Students CAN move from one instrument to another by re-training

the ear &  listening to the music, you can be 5 years old or 50 years old, having a

teacher that understands the student is critical, Marvin is that teacher

The Marvin Bugalu Smith Signature
Series drum set by Precision Drums

Testimonial from one of Marvin's Advanced Students

I had never studied with anyone like Marvin before in my life. It was the first time I had interacted with a true master. I thought he was going to be like any other teacher I had had in the past, conventional and status quo. But I was mistaken. “Marvin is a man who has journeyed deep within himself to find his hidden treasures“, he's done this through the vehicle of the drum. I thought my desire and determination to play the drums was going to be enough to get over. Marvin wanted much more than just superficial flights of fancy, he wanted real hardcore work and sacrifice because that's what he had when he was learning the drum set.  When I first was studying with Marvin I was going to college at S.U.N.Y. New Paltz and studying with the resident drum teacher there. I would always put Marvin's teachings secondary to my school work because I felt passing was more important. It's not that I didn't respect what Marvin was teaching me but my attitude towards it was arrogant and naive. I didn't understand that the stuff Marvin was showing me was what was really needed on the bandstand and what really made the music happen. I was stuck in this academic-stiff-square learning head. I was approaching the playing from a mental, left-brain state of mind. Because of this I was resisting Marvin and what he was trying to show me all along thinking that I was really studying. My own ignorance and delusion kept me from truly learning but my attitude towards it was arrogant and naive.  I think of myself as an open minded individual but when I was confronted with someone who is truly open-minded I reacted like an ostrich with it's head in the sand. Close-minded. ``This perplexed Marvin to no end. Here's a guy who's saying he wants to play the drums and be a master drummer but when he's confronted with a master drummer he closes up. I was and still am a victim of convention and if something doesn't fit my ideas or ideals I either try to make them fit or discard them. Obviously I wasn't intentionally doing this, I really wanted to learn what Marvin was teaching me but I had to throw out my predisposed ideas about drumming. Marvin's lessons aren't just about the drums and playing, they're also about opening yourself up and opening up to the world. Everyone wants to do this, I know I do, but not everyone wants to do the work that's involved. When Marvin saw that I was "fighting" him and his knowledge he wanted to figure why I was like this. So he asked if he could visit my mother in NYC. He thought by seeing where I grew up he could piece together why I was resisting his teachings. When Marvin came to my mom's house he noticed that my father wasn't around. I told him my dad left when I was still a baby. Marvin instantly figured out that I had a trust problem specifically with men. Not knowing my father made me subconsciously resent and mistrust a lot of the older male figures in my life. Once Marvin realized this he was able to better understand where I was coming from and why I was blocking him. Afterwards he did things to gain my trust. For instance he told us that after I played St. Nick's pub in NYC and handled my business down there that I would have no problem playing anywhere else. The man was absolutely right, after I burnt it up down in St. Nick's my confidence was high and I felt more relaxed about my drumming. Marvin took me from a green, non-playing drummer to where I am today and he continues to do the same thing no questions asked. If it weren't for him, my playing would be in the garbage and I would still be trying to figure out how to play. Through compassion and sincere intent, Marvin has opened up my eyes to a bigger and more profound world. Not only with drumming but with everything. If he can do this for me he can definitely do this for you. --Kesai Riddick studying with Bugalu for 8 years

A teacher who cares…

Student Question:

Recently, “you sad that when you are a master there are no rules. Please expound on this concept. 

                                       Thank you, Andrew Greeney

 

Bugalu’s Answer:

when playing exercise we play them to get them under our hands automatic without thinking about them. this is practice, now the bandstand is different because it's happening moment to moment at this point what works in practice may not work on the bandstand practice is controlled the bandstand is uncontrolled this is were no rules come in play what is needed and don't think, feel

 

 Quotes From Marvin

“For all my young students please put some good practice time in, Play the lesson just like it was given to you at the lesson, Before you try to change it. you can not change what you don't know learn what’s in the beat and feel the wave in the time and Flow like water. and remember to have fun. “

“putting some good time in your study = more fun on the bandstand”

“In my many years of playing the drums I always hear drummer speak about speed, and this book says this, about speed and how to get it the truth is in 56 years of playing the drums I have come up with my zero gravity in hands and feet for example 1 if you sit to low your feet will be very heave on the bass drum pedal so then your feet will be slow in action, example 2 for the hands and the arms. when your upper body is in balance it's like like when you are walking you don't feel the weight same thing with the drums when you sit at the drums you must relax and let your shoulders hang not lifting them drummers think that by lifting the shoulders they are getting more power this is untrue lifting the shoulder slow you down because they are heave and you are holding the up let them hang and they will feel and be lighter and faster and more effective I will write more later all my students play in this way”

“the cymbal beat must be in constant change by this I mean first learn it in sixteenths the way it is written then play it in triplets this is round, practice every day so you can understand it, there is a difference, if you swing in sixteenth or swing in triplets because the sixteenth are counted 1e an ah 2 e an ah 3 e an ah 4 e an ah this is good for funk playing and good for slow jazz songs, but the triplet is round and it is counted 1 an ah 2 an ah 3 this is round and it is the way of Elvin Jones.
I always play this way. try it you will like it. “


 

Marvin: A Force of Nature

                 Marvin Bu-Ga-Lu Smith is unlike any other drummer I've seen play. He not only possesses a vast understanding of technique but more importantly an understanding of time. Most drummers get hung up on how fast they can move around the set but that's only a piece of the puzzle. The true technique comes from the time and the flow. Marvin has taken this knowledge to the point where it's super-natural. He has delved so deep into the time and flow that he himself has become a force of nature. When Marvin plays he can have the power of a tsunami or the subtlety of a light breeze. It is truly phenomenal when I think of what this man can do on the drum set. Marvin expresses the inner workings of the universe when he plays.
                 About a year ago I was waiting for Marvin at a jam session in Saugerties, NY. Before he arrived the atmosphere of the place was bland and flat. The music was good but lacked that creative spark or holy ghost that musicians seek. I was worried that Marvin wasn't coming so I gave him a call to make sure he was on his way. When I spoke to him he assured me that he was on his way and would be there momentarily. As soon as he walked through the door the energy of the club became lively and more positive. People all around became jovial and more open. When Marvin got on to the bandstand and played the music went to a higher level and reached the holy ghost or spirit. After this I was convinced that Marvin was capable of changing his environment just by his mere presence.