Customer Reviews

Steve Smith-Drumset Technique/History of the U.S. Beat DVD

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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)

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!

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".

The best instructional video/DVD ever, more than 4:30 hours, including PDF files with charts and exercises!! Awesome!!
I'll be spending the next couple of years studying with "my personal" teacher Steve Smith.

One of the best instructional DVD's I have seen. Steve is a monster drummer and a great teacher. The information on his left hand technique is worth the price of the DVD by itself.

There's a lot of material on this DVD. The instructional segments are excellent. The Vital Information set (with optional commentary by Steve) was entertaining and informative. The "historical band" demonstrating various musical styles was downright fun. There are lots of extras, including Steve fooling around with the hi-hat. There was one technical glitch (at least on my copy)--the chapter selection feature has about half the selections pointing to the same song, so it's a little difficult to navigate. But that's a minor problem. If you're a drummer or want to buy a great gift for one--GET THIS DVD!

This package is worth ever cent of your money. There is simply no greater educational DVD package out at the moment. Steve goes over technique in unbelievable detail, and his knowledge of drumset / popular music history is really interesting. I definitely recommend this package to any drumset player. This video was voted the #1 DVD in the 2003 Modern Drummer readers' poll AND was featured by Vic Firth online. You can get it a lot cheaper at http://www.steveweissmusic.com

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!

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!

Steve Smith is a total class act. Even after all his massive success, he is still such a student of drumming. His knowledge is comprehensive and his technique is flawless. You can't go wrong with this one!