Bill Powelson's
School of Drums
* INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION *
(Beginners thru Ultra Advanced)
Hi, I'm Bill Powelson, the author
of this complete course in drum set techniques.
There are more than 125 free drumset lessons here.
These are the same lessons I would teach you, if you came
to me for private drum instruction in my studios,
at a cost of $50 per hour. Just make a bookmark, and return
any time you feel like studying drum set techniques.
This complete course
is designed to take you from wannabe-air-drummer to accomplished
pro in as little as 6 months, (or maybe less.) No! You can't
do it one day. But, you can be WELL on your way in under an hour.
Drumming is a lifelong endeavor. I've been playing and teaching
over 50 years, now . . . but, I still learn something new about drumming,
every day. There's never an end to the things we can learn, but
SOME things are more important than others, especially for the novice
drummer.
This web site, and this course of instruction, is designed
to take you from your current level of knowledge and boost you into
the profession . . . one-lesson-at-a-time. It has taken me the
better part of 50 years, working as a drum instructor (by day) and a
pro drummer (by night), to assemble and prepare this
line-up of lessons for you. These lessons are designed to
get the best results, in the fastest, and most thorough way.
You'll be wise to dig-in for the long haul, and study
at your hearts content. Think of this as weekly drumset
lessons that you can take on an hourly, or daily basis. The
harder you work, the sooner you will produce results,
and become the drummer you were meant to become. It is
possible to devour this course in under 6 months; Yet,
in a private setting, it might take you up to two
years to do all this, at an eventual cost of several
thousand dollars.
FORGET THE MYTH THAT YOU NEED TO BE IN THE ROOM WITH
A PRIVATE DRUM INSTRUCTOR, TO LEARN. IF ANY OF YOUR
BRAIN-CELLS ARE WORKING, YOU CAN LEARN MUCH FASTER, THIS WAY!
This online course is
BETTER than private lessons because you can
study as often and as long as you might want to. In the
real world, it would cost a fortune.
Yet, with the videos and other teaching-aids
in use, you may learn at a rate that's up to 10 times
faster than you might experience, in private lessons.
Yes!
Air-drummers can definitely become the BEST real drummers,
with only a little knowledge. If you 'feel' the beat of the
music the rest is a matter of simple (and very EASY to
learn) techniques. Most of what you need to know will
tend to come natural, if you'll simply follow my advice while
working your way through these structured lessons.
'Feeling'
the beat is the thing that defines real drumming talent!
Air-drummers are most often 'natural' drummers; All they need
is a little direction, and instruction. You'll find that
direction, help, and instruction within these lessons.
NO DRUMS OR STICKS NECESSARY. YOU MAY BEGIN RIGHT NOW!
You can begin immediately!
I've found that approximately 7 in 10
people can become working pro-drummers in under six months (or less),
using the methods you'll discover here. The only thing stopping
you is your own negativity and procrastination. We'll put
an end to that within the first couple of lessons! I plan to show
you an addiction to drumming that will change your entire life, for the better.
You can learn it all right here, even if you've never been behind
a drumset in your life, or held a pair of drum sticks in your
hands.
DO IT WITHOUT DRUMS OR DRUMSTICKS!
As a matter of fact, you can study 95% of the lessons in this
complete course without ever being behind a drumset! I'll show
you exactly what I mean, as you progress through the lessons. I
would not make such an outrageous claim unless I was sure I could back it up.
Believe it . . . and keep reading.
NO DRUMS?
HERE'S HOW TO PRACTICE . . .
Just tap on your computer desk, (or the arms of your chair)
and pat your (right) foot
on the floor. You will need access to recorded music of
your choosing. You will be learning to play the DRUMSET, using
the same (feet and hand) movements we drummers use at a real drum set. You will
be learning to play along with all the
same music you'll hear playing around you every day, but you'll
do it as you sit there at the computer desk.
From this day
forward, as you hear any song playing on the radio, jukebox, CDs,
tapes, movies, etc., etc.,; You'll learn to habitually listen,
analyze, then play ANY song correctly and instantly. You'll quickly
and easily discover that you do not need a drumset or sticks
to learn. The formulas for
doing that are all here in these lessons, and you may never
find all these secrets anywhere else . . . all in one place.
Once
you've learned to study and practice MY way, you'll discover
how to MAKE EVERY IDLE MOMENT, A PRACTICE MOMENT . . . no matter
where you are. This secret is the one secret that will virtually
guarantee your success!
NO SHEET MUSIC, EITHER!
You're going to learn to play, the
way all your drumming heroes play. You'll learn to read drum
notation, but sheet music and tabs are virtually useless to
the REAL drummer. We rarely use any of that on the gigs.
We learn to play from the heart, often with both eyes closed!
You are about to learn to practice the way all pro drummers practice
(24/7/365) when they are away from their own drumsets. If
you do NOT learn to practice this way, (without drums), I doubt
you'll ever become truly successful, anyway. This is the way all
pro drummers do it!
As a matter of fact, this one secret
may be the TOTAL secret, to professional success. I doubt, if you have ever
read or heard much about this method of practice at all. It's
really just so practical, and a matter of common-sense,
that most teachers never 'think' to tell you about it.
Here it is the
best kept secret in pro-drumming . . .
YOU WERE BORN WITH A SET OF DRUMS!
As you sit in any chair, your right knee becomes your hi-hat, your
left knee becomes your snare, and as you pat your right foot on
the floor, it simulates the bass. Practicing this way develops the
needed muscles and coordination, in the same way as if you were
sitting behind a $2,000 drum set. It may not be nearly as much fun,
but you can learn 95% of the techniques this way. It means you
can prove to yourself that you have talent, before spending a fortune
on any equipment. You'll get the hang of it in the first
few lessons of the course.
ALL working drummers practice this way no matter where they may
be. It turns every waking moment into a potential practice moment.
As any song plays in the elevator, in the car or wherever, the real
drummer, analyzes the song and goes through the needed movements
as the song plays. The idea here is to prove to yourself that
you can play any song, instantly, by analyzing it for a few seconds,
then going through the routine movements and patterns we all use
as we play.
Those PATTERNS are the same patterns you'll be studying in this
entire course. The more patterns you know and learn, the better
drummer you'll become.
A little later in the course,
once you are successful with the early lessons,
I'll show you how to save a bundle on your drumset equipment. But, that's for
later! First, you will need to
successfully coordinate the movements, and connect those movements to the music,
as you listen to your favorite recordings, (ie; CDs, MP3s, and tapes) right there
at the computer!
Further down on lesson menu #1,
we'll discuss a myriad of ways you
can save a fortune on equipment and completely fulfill all your drumming
dreams, without dropping a bundle of your hard earned dollars, rubles or pesos.
My objective here is to help you make it all happen, the easiest, fastest,
most thorough, and least costly way possible . . . anywhere on earth.
This complete course
will save you the equivalent of 30 or 40 years of frustration. You'll save
thousands of dollars, and years of wasted time. That's my promise to you!
I've designed every lesson over a 50 year span of time, through trial and error.
Only the best of the best lessons have made the cut, here. All this has
been done in order to save you from searching book after book, and
hitting brick walls as a result of ignorance.
Just follow the lessons. It will all be explained as you go. Most
of the info contained here is NOT in the many books and study methods you'll
encounter elsewhere. THIS is the stuff you'll learn the hard way, onstage
in front of a crowd, . . . if you don't get it here.
* WHERE TO BEGIN, DEPENDING ON YOUR LEVEL *
BEGINNERS:
You should simply start at Lesson #1,
then follow the next ten or 12 lessons in the order they appear
on Lesson Menu #1.
By the time you have completed the
3rd lesson (Basic beats), you will automatically and naturally
gain the ability to jam with as many as 200 million
songs, the SAME way all working drummers do it! After that,
it's ok to jump around to the lessons that interest you most.
These lessons are ALL designed to catapult you into the
profession in the fastest, easiest, most thorough way, possible.
You could purchase a thousand books, videos and/or instruction
methods . . . and not achieve what you'll
achieve here, in these free and easy lessons.
So . . . all beginners should
stop surfing . . . make a bookmark here at,
Lesson Menu #1 . . . and get started! You'll be coming
back to this site hundreds of times, if you have a serious bone in your
body!
Later, once you do acquire a drum set, you'll amaze yourself
(and your friends) at how professional you will sound. You can learn to do
95% of this without spending a dime. So . . . quit whining, daydreaming,
and procrastinating. Get started right now!
Yes! It is all free, and I do not stoop to using spyware, cookies,
or any of that garbage. You won't even be asked to communicate with me at all,
unless you want to do that. Just study and learn. That's all there is to it.
I've been teaching
a very long time. Over the past 50+ years as a professional drummer
and instructor, I've discovered ways to trim away 90% of the
unnecessary garbage, without jeopardizing any of the really important things.
READING DRUM NOTATION AND RUDIMENTS:
You'll learn to read, and you'll master the rudiments much quicker
here than any where else on the planet. Better yet,
You'll also learn to play, the same way
all working drummers do it, (ie: by the seat of your pants,
and by ear.) You'll learn to play with both eyes closed and with
your imagination flying wildly, inside of any and every
song you choose to play. Here, you'll get it all, the easiest, fastest
way possible. I guarantee it . . . and it's free. The only
thing stopping you now . . . is yourself! Get off your tush
and get started! There's absolutely no excuse why you shouldn't, if
you are the least bit serious about pursuing a fun, exciting, career
as a WORKING-drummer.
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED DRUMMERS:
If you think you are INTERMEDIATE OR ADVANCED,
I recommend that you should at least look over lesson
#3, (the basic beats) before for moving any deeper into the course.
If you can repeat all five of those patterns from memory and
recognize them (by ear) in the music playing around you everyday,
it means you are 'at least' an intermediate drummer.
At that point you should feel free to study any lesson that interests you. Check out
all the lessons on all four lesson menus. There are more than 125-lessons here.
No matter how long you have been playing, or what levels you may have
achieved, there is something here for just about everyone. Surely you will
gain some new and useful knowledge. Yes! We'll cover everything, including
beats with street names like, 'Fatback', 'Funk', 'Punk', and so many others
that tend to change meanings with each new generation of musicians. You
will ultimately learn to play ANY and ALL styles of music here.
'EVERYTHING',
is a big word . . . but it is ALL here. This is a COMPLETE course in drum set
techniques.
As you work your way down lesson menu #1, the techniques to
be learned will increase in difficulty. If a lesson seems too simple,
then move on rapidly. If a lesson seems too difficult, it may mean that you have
missed something along the way. You'll either want to slow down and study harder, or
back-up to something you can digest more easily. Almost all
the lessons in this course(95%) can be practiced without a drum
set, right there on the desktop, your lap, or the arms of your
chair. You'll need all of it sooner or later; So, find topics you can
wrap your brain around, and keep studying until you feel you've covered it
all.
I'm a veteran working drummer and
teacher with 50 years of rock, country, jazz and a
million other music styles, under my belt. I can help!
I've been teaching students of all levels since the early
1960s. If you want to become a drummer (or a better drummer),
you are in the right place. This web site is designed
to help teach you as if you were enrolled into
private weekly lessons (with me), a working pro-drummer/teacher.
Believe it!
You've found what you are looking for. It's all here!
All you have to do is use your good mind, find your individual
beginning place, then start studying. It won't be any easier,
anywhere else.
So, . . . SLOW DOWN . . . and focus.
Determine your best individual starting place and make a bookmarks
in the areas of this course that will serve you best. Plan to return
over and over again until you've completed
all the lessons you'll be needing. My plan is to get you off
your duff and making progress, beginning right now.
My absolute favorite students
are the total beginner 'air-drummer' types. You are the easiest
to reach and teach. However; The lessons you'll find here, can
help any drummer at any level, and I don't care how long
you've been playing, or how much you 'think' you know.
I can definitely get you out of the ruts you are in. You'll
soon be progressing at rates that will truly
amaze you, if you'll just use a little common-sense and
logic.
Before you click on one of the links below,
it's important that we make the right connections,
in order to get you moving in the right directions,
without wasting a lot of your time.
INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED, AND ULTRA ADVANCED STUDENTS:
If you were to come to me for private lessons,
I would help you determine where you should begin.
It's a little more difficult to do that here, but not
impossible . . . IF, you can put your ego aside,
and make the correct decisions concerning your own
level of ability, you'll be on your way to the
lessons you need, in a matter of a few minutes.
It's easy to guide beginners. They all start at the beginning!
It's the others (ie; the intermediate, advanced, and ultra-advanced)
who pose the biggest problems. Most are stuck in a learning
rut. They want help, but they don't know exactly where they
need to place their focus.
I find that most of us (myself included) have trouble
deciding, or knowing, which level we might belong. That's very
understandable! As far as I know, no one has ever put together a 'level rating' system for drummers.
It's difficult to know exactly where you are on the overall
scale of needed and necessary knowledge. I can
help with all that too. I'll try to describe it all in detail (below.)
All you'll have to do is, decide for yourself, and that should be easy.
I'm especially good at helping people
find their own personal starting place, but it requires that
we must first assess what you already know, against what you do not know.
Then, you can structure your own path of instruction.
It's very important that you should begin lessons
with material you need (as an individual.) There's nothing worse
than wasting time on lesson material
that you already know. If you can make the right decisions
for yourself . . . we'll (hopefully) avoid that dilemma.
With that in mind, let's begin . . .
Click on the link below that,
in your estimation, best describes your level.
Your
choice will help guide us directly
to the specific course of study you need now, at your own
current level of knowledge and expertise.
BEGINNING DRUMMERS: Take the. . .DRUMMERS APTITUDE TEST,now!
Learn to jam with your first song. As you
do that, you'll discover that you've just learned to jam with
more than 50 million songs. It's true! You will learn to
jam with more than 50 million songs as you complete
this one lesson. Once you realize just how easy it
is, you'll know without a doubt that you have the talent
and special aptitude needed to become a working pro-drummer.
- ADVANCED, INTERMEDIATE AND PROFESSIONAL drummers may want to skip the
basics! Click here for some suggested ideas as to what you should study first.
Or . . . visit all the Lesson Menus and make your own determinations!
- To meet Bill Powelson the drum teacher and author,
go to . . . Bill's Bio
CLICK ON THE LEVEL THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOU?
Beginner * Intermediate *
Advanced * Ultra Advanced
Copyright Bill Powelson 1994 all rights reserved.
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