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
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!
Since arriving in the Chicagoland area several months ago I’ve been learning to wear many new hats. The first hat is that of a gigging drummer. I’ve auditioned for a handful of groups and have found myself in the drummer seat for a few groups in Chicago area. First is an experimental art-rock group named Wilshire. We will be performing downtown Chicago at the Whistler on April 13. Here’s the write up I just discovered on the Whistler’s site:
WILSHIRE awakens from its WELL DESERVED hiatus—(8 years, grandpa!)— and is dusting off the ol’ TASCAM 4-track, re-learning how to TUNE its guitar, & frantically running SCALES for a reunion gig at the WHISTLER on April 13th. CRICKETS, do-wop pop-noise, MULTIPLE drummers, HARMONIES parts 1, 2 & 3 (!!), plus saxes, TRUMPETS!!! & their ilk… what don’t this ALL-STAR BOY BAND do!? Featuring REID COKER (The Judy Green), Chris Sherman (FRUIT BATS), Nathaniel BRADDOCK (Occidental Brothers DANCE BAND International), CHRIS!! Warland (Ancient Greeks) & BRAD FRANK (Pillar to Post). Let’s not be STOOPID. Let it be, at the WHISTLER!!!
I’m excited to have the opportunity to play with such talented people!
I’ve also landed a gig with an indie rock band named Pretty Side Down. The band’s web site currently contains only demos (pre-me) and needs updating. We’ve been in the process of completing our 6 person line up and should be ready with a demo CD and live performances somewhere around June. Honestly, I think our singer mentioned that a low profile gig has been booked for June but I haven’t confirmed the date yet. I’ll definitely post the dates when I get them.
I’ve also landed a gig with a straight-up classic rock cover band. This group is still in the process of landing the right bass player. We keep auditioning people, but we decided to wait for just the right person. It’s fun playing with these guys since they like to play songs that are classic rock, but a little off the well-beaten path of the Brown Eyed Girl type songs. I’ll post when we get our group ready to perform. There is a potential name-dropping-worthy prospect who may play with us, but I’ll confirm that with you when it happens.
I have an audition with a jazzy pop singer named Victoria Fuller this Thursday. Owen Cooper, the guitarist from Pretty Side Down hooked me up with this opportunity. I just received the music today so I’m going to have to woodshed between now and Thursday night! Wish me luck!
So that other new hats I mentioned earlier, besides drummer, have now included: audio engineer, videographer, web designer, and marketer. Between preparing for auditions and rehearsing with new groups I’ve been working on my first four part video series based on re-interpreting the snare drum rudiment called The Drag. The final video is uploading on YouTube as I type this. I’ve spent the winter months huddled down in my basement relearning (and learning) audio engineering techniques. I took a couple recording engineering classes in college and have spent enough time in different recording studios to kind of know what I’m doing! It’s definitely an art and I’m still learning the tricks of the trade (thanks to my brother too) but I think the drums sound pretty decent so far on this video series.
Presenting on video is much different than teaching a private lesson or drum clinic! I’ve spent a lot of time researching cameras (the Flip is great) and lighting techniques as well as public speaking techniques. It’s painful to watch yourself say “umm”, “soooo”, or “ahh”. I think I’m getting better at my public presentation and each time I shoot a video it’s better than the last. My brother, Harry J Frank is a graphic motion designer and well-versed at video tutorials. Check his site graymachine.com. He’s pretty well known in his graphic design circles. His video tutorials are very popular. With his tips on equipment, eq settings (he used to be a pro sound engineer), lighting, and speaking on camera, not to mention even giving me a copy of the video editing software Final Cut (thanks!) my next drum videos will look a little slicker, though I am proud of what I’ve put together so far!
As far as being a web designer, if you’re reading this, you can see what I’ve done with my website. I composed it in Wordpress. That was a steep learning curve! I think I got it looking pretty good though. I’m always in the process of tweaking it but my main focus now is filling BradFrankDrums.com with CONTENT. Please check back often, or RSS the site, as I plan to post many more lessons, transcriptions, and videos. Don’t be afraid to email me a question or post comments on what you see.
I think the video is uploaded, in HD too, so better get back to work. Please drop me a line if you have any questions or comments about this site, my drum lessons, the bands I play with, or anything else.
Brad
I know videos that contain only audio are lame but I had to include this often unheard of Bonham groove.
Sound files from my band Pillar to Post:
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