Drum Instruction DVD & Book Reviews

A quick note of thanks to this thread for pointing me in the right direction. I was about to post asking for suggestions on 'essential' books before I saw this, and...well, my copy of Stick Control arrived today and I can see a lot of my free time disappearing in the near future.

Somebody asked about Drums for Dummies earlier in the thread, and my two cents - I like it, it is a good book for beginners and it's what I used for the first year, year and a half, but it is very much a book interested in covering the basics. I'm in the process of trying to learn to play double strokes properly because DfD wasn't helpful there.
 
Name
Modern Rudimental Swing Solos for the Advanced Drummer
Author
Charley Wilcoxon
Rating
####
Target Audience
This book can work for just about everybody

Description
I didn't see anyone mention this one yet, so I thought I would share it. This book is a classic, although not without it its faults. It is a collection of snare solos, some really great and some less than stellar. Philly Joe was said to have practiced from it religiously, and in my experience it is a great way to start building up both rudimental vocabulary, as well as ideas for phrasing solos. It is also a real challenge to practice with brushes (Kenny Washington apparently has spent a lot of time on this). I do have some small issues with the way it is organized, and as I mentioned some of the solos leave something to be desired. But overall, if you haven't checked it out it is definitely worth your time as it is one of the better snare solo books.
 
M&M II, Language of Drumming, Taking Center Stage

Todd Sucherman's Methods and Mechanics II is a great accompanying dvd to M&M I. It is all about tips and tricks on the road as well as going other particular grooves, odd times, and sticking. I strongly suggest if you enjoyed the first DVD. Though if you have not seen the first DVD then I would watch it before M&M II because it constantly is referencing techniques from the first DVD.

Benny Greb's Language of Drumming is excellent as well. Lots of different things in this DVD from playing on a breakfast nook table to a log in the woods. Very fun to watch and incredibly informative.

Lastly, Neil Peart's Taking Center Stage is one of the coolest DVDs I've ever seen. It has everything a Neil Peart and a Rush fan could ask for. Track by track break downs from the Time Machine tour, Drum cam footage from the Time Machine tour, rehearsal and sound check footage before shows, Neil's drum tech breaking down the nuts and bolts of touring. Interviews from the DW worker who created Neil's Time Machine and Hockey kits. And much much more. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
 
Hello drummers,

I've just recently released a new Drum Instruction eBook with accompanying DVD's entitled, "The Greatest Drum Beats & Grooves Of All Time".

This massive eBook lists the greatest drum grooves from Over 130 Songs, 240 individual drum beats taught in total! The double DVD accompaniment demonstrates 120 of the best drum beats from the book, both slowly and up to speed.

I'm very proud of it and it's receiving great reviews so far. You can check it out on my website here Learn 100's Of Drum Beats & Grooves.

Or you can purchase a copy for your Amazon Kindle (does not include double DVD's though) here if you live in the UK Learn To Play Drum Beats & Grooves On Your Kindle (UK). Or HERE if you live in the States.

Looks kinda cool, it's great to have a big bunch of classic drumming in one book and a good resource for beginners to get up to speed. Is the Kindle version just a PDF file?

How accurate are your transcriptions, and to what extent have you tested them out? I mean, did you get other players to go through the book and look for mistakes?
 
Re: M&M II, Language of Drumming, Taking Center Stage

Todd Sucherman's Methods and Mechanics II is a great accompanying dvd to M&M I. It is all about tips and tricks on the road as well as going other particular grooves, odd times, and sticking. I strongly suggest if you enjoyed the first DVD. Though if you have not seen the first DVD then I would watch it before M&M II because it constantly is referencing techniques from the first DVD.

Yeah, i really like Methods and Mechanics II. My only complaint is i wish the exercises Todd goes over were available in PDF format on the disk. I had to stop the DVD to jot down the stuff i wanted to work on. Reminds me of the old "Hot Licks" videos. Todd even makes a comment about not spoon feeding the viewer and making them do the work themselves, which i thought was right on!

I see that Todd will have a companion book and CD soon to MMI so i guess he'll make everyone "work for it" only on MMII. LOL!

You definitely want to have MMI first.
 
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NAME: "A Fresh Approach to the Snare Drum" by Mark Wessels

STAR RATING: #####

WORDED RATING: A unique, well thought out, well executed, and comprehensive course on snare drum playing. Highly recommended for any beginner looking to learn snare drum playing. Also perfect for an instructor who needs a syllabus.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Beginners, Teachers.

PUBLISHED BY: Mark Wessels Publications. Available only from the publisher's website.

DESCRIPTION: This book is unique in that it is a complete course, organized as 20 lessons, covering all aspects of snare drum playing. It covers, technique, rhythms, rudiments, and reading all in a natural progression. For example, on the topic of reading, it starts by introducing the staff, measures, and quarter notes in lesson 1. By lesson 6, it's up to odd time signatures and 16th notes. By lesson 13, it's up to dynamic markings, and by the end (lesson 20), it's covered alternate endings and Dal Segno. New rhythms and rudiments are likewise introduced in a logical sequence through the lessons. There's also a nice sequence of exercises that isolate specific movements and help develop, for example, accents and flams. Each lesson concludes with an Etude that incorporates elements from previous lessons. There's even a guide with recommended speeds progressing through the lessons. For example, the single paradiddle is introduced in lesson 5, at which point it recommends that it be played as quarter notes, starting at 90 bpm. By lesson 10, it recommends 8th notes at 140 bpm (quarter-note beat). By the end, it recommends getting to 16th notes at 100 bpm (quarter-note beat). Finally, on the Vic Firth web site and on iTunes, there are videos by Mark that accompany lessons 1-13.

Personally, I think that this is a great book, and Mark has done a great job being comprehensive and organizing the topics into lessons with a natural progression. I've been using this book to self-teach, and I expect that that would make Mark cringe, since I'm pretty sure that he intended this book to be used with an instructor, not to replace an instructor. (I don't disagree, and I do plan to get an instructor.) With an instructor, this book is a great way to learn. Moreover, as a framework, it can be nicely supplemented with technique DVDs and additional exercises from other great books such as Stick Control and Syncopation.
 
NAME:
The Groove Is Here, Steve Jordan
STAR RATING:
#####
WORDED RATING:
A great video for drummers interested in having an amazing, grooving sound.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
beginning through advanced
PUBLISHED BY:
Rittor Music
DESCRIPTION:
This is geared towards drummers who play or want to play multiple instruments and who may be interested in songwriting/production work. There aren't a ton of "contemporary" licks in it, but it's filled with classic licks that make for an epic drummer.

Here's an example of what you can do as a result -- http://youtu.be/tyzly-yM7Oc
 
NAME:
Todd Sucherman- Methods and Mechanics II
STAR RATING:
#####
WORDED RATING:
A great follow up to M & M 1 with a lot of great solos, ideas and song analyses.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Intermediate to Advanced
PUBLISHED BY:
Hudson Music
DESCRIPTION:
Great lessons on ghost notes, beat displacements and odd phrasing, challenging hand exercises and breakdowns of songs that Todd has played on with Styx and Taylor Mills to put it all in a musical context. Some examples are notated on screen, others you'll have to write out yourself . Also features some great clips of Todd on the road with Styx, lessons about life on the road, and some more of the infamous "Quick Tips".

NAME:
Antonio Sanchez- Master Series
STAR RATING:
#####
WORDED RATING:
A great insight into the playing of one of the premier jazz drummers of our time.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Intermediate to Advanced
PUBLISHED BY:
Hudson Music
DESCRIPTION:
Unlike most drum instructional DVD's, this one is in a clinic format with a live audience on screen asking questions. Antonio plays several songs from both his solo album "Migration" and the Pat Metheny Group, and breaks down concepts covered in each. Antonio gives a lot of great advice about practice routines, technique, developing independence and other ideas for all around musical drumming. Great for anyone interested in advancing their jazz playing, or interested in left foot clave. Only gripe would be that the PDF ebook could have been much thicker.
 
Here's a fabulous book that I don't see mentioned yet, so I will.

NAME:
Keith Copeland's Creative Coordination for the Performing Drummer

STAR RATING:
#####

WORDED RATING:
Fabulous for learning Jazz, Latin (Brazilian and Cuban), and Rock/Funk. Many of these ideas can be applied to books such as Syncopation.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
For the advanced beginner drum set player and beyond.

PUBLISHED BY:
Carl Fischer Music

DESCRIPTION:
Table of Contents:
1. Slow To Medium Tempo Swing
2. Bossa Nova Clave
3. Funk And Fusion
4. Samba Rhythms
5. Up Tempo Swing
6. Cuban Rhythms
7. Half-time Swing
 
"Hands, Grooves, & Fills" for me, has been a Godsend. It covers Hand Technique exercises...and REALLY good exercises, short and sweet, that have helped my chops. The "Rudiment TAB System" has helped me to quickly put rudiments together in combinations..lots of fun

The Grooves section? 50 play along beats..ranging from Pop/rock style, to Funk/Fusion, to Brazilian Funk..Real beats that work, cool phrasing and accent variations...I also use the tracks to make up my own grooves and variations

Fills....THIS is where it does it for me...He breaks down various split 16th movements in the book, then shows the orchestrations and phrasing on the DVD..as well as sextuplet and ratamacue style fills I've heard Gadd or Weckl do..now I can do some of these and add my own..

He also does a pretty amazing solo..which is hear on DW, I think, and he plays all the tracks on the DVD

WELL worth it...5 stars, a great educational package!
 
Name
Modern Rudimental Swing Solos for the Advanced Drummer
Author
Charley Wilcoxon
Rating
####
Target Audience
This book can work for just about everybody

Description
I didn't see anyone mention this one yet, so I thought I would share it. This book is a classic, although not without it its faults. It is a collection of snare solos, some really great and some less than stellar. Philly Joe was said to have practiced from it religiously, and in my experience it is a great way to start building up both rudimental vocabulary, as well as ideas for phrasing solos. It is also a real challenge to practice with brushes (Kenny Washington apparently has spent a lot of time on this). I do have some small issues with the way it is organized, and as I mentioned some of the solos leave something to be desired. But overall, if you haven't checked it out it is definitely worth your time as it is one of the better snare solo books.

This is a great book to have around, open, set a metronome and READ! Even the weirder ones help because they are weird - or as that last person said "less than stellar." You find that everywhere in the real world.
 
Name
Modern Rudimental Swing Solos for the Advanced Drummer
Author
Charley Wilcoxon
Rating
####
Target Audience
This book can work for just about everybody

Description
I didn't see anyone mention this one yet, so I thought I would share it. This book is a classic, although not without it its faults. It is a collection of snare solos, some really great and some less than stellar. Philly Joe was said to have practiced from it religiously, and in my experience it is a great way to start building up both rudimental vocabulary, as well as ideas for phrasing solos. It is also a real challenge to practice with brushes (Kenny Washington apparently has spent a lot of time on this). I do have some small issues with the way it is organized, and as I mentioned some of the solos leave something to be desired. But overall, if you haven't checked it out it is definitely worth your time as it is one of the better snare solo books.

OK, so a couple of things:

I'm literally just starting out with drums. I have an acoustic set as well as a new e-kit, but have to part with my acoustic set because I never get to play it (too loud, neighbors, etc). Anyway, the e-kit has been great so far and has really allowed me to log more time since I can play whenever I want with headphones.


I've never had an instructor, never had any training, so I'm looking for some really nice beginner books to work with that are easy to understand and follow.


the books I have now are:

Syncopation of the Modern Drummer
Stick Control
Groove Essentials (vol 1)
The Drummer's Bible

What do you recommend as far as metronome speed also? Any tips to a brand new drummer that you can offer would be much appreciated. I'm serious about learning and I look forward to improving my skills. I've been logging 2+ hours of practice/playing nightly!


Sorry, but half this thread is missing (like many of the other threads).


*Edit* actually, it looks like these threads go in reverse. never seen that before . . .
Metronome speed should only be fast enough that you are still playing an exercise correctly then pushing it up a couple clicks at a time until it's clean again. It can take time - but that's the fastest way to move ahead. Anybody else agree or can add to that? Also, taking any exercise and playing at a REALLY slow tempo will teach your brain about timing better than anything. It may sound easier, but some things are more difficult at a really slow groove. This excersize has helped with my studio recording sessions a lot!

Started with Haskell Harr;
Gary Chaffee's sticking patterns;
Stick Control - the best for hand and working into drumset!;
The Paradiddle Workbook - great for measuring and gaining speed and improving hand and foot coordination. I had the hard copy and I downloaded it for my Ipad for traveling; Gary Chester's New Breed - same importance as Stick Control! This one is a must for independence!
 
NAME:
The Funkmasters - The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections 1960-1973
by Allan "Dr. Licks" Slutsky and Chuck Silverman
Includes: 144-page lesson book, with 2-CD audio representations of all lessons, performed by Chuck Silverman (Drums), Steve Beskrone and Jimmy Williams (Bass), and Alan Slutsky (Guitars)

STAR RATING:
# # # #

WORDED RATING:
A great approach to breaking down and analyzing early funk rhythm sections, with great stories and historical references into this era.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Technically, this is a beginner-to-intermediate lesson book, but the great stories and interviews included will appeal to all skill levels of fans of this genre.

PUBLISHED BY:
Alfred / Manhattan Music Publications, 1996/1997

DESCRIPTION:

Dr. Licks and Chuck Silverman break down an analyze the men and music responsible for 23 of "The Godfather of Soul's" most influential songs from the 1960-to-1973 era. They start by profiling the history of each song, followed by a combined transcribed score of key rhythm section parts that define the song. They then take this one step further by breaking down the drums, bass, and guitars in seperate, insightful pieces, all accompanied by their own individual tracks on the CD's.

(From the book)
"The Funkmasters" is a multi-purpose book that aims to tell a story and teach a musical style at the same time. As an historical text, it traces the evolution of James Brown's most important rhythm sections by profiling the lives and careers of ground breaking drummers, bassists and guitarists. It also supplies background information and inside musicians stories that, hopefully, will make hits like "Cold Sweat" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" come alive for you.
The transcriptions - which form the backbone of this book - offer the first in-depth, charted documentation of what James Brown's musicians actually played on these monumental recordings. Aside from the raw notes that are printed on the page, the presentation of the arrangements is intended to be a musical tutorial that helps you play and understand these tunes by giving you a feel for the attitudes, concepts, and musical trends that went into their creation."


Another interesting approach of this book is that the author presents the tracks in a historical reference, starting with older tracks like "Think" (recorded in 1960), and "I Don't Mind" (recorded in1962), moving on to all-time favorites like "I Got You" (recorded in 1965), "Give it up or turnit a Loose" (recorded in 1968), "Get Up (I feel like a) Sex Machine" (recorded in 1970), and closing out with "The Payback" (recorded in 1973). By taking this approach, you really get a sense of how the music evolved through this time period as it opened up into a bigger, bolder, more intense and emotionally charged genre.

The lessons give great insight into JB's army of drummers from this era, including: Nat Kendrick, Clayton Fillyau, Melvin Parker, John "Jab-O" Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, William Bowman and Nate Jones.

(From the Book)
"I Got the Feelin", Clyde Stubblefield - Drums
Clyde must have been going through backbeat aversion therapy when he cut this track. With the exception of one solid hit on the second beat of the verse groove's second bar, every snare drum attack in this song is either ghosted or moved over to an upbeat. Downbeats on the kick drum are also a rarity. Their only occurance is on the first beat of each phrase. Add the upbeat accents of the open-and-closed hi-hat figures to this mix and it spells: Y-O-U N-E-E-D T-O P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E.
Because there is so little to hang on to in the way of solid downbeats, you must be constantly aware of where "one" is, or this groove falls off the table. It might help to start by learning the bridge pattern first as it's a simpler and more accessable version of the verse groove. Take your hat off when you listen to Clive playing on this recording. You're in the midst of greatness."

(this is followed by the transcribed music lesson).

All in all, this is an excellent resource for anyone interesting in deep-diving this musical genre, and is presented in a way that's educational, interesting, entertaining, and precise. While more experienced and accomplished drummers may only take a few sessions to work through this material, it presents a great foundation for teaching drummers of all levels to break down and analyze the music of this era and genre.

The only drawback for me is that it is an older instructional piece, and therefore the quality of the CD recordings does leave something to be desired. However, the examples are clear and concise enough to get their message across, and with the advent of "music on-demand" via YouTube or purchase tracks from Amazon or iTunes, cross referencing these lessons with the actual recordings can be almost instantaneous.

(Consider yourself a lot luckier than us old fogies who had to run to the record store to buy new music!)

And if you have an unruly bass player who tends to play notes that sacrifice the groove? I highly recommend this book!

- Ground Pounder -
 
NAME:
The Funkmasters - The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections 1960-1973
by Allan "Dr. Licks" Slutsky and Chuck Silverman
Includes: 144-page lesson book, with 2-CD audio representations of all lessons, performed by Chuck Silverman (Drums), Steve Beskrone and Jimmy Williams (Bass), and Alan Slutsky (Guitars)

STAR RATING:
# # # #

WORDED RATING:
A great approach to breaking down and analyzing early funk rhythm sections, with great stories and historical references into this era.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Technically, this is a beginner-to-intermediate lesson book, but the great stories and interviews included will appeal to all skill levels of fans of this genre.

PUBLISHED BY:
Alfred / Manhattan Music Publications, 1996/1997

DESCRIPTION:

Dr. Licks and Chuck Silverman break down an analyze the men and music responsible for 23 of "The Godfather of Soul's" most influential songs from the 1960-to-1973 era. They start by profiling the history of each song, followed by a combined transcribed score of key rhythm section parts that define the song. They then take this one step further by breaking down the drums, bass, and guitars in seperate, insightful pieces, all accompanied by their own individual tracks on the CD's.

(From the book)
"The Funkmasters" is a multi-purpose book that aims to tell a story and teach a musical style at the same time. As an historical text, it traces the evolution of James Brown's most important rhythm sections by profiling the lives and careers of ground breaking drummers, bassists and guitarists. It also supplies background information and inside musicians stories that, hopefully, will make hits like "Cold Sweat" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" come alive for you.
The transcriptions - which form the backbone of this book - offer the first in-depth, charted documentation of what James Brown's musicians actually played on these monumental recordings. Aside from the raw notes that are printed on the page, the presentation of the arrangements is intended to be a musical tutorial that helps you play and understand these tunes by giving you a feel for the attitudes, concepts, and musical trends that went into their creation."


Another interesting approach of this book is that the author presents the tracks in a historical reference, starting with older tracks like "Think" (recorded in 1960), and "I Don't Mind" (recorded in1962), moving on to all-time favorites like "I Got You" (recorded in 1965), "Give it up or turnit a Loose" (recorded in 1968), "Get Up (I feel like a) Sex Machine" (recorded in 1970), and closing out with "The Payback" (recorded in 1973). By taking this approach, you really get a sense of how the music evolved through this time period as it opened up into a bigger, bolder, more intense and emotionally charged genre.

The lessons give great insight into JB's army of drummers from this era, including: Nat Kendrick, Clayton Fillyau, Melvin Parker, John "Jab-O" Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, William Bowman and Nate Jones.

(From the Book)
"I Got the Feelin", Clyde Stubblefield - Drums
Clyde must have been going through backbeat aversion therapy when he cut this track. With the exception of one solid hit on the second beat of the verse groove's second bar, every snare drum attack in this song is either ghosted or moved over to an upbeat. Downbeats on the kick drum are also a rarity. Their only occurance is on the first beat of each phrase. Add the upbeat accents of the open-and-closed hi-hat figures to this mix and it spells: Y-O-U N-E-E-D T-O P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E.
Because there is so little to hang on to in the way of solid downbeats, you must be constantly aware of where "one" is, or this groove falls off the table. It might help to start by learning the bridge pattern first as it's a simpler and more accessable version of the verse groove. Take your hat off when you listen to Clive playing on this recording. You're in the midst of greatness."

(this is followed by the transcribed music lesson).

All in all, this is an excellent resource for anyone interesting in deep-diving this musical genre, and is presented in a way that's educational, interesting, entertaining, and precise. While more experienced and accomplished drummers may only take a few sessions to work through this material, it presents a great foundation for teaching drummers of all levels to break down and analyze the music of this era and genre.

The only drawback for me is that it is an older instructional piece, and therefore the quality of the CD recordings does leave something to be desired. However, the examples are clear and concise enough to get their message across, and with the advent of "music on-demand" via YouTube or purchase tracks from Amazon or iTunes, cross referencing these lessons with the actual recordings can be almost instantaneous.

(Consider yourself a lot luckier than us old fogies who had to run to the record store to buy new music!)

And if you have an unruly bass player who tends to play notes that sacrifice the groove? I highly recommend this book!

- Ground Pounder -

nice job dude...i so happy now i join in this comunity:)
 
NAME:
Learn and Master Drums

STAR RATING:
# # # # #

WORDED RATING:
A thorough, well thought-out complete drumming instruction course covering everything an aspiring drummer needs to get started playing drums; also for intermediate players wanting to hone certain skills

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Mostly for beginners, and to a lesser extent intermediate players but they certainly will also benefit; not so much for advanced players except to glean ideas from a fellow pro

PUBLISHED BY:
Legacy Learning Systems

DESCRIPTION:
I found this to be a great course, especially for the beginner, to hit the ground running as far as learning to play the drums. Instructor Dann Sherrill is a very patient and kind teacher interested in the student having fun while gaining the skills necessary to make drumming fun, with a solid foundation. In addition to teaching the basics, Mr. Sherrill shows how to use the newly acquired skills to play different genres of music, and what you need to know to play in a band setting.

Please read the complete review and see if it's for you! A very well put together program worth serious consideration.

I actually just ordered this through Amazon (for $50 off) based on the lesson book that is available online here http://www.learnandmaster.com/drums/resources/

From perusing through the lesson book it looks like a fairly comprehensive course to get someone new like myself off and running.

Update: I have the course and have viewed the bonus CD and also lessons 1&2. I'm breezing through 1&2 because I've already been practicing these foundational beats. However, the instructor really presents the material well, is thorough, and has a great teaching style. This looks to be a great investment in my new musical journey. Highly recommended. Currently $95 through Amazon - 12 DVD's, 5 play-along CD's and a 112 page lesson book. Fantastic deal.
 
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DVD NAME:
Rudimental Beats

STAR RATING:
#####

WORDED RATING:
One of the essential few instructional videos if you want to improve your hands.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
All skill levels. Everyone using sticks: drum set players, concert drummers, marching drummers.

PUBLISHED BY:
Bill Bachman
http://billbachman.net

DESCRIPTION:
I am drum set player and pretty much an instructional drum video junkie! I love studying videos by masters such as Steve Smith, JoJo Mayer, Jim Chapin, John Riley, Tommy Igoe, and Dave Weckl. I watch these masters over and over and pick up something new each time. Plus, I have studied about 20+ other instructional drum videos. And while each video was worth the purchase price to me, lots of drummers just want to buy the essential one or two or few drumming videos.

In my opinion, this video, Rudimental Beats is one of the essential few. For me, it became an instant classic on stick technique while being the least well known of what I see as the best of the five-star videos. While there is no big promotional campaign to advertise this video, you might recognize the name, Bill Bachman. He is a columnist for Modern Drummer magazine and is becoming more widely known for excellence in teaching hand technique. He is also a “Vic Firth” artist. Bachman has been called, The Hands Doctor. I cannot argue with that. ...OK. Back to the video.

When it comes to a streamlined approach to improving stick technique, I like this video by Bachman as well or better than any other I have ever seen, including videos I have seen from the masters listed above. Overall, I like the way Bachman teaches hand technique within the context of common sense, physics, and physiology all while being able to clearly demonstrate his points with his own great hands. To highlight a few details: a) I like the way he teaches double-strokes and triple-strokes, b) I like his approach to developing speed, and c) His take on the rudiments is refreshing and spot on, for me.

This is a technical and practical video to help us get our hands happening by covering what to practice and how to practice. Last, but not least Bill Bachman's “Get Good Quick Plan” is both innovative and practical.

I hope this review helps you choose your next video.
 
Jason,

Thank you so much. You may not know how much your post, and others like it, have meant to me. Making that DVD turned out to be much more expensive, time consuming, and mentally taxing than I ever dreamed when I first began it. I can honestly say that it was the biggest challenge of my entire life so far. Now that it's finished, marketing it and getting the word out is a whole challenge of its own. This DVD has really been quite a journey! When I get feedback like yours, it makes me feel that it has all been worthwhile. Your comments are sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

Matt Ritter
Bass Drum Techniques For Today's Drummer
www.UnBuryingTheBeater.com

I just ordered this DVD, cant wait to get it!! Thanks Jason for recommending this
 
NAME:
http://www.yourmusicmuse.com/lessons

STAR RATING:
####

WORDED RATING:
A bunch of HD lessons only available online from guys like Jeremy Hummel ex-Breaking Benjamin.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Beginner to advanced

PUBLISHED BY:
MusicMuse

DESCRIPTION:
New site that is taking the online lesson scene by storm. Forget Jared Falk and his limited approach. This site has many teachers from all different backgrounds so you can get a lot of approaches to learning the drums. This is helpful because not everyone learns the same way or connects with every teacher.

I use this site and others in addition to my in person lessons I am taking but honestly I am at a point were everything my in person teacher is telling me I have already seen on musicmuse. I can see where it might be tougher for beginners because they won't know for sure if they are playing correctly.

I'd still advise beginners to have in person teachers!
 
A couple of recent acquisitions from Hudson Digital:

NAME:
John Blackwell: Hudson Music Master Series

STAR RATING:
#####

WORDED RATING:
A great insight into the mind of a modern master with some great performances and solos.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Intermediate/Advanced

PUBLISHED BY:
Hudson Music

DESCRIPTION:
Similar to the Steve Gadd and Antonio Sanchez Master Series, this one is filmed in a clinic setting. John plays a couple of tunes with a band featuring bass master Gary Grainger, answers questions and demonstrates various grooves, foot techniques and stick tricks. John's teacher, Marcus Williams, stops by for a lesson on foot technique and plays a tune with John which ends in an incredible drum duel. I'd recommend this to anyone who's interested in funk, fusion and R&B drumming. John is very soft spoken, but comes off as very down to earth and has some very interesting stories. Whether you just watch the performances or try and integrate some of the ideas in your own playing, this is a must buy.

NAME:
Jason Bittner- What Drives The Beat

STAR RATING:
# # # ##

WORDED RATING:
A very musical and accessible method to learn metal drums taught by one of today's premier metal drummers.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
Intermediate to advanced

PUBLISHED BY:
Hudson Music

DESCRIPTION:

Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner presents what I have found to be by far the most musical and accessible method of learning metal drums. The DVD starts off with Jason presenting his pre-show warm up routine, and goes on to cover rudimental ideas (shown in the context of the song "Redemption"), skank beats, double bass, blast beats, two handed riding, fills and soloing. The DVD concludes with Jason's "metalfying" approach in which he demonstrates how to use a wide variety of styles in a metal context. For someone like me who's only a casual metal fan, I found this DVD to be far more accessible than the Derek Roddy or George Kollias DVD's- although someone with more extreme tastes would probably get more out of those. Jason is a fantastic teacher who is very dedicated to his craft, and he has presented a fantastic method for learning metal drums. If you're just getting into metal or want some new ideas to spice up your metal playing, I highly recommend this one!
 
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