drum tutor - musical background
Music’s in my blood! Mom sings, my brother drums - my eccentric Italian grandma ‘Nonna’ was an active pro pianist right up until her death aged 95, and insisted all the grandkids had piano lessons practically from birth!
Learning piano ‘properly’ gave me a great foundation in music theory, harmony, co-ordination, timing and rhythm, but I never felt I could rock out - leading me to mess around on my brother’s drum kit from age 9, later the guitar too, but it was sitting at a drum kit I felt most at home!
I started off playing drums in garage rock & punk bands, almost totally self-taught by ear, often singing backing vocals to harmonise with the lead singer, as well as co-writing much of the original material. Over the years I refined my tastes & style in various bands playing funk-rock, soul/r ‘n’ b, funk, then hip hop and even drum ‘n’ bass too.
As time rolled on, I got tighter & tighter, and loved playing drums so much I knew I had to abandon the shirt & tie of the corporate world in favour of following my passion and become a professional drummer! I practiced over 6 hours a day, learned to read drum music, started giving drum lessons, began to network with pro players, and embarked on a 5-year path to eventually make a full living from drumming, including being a drum tutor - and have never looked back since! Providing drum tuition is a rewarding part of doing this professionally.
professional experience
After getting close to signing to Island Records with Beatcivilan, artistic differences led to the band splitting up, and I found myself falling into the world of being a session musician. Aside from providing drum tuition, over the years I’ve been hired as a freelance player for all sorts of projects from recording sessions for singer/songwriters or TV theme tunes, playing indy rock/pop covers at corporate functions, to re-creating programmed beats in night clubs for the live shows of original drum ‘n’ bass & hop hop acts - and everything in between!
I find working as a drum tutor highly rewarding, but I believe to give great, balanced drum lessons it's important to perform regularly as a drummer in the 'real world' too - I have drummed in the UK, Greece, Turkey, Thailand, Cambodia, The Philippines and Indonesia!
One of my main regular gigs these days is playing funk/soul/motown/disco at private weddings & parties with my pro function band CityBeat. Since I still play a little keys, guitar and bass, I also produce original music too, and dabble in making hip hop and funk, as well as various styles of music for TV & YouTube.
All of this this requires me to be proficient to a high standard in almost any style of music, making me ideally placed to teach others how to play the drums. I’ve been giving drum lessons for over 12 years, having taught hundreds of people, of all ages and from all walks of life how to play, starting from various levels of ability - many from scratch. I love what I do and very much bring my passion and enthusiasm into my lessons, as well as a sense of humour! Several of my pupils have gone on to play professionally.