Freddie reminds me about this joke A man walks into a pet shop and sees three parrots. One is $5,000, the second is $10,000, and the third is $30,000. He asks the owner, "Why is this parrot so expensive?" The owner replies, "The first parrot knows 2,000 words and can do many tricks. The second parrot knows 5,000 words, is extremely intelligent, and can hold a conversation." The man then asks, "What about the third parrot? What makes it worth $30,000?" The owner replies, "I don't know, but the other two parrots call him 'Master.'"
He was one of a kind. Studied with him in LA in the 70's. He was good friends and taught in a small studio that Don Lombardi ran and was the start of DW Drums. Freddy was there at the very start of DW. They got the rights to the Camco pedal which became the DW Pedal, an almost exact replica. Everyone now knows what an impact DW has had on the industry today. The other product they started was an adjustable throne that would carry your hardware. It also adjusted as was very cool. The interesting part was the cylinders were made out of pressed paper! almost as hard as wood but bendable. Thanks for sharing your story. I warmed my heart.
What made Freddy GRUBER so great I think I can help you with that as I was a longtime student with him. I studied with him starting in 1969 and then went all the way up with him until he really stopped teaching. I did take some lessons with him in the early 2000s I was only one in the house with him to do this, so I’ll tell you what makes him so great he got results….. let me repeat that it’s absolutely clear….HE GOT RESULTS FROM HIS STUDENTS ! He had an uncanny understanding of how the anatomy works how the hands wrist fingers arms all work both separately and then together he had an incredible foot technique, which I believe he picked up from BUDDY RICH’S TAP, DANCING TECHNIQUES! FREDDY HIMSELF WAS A TAP DANCER AND HE APPLIED THAT TO THE Pedals! He 5GOT PRODUCT AS HE WOULD CALL IT. I think I can state this with perfect authority, incredibility as I study with him for over quarter of a century!
Saw Freddie at Nashville Nam show over 20 years ago I guess. He gave zero fucks about the no smoking sign as he sat and chain smoked in the DW booth. Jim Chapin was there as well giving sticking demos. Freddie was a riot.
george nolte That says nothing. A lot of drummers play in bands and get insanely rich with it, although their drumming is more then questionable in every aspect. One of my favourite examples is U2’s Larry Mullen. “Snake Oil” is a very slippery argument, since a “valid” answer to it depends on subjective preferences and therefore can’t be generalised.
I understand the sentiment. But where did the noted changes in Weckl, Smith, and Peart's playing come from? They attribute the changes to studying with Gruber, but you say snake oil. Since you know, I'm just curious.
@@danlc95 : He doesn’t know! I studied with Freddy from 1969 and for the next 25 years at least with him and he was the real McCoy I can actually play the drums today because of Freddy am I taking his studies to heart! Now while I may not be the hottest guy around at least I know what I’m doing!
Neil Peart took drum lessons from Freddy Gruber, now Neil Peart can't play drums...connection maybe? Gruber was a fraud who fooled many professionals in the 90's that he was some kind of big deal drummer who hung out with Buddy Rich, he of course could never prove it and no one ever saw him play drums, just a lot of talk. Peart's playing was forever worsened over time due to the bad lessons and habits that Gruber showed him. If he hadn't met Gruber he would still be playing to this day.
Imma H8tr : Listen I studied with Fred Gruber for well over 25 years and I can tell you right now Freddie was NO FRAUD!!!! He knew exactly what he was doing! He was “light years” ahead of everyone else!....LIGHT YEARS! I wish I had a dollar for every Drummer I’ve run into over the years who went to Freddie after first studying with other teachers and getting nowhere and frustrated with those other teachers then they come to GRUBER and within Months if not weeks, they’ve improved by leaps and bounds I know because I’m one of those! I’ve talked to so many other GRUBER students who came from other teachers and blessed the day they found FRED GRUBER! THEY BLESSED THE DAY! And I was one of them and I still am! The stuff people are raving over now (drum technique wise ) like the “OPEN-CLOSE (System) for instance he was teaching way way back in the 70’s and earlier! Freddie KNEW HIS STUFF! Neil (Peart’s) damage most likely occurred years before he even met Fred! It was from years of playing in huge stadiums, colosseums, and arenas and playing as hard as he had to, to compete with the massive amplification of that band. The constant “pounding” and “hammering” over the years WILL take its toll on your hands (and feet).The “stress” on muscles, tendons, ligaments, and those sensitive nerves (in wrists and fingers)....can wreak havoc on the chops! Most likely the damage had been doneLong before he got with Gruber! And at that point even a “Freddie Gruber” can’t do much at that point! It’s a “ anatomical situation! And anyway Freddie would only give you the “tools” you needed to improve your efficiency on drums, what you do with it is up to each individual! What Neil Peart did with what Fred taught him was HIS choice! You see?! And That’s that!
@@damonspijkerbosch6299 : naw he probably doesn’t ( feel like an idiot now) Those guys are in their own little world and they were oblivious to logic and truth. Guys like that will never get it they don’t get it now and they never will unless you studied with FRED GRUBER you really can’t criticize! If people like Weckl, Peart, And Smith And others famous and not famous swear by Freddie as well as myself of course they must be something to the man!
![Best Drummer Ever [HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FqJdzYY_Fas/mqdefault.jpg)
Freddie reminds me about this joke
A man walks into a pet shop and sees three parrots. One is $5,000, the second is $10,000, and the third is $30,000.
He asks the owner, "Why is this parrot so expensive?"
The owner replies, "The first parrot knows 2,000 words and can do many tricks. The second parrot knows 5,000 words, is extremely intelligent, and can hold a conversation."
The man then asks, "What about the third parrot? What makes it worth $30,000?"
The owner replies, "I don't know, but the other two parrots call him 'Master.'"
He was one of a kind. Studied with him in LA in the 70's. He was good friends and taught in a small studio that Don Lombardi ran and was the start of DW Drums. Freddy was there at the very start of DW. They got the rights to the Camco pedal which became the DW Pedal, an almost exact replica. Everyone now knows what an impact DW has had on the industry today. The other product they started was an adjustable throne that would carry your hardware. It also adjusted as was very cool. The interesting part was the cylinders were made out of pressed paper! almost as hard as wood but bendable. Thanks for sharing your story. I warmed my heart.
Thanks Paul. What a cool experience you had with Freddie!
Wow! What a story! Thanks for sharing it. Here's to Freddie, and Jim.
Awesome story man, i always love these stories! and love to share with my students!!
Yes great story. And we lost another legend Neal Peart and now the are together inspiring many people like me.
Neil
Great story! Thanks for sharing.
Best story on RUclips!
What a story
What made Freddy GRUBER so great I think I can help you with that as I was a longtime student with him. I studied with him starting in 1969 and then went all the way up with him until he really stopped teaching. I did take some lessons with him in the early 2000s I was only one in the house with him to do this, so I’ll tell you what makes him so great he got results….. let me repeat that it’s absolutely clear….HE GOT RESULTS FROM HIS STUDENTS !
He had an uncanny understanding of how the anatomy works how the hands wrist fingers arms all work both separately and then together he had an incredible foot technique, which I believe he picked up from BUDDY RICH’S
TAP, DANCING TECHNIQUES! FREDDY HIMSELF WAS A TAP DANCER AND HE APPLIED THAT TO THE Pedals! He 5GOT PRODUCT AS HE WOULD CALL IT.
I think I can state this with perfect authority, incredibility as I study with him for over quarter of a century!
Saw Freddie at Nashville Nam show over 20 years ago I guess. He gave zero fucks about the no smoking sign as he sat and chain smoked in the DW booth. Jim Chapin was there as well giving sticking demos. Freddie was a riot.
Can you post pics of the DWLit that Freddie gave you?
Great Story
The biggest snake oil salesmen that every lived.
+george nolte was thinking the same! I have never seen him playing with a band.
george nolte That says nothing. A lot of drummers play in bands and get insanely rich with it, although their drumming is more then questionable in every aspect. One of my favourite examples is U2’s Larry Mullen.
“Snake Oil” is a very slippery argument, since a “valid” answer to it depends on subjective preferences and therefore can’t be generalised.
I understand the sentiment.
But where did the noted changes in Weckl, Smith, and Peart's playing come from? They attribute the changes to studying with Gruber, but you say snake oil.
Since you know, I'm just curious.
@@danlc95 : He doesn’t know! I studied with Freddy from 1969 and for the next 25 years at least with him and he was the real McCoy I can actually play the drums today because of Freddy am I taking his studies to heart! Now while I may not be the hottest guy around at least I know what I’m doing!
Oil & water? How about snake oil?
I can personally attest that with Freddy there was no snake oil involved!
Neil Peart took drum lessons from Freddy Gruber, now Neil Peart can't play drums...connection maybe?
Gruber was a fraud who fooled many professionals in the 90's that he was some kind of big deal drummer who hung out with Buddy Rich, he of course could never prove it and no one ever saw him play drums, just a lot of talk. Peart's playing was forever worsened over time due to the bad lessons and habits that Gruber showed him. If he hadn't met Gruber he would still be playing to this day.
Imma H8tr : Listen I studied with Fred Gruber for well over 25 years and I can tell you right now Freddie was NO FRAUD!!!! He knew exactly what he was doing! He was “light years” ahead of everyone else!....LIGHT YEARS! I wish I had a dollar for every Drummer I’ve run into over the years who went to Freddie after first studying with other teachers and getting nowhere and frustrated with those other teachers then they come to GRUBER and within Months if not weeks, they’ve improved by leaps and bounds I know because I’m one of those! I’ve talked to so many other GRUBER students who came from other teachers and blessed the day they found FRED GRUBER! THEY BLESSED THE DAY! And I was one of them and I still am!
The stuff people are raving over now (drum technique wise ) like the “OPEN-CLOSE (System) for instance he was teaching way way back in the 70’s and earlier! Freddie KNEW HIS STUFF!
Neil (Peart’s) damage most likely occurred years before he even met Fred! It was from years of playing in huge stadiums, colosseums, and arenas and playing as hard as he had to, to compete with the massive amplification of that band. The constant “pounding” and “hammering” over the years WILL take its toll on your hands (and feet).The “stress” on muscles, tendons, ligaments, and those sensitive nerves (in wrists and fingers)....can wreak havoc on the chops! Most likely the damage had been doneLong before he got with Gruber! And at that point even a “Freddie Gruber” can’t do much at that point! It’s a “ anatomical situation! And anyway Freddie would only give you the “tools” you needed to improve your efficiency on drums, what you do with it is up to each individual! What Neil Peart did with what Fred taught him was HIS choice! You see?! And That’s that!
If anything, Peart's study with Freddie *added* years to his recording and touring life with Rush.
Imma H8tr you must feel like an idiot now....
@@damonspijkerbosch6299 : naw he probably doesn’t ( feel like an idiot now) Those guys are in their own little world and they were oblivious to logic and truth. Guys like that will never get it they don’t get it now and they never will unless you studied with FRED GRUBER you really can’t criticize! If people like Weckl, Peart, And Smith And others famous and not famous swear by Freddie as well as myself of course they must be something to the man!