Learn to play drums from a Berklee graduate and professional musician working in NYC!

Find out more about Patrick

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favorite instrument?

  I first developed a passion for music early on by listening to a lot of the music my dad listens to like The Beatles, Rollings Stones and Led Zeppelin. I specifically remember hearing the drum intro to the Led Zeppelin song Rock and Roll when I was around 7 and being struck by the energy and power the drums can produce.

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  I feel like this goes through phases. Lately I've been listening to a lot of 70's music like Steely Dan and Bill Withers. One album by Bill Withers I've been listening to a lot is Still Bill. The music is pretty simple but I've grown to appreciate the nuances of how the music is played really can enhance the songs and the groove.

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  One thing I try to instill in my advanced students is instead of constantly pursuing more and more vocabulary on an instrument try to also work on how you play what you already know. At the end of the day we all play relatively similar things depending on the genre and style but what really sets musicians apart is HOW you play the instrument as opposed to WHAT you play. This is perhaps the most difficult thing because you can't really measure it or arrive at the goal but it's something we will all be working as long as we play.

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  I think you can generally make an instrument as difficult or as simple as you want it to be. Drums is pretty easy to get into because the simple things don't require advance technique but there's plenty of things I can't play on the drums that others can. Other instruments like the trumpet require a lot of skill from the outset which perhaps makes it more difficult to start with but maybe easier later on.

• What are your keys to success?

  My keys to success is making small improvements each day. Each time I sit down to practice my goal is to just get one percent better at whatever I'm working on. Whether I practice 5 hours that day or 5 minutes small incremental progress consistently over time adds up very quick. I try to apply this to all areas of my life as well.

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  The first would be John Bonham, who unfortunately isn't around anymore but he's the main reason I picked the sticks to begin with. Secondly I would say Steve Gadd. He's on more of my favorite albums than anyone alive and has such a deep understanding of drumming and how best to support the music. Lastly I would say Aaron Sterling. He's one of my favorite drummers working today and has recorded for the likes of Post Malone, Taylor Swift and John Mayer. Other than his skill on the drums he seems to have such a great outlook on life and a great sense of humor as well.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  In my first couple of years at Berklee I definitely was heavily influenced by the other drummers around me. So many of the drummers had such insane facility and technique on the instrument that I felt like I needed to keep up and sound like that as well. Although it definitely pushed me to get better it wasn't until the last year or two when I got back to how I really wanted to sound that I actually started getting called for the opportunities I wanted. I share that to show that you should always stay true to yourself instead of trying to be a not as good clone of what you hear around you. Obviously it's important to get inspiration from others but now I try as much as possible to do it from a place of curiosity instead of insecurity.

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I think I bring a wide range of ideas that I have gathered from various places. This has come from my own experience as well as teaching others. I think I do a good job of filtering out what does and doesn't work while staying open minded to the wide range of how people play the drums as well as how people learn.