On Monday, February 19th at 7:00pm, join Senegalese master drummer Pape “Paco” Dembe Samb for a one hour group djembe drumming experience at grooveKSQ. People of all ages and ability levels are welcome. This is a terrific opportunity to experience percussion in one of its most powerful and meditative forms. Seats are $25 per person.
If you do not have an instrument, you will be able to rent one for $10 at the event.
One of the objectives for our more experienced members is to get out of the practice room and use their creativity on the drumset to play gigs and make records. There's a new single out from Dan Ciccone's band, Cicco: Dark Tea. Click below to check it out. Dan is a long time member of the studio and is out there making musical things happen.
One of the cornerstones of the teaching philosophy here is a strong emphasis on rudimental playing, as that opens the door to many drumset concepts. In short, good technique and control makes the flashy drumset work easier to execute at a high level.
Below is a video lesson I posted for a student which resonated with quite a few people, it was one of the most viewed video lessons on the channel. Click here to subscribe to the studio’s YouTube channel if this interests you!
Parents! Looking for something worthwhile for your child after school? Our popular group drumming sessions for beginners, grooveKIDS, will return in September. This class is designed for early elementary students (grades 3-6). No prior drumming experience required. The students will learn:
about the basics of rhythm;
how to play in a small group and
how to improve their listening skills.
The classes will take place at the studio on Mondays in September and October: (9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9 and 10/16) from 4:00pm - 4:50pm. All materials will be provided.
The class will be limited to 10 students.
This is the next step in the studio’s evolution: Groove Central - an online collection of video lessons, the new online home of Virtual Vinyl, production tutorials, and a whole lot more. This content will only appear in Groove Central and nowhere else. PLUS, GC members will be able to read my upcoming book The Way of the Drum, as it is being written and evolving over time.
For $5/month, GC Members get access to the online content, PLUS deep discounts on live events (i.e our djembe workshops and guest drum clinics).
CURRENT STUDENTS: Join GC, and you will get a $5 credit on your monthly lesson invoices so this is no additional cost to you.
Groove Central is the studio's members-only online space which features written and video content that does not appear anywhere else.
There is nothing more gratifying than when a plan comes together and things run smoothly. This afternoon, a very enthusiastic group of drummers got a front row seat to a true professional operating at the highest level of the percussion activity - Nate Smith.
Nate was gracious with his time and answered as many questions as time would allow. He performed several solo pieces he wrote for drumset, all of which had clearly defined song structures and conceptual progressions. He played with expert dynamic control and precision. He imparted some very practical, actionable advice about being a professional. It was a GREAT day.
Nate Smith takes the audience on a rhythmic journey….
Special thanks to Zildjian Cymbals, Evans drumheads, Vic Firth drumsticks for their awesome promotional support. Also special thanks to James Boruch for lending the drums from his personal collection for today’s event, and Dan Ciccone and Logan Ritterbeck for helping on the set up and sound engineering.
