I have been studying drumming with "Lenny Gee" Giachello at Drumville Studios for exactly one year,…read morenow, and his lessons are truly the highlight of my week.
Before meeting Lenny, I had no formal training on the drums. I tried (and quit) in middle school, but it wasn't until my late 30s that I could buy my first drum set. I practiced a couple of times a month, playing along to my favorite songs on headphones. I was able to keep a steady beat and play some basic patterns, but I realized that my skills had hit a wall; my speed was limited, my accuracy was poor, I couldn't play a decent fill consistently, and I couldn't decipher the more complex drum parts I was hearing. I just didn't have a good understanding of what I was doing, on a basic level. So, at the age of 45, I was finally ready to admit that I could benefit from formal training. I also knew that I would fizzle out quickly doing self-study from books and online courses. I needed guidance and feedback from a real, live, in-person, human teacher.
I found the website of Drumville Studios, submitted my contact info, and got a call back from Lenny the next day. He shared his background and his approach to teaching the drums, and asked about my experience level and what I was looking to accomplish. I asked him to treat me like I had no prior knowledge of the drums, and start from scratch. That's exactly how we started when I showed up for my first lesson the following week. It was a revelation from minute one, when I learned I had been holding my sticks incorrectly this whole time! Then we began going over note durations and the division of notes--the very foundations of learning to read and interpret drum notation--with Lenny conveying the importance of reading notation, something I had willfully ignored. One year in, I've gone from being mystified by drum notation, to playing along while sight-reading simple to intermediate rock songs.
What I've come to learn about Lenny over the past year is that this dude LIVES and BREATHES drumming. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history, techniques, and personalities involved in drumming, and he's enthusiastic about sharing that knowledge with his students. We'll often spend the first few minutes of a lesson just talking about a cool drum part one of us heard in a song recently, or an interesting practice technique he gleaned from an old tutorial video he just re-watched. He's passionate about my individual progress as a drummer; he cheers me on when I finally nail a technique that has challenged me for weeks, and he reminds me to be patient with myself--and, quite literally, SLOW DOWN--when I get frustrated with a song and keep making the same mistakes over and over.
I'm also amazed by how observant and perceptive Lenny is. There are so many sounds and movements occurring simultaneously when you're rockin' on the drums, but he's always able to give me useful feedback: "You're lifting your foot too high off of the kick pedal." "Your right pinky keeps peeling away from the stick." "That hi-hat splash came in a sixteenth too late." It never feels like criticism; it feels like I'm in good hands with someone who knows their craft and cares enough to help me elevate my technique.
The value of the lessons I get at Drumville is simply unmatched by anything I'd find at a music store or music lesson academy. If there isn't a student coming in right after me, Lenny will often let my lesson go long. Sometimes he's just excited at the progress I'm making, and sees an opportunity to get me started on the next rudiment, or the next song, that will push my skills even further. He's unbelievably generous with his time. You will not get that benefit at a music school that operates in 30-minute increments.
Lastly, I'll comment on the learning environment. Drumville Studios is in Lenny's home, which is clean, organized, and smoke-free. Lenny's sweet wife, Sue, is often home and greets me when I come in. There's a cozy living room "waiting area" in front. You'll breeze through the kitchen to get to Drumville--the den where Lenny has a full drum kit and multiple practice pads and stools set up. This practice room is spacious, with natural light coming in through the windows, and fresh air coming in through the screen door. A gentle, old dog named Elvin is often snoozing on a rug while we practice. In other words, I've found this to be a safe, welcoming, comfortable place to take private music lessons. Plenty of on-street parking, too!
As I said before, I really look forward to attending my lesson with Lenny at Drumville Studios every week. To me, learning the drums is a fun challenge, a relaxing reprieve from the world and all its problems, and surprisingly good physical exercise. Whether you're a beginner playing drums on your pillows at home, or a self-taught musician wanting to improve your skills, Drumville Studios gets my heartfelt recommendation as one of the best places to learn drumming in and around Long Beach.
