For Lessons:
DRUM TIPS OF THE MONTH
PLAY ON YOUR KNEES
The best time to practice drums for a beginner is all the time. When you're watching cartoons or sitting in class or riding down the road (with someone else driving!!!), play drums on your knees. By playing on your knees with or without sticks, you build up your playing muscles and teach yourself the needed hand/mind coordination required to play the drums when your at the set. Alternate sticking patterns (L R L R...) keeping your playing slow and even. Gradually speed up but only at the rate that you can keep your beats even and in control. Another option is working on the roll (L L R R...) and another is triplets (L R L R L R...). An advanced sticking pattern could be 1 - 4 beats per hand progressively (L R L L R R L L L R R R L L L L R R R R L R L L R R L L L R R R L L L L R R R R...) to build up muscle and control. Playing without sticks when your sitting in a classroom AS QUIET AS POSSIBLE will not only help you with hand control but will actually release your pent up energy so you can listen to the teacher even better.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
Even if you like all types of music, you probably have one
kind you like to play the most. But don't get stuck in a rut playing just
metal or country or blues or whatever. Even Metallica, Iron Maiden, and
Tool, as hard as they rock, know the value of the art of dynamics and
variety. There's nothing more moving than a song that picks you up
by your pants and then drops you into a soft melodic reflection.
Try this: Play to a radio and every five minutes or so turn the dial to
another station at random. The trick is to put more effort into the
stations you don't like. This will get you ready to deal with any live or
improv situation you might encounter in the real world of drumming. Also,
it will prepare you to alter that pop song with a catchy classical, blues or reggae
break .
DON'T OVERPLAY!
This is the curse of the good drummer.
There's plenty of time to show what a drummer can do but a good percussionist knows
what
to play, where to play and when NOT to play. The biggest complaint I get
from musicians about their drummer is that they overplay and don't adapt their
playing to what the music calls for. The worst professional example I have seen of this
was Carmine Appice with Ozzy in the '80's. Good drummer, bad fit. Remember, Its the Song that matters, not the
parts.
I grew up thinking that if it wasn't Rush, Kansas, King
Crimson, Genesis, Yes, ELP, etc. the drumming was mindless and it took me a lot of adjusting and whining
when it came to playing a simple SOLID straight beat. Try it
sometime. Try playing to AC/DC or Nirvana or Garth Brooks straight through
with arena intensity without adding YOUR "style". Its harder than
you think . If you get bored, you're not ON the beat nor moving
people's feet. IF you want more on this, check out the drummer who opened
my eyes to this, Rod Morgenstein (Dixxie Dreggs>Winger)
LISTEN
Don't think about what you're going to play as much as letting the drums play through you. If you're sitting down at the drums at a blank, just start a little roll, move it around and see where it goes. Or play the simplest beat you can, as solid as you can and get taken away in it. When you're playing with someone, a guitarist or band, don't get lost in what you're doing. Sure, keep your meter on hyper focus but then turn your brain to what you're connecting with. Don't just play to the song, drive it! Predict what's coming and keep your hands there. Just like when you're skiing, focus two turns ahead and be flexible or you'll lose your balance.
RUST IS UGLY
Storing drums is bad enough. Drums should be played not stored no matter how nice your cases are. But, I know - sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Most cases, even the bag type, are good enough to keep your drums safe from scratches and dents. But don't forget about the silent heavy metal killer, the cancer of the hardware...RUST. Especially with the humidity down here by the sea. Keep your drums dry and check on them often before its too late and you find your once-shiny stands and rims brown and flaky. And don't forget, storing drums causes rusty hands too!
DON'T LEAVE DRUMS IN THE SUN!
Leaving drums in a car or near a window will cause the heads to tighten and detune and can even cause permanent damage and warping to the shells and cases. Keep 'em out of the sun, even in the winter. I just had a yard sale in front of my shop and put a couple of sets out on the sidewalk for not even 3 hours! WARPED! It doesn't take long.
BE ON TIME
Fight the drummer stereotype!!!
Come back for good measures
