Welcome to Drumming
Intro
This posting will cover a few points for students and parents
regarding lessons, payments, practicing, and materials. If you have
any questions at any time, please email me at
yourdrumteacher@yahoo.com.

Lessons:

One half-hour lesson per week is suggested for basic drum lessons.
Students at an advanced level who wish to study additional
instruments such as Xylophone, bells, or Latin Percussion
Instruments may require longer sessions. Keeping consistent with
weekly lessons is of great benefit to the student and greatly increases
proficiency at the fastest rate. Lessons are provided for a fee of
$15.00 per half hour session or $25.00 for an hour. Basic drum
lessons start with learning proper techniques for the snare drum and
the drumset. The focus here will be on holding the sticks properly,
reading drum music, learning the rudiments on the snare drum,
developing coordination, timing, and learning basic music theory. On
the drumset, students will learn how to play rhythms in many
different styles such as Rock, Jazz, and Funk and learn how to read
music specifically for the drumset. The studies for Advanced
Students will contain learning scales, chords, mallet technique, sight
reading, and performance pieces such as sonatas and ragtime songs.
This is just a short list to provide for you a brief description of what
will be covered during lessons.

Practicing:

Yes, practice makes perfect and its effects will be obvious!! So
parents, please encourage your child to practice each night. A little
focused and purposeful practice session goes a long way. Each
student will always have an assignment to work on, possibly several
between lessons. Students should try to budget at least 15 to 20
minutes a day/night for practice time.

Materials:

Ok, before you go out and spend a fortune on a drumset first read
this.........Don’t! For the beginner it is not necessary. What a
beginning drum student should have is something called a Practice
Pad. It is a small, flat, round pad that looks like a drum but is not as
loud. Usually the pad is designed to mount on a stand but again,
that isn’t necessary although it’s handy. I would suggest the Remo
Practice Pad in an 8 inch or 10 inch size. There are many, many
different types and styles at prices from $8.95 to $89.95!! The Remo
is the cheapest and best bang for the buck at around $10.00 but feel
free to purchase whatever type you wish. Another necessity for the
drummer is drumsticks and lesson books. Drumsticks come in many
sizes and weights. Some sticks are designed only for the marching
snare drum and would be too big for the drumset. Some are very thin
and are too light for the beginner to develop good stick technique. So
to start, I would recommend a general type stick that is usable on
both the snare and drumset. Vic Firth is a brand that has a model
called the SD1 General for example which is pretty good for most
people . At the first lesson, we’ll try several different models to see
what’s best. As far as lesson books, the first snare drum book used is
called “Fundamental Studies For Snare Drum” by Garwood Whaley
and the first drumset book is “Realistic Rock” by Carmine Appice.
These books are not necessary for the first lesson but should be
purchased as soon as possible. Handouts will be given at the first
lesson covering the basics.






Where to Buy...

Locally, there are not many music stores to choose from so please
check your phone book to find a store convenient for you.
However, on the internet you can find a huge selection of competitive
stores with a large variety of gear. I would recommend highly:
www.steveweissmusic.com as your first stop. Steve Weiss specializes
in all things percussion!! Other good spots are:

The Guitar Center: www.guitarcenter.com (they also have a store
near the Whitehall Mall)

Dave Phillips Music and Sound: www.davephillipsmusic.com (retail
store in Bethlehem)

Music123: www.music123.com

The Musicians Friend: www.musiciansfriend.com

ZZounds: www.zzounds.com




Thanks and remember that you can contact me with any questions.

Ken Meyer