We talked with musician Rıdvan Akparlak, who welcomed us into his home that also houses his studio, about his drumming, teaching, the current music industry, and his future plans.

“I fainted from excitement during my first performance.”

Rıdvan Akparlak, who has been interested in percussion instruments since a young age and was influenced by his drummer father, started playing the drums in his senior year. He had his first performance at an inter-high school music competition in Adana, where he was born and raised. Laughing now as he recalls the moment, he explains that he collapsed on the spot when his band’s name was announced at the competition, adding, “I had stage fright.”

“One needs to be educated to teach.”

Rıdvan Akparlak, a graduate of the London College of Music’s Drum Specialist Instructor program and a long-time drum instructor, addressed the debate between self-taught and formally trained musicians by saying, “There’s nothing wrong with starting out self-taught. That’s how I started. But I didn’t know how I learned what I did. I believe knowledge of musical notation is very important in education.”

“I think popular culture has hurt us a lot in terms of music.”

Pointing out that there used to be authorities who made decisions about music, Akparlak said, “In the past, an album would take a year of effort, and eight out of the ten songs would become hits. Now, anyone can get their own digital license and produce and release a song within two hours. This has led to fast consumption and shallow music.”

“I would love to play in Pentagram.”

The successful drummer, who mentioned that listening to artists like Kurban, Duman, Murat Kekilli, Pentagram, and Ogün Sanlısoy during his childhood greatly contributed to his development as a drummer, said, “If I received an offer from any of them, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.”