The Snare Drum Virtuoso

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Season 2, Episode 1 In this episode, Jonathan Curtis takes a candid and honest look at the realities of being 'an artist.' This enigmatic phrase often causes a reaction at social gatherings, and it is often unclear how these 'artists' spend their days and make a living. In this episode, Jonathan explores the realities of practising, how one spends their days, and making a l...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Advice for Mastering the Snare Drum In this episode, Jonathan Curtis takes a candid approach to mastering the snare drum, sharing points of advice that can elevate one's ability and understanding on the instrument. The snare drum can be a difficult instrument to understand, and knowing where to direct one's efforts can be very helpful in navigating this discipline. www. Jon...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Episode 9 - Rudimental Drumming In this episode, Jonathan Curtis discusses the concept of rudimental drumming, what this means, and how it is used in the modern context. Rudimental drumming can be something of a watchword for many drummers today, with differing opinions on whether it is useful, applicable, or relevant in today's artform. By considering what the term means a...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Episode 8 - Learning a Piece of Music In this first episode of the new series, Jonathan Curtis discusses his process for engaging with a new piece of music. This process involves considering context in which the composer was working, their intentions and background, and trying to understand their approach to the piece in general. www. JonathanCurtis.co.uk © Artificer Produc...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Podcast Episode 7: On Self-Taught Musicians In this episode, Jonathan Curtis tackles the difficult topic of whether one can succesfully learn as a self-taught musician, or whether teachers are truly necessary. This leads to discussions on the role of teachers, some self reflection on a learning journey, and the definition of "proper" tuition or the "correct&q...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Episode 6 - Seminal Works on the Snare Drum In this episode, Jonathan Curtis explores a selection of seminal works that have shaped the snare drum. These include instrucitonal books and pedagogical works, as well as compositions and repertoire collections. Engaging with the repertoire, tradition, and history of an artform is vital to its understanding, and an important step...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Episode 5 - Progress and the Path to Mastery In this episode, Jonathan Curtis explores the stages of progress from beginner to master. This includes ideas of teacher dependency, depth of subject knowledge, technical facility, confidence, experience, and specialisation. Mastery is a fascinating topic, and one that many musicians pursue. However, it can be difficult to unders...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Episode 4 - Practice In this episode, Jonathan Curtis tackles the topic of practice. Despite its importance for learning virtually any skill, practising is often poorly understood and poorly executed. When viewed as a skill in its own right, we can learn to practise in such a way that results are apparent and quick. This episode explores the five pillars of deliberate pract...

The Snare Drum Virtuoso Episode 3 - The Repertoire In this episode, Jonathan Curtis explores "the repertoire" of the snare drum, including what this means, the historical development, and the body of work to which this term refers. Understanding the history, the key figures, and the key pieces within the repertoire is an important step in deepening one's knowledge of the instrument a...

Episode 2 The Rudiments In this episode, Jonathan Curtis explores the conceptual idea of the rudiments , addressing their descriptive nature, their compositional function, and specific musical application of the patterns themselves.

Episode 1 Technique In this opening episode, I explore the concept of technique, potential misunderstandings, and an examination of the ways in which we learn technique. My main argument in this episode is that good technique emerges as a response to the needs ot the musical piece on which we are working. If we are not working with the end goal of a piece of music in mind, there is no benchmark ag...