Sunday, February 26, 2012

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


Monday, February 13, 2012

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.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

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.

Monday, February 6, 2012

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

Sunday, February 5, 2012

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!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

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 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

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 .