Just got a drum set. I can keep time but I don’t have flow or experience on the drums and this is absolute perfect for me. Thank you, timing on this couldn’t be better.
His talk of varying grips was helpful. There is so much stressed about the fulcrum for beginners that we tend to obsess over always holding the stick there. Telling us that the grip is ever evolving based on many things gives me a little relief to know that it's perfectly natural to hold the sticks differently as needed.
Nick is such a great and musical player, so intelligent, a great communicator - I've never learned so much from a music educator I haven't even met. Thank you Nick! And thank you Sweetwater, for making so much comprehensive content with Mr. D'Virgilio! I've been passionate about music education for a while and I belive that the kinds of videos really make a difference for many of us player. Cheers from Denmark!
Always great to have a little Nick DV inspiration during the day. These were some great tips for any level of drummer. I've seen videos of myself through the years and how I've had the drums set up and how I've been seated. I'd like to think they I've been incorporating so many of these techniques to my playing. But, like everyone else, I'm still learning.
Nick shows the best first lesson for the new drummer. Nick is an expert at drum technique and playing. I tried to teach something like this to a friend just starting with drums but Nick explains the techniques so clearly I'm going to have him watch this video. Thanks Nick!
That's what I've always loved about drumming. After nearly 50 years of playing, I'm still learning! Thank you, Mr. D'Virgilio! You are an amazing drummer and teacher!
Hey Nick,I played over 7000 nights in my career. After two hip replacements and hand issues ,I can tell you, the young guys better really pay attention to the fundamentals and ergonomics of playing the kit.The older I get,the more I find myself returning to the basics.Great content and, always, great playing.
I've been an amateur drummer most of my life. Recently been through some hard times, and haven't drummed in about 4 years now. This video was just so enjoyable to watch. I still love the drums, and miss them a lot. Thanks Nick!
Great content,been playing non stop for 48 yrs,I'm blessed,one thing that I have been paying more attention to which is never discussed,nutrition for drummers,changed my diet to more veggies fish and the like, plus walking,my stamina has greatly improved,no more partying till t in the morning
Nick is a hero! I have gotten so much from his videos. He is easy to follow and an expert. His enthusiasm and well prepared presentations are manna from heaven. Thank you Mr. D
Nick proves that being a matched grip only player, is just fine. Blows the whole "a drummer really isn't a drummer unless they play traditional grip" thing out of the water
There are drummers whom can play well and those that instruct well. Nick does both. Wish Nick had made this video 45 years ago. Clear concise no fluff instruction. Thank you Nick for this tech review presentation.
Nick, it is always fun to watch you play. Not in LA anymore, and out in NE Tennessee, I don't get to see you play live that much. You've always been one of the best my friend. Take care.
I took a private lesson with Chapin and that sent me down a life long journey into technique. Great job Nick, that is quite possibly the most concise and understandable explanation I've seen on the subject.
great video nick i been playing 2 years covid driven! ! watched the assemble vid u did a couple of years back ,so i follow u bro this is a good demo here thank you i am car wreck survivor so drumming has helped me alot i lost 15 lbs man i am guitar player most of the time some time lol i think u know what i mean man drums are a blast beat iam 61 haha
Technique is so important! I've been playing drums for 30 years and I refused to learn any technique. I was practicing for 4-5 hours for nothing. How matter I've tried I couldn't get faster after some point. Secondly playing without technique caused me tennis elbow on my left arm, golfers elbow on my right arm and after that tendonitis issues on my both elbows. I had to give a break for a year, now I'm trying to learn all techniques and all kinds of grips. I believe that every "gifted" person uses the right technique and the right practice system. Even Van Gogh would use grid technique on his paints.
Thanks, Nick! I realized I had my kit set up a bit awkwardly. I followed your ergonomic advice, and now I can feel like everything's more comfortable! ✌
Nick is the best. I especially like how you actually play on the Instruments you demo - unlike the other clueless drummers who play mostly snare and cymbals when they are supposed to demo the bass drum and toms. Duh...to the "other guys".
Nick, seen you before aon Sweetwater promotions. You are a terrific Drummer, and an Inspiring Teacher. This Old man , a resurrected recreational Drummer after a 50 Year Hiatus, appreciates all the info you and Others share on the InterWeb. This one 5 point succinct video is a fabulous aid. You point about " being able to play into your Golden Years".... is a great one. Take it from Me, an old timer with some spinal disabilities / arthritic conditions, yes, by all means, take care of yourself. Folks may not thinks o, but nick is right : Drums are a physical instrument!!. Stay Limber, do your stretches, light weights for strength (watch Thomas Lang ), and DON"T do what I did - I didn't drink water on regular basis : Drink Water !! It lubricates the discs in your spine, and other joints! Sorry for Preaching. Peace All. Do the best You can in this Mad World.
Great video Nick! Your explanations are very clear and delivered with energy and enthusiasm! I didn’t realize that Jim Chapin studied with Sanford Moeller. I took some lessons from Jem so I guess I got it secondhand, and that’s pretty damn cool :-)
Nick, I'm a professional picture framer and have been playing since I was 7 years old. I'm 59 now and on my production table I have my phone propped up to watch/listen to videos as I work framing museum grade artworks. Out of all the videos I have played while working, this video has to be the clearest, most helpful one. I actually needed to stop and rewind parts if it. The very best tip was setting up the set ergonomically. But, I have two larger mounted toms on my Pearl set and cannot get them flat enough without the lugs hitting the base drum. What tip do you have for this? Thank you in advance!
Comment on point one: I'm an older player and my ergo nomic setup changes every so often. I don't play every day but sometimes I'll sit at the kit and go "nothing fits" and start moving things around. I think that's good because you want to stay in the framework you laid out of ergonomic.
Love the advice , very good drummer. Only the first thing he talked about was seat height. Dude I really can't have my legs facing on downward angle causeof my height, I'm very short .
Some thoughts: 1) I always advocate sitting above "parallel thighs." The angle of your thigh is going to change depending on whether or not your heel is off the pedal anyway. All the great big band drummers sat higher, as do guys with monster foot technique like Jojo Mayer and Thomas Lang, so there may something to it beyond just personal preference. 2) The flatter your drums are angled, the more gravity is able to do the work for you. However, having very low/flat toms makes you have to reach further to hit them. It also makes "sweeping" from tom to snare more difficult. I've been playing with my rack tom only a couple inches higher than my snare, with a small amount of tilt (~15˚), but I'm thinking of positioning it somewhat higher and more angled, so I don't have to reach for it so much. 3) IIRC, Sanford Moeller didn't invent the Moeller technique. He saw other rudimental drummers doing it and documented it. 4) Having good wrists is the basis of everything else. If you want to get the Moeller technique going, get your wrists going first. 5) To find the balance point of the stick, hold the stick in traditional grip, but keep your hand open, as if you were going to shake hands with someone. Then dribble the stick on your snare/pad with your other hand. Adjust the fulcrum until you find the position that gives maximum rebound. If you use matched grip, try placing that fulcrum point at your middle finger, and think of your thumb and index finger as merely keeping the stick from moving sideways, rather than as the fulcrum. 6) Also, where you grip the stick can change depending on what you're doing. Tony Williams used to grip the stick at the butt end with his ring finger and pinky, for example. I believe Jim Chapin talked about that as well. But definitely get your basic grip down first.
jc3drums, you presents some great observations. I'm 70 yo, a resurrected "drummer" after a 50 year Hiatus (1969). I play for about 1 hour a day to My Music (CCR, Petty, Mellencamp, Stones, Beatles, Eagles, Clapton, Winwood, etc., etc.,). Only had 6-8 lessons back in 1966 when I first started. But now we have the InterWeb. So I have encountered people like You and the many others out there that share info and experience. Although due to spinal issues and arthritic conditions that are erupting in many joints, I don't let That Stop Me. aside for your History lesson on the Meoller technique, I have not been able to really utilize that unless i am incorprating it without realizing it ! I especially found No. 1 & 2 most poignant and appropriate to me for sure. Be Well in this F_cked Up World , right Now. Unfortunately, in the words of Ten Years After's song ( TYA , one of my all time bands [I'm Going Home performed at Woodstock .... check it out]: I'd Love To Change The World.....But I Don't Know What To Do !!!
I actually figure out how to get my second tom parallel in front with my first tom. If the second tom is in to close I play the rim more then the head.
Great job Nick ! I own a few good practice pads, but I don't have a practice pad kit. How can I get in the work for my feet without using pedals during my woodshedding time?? T Y S.R.PURDY 🥁 GOD BLESS
I want to learn the Moeller method but I have a partially torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder and bad arthritis in both arms, hands, fingers. So... I'm probably screwed.
