The mattdudleydrumming podcast

Nathan and I have grown up together playing music. Nate was coming into town from Florida so I decided to get him on the show to share a little bit about what he's currently doing and some cool stories from both of our pasts! This was a great conversation and hang with one of my best friends. I like to call Nate my musical soul mate haha! We've written and recorded numerous songs and albums as well as played many shows and Sunday mornings together. Nate also gives some insight on his new venture The Leadership Kit. A no BS approach to improving your leadership skills for any setting.   Check it out over at www.theleadershipkit.com Instagram: @leadershipkit

Jessie was a previous guest on Behind The Kit podcast that I used to run back in 2016. This is the first time in a while that we had the chance to catch up and talk about drums, and life in general. Jessie plays drums for theater art in Brooklyn NY as well as Jazz, and R&B. She has a determination to work hard for what she is passionate about... Music. This was a great hang and conversation with a lot of life lessons that could those of you looking into doing this music thing full time. Keep your head up and keep pushing forward. Persistence is key.   Find out more about Jessie at. www.jessiemnelson.com Twitter: @deeperbeats Instagram: jessie.m.nelson Soundcloud: jmnmusic

I found Adam on Twitter a few months back and was amazed at his work ethic... Adam uploads a video every day of his daily practice sessions that he wakes up at 4:30 am for every morning! Adam is a super humble person that is working hard at his craft on a daily basis to have "ecstatic improvisation through technical mastery of the drum set". I have his post notifications turned on so that I have a reminder each morning to get my butt in gear and get to work! Adam played drums for 20 years and suddenly stopped. After leaving from Nashville TN Adam moved into the woods in Oregon where he built a home. Now he works at his craft every morning before going to his day job in hopes to move more freely behind the kit.   Website: www.dirtybandana.com Twitter: @dirtybandana

Jeremy is a good friend of mine that was a past guest on Behind The Kit Podcast back in 2015. Jeremy is a professional drummer, producer, and speaker located in Minneapolis. It's very cool to see Jeremy keeping busy while keeping a balance between music and family life. He's a humble soul that has chased his passion and turned it into a full time career. Jeremy shares a lot of great information on this episode that will inspire you to get after it and to never give up!   Website: jeremyschreifels.com Twitter: @Music_By_Jeremy Instagram: @musicbyjeremy

James is a good friend of mine I got to know through twitter back when I was doing the "Behind The Kit" Podcast. I remember seeing his drums and thinking of how great they looked. We connected and talked through messages for a while, me trying to get James on my show. At the time James didn't think he'd have anything to bring to the table but eventually we made it happen and boy was he wrong! This episode will inspire you to chase after your passion and give you insight on just how James did that very thing. Lots of wisdom in this one! Enjoy!   www.beierdrums.com   Twitter: @beierdrums  

Amy Hall has been a friend of mine now for a couple of years through Twitter and Instagram. She lives just up the road from me in Raleigh NC (2 hrs away) where she plays in 3 bands. Heart Brigade; a Heart/Zeppelin tribute band, Bad Incorporated; a Bad Company/Paul Rodgers tribute band, and the Johnny Orr Band. Amy's work ethic has recently gained her some notoriety through Dum Magazine with their series #WCW (read here) Amy talks with me about how to balance family and playing music, the drumming community, her very unique Ludwig Supraphonic snare drum, and much more!   Website: amydrums.com Twitter: @Amy_Drums Instagram: @Amy_Drums

Nadia is a professor of kinesiology and occupational biomechanics and biomedical engineering (with concentrations in biomechanics and neurophysiology). Recently she has been doing research on rockstars and drummers and their energy expendature on stage. This is how I ran across her work through twitter. I noticed some very well named drummers that she was studying and it peaked my interest to have her on the show. We cover a lot on the statistics that she has recorded with drummers like Todd Sucherman, Barry Kerch, Rich Redmond, Matt Halpern, and much more! There's also some nuggets of wisdom in this episode that will inspire you.   Website: www.uwindsor.ca/kinesiology/455/dr-nadia-azar Twitter: @DrNadiaAzar Facebook: @DrNadiaAzar Instagram: @DrNadiaAzar

In this episode I talk about what's to come with the mattdudleydrumming podcast and getting a fresh start. 

This podcast expands on an article I wrote about patience in teaching. You can find the article here.... https://mattdudleydrumming.com/2022/09/07/patience-is-key-with-your-students/

I want to share with you a lesson that I teach all of my students. This is common knowledge for some but for others, it can open up your playing so much by understanding the grid and all the possibilities. We will be placing the bass drum on the "1", "e", "&", and "ah" while keeping a simple ostinato on the hi hat and snare drum. Take your time with each example and be remember to practice slow! Once you feel comfortable with each groove try playing them each 4 times and moving on to the next without stopping. This will help build your independence and expand your vocabulary behind the kit! Check out the article here to download the free PDF and watch the video. https://mattdudleydrumming.com/2020/06/30/bass-drum-grid-1-single-note-groupings/

This excerpt is from a blog I wrote years back on losing a gig that was helping me make ends meet in a tough time. You can read that blog here.... https://mattdudleydrumming.com/2017/09/12/ever-been-fired-or-let-go-from-a-gig-whats-the-next-step/

Listen to Jake and I talk about gear, life on the road with Luke Combs, and charting songs. We break down simple methods that will get you started charting your first song. http://www.jakesommersdrums.com  

In 1996 I was fourteen years old and I had a stack of drum catalogs from the local music stores. Anything from Pearl drums, to Sabian Cymbals. I would sit up every night looking through these catalogs looking at the different models of kits, the colors, configurations. I wanted a drum set so bad... At the time I was playing drums in middle school band and before that I had been sneaking into my brothers bedroom to play his snare drum. I knew how to play rudiments and how to read music at a basic level from what my brother had taught me but at the time I wanted a full set. I wanted to be able to play all of the Metallica and Megadeth songs I was blasting through my walkman at the time. Little did I know that the time for my new kit would be just around the corner... One day I was at school. Middle school that is. I was just finishing up with my last class which was band. When the bell rang to go home I picked up my snare drum and placed it in the case, along with my sticks and music folder and proceeded out the band room to get picked up by my mom. When I got in the car to my surprise my mom said for your birthday we're going to McFadden Music in Wilmington for you to pick out a drum set for your birthday. I couldn't believe it! I had been dreaming of Pearl drums, specifically the export series, and Sabian cymbals. That's also the kit and cymbals that my brother played. When we got there I remember them having a red export kit and a blue kit. Specifically Pacific blue. That's the one I wanted! it was such a deep blue color that looked amazing to me being a fourteen year old boy. I remember getting home and taking everything out of the boxes and setting it up in my bedroom. I can still remember the smell of the wood and glue from inside the shells while putting on the drum heads. You never forget that smell... I played that kit almost every evening when I'd get home from school. At least until 5:00, when my dad would get home from work. I practiced so much with that kit playing along to cassette tapes that my brother would pass off to me. That and playing along to the radio. I had found something I was passionate about and something that I wanted to invest my time in. It was something that didn't require making the team at School, it reminded me of skateboarding. I'll come back to this side of the story and tie it all together in a few... Fast forward to my senior year, I had art as one of my electives my last year of high school. One of the assignments was to take this paper called scratch paper and carve whatever type of art or portrait you wanted into it. The paper was mate black and thick. It had a firmness to it because there was tin foil underneath the surface that you scratch off. I found a Ludwig drums ad from a magazine that had a marching snare and marching bass drum, along with a trumpet. I used the provided exacto knife to make my marks and carve into the scratch paper to create my work of art. I took the piece home after getting graded for it and tossed it in my closet. This would have been in 2001/2002. Recently, just months ago, I found that piece up in the top portion of my old closet at my parents house that I had forgotten and realized what I had created. The drums that were meticulously carved into the paper were the exact models that I marched with at UNCP in 2009. Not only that, our drum line got invited to the Ludwig factory in Monroe NC to go perform for all the workers in the factory. The workers were so happy to hear the drums that they had made and to be played with such precision from our  drum line. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I would never forget. When I noticed how everything tied together I was speechless looking back. Yes it could be taken as coincidence. But to play those exact drums for something I had to work so hard for. And, to even make it into the spirit of the Carolinas Marching Band drum line and then play for the factory drum makers at Ludwig... You can't make this stuff up. You see... that first kit paved the way to where I am today. Well not just the kit, but it was the tool that got me to where I am this very day. I call this blog post full circle because it's fitting for the occasion. Now at forty two years old, every Sunday morning I wake up at 4:00 am to get ready to go to Wilmington where I play drums full time for a church that is just past the music store where I got my first kit. Every Sunday morning when I pass the old McFadden music store, which is now Music & Arts, I think back to going in that day after school and getting my pacific blue Pearl Export kit, the smell of the shells, the songs I learned to play, the bands I put together with friends from school, playing in church. I think of all the hours I put in behind that kit and what it meant to me. It was full circle that I ended up right back to where I started. It's a weekly reminder to me that I'm on the right path and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to get this far. www.mattdudleydrumming.com 

Mark and I catch up and talk about touring, gear, and education. We discuss the four basic stroke types along with the importance of stick heights. Mark's website https://powerspercussion.com/  

Jeremy and I talk about his company Lowboy Beaters and the options they offer in the custom bass drum beater world. We also discuss the state of the industry with mom and pop shops and things we can do to help those places stay alive in todays world. We also cover a recent obstacle they had within the industry where they came out on top.  Check out https://lowboybeaters.com

A continuation of the Bass Drum Grid series. In this lesson we start two note groupings with the bass drum underneath our ostinato of eighth notes on the hi hat and the snare on two and four. You can find a video play along as well as a free PDF for this lesson with the link below.....   https://mattdudleydrumming.com/2020/07/07/bass-drum-grid-2-2-note-groupings/