Beginner Drummers Discussion Forum
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
The Group The only place like it online–The Beginner Drummers Forum–is a Facebook group where beginners can go and ask any questions without fear of being teased or called a “noob.” It’s a safe space for learning and asking for critique of your playing. There truly is no other place like it online. You’ll find a mix of beginners (most of our members) and more experienced drummers. The more experienced drummers are there for the sole purpose of helping the beginners in the group. Join us by applying here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beginnerdrummers You’ll have to answer some membership que ..read more
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The Gift
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
Happy Holidays, everyone! Here is my gift to you.  It’s a little motivational video that I think can help you.  The mental exercise I describe in the video did–in fact–literally change my life. I don’t want to steal my own thunder so I’m not going to tell you that much more about it, except that I stumbled upon it when I was going through a bit of a tough time. My path was not the one it is now.  I was playing drums, but not enough.   I was doing OK, but I thought I could be doing better. I was making a living, but it didn’t feel like I was flourishing.  It wasn’t clea ..read more
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Avoid This Costly Mistake When Practicing Rudiments / Hand Technique
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
Here’s something I’ve been talking about a lot lately. And it’s because it’s critically important. And it is overlooked in a major way, particularly among beginners. One of the things I’ve noticed with some students, particularly beginners, is that they think that if they just put in a lot of hours practicing, their hands are just going to magically transform. I’ve seen this often with the idea of working on one’s “weaker hand.” There seems to be this belief that spending time on the weaker hand will bring it up to speed with the stronger one. Sometimes I get the feeling that some students bel ..read more
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Sonny Emory Complete Transcription of “Master at Work” Drum Solo
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
Every since I first watched this solo, I’ve been obsessed. It’s masterful. It’s become one of my favorite drum solos of all-time. I’m guessing many of you might agree. My friend Tim Buell transcribed it for me. Do you know Tim? Not only is he one of Nashville’s best drummers (and teachers), but he is also a first-class transcribing master. Anyway, here is the full trancription: Sonny Emory Master at Work Drum Solo Transcription And here is the video: Enjoy! The post Sonny Emory Complete Transcription of “Master at Work” Drum Solo first appeared on Online Drum Lessons NYC ..read more
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There’s Nothing Wrong with Simple Drumming
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
As I get deeper and deeper into the video course that I’ve been creating for beginners, I’ve  been reminded of quite a few things. One is that even though it’s almost a cliche at this point, the notion of “focusing on the groove” and “playing for the song” really is of the utmost importance.  Truly.  I mean, I’ve always known that, but it took me many years to fully implement the idea into my drumming life and really, deeply understand and believe it. And the reason that I now fully believe it at the core of my being is simple. The more I play this way when I play with peop ..read more
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Nasty Lick 38
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
Are you ready? I am about to give you one of my Nastiest of the Nasty Licks!!! Nasty Lick #38 is one of my favorites. It pretty much ALWAYS gets a reaction. Just check out the screams from the audience when I launch into it in the video below. It’s a live video of my rock band MANCIE playing at Spike Hill in Brooklyn, NY in November of 2011. It’s a cool song and the band is great, so check it out. But if you want to go right to the drum solo, it begins at around 2:52 in the video. I begin with some rudimental type stuff on the snare, work in some hand/foot combinations, and then launch into Na ..read more
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Nasty Lick 43: Vinnie Colaiuta on “Joe’s Garage”
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
This is a great lick that Vinnie plays on “Dong Work for Yuda” from the Frank Zappa album, “Joe’s Garage.” I immediately loved it because it sounded a lot like a famous Gadd lick I love. The Gadd lick is a well known pattern, very similar to this one. (See example #2 from “Seven Gadd Licks,” else where in this blog). I am fairly certain that the first appearance of Gadd’s use of this lick was on Tom Scott’s tune, “Dirty Old Man,” from Scott’s 1975 album, “New York Connection.” “Joe’s Garage” was released in 1979 and at the time, it is pretty well documented that Colaiuta was very heavily infl ..read more
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Essential Afro-Cuban 6/8 Drum Beat
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
If you need to play Afro-Cuban in 6/8, this one never fails. I love it. It’s a little tricky in the independence department, but once you work through the pattern and get it locked in your muscle memory, you’ll have it forever. I know that the notation I’ve written on the PDF is in 4/4, but I’ve always felt that it was easier to think of these grooves as triplets in 4/4 instead of counting to six. A personal decision. Feel free to think of six if that works for you. Here is the PDF: Essential Afro-Cuban PDF And here’s a video so you can hear what it sounds like in action… The post Essential A ..read more
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How to Play the Disco Groove | Online Drum Lesson
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
Today, I’m offering a beginner’s online drum lesson. The topic? Disco! Hey, wait! Where are you going? The Disco Groove is actually a pretty cool beat. It doesn’t get as much love as it used to, but in the 70’s, you could hear this beat everywhere. It’s a little tricky to play. In fact, it’s a bit of a puzzle. But, once you learn it, you’ll have a pretty good handle on how to get the “open” hi-hat sound. That sound is a big part of this beat. Have a look at the video below, and if you have any questions, feel free… By the way, if you want to hear some examples of this beat in action, check ou ..read more
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Right-Left-Foot | Online Drum Lesson
BANG! The Drum School Blog
by Mark Feldman
2y ago
In this video drum lesson, we’re going to take a look at an interesting way to play a common hand/foot idea. The idea is just “Right Left Foot,” one that many of you already know.  If you’re a beginner drummer, welcome to one of the building blocks of hand/foot vocabulary. The natural first thought many drummers have when considering RLF is to play it as triplets. It makes sense to do so, and it does sound great, but we’re going to work on a different application. Playing it as 16ths or 32nds sounds a little different because you’re creating a dotted eighth note feeling; it’s essentially ..read more
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