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Whether it's his playing, his instruction or his personality, Ed is the consummate professional. His playing? Solid. His attitude? Positive. From Tony Williams to Vinnie Colaiuta, Mitch Mitchell to John Bonham, he's well versed in many styles of music and the drummers that go with them.
As a teacher it is my job/responsibility to expose my students to as much rhythmic information as possible via books, listening analysis, videos, etc. I must bring a mind set to the student's attention, enabling them to translate this information through their kit. Creating an orchestrated and musical drum part that supports a song is essential and makes the understanding of this information complete. The inability to do this makes all your rhythmic knowledge useless! Every
time I give a lesson I feel as though I am taking one. There is
a constant learning process in finding ways to break down the
walls my student's reach. They have a small amount of space around
them and their kit, being in control of that space makes it boundless!
I believe a player should never play alone. The player should
always bring a point of reference with them to their kit. A radio
should always be on in their head be it a song, bass line, melody,
streaming 16th or triplets etc. This will help them to define
placement and create a seamless style in their playing.
STUDENT TESTAMONIALS "Ed's vast knowledge of the forms and mechanics of drumming is complemented by his ability to articulate new concepts in understandable ways." "He articulates his deep understanding of the time and space of drumming through both instruction and demonstration. The experience of seeing and hearing Ed relay the fundamentals of a particular lesson or exercise not only instructs, but inspires as well." "Ed breaks down the complexities of drumming, and of music in general, into accessible, easily understood components, yet stresses the importance of "feel" and the organic rhythms that grow from these structures and forms.' "You've
just got to pick yourself up and take lessons to learn the things
that are not working. There are tons of drummers that I played
with who deserve thanks, like Myron Grombacher and Mark Craney.
And there was this drummer in New York City named Ed Bettinelli,
who helped me a lot. We sat up at the Drummers Collective for
five hours a day for two Weeks and just practiced. When I went
back to the band they noticed a big difference. Ed helped me develop
better chops that really helped me get my confidence back." "Ed
pinpoints your strengths and weaknesses and can tell you specifically
what exercises to do in order to improve on them. Ed provides space
and direction for you to express your self creatively. "Ed
emphasizes rudimentary elements, which I find key to learning any
instrument and he keeps it interesting and challenging by creating
multiple exercises to tackle simultaneously. Listening to Ed play
at the beginning of a lesson, especially when I've been having some
trouble with something is often my motivation to keep trying harder.
Even when fumbling through the simplest of exercises, Ed creates
a relaxed atmosphere that gives me the ability to brush off mistakes
and keep trying without embarrassment." "As
I walked through the Hells Kitchen section of Manhattan to my
first lesson I heard this loud rumble coming from the end of the
street. It sounded like a marching band was having rehearsal.
I soon found out that it was Ed causing the entire ruckus. Ed
got me excited about drumming again! The most important thing
is that he has inspired me to be a better player." "I
have been studying with Ed for a year and my playing has improved
in this past year then my previous six (combined) of playing.
Ed has helped me develop control and precision, always stressing
the importance of listening to melody and maintaining a strong
groove. Ed has an amazing ability to recognize a particular problem
or weakness in a student's playing and offer encouraging practical
" playing " applications to help resolve those problems
or weaknesses. |
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