That colour is quite badass.

Yeah, it's flat out awesome.

I also noticed that you only have one tom, and a ride next to it. That's odd, but I guess I can see the use of it, if you're not doing a lot of tom fills.

Depends on the style of playing...John Bonham did a lot of drum/tom fills, so did Bill Ward (ala early Sabbath), so did Mitch Mitchell and John Densmore. I play a 4 piece kit only. Not one of those people who plays a monster kit with double bass pedals. No china cymbals either...straight up stripped down 2 crashes, 1 large ride, and hi-hat. I'm a strictly old school player pretty much, I don't play the "metal" style with double bass at all (although I like that style; I don't play it). I really love single kick drummers all across the board ala Ian Paice, Bernard Purdie, Pierre Moerlen, Clive Burr, Phil Rudd, etc.

www.myspace.com/scottharrisdrums Check the solo, that's what I do with a 4 piece. At this point, I'm pretty much retired but I still play the occasional show in NYC with my now rockabilly/post punk/alt band VIRGIN SCARS for shits and giggles. Not really pursuing music full time anymore, already did the signed thing back in the late 90's.

Yea, dude thats a fucking sick ass looking drum set.
And I thought the take out the tom and replace with a cymbal was more popular with jazz music...?

It is generally but I've seen drummers of all styles do it, it's actually alot more common than you think. But yeah great looking kit buddy!

BTW it's a Ludwig Vistalite from 1973. I use a 6 1/2 x 14 Ludwig Supraphonic snare and it's from 72'.

Many drummers that strip down in rock play a 4 piece. Matt Cameron from Soundgarden did on Badmotorfinger, Brad Wilk from RATM, Pat Wilson from Weezer too, and also the older style drummers did...also a lot of the stoner bands have drummers that play with a 4 piece like Jon Kleiman from Monster Magnet.

I grew up playing a 4 piece and then by my mid teens had an 11 piece double bass kit Tama Superstar ala Neil Peart...wind chimes and everything. I was a decent double kick player but not great; I'm better playing a 4 piece really. Someone that I jammed with when I was 18 told me I should just strip back down that based on my style it would be more impressive. He was right. I just never felt right on a double kick set. I can do that whole broken triplet stuff Bonham did on a single kick, and I know how to play with the floor and get a double kick pattern going. No, I can't play the traditional speed or death style on a 4 piece obviously but I was never interested in playing that way. I've used a 4 piece since 1989. I mostly played in rock bands, but the band I was signed with was a goth/metal band...many people thought I played with a double pedal back then...but I don't. Put VASARIA into the search function here and the band will come up. The pic of the band includes me in there, along with Chuck who was in Genitorturers and is originally from Crumbsuckers.

My dad was a musician on his demos was Bernard Purdie, so somewhere around my very early 20's I got back into that whole style of playing, saw how it influenced Bonham, Ward, Mitchell, Paice, the classic rock heavier players that were more on smaller kit tip. I play the ghost note snare style that those cats played that is really out of style these days.

I'd be good in a stoner band based on my style. You can check some of these beats I did with my brother in law Danny and Eric...we had a side project called XRAYGUN...although what happened with these studio recordings was that Danny (singer/guitarist/keys/programming) took jams me and Eric (bass) did and loop them and write over them...it has a bit of that sort of almost funk/hip hop mentality; but it has guitar solos over it and sort of manchesteresque vocals like Charlatans UK and Daniel Ash from Love And Rockets...

www.myspace.com/xraygun

We did a live reggae dub version of Sweet Leaf on there, check that out too.

Finally got some proper heads! Remo Ambassadors for the toms and snare and a Powerstroke 3 with falam slam for the bass. The difference is amazing.

Oh man. The Ambassadors are the BEST heads I've ever played on.

I disagree, although Ambassadors do sound quite nice if the resolutions are clear diplomat. The best heads I've played (on toms) was a combination Powerstroke/Evans Resonant. Of course someone had tuned them _perfectly_, but oh boy the toms sounded so manly!

so Ive been working on DImmu Borgir's "chosen legacy"for a bit now, and I wanted to know if any1 knew the exact bpm of the part when it says "in sorte diaboli" and there is really fast double bass. I think im playing it correctly, but idk if ne1 know about it? I would really like to know.

I've been in a bit of a slump lately with my drumming. Like, every time I would hop on, nothing would sound as tight as it should. I had a good drumming lesson recently, so I hope I'm out of it. Plus learning a Meshuggah song should inspire me to play better.

That usually happens to me if I haven't practiced more then daily. Just keep at it and you'll sound better in no time.

Hey you lot, Derek Roddy posted these tracks in a drumming forum (drummerworld), I thought you all might appreciate them:

http://www.derekroddy.com/free_audio/260.mp3
http://www.derekroddy.com/free_audio/235.mp3
http://www.derekroddy.com/free_audio/230.mp3

This is with his new project, Serpents rise, they've named the tracks after there speed since they don't have proper names as yet. This is some seriously good drumming from Derek! Here's a you tube vid too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN8O5QK6YXU

Yeah, man. I plan to do that. I just need to keep doing what I'm doing and I'll be back.



Shit, he is good. I particularly like how it seems more is happening than what meets the eye. It's just the camera angle, but it still looks good. The song itself sounds pretty average, but he is a great drummer.

I just found this gem on the Meshuggah forums that you all may like...an excerpt from "Bleed" from their latest album, ObZen. This is insane.

Woot.

Im very interested in drumming, where should I start? Im also left handed. I started drumming in 4th grade, but quit because my teacher turned it into a huge problem...Is it?

What should I look for if I want to buy a drum set? The basics I guess + a double pedal. Needless to say I want to play metal style

Depends on how much you played before you quit I'd say. I wouldn't rush into getting a double pedal, rather learn ALL the basics first, including all the tricks of one-footed bass drumming. And get a proper kit, not some 250e Millenium one that'll be in pieces after the first month. Not only will it bring your motivation down, but you won't be able to re-sell it in case your interest drops again. The poor cannot afford to buy cheap, as my father says. Look into some good starter kits from Sonor, Tama, Pearl, etc.

As for a teacher, you can get one, and it'll probably help you advance a tad faster than if you teach yourself, but it's not mandatory by any means (I don't have one and I'm doing fine I'd say). If you're going to be self-taught, get some good books (Syncopation, Stick Control, etc) and DVDs to get you started.

And being left handed shouldn't be a problem, just set your kit up left-handed or do it the 'regular' way and just learn to play as a right-handed.

I'm left handed, as well, but I decided to learn the right-handed way because it's simpler and less of a hassle for the teacher. I do recommend getting a teacher, as it will make you better faster.

As for a kit, ikituriso is right: Don't get a very cheap kit...get something decent. You'll be thankful in the long run. Tama is a good brand, and Pearl if you have the cash.

I think a teacher is out of the question, well atleast for now beacuse the "drum semester" has begun, I will have to wait until Fall or Spring (Cant remember).

So I just gonna get me a basic drum kit, take baby steps. How ares the Yamaha sets? I see a few for sale here.

Just played my drums. Man, I am sucking so hard at them, it's not funny. I don't know what's happening. Probably the worst thing is my bass drums. I do some rolling double-bass at decent speed, then after about 10 seconds the top of my legs start hurting and I can't keep them going with any fluency anymore. I thought that it may be the height of the stool I'm sitting on, so I tried to lower it, and it didn't make any difference. With the new song I'm learning, I have to have a lot of double-bass, so what am I going to do?

Could you do it before or is it a new song your starting to learn?
And wewt wewt just had a wee little band rehearsal for my school talent show, we are playing in shadows and dust by kataklysm and we have it pretty much down. The drum part is actually quite simple, just lots of double bass.

Are you doing lots of stretches and whatnot before you play? I try to get a good couple of minutes in before I play, if I don't then the top of my legs will lock up at higher speeds.

Hmm, stretches? I wasn't aware of that...next time I hop on, I'll do some leg stretches first and see if it makes any difference.

Latinfiestacarnage: It's a new song. It's not particularly hard to play, it's just that there's a lot of double-bass at relatively quick speeds (for me, anyway) and it's hard to keep them fluent.

I've been playing with double pedal about an year, earlier i had problem with the sticks(i don't know with what name you call those things which beat the bass drum(s). When i played, they hit my legs, but i got rid of that problem when i loosen them (they were pretty tight at the time). It's easier to play fast when the pedals aren't so tight, so i recommend to try if you have same kind of problems.

Yea, but its also about what tension you like. Personally, I have mine kind of tight but not outragiously so.

But MikeyC as stated earlier make sure you warm up before you play. And if the song is too fast for you don't force yourself into it. Practice so you can play the speed, then put it into the song. And make sure you can play evenly while your hands are going at the same time

Yeah you really should warm up and warm down before playing on the kit, especially if your playing extreme metal. If you don't , you run the risk of seriously hurting yourself further down the line, I know of many long term players (Dave weckl for example) that have ended up with arthritis, RSI and stuff like that because they didn't do this.

I warm up/stretch my shoulders, then arms, then wrists and fingers, then then I work my way down my legs, finsihing with my ankle's, and I finish by shaking it all off and making sure I'm all relaxed. Thats the key thing though, you warm up so your completely relaxed when you play.

The key to going fast is staying relaxed and tension free, though this is quite difficult till you've built up a lot of muscle memory!

Speaking of dave weckl check out this awesome vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln6b_nBM-V8

And I guess the obvious always warm up before you play routine...but GAWD I love Weckl and Gadd. Haven't really heard much of Vinnie. As a matter of fact I was learning Gadd's Paradiddle Groove thing the other day

Nice! I've always wanted to learn a gadd parradiddle groove, do you have any transcriptions? I was lucky enough to see Weckl at a master class he was teaching in London a few months ago, he mostly talked about tension free playing but he obviously showed off his chops too, and what great chops they are! He's a damn nice guy too.

I don't but there are some good paradiddle groove videos on youtube that are surprisingly helpful. But speaking of tension has anybody tried taking the springs off your bass pedals and playing? It's a really good excersise to work your ankles and using the bounce of the bass drum.

hmmm... sounds interesting, ive never heard of that but Ill give it a try! Ive been looking for a good foot exercise lately, and maybe that will work. BTW, do you guys tune your bass drum batter heads tight?

///and also I love your sig. I recently saw Amon Amarth on the wrath of the norsemen tour and Vitek and the decapitated crew were supposed to be there. Unfortunatly vitek was pronounced dead about a week before the show in worchester. RIP VITEK!!!

Yeah, I started taking the springs off after I saw a Dennis Chambers clinic and he mentioned that. The story was that he was watching Buddy Rich in concert when he was really young and the pedal broke. So buddy rich was forced to play without the spring. He went from 8th notes, to 16th notes, to 32nd notes, to 64th notes on his one foot. I have never heard of this happening but apparently Dennis Chambers saw it take place.

I played that Meshuggah song at drumming. I made a few mistakes, but overall I was very impressed with how I performed. Even my teacher was impressed, actually, so I did something right. Damn, I so want to learn this song now. My motivation after that has increased.

Heeey Mikey, nice job man! Gettin' outta that slump?

Let's hope. For some reason, his double-kick was easier to play than my Pearl ones. But it was a good lesson - got lots of things done.

And good to see you unblocked, dude.

Damn straight. Glad to be able to roam the golden halls of the Archives once again!

I tend to have more respect for drummers who can do double pedal stuff on a single pedal. I'll admit that I would be lost without a double pedal but I think it takes a lot of skill to be able to pull off a lot of the stuff that guys like John Bonham and Buddy Rich did back in the day. I'm not influenced by these guys but damn were they good. Having a good technique makes all the difference when it comes to drumming.

Try doing leg excercises/stretching before hand, that always helps. Also, make sure that you regulary exercise on a daily basis.

Besides that, theres not much you can do but keep on practicing.

what is a gravity blast? I'm not a drummer, and i don't know anything about drumming, i like technical death metal so i guess i have heard some but i don't know the difference between them and the blast beat! can anyone explain that to me?