“Learn The Orange Way”
Orange Learn, the educational arm of Orange Amplification, is excited to announce the expansion of its qualifications with the launch of Vocal Performance Graded Exams. Orange Amps has spent more than fifty years encouraging people to enjoy and participate in making music. Now, this includes vocalists.
The Orange Learn Vocal Performance syllabus and graded exams, developed in partnership with Online Music Exams, focuses entirely on the performance of songs, offering an additional progression route to traditional practical music exams with a carefully curated, contemporary list of suggested songs. Plus, it is more affordable in comparison to many of its competitors and its flexibility allows exams to be taken anywhere, at any time, and as many times as needed.
Rock songs featured in the syllabus include Stairway To Heaven Led Zeppelin, Sex On Fire Kings Of Leon, I Wish Stevie Wonder. Also featured are Little Lion Man Mumford & Sons, Chocolate by 1975 and Kiss by Prince. However, students can choose their own songs providing they fit the parameter guidelines found in the syllabus.
There are nine graded exams in total, debut through to Grade 8. Grades 1 to 8 are regulated qualifications and recognised by the RQF* and EQF* via the awarding body, The Learning Machine. Each exam requires a student to introduce and perform a selection of songs. Students receive feedback from a professional singer and a vocal
examiner, as well as a certificate of recognised qualification on passing.
‘Music education has always been close to my heart,’ said Cliff Cooper, Orange Amps CEO, ‘Orange Learn’s Vocal Performance syllabus and exams is about encouraging the uniqueness of each individual to shine, allowing a space for them to develop performance and communication skills and gain a recognised qualification.’
Students already learning to sing and looking for a vocal exam that is more cost effective and can be taken online, anytime or anywhere, can find out more here.
Every month we reward one lucky winner with a prize. All you have to do is post your Orange rig to any qualifying social media using the hashtag #OrangeRigOfTheMonth. Please note this is a social media competition and we are not accepting entries via email.
What’s your name?
Justin Bowlin
How’d you first hear about Orange?
I think I first became interested in Orange when I saw Omar Rodriguez-Lopez playing them and heard him talk about his love of the Orange sound. I remember trying out a Tiny Terror at a local guitar shop when they first came out and was just enamoured. That CRUNCH, haha.
What gear is in this rig?
I A/B/Y between a TH100 and an AD30. Each one is running through identical PPC212Vs loaded with neo-Creambacks. I love the clean sound and massive headroom of the TH100, and I love the way it takes fuzz. Right now I run a Line 6 HX Effects into the front end, which I’m still in the process of learning how to use, haha. The AD30 is my favorite for just plugging a guitar straight in and rocking (although I do also like to boost it with a few different Earthquaker drive pedals….the Plumes, Dunes, and Acapulco Gold especially).
Have you got any links for us to hear how this sounds like?
So, I’m in a Carrboro, NC based band in the U.S. called Dave Hedeman & The Gone Ghosts. And while I did not use this exact set up to record my band’s new record (which should be coming out later this year), both amps were used at different times to track my guitar parts. And the AD30 was used to track my parts for our first EP, which is currently available on all streaming platforms, as well as our website: thegoneghosts.com
Justin’s personal IG here & The Gone Ghosts IG here.
What do you use your rig for?
This TH100/AD30 combo will become my primary live rig when we are able to start playing shows again.
I will also be using this rig for my recently formed Smashing Pumpkins tribute band, haha. A totally different sound from my more roots-rock oriented original band, The Gone Ghosts. But that’s essentially the idea behind this rig. It can cover a TON of sonic territory.
How often do you update the rig?
I’m a gear-head. I alter my rig fairly frequently (once a year, maybe?). But Orange will always be part of my sound.
What guitar do you use? Why?
I’ve always been a Tele/Strat guy. I got a Strat when I was 16, and a Tele a few years later. So that’s what I’ve always been comfortable with. My two main guitars are a Fender Strat (with Billy Corgan’s signature DiMarzio pickups) and a Fender Tele (with a Fender Vintage Noiseless in the neck and a DiMarzio Chopper T in the bridge).
When was the first time you saw an Orange amp?
Like I said earlier, my earliest recollection of Orange amps being on my radar was when I first noticed Omar using them in At the Drive-In. Then I remember when Tiny Terrors hit the shelves in the mid-200s. I tried one at my local guitar shop and just thought it was the coolest little thing ever. Been an Orange fan ever since.
Ty Tabor of Kings X runs you through our Crush range.
This article was originally posted here in Japanese, and has been translated and summarized by our Asian Business Development Manager Toshi. (Thank you, Toshi!)
To raise funds for the venue Fever Shindaita in Tokyo which was struggling during the pandemix, Boris created and sold “Boris x Orange t-shirts” and used the funds to provide backline for Fever. They started a movement among artists to make an extended effort to save live music venues of going out of business
Below are some reviews of Orange amps by Wata and Takeshi when they visited the Kurosawa showroom to choose the donation items:
Wata & Our Rockerverb 100H MKIII:
“The clean channel produces classic crunchy sound and vintage warm tone while the dirty channel can deliver killer distortion sound when the gain is up. Reverb control helps also widen sound variety. “Very versatile for both recording and live, and attenuator comes in handy to maintain the tone” – Takeshi.
Wata & OUR TH100H:
“In terms of high gain the dirty channel can bring more deadly distortion than Rockerverb 100H MKIII. I find the shape control very interesting because it can alter the sound in very unique ways, you can find that evil distortion sound, you just have to find it yourself” “Everyone should try this beast when you get a chance” – Takeshi.
WATA & OUR Custom Shop 50:
“Nostalgic looks and cute, simple and very intuitive. It delivers all the tone characters and would hardly distort when gain is turned up. Genuine Orange look and sound. It is so cute and I want it. I love the tone changes from crunchy to overdrive as the volume goes up. There used to be bass boost knob. But this is the legacy of the authentic British amp sound.” – Takeshi.
Jim Root of Slipknot demos the Rockerverb 100 MK3 guitar amp live at Download Festival. Find our Rockerverb series here.
Orange Amplification is delighted to welcome new Ambassador Frank Sidoris, rhythm guitarist with Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.
Sidoris, who has been with Slash since 2012, has also played with Alice Cooper, the late great Lemmy Kilmister and Rush’s Alex Lifeson. More recently he has joined Wolf Van Halen’s, Eddie Van Halen’s son, new band Mammoth WVH.
He uses the Custom Shop 50 amp, known for its exquisite blues / rock tones providing an inspiring canvas for his rhythm work combining it with the cabinet main stay for touring artists, the classic PPC412.
Talking about being an Orange Ambassador Sidoris said: “It’s an honor to be associated with Orange, a company that has remained at the pinnacle of iconic tone and style for decades and continues to catch eyes and ears on stage and in the studio.”