We now have a selection of top quality drums and percussion for hire! Ideally suited to those in the East Midlands (Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, Leicester), our rental stock includes instruments that would benefit Orchestral and Concert percussionists looking to add professional quality instruments to their set up. 

Our Sonor KGL30 Glockenspiel, Tama Concert Snare Drum, Zildjian Suspended Cymbal etc are ideal for orchestral use, whilst our Premier Timbales and Pearl Folkloric Bongos will add a touch of latin flavour to your music! We also have a Gretsch USA Maple snare drum...add this to your drum kit for a recording session and add a classic American backbeat to your sound.

We also have a huge selection of toys and effects, from triangles to vibraslaps, shakers and cowbells etc.... Whatever you need please drop us a line. Our Hire prices are very reasonable considering the excellent quality instruments that we have for rental, and prices are listed either per day or per week.

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Id like to wish you all a very merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy new year!  See you in 2018

Its been a busy few months with a good influx of new students... some really great young talent appearing which is always nice to see. A few are now starting to work towards the Rockschool drumkit exams, a great way to measure progress and have a lot of fun in the process, drumming along to some really cool backing tracks! If any students fancy getting involved in this, please let me know. Don't forget that you can buy the Rockschool books by following this link.

Thanks too for those who have started to leave us Google reviews! These really do help with page rankings etc as well as being good for prospective students to read. If you have had lessons with us and are willing to write a sentence or two about the experience (good or bad....hopefully good!!) please go to google homepage and type "amber valley drum school" in the search box..... our info will come up and you just need to click on the review button.

Im working on some new video material, showcasing the fantastic Bill Sanders practice pads... these offer fantastic feel and are the pad of choice of most of the top UK military bands. For those who want to purchase these pads, please contact the Nottingham Drum and Guitar Centre on 0115 8414148. The store incidently has a new gift guide for drummers, just in time for Christmas..... please click the link below.

Drummers Christmas Gift Guide 2017

As i seem to often get asked about which drum tuition books I would recommend to students, I have now added an online Shop to the website. Whilst I am not selling the books myself, I have made it easy for you to see the range of recommended books and simply click and purchase from Amazon for home delivery.

The listed books are all titles that i use everyday, and I can highly recommend. Please visit the page and take a look for yourself... If you are a beginner or advanced player of drum kit, snare drum, or tuned percussion, theres a book here for you, as well as the complete Rockschool Drum Kit exam series.

​Please do get in touch if you are unsure and want a recommendation and I will do my best to guide you to the right book for you. However, all of these drum books are tried and tested, and will certainly help you in your drum and percussion studies.

​Looking for drum lessons in Nottingham city centre? We are now teaching at a drum tuition studio available right in the heart of the Nottingham, just a minutes walk from the Motorpoint Arena. Ideal for those travelling into town by bus or tram, and car parking is available in nearby pay and display car parks.
Tuition in Drum Kit and rudimental snare drumming is available at the Nottingham studio.
Limited spaces are available so please get in touch to find out times and availability..... Call 07817 127229 / 01773 715870

Im currently available for gigs, either long term or one-off deps in the Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire / East Midlands area. Whilst I'll consider most styles and events, Im ideally suited to musicals/theatre, function bands, or jazz groups. I read well, have transport, and great gear (both acoustic and electronic set ups plus various percussion). I also hold MU Membership and Public Liability insurance.

If you need a drummer / percussionist for a show, gigs, or deps, please drop me a line at info@ambervalleydrumschool.co.uk

Well its that time of year where we start to look forward to a new year and all the hope and expectations that can bring... For many of us, its a time to think about doing something that we've always wanted to do (usually for me it involves buying a very short lived gym membership!!)...

For many however, learning to play a musical instrument is high on the wish list...and the biggest age group at the moment that i find wanting to learn drums is 30 to 50 years old. So if you always fancied playing the drums but never got around to it, then now is the time to make a start! You are never to old, and i have had people start lessons in their 60s and 70s.... I absolutely love to see people reach their musical goals, especially when they have waited so long for it to happen.

So, what are you waiting for? Give me a call and lets get drumming in 2017! Before long you'll be drumming along to backing tracks, hopefully with a big smile on your face! Our main teaching studio is based in Aldercar, just off the A610 so within very easy reach of Nottingham, Derby, Ripley, Heanor, Eastwood, Ilkeston etc.  Our drum lessons are relaxed and friendly, and I have over 25 years drum teaching experience, from ages 7 to 70 plus!

Not sure drummings for you? No problem, just book a one off taster lesson and see how you go.... it could turn out to be a whole new beginning.....

If you fancy an informal chat regarding drum tuition please feel free to call me on 01773 71580

Well its almost that time of year once again.....Ive just started to get to grips with my Christmas shopping....never an easy task for a man! Its also around this time that many of you ask me about Christmas present ideas for those taking drum lessons.

Firstly, I must add that this year I can now offer drum lesson gift vouchers.... these are available for both half hour or hour lessons and can be for however many lessons you decide. Buy one for a gift and the recipient then just needs to drop me a line after Christmas and arrange a suitable time and date to start. Please call or email me for further details 01773 715870..


Secondly, for those looking to buy drumsticks, practice pads, drum kits etc, and looking for advice and recommendations.....I am always happy to give my opinion so please feel free to call me and i will try and help you find the right product. I have a slight bias but there is only one shop that i recommend to buy from, and that is Nottingham Drum and Guitar Centre in Nottinghams city centre. They are without a doubt the best drum shop in Nottingham and further afield and will offer expert advice and a friendly service to beginners and pro's alike. You can shop online on their website  www.drumandguitar.co.uk or call into their massive store and have a browse. To make things a little easier, they have added a Drummers Christmas gift guide to the website which features a few best selling products. So if you are looking for something for the drummer in your life, give these guys a shout.

So, maybe you've been having drum lessons for a little while, and you've really caught the drumming bug! Next stage is to get a set of drums so you can practice at home... this is where you will really start to make progress, as practicing between drum lessons will result in rapid progress. For todays post, I will just concentrate on acoustic drumsets, as I've mentioned electronic kits in an earlier post..

There are so many drumkits on the market nowdays that it can be a bit of a confusing minefield for the beginner. If you have a good drum teacher, you could ask them for a bit of guidance, and hopefully reading this this article will put you on the right path.

Firstly, I would definitely suggest buying a kit made by a named brand.... there are many cheaper kits out there that get imported from China..they are fine until you need a spare part etc and then its difficult to track them down. Buy a kit from a company such as Mapex, Pearl etc and you know you will get backup if and when you need it. The starter drum set that I usually recommend is the Mapex Tornado, a well made kit that comes in at under £300 and comes with pretty much all you need to get drumming. Like most of the kits at this price, the tornado is a 5 piece drum set comprising of 5 drums (bass drum, snare drum, 3x tom toms) plus a set of fairly sturdy hardware, a crash cymbal and a pair of hihats...theres even a stool and a set of drumsticks! So, once you get this out of the box, theres a little bit of assembly to do, putting on a few drum heads and tuning... if you arent confident about this, drum stores such as Nottingham Drum Centre offer a build service for a small fee... then you can be sure that your kit has been built correctly, checked and tuned. Then its just a case of finding a corner of your house, putting the drums into position, and then having a good bash... might be worth warning your neighbours in advance (flowers/chocolate/wine often helps here!!).

Noise isnt usually a problem...no-one drumming at home should be hitting the drums so hard as if they are playing to a full house at wembley stadium, so hopefully neighbours wont have an issue. If however the volume does cause difficulties, you can buy Silencer Pads, neoprene rubber mats that come in sets and simply sit over the drums and cymbals, reducing the volume massively yet still retaining the feel of the drums etc.  

So you are now all set up and ready to go.....do you need anything else?? Initially no, but in time you may want to add another cymbal, ideally a 20" ride and stand. By this point you will have an industry standard 5 piece drumkit, complete with all the drums and cymbals you would need. Such a set up would be more than adequate for a few gigs, as well as seeing you through your drum exams etc.

There are other options of course...slightly more expensive kits, but here Im trying to show you how to get started on a minimum outlay. The other option of course is the secondhand market via ebay etc... Yes, there are some bargains to be had, but be a little wary especially if you are new to all this. You need to ensure that the kit is in full working order and does in fact come with all the relevant bits...Ive known many people buy such kits on ebay only to discover for example that it didnt have a bass drum pedal and stool, or that the drum heads (skins) were very beaten up and needed replacing. In cases like these, what looked like a bargain soon becomes a bit more expensive, so be careful!

​Should you have any questions on this post please feel free to post a comment and i'll get straight back to you! Thanks for reading!