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Christmas Gifts For Drummers 2021

by Nick_S_c_h_l_e_singer | Oct 8, 2021 | Commentary

CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS FOR DRUMMERS 2021

Is there a special drummer in your life? Not sure what to get ‘em for Christmas? Here are some great Christmas gifts for drummers 2021! I mean, I hate to say it but the festive season is approaching fast, and as a drummer receiving a spot-on drum gift is one of the best feelings.

Here’s my compilation of gifts ideas for drummers to help you choose some cool, nerdy, yet thoughtful presents. I’ve also included a quick reasoning behind my choices to help you understand the thought behind each suggestion!

Let’s get to it.

PROPER DRUMSTICKS

Most drummers have a favoured brand and model of stick which suits their style. Getting them their preferred stick is a great idea!

If you want to go the extra mile and your budget allows, here are a couple of options to get them along with their sticks of choice:

A variation of the model they love. For instance, variations of 5A drum sticks come in different finishes, with grip, colour, or tip, or material.

Alternatively, have a look for models that drummers in their preferred genre / style play and gift them a pair too. Perhaps that’s something they’ve been wanting to try, but have not wanted to spend their own buck on.

Whichever drumsticks you choose, be sure to choose sticks from professional brands such as Wincent Drumsticks, Vic Firth, ProMark, Vater, etc.

christmas gifts for drummers 2021 wincent sticks

BROKEN CYMBALS

I know, weird right? Broken cymbal makes perfect sense as great Christmas gifts for drummers 2021. These can be used to make a stack (i.e. two cymbals stacked on top of each to create a very dirty, quick sound perfect for accents and textures).

Here’s a great video explaining stacks in more detail:

You can find broken cymbals for sale on eBay, or on certain Facebook groups such as:

Here’s a little groove I made with my stacker cymbals (the one with holes):

ACCESSORIES

You can make a great care package with a selection of fun and useful accessories! The suggestions below are functional, fun and thoughtful and depending on your budget, you can mix and match accordingly.

Cowbell + mount

Who doesn’t like a cowbell? These are great to add musicality to a drum kit, expanding a drummer’s sound palette. They can be mounted on a cymbal stand or on a bass drum hoop.

I got a fever… Doctor prescribes more cowbell!

Snare FX

These have become really hip over the last few years. Things like Ching Rings or Ankle Shakers are great texture-making accessories. Lots of people use these on the snare drum, or the hi hat cymbals!

Here’s a neat video with some great ideas!

Snare wires

An often unsung hero that can improve the sound of the snare drum are upgrading snare wires Canopus wires are world renowned and are a great choice, as are PureSound wires.

Good snare wires can drastically improve the sound of the snare drum.

Washers

Upgrading washers on drums is a fantastic and inexpensive way to help keep a drum in tune! Most manufacturers make these, yet Canopus make some really cool leather ones.

Cymbal felts and sleeves

A great upgrade idea is to get things like Cympad felts, which are a great option to improve cymbal sustain. Similarly, No Nuts cymbal sleeves make changing cymbals a breeze and helps protect cymbals from thread damage.

Tea towels and bulldog clips

These items are a fantastic way to help change the sound of the drums! Place a tea towel on the drum to get that classic 70s sound, and the bulldog clips to hold the towels in place. Check out this quick clip explaining how this works!

A nice drum key

Show the drummer in your life how much you care by getting them a cool drum key! Some alternatives include the Evans Torque Drum Key, the Evans Magnetic Head Drum Key, or the Revolution FF2 Firefly Drum Key pictured below.

christmas gifts for drummers 2021 firefly drum key

A good drum key makes for a more pleasant tuning experience!

Drum Multi Tool and Gaffer tape

A all-purpose tool is a must in every cymbal or stick bag, as you never know what may need a quick repair. Paired with some gaffer tape, and you have a winner! Pearl Drums make the fantastic Pearl PTT13 Tech Tool which is definitely worth checking out!

A nice hi hat clutch

Ah, the hi hat clutch (the bit that holds the top hi hat cymbal in place); tiny yet crucial piece. If your drummer is a gigging musician, they’ll know that drummers don’t share their clutch. So having a nice one that’s smooth and quick-loading is super useful! Below are some great alternatives.

CHOPZzz Pillowcase

Sure, I’m blowing my own trumpet here, but the CHOPZzz Pillowcase doubles up as a great practice pad!

The CHOPZzz Pillowcases are a unique, practical and fun Christmas gifts for drummers 2021

Bass drum beaters

These bits of gear can help change the sound of the bass drum, and have a big impact on the bass drum pedal’s playability. Below are some alternatives from the standard to the quirky:

BOOKS

A good book makes for an interesting read, and can be educational and inspirational! Here are some great alternatives:

Good biographies

An inspirational and fun read from one of the world’s most popular drummers

Educational books

A book filled with great ideas to apply to the drum kit

DRUM LESSONS

A drum lesson is a great way to improve technical skills, offer advice, help develop creativity introduce new ideas, and ignite passion for playing. Teachers like myself can create gift vouchers for lessons. Get in touch with the teacher to discuss how many lessons would be suitable! If you’re interested in purchasing some drum lessons with me, have a look at my lessons page and get in touch!

Check out my drum lessons page and get in touch!

TINY PRACTICE PAD

Whilst these are a very niche thing, they’re extremely useful in helping to build accuracy. They’re a also very portable, so they’re perfect for travel. The Ahead Wicked Chops Practice Pad is a great option!

christmas gifts for drummers 2021 wicked chops

A variation of this portable theme are practice pads that can be strapped to one’s lap! These are great Christmas gifts for drummers 2021 as they can literally practice anywhere. The Wincent DualPad or Ahead Strap On Practice Pad are a great options.

christmas gifts for drummers ahead strap on practice pad

Portable and practical as all get up! Great Christmas gifts for drummers 2021

YAMAHA EAD10

If the drummer in your life is extra special and your budget can stretch, you simply cannot go wrong with Yamaha’s incredible EAD10 module. In short, the EAD10 module that transforms an acoustic kit into a powerful electronic hybrid. It allows a drummer to to sample effects and sounds, and not only amplify but also record your own performance, which you can then easily share online! It also allows you to easily play along to your library of music or your own creations.

FRAME SOME BROKEN STICKS

If you’re feeling crafty, and you can source broken / very well worn sticks, you can put them in a frame to make for some cool artwork!

christmas gifts for drummers 2021 framed sticks

VOUCHERS

If all else fails, get a voucher from a store near them to support retail, or from an online shop!

Great retailers in the UK include

SoundAttak (Colchester)
Drum Shack (London)
Graham Russell Drums (Fareham)
Drummers Only (Leeds, Glasgow)

Great UK-based online stores include

Gear4Music
GAK

Great Europe-based online superstore

Thomann

THINGS TO AVOID!

Of course, this list would not be complete without the unnecessary gifts!

Gimmick drumsticks

The drummer in your life will much prefer a pair of professional sticks, no doubt. If you’d like to engrave those sticks, you can do so, but stay away from non-professional sticks.

Drumstick pens or pencils

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received these things as a gift, and whilst of course I’m always grateful, these end up in a box as I never end up using them.

Desktop / finger drum

These things just take up space on the desk and in the box where they just sit gathering dust!

“I’m a drummer” t-shirt

Of course, this is a highly subjective and recipient-dependent. Personally, I find this kind of apparel pretty cringe, and unless gifted in jest or ironically, this isn’t something I’d spend money on!

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

by Nick_S_c_h_l_e_singer | Sep 2, 2021 | Commentary, Goal-setting

Imposter syndrome

Do you get imposter syndrome? It sucks, doesn’t it… Not sure what I’m talking about? It’s that deep-seated doubt in your skills, talents or achievements and the fear that people will find out you’re a fraud. It’s essentially a thought pattern, one that despite evidence that supports the opposite persists, popping up every so often.

Why did I want to talk about imposter syndrome? Because I thought it would be interesting to share that I get it myself, and some things I do to help me combat it, which boil down to tracking our own progress, not someone else’s, over time.

Progress over time: Here’s the beginning stages of building my new purpose-built studio, where I teach and record drums for artists world-wide.

The issue

Personally, it’s hard to pinpoint where this doubt comes from for me. I’d say the idea of comparing myself to others plays a part in it. Now, I think it’s natural to compare ourselves to others, but we gotta do so in a healthy way. When the self-doubt creeps in, I start asking myself unhealthy questions such as

Why others seem to be doing better than I?
Is it because there’s something wrong with me and what I do?
What am I doing wrong?
Am I not good enough, and therefore a fraud?

These questions are of course valid! Yet it’s more to do with the angle at which we’re looking at ‘em. One point of view is that comparing oneself to others can be a great way to help us remain competitive and push ourselves to be the best we can be. However, when that perspective is negative, they’re quite frightening. And add to the vacuous nature and consumption of Social Media to the mix and you got yourself a real recipe for disaster!

Lucky for me, these thoughts are just cyclical, and I here’s a couple of things I do to help me snap out of it.

Progress over time: 4 layers of insulation means recording and teaching in the room is interruption-free!

Apples to apples

What helps me is a combination of things that are focused on reminding myself to only compare me with me over time. And I try to use calm and positivity to help ease my mind… Sounds corny, I know.

Admire and aspire

We may see someone we admire and aspire to be like, but we’re not them, never going to be them, and that’s OK. The older I get, the more I learn to accept who I am, how I am, and look to develop myself and what I do to the best of my abilities, not someone else’s.

A highlight reel

It’s also worth reminding ourselves that Social Media is just a highlight reel… It’s what happens between real life. It’s easy to get sucked into it, and in my view, can help imposter syndrome thrive.

Breathing

Taking a deep breath and focusing on my breathing really calms my “monkey mind”. My old therapist taught me what he called “7:11 breathing” where you breathe in for 7 counts and out for 11 nice and slow. And if you want to take it to the next level, he said, pay attention to the point at which the air comes into your nose.

Talk about it

Speak to someone, be it a peer, your partner, family member, a therapist… Anyone whose opinion you trust, and not someone who you think is going to blow smoke up your butt!

Progress over time: with the shell complete, it was time to lay down flooring, painting the wall, and move the equipment in!

SMART goals

When thinking about this idea of comparing ourselves to ourselves over time, goal-setting comes to mind. This is something I’ve briefly discussed before, yet I wanted to go a bit more in detail because I think it’s a great tool for imposter syndrome.

Set yourself a goal that you can look back on and see how far you’ve come. However, make sure your goals aren’t unrealistic and unattainable; make ’em S.M.A.R.T goals:

Specific

What do you want to accomplish? Be clear and specific about it as otherwise you’ll lose focus in getting there. Think about what and who is involved in achieving it? Try and think of all the variables involved.

Measurable

How will you measure your goal? If we’re thinking drums, for instance, it could be BPM, or perhaps how many minutes can you improvise. If like myself, you’re a business, the number of students or monthly sessions could be your metric… Just make sure it’s measurable.

Progress over time: spent a couple of days painting, and laying down wood flooring with my partner. That was fun!

Achievable

Nothing wrong with shooting for the stars! However, your goal needs to be realistic, as otherwise you’ll be setting yourself up for failure. Think about how you can accomplish your goal and the work involved in doing so. Work within those parameters!

Relevant

Your goal needs to be important and relevant to you. Again, what do you want to achieve! Similarly, don’t ignore the wider factors that affect relevance, such as whether it’s a worthwhile pursuit, and whether it’s the right time for you to be looking to achieve this.

Time-bound

This is where we come full circle… By giving ourselves a time in which to achieve our goal, we can then look back and see how much we’ve accomplished. Think about how long you want to give yourself to achieve it, and what you can do today, in a month from now, etc in order to reach your target.

Progress over time: whilst I’m still putting up panels for an optimal room sound, I’ve now started recording and teaching in there. The drums sound great!

The proof is in the pudding

This is the kind of thing that works for me in order to help me track my progress! Even if I’m not going ahead and thinking about each of these things in detail, the idea here is that when I look at where I am today, I look at where I was a year ago and where I want to be in the future. The operative concept here is I and not the chump next door. Remember: the proof is in the pudding!

Funk Drum Beats: Beyond Soul Vaccination’s Verse Groove

by Nick_S_c_h_l_e_singer | Apr 10, 2021 | Artistry, Commentary, Drum Lesson, Technique

So here’s a quick drum lesson about creative funk drum beats. We’ll be using David Garibaldi’s Soul Vaccination groove as a template. You can download the free PDF below!

I’ve been knee deep in funk recently, listening to and learning loads of Tower of Power songs. The band’s drummer, David Garibaldi, is quickly becoming one of my all-time faves.

Now, I previously posted a quick drum lesson discussing how we can work on our left hand technique using Soul Vaccination’s funk drum beats. In this lesson, we’re going to take that further!

BACKGROUND

The idea behind this lesson came to me whilst doing some snare accent permutation exercises. I was using the song’s verse groove as a template, permuting snare accents in different places. In doing so, I came up with a few interesting variations. It wasn’t until I played the snare accent on beat 3 (see figure 1), which gave me cool a half-time feel, which sparked my inspiration!

Figure 1.

I then decided to experiment with this new half time version of the funk drum beat. So I proceeded to embellish the beat with further accents, doing so without ever diverging from the original groove’s snare rhythms.

The idea here is for you to take some of the variations I’ve come up with, and then just create your own. My book Concepts discusses this and other ideas to get more out of your drumming; check it out!

Anyhow, the philosophy here is that there are no rules when it comes to creativity. For me, I just stumbled upon this by using the original groove as a template.

TIPS

Below are some helpful tips to make your beats groove hard. You can also check out my drum lessons if you’d like more tips and ideas!

COWBELL

If possible, set your metronome to sound like a cowbell. Why? Because the cowbell is a musical instrument, we can aim to make it become part of the groove. And that will help your overall feel.

funk drum beats

GHOST NOTES & RIM SHOTS

These are very important here. Aim to keep your ghost notes low to the snare, and use rim shots to help make the backbeat pop. Rim shots will help the backbeat more effortless.

INTERPLAY

Pay attention to the interplay between the snare and hi hats. Listen to each “melody” individually, and then together. This will help your understanding of the groove!

MAKING IT FUNKY

Sheila E. explained what makes a groove funky. To her is the ghost notes in between that give the beat more groove and swing, but don’t get in the way of the backbeat or the song.

So the big takeaway here is that I came up with this by permuting snare accents. My next goal is to permute bass drums whilst my hands play the original pattern. I’m looking forward to seeing where that takes me! Like I said, there are no rules, just go down the rabbit hole and enjoy getting lost in it.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF HERE

I hope you find this funk drum beats lesson useful and fun! And speaking of fun, check out my pillowcase practice pad, which is a great, functional gift for drummers. It’s called CHOPZzz, and you can learn about it here.

Nick 🙂

5 Things You Must Know About Online Drum Lessons

by Nick_S_c_h_l_e_singer | Apr 1, 2021 | Commentary, Drum Lesson, Learning approach

Again, there we go with the “new normal” buzzword… But it’s unavoidable! Unfortunately, a few of my students have had COVID-19 and whilst, thankfully, they’ve come out the other side without any apparent long-term adversities, online drum lessons will continue for the foreseeable future.

So, let’s get straight into it… Here are my thoughts and experience of teaching drums online, as well as the general online drum lesson environment throughout the pandemic so far. Whether you’re a student or teacher, I hope you find these considerations useful!

Normalisation of the teaching online environment

This is a great development for education in general; there’s really no excuse in doing face-to-face lessons and risk becoming infected, or infecting someone else. Willingly offering and giving face-to-face lessons, particularly in a small space and without the necessary protective gear whilst the infection rate has been high, is irresponsible.

Learning drums online does not replace face-to-face lessons, but it’s a great alternative

Great drummer does not equal great teacher

With most other sources of income for musicians gone, drummers are turning to teaching to make ends meet. Whilst I understand it’s important to try and find work somehow, a good drummer does not make a good teacher. If teaching is not something you’re passionate about, students won’t benefit from it, and you won’t enjoy it… Nobody wins.

Yes, teaching means income but it’s not something to do for a quick buck. Conversely, you might find that you’ve really liked teaching, and want to pursue it further! As for me, I’ve been care passionately about education, and have been teaching for many years to students of different ages, levels and students with S.E.N (learn about my drum lessons here), so I count myself lucky in that respect.

Online drum lessons = global market

One of the best things about online drum lessons is that we’re not restricted by borders or distance. If you have an internet connection, we’re half way there, really! Language, speaking of borders, is probably the biggest restricting factor these days.

This is a really important consideration, because our communication skills are really put to the test when teaching effectively. Similarly, globalisation has homogenised certain global cultural aspects. However, it’s important to be aware of that not all cultures are the same.

Personally, I’ve been lucky to have been raised in an international environment. Having lived in Europe, South America, the Middle East, I grew up going to International schools. I’ve also extensively travelled internationally for work so I have good experience in this. Whilst all that stuff helps, the biggest takeaway from it is to keep an open mind!

As students we can learn from anyone in the world, and as teachers we can teach students wherever they may be

Minimal equipment

Similarly, we don’t actually need super fancy equipment in order to give online drum lessons… To me, the quality of the teacher far outweighs the quality of the gear we use to teach. Of course, having multiple cameras, and audio interface to run the audio through helps, a full kit setup most certainly helps, but it isn’t 100% necessary.

Of course, a good camera angle and decent audio are important to demonstrate things, this goes without saying. That said, apps like EpocCam let you turn your smartphone into a webcam, enabling you to have a multi-camera setup with minimal investment! You can also find really cheap but sturdy tripods, as well as phone holders on Amazon too.

Similarly, if you’re stuck teaching at home with no drumset, no problem… There are tons of things which can be taught on the pad.

My approach to online drum lessons

Here I’d like to share my approach to online drum lessons. As previously mentioned, if you’re a student or a teacher, I hope these are helpful things for you to think about.

I’ve noticed that my approach to teaching online is mostly similar to how I approach face-to-face lessons. However, there are some factors that, depending on the student, I’m far more flexible with. Here are brief thoughts on some of these. For instance:

Priorities

Depending on the student’s age, ability, focus, attention span and goals, I’ve adapted my teaching priorities. My approach to engagement has heightened. The lack of a face-to-face, in-person interaction means that I have to make sure that the student is engaged throughout.

For beginners, this may mean learning grooves and songs taking even more of a central role. As such, specific technical stuff I might address over several lessons and less in-depth unless it’s the focus of the lesson.

Like I said, it’s different for every student, but something I’ve noticed. Adapting my style to the environment has been important!

Set the tone… Be positive

More than ever, we have to understand that, with kids in particular and from a mental health perspective in general, making the lesson enjoyable and a positive experience that partly lets the student forget about everything else, is important.

Taking breaks

With adults and, particularly children, taking break gives the student a chance to digest all the information and makes the lesson a bit lighter and more fun.

Taking short breaks during online lessons helps focus the mind and can aid long-term memory

Lesson structure

Depending on the student and their age, being more conscious of how long I’m spending on each topic I have planned is important. Some students prefer to stay on one particular task for longer, where as other students like more variety.

Recording facilities

Using apps / software like Skype and Zoom, you can record lessons (with permission from the students) which can then be downloaded and used for their reference.

Creating neat PDFs in real time

Using software like the brilliant, and free, MuseScore, I’m able to produce neat transcriptions and exercises for students pretty much in real time!

Thanks for reading!

If you’re interested in taking online drum lessons, check out my drum lessons and get in touch!

You can also check out some FREE video lessons with downloadable PDFs on my blog, like this one about a great Half-time Paradiddle Fill.

And, have a look at and follow me on Instagram where I post fun educational stuff every week!

Thanks for reading!

Nick x

Soul Vaccination Drum Grooves: Snare Accents vs. Ghost Notes Workshop

by Nick_S_c_h_l_e_singer | Mar 23, 2021 | Artistry, Commentary, Drum Lesson

In this article you’ll learn how to improve your snare drum accents and ghost notes using a couple of the Soul Vaccination drum grooves from Tower of Power’s self-titled 1973 record. You can download a free PDF with some of the grooves at the end of the article.

Tower of Power’s third album, 1973’s self-titled Tower of Power featuring David Garibaldi on drums

David Garibaldi’s most definitely one of my favourite drummers. His playing with Tower of Power, such as the Soul Vaccination drum grooves, What Is Hip, or Oakland Stroke have been a great way to improve my drumming! Learning his grooves has many benefits which, to me, have been the following:

Feel

David’s sound and time feel are very groovy, and I definitely want more of that in my life! There’s a very organic quality to David’s playing which really resonates with me.

Musicality / Creativity

His unconventional and creative approach shows that grooves can still be musical and catchy without a 2 & 4 backbeat. And not just that, but paying attention to the rhythmic layers he creates gives us a new perspective on what it means to groove!

Coordination

Speaking of rhythmic layers, the tricky nature of these which he creates with the kick, snare and hats are great to open up our coordination. It’s fun to pay attention to the interplay between different elements.

Reading

When I started learning other Tower of Power songs like What Is Hip and Oakland Stroke it reinforced the need to identify rhythmic sequences. The Soul Vaccination drum grooves are great to develop this further.

Low key and stuff, but if you’re interested check out my drum lessons. Or if you’re after a great drum book full of ideas to improve your drumming, check out my book here!

Soul Vaccination technique: Snare accents v. Ghost notes

From a technical perspective, the Soul Vaccination drum grooves are great way to improve our snare drum dynamics, in this case: ghost notes and accents.

David Garibaldi demonstrating his playing at Drumeo

#1 Keep your snare hand close to the drum head

This will help you deliver smooth, clean tap strokes that aren’t too overbearing… These should be a detail, not a main feature.

#2 Play the tap strokes nice and relaxed

This feeds directly from the previous point. Keeping the tap strokes low means you put less effort into playing them, so make sure your hand and wrist are tension-free.

#3 Prepare accent strokes in advance

As you start getting familiar with these Soul Vaccination drum grooves, you should start anticipating the accents. Preparing to play these accents in advance means you’ll play more relaxed and fluidly.

#4 Play the accents as rim shots

The main reason for this is that you’ll get a loud and full-sounding backbeat with minimal effort. As you’re keeping the tap strokes low, you won’t have to swing for an accent from very high.

If you’d like to develop your technical skills with a teacher, have a look at my drum lessons.

Similarly, if you’re after a book to help you improve your creative skills around the drums, check out my drum book Concepts!

Download the free PDF from HERE.

Enjoy!

Nick

The Best 5 Hacks To Learn To Play Drums Online

by Nick_S_c_h_l_e_singer | Feb 7, 2021 | Commentary

I believe that meaningful content is a good thing, and in a way you can never have enough of it; good stuff is good stuff. Conversely, if you want to learn to play drums online, too much good content can cause option paralysis. I mean, where on earth do you start, right?!

Best 5 hacks to learn to play drums online

#1. Set a learning path

Know what it is that you want to develop and set a learning path. Hopefully you’ll have great self-awareness and also take into account what it is you need to develop. Want and need are very different things! A lot of the time the things we need to learn are help us get to the stuff we want to lean to play.

A learning path will get you to your desired results in a structured and progressive way. A great way to set a learning is with a drum teacher who can guide your journey.

By the way, you can check out drum lessons here, if you’re interested in learning!

The learning path or journey can be daunting, but it’s really rewarding

#2. Supplement your learning

When you learn to play drums, supplementing your lessons with extra material is a great idea. Seek out exercises, licks and songs to learn which directly compliment the skills you’ve set on your learning path. However, there’s risk of over supplementing, so try not to overload yourself with too many things.

#3. Stay focused

As I mentioned above, variety is good yet try and keep your main learning objectives focused to one, or maybe two things. Trying to have multiple main objectives could dilute your learning and slow down your progress. It’s better to stay focused on one thing and explore it from many directions as possible!

I’ve written my drum book Concepts with exactly this idea in mind. It offers processes and ideas that allow you to explore your drumming vocabulary from many angles to get the most of it. Hudson Music, whom publishes my book, are a massive publisher with tons of great drum books to get your hands on!

#4. Be patient

It’s unrealistic to expect new things you’re learning to come out naturally in your playing in a week or two. The incubation period for new material can take months, and requires consistent and focused practice! So, keep your head down and work at it; be patient and results will start to show before you know it.

#5. Record yourself

This one’s a big one! What we think we sound like and what we actually sound like can be two very different things. It’s a very good idea to record ourselves in order to truly measure progress, particularly when learning solo. This helps us understand what we sound like, and what we need to do to improve!

Video-based drum lessons

Below are a few extra thoughts I believe are valuable to keep in mind when using on video-based resources to learn to play drums online.

YouTube can be a great resource to learn to play drums

Licks and patterns

Video-based lessons generally focus on licks and patterns and tend to ignore the bigger principles behind them. So, whilst these can be a great source of fun and a good learning supplement, try and focus on the bigger picture.

Feedback

As obvious as it seems, video lessons are pre-recorded and as such, a one way communication. In my experience, students aren’t great at spotting their own mistakes, which can’t be corrected in real time, unlike when having a tutor in the room or on Zoom or Skype. This can risk the formation of bad habits, and we want to avoid those!

Learning style

The nature of pre-recorded online video lessons also means that something is explained in one way, and there’s no opportunity to ask questions! As a result, the personal relationship you have with your teacher is very important. To me, adapting my teaching style and explanations of ideas and concepts to every student is very important! And so is answering their questions the best I can.

That’s it!

I hope you’ve found this article useful! If you’re interested want to learn to play drums, I offer online drum lessons, so check them out and get in touch!

Nick

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