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Thread: Drum Teacher

  1. #1

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    As you know from previous posts i'm new to Drumming been playing about 3 months now...found a local teacher really excellent Drummer had 3 lessons upto date and picking up a few exercises pretty quickly
    But he likes you to jam along to the odd song via laptop and headphones but he plays along with you and obviously hundred times better than me....i find this off-putting to be honest as he's obviously show boating twirling sticks, drum fills, accents the works and leaves me non the wiser...i cancelled my last lesson...don't get me wrong smashing bloke great drummer.
    I have been working on some fills and orchestration ect and find i'm learning more on my own.
    Should a teacher jam along with you to a song or be giving you some pointers as it's put me off lessons slightly cheers

  2. #2

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    I actually just had the same thing happen with one of my students...

    You're not him are you?! haha

    I had a nice heart to heart with him and his mom and apologized as that's just how I play.
    I like to have fun an encourage my students to do the same.
    Music is all about passion and doing what we love.
    I try to teach all my students that it's not about being perfect, it's not about being the best, it's about finding who YOU are as a drummer and enjoy what you do. So just relax and have fun and if it doesn't sound perfect it's ok. Just keep trying and it'll get there.

    Just talk to your teacher. After talking with my student and his family I realized I had intimidated him the same as you described and with him I tone it down. Not everyone reacts the same, learns the same, etc.. a good teacher has to adapt to each and every student differently.

    99% of my students actually ask me to always play along with them. It gives them more confidence and it helps keep them on time. Amazingly a lot of students concentrate so hard on the beat they are playing they loose track of the actual timing of the beat and always get off track. With me playing along it's a great way of keeping better solid timing with music.
    Last edited by SpazApproved; 10-10-2017 at 07:11 AM.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpazApproved View Post
    I actually just had the same thing happen with one of my students...

    You're not him are you?! haha

    I had a nice heart to heart with him and his mom and apologized as that's just how I play.
    I like to have fun an encourage my students to do the same.
    Music is all about passion and doing what we love.
    I try to teach all my students that it's not about being perfect, it's not about being the best, it's about finding who YOU are as a drummer and enjoy what you do. So just relax and have fun and if it doesn't sound perfect it's ok. Just keep trying and it'll get there.

    Just talk to your teacher. After talking with my student and his family I realized I had intimidated him the same as you described and with him I tone it down. Not everyone reacts the same, learns the same, etc.. a good teacher has to adapt to each and every student differently.

    99% of my students actually ask me to always play along with them. It gives them more confidence and it helps keep them on time. Amazingly a lot of students concentrate so hard on the beat they are playing they loose track of the actual timing of the beat and always get off track. With me playing along it's a great way of keeping better solid timing with music.
    Thankyou for your reply....and definitely not me lol.
    I am a really late starter at the grand old age of 56 although i have played both Guitar and Bass in the past but fancied a change and always wanted to give the Drums ago.
    Maybe it's the normal way then i just find that i'm loosing things as i'm hearing him above myself and i'm not very confident in fills and rolls ect.
    He himself is very much about having fun aswell....maybe i need to relax and just go with the flow...i just feel totally inadequate hearing him...thanks again i will take your comments on board cheers

  4. #4

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    I can see where having a teacher play along would be helpful to keep the beat, but I could also see where it could create issues if the teacher doesn't hang back in the groove and let the student do their thing. Maybe do a call & answer or copycat thing with basic simple fills to let the student get comfortable with timing the fills.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  5. #5

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    Lets just setup some online lessons with me and I'll show you my great fill theory exercise that takes a super simple concept and turns it into great patterns and fills.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by N2Bluz View Post
    I can see where having a teacher play along would be helpful to keep the beat, but I could also see where it could create issues if the teacher doesn't hang back in the groove and let the student do their thing. Maybe do a call & answer or copycat thing with basic simple fills to let the student get comfortable with timing the fills.
    Sounds good to me, thanks

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpazApproved View Post
    Lets just setup some online lessons with me and I'll show you my great fill theory exercise that takes a super simple concept and turns it into great patterns and fills.
    Very nice offer but not set up for any online sort of lessons as it's a tablet....only online things i can watch are via youtube but thankyou anyway i have an awful lot to learn with minimal time on my hands...with a part time job and full time fostering of our 3 g'kids until further notice

  8. #8

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    I can see why you canceled your last lesson. In my opinion, a "one size fits all" approach in teaching doesn't always works and I found that out when I took lessons from three different drum teachers that had three completely different methods of instruction but none played along with me. My 30 minute lesson was all me playing. The only time the instructors played along was to mimic my bad habits which I had plenty of.

    My suggestion would fall on better communication with the teacher. For my 3rd go at formal lessons, I cut straight to the chase and said "This is what I want to learn..." and it kept my teacher on his toes. Good luck and keep at it!

  9. #9

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    As a drum student I can't stand when the teacher plays along It is very distracting when you are really concentrating on sheet music and getting the timing right on breaks and fills etc. MY teacher is awesome he occasionally plays along side me without being flashy and keeps it simple but he also recognizes when its not helping me and I hear him stop playing etc. I really appreciate this from my teacher he really knows how to pick up on clues that something is working for me or not.
    Mapex Saturn flat black maple burl. 2 up 2 down. Mapex black panther black widow snare,Ludwig Acrolite,Ludwig Supraphonic,Tama SLP power maple.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by late8 View Post
    I can see why you canceled your last lesson. In my opinion, a "one size fits all" approach in teaching doesn't always works and I found that out when I took lessons from three different drum teachers that had three completely different methods of instruction but none played along with me. My 30 minute lesson was all me playing. The only time the instructors played along was to mimic my bad habits which I had plenty of.

    My suggestion would fall on better communication with the teacher. For my 3rd go at formal lessons, I cut straight to the chase and said "This is what I want to learn..." and it kept my teacher on his toes. Good luck and keep at it!
    Thankyou for your reply....like I mentioned he's a great Drummer well respected in the local live music scene.
    But his showboating whilst jamming along is off putting but i have picked up one or two useful tips ect....maybe like you say a bit of a chat might do the trick cheers

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by vlopez1130 View Post
    As a drum student I can't stand when the teacher plays along It is very distracting when you are really concentrating on sheet music and getting the timing right on breaks and fills etc. MY teacher is awesome he occasionally plays along side me without being flashy and keeps it simple but he also recognizes when its not helping me and I hear him stop playing etc. I really appreciate this from my teacher he really knows how to pick up on clues that something is working for me or not.
    That's great....we don't have sheet music or i haven't at the moment as the lessons haven't been graded lessons
    As i don't want to take the grades at 56 a bit long in the tooth for me it's just fun. We have done a bit on orchestration and a few basic rudiments ect which is fine but i can do them at home...i will probably re-arrange another lesson and see how it goes before making any decisions cheers

  12. #12

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    Yeah I started at 44 years old but I already read music from prior music training. I would urge you to invest a couple of weeks to learning how to read sheet music for drums as it will open up another world. I hear a song I like that seems like I could play I get the sheet music and start working on it. 56 is still young don't sell yourself short imagine what you could be in 4 or 5 years.
    Mapex Saturn flat black maple burl. 2 up 2 down. Mapex black panther black widow snare,Ludwig Acrolite,Ludwig Supraphonic,Tama SLP power maple.

  13. #13

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    Get another teacher!

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by vlopez1130 View Post
    Yeah I started at 44 years old but I already read music from prior music training. I would urge you to invest a couple of weeks to learning how to read sheet music for drums as it will open up another world. I hear a song I like that seems like I could play I get the sheet music and start working on it. 56 is still young don't sell yourself short imagine what you could be in 4 or 5 years.
    Thankyou

  15. #15

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    Your welcome!
    Mapex Saturn flat black maple burl. 2 up 2 down. Mapex black panther black widow snare,Ludwig Acrolite,Ludwig Supraphonic,Tama SLP power maple.

  16. #16

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    Thought about this chat all night last night while I taught my students.

    I asked them all if they preferred me to play with or without them.
    Majority spoke and they all said they would rather me play.
    So then I asked more specific about when I goofed around vs playing straight
    It's was then 50/50 some cared some didn't
    So I kept my playing to a minimum all night.

  17. #17

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    The biggest problem I see is when a student like myself is learning a new groove or song It can be a challenge for the student. When the teacher who is obviously experienced starts to play even straight without goofing off there is always something off because the student can't always get through the piece so easily so sometimes there is something off and it can throw the student off even further. I prefer to hear my teacher play a section that might be a challenge for me then I try to replicate what he did. Once I'm comfortable with the sticking and foot patterns of any given piece I don't mind him playing alongside me. At times I ask him to play something that I want to learn and it also serves as a motivator for me. I think a good teacher knows when to get in and out and gets to know each student he has and their individual way of learning. My teacher is great with me.
    Mapex Saturn flat black maple burl. 2 up 2 down. Mapex black panther black widow snare,Ludwig Acrolite,Ludwig Supraphonic,Tama SLP power maple.

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