Dave Adsett
About
Dave Adsett is an up and coming drummer from the UK. He recently moved to Chicago, IL having completed his undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, UK. Dave is currently studying at DePaul University School of Music under the guidance of, world class drummer and ethnomusicologist, Professor Dana Hall.
Dave started playing drums at age 10 whilst growing up in Yorkshire, UK. He later became involved in the local brass band scene as a member of the Hammonds Saltaire Band. Dave learned how to read and also play different types of tuned percussion and timpani with the band. Even though he learnt a lot here there was no room for improvisation and exploration, so after he finished school he moved to London to study Jazz.
Whilst studying in London, Dave had the opportunity to study with many notable musicians from the Jazz and Improvised Music scene including James Maddren, Sarah Gail Brand, Gareth Williams, Barry Green, Gareth Lockrane, Trish Clowes, Mark Lockhart, Winston Clifford, Will Glaser and many more.
Dave has had the pleasure of performing at clubs, venues and festivals including, The Vortex Jazz Club, Barbican Centre and Rich Mix for the EFG London Jazz Festival. During some of these performances he was fortunate enough to share the stage with Ian Ballamy, Liane Carrol, Tim Garland, Stewart Hall and Sri Sriram to name a few.
Before Moving to Chicago, Dave was a member of Indie band, UGLY, where he co-wrote songs and performed at venues including the famous MOTH Club.
All students should have access to an open minded music education and have a space to develop their own unique sound and musical identity. All of the students I have worked with are unique and require a unique, tailored approach to aid their musical growth and development. I always ensure that I meet students where they’re at and consider their technical ability, musicality, age, learning style, goals and music genre preference. I encourage improvisation and spontaneity during lessons to help cultivate a creative approach to music.
I give my students multiple areas to work on at once so that we can create a practice routine which improves all areas of their playing and musicianship. In the past I know that I have personally struggling with settling into a regular practice routine where I resisted the same content each practice session and saw an improvement in my playing. This lead to feeling demotivated often and seeing little improvement for extended periods of time. During my Postgraduate degree at DePaul University School of Music I was fortunate to study with Dana Hall who really gave me structure, guidance and a focus for my own regular practice which has lead me to experience vast improvements and feel confident in my ability to reach my goals.
I am very conscious of my students motivation level so I ensure that I provide them with structure as I desire for them to see their own achievements and success. These areas include technical warm ups and exercises, exploring different styles, grooves/feels and tempos, transcribing and studying recordings, and learning repertoire. I always take in to consideration what interests my students and what they would like to work on. It is very important to me that they know that their thoughts and tastes are important and valid whilst also offering my own opinions on what they should be learning and improving on.
I feel that I have done my job as a teacher when I can see that my students are enjoying their own learning, feeling confident in themselves, striving for improvement and developing their own unique style and voice. I want them to feel comfortable using the drums as a medium for self expression.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama BA in Bachelor of Music, 1st Class Honors 2016-2021
The Art of Bop Drumming - John Riley
Beyond Bop Drumming - John Riley
Stick Control - George Lawrence
Modern Rudimental Swing Solos For The Advanced Drummer - Charley Wilcoxon