The best advice I ever got was
A groove isn't what you play...its where you don't play
Don't play drums like your playing for a room full of drummers
The best advice I ever got was
A groove isn't what you play...its where you don't play
Don't play drums like your playing for a room full of drummers
My teacher always says to me play 4 single strokes on snare, then high tom, mid tom, floor tom starting with your dominent hand then when you get to the end on the floor tom go back the way you came but starting with your weaker hand, for instance.
SNARE, RLRL- HIGH TOM, RLRL-MID TOM, RLRL- FLOOR TOM, RLRL
FLOOR TOM, LRLR - MID TOM, LRLR- HIGH TOM, LRLR - SNARE, LRLR
Have you got you're ticket for the rock train? You gotta earn that Ticket!!
Premier Genista - Pearl Masters - Primus custom snare - Zildjian A Custom- DW 5000 pedal - Zildjian Zack Starkey sticks
I play lead Drums
If your covering a song and can't get the exact groove of the song... make up your own groove but make sure it fits the song... Also don't tighten your snare head to tight or it will damage your heads, tension rod, screws, and your drum rims/hoops.(trust me it happened to me)!
As well as your ear drums!Also don't tighten your snare head to tight or it will damage your heads, tension rod, screws, and your drum rims/hoops.(trust me it happened to me)!
all the best...
Never Drink and Drum!!!
1) Always listen to the music because it will tell you what to do. I don't mean listen to it, LISTEN TO IT.
2) You don't always have to kick when you hit a crash. That is not carved in stone.
3) Don't try to get in a band because you can play a couple of beats. There was someone here a year and a half ago (give or take) that was playing about 4 months and was told by a few people to play with other people. He posted about 6 weeks later that he got in over his head. Get your **** together first.
Once you get it right, get it right again.
Then do it right 30 more times.
Repeat this on the rest of what you're working on,
and you can stop practicing for the day.
Do this every time you play.
Last edited by Russ; 06-24-2013 at 10:16 PM.
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
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No metronome?
The Rudiments
Good friend of mine, Kevin Conway, who is a professional drummer in his late 50's now. Gave me his little pearl of wisdom that goes along with the other comments in this thread.
"Play half of what you want to play."
I play by that rule and it never fails to always sound and fit better.
I'm only capable of playing about half of what I want to...so, I guess I'm in pretty good shape!
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
^^^Yea man, when I try and over fill it ends up sounding like wet shoes in a dryer!
This is good advice.
I've been the HOUSE DRUMMER at an open mic jam session for almost 6 years. I've heard lots of drummers sit in and jam. Many of them try to use their stage time to show off their skills, chops and any bag of tricks they may have.
They usually end up overplaying, using their fancy fills every four beats.....and they ignore what's really important...their timing & groove.
Then they wonder why they can't get any other musicians to ask their phone number.
"The problem with information on the Internet is that you can not validate it's authenticity. " -Abraham Lincoln
SILVERFOX DRUMSTICKS & SOULTONE CYMBALS Endorsing Artist.
"If your foot ain't funky, then neither is the music" It's all about bringing the right approach to the music or the song. Allow the song to breathe, leave space where it needs to be and fill where there is a void of creativity. Above all remember as drummers, a song drives because of us, songs groove because of us and songs funk because of us! So bring it! But bring it tastefully!
Joey Lee Primak
Proverbs 30:30
Psalms 127:3
Gretsch Drums
DW Hardware & Pedals
Sabian Cymbals
Meinl Percussion
Rythm Tech Percussion
Vic Firth; Buddy Rich Signature Model, Extreme 5AN
Love & Respect
R.I.P John Bonham My#1 Influence
R.I.P Buddy Rich My#2 Influence
R.I.P Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, I found you wat too late
but you were an amazing talent, gone way too soon!
I've been involved in numerous jams and open mic events as well, and I see this very situation EVERY TIME. I've seen guys that were 10x better than me in terms of speed, stamina and "chops" sound like a train wreck trying to over-play a song. Ive never had a band ask me "do more fills and cymbal crashes", but ive never played that style of music either. The same can be said for guitar players as well....both bass and lead.
I remember listening to another Blues band once and the drummer was a guitar player that had only been playing drums a few months. Poor guy was scared to death. He played 2 sets and did a great job. He mostly just kept a simple, steady beat on the bass, hi-hat and snare, with a few select 1/8th notes on the snare. It was so clean and smooth that it made me re-think how I played.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
Having played in numerous jam sessions in NYC and elsewhere. I left it up to who I was jamming with. Some liked a lot of drums, some wanted just time.
Jazz jammin' in NYC was a learning experience all by itself.
Last edited by rickthedrummer; 08-19-2013 at 06:05 PM. Reason: ===
To learn things techniques and fills that only impress other drummers. Aim to impress other musicians - especially bassists!
Also one bit of advice I got from Steve White was as a drummer, one of your most important jobs is to make people dance.
One thing I remember the most......
One night some drummer signed up for the jam. He talked the talk, wore his freshly ironed Zildjian T-shirt complete with a bandana on his head and his prOn sunglasses (we're inside a dark club). He was even wearing drumming gloves yet hadn't even played yet.
When his turn came...the other players on stage asked what he wanted to play........he said he could play anything. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
So...they began with a classic. Jumpin Jack Flash.
Right after the intro...and just before the singer began singing. HE began double-bass'ing the groove.
Fugga dugga Cracka dugga -Fugga dugga Cracka dugga -Fugga dugga Cracka dugga- Fugga dugga Cracka dugga
It was horrendous.....and hellarious at the same time.
When the train wreck song was over. They decided to do ROADHOUSE BLUES, the guitar player started with the guitar riff....and this drummer couldn't play a shuffle.
It when on for about 45 seconds....then they just all stopped playing.
There was a short pause.....then our bass player looked at him and said...."THANK YOU.................NEXT!"
I was rolling. Had tears in my eyes. Too funny, I think the whole club was laughing at this goof as he proudly walked out the door.
"The problem with information on the Internet is that you can not validate it's authenticity. " -Abraham Lincoln
SILVERFOX DRUMSTICKS & SOULTONE CYMBALS Endorsing Artist.
Here's a few:
Dented heads? Place a 100% cotton dish cloth over the head and iron it with the iron setting on cotton. There's a fine line between pulling out the dents and melting the head, so be careful. This works awesome on dual ply heads with the oil in between. The heat pulls the dents, and re-distributes the oil in a nice even layer to give it a brand new head sound, so as to eliminate any dead spots!
New sticks? Always roll sticks on a glass counter before you buy them. Make sure they're perfectly balanced. Any wobble will sound "off" when playing.
Full stick bag with all new sticks? DO NOT only use one pair. Always grab a fresh pair so that EVERY stick gets worn the same. This way in a show, if one drops, and you grab a replacement, it won't be a used stick and a new stick. They'll always match!
Turn snares off when not in use.
Snares will last longer as well as strings if you have strings.
Eliminates snare vibration during non drum parts in the music.
all the best...
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