Drum Lessons Online

Welcome to GrooveisKing.com.  My name is Ashley Appling, and I just wanted to give you a little background about myself.  I am an accomplished musician of 18 years in the professional music industry.  I play drums, programs drums, and sing background vocals.  Whether it’s live, or in the studio, I can’t think of another place I’d rather be, or another thing I would rather be doing than making music.

I started drumming because I loved the way the drums sounded inside the music.  At 6 years old, I was playing in my local church.  At the age of 9, I had recorded my first record with a southern gospel group.  Wow, that was a long time ago!  It was a vivid moment, at the age of 14, when I decided I wanted to play drums for a living.  I saw a drummer named Chris McHugh playing, and felt the music hit me in the chest.  What struck me though, was how good it felt.  It had so much emotion and expression.  I knew right then that playing the drums would no longer be a hobby for me.

Since that time I have had the fortunate opportunity to play in many different venues, with many different artists.  I have learned valuable insights from all of them.  These concepts and skills I have learned over the years are what I have compiled together, and formed into, the Groove Is King Professional Drum Training System.

There have been many influences on my drumming over the years.  Here is a list, just to give you an idea of who a few of them are:

• Vinnie Colaiuta
• Steve Gadd
• Jon Bonham
• Jeff Porcaro
• Steve Jordan
• Chris McHugh
• Scott Meeder
• Dave Weckl
• JoJo Mayer

Obviously, I have listened to and admired many other great drummers throughout my life.  All of them have helped me form and create my vocabulary on the drums in some way or another.

Playing the drums to me is an art form though.  As a drummer, there are countless hours spent sharpening and honing our craft, to get it to the point where it becomes effortless and natural.  As far as my goal as a drummer, I haven’t arrived there yet.  I am constantly learning and evolving in my playing.  I love to watch, listen to, and learn from other drummers that have the focus I think is the most important thing in being a professional “working” drummer.  That focus is that they create drum parts and drum fills with the song in mind.  That is the goal I want to help you accomplish through this training system.  I want to give you the insights, concepts, and techniques that I have found to be most useful in the world of a professional working drummer.

If I had to admit one of my character flaws, it is that I am a perfectionist.  It’s good and bad.  The bad is I never actually live up to my own personal critique.  The good is, the quality of what I do isn’t measured by anyone, but by my own standards.  That is something that I feel you will benefit from by subscribing to this training system.  I want everything that is captured and presented, to be done with utmost quality, and with the end result in mind.  Helping you become your best!

All the video content is shot in High Definition.  It is recorded on a Professional Pro Tools HD system, with top of the line outboard gear so that it will sound great.  It is edited with meticulous detail so that your viewing environment is educational as well as enjoyable.  Hours of time are spent making sure the material is produced and developed in a way that will give you the most benefit possible.

My desire in creating www.GrooveisKing.com is to provide access to an online community, where the knowledge myself and the other professionals I know, is made available to, and provides you with, every opportunity to help you become the best drummer you possibly can.  I get excited knowing that through my experiences and the things I’ve learned, that something I say or something you watch will be able to help you reach your full potential as a drummer, and more importantly your dreams.

So, I hope you decide to join a community of drummers who have their aim set on becoming the best they can be, and reaching their dreams as a drummer.  I’ll do everything I can to give you the tools, and resources you need to get there.  The rest is up to you.  So go sign up now!!

Ashley Appling