Q. I have a bunch of questions about drums. I just got a slightly used drum set for experimenting (i already play fiddle and piano) and I'm wondering what each drum should sound like if I want them to be like rock drums, what sticks are best for rock (brand and whatever other specs there are), what angle should the crash cymbal be at, also, what the heck are lugs? My drum set includes a floor tom, two smaller toms, a bass, a freaking awesome snare, hi hats and a crash. E-mail if your answer won't fit in allowed space or if you want to ask me a question about the drums.
A. First of all, I usually don't call out other people on their poor answers...but I'm going to have to do that now.
First of all, I have played percussion for 19 years. I am classically trained on snare drum, timpani, mallet percussion, marching percussion, auxillary percussion and drum set. I specialize in concert/orchestral snare drum, marching tenors (a.k.a. quads/quints...although the drums I played in college were sects, having six drums) and drum set. I have played professionally for symphony orchestra as well as on drum set in almost any musical style you can think of including, but not limited to, rock, country, jazz, contemporary christian, praise and worship, metal, ska and alternative rock. Suffice it to say...I know my sh*t. And I'll back up most of it with references (check below).
First of all, as far as equipment selection goes, there is almost no right or wrong piece of equipment, although there is certainly "good" and "bad". They key is experimentation.
As far as drum heads go, I prefer Evans Genera G2 on top (batter) side and Genera G1 on bottom (resonant) side. I like the G2 because they have good resonance for playing jazz/funk and you can easily muffle them for playing rock music. Remo Weatherking heads are good as well. Really, any double ply head should work fine for rock music. Also...please use bottom heads and a front head on the bass. They are there for a reason. Some people like the sound of a single headed drum, but they are in the extreme minority.
The tuning method that the above poster described is...well I really don't know what the hell it is...except for wrong. Do Re Mi isn't chromatic, it's diatonic. <see first reference>
Second, you don't want to tune your drums either chromatically or diatonically. Since you play two melodic instruments, I'll assume you know something about scales and chord theory. Does it really make sense to tune the drums to the first three notes of the chromatic or a diatonic scale? No, not really. If you insist upon tuning your drums to a scale, you should tune them to major thirds. The middle tom should be tuned a major third above the floor tom and the high tom should be tuned to a major third above the middle tom.
That being said...it isn't the way I do it. I tune the drum to itself...meaning that I tune the drum up 'till it starts to sound "choked" (listen for it...you'll know when it happens), then I back it down a little. The "clock" method described by the above poster is accurate.
The bass drum shouldn't "ring" unless you are playing jazz music and you like it that way. Listen to ANY rock song on ANY rock CD...does the bass drum sound more like a boooooom or a thud? I rest my case.
One more thing, the lugs aren't "those things that hold the rim down". The things that you screw in to tension the heads are called tension rods. The things they screw into are the lugs. Many, many people get this wrong. <second and third references>
There are several good DVDs that will tech you how to properly tune your drums. You should probably go to your local music store and ask them to suggest one for you.
I have no idea what in hell the above poster was trying to say about the bass drum pedal. There is pretty much one one place to put the pedal...at the bottom of the bass drum. The head of the beater should strike the head dead center or slightly off. I prefer to set the height of the beater so that the pedal is well balanced and easy to play as opposed to worrying about where it hits the drum.
There is no such thing as a "caroline pedal". I've never heard of it. Also, I googled it and turned up nothing.
If you want a new bass pedal, go to a music store and try some out. I prefer Pearl pedals. I have a Pearl Power Shifter Eliminator and I love it. I like it better than the DW 9000 that costs almost twice as much. What matters the most is what feels good to you.
As for the cymbals, they will not crack if you play them on the edge. I cracked my first crash cymbal less than a year ago. I played it hard and it was one of the cheapest cymbals I ever bought. It lasted for ten years.
Contrary to what the above poster said, you do not want to hit the crash cymbal on the bell. You should strike it on the end with the tip or shoulder (taper) of the stick. You should play the ride cymbal with the tip of the stick about two thirds of the way from the bell to the edge...experiment until you find a should you like. Sometimes, you will want to play the bell of the ride with the shoulder of the stick.
Speaking of sticks...as with the bass pedal, go to the store and try some out. Don't use something really huge or really small, try to find something in the middle. Ask the clerk for advice...that's why they're there. You don't need to do "endurance tests" on your sticks like rolling them or testing the pitch. This had to be done up until the late eighties. Now, all sticks are machined and computer matched.
You don't need a spare hi-hat clutch...in my nineteen years of playing, I've never broken one.
Speed keys are helpful if you want to change a head fast...but they aren't necessary.
Alright...I think that's everything. I tried my best to answer all of your questions while correcting everything the above poster said.
Good luck, and happy drumming!
Short Bach piece in Em?
Q. When I was a kid taking piano lessons, I learned a short Bach piece. It was (I think) an invention in E minor that was in 6/8 (maybe 3/4?). It wasn't one of the standard inventions BWV 772-786, although it's structure reminds me of Invention No. 13 in Am.
The start of it is the left hand playing an Em chord, and the right hand plays the following:
E2 G2 B2 E3 B2 C3 A2 F#2 A2 D#2 B2 G2 E2 (drop that into something like MelodyCatcher.com to hear it). Then the right hand switches to chords with the left hand repeating what the right hand just played in a lower octave.
I've tried searching for this by all kinds of online melody search tools, and can't seem to find a good match.
Any takers?
A. Bouree in em??
Is improvisation good (piano)?
Q. Yeah, i was just having fun with a tune by ear, do you think my improvising is any good? Anything that I should certainly improve on? I don't have a teacher so any critical criticism would be good unless of course you just love it lol. Note I was improvising on the spot, it wasn't at all planned or strategized .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsmgISJu7rM
Thanks (:
A. Yes, very good. You're at an awkward stage, but you have potential, so keep it up. Did I hear a bit of Black Bird in there? Keep learning new songs and styles to enlarge your palette, especially jazz. Sounds like good right hand technique. You might want to avoid root position triads in the left hand. They tend to sound muddy when they're too low, and are reminiscent of beginner's piano music. Try spreading your left hand chords out, for example, by placing the third above the 5th. That is, C2, G2 and E3, (or 2nd C below middle C, 2nd G below middle C, and 1st E below middle C.) It's OK that you can't play it all at once. Either roll it, use the sustain pedal, or sneak in the E with your right hand. This chord sounds so much more 'pro' than a simple CEG chord. I especially dislike the 2nd inversion of a 5 7 chord, i.e. while in the key of C, the chord BFG. It definitely is a beginner's chord.
Work for cohesiveness in your right hand ad lib's, rather than a bunch of nice licks strung together. How would you sing it? Any instrument has to 'sing', or it sounds like doodling.
Any way, it sounds like you have talent and a good ear, so keep having fun.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers