Seth Davis Drumming

About
BIOGRAPHY

Seth Davis (born July 28, 1979), known on YouTube as Seth Davis Drumming is a professional Drummer, Author, Clinician, Composer, Speed Champion, Writer and Performance Artist. Seth has established his name worldwide as a drumming virtuoso by possessing exceptional abilities in solo and musical performance.

Davis has pushed the envelope of physical endurance demonstrating superb technique, amazing accuracy and extraordinary speed and power, as well as impeccable timing and insane independence. His break through the typical mental boundaries highlights his unique and innovative mental training.

His leadership through example and commitment has inspired musicians worldwide. He is dedicated, disciplined, devoted and passionate. All of which, only add to the master teacher who has tutored students in 126 countries. www.sethdavisdrumming.com, is his non-profit educational website dedicated to the art of drumming. He writes weekly blogs and records instructional and performance material. Perhaps Davis is most well known for his unusual technical abilities. Some of these skills include - speed drumming, applying odd time signatures and polyrhythmic concepts when composing music and drum solos, as well as rudimental drumming arrangements.

EARLY CAREER:  Seth Davis is a self taught musician that started playing drums at the age of 6. While never participating in the school marching band, Davis’ musical abilities were showcased through solo and music performances during school talent shows. These early experiences assisted him in becoming a live performer. Because of being born and raised on the outskirts of New Orleans, Louisiana, he had the opportunity to be exposed to a city full of music history. This led to Seth starting his professional career in his mid-teens, performing with various artists in the downtown area of New Orleans, known as the French Quarter. Seth started teaching master classes and drum clinics in 1999.

GAME CHANGING MOMENT:  In 2002 he started becoming recognized on a worldwide scale by being ranked as one of the top ten fastest drummers in the world by the WFD – The World’s Fastest Drummer Organization. Davis set multiple speed rankings and world records from 2002-2004, then started co-hosting the competitions from 2005-2006 with world’s fastest drummer champ Mike Mangini. These events took place in Nashville, Los Angeles and Indianapolis at the world’s largest trade show for the music industry, NAMM.

RECORDING & TOURING:  From 2005-2007 Davis joined the Berklee based prog band, Abigail’s Ghost. He wrote and recorded all drum arrangements for their debut album – Selling Insincerity. His clinic tour was cut short in 2010 when he was approached by New Orleans Metallers – Exhorder. Davis toured with Exhorder from early 2010 to late 2011, performing classic songs from the band’s two albums – The Law and Slaughter in the Vatican. Artists that Davis has shared the stage with, teaching master classes and clinics include – Chris Coleman, Dom Famularo, Mike Mangini, Chip Ritter, Derek Roddy, Danny Seraphine and Chad Wackerman. Alan White acknowledges Davis’ unique approaches to hand technique and rudimental facility, and has utilized some of the concepts with his own students.

THE DAVIS METHOD

"The Davis Method" is his personal hand and drum set technique that he freely shares with drummers of all genres and skill levels in an effort to help assist them achieve complete drum set facility. Davis’ hand and drum set technique, his mental training, and overall approach to the instrument are revered by many as some of the most unique, innovative and powerful drumming ideologies. Seth’s students have attained their individual goals by coming to an accurate knowledge and deep intuitive understanding of complete drum set facility as a result of studying and implementing his mental and physical regiments and philosophies.

MENTAL TRAINING

He has stressed during interviews and clinics that implementing mental training plays a key role in achieving and exceeding one's personal goals. He states that Self Hypnosis, Selective Meditation and Creative Visualization are the foundation of his mental training and teachings regiments, and is seen by some as the pioneer of this approach with regards to drumming application.

OFFICIAL SPEED RANKINGS & WORLD RECORDS

1005 Single Strokes in 60 seconds – 11/12/2002 (16.75 strokes a second)

1024 Single Strokes in 60 seconds – 6/9/2003 (17.07 strokes a second)

1044 Single Strokes in 60 seconds – 2003 (17.40 strokes a second)

Double Stroke World Record #1 – 1021 strokes in 60 seconds (Fully stroked. No pressing.) – 7/19/2003 (17.02 strokes a second)

Double Stroke World Record #2 – 1084 strokes in 60 seconds (Fully stroked. No pressing.) – January 2004 (18.07 strokes a second)

Double Stroke World Record #3 – 1200 strokes in 60 seconds (Fully stroked. No pressing.) – 7/24/2004 (20 strokes a second)

Through permission from the WFD, Davis created the double stroke category to teach how to play a clean, open roll, as well as various accuracy demonstrations with rudiments from all four sticking families.

Davis was ineligible to compete in any NAMM WFD finals for single strokes because of becoming a world champion first.

Seth was the first person in history to officially play a clean, open, double stroke roll over the 1000, 1100 and 1200 beats per minute mark.

All rankings and records were executed at a stick height of 10-12 inches, with marching sticks. – Certified by the World’s Fastest Drummer Org.