This blog is primarily about drumming, but really any non-drummers are more than welcome, especially if you are another musician. If you want to know more about me, visit my website. This blog is about drumming, not me. Since it’s my blog, I’ll be sharing my own thoughts and dispensing with hopefully useful info. But the focus is on drumming, so I want everyone to step in should y’all feel the urge!!
Drums do not and cannot exist in a vacuum, WE NEED OTHER MUSICIANS in order to do our thing. Contrary to what alot of drummers think, NO ONE CARES about the drums…..besides other drummers. Other musicians want you to make the music feel good….PERIOD! That’s my first bit of advice. Stop thinking about the drums, and start thinking about how the drums contribute to THE SONG!
3 responses so far ↓
krupaztic64 // August 19, 2008 at 12:20 pm |
Ah yes, in my younger days (when my turntable first dug into the grooves of prog and fusion music) I used to be all about the busy-ness of the drummer (doogah-dah-doogah,digida digida, bobbida bobbida boopida bop..you get the idea). I was always searching for the nice and shiny, oh so fancy chops. As I grew older, ‘THE GROOVE’ became everything for me ‘LESS IS MORE’. Not all about the drummer and his backing musicians, but the feel,flow of the music with each band members contribution. not about ‘look at me shred’, but look at us BLEND like friggin butter on potato bread. No lie, this blog’s proprietor G. Dates, had a heck of a lot to do with that. Thanks G-Man, I’ve learned and continue to learn alot by watching/listening to you very solid and very deep pocket playin’.
songworks // August 19, 2008 at 1:39 pm |
Thanks for he kind words. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again….the absolute MASTER at putting the song first is Steve Gadd. Been listening to his wok with James Taylor recently. Check out “Shine A Little Light”…….positively brilliant!
Ed Handel // August 27, 2008 at 2:15 am |
Gary,
Gadd is the man! Bonzo is the man! You are the man! I will always love the way you play.
Hey man if it weren’t for the practice pad I may have never become a musician. The first thing I ever played was trombone in grammer school band because they gave me one for free. The next year they told me I had to rent it. My parents couldn’t afford it. But, they could afford to buy me a practice pad and sticks. Two weeks later I had made my way through the first book and became the snare drummer in school band and thanks to the pratice pad the rest is history.
I’ve been noodling with a sticking I learned from a Stanton Moore video on you tube. It’s RRL RRL R L RRL RRL R L. It’s great stuff and lends itself to being very musical. It segways nice with the RRLR LLRL inversion of the paradiddle in a sort of a double time cut time way. Moving your hands to differnt instruments on the kit adds to the fun.
Great website.
I like purple too!
Line Drive @ Scruples ahh the good ole days!
Ed