5 Trent

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Chris' new kit

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Correction

Chris actually spotted a mistake in the last post. Mike Portey does NOT play for dream theater anymore. You'll all just have to settle for Mike Mangini instead. Thanks Chris!! You rock.


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Dream theater comes to town

This sat Dream Theater is at the Hard Rock!!
www.ticketmaster.com/event/220046FDE9136051?brand=hrorlando

This is a rare and beautiful thing indeed. Go and soak in the awesomeness of Mr Mike Portnoy

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Flam accents!

Trents got flam accents around the kit at 70bpm!! Thanks to Chris's exercise he's well on his way to throwing this into a groove! Great job Trent!!

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Trent's training!

Chris's exercise/challenge to Trent has sparked a fire! We have since began an epic triplet training regime. And all at the request of Trent himself!! This week is technique exercises focusing on accents/taps. Next will be taking those techniques and applying them to the flames in Chris's exercise.
Great job on the exercise Chris! It may be a true turning point for Trent!

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Chris and I after he threw down at his latest performance



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Chris's Concert

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Local drum solo

Drummer Bruno Ufret throws down with his band Ovni at the 3rd annual beach bash.

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Trents challenge at 70bpm

Trent! You have challenged us all!! Let me know what you think!

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Mission accomplished for Trent

Alright so there it is. 10yr old Trent can play his own coordination exercise. Can you?!



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Chris Plays Trent's Challenge!

Chris plays Trent's challenge at 45bpm and gets to write the next challenge:

Great job Chris. And impressive writing, Trent. Get ready for Chris's challenge, Trent!!

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Challenge this week!!

This is a coordination exercise written half by Trent, half by myself. The goal is to get it at 30bpm by next week. The winner will be featured in a video next week and will get to write the next challenge. Here it is:



Haha. I can't rotate it I'm workin on the fly as usual. Itll just have to add to the challenge. Ha! I also wanted to give you a screenshot of what ur met should look like when u're practicing:



There it is. All drumalesson members are welcome to participate! If you can play it faster than 30bpm, go ahead but remember, if someone plays it cleaner at 30bpm than you do at 60bpm, you lose.
Understand?! Get crackin! Good luck!

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Trent the jazz master

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Can you play what a 10 yr old is cookin?

Hey guys. So I gave my 10 yr old student the assignment of writing his own sixteenth-note exercise for bd/snare coordination on drumset. What he came up was simple yet funky and just so cool I wanted to share. Check it out:







The "F" refers to your foot/bd. For added challenge throw in HH on 2 or every 1/4. Enjoy and remember. If you can't hack this, you're being played by a 10 yr old.



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I got to see Primus and you didn't

As if you'll even read this with a clip of Primus live below, I wanted to give some brief history on Primus's legendary drummers.

Current drummer Jay Lane has also been the member of Charlie Hunter Trio, which would explain his jazzy tendencies. During the opening act (the Dead Kenny Gs) Mr. Lane snuck in and threw a jazz groove behind the bands closing piece. Epic.
Tim "Herb" Alexander got some Primus time along with Larry LaLonde who played on my favorite peice, "My Name is Mudd" on "Tommy the Cat". Then Alex left the band and a Bryan Mantia held the reigns. Last year Claypool got Jay Lane to come back and they all lived happily ever after.

Primus SUCKS!!!

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Location:Hard Rock Live

New to the studio!

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Location:Florida's Turnpike,Orlando,United States

Which Stick Does What?

Be an expert next time your standing in-front of that brick of sticks in your local music store.

First pick your wood. After all, it's the wood that makes it good.

Maple
Light, flexible, high energy absorption

Hickory
most common, decent energy absorption, flexible, balanced

Oak
densest, strong, poor energy absorption

note: don't buy sticks that don't tell you what they're made of


Next figure out which tip you need. After all, it's the shape that makes it good.

nylon
bringing out cymbals, better rebound, studio work, electric kits, tip may fall off

wood
most common, but may chip

Next figure out what size you need. After all, size does matter.

7a - thin, light, softer sound - jazz, younger players

5a - most common, medium thickness, rock

2b/5b - louder, thicker

Also note, before you go blaming all your problems on your sticks, it might be you! Get a technique check at Drumalesson and schedule a live quick session with one of our instructors.

Make Your Own DrumSet!

http://guerrilladrummaking.com/

Drum Teachers. A Tribute

So sitting at a hip coffee shop somewhere in sunny Orlando, I wanted to rave a bit about drum teachers. They are awesome... and yes. You caught me. This is actually what goes through my mind when most are trying to decide moca or latte. I guess since percussion was such a huge influence on me growing up, the experiences I inherently got just from being around these drum instructors throughout my career ended up shaping my life in ways most probably wouldn't give second thought to. I just find it fascinating if not a bit intimidating since I now teach drum students myself!

If you're anything like me and can think of a drum teacher that's really inspired you, you should probably write a tribute comment below about them! We all know they didn't get paid anything close to what they're worth!