So, What Are You Working On?

There it is, the single most telling question I know. Because you’re either working on something or you’re not! And if you're not working on anything, you're not evolving -- at least, not the way you could be. There are many reasons for not working on your craft and perhaps the following suggestions can help reboot your motivation.

Pre-mature Retirement
One of my college profs used to say that too many people “retire from the ears up” after graduation. It’s comforting to think that everything you need in life was covered in school, that once you’re done, you're actually done. But the chances of learning everything you need in those early music lessons or in that first band is a bit remote. And in the real world, if it isn't growing it's either dead or a rock. Plus research has shown that an attitude of perpetual curiosity has many benefits.

Commit To The Program
A friend of mine said his wife retired from their big band because she didn't want to practice that hard. He was joking of course, but he’s right. To play at a high level as a pro or semi-pro takes a lot of commitment. And the need for commitment doesn’t go away.

Work Smarter
Sticking with a practice regimen isn't that hard if you have a system that is organized, qualified, manageable, and fun. I like the SMART* approach for its ability to help stay on track and motivated, to get things done, and to help avoid the unproductive.

Stay motivated
Stay curious about your craft. Look for new rhythms and exercises to try. Maybe you can find a practice buddy, or at least a kindred spirit. Discussing music and drumming issues with another drummer is motivating as well as enlightening.

Stay in the loop
It’s a changing world, and music and its requirements are ever-changing as well. I recommend that your program of study includes time spent keeping up with trends in music. There are lots of great things to hear and to discover, and new things are showing up every day. And don’t neglect the old timers. We have a lot of hard-earned wisdom to share.

Continuing to grow musically requires commitment and effort, but it needn't require major life changes. If music and playing have become a minor part of your life, you can still keep up with a modest practice schedule. Even five minutes a day on a pad adds up over time. And regular practice often leads to increased commitment.

* Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Framed.

Further Reading:

Drum Set Rudiments Part I - A Musical Foundation

Drum Set Rudiments Part 2: Technique

Image credit:  © Jat306 | Dreamstime.com

Them’s the Breaks

Lately I’m seeing a lot of online ads for broken cymbals. I admit that I too have some broken cymbals (I didn’t break them), and when buying each one, I had to make some serious decisions, namely, is it actually worth anything? And, if so, how much? And why? The value of a broken cymbal depends on the type of cymbal, the type of break, the extent of the damage, and prognosis for the future.

What Can Break
Well, all of it. Cracks can appear at the edge, along the tone grooves, at the edge of the bell, and around the mounting hole. And cymbals can simply fall apart.

Edge Cracks
When we think of a crack, we usually think of a break perpendicular to the edge of the cymbal. We’ve always been told to drill a hole in it, which can slow things down for a while, but such breaks are often terminal.

Split
Cymbals can also crack along a lathing line. This happens mainly to crash cymbals, thin cymbals, cymbals that have had a lot of hard use, and cymbals that have been clamped down too tightly. Left untreated, the cymbal will continue to degrade until it hangs in shreds.

Bridge
Cymbals that can't move freely will fatigue promoting cracks at the Bridge, the area where the bow transitions into the bell. Bridge cracks compromise sound and will speed a cymbal towards its death.

Spider Cracks
Another issue caused by over-tighten is cracks around the mounting hole. A small crack or two might be OK and further deterioration may be forestalled by letting them breath.

Chunks
It’s always a surprise when it happens as there’s usually no warning.  A chunk of metal just drops out of the cymbal. Bronze is very strong but hey, it’s just metal, and fatigue can eventually weaken it to the point of simply giving up. 

Keyholes
This well-named damage occurs when a cymbal grinds away on the exposed threaded rod of a cymbal stand. It’s mainly an issue with older cymbals that lacked the protection of a cymbal sleeve. Modern cymbal stands are kinder to cymbals. Keyholing of a few millimetres is not a big deal, but why risk it when cymbal sleeves and felts are so cheap and easy to come by?

What To Do
There's no easy formula. There can be significant value in someone else's junkers, and the cost of admission can be very nice. While a crack is often the beginning of the end, it may be possible to ‘repair’ the cymbal and continue to play it with no further issues. Or the cymbal might actually be a keeper the way it is (see above).

Who's endorsing who?

 (Originally posted on July 10, 2013)

We've all asked the question at least once: How do I get a drum/ cymbal/donut company to endorse me?

The simple answer is, be really famous or work with somebody really famous.

But the endorser/endorsee relationship is not a simple one. Nobody gets free drums and other stuff just for being an awesome player. The relationship is a two-way street. We often think of the company endorsing the player, but it's really the other way around. It's the player who endorses the equipment. And that means that the player's recommendation must carry some clout, and that the player or the player's band has a following worth reaching out to.

Would Ringo be a featured artist for Ludwig drums if he hadn't been a member of the Beatles? Likely not. Not to take anything away from Mr. Starkey’s contribution to music, it was the notoriety of the band that made Ringo one of the most influential drummers of all time. (In fact, Ringo's endorsement resulted in a bit of a production crisis in the '60s.)

All companies are on the lookout for artists who will do a good job of representing them. That person must meet all the criteria of an employee: talented, knowledgeable, committed, and an ability to connect with existing and potential customers. The endorser is, in effect, a 'stealth sales rep'.

The best endorsers are those who have a 'platform', which simply means listeners ? people who follow both the music and the artist. The endorser should also be reliable, faithful, and low maintenance. Are they inclined to switch brands often? Not show up? Expect more than their position warrants? Can the player be trusted to give the brand suitable exposure?

Steve Gadd is about as high profile as you can get. He's also a great endorser. That's because he's professional in every way, and he's dedicated to sharing his knowledge with other drummers. The gigs he plays ensure that his chosen brands are seen by countless fans around the globe. Now, do the companies pay him to play their products? Possibly, although that's not as common as it once was. What they will do is ensure that he has what he needs. For example, on a European tour Gadd doesn't take any drums. Drums simply show up at the gig courtesy of local brand reps. That's a nice perk for both the artist and the local rep, who gets to hang out with one of the greats.

So the basic question is this: Would you hire you as a company rep?

Endorsing vs. sponsoring
An endorser is someone who recommends something. If I’m endorsing a product, I’m simply saying that this is the product that I prefer and recommend. A sponsor is someone who provides something of value, money or products or both. So you might argue that a true endorsement should not be tainted by financial considerations.

Fatherly Advice from a Well-seasoned Drummer

These are the ideas and habits that I’ve found give me the biggest bang for my practicing buck. I apply them regularly to maintain flexibility, limb awareness and independence ... and to try to stay in shape.

 “Practice is intelligent repetition” - John Beck

Keep Moving, Part 1
It takes a lot of practice to make a meaningful amount of progress. So build practicing into your daily schedule any way you can. Many drummers keep a practice pad handy and do sticking exercises while watching TV, for example. And remember that all movement is good.

Keep moving, Part 2
You should always be moving forward, moving on to new and more challenging material. Avoid dwelling on things you do well and are already comfortable with.

Play Drums
Practice pads, practice sets and electronic kits are great, but they are not drums. Practice on live drums whenever you can so you become familiar with the sounds, the feel, and the effort required.

Protect Your Ears
Our ears were not designed to handle the noise levels of modern life, let alone a set of drums in a small room. To avoid permanent hearing damage -- and worse -- limit your noise exposure to recommended levels. Also allow lots of time between noise-making sessions. Consider using hearing protection whenever you play.

Concentration Is Key
Research shows that purposeful focus is the key ingredient in mastering a skill, so it’s important to eliminate distractions. We can borrow this tip from Zen: Clear your mind; focus on one thing and one thing only.

Slow Down
Practice at the 'right' speed. You should be able to play an exercise correctly while being able to attend to every aspect. This usually means slow it down. It helps if you also slow down your mind.

Speed Up
The timeless advice -- to play fast you must practice slowly -- remains true. We can only play what we can control, and control is built though slow practice. But once you're comfortable at a certain speed, go ahead and raise the tempo. There are even things you should practice as fast as possible. But do keep working on that control.

Do Enough
Anything less than 8 bars won't deliver much. I find that a full minute is (for me) an excellent amount of time to maintain an intense focus. At walking speed, that comes out to about 32 bars of 4/4 time.

Keep it Simple
Complexity is created by combining simple things. Develop a good library of solid basic moves, which you can then combine in countless ways.

Use All Your Limbs
Old-time drummers liked to play four-to-the-bar on the bass drum, with the hi-hat always on 2 and 4. More modern styles call for different foot work. The result is often an unexploited hi-hat foot. Your practice routine should involve something for every voice.

Don't Use All Your Limbs
Trying to force your body to play new patterns with all four limbs can lead to all kinds of problems and bad habits on top of the inevitable frustration. It can be more productive to eliminate distractions caused by other limbs so you can focus on the core of the exercise.

Lend A Helping Hand
Sometimes adding a ‘helper’ to the mix can solve a problem. For example, adding the hi-hat foot on every beat might help with co-ordinating a tricky pattern.

Play Music, Not Exercises
Adopt a musical mind-set. Always ask “How will I use this? Where will it fit?” Play along to tracks to see how the material works with music ... or not.

It’s Not A Race, Nor A Competition
A good way to avoid this trap is to work toward expressing yourself on the drum set.

If It’s Not Useful, Why Spend Time On It
Almost true. While all practice is beneficial, spending a lot of time on something that has no future in your music is a poor investment. Better to spend that time on something you're more likely to use.

Take Care Of Your Body
Setting up your drums ergonomically will reduce the strains you'll be placing on your body. This will also make the set more playable and easier to get around. Proper technique will make playing easier while reducing the chance of injury.

Keep An Open Mind
Study great drummers and you'll be exposed to a lot of great music and a lot of great musicians. You never know where inspiration, skills and ideas will come from.

Stop, Look And Listen
To your playing, your equipment, your music, your body -- they're all trying to tell you things.

Practice With A Metronome
The metronome is for focused practice, not background ambience. When practicing with a metronome, concentrate on the clicks, and the best way to do that is to get away from the drums. I recommend using the metronome when working on a practice pad.

Work Toward Playing Like You
The players we most admire are the ones who play like themselves. These artists use their instruments to express their own voice rather than parroting someone else's.

There Is No One True Way
There are no magic bullets, no secret techniques. Progress has always come through regular, concentrated practice and study, and understanding your goals.

Have Fun
Any fitness guru will tell you that it's easier to stick to a workout schedule if you enjoy it. Same with everything: You simply keep at it and learn better if it's something you enjoy.

All About Sticks

 Expensive, breakable, liable to fly out of your hand at the worst time … love ‘em or hate ‘em, drum sticks are a fact of life. While the leg of a chair or a stick picked up on a walk would work, modern drumsticks are high-performance tools that are tailored down to the finest detail to do the job required. The majority of sticks are made from wood, but there are other options. For a real dive into the subject, check out the websites of a few drum stick makers.

Wooden Sticks
White hickory is by far the most commonly used wood to make sticks. Hickory is very strong and has a good balance of weight and flexibility. Maple is often favoured by drummers who are looking for a lighter stick, softer attack or both. Oak is heavier and more rigid than hickory and is a good fit for heavy players who like the feel of a more solid implement. There are also devotes of bamboo and persimmon wood.

A recent innovation is torrified wood: wood that has been baked in an oven. This process hardens the wood making it stronger and more rigid. It also results in a distinctive dark hue to the wood.

Engineered wood sticks appear occasionally. Think plywood. The theory is that a sandwich of wooden plies will yield more consistent sticks that will be stronger and less prone to the variances of natural wood.

Metal sticks
These have been around in various forms since the ‘60s and possibly earlier. The most successful are usually made from aluminum tubing with some sort of nylon tip and shoulder added. Metal sticks are extremely consistent and some drummers just love them. There are also sticks made from solid aluminum and even steel. These are very heavy and are generally intended for ‘weight training’ on the practice pad (with caution).

Other
Nylon and other synthetics have been tried and mostly ignored by drummers, though there have been occasional successes such as carbon fibre and graphite sticks.

Signature Models
Occasionally a drummer and stick-maker will work together to create a unique model. Mostly the mods consist of tweaks to existing designs, but small changes can make a noticeable difference in how the sticks sound, feel and behave. As well as the artist's signature, the sticks sometimes feature cool graphics. By the way, the majority of sticks these days are variations on the 5A and 5B models.

Boutique Makers
There are a lot of small shops making sticks. In addition to all the standard models, they may offer distinctive features such as exotic woods and vintage designs. Many will do custom work and some will add your own artwork.

Drum Stick Sizing
Originally, different models were given a letter to represent its application and a number to signify the stick’s thickness: A = Orchestra, B = Band, S = Street. Sizing runs from large to small, so a 6A stick is thicker than a 7A. There is little correlation between classes of stick, e.g. a 5A and a 5B are different in length, thickness and profile. Some companies have created their own codes for different models: RK, HD, B Bop, etc.

Profile
A taper in the stick enhances its rebound, articulation and feel. The majority of sticks have a taper that begins about a third of the way from the tip. Some sticks have a longer taper and some specialty sticks have a taper that runs nearly the length of the stick. A bit of taper starting in the grip area and running to the butt enhances a stick’s power.

What about the tip?
Every type of wood stick has its own sound. This is influenced by the size, shape and profile of the tip. You can choose from barrel, round, acorn, oval, teardrop, and arrowhead as well as no tip -- some call these double bummers … two butts. The other tip choice is nylon. This stuff is strong (Kevlar is a type of nylon) and it combines hard-wearing qualities with excellent sound quality.

There’s lots to choose from, so the stick of your dreams is out there, although it may take some time to track it down. A visit to a few stick-maker’s sites will serve up a lot of details about their product some produce catalogs that you can download.

A Letter to Buddy Rich Non-fans

There's an age-old argument among drummers that, thankfully, I haven't heard much lately. It goes roughly like this:

    "Buddy Rich is the best drummer that ever lived!" 

    "Dude, no way ...."

The argument is usually over very quickly as it's customary for one or both parties to not have sufficient facts to make a case.

What, then, are the criticisms leveled at Buddy and what are the facts? Let's see ...

He over plays
First of all, what does it mean to over play? Seems to me, a lot of great players -- Moonie, Travis, Tony, Neil -- might be said to over play by any definition of that term. Buddy might say, “If you got it, flaunt it!”

He plays too loud
Buddy was a great small combo and brush player, and there are plenty of examples on record of his tasteful and reserved accompaniment. Check out his recordings with the Lester Young/Buddy Rich Trio. Of course Buddy's first love was big band, and those bands require power. Buddy would drive the band relentlessly by being full-on all the time. Besides, it was his damn band!

His solos aren't that interesting
Nor are anyone else's much of the time. All soloists fall back on stock licks, phrases, habits, and filler to keep things going -- just how long can one be expected to be brilliantly creative? But between the clichés and stock licks, Buddy's solos featured lots of stellar ideas, and were always in keeping with the music. And always great entertainment.

He didn't swing
Oh really? Buddy practically invented swing, having learned from watching such greats as Chick Webb, Sid Catlett and others. In today's sense of 'deep pocket', perhaps not, but behind a jazz soloist, Buddy's groove was exquisite in any context, and a great example of pocket.

He couldn't read music
This always confused me. Why would a person as obviously gifted and intelligent as Buddy not learn to read when reading drum music is relatively easy? Probably because what Buddy had was better*. I also suspect that he may have claimed to not read just to annoy the critics.

He had 'attitude'
Ya. So do I! So do a lot of people. Buddy was never slow to voice his displeasure, but that's not at all unusual for someone who functions at so high a level. And yet the people he allegedly abused have nothing but praise for the man, his support, and his generosity.

“The best ever” or not, Buddy was certainly one of the greats, and definitely one of a kind. And your drum education is not complete if you have not studied his music and his legacy.

* In his biography of Buddy, Mel Tormé writes that Buddy listened to the arrangement of West Side Story Medley three times, then picked up his sticks and played it flawlessly.

Inspired by:
“Buddy Rich One Of A Kind” by Pelle Berglund
Foreword by Max Weinberg
Hardcover ?:? 360 pages
ISBN-10 ?:? 1540064239
ISBN-13 ?:? 978-1540064233
https://hudsonmusic.com/product/buddy-rich-one-of-a-kind/

Also check out:

Traps - The Drum Wonder: The Life of Buddy Rich
Rebeats Press
ISBN-10: 1888408030
ISBN-13: 9781888408034

Buddy Rich Jazz Legend Documentary
Part 1, 1917-1970 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoFAiiHMhDA
Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg15mruZDzY&list=RDXoFAiiHMhDA&start_radio=1

Lost Tapes
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Tapes-Buddy-Rich/dp/B077V4JYBV
https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Buddy-Rich-THE-LOST-TAPES-Now-Available-On-CD-and-Vinyl-LP-20180209

All’s Well That Moves Well

 ... except when it’s not supposed to, that is.

I picked up a used snare drum and set about stripping it down to give it a good cleaning. After the strip-down, my hands were covered in grease -- and that’s not a good thing. You see, while drums need a bit of lubrication in certain areas, the lubricant you use must match the need. Grease is rarely good for a snare drum.

Let's have a look at your basic internal combustion motor vehicle for a moment. It has a lot of moving metal parts. Cars use two main lubricants: grease and oil. Each has a different purpose, which is determined by the combination of pressure and movement. Inside the engine, the pistons, crankshaft, etc. are under very little pressure and must move freely, and so they are bathed in oil. A car’s wheels, on the other hand, are under a great deal of pressure but they must spin freely. Wheel bearings are packed with grease which allows free movement in the presence of pressure.

And how do we apply this to drums? Take our first example: low pressure plus lots of movement. This requires oil. So pedal hinges and bearings and the like -- things that need to move freely -- call for a wee drop of oil. Also on a pedal we have moving parts under some pressure, where springs meet cams, for example. Here we need free movement, so a touch of grease is in order.

We want our stands to extend and fold up easily. We can help this along with a drop of oil in all the hinged bits (anywhere you see a rivet). On the other hand, a thin layer of grease on the bolts will enable them to move more easily when tearing down.

Tension rods are under a lot of pressure, but they must be able to move when we need them to ... and only then. These should get a light coating of general purpose oil. Grease helps things to move under pressure, and that's the last thing you want for your tension rods. 

Note that while silicon-based products may seem ideal, they are not really lubricants, and they can interfere with some finishes.

And that’s about all there is to it.

Photo Credit: Polina Petrenko 

Losing My Dream ... or When one door closes

I wasn't always obsessed with drums. I managed to get half-way through my teen years before becoming addicted. Then I jumped in with both feet. Hard.

Everything I did for the next decade and a half was drums and music. I played, I studied, I taught, I joined rehearsal bands, and I worked in a music store. At its worst, I played with 6 different bands, taught, and commuted to study in a university jazz program, where I also played, taught and gigged regularly. And then it all caught up to me. The noise I'd been subjecting my unprotected ears to won the day, and the resulting hearing damage forced me to walk away from the music business.

At the time I actually thought that I had an easier time of it than some other musicians. One fellow I worked with was getting arthritis in his hands, but he could still teach and compose and play a bit. Because of my hearing damage and the accompanying noise sensitivity, I had to jettison everything to do with drums and even music. As a result, I was able to avoid having a daily reminder of what I didn’t have ... mostly.

Starting with a clean slate meant I could go anywhere and do anything, as long as it was quiet. I think if I'd been sort of able to do music, I would have been too frustrated. I wanted to play, but I ended up working with computers -- nice quiet computers, as my COBOL professor put it. But it wasn't long before a passionate interest revealed itself. I was hired to do some database programming, and during the lulls I found a ready supply of people who needed technical help. When I finished that project, I landed a few college computer courses and discovered that, oddly, I loved being at the front of the class room despite my general shyness. Subsequent jobs were all heavy on teaching and writing. After I left the IT field, I landed back teaching at the same college.

People teach for a lot of different reasons. For me, it's the buzz I get when a student gets it. I can almost see the wheels turning and when the light goes on. And if there's no ‘ah-ha' moment, I love the challenge of trying again.

As a teacher, I take failure personally. If a student fails to grasp the material, then I have not done the job I was hired to do. It's a little tougher to do that in a college setting, but I rarely had students fail, and I have pretty high standards. My students did well because I made sure they were learning.

If I hadn't been forced to leave music, I might never have discovered my passion for teaching. I’d enjoyed teaching drums to a handful of students, but it was always more of a side-gig. And although I had done some writing, the amount of writing needed to be a proper professor made me a better writer. Teaching also required a lot of research. It’s something I truly hated when I was at Uni, but for some reason loved to do when it made for a better lesson.

It took a long time for my ears to settle down and to find ways of coping with a pretty debilitating condition (tinnitus, hyperacusis, recruitment). Today I can do a bit of playing and that has enabled me to teach again, and that’s where I think I’m really meant to be.

Photo Credit: Petr Malohlava

WWSGD?

It’s an old joke: How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb? The standard answer is three: one to change the bulb and two more to discuss how Steve Gadd would have done it.

It's inevitable that something great will resonate. Steve laid down the track for 50 Ways to Leave your Lover in 1975 and here we are, 50 years later, still marveling at it. There are numerous other examples of his genius in all manner of music styles, and always in service of the music and of drum artistry.

I have to admit that I have my own Steve Gadd moments, when I try to emulate his energy, his musical taste and, above all, his discretion. The mental conversation usually goes something like this: "What would Steve Gadd do? ... No, not that!"

I like the term emulate. It does not mean copy. It means to use something as an inspiration to your own playing.

There are very good reasons to copy licks from other players. It’s called research. I like to think of it as going to the source, perhaps the original innovator. The goal is to absorb all that material and then let become part of your personal palate. And it will.

But don't just copy the licks, also look at the ideas behind them. Go a step further and emulate the musicianship, the professionalism, the energy, the creativity.

There's much more to Mr. Gadd than a catchy militaristic beat. Plus there are so many great drummers past, present and future that you should have no trouble finding lots of inspiration free for the listening.

Now, what would Antonio Sanchez do?

Technical Note: Recent research has shown that a “What would ____ do?” approach is actually a great way to operate. By merely asking yourself the question, you put yourself into a mind set that is more creative.

Photo credit:  Skrypko Ievgen | Dreamstime.com 

Dirty Little Tricks

A lot of drummers like to have clean and shiny cymbals. Clean cymbals have a brighter (can we say cleaner?) tone and they look great on stage. Then there are those who think a bit of patina adds character. And there are devotees of grungy cymbals who just can't get enough of that well-aged look and sound.

And what if you value that worn-in sound and look, but want to keep your nearly new cymbals? Some drummers like to help the aging process along by treating their cymbals to a variety of techniques that claim to hasten the cymbal ageing process. Note that there are no guarantees and no recommendations here. Note also that many modern cymbals have a light coat of protective lacquer which must be removed if you're to make any headway with an ageing project.

Patina Happens
Cymbals are made of bronze, and bronze will tarnish. Patina (surface discolouration) occurs when the surface metal of the cymbal interacts with certain elements in the environment. Removing patina means removing the top layer of the cymbal, and if you do that, your cymbal will probably sound like it's brand new regardless of its age. Patina, by the way, protects the cymbal from further corrosion.

Getting Down To Earth
A simple trick is to bury the cymbal in the back yard or perhaps out in the woods (don't forget to mark the spot, make a map or both). Leave the cymbal there for three months or more and then dig up a cymbal that's been aged in doggie years. Here’s an interesting video wherein Sabian buries a bunch of cymbals.

In a Fine Pickle
A highly rated technique is pickle juice. The process calls for covering the cymbal with the juice and a dash of salt. Then you just watch the magic happen -- seriously, this will turn your cymbal green pretty fast. Apparently pickled onion juice works best.

Fumée Bronze
Ammonia fumes love to react with bronze. In this scenario you'll need a container large enough to hold the cymbal. You prep the cymbal with salt (saline gives a more even result) then put it on a platform inside your container of choice. Add a dish of ammonia or two and close the lid. You'll begin to see changes within a few hours. Allow a week or more for maximum effect, which can be both dramatic and beautiful.

Maybe, Maybe Not
There are reports of drummers taking their bronze to the beach and immersing them in the briny deep. If you're headed that way, why not? This one's not on the short list of aging suggestions as evidence at this point is purely anecdotal. A technique that is recommended, though, is a mixture of salt and lemon juice (some people swear by coffee grounds). Brush the brew evenly onto your cymbal, wait a few hours and voila!

The good news is that it's almost impossible to harm a cymbal with any of these tricks, so if you don't like the result, a good cleaning can usually set things right.

Want more ageing options? Check out rdavidr's video.

Photo credit:  Nadezhda Bolotina, Dreamstime.com

Drum Set Rudiments Part 2: Technique

{See Drum Set Rudiments Part 1 for 'soft skills')

Some drummers seem to have an obsession with technique. Others eschew the whole idea. A certain amount of technical skill is necessary to play well. Beyond that, it’s personal taste, values, etc. I prefer to think in terms of capability. What am I capable of as a drummer? Then I can focus on technique that makes me a more competent player. I also find it intrinsically rewarding to advance my skills and knowledge. To that end I recommend you become familiar with the following.

Natural Sticking
Given the option, we’re inclined to start things with our dominant hand. In Natural Sticking, all notes are played hand-to-hand, i.e. alternate strokes, except for diddles. This forces you to lead with each hand and it will help with independence, body awareness, and open-handed playing.

Single Strokes
Your number one work-horse sticking should need no explanation. This is where most drummers gain their speed. Remember to lead with each hand.

Double Strokes
While the traditional Long Roll isn’t called for very often in modern music, the movements are vital to many other techniques ...  diddles, drags etc.

Paradiddles
The Single Paradiddle is probably the most useful sticking available, second only to alternate strokes. There is an entire extended family of paradiddles (single, double, triple, paradiddle-diddle, and all their permutations) and all are worth studying as they help build speed, finger control and efficiency.

Paradiddle-diddle
This simple sticking takes advantage of diddles and can outperform single strokes for speed while providing a variety of rhythmic textures. The permutations are rich in possibilities.

RLRRLL    LRLLRR
RLLRRL    LRRLLR
RRLRLL    LLRLRR
RRLLRL    LLRRLR
RLRLLR    LRLRRL

Triplets
Triplets underlie swing and shuffles, and are important to the inner feel of funk. Be comfortable with 8th, 16th and quarter-note triplets. A good triplet feel contributes to flow and balance. My preferred way of counting triplets is 1-trip-let 2-trip-let etc.

RLL & Variations
A favourite component of many drum solos, this sticking provides speed and flexibility, with the diddles giving the opposite hand extra time to move around, yielding better speed and efficiency.

RLL RLL LRR LRR
RRL RRL LLR LLR

Flam/Ruff
Usually thrown in as an accent, these simple stickings are effective attention-getters. They also help with developing height control, dynamics, ghost notes, and even Moeller.

I consider familiarity with these concepts to be just a starting point and, hopefully, inspiration to further your drum knowledge.

Photo credit: University Of Washington Libraries Digital Collection

Best Practices (Please No Jokes About The Name)

My last name is low-hanging fruit for schoolyard-style teasing (still is) so it can sometimes be a challenge for me to untangle what is meant by 'best.' But identifying and learning what we call best practices is pretty straight forward, and it can apply to everything we do.

You have your own best practices, honed over a lifetime of experience: how to load the dishwasher, which way the toilet roll goes, etc. It's the procedures you’ve adopted to get the job done quickly and economically without compromising quality and possibly safety. In short, best practices are the most efficient and practical way to do things as well as possible and with no more effort than necessary. Those are the habits you want to develop.

The way to determine a best practice is to try different approaches and then compare. It sounds like a huge task, but in the case of drums, the options are not that extensive and are usually well defined. Analyzing just a few prominent techniques can help you identify which practices have been adequately field tested and were found to reliably deliver the desired result.

Testing and comparing are important tools in making progress. I'm a stickler for field testing. I want to get it out on the job where I can apply some pressure and see how it fares. No matter what quality I may be assessing -- technique, hardware or whatever --  a good field trial will quickly tell me what I need to know. 

I don’t think I’ve seen a top player with a questionable grip, poor technique, inappropriate tuning, or an awkward set-up. They know what’s what. Want to work on your traditional grip? Then study Joe Morello, JoJo Meyer, Dave Weckl. Need to develop your right hand? Check out John Bonham, Tony Williams and Steve Smith. For whatever aspect of your playing you want to work on, there are great players who will show you exactly how they do it every time they play.

Best practices can refine existing practices, make playing easier, prevent injury, and broaden horizons. At the very least, best practices can help to avoid wasting time and following blind alleys. Best practices also tend to be easier to master and usually require less effort overall.

We are all individuals, and what works best for one may not work for another. But in general, you can assume that the techniques you see the better players using are some of best practices available. You just need to find the ones that work best for you.

Photo credit:  Konstantin32 | Dreamstime.com

Drum Psych 101

When I entered university many years ago, I’d become interested in studying the invisible forces that drive human behaviour. And so I majored in psychology (with a minor in philosophy). Along the way I picked up a few principles that we musicians should be aware of.

Operant Conditioning
This principle applies everywhere. Any behaviour that is rewarded is more likely to be repeated. It's how learning works. If you play it right and your teacher praises you, you’ll be happy to play it some more.

Successive Approximation
Most learning happens through baby steps: trial and error. Even when we know exactly what to do, we still must go through the process of trying and failing and trying again. As we rack up more tries, we make fewer errors and so we gradually baby-step our way to the final product.

Proactive Inhibition
We're inclined to automatically do the things we’ve been doing. But to do something different, you may have to first ‘un-train’ the muscles and brain so they can give up what seems so natural and embrace the new. The goal is to set aside the old mindset and imprint a new one,  to convince the brain that it’s OK to let go of the other way.

Dunning-Kruger
This one is rather disturbing. Psychologists Dunning and Kruger (see below) studied test subjects' performance and their perception of how well they had performed. The researchers came to the conclusion that the less capable or competent the respondent, the less able they were to judge their own ability. In other words, people who are less skilled really do tend to think they’re better than they actually are because they don't have sufficient skill or knowledge to accurately assess their level of competence. Solution? Learn more, get better.

Leave It In The Dressing Room
Your mind is often mulling over something that's in your future. It’s called the Reach Back Effect and it happens unconsciously. You can adopt a clear mind-set and focus on the here and now rather than be distracted by upcoming events or other concerns.

Superstitious Behaviour
We humans like superstitions. We even seem to be programmed to manufacture them. If we observe two things happening together, we're inclined to think that they’re related. The more it happens, or seems to happen, the more convinced we become that there is a relationship. No behaviour is immune, as lucky socks owners around the globe will tell you. That said, superstitions beget rituals, and rituals can be beneficial ... as long as you don’t buy into the hype.

Audience Effect
It's great to have an audience. Cheering fans can inspire you to raise your game. But this can also set you back a little. When we have an audience, our performance does in fact improve. That's good. But this only applies to our most ingrained moves. The stuff we've been working on recently may not stand a chance. So you’ll play better, but your playing might not include your latest achievements.

The Hawthorne Effect
Similar to the Audience Effect, this is the tendency to behave differently when someone is watching. The result can be for the better or worse. If you’ve ever played to a room full of drummers, you know what I mean.

Depression
There are two types of depression. Clinical depression is systemic and usually a lifelong condition. Episodic depression is a normal reaction to trauma. The death of someone close or the break-up of a relationship can push someone into a depressed state. It resembles clinical depression except that it's easier to treat and is, thankfully, self limiting. However, what to do in the mean time? Many people like to channel their mood into their music. Note the popularity of drum circles for stress relief. Playing music floods your body with endorphins and can get you away from your current doldrums.

With all these things potentially working against us, taking care of our mental health should be a priority. Knowing what can affect us -- and how -- gives us a means to avoid, or at least cope with, some of the dangers.

More on Dunning-Kruger:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/dunning-kruger-effect

Photo credit: © Agsandrew | Dreamstime.com

The Great Drag/Ruff Conspiracy

Of all the traditional snare drum rudiments, two have had more than their share of drama. The Drag and the Ruff (a.k.a. Dragg, Rough) have been around for centuries, but a lack of documentation has led to some confusion. There have been attempts to clarify the situation, but none have fully resolved the issue. Fast forward to the present day and we have a three-way tie. One ‘official’ list has both, one claims they’re the same, and one leaves the Ruff out entirely. So after a bit of research, I have formed an opinion about the issue.

According to Strube*, the Ruff is two grace notes followed by a single stroke: rrL / llR. This is the Ruff that I learned years ago. Then came another interpretation where the grace notes are played as quick single strokes, so rlR / lrL. There’s also the 4-stroke Ruff, which is normally played as single strokes --  rlrL lrlR -- and it too has variations.

The Drag is more consistent as the grace notes are always diddles. There is also the Half Drag -- rrL / llR -- which is identical to the original 3-stroke Ruff. And then we have the Drag-ruff and the long forgotten Half Ruffe, Whole Ruffe, and Ruffe’n’Half. Hmmm.

Sorting Out the Raw Data
When I compared 10(!) different configurations of the various Ruffs and Drags, a couple of aspects stood out. The Ruff consists of grace notes plus a single stroke, whereas the Drag family always have diddles followed by two or more strokes. So there is a clear demarcation between the two: 2 or more grace notes and a single stroke for the Ruff, and diddles plus two or more single strokes for the Drag.

So:

3-stroke Ruff	4-stroke Ruff	Drag Family
rrL / llR	rlrL / lrlR	rrL-R / llR-L
rlR / lrL	rrlR / llrL	R-llR / AL-rrL
	rlR / lrrL	rrL-R-AL / llR-AL-R
	rrL / lllr	rrL-rrL-R / llR-llR-AL

The Final Analysis

So at risk of raising the ire of the powers that be, I'd like to propose the following solution:

1. Bring back the diddle-driven 3-stroke Ruff and call it a Ruff.
2. Add the 4 (and 5) stroke Ruffs to complete the set.
3. Forget about the Half Drag and the Drag-ruff. The Ruff can replace them both.

And In Conclusion
Here’s what Ryan Bloom has to say on the subject:

“In summary, a modern Ruff is a 3 Stroke Ruff, or a Single Stroke Drag, while a historical Ruff is the same as a Drag, except for when it is a buzzed orchestral Ruff or Rough. A Drag, of course, is the same as a Half Drag because if it were a Full Drag or Single Drag it would be a Drag Tap. This leaves us with the obvious: that a Double Drag is just a Double Drag Tap.”

And here’s how Strube presented it:

Any questions?

For more on drags, ruffs and rudiments, see:

The Percussive Arts Society: https://www.pas.org/resources/rudiments

The National Association of Rudimental Drummers: https://www.nard.us.com/N.A.R.D._Rudiments.html

Gardiner A. Strube: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardiner_A._Strube

Photo credit: 1265529 © Steve Mann | Dreamstime.com

One Link At A Time

Jerry Seinfeld has a simple method of working that he calls "Don't break the chain." Jerry is a comedian and an author ... in other words, an artist. And just how does such a successful artist achieve his demanding goals. Does he look in a mirror and announce gravely, “I will write eight jokes by 5:00”? No, Jerry takes a more modest and less confrontational approach. On a simple drug-store calendar, he puts an X through each day that he has worked on his craft. His only goal is to see an unbroken chain of X's. And it doesn't matter if it was 3 hours or 3 minutes. It all counts. 

I very much like Jerry's method as it makes it easier to commit to the program. Do something every day -- however small -- and you will move ever closer to your goal. This 'salami’ approach is easy to pull off. Just slice off a bit at a time. No time to practice? Really? Next time you plant yourself in front of the TV, get out the pad and sticks and do a few minutes of hand work*. It may seem almost pointless, but even two minutes done daily can reap significant rewards. The object is to build practice into your daily routine. Consider practice as basic as brushing your teeth.

Be sure you have a flexible schedule, one that lets you breath, one that won't make you feel guilty if you can only manage 5 minutes instead of the planned 20. As long as you don’t break the chain. And keep in mind that you’ll probably be ‘banking’ minutes from time to time.

A nice perk is that this system is much less stressful than setting fixed targets that you may have to miss. I used to beat myself up for not putting in 3 hours a day. Interestingly, when I decided to practice only when I felt like it , I actually ended up practicing more than I expected to. I didn’t feel obliged to put in a lot of time practicing, and the lack of pressure suited me just fine.

So your goal is to practice -- something, anything -- for whatever length of time is available, and to make it a daily commitment. And be sure to keep track on your drug-store calendar.

It’s in the cards URL
A practice program that works very well for me is a stack of 3x5 file cards. I write one exercise on a card along with the parameters I want to cover. You can find the full details here: Stay On Track With A Practice Matrix.

* Watching TV and playing a sticking are two completely different tasks. They require different skills from the brain and can co-exist quite nicely. My teacher always had a pad and sticks set up in his home theatre viewing position.

Photo credit: 594906 © Sun Jeng Tan | Dreamstime.com

 

Let Me Give You A Hand With That

Let’s try a simple experiment. Take a stick in your lead hand and tap single strokes as fast as you can. Then do the same with the other hand . My guess is that your lead hand is somewhat faster. No surprise there. Now play alternating single strokes as fast as you can. You’ll likely find that you can play alternate strokes faster than either hand on its own. It’s a phenomenon called Limb Assistance. That’s when one limb is able to perform better when it’s partnered with another limb. So your single stroke roll should always be faster than your one-handed bounces.

It works the other way as well, something called Limb Inhibition. When practicing, I like to get all four voices involved, and that usually means hi-hat on 2 & 4. But I find that the hi-hat sometimes helps and sometimes hurts. So if it’s interfering with what I'm trying to do, I’ll leave it out. Or I might play it on all four beats ... whatever helps me make progress.

There are four basic options with the hi-hat, any one of which could help with an exercise:

• Play on 2 & 4: This is the ultimate goal and it’s a core skill for drummers.

• Play on 1 & 3: This can help nail down the timing of a difficult pattern.

• Play on all 4 beats: In addition to helping with timing, this gives the other limbs support as you're working toward full co-ordination.

• Omit completely: Sometimes it’s just not going to happen until the other limbs are sorted.

The same thing can apply to any pattern or combination. Say I want to add triple strokes on the bass drum to a rock pattern, but find that I’m struggling. I might add some matching cymbal strokes so the hand strokes mirror the bass drum. The addition of the extra cymbal strokes means the two limbs are now working as a team to better articulate the foot strokes. (I’ll also leave the hi-hat out for now.)

A perennial problem for drummers is when the limbs are supposed to strike together but are just a little bit off. This is where the limbs could be helping each other. Use one limb/voice to act as ‘troop leader’ and show the other limbs where to put it. I look for relationships between what the different limbs are doing in relation to each other. Sometimes the limbs hit together and that can help with co-ordination. Other times, one limb might function as a lead-in for the next stroke. For example, in a shuffle, I think of the ‘uh’ as causing or triggering the next beat: uh-1 uh-2 etc. This is especially helpful with complex patterns.

So, when in doubt, leave it out. Or, if it helps, put it in.

Photo credit: 113417054 © creativecommonsstockphotos | Dreamstime.com

 

So What Exactly is Talent?

 There seem to be two dominant opinions when it comes to the importance of talent. One is that talent is the whole show. The other is that talent doesn't really matter. And, like most big topics, it's not that simple. Still, I think most of us would agree that, whatever talent might be, we’d still like to have more of it.

It's relative
First of all, everyone has at least some talent -- many talents, in fact. If not, we'd all be lost. Even the worst drummer on the planet has a little bit of music aptitude.  But it actually requires a melange of qualities and aptitudes that combine to create 'talent'. So a bit of drumming talent, a bit of music talent, plus a bit of this and a bit of that and you've got a pretty good drummer.

I find that a bell curve can be helpful in understanding a multitude of human characteristics. For any given category, the low end of the curve represents the completely talentless. These people are very, very rare. For example, in my lifetime I've only met one person who was truly tone deaf.

At the other end of the scale are the extremely gifted ... geniuses in many cases. These too are quite rare, the “1-percenters’ in the field. And then there's the rest of us. Some are closer to the top of the bell curve, some are closer to the bottom, and most are somewhere in the middle. The good news is that, statistically speaking, fully half of us are above average!

The Core Abilities
Talented people seem to pick things up faster, more easily and earlier. They are fast, efficient and sometimes precocious learners and may show up as prodigies. They also seem to understand things better and make it a part of themselves almost without effort. Very young performers often give the impression that they've been at it for many years.

In order to capitalize on the no-doubt adequate talents we do have, we just need to feed, nurture, and experiment. It seems to me that we can divide the job into three critical processes or abilities:

1. Accumulate
This is what we do when we study, practice, memorize, listen, etc. Our personal degree of talent for learning has a direct effect on rate and capacity of learning.

2. Assimilate
Play it, own it, make it personal ... because it is. And it's not enough to just know it. You have to internalize and integrate new knowledge with what went before, to see how it fits into the whole.

3. Innovate
Here's where we roll out our natural curiosity and our creativity. What can you do with your skills and knowledge beyond simply reproducing what's gone before?

There’s no up side to worrying about how much talent you have or don’t have. That hard truth is that talent is pretty much fixed and there’s no way of increasing it. But honing what talent you have is freely available to everyone.

“I wasn't talented... but I was relentless!” - Neil Peart

A Few More “Talents” To Nurture
Attitude, sociability, drive, energy, determination (not the same as energy), nurturing, mentoring, dedication, attention , brain power & development, memory,  marketing savvy, to name a few.

Photo Credit: Andrey Kiselev | Dreamstime.com; Mieszko Stanislawski | Dreamstime.com

A Brief, Mostly Factual History Of The Bass Drum

The bass drum has a long and colourful history. When not being used to send long distance messages or intimidate an enemy, it's long been used to keep things moving along in time. Dancers can feel its low tones, the troops can hear its pulse from quite a distance, and everyone enjoys the gut-churning boom-boom-boom of a parade. For contemporary music, the bass drum continues to serve the time keeping function, but its role has evolved to include bombs, shots, counter-rhythms, musical statements, and even gun fire.

The orchestral bass drum was taken into the combo format in the mid-to-late 1800s, with early drum-set pioneers often making their own bass drum pedals as an alternative to double drumming*. A major turning point came in 1909, when drummer–entrepreneurs William and Theobald Ludwig introduced a compact, reliable and affordable bass drum pedal. The impact of this game changer can be heard on recordings starting in the 1920s.

Except during Buddy Rich's early vaudeville career**, bass drums have tended toward smaller. The original field bass drums -- perhaps a 16" head and 18" depth to as large as 24" x 24" -- were impractical for combo use, whereas concert bass drums were quite large and rather shallow. A compact, deeper drum seemed to be the right configuration and so the 32" x 10" gave way to the 22" and then 20” diameter, and 12 or 14 inch depth.

The trend toward smaller bass drums was driven as much by portability as sound. Elvin Jones settled on an 18" bass drum because it fit into a cab nicely (so I’ve heard). Many drummers go a step further and use a 16" drum. The smaller drums yield a more tom-like voice, which is perfect for contemporary jazz.

The '70s introduced a more aggressive style of music, and to facilitate the more aggressive drumming and volume needs, companies began introducing 'power toms' and then 'canon toms'. Bass drums also gained depth. The standard depth went from 14" to 16" and beyond. There are even bass drums with 'square' dimensions (e.g.  22 x 22). Over-large drums -- 26" and 28" -- sometimes make a brief appearance

The word on the street today is that the 20" x 14" may be the ideal general purpose drum. It can provide a whack equal to a 22" drum, and can sound much like an 18" drum when tuned up. The 22” drum has become the standard for most situations, and the 18” is no longer reserved for jazz -- Neil Peart used 18” bass drums for a time

Bass drum choices today cover the entire spectrum, from pancake drums to “super-ultra cannon” monsters. But for the most part, that standard off-the-shelf drum should give you everything that you're looking for.

 

* Double Drumming: In the early days of the drum set’s evolution, players would often play the bass drum with sticks for a tom or double bass effect.

** Buddy's manager–father kept getting bigger bass drums as Buddy grew. He wanted the bass drum to look enormous next to the no-longer-little boy prodigy.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Just a Small Town Doc

I never met my father-in-law. My future wife and I had been dating only a few months when he died of pancreatic cancer. So the first time I met my in-laws was at his funeral in a small mid-western town. It was the town where he set up his first medical practice. He chose that town because it was small and it didn't have a doctor. He recognized that small ponds have the same needs as the bigger ponds -- and perhaps an even greater need -- and this was where he felt he could do the most good.

The big fish ensconced in a small pond is usually thought to be undesirable. We'd much rather be a big fish in a more impressive pond. I didn’t grow up in a small town, but it was small enough that if you did anything note-worthy, a lot of people would find out about it. So you had a good chance of becoming 'the one to watch', i.e. a big fish. And everything is pretty cool, until you decide you want to take it further.

So you pack your bags, load up the drums and head for the big city -- just as countless other aspiring players have done. And you’re immediately faced with the more established players, the ones who really are the big fish in this bigger pond. It can be a shock to anyone who has come up in a relatively small scene. And here’s another problem: There usually are more fish in big ponds, and the competition for a place in the queue can be fierce. It's you against some of the best in the business. Thankfully there are many reasons to choose the smaller pond, and they have advantages that are not found elsewhere.

First of all, the smaller ponds might really need someone like you. Just as that small town needed a full-time doctor, there may be a real need for a versatile, competent drummer/musician/entrepreneur. It's possible to make a big impact in an under-served region. A small town music store, for example, may be the only hangout available to local players. And if you’re the one behind the counter, you can become an important hub and a mentor to an entire community.

The smaller pond may have fewer playing opportunities, but there are towns and cities nearby that might have opportunities. Or  you could start your own music scene: open a music school, start a rehearsal band, play at local venues for a share of the gate (great marketing), teach online lessons, offer instrument repair, guest teach at local schools. 

A big pond also means a big city, and maybe you’re not interested in the big pond lifestyle. There are lots of small and medium ponds, and they all need people like you and me.

For additional ideas, see: How to Diversify & Conquer

Photo Credit:  117365656 © Iurii Kuzo | Dreamstime.com

Raising The Bar

What does one do when stuck indoors on a rainy day? Channel surf, of course. First stop is Dr. Phil, where he promises to spend the rest of his life helping a young woman with her self esteem issues. Then it's off to Dr. Oz*, who tells me about the latest medical/lifestyle 'miracle'. OK, one more try, a cooking show, where I'm shown intimate close-ups of someone stirring something in a bowl ... yum, I guess.

Then there’s the drum video touting a “revolutionary” technique that would totally change my playing -- and my life, apparently. It turned out to be a lick that I’ve been using for years. Useful, but hardly life changing ...  and after such a great build-up.

It's a peculiar habit we humans have. We enjoy hyperbole: best ever, mind blowing, LMAO, and so on. At one level, it's simple enthusiasm. When we really, really like something, we wax poetic and throw in overly-flattering words, words that may not really apply.

Another possibility is what psychologists call significance hunger: I want to be part of something significant, impressive, important ... and to potentially reap rewards on top of bragging rights.

Today, being good at something is no longer good enough. Even great is sometimes considered a bit lame. The new norm is that you have to be over-the-top just to show up on the internet radar.

Comedian Louie C. K. has a poignant take on superlatives. He points out that if, for example, you describe the french fries you’re eating as “amazing”, how will you then describe something that truly is remarkable? There really is nowhere to go from the awe-inspiring. And so we’ve fallen into a trap where everything is being presented as "great, tremendous, unbelievable”, something that is guaranteed to blow your mind

It's fine to be enthusiastic and to want to communicate that enthusiasm, and to hang out with the cool people. But this seemingly innocuous escalation affects our outlook significantly. If nothing else, it raises expectations, and that raises the stakes. In order to stand out, everyone has to get with the program in order to not disappoint an audience that no longer appreciates nuance. It also markets an unhealthy concept of excess. Enough is no longer enough. Too much may even fall short. And so we search for, and expect, amazing. In the end, we miss out on a lot of quality stuff if we choose to only listen to the loudest voice.

* I wrote this article a few years ago.

Image Credit: © State Library Queensland