Customer Reviews

Tommy Igoe Great Hands for a Lifetime

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had this dvd a little over 2 weeks now and I can already tell it's going to be something that I can use and refer back to forever. As Tommy explains in the intro-with the influx of various drum videos on the market--this one is specifically geared toward the development of the hands--which are an essential part in playing the drumset. As with the previous reviews above--I think a lot more practice pads just got moved in front of the living-room TV!!! This is an EXTREME value for your $$$. Not only do you get the dvd, the foldout poster of the rudimental exercises and a smaller, foldout version of the poster--but Tommy also includes a 50+ page pdf file of even MORE exercises, insights AND some mp3 files of various exercises played with and w/o a click. One of the things that I've found most helpful so far is Tommy and a cast of drummers of various skill levels playing thru the exercises. It really made me listen to myself AS WELL AS the others to keep myself in check to make sure I was playing correctly. I would rank this right up there with the Joe Morello and JoJo Mayer dvds as far as importance of hand development. If you are a serious student of drumming, this is a "MUST HAVE".....!

I studied with TI on and off over the past 6 years. This dvd served as a summary of all of the great things we worked on during lessons. This guy only focuses on concepts that will translate well over to the drumset. He stresses that even though its great to try different musical activities like drum corps, one must be sure to not stay involved with it for too long. Simply, take the best of all the different types of music you have played and blend it into the most practical set of skills that you can apply to actual musical jobs that drummers get hired to do. There are no secrets kept when dealing with Igoe. He tells you EXACTLY what you need to focus on in order to become successful in the world of music. As soon as I decided to listen to him and focus on those essential skill sets; I've been hired nonstop playing in musicals and paid band gigs. Get this dvd, watch it, focus on these concepts, and your drumming will improve greatly.

As a Vic Firth PDT and Hudson Music TIP member, I had been waiting (like many) for the release of this. I already use Groove Essentials 1.0 and 2.0 with my private middle school and high school students, and Groove Essentials is on the syllabus for my college students. Needless to say, I got what I was expecting...not just another drum "video", but technique concepts that can be applied not only to my students, but to myself as well.

I've participated in clinics before where a drummer on stage plays some 4-way coordination piece of 5 in the right foot, 3 in the left foot, 11 on the right hand and 7 in the left hand, yet when asked how drummers can get to do that, the answer was "practice". Yeah...that doesn't help. One of the things I try to work with my students is getting them to not only establish a practice routine (you gotta make the time commitment!), but on what to do during this practice routine.

GHFALT can be incorporated to any practice routine, and I'm sure you will see amazing results. I've ordered numerous books (Don Fam's Weaker Side, Chafee's Technique series, and more) in search of that which can take my own playing to the next level. Yet, once I took hold of a great concept in this video - playing simple concepts at a high level (Sorry Tommy if I didn't the quote exactly right. That's why I didn't use quotation marks, and I didn't want to take the time to scan through the video right now.) - it made me rethink my approach. Once I began sharing it with my students, they began to be challenged - at what they thought would be simple.

GHFALT is not just another drum video, and it's definitely not a video you can just sit back and watch. The poster went up in the room with my drum set. The ebook is printed off to use. The mp3s go on the ipod. More importantly, my metronome's out of the bag more often, and the extra practice pad that was in the closet is now on a stand in front of the tv. Even my 4 year old was engrossed in it.

GHFALT is a MUST HAVE for your collection.

2 years ago I started taking occasional lessons with the master himself, Tommy Igoe. I went in thinking I was ahead of the game, but quickly saw that I wasnt. How do you rate you hands he asked? I answered a feeble 6 out of 10. To my suprise he responds youre actually a 2 out of 10. Through the help of his constant coaching in my head and these extremely practical and challenging exercises I made my way to playing the drums in an extremely practical and efficient way. Now with the aid of this DVD, which comes with a PDF of a full length book, EVERYONE can experience what I have. I used to joke with my drum friends that an hour with groove essentials a day kept the doctor away. Then I added an hour when the sequel was released. Now this DVD puts me up to 3! and my progress is incomparable to my pre-Igoe days. Get this DVD and devote the time to it that it deserves. -Anthony R

It's practically impossible to number the infinite reasons why these DVD deserves 5 stars. There are a lot of other DVDs out there that sort of cover the same subject: hands, technique, you name it. And I have the deepest respect for those master drummers. That being said, Tommy's Great Hands... is the only one that will make me develop my hands to their full potential. Why? I can grab the TV remote control, sit behind my practice pad, and press play.
Tommy Igoe explains throughly how to hold the stick, for each hand (match, traditional , French), goes over each step slowly for a while, so that the viewer can get the hang of it, then moves on to the next step. He takes his time to make sure you get it (the camera close ups really help too). Then he does the one thing that actually makes anybody practice (including me). He sits in a half circle with several of his students, and they all practice, building up speed. Because of this, the actual practice of all that he teaches is easy, not boring, and I know I am doing it right: tempo, speed, everything. I don't need a lot of will power to practice, just push play, and do it. Before I know it, an hour has gone by, and I've barely noticed.
This is not a summary of this DVD, there is a lot more, that I cannot cover in one review. I would also like to point out the wonderful interview with his dad. The quality of Mr Sonny Igoe, not only as an artist, but as a human being, is apparent.
I could go on and on, but I'm sure many other drummers will point out more stuff...

I was fortunate enough to take a few lessons with Tommy a few years back and quickly integrated his philosophy into my playing and teaching. Tommy offers a hand development system. As such, you can integrate it into other technical systems you may be using now as Adler, Gladstone, Moeller, Free Stroke or whatever, with positive results. The lessons offered here are a wonderful basis for the development of proper hand technique. Tommy talks about developing an easier hand system with the emphasis on ease, through a journey into the rudiments. Having the video is a wonderful assets to rediscover your hands, and even after my studies it is a welcome invitation to reconnect with these wonderful tools to a healthier and more musical playing.

I am a big fan of Rudiments and warmup on my practice pad and this wonderful DVD is worth to buy because the process is very clever, original and easy to understand and practice, whatever you are beginner or confirmed drummer, it works well ! This incredible DVD shows the five standard rudiments : Ruff Family ( Single Strokes ) - Roll Family ( Double Strokes in 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 ) - Paradiddle Family ( Single, Double, Triple, combinations and variations ... ) - Drag Family ( Single, Double, Ratamacue ... ) - Flam Family ( Single, Double, Triple, Flamacue, Flam Taps, Flam Drags, Swiss Triplets ... ) ; Basics at the beginning of the eBook and DVD like Fulcrum discussion, Grip checklist, the wrist, rebound strokes, accents ... Tommy is always relax, funny, plenty of great advices and with his group of five drummers ( Beginner to professional ) play through the routine, you can see his approach technique of each hand, what a pleasure to practice with him ! This DVD offers a realistic, pratical and a clever approach that will unlock your potential and increase your hands through years of drumming, you can be sure ! With the DVD, you will find a 7 MP3s for on-the-go practicing, a 57-page eBook with extra practice material, a Wall-sized poster ( That I put in my practice room ! ) and compact fold-out guide. The Lifetime Warmup and Rudimental Ritual is not a competition or a perverted contest but a tool, a guide, a help, thanks again Tommy for this wonderful DVD, no worth to say that every drummer should have it at home ! Emilio L. ( Dordogne, France ).

I am a self-taught drummer who loves the drums. I've always bought books and DVDs (instead of going to a teacher). I highly recommend getting a teacher you like if you are serious especially if you are young, but the next best surely has to be this DVD.
Tommy Igoe has worked very hard to put together this DVD, it's a very coherent take/philosophy on how to wield drumsticks to do the 5 key things you need to master to be a skilful drumset drummer.
These are
Rebound strokes - just actually hitting a drum or a cymbal, in an efficient and easily repeatable (without tiring) way
Doubles - those elusive mummy daddy rolls we all want to perfect.
Accents - he dispenses with all the flashiness of Moeller and over flowery actions and concentrates on the simple action you need to get a louder note
Flams - these are tricky, and he goes into a lot of detail on how to do them
Drags - surprisingly much easier to do than flams

Tommy does not go into all the official rudiments, or their myriad variations, he breaks down the rudiment families and concentrates on rudiments that sound good and are useful on the drumset, so you're not trying to learn the classic 42, or 56 or 65 or 70+ (that people have such religious wars about)

The biggest and most useful thing I can say to prepare you to properly decide whether you are up for this or to enable you to get the most of it if you do is that for Tommy drumming is not from the wrist. it's all in the fulcrum (of the stick) and the bounce, so you make the stick and its weight and shape do the work for you. You get the same effects, but in fact in a much better way. You save yourself a lot of wasted energy and injury risk and the fact that you're not hammering the stick onto the drum means that the tip gives a gloriously round and full musical sound (instead of an attacking deadening series of thuds)

other notable features:
the DVD is very long (4 hours +), it has two charts one condensed and one big wall poster (very useful), an ebook which I printed out and bound and is in fact in itself a brilliant practicing aid. And finally the group sessions he does with his students...

I've been doing this for about a year and my drumming has been totally revolutionised. I play with a lot less effort, I have proper rebounds, accents and doubles for the first time in my life (still working on those flams) and I have a far more musical sound with rolls that are pretty even (I always use a metronome when practicing).

my advice:
get it, watch it many times, practice in the way he describes very clearly, use a metronome and be honest with how good whatever it is you're doing is before you move up another notch.

in conclusion:
I'm profoundly grateful for Tommy for this DVD I feel like I've had a decent teacher of the drums for the first time in my life and the price was pretty amazing as well. this DVD is seriously underpriced for what it promises and delivers. This is not a miracle system...no system is, but it does contain amazing quality and super clear instruction, that if followed properly, will generate real results. And it's hard to ask for more than that.

Tommy did a great job on this DVD. He seems to know what the industry needs as far as training videos go. It contains lots of good rudimental exercises. In addition to the DVD, there's an e-book with lots of info, MP3s to use, a nice chart for the music stand as well as a giant poster with the "Lifetime Warmup" on it. Once again, you get a lot of good stuff for the price. I'm usually hesitant to spend $25-$50 on DVDs, but judging from the "Groove Essentials" series, I didn't think I'd be disappointed and I wasn't. If you're looking for a fun way to practice, buy it. I've been drumming for over 30yrs and still enjoy practicing with this.

Tommy has an undeniable zest for teaching. He makes things clear and funny which is important because the lessons included in this DVD, visually attractive and entertaining, makes the usually boring training on drum rudiments very appealing.
Another excellent set of lessons from an excellent teacher.

Manuel