Definitely words I locked onto early in the video. I can’t even begin to explain what some Mike’s quotes like this one mean to me. Inspirational. And I don’t use that word often.
What I learnt by watching my friends in school (who are now adults and married with kids), if you wear the same hat long enough, you’ll go bald before you reach 30.
I love that you push learning and then modifying. It’s a theme in all your lessons. I could not do ghost notes, way back in the day, until I saw a Les DeMerle clinic where he demonstrated and wrote out a jazz samba pattern. I lived in the wood shed with that thing for a week until it was smooth and felt good. But what it actually did was get me past a road block. I didn’t even realize I was free until one day I just started ghosting while playing a rock beat. It opened the door to a new left hand in ever other style of music. Especially funk. It’s amazing how mastering one thing can lead to a much wider palette. ❤️ your stuff Mike.
I’m 54. I joined my first band when I was about to turn 13. Even if your lessons were total crap, your positive energy and enthusiasm would be worth the trip. You keep it moving, interesting, and understandable, no matter what the skill level of the viewer. You were correct about teaching being an art. Having knowledge is great. possessing the ability to successfully pass it to a wide array of humans, are horses of very different colors. The 4 stage practice method is nothing short of Genius. Weather you’ve played all your life or just got your first pair of sticks.... It’s the Rosetta Stone of drumming. The inspiration and enthusiasm are contagious. Some days... it’s not about the licks and lessons. Thankful for you Mike!
Mike, because you're SUCH a gifted teacher (both instructional AND entertaining), I'm not even a drummer and don't ever plan on drumming, YET I've been subbed to your channel for years and watch your vids because I just enjoy your personality so much. I'm glad you enjoy your calling, as much as we delight in it.
I agree with Pedro's comment. My favorite fill is number 3, and for most of the music I play, I use Pat Boone Debbie Boone a lot and try to vary it. You are the man! Thanks.
Keeping the hats going throughout those monster fills is monster in itself! Unbelievable stuff! Every video Mike does is a lesson you’ll take with you forever.
No one has inspired my drumming more than you and Stephen Taylor and Rob Brown, I've taken the best from the 3 of you,Esspecially your linear lessons. Sorry for the plug of other teachers on your channel,but guys like you are great teachers especially for intermediate drummers like myself. Love your stuff. Peace
I got some work to do. I haven't played in 30 years and looking forward to this journey as a 50 year old man. Thanks and great video for this starting point. I'll record my progress and we'll let you know how it goes with these fills
It's been a long time since I've seen one of your videos! Today I reconnected and boy, it is easy to remember why you are so loved. Thank you Mike! All the best for you, always!
I really want to thank you for these Gateway Fills!!! I’m only on the first one but I’m doing it well and I’m gonna master all of them!!! Thanks again 😎
I believe I remember you breaking down a very similar orchestration of the last fill on Instagram a few years ago which I honestly use constantly. Thank you for your unrivaled positivity and sharing.
@@joestokes5138 LOL!!! Naw man, you should only feel foolish if you ask me about my metronome before looking in the description for a link. Anything other than that is pure gravy! 🙏🍵🙏🍵
This is the first time I've heard Meinl crash cymbals that sounded like traditional full crash cymbals a la Zildjian/Sabian. I always played Zildjian K cymbals in my day, but when I heard the modern Meinl sounds a few years ago then Zildjian sounded boring to me. On another note, life took a different path & I haven't played drums since 1998, but I'm getting interested again, in part to the sound of modern Meinl cymbals. Your Transition ride is probably my favorite ride that I've heard.
When I want inspiration for drumming I'll often watch Jojo Mayer. However, when I want actual instruction that I can use to become technically better I watch Mike Johnston videos. Absolutely spot on in explaining what every drummer should know, and how to move forward from where you are currently.
Everything makes me crazy!!! I can’t wait to practice the drum by my self with your sharing vocabularies !!!! Thank you to show us a great lesson video on TH-cam!!!
Perfect basic honest genuine educational instruction by a very nice human that has your craft of importance in mind Thank you sir for all your positive efforts and contribution to a human trace of the race Keepin it real I will get on this after work today and will be looking forward to more of your instructions
Getting the story and development behind how you made each fill work for you is really cool and a great reminder to always push beyond the original blueprint to make it your own. Oh, and you said it at the end haha. Nice video again, Mike!
Hey, I appreciate this video, and yeah 5 mins...8 min 52 sec, whatever it was close enough and the info contained herein is legit. I'm a pro level player, toured for many years, session work, blah, blah, blah. You tossed out some quality info without trying to be a show off. I for one appreciate that. I also appreciate you allowing down and talking through the sticking patterns for most of them. I'd appreciate if you'd make an extended version and go into a lil more detail on the complicated ones like that Steve Gadd-ish pattern. Maybe slow it down for five or six times through so we have 30 seconds to play it through along with you and let it sink in by ear and by feel, which is how I obtain and memorize most of my musical info. A level quality quick lesson. I see you're passion to teach without trying to be the coolest guy in town and that speaks volumes. Thanks again and God bless
Man number 2 is awesome, I've always loved RLKK ever since I've started listening to danny carey but man it's hard to get that up to speed with 1 pedal and you absolutely kill that pattern man, respect
God damn it is so unreal how many talented people exist online. Like never seen any vids by this dude. And honestly I’m not too into his style but I guarantee when this dude just sits down to practice and just decides to have fun and go off, it’s probably insane. One of the cleanest drummers and cleanest drum kits I’ve heard in a long time. Really impressive control
I used to play semi-professionally for many years but haven't played in anger for almost a decade now. I lurk on YT watching drumming video, most of them bore me and don't inspire me to set my kit up again (I recognise this is my problem, not the content creators); there are only a handful that I find interesting. I just stumbled across your videos @mikeslessons and they're fantastic, the level of detail and the pace of the video/lesson is spot on. I have downloaded a couple of the fills here that are new to me and will be setting my kit up again, I am curious to see how I can make some of these fills sound. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said in these videos, keep up the great work and thanks for inspiring me. P.S. loved that you put Pat Boone, Debbie Boone in there. 😀
Killer fills. Thanks for the passionate delivery and huge dose of fun. I will teach "Pat Boone, Debbie Boone" fill borrowing from your example from now until the end of time.
I just found this channel. I love how you don't just show off but that you're actually teaching passionately and that's very inspiring! And you don't just say that, the rest of the video is the proof. I feel so motivated to work on this :) Thank you! I subscribed!
Mike thank you for all you do brother for all of us in the Drumming Community. It’s always been on my bucket list to attend one of your camps. Unfortunately my heart and my health have put a complete stop to most of my drumming in my 50 plus years of playing drums.
tremendous teaching ... it's a bit difficult. ..but in principle I understood everything ... hahaaaa. ..the only thing missing is intensive practice .. Thank you for your good teaching. the third is my favorite ... sounds very cool. .. Chelo from Argentina
Mike, l can't thank you enough, your words help me to understand the challenges that I face are not as overwhelming as they seem. You are such a inspiration to me man. Tha k you so much for following your path to educate. You're so very good at it.
Nice Mike. Now I’ve had my fill(s). I play some drums (or used to) so I guess I’m not a real drummer. So I’m a fake drummer. I spent most of my time on guitar over the years. So I’m a guitarist but there again it’s been a life long part time journey so I’m not a real guitarist. I guess I’m a fake guitarist. Anyway it’s a love I have for music and I especially love guitar and drums. I actually started playing drums and taking some lessons to just help me with the timing in music and to be more aware of the rest of the band. I had a complete set of drums years back but got rid of them. Dang it. Now after watching you I wanted to go upstairs where my set used to be and try to play your fills. You motivated me. Good teacher and pretty damn good drummer it seems to me. Thanks much. Cheers!
There’s one fill that changed my life. It’s somewhere at 1:20 of the Green Day’s song Burnout. I’ve been drumming for 2 years now and I still can’t play it - too fast. But when I heard it for the first time, that’s when I decided I want to be a drummer.
I’d love to see more videos like this. These fills are so creative and interesting, and this is the first video where I actually enjoyed every fill that was taught. Looking forward to more videos!
Alright y’all. Out of these 5, which one is your favorite?
Number 1 is all time classic but Number 4 is a killing one !!! So smooth yet so complicated !!! And it's YOU !!! Definitely No 4 is my favorite !!!
Really digging #3 and #5. Kind of off the beaten path from the stuff you hear all the time.
Out of these 5...these 5 were most definitely my favorite 😎
@@vladimirospetsas1531 Thanks man. It’s definitely a big part of my current vocabulary. And ya, number 1 is a CLASSIC
@@Andrew-wb2zq Awesome to hear. Three is definitely a gateway into my improvisational playing.
"Teaching without passion.. that's demonstration.
Teaching with passion... that's education."
Mark these words guys! Awesome Mike!
Much appreciated my friend!
Definitely words I locked onto early in the video. I can’t even begin to explain what some Mike’s quotes like this one mean to me. Inspirational. And I don’t use that word often.
How really, really well put! Thanks Mike and I did buy your 21” Meinl transitional cymbal. Love it!
Business trick I learned from Peter McKinnon: if you wear the same hat for long enough - you can sell hats.
What I learnt by watching my friends in school (who are now adults and married with kids), if you wear the same hat long enough, you’ll go bald before you reach 30.
@@RexyFan speaking from experience I can confirm your statement is true.
@@milesmason1343 I've worn a hat my whole life. I'm 43 with a full head of hair.
In Perú you also could be president "Pedro Castillo"
Are we just gonna skip by this? 0:29
So well said mike!
Few will catch that moment but it's more important than any fill in this video. Thanks for picking up on it Ali! :)
As a teacher and student I can confirm this statement 100%
I rewound that several times. Brilliant words from a brilliant man
I love that you push learning and then modifying. It’s a theme in all your lessons.
I could not do ghost notes, way back in the day, until I saw a Les DeMerle clinic where he demonstrated and wrote out a jazz samba pattern. I lived in the wood shed with that thing for a week until it was smooth and felt good. But what it actually did was get me past a road block. I didn’t even realize I was free until one day I just started ghosting while playing a rock beat. It opened the door to a new left hand in ever other style of music. Especially funk. It’s amazing how mastering one thing can lead to a much wider palette. ❤️ your stuff Mike.
The hi-hat fill is so nice and smooth. I always like in jazz when they add hi-hat fills.
I’m 54. I joined my first band when I was about to turn 13. Even if your lessons were total crap, your positive energy and enthusiasm would be worth the trip. You keep it moving, interesting, and understandable, no matter what the skill level of the viewer. You were correct about teaching being an art. Having knowledge is great. possessing the ability to successfully pass it to a wide array of humans, are horses of very different colors. The 4 stage practice method is nothing short of Genius. Weather you’ve played all your life or just got your first pair of sticks.... It’s the Rosetta Stone of drumming. The inspiration and enthusiasm are contagious. Some days... it’s not about the licks and lessons. Thankful for you Mike!
"and you're out. What? And you're out. What?" Mike you're awesome. Gotta go practice my homework. 🥁
Very good,teacher, Mike... La raja hermano, saludos cordiales desde Chile!
Mike, because you're SUCH a gifted teacher (both instructional AND entertaining), I'm not even a drummer and don't ever plan on drumming, YET I've been subbed to your channel for years and watch your vids because I just enjoy your personality so much. I'm glad you enjoy your calling, as much as we delight in it.
Keep being awesome Mike! You've unlocked a few doors for me that seemed impenetrable before. Thank you 👊🏼
That first one is a classic. My drum teacher taught me that one for Carol King's Jazz Man in 8th grade.
Super!! Thanks so much for these excellent tips!
That solo at the beginning was brilliant!
You have become my drum teacher over lockdown as I haven’t had one for over a year. You are the best mike
As an educator and a drummer, this is a SUPERB video and i salute you! we need more passionate educators/musicians in the world. rock on dude!
The smoothness on fill #3 when you were doing it slowly is a masterful demonstration of technique. Seriously, are your wrists made of butter??
Teaching with passion defines you Mike... I live your lessons. Greetings from Ghana
Haven’t played in a while and this video got me back in the groove. Thanks.
I agree with Pedro's comment. My favorite fill is number 3, and for most of the music I play, I use Pat Boone Debbie Boone a lot and try to vary it. You are the man! Thanks.
Thanks for the Notation of Fill No 3 it was not so easy to play but i like it the most. greetings from a drummer playing since 50 Years from germany.
Great!! Thanks for lesson. I'll study that now!!
Keeping the hats going throughout those monster fills is monster in itself! Unbelievable stuff! Every video Mike does is a lesson you’ll take with you forever.
No one has inspired my drumming more than you and Stephen Taylor and Rob Brown, I've taken the best from the 3 of you,Esspecially your linear lessons. Sorry for the plug of other teachers on your channel,but guys like you are great teachers especially for intermediate drummers like myself. Love your stuff. Peace
So helpful. Thanks for sharing this
I got some work to do. I haven't played in 30 years and looking forward to this journey as a 50 year old man. Thanks and great video for this starting point. I'll record my progress and we'll let you know how it goes with these fills
My Tuesday just got good, thanks Mike 🥁
It's been a long time since I've seen one of your videos! Today I reconnected and boy, it is easy to remember why you are so loved. Thank you Mike! All the best for you, always!
Dang Andre, are you trying to make me cry? lol. Man… 🙏🙏🙏
I really want to thank you for these Gateway Fills!!! I’m only on the first one but I’m doing it well and I’m gonna master all of them!!! Thanks again 😎
One of my favorite people. Truly a genuine guy.
Great fills! You're an awesome and engaging teacher
I believe I remember you breaking down a very similar orchestration of the last fill on Instagram a few years ago which I honestly use constantly. Thank you for your unrivaled positivity and sharing.
Take your time Mike. We love to listen and learn. The longer the better.
🙏🍵🙏🍵
Great lesson. Kit sounds clean.
Hi. Your ideas are amazing!
Love it Mike. You could make an entire groove out of fill no.3!
Thanks so much. Watch the whole video until the end. I actually did that exact thing.
@@mikeslessons yup you killed it! You can imagine I felt very foolish a few minutes after posting that comment! 😅
@@joestokes5138 LOL!!! Naw man, you should only feel foolish if you ask me about my metronome before looking in the description for a link. Anything other than that is pure gravy! 🙏🍵🙏🍵
You are the best teacher 💐
This is the first time I've heard Meinl crash cymbals that sounded like traditional full crash cymbals a la Zildjian/Sabian. I always played Zildjian K cymbals in my day, but when I heard the modern Meinl sounds a few years ago then Zildjian sounded boring to me. On another note, life took a different path & I haven't played drums since 1998, but I'm getting interested again, in part to the sound of modern Meinl cymbals. Your Transition ride is probably my favorite ride that I've heard.
When I want inspiration for drumming I'll often watch Jojo Mayer. However, when I want actual instruction that I can use to become technically better I watch Mike Johnston videos. Absolutely spot on in explaining what every drummer should know, and how to move forward from where you are currently.
Ty ..nice.. Space between Notes perfect.. great lesson..I want to hear every video
Everything makes me crazy!!! I can’t wait to practice the drum by my self with your sharing vocabularies !!!! Thank you to show us a great lesson video on TH-cam!!!
Sweet! Never stop learning
Perfect basic honest genuine educational instruction by a very nice human that has your craft of importance in mind
Thank you sir for all your positive efforts
and contribution to a human trace of the race Keepin it real
I will get on this after work today and will be looking forward to more of your instructions
Dear Mike Johnston - you provide great content in all your videos - a huge thanks from Denmark 👍🏼😀
Getting the story and development behind how you made each fill work for you is really cool and a great reminder to always push beyond the original blueprint to make it your own. Oh, and you said it at the end haha. Nice video again, Mike!
Really enjoyed this.
Much appreciated my friend!
Hey, I appreciate this video, and yeah 5 mins...8 min 52 sec, whatever it was close enough and the info contained herein is legit. I'm a pro level player, toured for many years, session work, blah, blah, blah. You tossed out some quality info without trying to be a show off. I for one appreciate that. I also appreciate you allowing down and talking through the sticking patterns for most of them. I'd appreciate if you'd make an extended version and go into a lil more detail on the complicated ones like that Steve Gadd-ish pattern. Maybe slow it down for five or six times through so we have 30 seconds to play it through along with you and let it sink in by ear and by feel, which is how I obtain and memorize most of my musical info. A level quality quick lesson. I see you're passion to teach without trying to be the coolest guy in town and that speaks volumes. Thanks again and God bless
Wow! The bakers five of straight up biscuits 🔥
Sick!!! You are an excellent teacher even when u are teaching sth faster than usual.
Man number 2 is awesome, I've always loved RLKK ever since I've started listening to danny carey but man it's hard to get that up to speed with 1 pedal and you absolutely kill that pattern man, respect
Good stuff man! Thanks
God damn it is so unreal how many talented people exist online. Like never seen any vids by this dude. And honestly I’m not too into his style but I guarantee when this dude just sits down to practice and just decides to have fun and go off, it’s probably insane. One of the cleanest drummers and cleanest drum kits I’ve heard in a long time. Really impressive control
This guy is like one of the OG's of online drummers lol
Thank you very much for the explanation, I will practice this
Beautiful work here ..
Great music playing drummer
I love your playing and teaching ability! Awesome bro!
Thanks a ton Gary!!!
#3 is killer!
Diggin the Fills and the Green Gretsch kit.
I love how your fills kinda sound like grooves when slowed down
Awesome lesson. Thanks dude
Mike, I remember learning a couple of these from you circa 2014.
Mike - you are the best pedagogue I've seen so far!!
Ari, I can't tell you how much that means to me!!! 🙏🙏🙏🍵🍵🍵
I got so much respect 4 ya dude.
I know Your channel since a lot and You're the best teacher cause You break down every lesson very clearly.
I used to play semi-professionally for many years but haven't played in anger for almost a decade now. I lurk on YT watching drumming video, most of them bore me and don't inspire me to set my kit up again (I recognise this is my problem, not the content creators); there are only a handful that I find interesting. I just stumbled across your videos @mikeslessons and they're fantastic, the level of detail and the pace of the video/lesson is spot on. I have downloaded a couple of the fills here that are new to me and will be setting my kit up again, I am curious to see how I can make some of these fills sound. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said in these videos, keep up the great work and thanks for inspiring me. P.S. loved that you put Pat Boone, Debbie Boone in there. 😀
You definitely have that passion Mike .. cheers for your channel. Always great 👏
Thanks a ton Felix! Be sure to let me know if you ever notice that passion slipping. That’s when I’ll open up my tea shop “Matcha Mike’s” 🍵🍵🍵😂
I’ve been watching you for about 5 years. Always amazing content and just awesome personality. Thanks brother! All you share
Fantastic!!
4:40 You play to get out of trouble...I play that to get in trouble
Thank you very much, great stuff for the intermediate players like me
Killer fills. Thanks for the passionate delivery and huge dose of fun. I will teach "Pat Boone, Debbie Boone" fill borrowing from your example from now until the end of time.
Yay. I can do the first one.
I just found this channel. I love how you don't just show off but that you're actually teaching passionately and that's very inspiring! And you don't just say that, the rest of the video is the proof. I feel so motivated to work on this :) Thank you! I subscribed!
You made it look easy! I did not feel any strain at all!
Mike thank you for all you do brother for all of us in the Drumming Community. It’s always been on my bucket list to attend one of your camps. Unfortunately my heart and my health have put a complete stop to most of my drumming in my 50 plus years of playing drums.
Mr Mike so many great lessons. Thank you for all of them.
You are so very welcome my friend. Glad you enjoy them :)
The fill that doesn't sound like boring ass jazz is my favorite.
Mike, you are one of the best out there for a variety of reasons... great and passionate as a drummer, teacher, presenter....!!! Thank you!!!
Awesome very cool drum fills
That kit sounds incredible.
2 mics and a quality kit. What more do you need? lol :)
Always a pleasure watching and learning from you Mike.
Mate this is all amazing.
So glad you dig it brother!
sending love from the Philippines! Love your energy and intent. I got a lot out of this sir. thank you!
Mike,... You're a SUPERSTAR!!!
tremendous teaching ... it's a bit difficult. ..but in principle I understood everything ... hahaaaa. ..the only thing missing is intensive practice .. Thank you for your good teaching.
the third is my favorite ... sounds very cool. ..
Chelo from Argentina
Love the fills!
That's actually a cool collection of some nice fills. I'm going to learn and play around with them in a minute.
Mike, l can't thank you enough, your words help me to understand the challenges that I face are not as overwhelming as they seem. You are such a inspiration to me man. Tha k you so much for following your path to educate. You're so very good at it.
Beautifully done, as always; bless you big time.
Nice Mike. Now I’ve had my fill(s). I play some drums (or used to) so I guess I’m not a real drummer. So I’m a fake drummer. I spent most of my time on guitar over the years. So I’m a guitarist but there again it’s been a life long part time journey so I’m not a real guitarist. I guess I’m a fake guitarist. Anyway it’s a love I have for music and I especially love guitar and drums. I actually started playing drums and taking some lessons to just help me with the timing in music and to be more aware of the rest of the band. I had a complete set of drums years back but got rid of them. Dang it. Now after watching you I wanted to go upstairs where my set used to be and try to play your fills. You motivated me. Good teacher and pretty damn good drummer it seems to me. Thanks much. Cheers!
Now I got some homework to do!! Thx MJ
If I can play drums half as well as you speak drums, I'll be a happy man! "Shicktaboop" 😁
Great Tute you make it look so easy. Like those grace notes combined with the bass drum.
There’s one fill that changed my life. It’s somewhere at 1:20 of the Green Day’s song Burnout. I’ve been drumming for 2 years now and I still can’t play it - too fast. But when I heard it for the first time, that’s when I decided I want to be a drummer.
That’s so freaking awesome. We all have those moments in our past, thanks for sharing yours Yuri!
I’ve saved it! I’ve learnt the syncopated funk groove and will definitely get these bad boys down. Awesome stuff Mr Mike :)
Nice stuff! Oldies but goldies :)
I don’t think I’ve ever taught 3 & 5 before have I? To be honest after 15 years of making videos here on TH-cam it all kinda blends together, lol.
Did it again! Love all things in 3’s ! Great job mike!
great lesson! Fill 4 feels more like two groups of 9 and one of 6 to me. Thanks for keeping me out of jail!
I’d love to see more videos like this. These fills are so creative and interesting, and this is the first video where I actually enjoyed every fill that was taught. Looking forward to more videos!
Your first video that I'm seeing. And instant sub. Love your style and energy mate
Awe, that’s so awesome to hear. Thanks for watching and the he able for the sub!
Love it!!!
Thanks a ton Aaron! What’s your favors fill out of the 5?
@@mikeslessons good question, I like them all for different reasons. Gun to my head, 3