07881 484555

The Latest [news]

Roland V-Drums Electronic Drum Kits

The Roland V-Drums TD-07KV Electronic Drum Kit
Roland are by far the leading makers of electronic drum kits in the world.

The thing which makes the Roland V-Drums the best electronic drum kits in the world is, in my opinion, the nylon mesh drum skins, which were designed by Remo, the leading drum skin maker and feature a military grade nylon mesh, that can withstand an absolutely relentless beating. I have never heard of one breaking. The reason why I think that this is the most important feature, is that, having tried out a lot of electronic drum kits, it is the single biggest contributor to playability.

The reason why the Rolan nylon mesh drum skin is so important is because of the "response". This is the drumming term for how the skin rebounds the stick after impact. These skins (or heads) are incredibly responsive and give the best likeness to an acoustic drum head that I have ever experienced. This is particularly relevant to the snare drum head, which needs to be incredibly responsive in order to allow double sticking, buzzing and drum rolls.

The other thing which sets Roland apart and gives the electronic drum range it's name ("V-Drums") is the inverted, conical, v-shaped pickup, which through clever programming, can determine the spacial position of the stick's strike on the skin, so that it can better mimic an acoustic drum, which sounds flatter in the middle and more boingy on the edge.

Along with the incredibly detailed and well thought out sampling of real drum kits, in real recording spaces, sampled at different velocities (power of strike), different positions on the skin, different skin types and different miking positions, this makes Roland undeniably, far and away the best producer of electronic drum kits in the world. There is just no comparison in my opinion.

Trinity College London Teacher Directory

Trinity College London Teacher Listing
I am proud to announce that I am now listed on The Trinity College London Teacher Directory, teaching the Trinity Rock & Pop Drums course.

After searching for some time for the best course to teach my students, the Trinity Rock & Pop course came head and shoulders above the rest. Teaching great, famous, classic and popular tracks along to high quality backing tracks makes this a really fun course to teach and my students love it.

Having been contacted by Trinity College, it is my great honour to be listed as a teacher of the Rock & Pop Drums course on the Trinity College website Teacher Directory.

Take a look at my listing here: https://teacher-directory.trinitycollege.com/teachers/music/gabriel-thornton-bs82de

Drumming improves behaviour and brain function

Drumming improves behaviour and brain function
Drumming for just 90 minutes each week can improve the life quality of young people diagnosed with autism, a new study has revealed.

Scientists found that learning to play the instrument tuned brain networks in autistic adolescents in as little as eight weeks.

Results showed that participants who improved their drumming skills showed fewer signs of hyperactivity, inattention and repetitive behaviours and demonstrated better control of their emotions. MRI scans also revealed changes to their brain function which, according to the study, were linked to overall behaviour.

The team intend to expand their drumming research and are looking to collaborate with schools or organisations working with people with ADHD, dyspraxia, dementia, and traumatic brain injury, and can be contacted at clemburkedrummingproject.org.

Gerwin Eisenhauer plays utterly awesome, intricate Drum & Bass

This is the most amazing, intricate and technical Drum & Bass drumming I have heard. Really inspirational! Gerwin Eisenhauer did this video for MEINL Cymbals and it has now had half a million views! If this doesn’t inspire you to learn to drum, or to work on your skills, I don’t know what will! All you need to do is start, work at it and stick at it and you will be able to do this one day. Call me on 07881 484555 or email gabriel@drumlessonsbristol.com and I will help you on your way to becoming a drum God! 

Neil Peart drum solo. Drummer for Rush, dies aged 67.

Sadly the drumming world has lost another great. Neil Peart (September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was the drummer and principle lyricist for Rush, a Canadian hard rock band, ranked “third most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band” by Billboard. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame in 1983, making him the youngest person ever so honoured. 

Me playing drums in Madnomad

The video for “Kill The Pig”, the pig being a metaphor for your own personal demons, compiling a whole collection of gigs at different venues.