“ It's a bit of a brainy song, but it sounds really simple.
” Chris Conley of Saves The Day “With the melody being this simple you can get away with a lot of tricks underneath it,” says Saves The Day frontman Chris Conley of “Let It All Go,” a song that came to him in the middle of the night. Conley graciously agreed to teach us the guitar parts to the song for the Master Class series, in partnership with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Follow along as Conley and guitarist Arun Bali share some of their secrets in this exclusive studio performance.Learn To Play “Let It All Go”

“ He was playing some Led Zeppelin song, so I hopped on the drums and said 'Dad, teach me that!'
” Caitlin, of Kicking Daisies “I started playing drums when I was 8 years old,” says Caitlin, the drummer for the rising teenage punk band Kicking Daisies. No longer that 8 year-old novice, Caitlin is an accomplished drummer with a bright future ahead of her. She and her bandmates in the Daisies (lead guitarist Ben, bassist Carly and lead singer Duran) have just released their debut EP, titled Keeping Secrets which is available exclusively at Walmart.com.
When asked to share her story of learning to play the drums, for this Energizer Master Class tutorial in partnership with VH1 Save The Music Foundation, Caitlin rose to the challenge and proceeded to tear our drum kit to shreds.Watch Caitlin Teach A Master Class In Drumming

“ So many musical styles are based around fingerpicking, from Brazilian music to Country to American Blues and Folk.
” Jesse Harris, on fingerpicking Like so many other musicians who are just getting started on their instrument, Jesse Harris drew inspiration from the greats when teaching himself to play guitar. American blues and folk legends like Mississippi John Hurt, Bob Dylan and James Taylor were the teachers Harris studied, and each has been a major influence on his career as a singer and songwriter.
When Street Date asked Harris to participate in the Energizer Master Class series, in partnership with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, he immediately suggested we dedicate an episode to “fingerpicking.” Watch as Harris explains the history and the methods behind this age-old skill in this episode of Master Classes.Learn How To Fingerpick With Jesse Harris

Kina Grannis Master Class…

“ What is it like to be someone's heart?
” Kina Grannis, on 'Message From Your Heart' Growing up in Southern California, young Kina Grannis was always a musical child. By elementary school she was composing original songs on the piano, and by high school she had mastered the violin and begun to teach herself to play guitar. By her sophomore year in college she had recorded her first album, Sincerely Me, and had her sights set on a career in music.
Grannis was a natural choice for the Master Class series, created in partnership with Energizer and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Watch as she demonstrates the guitar chords and strumming patterns for her amazing single “Message From Your Heart.”Kina’s Master Class Is Now In Session

Vanessa Carlton: Master Class…

Colbie Caillat performs "Make It Rain" live at Street Date, as part of the Energizer Master Class series.

Learning to read and play music can be a crucial part of a young person’s education, that’s why we partnered with Energizer and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation to create the Master Classes series, which brings you music lessons from some of today’s hottest musicians. Big stars like Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw and Vanessa Carlton have all lent their time and talents to support the cause.

This week we take the effort one step further by launching the Energizer Master Classes Sweepstakes. Click through for information on how you can win music lessons for one year, plus a beautiful Ukulele signed by Master Classes contributor Kina Grannis.more

“ Carousel is a very simple song - one of the most simple songs I've written.
” Vanessa Carlton Vanessa Carlton didn’t always dream of being a famous musician. As a young girl she attended dance school, envisioning herself touring the world with a ballet troupe. Little did she know that the music lessons she was getting from her mom Heidi, an accomplished pianist and music teacher, would play a much larger role in her future career. Fast-forward to 2011 and we find Carlton as a platinum-selling artist, known the world over for songs like “A Thousand Miles” and collaborations with artists from Stevie Nicks to Counting Crows.
Carlton jumped at the chance to share her experience and expertise for the Master Classes series, in support of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Today we are extremely proud to present her music lesson, set to the sounds “Carousel” off her just-released fourth studio album Rabbits On The Run.Learn to play Vanessa’s new single ‘Carousel’

Gavin DeGraw: Master Class…

“ Music is an important thread culturally. There's no greater thread than the arts.
” Gavin DeGraw on the importance of music education “It started out with an idea Ryan had – a groove intro kind of thing” starts Gavin DeGraw, describing the genesis of his new single “Not Over You.” That Ryan he mentions is master songwriter and producer Ryan Tedder, known for helping craft some of today’s most recognizable pop and rock songs. The two worked together on songs for DeGraw’s new album Sweeter, DeGraw’s fourth studio album, due out on September 20th.
A talented instrumentalist, Gavin DeGraw jumped at the chance to participate in the Master Class series and support the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a cause he’s been involved with frequently in the past. Watch as DeGraw sits down at the piano and shares the secrets to playing his new single “Not Over You” for this week’s Master Class music lesson.Class Is In Session With Gavin DeGraw

“ I just started singing, and the song started flowing out...
” Colbie Caillat, on 'Make It Rain' 2011 has been a year of positivity for accomplished singer and songwriter Colbie Caillat. A California girl since birth, Caillat wrote most of her latest album All Of You at her home in Malibu, where the sunny days and ocean breezes soaked deep into her music. Pop on her singles “I Do” or “Brighter Than The Sun” and suddenly you feel the sand between your own toes, as if transported to that happy beachfront scene.
Caillat was gracious when asked to contribute the first-ever Master Class music lesson for this series in partnership with VH1′s Save The Music Foundation. She and her guitar player Jason chose to perform and acoustic version of “Make It Rain” from the new album. Their lesson is an easy-to-follow walk through the chords and strumming patterns of the acoustic guitars they played on “Make It Rain.” We hope you enjoy this master class, and share it with anyone in your life who is learning to play the guitar.Watch Colbie Caillat’s Master Class

Since 1997 the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has been tirelessly campaigning to support music education in America’s schools. Never has this cause been more important than now, with state budgets being trimmed and teachers across the U.S. in danger of losing their jobs. Art and Music education are sadly some of the first programs to be cut from school budgets, leaving schools without music programs and depriving kids of essential creative learning experiences.
That’s why the Save The Music Foundation’s work is so important. It was this sense of urgency that inspired Energizer and Street Date to partner with Save The Music to create Master Classes, a brand-new video series featuring some of today’s most talented musicians. Over the next six weeks these pages will play host to six wonderful artists who have donated their time and expertise to teach these quick & fun “master classes,” sharing the tricks of their trade with aspiring young musicians across the country. Click through now to find out whose Master Class is up first.Her initials are ‘CC’ and her new album is All Of You…