A little Op/Ed piece, since I just had a drum corps weekend and witnessed quite a few things, both good and bad. This particular piece of writing is going to touch on the rising trend of electronics in drum corps and, for that matter, indoor percussion ensembles. First, let me get this off my chest in an impolite manner: I hate electronic instruments in drum corps and indoor percussion. *ahem* Before anyone says that I’m just … Read More
I got out of the car about 7:30 last night and heard someone playing his drum set. Oh… we live in a condo, by the way. It didn’t bother my wife and me because we live on the other end of the building so we didn’t really hear it unless we were actually listening for it, but I do remember feeling very sorry and angry for their upstairs neighbor (so I guess it did bother me). … Read More
I’m pretty sure it was my age-out year of drum corps. I was walking across the gym at our housing site with my instructor/mentor/friend/boss, talking about… drums, probably… and we passed by one of my fellow snare players ramming beats on his pad. We asked him what he was doing and he said he was working on his chops. In response I said, for the first time, “Remember: technique first, chops second.” Technique, technique, technique. It’s … Read More
“With great power there must also come great responsibility.” -Ben Parker, from the pages of Amazing Fantasy 15 That’s right. I made a Spider-Man reference. Because it’s pertinent. You, the drummer, are the final say when you perform with an ensemble. You are the final, deciding factor in how a piece feels, how comes across stylistically, how the tempo moves forward. That is great power you wield, power to either be abused or to use wisely. … Read More
Last year, after a drumline rehearsal, one of the students was sitting on the floor practicing a piece of music. She wanted to audition for a snare spot pretty badly and her chances were incredibly slim. My friend, the caption head of this particular drumline, told her she basically had one chance to show him that she was worth giving a spot. She’d asked me if I could help her after rehearsal sometime, so there I … Read More
I’m sure that most of us have read or listened to interviews with drummers that talk about how they used to “woodshed” for 8 hours a day, everyday. They loved the craft so much, and wanted to be so good, that they devoted themselves to such an intense practice schedule. Good for them, I say. However, I’m willing to bet that most of us can’t make that claim. Not that we don’t love the craft, and … Read More
For years now, I have wanted to write a book on drumming. I have, in fact, started one and it has been in the process of being written for, oh… I have no idea how long. At least since 2002. The problem is, I continued to learn new things since I started jotting down notes that it’s hard for me to say, “Yup, this should be included in the book.” And every time I revisit the … Read More
