On December 5, 2013 I had the pleasure of attending a Dave Weckl drum clinic at The Toad Tavern in Littleton, CO presented by Rupp’s Drums. Here were the main things Mr. Weckl talked about: Stick position: middle of hand — not the front. This...
Read moreDrummers Are Musicians
Yes — Drummers are musicians. This is not always reflected in other people’s attitudes towards us. I was preparing for subbing for a gig and the leader put lyric/chord charts into a cloud folder for me (along with mp3’s, as well). The charts had...
Read moreDrumming Influences
Over the years, I have been influenced by many different musicians. The first drummer that I really noticed was Ringo Starr with The Beatles. A bit later, I listened to Bobby Colomby with Blood, Sweat & Tears and also (in the same vein)...
Read moreKeep Learning
I was asked recently who I thought are (or were) the best blues drummers. My list included some of my favorites: Fred Below, Jim Keltner, Steve Gadd, and Al Jackson Jr. Jabo Starks, Stanton Moore and Steve Jordan are there, as well. There are...
Read moreThe Band Leader
As drummers, it’s our job to give our best to the band leader. Sometimes, it’s clear what someone wants and other times it’s not as clear. If you’re working for a band leader who is new to you, ask questions before the gig. Listen to recordings...
Read moreTechnique; Aging and Chops
There was a recent post on a social networking site wondering if certain drummers had lost some ability over the years. The author was reminiscing about music from the 1970’s that was high-energy and recorded with some great drummers. These...
Read moreGhost 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 for the...
Read moreThe Hi-Hat is the Groove
One of my students wanted to learn a Dennis Chambers groove from a short clip on youtube: Fatback Groove Lesson. This is a great groove from his DVD, Dennis Chambers: Master Drummer. Before we got to the end of the clip, I paused it and remarked...
Read moreStanton Moore!
I had the pleasure of seeing a Stanton Moore drum clinic today at The Boulder Drum Shop. This was big fun! Stanton has a great energy and seems to love talking and playing drums. His handout “Take It To The Shed!” will be something I’ll be going...
Read moreMaster Drummer DVD
I have owned John Riley’s DVD “The Master Drummer — How to Practice, Play and Think Like a Pro” for some time now. I haven’t worked on this material in a while, but while teaching recently I wanted to share part of the “Groove” section with one...
Read moreThe Art of Practice
Steve Smith’s two disk DVD set, Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat, contains a great segment entitled, The Art of Practice. In this portion of the first DVD, Steve talks about some very important points about how to practice. I would...
Read moreExtended Practicing
Lately, I have been able to get in some extended hours practicing on my drum set. All I can say is WOW. I love the feeling that comes from this. I do take breaks, but I’m trying to get to the point during the practice session where I can feel a...
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