Pete the drum teachers guide to all things drumming , and beyond VOL1

Including interactive digital content

How to get the best out of this book?

First, thank you. Also, well done for investing in your own learning.

This guide will be your learning companion for many years to come—from buying your first kit to playing your first gig and beyond.

With an abundance of information at our fingertips, it’s sometimes hard to decipher where to get the information we need. But first, we need to know what information we seek. The idea behind this guide is to share with you a wide variety of drum tricks and hacks that will not only boost your playing ability but also maximize your learning ability. This guide comes to you from the heart and soul (and brain) of a guy (me) with almost 25 years of drum kit teaching experience. But that doesn’t mean that I’m just teaching the information that was relevant in the ‘90s. I’ve dedicated my life to music education and have taken on board all the changes that have occurred over the years to deliver you relevant information and learning hacks for the students of today.

What you see is NOT ALL that you get. This guide will continue to offer much more than what is printed on these pages. Thanks to some clever technology, many of these pages will come to life and offer you far more information than what is currently in your hands. To unlock more content that may include, but is not limited to, discounted or free tickets to events, product demos, free trials, meet and greets with the greats, and much, much more, you MUST register ownership of this guide. I will personally contact you when additional features become available.

Once again, I thank you for taking on the wonderful world of drumming, and I look forward to meeting you in person very soon.

Why should I register my ownership of this guide?

Well... if you don’t you are only getting some of the value. I have created this book to be more than just a book!

Also I cannot change the information that is printed, I can share more elaborate detail to you. If you don’t register, you’ll miss out on additional content, videos from me, discounted or free tickets to events, meet and greet with some drumming icons, product demos, and access to bonus material. The value you will receive will far exceed what is already printed in this guide.

What are these things ?

QR = Quick Response CODE, is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) first designed in 1994 for the automotive industry in Japan.

Simply open QR reader on your smartphone and scan. You’ll be taken to a another dimension.

Can I copy and share?

I would love nothing more that the 25 years of teaching that is consolidated in this book to be shared. Actually, there are a few pages already available at petebarter.com/drums that you can download or share with your drumming friends. But before you decide to share everything to everyone you know, if I could ask you to think about showing your friends the page where they can buy their very own guide. This will ensure your friends get the whole aspect of this document and the attention they deserve. Also, this info is mostly copyright and is my personal intellectual property. Also, you’ve paid for this to be your very own and is registered to you.

Is there any guarantee?

I personally guarantee if you do the work, you’ll get results.

REGISTRATION CODE: ptdt2019v1 Register ownership of this guide to receive invitations to future events, discounts and some freebies at Petebarter.com/guide

Portrait photos of Pete by JNV Photography

contents 4

Foreword

54

Jokes

6

Who is Pete the Drum Teacher?

55

Electric Drum vs. Acoustic Drum

8

When What How = WOW

48

What Do I Get as a Beginner Drum Set?

9

Foundation of Everything

49

Drum Stick Types

10

Play the Long Game, Everyday!

50

Drum Solo Matrix

12

Your Weekly Minimum Commitment

52

Some Music Theory for Drummers

13

Things to Do When You Can’t Think of What to Do

54

It’s Not Rocket Surgery, It’s Brain Science!

14

Learn About Some Things

56

Stick with It

15

What is What

60

3 and Half-Minute Hands

16

Things You’ll Buy

62

Some Events Pete Has Created

17

Movies for Muso’s

18

Drummers for Drummers

20

Different Groves for Different Genres

24

Drum Wood Types

26

Cymbal Brands

27

Learn a Few Beats.

Play a Heap of Songs

28

Some Online Drumming Resources

30

Transcript of Interview with Terepai

36

Some Popular Drum Brands

38

Fitness and Exercises for the Mind and Body

39

What to Wear?

40

Types of Grips

42

Creativity vs. Ability

44

Pete’s 7 Elements of Excellence

Photos in this book are the property of the rightful owner and copyright licenses may apply. No copyright infringement intended by the publisher.

6

18 39

30 56

f o rewo rd Being involved in the music industry is the most amazing environment to grow up in.

As a professional drummer for all of my life and an educator for most of it, having toured and recorded with many Australian artists and most prominently, Dragon, I can testify that a music carer from behind the drums is amazing. But not before the hard work is done.

I’ve dedicated many hours to developing my skills as a drummer/ musician and I truly believe that knowing where to get the info from and who to trust is key.

Pete and I have joined forces on a few occasions, and has come to my aid many times with last minute equipment needs and has flown me interstate to host clinics and workshops.

Pete and I have had a friendship for over 18 years so far and with the goals and aspirations we share as passionate musicians and educators, I know there is much more excitement to come.

This guide to all things drumming is a great connector for any student to become more aware of the drumming and music community and industry as a whole. When learning drums its easy to get bogged down on potentially unnecessary elements of learning and as a result not seeing the bigger picture.

This guide will show you many learning tips to unlock a learning mindset that will give you a great foundation to build on, whilst focusing on the important things.

I know you will get great value from this guide from the moment you engage with it.

Pete Drummond Drummond DNA

“

The more often you do something, the sooner you become great at it!

—

Pete Barter

Pete the Drum Teacher

WHO IS

PETE THE

DRUM

TEACHER? With a passion for bringing out the best in students, results focused while having fun. After 20-plus years of teaching privately and in schools, learning ways to get the best results for his students and to continually grow them as a drummer and as a leader is the ultimate focus.

He grew up in the northern suburbs of Adelaide but now lives on the city fringe. Parents Mick and Elaine have been very supporting parents in all endeavours— music, business and life. Pete’s dad is a mechanic and ran his own mechanic workshop for over 40 years until selling it to “semi” retire. Pete’s mum is the one that kept and keeps the family and home ticking over.

Pete first sat behind a drum set at the age of 2 and started one on one lessons at around 9 years of age. Billy Warnock was his first drum teacher and is still a friend 30 years on.

Pete has three wonderful lads of his own Keigan, (oldest ), Jaxson and Trae (twins).

6

Pete at age 2

Pete has three older siblings—his brother Baz who is a champion clay target shooter, sister Verna who is an age care worker, and other sister Laura who is a vet nurse. He also has a heap of nieces and nephews.

Halfway during year 10, Pete left high school to begin an apprenticeship as an electronic technician for a small private business in Elizabeth South. At the age of 17, Pete bought that business and ran it successfully for 5 years until selling it off as he saw that the electronics repair industry was coming to an end as consumer electronics became cheaper and cheaper to purchase.

Pete at age 10

Pete’s first main major band was Negative Joe. He joined when he was 15, recorded in studios, released an EP and played many shows across Adelaide and some interstate gigs also until the band disbanded in 2001.

Pete regularly sits in with some Adelaide cover bands and records drums in studios for various artists. as well as producing some work for upcoming artists.

Pete is a visionary and a thought leader. At the helm of two life changing companies, ETI (Education through Inspiration) and SAMii (Student Administration Management Interactive Intelligence) also on a couple advisory boards/ councils including the Music Teachers Association of South Australia.

Pete has a diploma in Executive Management and in an accredited NLP (Nero Linguistic Programming) as well as years of trial and error and try again.

Pete and his 3 boys. Keigan, Jaxson & Trae

Pete’s partner (in business and in life), Michelle Holland is an executive coach and runs her business Synergy IQ, which is a culture transformation organisation that supports some of the world’s largest brands. As well as being an international best selling author with her book Culture Inc., Michelle is also co-founder of SAMii. The future for Pete is very exciting with the launch of SAMii in 2019 as well as other business endeavours including starting a foundation that will support music education for young children.

In the day to day life of Pete, he is teaching drums, developing and running originations and brands as well as speaking at various events across the globe.

Pete and Michelle Holland.

Partner in life & business 7

j f m a m j j a s o n d

1

RECORD NUMBER OF MINUTES

SPENT ON GETTING

BETTER EACH DAY 10

31

28 30 30

30 30

n

15 10

d

45

120 120

31 31 31 31 31 31

your weekly minimum commitment _________________ Start Time _______ End Time _______. = How many min. _______ _________________ Start Time _______ End Time _______. = How many min. _______

_________________ Start Time _______ End Time _______. = How many min. _______ _________________ Start Time _______ End Time _______. = How many min. _______

_________________ Start Time _______ End Time _______. = How many min. _______

_________________ Start Time _______ End Time _______. = How many min. _______ _________________ Start Time _______ End Time _______. = How many min. _______

TOTAL MINUTES PER WEEK (outside of lessons) : _______

“

Lessons are about showing you what to do. The time between the lessons is when you become better. — Pete Barter

THINGS TO DO

WHEN YOU CAN’T THINK

OF WHAT TO DO EVERY DAY Single Strokes Double Strokes Paradiddles Triplets Metronome Grooves

EVERY WEEK Check out some YouTube clips of drummers Adjust your drums (physical placement) Try a new beat Play along to a new song

EVERY MONTH Watch a liveperformance Adjust your drums’ tuning Record your drumming (audio or video) Perform for your friends and family

EVERY YEAR Attend a drum workshop or clinic Create a performance event Tune or replace your drum heads Buy some drumming magazines (Drum Scene, Modern Drummer)

learn about some things FILL IN THE BLANKS

The drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers is ____________ and he currently plays ______ cymbals and ________ drums. He uses _________ drum sticks.

Ringo Starr was the drummer for ______________ and played ______________ drums.

______________ is the drummer for Michael Jackson at most of his live

performances. He has been playing drums for Michael Jackson since __________.

Drum heads are used to be made of _________ but are now made of durable plastic. _________, _________, and __________. are all brands of drum heads.

________ and _______ are two brands of drum sticks. Sticks come in various sizes.

5A. ______. and ______ are three common sizes.

WHAT is WHAT

OPTIONAL EXTRAS Cow Bell Splash Cymbals China Cymbals Additional Crash Cymbals

Additional Snare drums Additional Bass drums Additional Toms (smaller and larger)

The options are endless! Your drum set will become a piece of your personality.

15

Things you’ll buy:

16

ALBUMS $1 up to $30

DRUM HEADS $10 up to $60

KICK PEDALS $80 up to $900

DRUM STICKS $10 up to $30

TICKETS TO SHOWS $10 up to $200

MORE DRUMS $200 up to $20,000

CYMBALS $100 up to $1000+

MAGAZINES $10

MOVIES FOR MUSO’S

For the teenagers (M and MA 15+)

MA 15+ classified material contains strong content and is legally restricted to persons 15 years and over. It may contain classifiable elements such as sex scenes and drug use that are strong in impact.

Whiplash Pick of Destiny Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap 8 Mile

Bohemian Rhapsody A Star Is Born 17

drummers for

drummers Dave Weckl

Thomas Lang

Mark Schulman

Chad Smith

Tommy Igoe

Jeff Picaro

Meytal Cohen

Sheila E.

Brian Fraser Moore

Benny Grebb

Gregg Bissonette

Abe Laboriel Jr.

Pete Drummond

Ringo Starr

Will Calhoun

Darryn Farrugia

Jen Ledger

Chris Colman

Terepai Richmond

Ricky Lawson

Buddy Rich

Michael Shack

Questlove

Kenny Aronoff

Steve Gadd

Stan Bicknell

Jojo Mayer

Mark Charters

Steve Jordans

and many many more...

Pete & Magesh

Jonathan Sugarfoot Moffett (of the Michael Jackson Band), Pete

Thomas Lang, Pete, Dave Weckl 18

Thomas Lang & Pete

Marcus Miller, Pete, Terepai Richmond (check out Pete’s podcast with Terepai to hear about where it all began)

Pete & David Jones

Pete & Michael Shack

FUN FACT, Ringo Starr from The Beatles narrated Thomas the Tank Engine, and the drummer Gregg Bissonette (the drummer in the Ringo Starr All Star Band) was the voice of Winnie the Pooh 19

DIFFERENT GROVES

FOR DIFFERENT GENRES

Music styles (genres) have evolved plenty over the last hundred years or so. As the years evolve, so does the hybrid of each of the particular styles. If we imagine each genre being like an element, with every one of the known elements being fused in every way possible to create new styles of music. Classical music being probably the oldest, being played back in medieval days, being combined with probably the most newest of genres, dubstep. There are no rules here. Bands are made up of a number of humans, each with different musical cultural influences. Lets think about a four-piece band, The singer might be a massive fan of Elvis, the guitarist might be a fan of Jimmy Hendrix, the bass player might play like Flea and the drummer like Buddy Rich—this would create a band with an original, mixed and diverse sound.

Being able to play each style well is important. With this skill, creating you will be bringing your preferred flavor to the drumming/musical world and will be something new. — Article reprinted from BRAD SCHLUETER of drummagazine.com ROCK Tempo: Varying tempo Beat Placement: On the beat Time Feel: Even or slightly swung Dynamics: Varying, but when in doubt, play loudly Rock is usually played on the beat with a straight, even feel. Think Bon Jovi. Sure, drummers sometimes add a hint of swing to grooves, like John Bonham did, but generally those drummers are the wonderful exception to the norm. The drumming tends to be very loud, so wear earplugs.

SWING Tempo: Wide range Beat Placement: Sometimes manipulated for effect Time Feel: Usually has a triplet feel, but this straightens out at faster tempos Dynamics: Varying, but when in doubt, play softly 20

Drummers often think swing is based on triplets. While that is generally true, it can vary depending on tempo.

At choose to play something closer to a dotted eighth-note followed by a sixteenth-note to keep a sense of urgency in the groove. At very fast speeds the cymbal pattern tends to straighten out into a quarter-note followed by two eighth-notes. This occurs not primarily out of choice but out of necessity since at very high speeds it becomes physically impossible to articulate a strict triplet spacing. So even if a drummer could play it that way, it would sound “wrong” to our ears since we never hear it played like that. These differences in feel occur gradually as the tempo changes, so you may find yourself playing anywhere between two of the notated feels depending on what’s physically necessary.

REGGAE Tempo: Slow to medium Beat Placement: Behind the beat Time Feel: Varying degrees of swing Dynamics: Wide range Most reggae has a laid-back, behind-the-beat feel. At faster tempos, the feel moves more toward the middle.

Tip: remember to start all reggae tunes with a peculiar fill!

HIP-HOP Tempo: Slow to medium Beat Placement: Behind or on the beat Time Feel: Varying degrees of swing Dynamics: Varies Obviously, a lot of hip-hop music uses samples and drum machines, and the feel can be straight or swung.

While dynamics may be pretty flat, ghost notes are often used to add dimension to the groove. Patterns are often repeated without variation, so the ability to hold a tempo and control your dynamics is very important in this style. Instead of a traditional fill, you may just stop playing for a measure to set up a chorus.

FUNK Tempo: Medium Beat Placement: On the beat, but can vary Time Feel: Even or swung Dynamics: Wide range Hip-hop artists frequently use funk grooves for their samples. Funk is often played with a wide dynamic range, buzzes, bounces, open hi-hats, and unusual snare placement. So if you want to become a good funk drummer you’ve got quite a task ahead. Lots of funk grooves are medium tempo, which gives the drummer the option of playing the beats straight or with a little swing.

SKA Tempo: Medium to fast Beat Placement: On the beat Time Feel: Even or slightly swung Dynamics: Medium to loud Ska has an energetic quality like punk, but at times can also be reminiscent of reggae. The dynamic level is usually loud since the drummer has to compete with those darn horns!

DISCO Tempo: Medium dance tempo Beat Placement: On the beat Time Feel: Even Dynamics: Loud 21

The quarter-note bass drum pattern and open hi-hat on the &s of the beat are the signature characteristics of disco. Those two attributes didn’t evolve independently either. If you play both feet together on the quarternotes while playing 2 and 4 on your snare you will get an opening on the &s of the beat. Some disco grooves only use the upbeats on the hi-hat, which helps enhance the “pea-soup” sound of the groove.

DOUBLE BASS Tempo: Medium to insanely fast Beat Placement: On the beat Time Feel: Even. At fast tempos there just isn’t enough time to play around with the feel.

Dynamics: One dynamic level — loud! However, speed-metal drummers tend to play everything at medium or softer volumes since it’s easier to play at supersonic speeds when you use less power and minimal stick-stroke height.

Obviously, fast double bass is challenging to play on a physical level. Achieving high speeds takes lots of endurance, practice, and discipline, and serious metal drummers regularly work with a click to both check their speed and increase it.

BALLAD Tempo: Slow Beat Placement: Generally, most drummers play ballads slightly behind the beat. Now, keep in mind we’re talking about subtle milliseconds of delay, not huge sixteenth-note beat displacements. That’s why people don’t dance to Dave Weckl.

Time Feel: Even or slightly swung Dynamics: Wide range but generally quiet to enhance the introspective and confessional quality of the lyrics.

By the way, it’s not considered cool to quietly weep while playing ballads.

Ballads are often challenging to play because the tempo is so slow and there’s so much room between notes.

For this reason, most drummers play sixteenth-notes on their hi-hat during slow ballads, to makes it easier to lock everything together. Adding a light hi-hat accent on the eighth-notes can propel the music and add a subtle swing to it. Practice your ballads with a metronome. Unless you play a lot of dirge material, you are likely to gradually speed up your tempo. Simply gaining control of your tempos can do wonders to help lock in any groove.

POP Tempo: Medium to fast Beat Placement: On the beat Time Feel: Even or slightly swung Dynamics: Wide range, though pop-rock is more medium to loud There are many flavors of pop music and all are variations on vanilla.

PUNK Tempo: Fast — at least until the drummer gets tired Beat Placement: On top of the beat Time Feel: Even Dynamics: Loud!

Punk music is often played very fast. The Circle Jerks and Ramones were never known for their ballads. Fast tempos even out and straighten the time feel. Many punk drummers tend to play on top of the beat, and this often propells the music more if it doesn’t outright cause it to rush. Dynamics? What are dynamics?

SECOND-LINE Tempo: Mid to fast Beat Placement: Behind the beat Time Feel: Swung 22

Dynamics: Yes! This groove uses lots of accents and buzz rolls and your dynamics will contribute a lot to the feel.

A New Orleans second-line march has more in common with a Scottish march than those we played in high school. Second-line refers to the band that follows the hearse and family that lead New Orleans funeral parades—and you thought death metal had dark origins! Surprisingly, this music has a cheerful, upbeat swinging quality. The drumming is based on a unique blend of Civil War–era marches and African and Caribbean rhythms, creating a funky, laid-back groove that every drum set drummer should have in their trick bag.

COUNTRY TRAIN BEAT Tempo: Medium to fast Beat Placement: On the beat Time Feel: Even or swung Dynamics: Wide range of volumes, often accenting to lift the music.

While this groove is used in many country songs, it’s also found in certain rock songs like Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” or Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz.” When swung hard, this groove is very similar to a shuffle and can be thought of as a hand-to-hand shuffle since it uses a RLRL sticking. When played straighter, it has more of the sound of a train gradually churning along. In country music, it’s often played with brushes (or rods) for a lighter train-like sound.

LATIN Tempo: Wide range depending on style Beat Placement: Varying Time Feel: Varying Dynamics: Wide ranging “Latin” encompasses a wide range of grooves, since these patterns come from a variety of countries, each with its Since groups of individuals have their own unique ways of interpreting time, the ability to bend the note placement of your hands over a steady foot pattern will create more realistic results than completely accurate metronomic playing. Fills and grooves in Latin music are somewhat ametrical in rhythm, and can even oscillate similar to an egg rolling. Often, the difference is somewhere between even spacing and a triplet feel, but is actually not quite either. It can also shift back and forth between those divisions, first hinting one way, then the other. That is the reason Latin music is so challenging and rewarding to play.

In this example, we see a typical samba (or bossa nova) pattern followed by a rhythmically distorted fill above it.

The ability to play evenly with your feet while changing the note spacing played above it certainly won’t come overnight but is definitely worth the effort if you want to play Latin music styles more authentically. These techniques can also be used in jazz and rock. Ringo Starr accomplished similar oscillating feels on The Beatles song “Ticket To Ride.” To learn this technique with a samba foot pattern, you’ll need to be able to put your feet on autopilot while you focus your attention on the note spacing and rhythm of your hands.

SLOW BLUES Tempo: Slow Beat Placement: Behind or on the beat Time Feel: Even Dynamics: Wide range Blues is all about the feel. It is usually played with a 12/8 time signature, and slower songs usually have a behindthe-beat feel, although you don’t want the tempo to drag.

SHUFFLE Tempo: Medium to fast Beat Placement: On the beat Time Feel: Even Dynamics: Wide range but usually medium As blues music speeds up beyond our ability to play all three cymbal notes per beat, we drop the middle note, leaving the first and third note to create the cymbal pattern characteristic of a shuffle. Shuffles can also be played with a jazz ride pattern or straight quarter-notes with the snare and bass drum outlining the shuffle rhythm. There are dozens of varieties of shuffles, just like you’d find with rock, jazz, or Latin grooves.

23

D R U M WOO D TYPES WOO D T Y P E S

M E TA L S

Maple: Even amount of highs and mids, slightly warm lows. All-purpose.

Steel (carbon): Clear highs, average midrange and low end. All-purpose.

Birch: Boosted high frequencies, slightly reduced midrange, good low-end punch. Loud and cutting.

Brass: Open highs, mids, and lows. Musically warm and vibrant.

Mahogany: Muted highs, smooth midrange, warm/ rich low end. Vibrant and resonant.

Aluminum: Crisp highs, warm/open midrange and low end. Colorful and sensitive.

Walnut: Equal amount of highs, mids, and lows. Big and warm.

Copper: Muted highs, pronounced midrange and low end. Loud and powerful.

Oak: Soft highs, good amount of midrange, slightly warm lows. All-purpose with fairly quick decay.

Bronze: Muted highs, powerful midrange and low end.

Warm and responsive.

Beech: Pronounced highs and mids, good low-end punch. Sensitive and focused.

Titanium: Clear highs and mids, boxy low end. Clear and focused.

Cherry: Boosted highs, punchy midrange, average low end. Bright and sensitive.

Bubinga: Even amount of highs and mids, rich low end. Sensitive and punchy.

Poplar: Soft highs and mids, boosted low-end warmth. Smooth and eve.

Ash: Pronounced, warm highs and mids, average low end. Throaty and warm.

Exotic woods have been used to make drums for many years. Matty Longo likes to use purpleheart.

“It’s a great all-around wood,” he says. “It’s extremely sensitive, with lots of punchy low/mids and excellent presence and cut. The particular lot we’ve been using is at least twenty-five years old and is air-dried.” Curt Waltrip is using some old-growth wood. “Joyful Noise uses reclaimed, submerged oldgrowth timbers from the Great Lakes as well as wood from Central America for our steam-bent snares and drumsets,” he explains. “Some of the reclaimed, submerged hardwoods we use are flamed red and yellow birch, bird’s-eye maple, quilted maple, blistered maple, and Honduran mahogany.”

The bottom line with wood shells is that with more than 3,300 species of timber out in the wild, the potential for new sounds is almost limitless. Each type of wood produces its own unique sound when molded into a cylinder and made into a drum shell, so it’s best to consider which style of music you play and which type of sound will be the best match.

Then zero in on a few specific wood types using the basic characteristics outlined above.

24

As with wood types, a seemingly limitless number of metal alloys are available to drum manufacturers. So again, consider your musical and playing style, and use the basic sonic properties of the more common metals to help you decide which alloy would be the best match.

SYNTHETICS Carbon fiber: Even amount of highs and mids, slightly warm low end. Controlled and dry.

Acrylic: Warm highs, mids, and low end. Powerful attack and presence.

Fiberglass: Even amount of highs, mids, and lows.

Controlled and focused.

Synthetics have been used for drum shells for around thirty years, but they haven’t been explored as much as metals and woods. Drums made from synthetic materials generally produce more clean and focused sounds than their wood or metal counterparts, and some are surprisingly versatile. Don’t overlook them as you’re finding your sounds of choice.

HYBRID SHELLS A shell that combines wood and acrylic or metal and wood is known in the current market as a hybrid shell.

These combinations of materials will produce distinctive sounds, but are they really usable for drum shells? “Just because you combine two unique sonic qualities in materials, that doesn’t mean they will add up well,” Waltrip says. Indeed, some combinations work better than others, and how the hybrid shell is constructed plays a crucial role in the

outcome. As Longo explains, “Doing a hybrid ply or stave shell makes a lot of sense because the wood will run the entire length of the drum’s depth.

Therefore, it’ll have good energy transfer. But when you put a seam in the shell, it’ll impede the shell’s ability to transfer energy.” The lesson here is that a blind combination of different materials doesn’t necessarily mean the resultant sound will make musical sense. Be mindful of the types of hybrid shells you choose. Make sure the overall tone is true, clear, and musically viable.

SHELL CONSTRUCTION Drum shells are made in many different ways. Let’s use the same outline as we did in the materials section to see how shell construction affects the sound a drum will produce.

WOO D Plywood: Long sustain with plenty of volume and varying fundamental pitch Stave: Short sustain and higher fundamental pitch Steam-bent: Vibrant with long sustain and true fundamental pitch Solid: Long sustain and higher fundamental pitch Segment: Short sustain and higher and more focused fundamental pitch

M E TA L Cast: Long sustain and higher fundamental pitch Spun: Vibrant with long sustain and true fundamental pitch In addition to the ways different materials and construction options affect the sound a drum shell can produce, the thickness of the shell also has bearing on a drum’s overall tone. According to Longo, “The thinner the shell, the lower the fundamental tone. The thicker the shell, the higher the fundamental tone.”

And then there are reinforcement hoops, which many wood models have on the top and bottom of the shell interior. The main purpose of reinforcement hoops is to add strength and stability to the wood, helping thinner shells maintain their true roundness.

As drum shell manufacturing has become more technologically advanced, though, the need for reinforcement hoops has less practical use and is employed mostly for tonal effect. “Reinforcement hoops are critical in the tonal character of a drum,” Waltrip says. “The thicker the reinforcement hoop, the more focused or controlled the shell resonance.”

As you can see, there are practically infinite tonal possibilities when you think about all the factors that go into making a drum shell. And that’s before you consider hoop types, drumhead models, snare wire options, bearing edge shapes, and tunings. But using what you’ve learned here—plus what we covered in our counterhoop discussion in the previous issue— you’ll be much better informed when narrowing down the options for the type of drum that will best suit your needs (content available at ModernDrummer. com).

25

CYMBAL BRANDS

CYMBAL TYPES Bell bronze, signature bronze alloys, malleable bronze, brass, nickel silver are common materials used to create cymbals. From a 4-inch splash to a 10-foot gong. And the way each company create their masterpieces is different process from one brand to another.

The 4 common manufactures are:

Meinl Percussion

Paiste

Sabian

Zildjian

However, there are many other manufacaturers that also make great cymbals:

Saluda Crescent Bosphorus Hammerax Istanbul Stagg

Soultone UFIP Wuhan Centent

Learn a few beats.

Play a heap of songs.

The above beat can be found in the below songs: Back in Black – ACDC Biliy Jean – MJ

Eye of the Tiger – Survivor Another One Bites the Dust – Queen

All Summer Long – Kid Rock Money for Nothing – Dire Straits

In fact, there are 1000’s of songs that share this same common groove. It’s crucial that you can play this at various tempos.

Once you have accomplished the paradiddle rudiment (found on Foundation of Everything poster), here is where it come to life. Remembering to apply dynamics and good technique will enable this groove to really cook.

Switching from a straight rock beat to this paradiddle groove without loosing track of time and applying good doubles (the diddle part of the groove) is what the pros do.

One of the most iconic grooves you’ll ever try to play.

Based on the Bernard Purdie shuffle, this one needs a fair bit of development behind the scenes before it starts to take shape.

Utilising a snappy right and left hand double stroke technique with an excellent level of dynamics. This one isn’t for the faint hearted.

“

Playing fast ain’t nothin’ if you can’t play a groove in time with all your heart and soul.

— Pete Barter 27

Some Online

Drumming Resources Drumeo.com Drummerworld.com Drumbum.com Bandhub.com Drumlessversion.com Metronome

(test on petebarter.com/drums)

Drumdna.com

28

Drummers specialize in generally everything!

SECRET BONUS CONTENT 1

(when the time is right, you will receive an SMS with info on how to unlock bonus content hidden on this page)

Transcript of

interview

Terepai with

Pete Barter: he reason I play drums today is because I saw this guy play when I was nine years old in Adelaide with a band called Dig, I started having lessons a few years later, and, my drum teacher Billy said to me “have a listen to these three albums, and tell me which one you like the most.” The album that cought my attention was from a band called Dig, and I made the reference to what I saw a few years earlier.

T

A couple of really quick questions for the people at home that may not know who you are.

Terepai Richmond, how long have you been playing drums for?

Terepai: Ah gee, That’d be giving away quite a bunch wouldn’t it? I started playing when I was six, my parents had an entertaining and catering business and the whole family was involved in the whole show and I was, not forced to but, sat on the front of the stage with a set of bongos when I was six.

And then, I think my dad had all of the backline gear, he owned it all and there was this one night, I think I was seven by this time. The drummer was sick or didn’t show up or whatever.

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Pete Barter: Typical drummer.

Terepai: Typical drummer, was late, {haha} and I ended up getting thrown behind the drum kit and luckily enough my uncle, who was playing guitar in the band had some drumming experience and he pretty much just showed me a couple of really simple things.

Pete Barter: Nothing’s changed.

Terepai: And nothing’s changed, look at that.So yeah, it’s quite a number of years now. I started when I six.

Pete Barter: Have you done anything else?

Have you deferred to anything else and come back?

Terepai: Ah, yeah soccer not so much these days, you know soccer is quite taxing sport on the body.

Pete Barter: Yeah.

Terepai: Well as is surfing too, but I’ve just, over the years I have stuck to

surfing as my main, other release from everything else in life. And it’s such a great balance for me, both mentally and physically, you know it’s one of those sports that ... it’s not even a sport, it’s almost like a, I mean, people call it a sport, people consider it a sport.

Pete Barter: How many hours do you surf?

You still surf now?

Terepai: I do, yeah, I still surf a lot actually.

Pretty much the way with the internet these days you can forecast a lot of the best days that are gonna happen, and where they’re gonna happen, and what time and, what the swells gonna.

Pete Barter: And you live on the beach, so do you travel from where you live?

Terepai: Yeah, I live close to the beach.

So, I mostly surf my local area but, I do travel to other places. depending on what the waves are gonna be doing and the wind and, all that kinda thing.

Pete Barter: So, yeah that is a bit of a background nitty gritty stuff. The important questions that I want to ask you, is a little bit more about communication and how it is to communicate with the audience or other band members or even home family life, it can’t be easy being on the road as much as you are and, you do have kids.

If you could give a musician or a songwriter one tip for them to be able to communicate well to others or their audience, what would it be and, why?

Terepai: Well, I guess for different reasons you - essentially it’s all the same

but, I mean there’s different ways that you would, as a songwriter, artist, musician, whatever you want to call yourself or whatever it is you see yourself as specializing in. I think when you, in music, mostly the goal of music is trying to create a feeling for the listener, and also yourself.

Regardless of what kind of feeling it is, whether you want people to dance or, whether you want people to cry, or whether you want to smile or whatever emotion it is you want them to feel from what you’re giving them.

I guess being able to communicate that firstly to your band members or the other members contributing to what you’re trying to achieve and, that can change within one song depending on the arrangement and what kind of style music it is and, what kind of song it is.

There might be that kind of flow through the song where they cry at the start and they’re smiling at the end, and they’re dancing by the very end. Most songs kind of - you create a feeling from one song and then, you sort of move on through the set of songs that you’ve written.

Pete Barter: I guess the question primarily is because we run an organization that is about communicating well; Not just in a music sense but, the other divisions that we run in corporate and, things like that. We’re chatting earlier, about how important it is to have a happy work life or a work balance or a work place. It’s the same for you obviously when you’re touring.

Terepai: I think being a musician and choosing that as a career path, we’re already winning, whether you’re having a good time or, a

bad day at work.

Pete Barter: No doubt there are some people that you’ve toured with that have had a horrible experience on a plane trip or something. Do they bring that with them to the gig?

Terepai: You’re always carrying your luggage around. I guess, the best way to deal with that is to try and- Well, I guess it depends how personal it is or what it is and, how close you are to your band members or whoever it is you choose to hang out with when you’re on the road.

For me personally, I love being on the road. I love touring, I love meeting people, I love hanging out with friends that I’ve met and, having association with each time I go back or to a town. I love going to new cities but, mostly in Australia, I’ve been doing laps around the country.

Pete Barter: The bands you’ve toured with, for the people at home, and that I’ve known you’ve toured with. Guy Sebastian, The Whitlams, Pete Murray, done some stuff with, you didn’t tour with Pink but, you jammed with Pink in L.A.?

Terepai: I actually did a session for a guy that opened for Missy Higgins when we first went on tour. So, I was touring with Missy Higgins in Australia and America for quite some time. One of the first American tours we did there was a really amazing young singer/ songwriter called Robert

Francis. He did that whole first tour, I think six weeks on the road.

We developed a pretty cool relationship with him and his band.

I think on another run back to America. The bass player and I, Dave Symes, who is now the bass player, fifth member of Boy and Bear. He and I were in L.A. and, Robert Francis was recording and asked us to come along and do some stuff. Pink was coming in to do some vocals on one of the tracks. So, we were in the studio when she rocked up.

Pete Barter: How long ago was this?

Terepai: This was probably a few years ago now. Well, that session was anyway. Gee, I can’t remember when. It was a few years ago. It was a great time, she’s a great girl. Just like one of the boys, she actually came in with a case of beer. “Who wants a beer?”

Pete Barter: Well, you know what? Well, that’s the kind of thing that sets up a really cool, fun, happy work environment.

Don’t do that if you’re at work.

Terepai: I’m not saying the beer thing or alcohol is good, I’m just saying, for someone you having such high regard to just kinda walk in and treat you like you’re her best friend and, have a drink, lets hang out and do this recording. I mean, it’s cool, she’s super cool.

I think, I don’t know, I guess just having people that don’t put themselves on a different plane to you. I think people that just treat you well.

Pete Barter: It helps you better be a better musician in their band because you’ve connected with them.

Terepai: Absolutely, absolutely.

Well, it just makes you feel welcome and like you’re part of the family and, like you want to give what it is you have and, why the reason you’re there, because you have something. The more 32

welcome they make you feel, the more willing you are to give up your talent for that.

Pete Barter: Very good.

You’re touring, you’re in Adelaide because you’re touring currently with Ngaiire. Tell us a little bit more about Ngaiire.

Terepai: I haven’t done a lot of stuff with Ngaiire. I’ve done bits and pieces over the years. I did a few sessions in her early days, before I even met her, I just did them with a producer who was recording her music at the time.

Everyone had sort of told me about how great she was and, amazing. I never really seen her live so, I couldn’t really have my own opinion or perspective on that.

I got asked to do some shows.

Pete Barter: Did you perform on the Idol or the voice with her which one was she on?

Terepai: I’ve got no idea.

Pete Barter: I know you’ve played on some of those shows.

Terepai: Yeah, I’ve done a lot of those shows with various artists. I haven’t played as a house band on a couple things. I didn’t do Ngaiire on any of those shows.

Pete Barter: Oh, you just happened to get the phone call one day.

Terepai: Yeah, I got a phone call to see if I was available and, I happened to be.

Pete Barter: Did you make yourself available because the music is good?

Terepai: That’s kind of where I’ve gotten to in my career these days. I kinda feel like, I’m okay to say no to certain things that I don’t feel sort of feel all that drawn to. I’m trying to... I’m getting better at it, I’m trying to say “yes” only to the

things that I like artistically or musically. The things that really make me wanna smile.

Pete Barter: That helps you because you don’t feel drawn down by bands that you’re not so keen on touring with as a group of people or, the type of music?

Terepai: Probably more musical.

Pete Barter: You can tolerate anybody pretty much?

Terepai: I don’t have problems with many people. There’s certainly been occasions on certain tours, if I haven’t been that close to somebody. All I do is just go and do my own thing. It’s not a problem, I think that’s one way that I either avoid any type of conflict or, any type of weird stuff happening. You just go and do your own thing.

When you are touring, particularly on a big tour for any sort of lengthy period of time. I think it’s nice to be able to get away from other people, from everyone really whenever you can on the road. So, having other interests like playing golf or looking at op shops or, finding the best coffee in the city, or finding the best restaurant or, going to the gym. Whatever it is, sleeping, whatever. I think it’s a really important thing to get away from the people that you’re working with for some period, every day.

If you’re in each others faces a lot, it can really take it’s toll.

Pete Barter: No doubt, no doubt.

If you could go back to the beginning of your career, what other changes that you’d might make?

Terepai: The beginning of my career? Are you referring to when I was six and throwing me on a pair of bongos or are you referring to my more professional life?

Pete Barter: Let’s go with Dig onwards. That’s from when I knew you as a drummer.

Terepai: So, from Dig on which I pretty much... well, kind of co-formed the band Dig, almost as soon as I finished school, I was doing a couple of things in a band called... actually, I joined a band called “Belly Dance”. I think when I was still in school.

The drummer at the time I had a couple of lessons off. He just gotten the gig with a girl called Jenny Morris to tour with Prince.

For a young school boy, that was amazing.

Pete Barter: How old were you then?

Terepai: I would have been probably 17 or 18.

Pete Barter: Amazing.

Terepai: He got that gig but, I ended up being his gig which was a band called “Belly Dance|. The keyboard player who is in Dig, he just got a phone call from a DJ who was asked to play at the launch of a label called ‘Talking Loud’. Which was one of the big acid jazz record labels. In fact, the first acid jazz record label that launched that whole style of music here.

dance and a few other bits and pieces thrown in.

He called up, this was Scott Saunders by the way the keyboard player. He called up a bunch of people that he thought might suit that kind of thing, a jazzy funky... essentially a jazzy, funky kind of outfit with a few other spices thrown in the mix.

I happened to be the drummer.

We did that first, it was a one off, we did the gig. It went so well that we decided to form the band DIG and start writing, we started gigging from there. I mean, in terms of changing anything, I was so green at the time, I wouldn’t have even known.

Pete Barter: Is there a type of... I don’t know, like me, it’s just “take it as it comes”, “that’s how it is”, “that’s fate” or whatever happened, happened. Is there something that would make you go “I would have not taken that gig had I known or would have done that”.

Terepai: No, I don’t think so, cause I did have a couple of other options at the time. There was also a band called Swoop who were also the main couple of guys were from Adelaide. Swoop was going really well at time, the same time that DIG was going really well.

Actually, both the bass player and myself, who were playing in both of those bands. We both, pretty much at the same time, Swoop was asked to tour, I think they were touring, maybe a big national tour and, DIG was going to Europe to tour.

It was the first time in my early career that something had clashed so dramatically and, I actually make a choice and, I chose to go with the DIG.

He got asked to do the launch and, basically I just... as most people would know that the whole acid jazz thing is kind of a fusion of jazz and funk and

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kinda conversation you wanna have.

Pete Barter: Alright, so if I can arrange Questlove and yourself we can interview that?

Terepai: Sure thing.

Pete Barter: High five. I’m glad you did, mate.

Terepai: So, I chose DIG and the bass player chose Swoop. Alex Hewetson.

Pete Barter: Alex, yeah.

Terepai: He’s back in DIG. You know what? When I listen back to some of the early DIG stuff, I think most artists, a lot of people get a bit cringey at listening to their early stuff. Not everybody does and, I’m sure there’s a lot of people that are happy with the way it evolved.

Pete Barter: I love what I played ten years ago.

Now, I’m like “Oh, too critical” I’m not listening to it.

Terepai: I just feel like there was a point in my career when we were touring.

When DIG toured Europe one year, we did a bunch of festivals.

We just happened to be on the same bill as The Roots, a band called The Roots with Questlove on drums. That was the first time I’d seen Questlove, it was the first time I’d even heard of The Roots or Questlove. This is back in 1995.

Pete Barter: Did he have the brush in his hair?

Terepai: He had the comb in his hair, he hasn’t changed much. It was one of their first records called “Do you want more” it was called.

I think, they definitely had a following but, they were just at the beginning of their career. We played our DIG set and, we felt 34

really happy about it.

We hung around and, I thought “Oh, these guys look pretty cool”. I hung around and watched. From that moment on, it just changed me.

Pete Barter: One of my other questions was “What do you find your industry was a game changer?” I’m guessing, seeing the roots that was that moment.

Terepai: Yep, seeing Questlove play in 1995 changed my view.

Pete Barter: Living or dead, who is the one or two people that you’d like to spend one day with.

Terepai: Living or dead? Questlove would probably be right up there, think he’s on the tip of my tongue at the moment.

Pete Barter: Okay, as a player, as someone you can just jam with?

Terepai: Yeah, look, I really dig what he’s in to. He’s into amazing soul, funk, hip-hop, basically kinda black music. He was brought up on jazz and, again, kinda black music from his father’s record collection. He’s just into cool music, he’s a great producer. I think if I was to hang out with him, it would be to talk about him, not about what the surfs like.

Him or maybe, in terms of music or drumming maybe Steve Jordan. Maybe Al Foster, there so many, there so many, once you start thinking about it, it’s kinda endless. It depends on what

Pete Barter: Obviously, you appear to be on the road for a big chunk of the year. Can you tell me your tricks and your tips for maintaining a healthy relationship back home? gettin personal now.

Terepai: Yeah, look, that’s a pretty easy one. Just making sure I put a lot of time and effort into home life, when I am at home. Doing it for real. I’m not afraid to three piles of dishes a day. If I’m going on tour, like I did a pile this morning actually.

I had mother in law over, actually, she helped out. If there’s a bunch of work to be done at home, I’m happy to smash it all out and, hang with the kids.

Pete Barter: You just painted the house.

Terepai: Yeah, I painted the house still, actually, it’s been on hold. I’ve been building some furniture recently.

Pete Barter: Building furniture? Are you building or like wood building?

Terepai: Basically, I’ve been a huge fan of council clean ups. I don’t know what you call them here? Hard rubbish day or?

Pete Barter: Street shops.

Terepai: Yeah, street shopping. I’ve been a fan since forever. I think for a couple of reasons. My perspective is, one, it saves it from going to landfill. I’m sure everyone is aware of how much great stuff people throw away and, also aware of how much great stuff people stupidly buy in the first place to replace their not broken other thing that was

already there. But anyway, you know there is a lot of great things that get thrown away.

Not only do I kinda look for those great.. usually I look for sorta vintage items but, I also look for building materials. Which I have, well, have had and still have a fair collection.

Pete Barter: Building a new section on the house?

Terepai: Well, kinda yeah. I’ve been building most of our furniture in our house. Built big cubby house, just all sorts of furniture just from you know from materials sourced from council clean ups. Just like any carpenter wood. Just cleaning up the materials, whether I need to plane them or sand them and then, cut them and design a piece that I wanna build.

Pete Barter: One last question, this is the big one. If you were able to change the music industry or improving one thing, what would it be and why?

Terepai: Wow, one thing?

Pete Barter: One thing that you don’t like about the industry.

Terepai: Get rid of awful music. Haha. Wow, what a question.

Pete Barter: Might not want to come to one of my shows anytime soon.

Terepai: One thing to improve the music industry? I think perhaps improve, everyone’s, well, not everyone, almost everyone’s perception of the value of a musician.

Pete Barter: Great, and that can open a whole can of worms, can’t it these days.

Terepai: It sure can!

Pete Barter: Yeah, yeah, I’m having that conversation right now online

and, it’s just a really great in depth debate. It’s got hundreds of posts and, it’s just an amazing debate. It should be aired, it should be made visible to people that aren’t so familiar with the stuff that we go through as musicians, as performing monkeys that sometimes get peanuts.

Terepai: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Pete Barter: Sometimes... most times.

Terepai: I guess it’s relative you know, because at the end of the day there’s a bottom line financially, and it’s a big circle. If you play at a venue that has a hundred capacity and, the door charges are only five dollars or ten dollars. That money is gonna feed everyone, not just the band.

It’s gonna feed the venue, the band, the booking artist, the management.

Pete Barter: That’s where the drinks are.

Terepai: I think the worst part about it is that as a musician I’ve seen it happen a lot. It’s like the musician is always the bottom of the food chain when it comes to eating. That’s how it seems, a lot.

Pete Barter: Like I said, it can open a can of worms. You can hear them sound checking downstairs. So we’re gonna pull it up there. Thank you once again Terepai for spending the time man, I appreciate it. I will be at your show, throwing things at you.

Terepai: Dancing, dancing, like crazy.

Pete Barter: Thanks again mate, it means a lot to me. So is the association that we have, and seeing you play at little old Adelaide then and now seeing you play in little old Adelaide. Someone did say to me once, “You play in Adelaide twice in your career, once on the way up, once on the way down”.

So, this is your second show right?

Terepai: I’ve been on a rollercoaster forever.

Pete Barter: Good, well thanks again mate, I appreciate it.

Terepai: Yep, cheers mate.

Pete Barter: Cheers.

The company was founded in 1875 as a percussion manufacturer.

Sonor invented the modern screw thread drum construction and the metal snare drum in the early 20th century. William F. Ludwig got this idea in his early years back in Germany from Sonor and began to use it later in Chicago.

Yamaha Drums is a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation founded in 1967.

Originally Manufactured In Japan, but now has factories in Indonesia and China.

The factory in China produced the entry-level GigMaker kit and the intermediate kit Stage Custom Birch. Their factory in Indonesia produces the Tour Custom and the newly introduced Rock Tour series drums. The Indonesian factory uses the same machinery and techniques in their drum shells and all of the craftsmen working there are trained by Japanese craftsmen from the Osaka site.

The only difference between these two plants is that the Osaka plant uses the more exclusive woods (maple, birch and oak).

some popular drum brands

Tama Drums, (from Japanese 多満 (Kanji) タマ (Kana), read tama) is a brand of drum kits and hardware manufactured and marketed by the Japanese musical instrument company, Hoshino Gakki. Tama’s research and development of products, along with production of its professional and most expensive drums, is done in Seto, Japan, while its hardware and less expensive drums are manufactured in Guangzhou, China Hoshino has several offices around the world for marketing and wholesale distribution. Drums destined for the U.S. market are assembled and stocked at Hoshino (U.S.A.) in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. The U.S. subsidiary also contributes to Tama’s market research and development.

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Gretch was founded by Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant who opened his own musical instrument shop on 128 Middleton Street in Brooklyn, New York in 1883.

In the late 1980s, Gretsch bought the remnants of the Slingerland Drum Company, which was later sold to Gibson, with Gretsch retaining the Leedy brand which had been part of the Slingerland purchase.

In 2000, Gretsch entered into an agreement with Kaman Music which granted them exclusive rights to manufacture Gretsch USA Custom and Signature drums.

With over 50 good brands of drums on the market today, each with their own piece of excellence.

Drum Workshop was founded in 1972 as a teaching studio by Don Lombardi. It originally offered private lessons and the occasional workshop. However, Lombardi, along with student (and current Senior Executive Vice President) John Good, began a small drum equipment sales operation to cover the facility’s operation costs.

Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa, who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo on April 2, 1946. In 1950, Yanagisawa shifted his focus to the manufacturing of drums and named his company “Pearl Industry, Ltd.”

*Drums listed in no particular order and content taken from Wikipedia.

By 1953, the company’s name had been changed to “Pearl Musical Instrument Company,” and manufacturing had expanded to include drum kits, marching drums, timpani, Latin percussion instruments, cymbals, stands, and accessories.

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FITNESS & EXERCISES for the MIND & BODY EAT WELL

Lay off the processed fast food options. If your diet is whack, your drumming will be also. Playing drums can take a lot of energy from you physically as well as mentally.

POUND AWAY THE CALORIES

A QUICK BEAT AND HEART RATE

The constant movement of your upper and lower body that is required to play the drums results in a steady burn of calories during the activity. According to data from CalorieLab, a person who weighs 83 pounds will burn about 252 calories during an hour-long drumming session.

If you’ve been impressed with the workout you experience while drumming, you’re not alone. A study from Chichester University, and quoted in a 2008 article by the BBC, noted drummers can elevate their heart rate up to 190 beats per minute, which is comparable to the top heart rate that many elite athletes experience while playing their sport. The study revealed that drummers must have top-level endurance to perform.

The way you feel is the way you play, also, how you think is how you play. If you are stressed out or have had a heap of sugar and are jittery, your playing will replicate how you feel.

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WHAT TO WEAR? Wearing comfortable clothing is important. If you wear restrictive clothing, it will limit your movement around the drumset. That doesn’t mean we can blame our jacket if we have a bad gig. But wearing a jacket might cause you to over heat, sweat more than you should which might cause you to dehydrate or even something as simple as wipping sweat off your forehead with your hand will not help you have a good grip on your drumstick.

Shoes. There are some drummers who have designed a drum specific shoe. A characteristic of a good drum shoe is a thin soul. Being able to feel the foot board of the kick pedal(s) will help you play with more accuracy. However, some drummers wear no shoes even thick soul running shoes or boots.

Pete loves PUMA.

TYPES OF

GRIPS

TRADITIONAL

MATCHED

Traditional grip was developed to conveniently play a snare drum while marching, and was documented and popularised

by Sanford A. Moeller in The Art of Snare Drumming (1925). It was the standard grip for kit drummers in the first half of the twentieth century and remains popular, and the standard grip for most snare drummers.

Matched grip is used for most percussion instruments when two beaters are used.

There are three main varieties, distinguished by the means of moving the beaters and the angle of the palms to facilitate this action: French grip, in which the sticks are moved mainly by the fingers.

German grip, in which the sticks are moved mainly by the wrists.

American grip, partway between French and German, using both wrists and fingers.

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FRENCH

GERMAN

AMERICAN

THE STUDENT T H AT Q U I T I S A LW A Y S THE ONE T H AT D I D N OT PRACTICE! AND I’M OK W I T H T H AT.

SECRET BONUS CONTENT 2 (when the time is right, you will receive an SMS with info on how to unlock bonus content hidden on this page)

v

Creativity ART

INTUITION

C R E AT I V I T Y

PERSONALITY

MUSIC

DREAMS

The two biggest fights for many musicians are: 1, developing the ability to be more creative; and 2, having the technical ability to execute creative ideas.

Let me elaborate, drummers are both, the architect and the builder.

Creativity, being able to think of a pattern or phrase to play on the drums and not quite being able to execute that pattern or that phrase. The limiting factor here is technical ability. You need to go through a particular process in order to have that ability. It’s called doing the work. It’s called practice. It’s called getting better at drums. Having the ability to be technically great takes time, effort and work. There’re both muscles that can be exercised. And if they’re not used, they can diminish.

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s

ABILITY

WRITING LO G I C

LANGUAGE

READING A N A LY S I S

M AT H

Imagine having a thought of a particular phrase or a pattern and not being able to execute it. Then you raise the bar by doing more technical work to gain the ability to achieve what you are setting out to achieve, which then, the ability becomes the bigger factor. Then when you advance your technical skills, your ability to play becomes greater than your creativity, then your creativity needs to be worked on. It’s a never ending fight between creativity and technical ability. If you lack either creativity or ability, your playing might become stagnant. That’s the plateau we all dread. I have personally hit the plateau a number of times throughout my career and the one thing that gets me through is to do some technical work to allow me to achieve what I’m creating in my head.

I can think of it but my body, my arms, my legs, my timing and my ability is not able to execute.

Knowing where your roadblocks are will allow you to jump those roadblocks and have the ability you desire.

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Pe t e ’ s E l ements o f Exc el l ence

DYNAMICS

GROOVES

Are you able to play with the lightest touch to the most powerful note within 1 single bar of music while remaining accurate?

You need to have a large range of groove and fill options on demand.

Being able to articulate additional notes in and around the core groove will really add some flavor to your drumming.

Being able to play many groove styles that suit the music is important, not only so each song can have a personality of its own but this will unlock new and exciting genres of music for you to sink your teeth into.

ENDURANCE

You will need to play for 3 minutes at least (that’s the length of 1 song) but up to 60 minutes without losing momentum or becoming bored of your own playing or becoming exhausted.

Having good technique here will assit you in playing longer while maintaining intensity and control.

FILLS

Fills, or as I like to call them, “Feels”.

They have to feel right apposed to filling up the space just because that is what the word implies.

SINGLES, DOUBLES, PARADIDDLES and TRIPLETS in all their modified versions is a good place to start to achieving a variety of “feels” (see poster— Foundation of Everything).

However you go about achieving these 7 elements of excellence, aiming to have them ALL will open up bigger and better opportunities for you. Your educator is more than able to show you many techniques to allow all these elements to become second nature in your drumming pursuits. Don’t expect these to all happen in the first year or even the first three.

These elements will continue to grow as you grow as a drummer.

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I truly believe that to be the kind of drummer that will rise to the top where others won’t, you’ll need to achieve ALL of the elements outlined below:

TIMING

This element is ultimately the drummer’s job above everything else—keeping the pulse of the band consistent from verse to chorus and not losing the tempo when the odds are against you.

Play with a click; this will keep you in check with the tempo.

This is your biggest responsbility as a drummer.

COORDINATION Having the ability to control your 4 limbs independently with ease will allow you to drum as if there are 4 of you all working together but without getting in each other’s way.

Some drumming requires higher levels of coordination that will allow you to really serve the music.

On the journey to achieving these, you might feel frustrated and unable. These are all normal emotions but just remember one thing, We all start at the start.

But wait… there is one more additional element that will SUPERCHARGE all these above 7 elements. The 8th element will find you…. but only when you are ready…

SELFDISCIPLINE The desire to achieve SelfDiscipline. This will override any “its too hard or I cant do it” thoughts.

Always remember your “WHY” when things get tough this is the only element that will help you pull through. You don’t want to be the older version of your self who “wished they kept it up“ Good things await those who commit.

e jok s vel? ge is le the sta om both if ll e t you g fr How do mer is droolin m u r d The outh. f his m sides o

How ca ny at the d ou tell a drum oo mer’s The kno r? cking s peeds u p.

An Indian chief and a cavalry captain climb to the top of a tall hill and look out upon the entire Indian tribe. The captain says worriedly, “I don’t like the sound of those drums.” The chief says, “I know. It’s not our regular drummer.

ing a What’s the last th nd? ba a in drummer says try we t ou ab “Hey, how ” s? ng so my one of

What do you call a drummer that breaks up with his girlfriend?

Homeless.

What d o Ginge r black co ffee have Baker and in comm They bo on? th suck w ithout C ream.

How do o e f you you get a k a t it r s drum An ama doe Pay h porch? mer o teur dru mers m i m u ff r 1 d 0 buc mmer d heaven. d any lb? n u m ie k a b H , t d s w e h o a in f w g o n a H d li s r lb w w u a t a e g h b iting ou nt to ate e pizz . nge the tside th better fa s when he he a. to cha e to screw e pearly ard the much st and w n o O h . m t e furious u o s o t Fiv . b in it a c re d within. talk done Immedia rumming comin dible four to rt could’ve tely he g from What playing a e P do you call a drummer recogniz an Neil ed the was Bud d rushed to as with half a brain? k St. Pete dy Rich playing r e gates. S Gifted. drums in if that t. Peter re “Hey buddy, how lat side the sponde ” He just y? pla nd ba e th d es thinks h do : “No, tha e’s Budd t’s God. at y Rich.”

“Oh, about half a be r.” me um dr e behind th er What do you say to a drumm ? r suit e iece m e-p thre m in a e dru er ?” ar about th thing a drumm “Will the defendant please rise did you he y, e l?

H What’s the first o o h ? sc LA h to ig h es d mov ishe says when he sir? who fin fries with that, Me neither.

“Would you like

How is a d You kno rum solo like a sneeze? w it’s co ming, b nothing ut there you can ’s do abou t it.

Do you kn are drum ow why there mer joke s?

Because bass pla yers just wouldn’t understa nd.

identally

cc u do if you a What do yo ? er m m ru run over a d Back up.

r ri was camped fo an jungle, a safa a n ga be s um Deep in the Afric dr t darkness, distan . The the night. In the inued until dawn nt co at th g in bb ro th ss e tle id relen t the gu were disturbed, bu safari members drums stop, very n he W . od go “Drums reassured them: inued, and every nt e drumming co th t s gh ni y er Ev bad.” good. When drum iterated, “Drums til un ys da l ra night the guide re r seve This continues fo all stop, VERY bad.” enly stops and dd su g in m um dr e th ks ng as ni an or one m ing. The m c and run scream ni ry pa ve es g tiv in ok na lo e th guide the matter? The ” d, ba RY VE , RY the guide what’s VE n drums stop, he “W : ys ri. sa fa d sa ne e frighte ember of th bad?” asked a m he said. “Why is it solo begin!” ss ba , ums stop “Because when dr

What is the di fference betwee na drummer and a savings bond ?

One will matur e and make m oney.

and leader? say to the b er m m ru d e or too slow?”

What did th lay too fast p to e m t n “Do you wa

AC T UA L ST U D E N T E XC U S E S TO L D TO P E T E : I mastered it 3 times, but I can’t do it now because I lost the sheet of paper.

I’m a lefty now and the sheet you gave me was for a right handed drummer.

I didn’t have time (6 years old).

I needed you to count me in.

I was about to make fairy bread!

I hurt my pinky.

I forgot (over 7-week holiday).

I lost my socks.

My drums sticks are in the fish tank.

46

ACOUSTIC

ELECTRIC

DRUM

PROs

vs

&

DRUM

CONs

PROs

PROs

Quieter. Can play more often

It’s a “real kit“

Less space. Can go in the lounge or kitchen

CONs

Technology. Some have coaching abilities, (metronome, built in backing tracks and recording features) Tuning. Heads won’t go out of tune Running cost. Apart from a tiny bit of power, you wont need to replace drum heads, cymbals or even drumsticks very often, if at all CONs Speakers. In order for your friends and family to hear the sounds being played, you’ll need head phones for everyone or good full range speakers Dynamics. Although electronic kits have came a long way over the last ten years, their feel and dynamic range is not the same as an acoustic drum set. I’ve seen some bad habits can arise

Volume. You’ll need good neighbours and or a good drum space Consumables. Drum sticks, drum heads and some cymbals are likely to need replacing Hmmmm. This is actually hard to make a list of pros and cons for electric kits vs. acoustic drums. They both do different things and combining both to create a hybrid is become very normal. I have both and use each as much as the other. My Roland is a big shiny monster that can be played as hard and fast as I can but in order to sound good in a home studio or on stage, requires a bit of an investment of audio gear. But with an acoustic set I can literally set it up in the middle of nowhere and make drum sounds and is quicker to set up but the electric kit has 100’s of preset drum sounds, so I can sound like any kit I can imagine. I can even put digital gaff tape on the heads and move the mics to a different position (remember there aren’t any mics needed to channel AND amplify the sound) I can even make the snare sound like it’s in a canyon while the kick drum is in a dead sounding studio, all while set up in the kitchen. I’m not biased toward either. They are both great tools.

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et g I o d t a ? t h e W s m u r d r e n n i g e b a as Here is some advice for parents who are about to buy their first drum set for their son or daughter. Here is what you are most likely thinking: You:

Me:

I’ll get them a kit once they can play something.

It will take a while and lessons are for learning new things. It’s at home (on the kit) where the progress happens.

You:

Me:

I don’t want to spend too much just in case they don’t stick with it.

What if they give up because they have a junkyard kit? But... if the drive is there, the student will make anything work. This is apparent in very few students.

You: I have no where to put a drum set.

Me: Then maybe a small electric kit

will do the trick. I remember the

day that most houses had a

computer room.

You:

Me:

48

Can I get an acoustic drum set that is quiet?

Yes. There are things you can do to acoustic drums to quiet them down—tea towels on the drum heads and cymbals or replace the acoustic drum heads with mesh heads. They rebound a most like real but make almost no sound. There are cymbals that have the same effect. This is a special time in a young (or old) budding drummers life that could make or break them into an amazing life-long pursuit.

When you are at this point, please consider.

My question to you as a beginner, wouldn’t it be far to say that beginners need all the help they can get?

Having good sounding tools will help young drummers sound better and that will help them stay inspired to play. This single one page in this book could well be the info that gets any student of to the best start possible.

Very common questions from parents or caregivers are: Q. Where do I start?

A. At the beginning. If you delay the start you delay the learning. The process can be easy, or frustrating thinking of the neighbours, and where will I put a full drum set?

Q. What do I get that helps?

A. Some drummers need to hear the sounds and others need to feel the challenge of improvement. I’ve seen many students start at the beginning with zero ability, and over the years progress to something they are proud of. At home development can happen a number of ways either on a full drum set with many additional sounds, i.e., extra drums and extra cymbals.

Or on the other end of the spectrum, being challenged by the movement and accuracy of developing on a single surface, ie., practice pad, table or a VOSS water bottle lid. I’d encourage a mix of both.

Q. What is good but doesn’t cost to much?

A. The cost of not having the right start will be the cheapest and shortest drumming career, in most cases.

I say in most cases because there are some young drummers that can practice on anything, knowing that if they become great they can make something bad sound good. But this is very rare. In the modern age, kids are accustomed to being rewarded for leveling up with addictive sounds and bright somewhat paralysing colours. I’m referring to, dare I say it, computer games…

I’m fine with kids playing computer games. In fact, I do a keynote talk about how computer games can be an aid for progress outside of the game. My first drum set was a junky thing my dad bought from a garage sale on a Saturday afternoon for about $50. It was awesome.

I still remember that day!! One of my current drum sets is worth around 20k if I had to replace it all. I’ve had this Yamaha Recording Custom since I was 17.

Q. Where would I put a full drum set?

A. Wherever the student needs it. Some students need a private space where that can working on things away from eyes. Some students get embarrassed playing in front of others, particularly when they “mess up”. I find that students that need to play in front of people is for the constant and positive affirmations from their family. As we become more able as a drummer we (me included) love the admiration.

Q. What about the noise?

A. Refer to my article on electric vs. acoustic drum sets.

DRUM STICK

TYPES

DRUM STICKS – our tools come in MANY MANY shapes and sizes.

Knowing what is right for you will take some time, R & D, you might want something light and long, or short and solid, you might like a certain colour or a certain texture, or maybe a certain smell, Yes, some companies even use scented varnish like coconut.

Some stores hold many variations of drumsticks and a practice pad so you can spend some time finding the perfect stick for you.

The choices are endless. Perhaps if you have played with every drum stick possible and find nothing that works for you you could approach your local boutique drum stick manufacturer and look at creating your very own design.

REMEMBER, a good drummer NEVER blames their tools, but they can when they make them play or sound better.

Screen shots of the selection options on the Vic Firth Website

49

D

R

U

M

S

O

L

Here are some common (and some not so common) drum �things� you can do to form a drum solo. The possibilities are endless. The below grid is a blank canvas for you to plot some ideas together and work towards something unique to you. Come up with as many options as you can and work on them until they start to sound right.

R oll

Cymbals C ymba ls

C hoke B el l U p D o wn Pa l m M u t e (Pi t c h B en d ) E dge

R im

Toms T oms

Pi t c h B en d

Kick K ic k

S i d e o f S h el l

S tic k o n K ic k

R oll

F o o t T wi t c h

Snare S na r e

R oll R ims h o t C r o s s S tic k S n a r e Wi r es

HiH i Hat Hat

S t i c k U n d er Foot S pla s h S h a ft B el l

C a l l a n d An s wer

Patterns P a tter ns

S a mba M a mbo B os s a S wi n g S h u ffl e

Rudiments R udiments

S i n g l es D o u b l es Pa r a d i d d l es T r i p l et s Fla ms B u zz

S tic k T r ic k s S t a n d o n t h e D r u ms C ym b a l s o n D r u m s C o i n s o n D r u ms

X 50

O t h er

Other

R u d i men t s

Rudiments

S wing

Pa t t er n s

S huffel

B os s a

M a mbo

S a mba

C a ll a nd Ans wer

B uz z

F la ms

T r iplets

Doubles

P a r a didles

S ingles

C oins on Dr ums

C ymba ls on Dr ums

S tic k T r ic ks

Y

S ta nd on the Dr ums

D yn a mi c s

Wa lk Ar ound the Dr ums

Other O ther

Wa l k Ar o u n d t h e D r u ms

Patterns

O

M

A

T

R

I

X

As an example, from the Y axis choose cymbal/roll and from the X axis choose rudiment/paradiddle. If you are wondering what cymbal to use, Choose one or all of them.

Hi Hat

Hi Hat

S na r e

Snare

Kic k

Kick

to ms

Toms

E dge

P a lm M ute (P itc h B end)

U p Down

B ell

C hoke

R oll

R oll

P itc h B end

S ide of S hell

R im

S tic k on K ic k

F oot T witc h

S na r e Wir es

R im s hot

C r os s S tic k

R oll

B ell

S ha ft

F oot S pla s h

S tic k U nder

Some of these ideas might need some explaining. Just ask Pete the drum teacher.

C ymb a l s

Cymbals 51

for drummers

y theor

Some music

nt:

How to cou A

1

B

1

C

1

D

1

2 + e

+ +

3

2 a a

2 2

3

+ e

+ +

4

a

3

a

3

4

+ e

+ +

a a

4

+ e

4

+ +

a a

A

Quarter notes / Crotchet / 4 sounds per bar / No tail

B

Eighth Note / Quaver / 8 sounds per bar / 1 tail

C

Sixteenth notes / Semiquaver / 16 sounds per bar / 2 tails

D

8th Note Triplets / Quaver / 12 sounds per bar / 1 tail (triplet form)

Knowing how to count the rhyt hm and how to divi de up each no te perfectly is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT as pect to drumm ing.

Playing perfec tly in time with the click is necess ary to allow yo u to add additional note s/beats betwee n each down beat (or click on a met ro no me) if you or the m usic requires additional soun ds between ea ch note. The addi tional beats ar e called subdivisions. Th ere are many wa to create grea ys t rhythmic patt erns by switching betw een each of th e available subd ivisions, not ju st over the course of the song but w ithin each bar. For ex ample, the song “Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses is in 4/4 time except fo r the 5th bar from the en d of the song.

“No no no no no no, no ”, take a listen.

You’ll hear it. Being ab le to play betw een 4/4 and 3/4 with out speeding up or slowing down the time is cruc ial.

52

You can’t get better if you don’t do the work

SECRET BONUS CONTENT 3 (when the time is right, you will receive an SMS with info on how to unlock bonus content hidden on this page)

It’s Not Rocket Surgery,

It’s Brain Science!

The Neuroscience of Drumming: Researchers Discover the Secrets of Drumming & The Human Brain

Article by - in Health, Music, Neuroscience, Psychology | August 11th, 2015

The images in Mickey Hart’s light show are stylized, dynamic representations of brain activity driven by EEG data. Both Hart and neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley are quick to point out these images are art, not science. Tamarind Jones/Courtesy of Nvidia

54

An old musician’s joke goes “there are three kinds of drummers in the world—those who can count and those who can’t.” But perhaps there is an even more global divide. Perhaps there are three kinds of people in the world—those who can drum and those who can’t. Perhaps, as the promotional video above from GE suggests, drummers have fundamentally different brains than the rest of us. Today we highlight the scientific research into drummers’ brains, an expanding area of neuroscience and psychology that disproves a host of dumb drummer jokes. “Drummers,” writes Jordan Taylor Sloan at Mic, “can actually be smarter than their less rhythmicallyfocused bandmates.” This according to the findings of a Swedish study (Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm) which shows “a link between intelligence, good timing and the part of the brain used for problem-solving.”

As Gary Cleland puts it in The Telegraph, drummers “might actually be natural intellectuals.”

Neuroscientist David Eagleman, a renaissance researcher The New Yorker calls “a man obsessed with time,” found this out in an experiment he conducted with various professional drummers at Brian Eno’s studio. It was Eno who theorized that drummers have a unique mental makeup, and it turns out “Eno was right: drummers do have different brains from the rest.” Eagleman’s test showed “a huge statistical difference between the drummers’ timing and that of test subjects.” Says Eagleman, “Now we know that there is something anatomically different about them.” Their ability to keep time gives them an intuitive understanding of the rhythmic patterns they perceive all around them.

That difference can be annoying—like the pain of having perfect pitch in a perpetually off-key world.

But drumming ultimately has therapeutic value, providing the emotional and physical benefits collectively known as “drummer’s high,” an endorphin rush that can only be stimulated by playing music, not simply listening to it. In addition to increasing people’s pain thresholds, Oxford psychologists found, the endorphin-filled act of drumming increases positive emotions and leads people to work together in a more cooperative fashion.

Clash drummer Topper Headon discusses the therapeutic aspect of drumming in an interview, he calls drumming a “primeval” and distinctly, universally human activity. Former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley have high hopes for the science of rhythm. Hart, who has powered a light show with his brainwaves in concerts with his own band, discusses the “power” of rhythm to move crowds and bring Alzheimer’s patients back into the present moment.

Whether we can train ourselves to think and feel like drummers may be debatable. But as for whether drummers really do think in ways non-drummers can’t, consider the neuroscience of Stewart Copeland’s polyrhythmic beats, and the work of Terry Bozzio (below) playing the largest drumkit you’ve ever seen.

55

STICK

with it

Sometimes we, as parents, think things like “but what if my child doesn’t stick with it?,” or “what should I expect from lessons and how long will it take before I start to see some kind of result or ROI?” Over the course of my 25 years of teaching, I have had a good amount of “retention“, meaning that a lot of students stick around—I’ve had some students for over 8 years. Not being able to play a note in the beginning to playing in bands at 18. Not only seeing them take on the challenge of learning drums, but how they grow into young adults, getting their drivers Licence, relationships, buying houses and traveling are all amazing things to witness.

I’ve asked two of my longer “serving“ students and their parent to complete a small questionnaire that may have the answers to your questions as a parents or as a student.

Lachlan and Angus, both 16, have been students for around 10 years. Not only have I seen these two guys kill it on the drums every week, they have also attended other additional drum workshops to gain some bulk learning occasionally.

I’m delighted when students commit for the long haul. I actual will assume students who start are doing so with no end in sight. But unfortunately, students do leave for many reasons. The biggest reason would be that they are just not progressing.

I can put that down to two main reasons. One, the

56

level of work they do between week to week is low or none which make students feel like they are getting no where, which is actually accurate. Or two, they are doing the work but can’t see that they have improved. Yes drums can be hard, especially if we look at the details but above all else learning drums or any instrument can be a life long dedication but its up tp the individual on how they prioritise the learning or growth... I personally spend around 6-12 hours a week just keeping my hands in check out side of any other gig or lesson playing that comes along.

It’s takes work. Play the long game every day.

Have a read of what these guys have to say:

RESPONSES FROM ROXANNE (ANGUS’ MUM): Q. Can you remember how you come about starting lessons with me?

A. I met Pete through my work at Council as he was volunteering with the Northern Sound System. I really liked his enthusiasm and the way he interacted with young people coupled with his approach “education through inspiration”. It felt more than just standard music tuition which important to me.

Q. How did you feel about your son learning drums. Particularly in the first few weeks?

A. I had mixed feelings between this is a big investment for something that he may not take seriously or getting excited thinking maybe he is going to be the next “John Bonham”.

Q. What concerns did you have (if any) that might have gotten in the way of starting?

A. Just knowing when is the right age to get them started.

Q. Was there a time that you thought, “Hmmm, maybe this is the wrong instrument”?

A. It actually took a few years before Angus would practice so it wasn’t so much about which instrument but whether or not to keep going.

I did get to a point about two years in when I felt like Angus wasn’t taking it seriously and he seemed more interested in soccer but we hung in there and so glad we did.

Q. What do you think would be a highlight for you so far?

A. There are quite a few proud “mum” moments but the one that comes to mind is when Angus was invited to come up and play a song with Pete’s band at a council function. It was amazing to see him up on the stage “jamming” with an experienced group of musicians.

Q. How do you feel about the level of progress?

A. I’m really excited about Angus progress he is now a skilled drummer and is on the drum kit all the time. He is also teaching himself the bass guitar and keyboard. I am really excited to see what he can do in the future.

Q. Can you share any personally traits developed that might have been contributed to leaning drums (tapping on stuff, haha).

A. The other thing that I think has come out of Angus drumming is an absolute love of music across many eras and genres. Angus has exposed me to many artists from era of the 70’s & 80’s that I didn’t know existed so it’s been a learning curve for everyone.

Q. Do you believe my role as a drum teacher has been fair? Could I have been more structured in my delivery i.e., books and exams OR, do you believe that I’ve gotten the best results based on my teaching style?

A. I must admit while I really liked how Pete interacted with students. I did struggle with what I thought was his “unstructured” approach but it’s been nearly six years and Angus has come such a long way and still loves going to lessons.

RESPONSES FROM ANGUS: Q. Do you remember how you felt during the first few lessons?

A. A bit frustrated at the difficulty it took to do what seemed to be basic things, and as well in the sense of how long it might take me to get good at drumming.

Q. Do you believe you have been challenged to improve or had it been pretty easy?

A. I’ve had to make a very conscious effort to improve on my ability or I would have never been able to get anywhere. You can be exposed to education for as long as you want but you’ll never learn anything without actually putting in an effort.

Q. Are you excited about what the future holds as a drummer or are you just taking it day by day?

A. At the moment it’s mainly a day by day thing but I hope to use it in the future and I think as I progress in drumming the future element becomes a more relevant and tangible thing.

Q. What excites you the most about drumming?

A. Playing, being able to accomplish things you couldn’t before and sounding better as a result.

Q. What scares you the most about drumming?

A. Also playing, because it can be nerve-wracking as any performance can be. Also the effort it takes to improve can be a bit daunting at first because of how much time you realise you have to invest.

Q. What annoys you the most about drumming?

A. There’s a very big learning curve that seems to never end in learning the instrument. It’s also annoying because if you don’t try too hard you won’t improve and you end up somewhat frustrated at yourself for not doing what you perhaps should have.

Q. What is the most useful thing (tool or idea) you’ve been shown at lessons?

A. Hearing things being played 100%. Every time I’ve heard something isolated and replicated it’s became a lot easier to come to grips with and replicate myself.

Q. If a new student was starting drum lessons this week, what would you tell them?

A. When somebody says practice, you genuinely need to practice. You won’t just get generally decent along the way without putting a large amount of effort in.

57

RESPONSES FROM TAMI (LACHLAN’S MUM): Q. Can you remember how you come about starting lessons with me?

A. I was lucky enough to be working with your partner Michelle, and had met you socially a few times. When Lachlan decided he wanted to learn drums you were the obvious choice.

Q. How did you feel about your son learning drums, particularly in the first few weeks?

A. I was thrilled. I’ve always loved the drums and Lachlan chose them without any suggestion or prompting from me.

Q. What concerns did you have (if any) that might have gotten in the way of starting?

A. The drums seem like a pretty difficult instrument to learn so I was worried about how it might go. Was he too young? Would he find it too hard? And would that impact on his willingness to stick with it… or even start other new and challenging things.

Q. Was there a time that you thought, “hmmm… maybe this is the wrong instrument’”?

A. Nope. Lachlan picked it up really quickly and has the determination to beat each new challenge you set him. It turns out that drums couldn’t be more “right” for Lachlan.

Q. What do you think would be a highlight for you so far in the process?

A. The highlight is actually how consistent Lachlan has been with his playing. He’s persevered because he really enjoys it. I’m

thrilled that he’s found something that he can keep doing for as long as he wants. Having said that, I think that super proud mum moment of him playing on stage for the first time will be a memory I’ll treasure forever.

Q. How do you feel about the level of progress?

A. I’m really happy with how Lachlan has progressed. My priority has always been that he enjoys what he does, but when I hear some of the more complex things he plays I’m pretty proud of him.

Q. Can you share any personality traits developed that could be attributed to learning drums (e.g. tapping on stuff, haha).

A. He’s a tapper for sure. I’m not even sure he realises he’s doing it, but his feet will be moving in the car when the radio is on, or his hands tapping against his leg… and it’s always both hands or both feet!

Q. Do you believe my role as a drum teacher has been fair? Could I have been more structured in my delivery, i.e., books and exams OR do you believe that I’ve gotten the best results for your son based on my teaching style?

A. I’ve really appreciated that you’ve taken a flexible approach. You’ve responded to Lachlan and his interests/strengths, which means he’s gotten the most out of each lesson. I love that you set him challenges, because you know he will be intent on mastering whatever new skill you show him. I think it pushes him to do/learn more and I’m sure it’s a big part of why he’s stuck with the drums.

10-year old Lachlan

58

RESPONSES FROM LACHLAN Q. Do you remember how you felt during the first few lessons?

A. Not particularly to be honest, it’s a while back now! But I guess I would have been excited and curious to do something new.

Q. Do you believe you have been challenged to improve or has it been pretty easy?

A. Overall, it has been pretty easy. But that’s not to say there hasn’t been bits that were difficult or took effort to get. But on the whole it’s been simple and fun.

Q. Are you excited about what the future holds for you as a drummer, or are you just taking it day by day?

A. I’m just taking it day by day really. It is exciting to think about what I might be doing in the next lesson, or what might happen next, but overall I’m looking too far into the future.

Q. What excites you the most about drumming?

A. Probably discovering or making something new. Whether that’s a new groove or fill or style, and taking something fairly basic and turning into something new and fresh.

Q. What scares you the most about drumming?

A. Probably getting stuck on something and not making a whole lot of progress. But even then you do make little bits of progress even when you’re stuck on something and collectively, those are rewarding.

Q. What annoys you the most about drumming?

A. Similar to the previous question—getting stuck on something that you can’t do because you’re not mechanically skilled enough—like not being able to play fast enough.

Q. What is the most useful thing (tool or idea) you’ve been shown at lessons?

A. The rudiments, because they make up everything you do as a drummer. It can be boring if you think about them as basic patterns, but they’re the most useful thing you can ever have as a drummer.

16-year old Lachlan

Q. If a new student was starting drum lessons this week, what would you tell them?

A. Practice. Try and keep motivated. Practice every now and then, it doesn’t have to be for hours at a time, just keep your brain thinking about what you’re learning. Most of all have fun and don’t feel like you have to learn something.

Lastly, Q. What could I do better as an educator/mentor?

A. I don’t know. There’s not really much you need to do to improve in my opinion. But that might be because I’ve been learning for a while now. Someone new might prefer more structure. But for me personally, I can’t think of any improvements.

59

3

&

A

HA

LF

MINUTE

HANDS

Left Hand

30 seconds

8th notes

1+2+3+4+

Right Hand

30 seconds

8th notes

1+2+3+4

Left Hand

30 seconds

8th notes

1+2+3+4+

Right Hand

30 seconds

8th notes

1+2+3+4+

Unison (both hands at exactly the same time)

30 seconds

8th notes

1+2+3+4+

L R Singles

30 seconds

16th notes

1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a

R L Singles

30 seconds

16th notes

1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a

I am certain that you can find 3 minutes and 30 seconds at some point each day to go through this above simple exercise at least once. If you can’t afford three and a half minutes of time, you may never reach your true potential as a drummer.

This ONE simple exercise will shape your hands and/or feet to allow you to play better. I’ve kept it really simple so that you won’t get bogged down on detail. Sometimes, the devil is in the detail, but in this case, the delight of playing more (faster and/or more articulated) is the goal. There is some brain science involved in this quick workout. That is, assuming you are a right-handed player (according to studies, only 10% of the world’s population is left-handed). The reason I started with your left (less dominant) hand is so you can take onboard the strange feeling you may have while maneuvering your left hand. And, when the 30 seconds is up, you will feel a sense of relief that your right hand is better at doing the job.

However, don’t just sit back and think you have nailed it. Use the more controlled nature of your right hand to program your left (or less dominant) hand. Your left hand will learn from your right hand. This cycle repeats twice (left, then right, then left, then right). By now, you would have done two minutes of controlled bounce wrist development.

The next step is unison: right and left hand simultaneously. Make sure you are creating one sound (not flams). Up until now, you are playing 8th notes (1+2+3+4+). After 30 seconds of unison hands, slide your right hand to fill in the gap between your left hand’s 8th note. This becomes

the16th notes: 1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a. Then after 30 seconds, on the left hand, lead the 16th, not singles, then switch to the right hand and lead the 16th note singles.

Once completed, you would have just played a solid bit of work that would create a better playing ability. There are a number of BPM (beats per minute) options starting at 80 bpm and heading up to 180 pbm. But there is no need to stop there.

Just make sure you don’t progress to the next BPM simply for the sake of being a super fast freak show. Accuracy is key. Here’s a fun fact. If you play at 80 bpm, you would have played 400 individual notes. If you’re playing the 180 bpm option, you would have almost reached 1,000 hits on the snare; thus, you could say that you are 1,000 notes better than you were before you started.

Definitely work through these on a good rebound surface, i.e., a practice pad. I’d recommend not playing these on a snare drum every time. This is so you can focus on the movement of your wrist and stick. This exercise is not about the sound.

Do all these without accents. And for additional training, have a go on the floor tom from time to time. The rebound is completely different from what the snare drum offers. Note that when doing unison on the floor tom, you’ll see that one stick will likely rebound faster than the other due to the vibration of the drum head. Grab a video in slow motion, and you’ll see.

Enjoy. PB

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Not only does Pete teach most days of the week in schools and after schools, here are some of the education/performance events that have been created for students and the wider music community.

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The worst part about being a creative like most musicians are, is the admin. So I’ve solved that problem. ALL music education professionals can now just get on with with the actual job of EDUCATION.

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Pete the Drum Teacher’s GUIDE TO ALL THINGS DRUMMING And Beyond — VOL. 1 This guide is perfect for you if you want to:

Improve your drumming Learn about the drumming industry Push your self to gain best results Play better than you can right now Be inspired by your own abilities

With 25 years of teaching, I’ve came up with many teaching tools and strategies that get the best out of each individual student. Most of those strategies are in this guide—Volume 1.

Call it a study guide, text book, resource book or magazine—the content available to you in this guide, when applied to your world of drumming will get you results. By registering your ownership of this guide online, you will continue to receive additional EXCLUSIVE content for many years to come directly from Pete the drum teacher, as well as discounts and freebies to support you along your journey to become the best drummer you can be.

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