Tom Chaos

R K L (repeat!)
This combo is super useful for fills, soloing, and even on different drums/cymbals! Try it! No Cymbals needed for this šŸ™‚

Tom Groove

Short clip recorded/edited by me. Sometimes you don’t need cymbals and can still sound busy and big. Headphones recommended! This is a very linear groove that only plays one drum at a time filling the “16th note spectrum” as I call it. That idea makes for some awesome grooves if you throw snare on 2 and 4!

12 Inch Hi-Hat Groove

It’s great to explore with all the gear you have and use different combinations for different sounds. I found this combination of 12 inch splash cymbals make some sweet hi-hats. I love these for that tight crisp sound.

Ghost Note Groove

Check out this short little clip recorded/edited by yours truly in my home studio. It is a triplet groove with my left hand covering all the ghost notes. I tried some different mic-ing techniques. The bass drum mic (Shure 52) is inside the bass drum right in front of the beater. This seemed to give it more punch, although should be blended with another mic outside of the kick for more woof. I also had a room mic placed 10 feet in front of the bass drum. I think room mics are so important especially for hi-hat and snare tone!! ..and no…overheads do not count as room mics šŸ™‚

Young Goose The Drummer

Baby Goose The DrummerYep…That’s me on my first ever drum kit. It was an Enforcer 4 piece with hi hats and one 18″ crash/ride cymbal. It was a good day if my top hi hat did not invert. BUT, it was such a blessing to have that kit. It gave me a hint of my future passion for music. Notice the Tech Decks and hand board in the background…well..um…that happened.

Big Groove Part 4/4


Big open hats with my favorite washy cymbals! 22″ Zildjian K Constantinople Medium Thin Low Ride Cymbal and a 20″ Zildjian Crash of Doom on my left! I love the contrast of these used together. What do you use?

I Moved! New Lesson/Practice Space!

Teaching/Rehearsal Space
I am stoked about my new house! I am living with two of my great friends who both are heavily involved in studio recording. My home lessons take place in this room. I occasionally have two drum kits set up so the student and I can even play along to recordings at the same time if necessary. I am very excited about this!

Head on over to the Contact tab to book a lesson slot!

Meet Drum Student Nate!

Drum Student Isaac

This is Nate! He is 7 years old and has been learning on an electric kit. Nate knows the settings on that thing better than I do and can wiz around to change different sounds and volumes for his kit. He works hard and (as you see) always has a great attitude and is excited to learn!

Headphone Cord Trick!

Headphone CordEver have problems with your in-ear cord getting stepped on, unplugged, or not tight enough and losing your mix? Try taping it to the back of your stool so you can plug in and be good to go! It has worked great for me and prevented many mishaps!

*ALBUM ALERT* Hearts On Fire by NCU Worship Live

I was recently a part of a liveĀ album called “Hearts On Fire” at North Central University (NCU). All songs were written and arranged by students at North Central University (my college – woot woot!). The album will be on iTunes March 27 and there a CD Release concert that night 6:30-8:00pmĀ NCU. It was a TON of hard work, late band practices, early songwriting sessions, but crazy fun at the same time. See you there!

“The Flappy Goose” Hi-Hat Technique

Yes…I named it “The Flappy Goose.” Why? Just watch.

The breakdown: To do “The Flappy Goose,” raise your hi-hat clutch around three inches above the bottom hi-hat cymbal and loosen the washers that hold the top hi-hat very loose so the cymbal can wobble about 45 degrees. To get started, push down on one of the sides of the top hi-hat and stomp on the pedal to begin a rhythmic pattern. It will take some practice to get the rhythm down and to keep the hi-hats with enough wobble. I only recommend using this for a very specific purpose orĀ special featured beats. It is inconvenient since you have to raise your clutch much higher than you would normally have it. It is also quite difficult to control your volume with this technique. Needless to say, it is still a unique sound and quite entertaining to watch. Feel free to contact me for any questions. Happy practicing!