Billy Ward Lessons?

[Buzz Roll]

If $100 seems ridiculous, buy the DVD, and if possible see him play live with a band. DEFINITELY see him play live with a band.


The $100 WILL allow Billy to see specifically what you're doing wrong.

[PocketPlayer]

In defense of Billy, I do not know what the going rate really is. Billy is a deep guy and has a lot of integrity. His lesson is solely 1:1 and he gives it his all to understand each individual student. I always here guys say, ?Hey, I can get two DVD?s for the price of one lesson.? You?re right you can. And a video or DVD is NOT a drum lesson. Anyone who teaches knows the difference. If you want tips & tricks?hey there are a lot of videos and DVD?s out there for that...right?

You go to a lesson for the 1:1 thing. Keep in mind Billy lives in NYC and it ain?t cheap living there. I think he shelled out a lot of his own coin for his DVD BigTime. Also, his fee during clinics might be to weed out those seeking a ?sliding scale??he only has so much time & energy. Unlike Jim Chapin who can talk drums all day, not everyone is geared to that sort of thing. I think he does the private lessons as a favor to the shops sponsoring him. He can only do but a few a day and if you pay $100, you probably are serious about the time spent together.

Simply truth is this?too much? Well, no lesson. Want a lesson with him? Shell out the coin. Simply as that.

[cjbdrm]

Anyone who would charge that much is factoring in the "celebrity" factor. You're not only paying for a lesson, but paying to be in their company. That's my impression. Of course, it may be a simple "supply/demand" thing.

Funny thing is, the drummer who would probably benefit the most from a lesson will be the one who can't afford it. We're musicians and not investment bankers...

[Lee Collins]

[quote]Originally posted by leonardface9:

When someone reaches the level of 'fame' Mr. Ward has, someone has to always try and bring them down. <font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ January 19, 2005 12:57 AM: Message edited by: leonardface9 ]</font></font>

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oh wait a sec, you mean steve holmes didn't create this site and forum in celebration of dave weckl and vinnie? He just created it to bring them down since they're famous right? Ah yeah, I see what you mean! But seriously, he made an opinion without being derrogatory.

For me, I think it would be worth spending that money for any great drummer that I admire, my only question is, how much do you actually get to learn in one hour? It'll be over before you know it.

[Kris Castillo]

The DVD IS a drum lesson, but with more information than in a private one hour lesson.

[Original Prankmonkey]

Originally posted by Steve Holmes:
Ward is insane to be charging that much.

Look. He has a DVD out with extensive info about his approach. Secondly and most importantly, it's not that I dont think he has anything to offer, but I do think that what makes Billy special can't be taught.
He's a fantastic player but I think the Ward hype outweighs the Ward.

This is another post where I think I'm being a dick but I am being honest. It's a conflict of interest sometimes.
Honesty VS Soical Discretion. ROUND ONE. FIGHT!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Howdy Mr. Holmes.

I see you think Mr. Ward is not worth $100.00 per hour. Well, just imagine yourself in his shoes. You are on a Clinic Tour, and any off time you have is precious. But the stores pressure you into doing 1 hour lessons. You would rather be reading, listening to music or recording music/tracks for much more money than $100.00 (very possible with today's Internet technology).

So I think $100.00 is a bargain indeed to take an hour out of the life of one of the great drummers of our era. Simply because he brings real thoughts, fears and the overall srangeness of what we do for either fun or a living, I think is what really bothers you.

Mr. Ward isn't everyones cup of tea. But I have learned and grown very much due to his MD articles. I'll gladly buy his DVD when I can afford it (BTW, he's still in debt from making that DVD), because he is about much more than technique. I wish you could see that.

When someone reaches the level of 'fame' Mr. Ward has, someone has to always try and bring them down. But Mr. Spagnardi knew a jewel when he saw one, and that's good enough for me. Mr. Spagnardi also knew Mr. Ward isn't just 'hype', he's one in a million (just like Poopypants over at the Evans Forum - the man is a monster and master of the drum kit).

Original Prankmonkey

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 19, 2005 12:57 AM: Message edited by: leonardface9 ]</font>

[Daniel LeClaire]

Originally posted by NJ-Kris:
The DVD IS a drum lesson, but with more information than in a private one hour lesson.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't get this whole "buy the dvd, it's just like taking a lesson" thing. It's not like you're going to go in and he's going to read the script from his dvd to you. DVD's are great and you can learn a lot from them but, the bottom line is, there is nothing like private one-on-one instruction from someone.

If you're worried about how much you might get from an hour lesson then plan ahead. Think about what you want to learn and try to relate it to that players specific skills. Most of these guys can give you a lifetimes worth of practice in an hour lesson.

[Coleslaw]

I'd have no hesitation paying $100 for a lesson with Billy. Someone already alluded to this, but I'll expound upon it....Billy's time is worth something too. You can't knock him for his rates if he can make at least as much doing something else, like a gig. He can determine what his time is worth and set his rate accordingly. If it isn't worth it to you, then don't pay, but it's asinine to criticize him for it.

As for me, I've corresponded with Billy on the forums as well as met him in person. He's a VERY cool person, awesome drummer, and I know without a doubt he can offer a lot in one lesson. It's routinely said that one lesson from him will last you a year. That's a great return on investment.

As for the "Ward" hype....you said it yourself, "He's a fantastic player..." There's no exaggeration in regards to his ability, humbleness, and contributions to the drumming community.

[FuseU1]

Right. DVD's can indeed contain "lessons," & also be a great lesson in & of themselves, but then again they may not necessarily be as indy private lessons per se, either.

Really [& I agree w Rudy], Holmes didn't criticize him in a despondent way, either:
//"it's not that I dont think he has anything to offer, but I do think that what makes Billy special can't be taught.
He's a fantastic player but I think the Ward hype outweighs the Ward"//

Honest & forthright. No criticism. In fact, it was a compliment basically, except for maybe the last sentence, which wasn;t a slam, just an opin.

Agreed, Ward is a fine player [& Stv also gave him that]. He can charge whatever $ he wants. It's his right. No problem, capitalism at its best.

I, however, also have the right to say I would never pay that amount to anyone for just a 1 hr lesson. Prob not even VC, VD, or DW [altho sometimes a cat will go overtime]. It's just not rational, but if you have the name & can back it up, well...more power to ya. But I won't be there. $25 - yes. $50 - MAYBE. I can think of 100 other way more important things to do w that amt of $ [as little or as large as that sum may be, depending upon your perception, AWA financial disposition [img]wink.gif[/img] ].

Besides, I can log on here & occasionally hear plenty of cosmic guru mantra enlightenment anyway... [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I'm w Holmes on this one. But if Ward can get it, more power to him! [Then he can join the ranks of some of the more popular TV evangelists AW!] J/K !! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

But I do agree that charging that price will prob weed out a lot of BS...or more accurately perhaps, make putting up w some of it worth more his while... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

*Ding ding ding!* [This round over...round 2 begins]...where's the nice lady walking the perimeter with the numbered sign?! ;c)

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 25, 2005 02:03 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>

[Dazzler]

Interesting points one and all... oh by the way, a big HELLO to the new contributors to the board. Did I see posts: 1 on a couple?!

As for Billy, I have the DVD and it's very useful indeed. He's a gifted drummer and musician with a really deep understanding of groove, tempo and feel. It's refreshing to see a drummer that really and truly cares about every note he plays, as he says on his DVD "you have to love all the notes and the spaces between them". It's great to watch him play the drums with shakers and funny beaded sticks and bending and manipulating the kit to get weird and wonderful tones. I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually pick up the snare drum and shake it as part of a rhythm!!

So the debate; I won't mention any names, but I have studied with two of the top drum educators in England and only a few years ago, one of them charged ?30 or $55 back in 1998. I don't know if his rates are still the same, I doubt it. Anyway, regardless of the price, having seen his clinic on the Modern Drummer DVD with Vinnie and having watched his DVD, I have come to the conclusion that he isn't re-inventing the wheel here. He isn't letting us into some mystical secrets that we have never heard before. For example, he spends a good 10 minutes labouring the point about clicking 'the tiny notes' in between the beats and singing them. He then goes into length about how he mechanically uses his leg and heels to mark the notes between the beats when all he could have said was "SING AND THINK OF THE SUBDIVISIONS!!!"

I agree that he is a fantastic player and one that frankly is a breath of fresh air, compared to the Langs of this world (EASY TIGER!!! [img]wink.gif[/img] ) but let's not get carried away, this forum is (generally!!) inhabited by bright, perceptive and caring musicians that study, practice and are passionate obout drumming and there's really nothing that he says that hasn't been discussed on here at one point or another. I would think that you will find an equally proficiant teacher at half the price. Think about it, you're paying $50 for the lesson and $50 for the name!

If anyone is planning on studying with him, my advice would be to first study his entire DVD at length and work through it maticulously as there's absolutely no point is spending money on a lesson if he's going to cover points that have already been raised on his DVD. Granted it will be a one to one lesson and there's no substitute for him actually seeing the way you look and play, but I personally feel that like going for a job interview or an audition with a band, you want to be fully clued up on the material before you enter the room. Any questions raised can therfor be as a result of having watched his DVD and wanting to delve deeper into his approach.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 24, 2005 08:43 PM: Message edited by: Dazzler ]</font>