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

Mr. Smith is a consummate drummer. Educated in technique he conveys his playing style in very enjoyable "drum lesson style" sessions. He breaks down everything from grip to bass drum technique. It is like having him come to your home for private lessons.

If you work with him to absorb and understand, your playing will improve vastly (IF you practice).

This is a great DVD to use to advance your skills. Possibly the best out there. It works well if you are an intermediate to advanced drummer. Probably a little much if you are a beginner.

He does a great job of breaking down each component of a drummers skill set. He does not just blow things by the student -- he really seems to want to teach you. And he succeeds at it. Bissonette's DVD does not even come close.

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!

It's a good DVD to learn!! Ho year!!
Good pratice and pedagogy it's very good!!
I love Steve pedagogy and groove. It's so good to learn and ear him!!

Enjoy!!!

This DVD is very informative. Steve breaks drum set playing down to a simple, easy to understand format. People who aren't even drummers have enjoyed watching this DVD. There also is footage showing why he is a "drummer's drummer".