Looking for an Affordable Drum Set? Read This…

Over the last few months I have been asked by parents for advice on purchasing an entry level drum set. This is a quick primer on several high quality options that will work for your students (or yourself if you are interested!).

My criteria for this list is the following:

  1. The gear has to be really portable;

  2. The build and sound quality should be high; and

  3. The gear should be something that I would use on a professional gig.

Here are three contenders for your consideration in no particular order:

Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove (approx. $599.00)

Gretsch Catalina Maple (approx. $899 +)

Sonor AQX Jungle Series ($479 +)

I hope this post was helpful! These are not the only three options, and many manufacturers make decent quality gear at this price point now. If you have any questions, email or call me and I can help steer you in the right direction.

The grooveKSQ July Practice Challenge

The grooveKSQ July Practice Challenge is a series of daily livestreams to Youtube that bring short sessions to your computer tablet or smartphone. These workouts are designed for intermediate students to build a regular, purposeful and effective practice routine that they can carry forward.

Every. Day. In. July.

So, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and all you will need are your sticks and a practice pad. Let’s go!!!

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Announcing the grooveKSQ 3 Day Practice Challenge!

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Announcing the groove 3 Day Practice Challenge! This is a livestream series on the studio’s YouTube channel that will broadcast Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (June 28, 29 & 30) at 2:00pm eastern. These videos are going to be short (less than 15 minutes), designed for intermediate students to help reinforce the idea of daily and intentional practice. You can join live or you can watch them after the livestream.

I strongly encourage you all to go to the YouTube channel and subscribe, as we are going to use that heavily over the summer.

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RIP Alan White (1949-2022)

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This past week, one of the giants of rock drumming, Alan White, passed away. He was one of my favorites, and had an extraordinary career. We talked about his work in this month’s Virtual Drum Hang.

While his story has been capably told elsewhere, a few highlights should be noted. Mr. White was one of the few musicians (possibly the only drummer) to have recorded with two Beatles in their solo careers, having appeared on John Lennon’s Imagine and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass.

At age 20, Mr. White was famously recruited over the phone by John Lennon to play in a concert in Toronto with the Plastic Ono Band. They rehearsed on the plane from London to Toronto for the gig. The guitar player in that band? Some guy named Eric Clapton. The result was an album entitled Live Peace in Toronto 1969. You can read more here. You can hear Mr. White’s trademark huge flams on the live version of Give Peace a Chance from that recording.

However, what Mr. White was famous for was his 50 years of dynamic, powerful and imaginative playing behind the drumset with English progressive rock giants Yes. Below is a playlist of what I consider to be his top 5 recorded studio performances.

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GrooveFEST Spring 2022 Recap

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Well, what a fabulous day this was! The students all played with confidence and conviction. These student performance days are truly my favorite thing, as we can get out of the practice room and show friends and family what progress has been made. The students really do make the most interesting choices for the songs they want to learn. Many musical styles were well represented: punk rock, jazz and funk classics, some hard rock in there as well, and also a rudimental classic from the 1940s.

Thank you to the students’ families who attended, and especially to the three families who were in attendance even though their son or daughter was not performing that day. That really says a lot about the community that is surrounding the studio and these awesome young musicians.

We also have to thank Mark and Jossy Osborne for allowing our students to come in and perform at Kennett Brewing Company, that was a treat to have a professional venue for the students to experience.

There will be video pieces for each student coming out this week on our social media platforms. Stay tuned!

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation for the general support of the studio to enable us to produce more programming like this. Click here to donate.

You can also stay in the loop by joining our email list. Text GROOVEKSQ to 66866 on your smartphone.