Pipe band Drummer

Last July my life changed forever. I was teaching a drum kit lesson to one of my adult students and, as I was packing up to leave, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. 

I don’t remember…

"Is this an accent or a tap?"

If you are a lead drummer you have answered this question hundreds of times. If you are a corps drummer you have asked this question hundreds of times. These questions are asked whenever…

Change, when made purposefully and for the good of everyone, is always a good idea. But, sometimes, change can take a while.

In the pipe band world, things can take a long time to change! One of the most…

The phrase I heard most often as a child growing up was repeated constantly by my mother: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". My mother worked for many years as the fellowship coordinator at our…

On August 2, 2019, the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band from Nova Scotia won the North American Pipe Band Championships in grade 4. I am fortunate to be the lead drummer. We won every judging category (1,1,1,1) against some very…

A drum corps is composed of three types of drummers, none more important than the others. The bass drum provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundation for the band as a whole, the snare drummers provide the drive and dynamics and…

Unison problems plagued my drum corps for my first six years as lead drummer. In my seventh year, however, I discovered (upon much reflection) that there was a solution to my unison issues sitting right in front of me that…

In psychology, the "flow state", also commonly known as "being in the zone", is the mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process.…

Taking criticism is hard. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes your pride and self-worth can take a brutal beating. What is criticism? From whom should we accept it? Why is it hard to take? Let's start with a definition.

What is…

Tempo has been an issue in every pipe band in which I've ever played. There have been tempo discussions at practice, tempo related comments after competitions and I have been yelled at and lectured at for tempo related issues. Tempo…

Chris Thile is an incredible musician. He is without doubt the most talented mandolin player on the planet. His current band, The Punch Brothers, has pushed the boundary of bluegrass to new and unique places using unorthodox chords, complex harmonies…

This past September my pipe band was buzzing with excitement as we made plans to go to Scotland for the World Championships. Adding to this excitement was the fact that three other pipe bands from the Canadian Maritime provinces would…