Play Less

More is Less is a saying that many of us have heard, and it’s been talked about quite a bit through the years. I have to say, I really like the idea of playing less. I love the feeling of establishing a strong groove and trying to keep it...

Read more

Young Students

I have a young student who was given the chance recently to sit in with a professional band at a July 4th party. I wasn’t there, but I saw the video. He held down the groove like a pro! The band’s song list consists mainly of classic...

Read more

Attitude

Simply put, I love what I do. Not only do I get to play the drums at many different kinds of gigs, but I also have the opportunity to influence students and try to impart some drumming knowledge. I’m never too old to learn from anyone, and...

Read more

Ghost Notes

When drumming, I like to put in “ghost notes” on the snare drum. These notes are played much softer than my backbeats or other accented notes. I like to use a rimshot for the bigger notes and then leave my stick close to the drum head...

Read more

Making Magic

I love the feeling when playing music where it feels almost magical. One of my students felt this recently after we had been working on a swing ride cymbal pattern and I asked him to try to count out loud while playing the ride. Before he began...

Read more

Being Versatile

I like lots of different kinds of music. I grew up listening to The Beatles and top-40 radio pop and rock. One cool thing was that radio stations used to play many different styles of music. I could hear Led Zeppelin followed by The Carpenters...

Read more