Drummer's Weekly Groovecast

In any profession there is an existing vocabulary that is either exclusive or at least pertinent to the discipline. For drummers there is a distinct lineage of definitive method books that are a major part of our musical and educational vocabulary. In this show Phil goes through a list of must-have methods, their origins, uses, and importance in our field. At the end Phil adds a few of his personal, albeit lesser known, favorites to the list. Join us every Monday for a brand show available on Itunes, Google Play Podcasts, Stitcher and your favorite podcast app!

This week Phil and Jon discuss the many different ways we can learn to embrace others' strengths and weaknesses. The guys talk about differences between groove players vs. technical players, jazzers vs. rockers, younger players vs. older players, original/artsy gigs vs. corporate gigs, and pressures of the drumming community and how it can breed jealousy and envy. At the end of the show the guys each pick another underrated, great drum track. Please subscribe and join us every Monday for a brand new edition of the Drummer's Weekly Groovecast.

This week we scratch the itch of all you gear heads! We've had listeners contact us about tuning so we decided to compile all the ideas and questions we've received into a show. We discuss tuning from the ground up: starting with the tools needed all the way through fine tuning in the studio or on the stage. We cover every drum on the set, different head combinations, hoop types, tuning for different musical styles, muffling, the many factors of snare tuning and much more. We also answer listener questions! Phil and Jon once again put on their white lab coats, grab a clipboard, a monocle and play shade tree psychiatrist. Finally, both guys each choose and discuss another great underrated drummer. Please subscribe, share and join us every Monday for a brand new show.

This week the guys land on a touchy subject. Large personalities, self centeredness and over inflated self esteem make for an atmosphere that's just not conducive to creating good music. Phil and Jon each take turns talking about their own experiences and how they've dealt with different ego problems. They also discuss legendary drummers and their respective personality quirks. At the end of the show the guys discuss the importance of cymbal selection. They talk about how they pick cymbals, what cymbals they like to use for various genres of music, and the significance of developing an ear for good cymbals. Please subscribe, share and join us every Monday for a new episode!

You're serious about music and you want to get better. What do you do? Go to college? Hit the road, play gigs, and slug it out? Teach yourself through a myriad of available online media? Maybe just take some lessons from your local teacher? Well, all of those are options and all of them can yield great results. Phil and Jon will tell you all about their experiences along with the benefits and pitfalls of each pathway of education. In part two of this series the guys discuss forgoing the route of higher education and getting pure, on-the-job experience. They talk about success with your own band, free-lancing with other groups, studio work, and simply teaching yourself. Finally the guys talk about a few of their favorite live albums that capture incredible drumming performances. Tune in every Monday for a new podcast and make sure you rate the show on Itunes or your favorite podcast app!

You're serious about music and you want to get better. What do you do? Go to college? Hit the road, play gigs, and slug it out? Teach yourself through a myriad of available online media? Maybe just take some lessons from your local teacher? Well, all of those are options and all of them can yield great results. Phil and Jon will tell you all about their experiences along with the benefits and pitfalls of each pathway of education. In part one of this series the guys primarily discuss studying music formally at the college level and at music vocational schools. At the end of the show they both pick another, great underrated drum track. Tune in every Monday for a new podcast and make sure you rate the show on Itunes or your favorite podcast app!

Talking about money can create strange vibes. Even best friends will bristle at the mention. In this episode Phil and Jon talk about how they approach negotiating pay. They talk about long term gigs, short term gigs, and one off/sub gigs. Techniques of negotiation are suggested as well as reasons why you should or should not take certain gigs. They also discuss non-cash perks that can be arranged that may benefit you more than money. Recording sessions are discussed from the standpoint of day rates versus per song fees. Finally the guys each choose a great, underappreciated drum track.

Have you ever been late for or forgotten about a gig? How about forgetting your entire bag of hardware? Well, Phil and Jon have done that and more. The good news though is since they've done this for you, you don't have to! They discuss the horror stories they've had and how they prevent those things from happening again. The boys also answer listener email. Then in this week's final segment they each pick an under appreciated drummer.

This week Phil does a special educational edition of the Groovecast. In response to emails and posts on social media regarding practicing and performing to a click track or sequence (both live and in the studio)Phil talks about the concepts he's developed over the years. They include setting up your click in a variety of musical settings, developing feel instead of playing metronomically, stating time while becoming a slave to the click, over correcting when straying from the click, click manipulation, and band concepts with clicks and sequences.

This week Phil and Jon discuss the importance of preparing for gigs. Yeah, it's obvious...sort of...until you have to really do it. We'll give you tips on how to prepare and why it's crucial to your professional reputation. Also we talk about our favorite/most important pieces of gear and why you should ensure that you have the best of these.