Percussion Night At Frederick Community College

It doesn't get any better than this! 3 clinics. 3 artists. ALL FREE!!!
Greg Herron, Ray Sword and Frank Gonzalez will present many different topics on percussion and they will team up to perform a three movement chart by Armand Russell titled Percussion Suite. You will also get to see and perform with the FCC Percussion Ensemble.

This clinic is supported by Promark drumsticks, Music & Arts Center and Frederick Community College.

Drum Lesson Studio coming to Frederick, MD

High Tech Drum Lesson Studio coming to Frederick, MD

Just imagine ... you show up for your drum lesson, enter the practice room and sit down to an electronic kit that can be tailored to the sounds needed for the lesson. From 80's pop sounding toms to a coctail jazz kit to a kit tuned for the Dave Matthews Band style songs or for Contemporary Christian Rock. Whatever sound you need we most likely have it.

Need to practice a tympani part for your school program? Got it covered here. Plus, with the Aux. Input for mp3's and other tunes playback devices AND the built in songs bank, you have many songs and styles ready to practice to.
Just pop it in hit play and you play along with it. If you are using the song bank that is included with this kit you can silence the drumtrack and you play along and hear yourself with the band.

Once we have this track thing established your next step will be to be recorded. I will be growing your chances of fast advancement with all the high tech tools available. In the coming months audio and video recordings of the students lessons will be incorporated into the lesson plan. This gives the student the opportunity to have on record what the lesson plan was, what things we worked on to fix technique and so on. They will be able to see, without a doubt, what was covered in the lesson and what is expected to be ready for the next lesson.

Come and check it out. I'm located at Music & Arts Center on W. Patrick St right across McDonald's and Giant Eagle on Rt. 40 in Frederick, MD. I have available time slots for students on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the moment. Contact the store for specific times available @ 301.694.0007. Lessons are contracted on a monthly basis.

Ray Sword

Badassdrumming site is up on the new server

Hello all,

We are in the process of getting the site up on the new server and hope to have register and login functions working within the next 48 to 72 hours. There are drummer profiles that are accessible right now and a few other pages.

If you find something not working feel free to report it so we can get right on it.

Hoping that 2009 will be your best year yet.

Kenneth Ray Sword Jr
www.badassdrumming.com

Badassdrumming website is down

Hello all,

We are in the process of moving to a new server and upgrading some of our features. So, hang in there and we'll be back very soon.

admin

Get a FREE $25.00 Music & Arts Gift Card From Ray Sword

FREE $25.00 Music & Arts Gift Card. Sign up for 2 months of drum or percussion lessons from Ray Sword at Music & Arts Center in Frederick, MD and receive a $25.00 Music & Arts Gift Card. Restrictions apply.

TO receive your Music & Arts Gift Card you need to pay for and attend the contracted lessons for the 2 months. Lesson days available are Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday ONLY. After completion of the 2nd month, within 21 days, you will receive your Music & Arts Gift Card from Ray Sword directly. No cards will be mailed or shipped. They will be dispersed in person only.

Offer not valid thru the store or any other teacher at any Music & Arts Center. This offer is made exclusively by Ray Sword for students under Ray Sword ONLY at the Frederick, MD store ONLY. Music & Arts Gift Card is for $25.00

ONLY and is good at any Music & Arts Center for any purchase you wish to make. Gift Cards are rechargeable.

Promotion starts September 1st, 2008 and will continue to February 28th, 2009.

Drum Lessons and YouTube ...

I was at Music & Arts in Frederick, MD the other day. I had finished teaching my last student for the day and overheard one of the sales associates asking a drum customer if they were taking lessons. The kid replied, "Yeah. I'm taking them on YouTube." The sales person didn't think to go any further with the topic at that point.

But, I need to follow up on this here since there are thousands of people thinking they are getting free drum lessons and learning something from it. They are only half right which means their playing is only half right and that won't get them where they wish to go.

Videos are a good resource for reference and to see some things in action. Without a teacher to guide you you are missing a much larger piece of the lesson. One part is performing in front of someone live. This alone will make you or break you. Without it you are almost certain to fail in a real gig situation.

Also, the teacher is your guide to identifying your weaknesses and to help strengthen them. The teacher helps develop your musical approach to playing as well as technique. The teacher will see things you can't since you are not yet trained to identify where there are deficiencies in your playing and practice. Without the feedback you can be learning all wrong technique. Many drummers have come down with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome from bad technique.

Another aspect of a teacher is their professional background and the network of people they know in the business. They are and have been there, playing the top gigs and made a name for their selves. Most have a college education in Music and are more than qualified to teach as well as play.

If your only dream is to play in a local band for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a lollipop soda then your YouTube lessons may get you just that. But, if you are looking to play for a living you will need to consider college and a private teacher will be a key factor to that.