The Who [About Me]
My name is Gabriel Thornton. I have been playing drums for 35 years and teaching for 15 years. Passing on my love of music and passion for playing drums to future students is a pleasure and a privilege.
35 years’ experience of drumming.
I started drumming when I was 14 years old, learning from Dave Linsen, a highly skilled Big Band drummer/leader, at Backwell School. I have played in many bands and orchestras over the years and performed all over the UK. My learning was essentially rock based, but I have played all styles from classical percussion, through heavy metal, from swing and jazz to Drum & Bass. I love all styles of music, as long as it's got a good beat.
As a friend of mine said, there are two types of music: good and bad!
15 years’ experience as a drum tutor.
I started teaching because I wanted to share my passion with others. Having developed the skills over many years, I am in a good position to share my learning and experience in a fun and digestible manner.
Being the kind of person that needs to be able to understand something fully before I feel that I truly undertand it, I have a much deeper level of understanding. I am a very analytical person and I need to know why something works or doesn't work. My father was an Art Psychotherapist, which means that I was brought up thinking about thinking. I love studying how people learn and respond to pressure. It has given me a great insight into the working of the human mind and how people learn.
Can come to you or teach at mine.
These days I mainly teach from my home studio in Clifton, by Clifton Down, but I can travel locally, if feasible and affordable. I don't currenty have a car, so it would mean walking, cycling or using public transport. There is a small travel charge.
Teaching tailored to you.
Everybody learns differently. Some learn by ear, by hearing or seeing something done. Others prefer to learn from sheet music. Some like to be worked hard, like an athlete and some like it to be fun and relaxed. All learning styles are good with me.
Trinity College Rock Drums course.
After trying many options, I settled on the Trinity College Rock Drums course as the best way of teaching. They offer a great selection of very popular tracks that are easy to learn and provide backing tracks for the student to play along to. This makes learning a lot of fun and lets you feel what it is like to play as part of a group, without actually having to do so. This is actually rather exciting!
You even have the option of doing examinations in Grades 1 to 8, if you should so choose.
Free off-road parking.
If you are driving, you can park for free in the driveway at the front of the building, which has room for 2-3 cars. There is also on-street parking which is free from 5pm and on weekends.
DBS checked.
I have been DBS checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service and certificate number 001044843596 was issued on 15 November 2021.