What qualifies me to teach others to make cymbals?

I've heard it said that with more and more people coming to me to learn, the "market" will contain lots of the same cymbal made over and over.

This is not how I teach and shows a lack of understanding of what's even possible when passing on knowledge to someone eager to learn.

My own cymbal making knowledge is 100% self-taught, from humble beginnings in a self-built garage workshop. Only through much trial & error have I discovered and developed my techniques, and as such I aim to teach how to learn, rather than how to make cymbals.

Of course there are techniques and concepts which apply across the board, but following any of these without questioning and thinking "here's how it's done properly" leads to dead-ends in terms of development.

Maybe you want to learn to make replicable lines of cymbals, maybe you're more of an experimenter, maybe you'll approach things from an avant garde angle. Maybe you're drawn to do this and you don't know why! I still question myself every day, and through that openness and flow comes frustration and inspiration in equal measure.

However you're coming at this, I like to think I can help you decipher and decide your own way through. I simply give you the tools to make decisions, and to learn from success and failure.

When I first put out the idea of teaching cymbal making, I did run into a little resistance — "don't give away the secrets" and "don't train the competition". Well, that's not the universe I want to live in.

The philosophy of "you've got to give it away to keep it" is one I subscribe to professionally and personally. If I teach what I know, I have room to learn more, and I learn from how my knowledge is used and rearranged once it's out there finding its own way.

A craft will die if not shared, and ultimately — being 100% self-taught means it's only my secrets I'm giving away.

To expect someone to be able to learn and absorb quickly enough to be a "threat" as competition only shows which corner you're painting yourself into, and those corners get lonely.

Learn with me and I'll help you see what you need to see to make real progress and learn under your own steam.

Contact me to get started