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John Riley

Lesson with Ralph Salmins

I saw Ralph Salmins at a clinic put on by my old teacher, Phil Solomon, in Brighton a few years back. Ralph’s playing and approach were presented in a fun and informative way and his professionalism and practical attitude towards his work as one of the UK’s leading session drummers was inspiring. I asked Ralph for a lesson but due to complicated schedules, we couldn’t find a suitable date. My next meeting with Ralph was at this year’s Ultimate Drum… Read More »Lesson with Ralph Salmins

John Riley

The Royal College of Music Festival of Percussion Part 2

So, where was I? Oh yes, John Riley. John Riley’s clinic was, for me, the highlight of the RCM’s Festivl of Percussion. It was a treat to see a talk by the guy who’s book is such an essential part of drumming education. The presentation was at core a walk through the history of the drumkit which was told very engagingly with the accompaniment of samples of the drumming of each era. We were introduced to the topic with the… Read More »The Royal College of Music Festival of Percussion Part 2

Geoff Dugmore

The Royal College of Music Festival of Percussion

This past Sunday I met up with my dad just behind the Albert Hall in Kensington and went to the RCM’s (Royal College of Music) Festival of Percussion. It was a brilliant day out with an amazingly broad range of percussion-related performances and activities. The styles on offer included rock and jazz drum kit, Western classical percussion, “World” music, “Latin” music, military snare drumming and that very important part of music, selling stuff. The packed schedule had enough in it… Read More »The Royal College of Music Festival of Percussion