Modern Instinct

Dom was the first drummer I recognized with good technique. I went through his lesson series on the Vic Firth website, and was introduced to the many different ways to hold the sticks, the Moeller method, and technique generally. Here is one of Dom's unique solos:

Dom is one of my favorite educators. He has great technique, plays open handed, and has an unsurpassed passion for the drums.

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On July 4th, 2009, Jim Chapin passed away - truly a sad day for the drumming community, perhaps the saddest since the passing of Elvin Jones. Chapin is best known for his unique ability to pass on the technique of his teacher, Moeller, to drummers across the globe. Here is a late video of Chapin with Dom Famularo at "82 years young!"

Learning how to play triplets like that took me over a year to accomplish - and I still can't play them that fast!

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Here, Steve Smith is at a performance, explaining the different sounds possible on the snare drum, using both brushes and sticks.

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Here's a good exercise for snare drum ghost notes from a great drummer Andreas David a.k.a. Ydna Murd!

If you look at the comments, he says that Garibaldi is his inspiration for ghost notes, which is definitely justified. But, take a look at Jaki Leibziet back in the 1970's with Can, and listen closely:

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So smooth! I really love how all of the musician's keep it simple, contributing to an overall great sound. Haffner's integration of electronic samples and loops with brushes and mallets on the drums helps give this music its relaxed, ambient feel.

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