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Some reflections from the Zappa/Crimson show last night:

The Zappa Band:

They were insanely tight and played some very challenging material. Even though I spent many years listening to his music, it was the first time I had seen anything Zappa live (I know, I know...)

When I was watching Mike Keneally doing everything at an unbelievable level I suddenly remembered when I got called to do percussion overdubs on one of his records about 8 years ago but was out of town. I thought about that for a while during the show. (Thanks to Kris Myers for that call way back when)

It is so fun and incredible to watch Scott Thunes, and I could listen to Ray White sing all night. I was definitely giddy seeing Robert Martin and thinking back to all the video footage I had seen of him with Zappa.

When they played Peaches en Regalia I turned to Shana and said, "when Chris Siebold was directing the guitar ensemble at Elmhurst College about 15 years ago, they were recording this tune and on the morning of the...

Yesterday, June 13, I was notified that the DrumMantra Podcast was named one of "The 20 Best Music Theory Podcasts of 2021" by Welp Magazine. This is the third year in a row that another site has named the podcast in the category of "must listen." I thank Welp Magazine for finding me, and for including me on their list of music theory podcasts for 2021!

Receiving the email from Welp led me down the rabbit hole of podcast metrics which ultimately landed me on a stats page that ranks all the podcasts in the world. All 2,472,245 of them. I was quite surprised, yet thrilled to learn that the DrumMantra Podcast is in the top 5% most popular shows in the world!

If you are an avid listener of the podcast, I must apologize for not being as consistent as you may wish. There are certainly times where I am able to get an episode out, on time, each week. I love those times. There's nothing better than getting to cross something off the "to do" list. And there are also times that I either get...

When I heard Dan play this fill the other day, I knew I had to do something "DrumMantra" with it. Please enjoy this style and analysis breakdown based on my own approach to education.

This fill will be part of Dan's upcoming online course and book and I am very grateful that he granted me permission to present my approach to studying his genius.

The thing I found so intriguing about this fill was the subdivision. It is still fairly rare to hear polymetric groupings in drumming, and when you do the subdivision is usually sixteenth notes. To hear a 5:4 polymetric relationship as eighth note triplets is fantastic! What a brain-twister.

In this video, I break down the fill and then provide 12 exercises that will lead you down the path of being able to do this fill yourself. 

Enjoy!

If you would like the downloadable pdf, individual play-alongs, and an interactive experience with this lesson you can visit the DrumMantra Lesson Vault where you will find nearly 100 hours worth...

8-Week/8-hour Online Drumming Intensive

Starting January 10, 2021

Join brush master, Anthony Stanislavski, and DrumMantra creator, Rich Stitzel, in an 8-week intensive that will inspire, motivate, and improve your playing!

Work in a group setting from home while Anthony & Rich guide you each step of the way.

In this 8-week/8-hour Online Drumming Intensive, you will meet with Anthony to work on brush techniques for an hour once a week AND you will meet with Rich for an hour once a week to work on timing, coordination, reading, polymeters, and grooves!

DrumMantra Intensive - 4 Week Course (Fortnightly Lessons)

This course will cover the six key aspects of becoming a great drummer.

Time. Reading. Coordination. Polymeters. Phrasing. Groove.

Course Outline:

Week 1: Warm-Up in 4, Reading in 4 part 1, Coordination part 1, Phrasing 1, Groove part 1.

Week 3: Warm-Up in 4, Reading in 4 part 2, Coordination part 2, Phrasing 2, Groove part 2.

Week 5: Warm-Up in...

NOTE: THE EXERCISE VIDEO IS AT END OF BLOG POST

Quote:

“Learn the rules like a pro so that you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso.

Learning “the rules” can be a tedious and even an overwhelming task. 

Most of us fall in love with an instrument and want to be a musician because of the allure of the unknown.

In the beginning, we sit behind the kit, perhaps trying each sound individually to get a sense of what we have to "paint" with. We try a tom, then a cymbal, then a couple of bass drum hits, followed by closing the hi-hat with the left foot a few times. The magic of the instrument is pulling us in. The fascination with doing something that requires all the limbs takes over our entire being.

Maybe, in the beginning, you wanted to play a beat. Something from the music that you listened to that made you fall in love with the instrument in the first place. Maybe you just wanted to experiment with the sounds, textures,...

Rich Stitzel--Chicago-based drummer, educator, and author--has been signed to the roster of Yamaha Artists

BUENA PARK, Calif., Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Yamaha Drums today announced the signing of Chicago-based drummer, educator, and author Rich Stitzel to the roster of Yamaha Artists.

"Rich is one of those rare, consummate artists who has garnered widespread respect and recognition as a drummer, percussionist, author, composer, and educator," said Greg Crane, manager of Artist Relations, drums, Yamaha Corporation of America. "His unwavering dedication to music education aligns fully with Yamaha, and we look forward to supporting Rich and to help broaden his influence, both on the stage and in the classroom."

In his nearly three-decades-long career, Rich has toured the world extensively and played with such notables as jazz-fusion violinist Christian Howes, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, The Jim Widner Big Band, country...

One of the greatest drummers in the world stopped by DrumMantra studios during a visit to Chicago. What started out as an afternoon podcast recording turned into an epic 4-day hang. Here is some of the footage from that hang & conversation.

About Mark:

Grammy award-winning drummer/percussionist/composer/educator Mark Walker was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He began playing drum set at age 10, and at age 16 studied with the “Dean of Percussion” Roy C. Knapp until Knapp’s death in 1979. He played his first professional club, concert and recording gigs barely out of high school.

He gained valuable experience performing an extremely wide range of styles in the Chicago area and later became a first-call session drummer and percussionist, playing on film scores, jingles, and record dates. He also began performing with pianist Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group), touring the U.S., South America, and Europe.

While still living in Chicago in the 1990s, he...

Last week we talked about inspiration and how it's not necessarily the most important thing for getting down to business. Of course, we love inspiration. It puts us in a space where we can create, where we have extra energy that we can focus on making something happen — getting down to work, really getting down to business. But inspiration is not always readily available.

My very special guest, Steve Lyman (Stevely Man) is a brilliant drummer and a great all-around dude. Here is a bit from his Wikipedia page:

Stephen Richard Lyman (born January 22, 1982) is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Lyman was exposed to music at an early age by his father, a classical guitarist. Lyman began to play professionally while in high school and eventually studied music at the University of Utah. He relocated to New York City in 2005 to continue his education at the New School where he began to study with drummer Ari Hoenig, whom he cites a musical influence and mentor.

Musical career

Lyman worked extensively with vocalist José James in the mid-2000s and recorded on James’ critically acclaimed album, The Dreamer.^[3] He has also worked with artists including Aaron Parks, Gilad Hekselman, Nir Felder, ...