#DrumStudentTabloids: David Leighton

David

Check out that eye of the tiger. Just another day in the studio for David. Determination is the name of the game for this guy. Call em quarter notes, call em sixteenth notes… David’s got those 48 Bar exercises in Ted Reed’s Syncopation book DOWN. Then there’s the rock beats. Every day I send David home with some new beats to devour, he comes back calm, cool, collected, rehearsed, and ready to show me what he practiced. Always a treat to see David’s mom and sister too. 3’s a party, after all. David and I are focused on some Beatles tunes at the moment. I’m pumped to hear Hard Days Night next week. Look out Ringo!

#DrumStudentTabloids: Matt Farnan

IMG_0181

With 22 years already under his belt, Matt came to me wanting to focus on advanced concepts and solidifying his jazz chops. Dude has KILLER passion and loves the drums only second to his beautiful children. It is not uncommon for Matt to play a casino set in Atlantic City until 2:00 am and still make it a priority to get to the studio for his Sunday lesson (I would probably have a lot of excuses myself). Matt has build a career on the heavier side of hard rock, sharing the stage with acts such as Clutch, The Sword, Gwar, Vista Chino, High On Fire, and Lionize. Also very impressive is the staying power him and his bandmates (Kingsnake) have exhibited, currently on their 20th year together. Matt and I have been hard at work in the lab developing his linear playing and jazz comping with the help of Gary Chaffee’s Time Functioning Patterns and John Riley’s The Art of Bop Drumming (amongst others). Here’s to another 22 years, Matt!

#DrumStudentTabloids: Nate Bryant

Screen shot 2015-02-16 at 10.36.27 PM

Ladies and gentlemen…. Nate Bryant. Did you hear me? I said NATE BRYANT! He’ll crush a baseball like Chase Utley, embarrass Tony Hawk on a skateboard, and rock those John Bonham rock grooves all day long. Only a few months into it, Nate is quickly developing a passion and skill in the wonderful world of percussion. The dedication this young man exhibits is not only a mark of his drumming abilities but also of his character. Whatever the task at hand… Nate’s up for the challenge. And we gotta give some love to Nate’s Dad, Bill. He has yet to miss a lesson. It’s clear Nate already has a few fans in his early days, a very obvious foreshadowing of his successes to come.

#DrumStudentTabloids: Sylas Smith

10432541_10103015935468023_1607811831017059796_n

Here’s an ambitious dude always looking for an excuse to rock them drums like a hurricane. Sylas is 7 years old with a burning passion to groove with the best of them. Having received his first drum set this past Christmas, Sylas is now able to shake the walls of his Narberth home at any hour of the day… and his parents love it! One could only wonder if Sylas and his saxophone-playing brother will form a family band one day. Unfortunately “The Smiths” is already taken but I’m sure they could come up with something else just as fitting. At the moment, we are focused on improving stick control, understanding note values, and learning basic drum beats. Congratulations Sylas on your continued growth.

6 Years Old and Getting His GnR On

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmADmy1GUU0