The Paradiddler » Drummers

Drum Clinic – Walfredo Reyes, Jr.

Omar — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 05:27:38 +0000

In January of 2009, TheParadiddler.com covered Sabian Live at NAMM, via DrumChannel.com (I would have loved to have been there, but since I couldn’t, thanks Drum Channel!). Both the performances and backstage interviews were covered (as best as could be done). One of the artists that dropped by was Walfredo Reyes. No, not Jr. – Sr.

It was very interesting to hear from him and his son Danny what it was like at dinner time at the Reyes household (you can read all about it in the article). It was a very musical environment, the result being a fine ‘batch’ of musicians! Little did I know that covering this event online was a foreshadowing of things to come offline.

Almost a year and a half later (more specifically, May 27^th, 2010), Ken Stanton Music in Stone Mountain, GA hosts a drum clinic by none other than Walfredo Reyes, Jr. The family circle is complete!

The location was familiar enough. TheParadiddler.com also covered Will Calhoun’s clinic there, and it was a sensational experience. It’s not a huge store, which allows for close proximity to the drummer, and a more personal experience.

I was not familiar with Walfredo before the clinic, but I knew he was very well known in the drumming community, having played with many big time artists, such as:

Santana
Gloria Estefan
Toni Braxton
Lindsey Buckingham
Christina Aguilera
Ricky Martin
Smokey Robinson
Steve Winwood

…oh my goodness, and on and on and on. That’s just the short list. A session drummer like this must have a wealth of experience to impart, so I knew I it would behoove me to attend. I didn’t go alone this time, however. My partner in crime came with me, my son Devin (the star of the Off-Set pedal review).

We arrived about 40 minutes early or so. I like to take a ‘lay of the land’ so I can know where the good camera shot angles are (plus I like to sit in the front row ). I like to mess around with the gear, not just the drums. I didn’t get too much of a chance to set up right away though, because when I walked in, Walfredo was already practicing at the kit!

The gear he was playing on was a beautiful Mapex Meridian Maple kit (I’m going to say the finish was transparent cherry red), with Sabian cymbals and an assortment of ergonomically placed percussion gear (LP bongos, blocks, cowbells, and the like).

Walfredo was practicing with brushes, then with sticks. His playing was very controlled and fast, easily flowing over the whole kit. It’s not that I was surprised, but I was definitely impressed. He made all the fills look incredibly easy.

In addition to practicing by himself, he had a couple of other musicians he was going to play with that evening: Gabriel Monticello on bass, and Myron Feltner on keyboards, two local musicians. The thing to note is that Walfredo had never jammed with these two at all – it would all be spontaneous, improvised.

While the musicians were discussing which direction to take the improvisation, Walfredo demonstrated a few of the more famous drum licks of all time:

the beginning of “Rock With You”
thunderous drum fill in “In the Air Tonight”
Jeff Porcaro on Toto’s “Rosanna”

After practicing, Walfredo got up and greeted some of those already there, myself and my son included. Wally (as he referred to himself) was very friendly and down to earth, very approachable. After the pleasantries Wally went off to prepare for the actual clinic, so that left my son and I to peruse the store.

Sometime after 7pm, Wally re-enters the scene to a most receptive crowd and starts explaining in detail what to expect from the clinic.

He mentioned that he had just recently flown in from Hong Kong, and had just met the two musicians he’d be playing with. He’s very keen on being creative, not being structured when not necessary (although structure is very important too – more on that later). He went on to talk about how music is the ‘universal language’, that even though we may speak different languages, we can all groove to any style of music and ‘get it’, no matter where we’re from. And speaking of where we’re from, he made it a point to stress how grateful we should be in this country that we can so easily go to a local music store and have a wealth of instruments and gadgets to choose from, and people willing to give us lessons. He had been to parts of the world where none of this was available, and anyone interested in percussion would have to fabricate their own sticks. Of course, these sticks would not last for any length of time. Some of those players had such great groove, but could not play for more than a few minutes. So Wally ended up giving out some actual drumsticks so they could at least play for ten minutes straight. Again, we need to appreciate the availability of the instruments here (and the accessibility of music stores, and artists themselves!).

Wally stated that he was going to start playing himself, and then later have the other two musicians join in. He was going to display different styles, from rock, to Latin, Afro-Cuban rhythms – Wally called it the “Wally World Travel Agency”, and boy were we in for a ride!

He started his solo with just his hands and fingers, to something like a world beat, an amazing groove. He then conspicuously incorporated brushes while never losing the beat. He steadily maintained the beat while cleverly alternating between the snare and toms (snares down, by the way).

The Latin beat was ever present, especially when playing the bongos on his left. The ‘woodblock’ and cowbell were prominently played as well. While not skipping a beat, his snares went up and he switched to the regular sticks, and that’s when it got crazy!

Now Wally was playing very fast 32^nd’s (who knows, maybe faster ). As he varied the tempo, he incorporated the cowbell with a steady beat. It was ever present, even while he was alternating beats between the snare and toms. It was an excellent application of a Latin-type structure in a solo setting.

By this time Wally was on a rampage of dizzying fills, double bass onslaughts, and his arms flailing away all over the place (organized chaos, you could say).

After that fantastic opening, Wally went on to explain some of the origins of the different parts of the kit, particularly the cymbals, which as currently configured on drum kits are really Turkish in origin. The drum kit itself relative to other instruments is a recent development, as in within the last 100 years or so (whereas other instruments have been in existence for centuries, and even drums themselves as individual instruments for as long as humans can remember).

Next was a demonstration of how Wally uses the drum kit to essentially play two parts – the part of the drummer, and of the percussionist. Different parts of the kit could mimic the percussive counterparts, for example:

hi-hat --> shaker
snare drum with snares down, and toms --> timbales
cross-sticking --> woodblock

A drummer in his kit could also incorporate the actual percussive instruments, like the cowbell, woodblock (clave), timbales (or mini-timbales), bongos, etc. Here’s Wally’s kit from behind, where you can pick out the different percussive instruments incorporated into the kit.

With this ‘practical’ percussive kit, Wally demonstrated the samba beat. He made it sound like a percussionist more than a drum kit player, but then that was the point. The drum kit player can be both the percussionist and the kit player (even simultaneously!), while the percussionist is just that. Of course, that’s not a knock on the percussionist, but it’s a specialty. The kit allows for more flexibility. Wally also talked about the ‘bossa nova’ and described it as samba played on a drum kit with jazz.

Wally told a story about when he played with Santana and that for some reason (I don’t remember why) the percussionist was not there. So Wally had to improvise the percussion while still holding down the beat with the kit. Having at least a fundamental knowledge of both the kit and percussion allows for more flexibility (and more gigs!), as has been the case with Wally.

Subsequently, Wally started playing a ‘percussion’ solo, which then slowly morphed into a whole kit solo. It was amazing how the transition was so fluent that you hardly noticed it until he was playing on everything. Great example of using ‘what you got’.

Wally mentioned that he considers himself a ‘rhythmist’. This makes perfect sense because if you look at drumming from a ‘rhythmist’ point of view, your view expands to other percussive instruments beyond the kit. I think that, after seeing this clinic, Wally is the ultimate ‘rhythmist’!

He went on to mention something that I hadn’t thought of before, but it’s very true: ‘Acoustic drums are a reflection of what you put in it.’ You can get a lot of different sounds from an acoustic kit (like getting percussion-like sounds out of the kit, as previously mentioned). Just using the sticks, he struck different spots around the entire kit, and there were so many different sounds generated, very melodic. When you buy an electronic kit, you’re buying specific sounds; you’re playing samples. And even though there have been a lot of developments over the years in percussion and electronics, the mainstay, the acoustic drum kit, has always been the foundation. It’s always there, always needed.

Wally then proceeded to start the next jam with the keyboardist, and then the bass player came in afterwards.

After this jam, Wally demonstrated the dynamic range that the drums have, particularly with brushes. He demonstrated the ‘abanico’, which is the Spanish word for ‘fan’ (as in the device that keeps you cool). It’s like a buzz roll incorporated into a beat.

But one of the coolest things Wally displayed was how to make the drums talk. He made each drum a different member of the family: the kid, the mother, and the father. I call it the ‘Ice Cream Bit’. The kid was asking for ice cream, but the mother had reservations about it. The father emphatically said “no!” The father was the floor tom, while the mother a higher pitched tom, and the kid higher still. It was hilarious. It was very similar to what Marco Minnemann displayed in his drum clinic when he drummed to “What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?” from the Monty Python movie “Life of Brian”. Both examples displayed how versatile the drum kit is and how it can convey a wealth of moods. Outstanding. This led to another Latin-type jam with the other two players.

Wally then went on to discuss the flexibility that is needed to play to different audiences. You may have great chops, but if your audience is a group of older folks expecting swing, then don’t play rock! Someone once told Wally, “Do not disturb the groove!” If your audience is more a dance-type audience, then play that kind of groove. If your audience is all drummers (say, at a drum clinic), then all bets are off and just go crazy – do it all. That’s what the audience expects!

He then went on to say that it is good to be open to different genres of music because it can have a positive effect on your growth as a musician. He mentioned a funny story about when he was younger and he liked Alice Cooper, but when his father saw “that” he said, “I don’t think so!” Then later Wally’s son is liking Slipknot and Wally said that every song is like Halloween! How the tide turns. But later his son presented him with a very melodic song, and Wally was surprised to find that it was Slipknot! So basically he’s saying that it’s good to have an open mind as far as what effect different genres of music can have on our playing. Of course, he then went into a little reggae jam (sweet!).

There were questions from the audience as well, so one of the questions asked was who were other drummers that influenced him (besides his father, which is an obvious one). It was interesting that he not only mentioned drummers that influenced his drumming (Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Ringo Starr, John Bonham), but musical genres, such as salsa. Growing up in Puerto Rico, you can’t help but be surrounded by salsa, and that genre had a big influence in his playing. It shows in how Wally masterfully incorporates percussion into the drum set.

On that note, as far as influences go, Wally said that ‘if you want fresh rhythms, dig deep into the old rhythms’. Many of today’s rhythms are based on different genres of the past, and one would be surprised to find out how diverse and complex some of the older music is, especially in genres like salsa. A plethora of knowledge to say the least.

Wally started drumming at the age of 12, but it was not on a kit. He was ‘forced’ to use just sticks and a practice pad for a full year before he got his kit. This really helped him get the fundamentals down. Nowadays he doesn’t go anywhere without his iPhone and a metronome. You know what they say, ‘timing is everything’! Playing to songs and to a click is essential in learning how to maintain a solid tempo when playing in a band.

Wally told a story about playing with Steve Winwood, and that he was told that a certain song was to be played at 87bpm (I believe the song was “Higher Love”). Sometimes towards the end of a show the band’s adrenaline is pretty high, especially after a receptive crowd. This could be problematic in the sense that the band may tend to speed up the tempo. It’s the drummer’s responsibility ultimately (not exclusively) to maintain that tempo. Even if the band complains later, you can tell them, “You guys said 87bpm, so I stuck to it!”

After the Q&A session, Wally finalized with a freestyle and funk-like jam, and an all out solo to top it all off.

After the drumming and the thunderous applause, Wally stuck around for a long time talking to those in attendance, taking pictures, signing autographs, and answering questions. Very accessible, humble, a class act.

In conclusion, for me it was an unexpected pleasant surprise. In the article “Beyond the Drum Kit”, I mentioned that even though I, like Wally, grew up surrounded by Caribbean music such as merengue, bachata, and salsa, I simply was not interested very much in percussion. My interest was solely on the drum kit side. Wally has completely changed that for me.

I see now that you can have the best of both worlds. You can be a kit player and tastefully incorporate percussion, and still look and sound like a power drummer. There are so many ways to express yourself, so many different tempos, so many different genres, that one is capable of playing if we just open our minds to the possibilities that drum kit percussion provides.

As far as Walfredo Reyes, Jr. goes, he’s made a major impression on me. I was floored by his ‘controlled chaos’, his total control when he played his dizzying array of fills, both hands and feet. He played with such power, but displayed an incredible sense of dynamics and grace, making the drums virtually speak. The fact that he has so masterfully incorporated percussion into the kit solidifies his place, in The Paradiddler’s eyes, as a premier percussionist, a premier rhythmist, of our time. He taught me how to incorporate percussion into the drum kit in a way that’s, well, just dang cool! I think when I grow up (drummingly speaking), I want to be Walfredo Reyes, Jr.

Interesting? Then pass it along!

Passion for Our Favorite Drummer

Omar — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:21:39 +0000

My, how we love our drummers of choice.

At different stages in our lives, we cling to our favorites for different reasons. When we were really young, say, five or six, we might have really liked the drummer of our big brother’s (or sister’s) favorite band. As we got a little older, we made up our own minds and either stayed with that one, or started liking someone else. This time, though, we might like the drummer because of the actual drumming, not because of the band as a whole.

For example, when I was very young, my favorite drummer was Peter Criss. Was he a great drummer? I think it instead more likely that he fit (perfectly!) what Kiss needed him to be more than that he was a great drummer. There were other drummers around that time (we’re talking the ‘70’s in this case) that could run circles around Mr. Criss as far as technique goes, such as Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd, and of course, Buddy Rich. But that didn’t matter to me – Peter Criss was ‘the best’! And I was passionate about it, even at a young age.

Fast forward a few years and I was introduced to Neil Peart, and he became to me what I now call my ‘reference drummer’: my base, my foundation, my main inspiration. That remains the case to this day, even though I am greatly inspired by many other drummers, for diverse reasons.

And so it is that through the years, we change, and so do our preferences. As far as our favorite drummers go, there are as many reasons to have a favorite drummer as there are drummers. I’ve seen, however, that some take their passion a little too far.

Ok, I’m not talking violence. It’s a lot of fun to banter about who our favorite drummer is, or who we think is ‘the best’ (even though I think there’s no such thing). That kind of debate is rampant in sports, and it’s never-ending. I’ve been to several drum forums where threads have been opened such as ‘Who’s the best drummer?’, or threads that are started about specific drummers. In the latter, you see all kinds of posts. Typical are:

debates comparing the drummer in question to another drummer
why the drummer in question isn’t good at all
why the drummer in question is the best

The ‘end is listless’. You might be able to guess the age of some of the posters. If you see really short posts saying things like “Mike Portnoy is no doubt the best drummer on the planet!”, you may assume that that’s a younger poster (hm, ‘no doubt’?). Sometimes others will go into long spiels extolling why this drummer is better than that one, and even have polls comparing, say, Mike Portnoy vs. Danny Carey, or Dave Weckl vs. Vinnie Colaiuta, etc. Pretty interesting to say the least, because those who’ve followed these drummers closely get very specific as to the technique of these players, and the result is an education on the drummers in question that we may not see elsewhere.

I personally consider any ‘vs.’ debate to be futile. There are just too many variables to consider when comparing drummers. I think of all musicians, drummers are the most different from each other. It is very unlikely that two drummers will have the exact same influences, so in addition to their innate ability, they’ll adapt their unique ability to try to imitate what their favorite drummer plays. What results is a completely unique drummer, shaped by their aforementioned ‘reference’ (or references), their musical taste, their talent, and their drive to reach whatever musical goals they have.

Not only that, but the drum kit is the most configurable of all instruments. Consider some of the variables:

number of shells
snare preference
tom positioning
cymbal placement
throne height

And that’s only the beginning! How many stick sizes are there, head thicknesses and materials, pedal configurations – gads, my head’s spinning (think I’ll stop now). The point is, even if two people are the same age, go to the same music classes, and listen to the same music – they’ll still be two different drummers.

So really, how comparable are drummers? There are certainly ones that can do certain things better than others, but that does not necessarily mean that one is better than the other in a general sense.

Let’s take a case in point. This is my opinion; you’ll have yours, but this is how I see it. I have a short list of favorite drummers. On it are Neil Peart (if you’ve followed my blog that’s obvious) and Thomas Lang. I’m very familiar with Neil’s work (as evidenced, for example, by my rating of his solos), but only recently (relatively speaking) have I been exposed to Thomas’ playing. But I’ve seen enough of his playing that, well, he’s at least one of the best drummers in the world. (If you’re subscribed to The Paradiddler’s newsletter, you would have received a sample of this. )

These two drummers couldn’t be more different. To me, Neil Peart is about composition; Thomas Lang is about technique. Does Neil have technique? Of course, but Thomas has more. Can Thomas compose a good drum piece? Certainly, but I think Neil is more creative that way.

As far as composing drum parts, Neil is a master. If you haven’t already, I recommend spending a few hours watching Neil’s DVD “A Work In Progress”, where he breaks down in verbose detail how he composed the drum parts to every song on Rush’s Test for Echo. Sure there’s technicality explained and demonstrated (even some exploration solo footage), but this is textbook Neil: drumming to suit the song, not the drummer. To me, that’s what makes a drummer shine.

As far as technique goes, Thomas Lang’s best selling “Creative Control” and “Creative Coordination” DVDs demonstrate Thomas’ absolute mastery of the kit. His drumming is so fluid and effortless, hands and feet. I watch in awe every time I see this guy play.

So I don’t consider either of these drummers better than the other. They both have tremendous talents to display, and no matter what genre of music we prefer, they certainly can give us a lesson or two on how to play.

Sometimes a great drummer (even a legendary one!) will get criticized when compared to someone’s favorite. I’ve read on certain posts that Neil is a boring drummer, with not much technicality, and that the solos are boring. When I read posts like that, I tend to think that the poster is missing the point. Sometimes the drummer simply won’t display certain technical chops because the solo or song doesn’t call for it. It’s very likely that when he practices, he’ll play certain rudiments and patterns for practicing’s sake. If something interesting comes up that he can use in a song or solo, it’s in. If the pataflafla doesn’t fit in the solo or song, it’s out, even if he knows how to play it.

Sometimes (actually, almost every time), it’s in the eye (or ear) of the beholder. What are you looking for in a drummer? What excites you? Many drummers cite Tré Cool (Green Day) and Travis Barker (Blink 182) as their favorite drummer, and sometimes passionately exclaim that they are the best. Like I said, the best doesn’t exist, so don’t bother! They are the ‘best’, though, because they personify what the beholder expects to see and hear in a drummer. In some way, these drummers inspire their drumming fans in a specific way, hence the adulations.

Sometimes the age of the drummer (meaning the pro drummer) is a factor too, and at what developmental stage they are in their career that inspires certain fans. When you’re young, who you thought was the best may stick with you as you get older, even though you may consider others just as good later on. I started to notice Neil Peart when he was a young drummer and he became my favorite, so the same thing may happen to any youngster who notices a drummer when they’re young. A young person can have the same passion for the drumming of a young Neil Peart just the same as a young person towards a young Tré Cool or Travis Barker.

Drummers of the caliber of a Neil Peart, Steve Smith, and others, tend to not stay with the same style throughout their career. These drummers evolve, one reason being is that they get restless when they take a certain style to it’s limit based on their ability, or just being bored playing the same style, and wanting to move on to something else. Neil Peart’s current style of play may not appeal to a generation used to speeds as exhibited by Thomas Lang, Marco Minnemann and others, even though they may recognize him as a drumming legend. I strongly recommend watching Rush’s live DVD Grace Under Pressure Tour, which was recorded in 1984. There you will see Neil display an incredible amount of speed, power, creativity, and limb independence (check out particularly “The Weapon” – the ‘Professor on the drum kit’ indeed!).

Drummers like Neil and Steve Smith move on. As good as Neil was in 1984, it might be boring if he still played like that. Steve Smith ‘scratched that itch’ when he finished playing rock with Journey, to go back to his more jazzy roots. Even as good as he is in this genre, he’s been messing with Indian rhythms as of late, just to challenge himself. These are the types of drummers that appeal to me.

At the opposite side of the spectrum, you have drummers that tend to sound and play the same throughout their career, such as Joey Kramer (Aerosmith) and Tico Torres (Bon Jovi). To me, these drummers sound the same throughout the tenure of the band they play in. That’s not to say that they’re bad drummers. It’s even possible that some cite them as favorites. They play what’s required for the music they play, and ultimately, especially if you play in a band, that is what’s most important.

So what’s the bottom line? This: ‘best’ is in the eye of the beholder. If you think Travis Barker is the best drummer in the world, and he inspires you, then more power to you. If you think that Phil Rudd is the best drummer because he lays down a fat four and gets out of the way, then more power to you too. If you think “Gadd is in the details”, then good for you too!

As for me, I’m staying out of the ‘this drummer vs. that drummer’ debate. They all have something to offer. Fortunately, drummers don’t mind having their ideas stolen (for the most part). So let’s study our favorites, forget about who’s best, and just enjoy the performances and individuality of these great drummers.

Interesting? Then pass it along!

Drum Clinic – Marco Minnemann

Omar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:40:03 +0000

When I received the e-mail from Ken Stanton Music saying that Marco Minnemann was going to put on a drum clinic at their superstore in Marietta (Atlanta), GA on March 2nd (2010), I immediately started making plans to be there. But it may not have been the case otherwise.

Until recently, I knew very little about Marco. I had seen his name mentioned at times, but never enough for me to notice (so many drummers, so little time!). But recently, DrumChannel.com had both Marco and Derek Roddy (Serpents Rise and Hate Eternal) together for a chat and drumming session, and I was blown away by both drummers. It may be because I'm not into 'blast beat'-type music that I've not heard much of these guys, but there's no denying the incredible talent these drummers possess. It takes an incredible amount of technique and energy to play what they play, but the duo solos they performed displayed an incredible array of power, finesse, creativity, and melody. Here's a link to the rebroadcast of that show. Put it on your calendar and watch it, because not only are they extraordinary drummers, but they have very refreshing insights as far as their approach to drumming that drummers of all styles can learn from.

So after watching that show, I decided that I may need to pay a little more attention to Mr. Minnemann! Then comes the news that he's putting on a drum clinic locally and, well, a perfect storm of sorts. I started making preparations to cover the event.

I made contact with Jeremy Truitt, Drum Dept. Manager at Ken Stanton music, to come by the store and talk about the particulars of the event. He was most helpful, showing me where the stage was going to be, audience location, even showing different spots where I could get some great camera angles for some unique shots. This was gonna be good!

So the day comes, and now I’m really into the event. I’m very much looking forward to seeing an incredible display of chops, and learning whatever I can. With much anticipation, I head on down to the store. I wanted to get there pretty early so I could situate myself, get a ‘lay of the land’, so to speak, make sure I had a good seat, and see where I could take some great photos.

The clinic was cancelled.

Winter decided to dump a snow storm to the Atlanta area, and for the safety of the drummers and all who would attend, it was decided that the show would be a no-go. The guys at the store were obviously very disappointed, and rightly so. It is not often that a world-class drummer can be in the area to put on a drum clinic.

But all was not lost! Fortunately, that was not the only clinic that Marco had scheduled. The Atlanta Institute of Music (AIM) had also scheduled a drum clinic on March 4^th. No snow storm scheduled for that day! It was a little further out, but that didn’t matter – I would be there.

I suspected that the vibe for this venue would be different than at the store, and I was correct. When I attended Will Calhoun’s drum clinic, there were drummers there of course, but there were also people of all ages, very young kids included. But AIM had more of a classroom, college-type feel. Most in attendance were young adults, with a few older cats sprinkled around here and there. I didn’t prepare so much for this event since I wasn’t planning on coming, so I was more like a spectator like everyone else, instead of a ‘reporter’. The campus halls were boringly decored, but fortunately the action is in the classroom, and AIM teaches classes in drumming, guitar, bass, and recording.

I arrived about an hour early, again to make sure that I at least got a good seat. There was definitely a buzz in the atmosphere waiting for the clinic to begin. These guys knew who they were there to see, and they were excited. There was lots of talk about cracked cymbals, trying to get drumming endorsements, recent and upcoming gigs - a real drummer’s event.

There was a sound check going on while we were waiting, and if it was any indication of what the show was going to be like, we were in for a real treat. The drums sounded just fantastic (even being on the other side of the door). The bass drum was very boomy, but it sounded so full and rich. When the drummer played double bass drum fills and combinations all over the kit, the boom of the bass drums blended in with the combinations and produced very powerful and clean, piercing sound. Now I couldn’t wait to hear what these drums sounded like while in the same room!

I think artists are good at sneaking by people because as we were all waiting outside the door, an inconspicuous Marco and a companion whizzed right by us, almost without us knowing it! By the time we did notice, he was gone. Guess it was time to get ready for the show! After that little episode, all were invited to enter the performance hall.

First thing you notice as you enter the hall is Marco’s drum kit. It was a beautiful 7-pc DW Gold Glass FinishPly^TM Collector’s Series kit, with Zildjian cymbals and DW hardware. In addition, Marco had an additional snare (which I believe was also a DW) to the left, and another suspended tom to the left of that (ok, a 9-pc kit). Just a beautiful setup.

After everyone coming in finished going gaga over the kit, those in attendance started settling into their seats. I was fortunate enough to get a front row seat stage right, which was a great view. Marco did not aim the bass drum directly to the audience, as is typically done, but instead faced himself straight to the audience, and positioned the bass drum to his right (similar to the positioning when playing two bass drums). This allowed for an excellent view of both his hand and foot technique.

After being seated for a little while, Mr. Minnemann was introduced and out he came to the stage. Very humble to his applause, he looks just like any other guy (he is tall, though!), very unassuming. You’d never know he’s a famous anything. But once sitting behind the kit, look out.

After thanking those in attendance and mentioning what he was going to do for the night (songs, solos, Q&A, etc.), he started playing to one of his songs. Since I hadn’t followed Marco before this, I didn’t know the names of several of the songs he played to (nor did he introduce them). But it didn’t matter, because he was playing masterfully right off the bat. The sound of his drums were so clearly defined, and incredibly powerful and full-sounding. Although there was amplification set up for the drums, it was clear that he was hitting them hard and with authority, but with pinpoint accuracy. He absolutely didn’t miss a beat; his timing was flawless.

During the first song, the knob on one of the stands keeping a splash cymbal in place slowly started to give, but mid-song Marco adjusted it while not missing a single beat in the song! It was a great display of concentration (and persistence!). This first song had quite a jazzy flavor to it, but it was played with a lot of power. I don’t remember hearing jazz, or what to my ears appeared to be jazz, played that way.

He went right into the next song (amidst a roaring applause of approval from the audience), and this one was a more ‘straight at you’, more aggressive type piece. Although it did have its jazzy fills interspersed within, it definitely had more of a rock feel. The combinations and patterns he played were dizzying, but at the same time it was never exaggerated. As fast and as many fills he incorporated into the song, it was never too much. It seemed to all fit seamlessly into the song, without being overdone. This takes a great mastery of composition to accomplish, and Marco was exceptional.

The third piece was even more aggressive, starting as a straight-four rock piece, with lots of ‘double bass onslaught’ fills thrown in. This was the shortest song of the set.

The fourth song was more melodic, almost electronic-sounding, robotic-like. I was amazed at how different his drums sounded in this piece just by the patterns he was implementing. It eventually went into a very fast tempo. He was just all over the kit at this point, as he entered into the first solo of the night.

Marco showed incredible interplay between the drums, with a prodigious display of independence. But throughout the initial songs and this solo, what impressed me was the force with which he played. So much power, yet it didn’t seem like he was over-exerting himself to play that way. The notes were even, and the dynamics he employed gave such life and a personality to the solo that it was a song within itself. Instead of just displaying chops or fast rudiments, he combined these elements plus an incredible knack for composition that, as lengthy as the solo was, it was never boring. But through it all, it was hair-raisingly powerful, and the audience hooted and applauded many times over.

With all that going on, many times Marco employed his stick-twirling techniques that left your jaw dropped. Because as all of the previously described was going on, on occasion he’d dazzle with his flawless stick-twirling. And it wasn’t just the twirling in the air – the sticks would strike the cymbals and drums while twirling. He dropped his stick once, but he recovered so quickly that it almost seemed like it was part of the act! He smiled many times throughout the playing (including when he dropped the stick), and it was great to see how much fun he was having. No doubt the audience was having a blast as well.

There were several styles exhibited during the solo as well, from funky grooves, to complex jazz patterns, to straight out double bass combinations with every part of the kit. Eventually the solo featured a very specific part of the kit – the cymbals. A solo of cymbals ensued, showcasing the various pitches of each cymbal, and even the different sounds that each cymbal could produce, based on how the cymbal was struck. He then performed some stick-twirling tricks with the hi-hat which was just awe-inspiring (difficult to describe!).

There were many, many favorite parts to this solo for me, but near or at the top would be the ending. Marco crescendoed with a dizzying array of speed and dexterity, face-bashing power combinations, to all of a sudden slam to a halt and play “La cucaracha” on the toms. It was such amazing and unexpected comic relief that everyone was just laughing, it was so hilarious. He’d play the first part of that song, then go back to an incredibly fast power combination of fills and patterns, then slam to a halt again and play the second bar of “La cucaracha”. Then he again played yet another powerful combination of complex fills and patterns, then slammed to a halt again to repeat the first bar of “La cucaracha”. And that’s how that solo ended, with thunderous applause to follow. Definitely one of my all-time favorite solos.

Marco then grabbed the microphone and started discussing some of his approach to playing, and his main point was that he doesn’t like repeating things very much, that he likes to be very creative and try new things, and challenge himself. There was a certain cartoon project he was involved in where he was discussing with a colleague how to come up with something new, some type of pattern that never repeats. Marco had an idea already brewing, so he proceeded to play a pattern which seemingly had no rhyme or rhythm. Then he asked his colleague to repeat the pattern. Obviously, he objected, because there was no apparent pattern. Then Marco went on to tell the colleague that in fact the pattern was played exactly to the lyrics sung to “We Will Rock You” by Queen:

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo' face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place

Now the colleague could play it immediately! A seemingly random pattern was now associated with a familiar rhyme, and now the pattern made total sense. Marco went on to show the audience another example, “Tom Sawyer” by Rush:

A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride

So Marco figured out a way to create a pattern that doesn’t repeat, but made total sense. So how could he apply this another way? What if the words were not sung, but just spoken? Could a drum pattern be, well, “patterned”, after that? Marco came across a section of the Monty Python movie “Life of Brian” called “What Have the Romans Ever Done For Us?” To our delight, a screen came down in the performance hall, and while the dialog of that scene was going on, Marco drummed a solo precisely to the dialog! It was one of the most creative things I’ve ever seen done on drums. Each character seemed to have a corresponding drum or combination of drums and cymbals. A rumbling of drums would sound when all in the scene would mumble, and it was just hilarious. Marco said that it took him about four days to figure out all of the spoken parts, first transcribing them to guitar and keyboards, and then to the drums. Masterful.

He then went on to discuss independence, and started by playing a five pattern on one hand, while playing a nine pattern on the other. Playing them simultaneously made for a sympathetic pattern that made sense. He then went on to play a different pattern on each limb, and when played together it also made perfect sense! This he says is how he comes up with patterns he ends up using later on. If the pattern doesn’t work (meaning it sounds like crap ), he discards it. Otherwise, he keeps it.

Next he played a double paradiddle using his feet on the two hi-hats in the kit, one on each side. While that was going, he played a solo over it. Independence indeed!

Q&A

Next were some questions from the audience that Marco fielded. Here’s the gist of them:

Q: ‘What’s your favorite rudiment?’
A: ‘Probably the 5-stroke roll’

Marco went on to demonstrate how versatile this rudiment is, and played over a 4/4, at different modulations, and different accentuations. I never thought of the 5-stroke roll that way before!

Q: ‘What’s your favorite genre of music?’
A: ‘All kinds’

Marco emphasized specific bands more than different genres, and that these bands fell into all types of genre categories. He likes music from Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, The Police, etc. These helped with his playing because he liked them. To him, it’s all about playing the right note. “Whatever you like, you’ll learn it,” Marco said.

Q: ‘What’s your musical background as far as family influences?’
A: ‘Was one of the first in my family to play an instrument’

Even though his father was heavily into music, he did not play an instrument, but was very encouraging to his son. Hearing metal music was what inspired Marco to pursue the music business. His first gig was when he was about 12 or 13 years old, which he chickened out of. But when he did actually get to play, he loved the response of the audience, and there was no turning back. Even at the clinic Marco looked so excited to be playing to an audience and being very appreciative of it.

He always wanted to do his own thing and be as creative as possible, even regarding his kit setup. That’s why, for example, the toms on his bass drum go 10”, 12”, 8”, instead of the typical 8”, 10”, and 12”. This allows him more melodic possibilities for certain patterns he likes to play (I got this information out of him after the show with a little one-on-one time ).

It’s interesting that, as good a drummer as he is, when creating music Marco usually adds the drums last. He also plays guitar and keyboards, and after these parts are down is when he adds the drums. To him this method allows him to be as creative as possible.

After these questions, Marco played a couple of his speed metal-type songs, “Diminished to b” and “Epitaph”. It’s amazing to see what energy and endurance is required to play such songs. “Epitaph” was more of a request from the audience, and I’m not sure Marco was planning on playing it. He hadn’t played it in a while, but he did have it on his music player. So off he went! There was a section in the middle of the song where he seemed to forget what to play, but while he was thinking he just played some other pattern. You could tell on his face when he remembered what to play, and it was smooth sailing till the end of the song. That’s how a pro handles forgetting a drum part!

After these two songs, Marco fielded a few more questions:

Q: ‘Where do you get all that energy from?’
A: ‘I play every day’.

To Marco it’s a matter of dedicating a certain amount of time to practice. This keeps your body in playing shape, especially if you play such demanding pieces as “Epitaph” night after night.

Q: ‘How did you develop the foot speed you have?’
A: ‘By practicing 16^ths and 32^nds, and rudiments’

Again, it’s a matter of practicing. Once you reach a certain level, you can push yourself by just practicing faster. Practicing rudiments with the feet also help with developing foot speed.

What was interesting is that Marco doesn’t consider himself a blast beat expert, even though he plays like one! He basically heard it, and tried to imitate it in his style. So it’s good to develop a musical ear to pick up on how to play certain songs or patterns. This allows us to be more creative, until we actually learn the specifics on how to play these patterns, or make up patterns of our own that work for us.

Q: ‘Who are your favorite drummers?’
A: ‘John Bonham, Buddy Rich, Stewart Copeland, Vinnie Colaiuta, others’

Having these drummers as in influence allows for playing virtually any style that requires a drum kit. In order to prove this, Marco finished the clinic with one last song, a Buddy Rich jazz tune called “Time Check”. He played this song in a way I’ve never seen before, something I liken to ‘hard rock jazz’. He played it with such power, but you could hear all the jazz nuances. I’ve seen Buddy Rich (well, not in person) play this song, and I think these two drummers played it as good as it can be played. An awe-inspiring, powerful way to conclude the clinic.

In Conclusion

There’s a new drummer in my short list of favorite drummers, and that’s Marco Minnemann. He sort of embodies what I like about my other favorite drummers: the speed of Thomas Lang, his dominance over different genres, such as rock and jazz (Steve Smith), the power of John Bonham, and the creativity of Neil Peart. That may be saying a lot, but these are the drummers that were around before him, so he had their styles and influences to draw from. What we have is a multi-talented drum kit player who knows how to ‘overplay’ without overplaying, so to speak. He’s very fast when he needs to be, has impeccable timing, has complete control over his kit, is extremely creative, and is just a downright humble guy. And he loves to share how he plays with others – he holds nothing back.

If you’re fortunate enough to have Mr. Minnemann put on a drum clinic in your area, you do not want to miss it. As much as I’ve written about here, it is nothing compared to seeing this world class drummer in action. Hopefully he’ll come around my area again. If so, I’ll be there!

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Sabian Live at NAMM 2010

Omar — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:09:13 +0000

NAMM is one of the busiest times of the year for the music industry. Every January, the largest music products trade show in the world hits Anaheim, CA, and droves of enthusiasts go to check out the various products, or show off products of their own. Then there are others who go for the music. And at The Paradiddler, the focus is drums.

Once again, I did not have the opportunity to attend in person (maybe next year?). Fortunately, we have sites like DrumChannel.com that streams the event. It’s Sabian’s yearly “Sabian Live”, with live entertainment from some of the best drummers that use Sabian cymbals. I, for one, use Sabian cymbals myself, and I’m very happy with them. Of course, the pros make them sound phenomenal.

Similar to last year, DrumChannel.com had various camera angles during the show that you could switch between (five to be exact), with the fifth one reserved for the backstage interviews. In reviewing DrumChannel.com’s Sabian Live 2009, I tried to glean from the interviews what I could while at the same time watching the live performances. That was a tall order! I missed some really great stuff on both sides, so I took a different slant this time. I decided to be more of a photographer, taking video stills from the live stream of the musical performances, and presenting them here for your viewing pleasure. Alas, I could not get the whole show (more on that later).

The event was co-hosted by Dom Famularo, drumming ambassador to the world, and Dream Theater’s own Mike Portnoy. Dom reminds me of Terry Bozzio, in the sense that they’re both so enthusiastic about drumming that it’s infectious. You can’t not like drums when you’re around those guys. And that’s just from watching them online! The only thing wrong with Mike Portnoy was that he didn’t play. Well, he was there to host and MC, so we’ll let it slip (this time).

Musical guests for Sabian Live were:

Little Kids Rock – students from the organization dedicated to putting music back in schools
Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats
Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin, David Torn and Pat Mastelotto
Steve Ferrone with The Master Volume All-Stars featuring Steve Postell, Leland Sklar, Kevin Ricard and other celebrities

Here are some highlights from the performances.

Little Kids Rock

Here’s the scoop on this fine organization, taken from LittleKidsRock.org: “Since 2002, Little Kids Rock has been dedicated to putting music back in schools. We provide students with free musical instruments and instruction that focuses on their favorite popular music styles, including rock, blues, rap and hip-hop. So far, over 1,200 schools in more than 23 cities nationwide have benefited from a Little Kids Rock program, and the response from kids, parents and teachers has been phenomenal.”

The kids at NAMM put on a pretty good show. They played two songs: “Aces High” from Iron Maiden(!) and “La Grange” by ZZ Top. Ok, I don’t even remember if I’ve ever heard “Aces High”, but these kids’ rendition of it was very well performed. I’ll have to give it up to the bass player, though: anyone (especially a kid) who can play bass like Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris is fine in my book!

Their rendition of “La Grange” was a little fast for my taste, but they got through it well enough. I think that’s a song that has to be enjoyed at the original speed, but that’s just me!

Here’s a pic from their performance:

Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats

I had not the chance to see any of this band’s performances until tonight. This was a real treat, because this group was fantastic.

I like Chad’s playing in Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I like his performances outside of that band more than inside. In the 2008 Buddy Rich Memorial concert review (2^nd article), I talked about Chad’s excellent performance in the show, one of the best of the night. I think his performance with the Meatbats was even better. It seems like he plays more liberated when outside of RHCP. That’s not a bad thing, however. When you’re in a band, it’s always about the song, and the best songs are those where the musicians put the song first before themselves. But with the Bombastic Meatbats, it’s more about jamming, and boy did they jam.

It was a very spirited set, six songs in all. At least, that’s what I counted. One of the songs sounded like a medley of three. Chad introduced the second song called “Oops I Spilled My Beer.” I’m positive many in attendance could relate J. The Bombastic Meatbats to me were the best part of Sabian Live.

Here are some pics from the performance.

Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin, David Torn, Pat Mastelotto

If Terry Bozzio’s going to be on the bill, you know you’re in for, well, complexity. This night was no exception. I should have timed the first song, because it took forever! It was a brooding, dark, menacing piece. The next day during DC at NAMM Terry mentioned that it was all improvised, and that for a lot of the performance he could not hear at all at least one of the other musicians. It sounded all in unison to me, which was very impressive. It seemed more like a progressive rock piece, kind of self-indulgent (in a good way though!). Tony Levin’s playing was just sick – it amazes me how he’s flailing away on his ‘bass’ and creates such beautiful melodies.

Unfortunately, it was at this point that the Drum Channel feed dropped for the longest time. But I did catch some pics of the performance, so here they are.

Steve Ferrone with the Master Volume All-Stars

Well, it was getting very late at this point, and the feed from Drum Channel was a little shaky, but I did get a few pics from this performance. I have to say that this was my least favorite part of the show, even though the drumming was very good. Steve had a very nice pocket going. He swears like a trooper, though! The song selection was not my cup of tea, but I like anything live!

Here are a few pics from this performance:

And that was the show!

As far as the sound goes, it was much, much better this time around than last year, so Drum Channel got that right this time. Chad Smith’s drums sounded just fantastic. Like I said, that was my favorite part of the show.

In a future article, I’ll put out pics from some of the interviewing that went on backstage during the performances. It’s very difficult to cover everything from afar (hm, I’ll have to assemble a team for the next one!). In any case, it was a good time, with very good performances. I believe Drum Channel will be posting these performances on their site in the near future, so watch out for those.

And that’s a wrap!

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Great Snares of Rock

Omar — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:51:38 +0000

DW Edge Snare

No other drum in a drummer’s kit stirs up more emotion than the snare drum.

It is a very unique drum. As individual as the drummer themselves. Some drummers go through a painstaking sampling process to determine which snare drum sounds just right for them. For those who can afford it, many snares make it to the inventory, for when the occasion calls, there’s the perfect snare waiting in the wings.

For some drummers, even though they have their snares, that sound doesn’t define them. Maybe the whole of the kit defines them. Others are known for their snare sound, and even have their own signature snare made for them. In any case, it’s a special drum.

In the article “Leave That Snare Alone!”, I talked about how special the snare is, and how attached drummers are to them. Sometimes whole kits come and go, but when we hit the sweet spot with the snare, it stays. Some even stay with the same drum (not only the make and model, but the actual drum) for decades. ‘Leave that snare alone’ indeed!

Being that the case, over the years I myself have grown fond of this drum. I currently have only two snares at the moment, but my search is on for the snare (or snares!) that I’ll fall in love with. Ever since I was little, this drum has always captivated me with the sheer power of being able to penetrate through so much amplification. You have to respect the snare drum.

So many different snare sounds as well, with their different sizes, differing snare strand counts, different tunings on both top and bottom heads, throw off, throw on, ringing, muffling – ‘the end is listless’. It’s so much fun.

All that being said, after many years of listening, I’ve come up with a list of my top five favorite snare sounds in all of Rock. Of course, there’s Jazz, Country, and whatever other genres, that use the snare too, but I grew up in a little town north of Boston listening mostly to Rock. Hearing all these songs and bands on the radio, vinyl, 8-Track, cassette, CD, mp3, etc., well, you get to hear a lot of different snare sounds, if that’s what you’re looking for specifically.

Admittedly, this top five is very subjective. Like I said, there are as many snare sound preferences as there are drummers; these are just my favorites. There are more snare drum sounds that I truly love as well, but I’m limiting my countdown to five.

When I started researching for this article, I figured that, if I could, I would find out from the artists themselves what specific snare drum they used. Some of us may want to imitate those sounds on our kit as closely as possible, so why not hear ‘from the horse’s mouth’ what the artist played? I was thrilled to get responses from the very artists who produced these awesome snare sounds.

The descriptions I give about what I hear are strictly how I hear them. Someone else may hear something very different, or not agree at all. Or maybe you’ll wonder, “What’s that snare doing on this list?” Sometimes it’s not just the sound of the drum, but it’s also how the music makes you feel (see “Not Just About the Drums”). You’ll also note that there’s a common thread among these snares, which I’ll emphasize in the end. So without further ado, here’s TheParadiddler.com’s list of the top five snare sounds in Rock.

Number 5: Simon Kirke, Free, “All Right Now”

The first time I heard this song on the radio, the drum sound immediately stood out. Yes, you have the recognizable guitar riff, but to me, the snare sound was just beautiful. Actually, I really love the bass drum sound too. You can hear the smack of the beater create the full, rich bass drum sound with fast decay. I like bass drums that are thick and fast, and get out of the way. But even though the bass drum here had a tinge of boominess, it fit the overall sound just right.

But I digress! Back to the snare. When I first heard it a long time ago, I couldn’t describe why I liked it – I just did. It felt so right in that song. I like the snare’s innocent pop, but it’s also very pronounced. I don’t like snares that have a lot of delay, as if the snares are loosely set, or by post-production (a la Def Leppard’s Rick Allen) – this snare was totally the opposite. Fast, quick, responsive, slightly thick – a thing of beauty, a feast for the ears.

The sound I describe is mainly during the verses of the song. Because the volume of the singers seems to go up a bit during the chorus, the snare doesn’t sound as pronounced. Another thing I noticed is that the drums sound better on the radio than they do on my computer playing as an mp3. Not significantly better, but enough for these ears to notice. All I know is, whenever “All Right Now” comes on the radio, I must listen to that snare.

So what did Simon Kirke play on for this recording? Well, TheParadiddler.com inquired, and he was gracious enough to answer me directly! Not only did he give specifics of the snare, but of the whole kit. It wasn’t a complicated kit, but here’s what Simon says (couldn’t resist the game reference ):

“The kit was a Ludwig Super Classic. Regular size snare, 14x5.5”. 22x14 kick, 12x8 and 14x14 toms. Paiste cymbals. No special tuning. A bit of duct tape on the snare.”^*

Well, that setup produced one of my favorite snare sounds of all time. Some muffling on the snare is interesting, since I tend to try to eliminate the ringing of my snares as well (check out “The Ringing In My Ears”). All in all, great sounding kit, greater sounding snare – it’s, well, ‘all right now’.

Number 4: Keith Moon, The Who, “My Wife” from The Kids are Alright

When I was very young, my brother took me to the cinema to watch a movie. I had no idea what the movie was – I was just glad my brother was taking me out! We went to see The Kids Are Alright. It remains one of my favorite movies. It had such an impact musically on me as far as expanding my Rock palate. Suddenly Kiss wasn’t the only band in the world! Wow, these guys were fun, crazy, funny, and immensely talented musically.

The funny thing is, the snare drum sound I extracted from this movie was not from the movie itself, but from the soundtrack. “My Wife” (the performance occurred at the Gaumont State Theatre, Kilburn, in London on December 15^th, 1977) did not appear in the movie originally, but what an impression the drumming made on me! Well, the drumming made an impression on me before that, but this song awakened my awareness to what a snare with personality sounds like. It has such incredible presence in this song.

It showcases such a rainbow of sound with each strike. It almost sounds like it has microscopic jingle bells – I can almost hear the bells with each strike (within the context of the snare, very fast), almost trebly. It has a fat, punchy sound, but fast and pronounced – it is never drowned out by any of the other sounds in the song, instruments or voice.

We all know about Keith Moon’s prowess on the kit. I actually think this is one of his best drumming performances. There are no holes drumming-wise in the song. He fills all the gaps. He uses the whole of the kit, and the snare is featured very prominently throughout.

I hadn’t heard this song in a long time, but I always knew that the sound of the snare impacted me from the moment I heard it. I definitely stored it away in my mind as one of my favorite sounding snares. If I had one phrase to describe the sound of this snare, I think it would be: “an orchestra of sound in one strike”.

Now, as beautiful as the sound of this snare is, that’s equally how hard it was to figure out what the snare drum is! We all know that Keith played Premier drums. The January 2010 issue of Drum! magazine stated that he used Ludwig and Gretsch snares. I inquired of several sources to determine if anyone knew specifically what snare Keith used on this recording. That may have been a tall order, but alas, it was to no avail – no specific answer (yet). As soon as The Paradiddler finds out, it will be posted.

Nevertheless, this is one of the best snare drum sounds I’ve ever heard, very difficult to duplicate. But then again, so is the drummer!

Number 3: Alan White, Yes, 9012 Live

I had a friend in middle school that was a Rush fan as I was. However, he was also just as much into Yes. I didn’t understand his obsession. I knew about “I’ve Seen All Good People/Your Move” and “Roundabout”, but that’s all I knew about Yes. (Actually, I liked “Roundabout” a lot, because of one of the most famous bass licks in Rock that Chris Squire plays.) He tried to get me into them by playing “The Gates of Delirium” from Relayer. Suffice it to say that I just didn’t get it.

My older brother one day secured tickets to see Yes during their Big Generator tour. It was a week after having seen Rush for the first time (best back-to-back concerts ever). I said, “Oh well, what the heck. Free show, right?” To this day it was the best sounding concert I’ve ever been to. Once they played “Heart of the Sunrise” (I believe it was the second song in the set list), which I’d never heard before, Yes was instantly my second favorite band ever (Rush was and still is number one). Now I understood my friend!

I made a note to start listening to as much of Yes as my friend could give me. I was particularly interested in Alan White (even though every musician that has played in Yes is superb). He was such a great timekeeper, explosive when he needed to be, reserved when needed - a consummate drummer.

Eventually I procured Yes’ VHS release of 9012 Live (recorded at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada, on September 28^th and 29^th, 1984), and I absolutely loved it. My favorite versions of “I’ve Seen All Good People” and “Starship Trooper”, to this day, are from that performance. “It Can Happen”, to me, is epic. But of course, from a drummer’s perspective, it’s the snare drum that stood out from Alan’s playing.

As the dynamics rose at the beginning of “Cinema” (the first song of the show), I was floored by the power and finesse that was emanating from the snare. The ghost notes were very pronounced alongside the powerful strikes. You can hear the echo of the snare in the coliseum as if you were there. Well, if you have your VHS (or DVD) hooked up to your stereo system, you can hear Alan’s snare pack a powerful punch.

Maybe it was unintentional, but even though his kit as a whole sounded good, his snare sound to me was so much better as compared to the rest of the kit. It had boomy pop, of sorts. It responded perfectly to however Alan played it. It’s almost like Alan and the snare made each other play and sound better. I think the snare, more than the bass drum, was the driving force of Alan’s performance. The finesse and power which came out of the snare particularly during the Würm section of “Starship Trooper”, was a triumphant climax in a stellar performance, playing and sound-wise.

This was another one of those cases where it was not only about how the snare sounded, but also about how it made me feel. To me this snare sounded awe-inspiring, perfectly tuned, perfectly mic’ed - a perfect storm of a snare.

Ok, so what snare did he use that night? Fortunately, Mr. White himself personally answered TheParadiddler.com’s inquiry, and I’m very grateful for that! I know that drummers usually have several snares in their arsenal, but sometimes there’s one in particular that’s a favorite. Here’s what Alan said about his snare that night (or those two nights, actually):

‘Ludwig 6.5x14” hammered bronze snare with die-cast hoops, Remo heads and a 12-strand snare. Still using the snare on current kit.’

The fact that he’s still using that very snare on his current kit is a testament to the outstanding sound this drum produces. I sense it’s a favorite of Alan’s, and it’s one of my favorites as well!

Number 2: Neil Peart, Rush, Counterparts Tour, Auburn Hills, MI, March 27^th, 1994

Following the career of Neil Peart has brought much musical joy to me. He, together with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, to me, form the best trio in Rock, due to their creativity, endurance, and never, ever, just going through the motions.

Many times they’ve had to stick to their guns, creating and playing music that was satisfying to them, and not necessarily the record company’s (a la 2112). This also applies to the equipment they use as well. If it sounds good and it works, why not continue with it? This applies more to Neil’s choice of snare drum than anything else.

For the longest time, from the time he joined the band, all the way up to the Counterparts tour, he used a 5x14” wooden Slingerland Artist snare that he bought for $60.00, secondhand! This ended up being a very versatile snare, and throughout the years Neil got a lot of different sounds from it. I really loved how it sounded on Exit… Stage Left, both the video and the LP (later CD). Maybe because that’s when I started liking Rush, and Rush fans tend to like most the Rush era when they got into their music.

But it would not remain that way. Along came Counterparts in 1993, and I was floored by the dynamic sound of that CD. A very raw, loud (but not distorted) sound, in your face. All three musicians stood out – to me, this is one of Rush’s best sounding recordings. The drums really stood out. And obviously, so did the snare. The same snare as always, but there was so much punch to it, very solid. I don’t think I ever heard Neil’s “Number One” sound so good.

The goodness of this snare’s sound carried on to the tour. I (lamentingly) didn’t get to see this tour in person, but I got a hold of a bootleg of the performance mentioned above (no I didn’t buy it, nor did I sell it, but someone had it, and I had to watch!). I was floored by the sound of the snare on this performance.

I’d have to describe the snare as having a ‘snap of the whip’ type sound, but obviously with much more power and projection. I think the acoustics of the venue served the snare drum quite well. The fast fills were very well defined, and when Neil hit the snare with mighty force, the full-bodied snapping sound penetrated all other sounds fiercely. One of the songs that particularly highlight how great the snare sounded that night was “Double Agent”. I’m hoping someday that Rush release that show on DVD (one can hope!).

We were very lucky to have an authorized release of part of the show, anyway. In the article “Neil Peart Solo Number Two – Counterparts, 1994”, which was part of an exhaustive ranking by TheParadiddler.com of all of Neil Peart’s published solos (you can read the beginning of the series at “Neil Peart’s Solos Ranked”), it was mentioned that this solo was included in the Anatomy of a Drum Solo instructional video by Neil Peart. That, actually, was the qualifier for including the solo in the countdown, and I’m very glad it was published for the general public. Such a great solo. Neil’s drums always sound great, including of course, his “Number One” Slingerland.

This tour ended up being the Slingerland’s swan song, because it was retired in favor of some DW snares that Neil had grown fond of. I’m sure it’s still a favorite in his heart. As for me, it produced some of my all time favorite snare sounds.

Number 1: John Bonham, Led Zeppelin

One thing we can say about the sound of John Bonham’s snare drum is that it was very consistent. The sound varied little from album to album, even to live settings. But it was always vintage Bonham. It’s very difficult to nail down a specific performance that exhibited the snare’s best sound, because it always sounded consistently great.

This is one of my favorite snare drum sounds, if not my favorite. It is so powerful, yet when played softly, it whispers. It plays ‘fat’, but the fat sound is gone as soon as it comes, giving it a complex, full sound. It has nice bottom and high end frequencies, giving it a multifaceted voice. I can’t say enough about its sound: it absolutely rocks.

There’s something else about this snare that I’ve never been able to figure out to this day. I think it’s only me, but who knows. It seems like when Bonham struck the snare, it sounded like there was always a ‘ghost note’ struck simultaneously. Sort of like an ever-so-slight echo, but right before instead of right after the main strike. Ok, not every single time, but way enough times for me to notice. I don’t think I’ve heard this phenomenon with any other snare (or drummer?). At least it’s what I hear. It’s hard for me to explain, but it only adds to the drum’s mystique.

So what snare drum is it that JB played? It was the Ludwig Supraphonic 402, 6.5x14", chrome plated aluminum alloy. For those who want to reproduce as faithfully as possible the John Bonham sound, many try to obtain these models made during the time Bonham was playing. But according to Shane Kinney of the Drum Center of Portsmouth, NH, this is not necessary.

Shane demos lots of the gear sold at the store on their YouTube channel. He does a great job, especially with their snare drums, to explain the virtues of the drum, and for the snares he demos their sound with low, medium, and high tunings. One of the snares he demos is a new Ludwig Supraphonic 402 6.5x14" snare. According to Shane, you don’t need to seek out a ‘vintage’ 402 to get that Bonham sound - the new ones sound just as good. To see for yourself, here’s a video of Shane demonstrating the sound of one of the most awesome snares in Rock.

It has been noted that Bonham later used a 42-strand(!) snare on his drum, so if you really want that JB sound, you may want to experiment with different snare strand configurations, in addition to the one that comes from the factory.

So what conclusion can we arrive to after all is said and done? As far as Rock goes, Ludwig rules. Four of the five drummers on this list used Ludwig snares. And although Neil Peart wasn’t known to use Ludwig snares, from Rush’s Hold Your Fire release in 1988 up until the Counterparts tour in 1994 (thereabouts), his kit was Ludwig (when he then switched to Drum Workshop). So again, across the board, Ludwig rules in Rock.

Of course, there are many, many brands of snare drums, and each drummer has their own preference. I’m of the belief, and I’m sure I’m not alone, that the snare drum should be brand independent in a drummer’s kit. It’s a unique drum in a drummer’s kit, and the one many are very passionate about.

I hope this little countdown of my top five snare sounds in Rock has created a little spark, encouraging you to experiment in duplicating your favorite snare sounds, or configuring a sound all your own. As for me, the next time I’m in the market for a new snare, at least I know what brand it will be!

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^*All manufacturers mentioned here can be accessed from the Drum Directory of this web site

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Stewart Copeland Answers Questions From The Paradiddler

Omar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:22:52 +0000

Stewart Copeland – quite the character; amazing drummer.

A while back, The Paradiddler reviewed the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival DVD, a part one and part two series of articles. The second article expounded on Stewart’s appearance in the show, which of course was very impressive. However, I found his interview to be even more appealing.

I won’t go into all the details here (you can just read part two of the review!), but one of the things I found most interesting was his explanation of why he finds he plays with more power with the traditional grip vs. matched grip. As is the common belief, more power is achieved when playing with matched grip, where traditional grip is reserved for more nuanced type play. Even as he explained it, and demonstrated it, I still found it very difficult to do (I still do). I wanted even more details, but for the moment I was content with his explanation.

Just recently, Stewart released his book, “Strange Things Happen: A Life With The Police, Polo, and Pygmies”, which has received rave reviews. Before the release of the book back in September, HarperCollins Publishers^* of the UK offered fans the opportunity to ask Stewart questions regarding the book, or whatever else they wanted to, and Stewart would answer some of the questions. Well, I asked him three questions, and he answered all of them! That is what I want to share with you.

I still had the question regarding the power of his traditional grip, so I asked:

The Paradiddler: What is it about the traditional grip that you prefer over the matched grip? How do you get more power out of it where most “power” drummers swear by the matched grip?

Stewart Copeland: My theory is that the thumb is a stronger digit than the forefinger. And the pressure is applied to the stick more directly by the thumb then by the combination of fingers that matched grip employs. My own preference though, is just about early training.

I find this to be very interesting. The last thing he says is the most significant to me: “My own preference though, is just about early training.” It’s almost always an issue of what you started out training with, which grip you learned in the beginning. Drummers who for most or all of their lives play traditional grip will find a way to maximize power using that grip, and Stewart explains exactly how that’s accomplished. So for those who insist on sticking to traditional grip, Stewart provides an important key for generating power.

Next question from The Paradiddler to Stewart Copeland:

TP: What drummers or other musicians influenced you most during your tenure with The Police? How about today?

SC: Burning Spear Live and the Clash’s first album were major guiding lights. Nowadays I’m invigorated by that flash bastard Joey Jordison in Slipknot.

Now I understand yet again reggae’s influence on The Police’s music, evidenced in a song such as “Walking On the Moon”. Burning Spear has been around for, like, forever, and even though I am not into reggae as much, I know that genre has influenced many other genres and bands, The Police and Stewart Copeland no exception. And it is difficult not to marvel at Joey Jordison’s chops, both hands and feet. Phenomenal.

Final question from The Paradiddler to Stewart Copeland:

TP: What do you find more enjoyable: composing, or playing live? And why?

SC: Composing is way more enjoyable but performing live is way more exciting.

In the above-mentioned review, Stewart did talk about his passion for composing, much more than being in a band. But his performance on the show was very lively and fun, and you could tell he was having a good time.

Speaking of passion for composing, Ben Hur Live^®, an arena production currently storming through Europe (as of this article), showcases the music of Stewart Copeland. You can go to his official web site to check for dates.

I am in awe of Stewart Copeland’s talents. Some day (hopefully) soon, I’ll be playing a drum cover to one of The Police’s songs, but I know it will be a tall order, due to the nuances that Mr. Copeland plays with. He is one of the great drummers of our time, and certainly a great composer as well!

If you want to obtain a copy of his latest book, “Strange Things Happen: A Life With The Police, Polo, and Pygmies”, click here.

_______
^*Many thanks to Robin Harvie at Harper Collins for facilitating the Q&A between Stewart Copeland and The Paradiddler.

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Perry, Peart and Bozzio: Pearls of Drumming Wisdom

Omar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:04:17 +0000

I eagerly awaited June 18^th, 2009. DrumChannel.com was going to feature Doane Perry (Jethro Tull), Neil Peart (Rush), and Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, DrumChannel resident). So many years of drumming experience, coincidentally from the so-called "progressive rock" genre. In any case, it was an event I couldn't miss.

Those who have followed TheParadiddler.com can deduce who my favorite drummer is, so I thought that this would be a good opportunity to get to know Perry and Bozzio a little more. Doane Perry I knew the least of, and I remember Terry from his Missing Persons days (crazy hair and all). Unfortunately, I missed Terry during his Frank Zappa days as well (boy, do I have a lot of homework to do!). But I can always catch up.

I had no expectations about this event. Maybe some thought that the three would at some point break out into an all-out jam, going crazy all over whatever drum kit they were presented. I for one, merely wanted to be a spectator and try to glean from them whatever pearls of wisdom I may not have heard before, and find a way for them to fit into my philosophy of drumming. I did submit via the chat room a couple of questions, but there were so many questions, and some most likely submitted theirs even days before the event, that mine were not asked (if anyone wants to know, and if I remember them, just let me know!).

So with paper and pen in hand, I listened, and waited. It actually was a little mesmerizing to see such great drummers altogether, like old chums, yapping it up, laughing with (and at!) each other - it was a lot of fun. From what I gathered, some people still seem to think that Neil Peart is a very moody, somewhat somber person. Maybe because he's so serious when he plays, that transfers to other parts of his life. Now I don't know him personally, but he seemed the most jolly and affable of the three (well, four if you count Don Lombardi, who was conducting the interview). Terry's just a nut (in a good way). His enthusiasm is so contagious - you can't help but get excited when you hear him speak. Doane was more the passive one, slowly doling out his story (even to the point of Neil 'mock' dozing off during one of his stories). They just all got along and had a good time.

Ahem, back to the paper and pen. So I thought I'd jot down the 'pearls of wisdom' that any of these guys might say that we would want to think about and remember. Of course, we can go to DrumChannel.com and watch the rebroadcast of the show, but for those who either missed it, or would like somewhat of a summary, the following is what I found most interesting. I'm sure I'll miss a few (or several) things, but hey, we can watch it again! I'll mention what the drummer said, and what I think about what they said. I'll be paraphrasing for the most part.

Neil Peart: 'No other instrument is like the drums. There are as many different setups as there are drummers.'
- The Paradiddler: How many instruments can you tinker with different positions to tailor to the individual player? Very few if any! But with drums, configurations are limitless. You have different piece counts, cymbal counts, throne height, tom angles, hi-hat height, how open you have the hi-hats, drum tuning possibilities (don't even get me started there!), percussion, etc. Really, how many ways can you configure a saxophone?
Doane Perry: 'Drums are misunderstood. They seem easy, but most struggle past a straight four-beat. Drummers sympathize with each other.'
- TP: I totally agree with this! Many look at drummers and think what they do is easy. "Oh, anybody can sit down and do what that guy's doing." But sit them down and have them play something simple as "Back In Black" by AC/DC, or almost any Creedence Clearwater Revival song, and they will always flop. I alluded to that in my article "A Perspective On Drum Covers". Even though I still think the drummers in the aforementioned bands could have done more, their simple beats served those songs. Plus, it's a lot harder to keep a solid beat than most think!
DP: Doane said he at one time took lessons from Billy Cobham.
- TP: This might have been the funniest reaction of the whole show. Both Terry and Neil were like "Whoa, wait a minute, back up - what did you say? Lessons with Billy Cobham? When did this happen?" Apparently nobody knew that! A little trivia for us drumming buffs.
Terry Bozzio: 'The music you want to play should dictate what skills to practice. Also, practice what you don't know. Don't waste time practicing and warming up with paradiddles if you already know them."
- TP: Ok Terry, quit bashing paradiddles! (Just kidding). What he says make perfect sense. If you're going to be playing more jazzy stuff, you might be wasting your time practicing blast beat double-bass drumming. You may want to hone your skills with traditional grip, for example. Or if you're going to cover rock bands, where most bars are straight fours, practice timing. Well, timing (or groove, maybe) is good for all genres, but that's just an example. I'm still practicing single and double stroke rolls!
NP: 'The 9x13 drum is my benchmark drum size. I love the tonality.'
- TP: In my article "Neil Peart Solo Number 3 - Rush In Rio, 2003", I called Neil's 9x13 tom the 'magic tom' (you'll have to read why if you haven't!). Little did I know what Neil thinks of this particular drum! It is a beautiful sounding drum. I'm sure for Neil this tom and his snare have a very good relationship!
DP: 'The more you practice, the more things "come to you". But you have to sweat it; you have to practice a lot.'
- TP: Personally, I've found this to be true. On a particular practice session that I recorded of myself, when I watched it I was actually dumbfounded that I could play what I was playing. I didn't realize until afterwards that I'd been trying to play specifically that way for some time, and I actually did it! And it came with practice.
TP: "Gadd is in the details"
- TP: Ok, this was me in the chat room, but I was actually surprised that I said it! Someone had commented that Steve Gadd's style of drumming, at least for this chatter, was boring. I then said the above. I got some compliments on that, but I do believe it's true. Many will swear by Steve Gadd's technique, so much so that most will agree that, well, "Gadd is in the details." I haven't followed Mr. Gadd as much as I'd like, but that's the great thing about all these great drummers: so much to look forward to!
NP: "You don't have to keep the time; everyone's keeping the time."
- TP: I find this to be true even when playing a drum cover. When I was recording my drum cover of Rush's "Dreamline", I found myself at times following Geddy Lee's voice more than Neil's drumming! Maybe Neil does this as well. Yes, everyone's keeping the time, but drummers, make sure you don't lose time, ok?

Well, there was a lot more said, but you can view the encore presentation at DrumChannel.com. This was more of a highlight list, the things I found most interesting, the 'pearls of wisdom'. But of course, the drummers had to jam, and jam they did. It wasn't a bombastic display, as some expected. But is was more a melodic approach. Well that went on for along time, and Don Lombardi had to stop them! Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. Here are a few photos from the show^*. I hope you enjoy them, and if you missed it, go to DrumChannel and hear it from the boys themselves!

The trio at work

Terry's in there somewhere!

Terry Bozzio at home

"Even I don't know what to do with this kit!"

...and scene. That's a wrap!

_____

^*Many, many thanks to Stephanie (the muse!) and Claire (you're so clairific!) from DrumChannel.com in provisioning for TheParadiddler.com some of the great photos you see in this article.

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The Paradiddler, Origins – Finale

Omar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:43:15 +0000

With Number One

The Paradiddler, Origins - Part 3

One fine anniversary day, not too long ago, my most awesomest wife gives me the greatest surprise of all.

Let me back up a bit. When I met my wife to be, she got to know my obsession with drums. I met her in the Dominican Republic, a long ways from Massachusetts, where I was living at the time. It was a meeting of chance, a meeting that was not supposed to happen, a dream come true. The most beautiful girl on the island - and she liked me too! I was way above cloud nine -

But I digress! That's a story for another day. Anyways, as I frequented the island, I always brought with me whatever videos of Rush I had (VHS then). She had brothers that were interested in music as well, and they thought this guy surrounded by drums was pretty awesome ("What's that guy doing surrounded by all those cans?"). But whether she liked it at the time, or suffered in silence , my girlfriend liked me (and later loved me) for who I was.

Fast forward several years later. As I've stated before, many years went by without having any drums of my own. So I spent my time air drumming to whatever I could. After a while, though, I got tired of it. In my mind I knew how to play, but if I didn't have a kit, well, I'll just watch and be a fan. Nothing wrong with that either, at least that's what I told myself.

So one day my wife starts asking me about drums and what not. Drums are not her favorite subject, but they are mine, so off and on we'd chat about it a bit. Out of the blue she asks me which is the most important drum, if I could have one, which would it be. Without hesitation, I answered the snare drum. That is the most important drum. You learn your rudiments on them, dynamics, accentuation (well, I didn't tell her all these things, but hey, it's true!), etc. Then she asks where do they sell these things, and I said any music store will have them, so I ramble off some names like Guitar Center, Sam Ash, and the like. Then she asks what they cost, and I gave her a range. Mind you, these questions were not all at once, but I think you may sense where this is going.

Come anniversary day, she presents me with a gift - a box. Actually two. So I open the bigger one, and lo and behold, it's a snare drum! A DW Pacific snare! And a really good stand for it too! How'd she know? I'm so gullible. She schemed with her cousin to buy it for her without my knowing ("Clever girl!"). I have to admit I was in tears (just a little ) - it was one of the best gifts she had ever given me. The spark was back!

So on occasion, so that she wouldn't regret it, I would practice at selective times, albeit sloppily and without direction, single and double stroke rolls, mostly. I was content with this for a while. Hey, it wasn't a kit, but it was mine (you know, like the birds in "Finding Nemo" said, "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!"). I was double-stroking here, accenting there, rim shots - it was a blast.

Now I have all this drumming in my head, all these experiences and opinions about drumming swimming in my mind, and I still didn't have a kit. During this time I discovered blogs, and that you could write about anything you wanted in them. Well we all know what I like! So I start TheParadiddler.com, my outlet for expressing my views on drums and percussion.

Ok. So now I have a blog about my favorite subject, but really, can I talk about playing without actually having a kit? Well, I could do that, but I could only take that so far. So I decided that enough is enough, I must have a kit so I can talk and demonstrate the different angles and points of view on drums. I started building my kit methodically, without rush, so as to get the initial kit in an acceptable configuration (well, at least acceptable to me). Finally, in November of 2008, my kit was completed! The About page of this site will always have a video of whatever my current configuration is, but it has remained relatively unchanged (except for some of the heads). But you know I had to have a double-bass pedal to start!

I was very proud to write my 'maiden voyage' piece, "The Reference Drummer". I'd like to think I coined that phrase for what I'm referring to in the article (you read it and let me know!), and it's still one of my favorites. On the playing side, I decided to record myself playing drum covers even though very rusty. I wanted to show the progression, my journey of me getting better over time, accepting all constructive criticism (and kudos!), so that we can all learn from each other. My YouTube channel shows my drumming getting better over time (hopefully!). I hope it inspires newbies to just have fun - even if it sounds bad! You'll get better with practice.

And that brings us to today. That's how TheParadiddler.com came to be, and I hope to continue writing fresh and thought-provocative pieces concerning our most favorite instrument - the drums! - and everything that has to do with them.

So there you have it! This has been The Paradiddler, Origins. I hope you enjoyed it! If you have a story to tell, you can share that with us here!

Drum on!

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The Paradiddler – Origins, Part 2

Omar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:57:47 +0000

As instructed by my older brother's friend, I slipped the cassette into the player. That one chord that started off "Tom Sawyer" would change my taste in music, particularly drumming, forever. Who was this guy? I had never heard anyone play like that. Such force, such precision, such creativity. Of course, it was Neil Peart, and I was awoken.

At that moment, and as I heard the rest of Moving Pictures, my passion for Kiss went down the tubes really fast. Mind you, to this day I still remember how much I loved Kiss, and whenever they're on TV with their makeup, I just have to watch. They put out some great music in the 70's and early 80's, especially live, but when Rush came into my life, my musical taste immediately became more, I don't know, educated? Yes, that's it! You see, you don't just listen to Rush - you learn from them. They became my teachers, my tutors, on how to rock and still be fairly decent human beings. Their focus was on the music, always. I loved that about them. Of course, my interest mostly lay on the drums, and Neil Peart was a great teacher (actually, to this day he still is, i.e., Anatomy of a Drum Solo).

Now my focus was on learning how Neil played. As a young lad, I became somewhat narrow-minded, not really in a bad way, but it was just that I was very content to absorb everything Neil Peart did, disregarding other drummers for the most part. It was a phase where I thought he was the best drummer in the world, when I thought there was such a thing.

The other issue for me was that there was no chance I was ever going to be allowed a drum set from my parents. 'Too loud', 'couldn't be bothered', 'don't understand that music', etc. So I was confined to air drumming, and figuring out how Neil was playing that ride pattern on "YYZ" (I thought he was using two hands, till I saw the Exit... Stage Left video and saw he was using just one! Huge revelation for me). I have to admit, though, for the many years that went by without a kit, air drumming was instrumental (hm, methinks that was a pun!) in my learning how to play the drums. As subsequent Rush albums came out, I got "better" at learning the nuances of Neil's drumming. The early days of MTV played its fair share of Rush videos, so I got some visual "training" as well as developing my musical ear.

During this time, I did like a few other drummers a lot, but to me they were just not in Mr. Peart's league. I really liked Steve Smith, Alex Van Halen, Steward Copeland, and when I got into Yes, Alan White and Bill Bruford. All of these drummers are great. There was no lack of 'training', so to speak.

Occasionally I got a taste of playing real drums. A schoolmate of mine was in a band and had a really nice drum kit in his house. His favorite drummer was Alex Van Halen, although he liked Neil Peart as well. I visited one time and asked if I could play his kit a little, and I played a little bit of "YYZ" while singing the guitar part. He was impressed! That was the first time I became aware of the bounce of the heads, the feel of the kit, something obviously you can't develop in the air. I filed that in the back of my mind for future reference. Another good friend of mine, who was a huge Yes and Rush fan (he was the one who got me into Yes) acquired a very crappy drum set (better than what I had, which was NOTHING). He was a pretty good guitar player, and we jammed a little to "Tom Sawyer", which was for me a blast. When else was I going to play?

Yet a little more time went on, and I found myself living in Arizona for a little over a year (very strange, yes). But one day I'm sitting around the house and my father and brother pull in the driveway, they open the van door, and they start unloading a drum set! My brother had convinced our Dad to buy me a kit. Mind you, it was pretty beat up, the snare head was severely taped, but I didn't care! To this day I don't remember what brand anything was. Actually, as I'm writing this, I really never bothered to ask how that came about! I'll have to as my brother sometime.

My father of course laid some ground rules as to when I could play, so I had to be careful. I played when I could, never after dark, mostly on weekends, that kind of thing. But I was ecstatic. I had many years of air drumming in my head, so I played songs like "Tom Sawyer" (of course), The Kinks' "Destroyer", and others. Of course, this bliss would be too good to last.

I found out one day that a really cute Cuban girl and her family were coming over to visit. So when they did, I just had to show off a little bit and play what I knew. I'll never really know (or I don't remember) if she was impressed, but I know someone who wasn't - my Dad! It was after dark, and I played without regard. I guess that was the last straw for him, and I was ordered the drum kit be decommissioned. A very sad day in the young Paradiddler's life! Oh well, back to learning by eye and ear!

From this point, and for many years, I would be drumless. Oh I would watch what I could of the drummers I liked, and I actually got to see some great drumming live (Steve Smith, Neil Peart, Alex Van Halen, Alan White, and all their opening acts). Other things came up that were more pressing, like getting married, having kids, and other obligations. These are not excuses! If I really wanted to, I could get a kit, or get together with people that had drums (which I did on occasion). But I had other priorities, so drums took a backseat to everything else. But I did a lot of air drumming, that's for sure.

However, after so many years, I got tired of air drumming. I figured that if I wasn't going to ever get a kit, I might as well be a spectator, enjoying great drumming from afar. At this point I was fine with this - I surmised that it was meant to be this way.

However, something happened later on that changed everything, something that rekindled the flame of interest in the instrument that I loved so much. What was that event? Stay tuned for the next installment, and the conclusion, of The Paradiddler - Origins.

Part 1 | Part 3

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The Paradiddler – Origins, Part 1

Omar — Sat, 02 May 2009 05:52:29 +0000

Welcome to a little history lesson on TheParadiddler.com about, who else - me, The Paradiddler!

On the 'About' page of this web site, the question is posed: "Who is Omar Alvarado?" Here's the answer provided there: "Omar is, really, just a fan! A fan of drumming." That's it? That's all I have to say? No way! There's plenty more to me than meets the eye. So what I decided to do is give an 'extended cut' of the origins of The Paradiddler - how I got to where I am today.

It all started way back when in December of 1968 when my parents -severe record scratching- now c'mon! You didn't think I was going back that far, did you? Gads.

Ok, fast forward a few years (thank goodness!), to when I was a wee little lad, oh about, well, not even ten years old. My favorite band at the time was Kiss. It was convenient for a few reasons. Number one, whatever my older brother liked, I liked. Number two, we were four boys, so each one of us was a different member of the band (ok, I was Gene Simmons, if you have to know, but secretly, I wanted to be someone else). Number three, I had no money, so even if I heard something on the radio that I liked, I couldn't get it, so refer back to number one.

As mentioned before, I was Gene Simmons. Who wouldn't want to be the God of Thunder and Rock and Roll? However, I found bass guitar a little boring. Paul Stanley's guitar-playing was uninspiring to me (no disrespect!). Ace Frehley to me was the best guitarist around. Even after maturing a little bit and learning about other guitarists during Ace's time with Kiss, I still think he was one of the greatest guitarists of the 70's, and somewhat underrated. As for me, I never saw myself playing like that (my older brother was the guitar guy anyway), so that idea was out.

That left Peter Criss, and he was most intriguing to me. I thought what he did on the drums was really cool, and no one could tell me anyone was better than him (just remember how young I was). A relative, who was a drummer himself, tried to convince me that Buddy Rich was the best, but I would have none of it.

Anyway, sometime during that time Kiss Alive II came out. To this day I think the drumming on that recording is fantastic, regardless of how much some say post-production doctored it up. I especially liked the drum solo from "God of Thunder", and the drumming on "I Want You", "King of the Night Time World" (KotNTW), and others. This is when I started my 'air drumming' career, per se. I had no sticks, so I tried to figure out by listening how Criss played KotNTW, for example. What I first thought were 'triplets' on the snare turned out to be just an accented single stroke roll. I was stoked when I figured this out!

Sometime later, I came across a couple of drumsticks. This was way too cool! Now I could bang on, well, pillows, but that was good enough for me at the time!

Soon came the time when Band was offered in elementary school for those students interested. Now, we were not a family of many means - modest means at best. Of course, I wanted to play the drums. The Band curriculum would teach snare drum to the students, but, alas, it was not to be. All of the other instruments were available for free to the students except, of course, the drums! Those the parents had to rent. Instead of just asking them, I decided out of consideration for them I would take on a free instrument. I don't know, something very similar to the snare drum, like, say, the clarinet! That would do. I just wanted to play something.

It's not that I didn't like it. I had lots of fun. But in the back of my mind I yearned for the drums. While I was playing the clarinet I still air drummed (and pillow-drummed) to all the tunes I liked, mostly Kiss tunes. I really didn't know any better! But it was still fun.

Along the way again my brother obtains Cheap Trick at Budokan on 8-track (that's right I said it, 8-track!). I loved it! I loved the drumming! Mr. Bun E. Carlos became one of my favorite drummers practically overnight. I heard that 8-track (that's right I said it again, 8-track!) over and over again. My favorite by far on that recording was "Ain't That a Shame", where Mr. Carlos jams both at the beginning and end of the song (hmm, maybe I'll cover that tune sometime - any requests?). On one occasion, from beginning to end I pillow-drummed the whole concert on my bed, sweating like crazy, Mr. Bun E. Carlos Alvarado on the drums. Right when it finished my older brother walks in and notices the sweat and redness of my face. "You drummed to the whole thing?", he asked.

"Yes I did!", I said most proudly.

"That's awesome! Good job!", he said. Ok, it wasn't those exact words. But I don't think he knows how much that little exchange inspired me (well, until he reads this post - the gig's up) to pursue learning more about what I liked the most - playing drums!

So any time I watched drumming on TV, or heard a song I liked on the radio, I paid very close attention to the drumming, because I figured that when I actually had a kit, I would automatically know how to play (of course, I was in for a rude awakening, but it was fun to dream).

So a little more time passed. Peter Criss was still my favorite drummer. I just thought he was the best. Then one day one of my older brother's best friends gets to talking to me about what band I liked listening to. I told him, "Kiss, of course!"

He laughed a little, and said, "Here. Play this cassette. Then let me know what you think." What happened next would change my taste in drumming permanently and profoundly. Find out what happens next in part two of "The Paradiddler - Origins", coming soon.

Part 2

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