learn to Play "Let It Snow" with Cathy Schane-Lydon

Our very own Cathy Schane-Lydon will teach you in easy steps how to play "Let It Snow," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," "Deck The Halls" and other holiday favorites on the piano. Cathy shows you how to play left-hand accompaniment and right-hand melody separately and together. Learn the basics of counterpoint and the history behind these songs, and you’ll be ready to fill the holidays with your sound of music.
Just log in and go to "My Lessons-My Teachers" and click on Cathy's name.

Check out our song library and watch a song lesson demo.

More Songs at WorkshopLive

With the launch of our infomercial across numerous TV channels in the U.S., we have added several new songs, including Stairway to Heaven (Part I), Take a Chance (WorkshopLive Infomercial theme song), Shake, Rattle and Roll, Sweet Georgia Brown (Chords), and many more. Check out the various offers that include our three different subscriptions, with various instrument packages attached to them. The infomercial is hosted by WorkshopLive teacher and guitarist Jeff Bihlman.

Help: How can I prevent buzzing strings?

Hello Practice Room bloggers!

We know that you're a knowledgeable bunch and that you like to share your expertise with others, so please help this poor guy before he commits a guitar massacre! This is a recent post from the WL Forum:

"I'm about to throw my electric guitar in a corner! I don't know if oit is the instruemnt or if it's me, but when I play a chord progression or single notes with double-stops (or triple stops), there is always a string that buzzes, probably becuase..."

Go to the WL Forum post and help him out.

Thank you!

Peter