The recipe is not the cookie!

Today I worked with some AWESOME junior high percussionists. They worked hard, and we had a lot of fun. They also put up with my crazy analogies and stories really well. (Thanks, guys!)

Along the way we discovered another great way to think about sheet music, or what we sometimes call, "the chart." Whatever you call it, it's the paper with ink on it that tells you what to play, be it tabs, standard notation, a lead sheet or head chart.

This comparison is really simple: the written music is the recipe, as if you were making a batch of cookies. The recipe may call for flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, etc, just like the music calls for rhythm, pitch, dynamics, phrasing, etc.

Ultimately, the addition of the ingredients, the mixing, the tweaking and the baking? All up to you. That's why my version of cookies is very different from my mom's, even though we follow the exact same recipe. And that's why your version of a song may be very different from somebody else's.

One more thing: It's been said that you can tell when food is cooked with love, and the same can be said for music. When following the "recipe" for your next performance, cook it up with love and both you and your audience will appreciate it.

And remember, just like the recipe is not the cookie, the sheet of paper with all the ink on it is not the music.

Happy drumming!

Bag of Tricks: Simple Jazz Fill

Here's a simple idea to get you going. This fill isn't exactly subtle, but if you really lay back on it, it's pretty swingin'.

Try to keep the unaccented snare drum notes down (soft) as much as possible. You can then use the accents to develop the "melody" of the movement around the kit, and you don't have to play loudly. Remember that, in terms of dynamics, the more you can whisper, the more a normal voice will sound like shouting. It's all about contrast.

And, finally, the sticking. I like to play the first triplet alternating, starting with the right hand (so R L R), then play L L R the rest of the way.

Happy drumming!

The Weight Room: Single Stroke Mayhem

We all know the "Eight On A Hand" exercise. It's a staple of drumming life. So, let's take it to the next level, shall we?

Much of the music we play on the drum kit (and really all percussion, for that matter) requires a fair amount of endurance. To meet that need, use a simple, "Sixteen On A Hand" exercise. Just take "Eight On A Hand," and extend the form to two measures (sixteen consecutive notes) on each hand, and change the time signature to cut time or 2/2.

Even simpler, just think of the exercise as one measure of sixteenth notes for each hand.

As always, remember to start slow, stay relaxed, and gradually increase the tempo. It should take weeks, if not months, to work up to obscene tempos (tempi?), so just work it up one or two clicks per day.

As an added bonus, this will increase your single stroke speed (I know - duh! Didn't I just say that?). Think about this: alternating sixteenths are really just Eight On A Hand. If you start the left hand one sixteenth note after the right hand, then both hands are playing eighth notes, but the result is single stroke sixteenths.

When you start with Sixteen On A Hand, the same idea (left starts one 32nd note after the right) applies, and you get alternating 32nds. Sweet, no?!

Hopefully that all makes sense. Try it. You'll like it. And you'll be faster in no time.

Happy drumming!