What do you think?
Air drumming doesn't exactly look like the coolest thing in the world, but it can actually be really useful. I was once told to practice in front of a mirror to check my technique and generally watch my movements. Not only did this help me neaten up how I play, it taught me a lot about looking interest-ed/ing when you're playing: how many times have you seen someone behind a kit looking like they wish to God they weren't? Here's a tip to those people - if you're not interested, neither is your crowd.
Some people firmly believe in 'mind over matter': if you can visualize it, you can play it. I'm one of those people. Of course this isn't the case with everything: I don't expect to think of the new Dream Theatre song and instantly be able to play it, for instance - of course practicing over and over comes into it - but I do believe it helps.
For example, years ago, I would listen to music like most other drummers: I would just sit there and listen, trying to figure out the drum parts. Then, when I was told to utilise my mirror, I found that instead of struggling to work out the drum parts, I was nailing them quickly. Transfer this to the kit, and I could learn a song off by heart in half an hour, rather than a few. I practiced like this for at least an hour, every night, for years, and can honestly say it improved my playing immeasurably. I can now play almost every album I own, start to finish, off by heart.
Another plus of this technique is that if you're in a band playing covers, you can sit up late at night, headphones in, and play the song over and over and over without disturbing anyone.
Or if you don't have anywhere comfortable to practice over the winter (my garage used to get so cold my fingers would go numb - this is both bad for your hands and bad for your drums. Avoid it like the plague.) it will keep your chops up until it's warm again.
Yes, you'll feel like an idiot at first, and yes, if someone walks into your room and you're sitting on your drum stool, sticks in the air, waiting for the breakdown of 'In the Air Tonight' you'll blush like never before, but trust me, this pays off.
Who's stupid now?
Showing posts with label Phil Collins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phil Collins. Show all posts
17 May 2011
24 Apr 2011
Warm Up
Ever tried running a long distance without warming up? Lifting weights without stretching? It's a fast way to hurt yourself and perform far below what you're actually capable of. The same rule applies to drumming.
Drumming relies on your tendons, muscles and joints to provide the movement of a drumstick. I, for one, get scared when I hear about nerve damage and the like. I don't want to end up like Phil Collins, who can't even hold a stick any more. There's two really simple ways to avoid long term damage: correct technique, and warming up.
Because there are many theories about the correct technique to do pretty much anything in drumming (for example, the way to hold you sticks), I'm going to focus on warming up. It's easy to do, it'll save you a ton of hassle in the future, and it's a good way of getting prepared for a gig.
1. This one is simple: stretch. Do some light stretches of your entire body. You don't just use your arms and legs to play drums - you use every finger, your wrist, your elbow, your shoulder, your back and so on. Everything should be warmed up before you play.
2. Do some light practice. Something like rudiments, just to get your fingers working properly. I've lost track of the number of times I've heard someone play and thought they were being clumsy, only to hear them tighten up after playing for a while. If you can't warm up on your drum or drum kit (for example, if it's waiting for you on stage) then you can use a practice pad or something with a similar rebound. If it comes down to it, play on your knees.
3. I once heard Terry Bozzio advocate soaking your arms in warm water before you play. This will loosen up your muscles, and generally have the same long-term effects as stretching. You could even combine the two.
4. Don't sit down and instantly try to play at 280 beats per minute. Even after you've stretched, played a few rudiments etc, just sit down and play a simple groove. Not only will this help you get into the swing of things, it'll also help you notice if anything on your kit needs moved, adjusted or tuned.
5. Enjoy it. Warming up shouldn't be a chore or a challenge. It's an essential part of playing, and playing the drums is meant to be fun.
This video is a simple example. Don't try to get too fancy when you warm up - remember, you're exercising your body, not showing off your new fills.
Update: I should add that Matty G. on the Drummerworld forum put me on to this Youtube channel, which is definitely worth a look.
Drumming relies on your tendons, muscles and joints to provide the movement of a drumstick. I, for one, get scared when I hear about nerve damage and the like. I don't want to end up like Phil Collins, who can't even hold a stick any more. There's two really simple ways to avoid long term damage: correct technique, and warming up.
Because there are many theories about the correct technique to do pretty much anything in drumming (for example, the way to hold you sticks), I'm going to focus on warming up. It's easy to do, it'll save you a ton of hassle in the future, and it's a good way of getting prepared for a gig.
1. This one is simple: stretch. Do some light stretches of your entire body. You don't just use your arms and legs to play drums - you use every finger, your wrist, your elbow, your shoulder, your back and so on. Everything should be warmed up before you play.
2. Do some light practice. Something like rudiments, just to get your fingers working properly. I've lost track of the number of times I've heard someone play and thought they were being clumsy, only to hear them tighten up after playing for a while. If you can't warm up on your drum or drum kit (for example, if it's waiting for you on stage) then you can use a practice pad or something with a similar rebound. If it comes down to it, play on your knees.
3. I once heard Terry Bozzio advocate soaking your arms in warm water before you play. This will loosen up your muscles, and generally have the same long-term effects as stretching. You could even combine the two.
4. Don't sit down and instantly try to play at 280 beats per minute. Even after you've stretched, played a few rudiments etc, just sit down and play a simple groove. Not only will this help you get into the swing of things, it'll also help you notice if anything on your kit needs moved, adjusted or tuned.
5. Enjoy it. Warming up shouldn't be a chore or a challenge. It's an essential part of playing, and playing the drums is meant to be fun.
This video is a simple example. Don't try to get too fancy when you warm up - remember, you're exercising your body, not showing off your new fills.
Update: I should add that Matty G. on the Drummerworld forum put me on to this Youtube channel, which is definitely worth a look.
2 Apr 2011
Heads/Skins
One of the easiest ways to improve the sound of your kit is with new drum heads. Most beginner kits come with no-name budget heads that sound fairly plain. However, once you've been playing for a while and are looking to improve your sound, those old heads should be the first things to go.
For those who don't know, drum heads (or skins, whichever) are the part of a drum you hit with the stick. Most modern drums have a head on the top and bottom of the drum (See Phil Collins' kit for an example of drums with just one on the top). The top head, the one you strike, is called the batter head. The one underneath is called the resonant head.
Head types can vary greatly. Generally, there are two finishes - coated and clear. Clear heads tend to have more sustain and a brighter sound. Coated heads give more impact and less ring. Some companies, like Remo, offer things like suede finish, fiberskyn and skyntone. These are really just a variation on coated heads, and offer slightly different sound qualities depending on what you're looking for.
Snare heads are slightly different, in that the batter can be the same as any on your toms (if that's the sound you're after) but the resonant head has to be completely different. A snare bottom head is called a hazy drum head. It's micro-thin (3-mil, usually) and this is what the snare wires resonate against to give you that 'crack' sound when you hit your drum. You don't use regular resonant heads on your snare, and neither do you use a hazy on your toms.
Bass drum heads are also slightly different to other heads. The batter head (where the pedal beater hits the drum) is often heavily muffled. This reduces ring and gives a nice thud sound. You can do this by either putting a small pillow inside your drum, or by using specially muffled heads (or both, as I do). The resonant head will sometimes have a small hole (a port) cut in the front. This makes it easier for a microphone to capture the sound because it can be placed almost inside the drum, and also helps with air flow.
As a general rule, I like to use coated batter heads and clear resonant heads. I like to think this gives me a nice balance of attack and sustain. I tend to favour Remo heads (although Evans and Aquarian are the other big names and I have nothing bad to say about either), and currently use a coated Ambassador batter head on my snare with a Hazy Ambassador underneath. I also have clear Ambassador resonant heads on my toms, with Ebony Pinstripe batters. Aside from the fact that I think black heads look nice on my kit, Pinstripe heads (drum heads made with two layers and a ring reducing agent) give much less sustain and I like the punchy sound they give. The Ebony finish makes this even more pronounced. For my bass drum I use an Aquarian Super-Kick II on the batter side and a ported coated white head on the front.
Each of the aforementioned companies have really useful websites with comparison charts and sometimes sound files to help you pick your drum heads.
http://www.remo.com/
http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/
http://www.evansdrumheads.com/
For those who don't know, drum heads (or skins, whichever) are the part of a drum you hit with the stick. Most modern drums have a head on the top and bottom of the drum (See Phil Collins' kit for an example of drums with just one on the top). The top head, the one you strike, is called the batter head. The one underneath is called the resonant head.
Head types can vary greatly. Generally, there are two finishes - coated and clear. Clear heads tend to have more sustain and a brighter sound. Coated heads give more impact and less ring. Some companies, like Remo, offer things like suede finish, fiberskyn and skyntone. These are really just a variation on coated heads, and offer slightly different sound qualities depending on what you're looking for.
Snare heads are slightly different, in that the batter can be the same as any on your toms (if that's the sound you're after) but the resonant head has to be completely different. A snare bottom head is called a hazy drum head. It's micro-thin (3-mil, usually) and this is what the snare wires resonate against to give you that 'crack' sound when you hit your drum. You don't use regular resonant heads on your snare, and neither do you use a hazy on your toms.
Bass drum heads are also slightly different to other heads. The batter head (where the pedal beater hits the drum) is often heavily muffled. This reduces ring and gives a nice thud sound. You can do this by either putting a small pillow inside your drum, or by using specially muffled heads (or both, as I do). The resonant head will sometimes have a small hole (a port) cut in the front. This makes it easier for a microphone to capture the sound because it can be placed almost inside the drum, and also helps with air flow.
As a general rule, I like to use coated batter heads and clear resonant heads. I like to think this gives me a nice balance of attack and sustain. I tend to favour Remo heads (although Evans and Aquarian are the other big names and I have nothing bad to say about either), and currently use a coated Ambassador batter head on my snare with a Hazy Ambassador underneath. I also have clear Ambassador resonant heads on my toms, with Ebony Pinstripe batters. Aside from the fact that I think black heads look nice on my kit, Pinstripe heads (drum heads made with two layers and a ring reducing agent) give much less sustain and I like the punchy sound they give. The Ebony finish makes this even more pronounced. For my bass drum I use an Aquarian Super-Kick II on the batter side and a ported coated white head on the front.
Each of the aforementioned companies have really useful websites with comparison charts and sometimes sound files to help you pick your drum heads.
http://www.remo.com/
http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/
http://www.evansdrumheads.com/
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