Drum Instruction DVD & Book Reviews

To answer...

The book comes with a CD - but there is an older one that doesn't so make sure (if you want the CD version of course) that it is the CD version if you order it. I know they definitely stock it on Musicroom.com.

The log out thing - dunno mate but after a period of inactivity I (and I expect everyone else) gets pushed off.
 
Has anyone got an instructional DVD by Mike Portnoy? I think the guys a legend, he might not have that much technique but the mans timing and knowledge of progressive drumming is awesome. I sneakily downloaded a few clips of random instructional DVDs but they range in years, like one where he looks really young and hes talking about double bass technique, then theres another where he looks a bit older, and hes going through all Dream Theatre songs and i found a video from a clinic but its just like a massive solo, so i'm not sure what im looking for.
So does anyone actually have one and can they let me know what they think.

Andy.
 
NAME:
Funky Beats & Breaks. by Frank Briggs

STAR RATING:
####

WORDED RATING:
Nothing too fancy here, but I keep getting back to this book.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Rock/Funk - Content may suit every level

PUBLISHED BY:
Mel-bay

DESCRIPTION:

Not an how-to book. It is a plain and simple collection of about 200 grooves, each with an associated 4 bars fill. Anyone is likely to meet some challenge – depending upon the tempo that you’ll choose for each beat, and the level of “funkyness” you want to achieve.

Includes a well-done CD, which where all the patterns are played by the author, in a very groovy style.
 
DVD/Drum Book?

I am just wondering what you guys think of the Larry Finn "Accelerate your Drumming". Is it worth picking up. I have played drums for a number of years and I mainly play rock. I just want to diversify my playing. IN general put in some better fills and make beats that are little more intresting. Will this book help me out.

I took lessons for a number of years. But for the last four years I have not had a lesson and I wanna start learning again but more on my own.

Any other books that would be good. I'm not the best reader but I can read fine. I thought this one might be a good choice since it has a DVD and book. So I can slowly build up my reading skills.

Thank you for reading

Christian
 
Last edited:
lowender said:
Shame on all you brits for not mentioning this one sooner...

NAME:
The Art Of The Drummer - John Savage (Book with CD) (Spiral Bound)

STAR RATING:
#####

WORDED RATING:
The best single drumset (general not specialist) book I've come across. Covers the basics very very well.


I've searched for a little while for this book, but I am only coming up with UK shops that charge a lot to ship to the United States... Does anyone know where I can buy it in the US?

Thanks!
 
NAME:
DOUBLE BASS DRUMMING - JOE FRANCO
STAR RATING:
#####
WORDED RATING:
This is a must-have for double bass players. i've just started playing double bass and this is the best material i've seen. slightly dated but very applicable.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
any beginner to intermediate double bass drummer out there.
PUBLISHED BY:
warner videos.
DESCRIPTION:
okay, once you look past the funny facial expressions he pulls while drumming, the weird sound of his drums (1984 tuning!) and his slight speech impediment you find joe franco to be an amazing drum teacher. he is quick to the point and his explanations are excellent. he really gets you to understand what 8ths, 16ths and syncopation are and how they launch off the bass as an instrument. his way of showing how the exercises (and there are loads of them here) and talking you through them is unsurpassed. of course a lot of the d/bass material here is now a little dated but it is an excellent starting point into todays demands. he gives you lots of beats with tab and, while they belong to 80s metal riffs, they do strengthen your technique so you can play the stuff of the day. Studying him now is like a 70s rock drummer studying a jazz drummer from the 50s. There is so much there that can be customised once the skills have been aquired. he's not a show off...but a down to earth teacher with a lot to give. i hope to meet him one day.

j
 
Latin Groover said:
2 people have already done a review on creative control but ill do a quick one aswell. I just got this DVD and its great. Also this is my first drum DVD so my rating may differ from players.


I get your points and they do make sense to me since you said that you are a beginner. I am a pro (which doesn´t mean that I´m any good - it just means that I earn my rent and and fill my fridge by playing drums...) therefore it is a bit hard for me, to judge, if a beginner benefits from the DVD or not.


Now here´s what I actually CAN say about it:
I gave it to many of my students and all of them loved it, even the beginners. BUT: NO SINGLE ONE OF THEM really gained something out of it other than a motivation to practise, because they saw great Thomas playing all that crazy stuff.... Some tried to do the exercises and left them soon after, because the stuff was way to hard and - if you only focus on proper execution - boring. Coordination exercises only start becoming fun, once you´ve mastered them and can put them on the drums or better in music. For beginners (and I am now talking about beginners, who don´t know how to hold their sticks yet and are maybe 8 to 14 years old) this is just not it. period. These students need simple grooves, fills and play alongs that are fun and doable for them. If I´d show them some dbl bass examples from the DVD I´d just scare them away. Playing along with Queen or Micheal Jackson tunes is for beginners - they love it because they can do it and feel the music. Practising paradiddles with your feet while playing Flamaccents with your hands over it is NOT for beginners. Just imagine what a student (who doesn´t really have any clue about the drumming world yet) would look like, if you´d tell him: "OK, you did very well on "We will rock you", so lets just move on to some MultiPedalOrchestrations and 5 over 7 things on two HiHats!". You see?? These exercises are great - but they were not designed for beginners. Give them a foundation first - proper tech, rudiments, a Groove toolbox, some good fills. THEN show them, what to do with that stuff and where to put it. For this, the DVD is perfect - but such a student is no longer a true beginner.

Check out Thomas other DVDs - It is much easier to gain something out of them IMHO.

But as I said - I get your point and I guess that many people think about the DVD just like you do. Of course Thomas is great - he is in fact one of the best out there. His approach is very dogmatic and therefore easy to understand - he is just a great teacher. Thats also why I left the rating open - of course its a great DVD and great exercises. No doubt about it.

And I still stick to my point about the wasted time for the twineffect, long solos and MPOs - who the hell has got two or three pedals on each side of the drumset??? Actually I have, but only on my practise set to challenge myself. Live I´d never use that, it is simply to much stuff to carry, hehe.

[edit:] BTW - feels good to be back on the forum again...

Cheers
 
Instead of rehashing the same format for the vids already covered, I'll comment on some that I own or have rented. I'd also like to say that it really depends on what you are looking for in a dvd. Instructional? If so, what kind of learner? Do you like to watch and copy, or read notes and dive into theory? Not every dvd can appease all people.

___________________________

Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials -- great sounding drums, great layout with the different patterns, but very limited to new drummers and drummers looking for a quick beat in a genre they normally don't play. The most disappointing part of this video is the cool little things that Tommy plays at the end of the samples, but doesn't break down. For the more advanced drummers out there, it would have been nice of him to ellaborate.

I would suggest Groove Essentials to anyone who teaches too.

The production value is above average. The drums sound great, the video quality is good, but there is too much cheezy artistic stuff added for no reason (black and white/aged film look, etc.) I feel this takes away from the professionalism. But the soundtrack is much better than many.
____________________________

Steve Smith's History of the US Beat

This is a great "documentary" disk. It isn't for the step-by-step method of learning though. This is best owned by those who appreciate great drumming and great audio tracks. The solo at the beginning is enough to justify the price. Steve Smith could just make a video that says, this is my gear and this is why it sounds so great, and this is me, one of the three greatest drummers alive playing it!

Criticisms are valid. The history from 1984 to present rings something like "After I quit Journey I have been playing this really technical fusiony stuff with my band Vital Information". I'm afraid to count how many times he mentions his band.

Summary; If you like great playing and great sounding gear, get this one. Also, the history is interesting, especially Steve's thesis that everything is derived from the swing pattern. This is the best sounding drum dvd I've heard.

________________________________

John Blackwell Jr.

This one suffers from a lower production value than the other Hudson videos. The audio is great, however. The "question and answer" format however, was cheesy. John's drumming is great, but not quite everyone's cup of tea. He is technically very good, with fast feet, good hands, and a strong musical sense behind the kit. His showmanship is obviously a big plus for him. He is a very over the top type of player, and has amazing sounding drums. The writing isn't very good in this one, as the dvd sounds mostly like he's making it up off of a real rough outline the whole time. The transitions from segment to segment don't make sense sometimes. John is a great guy, but some people might find his public speaking skills a bit lacking. He says "uhm" a lot and just never seems confortable speaking.

The extras were kind of lacking but I did like the live performances with the band. And again, his drums and cymbals sound killer.

____________________________________-

Thomas Lang Creative Control -

I think this one is a love/hate type of cd. As for me, I'm leaning towards hate. This guy is ROBODRUMMER from hell. The audio again, is great, but the whole interview outside is just plain cheezy, right down to the dialogue and wardrobe. Also, I have a huge problem with the blatant product placement.. "And here are my Thomas Lang signature series cymbals from Meinl, and of course Sonor Drums are the best and I also play all these sonor pedals", "And these are my giant white drumsticks from Vic Firth" blah blah blah. It would be more believable if his cymbals didn't sound so awful! There are several cheesy pans that focus on brand labels and products too. To the dvd...I really like the way his chapters present one idea (single strokes, double strokes, combos, etc.) but I really dislike how he does one exercize then just busts into a very extreme and difficult pattern. For example, he explains how he gets really fat sounding double strokes, but doesn't show you HOW to do it! Same goes with the feet. This guy has probably the best feet I've ever seen and he uses them in interesting ways. But like the whole dvd, he seems to be doing it just to show you how good he is at it and forgets to teach us how to do it ourselves.

If you like technically insane drummers who use very interesting and unique concepts (5 hihats!) then this might be for you. Otherwise, you can be like me and just rationalize your inability to play that crazy complex stuff by playing a simple fat groove.

______________________

Steve Gadd: American Drummers Achievement Awards

This is NOT an instructional dvd. The playing on the cd is really good. It seems like the top notch musicians where all flown in and had one rehearsal session to try and get it down. After a lot of boring self-praising speeches about Armand Zildjian and Steve himself, you get to see some really cool "tribute" performances. Old pal James Taylor has a nice set, Tom Scott leads an interesting ensemble (Vinne Coliauta on "Nite Sprite" is really good). Then you get to see Steve himself play with Scott and the guys. I wish this dvd had a section just of the performances. Bill Cosby is really funny at times, but not funny enough for a 3 hour and 5 minute long dvd that has maybe an hour of music on it. The best part of this dvd is in the extras where you get to see the rehearsals.

______________________

Carter Beauford Under the Table and Drumming

I like CB a lot. If you don't know anything about him and his style this is a really interesting dvd for open hand playing. Otherwise there really isn't much new here (if you are a fan). Carter has a hard time "explaining" the licks he plays, but he plays them for you very well. Also, the little booklet has all the notes, which I found helpful. Again, I think this dvd suffers from too much filler and not enough playing. When he does play, they go into long sections of him just playing along to a track. Instead of hearing the entire songs, I would have rather seen him break down individually trickier sections. He really struggled explaining his cymbal crossover moves...he tries to verbalize it then just kinda says screw it and rips off a huge cymbal crossover pattern. This dvd is a real eye opener though for those who have never seen the huge kit he plays and how he applies the left hand lead/open hand playing style.

_____________________


That's all I can think of at the moment. When I get the rest of my stuff here, I might remember some I've forgotten. Also, I have Ed Soph's dvd on the way!

Stu
 
Re: SHED SESSIONZ VOL.1

fLaT-fIfTh said:
Everyone check out the trailer to my new dvd, Shed Sessionz Vol.1 and tell me what you think. It's a different concept in drum videos. I hope you enjoy it!! Here's the link:

www.gospelchops.com/index-4.html
Hey bro, maybe it's just me but I can't find the trailer anywhere on that page.
 
Jacko Wacko said:
hey everyone, do you guys buy these books/DVDs on the internet or in music shops or in bookshops or where?

I can't find any in my local music stores, so I buy them on the internet. I suggest buying them on Amazon.com through a link on the artist's page on Drummerworld. I think Drummerworld gets a cut of the price that way.
 
Yes indeed, buy your dvds from Bernhard's store. He gets a cut. Nothing that makes him rich, but it helps keep the servers going strong!
 
Stu_Strib said:
Yes indeed, buy your dvds from Bernhard's store. He gets a cut. Nothing that makes him rich, but it helps keep the servers going strong!


Yes exactly. At the moment the shop sells 15 DVD's a day. This are $ 750 a month.

ServerCosts are $ 3500.

Thanks for buying.

Bernhard
 
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