House of Drumming.com

I know it sounds pretty ridiculous, but I'd really like to find a drumming mentor. When I started playing as a kid, I was amazed at the progress I made. And looking back, I can see that it had everything to do with my private instructors. I'm in Los Angeles, so it should be pretty easy to find somebody; maybe even somebody world-class. I learn quickly, I enjoy practicing and I have fairly extreme rudimental chops to draw from. I try to pattern myself after Dave Weckl, Vinnie Colaiuta and Dennis Chambers. I take instruction well and am an eager learner. I don't seem to have any MAJOR shortage of natural ability.

Do any of you guys have recommendations on someone to hook up with in the Los Angeles area? Also, and of equal importance, what area of town is the best to live in for a drummer who wants to meet fusion musicians? My goals are pretty simple; I just want to be in a band, make some music and actualize as much of my potential on the instrument as I can. I work out in Malibu, so I need to stay on the West side, but I'm somewhat flexible with commuting.

Thanks in advance for any help.

What direction do you want to take your playing? There's tons of amazing teachers out there, but you really need an idea of where you want to go to start the selection process IMO.

Looking for a mentor so soon? I thought your finger was falling off last week.

Suspiria wrote:Looking for a mentor so soon? I thought your finger was falling off last week.

Ah yes, the houseofdrumming.com. You can always count on a competitive twenty-something or a languishing middle-aged curmudgeon to scrutinize any and every post outside of, "Here's some marvelous footage of Vinnie Porcaro, Jr. at a high-brow jazz festival in the French Riviera back in '82, when drummers really knew how to play."

You'll understand if I don't ask you to be my mentor, I'm sure.

Drum lessons man. Find a good teacher and starting logging the practice hours. Start jamming with other musicians. You'll meet tons of people that you can learn from and draw inspiration. The baked potato would be a good place to start frequenting if your into fusion. They usually have a monday night jam that you can sit in on too. Good luck man.

The thing I've found with the mentor/student relationship is that it really needs to be a 2-way street.

In a weird way, the good thing about the type of music you're into is that it's not super popular in the US, so when the "stars" are off the road, they're pretty accessible. I would do a few lessons with folks and then attend their in-town gigs, see what the vibe is like.

LA and NY, it's an embarrassment of riches in terms of available players.

I suggest learn music. That's where most drummers get their ideas from---not necessarily other drummers. Learn songs, learn a lot of them, and play onstage with live musicians, they play better than most dead ones. you've been doing it long enough. Take some time and really study tunes.

Jim Richman wrote:I suggest learn music. That's where most drummers get their ideas from---not necessarily other drummers. Learn songs, learn a lot of them, and play onstage with live musicians, they play better than most dead ones. you've been doing it long enough. Take some time and really study tunes.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

Do you have a feel for which area of town caters to the fusion crowd the most?

Suspiria wrote:Looking for a mentor so soon? I thought your finger was falling off last week.

I was thinking the same thing, but I wasn't going to say it.

I also thought, that while you're at it, you should find a sparring partner, to knock some sense into you!

Seriously, though, I'm glad you're apparently as addicted as the rest of us appear to be to this wonderful thing called Music.

Keep on Groovin' no matter what!

My advise- from being in a similar experiences (sans the finger thing) would be to

a) stop looking for the "fusion crowd". Yes... it's LA. There's lots of fusion going on, but at a very pro level with some very pro players (not at all trying to suggest that you aren't or won't ever be that sort of player). You're going to have a hard time finding work if you're only looking at one style of music. That being said:

b) theory, theory, theory. If you're wanting to eventually be a "fusion" drummer, then you know (or should know) the meaning behind fusion, which back in the day when it first came about was a mix of "jazz" and something else (rock n' roll, afro-Cuban, etc). Get your self a real book, learn the song forms for the standard, grab up the Chapin book or John Riley's books, some classic Miles and Coltrane records to start with (then eventually you can bump yourself up to the Mahavishnu and Weather Report), and maybe even a cheap little keyboard... start training your ears (seems like the best thing to do considering your situation) to hear intervals and the scales, keys, and eventually move on to meter and all that stuff... you've gotta understand the language, dig?

c) there's only so much advise that you can look for, and there's only so much help people will be willing or able to help you out. The only person that's going to get you to where you want to be is YOU, man. So be smart- stop using that damaged hand, work on the other limbs, the theory, listen to, study and enjoy your favorite music... once you're up to par again get out there, throw yourself in some playing situations and get some gigs under your belt. The only person that will ever hold you back is yourself. TRUST ME... at the end of the day, you're only going to get out of it what you put into it- it's a simple and ageless theory, but it's true mate.