Drum Lessons Bristol

The What [I play/teach]

How it started

I started my drumming life as a rock drummer. That is where most kit drummers start. It is the simplest style of drumming and the best way to get a good grounding in drum kit rhythms.

Having mastered rock, I discovered a love of the off-beat. This lead me to develop into Indy and Grunge rhythms along with an interest in Funk and Funk Rock. Further on yet, I developed an interest in dance music of which Drum & Bass and Breakbeat became my favourite 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. I start by teaching basic rock drums and develop into other styles as the learning progesses. I will even transcribe and teach a students favourite track.

What I teach

I have developed my own drum course, based on a very structured, developmental way of learning. 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. 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!

Roland V-Drums electronic drum kit.

There is only one make/brand of electronic drum kit that I would recommend and that is the Roland V-Drums range. In my opinion, there is no competition. They exceed, not only in the physical build of the drums, but also in the complex "modelling" of drum kits, sampling sounds from live drum kits. The most important thing about Roland V-Drums is the nylon mesh drum skin, which is by far the most realistic replication of a live drum skin.

Facility to record.

If you should so choose, it is possible to make a recording of yourself playing the drums. Videoing can also be done.

Styles I play

Here is a word soup of my musical preferences. The bigger the word, the bigger the preference. All styles are catered for though.