Good luck LL.
― Pontius Pilates (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, 20 May 2019 22:21 (four years ago) link
Nice
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Thursday, 23 May 2019 01:03 (four years ago) link
First rehearsal was tonight, it was super fun! I only had a week to learn the songs but I did it in spite of it being the end of the semester!! #trooper
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 23 May 2019 03:41 (four years ago) link
Also they are very catchy songs, that helps
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 23 May 2019 03:42 (four years ago) link
Ahh, that's so cool, LL, glad you had fun.
― emil.y, Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:32 (four years ago) link
i am taking drum lessons after three years of playing self-taught, it's totally rocking my world
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:36 (four years ago) link
Post some catchy tunes when you have them, LL! Looking forward to listening.
― DJI, Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:38 (four years ago) link
here's a(n obfuscated) link to the bandcamp -- https://bit.ly/2QmWdwG
what kinds of stuff are you learning brad? i love learning and practicing new drum stuff. it keeps me chugging along in the hellscape of 2019 life :)
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:42 (four years ago) link
v psyched for you ll
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:43 (four years ago) link
that's not me on the recording btw
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:43 (four years ago) link
i did however learn like 10+ songs in under a week
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:44 (four years ago) link
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, May 23, 2019 9:42 AM (twelve seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
he taught me the full stroke first and in order to execute it i had to completely change how i've been holding the sticks and striking the snare lol. we're trying to get to a place where i'm doing as little work as possible and using the rebound of the stick instead of lifting my whole goddamn arm every time. we're also doing rudimental patterns from stick control and another book, which he has me exporting into different orchestrations on the drumkit
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:47 (four years ago) link
i guess it's cool to mention that my instructor is kid millions from oneida, i'm so so happy about the situation
nice! that is definitely the way to more control/playing faster and more precisely. def do not need to lift your arm! i also recommend ted reed's SYNCOPATION for practicing, it's not only helpful but pleasantly meditative
colpitts!!! love him!!! he seems like a totally good person in addition to being an excellent drummer
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:50 (four years ago) link
we're trying to get to a place where i'm doing as little work as possible and using the rebound of the stick instead of lifting my whole goddamn arm every time.
it's all about the wrists! that was pretty much the one good thing that came out of 4 years of marching band
ironically, the last few years i've been dealing with chronic wrist pains, so on the rare occasions that i play these days, my technique is awful
― these are not all of the possible side effects (Karl Malone), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:51 (four years ago) link
i guess it's cool to mention that my instructor is kid millions from oneida,
whooooooa! buried the lede there!!
Nice LL!
My drum technique is feeling better than it has in a long time, maybe ever. A big part of this is due to (as always) recognizing my limitations, but also strengths, and accepting that one grip/technique doesn't have to work for all situations. It's totally fine to switch grips for different phrases or musical situations, and even though most drummers do this naturally, it doesn't usually come up in drum lessons in my experience. I even switch left vs right hand lead for certain beats & tempos, and I've come to embrace that rather than thinking I have to be able to do everything one way.
xp whoa Brad
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:53 (four years ago) link
It's all about the wrists but the fingers have to be following the stroke in a natural way, or else it'll lock things up. My mantra lately is for the hand to follow the stick, and do what it wants to do rather than vice versa.
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 23 May 2019 16:56 (four years ago) link
jordan completely otm, that is practically word-for-word what john told me during my last two lessons
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:08 (four years ago) link
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, May 23, 2019 9:50 AM (eighteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
he's a huge sweetheart and such a good teacher
and the other book he's teaching me out of is, indeed, ted reed's syncopation
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:11 (four years ago) link
Oh wow, good to know I'm on the right track then. Only took me 23 years to get here, I'm a late bloomer.
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:14 (four years ago) link
if you're a late bloomer, idk what that makes mea revived corpse?
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:17 (four years ago) link
lol :)
i am feeling good about things clearly if i can make jokes about that
LL - those tracks are great! Gotta say I'm enjoying it more than the noise stuff, but I'm a sucker for catchiness.
― DJI, Thursday, 23 May 2019 18:03 (four years ago) link
Haha, you're not a late bloomer, just a late starter
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 23 May 2019 18:06 (four years ago) link
I started playing guitar and singing lead vox in a Grateful Dead (and other similar stuff) cover band. It's a lot of fun.
― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Friday, 31 May 2019 15:03 (four years ago) link
https://midwestaxn.bandcamp.com/album/life-is-twigs
album out today, also on spotify and hopefully the other usual places
― na (NA), Friday, 31 May 2019 17:14 (four years ago) link
also i'm trying to get back into doing my own stuff but i've set a very leisurely pace for myself: write and record one song per month. attempting to follow the loose monthly schedule of writing lyrics the first week, writing music the second week, and recording the third and fourth weeks. trying to not worry about the songs being "good" or other people hearing them. the goal is just to be regularly working on my own music without putting too much pressure on myself. i finished the first one of these yesterday.
― na (NA), Friday, 31 May 2019 17:17 (four years ago) link
Just played a decently lengthy set before a decently large arts-festival crowd, and was decently well received. Pleasurable.
― Velcromancer (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 1 June 2019 23:29 (four years ago) link
NA -- holler if you want to record or borrow some drum shit! that sounds like a fun project.
i am playing with the new band on a porch this afternoon. i feel prepared, which is pretty weird! i need to write down the set list and some notes so i don't get confused bc i'm not used to playing a bunch of rock songs in a row. on a porch.
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Sunday, 2 June 2019 13:25 (four years ago) link
Band released a record, I’m pretty proud of it. I think the producer/engineer did a great job making a gang of hacks sound decent. salthorse.bandcamp
Next batch of songs is nearly all written; now we need to start whipping them into shape. Summertime is always tough for that bcuz everyone goes on vacation & we never seem to be able to coordinate that.
I bought my first synth after years of jonesing — a Mopho Keys. Looking forward to learning something new from scratch (the synthesis part, not the playing part).
― Una Palooka Dronka (hardcore dilettante), Tuesday, 4 June 2019 12:16 (four years ago) link
Sounds fantastic!
― DJI, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 17:28 (four years ago) link
Shoutout for the physical strenuousness of playing 45 min/12 energetic rock songs (only 3 are even moderately slow) in a row at full enthusiasm in a row. Wow Show is on Tues, I need to practice more! We played on a porch on Sun and it was fun but also very low pressure. A 94 year old lady offered me a $5 billl while I was playing <3
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:22 (four years ago) link
Clearly the things that are getting to me are 1) in a row continuously and 2) at full enthusiasmSigh
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:24 (four years ago) link
we have a show on the 14th and my drum lessons are changing the way i'm playing significantly, it's both great and... well, i just wish my playing were a little more fine-tuned at this point, it's v erratic from where i'm sitting (my bandmates mostly hear improvement)
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:35 (four years ago) link
I hear you! It’s very difficult to play the same songs with new skills ime!! It’s almost easier the less you know... :-/
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:41 (four years ago) link
Also playing songs is different for me — I played some songs last summer and the summer before but mostly when I play w people it’s more improvised and therefore less strenuous. Songs are hard, esp when I’ve only listened to them for like 2-3 weeks?
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:42 (four years ago) link
You should expect hiccups as you learn imo — that’s good! It means your playing is expanding 💕
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:43 (four years ago) link
2 funny things from my musical life
two weeks ago: played on a porch as part of a "porchfest" neighborhood summertime thing. i was set up directly next to the front door in a little corner. during our 2nd or 3rd song, the 94 year old landlady (who lives upstairs) walked out the door and stood there on her porch/the stage right next to me while we played, but the singer had no idea because her back was turned to the door. Landlady was kindly ushered back inside, but she came back out a few songs later and offered me a $5 bill while we were in the middle of the song. i did not stop playing! good times.
last night -- played a free show with a touring band and a local band that had no social media presence but had been written up in the Trib (I didn't read it before the show). They were ok but had bad manners and did not stay for either of the sets after theirs and took all their people out to the bar to socialize amongst themselves for the entire evening. i looked it up this morning and guess what -- the drummer was my old dermatologist. i didn't recognize him. lol!
good times, feeling happy :)
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 16:06 (four years ago) link
i had another lesson on monday where my instructor made some final adjustments to my grip and i'm pretty confident with how i'm playing rn, even though it's still a little difficult (my right hand has adjusted organically, but my left hand considers what i'm trying to do a grave injustice and cramps up a lot). instructor emphasized that comfort is paramount, but i think i'm getting there anyway? i move around way less (and waste way less energy) and can play faster than i used to, just after 4.5 weeks of rudiments
band practice last night was wonderful, we've never sounded better
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 16:21 (four years ago) link
that's great! what are you doing for warm ups to your rudiment practice?
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 16:23 (four years ago) link
i've just been dipping in and out of the first 10-15 pages of both stick control and ted reed syncopation and alternating these with the PAS rudiments
rudiments have been mad fun to play but also excruciating at 40 bpm which my instructor insists on lol (he finally upped the speed to 45 this week)
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 16:29 (four years ago) link
prob the most immediate benefit of these lessons is that i'm no longer baffled by drummers that really impress me, i can now tell what they're doing even if i can't do it yet/at all
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 16:31 (four years ago) link
been there! otm about understanding impressive drummers more. i think at heart i am ultimately most impressed by feel and seek out unique voices in that regard. i did a lot of strength building a few years ago and have been maintaining my routine -- it definitely pays off. i am currently at the point where i aim to increase my vocabulary so i can express more things, just like with language :)
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 17:02 (four years ago) link
even though that lady was trying to give me $5 to stop, it will take more than that!
i think at heart i am ultimately most impressed by feel and seek out unique voices in that regard
this is otm for me too
it took me forever to wrap my head around jeremy taggart's drum part on our lady peace's "automatic flowers" and but i think it's all just lightly modified stroke rolls? anyway just *thinking* about this stuff is fun
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 18:52 (four years ago) link
oh excellent i found a decent drum cover, maybe this one is still baffling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_xFjY3y1nQ
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 18:57 (four years ago) link
the drummer was my old dermatologist
Insert "skins" joke here
― Velcromancer (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 12 June 2019 23:12 (four years ago) link
I just sang Love Bade Me Welcome at an evening service tonight, which means I’ve now performed all 3 of the solo numbers from Vaughn Williams’ “Five Mystical Songs”
― brigadier pudding (DJP), Thursday, 13 June 2019 01:43 (four years ago) link