Lessons with Weckl

[leedavies22]

Im considering having a 2 Hour lesson with Weckl when he visits the UK.
has anyone here had lessons with him?
As obviously he's pretty expensive how did you find the lessons with him...Were they Constructive? or just a chops fest...

Any comments would be highly appreciated.

[XNavyDrummer]

Weckl is great teacher. In the lessons that I've had with him, he's shown me how to build a much stronger foundation for my playing. It's been a lot of work to go through his material (not to mention, humbling and frustrating), but ultimately the pay off has been more than worth it!

Before your lesson, I'd study his "How to develop technique" and "How to practice" videos. Try to work out some of that stuff and get his feedback on it during the lesson.

Good luck!

[Nikk]

I think Weckl's like 200 bones an hour or something, right Navy? Damn, that's a lot. You could prolly get the same instruction from his video or Morello's video, "A Natural Approach to Technique"

[mja61]

I took private lessons (one each) with Carl Allen ($75/hour) and Virgil ($150/hour). I have mixed feelings about the experience. Basically, the constructive aspect of the lessons was that they inspired me to become more serious about practicing, which was probably my weakest point (but I'm improving!). Both were able to make my weaknesses painfully obvious by forcing me outside my comfort zone, which was a humbling but valuable learning experience. Great players don't necessarily make great teachers, but Carl is a talented teacher.

On the other hand I did not really learn anything that I could not have learned by checking out instructional books (both old and new) and listening to music and watching videos. There were no profound recommendations or secrets revealed. In essence, they both just told me to practice more!

I think Andy makes a great point that the lessons might not be worthwhile unless you are really prepared for it. I personally would not take another "high-profile" lesson unless I really did my homework and prepared for it. One exception is Mike Mangini. I think his rates are much lower, but more importantly, he has really interesting ideas about the physics and physiology of drumming. In other words, he seems like he can give you concrete suggestions, similar to what you would expect from a golf or tennis lesson. Most of all, he seems to have a great attitude toward teaching and really wants his students to get something out of the clinics and lessons.

[McKenzie]

Wow some of those rates are pretty steep. The negative side to me is how much do you actually get out of one hour at $75 to $200 an hour. I took lessons in college and was real fortunate that most of the fee was covered by the school. It would be an experience to have an upscale lesson but again what do you get in that short of time other than your tail kicked and maybe a new appreciation for practice.

Digital

[XNavyDrummer]

Nikk, the lessons are definitely not cheap. But, I think they're worth the money. The lessons are much more than just seeing a live version of what you'd see on a $24 video. The best part is actually getting the instant feedback on what you're doing. We see ourselves and our playing one way...and a highly skilled master of the art may see what we're doing very differently. I wanted to get his perspective on what I was trying to do with the instrument. And you can't get that from a video.

When I saw Vinnie at PASIC many years ago, right after that gig he said in an interview that he wanted to find a teacher who would take the time to analyze his technique. He really wanted another perspective on what he was doing.

[leedavies22]

I just got a response from Dave about Lessons....$150 an hour (?94) which seems not TOO bad.
Im definately going to give it a whirl.

You guys that have had lessons would you say 2 hours would suffice or 3 ??

[Dazzler]

Lee, when having 'one off' lessons with any teacher I would say the most important thing is to BE PREPARED. By that I mean have a good think before hand and make a note of all the topics/points that you want to work on. Don't just go in there with a "teach me" attitude and busk the lesson, that way you'll get the most out of it. Whenever I have one off lessons, it is always with a specific point/goal in mind.

I would strongly advise you (and I would think that you'll have to ask Dave if he's ok with it) to record the lesson so you can go back, listen, digest and write down all the things that were covered.

Finally, I would think that 2 hours would be more than enough time. You'll get a lot of stuff covered in that time and you'll be able to digest it better. I would personally think that taking a 3 hour lesson would be a little too long, especially if he doesn't want you to record it as you'll have so much stuff to remember, but it's up to you of course.

Good luck and let us know of any hot tips that you got!!

[ladanny]

With any master class type lesson, the best thing I've found is if you video tape the class. Typically, I've found 1 hr lesson returns about 1 month worth of practice. So, I'm sure a 2 hour lesson will give you PLENTY to keep you busy.

Have fun!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 14, 2003 01:59 PM: Message edited by: ladanny ]</font>

[mja61]

I think Dazzler hit it right on the nose. Be prepared, do your homework, have specific questions, etc. My experience has been that if you just go in cold and say, "Well just tell me what you think," it's going to be a train wreck. I'm not sure a lesson substitutes for practice time, but it sure can get you motivated to practice! Hope it goes well.

PS - If you get a chance, ask Dave how in the world he is able to hang on to his new signature stick with that varnish coat on it. I bought a dozen pair a while ago (because I liked the way it rebounded, and because Weckl's name was on them), but I immediately found that they just slip right out of my hands. Tell him I've got about 11 pair left if he wants them!!