1. hands only
2. hi hat and kick only
3. snare and kick with hi hats on all three beats of the triplet
4. the beat as written really slow
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Beat #2: 12/8 rock groove
The beats are the meat of a drum blog right? Thats why Im relieved to having a second one up here. It helps even out the ranting/personal details. This one kinda got cut off at the end, but ignore the accent on the very last snare hit, that was a dumb idea. This beat came to me out of a practice beat for the half time shuffle. The practice beat was just the first triplet repeated over and over. I can barely play this at Q=60 with the hi hat as written right now, but there is only 3 parts to the beat with no technical effects so its pretty easy to practice and get better at, just practice in this order and you should be golden.
1. hands only
2. hi hat and kick only
3. snare and kick with hi hats on all three beats of the triplet
4. the beat as written really slow
1. hands only
2. hi hat and kick only
3. snare and kick with hi hats on all three beats of the triplet
4. the beat as written really slow
Saturday, September 29, 2007
"Simple" Drumming
Shitty drummers always use fills. They usually posses certain characteristics that make the fills unbearable, but lets stick that aside.
I have a goal. I've been working this into my practice schedule where I get a CD on headphones and just play along to it straight through. I pick an easy one, the first selection was The Strokes-Is This It. Future picks are going to be Wire-Pink Flag (which I unsuccessfully attempted to do 2 years ago,) Sam Cooke-Live at the Harlem Club, and Jon Richman and the Modern Lovers. I played through Marvin Gaye's greatest Motown hits and that was excellent, though I feel like I was leaving a lot out. Still, by not playing all the notes and fills that are visible in their absence, you get a feel for how the songs work.
Its interesting, simple records might have one drum break in the whole thing, or one complicated ride pattern, but its enough to make you realize that these drummers could be playing a lot more, and are consciously choosing not to . And it makes the song work which is the ultimate goal. Many of the returns to the chorus on Is This It are made stronger by the lack of a drum fill. If the first half of the measure is the same in chorus and verse, you arent going to even notice the shift until the song demands it (it will be seemless).
I was thinking to myself "this is R&B drumming! whoa!" Actually, its soul drumming, more Sam Cooke than Marvin Gaye, but the point remains that you simplify your life and make your playing better by playing with the music enough to really start to smell what they are stepping in.
I have a goal. I've been working this into my practice schedule where I get a CD on headphones and just play along to it straight through. I pick an easy one, the first selection was The Strokes-Is This It. Future picks are going to be Wire-Pink Flag (which I unsuccessfully attempted to do 2 years ago,) Sam Cooke-Live at the Harlem Club, and Jon Richman and the Modern Lovers. I played through Marvin Gaye's greatest Motown hits and that was excellent, though I feel like I was leaving a lot out. Still, by not playing all the notes and fills that are visible in their absence, you get a feel for how the songs work.
Its interesting, simple records might have one drum break in the whole thing, or one complicated ride pattern, but its enough to make you realize that these drummers could be playing a lot more, and are consciously choosing not to . And it makes the song work which is the ultimate goal. Many of the returns to the chorus on Is This It are made stronger by the lack of a drum fill. If the first half of the measure is the same in chorus and verse, you arent going to even notice the shift until the song demands it (it will be seemless).
I was thinking to myself "this is R&B drumming! whoa!" Actually, its soul drumming, more Sam Cooke than Marvin Gaye, but the point remains that you simplify your life and make your playing better by playing with the music enough to really start to smell what they are stepping in.
Your Left Hand Must Always Know What Your Right Hand Is Doing
That sort of came to me. Maybe its obvious, but I'm starting to feel like the most essential relation is between the hands, and not necessarily the kick and the snare. Anyways even if its too vague to mean anything, it sounds like something out of Oblique Strategies, right?
Now quick, whatever this post says to do, do the opposite (*wink*)
Now quick, whatever this post says to do, do the opposite (*wink*)
Friday, September 28, 2007
Breaking The Endurance Exercise Down...WAY Down
Ok, so I got a little high to practice drums today. Just a teensy bit high. Well, more like alot. The thing I really did was dig into the endurance exercise (outside of playing along with Marvin Gaye's greatest Motown singles which is a whole nother thing in itself). Mostly the single stroke one, but later I found it helped me with my double stroke one as well.
Its probably worth explaining in depth at this point, but the endurance exercise I'm doing is like this:
there are 16 counts total (i count it as 8 and 8 in my head, but really its written as 4 beats divided into 16th notes) and it goes into double time for first only the last count, then the last 2, then the last 3, until it goes all the way up to being in double time the whole time. Each pattern is held 4 times, so first you play 15 16th notes followed by 2 32nd notes 4 times, then 14 16th notes followed by 4 32nd notes and on and on.
OK. One of the first things I did was with how I was counting it. It used to be if for example i was counting the one where the 32nds come in on beat 12, I would count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, and then quit counting while the 32nds went on. So the first thing I changed was I started to count 1-8 1-8 every time out loud, no matter where the switch was.
Another thing I did was change it to an exercise that was 8 counts total. Then on the even numbered ones I would accent all the single strokes and not the doubles (still counting through). For the odd ones, I would accent the single strokes only on the hand where the additional single stroke lied. This was the most effective of all the drills for correcting my weak spots.
For these I divided the exercise up into only evens and only odds. So I would do 8 counts solid single strokes (16th notes) 4 times, then 6 counts single stroke and 2 counts with the 32nd notes, then 4 and 4, 2 and 6 and finally all 8 counts with the 32nds and then back down.
I counted this 3 ways: 1-8 every time, then only counting the single strokes and then only counting the double strokes, which seemed to help my ear (ex. single stroke, single stroke, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Anyways if you are having trouble upping the tempo on the endurance exercise this is probably a great way to go into it, because you address every single beat, so you can really isolate the exact spot where you begin to have trouble.
Also its worth doing extra single strokes with your weak hand before getting into this.
Its probably worth explaining in depth at this point, but the endurance exercise I'm doing is like this:
there are 16 counts total (i count it as 8 and 8 in my head, but really its written as 4 beats divided into 16th notes) and it goes into double time for first only the last count, then the last 2, then the last 3, until it goes all the way up to being in double time the whole time. Each pattern is held 4 times, so first you play 15 16th notes followed by 2 32nd notes 4 times, then 14 16th notes followed by 4 32nd notes and on and on.
OK. One of the first things I did was with how I was counting it. It used to be if for example i was counting the one where the 32nds come in on beat 12, I would count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, and then quit counting while the 32nds went on. So the first thing I changed was I started to count 1-8 1-8 every time out loud, no matter where the switch was.
Another thing I did was change it to an exercise that was 8 counts total. Then on the even numbered ones I would accent all the single strokes and not the doubles (still counting through). For the odd ones, I would accent the single strokes only on the hand where the additional single stroke lied. This was the most effective of all the drills for correcting my weak spots.
For these I divided the exercise up into only evens and only odds. So I would do 8 counts solid single strokes (16th notes) 4 times, then 6 counts single stroke and 2 counts with the 32nd notes, then 4 and 4, 2 and 6 and finally all 8 counts with the 32nds and then back down.
I counted this 3 ways: 1-8 every time, then only counting the single strokes and then only counting the double strokes, which seemed to help my ear (ex. single stroke, single stroke, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Anyways if you are having trouble upping the tempo on the endurance exercise this is probably a great way to go into it, because you address every single beat, so you can really isolate the exact spot where you begin to have trouble.
Also its worth doing extra single strokes with your weak hand before getting into this.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Sexual Frustration
...will make you practice drums longer than anything else. Not because its going to help you get laid, just because you gotta get all that tension out! The way things are going I hope I don't meet a woman for at least 2 weeks, cause then I'll really have made some progress, but uuh, ... not too much longer than that, please!
Today saw a new one session record: 2 hours 39 minutes, not counting breaks....practice lasted from 8 - 11:30 PM.
Today saw a new one session record: 2 hours 39 minutes, not counting breaks....practice lasted from 8 - 11:30 PM.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Endurance ---week 8(?ish)
I have 2 goals for this next week which are going to make it probably both the most intense and the most focused week ever if I pull it off.
Goal 1 is significant improvement in the Endurance Exercise (im at Q=58 for double strokes and Q=68 for single strokes right now...havent tried it with the buzz roll yet). Ive found that this exercise helps with my Single Stroke exercise. Anyways tonight I ran up and down it 4 times double strokes (2 starting R and 2 starting L) and then the same with the single strokes. My arm is tired, I'll bet its sore tomorrow.
Goal 2 hasn't been tried yet because I can't get to a full kit all the time (we're renting out the practice space in the afternoons for another few days). I need to start doing Stick Control substituting my right foot. We have the big Ecstatic Sunshine gig at our house on Tuesday and I'd like the tempo to be a bit better for Mock Object (only 5 days away now). Anyways, if things go according to plan, both are going to be significant time consumers, but thats a good thing, because this time next week I'll be better and the whole Endurance thing is pretty key.
Goal 1 is significant improvement in the Endurance Exercise (im at Q=58 for double strokes and Q=68 for single strokes right now...havent tried it with the buzz roll yet). Ive found that this exercise helps with my Single Stroke exercise. Anyways tonight I ran up and down it 4 times double strokes (2 starting R and 2 starting L) and then the same with the single strokes. My arm is tired, I'll bet its sore tomorrow.
Goal 2 hasn't been tried yet because I can't get to a full kit all the time (we're renting out the practice space in the afternoons for another few days). I need to start doing Stick Control substituting my right foot. We have the big Ecstatic Sunshine gig at our house on Tuesday and I'd like the tempo to be a bit better for Mock Object (only 5 days away now). Anyways, if things go according to plan, both are going to be significant time consumers, but thats a good thing, because this time next week I'll be better and the whole Endurance thing is pretty key.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Polyrhythm drumbeat #1
Heres the aforementioned beat I made up along with how i derived it.
the thing that led to this was i was trying to figure out how to maintain that initial snare pattern (those are taps) with a ride pattern that went into double time, so thats the first line. Then once the double time in the ride kicked in it became apparent that some of the hits made it sound less musical (i.e. like a line) so where they both hit I played it both ways, 1) maintaining the double time ride pattern and dropping a snare hit and then 2) as written 2nd line down which is what I decided sounded cooler. The accents on the ride pattern are sort of naturally where they fall, with the exception of the upbeat of beat 1 in the event that its measure 1. Once the pattern repeats it sounds tho.
This beat owes the kick placement ideas to the half time shuffle, which is a beat Brian showed me that Bohnam did on a Zepplin track whose name I cant quite remember right now.
PS this is marked as triplets and probably could be used for a fill in 4/4 and might sound cool, but probably its best in a 6/8 feel.
the thing that led to this was i was trying to figure out how to maintain that initial snare pattern (those are taps) with a ride pattern that went into double time, so thats the first line. Then once the double time in the ride kicked in it became apparent that some of the hits made it sound less musical (i.e. like a line) so where they both hit I played it both ways, 1) maintaining the double time ride pattern and dropping a snare hit and then 2) as written 2nd line down which is what I decided sounded cooler. The accents on the ride pattern are sort of naturally where they fall, with the exception of the upbeat of beat 1 in the event that its measure 1. Once the pattern repeats it sounds tho.
This beat owes the kick placement ideas to the half time shuffle, which is a beat Brian showed me that Bohnam did on a Zepplin track whose name I cant quite remember right now.
PS this is marked as triplets and probably could be used for a fill in 4/4 and might sound cool, but probably its best in a 6/8 feel.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Weeks 3-6
OK, so things got a little out of hand with not practicing. I did good for a few weeks, but disaster hit, namely a gap in my lease. I was up at my parents house and for about 3 weeks did some intensive snare drum practicing since it was all I could do. I ran the first couple of pages of stick control each day, gradually increasing the tempo, and then Brian gave me an exercise for a single stroke roll. You run the first column of SC, each one once. In between you do 4 strokes R followed by 4 strokes L, then the second time 8 and 8 and then 16 and 16. It alternates so that on the even numbered exercises in the column you start with the left hand. Then at the end you do at twice the speed a single stroke roll for 5 measures followed by a measure of rest. It was a great exercise. I did an endurance exercise too and some paradiddle stuff.
Paradiddles really arent for me. I dont like them. Its like you are trying to make a line but you are tied into the paradiddle. The paradiddle is so specific its not really as readily adaptable to other things. Like its a cool feel to base something around, but how do you get to the other stuff? Polyrhythms are much more amorphous i think in that they let you by definition be 2 places (at least in one time) and you can subtractively make a line out of it in so many different ways.
Brian gave me these 8 exercises that are just putting triplets in different places and Im pretty psyched about it because once I get that it will help me with some 2 on 3 and 4 on 3 stuff. I wrote a beat too that I will scan in here in a bit that kind of shows the thought process of what Im trying to do.
Paradiddles really arent for me. I dont like them. Its like you are trying to make a line but you are tied into the paradiddle. The paradiddle is so specific its not really as readily adaptable to other things. Like its a cool feel to base something around, but how do you get to the other stuff? Polyrhythms are much more amorphous i think in that they let you by definition be 2 places (at least in one time) and you can subtractively make a line out of it in so many different ways.
Brian gave me these 8 exercises that are just putting triplets in different places and Im pretty psyched about it because once I get that it will help me with some 2 on 3 and 4 on 3 stuff. I wrote a beat too that I will scan in here in a bit that kind of shows the thought process of what Im trying to do.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Week 1/Week 2
Yikes. Week one went pretty smooth. I was pumped to be getting into drums seriously. I started in on "Stick Control" and did a bunch of Accented 2s (accents on the 2nd of the two hits) and 3s with the accent both on the middle and last beat of the 3s. Also paradiddles.
Also I did a ton of Moeller full and double strokes with my left hand to try and get it up to speed. There was a problem which I think is being remedied now.
Ive been moving houses this week and am at my parents house with only a snare pad set up but one major discovery was made because I have a mirror device in the form of a big window in front of my bed. I had scoliosis and when i was 15 got 2 metal rods fused down my back. As a result my arms and shoulders are not even. My resting left arm is about 3 inches farther from my trunk than my right arm which lays nearly right on it when relaxed. I have been trying to copy my right arm motion with my left because my right was working but was having great difficulty (because the motion actually shouldnt be the same). So I think I have figured out a good motion for me.
Practice hasnt been as easy to do this week because of the move, but that will be over over tomorrow (finally). Im at my parents house for the next 2 weeks and should be able to hit the snare pad pretty hard, provided I get back in the afternoons alright.
Also I did a ton of Moeller full and double strokes with my left hand to try and get it up to speed. There was a problem which I think is being remedied now.
Ive been moving houses this week and am at my parents house with only a snare pad set up but one major discovery was made because I have a mirror device in the form of a big window in front of my bed. I had scoliosis and when i was 15 got 2 metal rods fused down my back. As a result my arms and shoulders are not even. My resting left arm is about 3 inches farther from my trunk than my right arm which lays nearly right on it when relaxed. I have been trying to copy my right arm motion with my left because my right was working but was having great difficulty (because the motion actually shouldnt be the same). So I think I have figured out a good motion for me.
Practice hasnt been as easy to do this week because of the move, but that will be over over tomorrow (finally). Im at my parents house for the next 2 weeks and should be able to hit the snare pad pretty hard, provided I get back in the afternoons alright.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)