A Hand To Drum Productions

Testimonial from pupil Charles B.

I’ve been studying the conga drum with JC for just over two years and I just want to give my total thumbs-up to his approach as a teacher and percussion professional. As a Brit with musical tastes ranging from rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop (and latin music!), I came to JC professing a slightly uncertain attraction to conga drums. Without a well-defined notion of what I really wanted to learn, JC took me through the basic strokes, rhythms and rudiments, developing my knowledge and skills in Afro-Cuban music and much else besides. JC’s experience in the music biz is obviously amazing and one of the best things about learning from him (aside from the great stories) are the unique rhythms and styles he’s acquired (and invented) over the years, from hanging and playing in so many “scenes“. So if you want a proper idea of how to play alongside funk, disco and other r n b styles, this is your guy. Needless to say, he’ll also makes sure you know the essentials behind the instrument, most importantly its deep roots in African music and traditions, and its obvious dominance in Afro-Cuban music. Not only that, JC is a very attentive teacher and is well up on things like “cognitive discovery”, which emphasizes learning through hearing and hands as much as through more logical processes. Learning through Skype is also a lot easier and effective than it sounds. It’s been a great experience, revealing the full potential of the instrument to me and motivating me to keep up practice and lessons