Ben Hans

Ben Hans's Biography

Ben Hans is a percussionist and music instructor based in Nashville, TN. Performing as a freelance artist, Ben cut his teeth performing under the tutelage of jazz guitarist Jack Grassel and the late swing clarinetist Chuck Hedges. As well as keeping a busy performance schedule, Ben is a private lesson instructor for Metro Nashville Public Schools and an Adjunct Instructor of Music at SAE Institute Nashville. An experienced instructor, he has also taught private lessons for nearly 30 years, teaches privately at Lane Music in Nashville and instructs private students online.

Ben performs in multiple genres of music and has shared the stage with a diverse list of artists, including Kip Winger; Walter Egan; legendary rudimentalists John S. Pratt, Dominick Cuccia and Mitch Markovich; percussionists Jim Sewrey and Jeff Salisbury; jazz pianist Barry Harris; saxophonists Eric Morones, Johnny Padilla and Jesse Lee Montijo; jazz guitarists Scott DuBois and Steve Peplin; rock guitarists Reb Beach, John Roth, Donnie Wayne Smith and Jorge Salan; keyboardist Paul Taylor; rock vocalists Fiona Flanagan, Dan Reed (Network) and Danny Vaughn (Tyketto); blues acts Altered Five, Tallan Noble Latz Band and Jonny T-Bird & the MPs; as well as Nashville based singer/songwriters Doug Allen and Beth Sass. In addition, Ben has performed alongside many great Midwestern based jazz artists, including Rick Embach, Berkeley Fudge, Ken Stein, Warren Wiegratz, Tom McGirr, Pete Billmann, Mark Solveson, Don Linke, Aaron Gardner, John Babbitt, Michael Arnold, Kirk Tatnall, Kurt Hanrahan, Kevin Kostick, Mike Standal, Matt Rodgers, Hal Miller, Neil Davis, Jamie Breiwick, Jeannine Rivers, Jill Jensen, Ellen Winters, Sam Steffke, Ethan Bender, John Price, Dan Trudell, Kaye Berigan, Swing Nouveau Big Band and many more. 

Ben is an author, proofreader, freelance editor and session performer for Hal Leonard Publishing, with published works, including Workin' Drums – 50 Solos for Drum Set, 40 Intermediate Snare Drum Solos, Rudimental Solos for the Marching Snare Drummer, Modern School for Mallet Keyboard InstrumentsHal Leonard School for Snare Drum, and transcriptions of Ray Luzier's Double Bass Drum Techniques. He has also performed, written, edited and music directed for the Hall Leonard DVD Traditional Rudimental Drumming by John S. Pratt.

His recording credits include Jazz Formosa (Eric Morones), Drums! Bass! Guitar! (Ben Hans Trio), Iridescent October (Jeannine Rivers), True Story (Jonny T-Bird & the MPs), The Open Way (Black Owl) and more.

Ben is a Yamaha Performing Artist who also endorses Aquarian Drumheads, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Mike Balter Mallets, Impression Cymbals and Tycoon Percussion. He is a member of ASCAP and John S. Pratt's International Association of Traditional Drummers.

He holds an Associate of Music from the Milwaukee Area Technical College and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His past positions include Music Instructor at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (1999-2017) and Adjunct Faculty at the Wisconsin Lutheran College (2014-2017).

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