Drumgab Podcast

“If there’s no groove. What do ya got?”   Try Drumeo Edge for free for 7 days   Larnell Lewis is among the elite modern drummers of the last decade. Whether you found him through his many notable Snarky Puppy performances, his solo work or perhaps his several appearances on Drumeo, including the viral video where Larnell hears Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” for the first time, you know that Larnell has got the goods.   I thought it would be fun to revisit my list of essential drumming skills and have Larnell rank them from most important to least important. As a bonus, Larnell also offers a helpful tip to improve upon each skill set.  You Will Hear About….   The BIG 7: Speed, Independence/Coordination, Time Keeping/Groove, Personality, Sound, Repertoire, Technique. This list is then ranked by Larnell from least important to most important.  A tip from Larnell for each item in “The BIG 7” to improve upon these skills. A word from Larnell about confidence. Why Should You Listen?   This list is by and large w

“It’s an uncomfortable space to be in especially when you’re playing with a metronome.”   Try Drumeo Edge for free for 7 days   Donald “DJ” Johnson is the drummer for Khruangbin, an instrumental trio hailing from Houston, Texas. The irony of today’s episode is due to the fact that Khruangbin does not record their records to a click track. They approach their recordings in a very “old school” kind of way. The band has recorded each of their records at Mark’s family farm in Burton, Texas, which is a rural area between Houston and Austin.    The need for a band to have impeccable timing to record music without a click is paramount, otherwise, the editing would be far more nightmarish. To gain a strong internal pulse that is in time is a skill that every musician needs to continually work on. With that being said, today’s episode focuses on practical exercises to strengthen your timing through metronome practicing methods.    You Will Hear About….   A brief history lesson on the metronome. A gap click exercise.

“Get the drum set of your dreams.”   Try Drumeo Edge for free for 7 days   Todd Sucherman, the drummer for Styx, has one of the most immaculate and astonishing modern drum collections I have ever seen. It was during a Drumeo Coaches session where I heard him speak in fascinating detail about a Serenity drum that he owns that I decided to reach out to him to talk about his impressive collection.   So, this is what we have here. Todd goes through each of his most unique snare drums in his collection. These are all bespoke drums from custom builders all over the globe. Whether it is Sugar Percussion’s Sequoia snare drum that was harvested from wood ranging upwards of 5000 years old or his Providence snare drum crafted from the cylinder head of a Rolls-Royce, each of these drums that Todd describes is works of art with a tremendous sentimental appeal.   We are also treated to the sounds of the top five unique drums that were recorded directly from Todd’s home studio. This is a special episode for drummers. An epi

“To stay on course there has to be a course in the first place.” Try Drumeo Edge for free for 7 days Benny Greb recently released his book Effective Practicing For Musicians: The Ultimate Guide For How To Become Better At Your Instrument. It took him many years of research and several years to write it as well. He wrote me late last year to ask about hosting him on the podcast to discuss his book to which I replied, “Absolutely! Send me the book and we will do it!”. Upon receiving his book I began reading and put together my own EPM system using the book and its sets of questions to determine where I wanted my drumming to go and what needed to be addressed. Since then, I have never been so happy and determined in my drumming life.  The book calibrates you and fills you up with momentum to tackle the lessons, whether online or in person, with more focus and purpose. Whenever I look for lessons on Drumeo Edge, I now know exactly what I am looking for. I consider this book an essential resource for drummers who

“Everybody should be given the opportunity to enjoy the drums and play music.” Mike Dolbear has been serving the drumming community and industry through MikeDolbear.com for over twenty years now. What started off as a website to promote the launch of his book “Rhythm & Fills” quickly became more than that. He became a host, interviewer, event organizer, and journalist all while maintaining his career in drum instruction.  In 2020, Mike has risen to the challenges our industry faces during these restrictive times by utilizing his platform to bring even more awareness to drummers by interviewing nearly one-hundred (at the time of this release) interviews through Instagram. These interviews have been with artists, company reps, and shop owners primarily. To see another individual in our industry take it upon himself to contribute something of value is always appreciated and I felt like now was a great time to catch up with Mike and see how this year has been for him.   You Will Hear About…. Mike’s early yea

So, last week I decided to pick up bass guitar. I have been practicing and I have taken note of a few things that I have discovered by reminding myself of what it feels like to start something new. Also, I talk a bit about my thoughts on what happened with Dorothea Taylor's IG getting hacked and the spirit of Christmas.   Try Drumeo Edge for FREE! Start your 7 day trial now!   Check out my Spotify playlist "seamus is all mixed up"

“If you want to play busy, learn how to play all of the in-between stuff really quietly.” Brody Simpson is a drummer and recording engineer from Perth, Australia. He is a co-owner of Underground Studios and out of that studio he, in addition to the regular studio services, provides a service that he calls RealDrumsForYou. Brody is very well-known in the drumming community as an exceptionally creative engineer and fantastic drummer, who’s interested particularly in creating sounds that you may believe are samples upon listening. Instead, he has spent years painstakingly creating these sounds through experimenting with equipment and acoustic instruments. While Brody doesn’t tour and has spent most of his career in a studio, he has had no shortage of keeping busy as a professional engineer and session musician. In this chat, we discuss many talking points directly related to his specialties.   You Will Hear About…. Brody’s change of approach to laboring over his work. Some thoughts about maintaining a fresh out

“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind, there are few.” - Shunryu Suzuki   Do I know a lot about this subject? No. However, I have some tangible thoughts about it and I wanted to explore some ideas that involve this beginner's mind concept.   Check out Drumeo Edge for 7 days!   Here is my Spotify playlist.

“I think starting out with those recitals really just burned that love and passion for live performance into me.” Patch Mahoney is a drummer from Arizona who began making content for Instagram nearly five years ago. Due to his efforts he has gained a career in music. He comes from a musical family and his Dad even worked for Remo for a while providing Patch with his first drum set when he was a little kid. Patch didn’t begin taking drumming seriously until he was late in his teens. He picked up sticks here and there but he wasn’t considering the drums as his calling or something to take more seriously than a hobby. Patch was actually studying to become a doctor and one day he stumbled across a Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl Kit online and he was struck with a sudden change of heart. The rest is history.   You Will Hear About…. Patch’s early memories of his Dad working at Remo and the full-circle moment when he became endorsed by Remo. Some tips for using social media to maintain creativity, engagement, and reduce

Musicians often say, "the music tells me what to play", and I agree with that one hundred percent. But what if music told us what to practice? I have often heard how confusing it is out there with the many lessons online. There is just so much to potentially learn! But if our music tastes dictated to us what we need to improve upon in order to play the music we love, maybe it would cut down the confusion. That is what today's episode is all about.   Check out my Spotify playlist "seamus is all mixed up" for some inspiration.

“Allow yourself to understand that your emotions are completely valid and sometimes you do need help for understanding and adapting to these emotions.” Jack Thomas is a survivor. Quite literally. About five years ago, when Jack was seventeen years old, he was involved in a serious workplace accident that nearly cost him his life and in the end, it did cost him an arm. As a result, Jack thought for a moment that he would never play drums, bass, or guitar again.  It has not been an easy transition as you can imagine. Re-learning how to play instruments with the use of only one arm has been both rewarding but also frustrating too for Jack. But with mental strength and support from his friends and family Jack has managed to achieve something most people would consider an impossibility. Jack’s story is remarkable, tragic, and not one without a struggle.  He had recently been featured on Drumeo and amongst other content, Jack performed “Duality” by Slipknot. The video has surpassed 1,000,000 views with an incredibl

Today's VIP is all about execution. You've prepared. You've mustered up the courage and taken the risk. Now it is time to complete the task at hand. In my experience hosting numerous in-person and virtual interviews, I have felt and experienced what it is like to be in these situations that are scary. In this episode, I talk about some tips that helped me get through those experiences.   Try the 7 day Drumeo Edge Trial!

“It was a religious experience seeing Russell (Batiste) for the first time.” Stanton Moore is proudly carrying the flag of New Orleans tradition in the world of music and drumming so it can be passed down to the next generation. The founding member of Galactic and his Stanton Moore Trio, Stanton brings that New Orleans sauce into full force oozing with panache and funky attitude behind the kit. He is an absolute treasure to music. Besides his own projects, Stanton’s list of appearances as a sideman is too long to list. Just look it up though and be astounded by it. Besides his love for performance and music, he is also an enthusiastic teacher. He has recently launched his brand new Stanton Moore Drum Academy and has been using his studio to stream masterclasses and film lessons/courses to educate his students, with an emphasis on groove. He is also highly involved with famed nightclub Tipitina’s which has a very special place in Stanton’s heart. Overall, Stanton is bringing the New Orleans sound to the next g

Today's episode piggybacks onto the "Always Prepare" episode.   Taking risks, building confidence, and challenging yourself is an interesting venture. Will I fail or will I succeed? In this episode, I share my personal experiences with this stuff in hopes that you will reflect on your own choices and whether you ever felt ready to take risks. I have had many scary moments concerning this topic but I have always seen growth from it.   Try Drumeo Edge for free!

“I decided just to be myself.” Domino Santantonio has been playing drums for quite a while and doing so professionally touring for Roxane Bruneau and being called for studio sessions. She recently, however, became noticed by millions of people due to TikTok. One day she made a 15-second drum cover of Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and in a few hours, it received millions of views.  It was Roxane who recommended to her that she become involved with TikTok but Domino felt that it would just be another platform to browse through cat and dog videos, which we laughed about. But then the pandemic happened and she realized that it might be a good time to start making some videos and I suppose she was right! Opportunities are opening up for her due to her massive and rather immediate exposure.    You Will Hear About…. The day her TikTok account blew up. Her newfound popularity online and the impact it’s had on her social media use. Why she no longer compares herself to others online anymore. A bit about her background w

Today's episode is regarding preparation. I go over a handful of points as to why preparation is important. This episode was inspired by an email sent to me from Benny Greb regarding his new book. Click this link to learn more about his book.   Try Drumeo Edge for FREE!  

“I practiced every single minute I could! No question.” Matt Bover is originally from the Woodstock, NY area where he would find his love for drums but it didn’t stop there. After a failed audition for Berklee College of Music, he decided to head to Barcelona, Spain at a music conservatory called “Barcelona’s Conservatori del Liceu”. He managed straight A’s while practicing drums for roughly fifteen hours per day while he studied there. From Barcelona, he re-auditioned for Berklee and was accepted. Not only was he accepted into the school but he managed a full performance scholarship and later Berklee would pay Matt to attend their school! During his time at Berklee, he would maintain an unbelievable practice routine, and commonly he would practice for seventeen hours per day. He also wrote a book called Chops For The Modern Drummer which would later be distributed by Hudson Music. Matt’s story is one that is bittersweet. It’s balanced between failure and success and while it is incredibly inspiring, it is a

Drop a line to Amanda   I feel that these five tips for social media make for an experience that is more enjoyable long-term and better for my mental health.   1. When someone follows you, check out their profile. If it looks interesting, look a little deeper. If you really like what they are putting out there, give them a follow and make a comment. Connect with new people.   2. Don't fuss over numbers. Make good stuff that you like to make and present it. Hopefully it gets some attention and you did it your way. Just don't let the numbers dictate whether or not you want to do it or be validated by the numbers. Pay attention to how you can connect with people through the content.   3. When you have the opportunity, send voice dm's to your friends and audience online. Especially if they love what you do, make it more personable by sending them your voice. I have done this for a long time with DrumeoGab and I think it is a nice way to connect. Recommend.   4. Police your page. Show respect to your followers and

“It’s endless of how many different opportunities we can provide and create for ourselves.” Greg Hersey is the Director of Instrumental Music at Episcopal School of Jacksonville and received his masters degree at University North Florida. He is a very well studied musician and has a passion for education as he is currently in his fourth year as band director. He uses Instagram to showcase his talents and creativity with many of his videos reaching well into five-figure for the number of views. In particular, his trap set videos indicate his high level of musical knowledge and creative rhythmic applications. I wanted Greg on the show because he works in the school system and with all of the changes that teachers face, I thought it would be very interesting to hear his perspective on how he and his colleagues have adapted to this new way of doing things. We also get an in-depth look as to how his love for drumming took shape and a few people in his life that pushed him to become who he is today.   You Will Hear

VIP is created in part by YOU, the audience. Submit your media to Seamus@drumeo.com   The opening clip was from Marcus Gilmore Excerpts of Nube by David Virelles. Performed with Sunhouse Sensory Percussion. Watch the Video   Today we are discussing the idea of whether the drum heads are mostly responsible for the output of sound from a drum. This idea was inspired by this YouTube video - Watch Video