The Back of the Band

Resources for Snare, Tenor and Bass Drummers

The Historical Dilemma

Over the years, beginner drummers have been recruited by their local pipe bands, typically with promises of free instruction.

They are then taught in the band context by well meaning drummers who often have not had access to good training or good curriculum. In this environment instruction is haphazard. With the advancement of pipe band drumming over several decades it has become essential that beginners be taught basic music theory, good reading skills, good stick control, how to play on time and foundational movements.

It is a common mistake to plunge beginners into the band drum scores with insufficient preparation. This serves to entrench bad habits during early development that are very difficult to overcome in the future.

Unfortunately this process sets up many beginner drummers to become frustrated and demoralized in the future as they face large amounts of remedial work needed to correct problems so that they can advance.

Our Solution

This page has been created by the certified drumming judges of the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario (PPBSO) to be an accurate source of information for anyone interested in learning to play pipe band drumming including snare, tenor and bass.

All students beginning pipe band drumming need to learn to read music and understand basic underlying musical concepts as well as foundational movements in order to become proficient.

It is very important to have a qualified instructor to guide you through this process

Our intention is to provide an overview of what you need to know to become a proficient pipe band drummer this includes a list of qualified instructors, access to music and recordings, and knowledge up upcoming workshops and masterclasses related to drumming education.

How to Identify a Good Instructor

Instructors

Snare

1. Stick Control (technique)

How to hold the drumsticks and proper hand posture.
How to move and control your drumsticks.

2. Learning to Read Rhythm

Learning to read and count note values aloud.
Learning to play on time with a regular pulse.

3. Develop Good Quality Rolls

Both open and closed rolls are fundamentally important and the hallmark of good snare drumming.

Tenor

1. Stick Control (technique)

How you hold your drumsticks and your hand posture.
How you move and control your drumsticks.

2. Learning to Read Rhythm

Reading and counting note values aloud.
Learning to play on time with a regular pulse.

3. Develop Fluidity of Movement

Arm motions.
Releasing and catching basic flourishes.
Transitioning from a visual movement to striking the drum with control and clarity while maintaining accurate time keeping.

Bass

1. Stick Control (technique)

How you hold your drumsticks and your hand posture.
How you move and control your drumsticks.

2. Learning to Read Rhythm

Reading and counting note values aloud.
Learning to play on time with a regular pulse

3. Develop Fluidity of Movement

Arm motions
Transitioning from a visual movement to striking the drum with control and clarity while maintaining accurate time keeping.

The fastest and best way to learn is with a qualified teacher

Drumming Instructors

Name	Location	Instruments	Email	Mode of Instruction
Andrew Elliot	Houston, TX	Tenor Drum, Bass Drum	see social media	Online
Blair Brown	Vancouver, BC	Snare Drum	see social media	Online
Brian McCue	Aurora, ON	Snare Drum	brian.mccue@sac.on.ca	In-person,Online
Chris Bell	Kingston, ON	Snare Drum	chris.bell20@gmail.com	In-person,Online
Dan Bist	Barrie, ON	Snare Drum	dbist@hotmail.com	In-person,Online
Dave Coleman	Fredericton, NB	Snare Drum	drdjc.gm@gmail.com	Online
Doug Stronach		Snare Drum	see social media	Online
Graham Brown		Snare Drum	grahambrown13@hotmail.com	Online
Hugh Cameron	Wellesley, ON	Snare Drum	hugh.cam.1949@gmail.com	In-person
Jamie Alfred	Beeton, ON	Tenor Drum, Bass Drum	flourishing.rhythm@gmail.com	Online,In-person
Johnny Rowe	Caledonia, ON	Bass Drum	bigjohnnyrowe@gmail.com	In-person
Kate Dudek	Kitchener, ON	Tenor Drum, Bass Drum	kate@katedudekdrumming.com	Online,In-person
Kyle Heaney	Toronto, ON	Tenor Drum, Bass Drum	heaney.kyle@gmail.com	In-person,Online
Michael Hunter		Snare Drum	mhunter@mcw.com	In-person
Reagan Jones	Lindsay, ON	Bass Drum	reaganmjones@hotmail.com	In-person,Online
Scott Nicholson	Kingston, ON	Snare Drum	kingstonPolicePipeBand@gmail.com	In-person
Stephen Hill	Windsor, ON	Snare Drum	stevenerinhill@gmail.com	In-person
Tyler Fry	Houston, TX	Tenor Drum, Bass Drum	sales@tyfry.com	Online