the key thing is to get ones the right size -- I have small hands (which is why I took up drums rather than guitar), and so I get sticks/mallets that are slightly smaller than average (in terms of girth). There are some expensive mallets out there that are geared for classical percussion.
― sarahell, Tuesday, 4 March 2014 00:19 (ten years ago) link
i got the ones i linked upthread -- we'll see if they're rightif not maybe i can send them to jordan or throw them into the lake
i'm excited
― we slowly invented brains (La Lechera), Wednesday, 5 March 2014 19:31 (ten years ago) link
xp -- differences in hand size/strength are one of the reasons it helps to try things out in the store. Best bet is just to hit a Sam Ash/Guitar Center type megastore that has large selection.
― james franco tur(oll)ing test (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 5 March 2014 19:37 (ten years ago) link
i know i know -- if they're unsuitable, i'll go to a store but it's a time/effort investment that makes me feel like
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51A2uEjoGwL.jpg
― we slowly invented brains (La Lechera), Wednesday, 5 March 2014 19:49 (ten years ago) link
or throw them into the lake
XD
― dan m, Wednesday, 5 March 2014 20:55 (ten years ago) link
i ordered them and they still haven't come, but in the meantime i managed to finally play a decent enough sounding version of that roy montgomery song i posted waaaaaaaaay upthread. (it's not perfect sounding and the recording is bad. oh well!) there are no drums on the original recording, so i had to make up the parts myself and that's a whole new level of drumming that i am just getting ready to understand now that i can play fast enough. there were some days when i was feeling kind of low about my progress, but this song helped make me feel better. at least i am making some progress! this sounded awful 3 months ago. anyway, this is me! https://soundcloud.com/marshmallowy/down-from-that-hill-and-up-to
― we slowly invented brains (La Lechera), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 01:21 (ten years ago) link
Q for other drummers: have you ever had the experience of not playing for a really long time and then you sit down at the kit and you feel like you suddenly lock into a groove better than you ever have before? I find this often happens to me after prolonged periods of non-practice, but then I find it hard to duplicate as I get back into practice, almost as though something about my practice is harming my feel. But then again maybe it's just that I think I sound better than I do when I haven't played for a while.
― ביטקוין (Hurting 2), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:20 (ten years ago) link
I haven't touched any of my instruments for a while, but I'm planning on knocking out some guitar and drum tracks over the weekend to see if I can cobble together a tune or too, so I may have an answer for you then!
― nitro-burning funny car (Moodles), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:23 (ten years ago) link
It doesn't happen to me with guitar, fwiw. Maybe it's something about the muscles involved -- when I don't practice drums for a while I probably use my arms more and hit harder rather than using those finely developed finger muscles when I practice a lot.
― ביטקוין (Hurting 2), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:26 (ten years ago) link
i can't answer that, but i did go for my longest stretch without practicing (4 days) recently, and when i sat down again i felt like i sounded great. (lol)right now i'm focusing on fluency rather than expanding my sonic vocabulary. i want to feel comfortable above all else, and then i can proceed to learn new things without anxiety. it's working out better than i expected. also i have contributed drums to three songs now!
― we slowly invented brains (La Lechera), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:26 (ten years ago) link
i get irrationally happy whenever this thread is bumped btw
― we slowly invented brains (La Lechera), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:29 (ten years ago) link
I haven't touched a set of drums for years, honestly, but I feel that aside from practical endurance or toughened hands, I could probably get up to speed relatively quickly. Like riding a bicycle.
Could totally imagine not practicing guitar being detrimental, though.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:31 (ten years ago) link
I played for the first time in like a year last night and it made me irrationally happy! I rented a space with a drummer friend and mostly played guitar but at the end he wanted to try some stuff on keyboard so I hopped over to the drums. It felt so good.
― ביטקוין (Hurting 2), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:31 (ten years ago) link
all my calluses are gone, which means my fingers will be torn apart if I really jam out on the bass
― nitro-burning funny car (Moodles), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:32 (ten years ago) link
Other things to make you happy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0TeDKYtuQw
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:33 (ten years ago) link
And Phil doing fusion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo7mYqaMKXA
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:35 (ten years ago) link
You guys should post in this thread sometimesDrum geek sick chops youtube thread
― ביטקוין (Hurting 2), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:36 (ten years ago) link
So this is not the place for Phil backing Howard Jones?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpul9Xmjlv4
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:37 (ten years ago) link
no it can go in both! I just want more people to post in my drum geek thread.
― ביטקוין (Hurting 2), Thursday, 3 April 2014 21:38 (ten years ago) link
When I saw hojo in 1985 his drummer was playing inside a cage. Even at 15 I think I would have noticed if it was Phil though.
He also had a mime onstage (y'know, like you do).
― Myth or it didn't happen (Jon Lewis), Thursday, 3 April 2014 23:23 (ten years ago) link
still at it! i have a weird new habit of writing a bunch of stuff in this box with the intention of posting it ---> cold feet ---> c/p it to an email to myself where it's safebut it has been almost a year and i have made a lot of progresshaven't gone more than 3 days without practicing and i only missed those days because i was travelingi definitely need to do more boring drills -- my speed is much better, but i can't do very many interesting things with it so
anyway, almost a year!
― funch dressing (La Lechera), Monday, 12 May 2014 20:53 (ten years ago) link
Best advice is don't be afraid to hit that drum. If you feel it, beat the hell out of it!
― ▴▲ ▴TH3CR()$BY$H()W▴▲ ▴ (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 12 May 2014 20:57 (ten years ago) link
best advice is really to be aware that playing drums is physical exercise and not to get into habits that are detrimental to your body.
― sarahell, Monday, 12 May 2014 21:01 (ten years ago) link
also remember to hit them very quietly sometimes, that's cool too.
― festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 12 May 2014 21:02 (ten years ago) link
being able to play quietly is often the best indicator of good technique!
― sarahell, Monday, 12 May 2014 21:04 (ten years ago) link
^
― famous instagram Dog (Karl Malone), Monday, 12 May 2014 21:04 (ten years ago) link
not a beginner, but about a month ago i found myself doing quadruple-stroke rolls and was very nerdily proud.
― sarahell, Monday, 12 May 2014 21:05 (ten years ago) link
!! i have been training like Rocky all winter! Lifting weights and pushups and everything. My upper body strength is way better than it was even 6 mo ago. I'm sure I can't really keep up this pace (of improvement) but I've definitely noticed that I feel stronger in general. Not afraid to make noise anymore either.
― funch dressing (La Lechera), Monday, 12 May 2014 21:06 (ten years ago) link
Quiet thing thirded (fourthed?)
One exercise thing you might want to try is hitting the furthest reaches of the kit, creating a pattern going from one extreme to another (e.g., ride cymbal to hi-hat with your left hand), as slowly and quietly as possible, but still in time (with a metronome or whatever. The challenge is in building up speed while keeping the volume low.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 12 May 2014 21:16 (ten years ago) link
I kind of wish someone had told me about the importance of physical condition to drumming earlier in my drumming life. I once heard a guy saying that lifting heavy weights could be bad for drumming, and I was pretty young at the time and I think I didn't realize that he meant, like, LIFTING, which I was never going to do anyway. Building core strength and arm strength helped my drumming a lot. Also I found that for the short time I did yoga it improved my drumming, but I wasn't able to keep up the yoga.
― Doritos Loco Parentis (Hurting 2), Monday, 12 May 2014 21:33 (ten years ago) link
But I am also a big proponent of practicing quiet (it takes a lot of strength to do that too in a way). Read the opening pages of Stick Control -- they contain great advice on dynamic practice and also are dryly funny (maybe not intentionally).
― Doritos Loco Parentis (Hurting 2), Monday, 12 May 2014 21:34 (ten years ago) link
i definitely practice quiet stuff -- even within a song -- don't worry!exercise time is also study timewhich leads me to this question -- can someone direct me to something i can read/watch that discusses the recording of "mother sky"? i watched the can dvd on youtube, and it was v interesting but did not answer my questions. and jaki hardly talked at all!
oh and also the book i've been reading has a chapter about musical prodigies* and draws many parallels between language learning and music, including quotation after quotation of people saying that they first learned to communicate emotion through music. i have come pretty close to answering my initial questions about the learning process itself.
*not a book about prodigies
― funch dressing (La Lechera), Monday, 12 May 2014 21:51 (ten years ago) link
What I should I look into in terms of replacing drum heads?
Seems like there are tons of options - coated, non-coated, multiply plys - at a variety of price ranges. I've noticed big dents and flabbiness in my snare and kick batter heads and a small hole in the resonant head of the snare. This is a drum kit I bought for $100 total 8 years ago and have never done a single thing to since then so cheap is fine.
I'm also looking at replacing the snare wires as a bunch of them have come loose - how many wires do I need, really? Finally, I'm thinking about a new bass drum beater as they one I have is felt and looks pretty squished out and crusty, and I know you can go with a bunch of different materials and such.
― joygoat, Monday, 12 May 2014 22:24 (ten years ago) link
coated (Remo) Ambassadors are always good, unless you hit reaaally hard and need more than one ply.
― festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 12 May 2014 22:37 (ten years ago) link
in 2 hours i am going to pick up my very first drum set. i have convinced myself +/- that i am not too old or too stupid. i finally have time and a basement and in 2 hours i will have some drums of my own, if this transaction doesn't somehow get screwed up. for a while i was looking for approval to go ahead and do this, but soon enough it became evident that i was just being a chicken. now i'm just going to finally see what i can teach myself in my oodles of spare time. this is one of the most self-indulgent things i have ever done in my life and i just have to get over that because i think it will be super fun and also good for my general health.
― free your spirit pig (La Lechera), Saturday, June 15, 2013 9:22 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark
happy anniversary to me!
what does one year of progress sound like? i think this was the first thing i recorded: https://soundcloud.com/marshmallowy/june-beatthis is me playing along to another drumless roy montgomery song about a month ago: https://soundcloud.com/marshmallowy/ill-at-home-drums
i haven't tried something new and scary in a long time, and i can't express how glad i am that i did it. it has been sort of like gaining another voice, or learning another language in which i can freely express things i would not otherwise express. i am extremely thankful to have friends who have made songs with me (this would not have been possible without friends i met through ilx) and also to this thread for answering my questions and taking me seriously and listening to my whining. i have stopped apologizing for myself (at least in this context) and i think i am ready for phase II. i have been composing this anniversary post in my head for weeks, and this is not exactly how i imagined it going, but that's ok. this is only a beginning. i feel like my foundation is strong now, i know the basics and am functionally conversant in the language.
in conclusion--> an earnest and genuine thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me over the last year. your kindness has been metabolized into sounds, and i'm proud of that!
― La Lechera, Monday, 16 June 2014 14:31 (nine years ago) link
i have stopped apologizing for myself (at least in this context) and i think i am ready for phase II.
:) congratulations - that's great! wha's in store for phase II? i am imagining a lot of pyrotechnics!
― Karl Malone, Monday, 16 June 2014 14:34 (nine years ago) link
Right on! Congratulations! And your progress is insanely impressive.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 16 June 2014 14:36 (nine years ago) link
(xp) playing in a suspended rotating cube like Tommy Lee
congratulations LL!!
― macklin' rosie (crüt), Monday, 16 June 2014 14:36 (nine years ago) link
thanks!! i have been working REALLY HARD!
i need to do some aggressive "reaching out" and "put myself out there" (barf)i need to find some people who are interested, willing, and able to play with me irl. i have ideas, but need some compadres.
other things i would like to do: record a song, have a record with my name on it. nothing outrageous or flashy! (although wearing a costume on stage sounds like fun)
― La Lechera, Monday, 16 June 2014 14:42 (nine years ago) link
there have gotta be punk houses somewhere in chicago
― macklin' rosie (crüt), Monday, 16 June 2014 14:45 (nine years ago) link
probably -- i'm going to have to really suck it up and talk to some strangers.
― La Lechera, Monday, 16 June 2014 14:47 (nine years ago) link
my friends are playing a show at "Conny's Plank House" in Chicago next Tuesday - that seems like a place you might find likeminded people just based on the name!
― macklin' rosie (crüt), Monday, 16 June 2014 14:47 (nine years ago) link
I'm still willing to do something but all I know how to play worth a shit is drums and you already have that.
― dan m, Monday, 16 June 2014 14:47 (nine years ago) link
drum duets are great
― macklin' rosie (crüt), Monday, 16 June 2014 14:49 (nine years ago) link
i have been thinking that i would be a good person to have around to play the boring/repetitive parts while someone else did the flashy parts
― La Lechera, Monday, 16 June 2014 14:59 (nine years ago) link
i love being the boring one holding it down in double drum situations
― festival culture (Jordan), Monday, 16 June 2014 15:01 (nine years ago) link
still at itjust FYIgetting a lot faster, talking to people, this is still probably the most difficult and also most fun thing i have ever tried to learn how to do
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Thursday, 24 July 2014 14:14 (nine years ago) link
If you lived in north jersey/NYC I'd totally jam with you. I've been struggling with establishing some level of regular "band mates" for about 6 years.
― Evan, Thursday, 24 July 2014 14:26 (nine years ago) link
I miss playing with a drummer so much, such a great way of coming up w/ things, spontaneously syncopating etc.
― ogmor, Thursday, 24 July 2014 14:29 (nine years ago) link
Glad you're still working at it! I thought about you last night listening to WFMU -- the Evan Funk Davies show was a drumming special of sorts -- he and some other WFMU DJs who are also drummers got together and played songs they particularly loved the drumming on for various reasons -- amazing technique in some cases, but also "taste" and "feel" as they defined it.
Also a couple of weeks ago I watched part of a long video where 5 drummers/percussionists who had played for Frank Zappa got together and chatted about their time with him and drumming in general.
― rockist popist papist (WilliamC), Thursday, 24 July 2014 14:29 (nine years ago) link