Tenor Drums FAIL video

One of those days...

Snare Drum FAIL

Snare drum fail funny video. Real or on purpose, what do you think?

Bass Drum Snowman

 

“Can’t you read the sign?! No shirt, no service!”

Blue Devils 2012 Snare Solo

The Blue Devils drum and Bugle Corp won their 15th Drum Corp International (DCI) World Championship this past summer and their drumline won the top overall percussion score behind one of the best lines I've ever seen. I recently found some sheet music for their show transcribed by a fan which I will be sharing with you. The first segment is the snare drum solo. Download the full music as a pdf file using the link bellow (file is hosted for free on box.com).

Download 2012 Blue Devils snare drum solo sheet music.pdf

 

Bass drummer refuses to take it off...

Yeah, I've refused to take my drum off a number of times too, though it was much easy to take a drink from a drinking fountain with only a snare drum on! What do you say - lazy or smart? Comment below!

Holiday Gift Ideas for Drummers

It’s that time of year again! The holiday gift giving season is upon us so it’s time to head to the store to purchase something unique for your special drummer.

BOSS DB-90 Metronome: Dr. Beat! The most advanced metronome available. Trigger input to access unique Rhythm Coach exercises. Start no band practice without it!

Toontrack Superior Drummer 2.0: Virtual drummer

Finale PrintMusic 2011: professional music software for arrangers, composers, teachers, students, and other musicians.

Give Yourself a Raise: My free report on how to make a residual income from the internet in your spare time (second edition).

What gifts are you getting your fellow percussionist for the holidays? Please let me know by commenting below!

Anatomy of a Snareline

Here's some good drumline humor for you. I know which one I am. Do you?

Funny Fridays: Backbone of the Band

This is the start of a new weekly (or bi-weekly most likely, let's not kid ourselves here) series where I'll be sharing a funny drum related image, graphic, or video. Today, is an eCard from someecards.com.

Blue Devils Win DCI World Championships

The Blue Devils drum and Bugle Corp won their 15th Drum Corp International (DCI) World Championship on Saturday (and fourth in the last six years). The Blue Devils drumline won the top overall percussion score behind one of the best lines I've ever seen.



Carolina Crown placed second (drumline 6th) while Phantom Regiment got third and the Cadets wound up in fourth place.

Five special awards were presented during the DCI World Championships awards ceremony, each averaged after combining the scores from Prelims, Semifinals and Finals. The George Zingali Award for Best Color Guard went to Blue Devils. There was a tie for the John Brazale Best Visual Performance Award, between Blue Devils and Carolina Crown. The Jim Ott Award for Best Brass Performance went to Carolina Crown and the Fred Sanford Award for Best Percussion Performance was earned by Blue Devils, who also won the Don Angelica Award for Best Overall General Effect. Congratulations to all participating drum and bugle corps. View the full recap at DCi.org.

Were you able to attend DCI World Championships or any other shows this year? Did the results surprise you? Comment below and share your thoughts!

2012 DCI Videos

These are video clips of the 2012 Carolina Crown Drumline rehearsing on June 30, 2012 for the Pageant of Drums Show at Ames Field in Michigan City, Indiana [watch in HD 1080p]

These are video clips of the 2012 Colt Cadets Drumline warming up on June 30, 2012 for the Pageant of Drums Show at Ames Field in Michigan City, Indiana [watch in HD 1080p]

My bad on that last one - I thought it just said Cadets, I didn't catch the Colts on the beginning. That tenor tuning was pretty bad no?

WGI World Championships Recap

WGI Percussion World Championships were held in Dayton, OH this past weekend. I unfortunately didn’t make it out so the event (no indoor shows for me at all this year) but I did follow the performances through the live blog, which was a pretty cool feature. Following the live blog while at the actual show would be very cool as the commentary offered great detail and insights into each group’s shows as well as pieces of WGI history.

Congratulations go out to Woodbridge? HS for obtaining the highest score ever at a WGI event (including color guard I believe). They scored an incredible 99.6! Three out of four judges gave them a perfect score. A high school group!

The Sport of the Arts (also known as indoor drumline, indoor percussion, winter percussion, etc.) has evolved quite a bit over the years. The most recent rule changes allow the use of video projection and lighting effects, which several groups including Rhythm X used to their advantage.

I’ll do my best to round up some sheet music for some of the best shows, including Rhythm X, Riverside Community College, Music City Mystique, and North Coast Academy.

Click here to see the completescores from Championship weekend.

WGI Percussion World Finals!

WGI Percussion World Finals started today! Check out all of the 2012 Championship scores here.

Blue Man Group Lego Animation Video

I saw this amazing video on YouTube today of a Lego Blue Man Group animation. Kent Jenkins, the creator and animator, did a really fantastic job capturing the best and most memorable moments from the live Blue Man Group show and the stop animation is spot on. There is even a moment where the Lego figures throw marshmallows back and forth using a green screen. I really like his creative use of Lego pieces for instruments, such as barrels for drums and scorpions for guitars! Enjoy the Blue Man Group Lego performance below.

2012 March Madness

The NCAA men's basketball tournament has arrived. It's time to download and fill out your bracket. Who wants to get a Percussion and Drum Stuff bracket pool going? No money involved, just for bragging rights. Visit our downloads page to download the March Madness Excel spreadsheet bracket and pool manager. Comment below or on our Facebook page if you're interested in joining our pool. To read more about the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket Excel files visit my Excel Spreadsheets Help blog.

Also, I recommend checking out March Madness Picks to get the latest information and tips on picking those bracket busting teams to help you dominate your office pool!

On a side note, and more Percussion and Drum Stuff related, I will hopefully be attending a WGI show or two soon and will try to have reviews, videos, etc.

2012 WGI Show Video Update

We're in the midst of the 2012 WGI season and I have yet to make it to any shows (though hopefully that will change soon) so I've been trying to keep up with my favorite groups through YouTube. I've uploaded a couple of videos below.

Rhythm X 2012 MEPA 2/11/12 "Enlightened"

Northcoast Academy performing their 2012 show "Lose Yourself" February 11th at Troy Athens High School

Riverside Community College (RCC) 2012 Full ensemble 2-11-12 opener

Music City Mystique 2012 Premier | Nü Tribe

Blue Man Group Tour Review

I watched the Blue Man Group perform at the Palace Theater in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday. This is the second time in the past twelves months that I've seen the blue men perform, and third time overall with the previous two being the permament show in Orlando at Universal's Citywalk. Those first two viewings at Universal Orlando were pretty much identical shows. Going into this performance, I was hoping the show would be little bit different and it was! The major changes from the Orlando version was the addition of the Gi-pads ("to do for reading what texting has done for driving!") These giants screens basically serve as a way to transition between the different segments of the show.

Which show did I prefer? While the Blue Man Group tour was plenty entertaining I have to say the Universal Orlando version is superior mainly due to the fact that the theater was custom built and designed specifically for their show. The biggest problem at the Palace was not being able to see everything on stage. Orlando has a smaller, more intimate theater.

What is the Blue Man Group? It's not just about drumming. Actually, being a hard core WGI and DCI fan, the actual drumming in the show by the Blue Men is not impressive at all. However, the show is about way more than drumming. Drumming is only a tiny part. The show is more about entertainment and comedy, technology and cool effects. It's fun for the whole family. I also appreciate some of the themes in the show, such as go out and have a real experience instead of living your life through your phone by texting and tweeting.

Evan's Real Feel Practice Pad Review

What do I use to practice my snare drumming skills? I bought Evan's Real Feel 12" practice pad and I couldn't be more happy (with the exception of playing on an actual drum, which my neighbors would not appreciate). I've found the pad to be very resistant to water damage and tears. Drumming on the pad can be very quiet, you can play it with other people in the room and not annoy them. It's great for high school drummers to take on the bus with them to practice that drum solo they forgot to memorize and not have the bus driver yell at them. Like many practice pads, there two sides: one harder and the other softer with more bounce. I highly recommend Evan's Real Feel practice pads for quiet snare drumming practice with a realistic snare drum feel!


Order Evans practice pads today.

Sanre Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devils 1995 Ram

We've got more snare drum sheet music for you today from the infamous 1995 Blue Devils. This is the snare drum sheet music for their "Ram" warmup and chop builder. Embedded below is a short video clip of that amazing snare line. Talk about definition!

Snare Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devils 1995 Ram.pdf download

How to Begin Drumming - Multimedia Lessons

Do you want to learn how to begin drumming? Instead of spending over $1500 on drum lessons try this new revolutionary multimedia approach. I wish techniques like these had been around when I was learning how to play snare drum. In my drumming experience I've found the best thing to do is to first learn technique and then learn how to apply that technique. It's the same with learning drumming rudiments - first learn the basic rudiments on traditional marching snare drum and then you can apply those rudiments when playing drum set. Begin Drumming teaches these best practices and more! The Begin Drumming package includes how to videos and many pages of sheet music. You can learn at your own pace. Try Begin Drumming today and maybe one day you'll be marching with the Blue Devils or jamming out on stage at a rock concert!

Click Here to begin your drum lessons!

Snare Drum Sheet Music - Rhythm X 2010 "Inspired" Complete Show

Earlier, I posted the first movement of the snare book for Rhythm X's 2010 show "Inspired." Well, I've finally got around to uploading movements two and four: The United States of Eurasia and Knights of Cydonia by Muse. View movement one, Butterflies and Hurricanes, here. I embedded a video of the show from Centerville High School below. I'll be posting a rare piece of Rhythm X music from 2003 coming soon!

Inspired movement 1 snare drum.pdf download
Inspired movement 2 snare drum.pdf download
Inspired movement 4 snare drum.pdf download 

Honda Battle of the Bands

Eight marching bands performed in front of 60,000 fans at the Georgia Dome for Honda's Battle of the Bands (also referred to as HBOB). The Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase is the nation's largest and most highly anticipated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) music event. Elijah Hayes of Fort Valley State University was the winner of a new 2012 Honda CR-V. For more information on the Honda Battle of the Bands program and the Invitational Showcase visit their website where you can watch a video of the drumline highlights.

Also, be sure to check out Honda Battle of the Bands on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HondaBattleoftheBands, Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/the_honda  and o YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/hondabotb .

Tenor Drum Sheet Music: Hey, Dick 1995

One of the most famous DCI cadences of all time is the Blue Devil's Hey, Dick from 1995. The beginning tenor part is especially catchy. Download the sheet music here.  I have finally found a video of the entire drumline playing along. Check it out:

Drumline Sheet Music: Hey, Dick Blue Devils 1995.pdf download

Drumline Cadence Sheet Music

One of my original compositions is a cadence and warmup I wrote for the University of Toledo drumline called "Ram Rocket." Below are the tenor and snare drum parts (written with Lime). Check out our other cadence sheet music.

And as a bonus here's a video of the University of Toledo Rocket Marching band marching over a brand new bridge (look how much it bounces)!

New Blue Man Group Show at Universal Orlando

The Blue Man Group show at Universal Orlando resort's Citywalk in (duh!) Orlando, Florida is being retooled (after a few years of the same show). According to the press release, the revamp will include "a new show environment, new music, new technology and new experiences, the show will allow audiences to join the Blue Men as they discover, engage and explore the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology.  Signature Blue Man Group moments combine with breathtakingly fun new pieces for an explosive evening of entertainment." One of the most interesting new additions is the use of "GiPads" - giant sized iPads! I've embedded some b-roll footage with what might turn out to be some of the new show elements. The new show is expected to begin performances in late February. And on a personal note, I'll be seeing the Blue Man Group performance live in Columbus in two weeks!

(And no, Universal Orlando is NOT part of Disney World.)

New Drumline Sheet Music Downloads

I've uploaded a few more percussion sheet music downloads to our download page including:

Rhythm X Wired Part 1 battery score download
Cavaliers 2008 - Fast Things.pdf download
Cavaliers 2006 - Flam I Am download
Colby Beers snare drum I&E 2007 - Free Mind.pdf download  

 Enjoy! Happy drumming and please let me know if you have any sheet music requests!

How to Choose a Musical Instrument

I saw this "How to Choose a Musical Instrument" diagram on Facebook today and had to share it. Many paths are funny, yet sad and true at the same time.

1984 Michigan State University Drumline Video

Check out this great, classic drumming video from 1984 featuring the Michigan State University MSU Drumline in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This vintage drumline footage was posted to DrumlineTV YouTube channel. Songs include: YYZ (Rush), Peter Gunn (Exit Cadence). What a great find! Do you have any old drumline videos floating around?

Rhythm X 2011 Tenor Solo Sheet Music

I recently found a pretty good transcription of the tenor solo sheet music for Rhythm X's 2011 show "Stand by Me." It's not ideal, but if you don't have a tenor pad or drums to practice on you can always use your Rock Band or Guitar Hero drums!

New Percussion and Drum Stuff Download Page

I’ve created a new page for the Percussion and Drum Stuff blog where I will be adding links to all the drumline sheet music files I’ve made available to download. You will be able to find all of our cadences and sheet music snare, tenor, bass, cymbal, battery, pit, marimba, etc. We’ve got transcriptions of some of the best indoor percussion lines out there as well as audition packets. Please comment if you have any original compositions you would like to share.

 

Now you won’t have to search through the whole site looking for one file. Simply go to the new page and read through the list of pdfs. The link to the downloads page is located at the top of the blog, or click here.

 

Please let me know if any links are not working. Thanks!

 

In the coming weeks I plan on adding a ton of new music so stay tuned!

Video: Vic Firth Hybrid Rudiment Series- Flammed 3-2-1s

VicFirth.com presents the Hybrid Rudiment Series of videos on YouTube. In the latest installment, Casey Brohard breaks down the Flammed 3-2-1. Casey is an amazing drummer and is very well spoken. His explanations and tips about technique are very good and I highly recommend watching his videos. Check it out here.