Gary Chester

First of all let me say that I am honored to communicate with an artist of your magnitude. The many recordings you have contributed to are in my collection: Bacharach, Chiffons, Drifters, Aretha, Ben E. King, Little Anthony, Garnet Mims, Patti LaBelle, Platters, Ruby & the Romantics, Freddie Scott, Dionne Warwick. Many of the others are also part of my psyche. Though I found your site quite by accident, it is indeed a happy one. Thank you for the rhythm and the beats. You should write a book describing your experiences within these outstanding productions. Thank you!!

Hello, Even in France, where I'm from, some drummers work o Gary's method. I'm one of these !!! But now I don't work so much on my drums because I'm a software engineer. But when I have some time, I take a pair of sticks and try to do some Gary's system and add my own touch. Thank you from FRANCE Gary.

Gary, one thing I can say is that I am poorer for never having had the chance to meet you. The things I have seen and heard from so many people over the last few years I'm sure just begin to scratch the surface of how you were guide, teacher and family to so many. Your legacy lives on in those feelings and thoughts. Peace.

Hi Gary - You once asked me in all seriousness , "do you want to be a monster or a mouse ?" . I still want to be a monster and you inspired me when my own family brushed music off as not being a serious vocation - bull , and you knew it . I miss the lessons and your interest and guidance for me as a musician and as a person . I'm still working at it as much as possible - I think I'll do some "left foot talks" w."wac-a-chuk" and I better not forget to sing ! peace , you're not forgotten. Mike

Hi Dad, Just wanted you to know, as always, I am thinking of you today. I too will play the system today but stop yelling at me!! LOL I love you with all my heart! Katrina

To you Gary, it's been so long, and still I miss you so much. Thanks for everything, your great teachings, the self discoveries I continue to make from the doors that you opened, and your lasting friendship. ....a call to all new breed drummers, let's all play some of his systems today. Just maybe he'll be conducting us. It's been great hearing from so many of you. Thanks, let's all keep in touch!

A Mans Greatness Is Best Reflected By The Words Of Others. Thank You For Everything! And For The Visits!!

Hello from Slovenia. I just started working on new breed and I can already feel progress in my drumming. I love his approach and I recommend his book to professional or amateur. Thanks Gary!

Hello there! I,m a semi-professional drummer from the netherlands and I,ve done the new breed so far and I,m now doing the new breed 2. I love gary,s philosophy and his books are very intelligent. It,s more than technique, it,s an open mind kind of thing.I,m now 25 years old and I do studio work, I sat at the conservatory, but I quit, because I was too busy playing around.I,m very grateful that I met gary,s books, because it helped me very well and still. Some books are timeless: new breed,new breed 2.Greetings from Holland and don,t believe the stories about cheese!!! Jeroen simons,Epica,session/studio.

It's July 26 th 2003, and i just saw Jenna today at Beechwood Park in Hillsdale New Jersey, at an all day outdoor concert, featuring many great bands. I haven't seen her for many many years. My band OSE played and i had a great time. Anyway, she told me about this site that Katrina made and i had to come and sign the guesbook. I started playing drums at the age of 15 and i basically had taught myself how to play, by listenening and imitating other great drummers such as Ringo Starr, Dave Clark, Charlie Watts, and the like. I started recording with a friend of mine 6 months after i started playing. the recordings were crude but they came out pretty good. It was then that i decided i was going to be a drummer for life. I also decided i wanted to be a professional drummer and make my living off it. More years went by and i kept learning, playing and recording. It was this time i met Tom France Of the T-France band, one of Gary's greatest students, while he was plaing in a bar. I was enthralled by Tom's unbelievable technical skill. I became friends with Tom, and he told me about this great guy he was taking lessons from, by the name of Gary Chester. Anyway, i went on my own initiative over to Gary's house, introduced myself and asked Gary if i could study with him, because i wanted to learn how to read and also improve my playing. He Told me to go over and play his studio kit. I did, and he said ok. I am a reverse lefty, which means i play left hand lead on a right handed, standard drum kit. Gary kinda liked that, but he told me i was gonna have to work hard. Well, I must say, i struggled with the lessons, but i did start to get better, and learned to read. I remember Gary used to say - You gotta practice. Those cat's in the city got their shit down. You better get your shit down, Babe ! he used to call everybody babe. Anyway, i studied with him for about 2 years, then i stopped going. but not after attending 2 of those summer barbeque/drum jams. they were fun. Anyway, i just want to say, that I loved Gary for inspiring me to improve and to wannt to keep playing the drums, which i still do to this day 24 years later. I have played with many famous and well known musicians and recorded on hundreds of songs. Gary was a very important part of my musical experience, and one of which i will always be grateful. We Love You Gary - Mike Stein

Saludos desde Caracas, Venezuela, soy baterista y desde hace 6 meses estudio el texto New Breed II. Es realmente fascinante y un verdadero reto adem?s de ser un libro inspirador no solo en lo musical sino tambi?n en lo personal. Thanks Gary and Chris... The best book in the world...

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for all your postings, they are amazing, from far and wide and you have never forgotten nor have the systems waivered in anyway!! Again, thank you Chrissy Adams and Sarah Owen for making this site possible! Keep it coming, our family loves to read these! The anniversary of my fathers passing is on August 17th so maybe everyone from all over the world can think of him and remember! You already are and I thank you for that! Love Katrina Chester

Gary played on my first album in 1969...a wonderful person and a great inspiration...pc

Dear Katrina, I am an old friend of Jena's, and i'm looking for her. From Boca Raton, I am Adina's sister, if you remember me. I would love to catch up with you guys, and see how your doing. E-mail me at mookie168@aol.com. Love,Elissa Lejeune

I want to say thank you for this very challenging and mind-bending method. It helped me a lot to hear my inner pulse and of course while playing in a band, I get aware of the musical background of each musician I`m playing with.

Dear daddy, I miss you and will be visiting your grave today to wish you a Happy Fathers Day! Love your princess...

Wow ! thanks for making such a great site . I studied with Gary from'83-'86 and I am forever grateful for having known such a special individual if only for a brief time . Gary really helped me to believe that you can do anything , with the right amount of work and spirit . I still am inspired by Gary's concepts and I am amazed in retrospect how patient and generous he was teaching the over-confident ,stubborn but naive 17 yr. old I was when I began my lessons , september of 1983 . In 1985 I saw him perform as a drummer at a local club's sunday brunch . he had reminded me at the last lesson that he would be playing and I wasn't going to miss it .other than giving me tempos with a stick on his ashtray I don't think he ever sat down and played the drumset at my lessons -it was all about MY playing . that's why i was there -anyway . A friend and I went to see Gary play what turned out to be great dixieland jazz and he introduced me to Henry Adler who had also come by to listen . I ran into problems in my second and third yrs. with Gary and he suggested that there was nothing wrong with my drumming but I was bringing my problems along into the lesson "you're thinking of seven things -just think of one " . Now , many years later I have the focus to just be drumming and concentrating on just what I'm playing . He always knew what I really needed to work on . I seem to be rambling a bit so I'll just say thanks again . Gary was the greatest and I smile a little everytime I hear another song on the radio thinking "there's Gary !" best wishes and peace - Mike

ojala y los innovadores estudios del new breed sigan habriendo las puertas a todos nosotros, los que queremos llegar a ser alguien en el futuro, los que seremos los lideres del futuro como dijo gary chester, soy un baterista de republica dominicana, llevo 2 a?os estudiando el new breed. me alegro mucho de que halla un site dedicado a gary chester,hacia mucha falta.hasta la victoria siempre bateristas!!!!

Helo! I would like to thank you for this site, I'm 32yo, brazilian drummer and I'm studying "the new breeding" since January 2003. I think that this book are helping me like no other one had done before, it's amazing, my technique is much more better and I'm felling very confortable at the drum set. Gary's work still helping every drummers to achieve higher levels, thank very much! ps.: I hope you'll forgive my terrible english.

The first time I saw the book "The new breed", I Knew that was the most important book in my classes. I just wanna say Thanks for Gary. Mazzola - Blues Drummer from Brazil