Skip Hadden

Black and white portrait of a Skip Hadden with drumsticks and drums on a black background

ABOUT SKIP

Skip Hadden is a professional drummer, educator, and published author with over five decades of experience performing, recording, and teaching. Originally from Port Chester, New York, Skip has built a career defined by deep musical communication, technical mastery, and a commitment to developing drummers who think beyond technique.

Since 1982, Skip has been a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he has developed and taught courses including Contemporary Drum Styles, Rhythmic Concepts, History of Drumming, Linear Time Feels, and Advanced Fusion. He holds a Master of Education (MEd) from Cambridge College and has dedicated his teaching career to helping students master fundamentals deeply rather than collecting techniques superficially.

As an author, Skip has written four method books focused on core drumming concepts: Profiles in Jazz Drumming, The Beat, the Body, and the Brain II, Broken Eighth Note Feel, and World Fusion Drumming (published by Alfred Music). Each book reflects his teaching philosophy.

 

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Real improvement doesn't come from collecting techniques. It comes from going deep on what truly matters.

After 40+ years teaching at Berklee, Skip has seen countless students struggle not from lack of information, but from lack of depth. Most drummers are drowning in content — YouTube tutorials, method books, online courses — but starving for mastery.

Skip's approach is different: identify the core fundamentals that matter (technique, feel, musicality, body awareness, rhythmic concepts), then develop them so deeply they become second nature. This philosophy shapes everything he does, from his books to his private instruction.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Education & Teaching

Berklee College of Music - Professor of Percussion (1982–present)

    • Developed and taught courses including Contemporary Drum Styles, Rhythmic Concepts, History of Drumming, Linear Time Feels, and Advanced Fusion.

Master of Education (MEd) - Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA (1990)

Published Works

Self-Published Method Books:

    • Profiles in Jazz Drumming (2005) - 166 pages exploring jazz drumming language and history
    • The Beat, the Body, and the Brain II (2005) - 57 pages on mind-body technique and coordination
    • Broken Eighth Note Feel (2007) - 57 pages on developing authentic groove and feel

Published by Alfred Music:

    • World Fusion Drumming (2001) - Exploration of world rhythms and fusion concepts

 

EARLY TRAINING

Skip studied as a youngster with Ralph Pace and later in Cleveland with Bob McKee, Eddie Bobick and Ramnad Raghavan. This foundation in both Western and world music traditions shaped his approach to rhythm and continues to influence his teaching today.

 

MUSICAL APPROACH

Skip's approach to drumming emphasizes communication and interplay — the collective agreement between musicians to create a unified musical statement. Rather than being confined to either "timekeeper" or "soloist," his playing blurs these traditional roles through musical sensitivity and commitment to interaction. This creates performances that are consistently fresh and engaging.

EXPLORE: PERFORMANCES · DISCOGRAPHY · MEDIA

BOOKS · PRIVATE INSTRUCTION