I seem to have neglected my website in recent months but have been very active posting blogs on the Wishbone Ash site (www.wishboneash.com/blog.asp).
Today was a day off. I haven't left the hotel. Instead I spent all day in front of my laptop updating my website. I've added the "Ask Joe" page to answer any questions you might have. There's no navigation link at the moment but you can get there via the link on the main page.
Touring has been full on for a few months now. I had about 10 days off between finishing the UK tour and starting the US tour. In those 10 days I had to get a US visa and do a Pendragon gig in Portugal.
The few days I had at home I spent testing out the new Sonor Force 3007 kit I'll be using on the next European tour. It's a white sparkle kit with 22" kick, 10" & 12" toms and 14" and 16" floor toms. It sounds great with the heads it came with.
I'm taking a full monitoring set up on the road. I'll be using the Audix D7 mic set (www.audixusa.com). I compared the Audix D6 kick mic with the Shure Beta 52 and Beta 91 and Sennheiser E602 and E901. The Audix was my favourite. The D7 set comes with tom mics and a snare mic. The snare mic was indistinguishable in sound from the SM57 and the tom mics sounded great too. One of my favourite things about the Audix mics is actually the clips. They're spring loaded and very sturdy once they're mounted. You can position the mics wherever you want (the clips for Sennheiser mics are well known for being painful to position)
I'm running all the mics (drums and the rest of the band) through a custom splitter box into my Yamaha O1V desk. From there I'm taking the ADAT output and running it into a Hear Back system ( www.heartechnologies.com). This is used to feed personal 8 channel mixers for the rest of the guys in the band. It's a very compact and effective set up which gives everyone the control they need.
I have my T2 headphones (from www.hearingprotection.co.uk) wired to the desk. The sound of these things is great. The odd gig where I've had to use wedges I've missed them like crazy.
I used a new set of Zildjians on the US dates. In the UK I usually use K rides and A Custom crashes. I decided to go the other way in America and used a 22" A custom ride (which I love) and 18" and 19" K dark crashes. I sometimes wish I had a roadie and bigger stages so I could use all the cymbals Bozzio style!
The US tour is coming to an end. The hotels have been great, the gigs pretty good, and the drives long. It's a first for me having to sit in a van for 8 or 9 hours a day. I managed to catch up on season 3 of Prison Break and watched lots of TED lectures ( www.ted.com). I'm looking forward to 3 weeks off over christmas to catch up with family, then it's off to Europe in January.
That's all for now,
Joe
Monday, December 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
A little music video...
New Wishbone Ash album is now out with yours truly on drums. You can buy it through the Wishbone Ash website (www.wishboneash.com). Here's a little taster...
Hearing Protection
Since early on in my drumming career I've been a big promoter of looking after your ears. Behind a drum kit it's very easy to wreck your hearing on a single gig. I know so many 'macho' musicians who complain about the sound degradation when wearing ear plugs and I know what they mean, but I also know many musicians with tinnitus (a constant ringing or white noise) and once they have it they regret not being more careful.
Today Andy and I drove over to Banbury to the headquarters of ACS (www.hearingprotection.co.uk) to get fitted for some Dogs Bollocks in ear monitors (that's not what they're called - just what they are.)
For the first three gigs of this tour I used my own little in ear monitor system instead of the regular drum wedges. It made a huge difference to my playing and made the gig so much more enjoyable. For the first time I could hear what was going on. In the past I've put up with whatever monitor sound we can manage but unless it's an open air gig it nearly always ends up sounding like mud. With in ear monitoring it's like playing to the record.
I heard about ACS through some drumming friends. I'd always used cheap ear plugs figuring that as long as they reduced the noise level it was fine. The problem for me as a drummer was that most ear plugs aren't very even in what they cut out. Foam plugs kill all the top end so it ends up sounding like your drums are in another room. The triple flanged rubber things that I've used for the last few years were an improvement but they still cut out more of the higher frequencies. The problem with that is that you never hear the attack of the cymbals. As a result I'd find myself over playing the cymbals to try and compensate and that's no fun for the rest of the band.
When I did RoSFest last year I got talking to Jimmy Keegan from Spock's Beard. He told me that he took a monitor feed from the desk and an input from an overhead and ran them through a little mixer into his in-ear monitors. The benefit of this is that you can hear the top end of the cymbals but you can control the level. I was excited by the concept and invested in a small mixer and a body pack from Shure (for limiting the output so I don't go deaf)
Where ACS came in was with the custom fit ear moulds. I went to an audiologist and they took an impression of my ear. A week later I had some custom fit ear plugs (which are very even in reduction across the whole spectrum) and some sleeves for my Shure headphones. The latter are what I used on the first dates of this tour.
Two nights ago the right side of my Shure headphones stopped working. Last night I had to play with wedges again and it was like going back to the dark ages. I was desperate to get my in-ear system back up and running. I contacted ACS and arranged to go and get some of their top of the line in-ear headphones. These things have two separate drivers in each ear piece so you get amazing bass response. They're not cheap but the sound quality and isolation is worth it. They supply these things to pretty much everyone who needs this kind of thing - Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, Kim Wilde (yep - she's still going)
Anyway, mine should be here in the next day or two and I'm tremendously excited about using them on the gig. Andy got some too - I'm sure he'll post his thoughts when he's tried them out.
My advice to ALL drummers and music lovers is to get some custom fit ear plugs (I use the ER15s.) I always take mine to gigs even when I'm a spectator. I find it much easier to hear what's going on with them in as most gigs are a little too loud. The ones I have are clear and barely noticeable when you have them in. They're very comfortable and it's basically just like turning the volume down on the world.
If you're an audiophile with an iPod it's worth checking out the headphones they do. If you fly or take the tube a lot they're amazing as they cut out all the background noise.
Before I got mine done I had no idea about where to get ear impressions done or how it all worked. You can find most of what you need to know on their website - www.hearingprotection.com. In short I went to a SpecSavers where they had a hearing department (for people wanting hearing aids). The audiologist squirted some fast setting goo in my ears to take the impressions. It was painless and took about 20 minutes out of my day. He sent the impressions off to ACS and I got my ear plugs in the post a week later.
Joe
Today Andy and I drove over to Banbury to the headquarters of ACS (www.hearingprotection.co.uk) to get fitted for some Dogs Bollocks in ear monitors (that's not what they're called - just what they are.)
For the first three gigs of this tour I used my own little in ear monitor system instead of the regular drum wedges. It made a huge difference to my playing and made the gig so much more enjoyable. For the first time I could hear what was going on. In the past I've put up with whatever monitor sound we can manage but unless it's an open air gig it nearly always ends up sounding like mud. With in ear monitoring it's like playing to the record.
I heard about ACS through some drumming friends. I'd always used cheap ear plugs figuring that as long as they reduced the noise level it was fine. The problem for me as a drummer was that most ear plugs aren't very even in what they cut out. Foam plugs kill all the top end so it ends up sounding like your drums are in another room. The triple flanged rubber things that I've used for the last few years were an improvement but they still cut out more of the higher frequencies. The problem with that is that you never hear the attack of the cymbals. As a result I'd find myself over playing the cymbals to try and compensate and that's no fun for the rest of the band.
When I did RoSFest last year I got talking to Jimmy Keegan from Spock's Beard. He told me that he took a monitor feed from the desk and an input from an overhead and ran them through a little mixer into his in-ear monitors. The benefit of this is that you can hear the top end of the cymbals but you can control the level. I was excited by the concept and invested in a small mixer and a body pack from Shure (for limiting the output so I don't go deaf)
Where ACS came in was with the custom fit ear moulds. I went to an audiologist and they took an impression of my ear. A week later I had some custom fit ear plugs (which are very even in reduction across the whole spectrum) and some sleeves for my Shure headphones. The latter are what I used on the first dates of this tour.
Two nights ago the right side of my Shure headphones stopped working. Last night I had to play with wedges again and it was like going back to the dark ages. I was desperate to get my in-ear system back up and running. I contacted ACS and arranged to go and get some of their top of the line in-ear headphones. These things have two separate drivers in each ear piece so you get amazing bass response. They're not cheap but the sound quality and isolation is worth it. They supply these things to pretty much everyone who needs this kind of thing - Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, Kim Wilde (yep - she's still going)
Anyway, mine should be here in the next day or two and I'm tremendously excited about using them on the gig. Andy got some too - I'm sure he'll post his thoughts when he's tried them out.
My advice to ALL drummers and music lovers is to get some custom fit ear plugs (I use the ER15s.) I always take mine to gigs even when I'm a spectator. I find it much easier to hear what's going on with them in as most gigs are a little too loud. The ones I have are clear and barely noticeable when you have them in. They're very comfortable and it's basically just like turning the volume down on the world.
If you're an audiophile with an iPod it's worth checking out the headphones they do. If you fly or take the tube a lot they're amazing as they cut out all the background noise.
Before I got mine done I had no idea about where to get ear impressions done or how it all worked. You can find most of what you need to know on their website - www.hearingprotection.com. In short I went to a SpecSavers where they had a hearing department (for people wanting hearing aids). The audiologist squirted some fast setting goo in my ears to take the impressions. It was painless and took about 20 minutes out of my day. He sent the impressions off to ACS and I got my ear plugs in the post a week later.
Joe
Monday, September 24, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Me at Niagara
Holiday time. Niagara falls was amazing. I got very wet on this boat ride under the falls. Sitting in Toronto airport waiting to go to New York where I'm going to see Genesis!
Back in a week and it's straight on the road with Wishbone Ash for a couple of months.
Back in a week and it's straight on the road with Wishbone Ash for a couple of months.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Animal Snare drum
Carl from Animal Custom Drums very kindly lent me this snare drum to road test. I used it on a function gig last night and it was a pleasure to play. I'm very much looking forward to trying it out with Wishbone Ash on the next tour. Keep an eye out for the flames!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Pink Pop - drum cam
I apologise for the sound quality of this clip, there are some cool shots though and it gives you an idea of what it's like behind the drums.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
6-way independence
Remember those Deely-Bobbers - headbands with springs and little balls that looked like antennae? What if you attached drumsticks to the springs? That would give you two more sticks to play with. You know Thomas Lang will be doing it on his next DVD but remember where you heard it first.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Tip for Brushes playing
The biggest gripe I have about playing with my Vic Firth brushes is that once you've fully extended the brushes the triangular bend in the metal handle gets in the way of playing - it's always digging into my palm when I try to play.
Today I had a lesson on brushes playing with Dave Hassel. He leant me some brushes for the lesson and he'd bent the ends of the handles at 90 degrees. It made a huge difference to comfort as they didn't get in the way at all. If you play with brushes I recommend trying it.
Today I had a lesson on brushes playing with Dave Hassel. He leant me some brushes for the lesson and he'd bent the ends of the handles at 90 degrees. It made a huge difference to comfort as they didn't get in the way at all. If you play with brushes I recommend trying it.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Permutations of 4 notes - for use in most lessons
Permutations for 1,2 and 3 notes out of 4.
These permutations can be used to gain independence against any ostinato (repeating pattern). For example, play 1 and 3 on the kick, 2 and 4 on the snare and play the permutations on the hi hat (as 16th notes); or, play 16ths on the hi-hat and play the permutations as accents.
When working through the bass drum permutations make sure you focus on the placement of the notes - make sure they fall together when they're supposed to. With bass drum patterns that begin on an 'e' or an 'a' think about the preparation - make sure you lift up in plenty of time.
Single (1 out of 4 notes - all possibilities):
1
e
+
a
Double (2 out of 4 notes - all possibilities):
1,+
e,a
1,e
e,+
+,a
1,a
Triple (3 out of 4 notes - all possibilities):
1,e,+
e,+,a
1,+,a
1,e,a
These permutations can be used to gain independence against any ostinato (repeating pattern). For example, play 1 and 3 on the kick, 2 and 4 on the snare and play the permutations on the hi hat (as 16th notes); or, play 16ths on the hi-hat and play the permutations as accents.
When working through the bass drum permutations make sure you focus on the placement of the notes - make sure they fall together when they're supposed to. With bass drum patterns that begin on an 'e' or an 'a' think about the preparation - make sure you lift up in plenty of time.
Single (1 out of 4 notes - all possibilities):
1
e
+
a
Double (2 out of 4 notes - all possibilities):
1,+
e,a
1,e
e,+
+,a
1,a
Triple (3 out of 4 notes - all possibilities):
1,e,+
e,+,a
1,+,a
1,e,a
Monday, June 11, 2007
Cool Video
I recently teamed up with Jeff Stauffer from Hippolime to produce a nice video of the Seven Days outro. I'm very pleased with the result - hope you like it.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Transcribing a drum groove - Notes for video
I was asked to do a video explaining the groove from the Dave Matthews Band song "You Never Know" I sat down to listen to the song and realised it wasn't a straight forward groove - I'd have to have a think about it.
Rather than just figuring it out and explaining how to play it I thought it might be more useful to demonstrate the way in which I transcribe grooves that I can't figure out straight away.
The basic method is the same as you'd use to transcribe an episode of Friends. You listen to a small section, repeat what you think you heard in your head and keep repeating it until you can figure out where to write it down, then listen back and see if what you've written agrees with what you hear. If there's something you're not sure of, fill in things around it and come back to it later. This last point is the reason I prefer the grid method to trying to write notation straight away. Also, there's only one way to fill in the grid whereas there are many different ways you could notate the same thing.
Here's a break down of the method applied to transcribing a drum groove.
1. figure out the smallest subdivision being used and decide on a time signature
2. draw and label a grid using that subdivision
3. listen for one thing at a time - eg. listen for the snare
4. count along with the music and listen for a snare on beat 1. If there's a snare hit, draw it in, if there isn't leave it blank
5. Work through the quarter notes first (i.e. next listen for a snare on beat 2 not on the 'e' of 1), then the 1/8th notes, then finally the 1/16th notes (or whatever your subdivisions are)
6. move on to the next instrument (kick, hihat)
And here's the video explanation....(I'd usually do it on paper rather than in photoshop but that would have been harder to video)
------------------------------------------------------------
A Note on figuring out the time signature.....
------------------------------------------------------------
It was not easy to decide on the time signature for this groove. You could notate it in many different ways. Usually it's not that difficult to figure out a time signature - even odd time signatures are usually easier than this weird 12/8 thing so don't be put off.
Try to find a pulse and count until the groove seems to repeat. Then figure out how that pulse is divided to give you an idea of what note value to use for the pulse - i.e. if the pulse can be subdivided into 4 you don't want to call the pulse an 1/8th note otherwise you're going to be writing lots of 1/32nd notes which aren't easy to read.
Listen for some kind of hint of a back beat - think about where you'd have 2 and 4.
If it makes you feel better, when I first started to write out this groove I was doing it in 3/4 which made it even stranger. Play around and see if you can find different ways of writing it.
The beauty of the 'grid' system is that you can easily translate it into any time signature - just rewrite the numbers above each column. That also makes it really easy to write out beat displaced grooves.
The best way to get good at transcribing is to try it. Don't be put off by the feeling that you have no idea what's going on. That will always be the case - if you do know what's going on there's really no need to transcribe it.
Good luck!
Rather than just figuring it out and explaining how to play it I thought it might be more useful to demonstrate the way in which I transcribe grooves that I can't figure out straight away.
The basic method is the same as you'd use to transcribe an episode of Friends. You listen to a small section, repeat what you think you heard in your head and keep repeating it until you can figure out where to write it down, then listen back and see if what you've written agrees with what you hear. If there's something you're not sure of, fill in things around it and come back to it later. This last point is the reason I prefer the grid method to trying to write notation straight away. Also, there's only one way to fill in the grid whereas there are many different ways you could notate the same thing.
Here's a break down of the method applied to transcribing a drum groove.
1. figure out the smallest subdivision being used and decide on a time signature
2. draw and label a grid using that subdivision
3. listen for one thing at a time - eg. listen for the snare
4. count along with the music and listen for a snare on beat 1. If there's a snare hit, draw it in, if there isn't leave it blank
5. Work through the quarter notes first (i.e. next listen for a snare on beat 2 not on the 'e' of 1), then the 1/8th notes, then finally the 1/16th notes (or whatever your subdivisions are)
6. move on to the next instrument (kick, hihat)
And here's the video explanation....(I'd usually do it on paper rather than in photoshop but that would have been harder to video)
------------------------------------------------------------
A Note on figuring out the time signature.....
------------------------------------------------------------
It was not easy to decide on the time signature for this groove. You could notate it in many different ways. Usually it's not that difficult to figure out a time signature - even odd time signatures are usually easier than this weird 12/8 thing so don't be put off.
Try to find a pulse and count until the groove seems to repeat. Then figure out how that pulse is divided to give you an idea of what note value to use for the pulse - i.e. if the pulse can be subdivided into 4 you don't want to call the pulse an 1/8th note otherwise you're going to be writing lots of 1/32nd notes which aren't easy to read.
Listen for some kind of hint of a back beat - think about where you'd have 2 and 4.
If it makes you feel better, when I first started to write out this groove I was doing it in 3/4 which made it even stranger. Play around and see if you can find different ways of writing it.
The beauty of the 'grid' system is that you can easily translate it into any time signature - just rewrite the numbers above each column. That also makes it really easy to write out beat displaced grooves.
The best way to get good at transcribing is to try it. Don't be put off by the feeling that you have no idea what's going on. That will always be the case - if you do know what's going on there's really no need to transcribe it.
Good luck!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Article in Modern Drummer!
I wrote an article for my website a few months ago. It was published in June's issue of Modern Drummer.You can read it in Modern Drummer, page 106 or on the lessons page - click the 'essay' link on the left when you get there.
New Pendragon DVD
The Wishbone Ash tour has come to an end. We have a few festivals in August then another UK tour begins in October. You can check my gig dates here . If you can make it to any of the gigs please come and say hello.
Last year I recorded a 21st Anniversary DVD with Pendragon. I really enjoyed playing this material and the DVD came out pretty well. You can find out more on the Pendragon website
Last year I recorded a 21st Anniversary DVD with Pendragon. I really enjoyed playing this material and the DVD came out pretty well. You can find out more on the Pendragon website
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
On the road...
I'm halfway into a Wishbone Ash UK tour. I had a prior booking with Pendragon headlining RoSfest in Philadelphia at the end of April so I had to fly out there for 4 days for that gig. Arrived back in the UK at 7am Tuesday morning and rejoined Wishbone Ash for a gig that evening. Plenty of traveling!
RoSFest was great. The gig went down really well. I had a great drum tech who helped get the kit set up just right. The monitor sound left something to be desired, but that always seems to be the case. I'm looking into in ear options as I write this - hoping to use them for the remainder of this tour. I'll post the results...
I got a new pair of 13" Hybrid K Zildjian hats from Sam Ash in Philly. They sound great and will probably replace my loud as fcuk K/Zs for most gigs and sessions. I also got an 11" hybrid K splash - the closest they had to a 12" K. I had one of those about 7 years ago. I leant it to a support band and they let their percussionist use it as a hand splash. They gave it back to me in 2 pieces!
No fixed plans for the summer yet. There are a few festivals and sessions booked in but I'm hoping to relax for a lot of it, maybe travel a bit.
That's all for now....
RoSFest was great. The gig went down really well. I had a great drum tech who helped get the kit set up just right. The monitor sound left something to be desired, but that always seems to be the case. I'm looking into in ear options as I write this - hoping to use them for the remainder of this tour. I'll post the results...
I got a new pair of 13" Hybrid K Zildjian hats from Sam Ash in Philly. They sound great and will probably replace my loud as fcuk K/Zs for most gigs and sessions. I also got an 11" hybrid K splash - the closest they had to a 12" K. I had one of those about 7 years ago. I leant it to a support band and they let their percussionist use it as a hand splash. They gave it back to me in 2 pieces!
No fixed plans for the summer yet. There are a few festivals and sessions booked in but I'm hoping to relax for a lot of it, maybe travel a bit.
That's all for now....
Friday, April 06, 2007
An Eye Opening Experience
I was bored yesterday and decided to blindfold myself for a few hours to see what it would be like to be blind. The first thing I noticed was how big everything seemed when I couldn't see. I had to move very slowly and carefully to avoid banging into things. I found open doors to be particularly dangerous as it's possible to walk with both hands out in front of you and still get hit in the nose by the edge!
I did some piano practice. I'm trying to become more familiar with the keyboard and basic harmony theory. I found it very difficult to keep track of what I was playing without the usual visual cues. I feel like practising in this way will help to internalise the process.
So what has any of this got to do with drums? Well, I also managed to find my way into the drum room. The first thing I noticed was that things weren't exactly where I expected them to be. I often have trouble deciding where to position drums and cymbals. The problem is that I'm so used to adjusting myself to play whatever kit I'm behind that seeing where things are actually gets in teh way of knowing where I'd like them to be. While blindfolded I found it much easier to pay attention to how everything felt. The right seat height, the height of the snare drum, where I wanted the toms, it all seemed more obvious when I was paying attention to how things felt rather than looked.
I went to hit a tom. It was pretty much in the right place, but when I felt the end of the stick touching the head I realised I was very close to the right side of the drum. Hence I decided to move the tom to the right a few inches to compensate. Admittedly it's not the easiest task to adjust positions and angles while blindfolded, but I think it's better to keep the blindfold on than to peak. Perhaps you could get someone to help adjust your kit as you point where you'd like things to be.
I had a good blindfolded practice session then managed to navigate my way back downstairs. When I came to drum the next time I couldn't believe the angles I'd left my cymbals at - it looked very weird, but it played fine. Give it a try - you might find some new insights into your playing.
I did some piano practice. I'm trying to become more familiar with the keyboard and basic harmony theory. I found it very difficult to keep track of what I was playing without the usual visual cues. I feel like practising in this way will help to internalise the process.
So what has any of this got to do with drums? Well, I also managed to find my way into the drum room. The first thing I noticed was that things weren't exactly where I expected them to be. I often have trouble deciding where to position drums and cymbals. The problem is that I'm so used to adjusting myself to play whatever kit I'm behind that seeing where things are actually gets in teh way of knowing where I'd like them to be. While blindfolded I found it much easier to pay attention to how everything felt. The right seat height, the height of the snare drum, where I wanted the toms, it all seemed more obvious when I was paying attention to how things felt rather than looked.
I went to hit a tom. It was pretty much in the right place, but when I felt the end of the stick touching the head I realised I was very close to the right side of the drum. Hence I decided to move the tom to the right a few inches to compensate. Admittedly it's not the easiest task to adjust positions and angles while blindfolded, but I think it's better to keep the blindfold on than to peak. Perhaps you could get someone to help adjust your kit as you point where you'd like things to be.
I had a good blindfolded practice session then managed to navigate my way back downstairs. When I came to drum the next time I couldn't believe the angles I'd left my cymbals at - it looked very weird, but it played fine. Give it a try - you might find some new insights into your playing.
Custom Drum Tracks on Sky News
I was interviewed by Sky news the other day for an article on how music is created these days. It should be showing all day Saturday 7th April on Sky News and sometime on Channel 5. You can view the article here
Monday, March 26, 2007
New for 2007
At the start of this year I had no idea what I'd be doing this year. Functions always dry up after christmas and I didn't have a lot of Pendragon gigs in.
I ended up teaching quite a lot at ACM. I really enjoy the opportunity to pass on what I can to enthusiastic drummers. I've also enjoyed creating the online drumming lessons. More of those to come as soon as I have time.
The bigger news is that I've joined Wishbone Ash. I spent the last 2 weeks just outside Helsinki in Finland recording a new album with them. I didn't actually meet the singer and guitarist until they picked me up at the airport. Two days later we had our first gig in Moscow (a 13 hour train journey from Finland!). It was the second time I'd played the songs but it went very well.
The guys are all great musicians and we got on very well. I'm excited to see how the album develops - I was pleased with the drum parts I came up with for the songs.
I knew it was going to be a good week when the snare drum on the kit in the drum room was a Yamaha Vinnie signature model. It was like finding the Holy Grail. I'd only ever seen it on posters in drum shops and have been looking for one for years.
We have a month long tour coming up in April/May. Check out the dates here - www.drumsolo.co.uk/gigs - and come and say Hi if you make it down.
Later,
Joe
I ended up teaching quite a lot at ACM. I really enjoy the opportunity to pass on what I can to enthusiastic drummers. I've also enjoyed creating the online drumming lessons. More of those to come as soon as I have time.
The bigger news is that I've joined Wishbone Ash. I spent the last 2 weeks just outside Helsinki in Finland recording a new album with them. I didn't actually meet the singer and guitarist until they picked me up at the airport. Two days later we had our first gig in Moscow (a 13 hour train journey from Finland!). It was the second time I'd played the songs but it went very well.
The guys are all great musicians and we got on very well. I'm excited to see how the album develops - I was pleased with the drum parts I came up with for the songs.
I knew it was going to be a good week when the snare drum on the kit in the drum room was a Yamaha Vinnie signature model. It was like finding the Holy Grail. I'd only ever seen it on posters in drum shops and have been looking for one for years.
We have a month long tour coming up in April/May. Check out the dates here - www.drumsolo.co.uk/gigs - and come and say Hi if you make it down.
Later,
Joe
Inspiration
I haven't had chance lately to add any new lesson videos. I invested in a Mac about a month ago and it's brilliant, but I now have to learn to use different editing software. Anyway, I'm hoping to have something new up before I head off on tour.
In the meantime I'm adding a few posts about things that have inspired me on my 27 year journey. Of all the books I've read "Yes Man" by Danny Wallace has probably had the most impact. After reading of the adventures he had that followed him simply saying Yes more I decided to give it a go. I ended up joining new bands, meeting new people and travelling to new places all as a result of saying Yes more.
I've kind of given away the plot but I highly recommend the book anyway. It made me laugh out loud many times and was a truly inspirational true story. Get it HERE
In the meantime I'm adding a few posts about things that have inspired me on my 27 year journey. Of all the books I've read "Yes Man" by Danny Wallace has probably had the most impact. After reading of the adventures he had that followed him simply saying Yes more I decided to give it a go. I ended up joining new bands, meeting new people and travelling to new places all as a result of saying Yes more.
I've kind of given away the plot but I highly recommend the book anyway. It made me laugh out loud many times and was a truly inspirational true story. Get it HERE
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
The album that made me want to be a drummer...
My dad used to play this when I was young. Where he worked there was a drum kit and I'd go in and try and play the 'Rhythm of the Heat'. I was probably 5 years old and I suspect my interpretation left a lot to be desired. I also didn't really like loud noises at the time.
It's still one of my top 10 albums. The African inspired percussion extravaganza at the outro of the first track is still awesome. Track 6 (Lay your hands on me) is still one of my favourite drumming outros. "I have the touch" is one of the coolest drum grooves on record. None of these are stereotypical drum grooves, but they are ace.
I highly recommend adding it to your collection. It's cheap as chips on Amazon (UK
,US
).
David Cross gig in Rome
Last Thursday I flew to Rome with the David Cross Band for a one off gig which is supposedly going to be aired on some Italian TV show and possibly streamed on the internet, though I don't know the details.
It was a great gig. Unfortunately there wasn't time to see anything of Rome apart from the airport and the venue. We flew RyanAir - a first and hopefully a last for me. Sure the tickets are cheap, unless you want to take anything that has any weight then they sting you at 8 quid a kilo. The seats also seem to be designed to stop you from getting any sleep whatsoever.
The whole thing was over in 24 hours. I got an hour and a half kip at a hotel after the gig. I saw a bit of Italy's 'Deal or No Deal' - 'Dealio or No Dealio' (it might not be called that). I think a week of sleeping on friends' floors, living off lion bars and rehearsing in studios with no air took its toll on my immune system and the days after the gig were mainly spent in bed.
Anyway, the gig was fun. There are a few photos here, though as usual I don't feature in them.
Hopefully there'll be more David Cross stuff in the future. I love the music and the guys in the band. Check out the MySpace page for more info on the band (it's not me on drums on the recordings).
Joe
It was a great gig. Unfortunately there wasn't time to see anything of Rome apart from the airport and the venue. We flew RyanAir - a first and hopefully a last for me. Sure the tickets are cheap, unless you want to take anything that has any weight then they sting you at 8 quid a kilo. The seats also seem to be designed to stop you from getting any sleep whatsoever.
The whole thing was over in 24 hours. I got an hour and a half kip at a hotel after the gig. I saw a bit of Italy's 'Deal or No Deal' - 'Dealio or No Dealio' (it might not be called that). I think a week of sleeping on friends' floors, living off lion bars and rehearsing in studios with no air took its toll on my immune system and the days after the gig were mainly spent in bed.
Anyway, the gig was fun. There are a few photos here, though as usual I don't feature in them.
Hopefully there'll be more David Cross stuff in the future. I love the music and the guys in the band. Check out the MySpace page for more info on the band (it's not me on drums on the recordings).
Joe
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
News Update - Feb '07
What have I been up to lately? Well, I've been spending a lot of time recording and editing video lessons for the lessons page. They seem to have been quite well received so I'm working on more of those. It's unbelievable how long it can take to edit 5 minutes of video. I have a new found appreciation for guys who edit 30 min documentaries.
I've been doing some dep teaching at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford. I'm enjoying the teaching and it's great to meet so many enthusiastic young drummers. That gig is becoming more regular. Hopefully at some point it'll become a more permanent thing. Time will tell.
Gig-wise I have a gig in Rome with the David Cross band coming up, then Pendragon are headlining RoS Fest in Philadelphia on April 28th which should be great fun. I'm thinking of picking up some new hihats while I'm out there.
There are a few other projects in the pipeline including working with the guitarist from the David Cross Band, Paul Clark. "Clarky" has just released a CD entitled "Shredz at an Exhibition" which is his nimble fingered musical take on some famous works of art. A recent review of the CD gave him the first 10/10 they've ever awarded and he's about to be reviewed in Guitarist magazine. Some live gigs with his band should give my double kick playing a bit of a work out.
I submitted one of the articles from my lessons page to Modern Drummer for publication. It should be featured in an up-coming issue. I'm quite excited about that and it's encouraged me to write more. I'll be adding articles to the lessons page as and when I have the time/inspiration to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys).
That's about all for now. Time to practise.....
Cheerio,
Joe
I've been doing some dep teaching at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford. I'm enjoying the teaching and it's great to meet so many enthusiastic young drummers. That gig is becoming more regular. Hopefully at some point it'll become a more permanent thing. Time will tell.
Gig-wise I have a gig in Rome with the David Cross band coming up, then Pendragon are headlining RoS Fest in Philadelphia on April 28th which should be great fun. I'm thinking of picking up some new hihats while I'm out there.
There are a few other projects in the pipeline including working with the guitarist from the David Cross Band, Paul Clark. "Clarky" has just released a CD entitled "Shredz at an Exhibition" which is his nimble fingered musical take on some famous works of art. A recent review of the CD gave him the first 10/10 they've ever awarded and he's about to be reviewed in Guitarist magazine. Some live gigs with his band should give my double kick playing a bit of a work out.
I submitted one of the articles from my lessons page to Modern Drummer for publication. It should be featured in an up-coming issue. I'm quite excited about that and it's encouraged me to write more. I'll be adding articles to the lessons page as and when I have the time/inspiration to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys).
That's about all for now. Time to practise.....
Cheerio,
Joe
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Seven Days - verse groove
Ok, so it seems a lot of people would like to know what's going on in the track Seven Days by Sting. If you don't know the track you really should get the album. It contains, in my opinion, some of the best drumming in a pop context ever recorded. You can get it here (Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk).
The video breaks down what is going on in the verses. It's basically in 5/8 with the hihat accenting a quarter note pulse. Because we're in an odd time signature the quarter note accent doesn't resolve itself until 2 bars have passed.....
In 4/8 if you accent every other note you always hit the 1 of each bar:
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
In 5/8 the accents in the second bar are different from the first:
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
And the pattern repeats after 2 bars. That's basically what's happening in this track. The kick is on beat 1 of the 5/8 bar and the cross stick is on beat 4.
If you get chance try and check out Sting's "Live in Oslo" concert. It's on tv every now and again. They play amazing versions of lots of Sting and Police songs. The outro Vinnie plays on that version of Seven Days is what I'm playing in the video demo on my website. The full transcription of that and of the chorus part from the album is in the Drum Vault which you can get access to by making a donation of any amount (whatever you think the material is worth) using the box at the top left of this page. In the Drum Vault you'll find many other transcriptions (including I'm Tweeked from Vinnie's solo album) and detailed notes and examples for the Left Foot Clave lesson on this page (click the 'videos' link on the left to see all video lessons).
Enjoy the video...
Joe
The video breaks down what is going on in the verses. It's basically in 5/8 with the hihat accenting a quarter note pulse. Because we're in an odd time signature the quarter note accent doesn't resolve itself until 2 bars have passed.....
In 4/8 if you accent every other note you always hit the 1 of each bar:
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
In 5/8 the accents in the second bar are different from the first:
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
And the pattern repeats after 2 bars. That's basically what's happening in this track. The kick is on beat 1 of the 5/8 bar and the cross stick is on beat 4.
If you get chance try and check out Sting's "Live in Oslo" concert. It's on tv every now and again. They play amazing versions of lots of Sting and Police songs. The outro Vinnie plays on that version of Seven Days is what I'm playing in the video demo on my website. The full transcription of that and of the chorus part from the album is in the Drum Vault which you can get access to by making a donation of any amount (whatever you think the material is worth) using the box at the top left of this page. In the Drum Vault you'll find many other transcriptions (including I'm Tweeked from Vinnie's solo album) and detailed notes and examples for the Left Foot Clave lesson on this page (click the 'videos' link on the left to see all video lessons).
Enjoy the video...
Joe
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Double Kick Workout
I get asked a lot about double bass drum playing. What are the secrets?
Well, if you're struggling with your double kick chops it might be worth taking a step back and checking you've got the basics down. Read the article "The answer to all your drumming problems: is it right under your nose?" for an insight into why you might be missing something.
Anyway, before you start trying to play Virgil Donati bass drum ostinatos or 200bpm rolls try the following exercises. They'll help you identify any weaknesses and lack of control in your feet (do them with your left foot and your right) and should help you gain control and endurance with your feet. They're heel down exercises and a lot of attention should be paid to the 'relax' part. You want to be working only the necessary muscles. Find a tempo at which you can comfortably do the exercises. Work at them every day for a week and you should see some real improvement.
Enjoy...
Basic foot control
Sit down on a chair (not behind the kit). Sit upright so your legs are pretty much horizontal and your knees are bent at about 90 degrees.
Relax.
Rest your left hand on your left thigh and make sure your thigh muscles are relaxed. Tensing your thigh muscle would straighten your leg (ever find your foot gradually sliding up the pedal when playing heel down?) The only way your leg wouldn't straighten when you tense your thigh muscle is if you were also tensing your hamstring (under your leg - the muscle required to bend it). You don't want to straighten your leg, and you don't want to be tensing muscles just for the sake of it, so through all these exercises keep an eye on that thigh muscle and check that it remains relaxed.
We're going to work on some heel down technique. Practising this way will help your heel up playing and give you more options when it comes to playing the bass drum.
So, with your heel resting on the floor pull your toes up as far as they'll go. Feel the tension in your shin muscle - that's the only muscle required to make this motion.
Now, from this position fire your foot down so it briefly hits the floor and makes a satisfying sound and immediately pull it back up to where you started. The only muscles required to to this are your calf muscle (to straighten your foot) and your shin muscle (to pull it back up). Your thigh should remain completely relaxed. If you have to rest your hand on your thigh to check it doesn't tense up then to that.
Practise this a few times. Make sure your foot goes straight down and straight back up. You don't want it moving sideways or wobbling about.
EX 1:Endurance
Once you're happy with that movement set your metronome to 60bpm and play 16th notes (4 per click) for a minute. You should really feel your shin muscle working.
If 60bpm is too fast to do this with control then try it a bit slower. Gradually work up to 2 minutes or 3 minutes. You can do a minute with each foot then start again to give you a rest.
Once you can do this comfortably at 60bpm then you can gradually work your way up to faster speeds. PLEASE NOTE - it's important to try it at 60bpm. Sometimes this exercise can feel easier at faster speeds because you kind of twitch. If you can do it at a fast speed try working down on the metronome. i.e. if you can do it at 90bpm try it at 85bpm.
EX 2:Control
Once you're comfortable playing 16ths 60bpm try playing the following exercises (from stick control - a great book) with your hands - 16th notes at 60bpm. Put your left foot in between what you play with your hands. That means you'll be playing 32nd notes at 60bpm. Your foot will never fall on a click - it will be all the off beat 32nds.
--Hand Patterns--16th notes at 60bpm. Each line lasts for 2 beats of the metronome. Play each line for a minute then move to the next.
R L R L R L R L
L R L R L R L R
R R L L L L R R
L L R R L L R R
R L R R L R L L
R L L R L R R L
R R L R L L R L
R L R L L R L R
R R R L R R R L
L L L R L L L R
R L L L R L L L
L R R R L R R R
R R R R L L L L
With the left foot (F) you'll get this
RFLFRFLFRFLFRFL
LFRFLFRFLFRFLFR
RFRFLFLFLFLFRFR
LFLFRFRFL etc.etc
--
This should give you control and endurance with your left foot.
EX 3:More control
It's one thing to set your foot going and keep it going. It's another to have to start and stop all the time.
In this exercise work through the same stickings as above. Play 2 beats of 32nds with the hands (i.e. twice the speed you originally played), then play 2 beats of the second half of the above exercise (i.e. half the speed with the hands filling in the gaps with the left foot)
The first 3 lines would look like this...
RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRFLFRFLFRFLFRFLF
LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLFRFLFRFLFRFLFRF
RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLLRFRFLFLFRFRFLFLF
Well, if you're struggling with your double kick chops it might be worth taking a step back and checking you've got the basics down. Read the article "The answer to all your drumming problems: is it right under your nose?" for an insight into why you might be missing something.
Anyway, before you start trying to play Virgil Donati bass drum ostinatos or 200bpm rolls try the following exercises. They'll help you identify any weaknesses and lack of control in your feet (do them with your left foot and your right) and should help you gain control and endurance with your feet. They're heel down exercises and a lot of attention should be paid to the 'relax' part. You want to be working only the necessary muscles. Find a tempo at which you can comfortably do the exercises. Work at them every day for a week and you should see some real improvement.
Enjoy...
Basic foot control
Sit down on a chair (not behind the kit). Sit upright so your legs are pretty much horizontal and your knees are bent at about 90 degrees.
Relax.
Rest your left hand on your left thigh and make sure your thigh muscles are relaxed. Tensing your thigh muscle would straighten your leg (ever find your foot gradually sliding up the pedal when playing heel down?) The only way your leg wouldn't straighten when you tense your thigh muscle is if you were also tensing your hamstring (under your leg - the muscle required to bend it). You don't want to straighten your leg, and you don't want to be tensing muscles just for the sake of it, so through all these exercises keep an eye on that thigh muscle and check that it remains relaxed.
We're going to work on some heel down technique. Practising this way will help your heel up playing and give you more options when it comes to playing the bass drum.
So, with your heel resting on the floor pull your toes up as far as they'll go. Feel the tension in your shin muscle - that's the only muscle required to make this motion.
Now, from this position fire your foot down so it briefly hits the floor and makes a satisfying sound and immediately pull it back up to where you started. The only muscles required to to this are your calf muscle (to straighten your foot) and your shin muscle (to pull it back up). Your thigh should remain completely relaxed. If you have to rest your hand on your thigh to check it doesn't tense up then to that.
Practise this a few times. Make sure your foot goes straight down and straight back up. You don't want it moving sideways or wobbling about.
EX 1:Endurance
Once you're happy with that movement set your metronome to 60bpm and play 16th notes (4 per click) for a minute. You should really feel your shin muscle working.
If 60bpm is too fast to do this with control then try it a bit slower. Gradually work up to 2 minutes or 3 minutes. You can do a minute with each foot then start again to give you a rest.
Once you can do this comfortably at 60bpm then you can gradually work your way up to faster speeds. PLEASE NOTE - it's important to try it at 60bpm. Sometimes this exercise can feel easier at faster speeds because you kind of twitch. If you can do it at a fast speed try working down on the metronome. i.e. if you can do it at 90bpm try it at 85bpm.
EX 2:Control
Once you're comfortable playing 16ths 60bpm try playing the following exercises (from stick control - a great book) with your hands - 16th notes at 60bpm. Put your left foot in between what you play with your hands. That means you'll be playing 32nd notes at 60bpm. Your foot will never fall on a click - it will be all the off beat 32nds.
--Hand Patterns--16th notes at 60bpm. Each line lasts for 2 beats of the metronome. Play each line for a minute then move to the next.
R L R L R L R L
L R L R L R L R
R R L L L L R R
L L R R L L R R
R L R R L R L L
R L L R L R R L
R R L R L L R L
R L R L L R L R
R R R L R R R L
L L L R L L L R
R L L L R L L L
L R R R L R R R
R R R R L L L L
With the left foot (F) you'll get this
RFLFRFLFRFLFRFL
LFRFLFRFLFRFLFR
RFRFLFLFLFLFRFR
LFLFRFRFL etc.etc
--
This should give you control and endurance with your left foot.
EX 3:More control
It's one thing to set your foot going and keep it going. It's another to have to start and stop all the time.
In this exercise work through the same stickings as above. Play 2 beats of 32nds with the hands (i.e. twice the speed you originally played), then play 2 beats of the second half of the above exercise (i.e. half the speed with the hands filling in the gaps with the left foot)
The first 3 lines would look like this...
RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRFLFRFLFRFLFRFLF
LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLFRFLFRFLFRFLFRF
RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLLRFRFLFLFRFRFLFLF
The answer to all your drumming problems: is it right under your nose?
Some very common questions that crop up among drummers are things like "Why do I get tense when I play fast?" "Why do I find it so difficult to play that pattern on double kick?" "Why does my playing not sound tight, even though it feels like I'm playing well?" The answer may not be right under your nose but it could be right behind it.
Your brain is an incredible thing. Without your brain you wouldn't have much hope of playing the drums, never mind that complex Vinnie Colaiuta lick. However it has its limitations. One of these limitations is the fact that it can only process one thing at a time. This in itself is not a problem but failure to realise this fact can lead you on a wild goose chase for answers that may be right under your nose. Socrates said 'The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing', keep that in mind as we move on.
How to be a plate spinner
When you play a groove or fill on the drums you are simultaneously using 2, 3 or 4 of your limbs together. The brain, amazing as it is, can only deal with one thing at a time. For example, right now it's dealing with reading this text. If I ask you how your foot feels on the floor, your attention is directed there. You probably weren't aware of how your foot felt until I asked the question. For the period of time you were asking yourself how it felt you were no longer paying attention to this, but presumably your attention returned pretty quickly. It's a lot like plate spinning - you're dealing with a lot of things but you can only attend to them one at a time.
So, how does this apply to double kick patterns or tensing up? Well, it's very possible that the problem is with some fundamental aspect of your technique that you're unaware of because your focus is on something higher up. Even though you can only focus consciously on one thing at a time you can effectively program parts of the brain to work on autopilot. This is how you're able to do most complex tasks. Take tennis, for example. You wouldn't try to perfect your backhand before you'd learnt to walk. To deal with the problem of an unsatisfactory backhand you have to make sure that your balance, movement, posture and breathing are all working well. The problem is that when you move your attention away from these basic movements they can change without you realising.
Say you're working on grip and stick control. You have a list of things to look out for while you’re working on a single stroke roll: Am I letting the stick rebound naturally? Am I gripping the stick too tight? Is the stick coming up to the same height each time? Am I striking the drum in the same place each time? Are my shoulders relaxed? Am I breathing naturally? etc. etc. When you ask yourself these questions it's easy to feel like you're doing all of them when in fact you may only be doing one or two at a time. When you're checking to see if the stick is rebounding naturally your shoulders might be getting tight. When you're making sure the sticks are coming to the same height you might be hitting the drum in a different place every time.
When most tennis coaches are asked how to create top spin they say you have to roll the wrist when you hit the ball. A researcher video taped a lot of pro tennis players and coaches playing this shot and slowed down and analysed the footage. None of them rolled their wrist! They thought they were, and that's what they taught their pupils, but they weren't doing what they thought. I discovered the same thing for myself when I was teaching a student the free stroke. One of the things to look out for when playing the free stroke is that the stroke starts and ends high. You don't pull back before playing the stroke - the stick just goes straight down. Even though I'd pointed it out to him many times it was still happening and he just couldn't see it. Finally I got the camcorder out and videoed it. When he watched it back it was clear to him what he was doing. When he'd left I videoed my own stroke and realised I was doing it a little too - I was also doing lots of other things that I didn't think I was.
2 + 2 = 3
Here's a quick exercise to demonstrate the difficulty in focusing on two things at once:
Sit upright. Hold your right hand up in front of your face so you're looking at your palm then make your hand into a fist.
Now lower your hand until the back of your hand touches your leg and extend your fingers apart from your index finger which remains held in place by your thumb.
Now, go between those two positions playing 8th notes at about 60 bpm (i.e. each second your hand hits your leg with your fingers open. Half a second after that your hand is up and in a fist). Make sure you fully extend your fingers when you hit your leg, and make a tight fist when your hand is in the air.
Easy, right?
Forget about your right hand for a second and do the same with your left hand. For each of those exercises you're moving your arm up and down and essentially just having to tell yourself to open your fingers when you hit your leg. You'll probably find you can get this up to quite a speed without a problem.
Now, do it with both hands alternately - like a single stroke roll. When your right hand is on your leg your left hand is in front of your face. Make sure the fingers are stretched out when your hands touch your leg, and are clenched when the hands are in the air. If it's easy, speed it up a bit.
You'll probably find you can't go as fast when you're doing both hands together. You may be surprised to find that it's more difficult than you anticipated.
The point to note is that you've done each hand on its own and it's easy. Putting the two together doesn't really feel like anything new. The only thing that really changes is that you now have to divide your attention - you can't check if your right fingers are open when your left fingers are closed because you can only focus on hand at a time. When you start to notice it's going wrong you generally just notice that it's going wrong - not specifically what isn't happening that should be.
Apply this to your drumming and it soon becomes clear that while you're trying to play a complicated lick the basics of your technique might be suffering, and you don't really have much of a chance to even notice it. You need ways to break down complex patterns to make sure that the components are all running smoothly.
Do the Hokey Kokey
Now, take the previous example and think about how you'd improve your performance. We know that the problem is one of directing conscious attention and we know that by repeating an action we can start to burn it into 'muscle memory' and essentially put it on autopilot. So, the first thing to do would be spend more time working on each hand by itself. Then you'd put them together slowly and see what things happen together that you can group and focus on as a single item - perhaps really thinking about what it feels like to stretch open your right fingers while clenching together your left fingers and vice versa. The final aim is to make the actions in such a way that the hands are performing as well together as they do individually.
Imagine a car engine, a factory, an airport, any system at all - a system being an interaction of two or more elements. It's clear that the overall performance of the system depends of the performance of its parts. Any part working inefficiently will affect the system as a whole. The tighter the interaction of the parts the more the inefficiency of one will affect the whole. In short, we want to make sure that the cylinders are all firing properly, the conveyor belts are running at the right speed, the planes are taking off on time, etc.
There are two areas of focus here. The first is the action of the individual element - is it doing what it should be. The second is the interaction of the element with the system - this is more difficult to isolate, but focusing on the first half of the equation will help the interaction part.
There's a simple way of applying and testing this - do the Hokey Kokey. Take any groove and figure out the part that each limb has to play. Figure out how it would play that part if that's all there was and make sure you can play it by itself. For example, with a single stroke roll play the right hand part and watch the motion to make sure it's smooth and efficient. Then, put the left hand in, keep staring at the right hand and make sure that nothing in its motion changes. Take the left hand out, again staring at the right hand making sure it's motion doesn't change. Shake your left hand all about if you like, then do the same with your right hand.
All subdivisions are equal, but some are more equal than others
You'll probably find that it's much more difficult to play the left hand part by itself than the right hand part. That's because you're used to playing 1 + 2 + and locking in with the click. If you have to play e a e a (the off beat 1/16ths) then although you're making EXACTLY the same motion with the stick the click now occurs in the middle of a stroke (rather than when you hit the drum) so physically there's nothing obvious to try and line up with it.
If the left hand can only play its part when the right hand is playing its part then you might consider that a weakness. After all, every subdivision has its place and length and they all have equal value. Because the smaller subdivisions move by so quickly we tend to focus on the main ones (quarter notes and maybe off beat 1/8th notes) and the ones in between are often neglected. As long as the ones we're focusing on seem to be in time we don't tend to pay much attention to the others. But, if those subdivisions aren't played in time they will affect everything else and that is a common cause of a groove not feeling tight.
So if you want to improve your single stroke roll and the performance of your weaker hand in one fell swoop then practise the weaker hand part (off beat 1/16ths) to a click by itself and make sure it's as smooth and efficient as the stronger hand part. Then add the stronger hand in the Hokey Kokey fashion and make sure the movement of the weaker hand stays the same.
You can apply the Hokey Kokey exercise to a groove too. Make sure you can play each limb's part on its own to a click. That includes ghost notes. Once you have figured out the most efficient way of each limb to play its part you want to make sure that this doesn't change when you introduce the rest of the system. This is the essence of independence exercises. Imagine videoing your self playing a groove. If you zoomed in so you could only see one limb, that limb should look smooth and efficient. It should look the same as it would if it was the only thing that was playing.
It's in the details
If you find yourself having trouble making rudiments or double kick patterns sound clean and accurate try the following exercise.
Play the pattern with one limb quiet and the other accented. Pay attention to the rhythmical pattern that the accented limb is playing.
Now swap and accent the other limb. Again, pay attention to the accented limb.
In the case of the single stroke roll we are usually accustomed to hearing the rhythm of the leading limb and its relationship to the click, the rhythm of the off beat 1/16ths isn't usually a focus.
Now play both limbs at the same volume but try and hear the pattern that the first limb is playing. Then with them still playing the same volume try and hear the pattern that the other limb is playing. This exercise will give you practice at directing your attention to all components of a pattern to make sure they're doing what they should be. If a cylinder is misfiring you'll be able to notice it and correct it to get everything running smoothly again.
A nice way to apply similar technique is to use two different sound sources. For the single stroke roll play the right hand on the hihat and the left on the snare. The interplay of the off beat 1/16ths and the click will be obvious. For double kick patterns try playing the exercise slowly and replacing the right foot part with your right hand (on a floor tom or the snare). That will give you a chance to really hear what the left foot should be playing.
The impossible triangle
You've probably seen the impossible triangle. At first glance it looks like a triangle made out of 3 fence posts. However, on closer examination you realise that they're angled in such a way that they can't possibly join up. It is possible to make a real life version of this illusion, but it only works if you view it from one specific angle. Look at it from any other angle and it's clear that it doesn't add up. This is the problem of the single focus. Often it may seem like you're doing everything you should be but something just won't fall into place like you expect it should. Perhaps the problem is being overlooked and you need a tool to get in there and find it. The best advice I can give is to approach the problem from as many different angles as you can and it won't be long before you identify the holes. Once you know what and where they are it's not too difficult to patch them up. Just remember that often things are not as they appear - don't believe everything you see.
Your brain is an incredible thing. Without your brain you wouldn't have much hope of playing the drums, never mind that complex Vinnie Colaiuta lick. However it has its limitations. One of these limitations is the fact that it can only process one thing at a time. This in itself is not a problem but failure to realise this fact can lead you on a wild goose chase for answers that may be right under your nose. Socrates said 'The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing', keep that in mind as we move on.
How to be a plate spinner
When you play a groove or fill on the drums you are simultaneously using 2, 3 or 4 of your limbs together. The brain, amazing as it is, can only deal with one thing at a time. For example, right now it's dealing with reading this text. If I ask you how your foot feels on the floor, your attention is directed there. You probably weren't aware of how your foot felt until I asked the question. For the period of time you were asking yourself how it felt you were no longer paying attention to this, but presumably your attention returned pretty quickly. It's a lot like plate spinning - you're dealing with a lot of things but you can only attend to them one at a time.
So, how does this apply to double kick patterns or tensing up? Well, it's very possible that the problem is with some fundamental aspect of your technique that you're unaware of because your focus is on something higher up. Even though you can only focus consciously on one thing at a time you can effectively program parts of the brain to work on autopilot. This is how you're able to do most complex tasks. Take tennis, for example. You wouldn't try to perfect your backhand before you'd learnt to walk. To deal with the problem of an unsatisfactory backhand you have to make sure that your balance, movement, posture and breathing are all working well. The problem is that when you move your attention away from these basic movements they can change without you realising.
Say you're working on grip and stick control. You have a list of things to look out for while you’re working on a single stroke roll: Am I letting the stick rebound naturally? Am I gripping the stick too tight? Is the stick coming up to the same height each time? Am I striking the drum in the same place each time? Are my shoulders relaxed? Am I breathing naturally? etc. etc. When you ask yourself these questions it's easy to feel like you're doing all of them when in fact you may only be doing one or two at a time. When you're checking to see if the stick is rebounding naturally your shoulders might be getting tight. When you're making sure the sticks are coming to the same height you might be hitting the drum in a different place every time.
When most tennis coaches are asked how to create top spin they say you have to roll the wrist when you hit the ball. A researcher video taped a lot of pro tennis players and coaches playing this shot and slowed down and analysed the footage. None of them rolled their wrist! They thought they were, and that's what they taught their pupils, but they weren't doing what they thought. I discovered the same thing for myself when I was teaching a student the free stroke. One of the things to look out for when playing the free stroke is that the stroke starts and ends high. You don't pull back before playing the stroke - the stick just goes straight down. Even though I'd pointed it out to him many times it was still happening and he just couldn't see it. Finally I got the camcorder out and videoed it. When he watched it back it was clear to him what he was doing. When he'd left I videoed my own stroke and realised I was doing it a little too - I was also doing lots of other things that I didn't think I was.
2 + 2 = 3
Here's a quick exercise to demonstrate the difficulty in focusing on two things at once:
Sit upright. Hold your right hand up in front of your face so you're looking at your palm then make your hand into a fist.
Now lower your hand until the back of your hand touches your leg and extend your fingers apart from your index finger which remains held in place by your thumb.
Now, go between those two positions playing 8th notes at about 60 bpm (i.e. each second your hand hits your leg with your fingers open. Half a second after that your hand is up and in a fist). Make sure you fully extend your fingers when you hit your leg, and make a tight fist when your hand is in the air.
Easy, right?
Forget about your right hand for a second and do the same with your left hand. For each of those exercises you're moving your arm up and down and essentially just having to tell yourself to open your fingers when you hit your leg. You'll probably find you can get this up to quite a speed without a problem.
Now, do it with both hands alternately - like a single stroke roll. When your right hand is on your leg your left hand is in front of your face. Make sure the fingers are stretched out when your hands touch your leg, and are clenched when the hands are in the air. If it's easy, speed it up a bit.
You'll probably find you can't go as fast when you're doing both hands together. You may be surprised to find that it's more difficult than you anticipated.
The point to note is that you've done each hand on its own and it's easy. Putting the two together doesn't really feel like anything new. The only thing that really changes is that you now have to divide your attention - you can't check if your right fingers are open when your left fingers are closed because you can only focus on hand at a time. When you start to notice it's going wrong you generally just notice that it's going wrong - not specifically what isn't happening that should be.
Apply this to your drumming and it soon becomes clear that while you're trying to play a complicated lick the basics of your technique might be suffering, and you don't really have much of a chance to even notice it. You need ways to break down complex patterns to make sure that the components are all running smoothly.
Do the Hokey Kokey
Now, take the previous example and think about how you'd improve your performance. We know that the problem is one of directing conscious attention and we know that by repeating an action we can start to burn it into 'muscle memory' and essentially put it on autopilot. So, the first thing to do would be spend more time working on each hand by itself. Then you'd put them together slowly and see what things happen together that you can group and focus on as a single item - perhaps really thinking about what it feels like to stretch open your right fingers while clenching together your left fingers and vice versa. The final aim is to make the actions in such a way that the hands are performing as well together as they do individually.
Imagine a car engine, a factory, an airport, any system at all - a system being an interaction of two or more elements. It's clear that the overall performance of the system depends of the performance of its parts. Any part working inefficiently will affect the system as a whole. The tighter the interaction of the parts the more the inefficiency of one will affect the whole. In short, we want to make sure that the cylinders are all firing properly, the conveyor belts are running at the right speed, the planes are taking off on time, etc.
There are two areas of focus here. The first is the action of the individual element - is it doing what it should be. The second is the interaction of the element with the system - this is more difficult to isolate, but focusing on the first half of the equation will help the interaction part.
There's a simple way of applying and testing this - do the Hokey Kokey. Take any groove and figure out the part that each limb has to play. Figure out how it would play that part if that's all there was and make sure you can play it by itself. For example, with a single stroke roll play the right hand part and watch the motion to make sure it's smooth and efficient. Then, put the left hand in, keep staring at the right hand and make sure that nothing in its motion changes. Take the left hand out, again staring at the right hand making sure it's motion doesn't change. Shake your left hand all about if you like, then do the same with your right hand.
All subdivisions are equal, but some are more equal than others
You'll probably find that it's much more difficult to play the left hand part by itself than the right hand part. That's because you're used to playing 1 + 2 + and locking in with the click. If you have to play e a e a (the off beat 1/16ths) then although you're making EXACTLY the same motion with the stick the click now occurs in the middle of a stroke (rather than when you hit the drum) so physically there's nothing obvious to try and line up with it.
If the left hand can only play its part when the right hand is playing its part then you might consider that a weakness. After all, every subdivision has its place and length and they all have equal value. Because the smaller subdivisions move by so quickly we tend to focus on the main ones (quarter notes and maybe off beat 1/8th notes) and the ones in between are often neglected. As long as the ones we're focusing on seem to be in time we don't tend to pay much attention to the others. But, if those subdivisions aren't played in time they will affect everything else and that is a common cause of a groove not feeling tight.
So if you want to improve your single stroke roll and the performance of your weaker hand in one fell swoop then practise the weaker hand part (off beat 1/16ths) to a click by itself and make sure it's as smooth and efficient as the stronger hand part. Then add the stronger hand in the Hokey Kokey fashion and make sure the movement of the weaker hand stays the same.
You can apply the Hokey Kokey exercise to a groove too. Make sure you can play each limb's part on its own to a click. That includes ghost notes. Once you have figured out the most efficient way of each limb to play its part you want to make sure that this doesn't change when you introduce the rest of the system. This is the essence of independence exercises. Imagine videoing your self playing a groove. If you zoomed in so you could only see one limb, that limb should look smooth and efficient. It should look the same as it would if it was the only thing that was playing.
It's in the details
If you find yourself having trouble making rudiments or double kick patterns sound clean and accurate try the following exercise.
Play the pattern with one limb quiet and the other accented. Pay attention to the rhythmical pattern that the accented limb is playing.
Now swap and accent the other limb. Again, pay attention to the accented limb.
In the case of the single stroke roll we are usually accustomed to hearing the rhythm of the leading limb and its relationship to the click, the rhythm of the off beat 1/16ths isn't usually a focus.
Now play both limbs at the same volume but try and hear the pattern that the first limb is playing. Then with them still playing the same volume try and hear the pattern that the other limb is playing. This exercise will give you practice at directing your attention to all components of a pattern to make sure they're doing what they should be. If a cylinder is misfiring you'll be able to notice it and correct it to get everything running smoothly again.
A nice way to apply similar technique is to use two different sound sources. For the single stroke roll play the right hand on the hihat and the left on the snare. The interplay of the off beat 1/16ths and the click will be obvious. For double kick patterns try playing the exercise slowly and replacing the right foot part with your right hand (on a floor tom or the snare). That will give you a chance to really hear what the left foot should be playing.
The impossible triangle
You've probably seen the impossible triangle. At first glance it looks like a triangle made out of 3 fence posts. However, on closer examination you realise that they're angled in such a way that they can't possibly join up. It is possible to make a real life version of this illusion, but it only works if you view it from one specific angle. Look at it from any other angle and it's clear that it doesn't add up. This is the problem of the single focus. Often it may seem like you're doing everything you should be but something just won't fall into place like you expect it should. Perhaps the problem is being overlooked and you need a tool to get in there and find it. The best advice I can give is to approach the problem from as many different angles as you can and it won't be long before you identify the holes. Once you know what and where they are it's not too difficult to patch them up. Just remember that often things are not as they appear - don't believe everything you see.
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