Category Archives: Books

New Rockschool 2012-2018 Guitar, Bass and Drum Companion Guides and Technical Handbooks

In support of the new 2012 Syllabuses for Guitar, Bass and Drums, this December 2012 Rockschool publishes its latest Companion Guides and a new set of Technical Handbooks. These are essential reference aids to help music teachers get the best results for their students with the technical sides of Rockschool’s Debut-8 Grade Exams.

The updated Rockschool Companion Guides are available from the 3rd of December for Guitar, Bass and Drums and feature between six examples of additional specimen tests for each of the ‘unseen tests’ in the exams including:-

  • Sight reading (Debut to Grade 5) – 6 per grade
  • Improvisation & Interpretation (Grade 1 to Grade 5) – 6 per grade
  • Ear Tests (Debut to Grade 8) – 6 per grade
  • Quick Study Pieces (Grades 6-8) 6 per grade
  • General Musicianship Questions (Debut-Grade 8) – 5 example questions per grade

They Companion Guides contain valuable practice material, written in an easy to follow style, which is ideal for preparing candidates for a Rockschool Grade Exam. These Companion Guides, designed for using with Rockschool’s Grade Books, will help teachers get the best possible results for their students. The retail price will be £25 for each book.

Also published by Rockschool are new comprehensive Technical Handbooks covering all the Technical Exercises of the new 2012 Guitar, Bass and Drum syllabuses (previously only available for Guitar). The purpose of each Technical Handbook is to provide teachers and candidates with all the scales and arpeggio examples for all Guitar and Bass grades in an easy-to-use reference book. Rockschool has also brought together all the Drums rudiments in a single volume for easy reference. Each book comes with all the relevant audio backing tracks. The retail price will be £10 for each book.

These new supporting texts from Rockschool will help teachers make the musical progression and achievement of their students easy and fulfilling, providing a valuable reference book that is practical and a handy guide to the Rockschool 2012 Syllabus.

For further information please go to www.rockschool.co.uk/news or contact info@rockschool.co.uk.

Rockschool Guitar Technical Handbook Rockschool Guitar Companion Guide Rockschool Bass Technical Handbook Rockschool Bass Companion Guide Rockschool Drums Technical Handbook Rockschool Drums Companion Guide

Maven Peal® Releases Player’s Guides on ebook platforms

Maven Peal Instruments, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of The Guitar Amplifier Player’s Guide and The Guitar Amplifier Player’s Troubleshooting Guide on kindle, nook, ipad and iphone (Troubleshooting Guide only) platforms.

Paperback versions of the two guides have received rave reviews:

  • The Guitar Amplifier Player’s Guide

“… offers a wealth of information… on biasing, impedance matching, speakers, tube saturation, and classic tube amps… this easy-to-understand guide is well worth the investment.
Art ThompsonGuitar Player magazine, October 2010, p. 30

“Zimmerman focuses on how to make them [amps] sound better, using straightforward mods… There are charts, a glossary of terms, and in-depth discussion of cords and cables, but arguably the best thing is that it offers something for everyone.” Vintage Guitar magazine, February 2011, p. 132

  • The Guitar Amplifer Player’s Troubleshooting Guide

“Amplifier issues on a gig or session can be a real buzz kill, but this new book can help save the day (or night) by providing quick solutions to a multitude of maladies.”
Art ThompsonGuitar Player magazine, July 2011, p. 31

Maven Peal Instruments, Inc. uses nonlinear analysis (chaos theory) to design audio and musical instrument amplifiers. For more information on The Guitar Amplifier Player’s GuideThe Guitar Amplifier Player’s Troubleshooting Guide, the Zeeta, Ganesha, RG88 or other Maven Peal products, contact Kathy Bizzoco at 802-793-4879kathy@mavenpealpeal.com, or visit Maven Peal at www.mavenpeal.com.

Hudson Music releases Carmine Appice: Replacements (Realistic Fills)

Hudson Music has announced the upcoming release of Realistic Drum Fills Vol 1: Replacements. In this exciting book/MP3 disc package, rock drum legend Carmine Appice shows you how to play exciting and powerful drum fills like the pros, using a systematic method of replacing certain notes in the 16th or triplet flow with bass drum strokes. By using this book, drummers can learn how to incorporate the bass drums into their fills, thereby creating a complete professional vocabulary of cool, effective ideas to use in rock and other styles.

Using the same award-winning approach and notation method as Realistic Rock, the patterns contained in the book start with 8th notes and progress to 16th notes and triplets, with the rhythms split between the hands and feet. The fills are then expanded to include mixed stickings and accents, and are orchestrated around the kit.

The included MP3 disc contains audio examples of many of the patterns in the book performed by Hudson’s own Senior Drum Editor Joe Bergamini, as well as video footage of Carmine in live performance, showing how he applies these concepts.

“Hudson is thrilled to be teaming up with Carmine, who is a legend not only as a performer but as an educator,” says Hudson Music Senior Drum Editor Joe Bergamini. “As someone who has studied and taught from Realistic Rock for years, I can tell all drummers that this book takes those same classic concepts and applies them to creating cool drum fills. Beginner and intermediate level drummers will especially love this package, because it will get them playing professional-sounding fills right away!”

“I am really excited about this book,” says Carmine, “I have had some students going through it already, and they love it—and it works!”

Please visit your favorite dealer’s website or www.hudsonmusic.com.

Orange Amps Launch Lavish Coffee table Book: “The Book Of Orange”

Orange Amps will be launching their new, full colour coffee-table book at the Frankfurt Musikmesse 2011, celebrating over forty years of their history with a massive, detailed archive of press cuttings, photographs and promotional material. This unique 200-page large-format Flipbook gives the reader a comprehensive, invaluable insight both into Orange Amps the Product and Orange the Brand.

Start the Flipbook from one side and The Book of Orange tells you about the innovation and technology that is an intrinsic part of the Orange story so far. Always at the forefront of the development of amplification, with years spent studying, experimenting and testing in order to improve on the best: in the words of Orange founder and CEO, Cliff Cooper – “The ‘Orange sound’ didn’t just happen, it has taken years to perfect.”  The Book of Orange tells an illustrated story of this quest, showing how Orange Amps truly did become the ‘Voice of the World’.

Turn over, and Building the Brand takes you from the late 1960s when Cliff Cooper established the Orange Recording Studios, Orange Shop and Orange Amplification, through to the present day and the proud launch of the Orange Personal Computer (OPC) designed and developed in-house by Orange.

The history is told using material from the archives: remember the cartoon comic strips, the Orange Amp Crest, the Orange World Tree, and the Orange Amp Log Books? Then there are the pictures – a who’s who of rock and roll. This book is lavishly illustrated with images of the greats using Orange Amps including James Brown, Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, John Miles, and more recently Monte Pittman (Madonna), Oasis, Geddy Lee, Slipknot, Scissor Sisters, Travis and Manic Street Preachers.

This coffee-table book is a psychedelic nostalgia trip for all those hip baby boomers out there, and it’s a mine of new knowledge for tomorrow’s young guitar stars who love the Orange brand and its heritage. Orange Amps have become a global phenomenon, and they are now justly celebrating the fact in this showcase of their work, and the artists who have used their equipment.

It will sit proudly on any coffee-table, keeping the reader entertained with insightful, thought-provoking memorabilia. The pictures are a feast for the eyes; the commentary is lively and full of warmth and wit – flicking through is a joy.  And there’s an added bonus: it even feels good, as the hardback cover is finished in beautiful velvet… Orange, of course!

Sample pages taken from this unique and wonderful book about the world of Orange Amps will be posted on the Orange website www.orangeamps.com shortly before it is launched at Musikmesse 2011.

To take a look at the new book as well as all the other Orange Amp Products go to Orange Music Booth F60 Hall 4.0.

Posted in Amplification, Books, Guitar

Hudson Music releases Danny Gottlieb: The Evolution of Jazz Drumming Book

Hudson Music announced today the upcoming release of The Evolution of Jazz Drumming by Danny Gottlieb, an educational book/DVD package for drummers. The product presents the most complete and comprehensive historical analysis of the drummers who created and defined modern jazz drumming in print. A release date of March 15, 2011 is planned.

Designed as a guide and workbook for the high school, college-level, and professional drummer, it is designed to be studied based on a typical 16-week college semester. A legendary and influential jazz drummer is studied during each of these weeks. Author Danny Gottlieb, known himself as a world-renowned jazz drummer with Pat Metheny, Stan Getz, Randy Brecker, and others, brings to bear his unique expertise as a
Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of North Florida.

The 31 jazz drumming legends included are examined with musical analysis including practice exercises in the style of the subject’s drumming, transcriptions of both solo and time playing, and études that examine the work of each artist in unprecedented detail. Each profile also includes a complete biography, personal anecdotes from the author, and dozens of exclusive and rare photos, many of which have never appeared in print before. Drummers featured in the book include Baby Dodds, Sid Catlett, Dave Tough, Max Roach, Buddy Rich, Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Mel Lewis, and many others.

The book includes a DVD of classic video clips of many of the drummers, as well as an MP3 disc with over 300 tracks. Video clips on the DVD are analyzed and transcribed in the text, while the MP3s consist of exercises and études from the book recorded at various speeds that can be looped for analysis and practice.

“This package is the perfect addition to any college jazz curriculum, as well as required study for any serious student of jazz drumming.” says Hudson Music Senior Drum Editor Joe Bergamini. “From the videos on the DVD, to the transcriptions, biographies, and rare photos, this package is a treasure for anyone with any interest in jazz drumming.”

Sample pages and video clips can be viewed at EvolutionOfJazz.com. Additionally, educators can register to receive a free sample booklet featuring complete chapters on Tony Williams, Papa Jo Jones and Shelly Manne, along with accompanying bonus video clips. Please visit your favorite dealer’s website or www.hudsonmusic.com.