Over the years and up to this day, I have been interested in learning the drums. What can the drum set do? What are the various styles that I may not be good at — yet? I purposefully buy drum books that cover techniques and ways of playing with...
Read moreBe Prepared
I recently subbed on a funk gig where I had to learn a fair amount of the group’s original material. They shared a dropbox folder with me that included the horn charts along with mp3’s of their songs. I took the time to listen to the songs and...
Read moreGetting Lost in the Music
Getting lost in the music has at least two connotations. The first one is pretty great and the second one is not as nice. There have been times when I have been so into the music, that I transcend that moment in time. It can seem as if the drums...
Read moreBeing Versatile
I enjoy listening and playing lots of different kinds of music. I grew up mainly around pop and rock, but gravitated toward the fusion music of the ’70’s. That music was my gateway into jazz. I was completely blown away by Billy Cobham with...
Read morePrepare For Your Next Drum Stroke
One thing that I find very useful is practicing drum strokes that will prepare me for what is coming next. E.g., if I need an accented note, then I don’t want to wait until the last moment to raise the arm that will be playing that note. Yes, I...
Read moreThrow and Catch While Drumming
I love the concept of throwing and catching a ball when it comes to the drum set. Buster Bailey introduced me to the idea of bouncing a ball many years ago, and it’s something I use all of the time. Please take a look at this short clip of me at...
Read morePlay For Your Drum Teacher
A student of mine was recently reflecting on some lessons with a prior drum teacher and told me that this drum instructor never had the student play for him. I was quite surprised. I’m not sure how prevalent the practice is of teachers not...
Read moreKeep It Swingin’
I’ve been listening to some great players and their take on the Brazilian Bossa Nova. Besides the Brazilian drummers, the cats I really like best are the players that keep it swingin’ while playing “straight” 8th notes. Check out Jimmy Cobb with...
Read moreLearning to Let Go
There have been times when I have felt stuck — professionally and/or personally. I have found that, for me, it’s best to let go of whatever it is in my life that’s not working at that given moment. This may be a relationship or perhaps a band...
Read moreHappy New Year!
Happy 2015 to each and every one of you! I am looking to ramp up some new things for Gregory Tech Drum Center this year: online drum lessons; remote drum tracks; and instructional drum videos. I am making a list of topics to cover for the...
Read moreMaster Drummer
I recently watched Master Series — Antonio Sanchez. This is a great DVD from Hudson Music. One important concept Antonio talks about is learning the “language” of any musical genre. He said that he had worked on and had developed pretty good...
Read moreKeep Smiling
I have noticed that some of my favorite musicians (including some drummers) seem to almost always be smiling while they perform. It’s quite obvious that they’re not only enjoying playing the music being played, but they’re also having a great...
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