Do You Know About Gospel Chops?

Gospel music has had a huge influence on American popular music, although the average consumer might not be aware of it. The music of such music giants as B.B. King, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston, just to name a few, have been anchored by their roots in the church. For musicians not directly connected to that rich history, there is a way to learn from some of the new and classic greats of the genre thanks to a fantastic website called Gospel Chops.

Gospel Chops was launched in 2004 by veteran video director Gerald Forrest in an effort to overcome a lack of music media coverage and general appreciation for gospel musicians and the gospel genre. While at first the site centered around Gospel drumming, it has since expanded to also cover bass, guitar, organ and piano.

The site has been very influential in the drum community, as many drum manufacturers have begun to recognize these once overlooked musicians. In fact, a few drum manufacturers have even adopted elements of the Gospel Chops site itself, which has triggered legal action (you can read about that, as well as a great overview of Gospel Chops here).

Many of the early videos aren’t as slick as you’ll find in modern video instruction courses, but the fact of the matter is that the information and the playing is so good that become easy to overlook. Here’s a quick sample from the Shed Sessionz Vol 1. that’s a great example of what’s available for drummers, but remember you’ll see videos for other instruments too.