Learning the Drum Kit

The Basics

Before you start to play a drum kit, there are a few basic principles you must know.  First, you need to know the parts of a standard drum kit.  Your standard drum kit comes with a High-Hat, a Snare Drum, a Bass Drum (operated with a pedal with the right foot, though sometimes with the left foot as well if you are using a Double Bass Pedal,) two or three Tom-Tom drums (or Toms for short,) a Crash Cymbal, and a Ride Cymbal.  Learning how to arrange these in the proper order is important, but customization is both allowed and encouraged.  How you hold and use the drum sticks is also a crucial part of learning to play the drum kit properly.  The two most common and accepted styles of holding he sticks are known as Traditional and Matched Grip.  Traditional is common among jazz players, where matched is the most widely taught and seen grip.  These two grips both have advantages and disadvantages over the other, and both sets of grips should be practiced in order to be more versatile and well-rounded.

Limb independence is crucial when learning how to play the drum kit.  Since you aren’t normally hitting every part of the drum at the same time, you need to be able to do separate rhythms in both your hands and feet, all at the same time.  There are many exercises to practice limb independence, and I have provided a video at the end of this to learn some of these exercises.  Learning proper stick control and where exactly you want to hit your drums and cymbals to get a specific sound are also important, but these skills take a little more time, experimentation, and a sensitive ear to develop.  With the drums set up, sticks in hand, and a bit of limb independence, it is finally time to start learning the drum kit.

Well-Known Players

Neil Peart-(Rush)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWRMOJQDiLU

Consistently rated Rock-n-Roll’s #1 Drummer of all time.  His mastery of polyrhythms, time signatures, and his metronomic playing have been inspiring children and adults around the world to learn the drums for the past 40 years.

Vinnie Colaiuta-(Frank Zappa, Sting, Eric Clapton, Chick Corea, Herbie Handcock, and many more)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHXE9V7ph5k

An accomplished studio musician, touring band member, and solo artist, Vinnie Colaiuta has been tearing up the drums for the past 40 years.  Known for his outlandish fills and amazing manipulation of rhythm and tempo.  Added to the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1996.

Phil Collins-(Genesis, Brand X, Solo Career)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWgphYPf0PA

Highly respected drummer, most known for work in Genesis as the lead singer and drummer.     Though his later work is simpler and pop sounding, he was originally just the drummer of Genesis back when they were a progressive-rock band.  He also has jazz fusion experience as the drummer for Brand X.

Buddy Rich

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9esWG6A6g-k

Considered to be one of, if not the greatest drummer of all time.  The most well-known jazz drummer known for his groove, playing speed, and virtuosity.  His use of rudiments for soloing along with his stick control make him one of the cleanest drummers of all time, while still maintain an almost laid-back feel to everything he plays.

Resources

http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Drum-Tabs -This resource will teach you how to read drum tablature.  It provides detailed passages as well as images to help you visualize what to do when you are reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et9hU7QMDYU –This video teaches you the very basics of how to play the drums.  It starts from the ground up by telling you which parts of the drum kit are which, as well as how to play a basic 4/4 rhythm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHEpY0aBTaU –This video goes over the differences between matched and traditional grip.  Aside from this, it also teaches you better stick control for each style of grip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0G-jcQcwmc –This video is for beginners who are learning limb independence.  The instructor in the video gives us 5 different exercises in varying tempos to really help separate the right hand and right foot, as well as incorporate the left foot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s65HYr–4A –This video will teach you how to properly set you your drum kit.  The instructor goes over how to set up each drum individually and in order, and then tells you where to place the drums relative to you at the drum stool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl9wgXSfxew –Learning how to tune your drums is a crucial thing all drummers must learn.  The instructor doesn’t just tell you what to do, he plays the drum he is tuning so you can hear what it should sound like, as well as showing us how to proper use the drum key.

Writing/Composing an Original Piece

For this project, I am planning on writing/composing an original song.  Before I start writing the piece, there are a few factors I need to figure out.  First, I need to determine the type of piece I want to write.  I want to make a progressive-rock inspired piece, with hints of jazz and avant-garde sprinkled in the mix.  I can accomplish this by using main elements from Prog-Rock (odd time signature, varying keys, changing tempos, etc.)  I can add the other elements by including arhythmic sections, non-chord tones, and instrumentation among other things.  Speaking of instrumentation, this is another important part you should decide on before you start composing, though this can be altered at any time.  For my piece, I intend to use the “staple” instruments of the progressive-rock genre (Guitar, Bass, Keyboard, Drum set,) but I would also like to add in some wind instruments to help solidify the jazz inspiration.

While I am writing the piece, I will mostly be doing it by playing a part on my bass or at the piano than writing it down onto some staff paper.  From there, I will take that music and put it onto Finale so I can better organize my ideas and have a much nicer looking final product (https://www.finalemusic.com/UserManuals/Finale2012Mac/Content/Finale/Finale_Tutorials.htm).    I plan on using a combination of lead-sheets and notated parts for others to read and perform from.  I’m not entirely sure of the form or musical devices I would like to use yet, but this is because I am not one for placing restrictions on myself before I have even began to write the music.  Bearing all of these things in mind, I am ready to start the writing/composing process.

No piece is normally written out and perfect on the first try.  Revisions are a normal and necessary part of the artistic process of composing.  The way I plan to tell if my piece needs revisions is if it “feels right.”  This may seem like a vague answer, and it is, but I will try to explain just what I mean.  If I can catch myself whistling my melody or the song is stuck in my head throughout the day, these are signs that my piece may not need too much work.  While listening to the piece, I don’t want it to be too sparse so I don’t get bored, but not so active I can’t focus on a single part.  I will also show my piece to others to get their opinions and ideas on the piece, and adjust accordingly.

Examples/Inspirations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9lpLm7jwQY – “Frownland” by Captain Beefheart. -Captain Beefheart was at the forefront of the avant-garde genre.  this song exemplifies many of the traits I am looking to copy for my piece, such a arhythmic parts and lots of dissonance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlNrQGmj6oQ – “Cygnus X-1 (pt. 1 and 2)” by Rush- Rush was the first band I ever truly fell in love with.  Cygnus X-1/Hemispheres uses all the main elements of a progressive-rock song, such as time signature and themes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEZwa1Funh0 –“Village of the Sun & Echidna’s Arf (Of You)” by Frank Zappa-In these two songs, Zappa uses a standard rock group setup, but he also adds many other instruments like winds and auxiliary percussion to add a jazz-esque undertone to both songs.  I am also planning to make a complicated instrumental part in my song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5de507jW2k –“Let’s Make the Water Turn Black/Harry You’re A Beast/The Orange County Lumber Truck” by Frank Zappa-This is a medley of three Frank Zappa songs played in a very jazz-based style.  Seeing how Frank Zappa altered his original works to fit this new style will greatly help me with turning my song “jazzy.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYDlxVjPLAw –“Abdiel” by Consider the Source- This song uses elements from middle-eastern music which is normally dissonant to Westerners.  I can learn how to more properly use dissonance as part of the harmony, as opposed to just adding in odd notes.  I also am a huge fan of their use of effects, both sound effects and instrumental effects.

The Facets Model

Whenever I or my students look at a new piece, I am a huge supporter of the Facets Model. The Facets Model is a rubric of sorts that has us deeply analyze various components of an artistic work in order to better understand and express whatever the work/creator of the work wants us to express. In this post I will briefly explain the Facets Model and give a summary of how it can be used in a music classroom.

The first things that can be looked at is the context of the work. This section covers the topics of who created the work, when and where was it created, and why was it made. For example, learning that a piece was composed by Mozart tells us what style the piece is in, the instrumentation, and what the genre of the piece is depending on Mozart’s personal musical development at the time of its composition.

The next thing covered in the Facets Model is the expressive meanings of the work. From this we can derive both the subject of the work as well as what is being expressed. When looking at a piece like “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky, we can learn that the piece is a ballet about a young girl who is sacrificed to her peoples’ ancestors. Knowing this information allows us to make musical choices to help reflect the overall theme of the piece as well as the themes within the individual sections.

We can then look at the next part of the model; relating the creator of the work’s craft to the entire work. By looking at what the creator does within their work (such as Word Painting in a piece to show ascending to Heaven) we can get a much better idea of how to play or look at a specific section of their work.

The final thing to look at is the various artistic elements and overall form of the work. In a musical setting, we can use this model to see the various components of a piece (rhythm, dynamics, timbre, etc.) as well as the overall organization of a piece. By using the Facets Model, we can gain a great amount of detail about a piece and how we can better perform it. (Barrett, Janet Revell, The Facets Model, BandQuest)

My Teaching Philosophy

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”
—Plato (428 BC – 348 BC) Greek philosopher

My teaching philosophy is a simple one at first glance. My goal is to teach students lessons that they can use for the rest of their lives. However, I don’t simply mean “I hope my students will keep playing their instruments for the rest of their lives and become the best musicians ever.” Of course I would love for this to happen but that isn’t my goal as a teacher. What I truly want for my students is a knowledge of music aside from “I like/dislike this song.” I want to provide them with the tools and knowledge to properly assess and explain why they feel this way about music. Music is an omnipresent factor in all of our lives. We all listen to music on the radio, on TV, in commercials, on an album, and so many other mediums, so there is no denying the cultural and “human” importance music has for us. Having more people who are musically literate in the world is important because music is important to us all. This isn’t to say that I don’t want my students to be the best musicians they can be. What I simply mean by this is that my goal is that everyone who takes a class from me has at least something they can take away from it.

Aside from knowing more about music, my job as a teacher is also that of a role model. We spend countless hours with our students, be it in the classroom or on field trips or during performances. Being placed in charge of others people children is no small undertaking, so we owe it to both the parents and the students to be the most positive role models we can be. We follow the students through all of the key areas of their development. Teachers should teach their students’ not just school lessons, but life lessons they can take and use with them when they become the adults and role models for future generations. (http://teach.com/what/teachers-change-lives/teachers-are-role-models)

Advocacy: Why Should Music be Taught in Schools?

The inclusion of music and the arts is pivotal for the educational growth of all students. This doesn’t just come from me as a future music educator, this idea has been shown time and time again in various scientific studies throughout the world. Students who study music in school have higher GPAs, higher attendance and graduation rates, improved reading skills, and many, many more. Aside from simply doing better on tests or in school, students who study music also show a higher capacity for creative thinking, a higher capacity for critical thinking, emotional awareness, an easier time engaging in their work, etc. An easy-to-read list can be found at http://broaderminded.com/ for a more comprehensive list of studies and anecdotal evidence that shows students and teachers advocating for music education in schools.

Not only does teaching the arts help with other topics found in the school, but learning the arts brings its own set of new challenges to the students. The National Core Arts Standards were recently updated this past year, and provide a great deal of information about what can be learned from the arts. Students learn how to conceptualize, organize, and refine a new artistic work. They learn how to analyze and select a work to present, refine that presentation, and convey meaning through the presentation of that work. They learn how to properly interoperate and evaluate other people’s works. The students’ also learn how to connect personal and cultural/historical/societal experiences and how they influence a work or art or music. For a complete list of the 2014 National Core art standards, you can visit http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/.

Assessment

As an educator, I plan on assessing my students using both formative and summative assessment. According to the Carnegie Mellon University website, Formative Assessment can be defined as gathering feedback that both the student and teacher can use to help both parties learn and grow while continuing to learn about a subject. An example of formative assessment in a music education setting would be sight-reading a new piece of music to see what parts of the piece will require the most attention. Assessing the students ability to play the piece would both show them what areas they need to look at the most and require the most work, as well as inform me of what areas to look at and what issues I could see the students have playing the piece. With this knowledge, both the student and I can better adjust our lessons to help tackle these issues. Summative Assessment on the other hand measures the students’ knowledge/proficiency against a benchmark at the end of learning the subject. A final exam or recital are both great examples of summative assessment. (http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/howto/basics/formative-summative.html)

I am strong proponent of Formative Assessment in music education. The thing that makes music different from other topics taught in schools is that in is an expression of creativity, not simply facts and formulas. This aspect of creativity makes it much harder to say what constitutes right vs. wrong in music. Formative assessment is great for a topic such as music because it allows me to give proper feedback to the students. They can then take this feedback back with them and apply it while they practice in order to grow in the most proficient and helpful manner possible. This process can also be referred to as Assessment for Learning. This student centered task allows the students to be active in their learning, whole the teacher is still there to both guide and teach the students on any skills they may have issues with. By giving feedback to the students, both they and the educator can grow together to allow for the most nurturing teaching environment possible. (Scott, Sheila J., Music Educators Journal Rethinking the Roles of Assessment in Music Education)

Learning Theory: Humanism and its Impact on the Classroom

When it comes to teaching, I am a large proponent of the Humanist Learning Theory. Humanism can be defined as “a paradigm/philosophy/pedagogical approach that believes learning is viewed as a personal act to fulfill one’s potential.” (http://www.learning-theories.com/humanism.html) To me, what this means is that Humanism is treating each student as the individuals they are, teaching them on an individual basis based on their need/ability, and that their learning should come from the students desire to learn. The reason I am personally attracted to this theory for music education is because music and musical tastes are all personal. Everyone has different genres and artists they like and dislike, and that idea can just as easily be applied to learning an instrument. Some people like woodwinds, others like brass, some like strings or percussion or keyboard instruments. The list can go on and on, but the point is learning music in any degree is and should be treated on a personal basis.

The idea of teaching based on individual need extends far out from simply what music or instruments people like to listen to or play. Teaching students is this manner also allows for a more in-depth classroom experience for the students and the teacher. Having that more peer-to-peer relationship with the student will help them in the long run. With the educator able to help with more detail-oriented issues, students will get the most out of their music education while still learning the things they desire to learn. The concept of self-actualization is a key part of humanism. Taking into account that everyone has personal needs and tastes, I as an educator would be able to help nurture those elements while also teaching things the student may not have known about (such as more classically-oriented repertoire.) By providing the students with all of the information and skills they need, they can then go on to learn music either with help from a private instructor or on their own. This desire to grow as a musician on their own allows the students to a point of “self-actualization,” is this scenario meaning learning their strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes on their own with a teacher there to facilitate them along the way.