Learn and Master Drums Review

Learn and Master Drums

For learn-it-yourselfers (Yes, I think we just made that up), the Learn and Master Drums course represents one of the best ways to learn to play drums from the comfort and relaxed atmosphere of your own home. The course is primarily DVD-based so all you really need is either a DVD-player or a computer that can play DVDs… and your drum set of course.

The Learn and Master Drums curriculum gives you all the information and tools you’ll need to play drums proficiently. The course was designed with beginners and intermediates in mind. New drummers that haven’t had much training in music have a lot of questions to answer and Learn and Master Drums does a great job of addressing the fundamentals before moving into more advanced playing techniques and theory.

The Learn and Master Drums training package is published by Legacy Learning Systems, an experienced company that specializes in developing educational products. They have created learn-at-home courses for learning guitar, piano, painting, ballroom dance, and now the drums. The course is taught by Dann Sherrill, an experienced professional studio musician and performing drummer/percussionist based out of Nashville. He’s worked with many artists such as Michael English, Percy Sledge, Mose Allison, and Steve Winwood amongst others. He’s also involved in teaching the drums in workshops and clinics throughout the Midwest in addition to maintaining his own private tutoring practice.

Features

The Learn and Master Drums lessons are structured and organized with the beginner in mind and don’t leave many questions that new drummers might have unanswered. No prior knowledge is assumed of the students. Beginning topics explain how to properly setup the different elements of your drum kit for maximum effectiveness and ease of use, how to grip the drumstick, developing the basic strokes, etc. These beginning topics are the basis for all future lessons so it’s very important not to skip through any of the DVDs. For instance, if raw beginners who get a hold of a drum set and start banging away without knowing the proper techniques that Mr. Sherrill explains in the first few sessions, they can very easily get themselves hurt. Also within the first few sessions, you’ll be learning music and drum theory, how to read sheet music in the neutral clef, how to keep time and properly make use of the different parts of the drum kit. As you progress you’ll learn to play drums in a variety of styles or genres, develop and add to your library of beats and riffs, and even learn a thing or two about how to perform drum solos!

Almost from the very beginning, you’ll be able to play along with a pro band via the play-along CDs included with the course. These CDs weren’t just an afterthought to experiment with in your spare time either. The actual tracks are the same ones that are used within the actual video drum lessons. One of the most common frustrations of a drummer is that there is often no one around for him to jam with. These CDs, with their 70+ songs easily remedy that problem. You can choose to play the songs with the drum tracks included or by yourself.

You’ll also get a 112-page workbook that contains all the exercises and concepts that the DVDs show in practice. This workbook is an invaluable practice tool since you can easily worth through a string of exercises without having to skip through a bunch of DVDs to find them. The workbook, play-along CDs, and training DVDs were designed to be used in conjunction with each other.

Also included with Learn and Master Drums is a bonus DVD that’s over one and a half hours long and expounds on some interesting and useful topics such as the history of the drum set, how to tune your drums, how to choose drumsticks, warm up stretching exercises, and lots more.

Other notes about Learn and Master Drums: The course material is generally very well produced. The camerawork includes multiple angles that do a good job of covering the entire drum kit, but no split-screen sequences were utilized, which would’ve been especially useful in showing what both the feet and are doing at the same time. The DVDs also feature on-screen teaching aids such as sheet music notation and key concepts that need to be emphasized.

You know how sometimes you can feel awkward when watching an educational video or documentary when the presenter looks/sounds awkward or self-conscious? Well thankfully with this drum course, you don’t get that feeling in the slightest. Throughout the course we were especially pleased with Dann Sherril who’s a natural teacher, very personable and friendly, and does a great job of explaining and demonstrating all the drumming concepts and techniques.

Support

Currently, the only payment methods accepted on the website are Mastercard and Visa. There is a 3-month payment plan available as well for those tighter on money such as students.

Learn and Master Drums ships worldwide. The DVDs are not region-encoded so international learners won’t have a problem playing the DVDs anywhere in the world.

Conclusion

When you consider that Learn and Master Drums cost equals the cost of only 3 hours worth of private lessons, you’ll find that Learn and Master Drums is well worth the investment and a superior way to kick-start your drumming future.

Official Learn & Master Drums Website