Many drummers experience difficulty in reading drum notation and/or improvising freely. This is a very common issue with in most cases a very easy solution. This is why we have developed a system called PiT. Drummers who study with this system will no longer suffer from either of these.

1. What is PiT?

PiT stands for Put it Together. Here you will learn how to combine parts G(rooves), F(ills), T(ips) and E(xercises). We then finish the job by playing this along to a loop in part M(IDI).

The PiT sections consist of two parts:

A. Classical - You read exactly what to play.
B. Improvised - You learn how to make our own version of what you’ve practiced in this specific lesson.

2. Where did PiT come from

The idea to integrate a PiT section into the drum lessons stems from music more or less being defined by two separate categories:

1. Orchestral (Classical) Music - A composer clearly writes down all the notes to be played for a specific piece of music. He or she also adds comments on how it is intended to be played. All of this is interpreted by a conductor who instructs the orchestra. Then the musicians in the orchestra who have practiced their specific part individually rehearse this interpretation together as an orchestra to a near perfect execution. This is all about reading music, interpreting the written music and a near perfect execution.

2. Improvised (Jazz) Music - Musicians come together either with or without a specific musical idea in mind and start to build on this together. The idea is to listen to an idea and see what comes to mind on how to build on this. This can be done with other musicians, but as musicians we should also learn how to do this on our own.

3. Why should every drummer use PiT?

Literally every drummer should use PiT or already has integrated this into his or her playing. Quite simply because all music and drumming is based on one of the two PiT sections or a combination thereof.

It's probably never too early to start thinking like this.

But it's certainly never too late to start thinking like this!

4. Which drummers could benefit from PiT

You can benefit from using our PiT sections if you experience one of the following:

1. Difficulty reading drum notation
2. Not sure what to play when you want to improvise
3. Going in and out of grooves or musical sections via fills presents a problem
4. Too little confidence to go on stage to play (jam sessions) with other musicians
5. Not enough experience to benefit greatly from online drum lessons

5. Which styles of music do the PiT work for

The PiT sections have nothing to do with style or musical preference. These are designed to work with any kind of music and all sorts of rhythm.

6. Which level of experience do I need to have in order to benefit from PiT

I would say anywhere from beginner to advanced. The beauty of it all is that once this system is integrated you will have transformed into a much more experienced player.

Everything you learn from then on is automatically integrated in either the classical approach or into the improvisational vocabulary.

7. Which are the main goals of PiT

There are two main goals of PiT.

1. Overcome fear of reading music as soon as possible.
2. The main goal of the improvisation part is to get you to a level of confidence to play with other musicians as soon as possible.

All the technical facility in the world isn't gonna do you much good if you don't have the confidence to use it.

Confidence doesn’t come from having great technique. True confidence comes from knowing how, when and why to use it.

8. Ingredients for a good PiT exercise workout

By integrating PiT sections into your practice routines you’ll be embedding many Categories Of Rhythmic Elements (CORE):

1. Tempo - Learn how to keep good time
2. Form - Learn how to play 4-bar phrases and learn how to go in and out of grooves and fills
3. Orchestration - Learn how to use your entire drum set
4. Balance - Learn how to maintain good posture and balance while playing different things
5. Rhythmic Melody - Learn the importance of remembering the melody of a groove
6. Counting - Learn exactly how to count and therefore feel what you’re playing

The list goes on and on to complete all 24 CORE subjects.

And the best part? It won’t even feel like practicing... because this is much more about playing.

Ready to give it a try?

You can sign up here for free. Sure it’ll just be the first paragraph which may be a bit easy for you if you’ve been playing for a while. But you’ll get a sense of what PiT can do for your playing. And that just the beginning.