Timur Yusef - Lessons

Contact Timur for drum lessons in person or remotely:

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“Education is the kindling of a flame not the filling of a vessel.” Plutarch

Philosophy:

I believe that we all have a unique approach to music with our own musical fingerprint. As musicians we want to gradually seek out and hone this individuality within the shared adventure of music.

There are ways of learning that are universally useful and effective, however I strongly believe in each person's individual process when learning an instrument also and the possibilities that these original perspectives can open up.

I like to find out what the student already enjoys about playing the drums, why they are seeking lessons and what they want to learn. Then we can together devise a useful, effective and enjoyable way to target the reviewed goals based on my own knowledge and experience and their preferences.

Methods:

The drum set is primarily an ensemble instrument, and I believe it should be studied as such.

My approach focuses mainly on strong fundamentals of playing, particularly on solid time, feel, touch and sound: concepts that are essential for playing music with other people to create meaningful music.

I like to tailor a syllabus for each student in accordance with their own preferences. I want my students to be equally inspired by drumming material in the context of music they enjoy but also to point them towards fundamentals of the instrument that are the foundations for all styles.

Bio:

Having graduated from Berklee College of Music, Timur arrived in NYC in 2008 with a set of drums, a pair of running shoes and a handful of books on meditation, he set about collaborating with as many people as possible.

Highlights include playing pop music with Grammy winners and nominees at Flux Studios, Mercury Lounge and The Living Room, jazz in Central Park at Tavern On The Green, avant-garde music at The Stone, with singer-songwriters at Rockwood Music Hall, prog rock at Webster Hall Studio, electro pop/rock at Poisson Rouge, multiple benefit shows at The Bitter End, playing live film scores at Nitehawk and BAM Cinemas, and even accompanying a game of chess at the Philadelphia Museum of Art whilst being treated with a view of one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

Timur’s career so far has been wide ranging stylistically, but always anchored to the same core concepts for playing live, in the recording studio or even in the rehearsal room: get the best possible performance of the ideal part for the music with an emphasis on groove, sound and musical sensibility to realise the ultimate goal: the bandleader’s vision for the performance, the writer’s vision of the final track and the most harmoniously musical end result.

Music is a gift to us all, and it enhances the civic values that are to the mutual benefit to all of our lives. I believe we should play and learn in the spirit of collaboration and in keeping with the context of the both positive and collective experience of music. Afterall:

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche