Over the years I have taught students from beginner through to advanced level. My task for each student is develop a programme to help guide and motivate them on their way to becoming a more confident and accomplished musician, whatever their aims may be.
There are many areas of study on this wonderful instrument. Here are just some examples of what you can expect us to cover in lesson.
Technique
This is your vehicle for how you get ideas from your head and out into the world via your instrument. We will learn proper grip, hand rudiments and pad exercises designed to improve your dexterity and develop your muscle memory so that when you have a great idea, you can execute it.
Timekeeping
Being able to ‘play in time’ is a vital skill for a drummer, and our most useful tool and best friend in this area is the metronome. By learning how to utilise it in our practise we can be confident that our playing always sounds solid. After all, you are the musical metronome in your band! Oh, and producers will love you for it.
Reading
Being able to read drum music, even at a basic level, will open you up to the vast wealth of knowledge that exists out there in drum books. This area of study will also deepen your understanding of music theory enabling you to interact with other musicians on a more meaningful level.
Groove
The drummer’s number one job is to create the foundation for the song. A good groove will be stylistically appropriate and crucially it will make all the other musicians sound amazing. There will be moments when it is right for the drummer to bust out some fancy moves, but the simple stuff is often best!
Coordination
On the drum kit we need to be able to utilise all four of our limbs simultaneously. We are not so much playing one instrument as a collection of instruments all at once! By training each of our limbs to be able to play independently we can increase the scope of what we’re able to perform.
Playing
Playing along to backing tracks, playing along to graded pieces specifically written for drum kit, playing along with your favourite songs on Spotify, playing along with your friends who play guitar and bass and joining a band! This is where we bring all of our areas of study together and we want to do as much of it as possible!