Certain video's/dvd's are bad starts for any beginning drummer. I was taking lessons for 3 years before I bought one but the one I bought I want to complain about so that other's won't share in any wasted money or potential.

Dave Wreckl's "Back to the Basics"

This video is bad news. Being that it is aimed at beginning players, this type of video should exclude any personal bias towards on how to play, while offering the wide spectrum of different techniques. This video does neither. I actually think that this video confuse the most important issues any beginning drum player must know: steady tempo and doing what feels natural.

This video is separated into different sections, each seemingly with their own problems. I will try to recall the sections and explain the largest errors.

1. Hand control: Although some of his techniques are helpful, Wreckl completely neglects to inform about the German grip, the grip that I and many many other's prefer using (Buddy Rich for example). Also, there is to much emphasis on finger control and not enough on controlling anything else. What about the hand and arm?

2. Foot control: He has a personal bias against heel down, once again a technique used by many (including Buddy Rich), and ONLY SHOWS YOU how to play with heel up. Every player should know how to do both, but a beginning player needs to understand the concept of weight balance between is butt and two feet and having one foot up isn't the best start. Heel down is known for offering more control and more balance.

3. Cymbal Placement: There is no overhead camera on the cymbals and you can only see the drum set and cymbals on profile; not the easiest way to learn. Also, the kit design that he decided to use confuses the issue because of the vast amount of cymbals he uses. Simply, a beginner needs to know how to place ONE ride and ONE crash.

4. The SOLOs: I hate, I mean really dispose what he has done here. Right after cymbal placement he says that he will play a "straight-ahead" beat--- and then he goes into the most unmelodious, ridiculous solo ever. No, not a beat, just a crazy solo. Nobody understands it... especially not a beginner... and some simple single beat or single measure solo's actually teach us something but what is this? Another show-off solo?

Oh... and another thing: his solo's are completely and utterly WITHOUT TEMPO! The first job a drummer has is keep tempo. What is he teaching us? No beginner can do an impromptu solo... can we get something with a time and a structure?

Overall, just a waste of time really. Not the worst and I wouldn't be so hard if I could just stop myself from thinking about all the crap that a beginning student would have to unlearn after watching this video. I wouldn't have wrote this review if it wasn't for them.