Welcome to my Lessons Page. I sincerely hope you find some interesting and challenging grooves and ideas here.

As an addition to my lessons here, I also offer:

Virtual Lessons

The lessons are on disk and feature written grooves and Real Audio files. You can open them up in your browser, and provided you have Real Audio on your hard disk, you can listen and learn the grooves. Each lesson, with up to 10 grooves and exercises, costs US$10 plus $3 postage.

Although not yet on my order form, you can email me with credit card information and I will process it for you then send the lessons to you. If you like, you can also send a check to my address at the bottom of this page.

Video Lessons

are also available. I really enjoy teaching by video tape. I can take my time, when I've got the time!, and focus on the grooves that you want. Please email me for info about this and audio lessons by cassette.

Audio Lessons

I've had some good success teaching drummers by audio cassette. Once again, if I can be of any help, please write.

Private Lessons

I live in Southern California and am very happy to be able to teach here at my home studio. My students and I are a nice family, the atmosphere's cool, and we play and learn together. See you here if possible!

Changuito Independence Exercises -The Next Generation!!

updated 21 September 1998

If you visited my pages for the last few weeks you've seen, and hopefully studied, some relatively basic Changuito independence moves. (Note that I didn't say "easy" patterns, I said "basic".) The one presented here is very difficult. Changuito plays this between the two timbales, the "hembra" (large drum) and "macho" (small drum). This is a gorgeous pattern, very melodic, rhythmic, and moving. I've practiced it on timbales and lately I've been applying it to the drum set. I orchestrate the pattern between toms or iusing the bass drum, between hands and foot. Left foot plays eights or quarters. What a great exercise it would be to play clave with the left foot while playing this movement!!

If this pattern is a bit too advanced, hey, check out my Virtual Lessons. There we're starting with some very basic grooves and we'll progress into the areas of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and grooves.

As I mentioned, last lesson, I use these patterns, and many others found in Changuito - A Master's Approach to the Timbales, to help get me more comfortable on the drumset. Sure, they're invented for timbales, but if you use your imagination, can you see (or hear) some drumset approaches here?

Here's the pattern. I've found that I've had to break the movement down into several very small parts to develop the independence needed to get this puppy to groove. Have fun and drop me a line with some comments.

If you enjoy these lessons, and develop your own grooves, please share them with us! You can mail me your applications of these lessons to:

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