Claus Hessler is THE institution for "Moeller Technique", a guru of Open-Handed Playing, master of the rudiments and a proven expert on all questions of the history of drumming.

In 1969 Claus was born in Laufach, Germany. He got clarinet lessons from his father and took drum lessons at the age of about 10. At the age of 19 he started his career as a professional drummer and from the very beginning he attached great importance to teaching.

In 1990 he met the influential jazz drummer Jim Chapin for the first time, who became one of his most important mentors besides Dom Famularo. Jim Chapin himself was a student of Sanford Augustus "Gus" Moeller, after whom the famous "Moeller Technique" is named. Together with Moeller Chapin made this drumming technique popular and taught Claus Hessler for years. In the international trade press Claus is seen as the legitimate successor to his mentor Jim Chapin, according to whom Claus has mastered and passed on the "Moeller Technique" in its purest form.

"I hardly know anyone who is closer to the real Moeller than Claus Hessler".

Jim Chapin, 2006

Live and in the studio he worked so far with renowned artists like Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Barbara Dennerlein, Rhani Krija, Ack van Rooyen and toured Europe with Grammy winners New York Voices. At international drum events he shares the stages with drumming greats such as Alex Acuña, Johnny Rabb, Pete Lockett and Steve Smith. Furthermore, as one of the best drum educators, he gives worldwide seminars, workshops, clinics and master classes and is VIP coach for top international drummers.

His trademark is his individual style, his outstanding technique, his ostinato-oriented playing as well as his wide stylistic spectrum ranging from Bigband, Latin and Jazz to Funk, Fusion and Rock.

Claus is the author of the textbooks "Open-Handed Playing", "Daily Drumset Workout", "Drumming Kairos" and "Camp Duty Update". He writes for international magazines like "Drumscene" (Australia), "Perkusista" (Poland), "Modern Drummer" (USA) - which nominated him as "Best Educator/Clinician" in 2016 - and also is a workshop columnist for the biggest German drum magazine "drums & percussion".

In 2015 Claus was elected president of Percussion Creativ e.V., the largest community for drummers and percussionists in Europe. And he was the first European drummer to be awarded the title "Distinguished Professor" at Keimyung University in Daegu/South Korea.

Claus teaches at Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt, Berufsfachschule für Musik in Dinkelsbühl, Bundesakademie für musikalische Jugendbildung in Trossingen and Popakademie Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim.