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.