The Paradiddler » Product Review

Interview – Lazaro Quilon of Lidwish Soulutions

Omar — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:07:57 +0000

Right-click here to download the interview to your mp3 player

“Neighbours! Neighbours! Neighbours!”, exclaimed Mick Jagger on The Rolling Stones’ 1981 release Tattoo You on the song “Neighbours”. According to Wikipedia’s entry regarding this song, “Jagger was inspired by [Keith] Richards' own run-ins with his neighbors after the guitarist was evicted from his New York City apartment after complaints that he was playing music too loudly.”

My, how drummers can relate to that! The article “The Thing About the Neighbors” also expounded on the trials and tribulations that drummers face in dealing with neighbors who live, well, ‘too close for comfort’. It discussed some possible solutions to ‘ease the ears’ of those close by, such as muting pads and dampeners, both on the drums themselves and on the cymbals. However, these solutions have the unfortunate side effect of changing the feel of the drums, which most of the time throws off how we play. Electronic drums are an option as well, but these can be cost prohibitive, and even the ones with mesh drum heads, although you can get used to them, still don’t feel like the real thing.

Another option, which is also discussed in the aforementioned article, is sound-proofing the room where the drums reside. But again, this also could be cost prohibitive, and is beyond the reach financially for many drummers.

But, what if you could keep your acoustic drums, and play at a lower volume? No muting pads, no dampeners of any kind? The solution I’m talking about doesn’t change the drums, but the sticks.

Enter Lazaro Quilon of Lidwish Soulutions (yes, that’s Soulutions). He may have invented one of the most innovative solutions to quieting the natural loudness of drums. The Ultra Tones quiet sticks reduce the volume of the drums approximately 40%, without changing the way you play them. How is this possible?

Lazaro was kind enough to grant TheParadiddler.com an interview where he spills the beans regarding his sticks, his quiet bass drum beater, and more. Some of the things discussed in the interview are:

How the idea of quite sticks came to Lazaro
Construction of the sticks that makes them quieter
The different applications where the sticks are an ideal fit
How the sticks compare to other forms of drum quieting, such as pads, various dampeners, etc.
Why the Ultra Tones should be in every drummers bag of sticks
And a lot more

Lazaro is truly a unique character with a lot to say, not only about his products, but also about his philosophy regarding drumming in general that he's picked up over the past few years. The interview lasts about an hour; it’s chock full of useful information. I’ve made it so you can download the interview to your mp3 player and listen at your leisure, or just press play and give it your undivided attention! Either way, in the end, your neighbors will thank you.

Lidwish Soulutions website
Quiet Drum Sticks on Facebook

Interview with Charles Fisher, Off-Set Bass Drum Pedal Company

Omar — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:15:45 +0000

Several months ago, I was looking through one the drum magazines, like I usually do (well, like most of us usually do), and I came across a somewhat peculiar product. It was a picture of a strange looking double bass drum pedal. I’d never seen anything like it. The two beaters were in the middle, instead of in the usual location, on the right. Once I saw that picture, right away I knew that these pedals were special. As a matter of fact, I thought that these might be the most practical double pedals in the entire market. (I have seen Will Calhoun use the Sleishman Twin Pedal when I attended his drum clinic a while back, but that is a significantly different design [a little more on that later]).

So I immediately contacted the company, and before long I had the pedals in my possession (because I just had to have them). Well, let me backtrack a little. I previously had used the Vex Pro Touring double bass pedals, of which I created a series of videos detailing how to configure them. My intention with the Off-Set pedals was to review them as well. But once I got into the details of the pedal for myself, I was hooked. No more Vex pedals for me!

I did end up writing an extensive review of the Off-Set pedal (which, of course, I strongly encourage you to read if you haven’t already – very educational and informative). In the meantime, I’ve been keeping in touch with the founder and owner of the Off-Set Drum Pedal Company and hence creator of the Off-Set double bass pedal, Charles Fisher.

Mr. Fisher is very passionate about his product and his company, and his candor is very contagious. I thought it would be a great idea to hear (or read), in his own words more about some of his background, how he came up with the Off-Set pedal design, and why he thinks his pedal is the best in the industry. I think you’ll find what he has to say very compelling, and is an excellent complement to the aforementioned review of his Off-Set double bass pedal. If you thought that this pedal was too extreme, or too different, now you’ll have even more to consider! TheParadiddler.com thanks Charles Fisher for making himself available to talk us.

The Paradiddler: A little about yourself, Charles! How and when did you start drumming?

Charles Fisher: I was born before Rock, back in the 1940’s. I started studying music, mainly percussion, in second grade, came up through the school music program, which at that time was very good. I started taking piano lessons in fourth grade and studied piano for four years. I started tap dancing when I was six years old, so I always had pretty fast feet. I got my first drum set (Slingerland) at 13 and played my first gig in the Jay Moore Polka Band at the VFW in Coalport, my home town, at 14. My mother had to chaperone me because I was under age. The last formal gig was The University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band, in which I played snare drum for three years while in the School of Dental Medicine. Later, I became known in the area as ‘The Doc(tor) of Rock’.

TP: Who were your early influences musically, drumming or otherwise, and what drummers and musicians inspire you these days?

CF: My initial influences were what my mother was listening to: classical, jazz, swing, and then formative Rock & Roll with Bill Haley and the Comets, etc., all the first R&B groups, and then, of course, The King. My early influences concerning drumming were all the great jazz and swing drummers, for example, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Joe Jones, Philly Joe Jones - it goes on and on. And believe me, they could play rings around today’s drummers.

TP: When in your musical development did you start to become interested in double bass drumming, and was there any type of formal training regarding double bass techniques at that time?

CF: The first time I saw Cream. I just had to have two bass drums like Ginger Baker. Cream was the cream of the crop at that time - the ultimate blues rock trio: Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker. (You are probably not old enough to remember when they were calling Eric Clapton the “God” of blues rock guitar.) I was playing in Cut The Mustard, a five piece that I put together that did all original material, mostly southern style rock. Absolutely the first local band to go record an album and actually sell it through the stores. We are still regarded in this area as the band that started other bands thinking, “We can do it if CTM did it.” And we recorded at Jeree’s in New Brighton, PA, where Donnie Iris and Tommy James and the Shondells did a lot of their recording, so we went first class right off the bat.

There was no formal training in double bass drum at the time. Remember, we are talking about the 70’s now. With me, it was all instinct. But I had a head start because of the tap dancing history. I was a very good tap dancer, and had very fast feet. As a kid, I used to win Fire Hall talent contests all the time, except when the girl in the wheel chair showed up with her accordion and got the sympathy vote. Later, when I practiced dentistry she was a patient of mine and we used to joke about the talent contests when I was treating her. I’d say, “I’ll get you this time for winning that one back in ‘55.” It was all good natured. In retrospect, it was one of life’s good lessons, on how to accept defeat even though you knew that you were better than the winner, and develop compassion for the less fortunate, which is sometimes really hard for precocious children to learn.

TP: When and why did the idea of the ‘off-set’ design come up?

CF: In the fall of 1999 I decided to go back to doubles after playing single in a country band for a year. But I did not want to lug two bass drums around, and the formats were simply too small for that kind of set-up. And the mounted toms must be directly in front of me. So I sat down behind the bass drum, centered in front of me, with the mounted toms centered in front of me on the bass drum, sat the snare between my legs and (it was a “no brainer”) said, “A pedal board on each side.” I immediately got up, went to the Musicians Friend catalog, found what I needed, and ordered two Pacific double bass drum pedals. Between the time I ordered, and the time I received them, I finalized the design on paper. Once I had them, I had the first prototype finished in two days.

TP: When you decided to switch from double bass drums to a single bass drum, what concerns or problems did you encounter with double bass pedals at the time?

CF: Absolutely none! I had never played a double bass drum pedal of any kind before I sat down behind my first prototype. Why would I? They were all the same; they all put the bass drum and mounted toms somewhere in outer space; and the hi-hat God knows where; and they were all designed wrong, with absolutely no concern or regard for the human skeletal system.

TP: When you came up with the ‘off-set’ design, what was the reaction of the first person you presented the design to?

CF: The very first person to see the unit was Ray Ayotte, at that time the head of Taye Drums. It was at the 2000 Winter NAMM Show. I was showing the Point Classic Tremolo at the time, and just threw it in a box and took it along to show some people. You have to understand that, at first, I did not build the pedal as a commercial venture. I built it for myself because it was what I wanted, and, at that time, nobody had designed or built what I wanted. Ray was the one that informed me that the first double ever designed was the Sleishman, and it was bi-laterally symmetrical also, but completely non-adjustable, with no in-direct linkage for adjustment purposes. Ron got the bi-lateral symmetry thing correct the first time. I have no idea why nobody else used that idea but, instead, came up with the design that everybody but me uses today. Ray also told me that I could probably get it patented because of the multi-adjustable facets of my design, and that if I ever did get “paper” on it, he might be interested. That was what got me thinking of the possibility of marketing it.

TP: When actually getting into the nuts and bolts of the ‘off-set’ design, what factors did you take into consideration to ensure the pedal would be taken seriously, due to the radical difference of the design?

CF: You have heard the saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” Well, when I stepped back and looked at the big picture, I realized that the picture was so big, that very few were going to see this “tree” for the forest. The competition was just too large. So the only thing I could do was design the unit to be much stronger, faster, and more multi-adjustable than anything on the market, so those who did take the time to check it out, would instantly realize that this was a serious piece of well designed, well built hardware. For instance, it took John Buswell, owner of Drum World in Pittsburgh, PA, and an executive board member of the Five Star Drum Shop Organization, only ten minutes to realize that it was the best pedal in his store. He was the first, and one of only 14 stores, that would agree to retail the unit. He just kept shaking his head and saying, “And you’re a DENTIST, from COALPORT! (Coalport is in PA also.) And this is the best xxxxing pedal in the whole xxxxing store!” He was prone to expletives. He was honest as hell. He told me flat out, “Yeah, I’ll take a look at it. But if it is junk, I will have absolutely no qualms about telling you so.” Instead, he was blown away by it. He said, “Do you have any more?” I sold him three right off the bat!!

TP: How do you feel the industry in general feels about the ‘off-set’ design compared to the typical double pedal configuration?

CF: In the beginning, when it first came out, I think most of the larger companies felt it was a passing fad, not a serious effort at re-directing the development of the double bass drum pedal to a higher level. But since the Off-Set’s introduction at the 2003 Summer NAMM Show, I have had to take issues with three of the larger drum manufacturers who have attempted to duplicate the design using their own base products. First in 2003, second in 2005, and the latest, the day before the 2009 Winter NAMM show started. The design is so totally logical that sooner or later, the ‘bigs’ were going to realize that this is the way it should have been done in the first place, like so many of my customers keep telling me. The ergonomics of the unit is far superior with reference to the handicapped drummer or those with injuries restricting range of motion. And the bass drum has just got to be in the center of the set.

TP: Do you feel the typical double pedal configuration has reached the point of diminishing returns as far as improvements go?

CF: Yes. All the bells and whistles have been addressed on the standard design except the ability to change the size of the drive wheel without tearing the pedal apart. The only pedal to have that feature is the Off-Set Double Bass Drum Pedal. The diameter of the drive wheel can be set infinitely between 1 1/2” and 3” with only a drum key. And the title of the patent is “Bi-lateral Drum Pedal.” Pretty hard to get around that one!

TP: Due to the uniqueness of the design, many may be skeptical as far as the practicality of the Off-Set pedal. Can you think of some reasons for the skepticism, and how would you respond to those concerns?

CF: I will answer this question by transcribing a letter from a recent purchaser. His name is Greg Tustin, Director of Design and Development at Tappan Street Restaurant Group, Inc., in Alpharetta, GA:

‘Charles,

Just a quick note to let you know I received the double pedal and hi-hat stand and all I can say is “WOW!” What an incredible difference.

I spent a great deal of time reading about all of the double pedals out there and the pros and cons were about 50-50. Then I came across a review done on your pedal by the “paradiddler” (an amazing review by the way) and the only negative comments came from people that have never seen it or even tried it and the rest absolutely loved it... and now I see why.

As a drummer of many decades I was hesitant about “going against the tried and true” but I could not get past the fact that your pedal is the way it should have been done in the first place!

For the first time ever I feel comfortable behind my drums.

Thank you.

Greg’

TP: There are very few companies that manufacture double bass pedals in this configuration. What distinguishes yours from the others?

CF: There is actually only one other company making anything that looks remotely like the Off-Set pedal, and the only reason that is happening is that I am allowing it. The only other bi-laterally symmetrical unit is the Sleishman double, but uses no drive rods and, as such, has very little adjustability. The Off-Set design allows for maximum adjustability in every arena, allowing the player to tailor the feel to exactly his/her liking. And it never seems to break.

TP: Without revealing company secrets, what do you see in the future for the Off-Set pedal?

CF: There are no company secrets. What you see is what you get. I believe the Off-Set design will, in time, be regarded as a break-through in double bass drum pedal design, and accepted as a viable option for all drummers. Bob Sperzel invented and patented the locking guitar tuner around 1983. This was a breakthrough in tuner design. But, although Bob came up with the idea of a locking tuner, once the idea was introduced, several other companies were able to develop other ways of making a locking tuner that did not impinge upon his patents. Once his patents expired in about 2003, those who had not come up with a viable option before that time started to simply duplicate his design. Now, every tuner company has a locking tuner. Why? Because it is the way it should have been done in the first place. Sound familiar? That is not possible with my product because, as I mentioned previously, the title of my patent is “Bi-lateral Drum Pedal.” No company can make a double with a pedal board on each side, no matter what it looks like, without violating my patent. But I predict that by one year after my patent expires, every drum company will be marketing its own bi-laterally symmetrical double bass drum pedal as part of its product line.

TP: What do you see in the future for the Off-Set Bass Drum Pedal Company?

CF: The company will continue to grow as the design is more universally accepted. I will then sell the company to Ray Ayotte and retire to my island in the South Pacific. “Hey, Ray!??”

TP: What has been the main reaction of those who’ve switched from the typical double bass pedal to the Off-Set pedal?

CF: Comfort and speed! The most common comment that I receive is that the player first experiencing the unit feels instantly that he/she can play much faster, either because of the pedal’s construction, or the fact that they at once feel more comfortable behind their kit, and therefore, can perform at a higher level, or both. Second, would be pedal response.

TP: One more question! Many drummers may be reluctant to go for the Off-Set pedal for various reasons (valid or no), be it due to brand name recognition, radically different design, etc. What words of encouragement would you offer to those to coax them to give the Off-Set pedal a shot?

CF: There is a seven day money-back guarantee on the unit. If, for any reason, (you don’t like the color “blue,” etc.) you do not feel that the unit is right for you, simply return it within seven days of the date of receipt in the original condition, and your money will be cheerfully refunded-except the shipping charge. Shipping is non-refundable. Since 2005, I have had exactly one unit returned, and that was because the customer decided that he was just too old and set in his drumming ways to start learning doubles. “Hey, Ray!??”

And that was the end of the interview! I was impressed with both the pedal and the designer, which is why I’m a fan. As I mentioned in the review, these pedals come very close to being the perfect pedal, and definitely worth trying out. I hope my conversation with Mr. Fisher at least inspires you not only to re-address what you consider to be a practical double bass pedal, but to never be satisfied with what you have. Always question your setup, your tuning, your throne height - everything. Along the way, you’ll be a better musician for it.

Off-Set Bass Drum Pedal Company web site

Product Review – Off-Set Double Bass Drum Pedal

Omar — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:13:56 +0000

Disclosure: TheParadiddler.com received this product free of charge for review purposes. However, TheParadiddler.com is not compensated in any way for sales of said product. We recommend that you do your own independent research before purchasing anything. Of course, since my business rests completely on my reputation, I can't afford to recommend anything that isn't fantastic quality. - Omar Alvarado, The Paradiddler

Double bass drummers have it good. I’m not talking about players that use a double bass pedal on a single bass drum, but those that use two bass drums. Why so?

The bass drum, for obvious reasons, is the most visually pronounced drum of the kit. Since the resonant head faces the audience, many single bass drum drummers place a logo there for all to see, making it even more pronounced.

That being the case, the drummer wants that drum to be facing straight to the audience. It just looks cool! But this leads to a slight disadvantage.

The drummer is automatically slightly off center. (For the purposes of this discussion, I’ll be referring to right-handed double pedal players, but the mirror-opposite applies to lefties as well). Since the bass drum is facing straight ahead, the drummer has to veer slightly towards the left to make sure the right foot (and leg) is at the proper angle for bass drum play. This presents a slight ergonomic challenge, particularly if the drummer has more hardware on their right side. Whereas the higher toms are more readily accessible (since you’re practically facing them), more ‘contorting’ is required to reach the lower toms, and possibly cymbals as well.

Back to the double bass drum player (again, two bass drums, not one drum with the double pedal). If you notice, this drummer is perfectly centered for drumming. He (or she) is facing directly ahead. The two bass drums are conveniently placed at an angle comfortable for the drummer’s legs and feet. The snare drum is directly in front of them, and toms right ahead. Since they’re more centrally situated, they can more easily reach both sides of their kit without too much ‘contorting’, as it were, especially referring to the lower toms.

This does not necessarily mean that the double pedal drummer, or even the single pedal, single bass drummer is not comfortable, per se. It simply means that by necessity the drummer is off center, and it results in more adjustments needed as far as optimum posturing for effectively reaching every part of the kit, particularly the right side.

In the DVD review of Matt Ritter’s “Unburying the Beater”, it was discussed that Matt had come up with a solution for this slightly ‘off center’ issue: forget the notion that the bass drum is the center of the kit. In doing so, he went on to explain the ideal posture and positioning behind your kit. He mentioned that you, the drummer, should face your audience. When you sit on the throne, the angle that your legs comfortably position themselves in, resulting in something like an equilateral triangular stance, are where the bass drum and hi-hat stand should go (where the feet comfortably end up).

There’s more detail regarding this that Mr. Ritter goes into, but the bottom line is that setting up your kit this way makes you play in a more center-like stance.

However, although the above takes care of your positioning, you still have the issue of playing slightly off center in relation to the kit. The more equipment you have on your right side, the more difficult it may be to comfortably reach them. This is an inherent disadvantage of the single bass drum setup.

So the question then becomes: is there a way for the single bass drum, double pedal player to enjoy the same benefits that the double bass drum player enjoys, as far as playing ‘on center’, as it were? The answer is yes: enter the Off-Set double bass pedal.

The premise of the Off-Set double pedal is that the drummer of the single bass drum kit should be centered behind the kit just like the double bass drum player is. The typical double bass pedal has both beaters on the right side, which displaces the drummer to the left. The Off-Set double pedal has both beaters in the middle, with the left and right pedal on either side of the bass drum, mimicking the double bass drum setup. This allows the drummer to sit squarely behind the kit, with the bass drum and snare right in front.

This now also makes for a shift to the left of the kit (or a shift to the right of the drummer, however you want to look at it), which means the drummer now has easier access to the right side of the kit (less contorting).

For comparison’s sake, let’s compare the Vex Pro Touring Double Bass Pedal (of “Instructional Video – Vex Pro Touring Double Bass Pedal (Round Two)” fame), a typically designed double bass pedal, to the Off-Set double bass pedal. Here’s a picture of them together:

Notice the obvious difference of the position of the beaters. The Vex pedal represents the typical double pedal configuration; the Off-Set pedal mimics a double bass configuration. Now we’ll look at both pedals installed on the bass drum:

Now we’re starting to see how the typical pedal off-centers the drummer to the left, while the Off-Set pedal places both pedals on either side of the bass drum, keeping the drummer centered.

The next two pics will show the drummer’s legs from behind, with the Vex pedals installed, and then with the Off-Set pedals:

From this angle, you can see that for the typical double pedal, the drummer’s feet, and hence the rest of his body, is forced to play off-center (the bass drum being ‘pushed’ to the right). With the Off-Set pedal, however, the drummer’s feet are on either side of the bass drum, hence they’re squarely behind it – on center!

The following picture illustrates what I call the ‘baseball effect’:

In baseball it is widely accepted that the best teams are the ones that are the best down the center: center fielder, shortstop/second baseman, pitcher, and catcher. If your best players are at these positions, your team has a better chance of winning more games than not.

The same is true for drumming! The picture above shows the bass drum (center field), the two toms (shortstop and second base), the snare (the catcher), and the throne, which represents you, the drummer, as the pitcher. A beautiful thing when it’s all in a row! If you are centered as a drummer, with a proper equilateral stance, with your equipment evenly surrounding you, you will be a better player, because you’re positioned to play better. The typical double pedal shifts the drummer to the left, making for off-center playing, and not the optimum positioning.

Now let’s look at a drummer^* in action with the two pedals, and compare the stances. Here are two pics with the drummer playing with the Vex pedals, and then with the Off-Set pedals:

In both pics, the drummer is playing his ride cymbal. In the Vex setup, he’s positioned more towards the left, so to reach the cymbal he has to accommodate for the distance. But in the Off-Set setup, it’s simply a matter of the position of the arm; the torso stays in place. Also the right-mounted tom and the floor tom are more easily accessible.

The latter point may be better illustrated with a top view of both setups. Take a look at the following pics:

The drummer is playing his floor tom. With Vex pedals, it is more of a reach to play the floor tom because more turning is required to reach them. But with the Off-Set pedals, less turning is required to reach the floor tom. If you have yet another floor tom, then reaching them with the typical double pedal configuration starts to be a strain; but with the Off-Set pedals centering you behind your kit, it is more easily reached.

Of course, it is all a matter of positioning. The drummer with the typical double pedal will set up his kit (if he’s properly versed) in a way that is optimum for them. But if the same drummer used the Off-Set pedal, then they would be perfectly centered, and arranging the kit becomes easier, ergonomically speaking. Equipment on both sides of the kit is equally reachable. You are now the center of your drum kit, instead of one of the pieces of the kit (usually the bass drum). That alone, plus the feeling of complete balance, might be the most important aspect of effective and efficient drum play.

Ok, so we’ve extolled the practical aspects of the Off-Set double pedal, but how about the pedal itself? In a word: fantastic!

This is a professional quality pedal, with quality components, and made to last. Right out of the box I could see that the foot boards were huge— 3.5”x12.5”— one of the largest, if not the largest in the industry. This allows for any style of play, be it heel up, or heel down, or a combination. The spring-loaded anti-skid spurs and anti-skid pads on both pedal base and center beater housing ensures that the pedals and center housing will remain solidly in place throughout the playing session.

Since this is not your typical pedal, it is strongly recommended that you follow the instructions included in the box to assemble and adjust the pedals. You don’t want to take these out of the box for the first time right at your next gig, or you may get a little frustrated! Better play with the configuration beforehand. It’s not complicated, just different.

And speaking of configuring, there are so many ways to configure the pedals that it’s ridiculous. I had mentioned in the aforementioned Vex instructional video that for the typical double bass pedal, you will never get both pedals to feel exactly the same. Virtually the same, possibly; exactly the same, no. However, the Off-Set pedals are bi-laterally symmetrical, meaning both sides can be configured exactly the same.

Both pedals have exactly the same components for adjustability:

Radius adjustable drive wheel - the only pedal in the industry on which the diameter of the drive wheel can be infinitely adjusted from 1.5” to 3” with only a drum key
Fully adjustable concentric double chain drive
Quad drive springs for increased response and sensitivity
Completely independently adjustable beater holders with 1” lateral adjustment each
Independently height-adjustable pedal boards
Center-mounting hoop clamp which eliminates all lateral torque on the bass drum hoop
Eliminates hip displacement and joint stresses caused by traditional placement of the standard pedals
Extremely ergonomic drum-centering design

The above lists the main features (plus a couple more) that allow each pedal to be configured exactly how you want for each foot. With so much configurability, you can:

Configure each pedal to be exactly the same
Configure one pedal to feel heavier than the other
Configure one pedal to be faster than the other
Move one pedal closer or farther away from you than the other
Move one or both pedals farther away from the central housing
Adjust the height of a pedal totally independent of the beater
Adjust the distance of the beater from the bass drum head totally independent of the pedal
Angle each pedal according to the exact orientation of your foot

I could not do so much configuring with any other pedal I’ve seen. I did try at first to attach the pedals without reading the instructions first. I attached the pedal, but it definitely didn’t feel right. So I resigned myself to follow the included instructions, and it actually was fun discovering all the different configurations. After a little tweaking, I tried playing them again, and at first it was a little weird because I wasn’t used to being (and feeling!) so centered. It was very comfortable, and the pedals are so responsive. I beat away at them for a bit, and then decided to adjust the springs for a little more resistance (there are two springs per pedal, and the knobs are big for easy adjusting), and I was flying. I’ve tried out several pedals, but these not only felt at least as good as any I’ve played with before (or tested out), but the feeling of playing in the middle, whether psychological, or physiological, or both, made me play with more confidence.

As far as the sound of the bass drum itself, it is interesting to note that neither beater will hit the bass drum head exactly in the middle. Although that might sound like a negative, it really isn’t since both beaters are hitting the head symmetrically in relation to each other, so they both will sound exactly the same, the way it should be!

Now I’m a fan of double bass play, so I’m very excited about this pedal. However, I realize that there are drummers that are just not double bass players, and probably never will be. Off-Set also has available a single pedal model, both for righty and lefty drummers, that have the same characteristics of the double pedal. Again, they allow you to be centered and provide for optimum comfort and accessibility to your whole kit.

There’s a lot more information at the Off-Set web site that is of great interest that you will want to look up, such as:

The history of how the idea came to Charles Fisher,⁺ creator of the Off-Set pedal
Additional photos and details on the solid construction and patented design of the pedals
The medical benefits of the Off-Set pedal vs. the typical double pedal
Other double pedal models and related products, including, for example, different sized drive rods

The pedals currently can be had for $339.99, factory direct from Off-Set. There are several top of the line double pedals by other manufacturers that sell for over twice as much. But so far, my feeling is that this pedal trumps them all. Because it’s not just the quality of the pedals physically (which these are as good as any), but it’s the unique bi-lateral symmetric design, virtually unlimited configuration possibilities, and the ability to play fully centered and balanced behind your kit that make this pedal a winner in the pedal industry. I very rarely, if ever, give a perfect ten out of ten paradiddles for a product, but the Off-Set double pedal comes very, very close.

_____________
^*A very special thanks to my son Devin for doing a fine job as the model drummer

⁺To read the insightful interview The Paradiddler conducted with Charles Fisher, click here.

Blogging Your Passion

Omar — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:01:34 +0000

I’m going on a little tangent, if you will (well, not entirely).

As readers of this blog have guessed, I love drums! It’s been my favorite instrument for forever, and I derive a lot of pleasure not only playing them, but writing about them as well.

However, the drums are not always the neighborly pastime. In the article “The Thing About the Neighbors”, it was discussed how to have your cake and eat it too, per se, as far as playing the loudest instrument while maintaining the peace with those next door (or even across the street). Even after going through the exercise of ensuring you’re as quiet as possible, however, it may not always be possible to ‘keep the peace’, as it were. You’re still going to make noise, and at times it may even be annoying, even when compromises have been made.

So what to do? How was I going to be able to enjoy playing drums in a way that would not encroach on my neighbor’s right to peace and quiet?

At about the same time I was contemplating getting a drum set, I was also contemplating what things I was good at, or at least that I liked. Of course, playing drums was one. I realized, though, that I also like writing. I’m no novelist (hmm, or am I? ), but I always found that I could run my mouth on and on about a subject if I liked it enough. I started to look on the Internet for outlets for those who had a penchant for the written word, and I came across the concept of blogging, which I had not seen before. This was it! I could write about drumming when I couldn’t play, and that way I could always be engaged in the subject that most interested me. I didn’t have to play everyday, and still the passion for drumming would continue to kindle.

Hence TheParadiddler.com was born – perfect! I could write about drums when I couldn’t play, and that would keep me inspired so when I actually did play, it was more fun! It just made the playing experience more complete, at least for me.

At about this time as well, I came across a couple of gentlemen in the blogging industry that are highly regarded as the best at knowing not only how to have a successful blog as far as getting attention to it (no use having a web site if you’re the only one who sees it!), but also how to profit from it as well! This really appealed to me, since I figured, if I’m going to spend time on this, and I could also profit in some way where everyone would find something they want (a win-win situation for all), why not pursue that?

The gentlemen I’m referring to are Gideon Shalwick and Yaro Starak, from BecomeABlogger.com. I didn’t know how fun blogging could be until I came in contact with these guys, and it’s been an incredible run so far.

My message is this: if there’s anything at all that you like, or love, or love to talk about, or drive people nuts because you won’t shut up about it, then blogging is for you! BecomeABlogger.com will show you how to capitalize on your passion, and potentially create an ever increasing income stream. I have goals financially, as many do. I haven’t reached them yet, but if it wasn’t for this program, I couldn’t even dream of it.

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Your favorite instrument of choice (obviously)
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Finance
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Audio/Videophile
- HDTV
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- Car audio
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- Vacation
- Scenery
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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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWepMLBfkvM

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!

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

The Thing About the Neighbors

Omar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:09:25 +0000

"Rock-a-Bye Bear" by MGM

Since I love drums so much, I inevitably find instances, experiences in life that parallel, or even in the remotest sense, have something in common with drumming. The experiences may not only be related to the actual playing of the drums themselves, but also to the environments in which we play them. An experience early on in life may have an effect on our playing today.

When I was very young, my father used to work the night shift. This obviously meant that he had to sleep during the day. Unfortunately for him, he had four sons who always had the potential of making some noise: TV too loud, creaky floor, unintentional door-slamming, book dropping to the floor, etc. Unfortunately for us, he was a very light sleeper. And he was cranky. One peep out of us, one wood creaking of the floor, and all of a sudden you'd hear some screaming from the master bedroom, "Who's there? Who's there! Come here! Come here!" That caused all of us kids to get paranoid by even the slightest sound when he was sleeping.

On one occasion, I was headed for my bedroom to go to sleep, tip-toeing all the way. Right before I entered my room, the wood floor creaked just a little. I froze. All of a sudden I heard the screaming from my Dad's room, "Who's there? Who's that? Come here!" I rushed to my bed and pulled over the covers. My Dad actually got up and came to our room to see if he could tell who 'intentionally' roused him from his needed slumber, but I made as if I was fast asleep. He went away, and I dodged a bullet (or actually, his authoritative backhand).

Today, my brothers and I joke about that, and we crack up laughing when we mock how our father freaked out when he lost a minute of sleep (it's ok though, our father knows we kid about it; we even do in front of him now, and he just laughs ). It reminds me of one of the funniest cartoons ever, a classic called "Rock-a-Bye Bear" by MGM. It's about a bear (apparently a hibernating one) who hires a dog to make sure everything's quiet while he sleeps. Of course, he's yelling all of the instructions to the dog ("I hate NOISE! Can't stand NOISE!"), yells goodnight as he's stomping away, and slams the door behind him. In a little soft voice, the hired dog says, "Goodnight," only to have the bear come back screaming at the dog, "SHUT UP! QUIET! I SAID QUIET! What's the matter? You DEAF or somethin'?" Hm, reminds me a little of my Dad!

Well that episode in our lives left me and my brothers somewhat traumatized. We laugh about it now, but if anyone is sleeping in the house we're in, be it our own or visiting, even if it's a baby, we hear a noise and we freeze. It's almost comical, but we just can't be at ease, ever, if someone's asleep in the house.

But since we love music, what is the instrument of choice for someone who 'can't stand noise'? The drums, of course! How comically tragic. What's a drum lover to do?

This 'traumatization' has affected me to this day, and it's taking a lot of effort on my part to overcome it. I'm still working on it. Take, for instance, my first drum cover I posted on YouTube, "Crawl Away" by Tool. Now there were a few circumstances surrounding this cover. I was testing a camera, I was testing out the drum tuning, and I was playing the first full song on the newly acquired kit without ever having practiced it before. The synchronization of the audio with the video was not, well, in sync, and you can tell that I'm playing very tentatively. The latter could have been because I hadn't played the song before, or I had just started playing drums in earnest - finally (check my story to see what I mean). But the real reason I'll attribute my tentative playing to is what I call the 'neighbor syndrome'.

Ok, I'm pretty sure I didn't coin that phrase, but I'm applying it in this case to a drummer with neighbors, which I would say are most drummers (if you live in your own house with no neighbors close by, then you don't suffer from the 'neighbor syndrome', but keep reading anyway!). I cringe when I feel like I'm bothering someone with noise; it's just in my blood. I've tried very hard to overcome this, and I've made strides.

Just for comparison's sake, check out the latest drum cover that I recorded, Van Halen's "Girl Gone Bad". You can tell that I'm playing much more forcefully, beating those drums and slamming those cymbals. You'd figure that for a song like "Crawl Away" I'd play with at least as much force, being that Tool is at least a hard rock band. But I had not gotten over the 'neighbor syndrome' yet. Even for "Girl Gone Bad", I could've played it even harder, but by then I had gotten over most of my 'neighbor syndrome'. How did I do this?

For starters, I still don't want to bother the neighbors! So I always ensured that I never played after dark. My usual cutoff was 5:00 or 6:00pm at the latest. This enabled me to respect the right of my neighbors to have peace and quiet.

Next, I took the initiative and spoke with my neighbors and let them know what I was up to. I let them know that I played drums and recorded myself, and that I would be posting these recordings online. One neighbor actually said that she now lived next door to a celebrity! Flattering, yes - I'll take that compliment! I let them know when I would be playing (generally, not specifically). You never know if you have a neighbor who works the graveyard shift, and you don't want to intrude on their rest. Letting your neighbors know beforehand when you would be playing gives them warning so they know what to expect, and they'll more likely respect that you took the initiative.

Yet another step you can take for dealing with the 'neighbor syndrome' is to take measures to soundproof your playing room as much as possible. Where you play could influence what type of soundproofing material you use, or if you need sound absorption vs. sound blocking. Some may use corrugated foam or fiberglass rigid boards for soundproofing, but this isn't always the best solution. Audimute, whose slogan is "We Make Soundproofing Simple", has many solutions specifically tailored for drum rooms, garage bands, professional studios, and more. For example, their Absorption Sheets are, well, sheets, made of sound-absorbing materials that you can hang on the walls. They have videos with testimonials and customer profiles with applications that may give you ideas as to how you could soundproof your playing room. You can also call them at 866-505-MUTE (6883) for more specific inquiries. Of course, Audimute isn't the only company that sells this type of product, but they're a great place to start.*

Yet another option we have to combat the 'neighbor syndrome' is to have muting pads, or silencers. These can be placed on the drum heads depending on their size, and even on the cymbals. An example of this is Vic Firth's Drum Mutes. More ideal for practicing than for performance, these mute the sound of your drums (and cymbals!) so you don't drive your neighbors and family members nuts while you practice your rudiments. And unless they give you a totally unexpected sound that you like, take them off for the show!

If all else fails, you can always get electronic drums. This is the ultimate in silence: just plug in the headphones and you're good to go. They are very flexible as far as play-alongs and playing to and recording to songs and sequences. You can also program the pads to almost any sound you want, if you really want to put on a show. But these may sacrifice the feel of an acoustic kit, and for those that refuse to give in to 'the dark side', you may, if you can afford it, just incorporate the electronic triggers to your acoustic kit.

Of course, you may not care about the neighbors, you don't have 'neighbor syndrome', and you're just going to bang away to a Slipknot or Metallica cover no matter what anyone says. In that case, then maybe the above is not for you! But your life (and your neighbor's) won't be easy. But you can have your cake and eat it too. If you follow some of the suggestions herein, you and those near you will even enjoy your playing, and maybe even become fans! If you have more suggestions on how to deal with 'neighbor syndrome', by all means, they are welcome!
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*For a fantastic source of information on soundproofing subjects, go to SoundProofingPlus.com

Enter the Skins, Revisited

Omar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:38:59 +0000

About a year ago, I embarked on a journey that I didn't know where it would lead.

In one of the first articles on TheParadiddler.com, "Enter the Skins", I entertained the notion that I was on a quest (well, it was more than a notion) to find me a drum set. I mentioned that at one point in my life, I had a drum set, but it was short-lived since my father grew tired of them very quickly (for the more extended version of the story, click here). I vowed someday to have a new set.

Well, many years later, I was finally in a position to buy me a kit. I did mention that I was on a strict budget, so I endeavored to find what I liked within my price range. There were a few directions I could have taken here. One, I could just buy a whole kit from a local music store. The plus there is that I could just buy it, take it home, put it together, and start playing. Also, if I had questions about the kit, I wouldn't feel so bad asking them anything about it, since I bought it there. On the minus side, usually this is not the cheapest route. Also, if you're new to playing, you may find that the kit doesn't sound like it did in the store, and you may need to invest in some education that will allow you set up the drums properly, tune them, and oh yeah: play them (something like Mike Michalkow's "Drumming System")! You may also find that those cymbals that came with the kit really don't sound very good, and you may end up buying cymbals of a different brand or quality anyway. More money spent that maybe could have been avoided.

Or you could order your kit online. You may be able to get a kit cheaper online than at the local store. You can look at the same kit and compare between different vendors, and even within different models within the same brand. The downer to this is that if you order drums, and you change your mind, it might be a pain to ship back because of their size. I know many people order drums this way, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. But imagine that the bass drum arrives damaged, or it's the wrong color, or whatever the case may be - shipping that bad boy back would be a pain in the... well, back.

There is another route you could go as well: you could buy you kit piece by piece. You would make a list of the things you want in your kit, and you would keep your eyes open for any opportunity that comes along. Your list might look like the following:

5pc kit (the shells)
ride cymbal
crash cymbal
hi-hats
bass pedal
hi-hat stand
two cymbal stands
throne
drumsticks

The above list constitutes a basic 5pc kit. You've hence listed exactly what you want, and now you look for deals regarding each piece of the kit separately. I believe that this is the buying option to pursue if you want to spend the least amount of money for good quality equipment (best bang for the buck, as they say). In fact, making a list and buying the kit piece by piece is how I bought my kit, and I'm very happy with it! There's really only one piece of my kit that I'm not crazy about, but it definitely was not a deal-breaker (you'll have to read "To Crash-Ride or Not to Crash-Ride" to figure that one out!).

To buy a kit in the aforementioned way, however, requires something that seems to be more and more scarce these days. It's patience. If you want the best deal on the equipment you really want, you might have to wait for a good deal to come up. This is especially true if you know what brands you want right off the bat. For example, as far as the drums went, I wanted a brand that my favorite artists either currently play or played in the past. This had some advantages, the main one being that I already liked the sound of those drums, and two, a recognized brand more likely will have better support (this applies to most industries and markets, by the way). Any of the following brands would work for me: DW, Tama, Ludwig, Yamaha, and Sonor. Same story with the cymbals: Zildjian, Sabian, Meinl, or Paiste. These are not all-inclusive lists by any means, but it would ensure that I would focus on obtaining very good quality drums, while keeping my eyes open for a great deal.

There are also several sources where you could search for and purchase your equipment, such as:

Again, the above is not an all-inclusive list. But it's good to have options, because the more you have, the better the deals you can find. Let's also not forget private sales, which are usually found in the aforementioned Craig's List, local newspaper listings, and the like. Great deals can be found here, but you have to have a plan. You have to know what your limits are (financially speaking), what you're looking for; this will ensure you get the best price, for the gear that you prefer, and for the most part, you won't have to settle.

In the end, I got some great deals. You can see a complete description of my kit in this video. (It's one of my older videos, but it does the job!) On the kit in the video, I saved over 40% off buying from various sources, instead of just from one. I saved over 65% off the retail cost! On one of the items on my kit, I saved over 50% off of normal online prices, and over 70% off of retail - and it was brand new, not used! I think that's pretty significant, considering how tight budgets are these days. As far as the Arts go, many times it is the first cut in a budget. What to do with all these budding drummers?

I think it's important to have hobbies, distractions, activities to entertain the mind. It's very refreshing to do something you love to do (after doing the things you have to do). It gives you energy to get back and get done things that need doing. Maybe if the items we wanted were just a little cheaper, we just might take the plunge (for ourselves or for our children).

Well I'm here to help! I'm working on a publication, a how-to, if you will, on how to obtain the equipment we want, at the price we want. Many times we just want the newest, but the newest doesn't always mean the best value. Sometimes we want the cheapest in price, but that doesn't always mean a good deal. I will try to dispel the difficulties in buying the equipment we want, and show how to get them for a great price. Some of the topics that will be covered will be:

The key to finding great deals
How to pick what brands to buy
Purchasing methods, and pros and cons of each
Detailed, step by step examples that you can follow on how to buy equipment at great prices
and more!

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know everything there is to know about saving money buying drums, but I will show you exactly how I did it, so you can copy me. Most of what you'll learn can also apply to buying anything, not just drums. If any of you have experiences you want to share as far as how you got a great deal and think others may benefit, please e-mail me at omar@theparadiddler.com. I may include it in the publication and give you full credit if I do!

Ultimately, my goal is to show the readers how they can save huge amounts of cash on the equipment they want. We may have put the purchase of our drumming equipment on hold due to the economy, but with potentially so much to save, we might just be able to make that purchase after all! You don't always have to settle; there are many, many deals out there to be had. You just need to have the right tools and know where and how to look. So stay tuned to The Paradiddler! If you know of others that my benefit from this information, by all means, steer them to this article, sign up for the free newsletter, and be on the lookout for news of when the publication is to come out. Till then, have fun with what you have!

The Paradiddler’s Kit

Omar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:24:27 +0000

Welcome to another edition of The Paradiddler.

This blog post comes right in the midst of the ending of the Neil Peart best solo countdown (you can start reading about it here, if you haven't already). It's very draining! Not only do I have to select the order as I see it, I have to come up with reasons to justify each solo's place. I've had some readers disagree, but that's ok! The dialogue is what's important.

Over the course of viewing all the solos (either via picture or video), we note the incredible drum kits that Neil has used over the years, and the transformations they've gone through. From your basic (if you could call it that) kit based on the double-bass drums, to the elaborate addition of bells, chimes, and other percussive instruments, and culminating to the double-kit setup of today, with the acoustic kit up front, and the electronic kit behind that can handle all of the sounds Neil's used over the years, and then some. We also note the fundamental shift in the arrangement the kit went through after the Presto kit, where Neil goes from two bass drums to one. Also, after the Counterparts kit, the tom mounted on the right side of the bass (from the drummer's perspective) made way for the ride cymbal.

"For those of you who are interested in such things", as Neil once said, The AndyO Experience web site has lots of great information on Neil Peart. Particularly, for the purposes of this post, there's a page there detailing all of Neil's kits to even pre-Rush times. Here's a link to the article:

Neil Peart's Drum Kits

But what of The Paradiddler? Ok, my kit is nowhere near any of Neil's kits (ok, maybe the one when he was a teenager), but it's pretty good! I have a DW Pacific FS Series 5pc kit, natural to charcoal matte lacquer finish. My cymbals are Sabians, from the B8 and Xs20 lines. My hardware...

Wait a minute. That could get a little boring (or not)! I decided, instead of you reading about what I have, I decided to put together a little video detailing my kit. It'll be at the end of this post, and also will be on the About page of this site. As I change the kit, I'll update the video. And if you have any questions about anything you see, just let me know (my contact information is on all of the pages on this site).

Enjoy!^*

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^*Update! Check out the 'About' page, from the navigation bar at the top of this page.

To Crash-Ride Or Not to Crash-Ride

Omar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:09:44 +0000

I’m starting to evaluate my cymbals to see which direction I want to go. Currently, my cymbals consist of the Sabian B8 series, except for my splash, which is an Xs20. I have the following:

10” splash
14” hi-hats
15” crash
18” crash/ride

What do I think of them? Well, I got the whole set for a great price (to be revealed, but not today!). It was to build my initial kit, and I was mainly looking for a brand I recognized and trusted, at a bargain price. All of the cymbals listed above were included. Here’s what I think of them:

10” splash (Xs20) – I really like this cymbal. I was looking to get a splash, but not initially. So this cymbal was a bonus, and an Xs20 to boot! My preference would be an 8”, because they are higher pitched and tend to decay more quickly, which are qualities that I like in a splash; but this cymbal is more than adequate. The 8” is a comin’!
14” hi-hats – They are ok, but they sound like what they are: entry-level hi-hat cymbals. I think I would lean towards 13” hats because of better articulation and definition. These sound somewhat ‘noisy’ and a little out of control, but the latter may be due to the player, and not the cymbals!
15” crash – This is my least favorite cymbal of the bunch. To me, it sounds cheap. Yes, it is an entry-level cymbal, but it’s a Sabian! It’s almost like this cymbal wants to resist crashing – I have to hit it really hard for it to truly crash. I’ve heard many cymbals this size that sound much better.

And now to the crux of the matter, the 18” crash/ride.

B8 Crash Ride 18”

Initially, I was very happy to have purchased this cymbal. I was trying to save some money at the beginning, so I figured I had my other crash and my ride all set. It wasn’t that simple, at least for me.

For me it’s difficult to play the cymbal as a dual personality cymbal. I may be playing a song where the drummer plays the ride and china or the ride and crash alternately, and I have to play this on the same cymbal. With the cymbal flailing all over the place, it is a certainty that I’m gonna miss some notes. So I decided that I need a dedicated ride.

I am of the feeling that there are certain parts of the drum kit that should be of the same brand or line. Examples are, well, the drums for one! I think the toms and bass should be the same, brand and kind of wood. Notice I said should. There are always exceptions to this. Although I do think that the drums should be of the same wood (birch, maple, whatever), you could get away with having all different brands, if you’re really willing to listen and pick and choose the sounds to your liking. It’s much less work to just pick, say, the DW Pacific FS Series birch (that’s my kit!)

Although the bass drum could be different, I think the major exception to the above is the snare drum. The snare drum to me is the most personal and versatile of all the drums, and you could change much of the dynamics of your sound just by changing the snare drum. Of course there are other factors that affect the sound, beyond the scope of this discussion, but the snare is king in my eyes (more on that in another article).

But I digress. This is about cymbals! I think it’s a good idea to stick to the same line in your cymbals as well, for a uniform sound in your setup throughout. HOWEVER, you have your specialty cymbals that you pick just because you like their sound, and you want to incorporate them in your setup. I feel that way about the china cymbal. I am so not ready to pick a china cymbal. They are so diverse in size, loudness, trashiness, etc., well, I need more time!

I feel that way about the ride cymbal too. It can be any brand from any line, as long is it sounds right to you. But for me, I’ll be satisfied in staying with Sabian. They have some great sounding rides. So I went down to the Atlanta Pro Percussion shop in Smyrna, GA to check out some rides. I wasn’t there to purchase, just to make my decision more difficult for when I do! After checking out a few (actually, many) of the rides, there were three that particularly caught my eye:

I like a ride to be very “ping-y”; you’d have to strike it really hard for it to have somewhat of a sustain. The above rides are pingy, much to my liking. The AAX is a good all-around cymbal that has good articulation, and strikes a nice balance with the sound of its bell and bow.

I really like the HH because the response of the stick is incredible, the bell sounds great, and the cymbal looks awesome. I’d like to have all these nice, shiny cymbals, and hovering near my floor tom, the ominous HH Raw Bell Dry Ride.

And then there’s the Paragon. Now really, you can’t really go wrong with any of the Paragon’s. Maybe it’s because Mr. Peart is my reference drummer. I’ve always loved all of his sounds. They seem so deliberately selected, and this ride is no exception. This cymbal can do it all, the bell and bow sound so good, it’s a versatile cymbal – I can’t say enough about it. I trust this cymbal.

Well, the bottom line is, I’d be happy with any of these. We’ll see what deal I can get when the time comes, and I’ll tell you all about it.

The B8 18” crash/ride? Oh I’ll still have it. Although my B8 hi-hats and 15” crash may eventually be replaced, I do like the 18” as a crash only cymbal. There are some drummers who when they ride their cymbal it sounds very washy, almost crashy, such as Alan White or Alex Van Halen, for example.

For those cases, I can ride those songs with my crash/ride. So I’ll probably keep it in the vicinity of the dedicated ride, whichever it ends up being.

But in the meantime, I’m rockin’ with my crash/ride, and the rest of my ensemble. Hey, it still sounds pretty good! So I play on.

The Ringing In My Ears

Omar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:53:15 +0000

I suffer from a condition called tinnitus. It is defined as the perception of sound in the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sounds. It can be perceived in one or both ears or in the head. It is usually described as a ringing noise, but in some patients it takes the form of a high pitched whining, buzzing, hissing, humming, or whistling sound, or as ticking, clicking, roaring, "crickets" or "tree frogs" or "locusts", tunes, songs, or beeping. It has also been described as a "whooshing" sound, as of wind or waves. Tinnitus can be intermittent or it can be continuous. In the latter case, this "phantom" sound can create great distress in the sufferer. (Thank you Wikipedia for that description!)

I’ve had it as long as I can remember. In my case, it’s more like the high-pitched ringing whooshing sound, but I’ve learned to live with it. But it’s dang annoying sometimes! Maybe I will tell my doctor the next time I see him (if I remember; I forget I have it sometimes I’m so used to it).

But I digress. This isn’t really about that ringing in my ears, but about another one. In this case I’m talking about the snare drum. Yes, the other drums ring too, but snare drum ringing annoys me the most! Preference in snare drum sound is as individual as there are drummers, but that’s a topic for another day. Suffice it to say that, for me, snare drum ringing is almost as annoying as tinnitus.

I’ve always noted it, but I didn’t pay that much mind to it until a few years ago my wife gave me a snare drum as an anniversary present (man, does she know me!). Won’t reveal the brand (at least not today), but I was eager to get into it for sure. As I started paradiddling on it (what else would I do?), I noticed it ringed – a lot. This was really annoying! Yes, the gift was perfect, but why the ringing? Mind you, I went a lot of years without owning drums, and when I did have them I never bothered with tuning or muffling or that sort of thing. But as I do with tinnitus, I put up with it, ‘cause I loved the drum so!

That got me thinking: what drummers have that distinctive ringing sound on their snare? Mind you, I grew up listening mostly to rock (classic rock as it’s called these days), not so much jazz, but no matter. One example that comes to mind is Bill Bruford’s early years with Yes. In the Yes documentary “YesYears, a Retrospective,” Bill mentions that since Chris Squire’s bass was very trebly, and that he would usually play higher notes rather than lower ones, the sound very much intruded on the sound of the snare. So Bill had to play (or set) the snare so that it would cut very cleanly in the recording so it could be heard. This resulted in a sort of “pong” type of sound when he smacked the snare. This is very evident in the song “Roundabout” from Yes’ Fragile release. Although he may have had to do this by necessity, to me it’s just downright annoying!

There are many recordings today where this “ponging” or ringing is prevalent. Alas, even my favorite drummer, Neil Peart, it seems has taken a liking to this sound, and it is prevalent in the Snakes & Arrows Live cd, but even more so in the R30 live cd. A little too much ringing in this blogger’s ears.

And it’s all preference, I know. We all strive to achieve the perfect sound, or we want to try different sounds just because. But me, I don’t care too much for it. So back to my snare drum: what was I going to do about it?

One day I decided to step into a music store and ask if there was anything that would help muffle the ringing. I was shown one of the most amazing drum accessories ever! It’s called Moongel, by Rtom. If your local music store doesn't stock it, you can obtain it via one of Rtom's distributors, Big Bang Distribution. It’s a small rectangular gel-like strip that you place strategically on the snare head. The little round container has four strips in it, which allows you to vary the degree of the muffling. You know I bought it right away! Went home and tried it, and I had a whole new snare! It sounded wonderful! I didn’t know something so small could have such an effect on the sound, but low and behold, it was exactly what I was looking for, and unintrusive to boot!

I wondered if anyone else professionally was using the Moongel, and I found out that, well, yes of course! Among others I’m sure, but most recently I read that Raymond Weber, who among other gigs has played for Harry Connick Jr., uses it on his snare.

But what has happened since then? I’ve actually discovered that the ringing (or ponging) sound does have a practical use, sparingly, at least. I don’t remember which car commercial it was, but the jingle had a really, really cool jazzy lick that I thought was outstanding, and boy did that snare ring! But you know what, it was perfect for that.

So I’ve changed my stance a little as far as the ‘ringing in my ears’ go. Depending on my snare at the time, I’ll make sure it doesn’t ring, because I like the quick pop or snappy sound of a snare – make your sound and get out of the way! But for some songs, I’ll take that Moongel off. Hey, aren’t those the choices that make the fun in drumming?

The Paradiddler » Product Review

Interview – Lazaro Quilon of Lidwish Soulutions

Interview with Charles Fisher, Off-Set Bass Drum Pedal Company

Product Review – Off-Set Double Bass Drum Pedal

Blogging Your Passion

Great Snares of Rock

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

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

Number 3: Alan White, Yes, 9012 Live

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

Number 1: John Bonham, Led Zeppelin

The Thing About the Neighbors

Enter the Skins, Revisited

The Paradiddler’s Kit

Neil Peart's Drum Kits

To Crash-Ride Or Not to Crash-Ride

The Ringing In My Ears

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