This article originally appeared in edited form in the Winter/2011 issue of Target Audiance Magazine, an online, quarterly publication promoting independent artists of all genres - musicians, artists, writers, film-makers, and all entrepreneurs. The subject matter is even more relevant today than it was then, with ever-expanding options for drum instruction. This is the unabridged, updated version...

There are many aspects to drumming that contribute to a good performance.  If we’re talking about a live setting, making sure you hear the other musicians to ensure everyone’s in sync is always important.  As far as your kit goes, you check your setup to make sure all lugs are secure, drums are in place, throne is at the right height, extra sticks within short reach in case the inevitable stick drop occurs – the whole nine yards.  When you’re playing, you don’t want to think about the technical – you just want to think about the ‘artistic’.

Of course, it may be that you as a drummer are not at that stage yet.  You may just be starting off, playing the rudiments on the practice pad.  Or you have that shiny kit and you’re just itching to play your favorite song, however bad it sounds.   In any case, the endeavor begins in our quest to get better at playing our favorite instrument.

And ‘there’s the rub’, as they say:  “our quest to get better”.  What does that mean, anyway?  If we want to play on stage, as mentioned before, or even if we just play for pleasure, we inevitably want to play with some semblance of knowing what we’re doing!  So to do that, the drummer has a slew of options, more than ever before, for learning new skills – from the very basic, to the very advanced.

There are so many angles and slants to drumming, that sometimes it can be overwhelming to determine where to start.  For example, an obvious place to start for most is the actual drumming.  Focusing from the beginning on the 40 Rudiments is a very practical and wise approach, since you’re learning the ‘vocabulary’ of all drum beats.  Others may think it very important to start learning to read music first, and then carry that over to the practice pad, and then eventually to the kit.  Nothing wrong with that either!  Still others may think that a good place to start is to situate the drummer-to-be behind the kit and help with good posture, drum and cymbal placement, etc., something to the effect of getting to know the equipment before learning how to use it.

Even with all of the aforementioned scenarios, a better approach may be an emphasis on a combination of those scenarios!  A good teacher may touch up on the elementary of each of those ‘branches’ of fundamental drumming, thus establishing a solid foundation for the student.

Then again, in learning to play, or even bettering your play if you have intermediate skills, the student has a wide variety of sources to choose from.  We obviously have the local teacher, which can give you immediate feedback.  These days there are a lot of online resources and instructional DVDs that have made it possible for anyone, regardless of location and availability of local education (or lack thereof), to receive high-quality drumming instruction.

TheParadiddler.com has reviewed some of these exceptional courses, which have, once again, a different focus depending on the tastes and desires of the student.  Courses such as Mike Michalkow’s “Drumming System” and Dann Sherrill’s “Learn and Master Drums” cover all the bases, or at least attempt to, from absolute beginner to at least intermediate play.  Others focus on a particular aspect of drumming.  For example, Matt Ritter, a New York-based instructor, produced “Unburying the Beater”, which is a DVD dedicated solely to bass drum technique.  These are all excellently produced instructional courses and worth serious consideration for improving your play, especially for beginners, but more advanced drums can certainly benefit.

In addition to that, the Internet also has an abundance of resources available to the drumming student.  The benefit of the Internet is that you have at your disposal literally thousands of other drummers participating in forums, contributing their experiences, ideas, and solutions that very frequently is precisely what the student was looking to answer.  Websites such as Drummerworld.com make it possible to search for virtually any topic relating to drums, be it about gear, drum selection, drummer spotlights, hand and foot technique, etc.

A new drummer, and even intermediate drummers, may feel a little intimidated by the overabundance of knowledge there is on any particular drum topic.  But usually a drummer is searching to solve a specific problem they may be facing.  For example, many drummers starting off ask about drum placement, and their position relative to the drums.  So they may post a question on a forum saying something like, “I need help with how to position my toms.”  They then receive many answers, ranging from, “I like to angle my toms towards me, because I like to have the toms right in front of me.”  They may also see, “I like to lay the toms as flat as possible.  That way the sticks have the best rebound, working with the natural effect of gravity.”  What’s the new drummer to believe?

Here’s another scenario.  A drummer may want to know if it’s better to play the bass drum with the heel up or the heel down (this subject, by the way, is covered extensively in the aforementioned “Unburying the Beater” DVD).  The newbie will see many answers, such as, “oh heel up is the only way I play, because I need to play with a lot of power, and I play a lot of double bass.”  Yet on the other hand you may get an answer such as, “Most of the time I play with my heel down, because I feel I have better control of the pedal that way.”  Again, who do you believe?

Let’s not even talk about “traditional vs. matched” grip – that is a field unto itself!  (This topic is covered extensively in the article “Traditional vs. Matched Grip – The Paradiddler’s Take”.)

So who’s right?  Who’s wrong?  The answer may surprise you.  Theyrre all right!  And, they’re all wrong.  How can that be?

It is quite possible that the drums are the most versatile and flexible of all instruments.  Although the snare drum is an instrument in and of itself, when incorporated into a kit, it becomes part of the whole instrument – the drum set.  And configurations of drum sets are as individual an art as the drummers who play them.

In addition, drummers come in all shapes and sizes.  No two drummers are really alike.  Sometimes close, but not quite.  Let’s take the example of bass drum technique.  The height of the drummer plays a role in how they learn to use the bass pedal.  Also, the height the drummer sets their throne also may affect bass pedal play.  The taller drummer may (I say may, but not necessarily so) set their throne a little lower since they have a longer torso, and can more easily reach the toms, and maybe even angle them a little flatter.  Their legs may be closer to a 90^o angle, and thus this affects how their foot plays the pedal.  The shorter drummer, meanwhile, may need to set their thrown a little higher since their torso is not as long.  In addition, they may need to sit a little closer to the drums, and sitting higher means that their leg may be at a greater angle than the taller drummer.  This also, in turn, affects how their feet play the pedals.

Now let’s say that these two drummers have the same teacher.  As far as height goes, he’s in the middle of the two drummers.  This teacher insists on his method of bass drum play, because it works for him.  So he tells his students that the throne has to be a certain height, and your feet must be at this or that position for optimum bass drum play.  Neither student cares to disagree because, hey, he’s the teacher!  And they’ve seen him play, and he’s awesome!

So both drummers go home to their kits and set the drum throne at the height the teacher taught them, and place their foot on the pedal just as instructed.  But after trying it a few times, something just didn’t feel right.  Both drummers being curious, they then start playing with the drum thrown height until they felt comfortable.  Then they practiced a lot of bass drum technique, checking out several different sources, and noticed that after a while it started to feel, well, natural.  Since they practiced so much (notice that they practiced ‘so much’), they eventually found their groove and their bass pedal play became exceptional.  So they fired their teacher. 

What the teacher told them was right, but for him.  It was wrong for the students.  Any good teacher will help the student determine what’s most comfortable for them, and teach them within that frame.  It may take time for a student to figure out their comfort zone regarding drum throne height, stick grip, drum placement, and the like.  But with practice and a continuing familiarity with proper technique, the student will reach a comfort zone.  Being comfortable is a key to constant improvement behind the kit.

It’s better not to get stuck on the opinions or techniques of others as to how to do something.  It’s better still to look at all possible variations, for educational purposes, and use that cumulative knowledge to find what works for you.  There are a lot of great drummers, and they all have their own style.  Be an astute observer, take in what works for you, and practice that.  You will get better – your way, and at your pace.

That’s not to say though that there aren’t guidelines.  You most likely don’t want to sit so low that your knees are bent to less than 90^o; you’ll get much less leverage that way (regarding bass drum play).  Also, it is good practice to determine the fulcrum of the drumstick and learn to adapt your sticking technique to it; there are guidelines for that as well. (A very good resource regarding this topic is Jim McCarthy’s book “Stick Technique”.)

In saying the above, though, pretty much every rule in drumming is meant to be broken, so to speak, if it works for you.  Take two legendary drummers, Steve Gadd and Steve Smith.  Both of them use the traditional grip for the most part.  Steve Gadd holds the left stick way towards the back end of the stick, whereas Steve Smith holds it more towards the middle.  Who’s right?  They both are!  They’re both sensational drummers.  It’s whatever works for them.

Even the masters that we admire continually refine their approach to playing, always questioning what works and what doesn’t.  Both Neil Peart and the aforementioned Steve Smith sought the guidance of Freddie Gruber to help them refine their techniques.  All three of them have completely different styles of drumming, but Freddie was able to help them become better players.  And even after they adjusted their style, you still knew it was Steve Smith; you still knew it was Neil Peart – just better.  Whose techniques were better?  They were those that worked for each individual.

Online drum teacher Mike Johnston of MikesLessons.com observed that when students ask about his bass drum technique, they’re really not asking about the technique, but rather for the result.  He recognizes that the bass drum technique that works for him will not work for, say, 7’ Shaquille O’Neal with a size 23 foot!  He’d rather have the student figure out what works more comfortably for them, and practice like crazy, until the technique comes naturally and without excessive fatigue.  And this can be applied to every aspect of our drumming:  drum placement, grip, bass drum technique, practice routine, etc.  (Check the Podcast section for the entire Mike Johnston interview.)

The bottom line is that there’s a plethora of opinions on the best way to do this or that for every aspect of drumming.  So watch the videos of your favorite drummers, and observe their techniques.  Search the forums on the subjects you need assistance in.  Heed the advice of your instructors.  Then take it all in and mold it to you.  Always seek to improve, to make adjustments.  But for the most part, if your technique is comfortable and it allows you to get better and better, then continue on that vein.  Because in the end, for you, your way is the right way.

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2013/03/12/your-way-is-the-right-way/feed/ 0 http://theparadiddler.com/2013/01/10/dazed-but-not-confused/ http://theparadiddler.com/2013/01/10/dazed-but-not-confused/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 06:23:50 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2646

Pearl Forum Jet Black 5pc kit, Sabian cymbals

Way back when (I’m talking a little more than a couple of years ago now), I wrote an article called “When You Least Expect It”.  The premise of that article was to show how being a little prepared, and a little available, could land you a gig.  Of course, there’s more to it than that, but the bottom line was to keep practicing, play your drum covers (more as an educational tool), and let people know that you want to play in a band.  You keep doing those things, and sooner or later – you’re on!

Even though I had been playing to rock songs, the band mentioned in the article needed a multi-percussionist – a la Walfredo Reyes, Jr.  It was a huge challenge, but because of my practicing I was able to play pretty respectably, and it gave me loads of confidence going forward.

Well, some time has passed since then.  I’ve recorded several more drum covers, and I think I’ve made slight progress each time.  I’m especially proud of my cover of Rush’s “Headlong Flight” and the Genesis medley “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight/The Musical Box ”.  Trust me, this is not for tooting my own horn, but it is to show you what is possible with whatever tools you choose to practice.  I just happen to think that drum covers offer the student many things to keep in mind, which forces discipline, and hence forces you to focus and subsequently play more precisely over time.

So again a friend (a different one this time), after finding out I play drums, asks me if I’d like to play with him in a little band.  Nothing serious, just a get-together on a semi-regular basis playing some tunes with some like-minded musicians.  This time, however, the genre was rock (the main genre, anyway).  This would be a lot more comfortable for me to play instead of mostly Latin tunes, as in the previous band.  It sounded like I would just fit right in, so I was glad to join.

We decided that since we were the elder statesmen of the band, we would have last say on songs.  However, we were definitely open to the input of the rest of the members, otherwise the band wouldn't function.  We started off with just two songs, and have added some more since then.  No need to overwhelm, because it's not like we have to play an actual gig (well, not yet anyways).

We decided to take the slow approach as far as learning the songs.  We would decide on two songs, as an example, and each member would take those songs and listen to them and rehearse them on their own time, practicing the more difficult parts and what not.  Later, when we got together, we would do a run on the songs, to see how we sound playing them.  Of course, this method worked out great for those who could carry their instruments around, but lugging drums around would be a major chore at best.  But fortunately, that was taken care of.

The keyboardist just happened to have a drum set he was not using, a jet black Pearl Forum 5pc kit.  It was the basic, out of the box kit with the standard Pearl cymbals.  The kit was already 'set up' at our practice location, so I just went over to take a look and start getting familiar with it.  The toms are larger than the ones on my DW Pacific FS kit, so this would take a little getting used to.  The single pedal simply would not do, since I'm used to having a double pedal at my disposal (even if I don't end up using it; I just like it there).  Also, the cymbals were the stock Pearl cymbals that came with the kit, which could not hold a candle to my Sabians.  So a little rearrangement was in order.

Tuning is (almost) everything to the sound of a kit, so right then and there I tuned the bass drum and the floor tom. Everything was tuned way too high, so that needed adjustment right away.  I decided to take the mounted toms and the snare back home to my 'studio' and tune them there.  That way I could use my keyboard if I wanted to tune the toms to a specific pitch, and also I could reference them against my DW Pacific toms.  As mentioned in the article "Name That Tune", I prefer tuning the top and bottom heads to the same pitch - I don't like the pitch to go up or down after striking the head.  So I spend as much time as possible to get that part right.

Another reason I was happy about using another kit is that I wanted to see how the Pearl kit stacked up against my Pacific kit. After playing them both, I like the sound of the Pacific kit better.  It just seems to have a more rich tone than the Pearl kit. The Pearl Forum kit is made of poplar, whereas the Pacific FS kit is birch.  Although I give the nod to the Pacific kit, the poplar snare sounds surprisingly good.  It has a nice, well, 'pop' to it, and that's the behavior I prefer from a snare - make your mark, then get out of the way.

So the only thing I had to bring to the practice location were my cymbals, which I was happy to do.  Nothing can replace the Sabian Paragon 22" ride, and even though most of the other cymbals are the Sabian B8 line, they certainly sound better than the stock Pearl cymbals.  Also, I brought my Pearl hi-hat stand since it has rotating legs, to more easily accommodate my Off-Set double bass pedal.

One thing I preach about playing drum covers is recording them, to keep track of your progress.  I wanted to do exactly the same thing for the band, so I took charge in keeping a video and audio log of all our sessions.  I brought the camcorder and my Zoom H2 digital recorder to the session, but right away I saw that it would be difficult to keep track of the audio and video.  I really couldn't get a good angle of the band based on the space we had, so I decided to ax the video and just record the audio.  This would exercise our listening ear when heard ourselves back, for when we listened for what we needed to improve on.

I wanted to have a good left to right sound stage for the recording, so I placed the digital recorder at one end of the practice room.  This location happened to be where the bass amp was.  Well, big mistake when I heard the recording back - everything sounded a little off in the distance, with the bass pounding in the foreground.  The next time we got together, I used the H2 like it was intended.  I set the mic gain switch to the 'low' setting, and turned on both the front and rear-facing mics on the unit.  I then put it on a tripod and set the recorder right smack in the middle of the musicians.  This allows recording from all directions, with somewhat of an even mix (the unit also can record in 4-channel surround, which I may fiddle with sometime in the future).  In any case, the recording was significantly better the the first one.  Everyone sounded pristine, and with a few tweaks, a slight adjustment in the position of the recorder, it can sound even better.

Since our little project is so new, it is too soon to post any videos of performance, but if we get good enough, it will happen.  We have a couple of guitarists, bass player, keyboardist, two singers (a guy and a gal), and yours truly on drums.  Having two voice types as lead singers allows us flexibility in song selection, both with lead and background vocals.  So once we get our act together, we'll see what's worth posting.  But at worst it will be an educational experience, and there's nothing 'worst' about that.

I've always said that 'even if it sounds bad, just have fun'.  Well, I'm not saying we sound bad, but we definitely sound better than at the beginning.  This is due to practice, of course, but it is also due to listening back to our sessions and hearing where we can improve, and having a group of musicians who are humble enough to take constructive criticism, and run with it.  Now you go run with it.

If you have experiences, good or bad, related to starting a band, recording techniques, how songs are selected, etc., please leave a comment below!

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2013/01/10/dazed-but-not-confused/feed/ 0 http://theparadiddler.com/2012/11/04/the-cold-fire-of-rush/ http://theparadiddler.com/2012/11/04/the-cold-fire-of-rush/#comments Sun, 04 Nov 2012 08:14:14 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2560

Once again Rush visits Atlanta (well, Alpharetta actually), Georgia, at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Thursday, November 1^st, 2012.  This time they were touring their latest CD, Clockwork Angels, their first full-length concept album.

You'd figure that playing together for almost 40 years that Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart would be, well, for lack of a better word, tired - nothing can be further from the truth.

But let me digress for a bit.  Sometime after Rush's Snakes and Arrows tour (2008), I started to think about what I would like them to play on their next tour, whenever that would be.  My assumption was that they would tour their next CD, like they usually did.  But Alex Lifeson announced in early 2010 that they would be touring two new songs, and that the tour would be the called the Time Machine tour, which would include their 1981 release Moving Pictures in its entirety.  This was a complete curve ball, but a welcome one no doubt.  The show I attended was fantastic, which you can read all about it.

Fast forward to the present, and this time Rush was touring to support an actual CD, but I wasn't about to write another wish-list article (done that already).  Now it was time to look forward to the next show.  For the Time Machine tour, my daughter and son were to accompany me, but she was unable to attend, and a friend of mine got the unexpected invitation. He'd never seen Rush before or heard about them much, but he was a fan afterwards.  This time both my kids came with me.  My son had been to only two other concerts in his life, and both had been to see Rush (with me).  My daughter has been to a bunch of other concerts, but never with me, and never to see Rush.  So this was a first for her as well as for me.

Attending a Rush concert is not just about the musicians, but about the camaraderie of the fans.  People who've never seen each other, and probably will never see each other again, easily strike up conversations on their first exposure to Rush, their first concert, their favorite Rush 'era', favorite record, why Alex Lifeson is still underrated, why they're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and on and on.  (Note:  Rush has finally been nominated for the aforementioned Hall, which may give Rush fans a sense of validation at last).  And you see fans of all ages, and generations of families together:  grandparents, parents, and the kids.  Everyone is happy to share in their love of Rush.

One thing about the show date was that it was cold.  Not such a great idea to have an outside show when the weather happens to be below normal temperatures at this time of the year.  Whomever in Rush's management that scheduled this stop should be fired (alright, I'm just kidding).

Because of YouTube and sites like Power Windows - A Tribute to Rush, it's easy to 'cheat', so to speak, and find out beforehand what Rush's set list would be.  Well Rush knows this too, so instead of keeping the same set list throughout the tour, they change it every night.  There are a core of songs they play always, and then change up some of the other ones.  This not only keeps the fans guessing because they don't know what to expect (even if they think they know), it also keeps the shows interesting for Rush - a fresh take every night, which takes the monotony out of touring.  Everyone benefits!

After about a 20 minute delay, the lights go out, and a funny video is played depicting the members of Rush being put together piece by piece.  Then, the booming synthesizer sound of "Subdivisions" kicks in, which delights all.  Geddy was sporting a leather jacket and scarf (to protect his voice from the cold), and looked quite dapper.  Alex was looking cool as always with a sports jacket, and Neil was dressed for summer - short-sleeve shirt and all.

One of the things fans pay attention to is Geddy's voice.  He's 59 years old (as is Alex; Neil is 60).  And usually his voice is a little shaky at the beginning of the show and progressively settles down.  But I noticed that at least this night his voice was very much on spot, hitting those high notes accurately and with force.  He sang very well throughout the whole night.

The guys are at home even when mistakes occur.  During "Grand Designs", Neil drops a stick, but doesn't lose a beat as he pulls out another one and continues.  The stick happens to fall in front of the kit.  So Alex picks it up and starts playing his guitar with it!  He then tosses the stick to an audience member and continues on as usual.

"Limelight" makes its appearance, as Rush continues to flip-flop songs between shows.  This song was played where "The Body Electric" or "Middletown Dreams" would be played.  I personally was looking forward to seeing "Middletown Dreams" played live, but you really can't go wrong with "Limelight".  And speaking of this song, it was played with a sense of youthfulness and 'tightness' that it seemed to lack the last few tours.  They played it faster than on previous tours - it sounded fresh.  It was played very close to the original, which made it the best version in years.  Alex's guitar solo also was reminiscent of the original where the last high note of the solo was sustained, wherein the last few tours he would just play that last note and not sustain it.  The song was epic.

By this point I noticed that Neil's drums were not as pronounced as I've heard them before.  They were present of course, but I think the bass drum volume could have been turned up a little more.  Maybe I'm nitpicking, but hey, I play drums too - I notice these things!

Later in the show Rush played one of my favorite instrumentals, "Where's My Thing?", which they hadn't played since the Roll the Bones tour.  This instrumental featured the first of three drum solos that Neil would perform.  I took some sneak peeks at this first solo on other nights in the tour, and I thought he played very well, which would have been the 'improvisational' section of the drum solo from other tours.  But on this night, Neil was on fire.  He was so fast, with the varying waltz patterns and Latin beats, his famous double-handed crossover - he literally was all over the place.  Very powerful, very strong.  I don't think there is another drummer that plays that hard, at that age.  Neil is the 'gold standard' of rock drumming, and he proved it yet again this night.  It was a fantastic solo.

The first set closed with "Far Cry", which was played at a faster pace than previously, and the tempo suited the song very well. Then it was intermission time for the 'old guys'.

After yet another funny video, nine of the twelve songs on Clockwork Angels were played, but Rush was not alone.  For the first time in their career, Rush had a string ensemble on stage with them, augmenting the songs.  Geddy later introduced them as the "Clockwork Angels String Ensemble".  This was different than what most other rock bands do with extra orchestra-type musicians.  Instead of an orchestra changing the style of the original songs, the string ensemble never overtook or overpowered the band.  Their volume was just enough to make the songs seem more grand, giving the songs more of a story-like, epic presentation, but it always sounded like Rush.  It was a delicate balance, but it was pulled off beautifully.  "Caravan" was a great example of how the ensemble made the song sound different, but it still really was about the band.  You can compare "Caravan" from the Time Machine tour vs. this one, and notice the different personalities of the song.

I was very much looking forward to the title track, "Clockwork Angels".  The guitar riff is so aggressive, and the accompanying light show was mesmerizing. What no one was expecting was Neil's kit to rotate and him playing the electronic kit for the 'lean not upon your own understanding' section of the song.  And when the section finished, the kit rotated back, and Neil continued on the acoustic kit, without missing a beat.  Very clever and creative.  This is definitely one of my all-time favorite songs.

A note on "The Anarchist" (my son's favorite song from the CD) - it was made to be played live.  It was very grand-sounding.

I was excited that "Carnies" was made a permanent fixture of the show (it wasn't early in the tour).  Again, the string ensemble enhanced the grandness of the song, without taking it over.  I also noticed at this point that I was head-bobbing a great deal in this concert!  I didn't really notice until this song, but then I looked at the string ensemble, and they were head-bobbing too!  They were having a blast as well.  The pyrotechnics towards the end of the song may have been the best of the night.

One Rush's most beautiful songs, "The Wreckers", was next.  During the "the brink of war" section of the song, Rush used the lighting in a very creative way by simulating a rain storm, while they showed a video of a ship in stormy seas.  Geddy's voice sounded very gentle by itself during the chorus, which was very appropriate.  On the CD he's singing the melody also, whereas in the show it's Alex.  Speaking of Alex, his guitar solo towards the end of the song was wonderfully executed, which you don't hear on the CD.

Probably the apex of the Clockwork Angels suite came next, "Headlong Flight".  The first time I heard this song, I knew I had to cover it - so I did!  And I was very much looking forward to seeing it performed live.  It did not disappoint - it was fantastic on so many levels.  The string ensemble once again enhanced the song to epic proportions, and Neil changed up most of the transitions so even if you knew the CD version, you wouldn't know what to expect from him live.  And Geddy's voice soared - he hit all the high, long notes.  Late in the show and in the tour, and his voice is still spot on.  The second of three drum solos was also featured here.  Neil extended his 'single stroke roll' solo, enhanced with sampled triggers of Geddy's bass notes and Alex's guitar chords.  Of the many highlights, this song was one of the best.

The next song was one I thought would not make the tour, but I'm glad it did.  "Halo Effect" included an extended acoustic guitar solo by Alex, so beautiful that my daughter said that it almost brought her to tears.  The song sounded great live - it definitely fit into the live suite.

"Wish Them Well" was next, and there was a funny dancing-type video going on towards the end of the song, and if I remember correctly Geddy was egging Alex on to dance.   In any case, the song had a crazy outro jam by all the musicians, which was very cool.  To me, though, this was the song's send-off.  I predict it will not see another tour.

The last of the suite, "The Garden", may be one of Rush's all-time best songs.  It is so different from anything they've done before.  The lyrics are so poignant, more so methinks than anything Neil has ever written.  The music is triumphant and sad at the same time - a celebration, and a culmination.  An ending of sorts.  If ever Rush decides to play this song at the end of an encore in a subsequent tour, then the end really may be near.

Eighteen years ago Geddy said the following:   "Writing the great song - I still feel like it's in me somewhere. There's a truly great song in me somewhere; but it hasn't come out yet."  Geddy, I believe "The Garden" is finally that great song that has been inside of you, and now it has come out.  A masterpiece.

The Clockwork Angels suite concluded, but the string ensemble stuck around to enhance some of Rush's older songs.  I was happy "Dreamline" was on the set list, a song my daughter grew up listening to all her life.  The strings gave it new life, but the band itself played it with seemingly new purpose.  It somehow sounded 'younger' - it was tighter, with a quickened pace. Also of note was Alex's return to the high note in the solo that appeared on the original studio version (Roll the Bones, 1991), but seemingly never returned until this tour.  Welcome back.  :)

It was time now for the third and final drum solo, which Neil played exclusively on the Roland electronic drums.  It was very melodic, and again Neil showed why he's such a unique drummer.  For him it's just not all about the chops and technique (even though he has them), but everything he does is musical.  A lesson in serving the song, not the musician.

The string ensemble's last hurrah was "YYZ", and what a way to conclude.  "YYZ" is always a good song, but there have been times where I think the band plays it a little too slowly.  This time the speed was just right, and it seems like the song was made for this ensemble.  I have two favorite versions of this song:  from Exit... Stage Left, and the Grace Under Pressure Tour live DVD.  The version from this night joined that group.  It was, well, epic.

"The Spirit of Radio" ended the main show, and again it was played with youthful exuberance - and it was late in the show! There's no letup with these guys.

The encore featured "Tom Sawyer", and three sections of "2112" (I. Overture, II. The Temples of Syrinx, and VII. Grand Finale). You need a lot of energy to play "Grand Finale", which is one of my favorite instrumentals, and one of the best endings in Rock, period.  The band was so spot on and energetic, even at such a late juncture in the show.

So in the end, the set list for this night was:

Subdivisions
The Big Money
Force 10
Grand Designs
Limelight
Territories
The Analog Kid
The Pass
Where's My Thing? (Drum Solo 1)
Far Cry

(-Intermission-)

Caravan
Clockwork Angels
The Anarchist
Carnies
The Wreckers
Headlong Flight (Drum Solo 2)
Halo Effect (with guitar solo intro)
Wish Them Well
The Garden
Dreamline
The Percussor (Drum Solo 3)
Red Sector A
YYZ
The Spirit Of Radio

(-Encore-)

Tom Sawyer
2112: Overture, The Temples of Syrinx, Grand Finale

I continue to be amazed at the ever increasing level of musicianship that exudes from Rush.  It truly is an inspiration.  After every tour I always end up wondering if they could keep playing this well, with such precision, and they continue to prove that they can.  This is my sixth time seeing this band live, my first two times being way back during their Hold Your Fire tour (1987), and then again for the Roll the Bones tour (1991).  I didn't get to see them live again until the R30 tour (2004), and every one since.  I have to say that they are playing better now than in those earlier years, and if it's even possible, they continue to get better.

And it's not so much that they necessarily play the older songs better now than they did then.  It's debatable if they play "Limelight" or "Tom Sawyer" better now than back in 1981-1984, for example, or if they play "2112" better now than they did in 1976-1979.  To me, it's not if they play them better or worse, but that they can still play them at all.  Rush can still play anything they've recorded in their 20 studio albums, and play them exceptionally well, and not sound like a cover band of themselves.  How many bands can make that claim?

There's no question anymore that Alex Lifeson is one of the greatest Rock guitarists ever - he's there already.  He's the spontaneity of the band, highly creative, and still has the dexterity in his fingers to pull off his complicated solos and phrasings.  And now he's playing keyboards too!

Geddy Lee has for most of his career been considered one of the best bass players in Rock, but the fact that he's singing all those complicated lyrics and tearing his bass to shreds, well, that's not very common.  The fact that he's a great keyboardist allows him to extend his creativity to be an exceptional songwriter.  And oh yeah, many times he'll do all three simultaneously (sing, play bass and keyboards), even if he has to use his feet.

And Neil Peart?  Well, I'll quote Geddy on this one:  "I don't know how he does it."  Neil has proven you can be a 30-year old drummer at 60.  He's still so strong - he's really bashing those drums and cymbals.  His focus is unmatched.  To play like that requires so much concentration and preparation, yet he still does it.  Watching him play is mesmerizing; you really can't take your eyes off of him.  And I really haven't been able to pinpoint why that is, except that he can still play everything he recorded as a young man - with just as much strength, but now with something he may not have had as much before:  finesse.

And the three together?  I think for many years critics, and even some fans, have thought that they should hang it up - they're too old.  But if they feel young, why should the age matter?  If they still have the desire, the chops, the creative drive, and the energy, why should they stop?  It's up to them and only them.  I for one will never write them off again, because they keep proving me wrong.  Clockwork Angels is a masterpiece, one of their best records ever.  We wouldn't have it if they listened to those saying they should hang it up.

I think I can sum up Rush in one line that Neil wrote in the song "Prime Mover" off of Hold Your Fire:

The point of the journey, is not to arrive

As for me, I'll continue enjoying the journey...

_______________
For some amazing photos from the aforementioned show, be sure to visit the Rush tribute web site Cygnus-X1.net

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2012/11/04/the-cold-fire-of-rush/feed/ 7 http://theparadiddler.com/2012/10/02/drum-cover-rush-losing-it/ http://theparadiddler.com/2012/10/02/drum-cover-rush-losing-it/#comments Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:35:17 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2542

Some of my drum covers are just of songs that I like. Some have a story behind them as well. Some go even beyond that. Well, this one's a doozie.

Since Rush's Clockwork Angels was going to be on display on their next tour, I decided that I would cover another song from it (the first, of course, being "Headlong Flight"). So I started preparing myself as I usually do, trying to convince myself that I can actually do it, then hear it a million times.

But during the summer, a major distraction caused me to change course. Someone very dear to me became very ill, and pretty much everything revolved around trying to make her better. Alas, it was not to be, and my sister-in-law lost her battle with cancer. Very sad, sad times indeed.

Well, a little time went by and things started to settle down a bit. The idea came to me that I could do some sort of tribute to her, and the first song that came to my mind was "Losing It" by Rush. It is such a hauntingly beautiful song, a sorrowful dirge mourning the loss of one's abilities over time. That certainly happens when cancer takes over, unfortunately to the point of loss of life.

I thought I could record a drum cover, and include a montage of photos of my sister-in-law's life. I decided that the video would be a Facebook exclusive, so I posted it on my personal page. It's also been posted on The Paradiddler Facebook fan page, so all can see how special she was.

Even though I always accompany a drum cover with an article, because of the nature of this one I decided not to do it this time. So instead, I made another version of the video that's more 'article' friendly. But even this version has turned more into a cause than anything else.

But more on that later! Let's talk a little about the making of this drum cover.

As always, I never play and record thinking of the final result. I always concentrate on trying to play the best I can, and worry about editing later. Because, in reality, the drumming is always the most important part.

I got valuable feedback on my "Headlong Flight" cover regarding the bass drum. One viewer said that the bass drum was not standing out enough in the mix. I figured the Zoom H2 recorder was too far from the bass drum, so I moved it closer (about two feet away, maybe less). I think it made a world of difference - the bass drum is much more pronounced this time.

As far as the actual recording itself, as mentioned, I used the Zoom H2 recorder for the drums. Before every take, I set the video camera and the H2 to record, and mentioned the date, time and song aloud. This served as a marker, so if I thought the take was good, I would use the audio of the drumming to mix with the mp3 of the song.

Of all the takes, two stood out, so I brought each one into Audacity, and mixed them with the mp3 separately, to create two versions of a final audio mix. I picked what I thought was the best sounding and most accurate take. This time I made a conscious decision to base the final video on the accuracy of the sound of the drumming, and not on how 'good' it looked.

So in CyberLink PowerDirector, I brought in the video of the now approved take, and the approved audio mix, and synchronized the two. Now all I had to do was mute the audio in the video, and voilà! Great audio and video. I've found that it is much easier to sync the muted video to the mixed audio of the drumming and mp3 of the song, than to try and sync the video with the audio of the drumming and the mp3 separately. I'll be doing it this way for the foreseeable future.

I wanted to keep the video simple this time, with nothing too special, focusing more on the drumming than on effects. But I captured a couple angles at particular drum parts that benefited from a different view, so I included those.

But there's more to this story...

Touring bands these days cannot keep their set list secret for very long. Once the first show is complete, their set list is published on fan sites all over the place, and even videos of the concert, whether the band likes it or no. Rush is certainly no exception, and on web sites like Power Windows - A Tribute to Rush, the set list was listed right from the first night.

Anyway, fans are always requesting certain songs to be played, and depending on what 'era' of Rush you became a fan, that most likely will determine your preferences. I am no exception, as I've made my case for certain songs, both in an article ("The Paradiddler's Wish List for Rush's Next Tour", published April 4, 2010) and as a drum cover ("Double Agent"). I was very happy to see that a couple of my requests will be fulfilled: "Territories", and "Where's My Thing?" ("The Camera Eye" was another of my requests, which was played on the Time Machine tour, including the rest of Moving Pictures).

I was very happy to learn that Rush would be touring with a string ensemble, the first time they played on stage with other musicians. Clockwork Angels is very 'string' heavy, so this move was absolutely appropriate. But this excited me for another reason. I thought that, finally, Rush could play "Losing It" live. To me, this is one of Rush's most beautiful songs, and it absolutely stands the test of time. I think that even if the band ever wanted to play it live, triggering the complex violin-playing would just be too much to replicate. But now they would be touring with a string ensemble, so before the tour started and before anyone knew what the set list would be, I figured that the time had come for this song to shine.

I eagerly anticipated the first show so as to know what the set list would be. But after the show was over, I discovered that "Losing It" was not included. I've never been disappointed by Rush's choice of set list, even if they didn't play a song I would have liked to see. I have to admit, however, that I was more than a little disappointed with the exclusion of "Losing It". For some reason, I was so sure they would play this song, since now we had the strings in play. I can only speculate as to why this song again was not included:

• Violin part too complex
• Too many other songs Rush wanted to play
• Rush just plain forgot about it

But is there still hope, even after the tour is well under way (as of this writing), even with alternating set lists?

Back on September 16th (2012), The Detroit Free Press posed some questions to Alex Lifeson, and one in particular related to the set list being in flux, just to keep it fresh every night. But one particular thing caught my eye from what Alex said regarding alternating set lists:

"We don't usually do this type of thing, so we may get back in our usual groove. I'd be an advocate for some other stuff, songs we didn't prepare perhaps."

"Songs we didn't prepare perhaps"? I wonder what this means. I think Rush always tries to find ways to keep their playing fresh throughout a tour, and introducing a new song midway through would definitely be changing things up a lot. I'm not sure that they've ever done that before, so I'm going to suggest it to them - introduce "Losing It" to the set! They have the strings, and to me it's one of the most beautiful songs they've ever done.

Of course, this would involve actually rehearsing the song, with the string ensemble, during the course of the tour. So I realize this a long shot at best. But I'm just throwing it out there.

In any case, to me this song has stood the test of time, but now also for me it has taken on new significance - it will always remind me of a very special person, every time I hear it. So even if Rush never plays it live, it will always bring back beautiful memories.

We shall drum on.

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2012/10/02/drum-cover-rush-losing-it/feed/ 0 http://theparadiddler.com/2012/06/21/drum-cover-rush-headlong-flight/ http://theparadiddler.com/2012/06/21/drum-cover-rush-headlong-flight/#comments Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:00:24 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2520

When selecting a song to cover, I almost always go for a song that I've been hearing for years.  I figure if I'm familiar with the song, I won't have to spend so much time practicing it.

I still spend a lot of time practicing it.

But I digress!  Recently I was looking for a new song to cover, one that had not been around for long.  I'm always inclined to cover a Rush song, but I wasn't too keen on playing "Caravan" or "BU2B" since those have been out for a couple of years.

But then recently Rush released a third song off their now released Clockwork Angels, "Headlong Flight", and now I knew what I wanted to do - the key word being wanted.

When I first heard it, I thought, 'wow, this is gonna be incredibly hard to learn!'  The song has a very fast pace, faster than most of their songs as of late.  In typical Neil Peart fashion, every transition is played differently, and there's a furious single strike roll solo in the middle of the song.  Throw in some thwarting time signature changes, and I knew I was in for a difficult time.

I'm going to digress again just for a moment and mention how amazed I am at how Rush continues to overreach themselves musically.  They still play with a passion that very few musicians in their genre possess, especially at their age (I say that with the utmost respect).  If I can play like that when I'm almost 60, then I'll be very happy.

To learn the song, I first listened to it for entertainment purposes only.  I wanted to get to like the song, since it was brand new.  But that wasn't hard to do, since this is a great song.  I ended up hearing it over and over and over, literally dozens upon dozens of times (my steering wheel got a lot of abuse), until I had a good 'feeling' for what was going on.

At one point early on after I heard the song a few times I sat behind the kit and tried to play it, just to see how much I knew.  It was apparent, though, that I had a lot to learn.  The drumming sounds somewhat simple, but is deceivingly complex.  There are moments where Neil is just driving the song playing straight quarter notes, then bursts into a flurry, then back to quarter notes, then another flurry with different sticking - this goes on throughout the entire song.

So basically, these where the issues I had to figure out:

• the marching snare pattern at the beginning
• the sticking pattern for each transition (be it during the verses, or during the bridges)
• the odd time changes during the '3-beat 4-beat' instrumental
• bass drum pattern during guitar solo
• quarter notes or eighth notes during ride cymbal play
• the single stroke roll solo

No big deal at all (sheesh)!

The snare drum pattern at the beginning, from a listening perspective, could have gone either way.  I could have either combined single and double stroke rolls, or just played the notes as single strokes.  To me, playing the single stroke roll here sounds more powerful, and it's easier for me to play, so I went with that.

For the patterns Neil used during the transitions and verses, those required a lot of listening.  It was a matter of listening to the song over and over to memorize when what was when.  But that took seemingly forever.

What I call the '3-beat 4-beat' instrumental, right after the second chorus, was yet another challenge.  Right before it, Neil seemingly plays his piccolo snare leading up to that part of the song.  I for one do not have a piccolo snare (although my DW Pacific 13" metal snare may have done the job, but that's just too much setup work ).  So instead I played to the very edge of the snare (which happens to be the SuperDrum12 14" x 8" chrome snare again, by the way), and it played the part perfectly.  Just another testament to the versatility of this snare drum.

I then had to figure out the 'phrasing', if you will, for this '3-beat 4-beat' instrumental.  The first time I heard it, I thought, "what the heck is going on there!?"  Instead of trying to count it, however, I instead tried to feel it.  Sitting behind the kit and trying to play to it, I eventually figured it out without counting.  Later I figured out that the pattern was something like:  3 beats, 2 beats, 4 beats, 2 beats, 3 beats, 2 beats, 4  beats, 2 beats, 3 beats, 2 beats, done.  'One little victory'!

For the guitar solo after the single stroke roll solo (more on that in a moment), Neil settles into a quarter note groove while he lets Alex Lifeson do his thing.  For the first half of the solo, the bass drum pattern is played a certain way.  For the second half, he changes it up a bit.  And right before the solo ends (probably the last two bars of the solo), he changes it back to how he played it in the first half, but not exactly.  The change is very subtle, but that's one of the reasons I love Neil's style of play - he just has to change it up, to avoid monotony.  Definitely makes for a challenge to learn and duplicate, though!

There are certain songs where Neil will play eighth notes alternating between the X-hat and the ride cymbal (“Far Cry” from Snakes and Arrows, for example).  When he does this, you can barely if at all hear the ride cymbal, but it just gives the groove a certain fullness of sound.  On this song, particularly during the 'bridge' parts, there are times where it seems Neil is playing the ride cymbal with eighth notes, while at other times it sounds like quarter notes.  After listening to the song several times, I tried to figure out where to play the ride cymbal with quarter notes or with eighth notes, but it just got too confusing for me.  So I made the decision to just play eighth notes for these parts of the song.  I realize that it may be exactly what he's doing at certain times, but it made it easier for me to play it this way every time, and I still think it worked out pretty good.

There was another part of the song that made my jaw drop.  What I call the 'single stroke roll' solo seems simple enough - it's just single strokes.  However, many drums are used here, and keeping time while hitting alternating snare and tom combinations, while also incorporating the crash and ride cymbals, was a tall order (at least for me).  I couldn't just hit randomly all over the place though, and hope my playing sounded like his.  I listened through it a few times to determine the 'character' of the solo - that is, when certain drums were more pronounced.  There were moments when the snare was more pronounced, and moments when the toms were.  I knew I wasn't going to play this part of the song note for note, but I wanted to keep the 'voicing' of the solo intact.  I call those particular moments of the solo where each drum shines 'axis points', and I figured as long as I played the axis points properly, I could get away with the rest of my interpretation without sounding too different.

I like to play with different camera angles at times, and challenge myself to get the synchronization of the video and audio correct to make it look like one take.  But the more I practiced this song, the more I was determined to get it all in one take.  Since there are so many changes in sticking patterns, I never played it the same way twice, not because I wanted to, but because I kept forgetting!  This became very frustrating, so that weekend I gave up (temporarily).  I did then what I did when I did my Genesis cover - I let it sink in my mind for about a week (although for the Genesis cover I didn't try again for about another month or two!).  Since there was some muscle memory developed after playing it so many times, when I sat back down to play it a week later it was easier to remember.  I eventually landed on the final take shown here.  And even though there are still some mistakes, those are ones I can live with.

Because of my determination to get it all in one take, I had the luxury of placing the camera at an angle that would get a view of most of my drumming.  Since I use the Off-Set double bass pedal, my right leg is in full view, and you can pretty much see what my hands are doing all of the time as well.  I thought this would be more 'educational', both for the viewer, and for me. 

For the audio, I did something a little different.  Instead of mixing the audio within the video editing program, I used the drum recording from the Zoom H2 recorder and the original mp3 of "Headlong Flight", and mixed them in Audacity.  This allowed me to fine-tune the audio level of my drumming to effectively mask Neil's drumming, while making the song still stand out.  I see a lot of drum covers where the drumming mix from the 'coverer' sounds too loud, and it drowns out the original too much.  I'm always experimenting with mixing levels, because in the end I want it to sound like my drumming is part of the song, not played on top.  I think I could have done an even better job of synchronization and mixing, but that's a lesson learned for next time.  I then saved this modified version of the song as a high-quality mp3.

Whereas on some covers I thought some special effects would add to the drum cover, this time I left them all out.  I wanted the drumming to really shine this time, without any distractions. So I just included the intro, without any frills, where there was no drumming, and then the flying paper airplane at the end (the song's called "Headlong Flight", right?  Ahem, um, ok - I'll stop now).  Since I now had the 'modified' mp3 with my drumming, I simply muted the audio from the video and synchronized it with the mp3.  This was much easier than bringing in the original mp3, then the drum audio from the Zoom H2, then trying to synchronize those, then adjust the audio levels, then synchronize these with the video, etc.  Of course, I could have just used the audio from the video, but the Zoom H2 captures the drum sound much better, so I'll use it when I can.

This phrase from the song exemplifies how I felt while trying to play this song.  It really did take all my concentration, 'holding on with all my might', to get through this song, especially since I was determined to get one good take.  After my previous Genesis drum cover, I really felt more confident that I could tackle the difficult songs, with enough practice.  It gave me a sense of bravado, which carried over to this song.  Pretty much any song I cover is overreaching for me anyways, so I get a great sense of accomplishment when I pull them off.  And this is yet another benefit of recording yourself playing drums - the results.  When you see what you've accomplished, when you go through the pain of trying to get it right, 'holding on with all your might', you feel a great sense of satisfaction and increased confidence in your playing.  You feel more and more that you can hear a song, figure it out, and play it.  What's next then?  Well, anything. 

If you have any questions at all about this cover, feel free to leave your comments below. Till next time!

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2012/06/21/drum-cover-rush-headlong-flight/feed/ 1 http://theparadiddler.com/2012/06/01/posting-drum-covers-on-youtube-brace-yourself/ http://theparadiddler.com/2012/06/01/posting-drum-covers-on-youtube-brace-yourself/#comments Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:02:41 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2510

I have a love/hate relationship with my YouTube drum covers.

On the one hand, for me they've been invaluable in terms of teaching me to play better.  Certainly drum lessons have their value, and any drum instruction from any source is sure to benefit you at varying levels.  But to me, the visual YOU is certainly going to show you in all its glory how good (or maybe, more likely, how bad), you really are.  I think this is a paramount tool in correcting mistakes and tendencies that you most likely would miss otherwise.

On the other hand, once you post your video for all to see, it's open season.  The so-called 'trolls'^* come out of hiding, just waiting to leave a comment whose sole purpose is to berate, humiliate, and outright ridicule.

The above has caused some video posters to lash out right back at those comments, turning into somewhat of a verbal war.  Sometimes the video gets taken down completely because the poster of the video just can't take it anymore.

Admittedly, some of these videos are pretty bad, be it the playing, the sound, the video, or any combination of these.  I'm not saying that this gives commenters the right to downright insult the creator of the video, but the latter does open themselves up to that kind of thing, especially if they're not aware of how bad their playing is!

I'll use myself as a case in point.  I've never taken a formal drum lesson, and most of what I knew up until a few years ago was through astute observation, listening, and air drumming.  When I finally got the drum set, I felt that I could now apply what I 'knew'.  In my head, I knew how to play.  Soon after a drum cover contest was going on where I could finally show everyone what I knew.  The result was a cover of Rush's instrumental "Malignant Narcissism" (the accompanying article was called “Education of The Paradiddler”).

When I posted this video, I thought it was pretty good!  I even thought I could win the contest.  But a few things happened that opened my eyes to, well, reality.  First, I didn't win.  Second, I gave the video a more objective observation, and saw that in fact it was not very good, on more than one level.  Not only was the video not synced very well to the audio, but also the playing was just not that good.  The latter I noticed more over time as I got better.

Mercifully, I got very little criticism from viewers, and actually some praise for trying.  In any case, I was ready for an onslaught of negativity, since I actually invited it.  And therein lies one of the keys of posting your drum covers.

Many of us have this passion for the drums, hence why we play them and record ourselves, both for our viewing pleasure or education, and possibly for others to see.  We also may take ourselves a little too seriously, and when we post our covers we expect seriousness from the viewers as well (meaning, ‘you better like it, ‘cause it’s good!’).  But that doesn’t always happen.  You may have well-meaning commenters wanting to give some constructive criticism, but there are certainly others who say the nastiest things.  Many times the poster of the video will fire right back with the same intensity (and unfortunately, the same vulgarity), and what results is an unfortunate battle of obscenities and insults, with no aim at actually giving the drummer something positive to work on.

Unfortunately, the trolls will always be out there.  They’re sort of online bullies, thinking that because they’re behind a computer screen, nobody knows who or where they are, so they can say whatever they want without any repercussions.  They’re actually cowardly, because we all know they would never speak like that to your face.  They rarely if ever have anything worth paying attention to.  Many times their behavior is driven by jealousy,^# because they’ll rip your drum cover to shreds, but they have no drum covers of their own posted on their YouTube channel.  It would be very safe to assume that they can dish it out (from the veil of their computer screen), but they certainly can’t take it.

Fortunately for you, the drum cover poster, you don’t have to pay attention to them!  And that, many times, is what many forget.  When you post any video on YouTube, you first have the option of disabling comments in the first place!  If you feel that you can’t take it from these wannabe’s (let’s call ‘em), just don’t allow anyone to comment on your video – problem solved (somewhat).  Ok, no feedback from the public, good or bad.  You can then opt to send your YouTube friends your video, and have them critique it.  You can even disable the voting.  Basically, you’re in control, not the trolls.

But, what I recommend instead, right from the beginning, even before you post your drum cover, is to have the correct point of view, the proper frame of mind.  If you want people to give you constructive criticism (and kudos, of course!), then you’ll want to open up your video to comments and voting.  Go ahead and say so in your description.  Have a humble and open mind, and ask people to give you advice on what you can do to improve your playing.  If you do this right off the bat, you may disarm some of these trolls, and you’ll actually get some good advice, from well-intentioned folk.

Even if you open up your video for comments, you don’t have to accept them all.  If you think the commenter is out to entice you to a verbal spat, you can always remove the comment and think nothing else of it.  If the same user keeps at it with his trolling ways, you can block the user altogether – problem solved.  There’s no need to ever engage people who have no interest in you except to beat you down.  This leaves it open for those who actually have something constructive to say about your playing that you can actually use.

So it’s ok to receive criticism, if it’s something you can use.  I get my fair share, but I know it’s coming.  I need drumming advice as much as anyone, so my postings are wide open.  I’ve had to delete some comments because they were downright vulgar, but they’re gone – I don’t worry about them anymore, and I don’t waste time answering them.

Of course, there’s the issue of copyright, whether it’s legal or not to post a drum cover in the first place.  That I may deal with in a future article, because I know it gives many drum cover posters fits (including yours truly).

So do I really have a love/hate relationship with my drum covers?  Well, after all’s said and done, it’s definitely more love than hate, because I’ve put them in proper perspective.  My reason for posting them is somewhat from a selfish place – I want people to give me kudos, but I also welcome comments showing me where I can improve.  I take it all to heart (and back to the kit), and hopefully if you see the progression of my drum covers, you’ll notice that I’ve gotten better because of watching myself play, plus the constructive criticism of the viewer.

But there’s another reason I post these covers – to inspire you.  The old adage ‘if I can do it, you can do it’ certainly applies here.  I hope that my progress has inspired some in some way, be it my playing or the quality of the videos.  I’m never satisfied with where I am drumming-wise, so I expect myself to play better every time.  I’ve also let go of most of my fear of being in front of a camera, knowing that many might see me, and (oh no!) even criticize me.  That’s ok!  Based on the above, I can deal with it.  And now, you can too.

________
^*'Troll' in this article is defined as the following:  an internet user who sends inflammatory or provocative messages designed to elicit negative responses or start a flame-war (as a fisherman trolls for an unsuspecting fish) – source:  Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill

^#See the article “Cheering Them On”, published by TheParadiddler.com

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2012/06/01/posting-drum-covers-on-youtube-brace-yourself/feed/ 5 http://theparadiddler.com/2012/04/15/product-review-superdrum12-14x8-chrome-snare/ http://theparadiddler.com/2012/04/15/product-review-superdrum12-14x8-chrome-snare/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:29:28 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2479

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

Of all the shells on a drummer’s kit, none evoke more passion than the snare drum.  The sound is as unique as the drummer playing it, and you can perform an entire solo on it and still wow an audience (a la Buddy Rich).  Can't really say that about any other drum in the kit!

Being that the case, there are not only drum companies that make entire kits, but also those that specialize just in snare drums.  TheParadiddler.com has focused a little bit on drummers’ fascination with the snare.  The article “Leave That Snare Alone!” expounded on the uniqueness of the drum and why some companies dedicate all their energy to the snare.

Because of the aforementioned uniqueness, drummers are presented with a plethora of choices for snare sound.  Of course, there’s the stock snare that comes with a typical kit, but sometimes it’s just not enough.  It may be that the stock snare is not ‘sensitive’ enough, or lacks ‘attack’, or is too sensitive to drum buzz from another drum in the kit, or is difficult to tune, etc.  Over time a drummer tends to gravitate to a specific sound they like, perhaps first being influenced by their drum heroes, and then later by experimenting themselves.

Although it’s recommended that the rest of the kit be of the same material and brand to maintain a consistent ‘timbre’ throughout, the same does not necessarily apply to the snare, since its sound and purpose is so pronounced and distinct.  It is very common for a drummer to have one or two kits, but have several different snare drums, of varying sizes and material.

In my case, I currently am using two snares:  a DW Pacific FS 14x5 birch (most of the time), and a 13x5 metal snare (also by DW Pacific).  These for sure are not the top of the line, since I find them a little difficult to tune, and they are very sensitive to snare buzz (especially from the 10” tom).  I even replaced the snares on the birch snare with Puresound snare wire.  I do find the drum sounding slightly better and a little bit more responsive, but it still remains a little difficult to tune, and the drum buzz also remains.

As many drummers are wont to do, I find myself perusing the snares at the local music store, and online.  I'm always looking for something different - not radically, but enough to draw attention to it (such as the Off-Set double bass pedal).  I saw an ad for the SuperDrum12, and I was immediately drawn to it.  Twelve lugs (on each side, actually) - really?  Is all that necessary?  Well, Bernard Purdie is a SuperDrum12 fan, so that automatically makes this company worth at least some consideration.  So I contacted the head man at SuperDrum12, Dave "Bedrock" Bedrosian, to see if he could send me a drum to review. What I got is a masterpiece of a drum - the SuperDrum12 14x8 chrome snare.

The company makes several models, made of chrome, maple, and brass.  The 14x8 chrome snare is one of the newer models.  Unboxing this snare revealed a shiny (and heavy!) drum that screamed "Hit me!  Hit me!"  I was only too happy to oblige.  I was eager to try a different sound to mesh with the rest of my birch kit, besides my obvious birch snare.  Every one of my drum covers up to this point were played with my birch snare (except my cover of Yes' "Future Times/Rejoice" (long ago), where I also use the 13x5 metal snare).  This monster was a complete departure from what I had.

All I wanted to do was just put the drum in place, and start playing.  I'm really not into all the technical details - does it sound good?  Does it feel responsive?  Good enough for me!  However, for those who like technical details, here are some:

•       gleaming chrome finish
•      45 degree bearing edge
•      12 heavy duty lugs top and bottom with rubber shock gaskets (24 total)
•      2.3 mm triple chromed hoop
•      steel tension rods and teflon washers
•      smooth, fast and quiet snare throw off
•      20 wire snares standard
•      all lugs doubly secured and washer reinforced
•      unsurpassed clarity, articulation and response
•      capable of extreme dynamic levels-very loud to very soft with superior aural image

Right out of the box, without any tuning, the drum was extremely responsive, and very easy to play.  It just seemed like the sticks bounced easily off the head, probably due to the more even tuning of 12 lugs.  I also noticed that it plays very loud, and very soft - lots of dynamic range.  And of course, the sound was incredible.

And there's the rub, really - it sounds incredible.  Remember that snares are as individual as the drummers who play them?  To me, this drum has character.  It projects well beyond the kit due to its size and solid construction.  Because of said construction, the sound is very detailed and articulate - it does what you want it to do.  And ultimately, for any part of the kit, be it the shells, heads, cymbals, gear, whatever - in the end, it's about how it all feels.  And this snare feels great.

I got to discussing this snare a bit with a fellow drummer and they quipped that it would take forever to tune 12 lugs (actually, 24 lugs).  At first I thought that they may have a case, so I actually went ahead and removed both heads from the shell - hoops, tension rods and all - to start from scratch.  I then proceeded to put everything back together until I got all the tension rods finger tight.  I predetermined which rods I would cross-tighten, so-to-speak, using the following pattern:

I always try to determine a base, or starting point tuning, and then adjust from there.  I really like what Bob Gatzen mentions in the video Bob Gatzen - Snare Drum Tuning, where he tunes the resonant side head to a pitch of 'A' and the batter side to a pitch of 'C' (or 'C sharp').  This leaves the drum at somewhat of a 'default' setting, if you will, and you can always adjust from there to your liking.  Now, you would think that a drum with this many lugs would take a long time to tune and to get to the desired pitch, but in fact the opposite was true.  As I followed my predetermined pattern for tuning, I noticed that tapping near each lug after each go-around produced a very uniform pitch, with very little deviation if any.  This allowed me to quickly get to the pitch I was looking for, and when I got there, there was very little adjustment left to do.  It actually took me less time to tune the drum to the desired pitch than my other two snares, which have less lugs.

I credit the ease in tuning to the high level of construction of the drum.  Everything is very tight and well-reinforced, so once you get to your preferred pitch, it stays there.  I also really like the snare throw-off.  It's very smooth and opens all the way down (180 degrees) - those snares are not touching that resonant head.  I also was very pleased to discover that there was virtually no drum buzz when I played on the 10" tom - that was music to my ears!

Of course, now I had to record the drum in action, so the last two drum covers that I performed (as of this review) featured the SuperDrum12 14x8 chrome snare.  I took a couple of slightly different approaches regarding tuning for each cover.  For "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight/The Musical Box", I pretty much left the tuning as mentioned above, while adding one Moongel to reduce some of the overtones of the drum.  I'm not always a fan of overtones, and many times I'll use two or three Moongels.  But this drum sounded so good that I didn't want to drown out its character, so one was enough.  This allowed the drum to shine through the many dynamic changes that went on in the medley, and it sounded as good as any snare I've ever played on.

For "Parasite", I lowered the tuning of the batter head a little (about a quarter turn at each lug) to slightly fatten the sound, since it would suit the pure Rock feel of the song.  Even tuned down just a bit, the response from the head was still very high, so even though the sound was a little 'fatter', the rebound action off the head still felt 'fast'.  And if you compare the aforementioned videos to my cover of "The Analog Kid", you may notice that the snare is a little 'muddier' than the SuperDrum12, somewhat less articulate.

In conclusion, I think this snare drum is an absolute winner.  It tunes very easily, and the feel is outstanding.  It has incredible dynamic range, and I think would sit very comfortably in many drumming genres.  And at just $299, this might be the steal of the snare world.  I love snares so much that I may give ten out of ten paradiddles to more of them than I should, but there's definitely no doubt about this one - it's on that list.

SuperDrum12 official web site

SuperDrum12 on Facebook

I must’ve been seven or eight.

I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth.  As I was brushing, I started to sing “Parasite”, by Kiss.  By that time Kiss Alive I had been out a couple of years, and I, as well as my other three brothers (how convenient), were well into Kiss.  I couldn’t help myself, so I spent over three minutes brushing and singing.

When I got out of the bathroom, the whole family was there waiting for me, and they burst out laughing.  They all knew what I was doing, and could only imagine what I looked like, blathering lyrics and toothpaste all over the place.  I was embarrassed to say the least, but I had fun anyway.

Years went by, and soon I discovered another band that would change forever my perception of what good music is, that band being Rush, and that drummer being Neil Peart.  So I forgot Kiss for a long while.

Fast forward many years later (to, like, now), and I’m perusing YouTube and I come across some videos of Kiss.  The memories came flooding back to me from my childhood.  I loved Kiss.  They definitely were a sight to behold, but looking back, their live performances were absolutely stunning.  For the type of music they played (i.e., straight ahead in-your-face rock), they were awesome.  Ace Frehley was such a phenomenal lead guitarist, and to this day remains one of my all-time favorites.  Musically, the roles were clearly defined:  Peter, drums; Gene, bass; Paul, rhythm guitar; Ace, lead guitar – that was it.  And they made it look easy, too.

So now I’m going through all these videos, and I come across a couple of live performances of “Parasite”.  Besides the embarrassing episode mentioned earlier, I marveled at how awesome this song really is.  Great riffs, pure straight-ahead rock, and just 3 ½ minutes long – a neat little package of Rock greatness.  There were some great songs from that era of Kiss, but this was the one I wanted to cover.

I decided that I wanted to cover the live version off of Kiss Alive I instead of the studio version (Hotter Than Hell).  The studio version was very raw and too slow for my taste.  It seemed like Kiss got the song the way they wanted by the time the ‘Dressed to Kill’ tour came along, and has pretty much remained unchanged since.

The aforementioned YouTube perusing had me come across a fantastic live version of the song, titled ‘Kiss – Parasite – Cobo Hall 1976’.  I really liked the speed of the song, which I think made it sound to me as one of the best live versions I’ve heard.  But I also wanted to play to an officially released version, a la from Kiss Alive I.  However, this version is a little slower than the Cobo Hall performance.  So I cheated. 

I imported the Kiss Alive I version into the Audacity audio editing program.  I then increased the tempo of the song without raising the pitch.  This allowed me to play at the speed I thought the song sounded the coolest (as played at Cobo Hall), while still playing to the released version.

As far as the video production of this cover goes, I’m going to reserve the details for the upcoming ‘using just your camcorder and Windows Movie Maker’ course.  Several techniques are implemented such as effects, animations, multiple camera angles, etc., that will be explained in great detail then.  You can make very good drum cover videos with very little – I think this cover is an example of that.

So enjoy my tribute to Peter Criss, leave your comments, and I hope you’re inspired to produce great drum covers of your own!

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2012/03/16/drum-cover-kiss-parasite/feed/ 2 http://theparadiddler.com/2012/02/10/drum-cover-genesis-dancing-with-the-moonlit-knight-the-musical-box-medley/ http://theparadiddler.com/2012/02/10/drum-cover-genesis-dancing-with-the-moonlit-knight-the-musical-box-medley/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:26:36 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2448

My infatuation with classic Genesis is a recent event.

For many years, I had heard of the so-called ‘classic Genesis’, but I never bothered to find out more.  The Genesis I knew was from Abacab on, and only a few songs from before that (“Follow You Follow Me”, “Misunderstanding”, “Turn It On Again”).  I thought that Phil Collins was a good drummer (he was at least the best singing drummer), but I was way into Neil Peart to notice.

Rush and Yes filled my progressive rock needs quite nicely, until Pandora opened my eyes (ears, actually) to what I was missing.  Once I heard “The Fountain of Salmacis” for the first time, I thought, “What’s this?”  The music was so creative, imaginative, and complex, that I was immediately drawn in.  I started checking all of the band’s music from 1971-1977 (an era I call the “Steve Hackett Era”), and I now had another band who I thought was on the same plane as Rush and Yes (at least by my reckoning).

My biggest revelation was the drumming of Phil Collins.  He was great –  definitely one of the best progressive rock drummers of all time, in my opinion.  His playing was so intricate, and always just right for the song.  He wasn’t just playing drums, but it seemed like the drum parts were as complex as the guitars and keyboards – they filled a lot of space.  And not only that, but if you watched him play, he played so effortlessly.  It seemed so easy for him to play with such complexity.  No wonder Neil Peart reveals in the "Rush - 2112/Moving Pictures Classic Albums" DVD, that hearing drummers like Phil Collins made him think that that was the level of playing he had to achieve.  I agree!

Eventually I decided that I wanted to cover Phil Collins from the “Steve Hackett Era” of Genesis.  There was so much to choose from, and all very difficult.  One day, however, I was perusing some Genesis-related videos on YouTube, and found an audio clip from a 1978 show, a medley of “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight” and “The Musical Box”.  Both of these are monstrous songs, and this live version was just some of the best music I’ve ever heard, period.  It was so majestic and epic, with a hard edge, very fast, and showcased Genesis at possibly their musical peak.  There was no turning back now – this is what I was going to cover (gads).

I knew that I was going to play to the studio version of “Dancing…” off of Selling England by the Pound, and I also knew that I would include the middle instrumental part of “The Musical Box”, till its end.  What I didn’t know was which version of “The Musical Box” I would use.  In the end, though, after much listening, I ended up choosing the following parts:

1. “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight”, from Selling England by the Pound
2. “The Musical Box” middle instrumental part from Nursery Cryme
3. “The Musical Box” finale from Seconds Out

I used the Audacity audio editing program to put the three sections together to make the transitions seamless.  “Dancing…” has a quicker tempo than does “The Musical Box”, so I used Audacity to speed up the instrumental section to approximately the same speed as “Dancing…”, without raising the pitch.  Since the finale of “The Musical Box” is a slower piece anyway and a complete change in ‘atmosphere’ and mood, I didn’t have to tinker with that at all.

The drumming to these songs is very difficult (for me, anyway), so much so that I actually gave up on it for a time.  I recorded myself playing to it, but there were so many mistakes that I thought that maybe this was beyond me.  I spent the next couple of months letting the drumming fester in my mind.  When I approached it again from a fresh perspective, it seemed to make more sense, so I tried it again.

I opted to use one camera angle instead of multiple angles, and I also recorded the drumming with the Zoom H2 Handy Recorder.  I had few ideas in my mind as to how the end result was going to look, so this project was a little too much for Windows Movie Maker.

CyberLink PowerDirector allowed me to set up multiple tracks, and easily slide the different takes into the proper position so both audio and video transitioned smoothly.  Adding additional audio tracks allowed me to perfectly align the audio from the Zoom H2 with the video of the drumming.  I then muted the audio from the video recordings so only the H2 drumming was heard.  That’s the technical stuff (summed up).

After the drumming and recording was done as best as possible (that is the most important part), I started thinking in artistic terms.  How could I make this just a little different from the typical drum cover?  It’s so obvious – I would sing!  I decided to sing the first two lines (of which I removed from the song to accommodate, well, me).  Crazy?  Of course!  ‘No guts, no glory’, as they say.

“The Musical Box” has been sung by both Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.  When Peter sang it, we remember the desperate old man he portrayed lusting over his love.  But when Phil sang it, it felt more like a longing for a lost love.  The latter is what I tried to capture with my interpretation of someone longing for a lost love.  Of course, the finale is one of the best endings in all of rock.

As difficult as it is to try to play anywhere near the greatness that is Phil Collins, it is equally as rewarding when you see the final result, and it’s actually not bad!  So in your case, for your drum cover, feel free to embellish your video anyway you like, because, in the end, it’s about you, your interpretation, your take.  Take some risks.  But always have fun.  And remember:  it’s about the drumming ultimately, so once you have that down, you’re free to take your drum cover wherever you like.

If you have any questions at all on any aspect of the video, leave it as a comment below, so all can benefit from the dialog.  Well, you can leave kudos too. 

]]> http://theparadiddler.com/2012/02/10/drum-cover-genesis-dancing-with-the-moonlit-knight-the-musical-box-medley/feed/ 11 http://theparadiddler.com/2012/01/27/off-set-double-pedal-%e2%80%93-haiku-contest-winners/ http://theparadiddler.com/2012/01/27/off-set-double-pedal-%e2%80%93-haiku-contest-winners/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:00:41 +0000 Omar http://theparadiddler.com/?p=2433

A brass band masta
Jam on my pedal blasta
Would be so nasta

Congratulations to Charlie Campagna of Hockessin, Delaware!  He’s the winner of the Off-Set double bass pedal.

It was very difficult to establish criteria for the winner of this contest, since it is somewhat subjective.  I decided right from the beginning that the poem would have to immediately impact me in some way:  with humor, fancy rhyming, or just plain ridiculousness.  The moment I read the poem above, it made me laugh right away, and the rhyming was very clever.  Of course, some word trickery had to be performed for it to work, but creativity was the idea, and it worked out quite nicely.  So congratulations Charlie!

After the contest was over, subscribers to The Paradiddler newsletter were informed that many entries were received, and that it would be very difficult to select a winner (which, in fact, it was).  I ran this by Charles Fisher, owner of the Off-Set Bass Pedal Company, and he came up with a brilliant idea:  ‘Why not have two winners then?’  Fantastic!  But the subscribers of the newsletter should have known…

The January 24^th newsletter said the following:  “Don't forget to visit The Paradiddler this Friday, 8:00pm, for the winners of the Off-Set pedal.”  So now I had to decide on the second winner.

Another criteria for haiku greatness is if the poem moved me in some way, an inspiration.  The second winner did just that.  It was not a haiku poem, but a haiku poem of haiku poems, all strung together, to tell a story - a biography, of sorts.  It even has a title:  “To Keep Me From Sinking”:

Congratulations also to Chad De Soto of Guam – you are the second winner of the Off-Set pedal.

I want thank Charles Fisher once again for making such a great product to help us play drums better, and to make it available to subscribers of this site.

But mostly, I want to thank you, the subscribers and visitors of this site, which would not be possible without you.  So until the next contest, keep on drumming, and Charlie and Chad:  let us know how it goes with your new pedal!

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