Rock Drumming System Review

If you’ve tried and failed to learn the drums before, you may have found that by stand-alone textbooks and eBooks generally don’t make for very effective lessons. Without the interactive nature of seeing and hearing the lessons, it becomes much more difficult and time-consuming to learn the drums.

That’s why a course like the Complete Rock Drumming System gives drum students a huge advantage as it uses both DVD video lessons and supplementary printed workbooks to teach its students. If you’ve previously seen this course and you're wondering about its reputability, know that though it's largely sold online, it is actually sold at some Canadian Costcos, which says an awful lot regarding the quality of the learning package.

The Rock Drumming System was designed primarily by Jared Falk of Railroad Media. It was developed for over a year and released in 2006. Jared has been teaching drums privately for quite a while, and currently plays for 10 different bands (Busy guy!).

Railroad Media is music-education company that is based out of Abbottsford, British Columbia, Canada. They have made a name for themselves by putting out more than a few high-quality, high-value music curriculums for the piano, guitar, and the drums.

Screenshots

Click on the thumbnails below for larger screenshots of Jared Falk’s Rock Drumming System.

Features

The course is divided into 4 parts. The Beginner DVD/Workbook, the intermediate DVD/Workbook, the advanced DVD/Workbook and the Play-Along Exercise book, DVD & CD.

Whether you’re a complete greenhorn that doesn’t yet know how to properly hold the sticks or how to set up your drum kit, or you’re an intermediate that's looking to expand on your skills, the Rock Drumming System will likely have the lessons you need.

The DVDs:
The DVDs are meant to be worked through in tandem with the workbooks which give notation to the exercises that are demonstrated in the DVDs. The Video quality is the best of all the DVD courses we’ve reviewed so far, and you get over 9 hours worth of it. The course audio is also very clear. We didn’t notice any background noises or humming which we did in other programs…

As you progress you’ll find the learning process is greatly aided by the use of up to 4 different camera angles. There will be no more saying “Now, how did he do that again?” since you can always easily go back and clearly see. Another helpful teaching method is that he always plays whatever beat he’s demonstrating in both a slow and a fast tempo. Great since it accommodates both beginners and more advanced players.

The course is very methodical. Jared doesn’t leave anything important uncovered. In the beginning he makes sure everyone starts out on the right foot by showing how to avoid common hang-ups and bad habits, and instead, how to establish good ones.

The Lesson Books:

Following along in the workbooks is a great way to practice away from the screen. Once again, production value of the printed material is superb. Aside from general tips and tricks, the workbooks just give you the sheet music for the exercises that Jared will be taking you through.

• Beginner – 24 pages
• Intermediate – 44 pages
• Advanced – 39 pages

The Jam-Along DVD & CD:

Features 10 songs performed by artist Jason Kliewer who plays for a band called “Hasting”. If you want to see how the songs are supposed to be played, you can play the DVD and see Jason perform, but when you want to play along by yourself, the CD includes the same 10 songs with the drum part removed. Very nifty indeed.

Bonuses:

One-Handed Drum Roll DVD – Usually a stand-alone product (which can be pricey), this DVD teaches drummers the skill of the one-handed roll, and how and when you can use it in your daily playing.

Drummer Essentials – A .pdf ebook (49pgs.) that gives some bonus drum frills, additional exercises, and teaches some drum theory.

Drum Kit Lessons – Another .pdf (68pgs.) that teaches rudimentary lessons on additional genres including Latin, Jazz, Funk, and Odd Time.

Rock Drumming System Underground – A free drum internet resource where you can find tips, tricks, free articles and lessons and equipment reviews.

Support

Unlike some educational companies, Railroad Media stands solidly by their products and offer complimentary, unlimited support via phone and email.

Ordering Information

You can buy the course on their website using all major credit cards as well as PayPal. Those on a tight budget will appreciate the 3 and 5-month payment plans that are made available.

If for some reason, the Rock Drumming System falls flat for you, it’s nice to know that your purchase is covered by Railroad Media’s 90-day guarantee which states that if “you aren’t completely satisfied, just contact us within 90 days we will refund 100% of your purchase price”. Yes, you’ll have to ship the course back, but any bonuses you received are yours to keep regardless.

Shipping within Canada & the USA comes to $11 (standard shipping). International orders are encouraged as well as shipping costs are only $3.00 more for international orders. It goes without saying that the DVDs are not region-encoded so they will play flawlessly on any DVD player worldwide.

Buyer’s Tip: When you place the Rock Drumming System into your virtual shopping cart, you’ll probably be given an opportunity to purchase other Railroad Media drum courses at discounts of up to 30% off, which can be a super deal if you think that you’ll eventually want some more specialized training courses. Some of the courses offered at this discount are the “Jazz Drumming System”, the “Latin Drumming System”, and the “Moeller Method Secrets” course. Definitely worth a look.

Conclusion

The Rock Drumming System boasts solid value. For only a little over $100 you get 10x the instruction that you’d get with a professional instructor, should one be available in your area. You can learn in your own time, never feel pressured or intimidated, and have more fun learning. There’s really not much we can say about this product that’s negative.

Rock Drumming System vs. Learn and Master Drums vs. The Drumming System?

The Rock Drumming System is one of two mid-priced drum courses that stand out from the crowd. The other is Learn and Master Drums. In our opinion RDS beats LMD in price and video quality while LMD bests RDS when it comes to community support, quantity of material, and overall design & professionalism. Both courses are good in their own right, and we recommend them both. Of course, if you primarily want to focus on mastering the rock style of drumming, your choice might be a little clearer.