Peter Erskine App Features LAMA Drum Instructor Aaron Serfaty

New App!

We are very proud to announce LAMA drum instructor Aaron Serfaty, the go-to studio drummer for Afro Cuban and Brazilian drumming, is featured on the “Erskn Afro Cuban Essentials”, a brand new app from Peter Erskine (currently available in the App Store).

Here is how the App works:

Using the built-in mixer, the user can create their own combo: full rhythm section (trio), music-minus- piano, music-minus-bass, music-minus-drums, or solo tracks of drums-only, bass-only or piano-only PLUS any combination of congas, bongo and timbale percussion tracks. There are click-track and count-off options, too. 

This YouTube video showcases all the features of the app:

Want more from Aaron? Check out his quick tip videos from LAMA College for Music Professionals below:

-LAMA Staff

LAMA’s Guitar Department Described by Student Andres Yepez

Andres plays in an ensemble workshop with LAMA’s Sandro Feliciano (drums) and Doug Ross (bass)

Andres Yepez, like many LAMA students before him, came from Ecuador to Los Angeles to study music at LAMA. Roughly half of LAMA’s student body comes internationally to study here. Andres talks about why he chose to study guitar at LAMA and what daily life is like in the guitar department. For more information, visit http://www.lama.edu.

-LAMA Staff

LAMA’s Austin Kolbe Sings Little Dragon’s “No Love”

Thanks to the power of #LAMATube  we can give you front row seats to our artist showcases. In this video, LAMA student Austin Kolbe performs Little Dragon‘s “No Love” during the Spring 2013 vocal showcase, which featured vocal judges Nick Cooper, Scott Wojahn, Windy Wagner, as well as Vocal Artist Development Director Dorian Holley. The song  might be called “No Love” but the way Austin sings, our hearts are filled with lots of love! Watch it here now:

-LAMA Staff

Video Quick Tip: Stretching Exercise for Guitar

In this new quick tip video, brought to you by LAMA College for Music Professionals, Guitar Department Chair Jody Fisher gives guitarists a great “strength and power” exercise (where you learn very slowly and keep going slower and slower). This exercise will help you increase the span between your first and second finger. What other exercises do you practice on the guitar?

-LAMA Staff

LAMA Grad Santiago Roberts and Band Perform Amidst Huge Protests

LAMA drum grad and Costa Rican Santiago Roberts (yes, the happy man holding drumsticks in the photo above) and his band Billy the Kid just played the Nacional Institute in Chile, a school taken over by students protesting the state of education in Chile (where 25% of the education is financed by the government). Santiago and his group are the first international band in Chile’s history to play in a school taken over by protesting students.

Looks like it was quite a scene Santiago, but please be safe out there!

-LAMA Staff

LAMA Video Quick Tip – Triad Inversions

LAMA Guitar Instructor Bill Fowler has released his newest quick tip video, focusing on different triad inversions. Thanks for the great advice Bill!

To our readers — please leave a comment to let us know which video topics you’d like to see Bill and other LAMA instructors tackle in the future.

-LAMA Staff

Why Study at LAMA: Key Kim Edition

Key Kim

Korean bassist Key Kim talks about why he chose to study bass at LAMA College for Music Professionals, and what typical life is like in the bass department (video is in Korean with English subtitles). Check out more student videos, LAMA instruction lessons and student and alumni performances on our channel here: http://www.youtube.com/lamusicacademy

-LAMA Staff

Video Quick Tip: Altered Dominant Chords

In this new quick tip video, brought to you by LAMA College for Music Professionals, Guitar Department Chair Jody Fisher discusses how to use altered dominant chords, focusing on altered fifths. Any questions? 🙂

-LAMA Staff

Video Quick Tip – Recording Drums

LAMA Instructor Andrew Murdoch discusses ways to record drums to achieve your ideal sound. In this video, he specifically takes on snare drums and some older Pearl toms (where they’ve added Naugahyde under the heads). Interesting stuff!

-LAMA Staff

LAMA’s Music Producer, Engineering Degree Program Explained

LAMA has released a new video featuring department Chair Sean Halley, who eloquently describes what students can expect while learning at LAMA in Los Angeles. Besides spending a lot of time recording, getting produced and producing others, you will learn signal processing, computers, songwriting and you take lessons on other instruments — so you can learn the language of instrumentalists and singers. Plus much more… Check out what Sean has to say in the video below:

-LAMA Staff