Chicago Drum Lessons by Sol Garnier

Sol is an excellent teacher. Patient but purposeful, serious but also fun, he makes learning the drums a labor of love, never boring or dull. I would highly recommend Sol to anyone looking for a great musical instructor and a talented guide on your journey through music.

My 11 year old son has been taking piano lessons with Sol for just four months; I am so very happy and satisfied with my child’s quick progression! I feel that this has much to do with Sol’s ability to connect with his student and tailor lessons that keep his young students interest. My child loves to practice piano and looks forward to his weekly lesson with Sol. I am so glad that we found him and feel certain that my son will become a proficient musician under Sol’s tutelage.

Fantastic drum teacher! Our five year old started with Sol about a year ago and she loves it. She looks forward to her lesson all week. Because she is so young he does a great job keeping the lesson interactive and high energy.
We have loved working with Sol so much that we have started our older daughter in piano and look forward to the same quality of teaching.

I’ve been playing for a long time but never taken a lesson before. I’m learning a ton; Sol is a really great teacher. He’s breaking my skills down to bricks and mortar and I can’t wait to practice and learn more.
Highly recommended!

Sol is an excellent, dedicated teacher (and I say that as a teacher). I’ve been playing drums for many years but I’ve only taken a handful of lessons, so Sol is the first teacher I’ve gone to consistently. He respects my individual abilities and needs, but he isn’t shy about telling me what I need to do to improve. I’ve been very impressed with his ability to watch me play and praise my strengths, diagnose my problems, and give me focused assignments that help me get better. And with hour-​long lessons (though he offers shorter ones) we have time to play and talk — and both are equally important. I’ve also been impressed with his willingness to talk about the mental aspects of playing and performing. Having gigged a fair amount and practiced a ton, I know that’s at least half of being a musician, and Sol can talk thoughtfully about that side of playing too.

I’ve always loved listening to drums and percussion, but it wasn’t until my late 40s that I decided to pursue actually learning to play.
If you’re 35 or older, please read on!
At first, I tried a handful of lessons with a few different instructors — all very enthusiastic and talented young drummers — but I soon found that I needed a teacher that is able to understand the psyche of a 40-​something learner. I was looking for a mentor that could create a dynamic plan according to my ability, schedule, and other life and work commitments. Sol does exactly that.
His approach teaches the foundational, essential rudiments of drumming, but he’s also able to flex or scale on demand.
Often I don’t have the time to practice prior to having our lesson, and instead of cancelling or repeating previous lessons, we take scenic tours through conceptual territory. Don’t misunderstand– the only way to become proficient is to practice regularly, but Sol intuitively senses when rigor is counterproductive for me. He creates a new, temporary path for me that gives me a chance to learn about the other aspects of being a musician. Playing well with a band, being your «own personal mixing board,» and the role of a drummer are just a few examples of lesson topics that you don’t see much of on YouTube.
In summary, my lessons with Sol are fun and challenging, and I always feel inspired at the end. Sol has been a great mentor, coach, and even a philosopher and counselor at times. Highly recommended for students of all ages.

Sol teaches my grand daughter drums. She has picked up many techniques in the short time she’s been taking. He is calm, patient and very talented. I highly recommend him.

Awesome drum instructor!
Sol is my first music teacher. I began lessons with him in November of 2014 and have been going pretty regularly since. He has made learning drums very enjoyable with his great sense of humor and his exemplary knowledge of music in general and percussion in particular.

Excellent teacher! He is well knowledgeable and works with each student on their individual goals and pace. Has a great sense of humor– every lesson is fun and different.

Fantastic drum teacher!
So far in my life I have had 8 music teachers and Sol is at the top of my list! I’ve been playing drums for 11 years and he has doubled my skill in the past 10 months. In addition to helping me as my teacher, Sol has also been a mentor to me as I am working towards living as a professional musician.
Sol’s teaching style is nonchalant, funny at times, and very relational. Sometimes the lessons are very funny and other times they are very serious. The conversations we have had have taught me to think in a more self-​sufficient, mature, and adult manner. He has also helped me to step back and look at the big picture of my life.

I had the great fortune of studying drums with Sol for about a year way back in 1993. He was my first real drum teacher. The lessons were fantastic. Sol’s love of drumming came through at all times. The material was very challenging, but always fun and Sol taught with a lot of patience and humor. Sol covered all the basics: rudiments, reading, grooves and different drum set styles, but most significant for me, he opened up my eyes to a possibility of me becoming a professional drummer. With his encouragement I went on to attend Berklee College of Music (his old school) to further my education. I have kept in contact with Sol all these years and he continues to mentor and inspire me.
Oakland, CA. Andrew has performed/​recorded with: CAKE, Camper Van Beethoven, Luce, Vince Welnick (Grateful Dead, Tubes, Todd Rundgren), Kenny Margolis (keyboards Cracker), Jonathan Richman, David Immergluck (Counting Crows), Roger Rocha (4 Non Blondes), Nate Query (the Decemberists), Eric Holden (Bassist with Josh Groban, the Bodeans), Chris Xefos (King Missile), Duane Jarvis (Lucinda Williams), Jimmy Prescott (G Love and Special Sauce), Steve Fisk (producer Nirvana, Soundgarden, the Posies, Soul Coughing)…In addition to drumming, Andrew is also a singer/​songwriter and producer. He currently fronts Oakland based Indie rock group Felsen who have just released their fourth album.

I am a long time guitar player who has always been interested in learning drums. Sol is a patient and knowledgeable teacher. He got me started on a couple of beats that I could play right away but also taught me the rudiments and a bit of theory as well. He was willing to structure the lessons so that I cold learn what I wanted, not just what he wanted to teach. I find it refreshing that someone with his level of skill would be willing to take on a beginner. I would strongly recommend trying him out.