This time of year most of us tend to get sentimental, thinking of our first drum sets under the Christmas tree or our favorite brand of sticks that Santa carefully places in our stockings every year.  For some, this will be the first year that you give your son or daughter the opportunity to learn how to play drums by purchasing them their new drum set, practice pad, sticks, or instructional DVD.

You might attend or participate in a Christmas concert, playing or listening to age old music that may or may not have been jazzed up to suit the modern era.  Millions of people will watch network Christmas specials, cheesy holiday movies, or rerun marathons of a holiday classic.  The important part of all of this, no matter what your beliefs, is that you spend time with your family and/or those your care about and take the time to enjoy what you do have.

Bitter about that 10 year old percussion plus kit with the cracked cymbals you’ve been playing since you first picked up a drumstick?  Jealous that a fellow drummer just got that brand new solid maple, custom pork pie kit with the pristine Zildjian K Customs?  It all doesn’t matter.  You have the gift of playing percussion well and hopefully you have friends and family that support you doing it.

Pissed off that you just saw this other local drummer that completely upstaged you?  Stop being a baby and talk to the guy about learning from him.  Even if he doesn’t give you lessons, in the spirit of drummer comradery he will probably be obliged to toss you some pointers.  Use that person as inspiration and not a target of jealousy.

Through the holiday season (and hopefully through out the year) you should look and be thankful for the things that are important to you and the opportunities that can and will arise in the future.  Look back to the morning you walked out of your bedroom, sleepy eyed, in your footy pajamas and saw that new beginners drum kit with the red bow around it and keep that memory in the fore front of your mind.  Because it truly is memories like this and the hope that you will some day provide that memory for another young drummer that keeps the holiday spirit alive.

This is a guest post by Courtney Brandt;  author of the books The Line, A Fine Line, and Keeping In Line

If you would have told 14-year-old Courtney Brandt how much drum line would impact and ultimately change her life, she probably would have laughed in your face. Entering high school, I was an oboist (that’s right, a woodwind player). I knew I wanted to stay with my friends who were all joining the high school marching band. One problem. My particular instrument was not of the marching variety. Now, as you probably are not aware, most oboists choose to play flute and remain safely with their woodwind kindred. Not me. I heard the drum line on our 8th grade “field trip” to the marching section of the stands one night in the fall and somehow knew I was destined for the group. I could read notes better than a lot of 8th grade drummers, and after announcing my decision to join the Line, was plonked in the Pit. That day, I began a four-year relationship with the Brookwood High School percussion section and unknowingly set in motion the foundation for a series of novels which would introduce me to a number of amazing and talented people.

But freshman Courtney had no idea what she was in store for… She had no clue the friends, crushes, heartaches, victories, losses, highs, lows, discipline and lessons that drum line was going to provide. She just liked the sound of it all – the cadences, the rudiments, the loudness of everything.

As the school year started, I realized I loved being a part of something so unique and competitive. In a high school where my graduating class numbered over six hundred students, being one of three girls in my grade on the Line, I felt like I had something a little different than everyone else. In a place where you’re constantly trying to find your identity, drum line gave me a place to start. In my first semester as a member of the drum line, there were other changes. My vocabulary saw a strong influx of new expletives. I made additional friends and saw different sides of old ones. There was a place to sit in the lunch room, inside jokes, and attractive upperclassmen to chat with. When indoor season came around, the Line went to PASIC and placed in the top five. I was proud, confident, and part of something bigger than myself.

By the end of my sophomore year, no longer content to be on the sidelines in the front line, I basically swore to myself that I was going to make the Battery or die trying. From the last home game to the day of auditions, I practiced daily. This lesson was one of the most fundamental I learned, and still use every day. At fifteen, after putting a lot of hard work into something, I met my goal – and was awarded 2nd bass. From that moment, on, as clichéd as it sounds, I really felt that if I worked hard enough at anything, I would ultimately see results. No questions. No doubt. And this lesson could apply to everything from a job interview to grad school to publishing a book. Ironically, I think it was being in the section in the first place that gave me the confidence to try for the more competitive part of that same section.

I am not without regrets. Not auditioning for or marching with DCI is the highest on my list. When I interact with readers now, it’s one of the things I am most proud to see and one of the activities I encourage the most. There are very few experiences in today’s world that involve the responsibility, dedication, passion, and discipline that marching a summer with Drum Corps International can teach. Since I can’t go on tour, I now live vicariously through my characters and send them on adventures for a summer.

After my high school career, I hung up my mallets and spent the next few years at college. Near graduation, I decided to apply for film school and called a friend (a senior from when I was a freshman on the Line) and asked him about his experience. I’ll never forget his response. He replied, “It’s funny, because you’ll understand like no one else would. It’s a lot like drum line…”

For the same masters application, I wrote of an audition…the same one I had practiced so hard for a few years previously and the one that would ultimately start my first book. After that, I continued writing. I found a community of other band geeks who supported me and I told them stories of a fictional marching community…not too unlike my experiences. Anyone who marched with me can recognize who relates to whom, but as the series continued and I got more involved with the characters, the created world took on its own identity.

Today, I am usually in disbelief of where drum line has brought me. From where I started to where I am today, and all the people it has put me in contact with, it sometimes seems impossible. And, of course, there’s always the future. I think about that 15 year old girl, drumming in the cold basement and know I can make her proud. It is one of my biggest goals to have one of my books adapted into a film. And believing what I do, I won’t be happy until I accomplish that fact.

I’m excited to see that someone decided to write a novel based on being in drum line.  My time in drumline has shaped who I have become and is one of the most memorable times in my life.  I highly recommend being in drum line to any and all young drummers out there.

As luck would have it one day, instead of having a normal rehearsal my band was going to work on our new music video.  I had grabbed my video camera to use as a backup or secondary camera and while driving the thought came to me.  I wanted to give my readers an inside look on how my band, an indie band with some technological knowledge, creates music videos.

Now, this video isn’t going to go into specifics of exactly how to edit and shoot videos against a green screen.  However, it does give an overview of what we do and a peek at what the shoot actually looks like.  The two songs featured in my video are “Still Me” A song that will be on our new CD Blaming Tim Vs. The Mechanical Robots From Outer Space.  The second song more prominently featured is “Made For TV Movie” which will also be on the new CD.  So if you dig the music, visit blamingtim.com for more information on the band.

Without further ado I present to you A Behind The Scenes Look At Making An Indie Music Video:

It wasn’t until a year ago when I became serious about protecting my hearing.  Cheap throw away ear plugs are so cheap there really is no excuse to not use them.  I used to wear earplugs while I was in drum line.  I think think that this was mostly because, as a group, we all consented that this was  a good idea.  And since a group mentality seems to have more power then solitary though in may situations, I obliged and wore the earplugs at every performance and rehearsal.

However, in my personal life I was playing guitar for a four piece band and would always tend to neglect ear protection.  This would sometimes result in nights where I would hear very low, digital sounding bass tones in my ears – making it very difficult to go to sleep.  But, it never failed that at the next practice I would easily forget the pain I went through and again elect to not wear ear plugs.

Something that was discovered by my peers in drumline was that not only did the earplugs help protect your ears, they actually helped us to find mistakes.  In drumline, the goal is to sound as one.  The earplugs helped us to eliminate a lot of overhead noise and hear just the drums.  It was so much easier to hear someone else who was out of sync with the rest of us, while at the same time keeping our ears safe.

Now, as an adult, I wear earplugs religiously at every practice.  You can make up any excuse you want – I look silly with ear plugs, They are uncomfortable, I’m waiting to buy some super expensive drummer specific ear protection, etc..  All of these are nothing but excuses and the more you practice without earplugs, the more you are doing to end your career as a musician early.

So, if you aren’t wearing ear protection now – I encourage you to stop at a drugstore before your next rehearsal and pickup a cheap pack of disposable ear plugs and find out that wearing them really isn’t as bad as you think it might be.

This is a guest post Kent Aberle who has been a mentor and friend of mine for a while – he’s also an awesome Atlanta session drummer

Merry xmas!  This time of year gives birth to many new drummers as kids all over the world walk downstairs to their first drumset under the tree.

If you are playing Santa this year and buying your child his or her first drumset, or even 2nd drumset for the teenage drummer it can be a stressful situation.  There are so many choices now at different prices.  Don’t stress!  The beauty of the many choices is that there is something for every budget.  So, the first thing to do is decide your budget.

Beginner $350-$700.  2nd kit or teenager $700 to $1100.

The beginner is usually going to need everything including drums, hardware (stands,pedal, and seat), and cymbals.  I highly recommend not spending less than $349 on a drumset with cymbals.  Anything lower than that is usually a brand that doesn’t have a history, parts, etc and the quality will be poor.  The $350 drumset usually will consist of a 5pc drumset, hardware, and cheap cymbals in 3 or 4 finishes.  The cost cutting for this kit is done on the cymbals.  They are usually a no-name cymbal that will work for a child to beat on but they have no musical value.  This kit will do well for someone of the age 10-14 yrs old started on a smaller budget.

The $699 range will include upgrades all around.  The drums are better, the hardware is better, and there is a major upgrade in cymbals.  This price range is recommended for drummers in the 13-16 year old range.  This kit will last a lifetime if it’s well maintained, and would make a great 2nd kit for any drummer for the practice space, or just jammin w/ friends.

My favorite range of drums is the $700-$1100 range.  This range is great for any drummers if the budget works and will give the drummer the most value, selection, and playability.  This range offers kits made of birch, maple, and mahogany.  There are many different configurations available as well as finishes.  Most of these kits don’t come with cymbals.  However, good sounding cymbal packs start at about $250.  If you spend $750 on the drumset w/ hardware and add the cymbal pack, you have a professional looking and sounding setup for only $1000.  This price range is even better for the 2nd kit.  If the hardware from the first drumset is still in good shape, you can purchase a shell pack and really see an upgrade in drums.  This kit will last a lifetime and is great for any drummer of any skill level of any age.

It is a great time to be a drummer either starting out or getting that step-up drumset.  When I was a kid there was either cheap stuff or really expensive stuff.  Today’s drum market has something for every budget.  Stop in to your locally owned drum shop or music store and see for yourself.

Kent just released a new drum instructional DVD “Technique and Musicality For The Weekend Warrior”, which is available for purchase on his website: www.kentaberledrums.com/the-dvd.

The sound engineer has the power to make you sound crazy awesome or like a blurry, muddy mess.  This is why for live shows it helps to befriend your engineer during sound check (a tip or some drinks won’t hurt either).

My band, Blaming Tim finished the tracks to our new cd several months ago.  However, we kept finding that we weren’t entirely thrilled with the mixes we were getting back.  Not to say that the engineer wasn’t any good – we just couldn’t agree on a sound.  Our piano player, Tim decided that it might be a good idea to look else where for final mix and mastering.

And the best person we could find for our budget happend to be in Chicago.  Since the windy city is so far away from Atlanta, we used the power of the internet(s) to send him the raw tracks.  The results – an amazing mix that I am loving the more I listen to.

In the original mixes I felt slightly discouraged.  My drumming did not sound confident.  To me it sounded like I was missing parts, not playing loud enough, or just overall making a mess of the song… This was not how I remembered feeling during the initial recording sessions.  I mean I was tired putting in 10 hour days behind a kit, but I still remember being much more confident in my abilities.

Now that we have re-mixed tracks I have that initial feeling of “You nailed it” while listening to the tracks.  The point of this article is that, as the title states – The Sound Engineer Has The Power To Make Or Break You.

Anyone else have an experience like this or a sound engineer they would like to recommend.  Let us know about them in the comments.

When we think of the drum kit, we usually think that all the drums are of the same brand and type.  This would be a good assumption!  A drummer wants to make sure that their drums have the same ‘timbre’ throughout, that even though the sizes differ, the drums tonally match regardless which size is struck.

A similar case can be made for speakers.  You could buy two different brands of speakers, similar in size, with identical specifications as far as watts per channel, impedance, sensitivity, etc.  But when you set them up as a left and right speaker in a stereo setting, they sound different.  Likewise if you mix and match brands of speakers in a surround sound environment, the sound difference can be quite pronounced between speakers.  This has a lot to do with the design of the drivers within the cabinet, the placement of the drivers within the cabinet, the construction quality of the drivers and cabinet, and the like.

The same can be said about drums.  If you have a 10” tom from brand A, say, Ludwig, and then another 10” tom from Tama, even if they have the same type of head and tuned similarly, they would tend to sound different.  Sometimes even if they’re made of the same material, such as maple or birch, they may sound different due to the different manufacturing process of each, thickness of the shell, etc.

So due to the above, for good reasons, drummers tend to stay with one brand of drums for the whole kit.  This doesn’t necessarily include specialty drums, however, such as mini timbales, roto toms, or Tama’s famous Octobans.  These have special sound properties (usually higher pitched) that give more options and melodic possibilities for drummers who want that flexibility.  However, there’s one particular drum in the set that, well, most drummers in the know would rather you ‘leave it alone’.

That drum would be the snare drum.  The title of this article, “Leave That Snare Alone!”, is actually a play on words from an instrumental by Canadian rock power trio Rush called “Leave That Thing Alone”, which I talk about extensively in a drum lesson I produced regarding the single stroke four rudiment ().  Most drummers after they’ve played for a while may gravitate towards a particular sounding snare, and actually may never part with it!  Others hold on to their first snare drum because they got used to that sound.  The rest of the kit could come and go, but the snare stays.

For the longest time, Neil Peart of Rush used one of his original snares, the brand being Slingerland, way up until the Counterparts tour (circa 1993).  He affectionately calls it his “Number One”.  He went through some kit changes through the years, both configuration and brand.   He went from Slingerland to Tama, then to Ludwig, and then for the last 13 years or so he’s been using Drum Workshop.  But his ‘Number One’ he had been using up until the last brand with all the others prior.

The thing about the snare is that it is as individual as the drummers themselves.  For those that can only afford one snare, they try to make it sound as much to their liking as possible, and stick with it.  If they ever buy or trade their drum kit, sometimes they’ll think twice about parting with their snare.

Many times, though, drummers will have multiple snares for different types of music, and these they may keep no matter what brand kit they have.  Because once you have the sound you want, you want to keep it with you.

This is why many drum companies not only will have kits with snare drum included, but will also have their own line of specialty snares to cater to the individuality of their customers.  You can go to the web sites of Tama, Drum Workshop, and Pearl, for example, to see their extensive line of specialty snares to cater to those who are looking for specific features and sounds in a snare, that they may not be getting from the brand of kit they’re currently using.

Such is the specialty of snares that there are drum companies that make only snares.  Two examples are Dunnett Classic Drums, and Longo Drums.  As you examine the product line of these drum companies, you’ll notice the various materials used to make the snares,  be it metals (titanium, brass, bronze, copper, and more) or woods (walnut, maple, cherry, oak, and more).  There is such an assortment of sound from the abundance and availability of the snare drum that you’re bound to find one (or several!) that you’ll absolutely love, and never want to part with.

As an example of one of these snares, Drum Center of Portsmouth, NH has a video on YouTube demonstrating the sound of one of the Dunnett Classic snares, the Stainless Steel 6.5×14”.  It would be a great exercise to listen to the different sounds of as many snares as possible, from as many companies as possible, to discover how versatile and varied this very important drum can sound.

I personally own two snare drums (I plan to add more!).  I have a DW Pacific FS Series 5×14” birch snare (which is part of my 5pc kit of the same make and model), natural to charcoal finish.  I also have a DW Pacific metal snare, 5×13”.  The FS Series snare is adequate and sounds pretty good, but I’ve heard better sounding snares that I would rather have; I’m not that attached to it.  My metal snare is my ‘Number One’, a gift from the Mrs.  It has a higher pitch than the FS snare, which I like because it sounds somewhat like a piccolo snare.  Not too long ago I played a drum cover to a song where I incorporated both snares.  Please check out my cover of the Yes classic “Future Times/Rejoice”, where I use the 13” metal snare on my left for the higher pitched sections of the song, and the main FS snare the rest of the time.  See if you notice the difference!

So as you can see, us drummers are very attached to our snares.  So much so that there are drum companies dedicated to just that drum.  As mentioned, taking a field trip to a music store, or a drum store if you’re lucky to have one close by, is a great idea so as to play around with all the different snares to get a feel for what sounds best to you.  Eventually, you also will become so attached to your snare that you also will be saying, “leave that snare alone!”

Read More Of Omar’s Informative Posts On TheParadiddler.com or follow him on twitter for live updates

Say what you want about the band or even Tre; he has always been an inspiration in not only musicianship and ability, but also showmanship.  You can spin around up in the air on a drum riser all you want and that’s cool, but Tre knows how to shock, entertain, and captivate a crowd with little more then his drum set, sticks, and wit (sometimes a flame and some lighter fluid help too ala Woodstock).

Tre’s sense of humor is easily shown in the release of Greenday’s live DVD/CD release Bullet In A Bible in which most of the time he is being interviewed, he is in full Canadian Mountie uniform and not even acknowledging it.

At age 12 Frank was given the name Tre Cool by Lookout! Records owner Lawrence Livermore.

From Tre’s bio on greenday.net:

Tre decided to drop out of high school his sophmore year. However, he did pass an equivalency test and earned his GED, and he even began taking classes at a nearby community college. He had to drop out of college however, when the demands of Green Day’s touring intensified. Tre’s father, who owns a small trucking company, overhauled a used bookmobile, and even served as the driver on three seperate tours. “I watched them go from a bunch of kids to a group of musicians with work ethic,” says Tre’s father, Frank Wright. “On their first tour or two, it was more of a party than anything else. I still scratch my head and say, ‘How in the hell did they make it?’ They used to practice in my living room here — a lot of the songs they did on Dookie. You hear it coming together, and you don’t expect people are going to go out and buy it. But when it does, you just say, ‘Wow, that’s so cool.’” (Rolling Stone, January 26, 1995)

A quick search on youtube will yield tons of videos of Tre’s antics on and off the stage.

Tre has used the drums of different companies. Tré currently uses Leedy drums and Zildjian cymbals. In the past, he used DW,Ludwig and Slingerland drums, currently he is still listed as an endorser in Ludwig’s website.

Drum kit: Leedy custom maple set in White Marine Nitron with Remo heads

• 18″×22″ Bass drum
• 9″×13″ Tom
• 16″×16″ Floor Tom
• 16″×18″ Floor Tom
• 6.5″×14″ Leedy Broadway Standard Snare

Cymbals: Zildjian

• 14″ K Constantinople/Z Special hi-hats
• 19″ K Dark Crash Medium Thin
• 19″ A Medium Thin Crash
• 22″ A Deep Ride
• 21″ A Sweet Ride
• 20″ Oriental Classic China

Drumsticks: Zildjian Tré Cool Signature

So that’s my quick write up on the drummer that most influenced me to get behind a kit.  Let me know down in the comments section who it was that inspired you to start playing drums and why.

I was fortunate enough to have great parents that understood my addiction to playing drums and even luckier to have neighbors that didn’t mind the drumming or the band practices as long as it wasn’t too early in the morning or late at night.  Hell, sometimes they would come over just to check out the band.

However, now I’m all grown up and have a house and neighbors of my own along with a beautiful wife and 2 crazy dogs that go nuts over the sound of someone knocking on the door, let alone banging drums upstairs (the dogs that is, not the wife).  I haven’t tested the waters with the neighbors yet mostly because of the strange looks I get just loading and unloading the drumset before and after gigs.  I tend to stick to just using a practice pad at home or using a pillow when I feel the need to exercise my wrist strength.

I leave the actual practice on the drumset to band rehearsals.  And after reading this news article, I’m glad that my parents and neighbors were so understanding.  Now, I’m not saying that you should worry about being in the line of fire for doing what you love to do, but it never hurts to take precautions.  Omar (the paradiddler) wrote many great suggestions on trying to keep peace with the neighbors including a link to audiomute who’s slogan is “We make soundproofing simple”.  Looking over their products, it looks like they have a great line and I can’t wait to make a purchase once I start to create my own practice space.

I’m not going to go over all the ways you can sound proof your space in this article (I probably will in the future).  If you are looking for some basic, easy ways to appease those who share your dwelling or live next to you – I suggest you take a look at Omar’s article.

Maybe you are lucky like I was when I was growing up and you have great neighbors – or maybe you hate your neighbors and don’t care how loud you are.  Either way it was an interesting read and I highly suggest you consider it before practicing at home.

Remember when configuring your setup – start with the drum throne, then build out from there… Snare, Bass, Pedals, Hats, and so on.

Adam Silverman just did a write up on his approach to drum set setup -

For me personally, I sit really high on my seat, almost as high as it goes. That allows my legs to hang free below me, so when I am doing my fast bass drum grooves and using double bass I don’t have the stress on those hip flexors. If I sit too low I get this burning in my upper hip, and I feel like I can’t move my legs at all, so that’s why I sit so high.

So stop straining yourself and make a contribution to your health as a drummer.  Take a jump over to adamdrums.com and read his post on Drumset Setup.

Do you have any tricks or tips you use for setting up your kit?  Please share them in the comments below.