Thursday 10 December 2020

Hermione’s Magical Method

Hermione Granger is very big on 'revisions'. It seems to be her preferred method of preparing for exams. It's definitely a British term -- I've never heard it on this side of the ocean. On further investigation, it turns out to be the age-old process of taking good notes and then analyzing the material and reducing it to the basics ... the essentials.


This is a great way (in fact the correct way) to master a subject. No matter how complex a thing may be, it can usually be better understood if reduced to smaller, more digestible nuggets. That goes for understanding musical and drumming concepts as well.

Reducing everything to its most basic components, aside from making things easier to manage, often reveals a fundamental principle that was not apparent otherwise. And those principles often lead to even greater mastery and more creative opportunities. I like to trim things until they resemble building blocks, which I can then redeploy to other contexts.

Take for example the legendary Bonham Shuffle. I've come across a lot of explanations of how it's done, but as often as not, the originators managed to increase rather than reduce the complexity (one offering had four installments!) The rhythm can be 'revised' to just three building blocks. It’s not actually that complicated when approached from the bottom up.

1. Slow 8th-note rock feel with a back beat on 2 & 4
2. Double time shuffle on the hi-hat
3. Syncopated triplet patterns between the bass drum and snare

These skills can be worked on separately, and then combined into a final product. The building blocks can also be modified, expanded upon and transported to other contexts to create other exercises and other rhythms.

So, revise, reorganize and reduce to the essential building blocks. And then start building your own rhythms.

Sunday 22 November 2020

It's Not So Rudimentary

You’ve probably formed the impression that I’m not a big fan of 'the rudiments', but there are times when they're just the thing. And there are a number of rudiments that are fabulous if not essential. 

When trying to define the rudiments there’s the a bit of a dilemma. Which of the available rudiment ‘schools’ are to be included: American? Swiss? Other? All of them? So saying that we're going to look at or work on rudiments can be vague.

Let's begin with the “40 Standard Rudiments" (the American ones -- born in Europe, BTW). That's a lot of rudiments. Chances are you play a few of these already even if you've never studied rudiments -- long roll, flam, paradiddle, ruff, and others. 

Then we have the so-called Swiss rudiments. There are about 300 of them! Again, you've probably used a few (Swiss triplets anyone?) but 300? I’ve checked them out and ...  life is too short. 

Other countries -- mainly in Europe -- have their own rudiments and interpretations of rudiments. France and Germany, for example, have between them three different 4-stroke ruffs, none of which are the same as the American variety. 

There’s also a rather amorphous group called the Hybrid Rudiments. At last count, they topped the 500 mark. 

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that the word rudiment gets thrown around a lot, and often without an understanding of what the rudiments entail. There's nothing wrong with the rudiments and nothing wrong with studying them. And you won’t know which ones will  and which ones won’t work for you and your music if you don’t give them a try. And some of them will likely become your best friends.

http://nard.us.com/
http://www.pas.org/

Wednesday 21 October 2020

The Collector

I've never been much of a collector -- too much organization and money required -- but I am a bit of an accumulator, especially when it comes to drum stuff. I have a couple of bass drum pedals that are older than I am, I've run out of fingers and toes to keep track of snare drums, and let's not get into the cymbal situation. For the most part, I'm able to admire collectibles from a safe distance, but that doesn't mean you have to. There are a lot of good reasons to collect drum stuff.

Buy Low, Sell High
When I started acquiring vintage cymbals, I rationalized that could keep them for a couple of years and then sell them at a modest mark-up. I figured it wouldn't take much for such an investment to outperform the stock market. It's also a pretty popular sport these days. I met one seller who would buy complete sets on the cheap then sell the cymbals, snares and drums separately, and it paid his university tuition!

Value-added Hobby
Whenever I pick up something on the used market, I usually strip it down and try to return it to top condition. It's labour intensive and messy, and it takes some knowledge and skill. But it really doesn't take all that much to salvage a sad-sack item and turn it into something desirable (and sell-able).

Strolling 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.

Bragging Rights
I used to have 1967 Fender Esquire guitar just like Bruce Springsteen’s (which I sold at a 930% profit!)  I hated the thing, but whenever I mentioned it in conversation, people were always very impressed. Yes, it's cool to have cool stuff. 'Nuff said.

Buyer Beware
One thing I might caution you about as a potential buyer or seller is a trend to dismantle potentially valuable drums and then sell the parts separately. Yes the seller can make a bit more money, but the buyer has invariably over-paid for the parts, and a possibly wonderful instrument no longer exists. Pity. There is also a pretty good black market in counterfeit vintage drums, so be careful who you buy from. Do your research.

I guess the only other caution would be to point out that, unlike cymbals, drums take up a lot of space. But what the heck, storage lockers are cheap.

Thursday 24 September 2020

A Short Course In Dynamics

A complaint I often hear about modern music is that it lacks dynamics. There seems to be a plethora of musicians who have just one volume setting, which is unfortunate because playing continually at a single volume -- i.e. at a single dynamic level -- impoverishes the music. When it comes to the drum set, there's actually a wealth of dynamic potential available. Even when playing as loud as you possibly can, there is still room for contrast, texture and nuance.

At any given volume, playing with dynamics calls for a variety of levels, including -- at the very least -- normal and accented. When you add accents, you create interest and contrast and strengthen the rhythm.

Ghost notes* are a very popular topic these days. These strokes are played mainly on the snare and are so light they're almost inaudible, but if they were left out, the rhythm would suffer. You can find all sorts of ghost note examples and tutorials online.

Of course there is more to it -- just look at the number of musical terms for dynamics. Traditional music calls for sound levels ranging from pppp to ffff and everything in between. Even the style of the dynamics has been spelled out: crescendo, staccato, szforzando, etc. And by following the dynamics of the tune, you’ll find there are lots of opportunities to vary the volume of your playing and that can help to move things along and make your music more interesting. So think energy rather than volume and keep in mind that creating dynamic music is a team effort.

Terms For Musical Dynamics As Found In Classical Music

Standard Dynamics Markings

fff

Fortississimo

Extremely loud

ff

Fortissimo

Very loud

f

Forte

Loud

mf

Mezzo-forte

Average

mp

Mezzo-piano

Not so loud

p

Piano

Soft

pp

Pianissimo

Very soft

ppp

Pianississimo

Extremely soft

Changing the Dynamic Level

cresc.

Crescendo

Gradually increase volume

decresc

Decrescendo

Gradually decrease volume

dim.

Diminuendo

Decrease volume and intensity

sfz

Sforzando

Sudden & forceful

rfz

Rinforzando

Sforzando, but more so

Changing the Playing Style

Animato, Con brio

Animated

Dolce

Sweetly

Espressivo

Expressive

Grazioso

Graceful

Legato

Smooth and flowing

Maestoso

Majestic

Meno mosso

Slower, less lively

Semplice

Simply

Sotto Voce

Subdued voice

Staccato

Short, abrupt

Wednesday 19 August 2020

Diversify and Conquer Part III

You'd think that with fewer playing opportunities available, there would be fewer work opportunities for drummers. Thankfully we're pretty adaptive, plus technology has given us a boost. Here are some 'new age' career possibilities.

On Line Teaching
This whole concept seems to have gone viral, with new 'online studios' cropping up almost daily. The competition is pretty severe right now, but for the person with the right combination of material, presentation and personality, it can be a good move.

Studio Tracking
This music model has been around for some time, but many drummers are now making a specialty of it. The idea is someone sends tracks to your studio. You then create drum parts for the music and lay down final tracks. No more dragging your drums into the studio and waiting for the rest of the gang to get their act together.

Blogging/Guest Blogging
If you have a penchant for writing, you can create your own blog in about 15 minutes. And your blog can be 'monetized' -- that is, you can make money at it! But for a blog to have any chance of financial return, you need to reach a wide audience and visitors who decide to click. And to attract advertisers, your subscription list has to be well into 5 figures. Guest blogging may pay a stipend, but more often it is a marketing option that will further enhance your audience and your credibility.

YouTube Star
Ah yes, the ship that launched Justin Bieber and a host of others. By now you may even suspect that a YouTube video is more important than having a business card. Videos are great marketing tools that can also be monetized, and a run-away video can bring you all sorts of rewards.

Clinician
Not long ago, a career as a clinician was nearly unheard of. These days, it's become a bit of a spectator sport with big budgets, large audiences, and stars galore. Most are sponsored by the bigger companies, but even small music stores run successful clinics these days.

Wrap-up
Most drummers who make a go of it have a number of interests and have a great time wearing different hats. If playing full time is not on offer, or just doesn't appeal to you, there are lots of ways to keep your hand in. Because of my health, I rarely gig. So I write a blog, I network with musicians, I buy and sell drums & stuff, I teach, and I play a bit with a small jazz band. Even when I was playing full-time, I maintained a teaching studio and worked part time in retail helping drummers (and others) with their hardware needs. It was fun, rewarding, and adequately lucrative.

Bonus Idea
A lot of drummers are joining the 'maker culture', and boutique drums, cymbals and accessories are showing up all over the world. If you've been toying with the idea of building drums or inventing drummer solutions, you may have a future as a manufacturer.

Sunday 19 July 2020

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. (As for demystifying this versatile rhythm, there are so many options, variations and subtleties that we may have to settle for merely documenting a few of them.)


Culturally Specific 

The clave rhythm proper is the aforementioned Bo Diddly beat, and it's traditionally played with claves, which are short, thick, wooden ideophones (i.e. fat sticks). The clave rhythm comes in a few varieties and serves as a framework and marker for a Latin tune. In 4/4, the pattern spans two bars and has two distinct forms. In the 3:2 form, the first bar contains three 'pulses' and the second bar contains two. Reverse it and you have the 2:3 form. Here is the Son clave:

More of a Good Thing 

There are variations on the basic clave form, and variations on the variations. The two most common are the rumba and the bossa nova. Again, each can be played in a 3:2 or 2:3 forms.

Clave in Modern Times 

The 'half clave' is ubiquitous in popular music. It's simple and reliable, and adds quite a bit of rhythmic interest. It's also easy to relate to, which is perhaps why it's used so often in hip-hop and top 40 tunes.

A simple modification can completely change the character of the clave. Compare the standard bossa nova rhythm to Toto's Rosanna. Just one small change gives us something totally new.
And I think that should be enough  for now.

(* pronounced claw-vay)