With roots stretching back to as far as the 15th century, Gospel music is certainly no new-kid on the block. But like all lasting musical styles of merit, it is alive and well and living beside us in the 21st century. Albeit in a "modernized" way it still closely follows it's early roots. From traditional to contemporary, urban to heavenly, yea there is a healthy mix of gospel styles flourishing as we speak.

I have found through teaching music and 25 years involvement with the music scene, that many musicians spend a lot of time learning stuff that they'll never use. The main problem here is that beginners quickly learn that taking instruction from a reputable source is indeed the fastest way to go, but unfortunately many players choose the wrong style of instructor for the type of music they want to play themselves. These teachers are not necessarily bad teachers, but the student spends time absorbing and spends hours learning stuff they will never use.

So the most important tip I can give anyone as a teacher of music and player of over 25 years, is to make sure that the teacher you choose is an expert in the style of music YOU want to play. So to put it basically using an example - DON'T get a classically trained teacher if it's heavy rock music you want to play, even if he or she is handy and just lives around the corner, or because they provided the cheapest course, or maybe you just admire their flowing long hair! Now this little series is all about gospel music so that's the last you'll hear of "Rock Music" for now :).

So in a quest to find an absolutely dedicated source for learning Gospel music I discovered a man called Jermaine Griggs. Now he may be only 23 years old (happy birthday next month btw Jermaine :), but he is a supremely gifted GOSPEL MUSICIAN first and foremost, which follows our requirements above to the letter (although he can play anything this virtuoso)!

So this little series looks at the courses provided by this and other gifted and proven GOSPEL musicians. Among many things, Jermaine runs a highly respected website called Hear and Play.com, which provides many courses aimed at improving Gospel player's skills at any level. I mentioned before in an article that this guy never stops and this is certainly still applicable. By that I mean he's just release his latest masterpiece which is absolutely mega even for his standards. It's a brand new course called the "GospelKeys Ultimate Collection Learning System", and comprises of 3 master classes. It features 2 new stunning teachers who are totally respected in the Gospel music field namely P.J. Morgan and Cassandra O'Neal. These two have more credits to their name than can be listed here , from performing with Yolanda Adams to the president of America no less! (If you want to find out more about them check out the Gospel Music Courses page itself).

Who Should Be Interested In Learning from P.J. and Cassandra?

• All musicians playing in modern churches...
• Musicians playing for youth and young adult choirs who tend to sing modern and contemporary songs...
• Musicians who seek to "contemporize" the way they play gospel music...
• Musicians who feel they play "old fashioned" and want to learn new voicings and chord progressions...
• Any musician desiring to learn more gospel "licks" and "tricks" on the keyboard!
• Musicians committed to lifelong learning, no matter what style of music.

Think that's you? Ok here's some more information for you to help you decide if this is the one for you - remember these courses and teachers have been thoroughly put under the musician microscope and have passed the test with flying colors. But you need to make the decision if you would like to take your Gospel related or maybe even West Coast style playing to another level.

Click here for more Gospel Music Course details