DRUMMER CAFE

Hey Hammertown,

Just now I tried a 16th note paradiddle at 200bpm, and I got to the "para..." then crashed! Lol! That's cool that you can pull that off!

Oh well... I can play the drum part to Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman." That was the very first song I ever learned to play... it was a current hit on the radio at the time... yes, I'm OLD!

I doubt if I'll ever do anything at 200bpm ever again! Lol 

Don't misundersand me, I don't think chops and solos are everything. But they are still something I think need attention like all aspects of drumming. Personally, my favourite drum solos are those similar to Bozzio's Drawing the Circle, and Carey's Merkaba. Solos which are solos only because the drums are the prominent instrument, but are still musical,and have a purpose more as a song or piece than a 'check out my licks arsenal' demo. I personally think solos do have a purpose when used in this sense. I've written drum solos about emotions, and events. They're a bit abstract, but its music isn't it? Not an essay.

As for playing like Donati and Portnoy, I agree that we shouldn't all play like them. But I wouldn't discouage it because its important to challenge yourself, and whats wrong with looking up to people? I know that isn't what you're saying, but I think it becomes part of it. I look up to drummers, I know I'll never be as good as them, but so what? I can still try to learn something from them and be inspired. Sure it should be in context, but there isn't anything wrong with playing or learning ultra complex arrangements.

Not only that, but some people, even though they're all the way across the globe from one another do think similarly. We're all drummers aren't we? Some of us are disagreeing now about solos, but we still all enjoy the drums. I personally click in and really related to drumming I've heard from Sweden and the US, so much so that I think its uncanny the way this drummer has shown me that I think so similarly to them (Carey, Lopez). What I'm arguing here is, that there is a possibility (despite us all being unique) to grow and develop and become so similar to another player. You'll have your own flavour, but people might just get off on the same ideas that Portnoy gets off on, and then its not so much as wanting to play like Portnoy, as playing like him because you're so similar in drumming... (This makes sense to me, but I'm sure I haven't explained it well).

One other thought. If people were trying to be like Portnoy and Donati etc, then we'd have a plethora of them, and we simply don't. Its not as if the majority of people out there are playing exactly like them, as you've pointed out.

I'm not trying to attack anyone here, I just think that, yes, a solo is an important tool for drummers. We don't do them often, but what about when your playing along, and Duke Ellington jumps up and says "DRUM SOLO" as he did to Ben Reily (I think it was Duke)...

peace

The point that was made and that I think that you are missing is this: a lot of young drummers try soooo hard to sound like Portnoy or Donati and they don't have the basics down yet, not even close. When this happens these young drummers tend to have great chops (which I enjoy) but yet have no sense of time or groove (which I do not enjoy). No one is saying that drumsolos are bad or that we should not look up to those that we want to play with, it was just mentioned that the basics have to be taken care of first.
Walk before you run.

The more the merrier. 

OK, someone needs to educate me: Do we always assume paradiddles are played in 16th-notes in the drum-o-meter world? Because it always throws me when I see paradiddles @ any given BPM without any reference to notation. If it's in eighth-notes, then you're right, that's not very impressive. 

I would think clean 32-note single paraddidles at 200 BPM should be sufficient to go on to the next rudiment.

If you are trying to acquire some nominal technical ability, it's great to have a measuring stick. By "fast," I think Felix was just pointing out 16th-note paraddidles at 200 BPM probably did not fully express the range of dexterity required to say one has mastered the paradiddle.

As a contest, I'm not that interested. As a test of one's personal ability, I think it has some merit. It provides a tangible measurement by which you can determine if you're improving your technique, and at what rate of growth.

I teach a little, and these kids are naturally competitive with each other. We all go to the same church, and each Sunday morning they break out the sticks and compare how clean and how fast they can play the rudiments they're working on. What I think is great is they never seriously boast about their ability and they keep it fun. They encourage each other to improve and they actually *gasp* hang out together and work on things together. They have their drum-o-meters and they can point to a date on a calendar (I make them keep a pad of notes in their drum bags) on how they scored on a certain date, and how far they've come in short time. It's actually very encouraging to them to see a number and recall how they could barely pull off one single clean stroke without hitting the other stick, and now they're doing 16-note paradiddles at 124 BPM in just six months later.

  he he he, that's a joke right?

I just assumed that a single paradiddle is RLRR and last I heard if you cut up a 1/4 into 4= pieces you get a 16th 

16ths notes at 200... like I said, not very fast but can evoke a poop to the untrained ear.

No way could I play 32nd's at 200 bpm.  Although I am shooting for 120.

Here is something I have noticed since I've gotten my drumometer (back on topic I hope);  I have felt a building of my fulcrums, forearms and fingers.  On gigs and stuff I play real simple- everything around 100 beats a minute.  The big fills are 16th notes, some 1/8 th note trips and some ruffs now and then- a joke.  BUTSKI!!!  These are feeling better than ever.  Precise and on the unlucky occassion where I'm sweating, my sticks seem to really be glued to my hands.  Time keeping seems pretty sharp these days also.

Solid!  Definitely worth the effort.  And yes I have a long way to go.

So maybe developing the one handed roll along with regard to fundamentals- well, couldn't be a bad thing right?

amen

Thanks for the laughs on this thread.