In this episode, Rich was a guest on the Drum Brigade Podcast with Korey Kingston and Phil Pardell. They had a lot of fun, but also got very deep on a few topics including teaching concepts and philosophy, blowing chops, knowing what you want,

12 Steps to a Dan Weiss Fill

Apr 20th, 2021 31m 12s

In this episode, I break down a complex fill performed by the great Dan Weiss into 12 exercises that, when mastered, will help you understand and execute this type of fill concept with more ease. If you are new to DrumMantra and would like to c

Making Your Ideas a Reality

Apr 13th, 2021 1h 18m

This episode is a replay of an interview I did on Austin Koziol's In The Groove Podcast. We talk about bringing ideas to reality, the importance of presence, my Drummantra philosophy and practice system, and so much more.

Mental Loops, Roadblocks, and other Un-truths

Jan 16th, 2021 47m 20s

We are all captivated by our thoughts. We are all challenged by our own debilitating beliefs. We want things to be perfect, we want to know the end before we begin, we don't want to be wrong, we don't want to make mistakes, we want to know the

Be Present in Your Practice

Jan 2nd, 2021 25m 8s

We practice our drum lesson because we are practicing our drum lesson. Period. We are not trying to become something. We just are in the moment. Practicing. A lot of beauty arises when we are in the moment. A lot of inspiration appears. Sometim

How to Incorporate Toms into your Groove

Sep 11th, 2020 25m 30s

Tom Grooves are super-cool and can give an immediate energy lift to a song. Here I demonstrate and discuss 9 different tom grooves that will hopefully inspire you to get to the practice room and start working on your own! Have fun and thanks fo

Is Your Practice Efficient and Effective?

Aug 11th, 2020 28m 31s

Do you feel like your practice sessions aren't focused, inefficient, and unfocused? Do you feel like you never get as much done as you'd hoped? The secret to practice isn't WHAT you are working on, but HOW you are working on it. Make sure to ch

Ideas On Doing A Recording Session & A Special Announcement

May 27th, 2020 20m 14s

Are you being hired to do recording sessions? Are you doing drums AND percussion? Sometimes we tend to treat percussion as a smaller overall aspect of the session even though it can sometimes take up to 10x longer to do. Also, make sure you reg

Building Linear Phrasing

May 5th, 2020 23m 4s

Linear phrasing is a great vehicle for expressing yourself musically and rhythmically behind the kit. Let's start off with some simple phrasing concepts and isolate the voicings to two instruments to really challenge your creativity. We will al

Overcoming Your Mind to Find Peace

Apr 23rd, 2020 52m 1s

Finding peace is finding peace of mind. Most of the torment, tension, and trials stem from our thoughts. Thoughts that aren't necessarily grounded in reality. How do we find peace? How do we find creativity? How do we sustain ourselves in this

If You Wait Until You're Ready, You'll Never Start.

Apr 8th, 2020 36m 59s

So many people that I speak with say they are so excited to present their ideas to the world, and they will start as soon as they have a few more things in order. Then they proceed to present a list that is so long and detailed that I know it w

Getting the Most Out of Your Practice Requires More Than Just Drumming

Mar 31st, 2020 22m 38s

Most drummers I recently surveyed said they didn't have a clear, concise, and organized practice routine. They also said that when they are in the practice room they have a hard time staying focused and concentration. We need to look at practi

DrumeoGab's Seamus Evely

Mar 24th, 2020 1h 22m

Seamus Evely is one of the most driven, hard-working, passionate, selfless dudes on the planet. He follows his heart and gives 100% to his endeavors. I was able to have Seamus speak to a virtual room full of drummers and other instrumentalists

5 Tips for Making the Most during "Social Distancing"

Mar 17th, 2020 1h 7m

We have all been hit with quite a blow. And when I say all, I mean the entire planet. Musicians are out of work. Schools are closed. Restaurants and bars are closed in many places around the country. Grocery stores are empty in preparation for

Dealing With Stress From a Mental Perspective

Mar 10th, 2020 54m 12s

We all get stressed about things. Especially things that are last minute, or just around the corner from happening. One great way to deal with stress is to be prepared for whatever it is you are about to do. But not all preparation is created

A Different Perspective for Creating Phrasing & Fills

Mar 4th, 2020 26m 41s

I have been creating and playing games with students for over 20 years, and this particular one has been a huge hit regardless of the level of the player. The best part of this game is its a blast to play it with another drummer. I call the

The Zen of Drumming: Everything is Practice

Feb 25th, 2020 43m 38s

Sometimes we get frustrated because all we do is practice and we really want to be playing gigs. Sometimes we are playing so many gigs that we don't have time to practice. Is there a middle ground? Can we figure out a way to benefit from everyt

FULL LESSON ON POLYMETERS

Feb 18th, 2020 36m 20s

In this episode, we look at the 1 to 8 to 1 polymetric time table as a hand warm-up, but then we add a couple of different foot ostinatos to crank up the coordination game a little. Please enjoy! DrumMantra Podcast was named "Top 10 Music Theo

Going Deeper With Josh Jones Part 1

Feb 10th, 2020 1h 26m

Principal Percussionist of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Josh Jones, was trained from an early age to be one of the greatest percussionists in the world. He is a dedicated practitioner and an extremely thoughtful, intentional musician. W

Ep. 65 FULL LESSON. YYZ: Groove Meditation in 5/4 Part 2.

Feb 4th, 2020 34m 8s

In part 2 of this series on the rhythm of the Toronto Airport, more commonly known as YYZ (and more popularly known as the intro to the iconic tune from Rush's Moving Pictures album, also called YYZ.) I hope you enjoy my tribute to Mr. Neil Pea

Ep. 64 YYZ: A Groove Meditation in Five. Part 1

Jan 28th, 2020 31m 9s

In honor of the great Neil Peart, I present to you Part 1 of a two-part series of coordination based on the iconic intro to the famed song, YYZ by Rush (which happens to be the Morse Code for the Toronto Airport!). DrumMantra Podcast was named

Ep. 61. YYZ: A Groove Meditation in 5 (Introduction)

Jan 21st, 2020 33m 24s

In honor of the great Neil Peart, I put together a lesson pack that is based on the intro to Rush's epic song, YYZ, from their album Moving Pictures. The rhythm to the intro is morse code for the Toronto Airport. Please pardon the unexpected em

Ep. 62 FULL LESSON with MARK WALKER!

Jan 14th, 2020 1h 9m

The great Mark Walker visited DrumMantra Studios for a podcast interview and when I asked him for three grooves everyone should know, we filmed and recorded an impromptu drum lesson. Enjoy Mark as he demonstrates & explains a ton of great info

Ep. 61 Water, Glasses, and Rituals

Jan 7th, 2020 30m 43s

In this episode, I discuss my takeaways from the time I spent with Mark Walker last week. I take a look at what it's like to marvel at another's playing up close, what it feels like to be intimidated by it, and what I am doing to find common gr

Ep. 60 Going Deeper With Mark Walker

Dec 31st, 2019 1h 21m

One of the greatest drummers in the world stopped by DrumMantra studios during a visit to Chicago. What started out as an afternoon podcast recording turned into an epic 4-day hang. Here is some of the footage from that hang & conversation.