Category: Jam Session
Hello all,
I recently got a new drum set, and have a couple of questions. I put tape in a square around the edges of the toms to kill some of the overtones, and stuffed a blanket in the base, which has a similar affect. Now it's down to technique learning. I can pick up beats and play with them, but I"m trying to figure out how to do the single-tap two-handed drum roll on the snares, and also multiple beats with the high hat. I can get the basic tap but there are some beats I've heard where it's like a tap, then they do another tap but it's the same as using a normal symbol. I can let off the peddle a bit to get that affect, but when I push down again I end up getting another beat; do I just dampen with that?
I'm pretty much self taught, I started using the drums a couple years ago and have only played a few times, but we've played in a band and I was told I sounded pretty good, so I think it's just down to getting down techniques.
Well, if you want to train to be somewhat serious, train with a metronom, I'm learning the hard way I should've done this from the beginning and I am having to frantically readjust now that I am recording an album )granted we've been recording this damn thing forever and never got anywhere but we're finally getting somewhere but strictly with the help of a click track, since me and my friend live 600 miles apart and cannot play together on takes).
Also just play a lot, mess with the set, try different set up, I find it hard to get that perfect, but you need to be able to hit the drums 99% of the time at least, play along with tracks and play by yourself quite a bit, get used to the sound of the set. The hi hat trick, well, usually the closing of the hi hat is masked by you hittiing a different drum and so it really is a non issue, plus the mics really don't pick it up well when you're putting down a track.
You can use the left foot to play the hi hat a bit like a metrnom, and then either do more complicated drumming things with both hands or play the ride as well. Check out, for instance, Mayonese by the Smashing Pumpkins where Chamberlain does this masterfully, most of his drum tracks utilize this technique actually, it gets a bit monotonous but it is also very cool sometimes.
I think getting drum lessons for a while in hitting and stick techniques is a great idea, I wish I had done that, I learnt quite a bit in marching band and I consider myself a pretty decent drummer today, no session musician, but good enough for pretty complex drum tracks that we're putting down.
If you have the money getting an electronic kit is excellent, they usually come with a build in click track you can use to practice, even practice mode and songs so you can get analysis on how on or off the beat you are, new ones start from around $1000 for Yamaha but you can get used ones for quite a bit cheaper.
But, most of all, don't be shy, bang away, by yourself or with others (I fully realize how dirty this may sound) and enjoy it, that's how you learn best.
Werd, thanks. I can keep a good beat, I've played in a band a bit before, I just want to get better, learn more techniques, etc. I was working on being able to do multiple taps on the base, something like disturbed's ten thousand fists song, I've either gotta work on speed, or adjust the peddle some. Good to know that about the highhat too, I didn't see a way of masking it, but maybe I can just tie that in.
Thanks again for the ideas.
For tat high hat thi there are several things you can do. You can simply tap the high hat again wen you close it, which wll mask the sound of it closing, and make another beat. Or, you can do what the drummer fr system of a down does and hit the high hat when its open, and then close it without hitting it, it makes a ool sound.
There is no set way to do it, whatever feels comfortable and sounds cool to you. Just play around with it a bit and see what you come up with. It also depend on what your tryng to do, some songs sound better with two taps, some sond better with one. Its all in what your looking for in a certain part of a certain song.
My best advice, take your favorite band, or your favorite am, put it on your headphones, and keep playng that album over and over and over until you get it right. Then move on to making your own stuff. That will teach you technique. I used toxicity by system of a down. It kicked my as at first, but I eentually got it. That tauhgt me a lot of symbol technique and made me find rhythms I liked.
Just find a song or an album you like, and play it. Thats m best advice. Or have fun, which is my advice for everything.
Hope this helps.
Also see if you can find a version of the song with all the tracks isolated so you can hear just drums .. I know nine inch nails and lamb of god are two bands that have released some of their albums in that format as well usually for the purposes of remixing but you can use it to learn songs as well. Also if you were refering to double bass when you mentione double tap on the bass drum, don't you need a double bass pedal for that .
Hi The Creator,
You might also try looking up basic drum rudaments on Youtube. You can find many free videos on there where proffessional, and not so proffessional drummers go over basic rudaments such as single-stroke, double-stroke and all the way up to 21-stroke rolls, flam and its varients, paradiddle and its varients, etc. Once you've mastered these basic rudaments, they will give you the building blocks of rhythm. You then can move on to patterns and fills, and you will find that you are constantly using the rudaments in various combinations, various rhythms and accented beats, cyncopation and many other techniques all with the basic rudaments to make complex and musical rhythms.