Double stroke rudiments around the kit in Harrow, London

The double rudiments have endless and tasteful ways of playing and doing permutations and variations around the hats, toms and bass drum.  The same can be said for the paradiddle rudiments, but with the double stoke rudiments, you have access to variety, dynamics; all due to the fact that double stroke is easily broken down into two strokes – say on snare and two on bass.  If done fast, or slow, it brings about an effect that sounds bigger than the sum of its parts.  Have a look at this video.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum tuition in Harrow, London. www.westlondon-drumtutor.com

Drum kit practice and lessons in Harrow, London

The way I have been practicing mirrors exactly how I teach drums: metronome rudiment on snare and around the drum kit, reading exam pages or other drum books, and playing songs.  I use different grips, dynamics and a range of different songs to lock into grooves and experiment with fills and solos.  The minimum I practice a day is one hour, and after purchasing the new Trinity Guildhall and Rockschool grades 7 and 8, I have more reading to do and some fine tuned drum kit playing.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum classes in Harrow, London.  www.westlondon-drumtutor.com 

Practicing double bass drum in Harrow, London

I have recently purchased a DW 7000 Double bass pedal and now I have started to practice using the rudiments, playing triplets, semi quavers and demi-semi quavers with an 8ths hat feel.  Lots to do but it is high time I learned to use a double bass drum pedal with panache and exuberance.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum lessons in Harrow, London.  www.westlondon-drumtutor.com 

DW Double bass pedals Harrow Drum Lessons, London

I bought the DW Double Bass Pedal 7000 model.  It works beautifully and though not the top range double bass pedal, it is engineered with delicacy and is robust and durable.  Suitable for the professional drummer, or the exploring neophyte.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum teaching in Harrow, London.

DW DOUBLE BASS PEDAL

Drum practice in Harrow, London

I practice with my band, and do three intensives a week that include reading charts, rudiments with a metronome and improvisation and playing to music.  My regime is satisfying and I have been doing double stroke rudiments with bass, snare and toms and added them to my playing.  Great to see technical commitment turn into something creative and fluid.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum teacher in Harrow, London.  www.westlondon-drumtutor.com

Drum lessons in Harrow

Learning drums is part of an overall musical education.  It is practical and theoretical and both aspects complement the other in the sense that you do not learn anything that is not backed by a simultaneous practical and theoretical duality.  Teaching drums also teaches me and I now have a deeper understanding of music, styles, theory, grade exams and the value of reading and playing by ear.  As an open handed drummer, my students can play both open handed and cross stick technique.  This has only happened recently.  From Kasem, West London Drum tutor, Drum Lessons in Harrow, London www.westlondon-drumtutor.com 

Drumming to a grade 6 level in Harrow, London

My latest student has a plan to gain the skills to get into university to study music.  He is quite an excellent drummer with great chops and moves around the drum kit with energy.  We are preparing to polish up his reading to a grade 6 level and it is refreshing to have a student that is powerfully self directed to reach a goal.  As a drummer and teacher I feel my knowledge is used to a great extent and happy that my fellow drummer and musician is 'getting there'.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum lessons in Harrow, London.  www.westlondon-drumtutor.com  

Pro Mark H-RODS Hot Rods Birch Dowel Drumsticks

In Oasis's Wonderwall, the drummer used a drum stick called Rods.  They are made of about twelve bunched up sticks bound in a couple of plastic rings.  Rods have a delicate effect and produce a softer more subtle drum sound.  You do not get the same rebound as from regular sticks, but you can get a balanced nuanced drum sound.  I recommend playing with a variety of sticks to gain an overall development of feel, dynamics and hand stick coordination. From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, Drum teaching in Harrow, London.  

Using a piccolo bass drum as a floor tom

I have started to visualise a drum kit where I have brought the idea of extreme tuning to a new level.  I think to have an 8 inch tom one, a 14 inch tom two and a piccolo bass drum as a floor tom.  I have to get a nice bass drum from somewhere, build and experiment with this set up.  I always loved extreme tuning and I think to have a grander variety of sounds with more highs and bass notes has to be the best drum kit ever.  I do not really like giant drum kits with too many things to hit, but that is a matter of personal choice not to mention an army of helpers and a van to get around...  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum teaching in Harrow, London  www.westlondon-drumtutor.com

Tuning drum kits in Harrow London

A well tuned drum kit is a beautiful thing.  I often play kits that are old and battered, get out my tuning key and with an accumulated knowledge growing since 1990, I transform these drums into something musical. The most difficult drum to tune is the floor tom.  It is mean and stubborn, but when you find its voice and make it sing - that is a wonder to behold.  The bass drum is probably the most rewarding and responsive drum to tune and the snare is also very kind.  From West London Drum Tutor, drum lessons in Harrow, London.  www.westlondon-drumtutor.com

Cymbal Felts in Harrow London

Cymbal Felts

Cymbal felts are great when you have them and infuriating when you don't.  I have turned up to gigs and found no cymbal felts.  The pain this caused me when I thought of how my cymbals were going to be mutilated by the raw unsoftened cymbal stand.  I looked and found a cheap solution with a great twelve pack of plastic funnels and felts to protect cymbals.  Cymbal felts tend to go missing and now I have a seeming endless supply of them...  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, Harrow Drum teacher in London, UK

Drum Kit Grades 7 and 8 in Harrow, London

TRINITY DRUM KIT 4 2014-19 Grades 7-8 + CD

Trinity Guildhall Book 4, drum kit grades 7 and 8 is an interesting update from the previous book.  Naturally, the book lifts the student from a solid intermediate stage to an advanced player.  The book has a variety of jazz, funk, soul, afro-cuban and other skills such as integrating the rudiments in what are called 'exercises'.  The exam syllabus requires the candidate to play two exercises, two A Group Pieces, and one Group B piece; two supporting tests are then completed.  A great book and if you are serious about drumming, nothing here will be too difficult so long as the passion and drive is there.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, Drum Kit Teaching in Harrow, London.

Trinity Guildhall Drum Kit Grades 5 and 6 in Harrow, London

Drum Kit 3 - Pieces & Studies 2014-2019 Grades 5-6 (with CD) Trinity Guildhall teaches the student the skills to reach beyond an intermediate stage to a more advanced mature one.  Packed with essential rudimental type exercises called 'Exercises' of which there are three, this book also has a variety of genres and styles to develop the drummer and their repertoire.  The exam syllabus requires the candidate to play two exercises, two A Group Pieces, and one Group B piece; two supporting tests are then completed. , From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor,, Drum Kit Teaching in Harrow, London.  www.westlondon-drumtutor.com

Harrow Drum lessons and Grades London

Top Hat is from Trinity Guildhall drum lesson grade one Group B Piece and is played without instrumentation.  It is 3 - 4 and opens with a ride bass snare groove, then moves to toms, then ends with a big snare bass and hats with foot crescendo.  It builds the skills that any beginner drummer would need and I recommend this piece to gain familiarity with a 3 - 4 time signature.  From West London Drum Tutor, drum grades and teaching in Harrow, London.  http://youtu.be/xsyVsQ9mJdA

Amen break beat in Harrow, London

The Amen Break beat that was originally recorded in 1969 in a B side called Amen, Brother.  The break is about 6 seconds long and was sampled, sped up, and there are a variety of permutations that accelerated to a feverish pitch in the 90s with Drum n Bass.  It later became the beat upon which the electronic movement utilised through its inception in the 80s to Drum n Bass and now in 2014 it is one of the most iconic recognisable grooves out in the collective conscience.  From Kasem West London Drum Teacher in Harrow, London.  http://youtu.be/5SaFTm2bcac

Harrow Drum Tutor Trinity Guildhall Drum Kit 2: 2014 Syllabus

Drum Kit Trinity Guildhall Book 2

The 2014 Trinity Guildhall Drum Kit book 2 is again a collection of the pieces that will bring proficiency and refinement at a grade two and three level.  The book prepares you for an exam where you play two pieces with music (group A) and one from group B, three technical work pieces and two supporting tests - sight reading, aural, music knowledge and improvisation.  The book provides an excellent guide post for the aspiring musician and drummer with a range of styles including jazz, reggae, rock, funk...  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, Drum kit trinity guildhall grades in Harrow, London.  

Walk This Way - Aerosmith in Harrow, London

This song has a strong funky hip-hop groove and is characterised by an open hi-hat on the first hi-hat and a bass drum between the fourth and fifth hi-hat.  The drums feature prominently in this hip-hop cover of what was more a rock song when Aerosmith released it in 1975.  Find this song in my drum lesson song page on my website.  From Kasem, Drum lessons, grades and learning in Harrow, London
http://youtu.be/tXkEcgJVWJk

Drum lessons and new Trinity Guildhall Syllabus in Harrow, London

TRINITY GUILDHALL DRUM KIT 1 (GRADES 1 & 2) + CD Tuition books & learning materia Drum set

The new Trinity Guildhall syllabus has been released and the changes are noticeable in the way the Rudimental Studies have been replaced with the choice of doing two 'Exercise' of four options.  These replace the 'Rudimental Studies'.  In the group A section candidates need to choose two, where in the previous syllabus the student had to prepare one.  In group B there is no change and only one has to be selected and performed.  The songs, Exercises and unaccompanied B section are all different and the two tests are still much the same in content.  Overall, I find that the new syllabus is refreshing and poised perfectly for the evolving drummer.

From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, Drum grades and teaching in Harrow, London

Mapex Drum Kits in Harrow London

Tornado by Mapex 22" Rock Kit, Black

Mapex Drum Kits are made with a level of exceptional touch and if you compare cost to performance, Mapex wins every time.  They come in a variety of sizes, woods such as birch, maple and walnut, and finishes (natural or colours with sparkles).  I have used the Mapex Saturn series in the studio and on tour.  I recommend these kits for every drummer and challenge them to find better value at a professional and beginner level.  From West London Drum Tutor, drum kit classes in Harrow, London.  

Great value drum sticks for Drum lessons Harrow

Great value drum sticks are hard to come by, but you can get amazing playing time out of Lindo drum sticks.  There are many drum stick sellers out there now, so try these sticks for versatility, economics, and the freedom to know that playing your style of music is not going to send you bankrupt.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, Drum grades and tuition in Harrow, London  

Drum fill semi quaver 6

The sixth semi-quaver drum kit fill has a fill using snare drum, tom 1 and tom 2.  Depending on approach and dynamics, it can be used in jazz, funk, blues and rock.  Experiment with the fill and find a way to make it your own.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum kit tutor, drum kit grades and theory, Harrow, London.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfETX-4TdwE

Semi Quaver Bass drum grooves 4th HARROW, LONDON

The fourth semi quaver bass drum pattern has a bass drum between the fourth and fifth hi-hat.  The groove when played fast and loud is a rock or funk beat.  Played subtle, it is more jazz, or blues.  There are no absolute rules, so play around the groove and add some drum kit fills.  From Kasem, West London Drum Tutor, drum lessons in Harrow, London, UK http://youtu.be/yH8LFNBqvaQ