Lessons

[Fredr]

hey guys,
I'm taking lessons right now, and he's got me going through the Buddy Rich. But I just don't understand it,and I hate going to lessons and trying to play it for him and not being able to do it. I sat down to practice it today and just couldn't do it. I don't feel like I'm going anywhere with it. Should I look for another teacher? Or.... what else?

He's a great drummer and a really nice guy, but I just don't understand what he's teaching. And I'm not having fun with it.

-Fred

[Bish]

hey guys,
I'm taking lessons right now, and he's got me going through the Buddy Rich. But I just don't understand it,and I hate going to lessons and trying to play it for him and not being able to do it. I sat down to practice it today and just couldn't do it. I don't feel like I'm going anywhere with it. Should I look for another teacher? Or.... what else?

He's a great drummer and a really nice guy, but I just don't understand what he's teaching. And I'm not having fun with it.

-Fred

You should sit down and explain exactly what you just said. You two need to do some fact finding and figure out your goals. If he isn't the right guy he should know it and hopefully he can recommend someone that's better suited for what you want to do.

Also, hopefully maybe he's flexible enough and can understand what you want to learn and approach from another angle. I'd give him a second chance with a serious discussion and see if you guys can get on a similar page.

Good luck which ever way this turns out. And good for you for taking lessons.

[ratmycue]

hmmm, how many lessons have u had? is this your frist teacher? is he showing you sticking and notation? what is it you are struggling with?

sorry i know there are more questions than answers but to properly respond I need more info,

[DamageDrummer]

well everyone has there own technique for teaching people, it just may not be right for you, maybe like bish said, you might need to sit and talk with your teacher about exactly what you want to learn.

on the other hand, he might be teaching you mr. rich's stuff because of the advanced techniques that he uses, he might think that you are good enough to learn some advanced stuff....good luck with this buddy, i know you are a good drummer anyways, but it is always good to take lessons, and learn as much as you can about all aspects of drumming, it may come in handy later on down the road!

[bassist learning drums]

A good teacher will take your confusion and make it right. Like they said communicate that with him. He will understand!

[Norske]

Fred don't ever assume just because you're paying someone to teach you that everything he does is going to be right for you. As the others said, communication is essential. You both need to be on the same page. He may be able to give you a good explanation of why he's got you on a certain track, and when you understand why he's doing that, you may understand and agree. If not, then explain to him what bothers you about it.

[pastor_bob]

I agree that it's time to be honest about your frustration. Good teachers will help their students through the frustration. When you talk to him, you'll know what to do.

[AndyC]

What section of the book are you working on?

Andy

[fiacovaz]

All you said was going through the Buddy Rich. I take that to mean the Buddy Rich method book that shows how he used the rudiments in his playing. Not exactly a book for beginners and it does assume that the student has a solid foundation of the rudiments. As the others have suggested, you may have to step back from it and ask your teacher to use an easier approach until you are ready for this one.

[gonefishin]

I agree with some of the other replies , that you should have a talk with your teacher and explain how you feel and what you want to learn . It never hurts to ask ,cause if you dont he will think youre happy with what youre being taught .Good luck .

[Mysterious Stan]

I think its a good sign that hes giving you something that will challenge you. I don't think many people will be able to play Buddy's stuff well but its making you think and learn some awesome techniques! Better that than just playing basic beats over again. I would recommend talking to your teacher and maybe putting in requests for stuff (i.e - songs, techniques) that you would like to learn. Although Jazz drumming is one of the most skillful of genres to drum to its not everyone's cup of tea. If you tell him what you think he will probably have many other things for you to learn instead.

[shabutie2113]

has any one here used mikeslessons.com i wanna start but 2 have more than just one lesson a week cause i had to miss last weeks for boxing and this weeks im gonna have to miss for the fact my parents are going out of town

[Dunplaying]

Hi,

I went to three tutors. All were masters of the instrument and all taught me differently. However, I didn't make as much progress as I expected and 'realised' that I simply could not play. After all, I couldn't blame it on the teacher as there were three of them, or could I?

Eventually, I got into contact with a fourth teacher who looked at my technique and told me that I wasn't making progress because of fundamental issues which he said should have been straightened out by my previous tutors. I then went on to make as much progress in 6 months as I had in the last 2 years.


My advice is to get a good teacher or none at all. Otherwise you will be wasting your time and money.

Cheers,

Paul.

[Redeye]

This is advice coming from some that teaches lessons. I have over the years stopped teaching students because we just didn't click. They often went on to others and had everything work out. I have also had students that came to me from someone for similar reasons. You really need to have a sit down discussion with your teacher and get this out in the open.