Dom Famularo (August 26, 1953,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

), is a professional

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

, drum teacher, author, clinician and motivational speaker.

Biography

Famularo was born in Long Island, New York. He started playing when he was 11 and became a professional at the age of 12. Dom began his career as a performing jazz drummer. He studied under some of the greatest drummers of the 20th century, including

Jim Chapin James Forbes Chapin ( ) (July 23, 1919 – July 4, 2009) was an American jazz drummer and the author of books about jazz drumming. He was the author of several albums (later converted to CDs) on jazz drumming, as well as 2 CDs entitled ''Jim Cha ...

and

Joe Morello Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic ...

. With a passion for

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and inspiring others, he began a successful drum teaching career, becoming one of the most sought-after clinicians of his time. Some of the most successful jazz and rock drummers have had instruction from Dom. He has been called Drumming's Global Ambassador due to the many places he visits and vast number of people that hear him speak each year. Dom is known for his

open handed playing Open-handed drumming refers to a method of playing a drum kit. Method The method involves not crossing the hands when playing the Hi-hat (instrument), hi-hat (or ride-cymbal) and snare drum simultaneously as opposed to the more traditional way of ...

style. He is also the first western drummer to perform clinics in China. He has presented masterclasses and clinics around the globe in United States, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Serbia, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Costa Rica, Honduras, Puerto Rico, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Israel, Canary Islands, South Africa, Ukraine, Latvia and Botswana. He has directed and emceed major drumming expos around the world, and has been one of drumming' s most sought-after private instructors for over 40 years. He has taught many of today's leading drummers, and students regularly fly in from around the globe for intensive study with Dom. Dom acts as Education Director and consultant for several leading drum companies. Dom uses

Mapex drums Mapex Drums (Music And Percussion EXcellence) is a Taiwanese brand of musical instruments established by KHS Musical Instruments in 1989. Instruments manufactured with the "Mapex" name include drum kits and hardware. Products Mapex produces se ...

and

Sabian Sabian may refer to: *Sabians, name of a religious group mentioned in the Quran, historically adopted by: **Mandaeans, Gnostic sect from the marshlands of southern Iraq claiming John the Baptist as their most important prophet **Sabians of Harran, ...

cymbals. Famularo has shared the stage with many famous musicians—some include

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the ''Modern D ...

Terry Bozzio Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

Thomas Lang Thomas Lang (; born 5 August 1967) is an Austrian drummer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/avant garde metal band stOrk and is known for his international session work on a wide variety of genres such as rock, ...

, Tommy Igoe,

Will Calhoun William Calhoun (born July 22, 1964) is an American drummer who is a member of the rock band Living Colour. Career Calhoun was born in the Bronx, New York. He moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with a de ...

and

Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the h ...

. He is also a motivational speaker and the author of "Cycle of Self-Empowerment." Dom was voted Best Clinician by the readers of ''Modern Drummer'' magazine in 2005 and 2006, and by the readers of ''DRUM!'' in 2006. He is also the author of ''It's Your Move'' and ''The Cycle of Self-Empowerment'', and co-author of ''The Weaker Side'' and ''Drumset Duets'' (with Stephane Chamberland), ''Open-Handed Playing'' (with Claus Hessler), ''Eighth-Note Rock and Beyond'' (with Glenn Ceglia), ''Pedal Control'' (with Joe Bergamini and Stephane Chamberland) and ''Groove Facility'' (with Rob Hirons). On December 21, 2012, Dom appeared on the national Fox TV show The Real Winning Edge. He is involved in developing online teaching methods using websites, including Drumeo, and SABIAN Educators Network (SEN). He resides on

with his wife and 3 sons. Dom had created the first Wizdom Drumshed School in the world on Long Island (NY) many years ago ("Wizdom" being a mix of the words wizard and Dom). These schools are currently taking place across the globe in collaboration with Dom. In Quebec City, Canada run by Stephane Chamberland, in Marseille, France run by Rob Hirons, in Paris run by Frederick Rimbert and in Italy run by Massimo Russo.

Drum and cymbal setup

Mapex Mapex Drums (Music And Percussion EXcellence) is a Taiwanese brand of musical instruments established by KHS Musical Instruments in 1989. Instruments manufactured with the "Mapex" name include drum kits and hardware. Products Mapex produces se ...

Drums and

Cymbals: *Mapex Drums - Any Finish *10x9" Tom *12x10" Tom *14x14" Floor Tom *16x16" Floor Tom *22x18" Bass Drum *14x5.5"

Snare Drum *13" HHX Hi-Hats (mounted under ride & china) *14" HHX Hi-Hats *21" HHX Ride *17" HHX Crash *18" HHX Crash *18" HHX China *20" HHX China *12" HHX Splash *10" HHX Splash

References

External links

Dom's WebsiteInterview with Dom Famularo - NAMM Oral History Library (2012)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Famularo, Dom 1953 births Living people 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians