Thank you, blogosphere!

To the audience: I just need to give a sincere shout-out to all who read and contribute to this blog. It took from the first post in October 2010 until December 2011 (yep, about 14 months) to get to 1,000 total site visits. Our next 1,000 (for a total of just over 2,000) took until yesterday.

That means we were able to double our total site visits in under a month. Wow!!

Truly, from every key on my keyboard and every note in my repertoire, thank you. 


As a small token of appreciation, I'm giving away some free stuff. You can enter to win by liking the Facebook page and becoming a member of the blogsite. There's a button that says, "Join this site" up to your left as you read this.

As always, happy drumming!

Friday Feature: Tony Williams

Just start here.

Are you back? Good. Not much more I can tell you about Tony Williams except that he's one of the great players of all time, and has had as much influence on modern drumming as any other player, and more than the vast majority.

I saw Tony Williams play a clinic in Salt Lake City shortly before he died. It was one of the experiences that helped to shape my view of what drumming is, and what's possible. He was very classy, a fiery performer, and very willing to pass on what he knew.

Thanks, Tony, for giving us your gift. We still miss you!

Happy drumming!

Bag of Tricks: Keane, "Somewhere Only We Know"

A very cool, simple fill. At the 2:24 mark in the video, you can watch it played it so there's no question about how it's done. The drummer is Richard Hughes, who also sings.

I've loved this album since I first heard it in 2003, especially this tune. It's the kind of music you can listen to loud on a long drive by yourself. Or with a close friend that doesn't require a lot of conversation, just the occasional glance and nod that says, "Yep. Good tune, man. Love this tune."

Truth be told, though, I was introduced to Keane by a friend who shares my love of the pseudo-simplicity of pop music. It's easy to "get it," which is what makes it so popular. So I've spent more time analyzing and appreciating than just listening. But still, good tune, man. Love this tune.

Happy drumming.....man.

Beyond the Kit: Wind Chimes

Seriously, you need wind chimes. You may not think you do, but you do.

Wind chimes - often called bar chimes - are a lesser-used effect, but common enough that you ought to own a set. They aren't terribly expensive, and usually come with a good bag for traveling (and keeping them quiet!).

These chimes are generally played by sweeping a metal scraper (or a triangle beater) across the bars, or using your fingers, to cause the bars to contact each other and create sound.

There's a great sound sample on the Sabian website.

Some of my favorite drummers in the business have wind chimes as part of their kit. At very least, they are one of the accessories good percussionists have available on studio sessions and gigs.

Bar chimes can be made from a variety of different metals, in different weights and lengths, and come in many different configurations. Most of the cymbal companies make them, and there are three or four other outfits that have excellent models, too.

My favorite (I'm not endorsed or anything, so I hope my opinion is fairly objective) is Treeworks. They have some unique ideas that I really love, such as the EchoTree. Check it out at the link above.

If nothing else, become acquainted with wind chimes and learn how to get a good sound. Your music-making will thank you for it.

Happy chiming!

The Weight Room: Transcription

One of my favorite expressions about musicians is this, "The good ones borrow, but the great ones steal."

Are you stealing? You should be! Now, I'm not talking about actually physically taking things that aren't yours. I'm talking about learning to play like your favorite artists - to use their licks, fills and grooves.

Why would you want to do this? Don't you want to be an individual, to be unique? Absolutely! But just like babies learn to speak by imitating, so we learn to "speak" music in part by imitating the best "speakers" in the business. You'll never be an exact copy of anybody, but as you learn how others play and think, so to speak, you will diversify and expand your ability to express yourself on the instrument.

In short, theft pays. Uh....you know what I mean.

The word is transcription. To transcribe something, in this case, means to write it down, exactly as it was played. For example, if you listen to a song that you like and write down the words as you hear them, you have transcribed the lyrics.

In fact, all of my Thursday posts of late, called, "Bag of Tricks," are short transcriptions of a section of the drum part of the selected song.

So, how do you get started? I suggest following this process.

• Choose the section you want to transcribe. Keep it short at first, no more than a couple of measures.
• Mark where the section starts and stops. For example, it you're using a media player like iTunes, you can easily see what time you are looking at so you can go back to the exact spot each time.
• Listen to it enough times that you can sing it pretty accurately (okay, at least give it the bah-da-be-dah run through).
• As you start writing it down, focus on one "voice" at a time. What's the kick drum doing? Got it? Move on to the snare drum, or hi-hat, etc. writing down each part as you go. 
• Once you think you've got the whole down, try playing along with it in the air or on your legs. You'll quickly get a feel for whether you're on or not.
• Use pencil (so you can erase your mistakes), and use standard notation.
• Once you know you've got it dialed, get it down permanently. I suggest using a notation software like Noteflight where you can store your work and share it. 

You may find that after you've gotten into the transcription habit, you'll actually start seeing drum parts in your head as you hear them. It's a little weird to think about, but it will move your learning and playing forward in a big way. 

Start with something easy, and keep working at it. It will get easier and more rewarding the more you do it. 

Happy 'scribing!

Gear Up: Microphones Part 1

Although it's a joke in the professional music world, it's incredibly true: Don't ever tick off the sound engineer. If there's one person you should be bringing donuts and Diet Coke for, it's your sound engineer. No matter how great your equipment is, how well tuned your drums are, and how much you've practiced, there are some external factors that can make or break your sound. Not only the engineer, but the equipment being used.

Make no mistake, in most live settings larger than your living room, some sound reinforcement is necessary - even for drums - to get your best sound. Keep in mind that the job of the sound equipment isn't only to make things louder, but to give the audience true, high quality sound.

Let's talk about one of the most important factors: microphones.

This subject is debated by drummers, engineers, techs and manufacturers pretty heavily. Which mics do you use? Where do you place them? How close should they be? Today we'll take a look at the first of those questions.

Which mics should you use?

The first thing is to use the right type of mic for the application. For example, don't use a vocal mic on your drums! This seems basic, but just like some people think all drums are the same, a lot of drummers think that all microphones are the same. But in today's world, there are very specific microphones for each type of drum, and for overhead applications.

This seems like a pretty simple thing, but if you're buying mics, just ask the salesperson (or look on the box, for heaven's sake!) what the mic was designed for, and what its best uses are. Even better, go online and spend some quality time with Google doing some research.

Basically, you want three or four different microphones for a basic drum set up. Here's a list and some common models used for each*.

Snare Drum:

• Shure SM57 (or Beta 57)
• Audix D1
• Sennheiser e604
• AKG C418

Kick Drum:

• Shure Beta 52A
• Audix D6
• Sennheiser e602-II
• AKG D112 

Toms: (many engineers use a kick drum mic on any toms 14" or larger)

• Shure SM57 or Beta 98
• Audix D2
• Sennheiser e604 or e608
• AKG D40

Overhead/Cymbals:

• Shure KSM 
• Audix ADX51
• Sennheiser e614
• AKG C430

All of that said, probably the easiest thing to do, especially if you're just getting into playing with mics, is to purchase a "drum pack" from one of the companies on my list. I've been through three of these packs, one from Audix, another from a company who shall remain nameless, and a Shure kit, which I still have. Although I really do like the Shures, I'm not one of those guys who will only use one brand. I've found that I can get good sounds with almost any mics if the drums are tuned well, the placement is good, and the engineer knows what they are doing.

So, step one: get good mics. The rest? We'll cover that later.

Happy drumming, and good sound to you always!

* I know that I'm probably leaving out some great mics, so let me know what they are in the comments below!

The Gig Log: Lokalgrown in Boise, ID

As I've said many times, I'm very grateful to be a musician. In addition, I'm lucky to play with some very good musicians who have given me the opportunity to play at some very cool places and at awesome events.

Such was the case on December 17th, 2011. I played with Lokalgrown at Utah State University's pre-game party before the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho. My Aggies actually made it to a bowl game! Although the football team lost the game in a heartbreaker, the party was a total success.

The party was held in Taco Bell Arena, where Boise State University's basketball team plays. Not only is it a pretty great venue, the staff there was perfect - accommodating, knowledgeable and friendly. They made it an absolute pleasure.

The bass player for this gig was my longtime friend and colleague Matt Redd. Not only is he a skilled musician, he's a heck of a great guy. We've been friends since college - we actually played together in the USU Jazz Orchestra.

Anyway, right before the downbeat, Matt started to get sick. His eyes went red, he was sneezing, congested and basically miserable. He didn't know it until he made it to the doctor the next day, but he had a cornea (yes, THAT cornea - in his eye!) infection, and the symptoms hit him in a matter of a few minutes.

Even though he was miserable and feeling pretty bad, he played the entire gig like a champ - and nailed it, at that. He also went and sat through the entire game and the five-hour drive back to Salt Lake City with nary a complaint. Amazing.

Matt Redd - Gig Hero of 2011

All in all, it was another great gig/roadie with the LKG boys.
















*The game was played on the infamous "Smurf Turf" at Boise State University. BSU's campus is absolutely beautiful, and even though it was a cold day, it was a lot of fun to be there for the FIPB.