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

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 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

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 Bass Instructor Spotlight: Andre Berry

The LAMA bass department is something special and that’s in large part due to our wonderful collection of faculty members assembled by Bass Department Chair Jerry Watts Jr. We’d like to feature the bass instructors on this blog over the next couple weeks, beginning with Andre Berry.

Originally from Cleveland, OH, Andre moved to LA in 1985 to attend the Los Angeles City College Music Program, where he studied under Doc Simpson and Woody James. After four years of classes, he landed his first big road gig in 1989 with the Busboys. Andre then went on to join A&M Records recording artist Total Eclipse. Since then, he has performed and/or recorded with Dave Koz, George Duke, Warren Hill, Marcus Miller, Danny Jung, Jeffrey Osbourne, Tom Scott and the L.A. Express, Mindi Abair, Dave Benoit, The Brothers Johnson, Rick Braun, Peter White, Jeff Golub, Steve Ferrone, A Tribe Called Quest, Paul Jackson, Jr., and many others.

Andre offers playing tips on the LAMA youtube channel as well:

We are so proud to have Andre as a member of LAMA. To see information on all our other Bass faculty members please visit here. Watch Andre in action:

-LAMA Staff

Jody Fisher Guitar Video Quick Tip: “Learning Chords”

Jody Fisher grew up studying guitar with his uncle, jazz guitarist Sid Fisher, who had spent many years as an RCA recording artist. Jody has published over twenty instructional books about jazz guitar with Alfred Publishing, Workshop Arts Publications, and Mel Bay Publications. Four of his books have appeared in the Smithsonian Institute’s Folkways Exhibition in Washington, DC. Jody has also written for most of the major guitar magazines, including Guitar Player, Just Jazz Guitar and Finger Style Guitar.  Check out www.jodyfisher.com for more information.

In this video, LA Music Academy Guitar Department Chair Jody Fisher offers this quick tip “Learning Chords”:

For more great videos, tips and highlights from LA Music Academy alumni and instructors, subscribe to our YouTube channel here: http://youtube.com/LAmusicacademy

-LAMA Staff

German Schauss Guitar Video Quick Tip: “Guitar Picking”

German Schauss is a guitarist, composer, author, and educator who teaches at LA Music Academy. He performs and tours as the leader of his own band and with other internationally known artists. Schauss writes music for commercials, TV, and video games, and has been named one of the 50 fastest guitarists of all time by Guitar World magazine. He is the author of Shredding Bach (Alfred/NGW #34922) and The Total Shred Guitarist (Alfred/NGW #36573) and writes a popular monthly column “Instant Shredding” for Germany’s biggest guitar magazine Gitarre & Bass. German uses and proudly endorses: Ernie Ball/Music Man, Bogner, Rocktron, PreSonus, Native Instruments, D’Addario, Planet Waves, Maxon, Guyatone, Morley, Dunlop, Voodoo Labs, Pigtronix Pedals, DiMarzio, Zoom, Tremol-No, and Pedaltrain products. For more about German Schauss and his music, please visit www.germanschauss.com for more info.

In this video, German talks “Guitar Picking”:

For more great videos, tips and highlights from LA Music Academy alumni and instructors, subscribe to our YouTube channel here: http://youtube.com/LAmusicacademy

-LAMA Staff

German Schauss Guitar Video Quick Tip: “Tapping”

German Schauss is a guitarist, composer, author, and educator who teaches at LA Music Academy. He performs and tours as the leader of his own band and with other internationally known artists. Schauss writes music for commercials, TV, and video games, and has been named one of the 50 fastest guitarists of all time by Guitar World magazine. He is the author of Shredding Bach (Alfred/NGW #34922) and The Total Shred Guitarist (Alfred/NGW #36573) and writes a popular monthly column “Instant Shredding” for Germany’s biggest guitar magazine Gitarre & Bass. German uses and proudly endorses: Ernie Ball/Music Man, Bogner, Rocktron, PreSonus, Native Instruments, D’Addario, Planet Waves, Maxon, Guyatone, Morley, Dunlop, Voodoo Labs, Pigtronix Pedals, DiMarzio, Zoom, Tremol-No, and Pedaltrain products. For more about German Schauss and his music, please visit www.germanschauss.com for more info.

In this video, German talks “Tapping”:

For more great videos, tips and highlights from LA Music Academy alumni and instructors, subscribe to our YouTube channel here: http://youtube.com/LAmusicacademy

-LAMA Staff

Music Producer Video Quick Tip: Alter Acoustic Guitar for Recording

LA Music Academy’s Andrew Murdock, also known as Mudrock, is an American record producer specializing in the rock and metal genres.

He is perhaps best known for producing Godsmack’s Godsmack and Awake albums.

More recently, he has produced successful American metal band Avenged Sevenfold’s 2nd album Waking the Fallen, as well as albums for Slunt, The Riverboat Gamblers, Powerman 5000, Eighteen Visions, Unloco and Alice Cooper, as well as 50 Foot Wave’s latest EP, Power and Light. Mudrock is based in Los Angeles and has his own studio in partnership with Scott Gilman called The Hobby Shop, and he teaches the Audio Engineering Courses at LAMA.

In this video quick tip, Andrew discusses a trick he uses — “altering acoustic guitar for recording”:

Have you heard of, or tried this trick before?

For more great videos, tips and highlights from LA Music Academy alumni and instructors, subscribe to our YouTube channel here: http://youtube.com/LAmusicacademy

-LAMA Staff