Education Resource Center

EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER:

	40 Essential Snare Drum Rudiments Videos and audio play-along files of each of the 40 rudiments, exercises that apply the rudiment to "real world" musical phrases and practice suggestions from the Vic Firth Education Team.

	Beginning Snare Video Lessons Mark Wessels uses excerpts from his popular method book, A Fresh Approach to the Snare Drum to provide a solid foundation for successful drumming skills.

	Jeff Queen: Weekly Exercises In this new series of video lessons, Jeff will introduce many of the exercises included in his new book THE NEXT LEVEL: RUDIMENTAL SNARE DRUM TECHNIQUES.

	Norm Weinberg: WebRhythms WebRhythms is a series of short articles designed to teach rhythmic reading. Each article includes musical examples that help explain the concepts and an exercise that tests your new reading skills.

	Jeff Queen: Playing with Sticks Stick tricks are cool, but most of us drop the stick so many times that we are afraid to try them in front of anyone! Check out this lesson series from Jeff for valuable information on solo construction and stick trick ideas!

	Mark Wessels: Rudimental Technique In these exercises, excerpted from A Fresh Approach to the Snare Drum, Mark will isolate and break down essential rudimental techniques. All skill levels are addressed within each video lesson.

	Brush Up On Your Reading Skills The lessons excerpted in this feature specifically target rhythm reading and musical training for beginning through intermediate percussionists and include play-along accompaniments.

	Brian Ferguson In this lesson series, Brian will cover a wide range of drumset related topics – from improving your time keeping to creativity and orchestrations in patterns and fills. It’s a great resource, whether you’re an intermediate or advanced player.

	Royal Hartigan: Dancin' on the Time “Dancin’ on the Time” is a highly comprehensive coordination development book for drumset players based on applying rudiments and patterns around the kit.

	Jeremy Hummel Jeremy explores a series of exercises for the drumset and apply them to a wide range of skill levels – from novice to advanced.

	Featured Lesson Series Grab your sticks and get ready to learn from some of the world's greatest drummers! Stop by for a new lesson every week!

	Steve Houghton: Beginner Drumset Lessons Steve's lesson series for the beginning drumset player covers everything from set-up, to tuning, to playing your first beat! It's an invaluable tool for beginners of all ages!

	Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials Mastering these patterns will greatly expand your knowledge while allowing you to become a more well-rounded player with the confidence to perform in virtually any musical situation.

	Drumset Playalong Tracks Vic Firth playalong tracks are the perfect tool for both the private teaching studio and for individual practice. Join us for a new track every week! Download the chart and mp3, with or without the drums and play along!

	Dom Famularo Video Lessons Dom discusses a wide variety of topics - from strokes to styles, from studio setup to motivation. His infectious smile and drumming talents make him one of the most sought-after solo artists and clinicians in the world.

	Steve Houghton Video Lessons A follow-up to Steve's Beginner Lesson Series, these video lessons address issues such as balance around the drumset, listening, technique and establishing an effective practice routine.

	Skip Hadden: World Fusion Drumming World Fusion Drumming combines the energy and feel of rock, Latin, and world music with the technique and improvisational skills of jazz.

	Donny Gruendler: Playing with Loops Make your drumming a complete package! Learn how to work with and master the use of music and percussion loops in addition to backing tracks.

	Ndugu Chancler Video Lessons Ndugu Chancler is known not only as a world-class drummer and percussionist, but also a producer, composer, clinician and teacher. Check out this video lesson series covering topics such as sound and time development and foot technique.

	Gary Burton: Vibraphone Masterclass In this 8-part vibraphone masterclass, Gary Burton covers the full gamut of common questions on the instrument – from it's history to his famous 4 mallet grip.

	Giff Howarth: 4-Mallet Cyber Lessons In this series of video lessons, Vic Firth signature artist Gifford Howarth will detail each step along the road to developing command and control over 4 mallet keyboard percussion technique.

	Tom Gauger: Concert Bass Drum Lessons In this lesson series, Tom breaks down a few of the basic skills necessary for playing the concert bass drum including playing position, beating area, dampening techniques and tuning.

	Victor Mendoza: Vibraphone Fundamentals Victor has earned an international reputation as a jazz educator, regularly conducting master classes at major music schools and universities around the world.

	Speed Note Reading Tutor Designed to reinforce note-naming and 'key finding' skills, this computer game is a fun way for beginning–intermediate students to get repetitive practice, while trying to 'beat the clock' and score as many points as possible.

	Keyboard Reading Lessons These lessons are designed to get you off to a great start for playing keyboard percussion instruments! The printable lessons contain short written exercises on basic "music theory" concepts.

	Jeff Queen: Playing with Sticks Stick tricks are cool, but most of us drop the stick so many times that we are afraid to try them in front of anyone! Check out this lesson series from Jeff for valuable information on solo construction and stick trick ideas!

	Jeff Queen Video Library In this collection of video lessons, Jeff will introduce many of the exercises included in his new book THE NEXT LEVEL: RUDIMENTAL SNARE DRUM TECHNIQUES.

	Bill Bachman: The X and Y Axes of Quad Drumming In this video lesson series, Bill explains the concept behind the X and Y axes of quad drumming and how a few simple exercises can improve your playing and keep your mallets off the rims!

	Eguie Castrillo: Timbale Fundamentals Eguie Castrillo is one of the most prolific studio and session timbale artists in the world today. Check out his video lesson series on timbale fundamentals.

	How Sticks Are Made For over 40 years, Vic Firth Inc. has produced the finest drumsticks and mallets available. Innovative design coupled with uncompromising quality control truly provide our customers with the "Perfect Pair".

	How to Recover a Mallet Check out this step-by-step video tutorial on recovering your worn out mallets!

	Vic Firth Education Articles As part of our continuing commitment to furthering percussion education, we've assembled articles and advice from some of today's leading percussion educators. Much of the content you will find here is exclusive to vicfirth.com, written by members of our Education Team. As the number one source on the internet for percussion educational resource materials, we are proud to offer this service to percussion educators and directors world-wide.
	Video Podcasts Now you can have the best drumming and percussion content available, in the palm of your hand. And with new videos available every week, you can choose your favorite drum set, marching, and concert videos. And best of all - its all free.
	Features Link Page Whether you're looking for something specific, or just want to investigate some of the many features that we've put together over the years, this is the place to look! Be sure to bookmark this page and come back often!
	News and Announcements Browse our clinic schedule and get the latest news from Vic Firth artists and educators!