Live & Skype Lessons
- Live Interactive Private Lessons
Skype or In Person
Private lessons are offered as complete courses (12 sessions) or crash courses (6 sessions)
For more information about courses now available see list below.
You can take your interactive private sessions live on Skype from anywhere around the world or live at our Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA studio.
I How to get started with private lessons:
Step #1: Decide on either 6 or 12 lessons
Step #2: Purchase your Lessons
Take a look at the course list and see what interests you. If you are not sure what is best for you, then read the curriculum recommendation. The recommendations are at four different levels. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Professional level. After you decide what you want to learn, purchase your 6 or 12 sessions. After you purchase your lesson package you will automatically receive an email link for you to book your 6 or 12 sessions. Please read the policy letter before you select the dates and times for your sessions.
Step#3: Book your dates and times
Once you purchase your lesson pack, you will get an email from [email protected] explaining how to book your lessons. It is recommended that you book your lessons with in 24 hours from your purchase. The sooner you book your session, the more choices for dates and times you will have. Live sessions are offered on Saturdays from 8-9am and 11am to 6pm Boston time. Mondays and Tuesdays are available from 2:30- 4:30pm. It is important for you to indicate on each session if you will be taking your lesson either Live on Skype or at the studio.
Step #4: Email Your Course Choice
After you have purchased your lessons, and have booked the dates and times, please email Erika De Almeida [email protected] with the name of the course you are taking.
Step #5: Start your first lesson with Henrique on the date and times you selected.
Course List:
TDSC-Prep.1 College Audition Preparation and Performance
Want to pass the college audition, get scholarships? Ace the final exam and or jury? Henrique will teach you how to present any style they ask you to play with confidence!
Includes condensed, focused studies on: Styles - Jazz Swing in 4/4, Jazz Waltz, Basic Brushes-Ballad swing and Waltz, Bossa Nova, Samba, Mambo, Songo, Funk, Rock, Calypso, Soca, Reggae, New Orleans, Afro-Cuban 6/8 and other styles. Snare drum reading, drum set chart reading, rhythmic interpretation, soloing, trading 4’s, 8’s and 12 bar blues forms, as well as longer 32-bar song forms and much more.
TDSC-Prep.2 Time Management & Planning Coaching
Levels: Beginner-Intermediate- Advanced
This is the most important course if you are attending college at the moment, or you are preparing for college. If you are a professional drummer and are trying to get to the next level this will benefit you as well. Learn why, what and how to practice! Learn how to organize your practice. Select the right things to practice and develop a commutability system for success!
TDSC-001 Drum Set Basics Level 1
Levels: Beginner-Intermediate
This course covers a variety of essential topics: hand technique, intro to rudiments, intro to rudimental snare drum reading and orchestral snare reading.
You will gain strategies to improve time, tempo and subdivisions.
More topics include intro to chart reading and performance of songs in the following styles: Jazz, Rock, Funk, Bossa Nova, Soca, Mambo, Songo, Calypso, New Orleans Second Line, Jazz Ballad, Jazz Waltz, Samba.
TDSC-002 Drum Set Basics Level 2
Levels: Intermediate
This course is a continuation from Drum Set Basics Level 1.
Continued hand technique, intro to new rudiments, intermediate rudimental snare drum reading and orchestral snare reading.
Time, tempo and subdivisions. Intro to rhythmic interpretation, big band chart reading and performance of styles now containing solo sections and improvisation. Intro to basic odd meters: 3/4 , 5/4, 7/4, and 9/8.
TDSC-003 Drum Set Basics Level 3
Levels: Intermediate
This course is a continuation from Drum Set Basics Level 2.
Intro to advanced hand technique, intro to new rudiments, intro to advanced rudimental snare drum reading and orchestral snare reading.
Repertoire development. Student develop skills in preparing music for performance. Intro to stylistic coordination, and advanced rhythmic interpretation as it applies to time-keeping, fills and soloing. Advanced time, tempo and subdivisions exercises, focused listening and research of historical recording in a variety of styles.
TDSC-004 The Ultimate Hand Technique Workshop
Levels: Beginner-Intermediate- Advanced
This is arguably the most comprehensive hand technique course ever presented.
Henrique shares with the world what he learned personally and then developed from some of the greatest teachers who ever lived: Jim Chapin, Freddie Gruber, Alan Dawson, Gary Chaffee, John Ramsay. It covers the development of wrist, forearm and fingers as wells as rebounds and accents. Grip, fulcrum, hand positions, then it goes into well tested and proven-to-work exercises to develop: single stroke rolls, double stroke rolls, accents and rebounds, paradiddle combinations, stickings, the Moeller technique, push-pull techniques, finger control and much more. This is Henrique’s personal hand development studies that placed him as one of the most popular professors at the Berklee College of Music!
TDSC-005 The Ultimate Hand & Foot Technique Workshop
Levels: Beginner-Intermediate- Advanced
This course was originally designed to assist students who had difficulty every time they had to play a fill, create a solo or improvise on the drum set. Inspired by Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Joe Morello, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Steve Smith, Steve Gadd and Peter Erskine, among others, this course presents exercises that involves the coordination between the hands and feet. Some of the lessons will focus the attention to the development of strengthen the right foot with singles and doubles between the snare drum and bass drum. It will include in-depth studies of solo cells in duple feel and triple feel. This the real deal.The ideas presented here are used by some of the best drum set artist in the world.
TDSC-006 Pop/Rock Styles Grooves & Songs
Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Learn the most essential styles necessary to start working as a professional drummer.
This course will assist and provide student with the tools to get better at playing styles such as Swing Shuffles, Blues Shuffles, Pop/Rock Half-Time Shuffles, 12/8 Shuffles, Hip-Hop Shuffles, Double Bass Shuffles, Jazz Fusion Shuffles, 8th note Rock grooves, 16th note Rock grooves, Rock Power Ballads, Cross Stick grooves, New Orleans grooves, Funk grooves, Latin Influenced Rock grooves, Funk grooves, Country & Western essential grooves, Reggae grooves, Odd meter Pop/Rock grooves, and more! Learn styles and learn grooves as they apply to real songs.
TSDC- 007 Intro to Brushes
Levels: Beginner-Intermediate- Advanced
Learn basic brushes vocabulary that are simple yet effective and useful on the bandstand!
This is a great package that will serve well for college students that are planning to audition and/or perform a final exam requiring any brush playing.
Styles covered: Swing Jazz Ballad, Medium swing in 4/4, Medium up tempos in 4/4, Fast Tempos in 4/4, Jazz Waltz, Swing in 3/4 , Swing in 5/4, Bossa Nova, Samba, Baiao, Pop/Rock & Funk beats with Brushes, Solo Devices, Coordination Exercises.
TDSC-008 Snare Drum Techniques & Reading
Level: Beginner -Intermediate – Advanced
Learn rudimental and orchestral techniques to facilitate your orchestral and rudimental reading. Pass the audition, ace the final exam, teach better, play better, read rudimental solos, orchestral solos, and advanced snare studies.
TDSC- 009 Jazz Studies
Level: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced
Learn the foundation of the drum set. Jazz coordination, brushes, song forms, comping, fills, solos, trading 4’ trading 8’s, soloing over a 12 bar blues, solo over 32 bar form etc. songs, styles.
Learn about Rag-time, New Orleans rhythms, swing music, big band music, Be-Bop, Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, Avant garde, Free Jazz, Jazz Rock, Fusion, Smooth Jazz, Funk Fusion, Latin Jazz and more.
TDSC-010 Intro to Brazilian Rhythms
Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Learn Bossa Nova with sticks, brushes, Samba de Batucada, Fast Samba, Samba Funk, Partido Alto, Frevo, Marcha, Maracatu, Baiao, Samba Cruzado, Xote, Samba Reggae, Afoxe, Forro and more. Charts, play-a-long, and tracks with and without drums are all provided.
Video coaching also included in this package as supplemental material for live sessions.
TDSC-011 Intro to Afro-Cuban Rhythms
Level: Intermediate – Advanced
Learn Afro-Cuban claves, Afro-Cuban 6/8, Songo, Mambo, Danzon, Cha Cha Cha, Guaguanco, Mozambique, Conga de Comparsa, Bolero, and more. Leran other Afro-Caribbean rhythms such as Soca, Calypso, Merengue and more.
Charts, play-a-long, and tracks with and without drums are all provided.
Video coaching also included in this package as supplemental material for live sessions.
TDSC-012 Drum Set Chart Reading & Rhythmic Interpretation
Levels: Beginner -Intermediate – Advanced
High school students, college students and professional drummers seeking to get more gigs and pass auditions to get into band that requires reading, this course is for you!
Learn how to look at a rhythmic figure and interpret it in any style, orchestrate on the drum set as well as incorporate such figures into smooth and solid timekeeping in any style.
Learn how to read charts in any style: Jazz big band, Jazz small groups, Pop/Rock, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Funk, Rock, Worship music, and much more.
TDSC-013 Advanced Reading & Jazz Performance
Level: Advanced Jazz Drumming
Study and performance of 11 advanced contemporary Jazz charts with Jazz trio, Jazz Quartet
Charts, play-a-long, and tracks with and without drums are all provided.
TDSC-014 Advanced Contemporary Jazz Big Band Reading & Performance.
Level: Advanced Jazz Drumming
Study and performance of 5 advanced contemporary Jazz Fusion Big Band
Charts provided, play-a-long provided, and tracks with and without drums.
Video coaching also included in this package as supplemental material for live sessions.
TDSC-015 The Moeller Technique
Level: Intermediate- Advanced
Drawn from the Civil War Era drumming, the Moeller method combines a variety of techniques with the goal of improving hand speed, power, and control while offering the flexibility to add accented notes at will.
The materials contained this course were compiled to be used in conjunction with my private drum instruction, drum set clinics, master classes and drum set group classes at The Berklee College of Music. This course serves as an invaluable, organized, and compact resource of hand technique development materials. This course can be used as an introduction and progression of concepts that goes beyond the Moeller Technique. The main purpose of the course is to be used as a tangible and measurable program that can guide the student through a progressive path of studies that will lead to musical applications.
The Beyond The Moeller Technique Course introduces the students to a considerable amount of possibilities using the Moeller Technique musically. The materials contained here are inspired by some of my favorite Moeller Technique exponents, Samford A. Moeller, Jim Chapin, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, Jojo Mayer, Dom Famularo, Danny Gottlieb, Joe Morello, among many others. I encourage the research and awareness of all the artists mentioned here.
It is my intent and hope that by diligently studying the lessons presented here, students will be able to develop the ability to incorporate the Moeller motions, sequences and rolls to better and fluently enhance the timekeeping, fills and solo ideas.
TDSC- 016 Polyrhythmic Possibilities
Level: Intermediate- Advanced
The materials contained in this course were originally compiled to be used in conjunction with my live private drum set instruction and other classes that I teach at the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, MA. The book, Polyrhythmic Possibilities, will serve as an organized and compact resource to be used as an introduction of certain advanced rhythmic concepts for the intermediate and advanced drum set students.
This course contains a collection of snare drum solos, drum set technique exercises, coordination exercises, drum set etudes, reading, play-a-longs, and suggested listening guide.
The main purpose of the course is to present basic principles and application of Polyrhythmic ideas on the snare drum and drum set. This book introduces the student to a small sampler of some of the most basic and fundamental materials necessary to the development of polyrhythmic execution and musical performance applications. It is my intent and hope that by diligently studying the basic lessons presented here, the student will be able to develop the ability to:
1. Understand basic time table of ratings from 2 to 8 against one, two, three, and four beats.
2. Navigate through odd groupings against one, two, three, and four beats.
3. Read rhythms and utilize odd groupings against one, two, three, and four beats for time keeping, fills, and solos.
TDSC -017 Double Bass Integration for The Jazz Fusion Drummer
Level: Intermediate- Advanced
This course is recommended by some of the greatest drummers in the world: Terry Lyne Carrington, Antonio Sanchez, Paul Wertico, Tommy Aldridge, Kenwood Dennard, Walfredo Reyes Sr. and Aquiles Priester. The course is designed for drummers who want to incorporate double bass sounds and ideas into their performance in a more integrated way. The materials present a variety of concepts and techniques to be utilized with double bass drum, double bass pedal, and/or multi-pedal set ups, such as left foot claves. The ideas presented in the course are not attached to any particular styles. Thus, it could be incorporated into Jazz, Funk, Rock, Latin styles and even orchestral situations. Lots of technical exercises, coordination, soloing concepts, Etudes and more. The emphases of this course is on developing the ability to improvise and interact with other musician while still keeping time. Some of the topics covered are: Set list of songs and play-a-long and charts, Polyrhythmic timetables, duple-feel constant flow exercises, triple-feel constant flow exercises, etudes, polyrhythmic applications, power shuffles, coordination exercises, duple-feel bursts, triple-feel bursts, basic double strokes with the feet, false triplets, single quads, double quads, quasi-quads, power fills, and more.
TDSC-018 Drum Set Teacher Resources 6- Sessions - Seminar
This seminar is designed to assist drum set instructors all over the world who wants to take their teaching to the next level. Teaching at The Berklee College of Music, the largest and best contemporary music school in the world, gives Henrique great insight on how to teach effectively. Learn how to get more efficient, effective and have a great impact on your students as you witness amazing results! Topics include: getting organized, collecting, developing and managing teaching materials, designing a solid curriculum, professional development, marketing, percussion literature, teaching support and more.
TDSC-019 Funk Grooves and Songs
This course covers analyses and transcriptions of some of the classic funk grooves, Funk Fusion and more. Also covered are bands and artists in history and some of the most important songs of this genre. Learn about the artists, learn grooves and apply the grooves by playing the songs. This is a fun course with lots of playing opportunities. Students will prepare one or two songs a week.
TSDS-020 Playing In Odd Meters
This course presents the students with odd meter grooves in 3/4 , 6/8, 5/4, 7/4, 9/8, 13/16, 21/16, and more. A variety of music styles as well as a collection of odd meter songs to be performed in class.
TDSC-021 Odd Stickings & Linear Phrasing
Linear phrasing and odd stickings are concepts arguably pioneered and popularized by the great drum set guru Mr. Gary Chaffee, who was the chairman of the Berklee College of Music Percussion Department Chair in the mid 1970’s. This course inspired by the teaching of Mr. Gary Chaffee, presents advanced rhythmic concepts for grooves, fill and solos as well as concepts for improvisation utilizing linear phrasing and stickings. Two textbooks are required for this course: “Time Function Patterns” by Gary Chaffee and “Sticking Patterns” by Gary Chaffee.
TDSC-022- The Teachings of Alan Dawson-Coaching Phase 1
Prerequisite: TDSC-008 Snare Drum Techniques & Reading
Lacking the discipline to practice on your own? Not sure where to start? What to practice? Well let’s start here from a place that will bring some solid foundation to any drummer, of any age, in any style. Mr. Alan Dawson was responsible for creating and developing the Jazz Curriculum at the Berklee College of Music back in the day. He was the teacher of Tony Williams, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith and many more. The 12-week program will assure that you complete what you start by coaching you all the way to the finish line. In this phase one you will be presented with 120 rudiments, and 11 coordinated ways to interpret, improvise and solo with rhythms. Textbook required: “The Complete Drummers Vocabulary as Thought by Alan Dawson” – By John Ramsay
TDSC-022- The Teachings of Alan Dawson-Coaching Phase 2
Prerequisite: TDSC-022- The Teachings of Alan Dawson-Coaching Phase 1
In this phase two you will be presented with the famous “Rudimental Ritual” a 15 minute routine that covers 120 rudiments and 11 coordinated ways to interpret, improvise and solo with rhythms. Textbook required: “The Complete Drummers Vocabulary as Thought by Alan Dawson” – By John Ramsay
