Drum Beat #7— The importance of role playing

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This column’s fundamental is if you are a role player then be a role player.
In other words do not overplay or play outside of your abilities. All drummers play at different levels. It is the same as a sports team in a sense. As a drummer you are basically a role player in the band.


Your role is to lay down a beat or groove that supplies the band a foundation to play too. If you cannot execute a beat then do not try and play it. Listen to how you sound.


Be conscious of the fact that what you are playing directly influences not only the sound of the band but the overall performance of the other players. Many times I see drummers playing beats that are either too busy, do not have a groove or do not even fit the music. Know your ability and play within it.
It is much better to play a straight beat instead of a complicated beat that you obviously cannot execute. Do not get caught up in the excitement of a gig or trying to impress the audience with your ability.
For the most part, whether you believe it or not the audience could care less about the drummer. The only time they notice the drummer is when they are playing something that sounds horrible. It is the same as a power forward on a basketball team.
Most people do not notice that they rebound, play defense and enable the stars of the team to excel.
The power forward concentrates on the workman-like jobs that need to be completed.
The same is true for a drummer.

Play your part, lay down the groove and provide a platform for the stars of the band to excel. There are some instances where drummers become a star within the band but it usually happens because the music calls for it. A good example of this is Neil Pert of Rush. He plays a thousand notes but it fits the music.
Again, play within your abilities and lay down a groove that enables the stars of the band to excel, rather than struggle, as they compensate for a lousy groove you created trying to play something you cannot execute.

Concept #7— Your limbs are tools
The conceptual thought for this column is imagine all four of your limbs as separate tools that ultimately combine to make one master tool. I have noticed over the years that most drum books and instruction manuals teach in a way where you are combining your limbs to play a beat. Rarely do they address switching the parts that are written to different limbs. Most players when learning from a book play the book exactly as written. The right foot for the bass drum, the right hand for cymbals and so on. This method is fine; in fact it has worked for many players for many years.
What it does not teach you is to take the lesson being learned from the book and switch the parts to other limbs. You will gain a great control over your playing if you do this. You will teach your body as well as your mind to be amedextrious. This will lead to unique beats and a greater understanding of all of your limbs. This ultimately opens the potential to enable you to create your own sound. You will develop strength in areas that would be ignored if you did not do this. Quite often the weakest limb on a drummer’s body is their left foot or left hand. Imagine having the same control over your left foot as your right hand. Of course, if you are naturally left handed this would be reversed.
When you are practicing make sure and learn what you are practicing on each limb. In other words play a simple rock beat with the left foot playing the snare drum part and the left hand playing the bass drum part. This teaches your mind to think of beats and drumming in a completely new way. It will also set you apart in ability from other drummers. It teaches you to use each limb separately and develops strength.
The result enables you to think of all of your limbs as just one overall entity to execute your playing. It is never too late to begin doing this in your practice regimen. It opens up many doors and creates a renaissance in your playing that will amaze you.

Concept #7— Your limbs are tools

The conceptual thought for this column is imagine all four of your limbs as separate tools that ultimately combine to make one master tool. I have noticed over the years that most drum books and instruction manuals teach in a way where you are combining your limbs to play a beat. Rarely do they address switching the parts that are written to different limbs. Most players when learning from a book play the book exactly as written.

The right foot for the bass drum, the right hand for cymbals and so on. This method is fine; in fact it has worked for many players for many years.
What it does not teach you is to take the lesson being learned from the book and switch the parts to other limbs. You will gain a great control over your playing if you do this. You will teach your body as well as your mind to be amedextrious. This will lead to unique beats and a greater understanding of all of your limbs. This ultimately opens the potential to enable you to create your own sound. You will develop strength in areas that would be ignored if you did not do this.

Quite often the weakest limb on a drummer’s body is their left foot or left hand. Imagine having the same control over your left foot as your right hand. Of course, if you are naturally left handed this would be reversed.
When you are practicing make sure and learn what you are practicing on each limb. In other words play a simple rock beat with the left foot playing the snare drum part and the left hand playing the bass drum part. This teaches your mind to think of beats and drumming in a completely new way. It will also set you apart in ability from other drummers. It teaches you to use each limb separately and develops strength.
The result enables you to think of all of your limbs as just one overall entity to execute your playing. It is never too late to begin doing this in your practice regimen. It opens up many doors and creates a renaissance in your playing that will amaze you.

Lesson #7— Rudiments can be fun

This column’s lesson is going to be centered on learning what are called rudiments. Believe it or not this can be fun. There are several different rudiments that have been the basics of drumming for years. The best place to learn these are on your snare drum. Once you have learned them you can then start adding accents to them and begin applying them to the rest of the drums on your set. These rudiments might seem boring to learn and might even seem like you are learning math in the sense of having the thought of how is what I am learning have anything to do with any real world situation.

In other words how do these apply to playing drum beats and playing with a band?
 Once you have learned them and start playing them with accents you will find out how amazing they can be. Not only do you develop incredible chops and stick control by learning them, you can apply them to your playing in a number of different ways.
For instance, the common paradiddle can be applied to playing a rock beat that not only grooves but has a great sound to it.

A basic paradiddle is where you play RLRR LRLL.
When you play it on your set accent the first note of the RLRR and the first note of the LRLL. Play the rights on the cymbal and the lefts on the snare drum. While doing this play the bass drum on the first note of the RLRR and the bass drum on the first note of the LRLL.

The result is you are playing the snare drum on the 2 and 4 of a rock beat.
This creates a great groove that sounds interesting and will open many doors to other possibilities of incorporating many rudiments into your playing. This is the start of what is called linear drumming which we will discuss at a later time. If you are interested follow this link to Wikipedia that has a comprehensive explanation and the musical notations of rudiments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudiment
Thanks for reading and until next time, take it easy.

— By Stanley Jackson Special to L.A. Beat

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