The 1st Annual Sun City Throw Down will be El Paso's biggest drumming event ever. With endorsed artists from Promark, SPAUN Drums and Badassdrumming.com, DCI Crossmen member Andrea Linan and more being there this all day event will be great. Master clinics, adjudicated competition, products and giveaways will be the major reason to be there. They predict the turnout to be between 2,000 to 5,000 people.
Another reason to be there ... the brotherhood of drummers and drumming. Go out and share time at this event and show them "YOU'RE A BETTER DRUMMER THAN THOSE ON ROCK BAND!".
For event details read the previous blog post.
Sword
Showing posts with label drummers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drummers. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Acoustic or Electronic Drums? You input is needed.
In a time where everything is going digital should drums and percussion follow suit? The more I listen and look at electronic drum kits, drum pads and drum triggers the more I am compelled to look at this option for my drumming needs. The idea of lighter weight, less bulk is drawing me closer to this idea.
Recently, I have looked at a few electronic Marimbas/Vibraphones and a few electronic drum kits. Since everything is MIDI based this means that real drum samples can be used for the voicings. I can have two mallet instruments for far less price by going electronic than the conventional instruments, saving thousands of dollars.
A decent 5+ octave Marimba alone goes for over $10,000.00. A good set of vibes over $3,000. Their electronic counterpart - under $3000.00.
As for a drum kit ... acoustic 5 piece drum kit for about $1000.00 plus stands and cymbals. It's electronic counterpart for under $1000.00 easily.
Even looking at the Yamaha DD-65 Drum Pad kit with 50 preset drum kit sounds and 5 programmable kit slots, 8 pads & 2 footswitches that can be upgraded to a kickpad and hi-hat tower. This setup, upgraded, would run about $400.00+.
As for aesthetics, the look is not what I'm after it's the sound and durability. With gas and all expenses going up it's not worth doing gigs anymore with so much equipment. Wanting to limit setup and teardown time to maximize my earnings.
So what do you think. Good idea? Or bad idea?
Recently, I have looked at a few electronic Marimbas/Vibraphones and a few electronic drum kits. Since everything is MIDI based this means that real drum samples can be used for the voicings. I can have two mallet instruments for far less price by going electronic than the conventional instruments, saving thousands of dollars.
A decent 5+ octave Marimba alone goes for over $10,000.00. A good set of vibes over $3,000. Their electronic counterpart - under $3000.00.
As for a drum kit ... acoustic 5 piece drum kit for about $1000.00 plus stands and cymbals. It's electronic counterpart for under $1000.00 easily.
Even looking at the Yamaha DD-65 Drum Pad kit with 50 preset drum kit sounds and 5 programmable kit slots, 8 pads & 2 footswitches that can be upgraded to a kickpad and hi-hat tower. This setup, upgraded, would run about $400.00+.
As for aesthetics, the look is not what I'm after it's the sound and durability. With gas and all expenses going up it's not worth doing gigs anymore with so much equipment. Wanting to limit setup and teardown time to maximize my earnings.
So what do you think. Good idea? Or bad idea?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Drumming is so diverse and specialized
It was recently reported that drummers are physically in better shape than football players. The report from the UK comes to no surprise to me. I have been drumming for 40 years now and with all the differents styles, techniques and facets that are involved with drums and percussion I understand this finding easily.
Muscle tone and endurance are a constant. The different ways to approach each percussion instrument adds to flexability.
Most everyday people think of a rock drummer behind a drumset when they hear you are a drummer. Well, I do sit behind a kit and have played tons of rock tunes (never again will I play Free Bird. Way over played and requested), Blues, R&B, Funk, Country, Jazz, etc ... But, I have marched in football halftime shows during my college days, parade routes and the likes. I have played in String Orchestras and in Symphonies, Brass Bands, Mardi-Gras street jams, drum circles. Every situation is fun and yet different.
From drumset to tympani to marimba to sleigh bells to a cajon to bongos and congas ... whatever the setup each has to be approached in a different manner than the others. So learning the right technique on the various hand drums vs. the techniques used on concert snare vs. marching snare vs. marching tenors vs. tympani vs. drumset vs. ... you get the picture.
Each instrument has it's own fundamentals, it's basics to being played properly. The right choice of sticks or mallets or even just hand positions can make a big difference in learning the right way or the wrong way. German grip, French Grip, Conventional Grip, Reverse Conventional Grip, Match Grip, Moeller Method; what works well in each style and why? Who named all of this stuff and why? Is it important?
"I'm just gonna play death metal. I don't need all of that technobabble terms and all. I just need to play hard and fast." Sounds like a marathon for a first time runner. Won't make it through a show. Will quickly burn out and/or injure their self.
Look at the mallet player for a moment. Either vibes or marimba. It's like a piano but played with mallets, most times with four of them. The grip it critical for this type of percussion. How about a tambourine? Could do the shake and bop the hip. Good for bubblegum pop acts on stage for this visual. But bad for symphonic pieces.
Drumming is an artform in itself and really is a specialty field for many music majors. Band directors of other instruments will bring in a drummer as specialty staff just to cover the drums and percussion just for that band.
Muscle tone and endurance are a constant. The different ways to approach each percussion instrument adds to flexability.
Most everyday people think of a rock drummer behind a drumset when they hear you are a drummer. Well, I do sit behind a kit and have played tons of rock tunes (never again will I play Free Bird. Way over played and requested), Blues, R&B, Funk, Country, Jazz, etc ... But, I have marched in football halftime shows during my college days, parade routes and the likes. I have played in String Orchestras and in Symphonies, Brass Bands, Mardi-Gras street jams, drum circles. Every situation is fun and yet different.
From drumset to tympani to marimba to sleigh bells to a cajon to bongos and congas ... whatever the setup each has to be approached in a different manner than the others. So learning the right technique on the various hand drums vs. the techniques used on concert snare vs. marching snare vs. marching tenors vs. tympani vs. drumset vs. ... you get the picture.
Each instrument has it's own fundamentals, it's basics to being played properly. The right choice of sticks or mallets or even just hand positions can make a big difference in learning the right way or the wrong way. German grip, French Grip, Conventional Grip, Reverse Conventional Grip, Match Grip, Moeller Method; what works well in each style and why? Who named all of this stuff and why? Is it important?
"I'm just gonna play death metal. I don't need all of that technobabble terms and all. I just need to play hard and fast." Sounds like a marathon for a first time runner. Won't make it through a show. Will quickly burn out and/or injure their self.
Look at the mallet player for a moment. Either vibes or marimba. It's like a piano but played with mallets, most times with four of them. The grip it critical for this type of percussion. How about a tambourine? Could do the shake and bop the hip. Good for bubblegum pop acts on stage for this visual. But bad for symphonic pieces.
Drumming is an artform in itself and really is a specialty field for many music majors. Band directors of other instruments will bring in a drummer as specialty staff just to cover the drums and percussion just for that band.
Monday, September 1, 2008
RockBand and Guitar Hero are creating Wannabe's
In a world where people look for shortcuts to everything there is one thing for sure. Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are creating a lot of Wannabe's. Since there is really no musical skills to these games there isn't a real chance to be that great lead guitar player they try to immulate in the game or that great rock drummer they pretend to be.
I say this because I have heard many kids come into the music store and say they are taking lessons from these games. HUH?
Simply put, they are playing on nothing more than a glammed up version of Simon. They paid alot more money for these musical games since they are doing the cover tune thing. Artists songs are being used and the bands are getting a cut from their songs being used. Sure, that's fair. They wrote and produced the songs.
Anyway, the idea that you are learning valuable skills in the music realm has yet to be proven. You are playing along, mind you, not on an actual instrument, but, a cheap replica so that it works with the game. You surely couldn't use such toys in a real gig (unless you are Milli Vanilli).
And parents shouldn't be so naive to agree with their kids that this is a great lesson teacher. How are they being critiqued and corrected for wrong technique? Only a live teacher can do this.
If people would only focus their energy in the right direction in the first place they could save their selves time and money and get it right the first time.
Anyway, when you are ready for the real thing teachers will be standing by to help you.
I say this because I have heard many kids come into the music store and say they are taking lessons from these games. HUH?
Simply put, they are playing on nothing more than a glammed up version of Simon. They paid alot more money for these musical games since they are doing the cover tune thing. Artists songs are being used and the bands are getting a cut from their songs being used. Sure, that's fair. They wrote and produced the songs.
Anyway, the idea that you are learning valuable skills in the music realm has yet to be proven. You are playing along, mind you, not on an actual instrument, but, a cheap replica so that it works with the game. You surely couldn't use such toys in a real gig (unless you are Milli Vanilli).
And parents shouldn't be so naive to agree with their kids that this is a great lesson teacher. How are they being critiqued and corrected for wrong technique? Only a live teacher can do this.
If people would only focus their energy in the right direction in the first place they could save their selves time and money and get it right the first time.
Anyway, when you are ready for the real thing teachers will be standing by to help you.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Match Grip vs. Conventional Grip - Which is correct?
Match Grip vs. Conventional Grip - Which is correct?
Hello and no, this is not a battle of one grip over the other. This has to do with current practices that are not ergonomically friendly. The rising number of drummers within the past 15 to 20 years that have had drumming related injuries is well beyond the numbers of generations prior. Let's take a look at some of the possible reasons.
The most common injury is Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, an injury of the tendons. This comes from several things.
1. Lack of stretching and warming up before playing.
2. Bad grip or grip technique
3. Bad motion of the wrist/arm
Let's start with stretching. It is a necessary instrument prior to performing. The cold tendons and muscles need time to get into playing condition. Getting good blood flow to the limbs is necessary, too. With the blood/oxygen flow the limbs are now prepared to handle the stress they are about to take on. Without stretching you are placing those limbs into an At-risk of injury.
Next is bad grip. With any job your goal is to expel to least amount of energy and get maximum results. I call it the 'play smart, not hard' theory. Think of like a major purchase. If you can get that big flat screen TV at one store for $1400.00 and the same TV is at another store for $890.00 of course you'll go for the $890.00 deal.
Well, drumming should be the same way. Spend less energy and get the same product. This is where alot of energy is wasted, the grip. If you are not working with the stick's fulcrum (balance point) you are already fighting a lost cause. Second, gripping the stick like a club will tire your hand out. You want a loose grip just barely keeping the stick between the fingers. I tell my students to think of using the friction of the skin only to hold the stick in place, fingers lightly wrapped around the stick.
Now, since we are here on grip next would be what is the right grip. This is going to depend on the angle of the drum. If the drum is flat in front of you then match grip would be best for this drum position. Shoulders, elbows, forearms and wrists are all symmetrical and balanced. This would be ergonomically correct or in harmony with the body.
If the drum is tilted with the left side of the rim up and right side down then conventional grip is ergonamically correct. This grip was designed for field military drummers because the drum hung on a sling and tilted in the process. So the conventional grip was designed just for that. Later adoption to using it on flat field drums has led to more injuries and a player that is ergonamically out of balance. One shoulder is higher, one elbow in vs. the other out and the degree of twist in the left arm from the elbow forward. With this in mind, the spine also twists a little to help compensate for this position. This is not good at all on any marching player. The same goes for any sitting player behind a drumset.
So a marcher playing on a flat drum should be using match grip and this goes for sitting drummers with the snare flat in front of you or tilted toward you. On to bad motion of the wrists/arms.
There are times when a player gets tired and the gig isn't over. What happens? They tighten up. They start holding their breath. They start twisting the wrist in an awkward way. They start using more arm and less fingers ... it becomes an increasing stress to the player because they react in the opposite way they should. With the arms and wrists now reacting in the wrong way the player has increased the risk of injury. The player needs to relax, check their stick grip and their breathing. Any other bad motions, like slouching, will correct itself once you start to relax.
We covered some possible causes of injuries that the player can immediately correct. Let's look at just a few other things real quick that may cause injury.
Let's look at all of the things a percussionist has to strike and how. First, there are nearly an endless amounts of surfaces a player strikes from plastic, metal, wood, resins, composites, calfskins, cowhide, sheepskin, etc. And the choices to strike them from the hand to sticks/mallets to shaking. The gammot is wide open. How dense or soft the material is will also play in the effect on how we strike it and the repercussion it creates.
Todays marching snare drum has gone through many changes over the years in materials but still have these things in common; it's a round shell with heads, has hoops and snares mounted across the bottom head. Todays units are are built tighter and lighter than their predeceasors of 20 or 30 years ago. Torquing the top head, now made of Kevlar, is one design I question. The snare now sounding like a piece of masonite and such high tone doesn't carry far. So to compensate drummers have to play harder to get louder and when that's not enough the director needs to add more snares to the section. So, striking a torqued surface made of Kevlar with a Hickory drumstick ... what does that do to the player's arms? The repercussion (shock) of the strike will send back through the stick to the hand/arm a wave that is bound to have some effect to the player.
I mentioned other materials like metal (cymbals, gongs, bells, chimes, vibraphone ...), wood (woodblock, headless tambourine, marimba, bass drum hoops, cajon ...), resins (xylophone, graphite blocks ...) plastics (tambourine ...), different skins (bongos, congas, doumbek, djembe ...) and even vegetables (gourds, guiro ...) and clay pots (gourd variations, platas ...). Each of these have different methods of holding and striking. There is no doubt that the hand drums will have the most impact on your body overall. Care must be taken to insure the least possible amount of injury. Learning the correct techniques in holding and striking all of these instruments is essential.
Kenneth Ray Sword Jr
www.badassdrumming.com
Hello and no, this is not a battle of one grip over the other. This has to do with current practices that are not ergonomically friendly. The rising number of drummers within the past 15 to 20 years that have had drumming related injuries is well beyond the numbers of generations prior. Let's take a look at some of the possible reasons.
The most common injury is Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, an injury of the tendons. This comes from several things.
1. Lack of stretching and warming up before playing.
2. Bad grip or grip technique
3. Bad motion of the wrist/arm
Let's start with stretching. It is a necessary instrument prior to performing. The cold tendons and muscles need time to get into playing condition. Getting good blood flow to the limbs is necessary, too. With the blood/oxygen flow the limbs are now prepared to handle the stress they are about to take on. Without stretching you are placing those limbs into an At-risk of injury.
Next is bad grip. With any job your goal is to expel to least amount of energy and get maximum results. I call it the 'play smart, not hard' theory. Think of like a major purchase. If you can get that big flat screen TV at one store for $1400.00 and the same TV is at another store for $890.00 of course you'll go for the $890.00 deal.
Well, drumming should be the same way. Spend less energy and get the same product. This is where alot of energy is wasted, the grip. If you are not working with the stick's fulcrum (balance point) you are already fighting a lost cause. Second, gripping the stick like a club will tire your hand out. You want a loose grip just barely keeping the stick between the fingers. I tell my students to think of using the friction of the skin only to hold the stick in place, fingers lightly wrapped around the stick.
Now, since we are here on grip next would be what is the right grip. This is going to depend on the angle of the drum. If the drum is flat in front of you then match grip would be best for this drum position. Shoulders, elbows, forearms and wrists are all symmetrical and balanced. This would be ergonomically correct or in harmony with the body.
If the drum is tilted with the left side of the rim up and right side down then conventional grip is ergonamically correct. This grip was designed for field military drummers because the drum hung on a sling and tilted in the process. So the conventional grip was designed just for that. Later adoption to using it on flat field drums has led to more injuries and a player that is ergonamically out of balance. One shoulder is higher, one elbow in vs. the other out and the degree of twist in the left arm from the elbow forward. With this in mind, the spine also twists a little to help compensate for this position. This is not good at all on any marching player. The same goes for any sitting player behind a drumset.
So a marcher playing on a flat drum should be using match grip and this goes for sitting drummers with the snare flat in front of you or tilted toward you. On to bad motion of the wrists/arms.
There are times when a player gets tired and the gig isn't over. What happens? They tighten up. They start holding their breath. They start twisting the wrist in an awkward way. They start using more arm and less fingers ... it becomes an increasing stress to the player because they react in the opposite way they should. With the arms and wrists now reacting in the wrong way the player has increased the risk of injury. The player needs to relax, check their stick grip and their breathing. Any other bad motions, like slouching, will correct itself once you start to relax.
We covered some possible causes of injuries that the player can immediately correct. Let's look at just a few other things real quick that may cause injury.
Let's look at all of the things a percussionist has to strike and how. First, there are nearly an endless amounts of surfaces a player strikes from plastic, metal, wood, resins, composites, calfskins, cowhide, sheepskin, etc. And the choices to strike them from the hand to sticks/mallets to shaking. The gammot is wide open. How dense or soft the material is will also play in the effect on how we strike it and the repercussion it creates.
Todays marching snare drum has gone through many changes over the years in materials but still have these things in common; it's a round shell with heads, has hoops and snares mounted across the bottom head. Todays units are are built tighter and lighter than their predeceasors of 20 or 30 years ago. Torquing the top head, now made of Kevlar, is one design I question. The snare now sounding like a piece of masonite and such high tone doesn't carry far. So to compensate drummers have to play harder to get louder and when that's not enough the director needs to add more snares to the section. So, striking a torqued surface made of Kevlar with a Hickory drumstick ... what does that do to the player's arms? The repercussion (shock) of the strike will send back through the stick to the hand/arm a wave that is bound to have some effect to the player.
I mentioned other materials like metal (cymbals, gongs, bells, chimes, vibraphone ...), wood (woodblock, headless tambourine, marimba, bass drum hoops, cajon ...), resins (xylophone, graphite blocks ...) plastics (tambourine ...), different skins (bongos, congas, doumbek, djembe ...) and even vegetables (gourds, guiro ...) and clay pots (gourd variations, platas ...). Each of these have different methods of holding and striking. There is no doubt that the hand drums will have the most impact on your body overall. Care must be taken to insure the least possible amount of injury. Learning the correct techniques in holding and striking all of these instruments is essential.
Kenneth Ray Sword Jr
www.badassdrumming.com
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Drummers are far better in percentages than football players and doctors.
Drummers are far better in percentages than football players and doctors.
Someone will surely say this is obsured but think about it for a moment. Athletes, making millions of dollars, do not obtain 100% efficiency of their sport. It's just not possible. Look at doctors. They get paid to practice their field. WHAT? Musicians have to practice on their own and are expected to perform perfectly, EVERYTIME! I just don't get it.
Ray Sword
Someone will surely say this is obsured but think about it for a moment. Athletes, making millions of dollars, do not obtain 100% efficiency of their sport. It's just not possible. Look at doctors. They get paid to practice their field. WHAT? Musicians have to practice on their own and are expected to perform perfectly, EVERYTIME! I just don't get it.
Ray Sword
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