07881 484555

Rhythm
}
you have a heartbeat
Co-ordination
}
you can walk
Technique
}
supercharges learning
Feeling
}
brings rhythms to life
Dedication
}
will make you great
Tips & Tricks
}
will make you awesome
Stagecraft
}
will let you prove it!

The Who [about me]

My name is Gabriel Thornton. I have been playing drums since I was 14 and now I am passing on my love of music and passion for playing drums to future students.

Here's what I offer:

  • Listed Trinity College Rock & Pop Drums Teacher.
  • 35 years’ experience of drumming.
  • 15 years’ experience as a drum tutor.
  • Can come to you or teach at mine.
  • Just off Whiteladies Road, Clifton.
  • Free off-street parking.
  • Teaching tailored to you.
  • Roland V-Drums electronic drum kit.
  • Facility to record.
  • DBS checked.

The Why [why drums?]

If you are tempted by the idea of playing drum kit, but have some doubts, here are some of the many benefits of playing drums:

  • Have fun.
  • Learn a new skill.
  • Improve timing.
  • Develop co-ordination.
  • Excellent for musicians & dancers.
  • Great exercise.
  • Good for concentration.
  • Enjoy playing your favourite tracks.
  • Any age from 2 to 82.
  • Absolute beginners to advanced.
  • No experience necessary.
Roland V-drums TD3 Electronic Drum Kit

The Word [feedback]

Jack Blay

Gabriel is an excellent teacher with lots of patience and understanding, also giving plenty of encouragement / constructive feedback. Would highly recommend.

Diane Fenton

I would just like to say how much I am enjoying learning to play the drums. Each lesson builds on the last one and you teach it with such a calm and patient nature, I couldn't wish for a nicer teacher.

Sam Caudwell

I started taking drum lessons with Gabe as a complete beginner; absolutely no drumming experience whatsoever. However, within a few weeks I found myself being able to competently play simple beats. You don't just learn to play the drums, you also gain a keen insight into how rhythm factors into all aspects of musical performance.

Mary Summerill

I've really enjoyed taking drum lessons with Gabriel. It is a very relaxed environment to learn in, but I get a lot out of the lessons. He is a very positive teacher… I think the way he highlights what I’m doing best, as opposed to focussing on what I’m doing wrong, is really helpful. It is a very pleasant and easy way to learn.

Ross Bates

Learning drums with Gabe was an enjoyable experience. The learning style was methodical and well thought out, creating a natural progression through the skills and techniques that was easy to follow. All in all I would highly recommend learning the drums with Gabe, you're guaranteed to have loads of fun and become a great drummer!

Sarah Leigh

I have a 14 year old who has temporarily had his enthusiasm gene removed, but in his drum lessons he's engaged, excited and clearly hooked! Gabriel, you are a marvel! You seem to instinctively know how to capture his interest and your own knowledge and attention to detail are impressive and imparted in such an intelligent, yet cool and relaxed manner.

The Latest [news]

The What [what I teach]

How it started

I started my drumming life as a rock drummer. Having mastered rock, I developed into Indy and Grunge rhythms along with Funk and Funk Rock. Further on yet, I developed an interest in dance music of which Drum & Bass, Big Beat and Breakbeat became my favourite styles because of the more interesting beats. I love playing Drum & Bass drum beats and particularly enjoy Jazzy Drum & Bass. I consider Drum & Bass to be the Jazz of the Dance world. This said, I can and do teach any style of drums.

What I teach

Having a degree in science, I have a very analytical mind and, having been brought up by an Art Psychotherapist, I have learned to think from a very psychological perspective, which cuts through to the core of people's learning styles and helps students to learn much more quickly and form a very solid basis of learning.

I not only teach people how to play the drums, but I also teach people how to learn. This gives a very strong foundation on which to develop and rocket fuels the learning process.

Trinity College Rock Drum Course

When I started to learn to play the drum kit, the grades were very traditional and based in more classical styles of music. It was frankly boring and so I very quickly dropped the idea of doing grades. These days there are many courses available and, after some research and trials, I have settled on the Trinity College London Rock & Pop Drum Grades (2018), which offer a great selection of popular music classics with audio tracks to play along to. This makes learning a lot more fun and there is a real sense of acheivement to playing along to your favourite songs and getting it bang on!

If you would like to see the cracking list of massive hits that you have to choose from, click here.

What I play

Word cloud of my musical preferences. The bigger the word, the bigger the preference. However, this is not an exhaustive list, I enjoy and can teach all styles.

  • Rock
  • Jazz
  • Electronica
  • Indie
  • Funk
  • Chemical Beats
  • Drum & Bass
  • Blues
  • Punk
  • Breakbeat
  • House
  • Heavy Metal
  • Acid Jazz
  • Garage
  • Big Beat
  • Dubstep
  • Grunge
  • Techno
  • Industrial
  • Reggae

The Way [to start]

You can contact me via:

Otherwise drop me a message, using the form below. Just your contact details will do and I will reply to you. No question too stupid. I'm here to help!