Grown-up rock drumming lessons in Portland, built around the songs you actually want to play.
$50 per session. No contracts. Fill out the form below.
Got questions first? Email Steve.
Here's the thing most lessons miss: there are a handful of core techniques that unlock stupid amounts of progress. Once they click, songs that felt impossible suddenly fall into your hands. That's what we hunt for. No slogging through method books one page at a time.
Bring the tracks you love. Every lesson is built around those, not a method book you'll never open again.
We break songs down into simple grooves and fills, then build them back up at whatever pace feels right.
Practice on a full kit, and walk out with a plan you can actually use at home until next time.
Steve · PortlandI started playing drums at 14, but reached a plateau in my playing after playing for 4 years...
I loved playing drums but frustration was causing me not to have fun anymore. I hit a wall. The kind of plateau where you practice and practice and nothing moves. So I did what a lot of people do: I quit. For years.
THEN I CAME BACK! DETERMINED TO BREAK THROUGH.
In my 20s I got even more into music which had me revisiting my drum set. That's when I stumbled onto a couple of techniques I'd never heard anyone teach. They completely unlocked my playing within a year. Suddenly I could actually express what was in my head and play almost anything, to almost any kind of music.
Those breakthroughs are exactly what I teach now, so you skip the plateau I wasted years stuck on.
// 25+ years behind the kit · still chasing the next unlock
No kids program. No recitals. No pressure.
Just you, a kit, and the songs stuck in your head. Whether you've never held a stick or you're knocking the rust off a decade later, you're in the right place.
// your call. we build the list around what you love
A relaxed-hand approach that builds blazing single-stroke speed. Get machine-gun fast chops without burning your arms out.
An old-school move most teachers skip. Soloing around the kit suddenly feels easy, and your fills stop sounding stuck.
Bass-drum footwork that flips between singles and doubles on the fly. Your kick foot finally keeps up with your hands.
Real releases I tracked drums for. Hit play. This isn't theory.
The same unlocks I teach are what let me track these:
One-on-one · drums provided
$50 / hr
One sliding-scale spot is always open. If lessons feel out of reach, just email me.
$50 for a 45 to 60 minute one-on-one session. Pay as you go, no packages or contracts to sign.
I always keep one sliding-scale spot open. If you're excited about lessons but $50 a week is too much right now, email me and we'll figure something out.
Nope. There's a full kit waiting at the studio. We'll also sort out cheap, quiet ways to practice at home between lessons.
Absolutely. Plenty of students show up having never held a stick. By the end of lesson one, you'll be playing a real groove.
Most people don't plateau because they're lazy. They plateau because nobody showed them the handful of techniques that actually move the needle. I wasted years stuck there. You don't have to. We zero in on the unlocks first, and everything you want to play opens up behind them.
Fill this out and I'll get back to you within a day to set up a time. First lesson, returning drummer, total beginner: all welcome.
No payment now. We'll lock in a time over email, then you pay $50 in person at the lesson (cash, Venmo, card). I reply within 24 hours.
I always keep one sliding-scale spot open. If you're excited but $50 is tough right now, just email me and we'll figure it out. No awkwardness.