Video Quick Tip: How to Create Bass Lines on Guitar

LA Music Academy guitar instructor Art Renshaw, who trained at University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia is currently a solo artist on Rocket City Records, with his latest CD Dreamtime receiving critical acclaim in Jazz Life Magazine as a “groundbreaking solo electric” record. He is a touring artist in Europe and Japan and has performed his music to enthusiastic crowds on four continents. Art has played alongside some of the greatest musicians the industry has to offer, including jazz legends Joe Pass and Lenny Breau. He has appeared on educational videos by Warner Bros. and REH, including Chop Builder with Frank Gambale. Art is an endorser for Gibson guitars and regularly performs at the jazz club Tournesol in Los Angeles.

In this video quick tip, Art discusses “bass lines on guitar”:

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

5 Tips: Get Motivated for Music School

When September rolls around here, that means we are preparing for a whole new school year at LAMA. You can just sense the guitarists putting fresh strings on their guitars, drummers getting new sticks, and the vocalists warming up their vocal chords. While it usually is a time of joy for music students sometimes we could all use a little kick in the butt. Was it a long summer? Maybe finances got you down? Don’t stress — even the most ready-to-go music students need a little pep talk. Hopefully you can use these tips to get motivated for a great year of music!

1) Keep Your Eye On The Prize

This often happens to people during the first semester at college: graduation can seem a very long way away. However, it is important to keep your eye on the prize. Sooner than you can imagine, you are going to graduate with that degree. With LA Music Academy, you are going to make great friends, network with wonderful musicians and artists, and you will be on the way to discovering and building your career in the music industry.

2) Remember Why You Chose Music

During a particularly hard study week or a day full of challenging classes, it may be hard to remember that something more powerful than anything else drew you to a music college – passion! Whether it was the first time you heard Led Zeppelin or the first time you picked up the bass, some sort of inspiration sparked a fire inside of you that led you to wanting a music degree. Take ten minutes from studying or in between classes and remember what it was that led you to music. This might help you focus your thoughts and get you inspired for the upcoming challenges.

3) Find Inspiration From Others

If you are a LAMA student, inspiration is all around you — on campus. From the department heads to the teachers, you would do yourself a favor to take a minute and talk with them about their careers. Perhaps ask Ralph Humphrey about his time drumming with Frank Zappa or chat with Tariqh Akoni about his time with Josh Groban. Sometimes even talking with your fellow students about projects that they are working on can be a great idea and very inspirational. Check out the clinics and master classes on campus (they are free too!)  — these are specifically for LAMA students but many schools will have workshops and clinics of their own as well.

4) Positive Visualization

Positive visualization might sound like a hokey way to help you get through a difficult situation, but what if I told you that professional sports teams have used it to win championships? Positive Visualization is the process of imagining what it will feel like in the future and channeling that feeling into your work on the path to that goal. “Think How Good It Will Feel” when you graduate from LAMA or your music school. Take a moment and imagine walking away with your diploma and reflect on that when you are struggling through a class or rehearsal.

5) Remember How Lucky You Are

It might do you good to take a moment and remember that you are ahead of the game— you followed your passion! How many of your friends went a certain route for college just because their parents told them to? While music college can be very challenging and demanding, you were true to your heart and knew that you would be happy in your life only if you were playing music. Congratulations!

There you go friends, students, future students et al. If you find your motivation waning during this upcoming semester, try one or all of these tips and get your head back in the game. It’s important to remember that college is a stepping-stone to the rest of your life. If you are a LAMA student you must remember to take advantage of the faculty and administrators. If a class is too hard, just ask for extra help!

Get to the Music!!

-LAMA Staff

Perspective: Montreaux Jazz Festival

In this video, LA Music Academy student Kate Fuller discusses her background, being a part of this year’s prestigious Montreaux Jazz Festival as a semi-finalist, and how LA Music Academy has helped her grow as a musician. Good stuff Kate!

Have you ever been out to MJF?

-LAMA Staff