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What
do I need to use the Britchops Foundation Drum
Course?
You do not need any previous
experience
of drum tuition or music in order to start the
course. All you need is your own basic
five-piece drum kit or practice kit, a pair of
sticks and somewhere to practice! Not got a drum
kit yet? See Drum Links.
The course download comes in Adobe
PDF (Portable Document Format) file format that
makes it accessible across a range of PC
platforms including Windows 95/98/2000/Me/XP and
Mac OS (GM MIDI only on Mac OS. See System
Requirements for more details). You will
therefore need to download the FREE Adobe
Acrobat Reader software to access the main
course PDF file (if you do not already have the
software version 4x or 5x on your system). You
can get the FREE
Adobe Acrobat Reader software by going to
the Adobe website and downloading it from there.
You will also need a GM,
GS
or XG compatible MIDI playback device (GM
freeware vanBasco MIDI player available).
An extensive library of MIDI files are provided
with the course to demonstrate every example of
drum score. You have the choice to play these
files in standard GM (General MIDI), Roland GS or the
latest Yamaha XG (eXtended General) MIDI file
formats (use
of XG MIDI devices may require an extra purchase
outside of Britchops website). This
choice allows you to develop the quality of
playback drum sounds according to your PC's MIDI
capabilities and playback device setup.
See the Britchops MIDI
Options Page for further information.
For
all
Windows PC users
unfamiliar with
MIDI, Britchops Drum Tuition recommends the
FREE
vanBasco
Karaoke MIDI Player.
This excellent freeware will
playback your MIDI files in GM format and
features tempo (speed) control to set the file
playback at a pace that is comfortable for you:
Get vanBasco's Karaoke Player NOW - totally FREE!
IMPORTANT
NOTICE FOR MAC USERS:
At present there are
no known MIDI file players available as freeware
for Mac users which include the tempo adjustment
feature. As a result, all Mac users will be
required to purchase further shareware (avg.
price £5-15) in order to fully use the
Britchops course. Britchops Drum Tuition
recommends the following Mac compatible MIDI
players available separately through Harmony
Central links:
Recommended
Mac compatible MIDI players
Although
the course teaches you to sight read drum score
notation from scratch, the MIDI file library
also allows you to learn the entire course by
'ear' (i.e. playing along to the MIDI files) if
you wish.
Check
that you have the minimum system
requirements
for the course.
Foundation
Drum Course: £24.95 (inc. VAT). Click to go to
the Britchops Shop.
Important
Note:
All
currencies accepted for online transactions. All
non-UK customers: Your credit card company will
convert the UK Pound Sterling price of the
course into your own currency at the present
exchange rate upon purchase.
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