Drum Lessons Bristol

Drumming is more than just a channel for people who tap a lot, it has many benefits, for both mental health and physical health. Playing the drums can reduce stress, increase brain power, boost academic performance, increase confidence, develop motor skills, improve your mental health, help you to express yourself, get fit, open doors to new opportunities and friendships through bands, give you a break from life and give you a hobby for life.

Playing drum kit is a great for releasing pent up energy and for stress relief. The concentration, physical exercise and sense of achievement brings about a release of the “happy hormones” called endorphins. These naturally occurring opiates increase pleasure, can reduce pain and discomfort and can even give you a natural high.

Engaging all four limbs at once to carry out four different activities is very challenging and works both sides of the brain in co-ordination, dexterity, memory and mathematical processes that works our minds in such a way that it can actually increase your IQ. 

Drums are loud. They can be played quietly, but by default, they are loud. To play loudly and hit something hard takes confidence. It is also immense fun and a great release. The ability to confidently play and especially to perform is really empowering. I teach people to build confidence based upon performance, rather than the blind confidence that we have when we are young, by breaking down complex tasks into simple elements and then building them up into something impressive. This method of gaining confidence based on proving that we can do something is a strong and robust way to build confidence. This confidence can and does transfer into the rest of our lives.

Music and especially drumming are very primal and the vibrations literally travel through us and reach deep inside us. This can be very therapeutic and lift us out of ourselves, making us feel connected to others who experience the same shared sensations. To play music to a room full of people and reach out to each person with the physical vibrations that make sound and unite them in a unifying experience is a very powerful thing.

I have two drum kits, an acoustic kit and an electronic drum kit. I had to buy the electronic kit because the acoustic kit was too loud for where I live. It has turned out to be perfect for teaching.

Because you can use headphones, it is much less intimidating to learn to play drums on an electronic drum kit than it is on an incredibly loud acoustic kit that can be heard from quite a distance. Being able to play on headphones is so much more relaxed and nobody else can hear the mistakes. It feels like a safe environment to learn in.

When choosing this kit, I tried out many other electric kits and none of them came up to scratch. The single biggest difference with the Roland V-drums is the nylon mesh snare. Designed and engineering by Remo, the worlds best producer of drum skins, it mimics the feel of a real snare skin, with a much more lively bounce than the rather dead rubber pads. I will go into more detail on this in another post.

The second thing that stood out about the V-drums over the competition is that the Hi-Hat Foot Pedal had gradients of open and closed, whereas the other comparative kits were simply on or off, which made them next to impossible to play. Again, I will discuss this further in another post.

In my considered professional opinion, there is nothing to compare to Roland V-drums for replicating the feel of an acoustic kit.

The most popular course that I teach is the Trinity Rock & Pop Drum course, specifically for drum kit, produced by Trinity College London, which features classic and modern popular songs, including No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, Don’t Wanna Fight by Alabama Shakes, Under The Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers and the classic Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder.

The course provides drum tablature (sheet music) for each song and audio files with the drums removed and with a click to play along to. They even offer optional exams (examinations/exam grades), should the student wish to gain grades, but this is by no means obligatory. It is a fun way to learn and is designed for all levels from absolute beginners up to advanced Grade 8 students.

Finally got around to sorting out a DBS check. It turns out I’m not a criminal. Who’d have thunk it!?! Was CRB checked previously, but never updated it.

A Disclosure and Barring Service check, or DBS check for short, is the term used for the analysis and record of a person’s past, looking specifically at any convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings they may have received. In other words, it checks your criminal record and it turns out I don’t have a criminal record!

Make your loved one’s dream come true! We provide vouchers for drum lessons. Please contact us for more details.

Is your partner a tapper without a drum?
Do they mark the beat with their hands and their feet?
But they do not have the kit to express it?

Release your partner’s inner drummer with drum lessons from Gabe.

Valentines Offer:

1 lesson = £35 (normal price)
2 lessons = £65 (normally £70, £5 off)
3 lessons = £90 (normally £105, £15 off)
4 lessons = £110 (normally £140, £30 off)

N.B. This price is based upon lessons being taught at the teacher’s premises. If visiting is required there are travelling charges. This offer runs up until midnight 14th February, 2020.