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Keep on Playing Percussion!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Some Playing Exam...ples!
Here are some clips of us demonstrating our favorite instruments:
TRIANGLE
Basic Beating Technique
Roll, Crescendo and Diminuendo
TAMBOURINE
Thumb Rolls
Basic Beats
Fist-Knee Technique
Shake Roll
HAND DRUMS (CONGA)
Basic Beating
Sunday, April 20, 2014
More Basic Shapes: The Circle
The Drum Circle!
Basically, you sit in 'le circle' and you go around and interact with one another using hand drums.
- Create and underlying groove for teh lowest drums (congas) to play.
- Make sure it is basic enough for them to keep steady.
- Create more complicated for the middle and upper drums (djembe and bongos respectively).
- Have one person do a "call" and have other people respond.
- Improvise over a set number of bars
- End with a final run through of the basic groove.
More information one drum circles (especially on drum circles in music therapy) can be found at
Sum Dret
-Drum Set
-Always
put a rug under your drum set
-Start
with bass drumàfoundation
(right foot)
-Pedal—wing
nut tightens the clamp (connects it to bottom of the drum)
-Put
clamp around the rum and tighten
-Beater
30º-45º (Usually on the lower end) away from drum head
-Closer
is better (softer) (adjust tension to adjust)
-Sound
based on drum head, etc. (hole vs. no hole)
-Dampen
the drum somehow with something touching close head
-Should
probably be a rather dry sound
-Stool—adjust
to height of the player!
-Knees
slightly below the hip socket
-Heel slightly
more toward drum than the knee
-Drums
should be as ergonomic as possible
-Straight
back, everything within reach
-High
Hat (left foot)
-Heel
anchored
-Heel-toe
(rock back [1/3] and forward [2/4]) (More motion)
-Ball
of foot (heel off of ground) (tires the calf)
-Eliminate
clutter/unnecessary sound in the rhythm section (balance)
-Cymbals
should be more prominent than skins (opposite of rock)
-More
drums
-Funk/RockàDryer
set sound (tight vs. sloppy)
-Usually
need to find a middle ground rather than changing kits for style
-High
Hat
-Combo—1
or less inch of space is good
-Big
Band—about 1.5 to 2 inches of space for volume
-Bottom
cymbal at a bit of an angle to avoid suction (adjustable)
-Clutch—essential
to playing the high hat
-Keep
an extra around to make sure it is always workable
-Need
felts on both sides (keep these around too)
-Cymbals
need to be comfortable distance
-Roll
up a newspaperàunder
armpitsàplay
cymbalàfalls
outàtoo
far
-Snare
-Make
sure the snare throw is within reach—on the side toward you
-Snare
too highàwill
start to hit the rims and shoulders rise
-Snare
too lowàlegs
get in the way
-Matched
grip (subinated) (helps with mallet playing)
-vs. traditional
jazz (pronated) (more kit oriented)
-Rack
tom attached to bass drum
-W/
floor tomàDon’t
overcomplicate the setup
-Cymbals
at 30º-40º angles (not hanging, not parallel)
-China
cymbal (rivets—sizzles more)
-Getting
people started on drums
-Time-keepingàquarter
note pulse (Drums with Justin)
-Left
foot, right hand
-CompingàInteractions
with band
-Right
foot, left hand
-Four
on the Floor (contradicts last 4 lines)
-Common
in earlier jazz
-Puts
the pulse in the body
-Mimics
marching bass drum
-Makes
right foot a timekeeper
-Coordination
exercise
-All
4 on all 4 beats—hit at same time, etc.
-Right
side all 4
-Add
high hat on all 4à2
& 4 (or 1 & 3 if too hard)
-Maintain
unaccented style on ride on all 4 beats
-Thumb
up when tapping the ride—like hammering
-Timpani
grip; mostly in the wrist
-Once
you can do basic time
-Add
bass drum and snare comping
-Bass
drum on 1 and snare on 3
-Drum
kicks
1)
Don’t kick sax figures
2)
Bones—use bass drum
3)
Trumpets—use snare drum
4)
Brass (all horns) as follows
-Books
to buy for students
-Drums
-“The
Art of Bop Drumming”—John Riley (CPP Media)
-“Beyond
Bop” (More advanced book)
-“Drum
Set Essentials”—Peter Erskine (Alfred Publishers)
-“Advanced
Techniques for the Modern Drummer”—Jim Chapin
-“Stick Control" —Stone
-“Groove Essentials”—Tommy Igoe
-“Advanced Funk Studies”—Jim Chapin
-“Rhythm
Section Workshop”—Latham
-Anything
by Steve Houghton
-Drum
notes
-Setting
up hitsàbe
simple—don’t overdo it
-2
Beat feelàput
more space in time keeping (on the ride)
Drum gooves
-Latin
Musicàlight
pulse
-Brushesàstart
with time, not even stirring the soup
-Rudiments
between cymbal and tomtom while keeping 4/4 pulse in bass/high hat
-Dizzy’s
Big BandàGood
Recordings
-Kenny
Dorham—“Una Mas”
-“Music
of the Hispanic Caribbean” –Book with Recordings
-“The
Art of Brushes—7 hour video
Setting Up!
Playing!
Basic Shapes
Pop Quiz!
What is the smallest number of sides you can use to make a polygon?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 4
d. 3
...
...
...
...
That really took you too long...
It is (d.)
Which brings me to...
TRIANGLES!
History
-Originally an Arabic War Instrument
-Completely closed shape originally
MODERN TRIANGLES (Think Andy Warhol)
-Always have an open end
-Play with the hand of the opposite side of the open end
-Playing spot is on the bottom corner (closed end)
-Play on the inside
-Play at a 45 degree angle
-Focus on hitting the same spot because there are a variety of sounds
Rolls (It's what's for breakfast)
-Between 2 sides of the closed corner (top or side--whatever is more comfortable)
-Crescendo (start in the corner and move toward the center)
Make
- Steel (More overtones - more versatile)
- Brass (Darker - more complex sound)
Companies
- Black Swamp
- Grover
Standard Size
- 6" or 8"
Get Beaters from the Hardware Store
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