Your mentors,who helped you be the drummer you are?

[iCe]

When i started drumming around 1999 (more or less a guess) i was 15 or 16 years old. Just got a kit with some cymbals and started bashing away.
Didn't had a teacher or i think it didn't occur to me to take lessons. I just enjoyed playing to recordings and trying to emulate as much as i could what i heard on the tracks. Knew some friends that did had lessons and they gave me some pointers. Somewhere in 2005 i got my first instructional DVD (Mike Portnoy - Liquid Drum Theater, still have the receipt in the cover, but too lazy to look on the date haha) and learned so much from it. Got a couple of others (Marco Minneman - Extreme Drumming, Bobby Jarzombek - Performance & Technique and Thomas Lang - Creative Control) later that year as well after i took a month or 2 lessons from a local session drummer. Only remember his first name though, but i learned a lot like reading notes and also to be critical on your own playing.

I was a bit arrogant at that time since everyone i know was like 'your such a good drummer' and that really helped me get my feet back on the ground again. Also helped me a lot with tuning (gone were the O-rings, much to dislike of my band haha), ergonomics and dynamics. Sadly i had to quit, because i made long working days and was so tired that i wanted to sleep after dinner and not rehearse exercises etc.

I'm so glad i grew up in the time internet was up and coming. I learned so much from this site and the videos (joined the forum not so long ago), but mostly from the other DVD's i collected over the years. Technically not mentors, but those drummers did help me with their DVD's to develop my playing and being self-aware on what you should improve.

Now thinking of it... the guitar player i play with (he's 17 years older) since 2011 also more or less coaches and challenges me. When i'm sloppy, he tells me. When my timing is off, he tells me. When i nail a part, he encourages me to go on.

 

[8Mile]

This is a really cool idea for a thread.

My first mentor was a high school friend named Ajit who played drums. I was already interested in learning how to play, but he was so accomplished already. He had played in a drum corps led by rudimental drumming legend Ken Mazur and then went on to study drum set with some great teachers, one of whom became my first formal teacher. He was my idol, it seemed like he could play everything. I think about all the music I would never have been exposed to if not for him, from fusion, to progressive rock, to bebop.

We reconnected a few years ago and we jumped right into talking drums, like no time had passed, even though that was decades ago. He's a retinal surgeon now, doesn't really play these days. But his son now plays the drums, so he passed that on to the next generation.

It's not just formal educators who influence us. I had a friend who could answer all my questions about the drums and show me how to do what I wanted to do. No price tag can be put on that.

 

[WhoIsTony?]

Wow, what a great story. Really inspiring to read. My lessons with Michael Carvin are very similar. I went over 18 months of lessons without even touching sticks as well, and learned more than I ever thought I would. I can only imagine what it would be like to sit and talk with Elvin, pick up his mannerisms, hear his speech in just a 1:1 conversation, etc... What type of thinker was he? I am really curious about this!!

Elvin was a really great guy.
Very philosophical.
He spoke a lot about seeing colors when hearing sounds.
He did not like to talk about his past playing very much... would always shrug it off.
He loved to have a few beers and share a bucket of steamed clams and just talk about life ... he loved boxing.
We were working on some Max Roach stuff one time and I asked about a sticking I should use and I thought he was going to kill me... hahaha... he slammed his huge mitt down on my sticks and told me to never talk about stickings.
He was all about playing from your heart and producing the sound you heard in your head by any means necessary.
No technique discussions and we never once opened a book... it was all about producing from your heart.

one of my favorite things that happened ... it's kind of long but worth it ...

As I was leaving one day he said to go home and transcribe the Max Roach solo from Stompin at the Savoy off the Clifford Brown record ... Elvin loved Max.
So I did that ... and proudly brought it with me to our next meeting... he never mentioned it.
I brought it with me for about 2 months after that but he never mentioned it again so I never said anything about it... if I'm honest I was pretty nervous about it so if he didn't remember I wasn't going to bring it up.
All the while I was refining it and making changes at home.
After about 3 months I stopped bringing it and just went on working on whatever we were doing.
So fast forward to about 4 months after he originally asked me to do it ... I'm leaving our meeting and he says ... "hey before you go play me that Max solo "
I responded ... "oh no, I don't have the transcription with me."
Elvin says... "I didn't ask you to play the transcription mother F#$%er I said play the solo!"
So I sat down and played what I remembered ... which turned out to be way more than I thought I would remember... and what I couldn't recall I just improvised through.
When I finished Elvin laughed that big scratchy laugh he had with that enormous smile and said ... "get the f#$@ outta here"
I have that solo memorized to this day

one of my life's fondest memories and most treasured moments is when he pulled a cymbal bag out of a trunk in this back room he had and said to me ... "these are some cymbals I played with John."

I nearly fainted ... zero hyperbole ... I literally got dizzy

there were small pieces of what looked like painters tape on most of them marking small cracks

he let me tap on one of them ... incredible

I remember it had a very warn spot in the center band where he had played it for years and years and the hole was pretty keyholed

Elvin said he liked a keyhole because it kept the cymbal where he liked it while playing hard

 

[dmacc_2]

Elvin was a really great guy.
Very philosophical.
He spoke a lot about seeing colors when hearing sounds.
He did not like to talk about his past playing very much... would always shrug it off.
He loved to have a few beers and share a bucket of steamed clams and just talk about life ... he loved boxing.
We were working on some Max Roach stuff one time and I asked about a sticking I should use and I thought he was going to kill me... hahaha... he slammed his huge mitt down on my sticks and told me to never talk about stickings.
He was all about playing from your heart and producing the sound you heard in your head by any means necessary.
No technique discussions and we never once opened a book... it was all about producing from your heart.

one of my favorite things that happened ... it's kind of long but worth it ...

As I was leaving one day he said to go home and transcribe the Max Roach solo from Stompin at the Savoy off the Clifford Brown record ... Elvin loved Max.
So I did that ... and proudly brought it with me to our next meeting... he never mentioned it.
I brought it with me for about 2 months after that but he never mentioned it again so I never said anything about it... if I'm honest I was pretty nervous about it so if he didn't remember I wasn't going to bring it up.
All the while I was refining it and making changes at home.
After about 3 months I stopped bringing it and just went on working on whatever we were doing.
So fast forward to about 4 months after he originally asked me to do it ... I'm leaving our meeting and he says ... "hey before you go play me that Max solo "
I responded ... "oh no, I don't have the transcription with me."
Elvin says... "I didn't ask you to play the transcription mother F#$%er I said play the solo!"
So I sat down and played what I remembered ... which turned out to be way more than I thought I would remember... and what I couldn't recall I just improvised through.
When I finished Elvin laughed that big scratchy laugh he had with that enormous smile and said ... "get the f#$@ outta here"
I have that solo memorized to this day

one of my life's fondest memories and most treasured moments is when he pulled a cymbal bag out of a trunk in this back room he had and said to me ... "these are some cymbals I played with John."

I nearly fainted ... zero hyperbole ... I literally got dizzy

there were small pieces of what looked like painters tape on most of them marking small cracks

he let me tap on one of them ... incredible

I remember it had a very warn spot in the center band where he had played it for years and years and the hole was pretty keyholed

Elvin said he liked a keyhole because it kept the cymbal where he liked it while playing hard

An amazing story. Perhaps my favorite post ever here. You have experienced something not many ever have. So much respect for you!

This is a great thread. I've learned more about some folks here than I ever knew before.

 

[WhoIsTony?]

An amazing story. Perhaps my favorite post ever here. You have experienced something not many ever have. So much respect for you!

This is a great thread. I've learned more about some folks here than I ever knew before.

Dave I was simply lucky and honestly probably did not deserve the experience I was having at the time.
Honestly I didn't appreciate it at the time the way I do now.
Not saying I took it for granted ... but I don't think I fully understood what I was experiencing at the time.

 

[dmacc_2]

Dave I was simply lucky and honestly probably did not deserve the experience I was having at the time.
Honestly I didn't appreciate it at the time the way I do now.
Not saying I took it for granted ... but I don't think I fully understood what I was experiencing at the time.

Yeah, but he saw something in you to make it worth his time.. Else....wouldn't of happened.

I can somewhat relate to what you are saying about not necessarily fully understanding the experience at the time. I look back at the time I spend at the Drummer's Collective back in the 80's and still shake my head in disbelief. Talk about not having a full grasp of who I was in rooms with during those days. Glad I had them at that point because knowing what I know now, I be too terrified to do it.

 

[Larry]

Wow. Love your stories Tony. Wow.

His enormous smile. Gotta love that.

 

[mattgallettidrums]

Elvin was a really great guy.
Very philosophical.
He spoke a lot about seeing colors when hearing sounds.
He did not like to talk about his past playing very much... would always shrug it off.
He loved to have a few beers and share a bucket of steamed clams and just talk about life ... he loved boxing.
We were working on some Max Roach stuff one time and I asked about a sticking I should use and I thought he was going to kill me... hahaha... he slammed his huge mitt down on my sticks and told me to never talk about stickings.
He was all about playing from your heart and producing the sound you heard in your head by any means necessary.
No technique discussions and we never once opened a book... it was all about producing from your heart.

one of my favorite things that happened ... it's kind of long but worth it ...

As I was leaving one day he said to go home and transcribe the Max Roach solo from Stompin at the Savoy off the Clifford Brown record ... Elvin loved Max.
So I did that ... and proudly brought it with me to our next meeting... he never mentioned it.
I brought it with me for about 2 months after that but he never mentioned it again so I never said anything about it... if I'm honest I was pretty nervous about it so if he didn't remember I wasn't going to bring it up.
All the while I was refining it and making changes at home.
After about 3 months I stopped bringing it and just went on working on whatever we were doing.
So fast forward to about 4 months after he originally asked me to do it ... I'm leaving our meeting and he says ... "hey before you go play me that Max solo "
I responded ... "oh no, I don't have the transcription with me."
Elvin says... "I didn't ask you to play the transcription mother F#$%er I said play the solo!"
So I sat down and played what I remembered ... which turned out to be way more than I thought I would remember... and what I couldn't recall I just improvised through.
When I finished Elvin laughed that big scratchy laugh he had with that enormous smile and said ... "get the f#$@ outta here"
I have that solo memorized to this day

one of my life's fondest memories and most treasured moments is when he pulled a cymbal bag out of a trunk in this back room he had and said to me ... "these are some cymbals I played with John."

I nearly fainted ... zero hyperbole ... I literally got dizzy

there were small pieces of what looked like painters tape on most of them marking small cracks

he let me tap on one of them ... incredible

I remember it had a very warn spot in the center band where he had played it for years and years and the hole was pretty keyholed

Elvin said he liked a keyhole because it kept the cymbal where he liked it while playing hard

Wow, man. This is emotional to read. This is what making music is about. The connection, the lineage, the history. As an educator, I always try to find that balance between books and music, so this was great to read for me. Appreciate you giving us all a glimpse into what was a magical time for you.