DVD

Get detailed, practical advice on how to network, adapt to different musical settings, take full advantage of opportunities, and be a successful musician. A consummate pro in constant demand, David Rosenthal conveys wisdom earned over two decades as a keyboardist, touring musician, producer, bandleader and collaborator with everyone from Billy Joel and Robert Palmer to Cyndi Lauper and Enrique Iglesias. Separating the music from the business, he discusses the importance of networking, hiring a good lawyer, knowing your gear inside and out, adapting your skills to different settings, and, most importantly, being ready to seize opportunities whenever they arise. Put his strategies to work for your career! 36 minutes.

Take your hard rock chops into the stratosphere with Berklee professor and world-renowned guitarist Joe Shred Lord Stump. In this master class DVD, Stump breaks down his disciplined approach to scale patterns and practice routines. He'll show you how to improve your technique and increase your speed, no matter what style you play. All you need is your guitar and a metronome. Stump will help you achieve a greater mastery of the instrument, with routines to get your chops in shape for the intense physical demands of the rock guitar idiom. 43 minutes.

Take a master class with one of today's best drum set educators. Yoron Israel will help you to enhance your improvisational language and lead you to more musical, concise and dynamic drum set solos and comping. He teaches how to: build solos that grow out of the groove; expand your sound palette; use melody, form & rhythms to inspire creativity; play with intent & confidence; practice using his time-tested exercises; and more. 51 minutes. Yoron Israel is an important voice you should listen to. - Jack DeJohnette

Learn how to lock into an airtight groove with Berklee professor and versatile bassman Danny Morris. In this Master Class, Morris teaches techniques to help you anchor your band with a foundation of solid bass lines, chord progressions and rhythmic and harmonic variations. Working with and without a drum machine, Morris breaks down the secrets of syncopation, rhythmic displacement, left-hand muting and more. His practical lessons will help you build your bass vocabulary, play with more variety and character, and keep your grooves in the pocket. 32 minutes.

An excellent workshop from the assistant chair of the Ear Training Department at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, this DVD is a vital intro to the topic for songwriters and performers looking to improve their listening skills and become better musicians. You'll learn to: recognize chord progressions quickly and confidently, and incorporate them into your writing and performing, listen to music more analytically, and apply this knowledge to all of your projects. 73 minutes.

Expression is the essence of jazz improvisation. With this DVD in the Berklee Workshop series, you will develop your own style as you work with the building blocks of expression and articulation and learn to craft your personal musical interpretation of a song. Berklee Professor Larry Monroe will help you to go beyond simply playing notes and start crafting your musical expression. Featured lessons include: vibrato articulation dynamics effects pitch. 64 minutes.

Develop your own voice with the practice techniques that have helped make Joe Lovano one of the most respected improvisers of our time. In this Master Class from Berklee College of Music, Lovano shows you how to play any instrument with greater spontaneity and feeling. He'll teach you how to interpret the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic essence of a tune. You can then create your own improvisational ideas from within these musical elements, and make sure your journeys arrive somewhere. Lovano brings these ideas to life in solo, duo, trio and quartet performances filled with his expressive sax lines. His lessons will help you make the most of your solo practice time, and interact more creatively with other musicians. Perhaps most important, Lovano will inspire you to relax, hear the music, feel the mood and let your ideas flow. 59 minutes.

In this master class DVD, Berklee professor and saxophonist Ed Tomassi shows you how to build compelling improvisations out of just a few notes. Tomassi's method makes improvising simple. He demonstrates techniques for creating graceful solos from a two-, three- or four-note riff or motive, and shows how to add depth and variety by stringing several motives together. His system is easy to understand and practice; it will help you develop more interesting, cohesive and creative solos within any form or structure. 33 minutes.

The interactive song lessons on this extremely comprehensive DVD disc represent a cross-section of modern guitar styles and song forms. The split-screen footage, multiple camera angles and incredible close-ups let you watch Jim Kelly's hands to learn his secrets, tips and tricks as he presents each tune as a full performance followed by a special teaching section. He plays in the style of guitar greats like Jeff Beck, Wes Montgomery, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny and more. With over 90 minutes of guitar performance and instruction and lessons in English, Japanese and Spanish, Jim Kelly's Guitar Workshop DVD lets everyone have fun and improve their playing at their own pace. 90+ minutes.

Learn Latin jazz grooves and percussion techniques! Let jazz great Victor Mendoza help you harness all the passion and liveliness of Latin Jazz. He'll show you how to apply your musical vocabulary and knowledge of rhythm, scales, chords, and triads to this rich musical style. Learn how to use percussion instruments to create sizzling Latin groove patterns including: Son Clave, Rumba Clave, Cascara, Tumbao. 91 minutes. Victor Mendoza is a vibraphonist, composer and professor at Berklee College of Music. Named by Latin Beat magazine as one of the Outstanding Latin Jazz Artists of the Year, he has performed and recorded with many great musicians including Paquito D'Rivera, Danilo Prez, and Claudio Roditi.