I always wondered why Stick Control was never expanded to include odd rhythmic groupings so I wrote my own version.

Stick Control in Odd Groupings Brad Frank

Download the PDF: Odd Stick Control

Drum set transcription of Steve Ferrone playing on Cut the Cake by the Average White Band. Funky stuff.

Average White Band

Download the PDF: Cut the Cake Corrected

I found some old drum set transcriptions on a backup disc that I thought you might like. First is Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N Roses.

Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle

PDF: Welcome to the Jungle – Drum Set Transcription

It’s usually the non-drummer who thinks that one drum set is the same as the next. Ask a guitarist to play a different guitar or amp and you’re likely to hear, “No way! That’s not my sound, man!” 

Since there are huge physical (and creative) differences between drummers and an infinite number of playing styles, it’s silly to think that there’s a one-size-fits-all drum set. Yet, sooner or later you’ll have to play on a strange kit. I’ll share a few tips I use to feel more comfortable, but first you’ll need to decide when to give in and when to insist on using your own gear.

If I’m performing in my band where I am representing my sound and my interpretation of the music, and there’s time to set up, I insist on playing my kit. If I’m playing in an opening act, a jam session, a jazz/blues gig with a house kit, or rehearsing, I’ve learned to get comfortable on a foreign drum set because sometimes there just isn’t enough time and/or space to set up my kit.

Many multi-band gigs require the opening acts to play on one kit to cut down on transition time. Sound guys usually don’t like dialing in sound on multiple drum kits if they don’t have to and audiences get fickle if they have to wait 20 minutes between bands. After hauling my hardware case up and down hunreds of flights of stairs, I sometimes welcome the idea of not carting my gear around. So if there’s a decent kit to play on and it’s a jam or a rehearsal I’m glad to not bring my drums. I’m especially thankful at the end of the night when I can go straight to bed!!

Here’s how I feel more at home on someone else’s kit: I find that using my own throne makes the biggest difference when trying to feel comfortable on someone else’s kit. I’m most distracted when I don’t feel balanced so using my throne really helps. I also use my bass drum pedals, snare on its own stand (to be sure I can adjust the height), and cymbals. I usually bring a couple of cymbal stands in case there are fewer than I use or they won’t adjust (or the other drummer doesn’t want you to adjust anything!).

I tend to mix up my personal set up so transitioning to another kit isn’t that difficult. I have 4 toms and 2 different sized bass drums. I mix my set up from a 4 piece to 6 piece and change sizes according to the style I’m playing so when it comes to using someone else’s kit, unless there’s a big physical difference between us, having my throne and my snare height where I want it gets me pretty comfortable. Occasionally I can’t change the hi hat height, so I bring mine just in case.

I once played someone else’s kit whose owner was a foot taller than me. He played double bass and the hi hat could not be moved because it was connected to his left bass drum. His hi hat pedal was so far away from the right foot bass drum pedal I felt like I was doing the splits!

I think it’s important to remember that the audience could give a hoot that your crash cymbal is 6 inches higher than you like or if you need the flexibility of a 14 year old gymnast to get through the set. If a tom tom seems a million miles away try to not let the distraction show on your face or in your playing. I’ve seen many young drummers taint their performance because they couldn’t get over the fact that they weren’t playing on their own kit. The more you play on different kits, the more you get used to it.  The audience should never know.

What many non-drummers don’t realize is that drummers have a unique sound as much as any instrumentalist.  If there is time and space, demand your right to play your own instrument! However, there are times when you need to be flexible for time’s sake and just suck it up and play the set.

A very popular piece of musical advice often given to drummers is LESS IS MORE.  After all my years of playing I still contemplate how to apply this advice. Many criticize Joey Jordison’s over-the-top style with the nu metal band Slipknot. Others criticize Charlie Watts for his simple backbeats with the classic rockers The Rolling Stones. Does playing many notes make you self-indulgent and playing fewer notes indicate a lack of talent? How does a drummer draw the line between overplaying and underplaying?

By definition, overplaying is drumming that distracts the listener from the song’s main focus. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve complex playing. It usually happens when a drummer is only playing to entertain him or herself without making a connection with the music. Underplaying is drumming so simply with so few risks that there is too little excitement created for the listener. 

Many drummers practically worship Steve Gadd’s complicated march-like groove in the verse of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover“.  Few sing the praises of his very minimalistic approach to the chorus of the song.  Here’s a YouTube link if you’re unfamiliar with 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Is the verse self-indulgent and does the chorus suck? Silly questions I know, but as drummers we’re constantly faced with choosing the right number of notes. Obviously, and as usual, Steve got it right. This is why Steve Gadd is one of my favorite players because he beautifully balances song support with drumming excitement.

This is going to sound like a strange source for musical advice, but recently I stumbled across a quote by Alex Weldon, a player of the ancient Chinese boardgame Go. His advice relates to taking risks in that game, but it’s applicable to approaching a drum part too. It really solved the puzzle of underplaying versus overplaying the drums for me. I have slightly paraphrased his words:

You don’t learn much by underplaying; you just lose the game and you’re not sure why. Overplaying is instructive. When you get punished you learn something. You’ll never find the line between the two if you’re always playing under it. If you overplay constantly, your overplaying will get smaller and smaller as you learn until you find yourself playing right on the fine line of “good playing”, or at least close to it.

So now the question is “what is good playing?” I believe that good playing is anything that makes the song more exciting and inviting to the listener. Charlie Watts creates excitement with his down-home grooves and respect for the lineage of blues/rock/R&B styles. His authenticity and regard for space makes The Rolling Stones exciting to listen to. Joey Jordison creates excitement by cleverly weaving many notes with the dense nu metal guitar style of his band; sometimes following, sometimes leading the guitar riffs. His energetic and theatrical approach makes Slipknot an exciting band too, but in a much different way. Is one approach better than the other? No. You may like these two bands or not, but they both are similar in the fact that they are exciting and draw in their listeners.

I chose these two diametrically opposed players because many have accused these guys of either being drum gods or totally sucking. Often it’s because of their respective “more” or “less” style of drumming. Regardless of your taste in music, the question to ask is how did the drummer make the music exciting? If you approach a song with the less is more attitude you risk being boring and/or cliche. By taking musical risks with a “more” attitude (the Stones were considered a risky band in their heyday) you are much more likely to find a unique connection with the listener rather than playing “less” because it’s safe.

The famous architect Ludwig van der Rohe is credited with “less is more” saying. In essence it means that a bold artistic statement can be made with simplicity. I think a little revision to that statement could help many young drummers; “less can be more”. Simplicity is just one of many tools in the musical toolbox, but simplicity is not the answer to every musical question. It’s OK to go for it when the music calls for complexity or more notes, but understand that choosing to play fewer notes just in the right place can be just as difficult as playing blazing fast notes around the kit.

Greatness is creating a deep emotional response in the listener through music. There is no right or wrong way of doing this, but it usually involves taking risks and creating unique musical statements. Often, being unique garners the most negative attention at first. Ever notice that each generation’s new style of music is despised by the previous generation? “That’s not REAL music” has been said by classical fans about  jazz. Jazzers said it about rock and rollers. Rockers said it about rap. On and on it will go!

Ludwig van der Rohe has another quote which I believe is more applicable to making music: God is in the details. He was actually known for making complicated, intricate architecture. Hardly a “less is more” approach! I don’t necessarily take God is in the details as a religous statement, but instead that creating a “divine” experience through great art involves a great amount of attention to detail. Drummers need to always contemplete whether each note played will draw the listener into the music. The definition of a “more” attitude is not the number of notes played, but rather, the intensity with which the listener is invited into an enjoyable musical experience.

An oldie, but a goodie, this quick little tip can come in handy.

Often I get the music for a gig or rehearsal with only a day or two away so many songs need to be learned within a short period of time. Instead of writing them out in a traditional musical chart or playing the songs over and over until memorized,  I’ve found it easier to use a drum chart shorthand using a spreadsheet program. Usually, just writing each chart will help get each song about 80% memorized.  After a couple run-throughs with the recorded material while reading the chart gets me to about 90% ready. Once in rehearsals with the band I can just take a quick glance at each chart before starting the song. If necessary, or in time crunch, I’ll bring the chart to the gig. The neat thing about this format is that I can get 7-8 songs on one page.

Sometimes I’m asked to record or perform song only after one or NO rehearsal. In this case I’ll pull out the pencil and paper and make a simplified handwritten version of this chart.

On the live gig, I find that matching song titles to songs to be one of the hardest parts about preparing for a gig. Often a tune will remind me of another popular song, so I will note something like “slow Moondance” if the song reminds me of a slow version of Van Morrison’s song Moondance or “Bonham” if the song has a big, heavy beat. Usually that’s enough to get the tune in my head. Ironically, the new drummer is usually called upon to remember the tempos for the person who wrote the song so you need to be prepared to get the tune in your head quickly! When in doubt don’t be too proud to catch the attention of a bandmate and say, “Pssst… how does this song start?” It’s much better to set your ego aside and start the song with the correct tempo.

I find that most good bands arrange songs so that one particular instrument starts, so a count off by the drummer isn’t always necessary. There is the dramatic approach too: Bruce Springsteen and the Dee Dee Ramone made an art of counting off songs! I try to save the drummer count offs for songs that really need the band to start all together. Instead of stick clicks or shouting, “one two three four” I find a drum fill that matches the intensity of the introduction to be musically more pleasing.

What I like about my  drumming shorthand is that the song form is laid out in bold on the bottom row. I can quickly get “Intro, verse, chorus, break, verse, chorus, bridge, break, verse, chorus, chorus.” It may seem like a lot, but it’s actually easy to memorize.

One of the most important things to note are song breaks. It’s usually easy to fake your way through a verse, but if the whole band stops and you don’t, well…the mistake will be obvious. Good bandmates who know that the material is new to you will usually give you a cue for changes so keep your head up, not buried in the chart. Don’t forget to do the same for a new member of your group! Marking the changes of song sections with an obvious drum fill, nod, and/or eye contact can go long way in preventing train wrecks!

I like to note the number of measures in each section. What I try to notice on the gig or rehearsal isn’t usually the exact number of measures, but rather if something is odd like a group of 5 measures or an extra 2 measure tag. Groups of 4, 8, 12, 16 measures can usually just be felt internally without any counting.

In the top row I note what’s being featured in each section. I can quickly keep track of the landmarks in each song by using the lyrics. Remember, your lead singer is always “right”! If the singer accidentally skips or repeats a section, you need to quickly find your place. I find that just a couple words of lyrics is enough to get back on track. Lyric cues also help me remember the new song because many times the song title isn’t the catchiest part of the tune.

Below is the first song off the drum chart I used when I play with Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise.

Here’s the full page version:

One of the best pieces of advice I could give any young drummer is to know your history. Regardless of the style of music you’re into, if you study the sources of inspiration from which your heros have drawn, you can begin to see how the pieces of the music puzzle fit together. This will guide your musical choices for today.

One of the biggest questions for a young drummer playing in his or her first band is, “What do I play?” When that big blank musical canvas is starring you in the face, knowing how musicians before you got their ideas will help you develop your own.

Besides listening to your favorites, try to check out EVERYTHING. Polka, opera, folk, rap, metal, new country, old country, alt country, Gamelen orchestras, Gregorian Chant, reggae, musicals, jazz, pop, etc, etc… seriously, listen to it all. The latest, hip new styles of music are always derived from old styles and/or unexpected combination of styles. In this day and age of information technology you can easily get your hands on just about anything. Approaching all music with an open mind will help you understand that there is great artistry to be appreciated in all styles. You don’t have to love it, but you can learn to respect it. From Top 40 pop to experimental avant garde (and everything in between) there is talent to be found and appreciated. What makes a particular piece of music resonant with a large group of people? If you dig deep enough you’ll start to notice the common ground between styles and begin to respect artists and music that you never have before. Most importantly, you can begin to inject your playing with this wide array of potent influences to develop your own unique style.

To start at the birth of the drum set, I would check out with the following materials:

The drum set has its origins in early jazz. Even if you’re into hardcore speed metal (and all styles in between) start with Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns.  What I like about this video is that not only does this film examine the musical origins of early jazz, but it also explains the social context in which it arose. This is pertainent for any musician in any era. This is the origin of American music. It is important to know what inspired these early musicians and to be able to draw the same kind of inspiration from modern times.

For a more in-depth analysis the drumming of early jazz check out Legends of Jazz Drumming (video) and New Orleans Jazz and Second Line Drumming. (book +CD). These two chronicle the evolution of drumming from it’s early beginnings into the jazz era. It’s important to note that many of the grooves and licks of the early 1900’s are still around today. You can trace these grooves all the way through swing, bebop, blues, rock and roll, rap, to modern day hip hop.

Next, I recommend checking out the Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming. This book and CD covers the evolution of drumming between the jazz period and the early stages of R&B which led to rock and funk drumming.

Next in line the the video series The History of Rock and Roll. This isn’t drummer-oriented but it will help to make the connection between the early music and more modern styles.

This list is very, very far from being a complete history of drumming, but I believe it’s a pretty good start. It’s much easier to know where you going when you know your history. One the best pieces of musical advice I ever heard is the infamous quote, “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.” Though he didn’t invent the saying, (some attribute it to Picasso), in a 1990 Guitar Player Magazine interview, the Beatles’ Paul McCartney said, “What do they say? ‘A good artist borrows, a great artist steals?’ That makes us great artists then because we stole a lot of stuff.”