Team Rhythm Factory: I plan on doing a Community hang to talk about my approach to learning songs. Below is a tune that I had to learn for a country tribute band when I lived back in DC in 2009. I had to chart it out and the artist wanted the arrangement and style to be close as possible to the original. Anyway, the band was happy and my method on how I approached this challenge was really a great learning experience. Are there any specific days or time where some of you may be interested in participating? LMK in the comments. Thanks B

Check this out while drinking your morning coffee. The WDR band is a world class big band and I am a huge fan.. give this a listen and let’s start a conversation about this topic.

Fellow Rhythm Factory members (et mes amis Francophone) Did you guys miss me? I haven't posted anything the last 24 hours but I got a pretty good excuse. I have been on the road the last two days in South Florida doing shows with a new band called Bangers and Mash. Their primary drummer has been unavailable for a couple of shows this year and cannot do some future shows and festivals so I will be filling in for a huge Irish festival in upstate New York later this year. They are an Irish Celtic Rock Band originally from Long Island but are now based in Delray Beach. A lot of Irish jigs, 6/8 and fast train beats..it has been a lot of fun. Check out this new mini lesson on Paradiddles and their permutations and other alternative stockings. Of course it is a shameless plug for my book "The Next Step for Drumset 2.0" but at least my Final Cut Pro chops are getting a workout. Keep practicing and have fun!

Have you guys ever heard of Shelly Manne? When I was much younger I attended Jazz Camp at USC and I had the opportunity to study with Jeff Hamilton for one week. More on Jeff later but the one thing he and Director Dan Atkinson turned me onto was Shelly Manne. This guy could swing his ass off. Take a listen to the video and note just how settled and calm he is while laying down that ride pattern. I know most of you are not jazz types but trust me when I tell you that the art of jazz will definitely open up your playing. Tony Williams said it best... "If you want to get become a better drummer then learn how to play jazz",

Fellow drummers; the topic for the next Q&A will be to discuss future content for the forum. That being said, one of the things that I am going to emphasize is that in order to get to the next level in drumming we often have to take a good hard look at our current abilities and the best way to do that is to record and/or video your playing. I remember many years ago when I was trying to land better gigs a teacher recommended that I video myself. I did that and boy that was a humbling experience. I remember cringing and getting less confident when I watched some of my videos. However, after several recordings, I began to notice gradual improvement in my performances. Of course, in the beginning our videos will not be ready for prime time but I can temporarily set up individual folders in the classroom section where myself and other professional players can evaluate and provide constructive criticism so that you can get feedback in a private forum. In the near future, this type of feedback will only be available on a paid tiered level however given that all of you are my "beta" testers I have no problem working with you and also helping me get a feel for this new platform. Here is a video I did many moons ago in my home studio when I lived back in DC.