I bought this dvd and was a very disappointed.

The title, "Trust Your Ears," pretty much sums up the advice this dvd offers. The message of this dvd seems to be that when a drum sounds like it's in tune, it probably is in tune. That's it. Not exactly earth shaking news. Especially from a guy who undoubtedly has insights into drums and tuning that I'd really like to hear.

I don't mean to knock Ocheltree, he's a great tuner, drum tech, and sound (mic) engineer. And from what I can tell from his dvd, I'm sure he's a great guy too. The problem is that he's just not a very good teacher.

This dvd seems to me like no one really bothered to sit down and write out a script (or even an outline) of what Ocheltree needed to cover. There are just too many vague comments and wasted opportunities for sharing information. Like when Ocheltree tells us, as he's tuning a drum, that while what he's doing might look random, he's really turning by sound and feel. Unfortnately, he never tells us what he's feeling and hearing, or what he's looking and listening for, or how it should feel and sound.

In another example, Ocheltree tells us that drums sound different in different places, and that when you're playing drums they are not going to sound the same to you as they will sound to a person in the audience. This isn't exactly news. But it would have been a great place to show us what the difference is: It would have been informative to let us hear the drums from above the kit and again from the audience's perspective. I could have learned a lot from just that little exercise. And could have learned even more to hear Ocheltree share some information (or even anecdotes) about his experiences with that difference in sound.

I had hoped for a lot more from this dvd. I wanted facts, informations, insights. As it is, this dvd looks like Ocheltree's vanity project -- with a sucession of friends and performers offering him compliments on what a great guy he is. I feel cheated.

I think making a DVD is harder than most drummers think.
I've been playing 25 years and I have no idea how to teach and wouldn't know where to start on a training DVD.
Some of the ones I've seen have obviously been 'grabbed' when the drummer was on a day off from a tour or hectic recording schedule.
Perhaps it's because the potential income for the 'talent' is much less than a tour date or recording session.
Having said that, there are some brilliant, informative releases out there.

That's a bummer to hear that it is less than stellar.

I had hoped that it would be a real insight into Bonham's tuning at least.

I guess Jeff is intent on taking it to the grave...

Drummers, or drum techs as in Ocheltree's case, are only subject matter experts.  That's why you hire out for the instructional development and video production.

Even the best video production teams aren't schooled in instructional design.  

Seriously, I've seen great production in some of these drum videos, but most fall WAY short of actually being instructional.  I won't argue the fact that people can still be learn by watching, but the videos could be so much more useful from an educational standpoint if they hired out people to design the training.

I think production companies have a lot to do with quality of instruction.  For example, Hudson Music seems to have a real passion for education (used to be DCI video - not sure why they changed). In fact, the owners of Hudson Music also own the Drummer's Collective in NYC.  They don't seem to focus on snatching up a big name artist and pressing "record" on the camera.

I have yet to see a poor DVD come from that studio.  Many of their DVDs are over 3 hrs in length and are packed with supplemental materials like PDF transcriptions or MP3s.  These are the same guys that put out the Steve Smith DVD, so that gives you a good indication of their standards.

Huff,

The Ocheltree dvd is, apparently, the exception that proves this rule.

Chrisso,

Save your money and save your time: The title is the only thing about this dvd that is insightful.

I fond it listed at Hal Leonard:

click here

Hal Leonard not= Hudson Music.

It lists 'Publisher: Rittor Music'

 

Ah yes, I seem to recall they did the truly execrable Progressive Drum Concepts.

I base my opinion about Hudson on the fact that they've been doing videotaped instruction since they were DCI Music Video in 1982 and the fact these guys own the Drummer's Collective - one of the most recognized educational institution for drum set study in the world.

But I understand your point, Jeep.