A fresh approach is being claimed by dealers and fans alike as a new way of promoting drums, knowledge and learning. The events, fronted by leading Yamaha artists Ash Soan and Neal Wilkinson reached over 1,500 drummers of all levels. The tour format is already being credited as a compelling and valuable tool for expanding the market for new players.
Rob Pearson of Manchester Drum Centre is equally enthusiastic and said " We are absolutely delighted with the results of the 'Club Custom' event, Yamaha have really hit the spot with this tour. Our customers were transfixed by this new and unique style of presentation where the audience was able to relate to what the drummers played and the advice and experiences they provided" And there lies the secret to the success of Yamaha's thinking : until now the traditional drum clinic format left many audiences members transfixed - but by sadly informing them of what they 'Could Not' do as opposed to what they 'Could Do'.
Yamaha's Pocket 'Club Custom' tour took the drum clinic back to basics and delivered knowledge and skills that the audience could take home with them. A combination of excellent but no-frills playing, valuable up close and personal advice from two of the UK's top session aces has inspired drummers and wannabe drummers alike.
Ash Soan puts is equally simply but highly effectively "This tour was all about focussing minds on what the instrument is really about: what the drum kits 'musical role' is. Most clinics revolve around playing riffs at a million miles an hour and bombarding audiences with content so complicated its almost impossible to replicate . We wanted to demonstrate that you can be a great drummer by taking a more simplistic approach to playing."
The strategy has certainly paid off with and Yamaha are already planning follow up activities. Pre show communications also proved highly effective in local press and online with networking sites including Twitter and Facebook, and with possibly a world first, Yamaha's 'Back Lounge' online initiative saw Ash and Neal regularly tweeting drum groove notation for followers and fans to try throughout the tour.
This was all supported by a series of video programmes released in stages on Yamaha's hugely popular Download site in which Ash and Neal provided a taster of what the audiences could expect. A DVD was also created as a momento of the tour which Neal and Ash signed after each event.
The last word has to go to Yamaha's Gavin Thomas who conceived and managed the tour, "A combination of great drummers, a strong new format, powerfull pre event promotion and brilliant dealer support characterises this as Yamaha's best ever drum dealer promotion. By avoiding the 'show-off ' approach we provided audiences with valuable, practical knowledge - the trick was making this content equally compelling for drummers and people considering taking up drumming alike."
Another further exciting twist to the tour showed Ash and Neal playing their Yamaha 'Club Custom' kits throughout as a duo. With different tuning and micing set ups. This new technique also paid off as audiences better engaged with the demonstration of styles and grooves. An extended period of time allowed people to ask questions to them jointly and received invaluable advice on a whole host of topics from set-up an tuning tips to how to get more session work.
