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Why Study Music? Because It Is FUN!

Why Study Music?  Because It Is FUN!

There has been a lot written about the positive academic benefits of studying music. The pursuit of mastering a musical instrument is a journey of self-discovery and personal development. However, the simplest reason is that making music with other musicians is FUN.

Check out this recent video from a recording session I did last week. The band and I got a good take of a big band tune - the “keeper” take - and went into the control room to listen to it to make sure. Playing well live is one thing. Capturing that live performance on record in a way that communicates to a listener is another matter entirely.

Product Spotlight: Woodland Percussion Gong Drum!

One of the things we enjoy doing here at groove is turning young drummers into GREAT drummers and GREAT musicians.

One of the other things we really dig is spotlighting new or unusual instruments that you don't often get to see, like today.

The good people at Woodland Percussion were nice enough to loan us a 20" x 14" gong drum to review, and it was a BLAST to play. For more information about Woodland Percussion, click here.

NOTE: this is NOT a paid endorsement or advertisement.

If you are interested in studying percussion with Bryan at grooveKSQ, please click here.

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Enjoy!!!

Hello Sunday Morning!

Sundays and Mondays are big days around the studio here…and everyday I teach (and every day in fact), I practice what I preach to my students: GET THE STICKS IN YOUR HANDS EVERYDAY. There simply is no substitute for daily practice. Even if your practice sessions are on the shorter side, i.e. 20 minutes a day, the cumulative effect of practicing every day will become apparent over time.

In other words, practicing everyday yields more growth faster as a player.

Very much looking forward to seeing some of the students perform at Saturday’s recital….

Freestyle Improvisation on the Drumset

Structure is important in your rehearsal and your performances, and that is true of a performer on any instrument. Goals, lists, calendars are all tools to help keep you on a path towards achieving your performance goals.

But, one thing to keep in mind is the importance of freestyle improvisation on the drumset (or concert or marching snare, or piano, violin, etc., etc.). Letting your mind run free while your hands and feet create combinations seemingly on their own is extremely important to a musicians’ growth.

Freestyle improvisation is a great exercise for any drummer/percussionist out there building a solo piece for a performance or for an audition.