Educational Articles

The Motor-vation idea is something I adapted from inventor, drummer, and educator Bob Gatzen. I replaced the word “motivate” with “Motor-vate” which means to move ahead, and continue progressing in positive forward motion. This applies to both drumming and life. So in my quest for new teaching ideas and methods to Motor-vate students, I came up with something for teaching rhythms.

In this month’s article I want to talk about working with a metronome. I have always felt that if you’re a good listener and have a great feel and sense of good timing, other musicians will love to play with you.

Let’s face it, in most performance situations drum solos are infrequent and even unnecessary interruptions of songs, used mainly to placate an overeager drummer or to give the rest of the band members a break. But what if we could solo utilizing tried and true methods and devices from the “melodic” world of music? Soloing musically, like everything else in drumming, takes practice and gets better with experience.

Part of a series of guides designed to help teachers integrate and utilize DVDs and new books with their students, these teacher guides are carefully constructed to give tips on using the source material, as well as supplemental books that will help to make a more complete educational package. Available in printable PDF format.

Our mistake is your gain! We accidently omitted this file from the Art of Brushes DVD, and are posting it here for all to have. Includes bios, listening list, and other educational info about learning to play the brushes.

An article from master educator Tommy Igoe, with some solid tips on developing your own solid groove.