Product Details

• Actors: Smith S-Drumset Technique-History of the Us Beat
• Directors: Robert Wallis
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Hudson Music
• DVD Release Date: October 28, 2002
• Run Time: 278 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00007CWI6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,529 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Voted #1 DVD in the Modern Drummer Magazine 2003 Readers Poll! The most in-depth study of drumming technique ever done on video or DVD as well as a thorough and fascinating survey of the evolution of the primary drum set pulse in the music or the U.S., from Ragtime to Fusion. Features two bands, including the great Vital Information, this DVD is a virtual encyclopedia of drumset techniques, concepts and styles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Steve, what a piece of work!, January 22, 2004

By 

R. Lindeboom "theboomer" (Paso Robles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Steve Smith-Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat DVD (DVD)

First off: I was never a huge fan of Journey, so any effusive prose that may come from the tips of my little fingoids as I type is not coming from there. ;o) Steve is one of the most well-rounded and musically diverse drummers that I've ever seen. He plays it all and does it amazingly well. I've been playing since 1964 and have taught my son to play and am now starting to teach my grandson. My son was blown away when he came to my house and watched some of this DVD with me. In less than an hour, Steve had shown my son an appreciation for diverse musicial styles that I'd been trying to open him up to for years. Steve is *that* good as a teacher. I don't think I've ever seen better. While I would indeed rank this as an intermediate-to-advanced instructional DVD, he succeeds wonderfully in communicating his techniques for expanding your own expertise on the drums. The only thing that I find a drawback is that when I watch it, I am distinctly jealous of those just starting out in their young drumming careers today and who have great instruction like this to begin with. :o) This is amazing stuff. I own many drum technique video/DVD sets and this is the best of the breed. If I could give it 10 stars, I would. Thanks Steve for giving fresh inspiration to a grandpa who still loves to drum and who can't wait for his next chance to kick some ass behind the kit, and is truly grateful that I can get this kind of instruction to my son and grandson so that one day they can blast past the old man -- but they're going to have to work at it to do so, I ain't giving in that easy! ;o)

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent DVD - Excellent Value, December 18, 2003

By 

Todd - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steve Smith-Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat DVD (DVD)

I never thought I'd call a $50 DVD a great value, but this is. Disc #1 is your own personal lesson with the Master himself. The hand and foot techniques are tremendous. I really enjoy disc #2. The historic band with Steve on a vintage drum set is a treat. Then they get into a long set with Vital Information where you can see the practical applications of the techniques he taught in disc #1. Be sure to check out the extras. I didn't see the hi-hat thing at first, but WOW. I had no idea you could do that with a hi-hat!

A nice feature is that you have the option to play only the music without the talking in between, or even just the solos if that's all you're in the mood to view.

I don't have any other instructional DVD's to compare this to, but it was recommended to me by a pro as the ONE to get. I have to agree!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every cent, November 10, 2004

By 

alper ercan (ankara, turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Steve Smith-Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat DVD (DVD)

Having bought lots of so called instructional DVD's, and being disappointed with the majority of them, I was very reluctant to buy this DVD.

Being a rock-oriented drummer, my personal influences are far more different, so I was a little bit prejudiced towards fusion type drummers, as their main strength is their technical ability, but some of them are lacking in terms of feeling, power and passion required and unable to create a "pulse" as defined by Steve himself.

Steve Smith is awesome and inspiring and he blew my mind away. One should not dare to criticise Steve Smith as a drummer because he definitely is one of the masters of drumming.

I believe that intermediate and advanced drummers can really learn from this DVD and improve themselves as a result. The information given on drumset technique is a very valuable tool and it opened my eyes on some issues even after 17 years of playing. I liked the "history of the U.S beat" part very much, especially the incredible performance with the "Vital Information".