Drum Practice

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:45 pm

This might seem basic; but it might be good for new drummers to read.

Last night, I practiced on my kit for an hour, but all the cymbals were removed. This got me to focus on developing patterns between my kicks and the snare, integrating the toms into the groove, integrating the snare rudimnets, and finding other ways to ride. I walked away thinking maybe I rely on the cymbals way too much, or I can survive without using them as much.

I guess the overall message is stir things up a bit when practicing. See how little you can get by playing with. ( I've went from a 9 piece kit down to a 5.) Move things around. Set your kit up backwards, anything to get you out of your comfort zone. You know how you can play someone elses kit and make it sound decent, but it's still not your own? Get used to that feeling.

A friend of mine bought a cheap kit to bang around on, and had me come tune it because he thought it sounded awful. I spent a half hour tweaking it, then sat and played it. I asked him if it sounded better. He said it sounded fine with me playing it. Now, I have always said that good drumming is half our licks and grooves, and half what we choose to play those licks and grooves on. I am beginning to think it's more 70% our licks and grooves, and 30% the drums we play and how we tune them.

Comments?

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:24 am

Yes, great ideas. As a drummer, it is so important to be able to adjust to a variety of setups. We have one of the least portable instruments and sometimes it is necessary to play on another kit. If you have a good feel and groove, it shouldn't matter what you are playing on. Even the worst gear can sound decent if you are playing it right.

Hutnick · Post by **Hutnick** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 5:10 am

=^-..-^= wrote:I have always said that good drumming is half our licks and grooves, and half what we choose to play those licks and grooves on. I am beginning to think it's more 70% our licks and grooves, and 30% the drums we play and how we tune them.

Comments?

I couldn't agree more. I think however the percentage may be a bit more like 95% licks and groove and 5% gear. I used to play with Zenmandan quite a bit and on occassion, when we were playing smaller venues(coffee shops), he would leave his kick drum home and carry his hardware in a big Tupperware tote. At the gig he would unload all of his stuff out of the tote, turn it up on it's side with the bottom facing the crowd, and put his kick pedal inside the damn thing. It sounded great. Another example is the movie Masked and Anoymous- with Bob Dylan. There is one or two cuts on that where the drummer plays a beer box, using brushes- and thats it.

While great gear makes a musicians job easier, it really all boils down to the player.

sevesd93 · Post by **sevesd93** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 5:45 am

Practice? I wish I had time to sit down on my kit and practice.

But anyway, A good drummer should be able to sit down on any drum kit and any setup and make it sound great.

If you can't, well then, what is that word you guys used, ahh yes, practice.

traumaqueen · Post by **traumaqueen** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:14 am

yeh, SEEV!
you need to sit down and practice a little.
i'm so tired if sitting there hearing you suck.

=^-..-^= · Post by **=^-..-^=** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:32 pm

Most drummers absolutely HATE to play my kit, the way it is set up.

It is arranged in more of a traditional jazz set up, with the rack toms on a stand to the left of the kick, and the ride cymbal mounted on the kick. This puts the ride between the rack toms and the floor tom, and that's what most drummers who play my kit hate. I think it makes everything - ESPECIALLY the ride, extremely easy to reach, and I have tried to get away from the Neal Peart 'run down the toms' fill as much as possible, so having that gap between toms is no big deal to me. Even though I don't play a lot of jazz, maybe the old jazz players knew a thing or two about setup.

Also, my toms are all set up pretty near horizontal in playing angle. This makes for better control, playability, sound, and makes the heads last longer because you are not digging into them and pulling them sideways with each hit. Young drummers absolutely HATE that. You can always tell a new drummer because their toms are usually set up at 45 degrees or more, thinking it makes the drums easier to play, but it doesn't.

zenmandan · Post by **zenmandan** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:44 pm

=^-..-^= wrote:Also, my toms are all set up pretty near horizontal in playing angle. This makes for better control, playability, sound, and makes the heads last longer because you are not digging into them and pulling them sideways with each hit. Young drummers absolutely HATE that. You can always tell a new drummer because their toms are usually set up at 45 degrees or more, thinking it makes the drums easier to play, but it doesn't.

Amen to that! I teach the same thing to my drumset students. Some of them have their kits set up at some wicked angle. You can tell before they even set up the kit because the heads all have these swipe marks on them. Plus you get no sound out of them that way.

Here's a photo of my new kit. It's a Taye Original Studio Maple. You can see the toms are nearly as flat as the snare. I also don't like a lot of space between the snare and the toms (vertical space that is), so my toms sit fairly close to the kick. I try to keep everything so I can flow as easily as possible from one drum to the next. It's a big kit (there are two floor toms you can't see), but I only ever really use a 5 piece. The configuration (which toms I use) depends on the gig. I've been practicing quite a bit lately. I'm working on a piece for drumset and tape. Very tough, but it's a lot of fun.

adam atherton · Post by **adam atherton** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:41 pm

Hutnick wrote: 95% licks and groove and 5% gear.

oh, sweet forking six pound eight ounce baby Jesus, why couldnt this be put in a "bass playing" thread.

Hutnick · Post by **Hutnick** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 6:13 am

adam atherton wrote:oh, sweet f*#king six pound eight ounce baby Jesus, why couldnt this be put in a "bass playing" thread.

Ouch!

A lot of bassists are total gear junkies. I have, in the past, been a cadidate for this title as well.

When possible, I would rather leave the amp home, and go straight into the board. This is probably more out of laziness than anything though. I want to set the laziness benchmark.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:21 pm

There's nothing wrong with being a gear junkie for your own setup. Everyone has different tastes in their "ultimate" sound. It becomes a problem when it becomes a crutch. Yes, different gear may feel and sound different than what you are used to, but if you can't play because it's not your gear, that is a problem. It's so nice to hear other people on here feel the same way.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:21 pm

There's nothing wrong with being a gear junkie for your own setup. Everyone has different tastes in their "ultimate" sound. It becomes a problem when it becomes a crutch. Yes, different gear may feel and sound different than what you are used to, but if you can't play because it's not your gear, that is a problem. It's so nice to hear other people on here feel the same way.

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