Stick Control

I bash. Ask my hi-hats. They're angry with me. I hit them WAAAY too hard. I learned long ago from some drummer on the message board on the Tape Op site (a GREAT resource for MANY topics, I recommend trolling for anyone looking for technical knowledge about recording) that for appropriate sounding drums, one must hit the drums like you're angry, and hit the cymbals like you're sorry. Had I applied this long ago in a jam session with my buddy ChrisB and his friend Shawn, I would still have my Sabian AAXPlosion Crash. I miss it. :(

Stick control is a difficult concept for the beginning drummer to master. "What, you mean I can't hit the cymbals as loud as I want to?! But I've got anger to release, and adrenaline coursing through my veins! I'm a feral animal looking to lay siege to this circular shapen brass! My sticks are just extensions of my need to pound this beat into its own existence!!" When the tinnitus in your ears (and mine) stops ringing, listen here:

Cymbals and drums are completely different instruments. Drums have a low, hollow sound that hum when you strike them. Cymbals have a high, shimmery crash and then a ring out to them. The whole purpose for a cymbal "crash" is to infuse the song/musical piece with dynamics, punctuate patterns, add textures and voices. So when you're playing a groove and you want to indicate that the pattern will repeat, just wait and listen for the cymbal to bring you back around.

...but the hats. Oh, I can't help but feel the need to get all "aggro" when it comes to certain rock beats. Like "When The Levee Breaks" by Zeppelin... I just wanna HulkSmash that brass together!

To fix this, I'm thinking I'll have to work on something my friend Kit told me about. He said he learned it from Brain's video, "Shredding Repis On The Gnar Gnar Rad". How hard or soft one hits the drum is relative to the stick height. So when I lift my sticks up high off of the head, I WILL bring them back down hard again (as a factor of gravity, and my need to feel the groove), whereas if I barely let the tip of the stick hover over the head, I will not build any inertia when striking the drum again. Kit explained it in terms of degrees. Flex the wrist at 90 degrees, and you have quite a heavy stick hit, versus 45 degrees, the stick hit is not as loud.

I plan to use this in practice. Playing at a moderately fast tempo, and using 5 different stick heights to bring my stick to and simulate playing dynamically. I think first, I'll barely tap the head, trying to stay very quiet but also stay very even with the metronome. Then raise the relative stick height to about half an inch higher each "level" I get to. That way, I'm focused on how much control I can have.

But let's not stop there! I'll also try varying the levels of a double stroke. So the first exercise is for an alternating right-hand, left-hand pattern (open roll). This next exercise I'll use to vary the strokes when I'm hitting the drum twice with the same hand. This time, I'd start with a tempo I could play very relaxed with, and start with the stick height on the first stroke being higher, and then lowering it for the second stroke (and then alternate that to the other side). THEN, you switch which of those notes is the higher height.

Don't forget the feet! You'll want to make sure that your feet are at least keeping time. However, since I'm trying to incorporate more "double bass playing", I'll be working more to keep the alternating right-left-right-left pattern and keeping that going with my hands so I can build up the coordination (and cross-talk between contralateral movements and accenting). This IS a good exercise for the feet, though, and you can use your hands to do all of the time-keeping/alternating.

In thinking about my jazz patterns, (spang, spang-a-lang, spang-a-lang, spang-a-lang spang-a), I think it would be useful for me to develop my own progressive steps manual for that.

Trunk practice was yesterday, and it was great! I talk more about it tomorrow. I just wanted to get these thoughts out before I forgot.