ZeKe Bauer is the Head Instructor and Owner of ZeKe’s Drum Skool in Corvallis, Oregon. Born and raised south of Portland, Oregon, ZeKe took an interest in drums from an early age, spending  time playing on his uncle’s drum kit by age seven and eventually trekking to Guitar Center by Tri-Met as often as he could to "test"out the drum sets. Just a few years after this, ZeKe started learning cello formally in school, eventually leading to him joining the Portland Jr. Symphony for a short time in Middle School. This laid the foundations for his understanding of reading music, music theory, rhythm and musical phrasing and the other necessities of being a well-rounded musician.

 

In his mid-twenties, ZeKe suffered Sudden-Onset Chronic Tinnitus that many doctors stated would cause him to possibly lose his hearing by age 40 (luckily later proven to not be true). From that moment forward, he took a new approach to life – living it to the fullest. He bought his first drum set on his 24th birthday and put tons of time and effort into learning how to master the instrument. ZeKe built a foundation with Oregon drum instructor Larry London, driving up to Turner Oregon twice a week. Since then he continues to sharpen his skills with legendary drummers and drum educators like Dave Elitch (Paramore, Weezer, Famed Drum Teacher and Clinician), Johnny Rabb (Veteran and World Renowned Drum Educator and Clinician, Collective Soul), Jay Mumford (Danger Mouse, Biz Markie, Karen O), Kj Sawka (Pendulum), Tim Baltes (Disney, Warner Records), JP Bouvet (Creator of the "Down Up Method", Childish Japes, 2011 Guitar Center Drum Off Champion), and Forrest Rice (standards, Covet, Wolfy).

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As a performer, ZeKe has played with many artists around the Pacific Northwest or all genres, opening for rap and hip hop legends like Curren$y and Jay Electronica. However currently ZeKe is one half of the Experimental Duo "EZEU", focusing predominantly on Drum and Bass and Electronic Dance Music, while also performing live Drum Dj Sets as a solo artist throughout venues in the Corvallis, Eugene, and Salem areas. As the sunny weather comes back, he can also be caught playing in random spots around town outside enjoying the weather. ZeKe is constantly working on his own solo drum n’ bass music along with his own solo drum tracks and loops thru an FX pedalboard to create backing tracks and ambient music.

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ZeKe uses his years of knowledge to help drummers reach their goals regardless of age or skill level, and specializes in meeting drummers where they are at at any level helping them find the holes in their drumming and gaining the confidence, skills, and proper knowledge of the instrument to progress their abilities. Having taught over 7,000 drum lessons, ZeKe guarantees he can help you learn the correct drumming techniques, expand to build your unique voice as a drummer, learn how to play your favorite songs, learning the correct vocabulary of the instrument, sharpen up your playing or taking that leap to the next level, and help you ultimately reach any goal you might have with your drumming. Whether it’s to get on the road and tour or to simply have a good time feeling confident on the drum set in your basement, ZeKe is your man.

 

Want to see what Zeke’s up to now? Check out his Instagram page or YouTube channel.

 

Want to learn with ZeKe? Click the contact button at the top of the site and send a message today!