Jojo Mayer - Secret Weapons For The Modern Drummer (2 DVD) (2007)

Jojo's skill on the drum kit is extraordinary and it is a real pleasure to have the opportunity to watch a master at work. The quality of Jojo's instruction is also difficult to fault. Each technique is meticulously described and filmed in both slow motion and full speed from different angles and with helpful graphic aids. Jojo avoids complex terminology, and yet manages to convey quite difficult techniques - even for someone of no drumming experience, the course is easy to understand. He then gives you practice exercises, so you don't just learn the techniques in isolation but can begin to integrate them into your playing.

The subtitle of the DVD is 'A guide to hand technique', and this is an honest description. It is not, and does not claim to be, an exhaustive library of every technique, pattern and style available to players of the drums. It doesn't come with music books, as many of the other programs here do, so you will need to look for some of your own music to try out the different techniques on a real track. Nor is it going to turn an absolute beginner into an expert on its own. If you buy this DVD, it should make up a part of a bigger program. It is perfect for experienced drummers who want to brush up on their hand technique, players coming back to the drums after some time who want to refresh their playing, and beginners who want detailed explanations of the techniques as they pick them up.

The real strength of this sort of program is that it forces you to learn (or re-learn) techniques in a way that avoids the mistakes the self-taught musician often picks up. However, it needs to be remembered that every musician is different, and no instruction course should be treated as gospel. That having been said, seeing the details of technique put into practice by a true professional proves that they work in a way that books, CDs and online courses rarely can. If it works for Jojo, it is probably going to work for you!