Deconstruct Yourself - Part 4

Let’s look at expanding your vocabulary and working on a sense of focus. The 1st thing to do is take away everything from your drum kit except the Hi-hat, Ride Cymbal, Snare, & Bass Drum. Often a larger kit can lead to distraction: too many choices. This basic 4-piece set up lets you focus on the heart of the rhythm, the heart of the groove.
  • First off, play through various beats/rhythms and when you play a fill, use the instruments in front of you. Work on getting different sounds/textures out of these instruments. Hit them in different places, use the tip/shaft/butt of the stick, use mallets/brushes/etc. —be creative.
  • Next, take away one of the pieces. Now go through the same process.
  • Then, return what you took away and take away something else. Repeat until you have played as a 3-piece minus each of the 4 pieces.
  • Now take away 2 pieces and play through the same material. Stretch your mind; stretch your creativity to make it work.
  • Repeat this process playing in each 2-piece combination.
  • Now reduce your set up down to 1 piece at a time and again, play through the same material. Make it work, make it happen, make it groove. Notice your thought process and how you can’t rely on old habits or clichés anymore.
  • Finally, start reassembling your original drum kit 1 piece at a time. Pay attention to what happens when you return something to your set up. Do you revert to old habits, or can you move past them?
Where have you been? What have you learned? Reflect upon your experience and think about it the next time you play your full drum set with a band.
~ MB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tam Tam vs Gong

Image
I can't tell you how many times this argument of "A tam tam is not a Gong" comes up. It came my way no less than 3 different times this week. Actually, 'tam tam' (also tam-tam) was 1st used in symphonic music back in the 1800s to differentiate a flat faced Gong from a Gong with a raised center 'boss.' (There is no definitive answer as to where the term tam tam originated - some say it's Chinese, some say it's Hindi, still others say it's something else…) To add to the confusion, 'tam-tam' is a term often used for either an   African  djembe or talking drum. When a score calls for a 'tam tam' (like Messiaen’s 'Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum' or various works of Richard Wagner), then a flat faced Gong, like a Chinese Chau, is used. Flat Faced Chinese Chau Gong/Tam Tam When a score calls for a 'Gong' (like Puccini’s 'Madame Butterfly', or 'Turandot'), then a bossed Gon
Read more

What to Look for When Buying a Gong

Image
Today's blog is a revised & updated blog I posted 3 years ago on my old website. I'm always having people ask me about buying a Gong. Well, here's some tips: •••••••• So you’ve decided to get a Gong. The first thing to ask is, what will I use a Gong for? What type of music do you play? Do you want to use it in a rock band, a jazz band, solo? Are you looking for a meditation device? These are important questions and will help determine what type and size of Gong to get.  One important thing to look at is how big a Gong do you want? Gongs are heavy. Gongs are not easy to transport. If this Gong will stay in your house/studio, then that makes it easy to have a larger size. But if you plan to travel in a band with it,  you need to look at the impact a different size Gong will have on transporting it.  A lot of drummers want a Gong because they look cool and sound cool. They also want that type of sound in their percussive arsenal.  A good place to star
Read more

Music Notation for Gongs

Image
Recently, I was asked a question about how Gongs are notated in a musical score. Here are various examples of different ways they have been notated, from traditional classical, to modern musical forms. The first thing is to differentiate the 2 main types of Gongs: the flat faced, usually termed Tam Tam in a classical score, and the Bossed Gong, with a raised center boss (AKA cup, nipple). A good example of a traditional symphonic Tam Tam part would be from Gustav Holst’s, The Planets . This example is from Mars, the Bringer of War : We can see the Gong/Tam Tam notated traditionally on a single staff line.  The next example is from Puccini’s opera, Turandot . This is the Tam Tam part, notated on the bottom line. Example #3 is also from Turandot. The score also calls for Tuned Bossed Gongs. Unfortunately I was unable to find a score example of them. John Cage used various Gongs in his percussion music. This is an example of how he notated the
Read more