In addition to the JamMate project, Lance is finishing his new album: Chasing My Reflection. This exciting project is an original album of instrumental pieces on Guitar Nine Records. Chasing is a showcase of guitar virtuosity in a variety of styles that will delight fans of Lance and intrigue new listeners. It is interesting and fresh with hooks in every nook and cranny. Rare is the performer that can hold the listener’s attention for more than one or two songs but Chasing will hold you spellbound for hours.

Lance is also working on the next Innocent Bystanders recording and fans can expect news and new music in 2007. The JamMate will feature prominently in Lance’s new work and the six-string wizard will surely carve more inroads for the new technology to advance quickly. JamMate made a wise endorsement choice and were obviously well aware of the compelling talent that Lance brings to the guitar as a recording artist and teacher.

Lance Reegan Diehl will be an artist on the go in the coming months. Recording projects aside, Lance will be promoting the JamMate and taking the show on the road including an appearance in Toronto on February 25, 2007 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Toronto Blues Society Master Guitar Clinic as an instructor. You can visit the LRD site for downloads, updates, and scheduled appearances.

Contact: Lance Reegan-Diehl
Company: LRD Music
Address: Seoul, Korea
Tel: 82-11-730-4716
Email
Website

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Formally launched in December 2005, WorkshopLive offers keyboard, bass, or guitar lessons on a 24/7 basis to any student with a high-speed Internet connection. The student can choose from dozens of teachers, and the patent-pending student-teacher matching engine helps select the right educator and lesson plan to match the student’s ability and style of learning.

In just over a year, the company’s new FireWire studio in Pittsfield has produced more than 1,200 music lessons in all styles, resulting in the creation of one of the fastest-growing online music communities on the web.

“The Mass Technology Leadership Council is committed to fostering entrepreneurship and promoting the success of companies that develop and deploy technology across industry sectors. These awards are an important part of this effort,” said Joyce L. Plotkin, president of the Mass Technology Leadership Council. “The winners of this year’s honors represent the spirit of innovation, the history of accomplishment and the future promise that define the Massachusetts technology community.”

The awards program builds on the traditions of the Massachusetts Software Council and the New England Business and Technology Association (NEBATA), the two organizations that merged last year to form the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council.

“To be recognized in our first full year of existence is both rewarding and humbling,” said founder and CEO David Smolover. “This award brings great pride to the entire WorkshopLive team, and I am proud to be associated with them. It validates their achievements and contributions to the quality of life for music lovers around the world.”

The 2006 Awards program began with an open nomination process. More than 150 nominations were received for the awards. Thirty-four companies and eighteen individuals were announced as finalists at two executive Networking Sessions held during the summer. Final selections were made by a select group of leaders and influencers in the Massachusetts technology community and finalists were evaluated based on recent achievements in making significant contributions to the industry, customers, and their businesses. The Council’s 2006 Awards program was co-chaired by Council Trustees Deb Besemer, CEO of BrassRing,, Inc., and Mary Finlay, Deputy CIO of Partners HealthCare.

Corporate sponsors for this year’s awards included PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and Invest Northern Ireland.

About WorkshopLive
WorkshopLive produces the most dynamic and engaging music instruction content on the Web today. Its patent-pending technology delivers the first truly interactive learning experience of its type, with visual and auditory elements that change to suit the preferences and abilities of the student. WorkshopLive incorporates more than 20 years of experience in music education. The company has created hundreds of lessons in all styles of music. Other divisions include National Guitar Workshop Publications and summer learning experiences operated at 28 locations around the country, the National Guitar Workshop and DayJams. The privately funded company is based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Additional information is available at 413-358-9606, and http://www.workshoplive.com

About the Mass Technology Leadership Council, Inc.
The Mass Technology Leadership Council, Inc. is the only association that addresses the critical leadership issues of innovative software and technology-enabled companies. Formed by the combination of the Massachusetts Software Council and the New England Business and Technology Association, Inc., the organization is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and promoting the success of companies that develop and deploy technology across industry sectors. The Mass Technology Leadership Council conducts educational programs, hosts industry events, facilitates networking, sponsors research, advocates in favor of technology policies that promote innovation, entrepreneurship and competition, and recognizes industry-leading companies and people.

Definition of podsafe music (from Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org)

Podsafe is a term created in the podcasting community to refer to any work which, through its licensing, specifically allows the use of the work in podcasting, regardless of restrictions the same work might have in other realms. For example, a song may be legal to use in podcasts, but may need to be purchased or have royalties paid for over-the-air radio use, television use, and possibly even personal use.

The effective definition of “podsafe” for a given work depends entirely on the contract through which the podcaster licenses the work; there is no single podsafe license. The concept of podsafety, in its true form, greatly favors the artist and the profitability of the artist’s product, in exchange for only very limited concessions to the podcasting community.

While some works such as public domain works or works under some Creative Commons licenses are inherently podsafe, the only actual requirement for a work to be podsafe is that any licensing requirements it has, if applicable, allow for the work’s free use (typical broadcast use in its original form, if in no other form, depending on the specific license) in a podcast or web broadcast. This gives specific favor to podcasts only, allowing the artist to impose more traditional constraints on everyone else. Podsafe licensing can, for example, continue to require non-podcast consumers to pay for the work, require royalties on derivative works, and profit significantly from the work’s use in traditional radio, television, or film.

The licensor of any podsafe work must be legally capable of making it so. An artist cannot distribute his or her own work through a podsafe license if doing so would break any laws or breach any standing agreements (e.g. with the RIAA). The creator of a derivative work may also not claim this work podsafe without express permission from the original copyright holders. (PMN has more specific and stringent terms to this effect in its agreement.) Another point of contention is that not all podcasts are non-commercial works; in fact, an increasing number of podcasts are taking on sponsors and looking to make a profit. In general, no significant distinction is yet made between podsafe for non-commercial use and podsafe for commercial use, but it could easily arise at any moment.

Motives for the podcaster to use podsafe music (from Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org)

As podcasting grows more and more popular, illegal use of heavily licensed music (as through the RIAA) becomes increasingly difficult to hide. This is in general of greater concern to podcasters than to the typical sharer of music, because podcasters usually produce their shows for and promote them to the public-a far more overt and traceable action.

Including such licensed music legally has its own set of caveats. Indeed, under many jurisdictions it’s currently impossible, but the message from those in the know is that many licensing agencies, if they do intend to allow the use of their music on podcasts, will require not only the payment of royalties but also the use of DRM on the shows. (DRM, because of its proprietary, system-specific nature, would be destructive to the general openness and system independence of podcasts.)

Use of podsafe music instead of more stringently licensed material allows a podcaster to continue to produce an inexpensive, legal program with little hassle. Not least important for an independent podcaster is the promise of being able to avoid the confusing maze of licensing organisations.

Motives for the artist to use podsafe music (from Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org)

Conventional radio (and television) can present a difficult, and not always logical, barrier of entry for a musician or other media artist involving large sums of money and often a great deal of surrender in both ownership and creative freedom.

In contrast, podcasting, an increasingly popular medium for audio programs, is as a whole very receptive, indeed thirsty for artists and input. This is due in part to the creative and economic nature of the largely independent podcasting community and further fueled by its need to avoid repetition. While a conventional radio show may be able to risk replaying a large part of its music selection from day to day, there would be little point in downloading a music podcast whose selection did not vary significantly from a previous show. Podcasting is thus a voracious medium. With a growing and international audience podcasting is now becoming an effective means for inexpensive artist promotion often aimed squarely at the people most like to be interested in that type of music.

What is The Podsafe Music Network?

The Podsafe Music Network (music.podshow.com) is a comprehensive source for podsafe music. It was founded in 2005 by ex MTV VJ and current podcaster Adam Curry (Daily Source Code). PMN brings a large group of podcasters together with a wide variety of all-podsafe music and the artists who produce it.

According to PMN, podsafe music is music that meets all of the following conditions:

1. Works submitted to the Podsafe Music Network are the property of the artist, and all rights to these works, including lyrics and music, are the property of the artist.

2. All works contain no recordings, lyrics, copyrights, or other elements that are the copyright of any other artist, except under the limited provisions of the Creative Commons License Agreement www.creativecommons.org

3. Despite any recording contracts with RIAA, ASCA, BMI or other recording industry entity, the artist retains ownership of the works and is free to distribute, broadcast, license or sell these works at the artist’s discretion.

The licensing agreement between the artist and PMN: music.podshow.com/music/artistTerms.htm

What are Creative Commons Licenses? (from www.creativecommons.org)

Creative Commons Licenses help you publish your work online while letting others know exactly what they can and can’t do with your work. When you choose a licence, we provide you with tools and tutorials that let you add licence information to our own site or to one of several free hosting services that have incorporated Creative Commons.

1. Standard License License your song under your terms. Our set of standard licenses will let you share music with fans while protecting your song from limits you put in place. Or, choose a prepared license for audio works.

2. Sampling License People can take and transform pieces of your work for any purpose other than advertising, which is prohibited. Copying and distribution of the entire work is also prohibited.

3. Share Music License This license is aimed at the musician that wants to spread their music on web and filesharing networks legally for fans to download and share, while protecting the music from commercial use or remixing of any kind.

How does a Creative Commons license operate?

Creative Commons license are based on copyright. So it applies to all works that are protected by copyright law. The kinds of works that are protected by copyright law are books, websites, blogs, photographs, films, videos, songs and other audio & visual recordings, for example. Software programs are also protected by copyright but, as explained below, we do not recommend that you apply a Creative Commons license to software code or documentation.

Creative Commons licenses give you the ability to dictate how others may exercise your copyright rights-such as the right of others to copy your work, make derivative works or adaptations of your work, to distribute your work and/or make money from your work. They do not give you the ability to restrict anything that is otherwise permitted by exceptions or limitations to copyright-including, importantly, fair use or fair dealing-nor do they give you the ability to control anything that is not protected by copyright law, such as facts and ideas. Creative Commons licenses attach to the work and authorize everyone who comes in contact with the work to use it consistent with the license. This means that if Bob has a copy of your Creative Commons-licensed work, Bob can give a copy to Carol and Carol will be authorized to use the work consistent with the Creative Commons license. You then have a license agreement separately with both Bob and Carol.

Where are the forms that I have to fill out?

Creative Commons licenses are expressed in three different formats: the Commons Deed (human-readable code), the Legal Code (lawyer-readable code) and the metadata (machine readable code). You don’t need to sign anything to get a CCL. Just select your license here: www.creativecommons.org/license

Hmmm …what if I change my mind?

This is an extremely important point for you to consider. Creative Commons licenses are non-revocable. This means that you cannot stop someone, who has obtained your work under a Creative Commons license, from using the work according to that license. You can stop offering your work under a Creative Commons license at any time you wish; but this will not affect the rights with any copies of your work already in circulation under a Creative Commons license. So you need to think carefully when choosing a Creative Commons license to make sure that you are happy for people to be using your work consistent with the terms of the license, even if you later stop distributing your work.

Before you do anything, make sure you have the rights!

Before applying a Creative Commons license to a work, you need to make sure you have the authority to do so. This means that you need to make sure that the person who owns the copyright in the work is happy to have the work made available under a Creative Commons license.

Where do podcasters find podsafe music? (from Dave’s Imaginary Sound Space soundblog.spaces.live.com)

Discovering new music and the ability to use it fairly without fear of copyright infringement is a key issue for podcasters and listeners alike. Artists, composers, producers and consumers can all benefit from clear, fair and flexible copyright licenses that embrace new technologies. ‘Podsafe’ means non-RIAA audio and video that can be used legally in podcast productions and freely distributed online for downloading. Podsafe music can be found in many locations on the web including: artists websites, MP3 blogs, open source music communities, podcast directories, netlabels, P2P networks and BitTorrent hosts. A quick search for “podsafe” in a podcast directory like PodcastAlley.com reveals a rich and diverse array of productions featuring podsafe music. Unfortunately it becomes extremely time consuming for podcasters to source available music and listen to it. Recommendations by listeners and fans play an important part in the podcast production process.

The definitive list of podcasting safe music sites can be found at http://soundblog.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!1pXOS7l93k8mqeQ7FlEEmOSQ!907.entry

It’s always about the music

For an artist just entering into the podcast/MP3 blog universe, the amount of information to take in can be overwhelming. It’s not unlike a lifelong typist being plopped in front of a computer and asked to create a spreadsheet with colored charts.

As you watch the internet continue to explode with new technologies, it may feel like life has passed you by and left you lying in the dust. However, the truth is we’re all still tightly bundled together. No one is ever left behind. The opportunity to move towards the cutting edge is available to anyone (my father-in-law has just learned how to use a computer at the age of 81). Don’t let fear (and the excuses it can conjure up) lessen your attempts to succeed.

Remember, it has always been, and always will be about the music – that unique expression that you have to offer to the world. Podcasts, podsafe music, MP3 blogs, Creative Commons licenses and all that other bounce-off-the-head stuff is simply a collection of new and useful tools to help you get your music heard by more people.

Final thoughts

For the newbie, my suggestion would be to take it slow. Open one small door at a time and get a feel for it all. You’ll eventually discover that bloggers and podcasters are simply human beings with a passion for music – a collection of music lovers that are ready and willing to help you get your songs heard by a new stream of potential fans.

*** Subscribe To The Free Indie Bible Newsletter!
Every month you will receive our free newsletter with 50 New Listings of music services looking to review your CD, give your songs radio airplay, distribute your music, sell your songs, and music more! Visit http://www.indiebible.com to subscribe.

by David Wimble, The Indie Bible – http://www.indiebible.com

Here’s a cool idea: Openmikes.org is an online database of Open Mikes occurring in the US and Canada. You put in your city, state or zip code, select a search radius, and bingo – a list of church basements, coffee shops, and bars that invite you to bring your guitar, your songs, your poetry, your jokes – whatever you have – and share them with an appreciative and mostly forgiving audience. The list includes links to the venues and directions from Yahoo! Local Maps.

If you’re one of those people who hears the words “Open Mike” and says, “Sign me up! I’m ready!” then read no farther – you get it already. If, on the other hand, those words leave you cold – nervous, twitching, get-me-out-of-here, cold-sweat cold – relax a little, have some chamomile tea and think about it for a minute.

One of the hard parts of playing guitar, or any instrument for that matter, is finishing a song. Starting a song is easy – you memorize the words, figure out the guitar part, and play it over and over for weeks. Usually that will get you 90% of the way. But that last 10% – finishing the song – is not so easy. Finishing means getting the song ready to perform.

When the song is finished, you don’t stumble or slow down at the hard parts. Your arrangement is complete, with an intro, an ending, and a little variety in the verses; you might even have a few words of introduction. You know all the lyrics so well, you could sing them to an audience of nudists without getting distracted. When you play the song, it comes out the way you want it to come out, just about every time. That’s finished.

One of the best ways to get a song finished is to perform it for someone. The spotlight, the audience, the microphone, and above all the deadline can help you focus your practicing on that last 10%. And now we’re back to open mikes.

Of course, not all of us are so squeamish about playing in front of others. Open mikes are more than practice tools. You stand on a stage; everybody in the room listens to you; and then they clap and cheer when you’re done. Who gets to do that besides us? It’s a rare pleasure, easily forgotten when you’re practicing your scales and arpeggios. For people looking for work as performers, open mikes offer experience, exposure, networking opportunities, and, most precious of all, audience feedback.

They’re not all the same, so it’s worth checking the venue’s website for guidelines. Do you get 10 minutes? 20 minutes? 3 songs? Can you use electric instruments? If so, do you have to use their amps? Do you have to show up an hour ahead of time to sign up? Do you get a time slot, or do they select names out of a jar at random?

Is there a preferred style or theme? Some open mikes are strictly for folk music; some allow music and poetry, but no comedy, or music and comedy, but no poetry. Some are strictly for singer/songwriters. San Francisco’s “Three Dollar Bill Cafe” has Queer Open Mike night. These are details you want to get right.

There are some common sense rules of etiquette for open mikes, which seem to be broken often enough that venues feel they have to post them on their websites. Here are a few:

- Be tuned up and ready to perform when your turn comes, or you will be bumped to the end of the list.

- Do not play your instrument or rehearse your singing anywhere in the club.

- When your name is called please go to the stage as quickly as possible.

- We ask that you not add harmonies, sing loudly, or play instruments during another musician’s performance unless specifically invited to do so by the performer currently on stage.

- THIS IS NOT KARAOKE – While we welcome all vocalist to sing a-cappella or with a self produced pre-recorded track – singing along to a store bought CD is not what open mike is about.

As for me, I have two songs almost finished, and one 91% there – I’m almost ready!

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It isnt always necessary to play full chords. Very often you muddy the mix by doubling the bass part. When working with a bass player try playing chord forms that dont have the root note as the bass or leaving out the root note all together. To do this you will have to change the way that you look at chords. Instead of thinking of them as finger shapes learn to see them as harmony to the melody and the bass line.

A brief lesson in harmonic structure

In every key there are 3 major, 3 minor and 1 minor flat 5 a.k.a. half diminish chords that naturally occur. In the key of C the major chords or triads for C are C F & G. The minor triads are D minor E minor & A minor, and the half diminish is B diminish (B minor flat5). The triads are formed by harmonizing or playing 3 notes together. The formula for a triad is simply every other note of the scale up to 3 notes. Think of tri meaning three, and ad as in to ad together; equals adding three notes together, and youve got the idea.

For example the C scale is C D E F G A B C. You create the first triad (chord) by harmonizing the notes C E & G (the C major chord). The second triad would be D F A (the D minor chord), and so on. The first note of the triad names the chord. For example the triad E G B is called the E minor chord.

FYI

You can play any triad three different ways, The first is Root Position meaning the root note (the note that names the triad) is the lowest note. For example the notes low to high for the C major triad would be C E G. The second is First Inversion meaning the second note of the triad is the lowest note ex. E G C. The third is called Second Inversion with the third note of the triad being the lowest note ex. G C E.

Practice.

Learn the inversions for the major chords in all twelve keys. The best way to do this is to learn songs in all twelve keys. Chord charts and books are fine for reference, but not worth the paper that they are printed on for actually learning chords. Pick some easy tunes. Songs like Shenandoah, Amazing Grace, and Pay me my money down, etc are good for this exercise. You can find these songs in most beginning piano and guitar method books. Usually they will be written in the key of C as in no sharps (#) or flat (b) notes. Most of these songs have no more than three chords.

Lets rock!

Now that you have some back ground in how the chords are structured and you have taken some time to learn a few different voicings its time to put the theory in to practice. But how do we know what inversions will work best? What works best is very subjective. Keep in mind that most things in music tend to flow better when you have notes in common. If you study the melody of most songs you will find certain notes and note patterns repeated over and over. When you were learning the various ways of playing the triads did you notice that all of the major chords have notes in common with each other? For example The F Chord (FAC) and the C chord (CEG) both have a C note in them. The G chord (GBD) and the C chord both have a G note in them. This will help to give a good starting point. When moving from chord to chord look for those common notes and try to keep them in the same place as you move. For example when playing the progression (C to F ) use the same C note and simply change the other two notes.

Observe the movement of the individual notes as you change chords. For instance when going from C(CEG) to F(FAC) while the C note stays the same you raise the E note a half step to the F and raise the G note a whole step to the A. Being aware of these movements will help your chord playing to sound more melodic, and interesting.

Remember to keep your voicings small, no more than 3 notes, and stay out of the bass register as much as possible. You will notice that your parts now seem to leap out of the mix. You may even find your self turning your volume down!

This is just a suggestion. As always…experiment, and have fun.

Lou Lombardi, Your Guitarist
http://www.yourguitarist.com
http://www.myspace.com/guitartracks