Drumming

I’m very proud of my student and very funky drummer, Sam Goldman who recently achieved the 1st runner up position in the Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials 15-year Celebration Competition run by Hudson Music. Sam played this very funky track and impressed the Judges who included Tommy Igoe and drumming legend David Garibaldi. Check it out…

I continue to turn out videos. The latest offering is a step by step explanation of the groove for Harry Styles’ recent hit, Watermelon Sugar. It’s a 16th note groove played with single strokes. It’s a cool song and a good opportunity to work on single stroke grooves.

Here’s video number three about basic drumstick technique for beginners. It’s pretty long. I need to work on shorter videos in future. I’ve done my best to present this material as I do to my students. Once you’ve understood the explanations of the exercises, you can just do the playalongs skipping all the waffling. I think it’s worth trying to understand the concepts I elucidate upon here as you start your journey with drumming. It takes time and attention to… Read More »Drum Stick Technique For Beginners Basic Practice Routine – Playalong

After a long and hard-fought battle with underpowered technology and general video production ignorance, I have prevailed (sort of) and the second episode of Cooking With Rodrigo and Joe is now out on YouTube for your delectation. In this video we’re talking about Ceelo Green’s Forget You, a fun retro soul number that was produced by Bruno Mars and his mates and is fun to play. Check out the video and let us know what you think

Tip top video from Adam Neely here. This list of 25 tips for musicians written by Thelonious Monk for a young saxophonist called Steve lacy did the rounds on the social media outlets. In this entertaining and interesting video, Adam Neely explains point by point.

I’m starting to make and post videos on YouTube more frequently. I have armed myself with lights and cameras. I’m throwing action in for free. I’m starting out with a guide to holding your drum sticks. This is aimed at beginners but more experienced players could benefit from reviewing their drumstick holding skill (OK, call it grip if you must, just don’t actually grip the stick).

My erstwhile colleague, Bass and Guitar teacher Rodrigo and I have launched a video series called “Cooking With Rodrigo & Joe” in which we will talk about some of our favourite songs and songs that are popular and songs we think people might be interested in

Wow, this interview with Steve Jordan is amazing. He’s an accomplished drummer and record producer who’s worked with a whole load of big names including James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Robert Cray and Keith Richards. He’s known these days as the drummer for John Mayer alongside bassist Pino Palladino. I know Steve Jordan originally from his performances on the live Blues Brothers albums that I listened to thousands of times in my youth. His drumming sounded so groovy and also complex,… Read More »Steve Jordan Speaks To Rick Beato