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The first vintage & Custom Drum Magazine, since 1988
“After the rock heyday of the ‘60s, internal tone controls began to fade away and are now rather hard to find. (A lot of the vintage drums I’ve seen have had them removed -- and too often lost. Contending with ring is always an issue for many drummers, so let's examine the field of available 'damping'* options.”
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There are some interesting aspects to entrainment. For example, if you set a few metronomes at different tempos and then put them on a surface that can move a bit, the metronomes will entrain to one tempo regardless of the tempo setting (don't know if anyone's tried this with parrots).
Read more3 over 4 overkill
Read moreI’ve always had a slightly strained relationship with 12/8, so I decided to work on a lot of variants to gain some control. Results turned out to be better than I’d hoped for.
Read moreHere’s a set of exercises for those of us who want to develop faster bass drum technique but don't use a double pedal. I find this type of graduated arrangement yields greater freedom when applying it to music.
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No, actually, I don't. This came into focus for me some years ago. It was one of those wonderful, serendipitous, off-the-cuff remarks that ended up being a defining moment. I was at the wedding of a close relative and one of the bridesmaids came over to me and tried to get me to dance. I politely declined (I’m even less into dancing than I am into singing). Her comeback was rather convincing: “When you hear the music, don’t you just want to get up and dance?” My response was even better: “No, I want to sit down and hit things!”
Read moreIt occurred to me recently that I’d never seen anything on Double Paradiddle-diddles. Don’t even know if they’re a thing, but interesting nonetheless. I started by doing them hand-to-hand.
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My teacher used the expression "Feel the money." It was a reference to using the thumb the way you would to count out paper money. In effect, you use the thumb to help push the stick forward, causing it to arc around the first finger. If you're looking for pinpoint control and articulation on the cymbal, this is the way to do it.
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A lot of drum instruction focuses on hand and wrist movement. While it's important to understand these broad strokes, it's also important to look inside hand technique to see what's really going on. Each digit has a role to play in the grip and the stroke, and understanding what each finger is capable of can make a big difference in your playing.
Read moreStrolling Through History - I like to do research, and I can tell you a little bit about each of the drums in my “collection”. Aside from the details of the drums, I've learned a lot about history, culture, tradition ... even economics and interpersonal relationships. It's also broadened my understanding and appreciation of the history and culture behind drums.
I like to mix things up with Stick Control. Here I’ve moved the figures to the snare and bass and laid a ‘funk’ ride pattern over top. These can all be played at the same tempo but the feel changes depending on where you put the hi-hat.
It's difficult these days (maybe even impossible) to turn on a music station and not hear a Latin clave pattern. Dig deeper and you'll find clave rhythms or some derivative just about everywhere: the clave 'clap' of hip-hop, the bossa bass drum in Rosanna, the venerable Bo Diddly beat … it's all clave.
Read moreConsider for a moment the following bits of wisdom:
• At a wine tasting: “We only drink merlot”
• From an online ad for a 16-inch cymbal: “I won't play it 'cuz I only play 18 inch crashes”
• And how about this morsel from years ago: “There’s no place for the saxophone in jazz”
It crops up all the time: the invisible, immovable line that divides the acceptable from the unacceptable.
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Hmmm ... there seems to be some sort of problem with this thing called the weaker side. While I agree with the general concept that our non-dominant side is often less adept than our natural side, there are other factors to consider in this issue outside of equality.
Read moreOr maybe three. But definitely not one. It's an exercise I find myself doing a lot as I work on things that challenge me: trying to get my mind -- not just my limbs -- to focus on two things at once.
Read moreThe exercises in Stick Control are great for getting your hands moving, so why not use them to get the other limbs involved as well? The following interpretations move the stickings around the entire drum set. While the idea is to get all four limbs working, it’s best to go easy at first, i.e. start with two limbs, then add the third (and then the fourth) when ready.
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Tribute band Mini Kiss
What Daniel suggests, and I fully endorse, is that you step inside the other artist's skin for a few minutes. He even goes as far as to suggest you imagine yourself as that drummer to help you emulate their style and energy.
Read moreThere are today a lot of companies making drum heads, ranging from the global standards -- Remo, Evans, etc. -- to boutique makers such as Earthtone and Kentville. And of course, every maker offers a variety of styles, sometimes to the point of our total bewilderment.
Read moreThere are many different types of shuffle rhythms available, and each one was 'purpose built' for a particular style of music. Note that your basic shuffle is often written as dotted 8th & 16th notes, but it's rarely played that way. Strict adherence to 1(e&)a 2(e&)a 3(e&)a 4(e&)a tends to sound mechanical or choppy, and just not swinging. Counting 1~uh 2~uh 3~uh 4~uh leaves you free to interpret and fine tune the feel of a shuffle. i
Read moreThe first thing that struck me about Mastering the Snare Drum was the
sheer weight of the thing. In a little over 100 pages, the book covers
just about everything a snare drummer would need.
