N.Y. Times, May 3rd : Technology Section
By Julie Lew

(Excerpt)

"Drumlesson.com, a comprehensive and well-designed site on drums and drumming."

Drummers in search of more technologically advanced lessons can find them at Drumlesson.com, one of the Web's most comprehensive sites on drumming. With high-quality video clips and MP3 streaming audio, students can delve into 50 basic drumbeats, for example, as taught on archived lessons by Kalani, a well-known performer and instructor. Eight weeks of lessons cost $9.95.

With its extensive multimedia encyclopedia on drumming, audio interviews with artists, member forums and online lessons, Drumlesson.com is a labor of love for its founder, Kalani, who has performed with artists like Kenny Loggins, Yanni, Barry Manilow and Dr. John. The site is easy to navigate, and the lessons are taught in clear, detailed, high-quality video, audio, text and graphics. The lessons range from My First Drum Set ($9.95 for eight weeks) to a starter course on topics like how to put the parts together and hold the sticks and one on complete rhythm arrangements for West African djembe and dunun drums. ($9.95 for eight weeks). Students need to download QuickTime Video, QuickTime Audio, RealAudio and MP3 Audio to get access to the lessons.

Kalani, who prefers to go by a single name, has produced instructional videos and teaches workshops on drumming. He views his online lessons as good introductory and supplemental lessons to private instruction. Online lessons offer certain advantages, he said, like being able to repeat a pattern of beats easily just by clicking on a loop. "