Bio

Looking for Vancouver drum lessons? You’ve come to the right place!

So often I hear, “I’ve always had a secret dream of getting on stage and playing the drums.” And why wouldn’t you dream of that? Being onstage playing music is amazing.

My name is Duran Ritz. I am a Vancouver based drummer. Welcome to my drum studio. I’m here to take you from dream to reality.

Whether you want to be a rockstar, brush up on old drumming skills, jam out with your friends, or just learn something new, I can help.

About Duran

Drawing upon his colorful career of over two decades of professional playing experience, Canadian born drummer, Duran Ritz, is determined to make you dance. Always smiling, Duran’s genuine love for music makes him one of the most fun drummers to learn from and watch.

Through his extensive studies of both jazz and rock music, Duran possesses a highly versatile playing style that is difficult for other drummers to match. By effortlessly blending his deep knowledge of best-in-class musical techniques, he can create beats that feel authentic in any genre yet have a twist that will make your ears perk up. He has the chops to play with the best and a pocket to match.

Studying under the legendary drummer and educator Ed Soph, Duran honed his craft while attending the prestigious jazz school, the University of North Texas. There he joined the 7-time Grammy-nominated group, the One O’Clock Lab Band – a reputable legacy band in operation since 1948. Duran recorded on their full-length album/DVD “LAB 2011″, a first of its kind for the band.

Some of Duran’s performance credits include celebrated musicians: Kurt Rosenwinkel, Larry Goldings, Ravi Coltrane, Marvin Stamm, Wojtek Pilichowski, Bill Moring, Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Michael Formanek, Ron Stout, Vic Juris, Composer Darcy Argue, Tim Ries, Bernard Fowler, Roberta Gambarini, “Blue” Lou Marini, and Brad Turner, along with several other Juno and Grammy-award winners. Furthermore, he has performed at international music festivals, including Pink Pop (Netherlands), Lovestream Festival (Slovakia), Jazz Education Network – JEN (New Orleans), Canadian Music Week (Toronto), and Cork Jazz Fest (Ireland). Duran has toured extensively and has been the recipient of multiple Downbeat awards.

Currently, Duran is a member of the alternative rock group Rare Americans, a band known for popular animated music videos, garnering over 230M views on YouTube and 100M streams on Spotify. Duran’s unique approach to drumming is a perfect compliment to the Juno-winning-band’s fun-loving and eccentric musical style. Beyond just drumming, Duran is also the Content Director for Rare Americans, where he strategically manages social accounts, leads community engagement and assists with overall marketing efforts.

Duran resides in Vancouver, Canada, where he can be found performing or training the next generation of drummers. Some of his education material is available on his blog or on his website: www.thenewdrummer.com. He frequently updates and answers questions on Instagram @dritzbitz. He is accepting drum students of all ages in the greater Vancouver area.

Teaching Info

Learning to play an instrument is one of the best ways to exercise your brain and grow as a person. It has been proven that critical development and problem solving centers of your brain are activated while playing an instrument. Check out this article on what happens when you play an instrument.

I get excited when someone is interested in learning the drums. I love getting the chance to bring someone into my world and show them just how awesome drumming is.

Drum lessons are private, one-on-one style sessions with either myself or my associate Taylor. Private lessons can be better than a group approach since it allows direct focus on one student. Lessons are typically 1-hour in length and usually happen at a set time either once a week or bi-weekly.

I always use two drum kits in my studio. Using Two kits me to easily demonstrate concepts, which you can try immediately. No switching between kits required.

All drum sets used are of professional quality and well-maintained. These are the same sets that I personally use on gigs. Most standard drum schools use electronic kits or cheap-sounding “beater” kits with low-quality cymbals. Good equipment = faster learning.

Best of all, you don’t need to own any equipment to start! I will provide all initial learning material. If you have sticks already, great! I’ll always have a pair you can use if you don’t.

Drumming has brought so many great things to my life that I want to share it with you.