Customer Reviews
How come I never heard of this guy? 
2008-08-24
I have this video, and yes it's very helpful. I'm female, and have been playing a Vistalite for a few years (ie, John Bonham's orange kit)...most drummers I know or have seen play only have ONE groove at most, and maybe three fills, but that's another animal.
Slight drawbacks: I would have liked a slower intro demo--there's one with snare drum rudaments, and he starts out so slowly that literally ANYONE could play where he starts the exercise. Needless to say, it gets fast quick, but that's to be expected.
i didn't care for the multiple camera angles, and unnecessary film effects. What should have been done was "screen in a screen" with the foot cam on the small one; the rest showing his hands where you can see what's he's doing.
he DOES have a GREAT feel, and he's a hottie, which never hurts.
I pretty much have all the other drum movies and videos, and my other faves are "Classic rock drum solos with Carmine Appice," "Drumline" (very inspirational drum movie), "the Gene Krupa Story" (with BRILLIANT fakery from Sal Mineo--you still have to be GOOD to fake gene Krupa...), Led Zeppelin's "the Song remains the Same" (look for my amber Vistalite kit in this film), and anything featuring Steve Smith (as in Journey), Neil Peart (as in Rush), Stewart Copeland (the Police) and Santana--who always plays with at least three GREAT drummers live.
some guys I know personally if you like drums are Steve Blank on YouTube, and featured on tight-squeezeband.com, and Sean Page, who I once watched fake "2112" and i didn't notice he was faking it--VERY impressive (out of Colorado).
D's reveiw 2008-08-14
Tommy Igoes DVD for groove essntials is great. It's perfect for anyone from begginners to advanced players. For people that don't know how to read music to people that can. And it's perfect for the the people that don't have the time or money to take drum lessons. Tommy Igoe is
very thorough and informative in this DVD and it's helped me out alot.
thanks,D-man
A must-have for any beginning or intermediate drummer! 
2008-07-09
This is a great DVD!
This DVD provides a wealth of information on the grooves behind all sorts of popular music and world music too. Igoe is an amazingly talented drummer with a gift for instruction, and this DVD is just the ticket for anyone wanting to learn to play. This video will give you what you need to develop your skills a lot!
if u wanna learn,and wanna have fun,u need this.. 2008-05-25
My suggestion is buy this DVD along with the play along CD which also comes with the book,and ur learning will be complete.i learned notations hardly a month back.but still i can read almost all the grooves in this DVD.just listen to what Mr igoe is playing n keep looking at the poster provided in the DVD or the book which comes with the play along CD , n u will understand everything what he's doing.good fun..i think every drummer,beginner as well as pro needs it in the collection..
For experts to beginners- great for learning 2007-10-29
One of the best laid out DVDs I've seen so far. He has a teaching methodology that he uses consistently through out the 47 grooves he teaches -- covering rock, jazz, funk, latin, etc. If you've ever wondered how a certain beat is done and done well, this is where to start. Tommy shows each hand and foot separately and then combines slowly, then does it fast. Not any wasted talking like on the Bissonette DVD or even the Morello. This is an excellent resource.
cool stuff 2007-09-26
Tommy Igoes Groove Essentials DVD is based on the definitive collection of contemporary Rock, Jazz, R&B/Funk and World/Ethnic drumming styles contained in the Groove Essentials poster that Igoe and Vic Firth developed last year, the enhanced DVD features drum artist, teacher and author Tommy Igoe who demonstrates, explains and performs nearly four-dozen of todays most popular drum patterns. According to Igoe, mastering these essential grooves will greatly expand any drummers knowledge and versatility while giving them the confidence and ability to perform in virtually any musical situation. As a special bonus, the DVD package includes a free Groove Essentials poster.
Best I Own 2007-06-25
Finally, a drum instruction video that actually teaches you to play something useful on the drums! I own the Steve Smith video and Neil Peart Work in Progress, both very enjoyable and informative, but nothing for my beginning level of drumming. I can copy their rhythms, but Tommy shows how to build grooves from the ground up and lets you play along at 2 tempos. This has been great in helping me learn independence, many styles of rhythms, and it's fun to watch. He's an excellent and encouraging instructor and this video (with poster of the grooves tabbed out) is worth every penny.
Great Instruction - Annoying Production 2007-04-25
There is a lot to like about the drumming and instruction on this video. I found Mr. Igoe to be an articulate and likable instructor that conveys a passion for playing.
Unfortunately there is a lot to hate about the way it was produced. The editing is incredibly annoying. While he is talking to you they pace edits about every 30 seconds, they use orthogonal angles, constant zooms, black and white shots, aged film effects etc. All that does is serve to annoy and distract you from what is being said. I think the editor just got a bunch of new cameras and post-production toys and had to try them all out. 1 Star for the production, 5 Stars for the instructor.
A Truly Essential Work 2007-04-16
Amazingly, it's difficult to find a drum instruction method based on just grooving; which, interestingly, is the point in playing the drum set almost all of the time. Igoe actually does what hardly any other author does for the drum set; he teaches one how to groove. Not only that, but this is the most fun program I've ever heard. When you take his Dvd lessons and apply them to the songs from the mp3s, it's just so much fun--it's hard to even explain. I've stayed up until 4 am playing to these songs: trying out different groove variations, fills, and solos, and I don't feel like I'm working--I feel like I'm having fun and don't want to go to bed. Best Dvd/book ever written for the set!
Good value for money for instructional entertainment 2007-03-28
To be honest, I never heard of Tommy Igoe before purchasing the "Groove Essentials" DVD. I purchased this DVD because of the voluminous contentent (almost 4 hrs), and the variety of the grooves. Tommy is certainly enjoying himself, which makes this dvd both instructional and entertaining. If you are not a beginner, you will find the first grooves very easy, but the grooves get more interesting as the programme progresses. As Tommy says in this dvd - "GO FOR IT" - if you do not have it buy it now. You will not be disappointed.
