The Decade of Drums is underway, but ...
Vee had her 12th birthday today. She's been making her way through the Trinity Guildhall introductory book and accompanying CD - but there's been a minor setback. To celebrate her birthday in style she opted to trip on the stairs at school and has twisted her ankle, which is quite swollen at present.
Alas, no kit playing for now. Stick work only.
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Vee's birthday
Friday 31 December 2010
The new drum kit
Just in time for the Decade of Drums, which begins tomorrow. (No crash cymbal yet, though. I'm holding out for a ZIldjian K to come my way.) Happy New Year everyone.
Thursday 30 December 2010
The drums are here.
Gretsch Catalina Club 20, 14, 12, 10, snare --- I have no idea what happens next.
Wednesday 22 December 2010
Some Books
Less than 10 days until the official launch of the Decade of Drums. Still waiting for some drums, sadly.
In the meantime we've bought some books. Yay for books! Here's a run-down of stuff we hope will get us started:
Introducing Drum Kit
from the Trinity Guildhall course of studies. Basically, the house rule is this: Vee is going to do the Guildhall exams. If she completes these she gets to keep the drums. This, I hope, is the "carrot" approach rather than the "stick." She may also do some other percussion exams but we haven't decided which yet.
Trinity Guildhall Drum Kit Examination Pieces & Studies 2011-2013: Grades 1 & 2
Well there's not much to say about this book except that we're keen so we ordered it as well.
Stick Control for the Snare Drummer, George Stone
Because there's nothing worse than an out-of-control stick, let loose and rampant throughout the village, trodding upon the flowers and whatnot. Seriously, you need to keep your sticks in control, amirite? More seriously, Steve Gadd says: "This book is very important to practice every day." Steve Gadd, folks. We've made a start of it with a little rubber pad, not very well and undoubtedly Doing It Wrong. Even still, it's a start.
Modern Reading Text in 4/4: For All Instruments, Louis Bellson
This is a handy book to have in any event. I've used it back in the day with double bass. In that context it's good for right-hand pizz exercises, and really comes to life when applied to scales, arpeggios, patterns, etc. Anyhow, we'll use it to practice the drum kit. Good reading chops are crucial for hipsters like Vee and me.
Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer, Ted Reed
This only cost four quid so I threw it into the shopping basket. It was voted second on Modern Drummer's list of 25 Greatest Drum Books Ever. So it can't be that bad, right? I'm told the permutations and combinations of its usefulness are nearly limitless. So I'm told. Example here.
So far, so good. Now the last two books on the list are strictly-speaking me books rather than us books, though I'd be pleased as punch if Vee got into them.
The Art of Bop Drumming, John Riley
Took a chancer on this one. I don't know anything about it but Erskine and Nussbaum are plugging it so... I hope its good. Basically, I'm looking for something to show me the fundamentals and get me up and running as quickly as possible so that I can get to the level where I can spend a whole lot of time with this next one...
Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer - Jim Chapin: Vol. 1
As legend has it: the most important drum set book ever, EVER! Here's the Wikipedia on Chapin. This book is what's known as Paying Dues, or so I'm told.
So that's it. That's what we have in the way of books, instructional material, etc. Any drummers out there who have a good handle on some other must-haves feel free to (rather, by all means please do) leave a comment. 9 days and the Decade of Drums begins...
In the meantime we've bought some books. Yay for books! Here's a run-down of stuff we hope will get us started:
Introducing Drum Kit
from the Trinity Guildhall course of studies. Basically, the house rule is this: Vee is going to do the Guildhall exams. If she completes these she gets to keep the drums. This, I hope, is the "carrot" approach rather than the "stick." She may also do some other percussion exams but we haven't decided which yet.
Trinity Guildhall Drum Kit Examination Pieces & Studies 2011-2013: Grades 1 & 2
Well there's not much to say about this book except that we're keen so we ordered it as well.
Stick Control for the Snare Drummer, George Stone
Because there's nothing worse than an out-of-control stick, let loose and rampant throughout the village, trodding upon the flowers and whatnot. Seriously, you need to keep your sticks in control, amirite? More seriously, Steve Gadd says: "This book is very important to practice every day." Steve Gadd, folks. We've made a start of it with a little rubber pad, not very well and undoubtedly Doing It Wrong. Even still, it's a start.
Modern Reading Text in 4/4: For All Instruments, Louis Bellson
This is a handy book to have in any event. I've used it back in the day with double bass. In that context it's good for right-hand pizz exercises, and really comes to life when applied to scales, arpeggios, patterns, etc. Anyhow, we'll use it to practice the drum kit. Good reading chops are crucial for hipsters like Vee and me.
Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer, Ted Reed
This only cost four quid so I threw it into the shopping basket. It was voted second on Modern Drummer's list of 25 Greatest Drum Books Ever. So it can't be that bad, right? I'm told the permutations and combinations of its usefulness are nearly limitless. So I'm told. Example here.
So far, so good. Now the last two books on the list are strictly-speaking me books rather than us books, though I'd be pleased as punch if Vee got into them.
The Art of Bop Drumming, John Riley
Took a chancer on this one. I don't know anything about it but Erskine and Nussbaum are plugging it so... I hope its good. Basically, I'm looking for something to show me the fundamentals and get me up and running as quickly as possible so that I can get to the level where I can spend a whole lot of time with this next one...
Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer - Jim Chapin: Vol. 1
As legend has it: the most important drum set book ever, EVER! Here's the Wikipedia on Chapin. This book is what's known as Paying Dues, or so I'm told.
So that's it. That's what we have in the way of books, instructional material, etc. Any drummers out there who have a good handle on some other must-haves feel free to (rather, by all means please do) leave a comment. 9 days and the Decade of Drums begins...
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Left or Right?
Here's our predicament.
Both Vee and I are lefties. Now this would seem to be a simple matter. Set the drums up lefty (though we don't actually own any drums just yet but that's a minor technicality) and away the two of us go.
I'm slightly uncomfortable with this solution. The main reason is that we would need to negotiate drumming in a right-handed world. How does one then effectively sit in on other people's kits, or play at jams, and so forth. Also, being a leftie has not hindered me musically otherwise on violin, double-bass or bass guitar. (Though the fact that I've been playing some form of string instrument or another since I was 3 years old, very nearly 4 decades, perhaps accounts for this more than anything.)
However, this is drumming, not playing a stringed-instrument. I am a n00b on drums, and more to the point this is Vee's first, and hopefully primary, instrument (well she did study piano when she was 5 but we won't go there). Her natural inclination is to lead with her left, obviously. Tested this out myself by asking her to pick up a stick and pretend to play the ride cymbal while music was playing.
A third option might be to begin with a standard right-handed set-up for six months or so. And then test-drive it with a left-handed set-up for another couple of months afterwards to see what happens and decide then.
Not sure what to do really. And I'm sure there are eighteen different other opinions out there at the very least.
Both Vee and I are lefties. Now this would seem to be a simple matter. Set the drums up lefty (though we don't actually own any drums just yet but that's a minor technicality) and away the two of us go.
I'm slightly uncomfortable with this solution. The main reason is that we would need to negotiate drumming in a right-handed world. How does one then effectively sit in on other people's kits, or play at jams, and so forth. Also, being a leftie has not hindered me musically otherwise on violin, double-bass or bass guitar. (Though the fact that I've been playing some form of string instrument or another since I was 3 years old, very nearly 4 decades, perhaps accounts for this more than anything.)
However, this is drumming, not playing a stringed-instrument. I am a n00b on drums, and more to the point this is Vee's first, and hopefully primary, instrument (well she did study piano when she was 5 but we won't go there). Her natural inclination is to lead with her left, obviously. Tested this out myself by asking her to pick up a stick and pretend to play the ride cymbal while music was playing.
A third option might be to begin with a standard right-handed set-up for six months or so. And then test-drive it with a left-handed set-up for another couple of months afterwards to see what happens and decide then.
Not sure what to do really. And I'm sure there are eighteen different other opinions out there at the very least.
More Gear trickles in... ... Introducing the Dream Bliss 14" Hi Hats
Well the Decade of Drums officially begins in little more than two weeks so it's a good thing that the gear is starting to trickle in. In addition to last week's ride cymbal, I've just taken delivery of these puppies, 14" Dream Bliss hi hats. (A bid for some beautiful Zildjian Ks on ebay went foul. I don't want to talk about it.) I reckon these will do the job splendidly. So do my drummer friends whom I've consulted along the way.
Now there's a lot you can do with just a ride and a set of hi hats I reckon. But not a whole lot. Anyhow, the big news will come next week. We're almost there on the gear front in fact, almost there...
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