What exactly is in the coaching course? - video 2
okay - you've decided to focus
on the most important things keeping you from greatness, and start getting the most out of your hours in the practice room.
But exactly what does the curriculum in the 80/20 coaching course cover? In this video I go into greater detail about it, taking you through the details.
Check out the video to see in detail what I'll cover, and to get a better idea exactly what it looks like inside the course.
now, I want to answer your frequently asked questions
Because of the comment form below, and emails I get from students, I have a list of some of the most common questions people ask about the course. Here are the answers.
I just got the Roadmap and an armful of other videos. Shouldn't I work through all this stuff first?
I'll say this first. The Coaching Course is not a perfect fit for every drummer. You have to be dedicated to going deep into your weaknesses and motivated to learn to hear yourself more critically than you used to in the past.
That said, the course is different from the Roadmap and the free videos. If the former are like buying a book, I designed the course to be like taking lessons. All the material in the Roadmap is in the course (and about 10x that much in additional content you won't see in the free videos!), but it's there in context, so I tell you exactly what to practice week 1, how to tell if you're ready to move on, then exactly what to practice on week 2, and so on.
And if one of the Marcus Gilmore videos is the what, the Coaching Course is the how. It's possible to play almost all of the exercises and beats in my free videos without ever addressing the underlying issues of Playing Clean, Playing in Time, and Idea Flow. But the Course is designed to micro-target those meta-skills, so you'll sound twice as good when you return to those Marcus beats.
What if I'm a working musician and can only practice when I'm off tour?
There are two reasons the course may still be a good fit. First, I designed it with you in mind. Each module teaches you a fundamental skill, and being able to deploy that skill in a performance context before returning to the next module will actually help you internalize it better. Second, that's why I give you all the content of the DIY course for a single price - you can take a month off and not worry! Just pick it back up when you have time.
I only have 2-3 days per week I have access to a drum kit. Will the course still work for me?
As long as you're dedicated, the course will work with as few as 2-3 days of practice on an actual kit. (In fact, I tell many students that 2-3 days on a real kit is superior to every day on a pad.) I built in many self-pacing features. If it takes 14 days to complete a module, those days can be back-to-back, or they can be a few-a-week. The important part is you're progressing, and the course shows you exactly how to determine if you're ready to advance to the next level.
How do I know the course will be appropriate for my level? I'm a [beginner/advanced player].
If you're a touring pro and you don't believe you need to work on fundamentals ever again, you're right - the course isn't for you. But I still work on fundamentals. I'll be practicing a Justin Tyson transcription and notice a time tendency that requires me to go back and play something basic with the metronome.
If you're advanced - I've asked several touring pros to work through the material in the course, and they told me certain things were too easy. I took those comments, and incorporated concepts and exercises that they found more than challenging. By the later modules, you're dealing with concepts and techniques that still challenge me on a daily basis. If you're advanced, you may progress quickly through the first few modules to get right to the heavy stuff, and that's great.
If you're a relative beginner - the course starts with the fundamentals, and the beauty of 12 modules is that by the time you encounter some of the most difficult material you'll be up to the task.
Bottom line - I worked with a wide range of pilot students to develop this curriculum, and made sure it was a fit.
How many modules do I get from Day One, and how long do I have access to the course for the purchase price?
From Day One, I give you access to the first five modules. Beginning after 2 weeks, a new module opens each week. I do this to give it the look and feel of a college syllabus, and the sense that you're progressing.
All 12 modules are yours for life for the single purchase price. If you do the premium program, even if you cancel the coaching portion, the course is still yours to keep.
What do I get with the DIY and Premium versions of the course?
The DIY gives you the complete, "gameified" curriculum, with over 96 individual videos, most of them with transcriptions, PDFs of the weekly practice template for each stage, instructions for recording yourself at the end of each stage, and questionnaires to grade your progress and determine if it's time to "move on" to the next module. I like to say it's like Rosetta Stone for the drums.
The Premium, which I offer only to a limited number of students because it requires my time, offers everything above, with the addition of a submission for at the end of each module, with which you can submit your recordings to me, and I'll give you pointers, show you what to spend more or less time on, and ultimate let you know if you should go onto the next level. The premium is a monthly subscription you can cancel at any time and still keep the course.
How does the course divide jazz and non-jazz material, and do I have to pay twice for both versions?
There are two versions of the course included for a single purchase price. You don't need to do them both. There's a jazz version, for players who want to work on their Personal Drum Troupe, Time, and Idea Flow and who also want to work on jazz, and a non-jazz version for players who don't play jazz. Both include the same core curriculum, so it's useful to think of them as Regular and Extra Tasty Crispy. You don't need two fried chicken dinners. But I'll give you both for once price, then you can choose which to eat.
The jazz course covers - how to play the ride cymbal (how to really play it, since a lot of jazz players are weak at it), what to do with the left foot, how to improvise swinging grooves that sound great with a walking bass but aren't locked into "2 and 4" on the hats, how to practice the Swing 8th note, and eventually brushes and up-tempo playing in the later modules.
Anything else you want to know? Just use the form below to ask!