Drumtech was recently honoured to have top US session drummer, teacher and overall cool guy Pat Petrillo come and perform an amazing master class for everyone at Drumtech. Having performed with many great musicians such as Gloria Gaynor, Patti LaBelle and Glen Burtnik, Pat was able to share a wealth of information and stories from his career.

With a room packed to capacity and also being the final master class of the year, Pat kicked off what was to be an extraordinary master class. To warm up the audience, Pat showcased some of his superb playing skills with a very exiting and interesting drum solo. Instantly, everyone could appreciate the skill and musical ability of his playing with funky grooves, technical abilities and creativity.

Into the master class, Pat managed to get some volunteers to come and up play some things for him on the kit. He would play a track without drums and get them to play what they think feels right for the song. After this and throughout, he gave feedback and encouragement to help the person achieve the best idea. This was great as it gave not just them, but everyone else a better understanding of what is suitable and what is not for a track. Pat then showed us what he originally played on those tracks which gave us another understanding about what works well with some tracks.

The master class did not just focus on playing as Pat spent some time talking about many other things music world. He spoke about things such as preparation, being on time, listening to instructions and having an overall professional attitude. Pat spoke about auditions where he was the only person on time and that drummers for serious gigs had not prepared or learnt the songs prior to an audition.

Overall this was a superb master class, and a brilliant final master class for the students of Drumtech. I definitely hope to see another one of Pat’s master classes, and so does everyone at Drumtech.