Freddie Gruber (New York, 1927) was a jazz drummer and drum teacher. He came up in the nascent New York be-bop scene, and gigged with Charlie Parker, among many others. Making fast friends with his roommate, drumming icon Buddy Rich, he observed Rich's "style, technique, and guts" over a long period, and ended up basing most of his teaching method on what he assimilated.



Jazz legend Elvin Jones credited Freddie Gruber as being his "inspiration" for subdividing the beat, and then, taking that subdivision to another subdivision (and so on, and so forth).



One teaching concept of Freddie Gruber's is to "have the drum stick be an extension of one's hand." It should be as natural as waving a cab, or waving hello to someone on the street.



Training students throughout his career, Freddie Gruber's student list is long and varied. It includes such drum luminaries as Frank Zappa's Vinnie Colaiuta, Neil Peart of Rush, Steve Smith of Journey, former Chick Corea drummer Dave Weckl. Other drummers benefiting from Gruber's teaching, and conceptual prowess include session drummers Ian Wallace, Mike Baird, John Guerin, Joey Heredia, Nick Vincent, Paul Goldberg, John Mehler of Love Song, Ambrosia drummer Burleigh Drummond, and Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez of Oingo Boingo, Michael Dubin, Royal Crown Revue's Daniel Glass, and Bruce Becker of the David Becker Tribune among many others.