Ed Bettinelli - Instruction

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.

That being stated, I have tried to put together a room that stimulates and motivates. The art of drumming goes beyond four walls and a drum set. The room is outfitted with a fully mirrored practice pad station, so the student can see form and posture. The 8' x 14' stage is equipped with two state of the art drum sets that face student to teacher. Isolation headsets (with talk back) are provided enabling me to instruct without the need for students to stop playing. A direct line to a multi track recorder creates the ability to work extensively with click track recording. My ability to play the bass guitar enables me to implement it into my teaching creating a rhythm section formation. In addition, a multimedia station with a video camera and monitor enables me to record and view parts of the lesson on the spot. Finally, an extensive music collection for listening analysis paired with viewing videos by some of music's masters' rounds out my unique and stimulating learning/teaching format.

Coming Soon - for those living outside of New York's Tri-State area,
Ed's 3-volume multimedia instructional CD-ROM "The Art of Drumming".

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."
(Modern Drummer February 91 "Cinderella's Fred Coury")

"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.
What I appreciate most about learning from Ed is his willingness to share his knowledge and his talent as a musician as well as a teacher."
Jenny Barbosa, NYC

"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."
Carra Pelc, NYC

"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."
Ryan Pollastro, NYC

"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.
Most importantly Ed's teaching focuses on the importance of musicality. Ed stresses the importance of precision and overall control of the instrument but dose this within a framework whereby the drums are treated as an instrument that should be played melodically."
Tony Banks, NYC