It’s been a distinct honor and privilege to write about the recent Drum Channel video series presented by my former teacher, Ed Soph. I studied with Ed for more than four years while he was teaching at The Creative Music Studios in Wethersfield, Connecticut.
Read moreMore Fun with Stick Control
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.
The Latin Clave* Demystified
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 moreBeware The Thick Black Line
Consider 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.
Read moreTranscription of Jimmy Cobb's performance with Miles on Ah-Leu-Cha
With the passing of Jimmy Cobb this past month it is important to remember not only his most popular performance on Kind Of Blue, which defined “Cool Jazz”, but also his innovation and contributions in straight ahead be bop.
Read moreInstant Download Drum Books from Hudson Music
Popular drum books are available as instant downloads from Hudson Music.
Read moreWhat Weaker Side?
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 moreLess is More? Really?
This phrase, “less is more,” not only really irks me but I believe it can and has caused the lack of development in young musicians…..especially drummers.
Read moreI'm of two minds on this...
Or 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 moreCure For Idle Hands - Stick Control Unleashed Part I
The 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.
Read moreAll In A Day's Work
OK, full day of studio work, jazz lounge gig in the evening, sit-in at the after-hours club ... and it's still not enough! Well, some of us really are that obsessed with playing, but 8 or 10 or 12 hours a day? Sure…
Read moreNew book by TERRY SILVERLIGHT and MORRIS ‘Arnie’ LANG - "A NEW CONCEPTION"
Legendary classical percussionist and educator Morris “Arnie” Lang together with jazz/pop/fusion drummer Terry Silverlight present a unique concept of changing meters over four bars (sixteen beats) in 4/4 time.
Read moreRelease Your Inner __________ (insert drummer of choice)
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 moreDrummers Tune-Up 2020, a free health and wellness program starting 1/5/20
Playing Drums is physically demanding and can take its toll on your body over time. Sticks, heads and parts can be easily replaced. Unfortunately your body requires much more preventive measures. As drummers we spend a great deal of time and money on our gear but spend little on preventive care - many times playing through the pain or dysfunction. The “Drummer’s Tune Up 2020” program is a FREE 6-week drummer-specific health & wellness program starting in January 2020.
Read moreNo Bad Drum Heads
There 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 moreJust Shuffling Around
There 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 moreReview - Essential Snare Drum Exercises and Mastering The Snare Drum by Mat Marrucci
The 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.
All Diets Work! (Slightly related to Thanksgiving and Drums!)
The same might can be said of drum exercises. They all work because they all get your hands (and feet) moving. But, like diets, not all exercises are equal. Some will transport your playing to the next level, while others won’t have much impact on your actual playing, and some may send you off in the wrong direction.
Read morePercussion-Creative Looking for vintage drum photos for "genesis" of drums poster
We are writing to you because we are currently working on a poster about the genesis of drums and drumming and are looking for photos that we may officially use on this poster, which we wanna release December 2019.
Read moreInspiration From The Stars
I picked up a copy of the Sabian publication “Create: 2017 Cymbals & Sounds”. It’s a 40-page full color magazine provided free by Sabian and distributed through music equipment outlets. It’s really just a catalog of their various products, but it delivers quite a bit more. The book is filled with information about cymbals: how they’re made, how they’re used, how designs came about, what different features mean. There’s lots of cymbal lore and history too. If someone wanted to quickly learn about cymbals, this edition would be a great place to start.
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