Rhythm

[Bobby Timmons]

I was gassing for a 2nd instrument, so I decided to actually be prudent and spend minimal $$ for maximum benefit to my main instrument. Just got a 6 inch drum pad and 2b barrel tip sticks. My goal isn't to progress at drumming, it's just to develop my rhythm. Do 1/4 notes, 1/4 note triplets, 1/8 notes, 1/8 note triplets, 1/16 notes etc to a metronome. Do some rudiments, do some tunes, solo etc. My rhythm at the piano already feels better. Also, if anyone has ideas on what to work on that'd be welcome.

[mr. beaumont]

Get some brushes!

Playing brushes is an obsession of mine.

[Bobby Timmons]

That's a good idea. What surface do you play them on?

[mr. beaumont]

I bought one of those "quiet snare" practice pads, but I hardly ever use it. Usually just the back of a corkboard placemat at my dining room table, or on a piece of cardboard.

[AllanAllen]

Amazon.com

This is the only drum book you’ll ever need.

[Bobby Timmons]

^ Though my goal is to mostly dick around, I want to have some semblance of the official way to do things, so I might have to get that.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

That's a good idea. What surface do you play them on?

Cardboard pizza boxes work good, no kidding.

Kenny Clarke played brushes on a phone book on that home session with Bird and Tristano. Problem: No one uses phone books anymore and a cell phone is rather inept as surface ...

[mr. beaumont]

Cardboard pizza boxes work good, no kidding.

Kenny Clarke played brushes on a phone book on that home session with Bird and Tristano. Problem: No one uses phone books anymore and a cell phone is rather inept as surface ...

Yep!

My go to in my classroom is a cardboard pizza circle I got from the cafeteria.

[bako]

Subdivision and accent exercises are cool but in my opinion the best mileage will come from playing along with recordings with drummers and musicians that have more than rudiments together, that is if your goal is to expand and solidify your overall rhythmic game.

[AllanAllen]

Subdivision and accent exercises are cool but in my opinion the best mileage will come from playing along with recordings with drummers and musicians that have more than rudiments together, that is if your goal is to expand and solidify your overall rhythmic game.

Don’t skip the foundation. Drummers need to learn subdivision and accents just like we need to learn the scales across the neck.

[pamosmusic]

I bought one of those "quiet snare" practice pads, but I hardly ever use it. Usually just the back of a corkboard placemat at my dining room table, or on a piece of cardboard.

I played with a trumpet player a couple times who kept brushes and a folded newspaper in his case. When he wasn't playing, he'd put the newspaper on his lap and play on that.

[pamosmusic]

Don’t skip the foundation. Drummers need to learn subdivision and accents just like we need to learn the scales across the neck.

I'd agree with this too probably ... especially since the tool here is a drum pad. Also sticking and rudiments can inform the ole articulation in interesting ways.

[ccroft]

I found this interesting and you might too. Skip to around 6:20:

Hand-drum, doumbek, congos, trap-set, practice pad. All very good for you.

[Bobby Timmons]

^ Pretty cool. Find parallels between drums and another instrument. That's what I want to do.

I think the guitarist might be on drugs! :P

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

[...] I think the guitarist might be on drugs! :P

Sometimes it is better to watch your words or at least try to remember forum member names ...

Okazaki plays complete Monk, Live in NYC, Oct 2024

[Bobby Timmons]

Subdivision and accent exercises are cool but in my opinion the best mileage will come from playing along with recordings with drummers and musicians that have more than rudiments together, that is if your goal is to expand and solidify your overall rhythmic game.

I will work real music stuff. Don't want to only be in fundamental land.

I decided to just get a practice pad to focus on my hands since that's all you use on piano. I used to have an electric drum kit but wasn't that good at it and didn't have the dedication to devote time to it aside from melody/harmony instruments to get good. So I don't really want to try to become a legit drummer. My main goal is to work stuff that will help my piano playing. Although working on real music would probably serve that goal haha. I'll never drum in a band or choose my live drumming over a drum track on recordings so yeah.

I'd agree with this too probably ... especially since the tool here is a drum pad. Also sticking and rudiments can inform the ole articulation in interesting ways.

I'm already feeling improvements. On piano you can use your touch and the rest of your playing to get a satisfactory sound even if the rhythm is kind of off. On drums, it's all rhythm and articulation and it won't sound good without that. So it teaches you to isolate that and it's easier to bring that up to standard at piano with the rest of the music elements going. That and it's also improving my wrist dexterity.

My dexterity is naturally kind of bad. I have mild neurologic shakes. Also, I was an athlete before a musician. One of my main sports was swimming, where you don't use dexterity in your fingers at all, and you coordinate the rest of your body. I think it's possible that had a negative impact on my dexterity.

[Bobby Timmons]

Sometimes it is better to watch your words or at least try to remember forum member names ...

Okazaki plays complete Monk, Live in NYC, Oct 2024

Ya ma

[pamosmusic]

Ya ma

Miles is intense … I also stole most of my “drums for picking” ideas from him.

I use the Stick Control for the Snare Drummer book for a lot of that stuff.

[Christian Miller]

Actually jazzers moan, but you go and play a gig with your mates at someone’s party, don’t need rehearse, get paid two or three hundred quid and go home. You can do nice jazz club gigs and things and it’s all very cosy and most people are lovely.

I’ve spoken to guys who have done your support slots for Alice Cooper and they earn no money. Quite the opposite.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[djg]

Actually jazzers moan, but you go and play a gig with your mates at someone’s party, don’t need rehearse, get paid two or three hundred quid and go home.

yeah, and if you're very lucky you do that 20 times *each* month and still only make 4k, self-employed, before taxes, no free weekends.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

Actually jazzers moan, but you go and play a gig with your mates at someone’s party, don’t need rehearse, get paid two or three hundred quid and go home. You can do nice jazz club gigs and things and it’s all very cosy and most people are lovely.

I’ve spoken to guys who have done your support slots for Alice Cooper and they earn no money. Quite the opposite.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In another life I have played several support tours. You can calculate a few hundred bucks per week for renting a nightliner. We were lucky not having to pay for the opportunity to support -- which is a usual thing and probably impossible without the backing of a record company.

[Christian Miller]

In another life I have played several support tours. You can calculate a few hundred bucks per week for renting a nightliner. We were lucky not having to pay for the opportunity to support -- which is a usual thing and probably impossible without the backing of a record company.

I don’t mean to be rude, but I daresay this was a long time ago as well right?

Collapse of recording revenue… So tours are no longer a way to promote album sales and therefore possible to run at a loss - Artists and record companies looking to make money on tour now, ticket prices hiked, budget for everything goes down.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Christian Miller]

yeah, and if you're very lucky you do that 20 times *each* month and still only make 4k, self-employed, before taxes, no free weekends.

There ya go!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

I don’t mean to be rude, but I daresay this was a long time ago as well right?

Collapse of recording revenue… So tours are no longer a way to promote album sales and therefore possible to run at a loss - Artists looking to make money on tour now, ticket prices hiked, budget for everything goes down.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's not rude, that other life was a quarter of a century ago. But I think the most money that you can make on tour anyway is still in merchandise (and that's the only way for a support act -- or a smaller act -- to get at least a little financial return). Even if you do not sell many CDs anymore these days (vinyl might be a different story depending on the target audience) you can still sell T-Shirts and other stuff. I know a few bands personally (having worked for them -- lighting) that made a few thousand Euros every night from merchandise alone. But that was after they became really famous (nationally) and sold out big places -- which is rather the exception.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

There ya go!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And then people blame Tristano for telling his students to take on a day job ...