felix stein Posted April 19, 2001 Share Posted April 19, 2001 Not really... after all Rush have been around since what - 1969? Seems to me they're pretty old too. And yes, as musicians we'd all like to do something "new" however that doesn't necessarily involve discarding everything that's "old"... especially not if it means discarding one of the key things that drew you into music in the first place (which in my case, was the way a great groove feels). Hell, if you really believe that you might as well get rid of your trap set, those have been around for about 80 years now... in fact forget using a snare or a bass drum, those are even older. Forget you ever learned a paradiddle, how long have THOSE been around? *In fact their first drummer wasn't Neil. *Roland V-Drums/Trent Reznor? Are roland V-Drums a drumset...well they don't have to be. *I hate paradiddles, but they are ok inverted- Steve Gadd does play a pretty one. I aspire never to play another again believe it or not! Now if I could only get away from a double. *How about "swinging" artificial groupings and have the whole band do it *in an "odd time" signature. There's a new feel for you. BTW, I would like to discard lots of the things that first brought me into drumming to tell you the truth. Most of it so old hat now it bores me. Anyhow, when I think of "swing" in drumming I don't think of Louis Armstrong... not that I don't love Gene Krupa and Chick Webb and all the rest of the great drummers of that era. Those drummers certainly do swing, but in the broader sense "swing" to me is a pretty mysterious thing, you either got it or you don't, and you can play in any style or use any technique and either have it or not. I've heard double kick drummers who swing and straight-ahead backbeat drummers who don't. *Have you seen the PBS Ken Burns special on Jazz? It basically states that the swung 8th note was invented by Louis Armstrong/ rooted in ragtime (straight 16ths) and Delta Blues- 6/8 (I guess) which I think is african in origin. To me there is nothing mysterious about swing at all (well maybe fast be-bop) it is just the artists' interpretation of the value of the "dot"/and the effect or feel the time has on the listener IMHO. **I basically use this board as a diversion from my computer job where I can explore my own questions I have about playing drums. I know what I want out of drumming and what I have problems dealing with. I don't really care about anybody elses trip is, but I respect it. It's just drumming. I in no way assume that all drummers want to keep perfect time. But I will assume that most drummers can't keep perfect time. The sound on sound article was good, but I think the author is frustrated at the music biz these days (granted). On the other hand, I personally think playing like a machine can be a blast sometimes. I did a demo for some LA metal boys last year where the drum machine tempos changed several times. The guy in the studio here on my first takes thought I was rushin' and draggin' till he listened to it again with the scratch cranked. I also did a demo last year for a local guitar player and one of the tracks I played electrics on with a click. I sounded like a machine. It was fun listening to it. Personally, I just want to get on a regular practice schedule again but I will say one has to walk a fine line when playing busy at the same time as moving tempos...that shit makes me sea sick. Ciao felix's band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 Yeah I saw the Jazz series and the bit about swing was interesting. Like I said though, that's not entirely what I'm talking about anyhow. Well if your quest is to do something entirely new in drumming, more power to ya. Although I can't imagine for the life of me how something that once moved someone deeply can become so "boring" and "old hat" just because you listen to and/or play it for a long time. Never have figured that one out. I want to keep growing as a player and discovering new sounds, but I think of it as a cumulative thing, not "throwing out" the old stuff. Boy this thread has taken some twists and turns hasn't it! --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 Lee Wrote: "Boy this thread has taken some twists and turns hasn't it!" You got that right! DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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