I got the nerve to finally take a crack at filming. Filming people, or, in this case, a person, my test subject...me. I enjoy talking about drumming and I know a lot about it. I still need to get over being slightly camera shy and overly critical of myself but, I think I would be doing a disservice to you if I didn't keep the camera rolling. Every week I'll upload a new video lesson for you. I'll show you what I've been working on, slow it down and teach you how to play it. Over the years I've learned how to help students learn, retain and memorize a new beat or style with minimal practice. No, I'm not giving anyone shortcuts on practice time. You still have to do the work and sweat. Sweat a lot. I can, however, give preventative habits so you don't WASTE time!
Breaking bad habits, making you aware of the fact that you are causing damage to yourself or wasting needless energy, playing too fast for your ability, playing too hard for the wrong technique etc......
That's my job.
Fix it. Move forward. Practice it tomorrow. Repeat. Simple. Ok, not so simple for the ADD / ADHD kids or most drummers I've ever met. Hey...is there a correlation? Maybe that's a bad generalization. This is more accurate I suppose - drummers often have a tendancy to be impatient students. That's not an insult, drum lessons can be boring, and drummers...well, they drum. 'Let's get to the good stuff. Come on. I don't want to play The Little Dummer Boy!!'
I was impatient in the beginning. A few years later I was stubborn, sensitive to critique, and slightly lazy. Those aren't very good traits for a kid with little drumming experience who was trying to get into music college. I needed some humility and I sure got it quickly. I already read music but college really sharpened my skills.
You don't have to know how to read music. You should though. It saves valuable time and valuable headroom because you don't have to memorize it. It's right there on the paper, screen, phone (insert favorite media here) etc. If you don't know how to read drum music I'll give you some confidence: it's a heck of a lot easier than reading piano music! You're only looking at a map of the drum set sounds and what order they are struck. On a small drum set there are about 10-12 characters that can be used to create thousands of cool rhythms (many more if you have a large kit or emsemble). That's not a scary way to look at it is it? Don't be afraid to ask a musician to show you how to read drum music. If you pay attention you can pick it up fast!
The next drum video: Hihat and Ride Variations.
All these variations are heard throughout rock history. They are still used in new music too. Think of this video as your rock toolbox. Memorize and coordinate each one of these and use them in as many styles as you can and you are on your way towards 4 limb independence. If you are serious and you have the patience, you can watch the examples and beats for 9 minutes, or skip to 9:10 where I put them all together at the end (with notation). It's a good challenge with timeless techniques. Hopefully this video will give you something you can use in your music for years to come.
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