Drummer Rick Latham's Groove Workshop Tours Europe with Harman's AKG Drumset Groove PackWorld-renown drummer and "groove" activist, Rick Latham recently wrapped up his 30th year of touring the globe. The artist entertained and educated aspiring and professional drummers in a workshop dedicated to the music business, highlighting the art of drumming. Armed with Harman's AKG Drumset Groove Pack, solo artist, author, composer, and current touring drummer for GRAMMY-winning artist Juice Newton, Latham's educational sessions touched on multiple facets of musical education, wowing students and fans during the four-week group workshop. The workshops focused on mastering the drums; from essential playing tips and helping individual artists find their own sound, to miking, recording, and mixing final products. "That style," or the LA/American sounding drum sound has been Latham's focus during his career and the workshops elaborate on the art of perfecting the sound for the enthusiastic students. Latham began the 2012 Groove workshop with two clinics/master class performances in Northern Germany -- in Lubeck at Musikhaus Andresen and Rendsburg at Musickmarkt -- where the drummer demonstrated his finer points of groove and feel for percussion artists. Playing funk and R&B, Latham stressed the importance of great live sound miking and proper tuning. The next leg brought Latham to Mannheim, Germany, where his master class was held at Pop Akademie -- one of the premier contemporary music schools in Europe. There, he played with Frank Itt, the renowned German bassist who holds a teaching position at the school. Latham then stopped at Paderborn and Schlangen, Germany, where his audience was a high school music class curious about becoming professional musicians. That night, Latham offered a clinic for a local community theatre and performed with enthusiastic local musicians. Latham rounded out his tour through Istanbul, Turkey; Milan, Italy; and returned to Germany for the final stretch. During each event, Latham utilized the Drumset Grove Pack to demonstrate great sound and the proper mechanics to mic a drum kit. Latham's audience was offered additional captivating information during sessions as the drummer went into the fine details of the business of music. With a vast range of participants, ranging from young children, to teenagers and professional artists, Latham described his business experiences, which are essential in today's competitive music space. "Today's professional musician is more involved in all aspects of the business and being successful takes a lot more effort than just being able to play well," stated Latham. "With my workshop, the students, both young and old are exposed to the ins and outs of the business and drumming and it opens their eyes, inspiring them to be engaged in multiple levels of the industry." 
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