Tag: drum instructor

  • Ceremony.

    Humanity is a hard concept. I am not kidding. Learning to survive took thousand of years. We have no fur or scales for protection, no fangs or claws for attack. We can’t run fast, we can’t see far like the eagle, we don’t have the hearing or the sense of smell developed like say a…

  • Longevity.

    I just realize something: I’ve been playing the same kit for almost 40 years. I am talking about the red one I brought from France. Anybody that has taken lessons with me knows what I’m talking about. I love that drum set, it has been a faithful companion for many a gig and recording. It…

  • Preparation

    I prepare my lessons. I now think long and hard about what my students will study. I’ve never been a cookie cutter kind of teacher, every one gets a tailored lesson, yes, just like it says in the pamphlet. But there are just about a thousand directions a player can go. It is not easy…

  • Listening over and over again.

    Humanity used to listen to music once and then move on. The commoners would go to a concert or a ball room, enjoy the live musicians, and then return home where there was usually no music. If they wanted to relive the experience of music, they only had their memories, or they could sing. Or…

  • Progressive dynamics.

    Among my beginners, I get two types: the loud ones and the quiet ones. Either type has its own pros and cons. The boldness of the loud ones makes them good performers, not afraid of the audience and eager to share their music with others. The quiet ones are exploring the delicate cogs of a…

  • The world of music

    I used to give lessons that were serious. I still do, when it is called for. Over the years, though, my teaching has been more fun for my students because they’ve been more fun for me. I’ve been adding many more things to lighten up the mood. Why? would you ask (Excellent question, by the…

  • Making peace with music.

    The excitement in music is many fold. Let’s take a piano player. Or, more accurately, a piano student. If that person gets to play a little song on her first lesson, that would be exciting. If she can fit that melody to a silly little programmed beat, well, that’s even better! That might be difficult,…

  • Charted territories

    I remember my first band. It was called Doctor Fox. We were in the deep of France, in Besancon, my hometown, but the name of our group was “Doctor Fox”, not “Docteur Renard”.  Go figure. It was a rock quartet: drum, bass, guitar and voice. We were emulating songs from another band, an english bar…

  • A phrase.

    When I started to play I was mechanical. Everything I was doing was trying to put the cogs of the clock together. I was happy if my stuff was fitting together. That was enough for me to be able to play with other. Or so I thought. Actually, when I joined my first band, it…

  • So slow

    Practicing is a weird state of mind. I can pile up the hours on a specific piece and not see any progress. For me, I’m exactly at the same step as I started. Discouraging. Woes is me! Sometimes, I try to quantize things. I would try the song or the exercise with a metronome and…