Drum Cat Snare Solo

Check out the female leader of Korean drum percussion team "DRUM CAT" perform this crazy snare drum solo. The group got the "HERALD ANGEL AWARD" in the Edinburgh International Festival in 2008. Funny, but you would think she would be using a Yamaha! Remember kids, it's all in the hips.

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.

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.

Percussion and Drum Stuff's Best of 2011

It's that time of year. Let's look back at our most popular posts from 2011:

1. Snare Drum Sheet Music - Rhythm X 2010: "Inspired"
2. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Cavaliers Flam I Am 
3. Drumline Sheet Music: Double Drizzle Cadence 
4. Marching Snare Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devil's Dick 
5. Tenor Sheet Music: Rhythm X Quad Solo 2002 
6. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Blue Devils 2003 Opening 
7. Drumline Sheet Music: Music City Mystique 2011 
8. Radiohead deput new song with two drummers 
9. Sheet Music: Glassmen Cadence 2003 
10. Snare Drum Sheet Music: Arcadia High School 2011

We aim to make 2012 even better! What are you looking forward to in the new year? I personally cannot wait for indoor drumline shows to start. I'm also going to be seeing the Blue Man Group perform this February in Columbus, Ohio which I'm super stoked for!

Holiday Gift Ideas for Drummers

Looking for that extra special holiday gift for your drummer friend? Here are a few suggestions on gift ideas for percussionists.

RealFeel by Evans 12" 2-sided pad has a large playing surface that fits inside a standard snare basket, a natural gum feel on one side for realistic stick rebound, and a harder recycled rubber surface on the other for a real workout.

Rock Band 3 Wireless Pro-Drum and Pro-Cymbals Kit. 4 Durable drum pads / Metal-reinforced kick pedal / Sound-dampening, velocity-sensitive heads for more expressive performances. Wireless connectivity/3 AA Alkaline batteries included.

 

Once you've seen Drumline: Special Edition, halftime shows will become works of art. This formulaic yet surprisingly captivating movie honors the military precision of college football marching bands, those battalions of eager, sternly disciplined brass sections, drummers, and fly girls who turn halftime shows into well-oiled Vegas variety acts on steroids. 

The Blue Knights are a competitive indoor drumline from Denver, CO. Every year they travel to Dayton, OH to compete in the Indoor Drumline World Championships. Watch On the Line today!

Blue Man Group takes the audience on a 90-minute journey that pushes the boundaries of the rock concert experience. Filmed during their summer rock tour, The Complex Rock Tour Live is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation and themes surrounding the tour. 

Finale SongWriter lets you hear your music play back, print sheet music, share songs with the free downloadable Finale Reader, and save MP3 files for your iPod. From the creators of Finale, the world's leading music-notation software, SongWriter is perfect for songwriters, band and choir directors, church musicians, students, and other musicians. 

 

Virtual Drumline 2.5 by Tapspace. The world's most powerful, complete marching battery and concert percussion sample library ever recorded - featuring the 2004 world-champion Santa Clara Vanguard percussion section. 

On The Beaten Path: The Drummers Guide To Musical Styles & The Legends Who Defined Them (Book & CD). Learn to play the most legendary drum beats and solos ever recorded! This book is your essential guide to the biggest & best drummers to ever grace the instrument, the music they played, the gear they used, and the drummers that influenced them. Pick up your copy today!

 What are your drummer gift ideas?

Northcoast Academy 2012 Drumline Exercises

Looking for drumline sheet music? Are you looking to audition for an indoor drumline? Northcoast Academy recently released their audition packet for the 2012 line. Download the exercises here for snare, bass, tenor drums and cymbals.

APPLYING GRIPS TO PLAYING POSITION

Start by standing away from the drum, sticks in hand, and arms relaxed at the side. The
arms should feel like a heavy, dead weight. While maintaining a relaxed, heavy weight
from the shoulder through the elbow, lift the left forearm. The elbow shouldn’t move
from where it was while relaxing the arms at the side, and the forearm should be nearly
parallel to the ground, with the hand being just below the elbow. The wrist joint should
be locked so as to not have a broken wrist. Rotate the forearm counter-clockwise
While maintaining a relaxed, heavy weight from the shoulder through the elbow, lift the
right forearm. The elbow shouldn’t move from where it was while relaxing the arms at
the side, and the forearm should be nearly parallel to the ground, with the hand being just
below the elbow. The wrist joint should be locked so as to not have a broken wrist. Turn
the thumb toward the ground so that the back of the hand is nearly flat. Moving the
elbow away from the body slightly, bring the bead of the right stick in toward the bead of
the left stick, reaching a ½ inch away from the left bead (as you move your elbow away
from your torso, don’t let the wrist break).

In this position, walk up to the drum and put the beads over the center of the head. If the
beads aren’t a ½ inch above the head, adjust the stand/carrier so the drum meets the beads
with the proper distance between the two. Each stick should be a two finger-width
distance from the rim (this can vary depending on the bead style of the stick being used).
From here, the “V” position of the sticks should be at about a 90 degree angle. In a
horizontal sense, the right and left fulcrums should be aligned. Using traditional grip
means that the left hand will actually be lower than the right hand, because the left is
mostly under the stick whereas the right hand is mostly on top of the stick.
It is absolutely imperative to use these guidelines in order to have a perfectly symmetrical
look and sound. If the fulcrums aren’t aligned, if the beads aren’t in the center of the
head, and if the two finger-width angles of the sticks aren’t accurate, the sound CANNOT
be produced similarly from hand to hand.

Technique: How to hold a pair of drum sticks

This is taken from Northcoast Academy's 2012 Battery Percussion program.

Right Hand Grip

Start by holding the right hand palm up, fingers together and thumb

open (creating an “L”). Place the stick across the hand so that 1/3rd of

the way up the stick, the shaft lies on the middle knuckle of the index

finger. Next, the shaft near the blade of the hand should contact the

palm about a ½ inch below the pinky knuckle. From here, curl the

fingers around the stick and follow that by pulling the thumb into the

stick, effectively closing the hand. As you look at your grip, your thumb

should be just slightly to the left of parallel with the shaft of the stick.

The space between the thumb and index should be minimal, if there is

any space at all. The back of the stick should never slide into the crease

in the middle of the palm near the wrist at any time.

Left Hand Grip
Start by holding out the left hand, as if shaking someone else’s left
hand. Place the stick as far back into the pressure point between the
thumb and index finger as it can go; squeeze the thumb toward the
hand, gripping the stick. The stick should be gripped at this point 1/3rd
of the way up the stick. Curl the index finger on top of the stick, and
place the thumb on the index finger. The thumb should contact the
index finger either on the 3rd knuckle or between the middle and 3rd
knuckles. The index finger (from tip to middle knuckle) should be just
about perpendicular to the thumb (The position of the index fingers and
thumbs of both the right and left hands should be nearly identical, with
the exception of the space between the thumb and hand). Next, curl the
middle finger next to the stick in the same manner as the index, with
the tip of the finger sitting on top of the stick (the middle finger should
never be used to produce a stroke). The ring finger should be curled
under the stick and support it from underneath, with the stick sitting
between the 3rd knuckle the cuticle. The pinky curls in next to the ring
finger and is always relaxed. Looking at the grip palm down, there
should be little or no space between each finger.

2011 Howl-O-Scream Monster Stomp Rehearsal

Experience the revamping of a classic - vampires have come to the monster stomp party, and they are dying to have a good time. Witches, skeletons and beasts join them in Busch Gardens' high powered musical "rockstravaganza." This show contains adult themes. Parental supervision is advised.

Reminds me of this.

Northcoast Academy 2011 online workshop/audition

NorthCoast Academy Percussion Ensemble just posted this on their Facebook page:   

Dear friends, online workshop/audition RSVPs will be up by the end of the week! In the meantime, share this page and help us break 2,000 fans! 

We're pleased to announce the date for the annual NCA Workshop!

The Workshop is NOT a part of the audition process. It is a no-pressure event geared towards prospective auditioners who are looking to learn NCA's approach to technique or get a feel for the NCA audition and rehearsal process.

All positions are open! We are looking for snares, tenors, basses, cymbals, marimbas, vibes, 2-4 rack/oil drum, guitar, bass guitar, 2 synth, and movement line. Members of the movement line should have some gymnastics and movement background.

Online RSVP will be available at northcoastacademy.org in a few days. Please "Like" NCA's Facebook page to stay updated. 

All dates will be held at Reese High School from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
1696 S. VanBuren
Reese, MI 48757

Fee is $40 and covers all three weekends.

Visit the link below to submit any questions to director Diane King.
http://www.northcoastacademy.org/contact

Like Northcoast's Facebook page today!