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Drum Stick History

Drum Stick History Learn what drum stick sizing means and when they were invented. I thought it might be interesting to delve into some drum stick history and discover where it all started. This is part of a chapter on drumstick history from my book The Drum: A HistoryIf you like this article and want to know more, or have an interest in any other part of the drum’s history, then you will probably find the book of interest. Although this article is focused on drum stick history, if you need help choosing drum sticks, check out this article. To…

Drum Stick Sizes – How to choose them

A guide to help choose drum stick sizes Learn which drum sticks you should buy This Guide Helps You Know Which Drum Stick Sizes To Choose It can be a nightmare trying to choose drum stick sizes. Walking into a well stocked music shop to purchase your first pair of drum sticks may cause you to stop dead in your tracks as you are faced with the huge wall of pigeon holes, each stacked full of different sizes and varieties of things with which to hit drums. It can be daunting but here is a little guide that may help…

How To Tune Drums

Learn how to tune drums This is a crucial skill that every drummer needs. It's crucial that you know how to tune drums. So many times I hear students tell me that they need a new snare drum or that their toms are terrible. Sometimes it might be true but before they raid their parent’s bank accounts I always offer to check out their existing drums. Often it’s a simple case of an a poorly tuned drum. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO TUNE DRUMS? A Drum Key Or event better Evans Torque Key HEADS If anything does need replacing, it…

Choose A Drum Head – How To

Advice to help you choose a drum head Which drum head should you buy? It's hard to know what to look for when you come to choose a drum head for your beloved drums. Drum heads are a significant part of the sound we produce on the drum kit. Often their role in the sound versus the actual drum shell is much greater than many people think. Of course the heads were previously called skins and were actually calf skins which fluctuated in temperature and atmospheric changes. Since the 1950s we have enjoyed the relative ease of Mylar heads and…

Double Paradiddle Funk Groove

Funky Double Paradiddle Beat Over 16ths Learn how to use a double paradiddle in a fun drum grooveDouble Paradiddle Funk Funky rudiment derived drum grooveJust in case you were thinking that rudiments were boring I've gotta tell you something. THEY ARE NOT! And this double paradiddle funk groove is here to prove it. I am a drum geek so I actually enjoy sitting with a pad and sticks playing rudiments in their purest form. But even if you're not as sad as me you just need to realise that there are a million things we can use rudiments for to…

Master The Drumming Metronome

Master the drumming metronome Drum exercises to help conquer the click Learn to play with a metronome Here is a sample chapter from the book ‘Drum Kit Secrets: 52 Performance Strategies for the Advanced Drummer’. This focuses on timing and becoming the master of the drumming metronome. It is taken from the section of the book that focuses purely on timing tips to help you become the most accurate drummer you can be.First off make sure you have a metronome to hand. You can grab free metronomes on your phone or online or you can buy a dedicated metronome which…

Session Drumming – Record Yourself

Session Drumming Record YourselfI get lots of messages about session drumming, especially online session drumming from other drummers. I think that recording yourself is one of the best processes to help you become a better, more musical, more accurate drummer so I really encourage people to record themselves whenever possible – whether it’s part of a practice regime (as discussed in my book ’Drum Kit Secrets: 52 Performance Strategies for the Advanced Drummer (Music Secrets for the Advanced Musician)), or as part of a remote session drumming business.Many of my students, as well as many of you guys online that…

Drum Practice Time management

Eight time management tips to help you get the full potential from your drum practice This is a time management chapter taken from my book titled Drum Kit Secrets: 52 Performance Strategies for the Advanced Drummer (Music Secrets for the Advanced Musician). Modern life is hectic, time is a valuable commodity and most of us would like more of it. But most of us have also been guilty of procrastinating and time wasting at some point. This can greatly reduce our development as a drummer if vast periods of potential practice time are squandered. My typical week involves a combination…