I’ve got drum lesson slots available on Tuesday lunchtimes and Thursday afternoons every week at South Street Studios in Ipswich.

If you’re looking to start lessons or get back into playing, contact me to book your lesson or find out more here.

I've made Beam, a tool for writing drum charts and worksheets. I built it for myself and my students. The more I used it, the more it felt too useful to keep to myself, so here it is!

The goal was something quick to write notation in, flexible enough for charts, worksheets and transcribing. It also needed to focus on drums, work as a web app on any device, be easy to share, and look good. It's inspired by tools I've used and liked over the years, particularly Beat Note, Groove Scribe, Soundslice, Dorico and GarageBand.

You add notes in a step grid, and Beam turns it into proper engraved drum notation. You can add articulations, annotations, sections, repeats and stickings, the things you'd typically need in a drum score, and customise the grid to match your own kit.

I’ve deliberately left out playback. I wanted something lightweight, focused on getting notation down quickly and looking good rather than trying to do everything.

UPDATE: After multiple requests, I have added playback and a metronome. I'm really happy with it. If you'd like to see it in action, here's a transcription that I made for one of my students. Press play to hear it.

I've been using it with my students for a while now, and it's genuinely changed how I teach. I can make a worksheet or transcription on my iPad or MacBook during a lesson, and the student sees it update live on a second iPad or a TV in the room. At the end of the lesson I share it with the student or their parent, either as a link or a PDF.

It’s free to use. Paid plans add unlimited charts and additional export and sharing options if you need more, or if you’d like to support the app as I keep adding features.

You can try it at beamdrums.com, no sign-up needed.

Ross and Derek at the Beat Note stand

I'm now home from a fun weekend in Liverpool at the UK Drum Show! I was there assisting Derek, the creator of Beat Note. It was great to finally meet him in person after many online conversations.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who stopped by the Beat Note stand. It was great to meet so many drummers.

I had an unexpected reunion with my first drum tutor from my Drum Tech days, Enrico Mick Morena — I hadn't seen him in nearly 20 years! Another highlight was giving a demo of the Beat Note app to drum legend Gregg Bissonette.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Reuben Stryker, who was lovely, and to top it all off, seeing Benny Greb and his Brass Band play at Zanzibar on Saturday night was unforgettable — they are very good!

I’m looking forward to next time!

I’ll be at the UK Drum Show in Liverpool this weekend (28th/29th September). If you’re at the show, swing by the Beat Note stand and say hi!

My favourite drumming app, Beat Note, has just added an awesome new feature that features… me!

In addition to all the excellent practice and notation tools, Beat Note now includes lessons from some top drum tutors and creators.

You can check out my lesson on the Beat Note blog.

In line with the easing of COVID restrictions, drum lessons will resume at South Street Studios from 12th April.

Lessons at the studio will initially only be available on Tuesday mornings, Thursday after school, and 10-5 on Saturdays and Sundays. This is due to building and redecorating taking place at the studio.

Parents and students, I’ll be in touch in the next week to arrange lesson times.