I definitely see the Moeller in there.  Nice and smooth, especially the transition between hands.  Looks and sounds great Marcus!

Thanks Stephen.  It’s funny finding the unexpected mental issues when you start picking apart your technique.  It becomes so much more than a mere physical motion when you start struggling with things you never really thought about before.

Welcome David!  While I’m not a big gamer, I feel you on the other two.  As a father of 4 myself, I have to say cherish these early moments.  While it’s nice when the kids get self-sufficient enough to get dressed with minimal help and brush their teeth, I totally miss holding a baby.  Fortunately I knew when we had our last one we were done so…[Read more]

Great question and topic.  If I’m learning something that is too complex to even play at a slow tempo, I won’t even use a metronome.  I’ll break down each component, playing it slowly and then maybe speeding up a bit as I get accustomed to the patterns and/or movements (sometimes I just need to get my brain and muscles comfortable with a p…[Read more]

I tend to drive my foot all the way to impact and then let the beater rebound, at least for solid accents.  If I need a lighter touch, I either drive through but with less force or release my foot just as impact occurs.

Welcome Ale!  So awesome that your following your passion for drums.  Like you, I started on a different instrument (acoustic guitar) and then changed to drums when I started listening to punk rock in high school.  It was just a lot more satisfying being able to pound on things in a socially acceptable way!  You’ll love DBD.  Stephen is an awes…[Read more]

I think Stephen is working on some changes to make it easier to find recorded sessions.  They just haven’t rolled out yet.  Glad I could help!

If you go to the Members home page and click the Lesson Tracks option, you’ll see a heading for “This Month”.  The recorded session looks to be on that page.

https://www.stephensdrumshed.com/lesson-tracks/

As discussed on the FB page, this is a huge topic that is hard to cover in this type of forum.  I know when I feel legitimate nervousness or fear (as opposed to just the typical pre show nervous energy), I really have to focus on the cause of the fear.  I know there have been gigs where I had no fear and gigs where My fear was large enough that I…[Read more]

If you count leaving work early to get a practice session in or spending your lunch in the car with a practice pad and a metronome as addicted, then guilty as charged!  Welcome to the shed where the groove is smooth!

The technical definiton as far as a conductor is concerned is that the downbeat is the first beat of a measure and the upbeat is the last beat (conductors will raise their hand on the upbeat to indicate a change in measure).  However, as it pertains to us drummers, think of it as the “&” that lands between the counted beats.  In standard 4/4 t…[Read more]

Awesome job Aaron and congrats!  It’s huge when all the work pays off and people really take notice, especially those that are knowledgeable on the instrument;).  Maybe we’ll need a shed field trip to New Orleans to check you out!

Glad to meet you Rick!  I had a similar start to drums.  In high school, me and two friends decided to start a band, even though none of us played an instrument.  I was going to play bass and then our “guitarist” said, “You know Rob, if we start a band, we’re going to need drums”.  My head nearly exploded and I thought, “Yeah, I’ll do tha…[Read more]

Same thing here Marcus.  When I really need a creative spark, it tends to work better if I go back to something basic and try to look at it from a different angle.  Sometimes it can be as minor as taking a sticking and just moving the notes around so they are on different parts of the kit.  Even though the pattern is the same, it can cause me to…[Read more]

Thanks Kyle.  It’s hard to embrace the train wreck that actually leads to larger breakthroughs.  I use to bite off too little because I didn’t want to sound bad.  However, I was taking soooooo long to make meaningful progress so I’m learning to embrace the terrible, knowing that I’ll never sound that bad in a live setting.

@John Kudos to you.  I use to think about trying play in an open style to free myself up but would generally quit after 5 minutes out of frustration at not being able to play even basic grooves.  I can’t imagine trying become a left footed drummer.  Serious mind warp there.  I admire your courage and drive to continue with the drums.  Tis no small feat.

Aside from the obvious technical aspects of playing drums, my biggest hurdles are creativity and appreciating my successes.  I’m like the knock off artist that can take what someone else does and use it but I have a hard time finding my voice.  I may have specific fills or patterns or grooves that I rely on but that’s really more of a safety net t…[Read more]

Welcome Michael.  Stephen definitely has a unique way of connecting and communicating with students.  So cool to hear about all the action you’re getting in Oakland!