Classical guitar is new to iVideosongs, with two new songs from guitarist Sharon Isbin this week. Sharon is well known to aficionados of classical music, having performed with some of the world's top symphonies and chamber music groups, including the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony.
Sharon's extraordinary lyricism and technique have also touched popular music fans, through her soundtrack work for films including The Departed, and as a featured guest on Showtime Television's The L Word.
Her stunning command of her instrument is clear on this week's titles, Isaias Savio's Batucada and Antonio Lauro's Waltz #3 (Natalia). And while these are not beginner level titles, Sharon makes her approach and technique understandable and accessible to mere mortals. We're honored to feature Sharon as iVideosong's first classical artist.

Attention all "Hazelnuts"...Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel is coming soon! I must say when I first heard that this is what a true Sister Hazel fan was called I had a hard time not picturing an enthusiastic crowd all bobbing up and down to "All For You" in over sized hazelnut costumes. The kind that you'd see on the side of the road advertising a new coffee shop on the corner. Well, the "Hazelnuts" were very present at the June Summerfest in Atlanta, GA, although I didn't see one in a hazelnut costume. It's amazing to me how faithful these fans of Sister Hazel are. The guys deserve it for sure. Not only is this group generous, (Sister Hazel is actually named after a nun, Sister Hazel Williams, who ran a homeless shelter in Gainesville, Florida), they constantly give back to the community and to their fans with their involvement with non-profits like Lyrics for Life (http://www.myspace.com/lyricsforlife) and annual events like The Rock Boat (http://www.therockboat.com/).

A couple of weeks ago Ryan Newell was invited to be apart of the opening ceremony for the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Sparing no expense, Ryan Newell was flown in on a helicopter. Hard Rock gave Ryan a custom Hard Rock guitar, and while he played, the gates of the new park were blown open by fireworks and pyrotechnics...talk about a rock show.

We were lucky enough to recently hang out with Ryan when he stopped by our studio to film his instructional videos for "All For You" and "Change Your Mind". You guys, he's is the real deal. What you see is what you get, and what you see is very good. Make sure you check out his interview on the front end of his videos. It's really nice to get to spend time with someone who has had as much success as Ryan and still be so humble and willing to share his experience with us. It's all for the love of music.

Sister Hazel will be releasing a live acoustic album on June 17, "Before The Amplifiers, Live Acoustic". There are 16 tracks, all recorded live in front of just 100 fans. Be sure to check out the new CD out on June 17 as well as Ryan's two instructional videos, "All For You" and "Change Your Mind" that are coming soon to ivideosongs.com.

A newly converted "Hazelnut"
...April

We're pretty thrilled. Last week we announced that more than a million iVideosongs music instruction videos have been downloaded since our beta debut at the end of January. The big number is fueled in part by the fantastic pick up of our podcasts in the Apple iTunes Store.

Last week was also important because we launched our feature channel in MySpace.tv and jumped past the 400,000 views total on YouTube and other video sharing sites.

We love the numbers but the real thrill is in knowing they mean we're making a connection with aspiring musicians everywhere. There is definitely a hunger for top quality online music instruction and we're excited to help satisfy it. We also know that we're part of something bigger, about the passion for music and musicians' unending need to master their instruments, to learn new songs, to get carried away in the music. To paraphrase the 70's rockers, the Ides of March, and make an obscure musical reference, we're your vehicle baby and we'll take you anywhere you want to go.

Enjoy the ride.