Teacher dilemma

[Abhishek]

Hey

I've been playing for about 2 and a half years, completely self taught. I've read a lot around, getting DVDs, learning about rebound, unburying the beater etc etc, and have followed them to develop my own technique.

Well, recent I joined a music school, and had my first class. This teacher, well I honestly think he's the best drummer in the music scene in my city, and I love his band and his drumming (progressive/fusion).

Well, he had a look at my technique, and told my some exercises. Well, let's say his techniques are slightly different than what I've read around to be 'ideal' techniques. He told me to lift my heel and 'bury' the beater while playing, while I normally let it bounce back, and keep my heel on the plate between strokes. Then, while discussing single strokes, he told me how I should not let the stick bounce, but hold the stick in the fingers firmly, and pull my stick back up, and he gave me an exercise to do. He also taught me his own trick of doing a double on the bass drum (which worked really well, while we were practicing).

He gave me some homework, which I'm working on, but I am a little confused. He obviously knows what he's doing, so I'm rather inclined to follow what he says. But, say his technique about burying the beater, should I completely change mine? I hope you are getting what I am saying.

[dairyairman]

there are a lot of really good drummers out there who bury the beater, but i personally don't like it because it kills the tone of the drum. you can also get kind of a "buzzing" thing going where the beater buzzes against the head when you bury it. i don't like it.

[Deltadrummer]

The answer is very simple. You respect this guy and love his drumming, do what he says.

Work out the different techniques he shows you. If they work for you, keep them. If not develop something else. you may find that ultimate what works best from you is some weird combination that you wouldn't have gotten to without trying new things and just going with textbook ideas. But since he is your teacher, you should listen to what he says or go somewhere else.

[toddy]

never dismiss what teachers have to say. but if you don't like his technique then you don't have to use it. sticks rebound. unburying the beater is a great dvd. that is all i will say. ;)

[grannydrums]

I have tried of teachers. It seems to me that the best ones are those that know and understand several techniques and are willing and able to teach you any of them.

the forums are full of which way is the best(bury the beater, bounce, dont bounce, german grip, french grip etc etc. and it seems to me that there is no best way for everybody--just the best way for you. I play open handed and have had several teachers who try to make me play cross handed, mainly i think because they do not know how to play open handed themselves. so i did not carry on with them.

Remember just because someone is a great drummer it does not make them a great teacher. A good teacher looks at you, at what you want to play and what is the best way for you to play it. He will be able to show you the different techniques available and help you decide which is best for you.

[ChuckSilverman]

when I went to Richard Wilson, here in LA, for lessons, I had been playing professionally for 10 years. I was 29 when I first went to Richard. He had me play a rudiment or two and then told me "I am going to teach you how to hold the sticks". I had been playing for many years at that time and I was, well...surprised and not ready to start all over again. Richard then, if memory serves, showed me a list of drummers waiting to study with him. Without naming names, they were some of the most musical and famous drummers in LA. I decided, quickly, to study with him and have never, ever regretted my decision.

I highly respected both my snare technique teachers, Richard Wilson and Murray Spivack. And, because of the high regard with which I hold them, I practiced hard and never came unprepared to my lessons. Never.

Respect for your teacher is paramount. Belief if what they teach you is the same, so very important.

Hope this helps.

[brentcn]

The answer may be this simple: your teacher is telling you to bury the beater and clench the sticks, because you do way too much of the opposite: you lightly tap the bass drum pedal and barely swing the sticks.

As a drum teacher myself, I have taught the "wrong" methods you describe, but always explained why to the student. If he hasn't, that's his problem as a teacher. Good playing does not always mean good teaching, but hopefully this is just a communication problem.

[Swiss Matthias]

To the OP: Did you actually ask your teacher about your dilemma? You should do that first before asking for advice in a forum - we all don't know you or your playing, and we don't know your teacher, let alone his thoughts and reasons.

[aydee]

Even amongst the formal techniques, I don't think there is a single '1' way of doing anything. Whether its grip, hand positions, stick control, foot technique etc etc..Each and everything has more than one way of studying it.

...

[MattRitter]

Hello, Abhishek

Thanks for mentioning my DVD and my bass drum techniques.

If your teacher is the best drummer in your local scene, then he's probably been drumming for a very long time...which means he probably learned his core arsenal of techniques quite a long time ago. When I started learning drums over 20 years ago, most of us were not being taught the modern techniques of today. Heck, in those days, I was being taught to play exclusively heel down and traditional grip...for rock! The techniques have evolved, and who knows how current your teacher is with that evolution.

Remember, my Modern Drummer article which coined the phrase "Unburying The Beater" only came out in 2004. My video on the subject only came out in 2005! As someone who's been drumming just 2 years, you may feel that this is a long time ago, but to a pro like your teacher, it's very recent. There is an extremely good chance that your teacher has never even heard of the "Unburying The Beater" approach. If you read the reviews on my website, you will see that many of the greatest drummers and drum teachers in the world have claimed to learn something new from my DVD.

With this in mind....what about loaning my video to your teacher and honestly explaining to him that you've been feeling good about these techniques you've been working on? I expect that one of 3 things will happen:

1) He will watch my video, understand what you've been talking about, and support you in perfecting this approach. With his experienced eyes and ears, he will be able to correct you on where you might be interpreting my instructions incorrectly, or where you might still need to polish certain aspects. He might even adopt some of the "Unburying The Beater" techniques to use in his own playing.

2) He will watch my video, understand what you've been talking about, but still honestly feel that it's not the best way to go. He will logically explain to you what he perceives to be the pros and cons, and he will logically explain why he recommends that you follow a different road.

3) He will skim my video half-heartedly and defensively try his best to simply dismiss it. He will bash everything he can about my playing, my teaching, and even my haircut so that he doesn't have to learn my techniques or help you to learn them.

If your teacher does #1 or #2, you've probably got a good teacher there, and you can simply decide if you feel the interaction with him is helping you to grow as a drummer. If he does #3, you obviously need to run as fast as you can away from him and never look back. hahaha

Best of luck.