MercyMe and WorkshopLive
Billboard chart toppers and multi-platinum selling artists MercyMe have joined forces with WorkshopLive to spread the good word of music education. MercyMe is currently headlining the Winter Jam ’08 tour, and has endorsed WorkshopLive. The band will be generously giving away free access to WorkshopLive to all their fans! In the next few months, the band has made plans to come into the WorkshopLive studios and record lessons on how to play some of their biggest hits on guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. Read More...

New Lessons… There’s Something for Everyone at WorkshopLive!
WorkshopLive would like to announce 11 new advanced rock bass lessons taught by none other than Chris Kuffner. He’ll guide you through cool concepts like slash chords and pedal tones, as well as turn up the heat with some scorching slap and pop style basslines. In other news, get your blues on with five new lessons from Eric Slone. This guy can do it all, so come on in and get the full list! Read More…

New NGW Publication: Guitar Atlas: Japan
Want to learn more about the music of Japan? Check out Guitar Atlas: Japan, the latest title from National Guitar Workshop Publications, available through Alfred Publishing. You’ll find the traditional music of Japan, such as koto, shamisen, and kabuki music, transcribed and arranged for guitar. Finally, the music of this exotic culture is accessible to guitarists around the world! Read more...

NGW Offers New Pedal Building Course… Create Your Own Effects!
In association with Pigtronix, the National Guitar Workshop will offer its first pedal building workshop this summer. Read more...

Grab Your Instruments New York City!
DayJams announces the opening of a brand new NYC campus. And, a second campus has been added in Chicago. To find the campus nearest you, head to dayjams.com!

Dear Reader,

This is a very busy time of year across the whole Workshop Group. National Guitar Workshop and DayJams are publishing their new yearly brochures, and all-new websites will soon be released for both. National Guitar Workshop Publications is trotting out 10 new titles at the Alfred booth at NAMM 2008 in Anaheim, California. Finally, WorkshopLive has just started an exciting new relationship with the multi-platinum Christian rock hit machine, MercyMe.

MercyMe is the headliner act on the Winter Jam tour, which visits 36 cities in 10 weeks at locations across the country. They will be giving their fans MercyMe/WorkshopLive PlayFree cards, which will give them free access to all of the lessons at WorkshopLive through a special micro-site. Check it out at http://www.workshoplive.com/mercyme. We have really been enjoying working with these down-to-earth, humble guys who ROCK! Visit them at http://www.myspace.com/mercyme and enjoy.

Peace!

Theory Corner: An Introduction to Japanese Modes: Burgess Speed Excerpt
Have you ever been curious about the exotic music of the Far East? If you answered “yes,” then this is your lucky day. In this edition of the Theory Corner, we’ll take a look at Burgess Speed’s new book, Guitar Atlas: Japan, available through Alfred Publishing. He’ll introduce you to three forms of the In modes, or scales that give this music its distinct sound. Come on in and begin discovering Japanese music. Read on...

Japan enjoys a rich musical culture that has much to offer musicians in the West. For this installment of Licks and Tricks, we have included an arrangement of “Sakura” for guitar, keyboard and bass. “Sakura” is a traditional Japanese folk song based on the first form of the In mode. If you would like to learn more about Japanese modes, be sure to read the current Theory Corner column, which contains an excerpt from Burgess Speed’s new book, Guitar Atlas: Japan, available through Alfred Publishing. Read more...

MercyMe's song "I Can Only Imagine" spent weeks at the number one spot on the charts. Click here to listen to it for yourself.

Don't just sit there, go listen to some live music! Click here for the latest update of who's On The Road...