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

Part 6 in my series which applies traditional snare drum rudiments to the drum set. Here I demonstrate the basic Single, Double, and Triple Ratamacues and how to create variations for the drum set. I show different orchestrations, rhythmic variations, and double bass drum applications. Whether you’re into Bonham, Gadd, or Tre Cool, you will be able to take something away from this demonstration.

Click here to download the PDF transcription of the examples: PartSixSingleDoubleTripleRatamacue

Part 6: 

Part 6 (continued)

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.”

Some of my worst gigging experiences were the result of me not bringing a rug to place under my drums. Sometimes I forgot to bring it, but sometimes I was told that either the stage was carpeted or there was already was a drum rug I could use.

Drum kits that are not secured to the floor tend to slide ALL over the place while you play. I’ve finished songs with my bass drum more than a foot away from me. That’s a difficult reach for even the most flexible drummer! Sliding can happen with hi hat stands and even floor toms too. Some of you young players may not know this, but most manufacturers put metal spikes at the bottom of the bass drum legs and on the bottom of the hi hat stands. If you are playing on a soft enough surface you can expose these spikes by turning or removing the rubber feet on the bass drum or turning the metal screws on the hi hats allowing the spikes dig into the floor (or carpet).

Old Faithful - This rug has been on the gig for 19 years and running!

Sometimes spikes into the bare floor  is enough, and in fact, there are a few drummers who prefer to play this way, I know Steve Smith does. I assume he likes the livelier sound of the drums bouncing off the bare floor. However, many times the spikes will not grab the surface the drums are sitting on (like linoleum or concrete) or you might be playing on a nice floor that you’d prefer to not gouge. Sometimes even a carpeted surface (especially at clubs that book a lot of shows) will be loose and the drums will shift around. An interesting cat to check out is the jazz (and funk) drummer Bill Stewart. For some strange reason he seems to prefer to let his hi hat stand slide all over the place and he has become quite skilled at corralling it with his left foot as he plays. It can be entertaining, though a little distracting from his fantastic playing. Click here to watch Bill Stewart wrangle his hi hats.

What can help keep your bass drum in place is to make sure the bass drum legs raise the front of the bass drum enough that the weight of the drum is resting on the legs and not the hoops. Be careful to not raise the legs too much because you’ll change the angle that the bass drum beater hits the bass drum head. Besides giving your spikes a surface to dig into, another way to secure your kit is to use a manufacturer that places velcro underneath their bass and hi hat pedals to grab onto the carpet. I especially like this. My DW 8000 pedals do not budge as long as there is carpet to grab onto.

Another reason to ALWAYS bring your drum rug, besides keeping your drums in place, is that you can use your drum rug is to mark your territory. Often stages are just big enough to fit all the players and if you’re trying to set up your kit only to find out that your bass player’s giant 8×10 cabinet is in your way and she’s nowhere to be found, you’ve got a problem since many players don’t want you touching their stuff! The first thing I do once the band has figured out the stage set up is to throw my drum rug down to mark my territory. This way the other players know where I’ll be and not take my space while I’m getting the drums out of their cases. So it’s helpful to find a rug that is roughly the size of your setup.  A 4′X5′ rug purchased at K-Mart works for me. I’ve used the same one for 19 years.

If you’ve forgotten your rug and the surface you need to play in is slippery like tile, or maybe you’re playing an outdoor gig, try using using the floor mats from your car. I’ve never tried this, but I remember getting this piece of advice many years ago and thankfully I’ve never had to try it out.

So even if you hear, “They have a rug”, I advise to always bring yours. I like mine because it feels like a little piece of home is with me no matter where I play!

Below are my four videos demonstrating various ways to interpret  the snare drum rudiment The Drag.  I was inspired by Steve Gadd’s interpretation of the Ratamacue in his video Up Close. You should definitely have that one in your video collection. Steve stretched out the rhythm and replaced a snare note with his bass drum. The result was a new idea to play around the drum kit that sounded much hipper than your average military style Ratamacue. I thought why don’t I do my own interpretations with other rudiments? So I did! Hopefully this will inspire you to develop your own licks based on the Drag.

Click here for a printable set of exercises based on these video lessons.

Part 1 is a demo song showing all of my Drag interpretation in a song context.

Part 2 demonstrates the basic drag with 16th note and triplet orchestrations.

Part 3 shows advanced rhythmic and linear applications of the Drag. Click here for a PDF transcription: The Drag Part 3 Examples

Part 4 displays my double bass (kick) drum interpretation of the previous Drag-inspired rhythms from Part 2. Click here for a PDF transcription: The Drag Part 4 Examples

Thought I’d share a Facebook chat with a friend from Indonesia. Thanks Gita!

 8:36amGita
hi brad

 8:37amBrad
what’s up?

 8:37amGita
nothing much

how are you

oh yeah

i’ve listened your work “april”

 8:38amBrad
cool, like it?

 8:38amGita
yeah

 8:39amBrad
Thanks!

 8:39amGita
i always love when a drummer can apply chops into instrument

make it unique pattern

 8:40amBrad
Thank you! It’s really just a simple timbale pattern my old teacher showed me years ago. It’s in a book by Humberto Morales

Do you play with a band?

 8:42amGita
yup

 8:42amBrad
do you have a site/myspace?

 8:43amGita
nope

my band is just beginner

the guitarist still learn playing their instrument

 8:44amBrad
how long have you played?

 8:45amGita
well i’ve been drumming for three years

but i don’t know when i try to join a band

they always say that i’m not good enough

until i find my current band

before that the only i do just jamming with friends to improve my playing

 8:48amBrad
I suggest playing a party or something easy. This will force you guys to get prepared. Jamming is fun but if you don’t have an objective you can get lost in the jamming. Performing for even 5 people will improve you immensely

 8:49amGita
thank you for your advice

why is it so hard to apply a pattern in my play?

for example i practice 16th note hi hat pattern

but in band situation

still trap in eighth note pattern

 8:51amBrad
to be honest it is because you don’t know it well enough yet. you have to have patterns down COMPLETELY so you can do it in your sleep.

 8:51amGita
do u have any idea about it?

 8:51amBrad
try playing along to recorded music and apply the pattern you’re working on to different styles and tempos

 8:53amGita
hmm okay

i’ll practice your advice

thx brad

btw

 8:53amBrad
let me know how it goes!

 8:53amGita
what you’re working on now?

 8:55amBrad
ha! unpacking my house! I just moved to Chicago. Actually, I’ve been revisiting some old stuff that I used to practice in high school: rush, led zep, etc. I didn’t always play everything note-for-note so now I’m going back and getting it right!

…and the rudimental ritual as always. My mantra.

 8:57amGita

 8:59amBrad
The best advice I found that works with my students: play along to as much music as possible and get the Alan Dawson book and learn the Rudimental Ritual. I’ve work through a TON of books, etc but these two things (+playing live) will advance you the fastest.

 9:10amGita
wow

tonight is such enligtenment moment for me

 9:10amBrad
Glad to help! Now go practice! : )

 9:11amGita
yeah

hahah