Personally, I’ve been giving private lessons for about 2 yrs now.  I’ve had some pretty solid success and some great feedback from my students.  All in all, I have a pretty good understanding of how to translate what I do to other people.  That being said, I’m collaborating with the staff at the Drummer’s Collective in an effort to set up a clinic some time in February.  I’m pretty excited about this because this is the first opportunity I’ve had to teach in a high profile setting.

The educatiional side of drumming is something that I’ve always been interested in.  I took lessons for the first 3-4 years of playing and it gave me a greater appreciation of the instrument and what goes into mastering it.  To this day, I’m still a student of the drums and try to soak up as much as I can.  There’s definitely something to be learned from all drummers that you come in contact with.

I will be announcing and promoting my clinic shortly.  Check back soon.

MB

First- I did about 15 min of running a steady, solid, hard-hitting tempo of 130bpm with the double kicks. Not going for speed but concentrating on individual solid hits with each foot and really concentrating on each foot feeling the same in strength of hits, positioning on the pedal, etc.

Next- I bumped the tempo up to about 150bpm and this time I was really concentrating on making sure that everything above the knees on both legs remained relaxed and unstrained.  Not that I was letting my shins do ALL of the work but I focused on making sure that my hip flexors didn’t tense up, my thighs didn’t cramp up, etc.

Currently, I’m going back and forth between these 2 exercises at these 2 tempos.  It’s a good workout and it seems to really train your brain to focus and stimulate (or not stimulate) specific muscle groups in the legs.  Try It Out!!!

MB

I’ve been doing a lot of reading as of late and one of the authors I’ve been turned onto is David Baldacci.  Ever see the movie- Absolute Power?  Well, the movie was based on one of his novels.  It’s real “possible gov’t cover-up, people mysteriously dying, the chase is on!” type stuff that will keep you reading until 2am.  This guy writes some great stories about believeable characters dealing with some real thought-provoking subject matter.

So far, I’ve read HOUR GAME, THE CAMEL CLUB and SIMPLE GENIUS.  He has about 16 novels published right now and after reading one, you’ll want to read them all.  Definitely check his stuff out.

www.davidbaldacci.com

Stay tuned.  My next blog will be about my recent bout with food poisoning.  I must say, pretty humorous yet altogether disgusting. 

MB

You do not need to spend too much on a throne, but be sure to get something comfortable and stable, and it will make a big difference. A drum throne should have a sturdy and wide base. If you play with an unstable throne, not only do you risk finding yourself on the floor, but you’d also get tired more quickly from using your core muscles for stability. A steady throne is particularly important for doing leg work.

Personally, I prefer the more ergonomic bicycle seat shaped thrones. A backrest is also something to consider, although not a must.

When adjusting the height of the throne, conventional wisdom dictates that your knees should be level, or slightly below your thighs. If you set the throne too low, you’ll needlessly strain your muscles when lifting your legs up, and if you set it too high, then you’ll have less power to push the pedals. Either way, you should do what’s ultimately best for you. Many drummers get away with setting their thrones ridiculously high or ridiculously low, but you should at least be aware of what’s “proper”.

Don’t look at the throne as just a chair. Look at it as the determining factor regarding your core center of balance. It’s a piece of equipment that is just as important as anything else on your kit.

Keep Jamming!!!

MB

First off, I tracked a drum solo/instrumental a couple weeks back called “The Last Man On Earth” for a compilation cd coming out on Rat Pak Records.  The comp is called “Unleashed 4.”  All the songs on it are side-projects of guys playing in other bands.  Very cool idea and I’m glad that Joe (the owner) hit me up and asked me to do my thing and be part of it.  It’s very different from what I do in Hatebreed.  It’s still in the vein of heavier music but I definitely get to show some chops and broaden my horizons a little bit. There’s a small video clip of me recording some of it posted in the video section.  Check out the poster and check out some of the other tracks here-  http://www.myspace.com/ratpaknewengland.

I also tracked four more songs for the Hatebreed covers album, “For The Lions.”  No going to spill the beans on what those tracks are (hmmm…maybe a Slayer song….) but I know that everyone will be super-psyched on them.  The album has been pushed back to the Spring of ‘09, but that’s ok.  Gives us a little more time to make it perfect.

Next up, I continue to give drum lessons in my time off.  All details on that are posted on my personal myspace page.  Click on the link down in the “Cool Links” section and hit me up if you are interested.  I cover many different things in my lessons, as well as if there is anything specific that you may want to pick up on.  I continue to write lessons for DRUM! magazine every month so keep checking that stuff out too.  I’ve gotten great feedback over the last couple years about that stuff so I will keep doing it as long as I can.

I will begin posting some video lessons in the “Video” section of this site in the coming weeks so, ALL YOU FELLOW DRUMMERS, make sure you check those out.  They will be informative, easy to follow and will cover a lot of great concepts that people always ask me about.

All for now.
More soon…..

MB

A Metronome is a vital tools in music education. Guitarists, pianists, violinists, etc. all use metronomes during their practice, therefore it’s not surprising that drummers, the “time keepers” of music, do too. In order to be a good drummer, you’ll need to keep good time, and practicing with a metronome will help you do that.

You should practice any drum beats (as well as any rudimentary practice pad stuff) you play with the metronome. You’ll probably find that keeping up with the metronome beats is a little more difficult than playing it “free style”. When you practice a beat, make sure the metronome’s accented sound starts the beat’s measure.

As you practice, never go much faster than you feel comfortable, or your form and technique will turn to shit, and if you practice with bad technique, you’ll learn bad technique. Not good!

Practicing with a metronome will improve your time keeping. You might not feel your sense of rhythm improving while you work with a metronome, but you’ll sense it when you later play without one.

Good Luck and ENJOY!!!

MB

What type of band will you be playing in? If it’s a heavy metal band or a marching band, you’ll need thicker drumsticks to withstand the heavy abuse they will take.  Sticks come in all different sizes. Larger drumsticks are normally a 5B or 2B size (2B is larger) and will usually last much longer.  If you play in a jazz band or low-volume band, you will want to go with a smaller stick size.  A 7A (very thin) or a 5A (standard) will suffice. Of course, if you play many styles, you may find that a 5B is the most suited for you because it is versatile.

What type of tips are you looking for? Years ago, there were only wood tip drumsticks.
The problem was that they often chipped and spintered away with wear/tear.  The nylon tip was developed and is now one of the standards in drumming.

What type of wood is best? There are advantages and disadvantages to various
wood types for drumsticks.  The most common are Maple, Hickory, and Oak.  Some lighter-weight maple sticks
tend to snap a little easier so many drummers don’t like them.  Oak or Hickory on the other hand are a
bit more sturdy and widely accepted as reliable and able to hold up to long term, rigorous drumming.

How do the drumsticks feel? This is one of the most important questions a drummer should ask themselves involving their sticks.  Ultimately, we want them to feel good in our hands.  Drumsticks become a part of us when we play.  They are an extension of our limbs and they must feel right or we won’t be comfortable.