Tag: Chicago drum lessons

  • Saving cymbals

    A quick trick here for the drummers who hit the cymbals hard but don’t want to spend a ton of cash replacing the ones that break. Try to swish your cymbals instead of hitting them. It means that instead of going full dead on, you hit them “sideways” if I may say. A little bit…

  • The tectonic plate

    I was talking with a student about speed. Here is someone who began playing the piano six months ago and was getting frustrated at the slow pace of his speed. I am not talking about the slow pace of his development, that’s another matter. I am talking about just the speed of his scales on…

  • Stability

    So this guy wants to become a pro musician. He grew up with a traveling family, military people or some such, and went from one big city to another: San Francisco to New York, to L.A to Chicago. At best he lived a couple years in the suburbs, but never more than a few miles…

  • Flood!

    What is the worst enemy of a drum set? Look at the title of this blog and you got yourself the answer: water. I have seen some great drum sets completely ruined because they were in a basement that flooded. The mounted toms usually are ok, and so is the snare. They are elevated. On…

  • The perfect blend

    Drums can be made of all sorts of material. The most common one is wood which, in itself comes in different varieties. But it can also be made of metal. Snare drums in particular, can be manufactured in steel or brass, for example. A drum set can also be made in unusual material, like the…

  • Complexity

    Teaching something to someone is not easy. It’s all about communication. If the rapport between the student and the teacher is good, the chances of the student learning rises significantly. But then, there are the concepts. By that, I mean the different topics that need to be addressed in order to get to the next…

  • Taking the time

    When I teach a young pupil it’s always a great experience. Their energy, their enthusiasm is contagious. They don’t have any barriers, so, when they’re happy, they show it. On most lessons, they come with a big smile and eager to transform noise into music. But, every now an then, they arrive with drooping shoulders…

  • Catering to the discovery

    Do you remember the first time you got up and took a step. I’m talking about the very first time in your life you ever did that, you were a baby back then. I doubt most people have any memories of it. But I remember something similar. I remember my first born, Emmi, when she…

  • The motorcycle

    Being self employed in the music business is not easy. I find that the most difficult part of it is not falling into the pit of self-doubt. What I mean by that is that when one start to make money and survive while being a musician, one has a hard time believing it. And so,…

  • In your mind

    I have had since the beginning of my teaching a few students who do not practice and yet, they always are prepared for their weekly lesson. The first time I encounter such a person I asked them how they did it. Most of them replied that they would be drumming in their car. They would…