Percussion is the foundation of so many things, and skratching is one of them. Qbert was recently visited by Fredo Ortiz (@Bongoloidz), who's been playing percussion with the Beastie Boys since 1996 (watch out for that cuica!). There's a lot we can learn from percussionists, since many of the same concepts can be applied to the turntables. In these 3 new lessons Qbert helps translate some musical ideas of Fredo's percussion into skratching. Click on links below or find them in the Guest Professors area!

• Bongos with Fredo Ortiz
• Cuica with Fredo Ortiz
• SPD-SX Sampling Pad with Fredo Ortiz
  

He's a mystery wrapped in a riddle... Maybe not quite, but I've always wanted to describe someone that way. Regardless, I first became aware of Gold Voltron in 2009 when QSU first launched. He was always positive and encouraging, and always uploading beats for us to skratch to. He also had a quirky sense of humour which felt right at home, and quickly became one of the most well-known characters on QSU. Not only was I seriously impressed by the level of his skratch skills, but also his knowlege of beats and music is insane! I learned a lot just through the stuff he posted, but always wanted to interview him for the blog - I had a lot of questions! So finally after years of procrastinating, I sent all the questions I had - and thankfully he answered them all!  So here it is, Gold Voltron speaking on just about everything I wanted to know - enjoy it nerdz!  

"I've never seen anyone do Bubbles like that." - Qbert

And the winner for the QSU Bubble Battle… Byone! This guy has been around here since we first opened QSU, quietly submitting some of the freshest videos for over 4 years now (speaking of fresh, check his artwork below). Congrats man, you def earned those headphones! Also we've added your video to the Official Bubble Lesson page and gave ya a nice badge on your student page, aww yea!

The Next Battle will be on… REVERSE TEARS! That's right, Reverse Tears Only! This will definitely get you thinking outside the box… stretch your mind and really see what kind of crazy patterns you can come up with. The Deadline is Monday, October 14 6pm PST - just submit your entries into the Battle Category - Good luck and always remember to have fun with it!

A New Resource for All ArtistWorks Members

As of today, ArtistWorks offers a comprehensive Online Music Theory Workshop! This essential course is free to all subscribing members of ArtistWorks’ 24 Music and Art schools. Practical music theory enhances aural skills and makes players more confident and intuitive in their playing. This added benefit of membership is just one of the offerings that demonstrates ArtistWorks’ ongoing mission to be the primary online destination for artists and players at all levels, who want to enhance their skills.

A New Resource for All ArtistWorks Members

As of today, ArtistWorks offers a comprehensive Online Music Theory Workshop! This essential course is free to all subscribing members of ArtistWorks’ 24 Music and Art schools. Practical music theory enhances aural skills and makes players more confident and intuitive in their playing. This added benefit of membership is just one of the offerings that demonstrates ArtistWorks’ ongoing mission to be the primary online destination for artists and players at all levels, who want to enhance their skills.