Alex Starkey - Drum Tutor

Spending my night tuning drums ready for a few studio bookings these coming weeks. Trying my best to get around having to buy new drum heads, they never seem to last me very long at all

Nice little bargain to increase my recording capability to a maximum of 16 mics simultaneously. This'll be great for producing some really sharp drum recordings

Green Day- Are We The Waiting (Lyrics)

I'd never really listened to Green Day properly but thought I'd buy American Idiot and give it a shot. This track definitely stands out. Wish they'd done some kind of production blog; that drum sound is phenomenal, some great reverbs.

Green Day- Are We The Waiting (Lyrics) Lyrics Starry nights city of lights Coming down over me Skyscrapers stargazers In my head Are we we are, are we we are, The waiting, unknown, This dirty town...

Save over 35% when compared to standard local rates! (£14/half hour) Regular price £10/half hour

It's that time of month. Thomann time! Intrigued to try this, I've heard many good things. It is quite literally made of metal, about 3mm thick!

Soaked all the components in Coke (the phosphoric acid can loosen the rust), gave it a rub down with some tin foil, stuck some new heads on and boom! It's the complete opposite sound to what I like - fat and dead, but that was the intention. Perfect for country and blues. Very similar sound to the opening of The Joker by the Steve Miller Band

Cleaning up an old Export snare I acquired. It's about a year older than me! Dwarfs my trusty piccolo

AndresGuitarAcademy

Andre is an old friend and makes my tuition look like the stuff of a novice! Anybody looking for great quality guitar lessons should certainly get in touch with him!

AndresGuitarAcademy The Place for Guitar Breakthroughs, Transformation, and Total Immersion, in Rock, Blues, Indie styles - Acoustic and Electric www.Coventryguitartuition.com

Boba asserts the importance of a well-tuned guitar

Old drumhead? New clock

Nice new gadget to play with. Want my floor toms to sound like dropping an anvil

Being a big fan of Chris Adler, I was under the impression that there was no such thing as an 'overly tight' snare drum. It appears I was mistaken

Gutted with the election results but that hasn't stopped me having a very productive morning! Unfortunately the electric kit finally lost the battle against the expansion of the beast, feels like I've got loads more room now. Headphone hooks all screwed in, cable hooks added to the door, full kit reshuffle. All ready for a one off morning lesson!

Sometimes I feel quite sorry for my electric kit, all bunched up in the corner while the acoustic beast grows. Then I remember it's an inanimate electrical device and I stop thinking like an idiot! Plenty of practicing to be done today

Finished teaching tonight and then spent three hours playing afterwards. As they say - time flies when you're thrashing some drums! Starting to quite like the hats and ride, although it's a bit late now they're on eBay!

Can't even tell you the amount of times I've done this. You know you're bu**ered when breadsticks become the most attractive alternative

The 16" is re-headed and back in action! Single-ply heads on a floor tom any bigger than 14" are a complete no-no

When I get new students the younger ones usually tend to point around my kit for a few (ten) minutes telling me how they've 'got that one at home but not that one'. That in mind, I should probably be proactive in trying to keep lessons focused and stop buying new things. The issue is that I just have a very bad affliction for gear. Some people would call that a problem but my usual response is just 'yeah, well, Terry Bozzio.'

Decided to throw some cash out there and bulk buy some used cymbals to see if I wanted any. Found a wicked set of Myras at a great price. I really like the crashes (only the 16" is pictured) and splash but the hats and ride aren't to my liking. Back on eBay they go! I also have five heavy double braced cymbal stands I got with them that I have no need for. If anybody's interested or knows anyone who is, feel free to contact me via the details on this page.

Just found a few photos of my first ever drum kit back when I was young, naive, and 12! I forgot I'd ever owned a Paiste PST3 China. What a god awful cymbal that was, I bet/hope the bloke who bought it off me burned the bu**er. Saying that, It might have helped if I hadn't have played it upside down!

Pulse Drum Kit

If ever one of my students set their kit up like this, we would need to have words. This is beyond stupid!

Pulse Drum Kit Pulse Drum Kit in Musical Instruments, Percussion, Drum Kits | eBay

Don't mind if I do. Today has produced some pretty tasty recordings in the studio.

As some of you may have noticed from my recent prior and cover photo updates, I've recently finished all improvements to my studio, and I'm immensely happy with the results. Lessons are all back on as of this current week and the feedback has been brilliant. Here are a few comparison photos I've put together to show what it looked like at the start of the process (quite literally my kit set up for personal practice in a garage), and the final result after over three years of hard graft, most of which I did singlehandedly!

Judas Priest - Living After Midnight

Off to see Billy Idol tonight in Birmingham. Playing some feel-good tunes to get myself in the mood! British rock at it's finest

Judas Priest - Living After Midnight Judas Priest Performing Living After Midnight. Recorded Dec. 12 1982 at Mid South Coliseum, Memphis, TN. on the Screaming for Vengeance Tour. Video is from t...

Finalising a lot of work on my studio these next few days. One of my jobs is to carpet the final 2 of 5 walls. Coupled with the floor it certainly will look strange to have a room that essentially wouldn't look any different if you were walking on the ceiling! Soundproofing may come at a rather large cost, but it's certainly worth it when considering the freedom it affords you. No longer shall neighbours be tormented by my restless and repetitive Bossa Nova practice!

Happy Halloween!

This past week I've been thinking about what new offers I could put out for the christmas period. I think I've finally settled on one in particular that I think would be quite fun.

Who fancies a drum lesson from Santa?!

A great gift idea/early present for younger kids, I'll be doing them for only £10/half hour lesson.

Fully presented 'vouchers' available upon request to include in christmas cards etc.

Contact me on 07875632911 for enquiries

Nothing nicer than waking yourself up with a full-on drum session. Fancy a go on this beast of a drum kit?

Contact me on 07875632911 to enquire about lessons.

Prices start from just £6.50/half hour

Something tells me he may come to regret this decision

2 new students starting this week. Both adult gentlemen! It's nice to find people whom's passion for music has remained throughout their lives. Looking forward to some great jam sessions!