Being a drummer at school is tough. I have not been able to bring my drum kit to school yet due to its size and noise. I consider drums and percussion my passion and without it I feel musically lost. Due to the unavailability of my drum kit, I have picked up beat boxing. I highly suggest beat boxing to all drummers that do not have access to their drum kit. It is a fun, inventive, and challenging way to stick to the roots of drums, while allowing yourself to explore a completely new realm to making beats and rhythms.
Beat boxing is EXTREMELY difficult and there many different forms and levels of this incredible skill. The basics begin with formulating the sound of the bass drum, the hi-hat, and the snare drum; the three fundamental pieces of a drum kit. Many skilled beat boxers have taken these three fundamental instruments and have used them to create complete songs and beats. While looking up different techniques of beat boxing, I came across a skilled beat boxer named Eklips. He uses the fundamentals of beat boxing and creates mixes of popular rap and hip-hop songs. He is extremely skilled and he has inspired me immensely to dig deep into the roots of beat boxing and learn from them. It is a very underrated talent, and one that is known to come natural to drummers and percussionists. I implore all drummers to explore beat boxing, it just may inspire you as well. Plus...it is FUN!
As I was searching through YouTube, as I usually do, to find new and exciting drummers, I came across this video and found it EXTREMELY interesting. Being able to create drum beats to go along with certain theme songs, or video game songs, is significantly difficult.
This talented drummer did it with ease. His drum set consists of a large variation of tom-toms and cymbals, which lends to his ability to be creative with his beats. In most cases, the more drums that are at ones disposal, the more creative one can be with the beats he, or she(for all those girl drummers out there!) is able to make. To get a better understanding of what I am talking about, here is the video...
To a regular, non-drummer, it probably looks slightly discombobulated and confusing, but to a drummer, this is a clinic of technique and precision. His ability to play a newly created beat in sequence with the beat that the Mario Bros. theme song already presents is an unbelievable talent. Although the inventiveness and originality of this video is something to be marveled at, it is the technique and overall skill that I find the most stimulating and I feel that any drummer would appreciate it.
Throughout history, Rock bands have come and gone, few have made their mark on music history. Of those bands that have stuck around and imprinted there name in history, there are the men that make up the backbone of the band. These men are drummers. They are the heartbeat behind all the music. As I was exploring many different bands and their members, two names stuck out to me. These names were John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Neil Peart of Rush. Their impact on music and the world of drumming and percussion is still being felt today.
"Geddy once joked, "You're the only guy I know who rehearses to rehearse!"
Neil Peart, now 58, has been a part of the Toronto-based hard rock band, Rush, since joining in 1974. Peart had always aspired to be a professional drummer. Having a doctorate in percussion, “The Professor”, with musical roots inspired by the likes of Keith Moon of The Who, brought a hard rock technique to Rush when he first joined. As time progressed Neil Peart began to approach rock with a new feel. He started to incorporate styles and techniques of Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, two of the greatest jazz drummers of all time. Peart’s drumming ability was overwhelming and it never went unnoticed. The drums were, and still are, a feature in almost all songs by Rush, including “Tom Sawyer”, “YYZ”, “2112: Temple of Syrinx”, and “Spirit of the Radio.”
Peart is a technician in all of these songs, playing with precise technique and amazing rhythm, but no song by Rush can compare to the drum solos of Neil Peart. Every Rush concert has a drum solo feature where Neil Peart shows in 8 to 10 minutes why he is the best drummer ever. Whether he is crossing his hands over, or playing incredible rhythms, or even playing on his electronic drum set, Neil Peart is, and will always be, one of the greatest drummers of all time.
"Drumming was the only thing I was ever good at."- John Bonham
John Bonham, the drummer of Led Zeppelin, is another that is considered to be one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. Bonham was best known for his speed and his power on the drum kit. Beginning at the age of five, Bonham became in love with the drums, making a drum kit of containers. It was not until the age of fifteen that Bonham received his first drum kit.
He was chosen by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to join Led Zeppelin in 1968. The band immediately became well known due to Page’s involvement in his previous band, The Yard Birds. Led Zeppelin began touring and people started to see the talent of John Bonham. Using Ludwig drums, John Bonham would use his patented “Trees”, which is what he called his long, thick drumsticks. Like Peart, Bonham also had a feature drum solo, which was named “Moby Dick.” John Bonham was the rock drummer of his time.
"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."
- Led Zeppelin
Unfortunately, Bonham’s time was cut short. John Bonham died shortly after midnight on September 25, 1980, at the age of 32, after consuming, what was later to be found as, 40 shots of vodka. Though Bonham died at a young age, his mark in the history of rock music will never be erased. Amazingly, without ever taking a formal drum lesson in his life, John Bonham is, still, named at the top of many lists, including Rolling Stone magazine, as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time
One of the most important pieces of drums and percussion are rudiments. They are especially important in percussion. Rudiments are certain sticking patterns that create different a different beat. There are many different variations and names of rudiments, but I have had a favorite for years now.
In high school, marching band was a key feature of our school. We were the best high school marching band on Long Island. In marching band, there is Drum Line, an ensemble of snare drums, bass drums, cymbals, xylophones and quad toms. This is where I began to learn certain difficult rudiments. My favorite was the double paradiddle. It is an extended version of the paradiddle.
The double paradiddle is contains two extra single hits and is usually played quite fast. I love the double paradiddle because it is a very fluid sounding rudiment that can be used on all percussion instruments, even bells or xylophone. The double paradiddle sounds like this:
*These videos are great instructional videos for many different rudiments. I highly suggest any beginner drummers to watch these videos to learn the beauty of rudiments.
