Steve Smith - Working With Wilcoxon - Part One 

Really impressive to see an artist who “arrived” many years ago still on a journey (no pun intended,) of learning, growing, and challenging himself, and sharing with others. Well done, Mr. Smith!! This inspired me to pull out my old rudiment books and reincorporate them into my wood shedding.

I feel humbled by your appetite to keep learning

Wilcoxons solos are pretty intellectually deep. Lots of great stuff to borrow. :)

My teacher actually studied with Wilcoxon at the Arcade in Cleveland Ohio, on Saturday. On his way home, he had another lesson with Cloyd Duff of Cleveland Orchestra fame. I was fortunate to learn the twenty six early. I still have the 150 on my stand....

What a elegance you got Steve !

It has been said enough but the fact that you are constantly refining your skills and pushing new boundaries even after 5 decades is one of the most inspirational things to me personally. You are an absolute legend and we are blessed that you are sharing your knowledge with us. What a time to be alive!

Steve you are such an eloquent drummer. Thanks for this invaluable info. It's like having a master drummer in your home giving you a private lesson!

Such a master of his art, a class act.

Steve’s love for drumming and growing as a drummer is seemingly unparalleled . We are fortunate that he shares his wisdom and experience with us .

My favorite practice pad stuff....LOVE all the flams and Swiss triplets.....Chapin had me doing all the flam stuff in 1968.....It all stuck with me.....Ralph Onofrio

The man who loves the drum the most in the universe.

I used to have a blast working out of this book in college. I have vivid memories of practicing these solos in the hallway on the bottom of my shoe while awaiting my turn for juries. They're so satisfying to play once you work out the muscle memory.

It's fun to be looking at this stuff again. A good reminder to expose my students to the classics!

These solos are so much fun to play and without failure they provide a challenge for my hands the normal drum set playing does not provide!

You are incredible! Such a drum master, with your teaching skill and been so humble to share what you are keeping studying, even for a master like you. Such an inspiration for me, a 31 years old, that started to play drums on my 14yo, but yet I don't know how to master my techniques!

Beautiful Steve, I've been a fan of your drumming since I first heard you on Jean Luc Ponty's Enigmatic Ocean and through Journey and Vital Information and everything else you've done. Love the way your technique and set up has evolved through the years and your reverence for all the great drummers who came before and the great educators like George Lawrence Stone, Wilcoxon, Moeller, Gladstone, et. al. You are an inspiration, thank you!

Such a great teacher and humble..Yes stick twisters is an apt term for the rudiments Mr Smith. Thanks for sharing your story of how you started drumming and your progression.

Great info and lesson! My band director back in the early 80's had the "Count!" picture on the wall behind him just as a reminder to the orchestra, he was great! Good times, thank you, Steve!

Thank you so much for these two videos. When I was a young boy I would take the bus to down town Cleveland and study this book with Charlie Wilcoxon. I remember what a kind man he was. His wife was always there in the studio, such a gracious woman. We sat at his drum set working through the book. Later on another teacher, Robert Matson of the Cleveland Orchestra revised the book. I have to get this book out with the new Gaddiment Book. At the time I didn't know that Mr Matson studied with Charlie.

You have admirable work ethic. Listening since 1980.

Thank you Steve, truly. It is invaluable to have a peek into your thought processes and to see you strive for learning and more complete mastery. Seeing a virtuoso like yourself thirsting for knowledge so sincerely and joyfully is a profound lesson for me :)

I love these solos! Paradiddle Johnny is one of my personal favorites. I can’t wait for more of these lessons. I’m going to revisit paradiddle Johnny with these lessons.

This is so cool and so informative! Steve Smith has so much knowledge. Thank you for sharing! 🙏🥁

Absolutely love this! Bravo!

These are great!!! Thanks Steve.

I love this.Thanks so much for putting this out in the world.

I've always love and admired your playing. Thanks a lot for making these videos, good sir!

I’m so glad to hear you talk about counting!! The absolute biggest issue I have with my students currently is that they not only don’t want to count, but refuse to ever do it. I’ve tried everything I can think of to relate the importance of counting to them. It seems in the last few years that, collectively, they are just not interested in the benefits that counting while playing delivers.

Thank you for posting so many great/informative videos during these crazy times :)

Thanks for sharing another great video Steve! 🥁❤

These are great! Very helpful to open any drummers hand development options and also very musical playing patterns! Nice! Thanks Steve!

Thank you Steve, for all the great educational information and examples you've presented. You are amazing... Keep up the great work!

As usual Totally! Awesome!! Thank You! Mr Smith

Thesevideos are really cool! Thanks steve!

HI Steve, I am from your generation and studied the same methods, counting outloud while practicing and stretching yourself, and practicing multitude of different stickings. So refreshing. Bravo

it's really beautiful to see that you keep studying and finding things. thanks for sharing all of these.

Definetely enjoyed. I do feel tempted to get the book! Thank you Mr. Smith

Thanks for this great video. Your hands are amazing.

Always inspiring. Many thanks.

Such a professional, always.

Thank you. Steve. This is some groovy stuff!

Steve, thanks to your fantastic, informative videos, I am revisiting my Wilcoxin book too, i’m thinking about it in new ways, though keeping an old-school mentality about it. I’ve been playing for over 50 years, but trying these great old rudimental solos is humbling and makes me realize how long I have to go to really get them sounding good.

Fantastic insights from a legendary drummer - thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and incredibly learned opinions. (It's like watching one of the gods of drumming speak, and showing you how to be! So valuable, so amazing).

a bit late here but i had this book when i started in 1985!!! love ALL of your work SS, VI kills it!! take care.

Excellent lesson Steve

Steve this is an absolutely unreal lesson that has been so overlooked with hand development. Bravo 🙏. Your explanation with wilcoxon played as swing now makes more sense to me now. Very inspirational. Hopefully see you play again at Chan’s in rhode island again 👌

Great info Steve, thanks a bunch.

THANK YOU STEVE, I started playing at 8yrs. And I have been doing it all, so much fun. GOD BLESS

Great show!!! Thanks

very clean, very nice, wonderful ideas. I will try to swing my rudiments!

Thanks so much !!! I use that book too and there are so many great tips in this video! One of my teachers also had me reverse the sticking once i could play it the way it is written, which kind of helps to "even" out your hands..

Thanks so much for this Steve!

This is great stuff.... thank you

thank you for these great lessons!

Great lesson! Thanks for sharing!!!

This is SO good. Thank you!!!!

Thanks, Steve ,for this.very interesting

It sounds very helpful. I will definitely revisit it as you suggested.

Nice lesson Steve, I will pass this along to my drummer friends! And I as a bass/guitar player will add to my amateur drumming.

Very insightful love it

Great info, thanks Steve!

Thank you for this video Steve! I'm very motivated by You! b regards

Thank you very much for this lesson.

You are the king sir!

Thank you for this video series! I love this book and I was planning on getting a copy of it for one of my students this week. There's definitely some wrist twisters in "The New Downfall"!!!

Nice Drum Master Class video Steve. Though I play strictly guitar, I always enjoy watching a drummer play. You've done a excellent job with Journey, (one of my favorite bands) and your other projects. Good to see you on YT videos. I will check out part 2 when it's out. Thanks. Stay safe. Cheers.

Thanks Steve. Cheers from Seattle

Thank you, for posting

Great Video many thanks

Thank you! Very interesting!

Great lesson!

Great stick control and timing from Steve

Great tuition Steve. Reminiscent if my teacher, Harry Lebler who taught me this very style.

Love that book

True master... thank you Steve

Yes! It’s gonna be a wonderful weekend for my 🖐 🤚

Very educational! Thank you Steve :)

The word Style seems to describe Steve. He definitely has Style!!!

Great stick control and rythum from Steve

Just a student of the work!....love ya Smit's! ✌🏽❤🤘🥁

Great explanations. Thanks, Steve! 🙃

Steve- just got the Wilcoxon and GLS books. What a great day.

Speaking of Krupa - I still marvel at his INTERACTIVE-LISTENING, and anticipation of the actual music gesture he's hearing - 'live'. Rudiments are secondary to his playing.

Thank you! This is so great to know, I also picked Rythmania and Paradiddle johnnie with other 3 other solos to work on ideas, also noticed that at a particular tempo they sounded right (because they are musical) . I'm curious to know about other solos that you liked. I'm eager to know more of your approach to this beautiful book. Thank you :) I'll stay tuned.

Steve is a real master..!!

Very cool Steve thankyou

Amazing lesson! Greetings from Chile :D

Learning the feel of the motion. The Motion.

Great drummer you have light hand you are my favorite drummer 👍

Thanks Steve for all your amazing music! I saw you only once at Yoshi's, Oakland CA. Awesome concert indeed! The book is from 1941? My father too. I love to play the Jean Luc Ponty CD you played on (along with Allan Holdsworth, RIP) and Separate ways is one of my favorite songs of all time. Thanks!!

Great tutorial

lovely!

A real drummer !!!!

Steve I am inspired by hearing you play drums duder

Thank you Master

You are amazing...

Nice work

Fantastic

Great class thanqyou Steve is a cósmica master

Have this book in the studio and haven’t spent too much time with it. But now I am inspired and this will be on my practice rotation. Also love the reminder that it is soooo important to look at the details and nuances always SLOW first!!! No shame!!! Tempo marking as a historical reference point how interesting! Do you often practice with the pad drumset and how does that translate to your playing? Fluency fluency fluency can only build it if you are reading! This is so great. Thank you for sharing.