Monster Drum Sgt.

Mick O'Neil

is rock'n with his Monster Drum Corps from

Fife Police Pipe Band

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

We've got hundreds of classes that breakdown every concept, like our Music Theory Tutor classes, MT3005 -  An Intro to Unisions, Chips, and Fortes

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

Doubling Down on Double Strokes

A Monster Blog Series by Bryan Lowe

I hit a challenge today that felt tougher than others so far. 

From class ST2003- The Double Stroke (From the Scottish Pipe Band Snare Drum Tutor Volume 2: The Drummer's Alphabet),  

we learn the Double Stroke, which is,

“one motion that produces two notes.”

Think to "drop the stick, then let it bounce twice”… but with both taps being equal in sound. Once again, my right hand wasn’t too hard, but my left hand fell into the pattern and then out again… repeatedly.  

Practice makes perfect, they say, unless you are practicing incorrectly.

I watched the video again but did everything this time with just the left hand.

I am making progress, but this feels less natural than the other skills learned so far. More practice. It will come. It will. 

This doesn’t LOOK...

Monster Drum Sgt.

Brayden Drummond

is rock'n with his Monster Drum Corps from

Canterbury Caledonian Society Pipe Band

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

We've got hundreds of classes that breakdown every concept, like our Music Theory Tutor classes, MT3005 -  An Intro to Unisions, Chips, and Fortes

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

Monster Drum Sgt.

Keith Orr 

is rock'n with his Monster Drum Corps from

Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

We've got hundreds of classes that breakdown every concept, like our Music Theory Tutor classes, MT3005 -  An Intro to Unisions, Chips, and Fortes

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

BuzzBuzzBuzz

A Monster Blog Series by Dave Bullard

If I had to pick one single thing that I love about Scottish Drumming, it would be its use of Buzz Rolls. Check this out...

I mean, just listen to that.

Seriously. Don’t watch, just listen.

That sound is just plain incredible. I can’t think of anything else even remotely close to it. It’s like a combination of rain, waterfalls white noise, and a million record needles crying out in terror. Maybe with some bacon frying in there somewhere. It deserves it’s own word.

Unfortunately, over here in my LARWO (Little American Rudimental WOrld) the word, "roll" refers to the open variant. Now that I’ve learned about what can be done with the closed variety, I’m changing that definition in my head. From now on, when I write "roll" I mean Buzz Roll. American style machine-gunning will be referred to by the term "Open Roll."

From the Rhythm...

Monster Drum Sgt.

Stephen Creighton

is rock'n with his Monster Drum Corps from

St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

We've got hundreds of classes that breakdown every concept, like our Music Theory Tutor classes, MT3005 -  An Intro to Unisions, Chips, and Fortes

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

A Salute to My Left Hand

A Monster Blog Series by Bryan Lowe

Success feels good, doesn’t it?

While I haven’t exactly tamed my errant left hand, the problem child of the two, I have made significant progress. 

I’ve looked back at earlier lessons on Rhythm-Monster with regularity. Today I revisited ST-1002 - The Muscle Groups. I wanted to see again how Super Monster Instructor Michael Eagle was using the thumb alone on that left hand.  It doesn’t feel natural yet, but he makes it clear.

As a personal challenge, I tried to carry a steady beat on my practice pad using just my left thumb, that’s it.

"The Pipe Band Drumming left hand technique requires a true one-point fulcrum. Realize the single pivot point," Eagle says.

As I started, the drumstick was doing its best to imitate the excited irregular wagging of a large dog’s tail. No...

Lead Drummer,

Steven McWhirter

and Pipe Major, Stuart Liddell have built a World Champion Pipe Band and Drum Corps with in less than a decade with their 

Inveraray & District Pipe Band

Inspiring music and work ethic from these Monster Musicians. 

We've got hundreds of classes that breakdown every concept, like our Music Theory Tutor classes, MT3005 -  An Intro to Unisions, Chips, and Fortes

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

Still Drag'n it Out

A Monster Blog Series by Dave Bullard

More fun with the Pipe Band Drag:

It’s important to resist the tendency to raise my arm and sort of ‘stab’ down onto the head at a sharper than normal angle. This cheats the gesture and in the long run will become a liability when it comes to fluidly dropping them into quicker patterns. Starting the motion flat and at grace note height helps keep it nice and delicate.

Plus, why stab when you can dip?

The Dip

You may have not have noticed the ‘dip’ before. It’s something that McWhirter and other Monsters do when they play a Drag.

The best way to isolate this motion is in the Open-Closed-Open classes on Rhythm Monster. They have most of the common Pipe Band rudiments broken-down, plus some American rudiments. 

Check out this McWhirter left hand:

I love how he’s like “Allow me to present my fantastic...

Monster Drum Sgt.

Adrian Hoy

is rock'n with his Monster Drum Corps from

The Vale of Atholl

 Check-out this crew at the Lomond & Clyde Pipe Band for the 2019 season! 

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up! 

We've got hundreds of classes that breakdown every concept, like our Music Theory Tutor classes, MT3005 -  An Intro to Unisions, Chips, and Fortes

Many more where that came from!  

To access all of our Monster Classes, you'll need a profile and a subscription. So many other Monster Drummers from around the world are waiting to meet you and rock out. Fear no more, click the button to Monster-Up!