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For the more than 15 years I've been teaching and coaching drum students, I've noticed that there are several technical hurdles we must overcome to play the beats and drum parts that we love. Time and again, I have transcribed... Continue reading

Whew. So busy. Hard to maintain this site. But quickly - here are some things I've done recently: I've been working on a solo EP project for most of this year...it's slow going but I'm super excited to share it with you and get it out into the world. What started as a 5 song project has now become a bit bigger...I'll keep you posted on the details. I was featured in a movie! Last year I went to LA to play percussion and drum set for a concert movie and it's now been released on DVD and CD. There... Continue reading

2016 was a busy year for me. There were several family and personal events that in some ways made it a very rough year, but on the flip-side there were so many positive things happening creatively that I can't bring myself to frame the year in a negative light. In some ways this past year has been the best one in recent memory. I'm super proud (and grateful!) of the albums/ projects and collaborations I've been a part of. Below you'll find a brief summary of the highlights and then a month by month view of how the year played... Continue reading

I really love this version of Take 5. You can see how relaxed Joe Morello is, and how seemingly effortless and relaxed his playing is. Beautiful to watch! The drum solo starts around 1:45 - and it's downright amazing. Check... Continue reading

One of my students passed this video along to me...I'd not seen this but am now absolutely enthralled at his time keeping and musical chops. He appears to be super relaxed and even has the ability to be aware of... Continue reading

I get asked frequently how often and how much should one practice? It's a great question, and I think hidden beneath it is the thought of, how much time will it take for me to get "good" on the drums?... Continue reading

After my post yesterday, I've been listening to some Bill Evans records. The brush playing on many of those tracks is so amazing. However, today I've been checking out the 1963 album Bill Evans at Shelley's Manne-Hole and came across... Continue reading

I recently had a new student ask me for my jazz album recommendations, and so without thinking too much about it, I listed the first albums that came to mind. My student had been learning rock songs, and so I... Continue reading

I'm heading back out to California at the end of the month for another couple of Big Star shows. These are always fun and full of great guest artists and happy surprises. First off, we'll be playing at The Fillmore in San Francisco and then heading south to LA/Glendale for a live show and DVD filming. It's a bit of a miracle to bring all of these performers together and to get schedules to align, etc... So if you're anywhere close, please do yourself a favor and come hear these amazing songs performed by some unforgettable singers and players (Jeff... Continue reading

From a recent session: Here's a sample of what Dale Baker's doing in the studio today.Posted by Lori Mullwee Sealy on Monday, May 11, 2015 Continue reading

I love Gary Chaffee's drum books and use them from time to time to challenge myself and introduce new concepts and ideas. Not long ago, I came across a page in one of his books where he was talking about... Continue reading

I was so excited to open my Typepad Newsletter (see image above) today and see that Durham Drum Lessons was a featured blog! They mentioned my site and 2 others as examples of Typepad sites that use their new responsive... Continue reading

One of my favorite patterns to play on the drumset is the group of 3 notes I choose to call "The Ug-Guh-Duhs! I've also referred to them as "The Gadd Triplets," as they seem to be a pattern that he... Continue reading

There is an article floating around on the internet that is making some pretty bold claims about drummers and intelligence. Apparently the research has been backed up by Oxford and Harvard - check out some of these quotes: "Researchers at... Continue reading

Here are some quotes I found inspiring from James Altucher via an email that was forwarded to me by my dad: "The "dues" are when you find your authentic voice. The singing voice that stands out in the world chorus.... Continue reading

Today we’ll apply this same idea to groups of 3 and 4 notes. Again the goal for these exercises is for them to help you develop your singles and doubles in a variety of combinations. My hope is that you’ll... Continue reading

With this next installment, I’m beginning a multi step warm-up exercise that will hopefully follow a logical progression with the intent to develop better articulation and speed when playing single and double strokes. As you play these, remember to use... Continue reading

Functional Drumming Series: Simple Coordination This is a series of warmup exercises in 4 steps that increase with difficulty. The goal is to use full strokes as you play and to practice at a tempo that you can manage while... Continue reading

This song begins with the snare drum playing 2 and 4 and as it continues, the kick drum enters and begins a two bar phrase. Because of it’s repetitive nature, you can quickly learn this beat and play along with... Continue reading

I'm not keeping up with my blog here as much as I should. Been needing a redesign of this site for some time now, but that will have to wait. I've been keeping busy with remote sessions here at "The Dorm Room" my home studio here in Durham, NC. I've got a ton of drum set gear/ percussion and access to even more esoteric stuff (timpani, tabla, mallet instruments, gongs, etc) via some good friends. If you have a project you're needing drums or percussion on, please get in touch - I would love to work with you on whatever... Continue reading

The beat for Lips are Movin is a fun beat to play and the groove is a simple 50’s era inspired two bar pattern. I’ve taken a photo of my transcription (below) so that you can see how the beat... Continue reading

Big Star in LA: was an awesome night of music - as these things typically are. Got to play with a bunch of my musical heroes and meet some new friends as well! I was part of the band/ orchestra (conducted by Van Dyke Parks!!!) that backed up The Posies, Dan Wilson, Jason Falkner, GroupLove, Aimee Mann, The Bangles, Mike Mills, Sarabeth Tucek, Dean Wareham, Jody Stephens, and Luther Russell. Below is a video that was posted on Facebook: This is me playing drums on the song Kangaroo - w/ Brett Harris singing, Van Dyke Parks conducting, Mike Mills on... Continue reading

Here's a picture that one of my students sent in - nice to see the new logo making it's way out into the world! Continue reading

Thanks to the fine folks at Mail Chimp, I received an official "Classic Freddie" today in my mailbox. It's almost too good to be true! I decided to customize him a bit, so I added a Durham Drum Lessons t-shirt... Continue reading