Berkeley Master Class
(click photos to
enlarge in a new window)
During the
weekend at Yoshi's, 10 lucky students attended Dave's
Saturday afternoon master class in Berkeley. The students
were of all ages and playing levels - and they got a lot of
quality time with their instructor.
 Dave
showed up early to greet the students and put a drum kit
together for the class. Once assembled, the remaining
students filed in and the class began.
Dave started the class by having the students introduce
themselves. He then asked each student why they were there
and what they hoped to learn that day.
The students' expectations varied, from gaining a better
understanding of Dave's warm up routines to setup of his
kit, and some higher level topics such as the Moeller
technique.
 Anyone
who has studied with Dave or used his instructional products
knows that he believes in establishing a solid foundation
of skills and musical understanding. So, this is where he
began the class.
Dave asked each student to set up their practice pads and
get into their
"playing position." Once each student had done this, he
asked the students why they had set up that way. For the
next several minutes, he went around the room watching each
drummer play basic rudiments while analyzing their pad
height and stick position.
 By
doing this, he demonstrated how the wrong angles detract
from optimal leverage, depriving a drummer of the ability to
play easily, comfortably, and with fluidity. Each drummer
made adjustments and it was evident that these adjustments
made a world of difference.
Next, Dave focused on leverage in terms of how each student
held the
sticks. Whether they played matched-grip or traditional,
Dave was able to help ease each drummer's efforts so that
gravity could work in their favor.
This included going over the basics of the Moeller
technique, how it evolved, and how it allows drummers to
gain speed and control with efficient movements.
 The
class was scheduled to run for an hour and a half, but it
ran long over. No one looked at the clock - including Dave,
who had to get back to Yoshi's for his gig! Overall,
it was a very productive day.
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