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What our customer's say!

""So are you a true student of the drum set?"", I have to start off by saying, I was truly humbled by the ability of Steve Smith to not only deliver the "what" in his drum playing, but most importantly to those of us who are students of the drum set, the "how". I sat and watched what I feel is the very best drummer I have ever seen. Not to take anything away from the likes of Neal Pert or the other giants. Steve Smith does something in this set that I did not think was possible. He never misses a beat!! I challenge anyone who knows anything about drums. And I'm saying beginner to stage concert drummer, watch this carefully and see if you see any flaws. Its the most incredible thing I've ever watched.
Now, as for the instruction. The first thing I picked up was, and yes I will admit it, I have been holding my sticks wrong all of these years and couldnt figure out why I couldnt develop hand speed. And it is such a simple exercise. Then came the feet. Did anyone know about that double toe to heel move? Steve can make a single base almost sound like a double. Truly amazing stuff, and again, what a simple exercise. Are we picking up on the common denominator here? He truly makes his instruction easy to understand and practice. I am currently trying to reinvent myself as a drummer having given it up during a marriage where someone in my life saw no value in beating on drums.
Now for those of you who are wondering if it is worth the cost. Well lets just break that down. What is it worth to you to be able to truly improve your expressive talents. Really folks that what drumming is, you dont want to sound like the other guy, you want to sound like you. Get this DVD set it it absolutely worth the money. And prepare to be humbled by the true master of the drumset. Happy drumming and thanks for reading.

"Steve Smith-Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat DVD", Mr. Smith is a consummate drummer. Educated in technique he conveys his playing style in very enjoyable "drum lesson style" sessions. He breaks down everything from grip to bass drum technique. It is like having him come to your home for private lessons.

If you work with him to absorb and understand, your playing will improve vastly (IF you practice).

"Steve Smith is a Teacher", This is a great DVD to use to advance your skills. Possibly the best out there. It works well if you are an intermediate to advanced drummer. Probably a little much if you are a beginner.

He does a great job of breaking down each component of a drummers skill set. He does not just blow things by the student -- he really seems to want to teach you. And he succeeds at it. Bissonette's DVD does not even come close.

"More than a flashy collection of drumming wizardy", Understanding our musical heritage has greater, more tangible affect than one might realize. Steve does an excellent job of very quickly giving the student a walk through musical time. The effect for me was a revelation of why some musicians today can swing or groove, and some cannot. For example, understanding the evolution of the drum set itself provides a vision of the core elements in playing and time keeping that spell the difference between swinging or not swinging.

The History portion is on the second CD, and I think that CD alone is worth the cost of the package. But the first CD is packed with great stuff, as well. I have spent most of my time playing back Steve's explanation of grip (BTW, pausing the video is a great way to see the details), having come to my own conclusion that how you hold the sticks is a very large part of the difference between playing okay and playing great. (Somebody is saying, "Duh!" But I'll bet a good majority of today's drummers don't give much thought to grip once they learn the paradiddle).

Steve's pacing in dissemination of information is easy to follow and, compared to similar training videos, well articulated. As always, the key is to resist the tempation to spend all your time watching Steve's solos rather than meticulously digesting the stuff that will actually improve your playing. (I'm actually getting a great deal of insight comparing Steve's demonstration of grip with Joe Morrello's explantion of the same topic on Joe's DVD).

If the DVD set has any shortcomings, I would say the extra digital material in the form of PDF files are lacking. Having had the opportunity to take a lesson from Steve, I asked him for insight on his practice routine. He told me to get and watch his DVD (nice sales plug, Steve--grin). I pushed him on this and asked if there were any secrets he might have held back from the DVD. He said no and indicated that there was an excellent PDF containing some great practice helps. So I expected to find some sort of planning tool, something I could actually print out and use. What I found was a single page of (albeit good) tips on better practicing, one or two of which I personally disagree with.

Other than that, if you are serious about taking your playing to the next level, the money for the DVD set should be no object.

Practice on!

"Love this guy!!", It's a good DVD to learn!! Ho year!!
Good pratice and pedagogy it's very good!!
I love Steve pedagogy and groove. It's so good to learn and ear him!!

Enjoy!!!

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Truly awesome DVD, but read this review", I have nothing but the highest respect for Steve Smith and this DVD. Steve does an amazing job at communicating a history of the US Drumming, his teaching style is relaxed and to the point, and his skill is amazing.

Definately buy this DVD, But....

The only thing I didn't like about it, and the reason for my 4 stars, is that Steves history of the US beat finishes up at the fusion style - ie around the 70's. Um.. hello? Drumming or US drumming didn't stop at the 70's dude!

I think it would have been really valuable to go through how drumming and music styles changed through the 80's, 90's and today, especially with the electronic styles that are used today.

I think for a young drummer coming through in 2006, while its great to know how to play all the styles Steve covers, the reality is these styles just aren't that popular, when pitted against rock, metal, and all modern electronic styles. How many people do you see at a jazz fusion gig, compared to a Groove Armada gig?

And yes I realise this is a HISTORY of the US beat, and hence the importance on these older styles, but again, what about the 80's 90's and early 2000's?

That's my only knock and a small one, the information in this DVD really is thorough and outstanding. BUY IT!

"Great information for drummers", I got this DVD about a month ago, and have only recently finished watching it. It's very long - 2 DVDs, over 4.5 hours - but it certainly doesn't get any weaker as it progresses. Steve has a great enthusiasm about him, like he really wants to teach, and teach he does. He gives good descriptions of the techniques he uses, and performs a range of detailed demonstrations, often including songs. These include playing with traditional grip, a range of foot techniques (including heel-toe), practice and exercises, licks and phrases, independece/co-ordination, and an extensive coverage of 'implied metric modulation', similar yet different to polyrhythms.
Some people may not care for his style of playing (jazz fusion), but even they can't dispute the thoroughness of his lessons.

His second DVD 'History of the US Beat' sees Steve evolving his kit to resemble those of the time he describes. He covers 'eras' like early New Orleans jazz, big band, rhythm and blues, rock'n'roll, funk, and more, always giving a short(ish) performance to demonstrate. At the end of this second DVD, Steve and his band (Vital Information) play seven complete tunes featuring applications of the techniques explained on disc 1.

It's fairly pricey, but for two DVDs jam-packed with quality instruction from one of the world's great drummers, it's very much worth it. It's suitable for beginners and intermediate drummers alike, and with a multitude of extras, definately deserves the big 5 stars.

"Smith covers all grounds", I purchased Steve Smith's first instructional video over 15 years ago and at that time, was blown away by his fluidity and mastery of the instrument. What this DVD shows is not only a representation of how Smith has developed into an even more masterful player, but also shows his unmatched study of the history of the instrument and how others have developed stylistic approaches over the past century and a half. Smith covers two lifetimes worth of study in two separate DVDs...Technique and History of the US Beat. This DVD set is not necessarily for the beginner, but is a great study for all levels for both performance and for integral learning. Smith covers so much ground with this set that it can shave off years worth of self-study for any level player. Everything about this set is positive with the only exception being Smith's sort of dry demeanor. You can know that Smith loves performing and speaking about the instrument, but it all seems a little too calculated. Even in his performances, he can appear very "robotic". Nonetheless, he simply rules his domain. Don't let his detour with Journey fool you into thinking he is a one-dimensional player. Quite the contrary...he is one of the best on the planet. Buy this set for you and for your student.--Stephen.

"A Gift For My Drummer", The drummer I work with saw a Steve Smith clinic a few years back and really was blown away by the experience. I surprised him with this DVD and he really loved it. I cannot speak on the specific merits of this product, but he sure seems to value it.

"Awesome. I had never realized how musical the drums could be.", I have never played the drums but I decided that I needed to learn more about drumming and complex rhythm in order to improve my songwriting.

I had a bad opinion of drums because, face it: most rock drummers are incapable of playing under other instruments, have no dynamic control, don't know how to tune their kit, and think that china cymbals are for imitating the sound of an SUV crashing through a plate glass window.

I never imagined what drums could do in the hands of a master. Steve Smith is an extraordinary musician and very gifted teacher. He has a scholarly knowlege of the history of his art, and his illustration of historical drumming styles is fascinating.

The quality of musicianship and pedagogy on this DVD set is first rate, and I plan to get a lot of use from it as I learn the basics of drumming.