Drummers Drumming Drums
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Psymon
Active Member
Dude, you could do a whole lot worse than playing along to and learning from Bonham!Jazz eh? So you're good.
I have always played rock, alt-country, funky rock, Americana. I never had formal instruction, just always jammed with folks and have managed to stay in bands because of my work ethic. (and glowing personality of course). I know it's never too late, but man I wish I would have attacked rudiments when I started at age 15. Instead I just listened to Zeppelin records and played along.
You mention rudiments, and maybe you already have a pad routine/hands regimen, but I cannot recommend enough getting a pad, a metronome, Stick Control, and Master Studies. Changed my playing once I committed, and now my routine is sort of meditative.
I have looked at this book! Do you recommend it?
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
Yea I like it. It shows various claves with some counter rhythms. He takes some liberty with notation. You could easily apply it to drum sets as well as percussion.
As I said I want to spend more time with it. I’m thinking of using it to teach my kid when he’s old enough and interested.
Psymon
Active Member
Otherworldly right hand:
Tony Williams
Tony Williams
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
What I always like about his drumming is that during his time with Miles it never sound like he was playing rudiments. He would create these combinations of sounds that were more explosions that were more expressive.
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
Thought you guys might like to hear this story. On Billy Martin’s IG he Poster’s a video of these Venezuelan kids playing bamboo. I commented about wanting to teach my kid when he gets old enough. Long Story Short, he offered to send me 6 pieces of bamboo with a book if I bought it. He has this percussion card game he uses with ensembles and such. I’m getting that one since I already have the Riddim book.
My first songbook was Zeppelin 4, I used to be able to play that front to back... it was pretty much all I played at home. I look forward to setting my kit up once my basement is done but I'm not so sure I'm gunna be able to play that front to back anymore... or at all haha...Jazz eh? So you're good.
I have always played rock, alt-country, funky rock, Americana. I never had formal instruction, just always jammed with folks and have managed to stay in bands because of my work ethic. (and glowing personality of course). I know it's never too late, but man I wish I would have attacked rudiments when I started at age 15. Instead I just listened to Zeppelin records and played along.
Psymon
Active Member
Yeah, he is sort of known as a master of rudiments, but what I think he should be celebrated for is how he made rudiments musical - contextualizing chops or skills into a musical setting so perfectly.
EDIT: which is to say, you’re right! He makes rudiments sound like...not rudiments ha
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Psymon
Active Member
We talked snares - let’s talk cymbals! What does everyone use? Like?
I love the Paiste Signature line. I bought the bright ride decades ago and I still use it for both gigging and recording. It sounds amazing on every recording I've been on. Pricey sonsabitches but worth it. I have the 13" dark crisp hats and a 16" fast crash in that line too. There is a tiny crack in the crash but I drilled a very small hole at the end of the crack and that has kept it from spreading. Lucky, because replacing will suck, and I can't/don't want to buy anything but the Signatures now.
I have some old Zildian 14" hats that are sometimes better for recording, very classic sounding. And some other assorted crashes and splashes that I don't use as much anymore. And I have a cheapo Paiste set-up for one of my rehearsal kits. (PST5 I think)
How about you?
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
When I played I was always disappointed because everything just sounded like rudiments.
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
I'm getting stoked watching him test out the bamboo on IG, thinking in the back of my head that he's making them for me.
I thought I’d share a story…
In 2009 I broke my right ankle. Stupid thing; I was trotting down a gentle slope and my foot caught a rock and I tripped and heard a small pop. It hurt a bunch, but I ignored it until the next morning when I woke to find my ankle swollen to the size of an orange. Went to urgent care and yeah, small break in my tibia. Luckily the band I was in wasn’t too busy at the time, but we did have two gigs about 4 weeks out. I was determined to do the shows, and didn’t want to risk losing my seat with these guys. So I borrowed a double bass pedal and learned to play left-footed. I have to say, it went ok. I was good enough at most things I worked on, stayed in time and whatnot. I noticed I couldn’t really improvise though, just didn’t have the fluidity. But I did both gigs and was healed up by the following month and moved forward with that cool story in my pocket. I remember the first of the two gigs was at a small festival, and the drummer breaking his kit down saw me come up on crutches and a big boot and said “I think I’ll stick around and see what the hell you’re doing here.”
Side note to that: I play an unorthodox set-up. I am right footed but left handed, so I play open-handed on a right handed kit. So my left hand is for hi-hat and ride which are right next to each other to my left. I can usually sit at a house kit and play, but It’s much easier if I can bring the ride from the classic front right position over to my left.
In 2009 I broke my right ankle. Stupid thing; I was trotting down a gentle slope and my foot caught a rock and I tripped and heard a small pop. It hurt a bunch, but I ignored it until the next morning when I woke to find my ankle swollen to the size of an orange. Went to urgent care and yeah, small break in my tibia. Luckily the band I was in wasn’t too busy at the time, but we did have two gigs about 4 weeks out. I was determined to do the shows, and didn’t want to risk losing my seat with these guys. So I borrowed a double bass pedal and learned to play left-footed. I have to say, it went ok. I was good enough at most things I worked on, stayed in time and whatnot. I noticed I couldn’t really improvise though, just didn’t have the fluidity. But I did both gigs and was healed up by the following month and moved forward with that cool story in my pocket. I remember the first of the two gigs was at a small festival, and the drummer breaking his kit down saw me come up on crutches and a big boot and said “I think I’ll stick around and see what the hell you’re doing here.”
Side note to that: I play an unorthodox set-up. I am right footed but left handed, so I play open-handed on a right handed kit. So my left hand is for hi-hat and ride which are right next to each other to my left. I can usually sit at a house kit and play, but It’s much easier if I can bring the ride from the classic front right position over to my left.
Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
I know the frustrations of being a left handed drummer at jam sessions. My drum teacher used to let me sit in and he was nice enough to switch everything around for me during a break just so I would get a chance to play. It was part of the reason I got into hand percussion.
Psymon
Active Member
I have only ever played a Paiste ride cymbal in a lesson a few times, otherwise never really had a chance to play or listen to them. I'm intrigued and have heard great things about the Signature and the Masters lines.
I have some Zildjian cymbals that I'll break out for a louder volume, rock-style gig, but my main cymbals at the moment are a relatively new obsession for me: Turkish hand-crafted cymbals by Bosphorus (20" Master Vintage and a 21" Lyric with 3 brass rivets) and Istanbul Agop (22" 30th Anniversary, modeled after the old Ks). Amazing stick definition and articulation combined with a helluva roar of wash underneath, smokey and gritty, very complex. They're wild (and they all look so unique/cool, and vintage, that I removed the logos from the top of the Bosphorus cymbals. The Agop doesn't have a logo. so it's cool, nobody ever knows what I am playing ha).
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Wow, I finally got a chance to go online and check these out. Beautiful looking stuff. I really like the look of that Bosphorus vintage series. Seems like it would go nicely with some of the drums I've seen from A & F. Are you familiar with them? I have only followed them on Instagram, so I haven't seen or heard any of their drums in person.
Speaking of cymbals, any experience with 'quiet' cymbals? I am thinking about the Sabian Quiet Tone line, I've read a couple good reviews. We have four vocalists in the band, so I play quiet at rehearsals, but as gig time approaches I need to go at it like I would on stage and am trying not to blow everybody out. As it is, I play with a t-shirt on my snare.
My husband recommends the Zildjian L80's. From what he reads, the Sabians are a bit louder but also sound a bit more tin-ny. Sabians are a marginally better price, and have better prepacks than Zildjian, but he likes the sound of the Ziljians better. He does wish they would make more sizes. He has the full set of L80's.
Excellent, tell Mr Nolalady I said thanks! I'll be checking those out as I figure out if, what, and when I'm buying some of these!
Psymon
Active Member
Just checked out A&D drums - those are beautiful. I like the ideas and philosophy behind their unique approach.
Psymon
Active Member
I just ordered some snare wires from them.