DRUMMERS: Advice for a beginner

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Right on!

punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 15 September 2013 21:40 (ten years ago) link

^^ so glad to read this update

Z S, Sunday, 15 September 2013 23:28 (ten years ago) link

LL your posts always make me feel inspired & like learning anything is possible! In this case, the drums.

even the beatles had a coinstar machine in their living room (Crabbits), Sunday, 15 September 2013 23:36 (ten years ago) link

aw thanks. it has been really fun being a student and just giving myself over to the learning process. it has definitely come in handy when talking with students about practicing!
ABLearning

no fomo (La Lechera), Monday, 16 September 2013 00:01 (ten years ago) link

Really impressed with your stick-to-itiveness. No pun intended. I know lots of people who have tried to pick up instruments, and few who have stuck it out long enough to start to feel good about it. Keep on keepin on.

something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Monday, 16 September 2013 01:02 (ten years ago) link

I was always really, really bad at the delayed gratification of not fucking around until you finish your practice. I could sit in a practice room for five hours straight, but I couldn't get the veggies out of the way before dessert.

#fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Monday, 16 September 2013 01:41 (ten years ago) link

Oh, see that's the part I'm kind of enjoying -- I love eating veggies. I'm actually worried about what's going to happen to me when I don't have a supervisor anymore. I think I only have 5 or 6 lessons remaining, and I kinda want to ask my teacher for a maintenance plan or something. Is that out of line? Is that asking him to put himself out of a job? That's not what I mean to do -- I want to come back when I'm ready to learn some more advanced things, but I need to work on some other skills too, like playing with real life people, before I'm ready for that.

no fomo (La Lechera), Monday, 16 September 2013 15:02 (ten years ago) link

I was always really, really bad at the delayed gratification of not fucking around until you finish your practice. I could sit in a practice room for five hours straight, but I couldn't get the veggies out of the way before dessert.

― #fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Sunday, September 15, 2013 9:41 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Me too. Always went straight to playing along with records, usually rushing through (or skipping) lesson stuff. Looking back, though, playing with records was just as (maybe more) arduous and rewarding than slogging through rudiments.

punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 16 September 2013 15:11 (ten years ago) link

I don't think it's wrong to ask a teacher for a maintenance plan; he'd likely appreciate the fact that you want to woodshed before coming back for more complicated stuff to work on.

xp

punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 16 September 2013 15:13 (ten years ago) link

i could possibly do a drum lesson w/you on the afternoon of 9/28?

festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 16 September 2013 15:15 (ten years ago) link

ok!
it's on my calendar. we can coordinate via email!!

no fomo (La Lechera), Monday, 16 September 2013 15:22 (ten years ago) link

also woodshed?

no fomo (La Lechera), Monday, 16 September 2013 15:23 (ten years ago) link

Oh, ha, it means practicing a lot.

punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 16 September 2013 15:24 (ten years ago) link

haha -- i chickened out on dropping that vocab in my lesson today but i do have an announcement. i have been introduced to ghost notes. they seem so cool and fun!

special beet service (La Lechera), Friday, 20 September 2013 22:50 (ten years ago) link

yesss! ghost notes are the key

Z S, Friday, 20 September 2013 23:04 (ten years ago) link

definitely helps with stick control - has your teacher covered double/triple strokes and stick bounce yet, or are you doing ghost notes prior to that?

not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Friday, 20 September 2013 23:28 (ten years ago) link

What are ghost notes? Are those like grace notes, or something else?

punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 20 September 2013 23:29 (ten years ago) link

i actually had to look it up! it seems like they are similar -- similar method as the grace note in a flam, but closer to a standard non-accented stroke?

not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Friday, 20 September 2013 23:42 (ten years ago) link

ok now i have discovered the existence of the double and triple flam paradiddle and want to see what i can do with them

not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Friday, 20 September 2013 23:49 (ten years ago) link

grace notes always come just before a louder hit. in a flam it's the quiet hit that comes an instant before the louder stroke. in a drag, similarly, it's the two really quiet notes that lead into the primary, louder stroke.

ghost notes can come at any time in the beat - the distinction is that they're much more quiet than the loud snare hits on the 2's and 4's. "felt more than heard" is the usual description.

Z S, Friday, 20 September 2013 23:51 (ten years ago) link

i haven't watched all of this so apologies if this guy is a douche or a terrible drummer or something, but listen to the beat at 2:00 in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciA3Uhn9JuI

Z S, Friday, 20 September 2013 23:53 (ten years ago) link

my question is whether they are played the same as a grace note -- the video i watched made it seem like they weren't as quiet

not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Friday, 20 September 2013 23:53 (ten years ago) link

the loudness of the ghost note depends on how you want the beat to sound, imo. they're always significantly, noticeably more quiet than the backbeat - if they aren't, then they aren't ghost notes. but you can play them at a barely audible level to create one kind of groove, or you can play them a little louder to create another kind of groove. or, of course, you can play some ghosts louder than other ghosts in the same beat, and that creates another unique groove.

Z S, Saturday, 21 September 2013 00:03 (ten years ago) link

Ah, ok, I'd just never heard "ghost notes" used in a percussion context before. Basically, the quiet strokes in the Purdie Shuffle.

punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 21 September 2013 00:34 (ten years ago) link

I am drunk, and it seems time that this thread contained the preface to Stick Control which I will excerpt herein:

"It seems that there are too many drummers whose work is of a rough-and-ready variety and whose technical proficiency suffers in comparison with that of players of other instruments.

Of course, technical proficiency can come only through continued, well-directed practise. The more practise one does the more proficiency he acquires.

***

Practise with the metronome is also recommended, and at several different speeds, varying from extremely slow to extremely fast; and again without the metronome in the open and closed style, i.e., starting very slowly, gradually accelerating to top speed, then slowing down again, finally ending at the original tempo.

Practise at all times with relaxed muscles, stopping at the slightest feeling of tension. Remember the rhythms in "STICK CONTROL" are "conditioners." They are designed to give control. Control begins in muscularly relaxed action."

#fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Saturday, 21 September 2013 03:58 (ten years ago) link

new challenge: apparently my ghost notes are ok, but i'm making them swingy which is not what i was asked to do. i think i have a hard time controlling my swing!

special beet service (La Lechera), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:23 (ten years ago) link

I think I know what you're talking about -- there is definitely a natural tendency for a lot of people to "swing" them in the beginning. Strangely, getting more comfortable playing them "straight" will in the long run make your "swing" better.

#fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:26 (ten years ago) link

ghost notes >>>>>>>>>

festival culture (Jordan), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:31 (ten years ago) link

There's this thing in the intro to stick control about how you have to include practice at a wide variety of volumes, including very soft and very loud (but still at even tempos and relaxed/non-tense). Doing this definitely helps you get your ghost notes down. You need to develop your control more, which is a slow process.

#fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:36 (ten years ago) link

ghost notes >>>>>>>>>

so otm

one really distinguishing point between beginning drummers and others is if they're playing everything at the same exact volume (usually REALLY LOUD for beginners). i guess that doesn't just apply to ghost notes, but also accents and dynamics in general. still, i <3 ghost notes so much.

Z S, Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:48 (ten years ago) link

i'm definitely working on dynamics and volume right now in addition to all these other things
it's pretty fun! i feel like a spider dancing around in tap shoes.

special beet service (La Lechera), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:55 (ten years ago) link

I'm no drum teacher, but I would be tempted to hold off on ghost notes at first -- seems like too much to think about while getting your basic control, dynamics and coordiation down

#fomo that's the motto (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:57 (ten years ago) link

smh at your need to express that opinion but w/e dude
i'm going to keep on learning

special beet service (La Lechera), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 19:58 (ten years ago) link

i just spent an embarrassing amount of time on a video lesson for the drum intro to two princes by the spin doctors. ghost notes everywhere there.

Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 24 September 2013 20:05 (ten years ago) link

Without ghost notes and splash cymbals, there would be no jam bands.

punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 20:07 (ten years ago) link

my gold standard for ghost notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVk1TtnY8I

festival culture (Jordan), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 20:16 (ten years ago) link

how do you do the intro to 'cannonball' by the breeders? in the video it looks like the drummer is tapping the joint of the cymbal stand (???)

Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 24 September 2013 20:17 (ten years ago) link

yeah he's playing on the cymbal stand and the drum rim iirc

congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 20:21 (ten years ago) link

Without ghost notes and splash cymbals, there would be no jam bands.

― punt cased (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, September 24, 2013 1:07 PM (2 hours ago)

no wonder these weren't part of my course of instruction!

not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Tuesday, 24 September 2013 23:01 (ten years ago) link

i really envy those of you who learned to play as kids. trying to do this as a working adult is hella difficult, energy wise.

Untt (La Lechera), Friday, 27 September 2013 19:00 (ten years ago) link

In spite of some recent work-related energy sapping frustration, I feel like I'm still coming along. Last night I managed to record something that was 6 min long, semi-planned, and had a beginning/middle/end. There are definitely some flubs, but it was one of a handful of times that I felt like I was actually playing an instrument. Like I was the person in control of playing the instrument. Me! What a feeling!

Untt (La Lechera), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 14:02 (ten years ago) link

Awesome! Keep this up and you'll become a musician despite yourself.

Tottenham Heelspur (in orbit), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 14:04 (ten years ago) link

Woo-hoo!

hopping and bopping to the krokodil rot (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 14:04 (ten years ago) link

Well I mean to the extent that any drummer is a musician (high school joeks).

Tottenham Heelspur (in orbit), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 14:06 (ten years ago) link

If this never amounts to anything else (no one ever plays with me, I am never in a band, I am never listed as the drummer on a recording, I am alone in my basement forever) I can still honestly say that this is an activity I enjoy and I will continue to do it.

Untt (La Lechera), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 14:23 (ten years ago) link

^my 28 years of guitar playing in a nutshell

play on, El Chugadero, play on (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 23:04 (ten years ago) link

Lotsa lessons in perseverance this week, but I feel like I came out on top. Only 3 lessons left, then I'm on my own for a while.

Untt (La Lechera), Friday, 4 October 2013 23:08 (ten years ago) link

I feel so bummed about my lessons being almost over! I'll start saving for more, but in the meantime I need some goals to keep me going. Usually I am absolutely not goal-oriented at all, but I feel all sorts of out-of-character ambition and zeal when it comes to learning how to play the drums. Totally not like me at all, but I'm going with it.

Ideas?

Untt (La Lechera), Friday, 11 October 2013 19:09 (ten years ago) link

What are some of the things your teacher has had you focusing on in these last few lessons?

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 11 October 2013 19:17 (ten years ago) link

Youtube is the new taking lessons!

festival culture (Jordan), Friday, 11 October 2013 19:19 (ten years ago) link


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