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Entries from May 1, 2013 - May 31, 2013

Saturday
May252013

Mike Dawes Workshop at Sixstrings, Aman Suria, Petaling Jaya

In 90-minutes, learn trade secrets from an international fingerstyle guitar maestro right here in Petaling Jaya!

Do you play fingerstyle guitar?
Do you enjoy mixing percussion, alternate tunings and grooves all on one guitar? 

If you do, then read on.

It’s a tough journey being an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist. Sometimes you practise pieces again and again but still it doesn’t sound close to the original. You wonder how to make all those percussive sounds at once along with clear high harmonics and tapped right hand melodies. Are you still just searching for answers on YouTube? How do you do that? How do you make everything sound smooth? Is there a secret?

What if you could get an insight into the mind of a true master? Someone who the Evening Post calls 'Completely Spellbinding’.

Get into the mind of Mike Dawes.

YouTube fingerstyle guitar star Mike Dawes is a young steel string guitarist from the South of England.

Since discovering the music of Pierre Bensusan at an early age, Mike has been completely dedicated to the guitar (along with the more obscure music that comes with it).

Currently residing in the South of England, Mike has been stunning audiences and critics with his guitar playing since 2008. His music often defies description, taking influence from Celtic, Rock, World and Popular music.

YouTube fingerstyle guitar star Jon Gomm says, “Mike Dawes is a F***ing awesome guitarist!’

Imagine knowing how to get out of ruts. What would a virtuoso do to get out of a rut? Daniel, one of Mike’s students had this to say:

'You're a really good teacher thanks, you've made the most challenging aspects of my technique seem so easy to overcome, and I'm well on my way to getting out of this rut!' - Daniel (US)

This 90-minute workshop will help you get out of your rut and get your fingerstyle playing to the next level. You’ll get to learn from a maestro, understand your instrument more and know how to practice fingerstyle guitar like a boss.

With over 2.8 million cumulative views of his YouTube videos, Mike has garnered critical acclaim especially since his cover of Gotye ‘Somebody I used to know’ became a viral video hit.  

“Astounding Virtuosity” in the words Grammy Winner Gotye himself!  

Mike has performed alongside, and in support of some of the world’s most highly respected musicians, including:

Seth Lakeman
John Renbourn
Tommy Emmanuel
Pierre Bensusan
Erik Mongrain
Thomas Leeb
Jon Gomm
Guthrie Govan
Pino Forastiere
Trace Bundy
Petteri Sariola
Chris Wood

Mike has done workshops all around the world including at UK’s Academy of Music and Sound in Swindon. Here’s how he did:

'Mike, the feedback I've been getting is great and I'd love to have you back next year. It seems to have been one of the best masterclasses we've ever had in Swindon so hats off to you sir...students can be difficult to please!' - Steve, Academy of Music and Sound

The workshop will be a packed 90-minute session with Mike Dawes, up close and personal. One of Mike’s UK students had this to say about a session with Mike:

'He's a fantastic teacher! my mind is still trying to process a mere hour of his knowledge' Matt (UK)

And you will get not just a mere hour, you will get an hour and a half! That’s 90-minutes of wisdom in person from YouTube sensation Mike Dawes.

Remember, there are only 15 slots for participants for this workshop. We could have had more but we wanted for the workshop to be the very best for the special dedicated 15 students.  This will be a premium learning experience in an awesome environment.

Mike is so epic that he has performed and lectured alongside Guthrie Govan! Here’s what Rob Chapman of Chapman Guitars had to say:

'Mike Dawes is not only an unbelievably awesome guitarist, he is also an incredible teacher with a brilliantly approachable style, that's why I booked him to play AND lecture alongside Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest' - Rob Chapman (Chapman Guitars)

You could study with Mike by travelling to Hampshire/Surrey in the United Kingdom and spend over RM8,000 (flights between RM3,000 to RM5,000 and RM240 or more per night for accommodation in addition to travel and food costs). This is a possibility for a serious student but not everyone can invest like this.

Instead of all these added expenses and logistics, we are bringing Mike Dawes to Aman Suria, Petaling Jaya. Right at the cozy space of Sixstrings, you’ll get to study with a world-class maestro.


How much is the cost for this investment?

Early Registration: RM100/per person
Walk-ins: RM120/per person  

Remember, there are only 15 slots available for the workshop.

To register today and secure your place:

1. Transfer the workshop payment of RM100 to  Hong Leong Bank 22500002427 (Sixstrings Sdn. Bhd.)

2. Email a photo of the deposit slip or e-mail with transfer info to enquiry@sixstrings.com.my. Make sure your e-mail heading is ‘Mike Dawes Workshop Payment’

For any inquiries about the workshop, call Sixstrings at +603 7887 5171

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to bring my guitar?
Yes, you’ll need your guitar so you can try out examples that Mike will teach. This is a hands-on workshop so to get the most out of it, you should have your guitar with you.

2. Is there an age limit?
No.

3. Will there be handouts on the material Mike is teaching?
Yes

4. What level do I have to be to enroll in this workshop?
The workshop is for intermediate and advanced guitar students.

5. Will Mike be performing at the workshop?
Mike will demonstrating examples from his music. For the performance, catch Mike concert at No Black Tie. Info is here: http://www.azsamad.com/mikedawes
 

Friday
May172013

Candor Music & ZT Amplifiers 

Thank you Steven Cheah Fah Jung of Candor Music Sdn Bhd for providing me with the ZT Lunchbox Amplifier. 

[FB Photo Album: Picked up the ZT Lunchbox Amp from Candor Music]

You can catch me using it during my solo electric guitar showcase/workshops across the Klang Valley.

For more info about the solo electric guitar shows, click here: http://www.azsamad.com/electric

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Friday
May172013

A Collaboration with Greenroom136

I love collaborations. From performing and recording with friends from all around the world to using products that fuel musical creativity, I'm a firm believer in the power of collaboration. This is one such tale. I met Patrick of Greenroom 136 via my good friend bassist Kevin Theseira. Patrick interviewed me on his online show, Concrete Jungle and we discovered so many common threads in our work.

Right after that, our first collaboration began with my music becoming the theme music for his video series. I started using a Greenroom136 bag (this one) and later an idea came together. I wondered whether we could work together to develop a amp bag.

The video tells the tale. Check it out! =)

From Greenroom 136:

You may know Az Samad from his music on the ConcreteJungle podcast and most of our videos on Greenroom136. We both have strong respect for each other's work and it's such a thrill to have the opportunity to work with him on a collaboration.

As a professional guitar wizard in this day and age, heavy tech and nomadic tendencies are all too familiar. Az shares his career experience and why he loves his Greenroom bags.

Special thanks
Az Samad - http://www.azsamad.com
Yin - http://prtrainingkl.tumblr.com
The Satay Trio (Az Samad, Cheryl Tan and Fung Chern Hwei) -http://www.azsamad.com/sataytrio

Know more about Greenroom136 bags at http://greenroom136.com
Watch ConcreteJungle podcast about Malaysian entrepreneurial spirit at http://www.youtube.com/concretejungle...

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Join my newsletter for a FREE 7-song acoustic guitar MP3 compilation
& to be updated of new blog posts, videos, upcoming shows & exclusive content.

 

100% privacy and I promise never to spam you.
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Thursday
May162013

Exclusive Track & Interview on ISSUE Magazine #11


More than a year ago, I met Lutfi Hakim as he arrived for his first guitar class with me. He was the first of three students in my Percussive Fingerstyle Guitar Course. He asked whether a classical guitar would be okay for the class & I said it would be fine for almost everything. Only thing was that getting slap harmonics would be trickier a bit. 

He completed the course & we kept in touch. Later on, we connected again via two chance encounters. I learned about an online magazine he was a part of. Every issue had a theme that connected all the contributions together.Talking to him about it, we wanted to figure a way of how I could contribute something for them. I wrote, but playing music was more second nature. 

What happened next was that I found a theme that resonated with me. The idea of magic. Not magic as in illusions or a show but the sheer beauty and magic in everything. Pondering on this, I thought about recording a piece that reflected this theme. 

This is how the closing track on my new album in the deep night/electric poetry came about. I had already recorded six tracks (five of which become in the deep night) and then another 3 that was a part of electric poetry.

I then recorded this track for ISSUE Magazine.

Later on, Lutfi got in touch with me to interview me. His team wanted to meet up. The interview was super fun and I felt like I was in a theory class talking about music. His team too shared their thoughts and asked cool questions. 

Yesterday, the article came out and I was so happy to see how Lutfi captured the essence of our conversation. There's even a little recollection of how his impression of his first guitar class with me was. Nice!

Special thanks to my PR Rockstar, Yin for coordinating everything. She rocks! 

Photos from the interview are here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151345531856408.1073741862.45501591407&type=1&l=07d5c14e78

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Read an exclusive interview where I explain about why I talk to turtles, discuss technique, elaborate on the Harlem Shake song & explain my songwriting process.

There's also an exclusive preview (the entire piece!) of the closing track from my upcoming album in the deep night/electric poetry.

LISTEN TO THE SONG & READ THE ARTICLE/INTERVIEW HERE: http://issuemagazine.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/the-main-thing-is-to-write-an-interview-with-az-samad-by-lutfi-hakim/ 

 

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Thursday
May162013

CDs now at Candor Music & Sixstrings


My solo guitar CDs are now available at Candor Music, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur!

Emo Attack Turtle (2010) RM30
Love Letters EP (2011) RM20
The Amsterdam Recordings (2012) RM20

GET ALL 3 CDs for RM60 only!

 

Candor Music Sdn. Bhd.
A1-01-3A Dutamas Solaris, 
No 1, Jalan Dutamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Tel: +603 6207 9808
Fax: +603 6207 9807
E-mail: info@candormusic.com.my

 



My solo guitar CDs are now available at Sixstrings, Aman Suria, Petaling Jaya!

Emo Attack Turtle (2010) RM30
Love Letters EP (2011) RM20
The Amsterdam Recordings (2012) RM20

GET ALL 3 CDs for RM60 only!
 

Sixstrings
B-1-20 Jalan PJU 1/43,
Aman Suria, 47301,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor,
Malaysia
Tel: 603 7887 5171
Fax: 6016 322 1994
E-mail: enquiry@sixstrings.com.my

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Join my newsletter for a FREE 7-song acoustic guitar MP3 compilation
& to be updated of new blog posts, videos, upcoming shows & exclusive content.

 

100% privacy and I promise never to spam you.
_________

 

 If you liked this post, please Like it or Tweet it! =)