Mike Michalkow Drumming System Review

MIKE MICHALKOW DRUMMING SYSTEM PROS:
- Covers an enormous variety of drumming topics including technique, drum rudiments, and musical application
- Useful for everyone from the beginning to advanced drummer
- Includes examples applicable to a variety of musical styles including rock, country, metal, progressive, jazz, funk, Latin, and more
- Tons of information: 20 DVD’s (30 hours of video), 15 audio CD’s, and 5 workbooks
- Well-presented videos that explain clearly all aspects of drumming
- Special discounted price of $197.00 for my readers

MIKE MICHALKOW DRUMMING SYSTEM CONS:
- Relatively expensive initial investment

MIKE MICHALKOW DRUMMING SYSTEM REVIEW:
Now that I’ve been using Mike Michalkow’s Drumming System for awhile, I thought I’d post a review of it for you to check out. Since I’m a beginning drummer and am basically using this system to learn to play at home, I figured it would be useful to other beginners who perhaps are thinking about ordering the system and are wondering what it’s like. Or, even experienced drummers might be interested in what the Drumming System includes and how it works.

First off, you receive a ton of stuff. Included in the Complete Drumming System are 20 DVD’s (30 hours of material), 15 audio CD’s, and 5 workbooks. Essentially the system presents a gigantic encyclopedia of drumming knowledge including topics like: playing the drums by ear, practicing efficiently, drum theory and notation, hand and foot technique, drum setup and tuning, drum fills, drum rudiments, live gigging and studio drumming, drum soloing, odd meters, and more. There are also DVD’s focusing on specific genres of music like rock, jazz, latin, metal, progressive (yay!), country funk, etc. so, if you want to, you can become well-versed in many different styles.

The way they have things setup, you can choose to either start at the beginning and progress through the system or, if you’re already experienced on the drums, you pick a subject that you need help on or want to work on and just dive into that. For me, or any beginner, I’d advise starting from the beginning. You’ll be shown how to setup and tune your drums (although I skipped this since I’m using an electronic kit) and how to properly hold the sticks. Then you’ll get into basic beats, hand and foot technique, and off you go. I thought the instructional videos on the DVD are presented very well and they’re easy to follow. Also, it sounds cliche, but Mike also makes learning fun. For instance, when learning the 40 drum rudiments, Mike plays the rudiment first on its own, then in a beat context, and then in a fill context. What I like about this as a musician who has played guitar for 20 years is that you are immediately applying what you learned in a musical way. You’re not just learning these sterile rudiments and leaving it at that.

Another thing I’m enjoying are the Mike Michalkow Drumming System play-along CD’s. These contain 100 songs you can jam along with. They have one that features the tracks with the drums removed and another that still has the drums removed but has a metronome beat over all the tracks. They provide sheet music for these songs and also provide DVD’s where you can watch Mike play the songs with a full band and with a split screen on his drums so you can check out what he’s doing from all angles.

Lastly, there’s a really cool feature called the Practice Generator. I’m kind of a practice nut (I got that from my years on the guitar) and I love anything that can make my practice time more efficient and focused. The Practice Generator basically allows you to customize a practice routine for yourself each and every time you sit down to play based on how much time you have to practice (20, 40, 60+ minutes) and how often (daily, 5 times a week, etc.). Using the generator, you’ll be given some topics to practice and how long you should spend on each. It’s great.

BOTTOM LINE:
Having used Mike Michalkow’s Drumming System for awhile now, it really seems like they’ve thought of everything. Nearly any drumming topic you can think of covered from a beginner to an advance level and you get a great combination of technique based lessons along with musical applications, lessons on a wide variety of musical styles, and even advice on gigging and studio work. Plus, I’ve visted their website and they have a great forum that allows you to interact with other users of the Drumming System. Comparing the cost of this system and the cost of private drum lessons, this system actually is a great deal. I’ve also secured a special discounted price of $197.00 for my readers (the regular price is $247.00). I’m looking forward to progressing throughout the DVD’s, CD’s and workbooks; it’s like having a pro drum instructor in your own home! Please note, If you make a purchase through a link on this website, I may receive a commission. I recommend that you do your own independent research before purchasing anything. Overall, I’ve been thrilled with the drum system though!