DRUMMER CAFE

Something I always talk about in my clinics is the fact that any weak limbs are only that way because we don't use them.

I used to pick one day a week in which I would only use my left hand for brushing teeth, eating, opening doors, etc.; basically all fine motor skills.

In my Kinesiology studies, I found that the hand we favor for all of our fine motor skills only leaves the other hand to handle all of the heavy lifting and strength oriented skills. If you are carrying a bunch of heavy items, which hand takes over so you can manipulate the car keys to open the door? If you are right handed, I would venture to say that you left hand is stronger. You use it to open those tight lids on the jelly jar, etc.

If you have a tough time sticking with only using your left hand for a day, you could try putting your right hand behind your back or in a pants pocket. It's hard to do if you're not used to it. Brushing your teeth or stirring a cup of coffee are both great things you can do to build skills with the weaker hand.

Better still .... whatever you do with the right hand, be able to do with the left as well. I've taken this to the extreme with such things as playing tambourine, triangle, etc.; being able to play with either hand. Reversing my congas or drumkit so that I have to play patterns with a reversed sticking.

Whatever you can play with the right hand or right hand lead .... do the same with the left hand!

No "trick" but what I really enjoy is while playing on the ride I use grace notes on the hihat as well as the snare.  Perhaps everyone does and I just don't notice it.  I really don't get the opportunity to watch many drummers these days.  Last concert was probably more than 5 years ago, don't do the bar or coffee house scene- I work nights at a hospital.  Don't have cable so nix the music video channels, etc.  I don't mind that- if I really wanted alll that I'd find a way- but as I listen to CD's /radio these days, mostly I hear "Produced" music, ie someone who has the big bucks and control, who thinks he/she knows what is going to SELL telling the musicians what to do or editing when the musicians play what they know is best regardless.  Now I have never recorded anything so I really don't know of what I speak as many of you do (so please correct me if I'm wrong) but I think spending time with the lyrics, the style of the song first is a good thing.  Most of my friends who have asked me to come up with a drum part to a song have everything but the drums already.  Cool- I get to listen to what someone else wants to do, let the song, as is, stir the soul and then play from the heart.  

Yeah, that is cool.   Are you back-sticking with the butt of the right stick as well for the 'R' accents.....or just the left 'L'?

Don't you mean Fred Sanford? (not Sanford & Sons) Sorry to keep correcting everyone, but I want to get it straight for others who may be reading the thread.

I took a few lessons from Fred back in the early 80's. Great guy ... really took the whole drum corps thing to a new level ... in my opinion.

Fred used to do a stick-click as well as the back-stick ... or would alternate between the two.

And for those who may not know, Fred passed away on January 23, 2000. For information on Fred Sanford and his legacy ... please check out this In Memoriam at the PAS website.

You won't get a lot of power with this stroke. To compensate you can lift your forearm to create more velocity with the stroke. This works naturally since you need lift to get the stick flipped around for the back stick. If you try to get more than mezzo-forte you're going to have a tough time. It's a visual thing more than an audible feature.

Also remember that this is usually performed on a snare drum that is cranked up tighter than a nerd with a wedgey.  

You don't have to try very hard to get any volume or projection with this type of tuning, so it compensates for the back-sticking just fine.

Well ... that's my Felix humor for the day .... I'll be here all week, actually forever since it's my forum ... but that's another story. Good night kiddies!

Here's a set-up tip:

If you use R.I.M.S. on your toms, try mounting them on the BOTTOM rim (resonant side)... rather than on TOP (batter side).

Not only does this allow the drum to cradle into the R.I.M.S. (resting on the lugs), rather than hanging from the top rim (which sometimes throws the drum out of tune) ... BUT ... the coolest thing is ... you can quickly change out the batter drumheads without having to mess with the R.I.M.S. (since it's now on the bottom).

Now ... how cool is that?!  

Dude, you don't turn the DRUM upside down! The only thing that is flipped is the R.I.M.S., and they have a small sticker on them ... that's it.

Yes, I can understand about the gaping hole where the mount used to be. My R.I.M.S. covers that up on the Yamaha RC kit, but I also have shallow toms, so it's not an issue. Now ... on my GRETSCH kit ... it's perfect because I have no mounting holes. All of that was plugged when I had the kit re-wrapped in African Bubinga.

I was saying dude long before they made it into some commercial persona. To me, it's more polite than saying "HEY YOU FREAKIN' MORON" ... but maybe that's just me.  

Yep ... you got it. That's why I chose names that typically would reflect financial contributions. HA!

Some people get really pissed around here if you call them "dude" believe it or not.  I've had one person even tell me on the spot "don't call me dude- dude".

It is kinda derrogatory saying it to someone with half a brain.

I'm stating I have a brain and a half.

So here's a little tidbit that I feel I can share with all my great budz since I'm such a nice guy.

If one is playing in an alley/courtyard deal between two buildings unmic'd, set your drums up so they are pointing to the opposite wall.  Don't face them in line with the alley way, the sound just blows out the front and back of you- you really have to contain it somehow if you aren't mic'd.

This weekend I played a thing Saturday at this courtyard deal and, well I might as well not have showed up...I think we got blown away by the yodelling act before us...seriously, it sucked.

So Sunday I'm like, "this can't happen again"...scoped out the situation, utilized my brain and a half and realized where the heck my tone was going; set up 90 degrees from where I was the day before and proceeded to get vertical.

Have I tried that with sextuplets?  You're too funny.  Depends on the tempo.  I'd rather double diddle a sextuplet (hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle).

Basically I double 1/8 trips in jazzier or faster funk settings.  Loud stuff I'll usually just play the simpler patterns...it all sounds the same anyways.

If I wanna get really grainy sounding I multiple bounce a doubled pattern (but I don't multiple bounce diddles- get it?  Maybe I should try that...?)