Welcome
to
Tiger
Bill's DrumBeat!
"Ugly" Tiger
Bill Meligari with Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
Hi. I welcome you to look around my site. I'm a drum pro with more than 30 years of experience and I'll guide you to the best, most exciting products, services, and free stuff on the Web.
They call me Tiger Bill, and you might recognize me as your guide to Drums and Percussion from the About.com network. Although I'm still the resident Drum Expert under the Musicians.About.com site, About has decided to no longer support a dedicated Drums and Percussion site. The good news is that all of the great info from my original "About Drums" site is here at TigerBill.com, plus a whole lot more!
Oh, and if you're curious about how I became known as TigerBill, read on!
Don't
Blame Me
You can blame Joe Morello for my nickname "Tiger." Joe likes to nickname people. He calls Carmine Appice (on the right in the above photo) "Apache" and he calls me the "Tiger" (that's me on the left).
The first time I saw Joe play, his chops knocked me out. At that moment, I knew I had to learn his technique. So, I put everything I had into it and in one month, I was playing all of his left-handed triplets and sixteenths runs at respectable speeds: Triplets were up to 208 and groups of four-sixteenths were 168, although I'm faster now.
I was also Joe's first student to make it through his book "Off The Record," which is a collection of transcriptions of his most famous (and most technically challenging) drum solos. This is how Joe came to call me the "Tiger."
The name must have grown on me because three decades later, I'm still using it. (People seem to remember Tiger Bill easier than Bill Meligari. I wonder why?)
Anyway, that's how I got the name.
I
Love It
Since I first began teaching (in my early teens), I've always tried to provide quality instruction yet still keep things fun and exciting. Everyone learns better when they're having fun. When I started working on the Internet, I carried over that same philosophy.
Now, with my own company, I have the opportunity to develop educational materials, products, and services that can make learning easy, entertaining, and more effective than anything previously available. And, through the wonderful World Wide Web, I can reach students in all corners of the globe, including those not fortunate enough to have a good instructor in their local area.
My Custom Internet Drum Lesson Courses are now being ported over into print, CD, and DVD formats and will make learning at home without the help of a "live" instructor easier and more effective than ever before.
In addition to lessons, I'm in the process of revising my highly-reviewed drum book, DoubleDrum: A Double Bass Drum Text,which has been endorsed by Louie Bellson and Roy Haynes. I'm also working on a DVD that will teach you my method of hand technique (based on various systems including those of Gladstone and Moeller), a new series of Monster Chops Expert Drum Guides, and I'm only just beginning to scratch the surface.
Plus, I'm constantly updating this site, to keep you coming back for more. To say that I'm busy, is an understatement. But, hey, it beats being out of work! (It also beats the heck out of working a real job!)
So, check out the site. Enjoy the hundreds of free links and feature lesson articles I've written and, when you're ready to take your drumming skills to the next level, check out the products in my Online Drum Shop.
We make ordering easy too by accepting credit cards over the Web, as well as checks (personal, business, certified, or money orders) and PayPal.
NEW - DrumBeat Fest Video featuring Billy
Ward!
NEW - DrumFest Video featuring Tiger Bill with Rock Legend Vince
Martell!
Don't miss the Complete DrumBeat Fest 2007 Electronic Download Version - Coming Soon!
Tension Free Drumming
TigerBill has spent more than 30 years in search of drum technique that would provide the ultimate in speed, power, endurance, and precision. What he found is that a combination of traditional methods, such as the Moeller and Gladstone technique worked best and even better when they were executed without any muscular tension at all.
In 2004, Bill proved the effectiveness of what he calls Tension free Drumming by winning the NAMM World's Fastest Drummer Competition for Fastest Hands. At the same time, he set a record for Fastest Feet proving that anyone correctly applying his techniques can become one of the world's fastest drummers with both hands and feet. The ultimate in power, endurance, and precision are an additional bonus of learning to play Tension Free!
Drummers searching for the finest in technique regularly travel the globe to study privately with Tiger Bill. Now, for the first time, serious drummers everywhere have an alternative.
TigerBill's Tension Free Drumming DVD for the Hands is a hit!
Here's what drum pro Ed Soph has to say:
"TigerBill's Concepts of Tension Free Drumming: Hand Technique series is an invaluable compendium of stick techniques and stroke systems that will expand your own techniques no matter what your level of playing. And, unlike most materials on the subject, Tiger Bill demonstrates how NOT to as well as how to."
Simply put, this is a great resource."
Ed Soph
The Future of Drumming is here!
Once you experience TigerBill's latest techniques, you will never go back to the old traditional methods.
Video Excerpt from Tension Free
Drumming!
Volume One of this long awaited DVD is now in stock and shipping!
Click Here to learn what DrumHeads from around the world are saying about TigerBill's Tension Free Drumming DVD!
What's
TigerMix?
TigerMix is the name of
my "official" corporation.
How'd I arrive at that name? I guess I
was just tired of being the only "Tiger" around!
I'm having a great time, doing what I love. I hope you enjoy my work. You're feedback, both positive and negative, is a great help to me. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, so I can bring you more of what you want.
Have fun on the site and Stay Loose!
Tiger Bill