TigerBill's DrumBeat Community Forums for Free Expert Advice on Drums and Percussion.

Hello everyone;

I've been playing drums since I was 12 years old when I friend of mine asked me to play drums in a Nirvana cover band. From there I took lessons from a typically anal retentive teacher who handed me pieces of paper and never really gave me any heart. Luckily, being stubborn and strong willed I played along to drum tracks and dreamed about being in a real band.

When I was 17 I joined my schools Jazz program and my teacher shook my musical being to the core. He was a cutting little man who told me over and over that I had bad time and played the drums like a guerilla, but luckily created quite the impression on me.

After that I started taking lessons from the local drum teacher celebrity and that lasted for about 1 year of which the entire time the drummer commended me for my abilites and told me that I was a better drum than he was at my age. So, obviously, I quit because I wanted someone to denounce my abilities and really dig into my potential.

Then I met scott grant (www.tmdr.com) who tore me to pieces in the blazing heat that is his essence. Never have I worked with someone who burned so hard all the time and who never for a moment had hesitation to tell me what I was doing wrong or how I could improve. Throughout the time I've studied with him we've worked everything from trad jazz and bebop to latin and new orleans funk.

Anyways, during that time I've been in a band called Zen Media since I was 17. We started out as a progressive rock band trying to write 17 minute opus' in the spirit of tool and rush but as time went on and the party set in we began to play more funk and groove orientated music.

Now we play as either a 6 piece or 9 piece depending on the show and the cash (the other 2 players are horns). Check it out - www.myspace.com/zenmedia

Thanks for listening!

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Its all about the notes you don't play.