professional drum teachers guild journal

PDTG

PROFESSIONAL DRUM TEACHERS GUILD

JOURNAL

www.professionaldrumteachersguild.com

Pursuing Excellence In Drum Education

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Professional Drum

Teachers Guild Journal Pursuing Excellence In Drum Education

John T. Owens, Editor

Editorial Board

Johnny Rabb Sam Ruttenberg

Jim Bailey Rob Ferrell John Odom

Joel Rothman

Marty Fullard, PDTG Co-Founder Rob Ferrell, PDTG Co-Founder

www.professionaldrumteachersguild.com

Volume 2 © Professional Drum Teachers Guild. 2016. Articles in this issue are the sole responsibility of each author. The PDTG Journal and the Professional Drum Teachers Guild are not liable for any legal actions that may arise involving the article's content, including, but not limited to, copyright infringement.

2 PDTG Journal, Vol. 2

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Contents Editorial Considering Your Teaching Philosophy………………...3 John Owens Articles The History of PDTG: A Personal Journey ...…………………………………..…...5 Rob Ferrell In Time, In Tune, In Touch Musicianship and Drumkit Tuning………………………..10 Stephen Bott You Haul for the Long Haul I’ll Grab Me a Crumb Bar…………………………………..19 Marty Fullard Contribute How to Submit Articles……………………………………...23

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John T. Owens

Editorial Considering Your Teaching Philosophy Like many drum educators, my educational philosophy has been guided and

shaped by my experiences as a teacher, those who taught me, the many

students I have instructed, and music educators I have mentored. Of course, this

includes the positive encounters with students and teachers that have inspired

me to shape the way I teach others. Likewise, negative experiences taught me

what I shouldn’t do and provided situations that allowed me to deeply consider

better approaches to become a better drum educator. The culmination of these

experiences shape the way I perceive drum education, which is embedded in my

teaching philosophy.

My purpose in this brief editorial is not to disseminate my educational

philosophy; rather, it is to hopefully inspire you to consider yours. As drum

educators, I believe it is imperative that we consider why and how we teach.

While our approach to drumming and teaching may stem from a concrete

drumming lineage, I believe it essential to thoughtfully consider our educational

approach, which could make us better drum educators. By building from and

considering past traditions, we can embrace what worked and reconsider what

did not; thus, moving the profession forward and innovating our own teaching

practices.


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In this issue, Professional Drum Teachers Guild Founders, Rob Ferrell

and Marty Fullard, provide thoughts about their journey as drum educators,

history of the PDTG, and ideas for consideration. Also, drum instructor Stephen

Bott presents an approach to teaching students to tune their drums. Further, if

you have some ideas about drum teaching that you want to share, check out the

submission guidelines and send us an article for review. As you read and ponder

the following pages, it is my hope that you will be inspired and motivated to

further your practice. Best wishes on your future endeavors and keep drumming.

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Rob Ferrell

History of the PDTG A Personal Journey My love of drumming goes back literally as far as I can remember. My parents

were amazing but they did not support my passion. I was the youngest of three

kids and music lessons did not go well with my older siblings and consequently

my parents assumed they would not go well with me. The final nail in the coffin

for me was when my older brother saw the movie “Deliverance” and was inspired

by “Dueling Banjos.” My folks invested in a banjo and lessons for my brother and

when he gave up the instrument shortly thereafter, any hope of me getting

support for drumming was lost.

Consequently, I had to do everything on my own to further my passion for

drumming. My mom was extremely sensitive to noise, so I had to practice on my

bed with a pair of borrowed sticks from a friend. Even that was too loud for her at

times! She claimed she could hear that “infernal racket” through the ducts! I

would put my headphones on and try to emulate what I heard on my favorite

records and cassettes.

When I was sixteen and had a job, I took lessons on my own. I studied with two

local teachers over the course of about 5 months. The first teacher I went to was


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older, burned out, and bitter that he wasn’t a rock star and extremely negative.

The second teacher I went to was nice but very scattered and disorganized.

Needless to say, it was a waste of my hard earned money and I was very

disappointed. I then studied with a third teacher who was good but money issues

forced me to discontinue lessons. I figured I would try to go it on my own.

For the first few years I managed. I got my first real drum set when I was

eighteen years old. I could only play it when my mom wasn’t home. I soon

started meeting other musicians. I began playing in church bands. I upgraded to

my first professional drum set. I began gigging. I also began noticing issues in

my hands, wrists and elbows. I went to my doctor who said to take a break from

drumming, use ice, and take Ibuprofen. This of course wasn’t an option. I went to

two chiropractors and an acupuncturist, but nothing helped. Coincidentally, I had

read an article about repetitive motion injuries in Modern Drummer magazine.

This article opened up my eyes regarding bad technique being a potential cause

for these types of injuries. I knew I needed expert advice but was nervous about

finding a teacher. Fortunately for me, I stumbled upon an ad in a local trade

magazine where famed drummer/educator Roy Burns was teaching! I was

playing in a pro country band at the time and was really trying to make music a

full-time endeavor. Long story short, studying with Roy changed everything! He

helped all aspects of my drumming. I subsequently studied with Tony Pia and

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Chuck Silverman as well. Having had really bad teachers, then these three

amazing teachers made a world of difference to me. I knew I wanted to be the

kind or drum teacher I always wanted as a kid. These three teachers

revolutionized my approach to drums, inspired me to teach and are responsible

for me being able to parlay my passion for drumming into a full-time career!

Fast forward to 2008. I had been teaching steadily since 1998. I had taught out

of my home studio, in music stores, and even co-owned a large music school. I

noticed an increase in students coming to me from other local teachers who had

had bad experiences such as I did. One student came to me with a wrist injury

and told me one time her teacher showed up to her lesson hung over. He

admitted it, apologized and proceeded to teach her hour lesson from a prone

position on the floor!

Marty Fullard, a local mobile drum teacher, at the time, contacted me with an

idea for a guild. His vision was to provide a safe place where current drum

educators could exchange ideas to improve themselves and new educators could

learn, grow and perhaps even find a mentor. My vision included educating

prospective students (and their parents) on what qualities to look for when

shopping for a drum teacher. Many local teachers loved the idea and jumped on

board. Unfortunately, others weren’t so excited and wanted to make the guild


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exclusive. Our intention from the start was never to make the guild into a private

club where members could enjoy some form of notoriety. Over the years Marty

was able to build the guild from being county wide to being international! I’m so

honored and grateful to have been a part of the guild from the ground up. Marty

is one of the most genuine men I’ve ever met. He is passionate and focused on

helping others.

Presently, I see a new trend with music education. Super schools are sprouting

up with an emphasis on performance and artist development. I don’t think these

are necessarily bad and several of my advanced students also take lessons at

these types of schools for the performance opportunities they provide. My only

issue is when performance and image are prioritized over the fundamentals. I

had a student who had been taking lessons for a year and a half at one of these

schools. His parents could no longer afford the tuition so they came to me. The

boy did not know what a paradiddle was or any of the rudiments!

No matter the decade or the climate of the music industry, there will always be

bad teachers or bad schools/studios out there ready and wiling to take

unsuspecting or gullible students’ money. My hope is that the PDTG can always

be a shining beacon of hope, knowledge and inspiration to students and

educators alike.

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Stephen Bott

In Time, In Tune, In Touch Musicianship and Drumkit Tuning Drumkit tuning can be taught better than it often is. It should be a time to

introduce aspects of total musicianship. Many teachers prescribe a static

checklist (to be followed with little regard for sound quality or unique

characteristics of different drums), and many more ignore the topic completely for

the early years of a drummer's development. Either way, a fruitful opportunity is

missed.

There are countless schools of thought for every aspect of tuning drums: batter-

resonant head relationships, relationships between drums, muffling and

resonance, style of head, snare wire tensioning, etc. More important is that your

student attends to their sound carefully, and understands processes for altering it

to suit their preferences and the musical situation. The vital components of this

side of drum set education are:

1. Listening skills 2. Fundamental mechanics of drum tuning 3. Practice tuning drums – there is no substitute for experience! 4. Commitment to sound quality 5. Critical thinking 6. Formulation of personal taste (a lifelong endeavor)


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Ear Training for Drummers

Students benefit from having you stretch their ears. Involve your student in the

tuning process from the very first time you demonstrate; as you tap your way

around the drum, ask them to tell you when they hear a lug that is way out, then

to determine if it is higher or lower than its neighbors. These games can soon

lead to more sophisticated questions that involve auditory memory, critical

thinking, and aesthetic judgments.

Many musicians are guilty of listening primarily with their hands – a beginning

trumpet player, after all, can “push the right keys” while playing the wrong note

entirely! On drumset, this phenomana shows itself as, “I swung hard on beat four

with my left hand, so I made a good snare sound.” Admittedly, listening critically

to your sounds while you play is tricky, especially for drummers who are still

concentrating on basic technique and coordinating their limbs in time. A video

camera solves some problems, but they will naturally tend to gravitate towards

their timing and technique during playback, rather than raw sound quality.

Listening while tuning detaches the twin pressures of playing well and listening

well, and provides immediate feedback to any changes.

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Tinker Toys

We are lucky to study an instrument that rewards us for getting our hands dirty -

not many young pianists are also competent piano tuners! Teach your student

your preferred method for listening to one lug at a time, and how to move around

the drum in a star pattern (to avoid uneven tension). That's enough procedure to

get started. Turn them loose with a drum key. It's much more productive to refine

and direct a student's momentum and enthusiasm in an ongoing activity than to

start from a place of confusion and doubt (the same reason I avoid filling a new

student's head with directions, and start instead from “hit the drum”). This early

immersion makes your student aware of their responsibilities in keeping their

equipment tuned up, develops the musicianship skills listed above, and

circumvents the ears-closed, “recipe following” approach common to many

inexperienced drum tuners.

First Exercises

Before getting into full-blown tuning assignments, run some troubleshooting with

your student. The first issues I address are the first a student is likely to

encounter, particularly on entry-level kits, e.g., a snare drum that rings too long.

Many beginner drums (fewer tuning lugs, inconsistent workmanship) require

extra finessing – irritating for gigging drummers, but excellent tuning experience

for new students! As they work, demonstrate other related acoustic issues. For


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example, that the sound of a drum changes drastically as you move from playing

position (ears a couple feet on top of the batter head) to an audience member's

perspective. Explain that much of the unwanted ring your student experiences

while playing will be swallowed up by stacks of guitar amps. You can

demonstrate the value of well-placed muffling, again having them move around

the room while you play, to show what their drum in different configurations might

sound like to other musicians. This brand of guidance does not step on their toes

(we want them to take ownership of their sound), but shows them angles they

may not yet know to consider.

Ask your student to emulate the drum sound of their favorite band.* Guide their

ears first: “Describe this band's drum sound. What do you like about it?” As they

tune up, they engage their listening skills and knowledge of drum mechanics.

Whatever the outcome of these initial attempts, they are headed rapidly towards

independent critical thinking of cause and effect.

Music students love nothing more than making music, and will be thrilled at how

quickly their abstract exercises in sound formation led them towards the “real

world” of their favorite bands! This is the beginning of truly honing their taste.

Though the end result is a tangible product – a drum kit tuned to their satisfaction

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– it is the process of refining a sound that brings them deeper into the music they

love, and the process that is so important in their growth as a musician.

*Depending on the genre, you may need to include a caveat about studio magic.

We don't need a student in tears because they can't figure out how to make their

floor tom sound ten feet tall!

Attitude

“Caring for what you are doing is considered either unimportant or taken for granted.” - Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

An attitude correction for drummers in general is long overdue. I like to think that

even some caveman-percussionists were selective about which rocks he banged

together, not just when and how hard. There is no such thing as neutrally “just

keeping time.” Whenever we play we contribute sounds to the group. For me and

my students, I want those sounds to be interesting, high quality, and colorful,

chosen from a vast palate of possibilities. All art is intent.

A fresh beginner hits the drum, and, not knowing any better, enthusiastically

accepts whatever (s)he produces as “drum-like sounds.” An intermediate

musician is aware they sound different from the pros, and their inability to

immediately bridge that gap can be a source of great frustration. Without

guidance through this stage of music making, many people give up. Great


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musicians quickly note any discrepancy between the sound they're creating at

the time and the ideal sound in their mind's ear, identify the root of that

discrepancy, and make the necessary adjustments. At the highest level, these

adjustments happen so quickly and smoothly that no one notices; orchestral

string players are constantly fixing intonation at the microscopic level, and a jazz

vibraphonist who strikes an unintentional note finds a way to resolve that note

into the next before we hear it as out of place. What we should foster in our

students is a relentless commitment to quality. That begins by exposing them to

quality music and musicians, and asking questions to guide their listening. When

the student fully adopts this mindset, the hardest part of their personal

development is over.

As of 2015, just about every discipline has experienced a renewed interest in

artisanal craftsmanship (think of handmade food, clothing, and drums!). This is

good news for our students. My formative years sounded like second-hand mp3's

played through tinny earbuds. We seem to have come full circle, back to a

mindset of honoring the painstaking lengths artists go to create their sound,

through vinyl and quality headphones. This attitude can and should be infectious

to all areas of musicianship; our duty as music educators is to model it for our

students.

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Critical Thinking

Masters of any skill take the time to reflect on past causes and effects, and have

created for themselves the ability to explore future possibilities. A large wealth of

experience makes these mental acrobatics feel instinctual, but acquiring that

experience takes time and attention. (How many soufllés does a new chef

overcook?) For our purposes teaching drum tuning, incorporate more and more

abstract critical thinking as your student grows. Some ideas to kick start their

aural imaginations, from simple to complex:

• What do you think will happen if we crank the resonant head another full turn on every lug?

• Compare the sounds of the drum before and after we changed the snare

wires.

• What would you change about this tom sound to play a funk show?

The first question outlines cause and effect, and only requires some background

knowledge of drum sounds. The second requires a detailed analysis and

comparison of two sounds, one of which must be pulled from memory. The third

requires your student to hear an ideal funk tom sound in their mind's ear,

compare it to the physical drum in front of them, and formulate a road map from

one to the other. This level of critical thinking translates well to any other aspect

of musicianship. The sample questions above could just as easily encompass

technique, tempo, feel, or dynamics.


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Owning Your Sound

Most of us have a fighting chance at NPR's weekly drum fill quiz. Even without

knowing the song, some drummers reveal themselves to us immediately through

their signature sound (Bonham's kick drum couldn't escape unnoticed). These

artists deliberately craft the sound they love, and it becomes part of their identity.

Forming taste means clarifying the sounds that resonate with you for your mind's

ear. With enough experience in place, a little mental intention goes a long ways

towards achieving satisfying physical results. Before hitting anything, have

students imagine how they want to sound as vividly as they can.

Your student should explore the outer limits of what they consider an acceptable,

musical sound. How tight or loose can a head be before it stops sounding like a

drum? Tweak the finer points within those parameters. How do the highest and

lowest tom sound when played together? If they clash, which one would you

rather adjust? Your student is the decision maker now, no longer the apprentice

troubleshooter. With the fundamentals of drum tuning in place, the element of

personal preference takes center stage.

Band mates often need to hear something specific from us. When a bassist

requests an articulate kick sound, we want our students to be able to deliver.

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Adaptability is in high demand, but playing tastefully also means setting limits. I

tell a short, simple story to ensure my students understand that balancing act: a

teacher of mine once told a conductor, “I won't play that drum any harder, please

find someone else.” Everyone's tolerance for going against their better musical

judgement varies with the paycheck and other people involved, but aesthetic

virtue is a quality to keep in mind.

But My Kit is Electronic!

Electronic kits are an alluring option to parents of young students. Unfortunately,

these students miss out on a significant portion of their education: mostly

dynamic touch, but also the experience of chasing an excellent sound. Still, there

are ways to adapt this line of drum tuning education to electronic drums. Most

models of electronic drums have coding in place for editing individual sounds,

and options for configuring them in different combinations to build a custom

soundscape. Though it may seem unnecessary legwork on a rig that comes with

hundreds of preloaded kits, I believe the process is worthwhile for the experience

of applying your tasteful intent and your critical ear.

In Time, In Tune, In Touch

When I tune up before a gig, another musician often jokes “Good, it still works!”

or “Sounds like a drum to me!” It was funny the first twenty times, but the


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underlying message – that any percussive sound is equally suitable, anytime – is

destructive to the music. It is not an acceptable attitude to model for our students.

Rather, bringing excellent sounds into existence is a deeply gratifying process.

To that end, I foster my students' listening skills, drum tuning chops, attitude

towards sound quality, and ability to think critically and form their own unique

style.

My goals are to have my students:

1. Armed with practical knowledge and experience for whatever comes their way.

2. Actively developing their musicianship.

3. Filling local venues and airwaves with great sounding drums!

Bibliography

Drum Fill Friday. http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/145504087/drum-fill-friday Johnson, Scott (1999). Prof.Sound's Drum Tuning Bible v3. https://www.resotune.com/Drum %20tuning%20bible.pdf. Pirsig, Robert M. (1974). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. New York, NY: Morrow. Duke, R. A., & Byo, J. L. (2011). Musicianship: A Radical Approach to Beginning Band. https://cml.music.utexas.edu/assets/pdf/habits/Introductory-Text.pdf

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Marty Fullard

You Haul for the Long Haul I’ll Grab Me a Crumb Bar Labor Day celebrates the end of summer and pays tribute to the contributions

made by American workers. The contributors include; strength, prosperity and

well-being to the country. Although where “drum teachers and drum educators” fit

into the scheme of American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial

Organizations (AFL-CIO) isn’t clear. The American Music Industry generated 15

billion dollars in 2012, making up to 30 percent of the total 50 billion U.S dollars

generated by the global music industry. Live Nation Entertainments concert

revenue for the same period (2012) was $4.43bn. Mobile music revenue in the

domestic market was over $54 billion and our friends at iTunes kicking 64% of

that. Cleary the music industry is making billions and billions of dollars for Record

Companies, Digital Business, Digital Music and, yeah sometimes the artists.

After spending more than four decades in the “Music Industry” as a professional

drum educator, I believe I have gotten to know “drummers” pretty well. I have

gotten to work with children, adults, special Ed students, fellow drum educators

and various session drummers from practically every conceivable back ground.

Invariably when “coaching” drummers you build up a rapport, and a “door that

swings both ways” relationship. The more I coach drum teachers and session


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drummers, the more I find myself thinking of the New Testament parable; “But

even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters table.” By the

way, I am in no insinuating that we’re “dogs,” nor am I getting all religious, but I

am saying, for the most part, professional drummers/sessions drummers and

educators are “existing” from what’s falling from the table.

Think about it? If you’re a member of a successful band, signed to a label

regularly appearing on the Billboard charts, MTV, radio play, the whole nine

yards; then, chances are you’re getting royalties; even more favour for

writing/arranging songs. The cherry atop the ice cream is headline arena tours.

Sadly, most session drummers that I know are paid by the tour, track or

performance. Once the cash cow stops, we’re done. Now I know what you’re

thinking......... “So what, that’s the way it’s always been!” Except now it is

different, things have gotten even harder. With the advent of online technology,

“the masters table” has shrunk and the crumbs have gotten even crumblier.

More and more drummers are “turning to” education and lessons to live hand-to-

mouth. Please don’t get me wrong, many of these cats are awesome and their

expression of drumming is valid in education. There is a very valid place for this.

I believe it can become a slippery slope when drummers turn to education out of

sheer necessity, using drum lessons as a “means- to- an-end.”

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When Rob Farrell and I created Professional Drum Teacher Guild in 2008, which

was in-part due to some of the insanely crazy Craigslist advertising. Some of

these “drum teachers” were advertising their “skills” with no credentials at all. I

realize I do not represent the “DTPD” (Drum Teachers Police Department), nor

am I God who judges, but come on! Seriously? One listing said the following.

Drum teacher available. I’ve been playing for 7 years, I’m really good, I can teach you to play double kicker really fast and spin your sticks (even at the same time if you want). $10 hour. Again, not my place to play Judge and Jury, but long-term is this really what drum

education is about? And I’m not ratting on Craigslist, it could be any forum.

I believe the relationship between educator and student/family is for the long haul

and not until the “drum teacher “gets a better offer or better paying gig. I realize

more than anybody that we all have to live and we have families to support. It

was Abraham Lincoln who said regarding education;

Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject, which we as a people can be engaged in. Let’s make our drum education something that we can be proud of. Let’s build

up a long-term partnership with our students and their families. Let’s nurture,

improve and grow as educators. Let’s set an example and be role models. Sure

we have to pay bills, but let’s get creative and be positive in our ways to advance

our rosters without dropping the ball on our students.


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We at the Guild are always looking for way to improve as educators. We have

100’s of members who are committed to raising the drum education bar. The

Guild does not consist of “drumming snobs” nor is it a place for self-righteous,

arrogant know-alls. The Guild is a place for all peoples, from all back grounds to

put forward education ideas and paradigms. Guild members are like- minded in

their “work hard”, ambitious student-first methodology. Many Guild members are

studio drummers, session players and band members. From what I see, I see

guys and gals who are glassy, professional, and inspired. This comes to the fore

in their teaching and professional conduct. I realize that we’re not robots and we

make mistakes. It’s our humanity that makes us so different and unique. It’s

those qualities that should shine through in our education. I know there is no

easy solution to the money problem that continuously raises its ugly head for

drum educators. As professional educators we are sometimes right in the middle

of the rock and hard –place, we must do what works best for our students, our

families, our bands, and of course, ourselves. If you find the perfect solution

please let me know.

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How to Submit An Article: PDTG Submission Guidelines

This is your chance to inspire your fellow drum teachers. The Professional Drum Teachers Guild Journal is seeking articles. Articles can be about any subject related to drum pedagogy. See the submission guidelines below for requirements. Send articles to [email protected]. PDTG Journal desires articles from multiple areas of drum teaching and learning, such as instructional techniques, philosophy, research, and the like. The purpose of PDTG Journal is to advance the field of drum teaching. Clarity: Articles should be written in a concise and straightforward style that avoids unnecessary jargon and vernacular. Grounded: Articles should be grounded in professional literature and contain appropriate citations. Brevity: Manuscripts can be any length, double spaced, and 12-point font. Usefulness: All articles should further the field of drum pedagogy and be useful to drum educators. Original: Articles must be original and not published elsewhere. Articles must focus on the advancement of drum teaching and not on personal, institutional, or ensemble advancement. Submission: Articles In addition, preliminary screening and all final drafts will be reviewed by the editor prior to publication. Note: Permission for the use of all graphics, images, notation, and the like must be secured by the author. Citations should be included on the last page of the manuscript and utilize the APA style manual when necessary.

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